This doesn't seem playable outside of EDH. 1/5 of your life per creature is rough, and on top of that it has to be cast before you lose the life or it is a do nothing enchantment. Cool card, but count me out.
Except that you're not paying the life to get the counters, you're paying life to shock, recur Blood Operative, surveil with Doom Whisperer, or, perhaps, in older formats, fetch or Thoughtseize. The counters are a bonus. I'm not sure if it will be good, but it's worth a look.
Huh. Two turns slower than Birthing Pod, and more vulnerable to removal, but an easier tutor target for decks that want her. She will probably have an impact on Standard. I'm curious about Modern...
One turn. Without ramp or any other kind of support, Pod activates turn 4, and Vannifar comes down turn 4 and activates turn 5. As others in the thread have noted, she comes with a few other significant advantages. The fact that her activated ability does not cost mana, as well as her being a creature, make it much easier to chain multiple activations in a single turn than with pod.
Point conceded. I was holding two thoughts in my head - "Pod can activate the turn it enters" and "Pod can enter on turn three (two with ramp)" - without bearing in mind that each means the other isn't happening.
Huh. Two turns slower than Birthing Pod, and more vulnerable to removal, but an easier tutor target for decks that want her. She will probably have an impact on Standard. I'm curious about Modern...
I'm... intrigued. Part of the reason I was never happy with my TrainingCompany deck was because Training Grounds ate up a precious noncreature slot. Might be time to dust off that idea.
We seem to be assuming facts not in evidence with regard to the artifact recovered from Urza's monument - that its intended function is to help deal with time rifts. We are told that Teferi thinks it might be helpful toward this end. We don't know if he thinks so because that's what it was made for (which leads to the problems people seem to be having with when Urza squirreled it away and why) or because it has some other function that he thinks he might be able to repurpose to seal time rifts. My reading is that Urza discovered or created these artifacts and thought they might be useful but didn't have any immediate use for them. He realized, though, that Teferi, being a time mage, might want to get his hands on them. If he did, he would probably use them for non-Urza-sanctioned activities. Not acceptable. So, he set up elaborate protections to keep them out of Teferi's hands. That Urza's motives have anything to do with Zhalfir or time rifts is simply speculation at this point.
Regarding Gideon's embracing pragmatism:
White can be just as pragmatic as black when circumstance demands. Don't forget that White is also the color of military thinking and battle strategy. in war, lines must often be crossed, sacrifices made and hard choices thought out in the name of victory. and sometimes you have to endure losing a few battles in the name of winning the war. This is a side of white Gideon has not been used to using, but it is a vital part of his development as a warrior and as a leader.
before he was letting his ideology dictate his decisions. But now with a long-term war objective in mind, he is learning to be a lot more strategic. Gideon is playing the long game here and I like that element of growth in his character.
I couldn't agree more. Gideon's problem isn't that he can't be pragmatic, it's that he's never had to be. He's always tried to use his indestructibility to avoid distasteful solutions - putting others at risk - but now he's learned that his armor isn't foolproof. Just as with Jace and Liliana, he has a chance to grow.
I'm intrigued by the developments with Jace, Liliana, and Gideon, and curious to see how Chandra and Nissa deal with the events of Hour of Devastation.
Definitely liking the stories so far. Some promising potential for character development for Lili, on a similar level to Jace in Ixalan. I'm seeing the possible beginnings of an arc where she learns to be honest with herself, by taking responsibility for her actions and by being forced to tell others the truth. I would find this quite appropriate for her character, as Black is, paradoxically, the most deceptive and the most brutally honest color.
Also interesting to see a deflated Gideon learning the value of pragmatism. I'm curious to see where this arc leads his character.
Liliana didn't betray the Gatewatch. She tried to convince them not to be idiots and get their ***es kicked. They didn't listen to her and got their ***es kicked. In that light, some of them may be inclined to listen to her. At the moment, it looks like Gideon might.
What are those megastructures in the background of the Jonas De Ro Art and Art Book Cover?
The Jonas De Ro art is intriguing, but I'm pretty sure the ones on the Art Book cover are mountains. They look very similar to the hill that the castle is perched on.
Kinda intrigued by the Brontodon. I'm working on a GU Modern deck that loves Qasali Pridemage in the sideboard in the white splash version, and this might be a better replacement than Caustic Caterpillar or Reclamation Sage with other splashes or no splash. Will have to wait for the set to come out to test.
Crystal Wonderland. I don't think this is good for players in overall. You are trying to offset one drawback with life gain, but the life gain part is either meaningless most of the time or building a deck to take advantage of that isn't going to be good enough.
Seaside Watchtower. Very similar case of the above, but I think that repetable scry 1 for free is broken.
I'm not sure repeatable scry 1, every other turn, starting the turn after it comes down, at the cost of a mana every other turn, is particularly broken, but yes, there are decks that can use it. I haven't tested any of these much, but I'd think these would be most tempting for control decks that don't have better options or need additional sources.
Resonant Cavern. I like it but it's probably broken. You are basically making a land that acts as a Mana ritual for all colors, which can boost almost any deck.
I'm not sure, but I think you're overestimating what Resonant Cavern can do. It's essentially a weaker Reflecting Pool, adding a mana of a type already in your mana pool, but with the upside that it can take advantage of nonland sources that Reflecting Pool can't.
Frozen Sea. Nice, I had this same idea a long time ago.
Tida plain. It is weaker than checklands, but it has the advantage of being able to enter untapped regardless of any other lands. Maybe R&D has already came up with this very same concept at one point in time. Why AND, not OR?
Actually, it was supposed to be or. Always pay attention to what you type >.<
One of my card design obsessions is finding new ideas for lands, especially dual lands. Lately, I've been fiddling with a technology that Wizards seems to have abandoned a while ago in favor of going all-in on ETBT variations.
