Thought Experiment #1: "Cool"

[Matt]

So this is the first in my new weekly series on card design. This is totally spontaneous and I make no guarantee that there'll be any further installments - but, ever optimism!

For this thought experiment, I'd like everyone to go through spoilers and write down what is the coolest card from each of the past sets, going back to Mirrodin, and tell us why. The "why" is critical. And remember, you only get to pick ONE from each set, so you're going to have to make some tough calls! Remember, we're looking for the coolest card, not the most powerful or best!

EDIT: Okay, from the large sets you can pick two.

My picks:

Saviors of Kamiagwa: [card]Evermind[/card], the spell-which-is-not-a-spell. This is almost like my "kicker machines" cycle. It also exemplifies how Splice is essentially the same mechanic as the alchemy cards I tried to make a long time ago.

Betrayers of Kamigawa: [card]Gods Eye Gate to the Reikai[/card]. There wasn't a lot that impressed me here, but I've always liked lands that look like they could go into every deck. The ways you could use this card are varied.

Champions of Kamigawa: [card]Petals of Insight[/card]. I like how this card is reusable - it's a lot like my fantasy card Dread Portal. I always have visions of playing such cards many times in one turn, despite how unlikely that is. This, like Evermind, is a sort of permanent that stays in your hand - which was how one writer described Buyback spells way back in Tempest block.

Fifth Dawn: Myr Servitor, especially cool because he works off anyone's Myr, not just your own.

Darksteel: Scrounge. I'm surprised we didn't see a reanimating effect for artifact creatures in this block (unless Trash for Treasure counts) but stealing your opponent's stuff is always cool.

Mirrodin: coming soon!

[asmoranomardicodais]

Okay, cool cards from each set, lets see (Sorry about runner ups, but I wanted to point out cards that are awesome that deserve mention, even though they are not my pick):

Saviors: Measure of Wickedness-I love how this card creates an entirely new dimension around it. You can create a combo deck around it, but it not a combo that autowins; its a combo that rests upon you and your opponents skill levels. It is as fun to play against as with, and both players have to change how they are playing when this comes out.
Saviors Runner Up: One with Nothing-I almost chose this card because of how utterly amazing it is as a concept, makes me want to make a combo out of it in a snap. However, since it is so much easier to discard your hand with a card that actually DOES something (wild mongrel, Rites of Initiation), this card is ultimately boring.

Betrayers: Ninja of the Deep Hours-I was wary of Ninjitsu at first, but it has become one of my favorite abilties. Ninja of the Deep Hours is the coolest of the Ninja's because he doesn't have to be used in a Ninja-only deck, like Walker of Secret Ways and Higure, but is versatile and could find his way into a bunch of different decks. His activation is low, meaning that for two mana you can net yourself another card in combat, which, in the right deck, can be very strong.
Betrayers Runner Up: Higure, the Still Wind, and Mistblade Shinobi- Higure is very very cool, but he is limited in that he is only useful in a ninja deck. Mistblade Shinobi is verstile in the same way as Deep Hours, but drawing card is more useful, and more usable than bouncing one creature.

Champions: The Unspeakable, and his enablers (Sift through Sands, Peer through Depths)- When I first saw the Unspeakable, I didn't see much of a point. He was big and strong sure, but big and strong destroyed his other ability, since you wouldn't get to use it often since your opponent would be dead. But then I found out about playing the Sift cards all in the same turn. That is beyond awesome. I love cards that are named on other cards like that, like Kuscu Drake and the other Drake searching for Viashivan Dragon. Also, if someone's playing an unspeakable deck (esp. in Multiplayer), they might lay low for a while, and then in a flurry of spells, end up with this giant monstrosity. When you get an unspeakable out this way, it feels like you shot the moon, and it feels special because it doesn't happen every game, but it's awesome once it does.
Champions Runner Up: Bushi Tenderfoot-I like trying to equip him so he doesn't die, and do all this stuff to make sure he kills something (esp. in limited). He has the same feel as the unspeakable when he flips, but he just isn't as awesome when you get him to work.

Fifth Dawn: Summoner's Egg- I don't know how to explain it, just sittting in a multiplayer game with a Nevinyrral's Disk and a Summoner's Egg with a Collosus under it is the best feeling in the world.
Fifth Dawn Runner Up: Myr Servitor- I agree with Matt, this is an awesome card. I would love to play him in any deck, just because its so frustrating for the opponent to have reusable Myrs. Since he's a 1/1 for one, he also outmodes my last favorite arifact creature, Metallic Sliver. He is also a neat enabler for a lot of strategies, from Atogs to Trinkets. This was going to be my top card for Fifth Dawn until I remembered Summoner's Egg, which in practice, is slightly awesomer than Servitor.

Darksteel: Darksteel Collosus- I'm just finally glad they made the end all-be all biggest artifact creature made, period. Before when you looked for a giant artifact creature, there was none that was just plain better than any other. Now if you need a giant creature, you know where to go.
Darksteel Runner Up: Darksteel Ingot- I liked how they outmoded all the other 3cc mana makers with this one (Sol Grail, The Invasion Cameo's, Ramos Parts). It was about time they made good mana production for this cost. Despite that, Darksteel Collosus is just more defining to the set than the ingot.

