Daydream (previously Comparative Studies)

[Polynomial P]

Comparative Studies
1
Sorcery
Each player searches his library for a card and reveals it. Put the card with the highest converted mana cost in its owners' hand and put all other cards in their owners' graveyard. If two or more cards are tied for the highest cost, put all of the revealed cards in their owners' graveyard.
"Mine's bigger."

Thoughts: I think this is an interesting idea for a tutor. It can be either entomb or demonic tutor, yet it may fail at being the one you want. If the cards tie for mana cost, they both go to the graveyard. I do not think I have the correct mana cost for this and would like to hear some opinions on that. I think it could be a black card, since it is search, but its flavor reminds me more of gifts ungiven or fact or fiction. It also has flavor ties to psychic battle (which is the only colored card that compares highest mana costs).

Current wording:
Daydream
1
Sorcery
Each player searches his or her library for a card, then each player reveals the card he or she searched for. Put the cards revealed in this way with the highest converted mana cost into their owners' hands, and the rest into their owners' graveyards. (If two or more cards are tied for highest, put all of them into their owners' hands.)
Then each player shuffles his or her library.

Think big.

[asi]

Thoughts: I think this is an interesting idea for a tutor. It can be either entomb or demonic tutor, yet it may fail at being the one you want. If the cards tie for mana cost, they both go to the graveyard. I do not think I have the correct mana cost for this and would like to hear some opinions on that. I think it could be a black card, since it is search, but its flavor reminds me more of gifts ungiven or fact or fiction. It also has flavor ties to psychic battle (which is the only colored card that compares highest mana costs).

Then why not make it a U/B card for, well . I feel it is too good as is, but I can't quite put my finger on it. 2-mana tutors are always dangerous, but I don't know whether this is more like Merchant Scroll/Infernal Tutor (meaning "balanced") or more like Entomb/Demonic Tutor (meaning "ba-roken")

[Shmn]

I don't think it's that broken the way it is, really. If you want to entomb, your target will most likely be of high casting cost since getting it to your graveyard to play it cheaper than from your hand is the point, but choosing a card with high casting cost will likely result in it ending up in your hand instead. Then again, if you want to use it as a tutor, your chances of getting to keep good spells like Ancestral Recall, Timewalk or Tinker are low.

The best target for this tutor would most likely be Force Of Will (or Misdirection), but even that is not so unbalanced since there is often a good chance the opponent will get one, too resulting in neither getting a card.

Considering the risks I'd say this is actually rather balanced. There might, of course, be something I'm missing - in which case I'm glad to have someone point it out.

[Illissius]

I like it. In the early to midgame, the higher up on the mana cost ladder you go, the worse options you have, but the greater the chance of getting the card, which is a nice tension, like Stronghold Gambit in reverse. It might be decent in the late game, but then, your opponent can have huge late game bombs too. The most broken interaction I can think of is fetching something big for a Shoal, so I think it's perfectly fine.

It also doesn't work very well as a quasi Entomb, as the things you'd most often want to Entomb have high costs, and you'll end up getting them in your hand instead. Nice. This gets my "thoroughly unplayable, and very fun" stamp of approval.

Also, wording:

Comparative Studies

Sorcery
Each player searches his or her library for a card, then each player reveals the card he or she searched for. Put the cards revealed in this way with the highest converted mana cost into their owners' hands, and the rest into their owners' graveyards. (If two or more cards are tied for highest, put all of them into their owners' hands.)
Then each player shuffles his or her library.

I made it put both cards into their hands if there's a tie because it's easier to word this way, and I don't think it makes a big difference.

[Polynomial P]

Then why not make it a U/B card for, well . I feel it is too good as is, but I can't quite put my finger on it. 2-mana tutors are always dangerous, but I don't know whether this is more like Merchant Scroll/Infernal Tutor (meaning "balanced") or more like Entomb/Demonic Tutor (meaning "ba-roken")

I thought about the  mana cost and later rejected it. Compare that cost to Lim-Dul's vault: Vault will definetly do what you want it to do...but with this card there is a good chance it won't. I cant see this tutor really being broken...unless I am completely missing something.

@Illissius

Your wording is much easier on the mind...and I forgot the shuffle library part. Maybe the card will not be two powerful if both players get their cards if it is a tie. I will change the initial post to your wording for now.

[Matt]

I like how tricky this is to play with, how the mind games will work. Even so, is pushing the envelope. This would be terrible at 2U, so really and are the only options.

Actually, this could be .

[Polynomial P]

If the general consensus is that the 1 casting cost is too good, then I think it should be as stated by asi and Matt.

