[Just for Fun] Territory, my fan set

[SilverGreen]

I don't know if I'm posting this in the correct place, or even if I can post this at all. But as I didn't see anything forbidding me to do so, so here it goes!

Set Name: Territory
Block: Set 1 of 3 in the Territory block
Cards number: 306
Designer: Me :tongue:
Development Team: You :wink:

Territory is the standalone expansion of the block that shares its name, together with Discovery and Conquest. The block is an FCC (Fantasy Card Creation) work that have been developed for a long long time, and it's original in its almost entirety (with some exceptions included for mechanical purposes). The set's destined only for exhibition for our pleasure. It has no commercial purpose and doesn't claim any intellectual right over the game, that's property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Illustrations included on cards were collected in internet open foruns and websites, and holds the proper artist credits always this information is available.

Territory has a strong monocolored main theme, translated into a color-specific land theme. It also has the more subtle subthemes of library manipulation and triggered abilities. The set's design started long before the release of WotC's land-themed block, Zendikar. I abandoned it completely a few times, put in some concentrated efforts some others, and finally the set's getting to its final cheek. But as it's under fine tunning yet, cards still move to and from the other two sets of the block sometimes (and to/from the next block, too), and for sure all of them need lots of development. But it's not an FCC job, maybe we can let it to an upcoming FCD team! ;)

Territory tells the story of Heremos, a massive and distant plane located at the threshold of the Blind Eternities, where for an still unknow reason planeswalkers seldomly go. Populations in Heremos are in a constant struggle for the command of the regions in which's possible to find sources of the primal, brute mana energy know as The Irradiation. The Irradiation is a kind of pure, essencial mana. It has no colors, but can be utilized to fuel-up spellcasting of any one color. Mages of all color-alignments apply the Irradiation in the same fashion they apply their regular manabonds - but not that they care about color-alignments (continues soon...)


GENERAL NOTES


Set's symbols:
http://i10.tinypic.com/6k4kpvt.jpg


Set's size: 306 cards (116 commons, 85 uncommons, 85 rares, 20 basic lands)
50 White, 50 Blue, 50 Black, 50 Red, 50 Green, 16 Artifacts, 20 Lands, 20 Basic Lands

Important information: In this fictional set I'm doing some terminology changes I personally feel could be benefitial to the game, and the most important one is the extinction of the Instant card type, here turned into a Sorcery supertype. In this block, all Instant spells are Sorceries with the instant supertype. This new supertype has its own incorporated rules baggage, in the same fashion the legendary and the basic supertypes have their own built-in rules. Cards with this supertype, as well as cards with the flash ability, are getting a reminder text explaining the time windows you may cast them. And as this reminder text couldn't self-reffer to "at any time you could play an instant" anymore, it was entirely reformulated: it now reads "You may cast this at any step, phase, or turn, even in response to other spells or abilities". And although cards of the Instant Sorcery kind and cards with the flash ability work in a very similar way, the keyword "flash" remains a keyword exclusive to permanent spells.


Set's Mechanics

General Mechanics:

Fallow
Fallow is a static ability of some sorcery spells that functions while the spell is on the stack. "Fallow" is a keyword action that means "If a land entered the battlefield this turn, shuffle this spell into its owner's library instead of put it into his or her graveyard as it resolves."

Focus
Focus is a static ability that functions at any zone from which the card can be played. "Focus" means "You may pay [cost] and tap all lands you control rather than pay this spell's mana cost." Paying a spell's focus cost follows the rules for paying alternative costs in rule 116.9.

Sprawl
Sprawl is a special triggered ability of some permanents that reads "when this enters the battlefield, if a land entered the battlefield this turn, trigger sprawl effects from all permanents you control" (See rule 603, "Handling Triggered Abilities."). It's a keyword ability that represents a triggered ability with a composed trigger condition. A sprawl trigger must check if two sub-trigger conditions are true in order to trigger, instead of the usual one trigger-condition. It's described in the cards' text in the format "sprawl - [action]", that means "whenever a permanent with the sprawl ability enters the battlefield under your control (sub-trigger condition 1), if a land entered the battlefield this turn (sub-trigger condition 2), do [action(s)]".

