For Call to Glory, the rest of the planned red Ninja cards:
Pepperfish Breeder2R
Creature - Ogre Ninja [C]
Ninjutsu
Whenever Pepperfish Breeder deals combat damage to a player, put that many 1/1 red Salamander creature tokens onto the battlefield.
[1/3]
Smoke Walks as Flesh4R
Creature - Ogre Ninja [U]
Ninjutsu 2R
Whenever Smoke Walks as Flesh deals combat damage to a player, add that much +:symr:+ to your mana pool. (+:symr:+ doesn't empty from your mana pool as steps and phases end.)
[2/4]
Jigoku Fugitive3RRR
Creature - Ogre Ninja [R]
Protection from Demons
Ninjutsu 1RRR
Whenever Jigoku Fugitive deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices that many permanents.
Red seems like the perfect place for Ninjutsu, although it could do with a name change since red isn't exactly Ninj-esque. Perhaps Sneak Attack instead?
Pepperfish Breeder - This is great, but I'd change the stats to be more aggresive. Remember with Ninjutsu you don't care about you're creature's toughness since it's already unblocked. This could be a 2/1. Also why does this make Salamanders? Lizards or Goblins would be a better fit methinks. This is also an uncommon at minimum.
Smoke - This card would be fine if it had normal wording on its ability, not silly reminder text for a silly extra symbol. This card could also do with restating, 3/2 with Ninjutsu RR, mana cost 3R.
Jigoku - As stated, this is a 4-mana "you win" spell. Even Time Walk requires you to actually win. This or any varient of this should never see print.
I pretty much agree with the consensus on the Fugitive, so I'm going to offer up a few variants and see which one takes:
Jigoku Fugitive (A)4RR
Creature - Ogre Ninja [R]
Protection from Demons
Ninjutsu 2RR
Whenever Jigoku Fugitive deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices that many permanents.
[2/4]
Jigoku Fugitive (B)3RR
Creature - Ogre Ninja [R]
Protection from Demons
Ninjutsu 1RR
Whenever Jigoku Fugitive deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices that many permanents.
[1/5]
Jigoku Fugitive (C)3RRR
Creature - Ogre Ninja [R]
Protection from Demons
Ninjutsu 1RRR
Whenever Jigoku Fugitive deals combat damage to a player, each player sacrifices that many permanents.
[3/3]
Feel free to suggest some other variant of that.
As for the others, I'm trying to curve out the red Ninja contingent so that they each hit a different CMC and so that they have a good amount of variability in power and toughness. So, wherever Jigoku Fugitive lands, that will influence how I tweak the rest of them.
The issue with the sac ability is that its always going to be bad if rightly costed on a non-Legendary non-Mythic. None of these cards seem fun to play. If you made the sacrificed fixed, that might help:
Jug Fugitive3RR
Creature - Ogre Warrior (U)
Ninjustu 1RRR
When CARD deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices a permanent. 3/3
This is fair, good in limited, and has the potential for constructed play. Everything wanted in a good uncommon.
If you made the sacrificed fixed, that might help:
I've made the decision that the red Ninjas in my set are going to be mechanically differentiated from the blue / black ones by a "that many" / "that much" combat damage trigger. So, if I can't make it work for the Jigoku Fugitive as it stands, I'm just going to have to find another trigger (other than permanent sacrificing) that does work.
I can see your point about the Fugitive's design possibly not having a mana cost / power / toughness combination where it is both fun + appropriate, but I don't think that's true for Pepperfish Breeder or Smoke Walks as Flesh (don't know if you were suggesting that or not.)
Anyway, I'm going to keep hammering away at the Fugitive and hope I can get it working.
I can neither see the mechanical nor the flavor aspect in giving Red ninjutsu, and I'd really like a statement from Guesswork on why he thinks this is a fit too.
