Focus Mind

[jeek]

Focus Mind
{U}
Instant
Search your library for X cards and remove them from the game, then shuffle your library.
Draw a card.
Fear? Ha! I do not know the meaning of the word.

This effect might be too weak. Maybe pair it with black or green and add "Gain X life"?

Focus Mind
{U}
Instant
Search your library for X+1 cards and remove them from the game, then shuffle your library.
Draw a card.
The intelligent know what to remember, the wise know what to forget.

[dandan]

Compare to

Lat-Nam's Legacy  Instant   1U   
Choose a card from your hand and shuffle that card into your library to draw two cards at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep. 

We can see that Focus Mind is underpowered (getting rid of cards in hand is generally better than geting rid of cards in library). I think this cold remove X+1 cards without a problem (making it a fine U cantrip similar to Black's Cremate - indeed you could make it cost U and always remove 1 card, making it mirror Cremate)

[Ephraim]

A more apt comparison would be [card]Manipulate Fate[/card].  This does essentially the same thing, but is quite a bit worse.  You're paying a lot of extra mana for the privilege of selecting just how many cards to remove, but this is an instant, which gives it a significant advantage, given the nature of the effect.  I don't really see any reason not to go ahead with this if Jeek wants to.  I kind of like it.  I'm constantly on the lookout for an excuse to use Manipulate Fate, so this kind of card appeals to me, even though I can't figure out how to use it!

[Matt]

X+1 is really ugly.

[jeek]

Hrm. What if we dropped the "draw a card" and made it return itself to your hand automatically when it finished resolving?

[Jacob Orlove]

This is a really bad [card]Foresight[/card].

[Ephraim]

This is a really bad [card]Foresight[/card].

And Foresight is a marginally bad [card]Manipulate Fate[/card]. (Manipulate Fate is identical to Foresight except you draw the card immediately.)

[Norm4eva]

What's ugly about X + 1?  That's what Muscle Burst does.  I've often wondered why there aren't more X + Y cards.

[dandan]

IF X+1 is an issue -

Focus Mind
U
Instant
Search your library for a card and remove it from the game, then shuffle your library.
Draw a card.
Fear? Ha! I do not know the meaning of the word.

I think removing X makes the card more elegant although obviously a lot less powerful. To be honest, I don't think having X+1 on a Blue card is a big issue given the flavour of the colour and keeping X adds to be power level, which given the rather limited usage of Manipulate Fate and its ilk (which is a shame IMHO) is something we should try to keep as high as possible. I think both the X+1 and X-less versions are better than Manipulate Fate and appeal to the Johnny and Timmy in me (hehe, no gay fish jokes please).

If pushed, I'd prefer the X+1 version but I'd have no objections to the U mini-cantrip version.

[Fall-Titan]

What if on any of the versions... we added that each player searches his library for however many cards and removes them from the game... It could add to decking strategies but also help your opponet in many situations but it would make the card more unique rather than us having to compare to Manipulate Fate.

The other idea i have is to make this remove cards in ur library from the game equal to the number of cards in your hand. This version would have to cost 2 or 3 but again.... it has yet to be done.

In either case i believe the cantrip is nescessary.

[dandan]

Flavour
The intelligent know what to remember, the wise know what to forget.

[Matt]

Flavour
The intelligent know what to remember, the wise know what to forget.

This is awesome!

[Ephraim]

Flavour
The intelligent know what to remember, the wise know what to forget.

This is awesome!

Agreed

[dandan]

Dandan proves the theory of monkeys and typewriters.

[Ephraim]

X+1 is good, but this would still not be broken if it could dig out two times X.  I don't exactly how that would be templated, but that's what I'd suggest.  Of course, if that isn't well-liked, then X+1 is just fine.

[dandan]

Whilst 2X is more powerful in a casual setting, X+1 is better when you cast it for U, making that version better for Constructed play.

[Ephraim]

Heh, I hadn't really thought of that, dandan. It's a good point and I wouldn't want to mess with that. Suggestion withdrawn.

[Matt]

I REALLY dislike X+1. What about this:

Focus Mind

Instant
Search your library for a card and remove it from the game, then shuffle your library.
Replicate

That gives you the X+1 feeling without actually using nasty ol' addition.  It also makes it pseudo-uncounterable. I don't think the cantrip part is needed because there's no way you would ever play this unless you had a reason to. Even in limited, no one plays [card]Quickchange[/card]. If you really wanted to be freaky about making it never-dead, give it cycling as well (which at least interacts with a few cards like Lightning Rift and Suppression Field).

