Rootwork

[Bram]

Rootwork
{G}
Instant
Choose target card in your graveyard and search your library for a card that shares a type with the card chosen in this way. If both targets are still legal as ~this~ resolves, put the card from your library into your graveyard, then shuffle the other card from your graveyard into your library.
(The card types are artifact, creature, enchantment, instant, land, and sorcery.)


Sort of an Entomb/Holistic Wisdom/Goblin Welder type thing. Does the wording work like this? I think so. I'd rather just have it say 'switch a card in your 'yard with a card of the same type from your lib and shuffle it'  but sadly, we can't. Reanimator decks might find some use for this, and possibly Dragon. I've thought of upping the cost and making it so that you can target your opponents' stuff with this, too, but that might be too good. Maybe right now, it should cantrip, as this does nothing on its own but affect two zones that are not winning you the game without the benefit of other cards.

Regarding the color: since this is the whole 'rebirthing' effect of this card (shuffling back into your lib like Gaea's Blessing) seems green, while the other effect is obviously black.

Regarding the name: 'rootwork' is a synonym for 'hoodoo' or United States folk magic as it was practiced in the last century. Also, the 'root' thing, in my mind, conveys the greenish element element this card has.

Current Wording:

Rootwork
{G}
Instant
Choose a card in your graveyard and remove it from the game face up. Search your library for a card of the same type and put that card into your graveyard, then shuffle the removed card into your library.
Draw a card.(The card types are artifact, creature, enchantment, instant, land, and sorcery.)

EDIT:
- made it cantrip.
- used Matt's wording.
- made it put the card on the bottom to prevent confusion (Jacob)

[dandan]

I think for 2cc you can safely get a card in your hand (as both Regrowth and Demonic Tutor do this). I'm not sure which of them you'd like. Assuming you get the card from the library, would worst case be Duress, fetch YawgWill or Ritual, fetch Ancestral. Seeing as there are additional targetting requirements, this is certainly weaker than Demonic Tutor and Wizards happily allow 3cc tutors and targetting requirement Transmute cards for 3 mana. This is a Gold card so 2cc is around the same power level.

Just mucking around with Graveyard and Library seems awfully narrow.

The following is just an example

Rootwork
BG
Instant
Choose target card in your graveyard and search your library for a card that shares a type with the card chosen in this way. If both targets are still legal as ~this~ resolves, put the card from your library into your hand, then shuffle the other card from your graveyard into your library.

(could be RFG)

[Bram]

If you get in it your hand, I think it should be the one in the graveyard. Otherwise, you'd have a pretty decent instant demonic tutor for 2cc. However, I really don't want this to give you a card in hand. I want it to affect the zones it affects the way it is now. There's a lot of cool tricks with this, and it's definitely less useless than, say, One with Nothing.

Just mucking around with Graveyard and Library seems awfully narrow.

Gee, ya think? I don't think I've ever made a narrow card before
I think I'll make it cantrip and see what people say.

Also, I made a mockup because I found some cool art to go along with it. It also whos the difficulty in fitting all the rules text on. I even had to drop the reminder text..

[dandan]

Yes, I do suggest making narrow cards too often Guilty as charged.

Seeing as you don't want this to Demonic Tutor, couldn't you get the card from your graveyard in your hand and deposit the card from your library in your graveyard instead? That is certainly interesting enough without the need for cantripping.

[Bram]

I could, but then it'd actually be really good (an easy setup for Rootwork #2, if nothing else). Also, in that case it doesn't feel the slot I want it to fill. Changing Squee for a bigass creature (or the other way around if you have big minsters to boot but no drawing engine).

[dandan]

Raise Deading a fattie and fetching Squee isn't all than breathtaking. For 2 coloured mana (and one card) getting a card from your graveyard and putting something in the graveyard from your library IF you have the right type of card doesn't seem that powerful. I was more concerned about fetching a Stripmine using Fetchlands to set up a Crucible lock. Neither Regrowthing something nor Entombing something are broken effects and this costs 2 coloured mana and requires something in the graveyard and an appropriate card in the library (I can think of decks that don't run that many Sorceries for example)

[Matt]

Why do we have to use the Welder wording? Why not this:

"Choose a card in your graveyard and put it on top of your library. Search your library for a card of the same type and put that card into your graveyard, then shuffle your library.
Draw a card."

That's much shorter, cleaner, and the only difference I can see is that it isn't targeted and thus can't be stopped by Coffin Purge. At worst you get to shuffle, cantrip, and just re-bury the card you put back on top. You also don't get the impression that you're supposed to search your library before Rootwork resolves, which the current wording kind of implies.

I like this card (wonderful name especially), but you know what would be even more awesome? If you dropped the cantrip part, upped the mana cost to like 3BG sorcery, and made it work for your entire graveyard at once! A sort of black-and-green Living Death variant for all your cards. That would be a card to build decks around, instead of just a tool for preexisting decks.

You know what? This could almost be a keyword mechanic. A sort of transmute-from-the-graveyard:

"Unbury (While this card is in the graveyard, you may pay its Unbury cost to put it on top of your library. Search your library for a card of the same type and put that card into your graveyard, then shuffle your library.)"

[Bram]

I don't know about the keyword thing (I'm thinking WotC is too preoccupied with those at the moment), but I certainly like your wording! It may even leave roof for a one-line flavor text.

Also, the big effect is an awesome idea. I'll make that into a separate card.

[JAG]

I agree the Goblin Welder wording is entirely unnecessary.

"Search your library for a card with the same type as target card in your graveyard, reveal it, and put it into your graveyard.  Then, shuffle the targetted card into your library."

I like it better as a tutor at 3 CMC, but if we want a graveyard tutoring card, then that's what it will be.

I'm really not at all sure why we have a hole that needs to be filled by this, tho.  A tutor seems much more useful, and this is actually a pretty cool tutor.  As a 3 CMC sorcery, this is fine as a tutor I think.

-JM

[Bram]

Clock.

[Matt]

Um, after you shuffle, won't that ruin the "put on your library" bit?

[Jacob Orlove]

Um, after you shuffle, won't that ruin the "put on your library" bit?

You suggested that wording, too. It looks like this wasn't supposed to be a regrowth effect, he just wanted it to cantrip.

I'd suggest just cutting "the top of" and returning the card to your library.

[Bram]

Yeah, I don't want you to be able to draw the card from they 'yard except by chance. Like Jacob said, I just wanted it to cantrip in order to make it less bad. Its primary purpose is to, say, replace the Squee you have in your yard with the Verdant Force in your library.

Jacob: I'd do that, but I'm not sure it works. I don't know if we can say 'return to library', and if I say 'shuffle it in your lib' this card would basically force you to shuffle twice, which is rather dumb.

[Jacob Orlove]

In that case, make it bottom of library, so that people don't get confused or misread the card.

[Bram]

Hmm, yeah that's a good solution.

[vartemis]

Rootwork
{G}
Instant
Choose a card in your graveyard and remove it from the game face up. Search your library for a card of the same type and put that card into your graveyard, then shuffle the removed card into your library.
Draw a card.
(The card types are artifact, creature, enchantment, instant, land, and sorcery.)

I think the card should be worded similar to living death.  by tutoring for the card before shuffling the first one in, it gives the opponent (who could be a newb Initiate and unfamiliar with each card) a chance to see both and varify they share a card type.  I have left the casting cost and cantrip, but I think you could change the to or even lose is all together and ditch the cantrip.  Sure its a narrow card, but so is Entomb and it got restricted.

j