Landbond
Landbond is a generic term; a card's rules text may also give to the ability a specific subtype: Plainsbond, Islandbond, Swampbond, Mountainbond, Forestbond and others.
Landbond is a characteristic-defining ability of creatures that says "This creature's power and toughness are each equal to the number of [land of the appropriate type] you control" (see rule 604.3, "Characteristic-defining Abilities").

Minor color-themed mechanics:

Escort
Escort is a static ability that modifies the rules for the combat damage step. (See rule 510, "Combat Damage Step.").

During the combat damage step, after all players have assigned how combat damage would be dealt, then the active player may choose to re-assign any amount of combat damage that would be dealt to creatures he or she controls to any number of creatures with the escort ability he or she controls, respecting the limit of those creatures with the escort abilities' toughness (a player can't re-assign to a creature with the escort ability an amount of combat damage higher than that creature's toughness). After that step, the non-active player follows the same procedure. When all players finishes doing this procedure, all the assigned combat damage is effectively dealt. This procedure is an exception to rule 510.2, and applies immediately after rule 510.1e.

Adding or removing a creature's escort ability at any time after combat damage has been assigned won't prevent that creature from receive the combat damage already assigned.

Multiple instances of escort on the same creature are redundant.

Slyness
(coming soon)

Graveswap
(coming soon)

Mob mind
(coming soon)

Upsurge
(coming soon)

I'm trying to copy the full spoiler here, but for some reason the text isn't be shown in the board. But you can see it by clicking on this link in my signature (no virus, it's the original thread at the Magic Set Editor's board). Hope you enjoy! :wink:

[SilverGreen]

[Wrath_Of_Houlding]

In terms of the Instant type thing, shouldn't it specify you have to have priority?

[Filth]

(Warning: While reading this post, you will find it hard to believe that I always smile while writing. This post needs more smileys, but because I hate them, that's just not going to happen. I sometimes get overly critical when looking at custom cards. Just take it as constructive criticism, okay?)

I think changing Instant to a supertype is a terrible idea now. If this was 16 years ago, then I'd definitely support the change, but after all these years you just shouldn't try to change such major part of the game. I know I don't want all my Anarchists to read "Return target non-Instant Sorcery..." :/


Sprawl — Creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.These sprawl abilities should be changed to follow the modern ability word templating. Look at any card with hellbent or threshold (oracle wording, of course). They have the full wording of the ability printed on the card, despite the ability word being there. So this ability should be worded:

Sprawl — Whenever Companionship or another permanent with sprawl enters the battlefield under your control, if a land entered the battlefield this turn, creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.

I'm not even going to talk about the second ability of that card. You'd be crying before I finished my rant about it. Or at least I would. Then again, I doubt that ability would fit on a Magic card with the full wording of the first ability anyway.

@ Dispersing Mantra: I don't care how much it costs, you don't create red or black enchantment destruction. You even put life gain on the same card. What the fuck, seriously?


Spells targeting Errant Fortune-Hunter cost 1 less to cast.
Activated abilities targeting Errant Fortune-Hunter cost 1 less to activate.See Spellwild Ouphe for the correct wording.


Prevent up to 3 damage that would be dealt by creatures this turn.I... uh... Wait, what does this card do? If I attack with three Grizzly Bears and you block each of them with one Runeclaw Bear, I can prevent 1 damage to each of my bears while your filthy M10 bears die painfully. Is that correct? I just don't think WotC has ever printed a damage prevention effect that doesn't ask for a source or a target for the damage.

@ Felt Presence: This card feels a bit overpowered. I mean, it could easily cost 3 mana and no one would complain. Especially since it can go nuts if you get two of them plus an enchantress effect.


When Fighting Marshall attacks, untap all Knight creatures you control. Those creatures get +1/+1 until end of turn.Should be "Whenever". You only use "When" with abilities that usually don't trigger more than once, like "enters/leaves the battlefield" triggers.

@ File the Troops: This card doesn't actually work. You choose modes before you pay costs for the spell, so at that time there's no way to determine how much white mana you're spending.

@ Grassfields Steed: ZOMG A COST-EFFECTIVE PLAINSWALKER*!?

* Hehe, I got to say "plainswalker" and actually mean it.

@ Hillside Sentinel: Not a common. Evasive guy plus removal for 4 mana? You don't play a lot of limited, do you?

