utility critter

[Liam-K]

I wanted to play around with fish-style creatures that beat but are also there to deal with specific problems.  I also wanted to play with the Red psychology, and see if it could go in a direction that wasn't just pyromania.  Emotion, base needs, recklessness with resources, and destructiveness have manifested themselves as "I blow stuff up, sometimes my own stuff" when they could be so much more elegant with a bit of flavor.  So I present to you:

Honourbound Avenger    RR

creature-- soldier

When Honourbound Avenger comes into play, name a creature or an artifact.
Sacrafice Honourbound Avenger: destroy target named creature or artifact (ineligant wording I know)

You think you know hate, boy?  What has been taken from you?  When leave your home and lay aside your life to hunt the thing you loathe, when your sustinence is the fire behind your eyes, when there is nothing, only vengeance, speak to me of hate.
2/1




Current wording:


Sorag the Vengeful  {R}

creature-- legendary soldier

When Sorag the Embittered comes into play, name a creature card or an artifact card.
Sacrafice Sorag the Embittered: Destroy target creature or artifact if it is the named card.

You think you know hate, boy?  What has been taken from you?  When leave your home and lay aside your life to hunt the thing you loathe, when your sustinence is the fire in your veins, when there is nothing, only vengeance, speak to me of hate.
2/1


 

[Matt]

First off, you need a current wording post, as the rules require.

This is an interesting take on the flavor. It's a weird flavor that can be used in three colors: red for emotion, white for vengeance, black for hatred.

I don't really see why it should 'hate' artifacts. Does anyone really bitterly hate a book, or a rock?

[Rando]

If the card was green I could see "hate" for artifacts; nature vs. technology and all that.

[Norm4eva]

Isn't being Red reason enough to hate on artifacts?  The color of Rack and Ruin, Pulverize and Shatter?  Red's always been about smashing shiny things.

[Anusien]

Honor is striclty a white concept, so I would reflavor this in order to keep it red, because I like it a lot.  I'd make him reckless, and drop the Avenger bit unless you can work it better into the concept of the card - a 2 drop that randomly will kill a creature isn't Avenging anything.  Like, the flavor text is really good but it does't match the way the card works.

I see it more as a sort of berserker or reckless warrior who goes straight after his target and will do ANYTHING to kill it, even die in the process.

The power level is a bit high.  Red shouldn't get sorcery speed creature kill for RR.  I'd make it 1RR at 2/1, and word it like this:
As ~this~ comes into play, name a creature or artifact card.
Sacrifice ~this~: Destroy target artifact or creature that that is the named card.
That's a bit awkward, but slightly more elegant as well.  Not a final templating, but a step up, I think.

[asmoranomardicodais]

Why not make this card a cycle, and narrow the red one here to only creatures. That way, each color could destroy one type of card, like:

Red: Creatures
White: Enchantments
Green: Artifacts
Blue: Instants & Sorceries
Black: Anything for four life

I think that would create a cool cycle using this ability.

[Liam-K]

Well, hating a "book or rock" does seem silly when put that way, but so does having a deep, consuming hatred of taunting elf.  But I thought he was too type two as creature only, and there are certainly artifacts out there that could inspire such loathing (mindslaver comes to mind... err, no pun intended).

I don't want to drop the vengeance theme from his name, the whole idea behind the card was to explore the Red philosophy in a more mature light.  Rename him Raging Angry Man and he's suddenly lost that.  What's more emotionally driven, and a more careless use of resources, than dying to destroy something you hate?  It's certainly not logical (inherently, anyway), nor does it further your own power, benefit nature, or create structure.  I had hoped to imply the creature had a backstory of sorts, which is why he already knows what he doesn't like as he hits the table, and is willing to go after that and only that.  If it's not clear I should work on the flavor text or card name.

But Honour is sort of white.  Vengeance Seeker?


On costing, the comparison I had in mind was Meddling Mage.  The mage has 1 more toughness and hoses any card, possibly more than once.  My guy goes 1 for 1 with a non-enchamtmen permanent, but isn't two colours (though he costs the same amount of mana with the same amount of it colourless).  Plus, making him cost not two weakens him a ton in the context of aether vial.

