Ephraim's Mechanic Gone Wild

[Anusien]

<Cardname> - 3{U/G}{U/G}
Sorcery
If was spent to play this, it deals 4 damage to each creature with flying.
If was spent to play this, all creatures you control gain flying until end of turn.

I wanted to take Ephraim's idea and come up with some way to get a "the parts are greater than the whole".  The idea is that it combines two poor but playable spells into one spell that has the potential to be very nasty.  I'd like to cost it at 2{U/G}{U/G} but I feel that that is probably too cheap for mass removal + alpha strike.

The timing should work on this so that it would Hurricane and then give your guys flying so you basically get to alpha strike.

Current wording:
<Cardname> - 3{U/G}{U/G}
Sorcery
If was spent to play this, it deals 4 damage to each creature with flying.
If was spent to play this, all creatures you control gain flying until end of turn.

[dandan]

I'd prefer it if it made all of your creatures fly, then hurricaned them. It makes the card more of an 'either/or' but leaves the 'and' option open for takers.

[Ephraim]

I'd prefer it if it made all of your creatures fly, then hurricaned them. It makes the card more of an 'either/or' but leaves the 'and' option open for takers.

It also allows you to really cut the cost on this -- probably just to {U/G}{U/G}.  That still isnt' strictly better than Needle Storm and since there's the tension between the two abilities, it neatly packages the animosity between the colours into the effect of the card.

[Harlequin]

I think we need to change the order of the two abilites.  As is, you nuke the skys, then all your guys fly into the newly cleared airways for an un-blockable attack.  Is that Is how it was intended to work?  It seems too good at 3 for a card that more or less says "all your creatures are unblockable."
Edit:  oh! after more carefully reading Dandan's post, I think that is what he was saying.  So in that case I agree with Dandan =P.  Emphasis on "then"


I think Terrible Winds would be a good name for this card.  Somewhere between Hurrican / Tropical Storm and Updraft.

[Jacob Orlove]

This costs 5 mana, not 3. Personally, I think it's somewhat underpowered.

[Anusien]

The timing should work on this so that it would Hurricane and then give your guys flying so you basically get to alpha strike.

Yeah, that was intentional.  The point was to combine two weak abilities into one card that gives you more options.

[Godder]

Needle Storm and Levitation are the cards to look at here. I think 4 is possible, but no less than that. This would, incidentally, be a monster in Limited.

[dandan]

I'd prefer a lower casting cost and the Blue effect first. Logically, flying Elephants soon return to the ground but a Wurm may crawl away from its little flight. I think Ephraim's Mechanic is an excellent chance to show how allied colours can work together whilst enemy colours mix with often less than desired consequences (although you might want to do 4 damage to all of your creatures, Green does have Lhurgoyf after all and anything that lifts that off the ground may well cause collateral damage!!!).

[Godder]

As an aside, I looked through Gatherer for Blue Sorceries and Instants with the word 'flying', and there are none that give all your creatures flying until end of turn. This card is effectively charting new ground with its base Blue ability, on top of the obvious new ground, so I actually suggest finding another Blue effect. That would probably necessitate finding another Green effect, but I think it's better in the long run.