Truthfully, I'm not 100% ready to give my impassioned defense of red ninjutsu. Now, I think it's a good concept (and I'll explain why below) but I really need my cards to be rock-solid proof of that concept before I say, "See, this is why red ninjutsu is a good idea." Obviously, I'm still working out some of the kinks with these cards here. Furthermore, I will need to design the set's blue and black Ninjas to show why the red Ninjas are necessary, in contrast. I'll mount my defense sometime in the next couple weeks.
Conceptually, I'll start you off by re-linking to Retribution on my set webpage. Read that as a starting point.
I agree that there's nothing subtle about red. And, trying to shoehorn subtlety into red is not a credulous flavor decision. So, I decided I wasn't even going to try - the red Ninjas weren't going to be sneaky Humans, or even sneaky Goblins, they were going to be kick-down-the-door Ogres.
So, what makes them Ninjas, and not Warriors or Berserkers? They're smart. They're organized. And they intend to survive. In my story, the Imori Gang are a clandestine group of ogres who have either escaped from Oni slavery or who are still slaves but are fighting back against their masters in secret. They have to hide their identities, but their objectives are not theft or assassination - their objective is the complete, calamitous destruction of their demon masters and every person, place, or thing under their masters' sway.
Basically, they're terrorists. Their tactics are to blow up Oni shrines, instill dread in the Demon-worshippers, burn infested cities to the ground, and escape before anybody can even sound the alarm. They're the car bombs of the Ninja world. Secret, powerful, and as subtle as, well... a car bomb.
Mechanically, red likes attackers, and likes combat tricks with attackers. One check for Ninjutsu. Red is also a secondary bounce color, as seen with cards like Viashino Sandstalker. Two checks. The third check can come from the existence of cards like my red unblocking vertical cycle. So, not sneaking around attackers quite so much as barreling through them. I'm going to try to have some more mechanics like this.
Q: Could you explain the thinking behind the red ninjas in Betrayers of Kamigawa? I understand the blue and black ones, but red does not seem so sneaky. What went into the decision to include red ninjas?
--Frank S.
A: From Brady Dommermuth, Magic Creative Director:
To be frank, Frank, credit goes to Creative team lead Mike Turian for this bold flavor choice. I'm sure you've read the countless articles here at magicthegathering.com regarding the tengu (mountain-dwelling humanoid birds), and how Mike felt they were so essential to Japanese folklore that we simply couldn't do a feudal-Japan-inspired block without them. When he first proposed the idea of the tengu being red's main race in the block, I thought he was joking, and the rest of the developers were just as incredulous. But Mike continued to lobby for the tengu, claiming that the flavor payoff would make the color-pie weirdness worthwhile. Given the success and popularity of the tengu, I'd like to say that the development team came around to Mike's way of thinking, but that's not how it happened. In the end, Magic Director Mark Gottlieb had to intervene and make a decision, and he decided that Mike's plan was worth trying. So that's the story of how the Kamigawa block got a whole slew of common red flyers.
As for the tengu ninja, Mike told us that Japanese folklore portrayed tengu as master swordsmen and consummate tricksters. Agility, evasion (through flight), the trickster vibe… the stage seemed to be set for red ninjas. I think it was one of the Creative interns – either Kai or Elaine – who first suggested the "Order of Smoke" treatment, with tengu ninja specializing in flashes of fire and smoke for obfuscation. Mike liked the idea, and the development team was looking for a few more red tap-down effects anyway. And the rest, as they say, is history.
What is 'What If?' Week?
It's "What If?" Week here on magicthegathering.com, and in the spirit of Planar Chaos, we're presenting you with a variety of "What If?" alternate reality scenarios. Some of them, like Mark Rosewater's column, explain the premise up-front; others, like Kelly Digges' feature article, encourage you to figure out the "What If?" on your own. Ask Wizards and Card of the Day are in on the fun as well, containing implied "What If?" questions, but Arcana is "normal" – we didn't feel alternate reality scenarios would play well in that format. Thanks for reading, and enjoy "What If?" Week!
