Misplaced Contempt

[asmoranomardicodais]

THis is my try at a good multi-colored card that mixes both colors really well, similar to recoil.

Misplaced Contempt
1BU

Target player chooses a creature they control. Put that creature on top of owner's players library, then look at the top three cards of that library. Remove one of those cards from the game, and put the rest back in the same order.

So, by mixing repel, a very blue card, edict, a very black card, and sealed fate, a very U/B card, you get a very flexible card that opens up a lot of possibilities. Should you remove the creature, or let them waste their draw on the creature again? I think its a very interesting card. What do you think?

Misplaced Contempt
1BU
Sorcery

Target player chooses a creature they control. Put that creature on top of owner's library, then look at the top two cards of that player's library. Remove one of those cards from the game, and put the other on top of the library.

[Jacob Orlove]

Is this an instant or a sorcery?

[asmoranomardicodais]

Sorry, I meant it too be a sorcery.

[Sanity_XIV]

"top of owner's players library, then look at the top three cards of that library"

Should be: top of its owner's library, then look at the top three card of that player's library.

At least I think so.

[Ephraim]

In addition to Sanity's suggestion, this probably needs to read "put the rest back in any order." Keeping track of the order of any number of concealed cards (yes, even just two) is difficult to do. Somebody intending to cheat could easily do so. Wizards has basically acknowledged that this situation makes it very easy to cheat or make a mistake and they simply let you put them back in any order.

[asmoranomardicodais]

The problem was, if they could put it backin any order, they still have the ability to stack the opponents library with useless cards for a turn, even if they remove the creature. I guess the solution is too only look at the top two cards, so there is no problem with which order they are put back on.

So, I'll change that.

[Ephraim]

It would probably be too much of a copycat, but this idea would be kind of interesting tied to the mechanic of Telling Time (recently previewed on MTG.com) Look at the top 3, remove one from the game, put one on the bottom, and one on the top.

[asmoranomardicodais]

That's a cool idea Ephraim, but the card would have to be costed a bit more. As it is, it very limitedly stacks their deck for one turn, and doesn't even kill the creature necessarily. Your way would allow to kill the creature, take away the strongest card on the library, and know what their next draw is, which seems to me a lot stronger than this incarnation. Although that would also be a cool card, I want to keep this below 5cc, and I feel that would have to be at five or six.

[JAG]

Just a thought that occured to me.

I'm not sure that effects usually let you "look at" hidden zones you don't control.  Typically, for example with Coercion or Blackmail, the zone is revealed to all players.  I'm not sure if it was your intention for the top of their library to only be visible to you or to all players.  If it doesn't matter to you, i recommend it be "That player reveals the top 2 cards of his or her library."  This also makes it easier for players to take notes on the card they leave on top of the deck, which is allowed by the floor rules. 

-JM

[Matt]

[card]Orcish Spy[/card] has been looking at the top cards of opponent's libraries for like ten years. Also [card]Portent[/card].

[JAG]

Orcish Spy is "target player" not "target opponent".  Portent is not a recent card.  The last effect we had that was "look at the top x cards of target opponent's library" or even "target player's library" besides Orcish Spy was in Onslaught (Spy Network).

I suppose this is target player also, but it does not seem like an effect you'd ever expect to cast on yourself.

Also, something that I didn't realize before is that with Ravnica's Dimir focus on milling, perhaps this card would be better suited to mill the card rather than RFG it?

-JM

[Matt]

Oh, it sounded like you were saying that looking at a hidden zone would break the rules. Which it doesn't.

[asmoranomardicodais]

I don't want to reveal the cards, mainly so the opponent doesn't know what card you left on the top if you remove the creature. Its very subtle, but I want to add that dimesion to the card if possible.

[JAG]

ok, that's fine.  I simply brought it up in the event that it was an accidental oversight.  If the choice of not revealing the cards was deliberate, then that's perfectly acceptable. 

Any thoughts on the milling tho?  B/c it seems rather strange and/or arbitrary for the card to be RFGed rather than milled.  Again, not a necessary change, but if it was an oversight, it seems better to mill the card than to RFG it if only for simplicity.

-JM

[Matt]

Oh, also, Orcish Spy was reprinted as recently as 8th edition, so we know Wizards doesn't exactly consider that ability off-limits these days.

[asmoranomardicodais]

I don't see a problem with milling, but I personally like removing it better. To me, it just feels cleaner. I don't care too much, I guess it can be milled if anyone feels that strongly about it.

[JAG]

Oh, also, Orcish Spy was reprinted as recently as 8th edition, so we know Wizards doesn't exactly consider that ability off-limits these days.

not to beat this dead horse more, but it seems to me that Orcish Spy was simply one of the only semi-interesting cards they could reprint to fill their "reprint something from every set" idea. I can't remember where I read that, but I'm sure it's buried somewhere deep within the archives of Wizards.com.  I'll look more after the sun comes up.

-JM

[asmoranomardicodais]

24 hour clock

[Matt]

Closed and added.[/color]