Battlewood Haven

[Kowal]

Battlewood Haven
Land
  :  Add {G} to your mana pool.  Play this ability only when you could play an instant.
If at any time you do not control a creature, sacrifice Battlewood Haven.

I'm not sure of the power level on this, but it looks cute.  Theoretically, it's a good land on turn two in say, an elf deck or something.  I think it's utterly unabusable in any realistic combo deck, and could be fun for casual players to ramp up to beefier spells easier (like Ravenous Baloth, I love that guy.)

Also, should this be uncommon?

Battlewood Haven
Land
  :  Add {G} to your mana pool.  Play this ability only when you could play an instant.
If at any time you do not control a creature, sacrifice Battlewood Haven.

[Matt]

Two things: why is the mana ability instant-speed? And no, this pretty much would have to be rare.

[Ephraim]

Also, this raises some balance issues in my mind. Even though green is the colour that supports the use of creatures best, a land like this, in the absence of other lands that produce multiples of red, blue, black, and white mana, would really influence people to play green, I think.

[Jacob Orlove]

Two things: why is the mana ability instant-speed? And no, this pretty much would have to be rare.

Because that way you can't use it to play a creature turn one with this? I think that was the intent, even though I'm not sure that's quite how it'd work. It would be cool if it could only be used as a sorcery, though.

Ephraim does raise a legitimate concern: this might push the power-level of our green cards over the top. Then again, there's plenty of creature removal in our set. I think we'd just need to make like a couple anti-green cards, and a land destruction spell or two in red, and this'd be fine.

[Matt]

Assuming the intent is that it not be able to cast a creature turn one, this is pretty much overshadowed by Gaea's Cradle.

[Jacob Orlove]

Yeah, but the Cradle is clearly too strong. This is much fairer.

[Laurie Cheers]

You can still use this to play a creature on turn one. Play it, wait for the triggered ability to go on the stack, then tap it in response.

Making it sorcery speed would work.
Alternatively, how about:

Battlewood Haven
Land
T: Add GG to your mana pool. Play this ability only if you control a creature.

Or if you think that's too strong, maybe:

G, T: Add GGG to your mana pool. Play this ability only if you control a creature.


By the way, a land called Havenwood Battleground already exists.

[stijndon]

And that fallen empires land has savage art.

I like this version, suggested by Laurie:

Battlewood Haven
Land
T: Add GG to your mana pool. Play this ability only if you control a creature.

Can still be abused on turn one with Crookshank Kobolds or Vine Dryad, but hey. Who cares. I thought the sacrifice condition was better, but that was too much akin to Thran Quarry, in my opinion.

For the name: the word 'copse' has never been used, I think. Something like battlewood copse, then? Or can't you call something that? I know "copse of trees."