Red is not just Rawr in your face. Red can be fast and agile. And red is the trickster color. It sometimes does things just because they are fun and annoying to the enemy. Red Ninjas could use scare tactics (Panic Attack) and flash bombs to distract enemies.
But I will repeat what I mentioned before also: Ogre Ninjas do not make sense. Red Ninjas need to be a race that is small and quick. "Ogre" is the part that is confusing because Ogres are the lumbering brutes that chaosof99 is associating as being general characteristics of red. The Ask Wizards explains a lot of idea behind the alternate idea of the Bird species Tengu and has ideas that go towards mechanical justifications for red Ninjas. You don't necessarily need to use Bird Ninjas (although there is already a lot of flavor work done for you) but you do need to use some of the same mechanical justifications.
If you haven't already used it, the Mordant Dragon ability seems appropriate for how you are doing red Ninja abilities, even though it is functionally similar to Throat Slitter.
If you haven't already used it, the Mordant Dragon ability seems appropriate for how you are doing red Ninja abilities, even though it is functionally similar to Throat Slitter.
Thanks for the suggestion. That is, however, the ability I used on the first Ninja that I created for this cycle, Blood-Mad Shinobi.
I get that I'm going to a somewhat jarring flavor place with Ogre Ninjas. I'm doing that intentionally. For my part, I'm tasking myself with doing things differently than Kamigawa block, both mechanically and flavor-wise. I think I also perceive the core of Ninjutsu not to be sneaking through the shadows, but rather using surprise, secrecy, and unconventional tactics to achieve a goal. Those are all concepts I'm investing in these red Ninjas. (Even their leader's pseudonym, Gokuhi, means "top secret.")
I think that when the full picture of Call to Glory Ninjas is painted, these guys will totally make sense, even to the skeptics.
I think the rule about the Fugitive is that no matter what you cost him, you're just making him less playable. He needs to simply be they sacrifice a permanent at worst, the ability to pump him makes him way too good otherwise.
As I said before Ninjutsu makes sense in red mechanically perfectly. This about red damage spells, now think about Ninjutsu. Do you see the play paralells? Ninjutsu fits the sneakier, fast red. It also plays really well as red tends to have lots of attackers and more ways than most to control blocks.
Red Ninjas work. Red ogre ninjas, not so much. I think the fact that you have new ways to activate ninjitsu is huge. While not as effective as flying, Red adds to the mix things like:
Red Ninja's Best FriendR
Creature - Viashino
Haste
When ~ enters the battlefield, target creature can't block this turn.
1/1
Creatively, red ninjas are a bit of a stretch, but mechanically I would say it is the perfect third color.
I tend to agree that sacrificing a number of permanents based on the damage dealt is an ill choice - the card will likely need to be "overbalanced" and end up being no fun.
And there is a real scarcity of alternatives as well...
Jigoku Fugitive :4mana::symr::symr::symr:
Creature - Ogre Ninja (R)
Double strike
Ninjutsu :2mana::symr::symr::symr:
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, put that many +1/+1 counters on ~.
3/3
I'm uncertain how important it is that the saboteur flavor is damaging - you already have the mana producing variant, so it might not be out of question as an alternative.
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Planar Chaos was not a mistake neither was it random. You might want to look at it again.
[thread=239793][Game] Level Up - Creature[/thread]
I tend to agree that sacrificing a number of permanents based on the damage dealt is an ill choice - the card will likely need to be "overbalanced" and end up being no fun.
And there is a real scarcity of alternatives as well...
Jigoku Fugitive :4mana::symr::symr::symr:
Creature - Ogre Ninja (R)
Double strike
Ninjutsu :2mana::symr::symr::symr:
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, put that many +1/+1 counters on ~.
3/3
I'm uncertain how important it is that the saboteur flavor is damaging - you already have the mana producing variant, so it might not be out of question as an alternative.
I do like that as an alternative... and I really, really wanted to do just that at one point.
The problem is that I have designated the ki counter as my go-to "creature counter" for this block. Which means that you probably won't see any +1/+1 or -1/-1 counters outside of maybe a couple mythics.
