Vino Veritas

[Ephraim]

Vino Veritas
{G}
Sorcery

As an additional cost to play Vino Veritas, tap two untapped creatures you control. Draw three cards.

The feast of fertility is celebrated in late summer. Much wine is drunk, many children are conceived, and at the height of the bacchanal, the monarchs of the festival prophesy.

***

I wanted to create a green card-drawer. Green isn't so bad at drawing cards, as long as creatures are involved (as they are here.) I wanted the flavour to be perfect, though, as well. Green is also the colour of alcohol (the flavour texts of [card]Braidwood Cup[/card] and [card]Eladamri's Vineyard[/card] confirm this.) According to the old saying, "vino veritas," "In wine is found the truth" (paraphrase.) Although it refers to the tendency of alcohol to loosen the tongue, I've used it here to suggest that through the wine, the god(dess) of fertility blesses her followers with predictions for the coming year.

[Ephraim]

Current Wording:

Vino Veritas
{2}{G}
Sorcery

As an additional cost to play Vino Veritas, tap two untapped creatures you control. Draw three cards.

The satyr feast of fertility is celebrated in late summer. Much wine is drunk, many fawns are conceived, and at the height of the bacchanal, the monarchs of the festival prophesy.

[Jacob Orlove]

Pretty cool, although the "truth" part feels more white. Eladamri's Vineyard and Blessed Wine show that we have to be kind of careful with the flavor here, as it would be easy to accidentally make it too white.

[Ephraim]

I suppose you're right -- this could be a white card as well. I think that careful tinkering with the flavour can ensure that it falls on green's side of the fence. A white ritual of prophecy involving wine would be stately and ceremonial. The flavour I've portrayed here is a drunken revel -- an equally good backdrop for prophecy, but definitely in line with green's interest in instinct.

[Malhavoc]

If we were decideing the art to use too, I would opt for some satyrs being part of the feast. Even without art, the flavor text could talk about satyrs as well.

[Ephraim]

Good call, Malhavoc. I like the idea of using satyrs. Plus, it gives me a chance to use "fawns" instead of "children," which is just funny.

[MrZuccinniHead]

this could be another draw engine for kolbold clamp

[Ephraim]

24 Hour Clock

[Jacob Orlove]

Is it okay to use latin for the cardname? Would they just not translate it for the foreign versions or what?

[Ephraim]

I hadn't really thought of that. I figured it was sort of a "universal" way to say something, like "carpe deum." At least for languages with an arabic-like character set, it would probably remain Latin. I can't really say how they'd tackle it with an oriental language -- maybe just translate it phoenetically. With something like this, I see the words "vino veritas" the same way I see "Orgg." It is more important, in this case, to preserve the sound of the Latin than to actually convey the meaning of the card. After all, I am sure there are English speakers who wouldn't know what it means, either. (Of course, by the same argument, the case could be made that the name is inappropriate from the outset, so if people want me to change it, I will.)

[Ephraim]

I am still looking for opinions on whether or not it's okay to use Latin in a card name. Please respond.

[Jacob Orlove]

I think it's okay if we use it in all the versions of the name, in the manner you described.

[Matt]

Closed and added.[/color]