@ Journey of Penitence: Make it 1WW and we can talk. It's still more powerful than I would like, but WotC has been giving white so much broken removal I wouldn't even be surprised to see this.

@ Majani Solestella: You could cut the second and third ability and this card would still be very powerful. Planeswalkers that cost 4 and make tokens to protect themselves are annoying enough to deal with. Elspeth is probably the best example, because she also does it for +1 loyalty and has an ultimate that you might realistically get to activate (unlike Nissa). This card comes down earlier, makes flying blockers, and gets the ultimate online much faster. It would warp a format or two because of the sheer fact that it's infinitely problematic for both aggro (wall of blockers) and control (evasive token swarm).

Oh, and of course there's also the second ability. It may not look like much, but it can reset planeswalkers (even bounce itself infinitely!) or persisted creatures like Kitchen Finks, reuse enters-the-battlefield abilities (Shriekmaw etc.), change the choices made for your Pithing Needles / Meddling Mages / Runed Halos, get an extra activation out of an artifact or land with a tap ability (including mana abilities - yay turn 4 Baneslayer Angels?), remove auras/equipment from a permanent, or kill your opponent with his own Phage the Untouchable (lol). And I'm sure there are some uses that I missed.

And the third ability... Okay, I think you get the point already. The short version is that the card is severely overpowered.

@ Mounted Messenger: "Whenever"! Twice!

@ New Beginnings: "Came into play"? WHAT!?

@ Nwamanka Roadranger: Not a common, as you would expect of a creature that pretty much says "prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to creatures you control" in the late game. I would also make it a 1/2.

@ Peacemaker Formalist: I like that ability. Very cool. Though it would probably be more balanced if it was 3 damage. The card's playability wouldn't suffer at all. It's still good enough to break Legacy in half. :P

@ Sunbean (or "Sunbeam", maybe?) Elemental is a rare. Also, I don't understand the timing "restriction" on the abilities. Is the word "instant" not supposed to be there?

@ Sunstriker Petard: While I love the idea of encouraging players to play more basics, this card is just overdoing it.

Cut the haste for first strike, i.e. the white way or saying "this creature is fast." Then remove vigilance and you're set.

@ Unisonous Canon: It's the perfect annoying white control card for sure. But even though I like it, I'm pretty sure it's still overpowered. The least you could do is add another ability that says "Spells named Unisonous Canon cost [X] more to cast", where [X] is either 2, 3, or 2W, and I would use the last one. A one-sided Sphere of Resistance is just way too annyoing at such a low mana cost, especially if you draw multiples of the card.

@ Voiding Sleep: Holy shit is this card broken. Perhaps not so much with the current rules, but when you can just "imprint" a sorcery card and block both instants and sorceries, you're talking about pretty much removing all control and combo decks from the game.


Looks like that was all of the white cards. If you still want critique on the other cards, I might do that later, but I won't bother if these comments were enough to make you hate me.

[Nightmare]

You could fix Companionship by making the second ability "All attacking creatures you control have banding."

[SilverGreen]

In terms of the Instant type thing, shouldn't it specify you have to have priority?I don't think so, Houlding. The current wording on "instant" abilities do not refers to priority either for a reason, and this reason is the complexity level of the matter. A wide application of stack and priority concepts use to be avoided in a regular basis, because they're among the last of the basic game concepts newcomers use to learn. It's ok to mention the stack in an occasional uncommon or rare card, but it would be a little too confusing to the new player at common level. And I don't even remember if there's an existing card that mentions priority issues.

But in any way, I also dislike the actual wording on cards, and the way it "feedbacks". It's like if it allows you to "cast an instant ability at any time you could cast an instant", do you see? I personally feel the correct aproach of the ability should be describing the appropriate time windows you should use. I don't know if the wording I'm currently applying is the best or more accurate one, but I feel it points to the direction such wording should take.