I know I've straightjacketed myself, here, and I'm definitely feeling the strain of my choices. I agree with the "overbalancing" criticism, and am trying to find another alternative to the permanent-sacking. At this point it's a case of waiting for my "Aha!" moment. Or waiting for one of you nice forum-goers to supply that moment.
But, sadly, the +1/+1 counter idea isn't really going to work for this.
So there are two more things that I could see at rare: Free spells and an additional combat phase.
For a free spell, the combat damage could limit the converted mana cost. I'd say cascade for X would make for a great rare.
Jigoku Fugitive :2mana::symr::symr::symr:
Creature - Ogre Ninja (R)
Ninjutsu :2mana::symr::symr:
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs X or less, where X is the damage dealt this way. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order.
3/2
The approach with an additional combat phase is hard to tackle since you have almost no value to scale with your damage.
Jigoku Fugitive :4mana::symr::symr:
Creature - Ogre Ninja (R)
Ninjutsu :2mana::symr::symr:
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, if it's the first combat phase of the turn, untap up to that many creatures you control. After this phase, there is an additional combat phase.
3/3
So there are two more things that I could see at rare: Free spells and an additional combat phase.
For a free spell, the combat damage could limit the converted mana cost. I'd say cascade for X would make for a great rare.
Jigoku Fugitive :2mana::symr::symr::symr:
Creature - Ogre Ninja (R)
Ninjutsu :2mana::symr::symr:
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs X or less, where X is the damage dealt this way. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order.
3/2
The approach with an additional combat phase is hard to tackle since you have almost no value to scale with your damage.
Jigoku Fugitive :4mana::symr::symr:
Creature - Ogre Ninja (R)
Ninjutsu :2mana::symr::symr:
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, if it's the first combat phase of the turn, untap up to that many creatures you control. After this phase, there is an additional combat phase.
3/3
Not calling this an "Aha!" moment, necessarily, but what if we met half way?
Jigoku Fugitive3RR
Creature - Ogre Ninja [R]
Ninjutsu 1RR
Whenever Jigoku Fugitive deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices half that many permanents, rounded up.
[2/3]
I left out the Pro Demons ability because I'm starting to feel like it's extraneous, mechanically, even if it makes sense flavor-wise.
4 Mana (Giant Growth) to make someone sacrifice 4 things on turn 4 is really.. really.. broken. That's not just "combo", that's just redic.
I once tried a custom cycle based on pumping, the results after testing were that its just too swingy, it makes RG super powerful and just doesn't play as well as you'd like it to.
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4 Mana (Giant Growth) to make someone sacrifice 4 things on turn 4 is really.. really.. broken. That's not just "combo", that's just redic.
Math is off, there. Giant Growthing this guy would equal 3 sacked permanents.
I don't think these are all super-swingy. I've tried to avoid the "Sucks if you don't have pump, insane if you do," dichotomy. It's clear that this guy suffers from that the worst. But I think I can see something approaching balance on the horizon.
I'll still consider the other designs. I also like SecretInfiltrator's second design. I just have to decide if this is the card on which I blow my "additional combat phase" allotment.
Creature - Ogre Ninja [C]
Ninjutsu
Whenever Pepperfish Breeder deals combat damage to a player, put that many 1/1 red Salamander creature tokens onto the battlefield.
[1/3]
Creature - Ogre Ninja [U]
Ninjutsu 2R
Whenever Smoke Walks as Flesh deals combat damage to a player, add that much +:symr:+ to your mana pool. (+:symr:+ doesn't empty from your mana pool as steps and phases end.)
[2/4]
Creature - Ogre Ninja [R]
Protection from Demons
Ninjutsu 1RRR
Whenever Jigoku Fugitive deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices that many permanents.
[3/3]
Consider that you can drop this potentially as an attacker on your 4th turn (Your opponent's 3rd turn).
