[MYO] Greed is bad, very bad for you.

[noyahuid]

Disclaimer:

this post is part of a custom Alpha Reboot set called Magic: Year One. There have been no other cards printed, and thus have no crazy vintage combos to take into consideration. I reuse names and abilities. I am concerned about balance, power levels, limited considerations, and color pie.

I love Ad Nauseam, and in a casual game, I really get a kick out of using it, whether it means that I draw a lot of cards or kill myself in the process. I really like that "come on.. one more..." aspect of black. As such, I'm trying to design a black rare for my set that explores this theme as well, and would appreciate any comments on these ideas:

Death's Reflection
Creature - Illusion (R)
When ~ leaves the battlefield, you lose 2 life for each other creature named ~ on the battlefield.
: Put a token copy of ~ onto the battlefield.
3/1

Sanity Glutton
Creature - Ooze Horror (R)
Trample
Exile the top card of your library: Put +1/+1 counters on ~ equal to that card's converted mana cost.
When ~'s power is greater than your life total, sacrifice it.
1/1

Ancient Soulsurgeon
Creature - Demon (M)
Flying, Trample
: Your life total becomes X.
6/6

[Plasmatog]
Creature - Vampire [Atog] (R)
Lifelink
Pay 2 life: ~ gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
1/1

Comments, naming help, and other card/design suggestions very much appreciated.

[colormage1]

Plasmatog needs there to be a in its activation cost or its too good.

Everything else is pretty good, flavorful, and balanced.

[blackkithkin20]

Plasmatog is absolutely broken as is! The life loss doesn't matter if they can't block it...the opponent dies right there. You would need to up it's cost or add in extra cost to activation.

[luminum can]

Agreed, Plasmatog should have an additional or to its activation.

Ancient Soulsurgeon is interesting, but actually feels like it would be a great white effect. Black being able to reset its life total each turn just doesn't feel right. Black needs its lifegain to come from an outside source, from the death/sacrifice of a permanent or from the life of another player. White is a much better fit.

[noyahuid]

Originally Posted by luminum can

Ancient Soulsurgeon is interesting, but actually feels like it would be a great white effect. Black being able to reset its life total each turn just doesn't feel right. Black needs its lifegain to come from an outside source, from the death/sacrifice of a permanent or from the life of another player. White is a much better fit.

Good point. Come to think of it, it is a rather white effect that could go to a mythic Angel.

Soulforge Seraph
Creature - Angel (M)
Flying, Vigilance
: Your life total becomes X.
7/7

-----------------------------------------------------------

On the atog:
If I put an activation cost, it'd be a pretty bad shade. At its current incarnation, the life-to-power ratio is at 2-1, not 1-1 like Wall of Blood. For it to become a 4/4, you'd have to pay 6 life, in which you gain 4 back if it hits, with a net loss of two life comparable to Putrid Leech. This isn't channel-fireball, as you could only get him to 10 power before you kill yourself. I understand that the swinginess of the card is scary, though, so would this be a safer incarnation? What's a good rarity for it?

Plasmatog
Creature - Vampire Atog (U/R)
Lifelink
, Pay 1 life: ~ gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
1/1

[ZaHiro86]

just take lifelink off of plasmatog and you're good

[Horseshoe_Hermit]

I think Reflection is still a creature type.
If so, Death's Reflection would be an Illusion Reflection.

ing to make the copies seems too slow. All it is is 3/1; it's hardly worth it. It needs moar drama.

Great design, though. It's tough to get 'copy' to look right on a black card.


Sanity Glutton... cool stuff. To push this card, I'd move the cost to 7 (but hella not 6), and make it mill more cards with each activation, while still only counting one (true mill many, exile one). The ability to remove it with an attack is good balance.


Soulsurgeon would feel right if it had abilities like this instead of :

: Your life total becomes 2.
: Your life total becomes 4.
: Your life total becomes 6.

Yes, those are the numbers I intended. They reference eastern numerical superstitions.


Lifelink on a pumping black card is just... yeah. It just doesn't seem like any Black being would share both those powers with you - at a low level (2-4 mana).

[CrazyMatt]

Lifeloss theme shouldn't be included with lifelink. Considering its a vampire there should be other vamp skills aside from lifelink.

Skelatog
Creature - Atog Skeleton (R)
Exile a creature card from your graveyard: Skelatog gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Pay 2 life: Return Skelatog from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
1/1

Path of Demise
Enchantment (R)
Pay 1 life, Exile a card from your graveyard: Exile the top card of your library. You may sacrifice Path of Demise, if you do, put that card into your hand.

Contract of the Dead
Sorcery (R)
Put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control, it can't attack this turn and put a contract counter on it. That creature has "When this creature leaves the battlefield, you lose all but 1 life." for as long as it has a contract counter on it.

[noyahuid]

Originally Posted by Horseshoe_Hermit

Soulsurgeon would feel right if it had abilities like this instead of :

: Your life total becomes 2.
: Your life total becomes 4.
: Your life total becomes 6.

I see your point, and that's actually a very good idea. That was actually my original plan; you could keep your life total protected, at the risk of it staying very low. The X was too much, though. I think that card feels more black. I could either give it this ability:

: Your life total becomes 5 until end of turn.

: Your life total becomes X until end of turn. (XXX?)

[mana cost], Sacrifice a creature: Your life total becomes the converted mana cost of that creature.

Originally Posted by Horseshoe_Hermit

Lifelink on a pumping black card is just... yeah. It just doesn't seem like any Black being would share both those powers with you - at a low level (2-4 mana).

The theme of this card post was ''greed'. I designed the card so that you "risk" your life points like a loan, then get it back when the atog hits. at best, you end up with one life point higher than what you started with, and the more life you spend, the riskier it will become (since you open yourself up to removal and potentially not be able to recover from the life you paid).

I think the latest version is ok, though I'm surprised that it's still receiving resistance. Of course, there's a great possibility that my point of view is wrong, so can someone elaborate on why life payment and lifelink shouldn't go together? Or what would be an appropriate cost / stats / rarity for the creature?

Plasmatog
Creature - Vampire Atog (U)
Lifelink
, Pay 1 life: ~ gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
1/1

Thanks for the comments!

[Rudyard]

the reflection is deceptively strong. its replication is exponential and any card that gives all your creatures haste will make an infinite combo