September 2009 - Ikeda

[Kraj]

Congratulations to Ikeda for designing this month's card of the month: Ilyss, Whisperer of Lies

Ilyss, Whisperer of Lies
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard MR
When Ilyss, Whisperer of Lies enters the battlefield, plot 5. (Exile the top five cards of your library face down. You may look at them at any time.)
, Reveal a plotted nonland card: Return target spell you control to its owner’s hand if its converted mana cost is greater than or equal to the plotted card’s converted mana cost. If you do, you may cast the plotted card without paying its mana cost, then plot 3.
“Why must I study the science of truth when I hold far more interest in the art of deception?”
3/4
Artist: Jian Guo




This card was the winning design of the September MCC. The effect has some grokkability issues, but in a nutshell it is Ninjutsu for spells. The card is wonderfully balanced, innovative, and looks like it would be incredibly fun to play.


Honorable Mention: Blinking Spirit

Battle Bolt
Sorcery (C)
Spellcharge
Battle Bolt deals 2 damage to target creature or player. If Battle Bolt's spellcharge cost wasn't paid, exile it spellcharging a creature you control.

Spellcharge [cost] (You may exile this from your hand spellcharging a creature you control any time you could cast a sorcery. Whenever the spellcharged creature deals combat damage to a player, you may cast this for its spellcharge cost.)

[spacelion]

Spellcharge is poorly worded. You would only be able to cast it once and then the Spellcharge is done, it needs to copy it and then cast the copy.

[jaimewolf]

Originally Posted by spacelion

Spellcharge is poorly worded. You would only be able to cast it once and then the Spellcharge is done, it needs to copy it and then cast the copy.

I believe Spellcharge is meant to work this way; you'll get to play a spell for a reduced cost if you are able to have a specific creature deal combat damage to a player. In this case, Battle Bolt is a potential 3cc spell dealing 4 damage, but only if you are able to also deal combat damage as well.

[Gerrard's Mom]

Two sort of confusing mechanics, but well done, and nice to see Ikeda get some recognition. You could drop the flavor text on Ilyss to save space, maybe that was for the round requirement. Credit is also due to Jimmy Groove, I believe, for designing the original Plot mechanic.

[Ebrethil]

Returning a spell you controll... does that counter the spell?

Isn't it too good? It seems a bit powerful to me...

A random cascade card, let the cascade trigger, then ninjutsu the spell

[sonicqaz]

The ninjutsued spell has to cost more than the new spell, so it seems fair to me. I don't even think the card is particularly strong, but it is pretty cool.

[hotgoat]

Originally Posted by spacelion

Spellcharge is poorly worded. You would only be able to cast it once and then the Spellcharge is done, it needs to copy it and then cast the copy.

I agree with this. The woding is poor. It has to do with the explaination of how the card is exiled from your hand. There is a conflict in that the spell wants to do 2 damage and then exile itself, both things cannot happen at the same time. Also the creature that has an active Spellcharge on it will cause the ability to fail because the Spellcharge part of the ability is still in the copy. And you could technically spellchage another creature with it. It would be better to separate the abilities and on grant the damage part.

Battle Bolt
Sorcery (C)

Spellcharge
Spellcharge [cost] (You may exile this from your hand spellcharging a creature you control any time you could cast a sorcery. Whenever the spellcharged creature deals combat damage to a player, you may cast this for its spellcharge cost.)

Battle Bolt deals 2 damage to target creature or player.

Basically you are imprinting a creature with the damage clause. The cost for the first use is the same as the mana cost as the original spell, but you run the risk of lossing your creature to gain continual benefit from the Spellcharge. Also are you limited to one activation or many activations.

[avataroflaw]

for merely 4 blue mana, you get a 3/4 with a broken ability. What the heck does "Return target spell you control to its owner’s hand if its converted mana cost is greater than or equal to the plotted card’s converted mana cost" even mean?!?!!? Are you countering your own spell or what? It's really odd. Also it allows you to plot 3 more times. It's too good, too confusing, and too cheap to cast.

[SummaNerd]

Originally Posted by avataroflaw

for merely 4 blue mana, you get a 3/4 with a broken ability. What the heck does "Return target spell you control to its owner’s hand if its converted mana cost is greater than or equal to the plotted card’s converted mana cost" even mean?!?!!? Are you countering your own spell or what? It's really odd. Also it allows you to plot 3 more times. It's too good, too confusing, and too cheap to cast.

Quad blue is pretty hard to get, she has to live a turn, and you have to plot into something useful. Doesn't seem too strong to me. Complete Johnny card. And returning the spell will counter it.

[Starkiller2]

i like the bolt.

[Lt. Ripper]

Originally Posted by avataroflaw

for merely 4 blue mana, you get a 3/4 with a broken ability. What the heck does "Return target spell you control to its owner’s hand if its converted mana cost is greater than or equal to the plotted card’s converted mana cost" even mean?!?!!? Are you countering your own spell or what? It's really odd. Also it allows you to plot 3 more times. It's too good, too confusing, and too cheap to cast.

how do you know it's broken if you don't know what half the spell does, lol.

[Damiensrealm]

No, the card is pretty much busted. As long as you have an instant or flash card, basically everything turns into gas. Not to mention your original spell comes back to your hand. Crazy card advantage, it quickly becomes tutoring. It's the most rediculous form of cascade. It would be an auto-include in my edh deck and maybe even replace teferi as a general because of the CA it creates.

[Jimmy Groove]

Hey, that's my plot mechanic. Spiffy. A bit more confusing than I'd like to see it, but nice that it has gotten attention; I've got a set where that's a key player.

[Ebrethil]

Originally Posted by Damiensrealm

No, the card is pretty much busted. As long as you have an instant or flash card, basically everything turns into gas. Not to mention your original spell comes back to your hand. Crazy card advantage, it quickly becomes tutoring. It's the most rediculous form of cascade. It would be an auto-include in my edh deck and maybe even replace teferi as a general because of the CA it creates.

You can even combine it with cascade very well!

[blue]

I don't see the problem with the blue card. You pay 4 for a spell and then instead you essentially counter that spell and play something cheaper that was plotted. So you're basically paying 4 for a spell that costs 3 or less. The advantage is that you eat your deck so you're tutoring up more and more spells but the disadvantage is that you have to pay more for all your spells (and thus have a variety of costs)

Sure it works well with Cascade and sort of for storm. You could play some mana accel then Mind's Desire and return the original to your hand, play a plotted card that costs less (brain freeze or Tendrils of Agony I guess or turnabout since you want to use this ability again AND untap your lands) then play Mind's Desire again to storm again...

But that's a lot of cards in a combo deck and kind the only thing it'd be played in. Cascading is great but...are you really concerned that you paid 4 for a 3 CC spell ruturned the 4 CC spell to your hand and cast a 3 CC cascade spell to get out a 2 or less spell?

Wouldn't that be the best case scenario? Comes into play, plot 5. Next turn play a 5CC cascade spell. Cascade. Play that spell. Return either the cascaded spell or the 5CC cascade to your hand and play something you plotted with Cascade. Cascade.

Erm...I don't think that's broken but it's a very good situation to be in for a combo deck relying on Cascade and this guy to win you the game.

Spellcharge: So...you play the spell and if you DIDN'T use the Spellcharge cost...you attach it to a creature for a benefit (in a haunting sort of way). Or is it you can get the effect cheaper at R or you can get both effects by just playing it normally?