Philtered Censer

[Ephraim]

Philtered Censer

Artifact — Equipment

: Target creature can't block equipped creature this turn.
: Target creature must block equipped creature this turn if able.

Equip

***

Philter — 1. A love potion; 2. A magic potion or charm.
Philtered — To enchant with or as if with a philter.
Censer — A vessel in which incense is burned, especially during religious services.

The idea here is that the creature is equipped with a censer that emits an incense smoke that acts as a love potion. In small doses (two-mana worth), it's enough to make an enemy creature avoid conflict with your creature. In higher doses (three-mana worth), the enemy's creature is overcome with desire and must interfere with your creature. I kind of pulled the numbers out of nowhere. Since this does nothing without paying the activated costs, I figured it could be relatively cheap to cast and to equip. and just seemed like the right costs for the abilities. It's also kind of cool to have the all four of , , , and on a single card.

Current Wording:

Philtered Censer

Artifact — Equipment

: Target creature can't block equipped creature this turn.
: Target creature blocks equipped creature this turn if able.
Equip

A mild dose of the narcotic fumes induces euphoria. An overdose induces violent, insatiable passion.

[Anusien]

I don't like the name.  I like Philter, but I feel that's pushing the limits of what players know what it is (although artwork will help greatly), but Censer seems a bit too much like Censor for me - seeing just the name I had drastically different expectations.

The mana costs seem a bit excessive actually.  Lure costs 3 mana to lure EVERYTHING, and this costs 3 to lure a creature.  Provoke cost a single green.  Granted, this is much more flexible, but I think you're over-costing.  I like the card ability, and I like exploring the use of non-weapon equipment, especially combat items that don't grant P/T.

[Ephraim]

I costed it at 3 partly in homage to Matsu-Tribe Decoy. Granted that has additional abilities, but I figured that if a green card, which would normally have efficient luring, could have an activated cost of 3, then giving the ability to any colour really should be pretty costly. As far as the name goes, note that I wanted to keep the pun in the name — filtering is what censors do.

[Jacob Orlove]

If there's enough room for explanatory flavor text, then that name is fine.

These abilities really aren't overcosted, especially when you consider how good reuseable Provoke is in limited. This is very solid removal, and an artifact. It's by no means earth shattering, but certainly very useful.

[Ephraim]

I'm going to have to do some counting to see how much room I have for flavour text, but here is what I'd like to work with:

A mild dose of the narcotic fumes induces euphoria. An overdose induces violent, insatiable passion.

I want to attribute this to somebody or some research notes. I'm not sure what kind of researcher to use, though. For a moment, I was tempted to use the Izzet, from Ravnica, but this is more RG in nature, rather than RU and research doesn't seem to be the strong suit of the Gruul Clans.

[Ephraim]

I decided that I don't really need to attribute this to anybody. 24 Hour Clock.

[dandan]

I don't like 0 cost Equip. It tends to get used to abuse targetting effects. I'd much rather this cost 1 to equip and then 2 for the Lure effect.

Other than that, I like this.

[Ephraim]

I'm willing to up the equip cost, but I'm very reluctant to decrease the lure cost. Granted, this would certainly be rare, but I don't want it to be as splashy in limited as it would be if the cost of the lure ability were costed at . How do you feel about the possibility of raising the equip cost to , but leaving everything else as-is.

[asmoranomardicodais]

I still really dislike the name. I know you really love  obscure references in your names, but when you have to define both words in the first post AND it sounds like this card should have something to do with censorship, I feel that the name should be something a little more pedestrian. Not trying to be mean, just viocing a concern.

[Ephraim]

If the obscure reference didn't come with a pun on the homonyms of the words in this card's name, I'd defer. As it is, it amuses me a lot that both words make this card sound like it should have something to do with censorship, when it actually does something else entirely, in accordance with its actual name. Consider it a mean trick I'm playing on people who don't study the dictionary.

