Cascadatog

[asmoranomardicodais]

Here is a card that works very well with cascade, but isn't strictly for use with cascade. Also, I like atogs

Cascadatog
1UU
Remove a spell you control from the stack: Cascadatog gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
1/2

The name needs work, and +2/+2 might be too much. What do you think?

Pre-Final Version
Lumatog
{U}{U}
Creature -- Atog
1/2
Remove a spell you control on the stack from the game: Lumatog gets +2/+2 until end of turn. (Removed spells don't resolve)


Final Version:

Cognatog
UU
Creature-Atog
Remove a spell you control on the stack from the game: Cognatog gains +2/+2 until end of turn.(Removed spells don't resolve)

What runs from goblins but is feared by planeswalkers?-Elvish Riddle
1/2

[Matt]

Hahahahha, that is BRILLIANT! I love it! Should say "Remove a spell you control on the stack from the game" though.

[asmoranomardicodais]

Bumpatog

[Ephraim]

I'm not so sure that I like this card. It plays well with Cascade, sure, but it also plays well with Storm. Now, I grant that somebody playing with Storm combo probably has better things to do with those spells on the stack, but it's a worthwhile consideration to note that you won't always have to pay for each spell that this guy's eating.

[Shadow-Walker]

This is so nice when your spells get countered, I like very much.

[asmoranomardicodais]

Now, I grant that somebody playing with Storm combo probably has better things to do with those spells on the stack

I thought about storm, and that is what I figured. I could possibly see a storm deck using this as the kill, but it would be inherently weaker than any other storm kill out there. On the other hand, if you are worried about this, making it +1/+1 instead might fix that.

[Ephraim]

It isn't inherrently better. Cascadatog makes Brain Freeze approximately as good as Tendrils of Agony as a kill condition, since it cuts down the required storm count to 10 and fits right into a mono-blue High Tide storm deck (If it can be done in Peasant, it can be done elsewhere.) Of course, the drawback of getting the easy, mono-blue storm deck is that you have a two-card combo instead of a one-card combo (although the deck does retain the theoretical possibility of winning with Brain Freeze alone.)

[Matt]

It also means you have to get an attack in unblocked. It opens the combo up to hate in the form of bounce, creaturekill, Fog effects, and good old fashioned chump blocking. It's not Tendrils, not even close.

[Jacob Orlove]

This is sweet.

[asmoranomardicodais]

Ok, so now that everyone likes it, I need a name, unless everyone likes this one.

[The Atog Lord]

My name is Rich Shay and I approve this Atog.

Paid for by the society to create really cool atogs.

[TheWellknownBrownie]

Lumatog. From the Latin word for 'light', as well as 'understanding'.

[asmoranomardicodais]

Does anyone else like Lumatog?

Only ones I can think are:
Stackatog
Spellatog
Manatog

and those aren't much better than Cascadatog.

[Matt]

Lumatog sounds good.

[The Atog Lord]

Lumatog is a goo name. The Atogs tend to have either Latin (Auratog) or Greek (Psychatog) prefixes, though I believe that Foratog is neither. Since there seem to be more Greek than Latin Atog types, it's nice to have another Latin one.

If this little guy cost 1U, he'd be a lot stronger. He has some hidden strength as well -- he prevents the opponents' Mana Drain from providing mana, and their Absorb from giving them three life.

[asmoranomardicodais]

Ok, Lumatog it is.

About Atog Lord's proposal of costing this at 1U, would it be too powerful then? I want to cost this at 1U, but I'm worried that that WILL lead to this being a storm kill condition.

[The Atog Lord]

In order for this to be a useful Storm kill mechanism, one the following conditions must be met:

a) You have a Fling in hand. This brings the total cost up to (1R)+(1U) which will be more difficult for many ritual-playing decks to acheive than just the 2BB for Tendrils. And in addition, this will be a two-card kill, and not a one-card kill like Tendrils.

b) Your little Atog doesn't have summoning sickness and they have no blockers. Again, this is a lot more work than hitting with Tendrils.

b) Your Atog doesn't have summoning sickness, and they do have blockers. Then it's time for a Berserk. This requires that you have an extra (otherwise useless) card in Berserk, and that you spend the turn giving the Atog a break from his sickness.

So, a b and c all seem like plenty of work. I'd say that this card is in no danger of being anywhere near the power level of Tendrils. In fact, I don't think he'd even be quite as good as the original Atog. As seen in my "The Atog Deck," that atog can often generate turn 3 kills himself.

[Matt]

This also needs a storm count of 9 or 10 to be lethal anyway, which is hard enough that if you can do it you can do a lot of better things.