Lastly, a cycle hadn't occured to me because I was focused on embodying an aspect of Red mentality when I wrote it... I don't know if I like it.  The list you suggest puts some of those cards MILES above others in the cycle in terms of power level, which bothers me.  I dunno if I'm the only one who has a problem with Giant Growth on the grounds that it's supposed to stand next to Ancestral Recall and fails so miserably, but an enchantment nuke for 2 coloured mana clearly doesn't stack up to a creature nuke or an instant/sorcery counterspell for the same 2 coloured mana.

[Jacob Orlove]

Shouldn't this be "name an artifact or creature card"?

[Liam-K]

I thought cards only existed outside of play?

[Jacob Orlove]

Pithing Needle
1   
Artifact   
As Pithing Needle comes into play, name a card.
Activated abilities of the named card can’t be played unless they’re mana abilities. 

Cards are cards, whether or not they're in play.

[Anusien]

On costing, the comparison I had in mind was Meddling Mage.  The mage has 1 more toughness and hoses any card, possibly more than once.  My guy goes 1 for 1 with a non-enchamtmen permanent, but isn't two colours (though he costs the same amount of mana with the same amount of it colourless).  Plus, making him cost not two weakens him a ton in the context of aether vial.

That's why I'm worried about designing cards for the sake of interactions with other cards.  Sure, making him a 3drop instead of a 2drop makes him worse, but otherwise he's a red terror/shatter on the same card that picks up a body.  This is also >> Meddling Mage in that he can deal with permanants after they've come down, even if he requires a sacrifice.  Compare him to Hearth Kami, who's sac ability costs X and I think it's clear he needs to cost more.

I like the red flavor, but I would work on the backstory some.  You might be able to make him Legendary, and give this a name.  It's a somebody who was driven from their home by something and they've dedicated their lives to going out and destroying that thing.  Maybe it's the Goblin King and maybe it's the Ankh of Mishra, but I'd play up the flavor a LOT here, since that's what you're going for.

[Matt]

Legendary is kind of a lame drawback on something that's meant to die anyway.

[Jacob Orlove]

Legendary is kind of a lame drawback on something that's meant to die anyway.

Hey, I was about to say that!

[Anusien]

Not as a drawback but for flavor reasons.  Legends are cooler than generic dudes.

[Ephraim]

This card and it's ability don't seem all that legendary to me. They seem rather generic. I don't think they belong on a legendary creature.

[Liam-K]

That's why I'm worried about designing cards for the sake of interactions with other cards.  Sure, making him a 3drop instead of a 2drop makes him worse, but otherwise he's a red terror/shatter on the same card that picks up a body.  This is also >> Meddling Mage in that he can deal with permanants after they've come down, even if he requires a sacrifice.  Compare him to Hearth Kami, who's sac ability costs X and I think it's clear he needs to cost more.

I like the red flavor, but I would work on the backstory some.  You might be able to make him Legendary, and give this a name.  It's a somebody who was driven from their home by something and they've dedicated their lives to going out and destroying that thing.  Maybe it's the Goblin King and maybe it's the Ankh of Mishra, but I'd play up the flavor a LOT here, since that's what you're going for.

I realized that about meddling mage when I was drifting off last night (you know you're playing magic again when...).  Meddling mage does not help in ohshit situations.  While this guy can't lock out a deck's engine on the first turn game 2, his power doesn't drop steadily all game and when he gets used, the card is gone, not sitting in your hand until you draw bounce.  If 1RR is alright he can be that.

Legendary seems like it would be good in both adding flavor and stopping you from dropping 2 at a time would let him be cheaper.  I'll work on something creative to do with his name and flavor text.  I'm no longer sure if I want to use something similar to the original flavor text, or a narrative detailing his story.  My writer's instincts say it's emotion, so keep it personal and stick with dialogue.

Wording will be updated to use "card".

[Charlie]

Why should red get targeted removal? And being 1RR for 2/1 would definitely be undercosted.