Garruk's Helm

[DubDub]

Initial wording:

Garruk's Helm -  
Legendary Artifact
The first creature spell you cast each turn cannot be countered.
Wood splits bone.  Stone splits wood.  Normal metal splits stone.  This metal splits normal metal.  So I put it on my head.
- Garruk, to Venser

Current wording:

Garruk's Helm -  
Legendary Artifact
The first creature spell you cast each turn cannot be countered.
Creatures you control have trample.
Wood splits bone, stone splits wood, metal splits stone.  THIS splits metal, so I put it on my head.
- Garruk, to Venser

[Delha]

Kinda like the other Helm, I think this is too strong (though not nearly so much as Venser's).

Free things need to have really limited power to be balanced.

[DubDub]

Recosted, a smidge lower than Venser's Helm, which is arguably better.

[Delha]

Definitely agree than Venser's is much stronger. TBH, I think would be perfectly fair.

At this is pretty much a Gaea's Herald remake, which is kinda boring. At it's a recurring Insist that doesn't cantrip. Still pretty much strictly better than Herald, but he's not good enough to see play anyway, right?

It's a small enough effect that I don't imagine it would be gamebreaking.

[Wagner]

Agreed, same cost as a Herald with no body seems pretty bad to me.

If you want to keep it at two, make it cantrip, like Ground Seal.


Or make it WAAAAACKY!

The first creature spell you cast each turn cannot be countered.
The second creature spell you cast each turn is countered.
The third creature spell you cast each turn has trample, haste and +5+5 unless your opponent is eating cheerios.

[DubDub]

Or make it WAAAAACKY!

It's not outrageous, but I added another small positive ability, and upped the manacost to reflect Venser's Helm at the same time.  Recasting a Bloodbraid Elf, Primeval or other Titan (after attacking to get the first trigger) every turn seems awesome.

This probably introduces the ability to abuse Eternal Witness and extra turn spells in EDH, but that would be a three card combo costing  per turn typically while requiring an artifact and creature to survive, and the spell to hit (and stay in) your graveyard.  Might be unfun, but not unfair.

[Darkenslight]

Or make it WAAAAACKY!

It's not outrageous, but I added another small positive ability, and upped the manacost to reflect Venser's Helm at the same time.  Recasting a Bloodbraid Elf, Primeval or other Titan (after attacking to get the first trigger) every turn seems awesome.

This probably introduces the ability to abuse Eternal Witness and extra turn spells in EDH, but that would be a three card combo costing  per turn typically while requiring an artifact and creature to survive, and the spell to hit (and stay in) your graveyard.  Might be unfun, but not unfair.

Alternatively, give it the Wirewood Symbiote wording, making the return a creaturew a cost, and giving pseudo-vigilance.

[Wagner]

Now it's probably much too strong.

The return ability needs a strong cost, at least GG, otherwise it just makes all your dudes basically removal proof, and you have no reason to not cats them right back.

With a good activation cost, at least you're limited to either save them, or cast them.

You could also do :

G, discard a card from your hand: Return a creature you control to its owner's hand.

[Delha]

Symbiote is the exception rather than the rule, I think these are more in line with how green does it.

• : Put target creature from your graveyard on top of your library.
• : Return target creature from your graveyard to your hand.
• Sacrifice CARDNAME: Return target creature or land from your graveyard to your hand.

[DubDub]

Now it's probably much too strong.

The return ability needs a strong cost, at least GG, otherwise it just makes all your dudes basically removal proof, and you have no reason to not cats them right back.

It can only be used to save one creature per turn.  In terms of 'removal proofing' this ability is much worse than Kira, Great Glass Spinner, which protects each of your dudes independently.  Also, if you're using the return ability liberally then removal in response should be good against you.  The ability is better as an escape clause for creatures you want to live.

Assuming that the 'return clause' continues to be controversal, how about this instead:
Garruk's Helm - 
Legendary Artifact
The first creature spell you cast each turn cannot be countered.
Creatures can't have haste.
Creatures you control have trample.
Wood splits bone.  Stone splits wood.  Normal metal splits stone.  This metal splits normal metal.  So I put it on my head.
- Garruk, to Venser

I feel like, as the flavor text makes implies, Garruk is a big lumbering dude with big lumbering beast friends.  Giving your creatures trample emphasizes doing things Garruk wants to do, while removing haste from all creatures is sort of fighting on Garruk's terms.  No fancy attacks out of nowhere (although flash is not stopped): you see what's coming at you (no haste), and can't stop it (has trample).

[Delha]

I get what you're trying to do, but I think the "no-haste" clause still feels out of place. If you cut just that line, I like think the card works both in terms of power and color pie.

Minor suggested revision to the flavor text:
Wood splits bone, stone splits wood, metal splits stone. THIS splits metal, so I put it on my head.

[DubDub]

I get what you're trying to do, but I think the "no-haste" clause still feels out of place. If you cut just that line, I like think the card works both in terms of power and color pie.

Minor suggested revision to the flavor text:
Wood splits bone, stone splits wood, metal splits stone. THIS splits metal, so I put it on my head.

Haste is secondary in green now right, so maybe green doesn't want to remove that advantage.  Changes implemented.

[Wagner]

The bounce still protects against Wrath Effects, which is something Green shouldn't have access to.

The trample is pretty nice though, on color, now really strong, but a nice bonus.