I think changing Instant to a supertype is a terrible idea now. If this was 16 years ago, then I'd definitely support the change, but after all these years you just shouldn't try to change such major part of the game. I know I don't want all my Anarchists to read "Return target non-Instant Sorcery..." :/


@ Dispersing Mantra: I don't care how much it costs, you don't create red or black enchantment destruction. You even put life gain on the same card. What the fuck, seriously?I think that base new cards on previous ones (cards made after 2000 I mean, under modern R&D politics) is a positive way to measure the viability of such new cards, and this was the rule I applied to make this and other cards. First at all, Focus was done as a way to simulate artifacts' major role, which means, make desirable effects available to colors that doesn't normally has access to them. The ability makes it in such a way it adds flexibility to the cards, hence you may cast the cards for a cheaper cost for an on-color effect, or a more expensive cost for an off-color effect. This card in particular was deliberately made to pack two effects normally not seem on black or red, but actually present in artifacts of the same average cost. Try to not look at it as a black Disenchant, but as a targeted Oblivion Stone.


[QUOTE]@ Errant Fortune-Hunter
See Spellwild Ouphe for the correct wording.I never made notice this wording already exists. Fixed.




@ Expert ObstructionI... uh... Wait, what does this card do? If I attack with three Grizzly Bears and you block each of them with one Runeclaw Bear, I can prevent 1 damage to each of my bears while your filthy M10 bears die painfully. Is that correct? I just don't think WotC has ever printed a damage prevention effect that doesn't ask for a source or a target for the damage.Yes, this is totally correct. I think this kind of "unpublished" damage preventing ability could be a very interesting addition to the worn and boring Healing Salve theme. And as a common, it's yet far weaker than Harm's Way, for instance.


@ Felt Presence: This card feels a bit overpowered. I mean, it could easily cost 3 mana and no one would complain. Especially since it can go nuts if you get two of them plus an enchantress effect.No complains about this costing 3. But is it in fact so more powerful than Sterling Grove?

Furthermore, enchantress effects are white nowadays, aren't they? I would have no worries in making Enchantress a playable archetype.



@ Fighting MarshallShould be "Whenever". You only use "When" with abilities that usually don't trigger more than once, like "enters/leaves the battlefield" triggers.Yes, it should. Probably we'll find some other terminology errors such this one and others spread among the set yet, they come off the revisions all the time.


@ File the Troops: This card doesn't actually work. You choose modes before you pay costs for the spell, so at that time there's no way to determine how much white mana you're spending.Really. But it works if we don't make the card modal. Make it read just "tokens OR counters", similar to Naturalize and such, would be enough, I guess.


@ Grassfields Steed: ZOMG A COST-EFFECTIVE PLAINSWALKER*!?

* Hehe, I got to say "plainswalker" and actually mean it.Is it a criticism or not? I didn't get it this time. :p

Anyway, every trivia-lover knows that plainswalk is the least shown kind of landwalk ability, and every FCC-lover loves to make things for the sake of change. It's always a very dangerous thing in design, I know. But it's also the kind of thing that appeals the most in the design part of the binomial "design & development".

So, if red always get its 1R mountainwalkers, why not make a regular "2/2 for 1W with an ability" with the appropriate landwalk?


@ Hillside Sentinel: Not a common. Evasive guy plus removal for 4 mana? You don't play a lot of limited, do you?You're totally right here. Which move do you think would be the most appropriate and appealing here, raise the card's mana cost or its rarity?


@ Journey of Penitence: Make it 1WW and we can talk. It's still more powerful than I would like, but WotC has been giving white so much broken removal I wouldn't even be surprised to see this.Here I disagree, I guess. What exactly makes this card so more powerful than a Path to Exile or Oblivion Ring? For sure I may be losing something...


@ Majani Solestella: You could cut the second and third ability and this card would still be very powerful. Planeswalkers that cost 4 and make tokens to protect themselves are annoying enough to deal with. Elspeth is probably the best example, because she also does it for +1 loyalty and has an ultimate that you might realistically get to activate (unlike Nissa). This card comes down earlier, makes flying blockers, and gets the ultimate online much faster. It would warp a format or two because of the sheer fact that it's infinitely problematic for both aggro (wall of blockers) and control (evasive token swarm).Damn, you're also extremely right here. This card was created and "locked in" long before Alara's release, at a time I didn't have a parameter to the power of a "+" token-making ability. The purpose behind this card was making a weenie-friendly planeswalker, with CMC and loyalty status lower than the average (it originally had just 2 loyalty, and I raised the number because it seemed a little "too vulnerable to Incinerate" for me), that could also enable sprawl-oriented strategies.