Mirrodin: Worldslayer, Myr Enforcer- Worldslayer is interesting because the equipped creature now becomes a giant threat, and blows up the world. And then things build back, and then Worldslayer blows them up again. Worldslayer takes control of the board and defines what the opponent has to do in order to win (ie, deal with the wordslayer). Myr Enforcer, because it and frogmite together bring me one step closer to my landless deck (with onithopters as affinty enablers to bring the enforcers out.)
Mirrodin Runner Up: Frogmite- See Myr Enforcer.

[Nazdakka]

Mirrodin: Isochron Scepter, Soul Foundry. The customisability of the imprint mechanic is extremely cool. At the time of release I loved both of these cards because you could do anything with them, in a lego kinda way where you build whatever machine you like.

Darksteel: Arcbound Ravager (!). Not because of the card's subsequant domination of MrBC and T2, but because I got a great 'breaking the format' feeling out of finding Ravager Affinity by myself, weeks before PT: Kobe.

Fifth Dawn: Energy Chamber. Fifth Dawn's charge counter/sunbust mechanic was very well done, it's just a pity that noone ever really used it competetively.

Champions of Kamigawa: Bushi Tenderfoot - simply excellent flavour. Eight-and-a-Half Tails because he's very powerful and very white.

Betrayers of Kamigawa: Ishi-Ishi, Akki Crackshot - The lover of goats. I just found him funny. For serious cards, I'd go for Hokori, Dust Drinker, because I like playing disruptive aggro decks and it reminded me of Phillip Pullman's excellent Northern Lights trilogy.

Saviours of Kamigawa: Enduring Ideal - I like the concept of Epic spells a lot, and this one also lets you slowly build up this great machine of enchantments, eventually overwhelming your opponent.

[Ephraim]

Saviors of Kamigawa -- Choice of Damnations
Any card that requires intense decision-making excites me. The stakes that this card raises are incredible and the way that the opponent has to carefully put himself in your shoes to determine what you'll decide for each number he could choose. I also like how it becomes strong and stronger as your opponent develops his or her board position, since your opponent acquires increasing incentive not to pick a number close to zero.

Betrayers of Kamigawa -- Budoka Pupil, Callow Jushi, Cunning Bandit, Faithful Squire, and Hired Muscle
This cycle of creatures really seemed to highlight some key flavour aspects of Betrayers of Kamigawa and of the Kamigawa block, in general. They were perfect inclusions in the second set in the block. The flip creatures from Champions of Kamigawa showed how ordinary mortals become heroes. The flip creatures from Saviors of Kamigawa showed how extraordinary creatures transcend the spirit world and the mortal world alike. The flip creatures from Betrayers, however, showed how beings in Kamigawa have a dual essence, being both mortal and spirit in nature, which has interesting philosophical ramifications when put into the context of the war between the mortal world and the spirit world.

Champions of Kamigawa -- Glacial Ray
Splice is one of the most exciting new mechanics I have seen in a very long time and Glacial Ray is iconic of the ability. The notion that two instances of a spell will have totally different effects, because one has spliced different spells to them is remarkably cool, in my opinion. It makes it feel as though Magic is no longer customizable just through the spells that one chooses to play, but also through the way in which one plays those spells. Every Shock is the same, but there are many different Glacial Rays.

Unhinged -- Atinlay Igpay
Ame-shay on-ay all-ay of-ay ou-yay or-fay orgetting-fay about-ay is-thay et-say. It-ay appeared-ay etween-bay irrodin-May and-ay aviors-Say of-ay amigawa-Kay! I-ay ove-lay is-thay ard-cay. I-ay an-cay eak-spay ig-Pay atin-Lay as-ay easily-ay as-ay I-ay eak-spay English-ay, o-say e-thay enalty-pay is-ay egligible-nay, ut-bay e-thay ee-thray/ee-thray ith-way ouble-day ike-stray or-fay ix-say at-thay enerates-gay ots-lay of-ay aughs-lay is-ay ery-vay ool-cay in-ay y-may opinion-ay. (o-Nay, I-ay id-day ot-nay un-ray is-thay ough-thray a-ay ilter-fay. I-ay ypted-tay it-ay is-thay ay-way yself-may.)

Fifth Dawn -- Lunar Avenger
I didn't even have to look at a spoiler to pick this guy. I think he's one of the coolest cards ever printed, let alone just in Fifth Dawn. Sunburst is a cool ability in the first place, since it encourages diverse mana bases which can encourage players to play with 3+ colour decks. (Never mind that every card in my Sunburst deck is blue or artifact.) Then, in addition to having Sunburst, Lunar Avenger is a golem (one of my favourite creature types) and it's a throwback to Urza's Avenger, one of my favourite old cards.

Darksteel -- Panoptic Mirror
Okay, to be fair, I haven't seen anybody to date actually do anything cool with this card, but OMG, you could get Time Walk every turn. Or if that's not your style, you could get Bribery every turn. Or you could get Crush of Worms or Lightning Surge, or Choice of Damnations every turn. Doing crap like that every turn is so cool it makes my brain explode (even if it's so hard to get the card to work that it isn't worth the trouble.)

Mirrodin -- Triskelion
I missed out on my opportunity to get this guy back in the day, so when I saw that he was coming back, I was really excited. Trike is such a great Johnny card. Being a creature, there are interesting ways to get him into play. Being fueled by +1/+1 counters, there are interesting ways to keep him charged. Dealing damage, he has very playable utility. I don't use him that often, since the downside of being such a good Johnny card is that he often wants to be the focus of a deck, but I always have fun with him when I find a place for him.