At this point in the game, your opponent may only have 3 lands. They're required to sacrifice all of them.
Oops, good game.
You may be correct. Will consider!
Pepperfish Breeder - This is great, but I'd change the stats to be more aggresive. Remember with Ninjutsu you don't care about you're creature's toughness since it's already unblocked. This could be a 2/1. Also why does this make Salamanders? Lizards or Goblins would be a better fit methinks. This is also an uncommon at minimum.
Smoke - This card would be fine if it had normal wording on its ability, not silly reminder text for a silly extra symbol. This card could also do with restating, 3/2 with Ninjutsu RR, mana cost 3R.
Jigoku - As stated, this is a 4-mana "you win" spell. Even Time Walk requires you to actually win. This or any varient of this should never see print.
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Creature - Ogre Ninja [R]
Protection from Demons
Ninjutsu 2RR
Whenever Jigoku Fugitive deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices that many permanents.
[2/4]
Creature - Ogre Ninja [R]
Protection from Demons
Ninjutsu 1RR
Whenever Jigoku Fugitive deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices that many permanents.
[1/5]
Creature - Ogre Ninja [R]
Protection from Demons
Ninjutsu 1RRR
Whenever Jigoku Fugitive deals combat damage to a player, each player sacrifices that many permanents.
[3/3]
As for the others, I'm trying to curve out the red Ninja contingent so that they each hit a different CMC and so that they have a good amount of variability in power and toughness. So, wherever Jigoku Fugitive lands, that will influence how I tweak the rest of them.
Jug Fugitive 3RR
Creature - Ogre Warrior (U)
Ninjustu 1RRR
When CARD deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices a permanent.
3/3
This is fair, good in limited, and has the potential for constructed play. Everything wanted in a good uncommon.
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I've made the decision that the red Ninjas in my set are going to be mechanically differentiated from the blue / black ones by a "that many" / "that much" combat damage trigger. So, if I can't make it work for the Jigoku Fugitive as it stands, I'm just going to have to find another trigger (other than permanent sacrificing) that does work.
I can see your point about the Fugitive's design possibly not having a mana cost / power / toughness combination where it is both fun + appropriate, but I don't think that's true for Pepperfish Breeder or Smoke Walks as Flesh (don't know if you were suggesting that or not.)
Anyway, I'm going to keep hammering away at the Fugitive and hope I can get it working.
Truthfully, I'm not 100% ready to give my impassioned defense of red ninjutsu. Now, I think it's a good concept (and I'll explain why below) but I really need my cards to be rock-solid proof of that concept before I say, "See, this is why red ninjutsu is a good idea." Obviously, I'm still working out some of the kinks with these cards here. Furthermore, I will need to design the set's blue and black Ninjas to show why the red Ninjas are necessary, in contrast. I'll mount my defense sometime in the next couple weeks.
Conceptually, I'll start you off by re-linking to Retribution on my set webpage. Read that as a starting point.
I agree that there's nothing subtle about red. And, trying to shoehorn subtlety into red is not a credulous flavor decision. So, I decided I wasn't even going to try - the red Ninjas weren't going to be sneaky Humans, or even sneaky Goblins, they were going to be kick-down-the-door Ogres.
So, what makes them Ninjas, and not Warriors or Berserkers? They're smart. They're organized. And they intend to survive. In my story, the Imori Gang are a clandestine group of ogres who have either escaped from Oni slavery or who are still slaves but are fighting back against their masters in secret. They have to hide their identities, but their objectives are not theft or assassination - their objective is the complete, calamitous destruction of their demon masters and every person, place, or thing under their masters' sway.
Basically, they're terrorists. Their tactics are to blow up Oni shrines, instill dread in the Demon-worshippers, burn infested cities to the ground, and escape before anybody can even sound the alarm. They're the car bombs of the Ninja world. Secret, powerful, and as subtle as, well... a car bomb.
