Saving Grace

[DI419!]

Saving Grace
4WW

You may remove two cards in your hand from the game instead of paying <card>'s mana cost.

Until end of turn, any loss of life that would reduce your life to less than 1 reduces it to 1 instead.

While there's life, there's hope

I kept thinking that this type of ability would be very interesting, so I tried to make it decently costed.  However, for it to have any playability, it had to have an ACC, which is very great due to the game-saving effects of the spell.  It seemed like a very interesting way to use such an effect, and fits white perfectly.  Comments or criticisms?

edit: current version:

Deliverance
3WW
Instant

You may remove a white card in your hand and another card in your hand from the game instead of paying Deliverance's casting cost.

Until end of turn, any loss of life that would reduce your life total to less than 1 reduces it to 1 instead.

Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil.
-Matthew 6:13

[Jebus]

I don't think there should be anything that replaces loss of life.

[DI419!]

My problem with that is the card becomes practically useless.  This doesn't do much against creatures unless you have WoG or something similar in hand.  Combo decks would ignore it (TPS, Draw7, etc.) which is one of the main possibilities of it being useful.  The drawback of ACC is big enough, in my opinion, to limit its brokenness, while still saving your butt.

edit: clarity

[Jacob Orlove]

Since you'll usually have to pay the ACC, this isn't really a "white" card, since any deck can use it.

I think it'd be better if it was cheaper, had no ACC, and had wording similar to worship--although maybe it doesn't need to make you control a creature, if it only lasts until EOT.

[Matt]

Also, I just recently made a gold card with this name.

[DI419!]

hmmm...all the good names are taken! (Saving Grace, Divine Intervention, etc.)  Then how about

Deliverance
1WW
Sorcery

Until end of turn, any loss of life that would reduce your life total to less than 1 reduces it to 1 instead.

Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil.
           -Matthew 6:13

It adds a more religious aspect, but it fits the card.  Would it be considered to bring back ACC, but with removing 2 white cards?  It just seems a little too slow to have something like 1WW, and stuff like 2W makes it not quite the same, as it's splashable.  Thoughts?

[goober]

I like the ACC because the best use of this card, by far, is to stop combo.  So 3 mana is too much, where 2 cards in hand are not.  I would say remove a white card and another.  2 white seems a little too specific.

[Jacob Orlove]

But if we add an ACC then the regular cost has to go up. I think the card is going to be more interesting if we just have people pay 1WW for it.

It only buys a turn against combo, anyway--it's not really very useful there at all. Orim's Chant would be more productive, and no one uses that.

[walkingdude]

I think what he really wants is a combo stopper. Its got to be free, its got to stop all the standard kills and its got to hurt enouph that people don't abuse it.

Cool name here
1W
Until end of turn if you would lose the game shuffle your hand and graveyard into your library and go to one life instead. At the start of your next upkeep draw a card.

ACC: Remove your hand and graveyard from the game and skip your next draw phase.

[rvs]

Cool name here
1W
Until end of turn if you would lose the game shuffle your hand and graveyard into your library and go to one life instead. At the start of your next upkeep draw a card.

broken + stupid. Don't.

[walkingdude]

I'll give you stupid maybe, not too broken though, it saves you for one turn and then next turn you have no grave to work with, only two cards in hand, and one life so anything will kill you. Chant or abeyance would be better in almost every case you have mana.  

If you don't have mana then it saves you and you have to try and get yourself out of a losing position with nothing but your top deck. Postponing the inevitable for one turn is hardly broken.


// Also content = good, even if this is stupid and broken give reasons. 3 word posts are inexcusable no matter how obvious they may be.

[rvs]

I figured it was rather obvious. This doesn't just buy turns. It's the perfect wish target. With stuff like gusta's scepter (or however that shit is called), you can save up your hand. Also, most decks have trouble enough getting to the kill (think Tog, think Tendrils) and then this randomly pops up. Abeyance and Chant have to pop up a little earlier to actually have the same effect. I just think it stupid. Platinum-angel like stupid maybe, but still stupid.

[DI419!]

Here's the consensus I'm getting:

Deliverance
3WW
Sorcery

You may remove a white card in your hand and another card in your hand from the game instead of paying Deliverance's casting cost.

Until end of turn, any loss of life that would reduce your life total to less than 1 reduces it to 1 instead.

Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil.
-Matthew 6:13

I don't want to add something to stop decking, because then it becomes really broken to kill combo, while here it is solid, to say the least.  Comments?  I know this isn't one of the required cards for the set, but should I put it up for consideration?

[Jebus]

I still don't think it should stop loss of life.

[b4r0n]

Does it make sense for this to be a sorcery? I think it would be much more useful as an instant if you intend on fighting combo with it. However, as an instant, it becomes a potent Cunning Wish target, yet the ACC reigns it in nicely; removing a white card and another card seems fair.

[DI419!]

forgot about making it instant.  I think I originally wanted it that way, as it's otherwise useless.

[Jebus]

To reiterate why you shouldn't mess with loss of life, I will remind you how stupid this makes Bargain.

[Jacob Orlove]

To reiterate why you shouldn't mess with loss of life, I will remind you how stupid this makes Bargain.

Is paying life the same thing as losing life?

In any case, I agree that this should have the same replacement effect as worship, although obviously without the creature clause.

[Jebus]

To reiterate why you shouldn't mess with loss of life, I will remind you how stupid this makes Bargain.

Is paying life the same thing as losing life?

In any case, I agree that this should have the same replacement effect as worship, although obviously without the creature clause.

When you pay life, you are losing life.

Any time your life total goes down, you are losing life.

[DI419!]

If I make it damage oriented, then this cards becomes worthless (Tendrils, anyone?)  How about wording it as:

Until end of turn, if a spell or effect an opponent controls would reduce your life to less than 1, it reduces it to 1 instead.

Creatures can't attack you until end of turn.

A bit more wordy, but eliminates loopholes.

[Shadow-Walker]

Bargain doesnt need this to be broken although im sure there is a card that does.  Why not have this make you untargetable?

[Matt]

Because they already made [card]Gilded Light[/card].

[Shadow-Walker]

But Gilded Light can not be played for free, use that in addition to damage prevention and it is close to the desired effect.