Frozen Sea
Land T: Add W or U to your mana pool. You may pay 1 life. If you don't, Frozen Sea doesn't untap during your next untap step.
Or, a slightly more powerful template:
T: Add W or U to your mana pool. Frozen Sea doesn't untap during your next untap step unless you pay 1 life.
Some other riffs, borrowing from various tapland cycles:
Crystal Wonderland
Land T: Add W or U to your mana pool. Crystal Wonderland doesn't untap during your next untap step.
When you untap Crystal Wonderland, you gain 1 life.
Seaside Watchtower
Land T: Add W or U to your mana pool. Seaside Watchtower doesn't untap during your next untap step.
When you untap Seaside Watchtower, scry 1.
Tidal Plain
Land T: Add W or U to your mana pool. Tidal Plain doesn't untap during your next untap step unless you control a Plains and or an Island.
And an interesting idea for a one-off land:
Resonant Cavern
Land 1, T: Add two mana of the type spent to activate this ability to your mana pool.
ACtually, i don´t think that story makes you look too good. Your daugther handled herself and her opponent pretty well. I would think that is good enough. Instead you "wanted a shot in".
By this, you devalued her good hadling of the situation with your need to protect her. You change your usual behaviour just to get at him, and enjoy your success with it.
While i agree that this guy way a jerk, i belive you are a jerk and a bully, too.
Nice example you set for your daughter.
You may have a point, but seeing a twenty-plus-year-old man treating a kid like that, especially my kid, is one of the quickest ways to set me off. Besides, what did I actually do? I shook his hand, asked him how his previous round went, gushed about my kid, and let him take back a Nature's Claim on a redundant Everflowing Chalice when he had just watched me tutor for half of my two-artifact combo. My behavior made him uncomfortable because of his knowledge that he had done something wrong. Had he treated her decently, or been an autistic with limited social skills, he would have found me, at best, friendly or, at worst, mildly annoying. But he chose to be an a__ and knew it, and that's why he was uncomfortable. Besides, with a little stronger conscience, the guy would have gone to my daughter after the match to apologize, rather than to the judge to gripe.
Not the first ability I would have thought of for a non-black Relentless Rats... or the first color...
Except that you're not paying the life to get the counters, you're paying life to shock, recur Blood Operative, surveil with Doom Whisperer, or, perhaps, in older formats, fetch or Thoughtseize. The counters are a bonus. I'm not sure if it will be good, but it's worth a look.
Point conceded. I was holding two thoughts in my head - "Pod can activate the turn it enters" and "Pod can enter on turn three (two with ramp)" - without bearing in mind that each means the other isn't happening.
I couldn't agree more. Gideon's problem isn't that he can't be pragmatic, it's that he's never had to be. He's always tried to use his indestructibility to avoid distasteful solutions - putting others at risk - but now he's learned that his armor isn't foolproof. Just as with Jace and Liliana, he has a chance to grow.
I'm intrigued by the developments with Jace, Liliana, and Gideon, and curious to see how Chandra and Nissa deal with the events of Hour of Devastation.
Also interesting to see a deflated Gideon learning the value of pragmatism. I'm curious to see where this arc leads his character.
The Jonas De Ro art is intriguing, but I'm pretty sure the ones on the Art Book cover are mountains. They look very similar to the hill that the castle is perched on.
EDIT: nvm, just saw it. Mistook it for clouds lol
I'm not sure repeatable scry 1, every other turn, starting the turn after it comes down, at the cost of a mana every other turn, is particularly broken, but yes, there are decks that can use it. I haven't tested any of these much, but I'd think these would be most tempting for control decks that don't have better options or need additional sources.
I'm not sure, but I think you're overestimating what Resonant Cavern can do. It's essentially a weaker Reflecting Pool, adding a mana of a type already in your mana pool, but with the upside that it can take advantage of nonland sources that Reflecting Pool can't.
Actually, it was supposed to be or. Always pay attention to what you type >.<
Frozen Sea
Land
T: Add W or U to your mana pool. You may pay 1 life. If you don't, Frozen Sea doesn't untap during your next untap step.
Or, a slightly more powerful template:
T: Add W or U to your mana pool. Frozen Sea doesn't untap during your next untap step unless you pay 1 life.
Some other riffs, borrowing from various tapland cycles:
Crystal Wonderland
Land
T: Add W or U to your mana pool. Crystal Wonderland doesn't untap during your next untap step.
When you untap Crystal Wonderland, you gain 1 life.
Seaside Watchtower
Land
T: Add W or U to your mana pool. Seaside Watchtower doesn't untap during your next untap step.
When you untap Seaside Watchtower, scry 1.
Tidal Plain
Land
T: Add W or U to your mana pool. Tidal Plain doesn't untap during your next untap step unless you control a Plains
andor an Island.And an interesting idea for a one-off land:
Resonant Cavern
Land
1, T: Add two mana of the type spent to activate this ability to your mana pool.
You may have a point, but seeing a twenty-plus-year-old man treating a kid like that, especially my kid, is one of the quickest ways to set me off. Besides, what did I actually do? I shook his hand, asked him how his previous round went, gushed about my kid, and let him take back a Nature's Claim on a redundant Everflowing Chalice when he had just watched me tutor for half of my two-artifact combo. My behavior made him uncomfortable because of his knowledge that he had done something wrong. Had he treated her decently, or been an autistic with limited social skills, he would have found me, at best, friendly or, at worst, mildly annoying. But he chose to be an a__ and knew it, and that's why he was uncomfortable. Besides, with a little stronger conscience, the guy would have gone to my daughter after the match to apologize, rather than to the judge to gripe.