Charlatan's Ruse

[policehq]

Basically I'm trying to create a card that lets another spell resolve, but the spell has no significant effect upon resolution. I'm not sure how to word it. It's nothing fancy or game-changing, though. It wouldn't counter artifacts or creatures, so I think it's printable at UU.

Charlatan's Ruse
UU
Instant
No player may lose life, receive poison counters, draw cards, or gain life upon the resolution of target spell.

Are there other things that should be added? No player must put cards from the top of their library into their graveyard?

[DubDub]

Interesting.

I'm not sure the templating is correct, but working with what you have I would definitely suggest replacing "upon" with "during".

I'm guessing that going with "Counter target non-Planeswalker, non-Artifact, non-Creature, non-Enchantment spell." will ultimately prove simpler.  I don't think you want to try to specify all of the many things that spells can do and then word it to prevent them from happening.  Tuck, mill, bounce, exile, destroy, sacrifice, make indestructible, copy, create token... there's really an endless number of things spells do, and they'll only do more things in the future.

Also, I would mention that some spells get around this, triggers like Storm being the most obvious, if they cause an effect outside of their resolution.

[Delha]

If all you care about is the four things listed in your first version, I would suggest simply templating it as "Target spell cannot cause players to XYZ."

@ DubDub: If going that path, why not just have it counter target instant or sorcery?

[DubDub]

@ DubDub: If going that path, why not just have it counter target instant or sorcery?

Good question.  I'll get back to you when I figure what my brain was thinking when I wrote that.   

[Wagner]

You could also go bugger and say:

Charlatan's Ruse
UU
Instant
Until end of turn, no player may, receive poison counters, draw cards, or gain life.

Also add "creatures/walkers can't get counters" "you can't get emblems" and whatever suits your fancy.


"Lose life" is obviously too strong in that new template though.

[Delha]

You could also go bugger and say:

Charlatan's Ruse
UU
Instant
Until end of turn, no player may, receive poison counters, draw cards, or gain life.

Also add "creatures/walkers can't get counters" "you can't get emblems" and whatever suits your fancy.


"Lose life" is obviously too strong in that new template though.

If you template it like Platinum Empyrion, it probably isn't so bad. Since nobody can pay life under him, a lot of the potential for craziness goes away. That said, a version does all that should probably include in the cost instead of being purely blue. Still lots of combo potential, but it seems like it would at least take a bit more effort to break. The fact that your opponent is similarly immune to all those things makes me think this would serve well as a setup card for alt win conditions.

[Wagner]

I didn't put "lose life" in there, cause I don't feel the card should be a Fog in addition to everything else it stops. But you can surely put "Pay life" in the stuff it prevents.

[Delha]

I didn't put "lose life" in there, cause I don't feel the card should be a Fog in addition to everything else it stops. But you can surely put "Pay life" in the stuff it prevents.

I consider your variant to be pretty much an entirely separate card, since it's so far divergent from the original. I'd actually go so far as to say I look at the whole concept as a Mega-Fog. I figured the idea was to stop movement in all conventional directions.

[policehq]

Nothing will top Flusterstorm as a Tendrils-stopper, in my opinion. This spell is more for things like Banefire and future printings. Personally, I don't like it as a Fog but as a c-c-c-c-c-c-combo breaker.

[Darkenslight]

Charlatan's Ruse  
Instant

During the resolution of the current stack, Life totals cannot change, players cannot draw cards, and player's respective poison totals cannot change.

"It's amusing when you don't watch what my left hand is doing."
-Jace, Memory adept

EDIT: This is how I'd imagine that card to be.  I'm not sold on the templating, but I think that's the "cleanest" wording based on the OP.

PPS: Could this work at   instead with a different name (such as Divine Stillness)?

[TheWhiteDragon]

Just make it simple.  Make it like a more playable time stop.

1WU
Instant

Until the end of the turn, the game state cannot change.

or

End the turn.

[MaximumCDawg]

1WU
Instant

Until the end of the turn, the game state cannot change.

or

End the turn.

Helloooooo better Time Walk!

[Delha]

Charlatan's Ruse  
Instant

During the resolution of the current stack, Life totals cannot change, players cannot draw cards, and player's respective poison totals cannot change.

"It's amusing when you don't watch what my left hand is doing."
-Jace, Memory adept

EDIT: This is how I'd imagine that card to be.  I'm not sold on the templating, but I think that's the "cleanest" wording based on the OP.

PPS: Could this work at   instead with a different name (such as Divine Stillness)?

WOTC won't print this because they don't like referencing the stack in rules text (reminder text is typically exempt). I think the cleanest way to match the intent expressed in the OP is what I suggest prior: Target spell cannot blahblahblah.

That said, if all one cares about is being able to counter untargetable spells, just make it exile instead of counter (ala Mindbreak Trap). Note that this version would probably need to cost a minimum of . I'd probably guess at Wizards costing it at .

...End the turn.

Are you seriously suggesting a spell reprinted at ?

[Shax]

Atleast having  for a cost is a respectable amount for a Time Walk effect in Vintage, barring Time Walk. There was the better White version of Orim's Chant, too, but no matter. With White being a terrible color in Vintage, would this make White-Blue control more legit? It stops Tinker cold with Swords/Balance.. among other things if it had a Time Walk effect that lets them load up on lands for that super EOTFoFGG. Or Mana Drain consistantlyier.. sounds about right.