I still think this should be 1UU though. I'm not sure why, possibly to prevent splashing.

I added some reminder text.

[The Atog Lord]

He'd be a lot better at 1U than 1UU. At 1UU, he'd be hanging out with Putrid Imp and Deathcurse Orge in the fifteen pick spot even in a draft. For that price, blue can often get some two power flier, or at least a four-toughness blocker.

If he absolutely has to be splash-free, then UU would work. Frankly, Mental Magic doesn't have enough things to do at UU once Counter Spell and Mana Drain have been used. And having him cost the same as Counter Spell would be sort of cool, like how Atog costs the same as Shatter, Auratog costs the same as Disenchant, Foratog costs the same as Ice Storm, and Chronotog costs the same as Time Walk.

[asmoranomardicodais]

And having him cost the same as Counter Spell would be sort of cool, like how Atog costs the same as Shatter, Auratog costs the same as Disenchant, Foratog costs the same as Ice Storm, and Chronotog costs the same as Time Walk.

That's SO cool, I've never noticed that. UU it is. 

[Matt]

And having him cost the same as Counter Spell would be sort of cool, like how Atog costs the same as Shatter, Auratog costs the same as Disenchant, Foratog costs the same as Ice Storm, and Chronotog costs the same as Time Walk.

That's SO cool, I've never noticed that. UU it is. 

Agreed on all counts.

[asmoranomardicodais]

Ok, now for flavor text. Maybe something that makes a double entadre (spelling) about storm?

[TheWellknownBrownie]

For reasons relating to tradition, I think that this should probably read "Sacrifice a spell on the stack that you control." with reminder text of removing the card from the game.

[The Atog Lord]

Ok, now for flavor text. Maybe something that makes a double entadre (spelling) about storm?

"You don't have to eat your words. He'll do it for you."

"After his snack of Glacial Ray, Icequake, and Frozen Solid, the poor little guy had a nasty case of Brain Freeze."

"This is the most frustrating creature I've ever seen. Except for that Orcish Librarian I hired once."
-- Urza

And for your Aqua Teen fans:
"His silence is his wisdom"

[Bram]

"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are." -- Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

First come, first served. (this doubles as a kind of stack/LIFO joke, I guess).

[Matt]

Ok, now for flavor text. Maybe something that makes a double entadre (spelling) about storm?

"You don't have to eat your words. He'll do it for you."

"After his snack of Glacial Ray, Icequake, and Frozen Solid, the poor little guy had a nasty case of Brain Freeze."

"This is the most frustrating creature I've ever seen. Except for that Orcish Librarian I hired once."
-- Urza

And for your Aqua Teen fans:
"His silence is his wisdom"

Oh god, all of these are horrible, except for the first, which is just the kind of thing Wizards puts on Atogs.

The LIFO joke I find funny but I don't know if it's right.

[Bram]

Yeah, people might interpret my flavor text suggestion as a sort of reminder text, and think they're only allowed to 'eat' the bottom spell on the stack or whatever. It really shouldn't be a big problem, but apparently, people are idiots.* My flavor text may needlessy complicate what is already a tricky card (possibly not so much rules-wise, but certainly a difficult concept for players to grasp...I imagine the concept of the stack is better known than the concept of layers, but it's still rather abstract).





* = me and Jacob spent an evening browsing through Portal reminder texts. Some of them are stupid beyond belief, and since I can only assume these are based on things that went wrong during observed playtesting sessions, we must conclude my statement to be true. Some gems: You draw from your deck on Baleful Stare, Forests are in play regardless of whether they're tapped or untapped on Elite Cat Warrior, and the real kicker: You don't lose if you've already won on Last Chance.

[Godder]

I can't be bothered searching out a link, but The Ferrett wrote an article commenting on Abeth Edition (Abe Sargent's Basic Set that he wrote a series of articles on for SCG) which, among other things, gave some examples of the many (very simple) rules questions they receive for 'Ask The Judge'. Apparently, they get a lot of these questions, so I can see the sort of trouble new players have with the game.

[Bram]

Maybe we shouldn't focus too much on dumb people, though. The more I think about it, the more I like my suggestion. Maybe with a little twist? How about: First conjured, first served. ?

Other suggestions for names:

- Runatog (ref. to runes)
- Paratog (ref.to paranormal)
- Spectratog (ref. to spectral)
- Miratog (ref. to miracle)
- Theriatog (ref. to theriac)
- Absorbatog (obvious)

[Matt]

I like Lumatog better than all those. Theriac?