Mechanically, red likes attackers, and likes combat tricks with attackers. One check for Ninjutsu. Red is also a secondary bounce color, as seen with cards like Viashino Sandstalker. Two checks. The third check can come from the existence of cards like my red unblocking vertical cycle. So, not sneaking around attackers quite so much as barreling through them. I'm going to try to have some more mechanics like this.
So, anyway, that's the short version.
Ask Wizards March 1, 2007
--Frank S.
A: From Brady Dommermuth, Magic Creative Director:
To be frank, Frank, credit goes to Creative team lead Mike Turian for this bold flavor choice. I'm sure you've read the countless articles here at magicthegathering.com regarding the tengu (mountain-dwelling humanoid birds), and how Mike felt they were so essential to Japanese folklore that we simply couldn't do a feudal-Japan-inspired block without them. When he first proposed the idea of the tengu being red's main race in the block, I thought he was joking, and the rest of the developers were just as incredulous. But Mike continued to lobby for the tengu, claiming that the flavor payoff would make the color-pie weirdness worthwhile. Given the success and popularity of the tengu, I'd like to say that the development team came around to Mike's way of thinking, but that's not how it happened. In the end, Magic Director Mark Gottlieb had to intervene and make a decision, and he decided that Mike's plan was worth trying. So that's the story of how the Kamigawa block got a whole slew of common red flyers.
As for the tengu ninja, Mike told us that Japanese folklore portrayed tengu as master swordsmen and consummate tricksters. Agility, evasion (through flight), the trickster vibe… the stage seemed to be set for red ninjas. I think it was one of the Creative interns – either Kai or Elaine – who first suggested the "Order of Smoke" treatment, with tengu ninja specializing in flashes of fire and smoke for obfuscation. Mike liked the idea, and the development team was looking for a few more red tap-down effects anyway. And the rest, as they say, is history.
What is 'What If?' Week?
It's "What If?" Week here on magicthegathering.com, and in the spirit of Planar Chaos, we're presenting you with a variety of "What If?" alternate reality scenarios. Some of them, like Mark Rosewater's column, explain the premise up-front; others, like Kelly Digges' feature article, encourage you to figure out the "What If?" on your own. Ask Wizards and Card of the Day are in on the fun as well, containing implied "What If?" questions, but Arcana is "normal" – we didn't feel alternate reality scenarios would play well in that format. Thanks for reading, and enjoy "What If?" Week!
Red is not just Rawr in your face. Red can be fast and agile. And red is the trickster color. It sometimes does things just because they are fun and annoying to the enemy. Red Ninjas could use scare tactics (Panic Attack) and flash bombs to distract enemies.
But I will repeat what I mentioned before also: Ogre Ninjas do not make sense. Red Ninjas need to be a race that is small and quick. "Ogre" is the part that is confusing because Ogres are the lumbering brutes that chaosof99 is associating as being general characteristics of red. The Ask Wizards explains a lot of idea behind the alternate idea of the Bird species Tengu and has ideas that go towards mechanical justifications for red Ninjas. You don't necessarily need to use Bird Ninjas (although there is already a lot of flavor work done for you) but you do need to use some of the same mechanical justifications.
If you haven't already used it, the Mordant Dragon ability seems appropriate for how you are doing red Ninja abilities, even though it is functionally similar to Throat Slitter.
Thanks for the suggestion. That is, however, the ability I used on the first Ninja that I created for this cycle, Blood-Mad Shinobi.
I get that I'm going to a somewhat jarring flavor place with Ogre Ninjas. I'm doing that intentionally. For my part, I'm tasking myself with doing things differently than Kamigawa block, both mechanically and flavor-wise. I think I also perceive the core of Ninjutsu not to be sneaking through the shadows, but rather using surprise, secrecy, and unconventional tactics to achieve a goal. Those are all concepts I'm investing in these red Ninjas. (Even their leader's pseudonym, Gokuhi, means "top secret.")
I think that when the full picture of Call to Glory Ninjas is painted, these guys will totally make sense, even to the skeptics.
