Reveillark 4w
Creature - Elemental Rare
Flying
When Reveillark leaves play, return up to two target creature cards with power 2 or less from your graveyard to play.
Evoke 5{W}
Illus. Jim Murray 4/3
Not sure on this one. If you play that evoke doesn't count towards your one spell per turn, then it could be decent to bring back Voidmages, Venser, Az. Guildmage, Clone, Phantom Nishoba, Plaguebearer, Necrotic Sliver, Duplicant, *snip*, etc. The "to play" clause is gravy.
He also returns Nazi Fox, Kiki-Jiki-who-should-really-have-a-nickname, Stuffy Doll, Withered Wretch, Temporal Adept, Siege-Gang Commander, Trophy Hunter, Gorilla Shaman, Izzet Chronarch, Armored Guardian, False Prophet, Opal-Eye, Combat Medic, Sutured Ghoul, Mulldrifter (evoke is freebie) and all clone variants: Body Double, Dimir Doppelganger, Vesuvan Shapeshifter and Shapesharer.
Lower-powered stacks run many more creatures with power 2 or less, like Faceless Butcher, Pentavus, Sekki, Goblin Flectomancer etc.
Even if Reveillark returns only one utility creature and one small body of a battlemage, Voidmage Prodigy, Willbender or a Mystic Snake it's still really strong for a freebie card. If he returns two utility creatures he is even fine as your spell for the turn (like any individual utility creature is).
If you play with the rule "evoke doesn't count as your spell for the turn", definitely include it. If not, than if you have a large number of men it can return and be worth the spell for the turn, include it too. Else, don't include it.
Negate 1u
Instant Common
Counter target noncreature spell.
Spite is finally printed.
Violet Pall 4b
Tribal Instant - Faerie Common
Destroy target nonblack creature.
Put a 1/1 black Faerie Rogue creature token with flying into play.
A terror that can hit artifact creatures, and give you a 1/1 Flying Faerie! What's not to love? (Super Secret Tech: Immune to Faerie Trickery!!!)
You really shouldn't play terror in your stack. His targeting abilities are far too limited. In the more developed stacks, removals without some sort of a benefit aren't included, but in the less developed ones a pure removal is a common sight. How hard could it be to find a Terminate or Disembowel? And Rend Flesh, Chill to the Bone or Eyeblight's Ending? At the very least, include Dark Banishing or even Feast or Famine, but not terror or removal in his power level.
Mind Spring
Draw X cards.
I've actually wished for this one before. I think Treasure Trove is really pushing the boundary because you can use it any time and that Diviner's Wand seems awfully strong in that it gives +1/+1's in addition to being Treasure Trove-like. It does have the liability of needing to have a creature to put it on, tho. Mind Spring is sweet - You can't use it to straight murder anyone, if you draw too many you'll need to discard a bunch and this easily meets the standard for what I think a Sorcery should do.
I agree with every word. This card is easily the best one so far (and probably will stay so as only 6 cards are missing). The only problem I see is some noob playing it to draw 20 cards. He reads each one of them, two times just to be sure, and then needs to choose what to discard. This can be too much time consuming, and if it will happen I won't include it.
Massive Discard Effects - I come from the same school (Massive Discard = "un-fun"); however, I've recently developed "the fear", lol. I haven't had a chance to play for awhile, and, since my last session, I've added quite a bit of "buyback" (Whispers, Evangelize, Spell Burst, Blast from the Past, Reiterate, etc.). To those with more experience; how has it worked out? Is buyback "on par", or ridiculously over-powered when one has infinite mana? Have you added/needed a greater counterspell density to overcome buyback's effect on a stack, or splashed some discard? I think the only discard/hand-removal that I'm currently running consists of Decree of Annihillation and Minamo's Meddling, lol. I've yet to pick up a Dismal Failure.
Most buyback cards aren't too strong. Evangelize is really easy to disrupt, and won't always give you the creature you want.
The instant speed buyback cards are more problematic in that they are often very repetitive and unfun. Especially, Invulnerability (and change of heart, mind games etc.) makes the game boring as hell sometimes. See if your group likes Capsize, Spell Burst (which also has the problem of being overpowered and therefore doesn't fit in many stacks) and the like.
About the successful ones: Whispers of the Muse is one of the best bombs in the format, and doesn't stall the game. Reiterate, Corpse Dance, Sprout Swarm and Blast for the Past are also powerful spells that actively win the game. Slaughter and Forbid are really good because they have a limit on how many times a player can use it.
Usually the buyback cards are dealt with by fizzling or countering (or killing the player
). I still had a few problems with buyback cards in my stack; my solution was to up the number of counters and to include a few coercion-style discard spells. They are more interactive and still leave the player in the game. The targeted discard spells in my stack are: Extortion, Void, Rare-B-Gone, Persecute and Castigate
The non-targeted discard spells I play: Muse Vessel, Mindstab (Suspend is freebie), Delirium Skeins, Crosis, the Purger, Three Tragedies, Myojin of night's Reach, Struggle for Sanity, Haunting Hymn, Recoil, Dismal Failure, Syphon Mind, Smallpox and Decree of Annihilation.
I would've preferred to take out the buyback cards than to include mass discard into my stack. The discard spells I have are much weaker than massive hand discards spell and they too have already been problematic a few times before (I should really write here sometime a story about a certain game involving persecute).
Slithermuse
Creature - Elemental
When Slithermuse leaves play, choose an opponent. If that player has more cards in hand than you, draw cards equal to the difference.
Evoke
Sexy
Feudkiller's Verdict
Tribal Sorcery - Giant (R)
You gain 10 life. Then if you have more life than an opponent, put a 5/5 white Giant Warrior creature token into play.
We definitely have stronger lifegain spells and certainly stronger fatties, but maybe the combination of both effects might make this playable.
Stonehewer Giant
Creature - Giant Warrior (R)
Vigilance
,
: Search your library for an Equipment card and put it into play. Attach it to a creature you control. Then shuffle your library.
4/4
He is small and not likely to survive long enough to untap, but his effect is still strong. He's a walking Toolbox of equipment which can attach equipment to shroudy guys in the middle of combat that's worth trying.
Swell of Courage
Instant (U)
Creatures you control get +2/+2 until end of turn.
Reinforce X -
(
, Discard this card: Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature.)
This card is EVIL.
Thieves' Fortune
Tribal Instant - Rogue (C)
Prowl
(You may play this card for its prowl cost if you dealt combat damage to a player this turn with a Rogue.)
Look at the top four cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library.
This card is already an Impulse, and though his Prowl effects won't happen often or even at all, he is still better.
Vendillion Clique
Legendary Creature - Faerie Wizard (R)
Flash
Flying
When Vendilion Clique comes into play, look at target player's hand. You may choose a nonland card from it. If you do, that player reveals the chosen card, puts it on the bottom of his or her library, then draws a card.
3/1
He's another answer for buyback. He can target you, and he is Faerie's Trickery resistant. BTW, if you see his hand is really weak you may just look at her.
Offalsnout
Creature - Elemental (U)
Flash
When Offalsnout leaves play, remove target card in a graveyard from the game.
Evoke
2/2
A freebie cremate that doesn't cantrip might be fine.
Deglamer
Instant (C)
Choose target artifact or enchantment.
Its owner shuffles it into his or her library.
The modern days Naturalize.
