Streetwise Scoundrels

[Marco]

Streetwise Scoundrels
2R
Creature – Human Rogue (Common)
1/1
When Streetwise Scoundrels comes into play, if U was spent to play Streetwise Scoundrels, each opponent sacrifices a permanent unless he or she pays 1.

Current Wording:

Streetwise Scoundrels
2R
Creature – Human Rogue (Common)
3/1
When Streetwise Scoundrels enters the battlefield, if U was spent to play Streetwise Scoundrels, each opponent sacrifices a permanent unless he or she pays 1.

[jro]

Isn't this just a really bad Rishadan Cutpurse?

[Marco]

Maybe. How can I make it better? 2/2? Give it first strike or haste or flash?

Edit: How about 3/1? I like that fix. It should also be noted that this needs to occupy a common slot in my set.

[jro]

I'm not sure what all else is in your set, but I think this would be fine on a 3/1.  That makes it borderline playable in limited without being able to activate the U ability.  Dying to anything in combat seems right.  I kind of like the high variance of this card-- sometimes it eats a permanent and trades with an X/3, and sometimes it just trades with a 1/1.  It seems to fit a R/u card.

[Darkenslight]

What about making this a 2/1 First striker, that goes 'BOING!' when in a U/R deck?

[Anusien]

Does this have to be amazing?  I'm okay with it as-is.  This is the kind of card I don't want to be too good, since it's obnoxious as hell.

[zimagic]

Does this have to be amazing?  I'm okay with it as-is.  This is the kind of card I don't want to be too good, since it's obnoxious as hell.

Just in terms of power level you're getting +2/+0 for paying    over  the  of the Cutpurse. That's neat though you don't automatically get the bounce effect that the Cutpurse gives you. As a reverse engineered creature along similiar lines, it is elegant enough.

Would you consider trying the 4cc brother like the masques version?

[Marco]

Streetwise Scoundrels is part of a cycle of "enhanced" creatures in my set. (Some monocolored creatures in my set have a bigger effect if mana of a specific color was used to pay their costs.) Here are some others:

Black Flame Zealot
3W
Creature – Human Soldier (Common)
2/4
When Black Flame Zealot enters the battlefield, if B was spent to cast Black Flame Zealot, target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.

Exotic Weapon Master
2W
Creature – Human Soldier (Common)
2/2
Flash
When Exotic Weapon Master enters the battlefield, if R was spent to cast Exotic Weapon Master, it gains haste until end of turn.
W, T: Tap target creature.

Crosswind Drake
3U
Creature – Drake (Common)
3/1
Flash
Flying
When Crosswind Drake enters the battlefield, if G was spent to cast Crosswind Drake, regenerate it.

(Would the card name Fierce Gull, with the creature type Bird, be more flavourful?)

Canopy Owl
3G
Creature – Bird (Common)
2/2
Flying
When Canopy Owl enters the battlefield, if U was spent to cast Canopy Owl, look at the top four cards of your library, then put them back in any order.

(I like this as an owl, for obvious reasons, but some concerns were raised over giving green a 2/2 flyer. What do you think? A 1/1 flyer would be too weak compared to the rest of the cycle. I could always take away the flying and make it an elf...)

[jro]

I think the trick to this kind of thing is to make the card playable without the enhancement, but not good.  For example, anyone playing white would automatically take "Exotic Weapon Master".  He's so good by himself that the enhancement is irrelevant.  Moreover, there's almost no incentive to wait to play him until you can enhance him.  If I'm playing WR and my first three lands are Plains, I'm still flashing this guy down at the end of my 3rd turn.  The other one that stands out to me is the Owl.  I think green players would take him without regard for whether or not they are playing blue.  Black Flame Zealot seems fine-- kind of like Rhox Meditant.  Crosswind Drake is probably too strong on its own.  Again, I'd be happy to play a 3U 3/1 Flash Flying guy even without the enhancement.  I do like his enhancement effect though-- there's real incentive to wait until you can play it with both colors.

[Matt]

I would make the owl into an elf, make the "look 4 cards" ability the regular effect, and turn flying into the "enhanced" ability. Green does sometimes get card selection abilities (Cream of the Crop, Preferred Selection, Abundance, etc.), so I think it's okay.

I also agree with jro's comments. These should be mediocre when not enhanced, the white and blue guys are always making the cut in any limited deck. I'd kick the white one up a mana, and possibly down a toughness as well. Ballynock Trapper was a first-pick common; as a 2/2, this would be comparable even without red. It's really hard to make a weak tapper!

The blue guy should just be a 2/1, or 2/2 if you want to push him. I'd probably play a 2/2 flying, flash for 3U in about 2/3 of my blue limited decks anyway, green or no green. giving him 1 toughness is the best way to make people want to wait for green mana.

If you're stuck on fixing either the G/u or U/g guys, one option would be to make a guy who CIP tapped, then untap it if you paid the right color. Both green and blue get "untap" abilities (green's flavor is "a burst of extra strength", and blue's is "illusion: I wasn't tapped after all!").