Some options to try to fix it could be lower back her loyalty, limit the second ability to hit just creatures, raise her mana cost, or even change her abilities entirely. Suggestions will be well received in this matter. ;)


@ Nwamanka Roadranger: Not a common, as you would expect of a creature that pretty much says "prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to creatures you control" in the late game. I would also make it a 1/2.Sorry, I think I didn't get the point here again. You're refering to the fact we can bounce a lot of lands at once to prevent a bunch of damage, right? This one is easy to fix, it's enough to limit the ability to be activated once per turn.


@ Peacemaker Formalist: I like that ability. Very cool. Though it would probably be more balanced if it was 3 damage. The card's playability wouldn't suffer at all. It's still good enough to break Legacy in half. :PI always thought the same about this one... I also always thought it's a bit too overpowered this way. Time and again I reasoned about the 3 damage adjustment, but I don't know why, I never implemented it. It's time to do so now.


@ Sunbean (or "Sunbeam", maybe?) Elemental is a rare. Also, I don't understand the timing "restriction" on the abilities. Is the word "instant" not supposed to be there?SunbeaM. Time and again I commit this kind of English-killing, my bad. I'll see this kind of thing coming from me a lot of times yet, ma englich is no so gud. And the "instant" shouldn't be there, really.

This card was a rare. But when I needed a rare slot in the set to settle another card, I chose this one, because yet powerful, it has a simple wording, and I'm also ok with the existence of some pushed-up uncommons in every set. Every modern Magic set has some of them, and I think this card can fit at uncommon level.

Did you notice that this card has a "focus" activated ability, but not a focus casting cost? It was intended as a push to reanimation strategies, a mechanic that's pushed-up in Territory's black. I think it would be nice to have some kind of utility target to Animate Deads beyond bulge fatties in the set.


@ Sunstriker Petard: While I love the idea of encouraging players to play more basics, this card is just overdoing it.

Cut the haste for first strike, i.e. the white way or saying "this creature is fast." Then remove vigilance and you're set.Mini-Akroma really seems a little out-of-place, I guess...

But could you explain better the "overdoing" part? Do you mean it's ok when your opponent plays basics, but it's too pushed-up when he doens't, is it?


@ Unisonous Canon: It's the perfect annoying white control card for sure. But even though I like it, I'm pretty sure it's still overpowered. The least you could do is add another ability that says "Spells named Unisonous Canon cost [X] more to cast", where [X] is either 2, 3, or 2W, and I would use the last one. A one-sided Sphere of Resistance is just way too annyoing at such a low mana cost, especially if you draw multiples of the card.The less clunky alternative here would make the enchantment legendary, as is its inspiring card, Augustin IV. But a legendary enchantment in this land set would be even more clunky. I don't know how to fix this. Perhaps making it 3W? It would make it unplayable, wouldn't it?


@ Voiding Sleep: Holy shit is this card broken. Perhaps not so much with the current rules, but when you can just "imprint" a sorcery card and block both instants and sorceries, you're talking about pretty much removing all control and combo decks from the game.I don't think so. In order to make the card work, you have to run the same card types it's intended to lock, ending with as much dead cards in your deck as your opponent. If, for example, you intend to lock your opponent's Krosan Grips and StPs, you'll end up with a bunch of dead FoWs in hand. And if you try to run so much fewer cards of a type than your opponent does, you risk make your enchantment so much inconsistent that you wouldn't be able to cast it. I think this card is very situational, and it's simmetry makes it work in a way more or less similar to Pithing Needle. It's more powerful than it, of course, but also much more restrictive.



These sprawl abilities should be changed to follow the modern ability word templating. Look at any card with hellbent or threshold (oracle wording, of course). They have the full wording of the ability printed on the card, despite the ability word being there. So this ability should be worded:

Sprawl — Whenever Companionship or another permanent with sprawl enters the battlefield under your control, if a land entered the battlefield this turn, creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.