[Anusien]

If the obscure reference didn't come with a pun on the homonyms of the words in this card's name, I'd defer. As it is, it amuses me a lot that both words make this card sound like it should have something to do with censorship, when it actually does something else entirely, in accordance with its actual name. Consider it a mean trick I'm playing on people who don't study the dictionary.

This is Ephraim's not-so-subtle way of putting everyone else down.  And dibs on having Eph as a teammate in trivial pursuit.

There doesn't seem to be a need to attribute the flavor text, although personally I've never liked that sort of flavor text.  I think it works just as well right now.

I still feel like the mana abilities are a bit on the high side.  At 2/3 for its activated abilities it will never ever get used.  Could you bump the casting cost up to 2, and make it cheaper to use?  Casting cost 2, maybe even equip 1, and make the abilities 2/2?  That will make it much more usable: 8 mana allows you to use the abilities four times instead of three.

Edit: I learn to balance cards better.

[Ephraim]

I just don't think that's true, Anusien. I've played Matsu-Tribe Decoy in limited before and it is very useful. Yes, that is partly because of the tapping ability, but it's also useful as a means of killing off something you really want to kill. Sure, Lure lures everything for just three mana, but that isn't necessarily a good thing. Selective luring can be more useful. In this case, because this selectively lures and selectively evades, it can be used as a very potent creature-kill mechanism. If you have a 3/3 creature and your opponent has two 1/1 creatures and a 3/3 creature, you can pick off the 1/1's a turn at a time without worrying about him throwing the 3/3 in the way to take out your creature. Sure, that costs 5 mana a turn, but it's repeatable and it's attached to an artifact. Plus, if you have a little bit more mana, this scales. For 8 mana, you can pick off both 1/1's, evade the 3/3, and still have the artifact and creature around next turn. I really think you're underestimating the versatility of having both of these abilities associated with a single piece of equipment.

[dandan]

You pay 5 mana and your two card combo smashes face for 3. I pay nothing and my 2 cards smash face for 4. For eight mana you get to take out a couple of 1/1s that don't have usable tapping abilities (i.e. useless dorks). This is quite nice but I'd hardly draft it first pick. In fact, quite a few decks wouldn't use it at all.

Upping the Equip cost for aforementioned reasons and lowering this to 2, 2 activation only makes this slightly stronger.

[Ephraim]

I haven't really mentioned it so far, but you're also forgetting that this card can and will, on occasion, make your most formiddable creature unblockable. I reitterate: There is a lot of functionality here. Also, I'm a little bit confused — What two cards of yours are you talking about that will smash face for 4?

[Zelc]

I think it's creature + Umezawa's Jitte, Fork of Doom.

[dandan]

If you have a 3/3 creature and your opponent has two 1/1 creatures and a 3/3 creature, you can pick off the 1/1's a turn at a time without worrying about him throwing the 3/3 in the way to take out your creature. Sure, that costs 5 mana a turn, but it's repeatable and it's attached to an artifact. Plus, if you have a little bit more mana, this scales. For 8 mana, you can pick off both 1/1's, evade the 3/3, and still have the artifact and creature around next turn. I really think you're underestimating the versatility of having both of these abilities associated with a single piece of equipment.

My 2 cards are the 3/3 and the 1/1 after you pay 5 mana to kill one of the 1/1 dorks. I simply turn the others sideways and your equipment has no effect on the game.  In addition, picking off 1/1s when 3/3s are around is a fairly minor ability. Much like Provoke, it looks good, might be good but wouldn't be that good that often.

Don't get me wrong, I like it but for that sort of mana investment I want a Warhammer (which is pretty good in Limited I hear) rather than an expensive Lure/Provoke. I just think your card is overcosted. 1 to cast and 1 to equip is fine, just those activation costs are high.

[Ephraim]

Okay. I'll lower the cost of the lure ability. The one point (and I'm sure it's been mentioned repeatedly) that I had failed to absorb, was that this could be beaten just by making sure one's creatures are tapped down.

[Ephraim]

24 Hour Clock

[Ephraim]

Closed and added.