Creature - Ogre Ninja [R]
Protection from Demons
Ninjutsu 3RRR
Whenever Jigoku Fugitive deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices that many permanents.
[3/1]
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=421349
I think the rule about the Fugitive is that no matter what you cost him, you're just making him less playable. He needs to simply be they sacrifice a permanent at worst, the ability to pump him makes him way too good otherwise.
Hell give him Trample and he becomes an Eldrazi.
Also Red's evasion is intimidation. Nightbird's Clutches and such come to mind.
RRR Khorenthos - The Red Block (Feedback needed!) RRR
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Red Ninja's Best Friend R
Creature - Viashino
Haste
When ~ enters the battlefield, target creature can't block this turn.
1/1
Creatively, red ninjas are a bit of a stretch, but mechanically I would say it is the perfect third color.
And there is a real scarcity of alternatives as well...
Creature - Ogre Ninja (R)
Double strike
Ninjutsu :2mana::symr::symr::symr:
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, put that many +1/+1 counters on ~.
3/3
Finally a good white villain quote: "So, do I ever re-evaluate my life choices? Never, because I know what I'm doing is a righteous cause."
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I do like that as an alternative... and I really, really wanted to do just that at one point.
The problem is that I have designated the ki counter as my go-to "creature counter" for this block. Which means that you probably won't see any +1/+1 or -1/-1 counters outside of maybe a couple mythics.
I know I've straightjacketed myself, here, and I'm definitely feeling the strain of my choices. I agree with the "overbalancing" criticism, and am trying to find another alternative to the permanent-sacking. At this point it's a case of waiting for my "Aha!" moment. Or waiting for one of you nice forum-goers to supply that moment.
But, sadly, the +1/+1 counter idea isn't really going to work for this.
I still think a fixed sacrifice is your best bet.
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Creature - Ogre Ninja [R]
Ninjutsu 1RR
Whenever Jigoku Fugitive deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices half that many permanents, rounded up.
[2/3]
GWU Rafiq
RWB Zurgo
WBG Ghave
WUB Oloro
WBR Kaalia (Archived)
My Blog, currently working on series about my custom set Cazia.
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I don't think it breaks; I think it combos.
For a free spell, the combat damage could limit the converted mana cost. I'd say cascade for X would make for a great rare.
Creature - Ogre Ninja (R)
Ninjutsu :2mana::symr::symr:
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs X or less, where X is the damage dealt this way. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order.
3/2
The approach with an additional combat phase is hard to tackle since you have almost no value to scale with your damage.
Creature - Ogre Ninja (R)
Ninjutsu :2mana::symr::symr:
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, if it's the first combat phase of the turn, untap up to that many creatures you control. After this phase, there is an additional combat phase.
3/3
On the plus side it doubles as a throwback to Godo, Bandit Warlord.
Finally a good white villain quote: "So, do I ever re-evaluate my life choices? Never, because I know what I'm doing is a righteous cause."
Factions: Sleeping
Remnants: Valheim
Legendary Journey: Heroes & Planeswalkers
Saga: Shards of Rabiah
Legends: The Elder Dragons
Read up on Red Flags & NWO
1st one is really really wordy, not a big fan of it. However the second one I LOVE.
4 Mana (Giant Growth) to make someone sacrifice 4 things on turn 4 is really.. really.. broken. That's not just "combo", that's just redic.
I once tried a custom cycle based on pumping, the results after testing were that its just too swingy, it makes RG super powerful and just doesn't play as well as you'd like it to.
RRR Khorenthos - The Red Block (Feedback needed!) RRR
Math is off, there. Giant Growthing this guy would equal 3 sacked permanents.
I don't think these are all super-swingy. I've tried to avoid the "Sucks if you don't have pump, insane if you do," dichotomy. It's clear that this guy suffers from that the worst. But I think I can see something approaching balance on the horizon.
I'll still consider the other designs. I also like SecretInfiltrator's second design. I just have to decide if this is the card on which I blow my "additional combat phase" allotment.