I personally do not think this will see any play in Vintage or Legacy at 1 , but it could be good for Limited and T2 (to fetch out your 1 of bombs). At  I think this doesnt see play at all. Maybe that is fine though. I will reject the casting cost on the grounds that I do not believe this card card to be random, but a battle of minds and bluffing between you and your opponent.

So, should the cost be upped to  ?

[parallax]

I don't think the card is too good. It's not really that much better than Time of Need for finding your expensive finishers. The fact that it can only tutor for expensive cards keeps it in check. This will never put a Lotus in your hand. It probably won't get you Will. It can only fetch Wrath of God if you want to give your opponent a free Giant Solifuge or a Moldervine Cloak in the graveyard. should be fine.

[Matt]

It also gives the opponent card advantage if they match.

[Anusien]

I guess most of the time it won't be a UB tutor for Desire/Bargain.

In Standard, I think it's interesting.  It basically rewards both players for going up the curve on finishers, and R&D is all about encouraging people to play with bigger and bigger men.  Outside of Vintage, it doesn't work for pure combo players because (except Eye of the Storm) all of those cards are so cheap.  Interesting mind games, although I think you're just going to get the biggest non-DSC card you have (unless you're playing Oath, and then, sucks to be you).

[Harlequin]

Speaking of R&D, this card would be great with split cards, because you get the sum of the costs and get to cast the cheaper of the 2.  Even something like Hide/Seak or the classic Fire/Ice would be good tutors.

[Polynomial P]

Even if this is a tutor for bargain and Desire, I am not sure any deck would use it because:

A) it is similar to, but worse than merchant scroll at finding those cards since it could conceivably fail
B) I am not sure decks that play bargain and desire would even use it since they can play things like vamp, DT, Grim tutor, Imp Seal, which are all 100% guaranteed to find you Bargain or desire and they find better cards as well.

I think that at 1 this card will see some play in some formats, but I am doubtful that it will break any format. This is a very situational card that can sometimes be fantastic, but at other times be suicidal.


@Harlequin, thats actually a great use for this card.

[Illissius]

Speaking of R&D, this card would be great with split cards, because you get the sum of the costs and get to cast the cheaper of the 2.  Even something like Hide/Seak or the classic Fire/Ice would be good tutors.

I don't think that's how it works. In situations when there's a specific question, in this case "does it have the highest converted mana cost", each half is considered separately, and it returns true if either half does. So you could fetch Development and then play Research, but Fire // Ice is nothing special. The two costs are added in "equal to its converted mana cost" situations, like Dark Confidant, in which case it happens equal to both of its mana costs.

[Harlequin]

Hrmm you might be right... but I think I might be right.  A card like Research // Developement is CC = 2, 5, and 7.  So now lets say you get force of will (cc = 5).  Now If you ask "Is R/D the highest CC?" the answer is Yes.  If you ask "Is R/D the lowest Casting cost?"  or "Does R/D have CC equal that of FOW then the answer is also ... yes, and yes?

Someone like Matt or Apollyon is going to have to answer this one...

[parallax]

The converted mana cost of Research // Development is 2 and 5, but not 7. If you reveal R&D and they reveal FoW, you will both get the card because you both have the highest CMC (5). Likewise, Fire // Ice loses to 3CC cards.

[Harlequin]

I thought R/D would do 7 dmg with a card like Erratic Explossion because in that case the CMC would = the sum of the 2 cards.  is this different?

[Polynomial P]

With cards like dark confidant, you would take seven damage, because when confidant checks the CC of Research//development, it comes back with 5 and 2 for a total of seven damage. That does not mean the cc of the card is seven though.

[parallax]

Erratic Explosion does 5 damage and 2 damage, which incidentally is the same as doing 7 damage. The CMCs of the two sides don't get added. The effect just happens to be additive.

[Polynomial P]

Any suggestions for the name of this card or for flavor text? I think Comparative Studies is an appropriate name, but I am probably biased.

[Shmn]

Studies and research are generally associated with drawing whereas search effects tend to be tutors or search (Frantic Search). I could imagine a tutor that teaches to the highest bidder - an "Unbiased Tutor" or "Neutral Tutor", although admittely neither sounds that cool. Unreliable, Public, Selective, Ambitious (does not settle for a low casting cost)?

[Polynomial P]

Given Shmn's concerns, the best name I have thought if is "Daydreamer's Tutor" with the flavortext as: "Think big." I also think that name reinforces the imagination of the Blue Mage. I am still open to other ideas and suggestions.

[Harlequin]

Might I suggest "Daydreaming Tutor" or even just simply "Daydream"

to me "Daydreamer's tutor" just doesn't feel right.  I guess because the first word isn't actually describing the second, its describing who the tutor would be tutoring ... presumably.

[Polynomial P]

I really like "Daydream". Ill edit the first post.

[Polynomial P]

How bout a 24hr clock?