I'm not even going to talk about the second ability of that card. You'd be crying before I finished my rant about it. Or at least I would. Then again, I doubt that ability would fit on a Magic card with the full wording of the first ability anyway.Being direct, I don't like the new wording on ability words. I miss the objectiviness a standardized reminder text brings to the ability, although I admit that I don't understand the reasons behind the adoption of this new format. I really don't think cleanness is a strong enough justification in this case, but for sure I may be wrong. So we may open a discussion on this particular issue, I guess.

And last but not least, Companionship.

Yes, I know. I see all the clunkyness and strangeness of the card; I know its wording is painfully lengthy (9 lines long on the card in the current wording), and that it's an atempt of bringing back to life an ability banned for disservice. All of this is true, and it's also true that the only reason to make it is the desire of my ego. But man, it's FCC, and I know that more than one old-school player, FCC lover around the World suffers in pain for the miss of one of the most flavorful (yet most rules-messy) abilities ever made. Banding in un-printable nowadays, by any means. But I think that, with this Escort ability carrying alone a part of Banding's rules burden, one more bit of clenup (no clauses about creatures without banding joining the team) and a lone, dedicated rare card to show it, the ability could breathe again for a little ass-kicking. At worst, I would be making a lone piece of mess in the middle of a more credible attempt of a fan set. I would like a lot to give Companionship a chance.

If you're patient, I'll get to the "land spells" section yet...


(Warning: While reading this post, you will find it hard to believe that I always smile while writing. This post needs more smileys, but because I hate them, that's just not going to happen. I sometimes get overly critical when looking at custom cards. Just take it as constructive criticism, okay?)

***

Looks like that was all of the white cards. If you still want critique on the other cards, I might do that later, but I won't bother if these comments were enough to make you hate me.

Man, I really, really, REALLY want to thank you for all the time and will you spent in this thread, I really didn't expect someone to write more than two lines of murderer statements here, as is the usual in any FCC discussion, but you made A LOT of good stuff. It seems to me that this is a matter of interest for you, too. So please, I would like a lot to also read your reasons about the other cards.

[Filth]

Try to not look at it as a black Disenchant, but as a targeted Oblivion Stone.

Well, I also hate Oblivion Stone and Nevinyrral's Disk. :/ But at least they're slow and symmetrical.


No complains about this costing 3. But is it in fact so more powerful than Sterling Grove?

It can't really be compared to Sterling Grove. They have one similarity, but they're still very different cards.


Is it a criticism or not? I didn't get it this time. :p

No. It just made me look at my playset of Great Wall with a tear in my eye and think "Finally..."


You're totally right here. Which move do you think would be the most appropriate and appealing here, raise the card's mana cost or its rarity?

I like the mana cost. Maybe add a "you may pay W (or 1W?)" to the ability? Or remove the part that taps the creature and just have it lock something that was already tapped?


Here I disagree, I guess. What exactly makes this card so more powerful than a Path to Exile or Oblivion Ring? For sure I may be losing something...

Actually, forget that I said anything. It's possible that I was just overthinking it. The card is fine.


<stuff about the planeswalker>

I could make a new set of abilities for it, but it's your card, so I'll just let you suggest something. I want to see a balanced 1WW walker, so do your best.


Sorry, I think I didn't get the point here again. You're refering to the fact we can bounce a lot of lands at once to prevent a bunch of damage, right? This one is easy to fix, it's enough to limit the ability to be activated once per turn.

Right. That's probably a better way to fix it.


Mini-Akroma really seems a little out-of-place, I guess...

But could you explain better the "overdoing" part? Do you mean it's ok when your opponent plays basics, but it's too pushed-up when he doens't, is it?

It's one of those really swingy cards. It can be either broken or complete jank, depending on the environment. And I don't like swingy cards like that.


The less clunky alternative here would make the enchantment legendary, as is its inspiring card, Augustin IV. But a legendary enchantment in this land set would be even more clunky. I don't know how to fix this. Perhaps making it 3W? It would make it unplayable, wouldn't it?

I still like my suggestion. It would make the card similar to other stuff like Sphere of Resistance and Thorn of Amethyst in that casting more copies will cost more. It's not that clunky, imo. And yes, 3W would make the card just bad.


I don't think so. In order to make the card work, you have to run the same card types it's intended to lock, ending with as much dead cards in your deck as your opponent.