[policehq]

The Time Stop effect is pretty stupidly good, but it's not what I was going for. I'm trying for a standard-printable effect that basically is only used in casual or in the future of the game when some broken "cannot be countered" win condition is printed. The casting cost could be WW instead of UU or even UW1 and have split second or storm.

[Norm4eva]

The Time Stop effect is pretty stupidly good, but it's not what I was going for. I'm trying for a standard-printable effect that basically is only used in casual or in the future of the game when some broken "cannot be countered" win condition is printed. The casting cost could be WW instead of UU or even UW1 and have split second or storm.

Silence of the Tarpans 1WU
Instant

All spells lose their text.  (They still resolve.)

"Woof." -Isamaru, Hound of Contra

[Wagner]

Atleast having  for a cost is a respectable amount for a Time Walk effect in Vintage, barring Time Walk. There was the better White version of Orim's Chant, too, but no matter. With White being a terrible color in Vintage, would this make White-Blue control more legit? It stops Tinker cold with Swords/Balance.. among other things if it had a Time Walk effect that lets them load up on lands for that super EOTFoFGG. Or Mana Drain consistantlyier.. sounds about right.

It would still be broken in half in other formats!

For 3 mana, the kind of Time Walks you get are ones that prevent you from untapping and ones that make you flip coins, not ones that can be either a Time Walk or a Counterspell if it suits better.

Silence of the Tarpans 1WU
Instant

All spells lose their text.  (They still resolve.)

All spells on the stack? Until end of turn? Ever?

[Norm4eva]

Silence of the Tarpans 1WU
Instant

All spells lose their text.  (They still resolve.)

All spells on the stack? Until end of turn? Ever?

Cards are only spells when they're on the stack.  It's just like Wrath of God.  "Destroy all creatures.  They can't be regenerated." What, you mean, forever?  All of them?  No, just the creature cards that are in play right now.

[policehq]

The Time Stop effect is pretty stupidly good, but it's not what I was going for. I'm trying for a standard-printable effect that basically is only used in casual or in the future of the game when some broken "cannot be countered" win condition is printed. The casting cost could be WW instead of UU or even UW1 and have split second or storm.

Silence of the Tarpans 1WU
Instant

All spells lose their text.  (They still resolve.)Call me a Tarpan-fan, man, but I like this version. Why two colors, though?

"Woof." -Isamaru, Hound of Contra

[Delha]

Silence of the Tarpans 1WU
Instant

All spells lose their text.  (They still resolve.)"Woof." -Isamaru, Hound of Contra

Call me a Tarpan-fan, man, but I like this version. Why two colors, though?

Balance. to counter any number of spells (even those with "cannot be countered") is pretty ridic. Keep in mind that the cost listed just now is the standard cost WOTC uses for a generic hard counter (Cancel). Thinking it over, is still probably too cheap. Look at say, Swift Silence or Mindbreak Trap (hardcast).

[Norm4eva]

Silence of the Tarpans 1WU
Instant

All spells lose their text.  (They still resolve.)"Woof." -Isamaru, Hound of Contra

Call me a Tarpan-fan, man, but I like this version. Why two colors, though?

Balance. to counter any number of spells (even those with "cannot be countered") is pretty ridic. Keep in mind that the cost listed just now is the standard cost WOTC uses for a generic hard counter (Cancel). Thinking it over, is still probably too cheap. Look at say, Swift Silence or Mindbreak Trap (hardcast).

Yeah it's probably too cheap.  But also, keep in mind that a spell like this wouldn't counter creature spells - if I'm right they just come into play "vanilla".  It might effectively kill certain dudes like Goyfs that don't have a +1 in the butt, but those will be corner cases.  So that makes it a "less-hard" creature counter, if that matters a damn with the casting cost.

[Delha]

I hadn't considered that. Creatures should generally come in unaffected, since the zone change would wipe out the text removal. I suppose it might shut off "as CARDNAME enters the battlefield" effects (which would kill things like Clone/Metamorph). I don't recall offhand what zone cards are considered to be in when that stuff applies, but I think the correct answer might actually be "neither". I'll have to check later.

[Norm4eva]

I hadn't considered that. Creatures should generally come in unaffected, since the zone change would wipe out the text removal. I suppose it might shut off "as CARDNAME enters the battlefield" effects (which would kill things like Clone/Metamorph). I don't recall offhand what zone cards are considered to be in when that stuff applies, but I think the correct answer might actually be "neither". I'll have to check later.

If that's true, then this spell pretty much just 'weird counters' Instants and Sorceries.  Which is probably another strike against its CMC; it's got a limiter on its actual application.

Sort of a pity, I was kind of hoping it would produce vanilla creatures.  Artificial vanilla, if you will.

[Darkenslight]

Silence of the Tarpans 1WU
Instant

All spells lose their text.  (They still resolve.)

"Woof." -Isamaru, Hound of Contra

Perhaps make it "All noncreature spells lose their text.  (They still resolve, but do nothing)"