Empty Scripture

[Phoenix888]

I never bothered telling anyone about this card before, as I thought I'd instantly get told it was too powerful.  Once Wizards printed Street Wraith, I figured this was as close as I was ever going to see my card come to fruition as I won't be winning (or attending) any Magic Invitationals.

Anyways, the idea behind the card came from Evermind as I thought it was a cool idea to have a card that didn't have a casting cost.  As Street Wraith now exists I think the reasoning for wanting Empty Scripture is rather self explanatory, but I'll explain anyways.  Having it blue means that it can be pitched to FOW and Misdirection.  And cycling for free helps out top deck tutors, or just draw you a new card.  I haven't came up with any flavor text for it, but I'd want something about the scripture being empty and needing to throw it aside and keep searching.

So here's my card, Empty Scripture:

Empty Scripture
No card type
(Spells without mana costs can't be played.)
Empty Scripture is blue.
Cycling (, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

I don't want it to have a card type.  Take that Tarmogoyf.   If that breaks the rules of Magic too much, I'd say it should be an instant.  That seems like it would fit the feel of the card the best.

[Norm4eva]

Effigial Blast much?? heh
This has the same problems as the aforementioned card (a colorless, textless card with buyback instead of cycling).  And unlike Street Wraith, who can be a man if he needs to be, this card has no cost or effect - only abilities which get it pitched from your hand.
Fetchlands, Street Wraith, Edge of Autumn and this card basically means you start playing combo with 44 cards, only without fear of being decked.  That's rather like bringing a gun to a knife fight.

[Phoenix888]

Effigial Blast much?? heh

Believe me, I was surprised as well to see a card that "does nothing" pop up a few hours after this one.  I'm glad to see someone else thinking along the lines of a nothing card as well.  It's pretty cool to see two cards that "do nothing" also having completely different uses.

Fetchlands, Street Wraith, Edge of Autumn and this card basically means you start playing combo with 44 cards, only without fear of being decked.  That's rather like bringing a gun to a knife fight.

I can't say I agree here.  Fetchlands are amazing, but it's been mathematically proven that fetchlands don't thin your deck as people initially thought.  I do love Street Wraith, but he's barely played.  Those who have tested him have learned that along with the "free" cycling ability, it makes things like mulligan decisions much tougher.  I do think Empty Scripture would be better then Street Wraith in almost every deck aside from Ichorid (many of which don't even run him).  Also, I highly doubt a deck would want to play 4 Empty Scriptures and 4 Street Wraiths.  I could be wrong, but it seems like that would make for some terrible starting hands.  Finally, To the best of my knowledge, Edge of Autumn doesn't even see play.  I know I've never run it in anything and I can't recall ever seeing it in a decklist, but I will say that I love the card from a design standpoint.  As far as no fear of getting decked.  I don't really get what you're getting at.  If anything, I'd imagine the fear of getting decked would be greater if someone ran all those cards you're suggesting in one deck.  However miniscule and insignificant that extra fear would be.

[Anusien]

Wizards has shied away from printing a card that does this.  The Baubles are the closest and they slowtrip, or Street Wraith taking life.  This card doesn't do anything fair and interesting, just something silly and abusive.

[vartemis]

Effigial Blast much?? heh

Believe me, I was surprised as well to see a card that "does nothing" pop up a few hours after this one.  I'm glad to see someone else thinking along the lines of a nothing card as well.  It's pretty cool to see two cards that "do nothing" also having completely different uses.

Yeah that is pretty crazy.  I didn't see your card when I posted mine.  I don't really make up cards very often, as I have a track record of producing poor ones.  I think the aspect that I like about our cards is that it feels like we are both sort of "thinking outside the box".

Fetchlands, Street Wraith, Edge of Autumn and this card basically means you start playing combo with 44 cards, only without fear of being decked.  That's rather like bringing a gun to a knife fight.

I can't say I agree here.  Fetchlands are amazing, but it's been mathematically proven that fetchlands don't thin your deck as people initially thought.  I do love Street Wraith, but he's barely played.  Those who have tested him have learned that along with the "free" cycling ability, it makes things like mulligan decisions much tougher.  I do think Empty Scripture would be better then Street Wraith in almost every deck aside from Ichorid (many of which don't even run him).  Also, I highly doubt a deck would want to play 4 Empty Scriptures and 4 Street Wraiths.  I could be wrong, but it seems like that would make for some terrible starting hands.  Finally, To the best of my knowledge, Edge of Autumn doesn't even see play.  I know I've never run it in anything and I can't recall ever seeing it in a decklist, but I will say that I love the card from a design standpoint.  As far as no fear of getting decked.  I don't really get what you're getting at.  If anything, I'd imagine the fear of getting decked would be greater if someone ran all those cards you're suggesting in one deck.  However miniscule and insignificant that extra fear would be.

This card is more powerful than streetwraith in that it allows you to draw a card for free, whereas street wraith costs you 2 life.  Perhaps you could consider giving it an ability, or upping it's cycling cost. Is there any type of "resource" that hasn't been tapped for cycling?  

[Anusien]

This card is more powerful than streetwraith in that it allows you to draw a card for free, whereas street wraith costs you 2 life.  Perhaps you could consider giving it an ability, or upping it's cycling cost. Is there any type of "resource" that hasn't been tapped for cycling?

"Discard a card"
"Sacrifice a creature"
"Lose the game"

[vartemis]

This card is more powerful than streetwraith in that it allows you to draw a card for free, whereas street wraith costs you 2 life.  Perhaps you could consider giving it an ability, or upping it's cycling cost. Is there any type of "resource" that hasn't been tapped for cycling?

"Discard a card"
"Sacrifice a creature"
"Lose the game"

Has tapping a creature been done?

j

[Phoenix888]

Wizards has shied away from printing a card that does this.  The Baubles are the closest and they slowtrip, or Street Wraith taking life.  This card doesn't do anything fair and interesting, just something silly and abusive.

I wondered if after Street Wraith had been out for awhile if people would still think Empty Scripture is too powerful.  Thank you for your honesty.

[Phoenix888]

One step closer with Gitaxian Probe.  Just need a little more power creep and this card may be printable.

[Shax]

So you want a instant, free draw card that pitches to Force of Will. I think it would be fine and most likely replace stuff like Preordain since it is tempo generated and Dodges Mental Misstep (*see where I am going with this one?)

[Norm4eva]

Hmm, thread necro of the year, heh

The thing about a card like this is, especially in recent years (and it *has* been a few years since this card came up originally!)  is that there are a million different, playable, low-cmc ways for Blue players to sculpt their hand and the top X cards of their library.  The interaction with things like Ponder, Serum Visions, Preordain, Brainstorm, Gitaxian Probe, SDT, etc etc etc... this card basically is the top card of your library.  And it is not difficult to know, for a Blue player especially, what that card (and probably the next 2) are going to be.  This card is basically that card from Fluxx that says "X=X+1".  Making it pitch to Force of Will is really just a love letter to control/combo decks.

Maybe if this were colorless, and lost the "I see what you did there" part of it, it'd be a little healthier.  Given the current state of things though, really, another free 'spell' for BlueStormDeck.dec?

Also, does the game even care if this gets cast somehow, like off an Ardent Plea or something?  It seems like the game is fine with a textless spell - I mean, like, a genuinely textless spell, not those textless Bolts and Helixes we get in the mail from time to time - but just in case I'm bad at rules of Magic, like the game doesn't freeze up somehow right?