It's a sideboard card. You play a normal deck with some creatures and some spells, and when you face a deck like ANT that relies on its sorceries, you board this in and completely lock them out of the game. I'm not sure if forcing every deck to play answers like Oblivion Ring is very healthy for the game.


Let's see... blue cards now? Hm... My least favorite color. I'm going to love this.


@ Benchmark of Illusionism: A worse Plagiarize? You can't surprise them with it, or steal their draw step? I doubt this card would see play in constructed, limited, or even casual.

@ Blink of Ideas: Remove the "if this wasn't cast from your library" part from the shuffle clause. The spell won't resolve before you've finished searching (and shuffling) your library, so you'll still always have to shuffle again after searching for those four cards.

I'm also pretty sure this card is broken somehow. 3x Lion's Eye Diamond + Inkwell Leviathan? Or combo stuff: Cast this, get Infernal Tutor and 3x LED, cast and crack LEDs (9 black), Tutor for Ill-Gotten Gains (7 black), cast it (3 black), get back 2x LED and Tutor, cast Tutor (1 black) and crack LEDs in response (7 black), get Tendrils of Agony and cast it for exactly 20 points.

I'm not sure how to fix this card. You figure it out, it's your card. >_>

@ Blurry Employer: My first reaction was that this is overpowered without a tap symbol in the cost of that ability, but... I dunno. It's still 7 mana for an Eladamri's Call. I guess it's fine.

@ Borrow: Huh. I'm not sure what to think of this card. It's not quite Acquire, but very close to it. It's good if you can get something like Memory Jar, but it still looks pretty weak. I think it should either shuffle the borrowed card back, or maybe put it on top of their library.

I'm not sure how "borrowing" a land makes sense, though. How often do you find yourself borrowing Mountains from people? Maybe change the restriction to artifacts and enchantments? Or just artifacts? Would it be too weak?

@ Cave Eel: Holy gigantic creature, Batman! Or is that supposed to be the card number? If so, where's the P/T?

@ Channeled(?) Winds: "Return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand. If UUU was spent to play Channeled(?) Winds, put that permanent on the top of its owner's library instead."

@ Essence of Oceans: I saw islandbond, flying, and shroud, and was like "What, there's more?" Cut the flying and the last ability, and it's still a very good finisher, while not making blue too good. You don't really need evasion when you have a massive, unkillable beater with a built-in card advantage ability.

@ Grey Lam-nân: I... I think I like this card. The only thing I would change is to make the second ability [-2] for Show and Tell. He seems like the kind of guy who would shove his cards in your face and shout "LOOT AT MY STUFF, IT'S BETTER THAN YOURS!" But then, that's how I imagine all blue players/planeswalkers; elitist assholes with no respect for anyone. Every time you try to play some Magic with them, they go "NO! COUNTER YOUR SPELL! NOW LOOK AT ME WHILE I PLAY MAGIC!" And then they cast a million Time Warps and masturbate furiously.

Did I already mention that blue is my least favorite color? If not, it's probably worth saying again.

@ Officer Librarian: Sorry, Izzet Chronarch, but you've been invalidated.

@ Pier Beagle: Needs more power/toughness.

@ Remembrance of Waves: It's "top five", not "top 5". Numbers are only used with life and damage stuff (and rare cases like Helix Pinnacle).

@ Spell Strife: When I read your description of this focus keyword, I saw some great potential in it. But then you disappointed me by using it to make colorless spells that aren't supposed to be colorless. :/ At least make this say "unless its controller pays 4" so it's not a hard counter for the other colors.

@ Ufonsel Vezir: Infinitely annoying, and slows games down. I don't like it.

@ Ufonsel's Prerogative: I think this could also counter spells with CMC = Islands. Right now it's rarely good before turn 5 or so, and even then only if you're playing monoblue. If it was "CMC less than or equal to your Islands", then it would at least be good on the play, while still not letting you counter anything against a good curve on the draw.

@ Unmade Revelation: No. Please, don't make fetchlands unplayable.

@ Windowmaker: I won't say anything because I don't want to be caught in a debate about whether or not this actually works.

@ Zalomma: That's a very low cost on the card drawing ability. Should be at least 2, possibly something like UU.


Most of the blue cards were just limited filler, and the rest were quite balanced, so I didn't feel the need to comment on any of those.