[asmoranomardicodais]

I think it should be cascade instead, but I think wizards killed that keyword

[Matt]

Well they did say that Replicate would be coming back someday, where they would explore it better (how about using replicate costs that aren't just the original spell's mana cost, or even using nonmana replicate? They also said the Guild keywords wouldn't necessarily be guild-aligned when they bring them back.). I don't think there's room for both keywords to exist but there's no reason we can't make a Replicate block.

[dandan]

The whole point of this card is to cantrip. The card thins your deck, improving your chance of drawing a business spell. Without the cantrip part, putting this card in your deck usually reduces your chance of seeing any given card (ignoring the power level issue which is like saying 'Apart from that, it was a nice drive from the airport, Mrs. Kennedy').

As someone who tried very hard to use the ancestors of this card, I can tell you I would not even consider a non-cantrip version.

Focus Mind

Instant
Search your library for a card and remove it from the game.
If you do, you may pay and repeat the process.
Then, shuffle your library
The intelligent know what to remember, the wise know what to forget.

(wording needs work but the intent is clear). Note that this one is weaker than the X+1 version as CotV (and Spell Blast!) stop it easier.

[Jacob Orlove]

If this didn't cantrip, its best use would be to strip the remaining copies from your deck. And that's terrible.

[dandan]

http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/index.php?topic=27051.0

After having these two threads in my head at one time, I started thinking what if we made this the Blue Welkin card?

Focus Mind

Instant
Search your library for a card and remove it from the game, then search your library for a card called Focus Mind and put it in your hand and then shuffle your library.
The intelligent know what to remember, the wise know what to forget.

It 'cantrips', removes cards from your library, removes itself (a service to humanity) and there is still room for my flavour text!!!

[jeek]

Focus Mind

Instant
Search your library for a card and remove it from the game, then shuffle your library.
When Focus Mind is put into a graveyard from anywhere, remove it from the game. If you do, draw a card.
Replicate

I dunno. I really like the X versions better. Especially the one where the opponent gets affected.
Would "Search your library for X cards and remove them from the game. Search your opponent's library for X cards and remove them from the game." be overpowered?

It seems like there are three choices to be made.

The first choice is "Remove only from your own library." "Remove from everyone's library." "Everyone removes from their own library."
The second choice is "X Spell" "Replicate Spell" "One-shot effect of constant power"
The third choice is "Cantrip?"

I personally prefer "Remove from everyone's library", "X Spell", and "Cantrip". The Replicate version is nifty, but I'm unsure whether going with that mechanic is a good idea.

Regarding the Welkin thread, the "remove a single card" would be fine there, but I'd still like this as a seperate card.

[dandan]

I really like the Welkin version as part of the cycle and feel that

X version, your library and cantrip

is different enough to warrant it being a separate card.

Making it affect your opponent is really going down the Jester's Cap path (IMHO a BU one) and turns this card in a very different direction. Other modifications to this card have been about tweaking the effectiveness and aesthetics of this card - a simple 'remove unwanted stuff from your library' utility card.

[jeek]

There's a precedent for X+1. It's called Meteor Shower. Ann-Havva Inn also used X+1. Changing top text to the original text with X+1 in place of the original X.

[Matt]

Of COURSE there's a precedent. White used to get direct damage and bounce, too ([card]Witch Hunter[/card]). They used to think Necro should be reprinted in fifth edition. There's a lot of things that USED to be done, which it would be a bad idea to do now.

[dandan]

So Blue, the colour of mental power, can't handle X+1?

[Matt]

So Blue, the colour of mental power, can't handle X+1?

Are you saying you approve of Niv-Mizzet's flavor text?

[asmoranomardicodais]

So Blue, the colour of mental power, can't handle X+1?

Are you saying you approve of Niv-Mizzet's flavor text?

You can't possibly hate Niv-Mizzet's flavor text!

And...I think the best solution for this card is the X+1. Just because they don't do it often doesn't mean wizards wouldn't print a card that is most elegantly printed with X+1 in it.

 Besides, this just opens the door for card submissions that deal XX-1 divided by 3, rounded up, amounts of damage to things. And who wouldn't want to see that?