Making White Better

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Icarii
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Post by Icarii » 4 years ago

White is the current problem child color in magic, especially in commander, so what kind of designs can we give to white to up its power level and/or reasonably expand its color pie?

Goals:
Buff White's current niches
Give white Card advantage and/or Ramp in reasonable ways.

Syr Ferra the Valor Brand 1WW
Legendary Creature - Humana Knight (R)
First Strike, vigilance
Each spell that would cost greater than three mana to play costs an additional 2 to play.
3/2

Thalia but not. White likes the cheapo wennie strats. so lets hurt those game saving wipes and control counter measures.

Archon of Omnipotence 3WW
Creature - Avatar (M)
Flying, lifelink
Whenever an opponent draws a card, if that player has more cards in hand than you, you may draw a card.
4/5

"Balanced" card draw.

National Borders 1W
Enchantment - R
Whenever a land enters the battlefield under an opponents control, that player may pay 1. If they dont, that player sacrifices a land.

Anti ramp as an alternative to ramp?

Mind-Linked Adept 1WW
Creature - Kithkin Solider (R)
At the beginning of your combat step, choose one for each creature you control. (you may choose the same mode more than once)
• Target Creature gains indestructible until end of turn.
• Target Creature gains double strike until end of turn.
• Target Creature gains lifelink until end of turn.
2/2

The 3 mana 2/2 double striker with upside, except a much more flexible/spreadable one.

Ardrealle, the Creator 2WW
Legendary Creature - Angel (M)
Flying, vigilance
When Ardrealle, the Creator deals combat damage to a player, if that player controls more lands than you, search your library for a number of basic plain cards equal to the difference and reveal them. Put one onto the battlefield tapped and rest into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
4/4

Actual white ramp on a very efficient creature. If white is supposed to be a creature color yet blue can get 4/4 flyers for 4 now with potent upside, white should be even BETTER at it.

Admeasure 2WW
Sorcery (R)
Each player searches their library for a number of basic land cards equal to the greatest number of lands a player controls and reveals them. Each player then exiles all lands they control, puts the reveled cards onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffles their library.

White used to out right destroy lands symmetrically, so why not give it some non basic symmetrical hate that doubles as ramp a lot of the time?

Sun-Mantle Angel 2WWW
Creature - Angel (M)
If Sun-Mantle Angel is countered, put it onto the battlefield instead unless any player pays 2.
Flying, vigilance, double strike
Creatures can't block Sun-Mantle Angel unless their controller pays 2 for each creature they control blocking it..
3/5

White efficiency and taxation upped into a single, efficient package. Baneslayer, Lyria, and Archangel of Tithe inspired.

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Icarii
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Post by Icarii » 4 years ago

Equal Rule 2W
Enchantment (R)
As longs as you control a nonland permanent, your opponents can't cast spells that share a type with that permanent if they control more permanents of that type than you.

Serious balance cards. Too unfun?

Absolve 1WW
Sorcery (R)
Exile target permanent. It's Controller gains 3 life.

Can mono white get it's own vindicate? Is hitting lands ok?

Resist and Recruit 2W
Enchantment (U)
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token unless that player pays 1.

Is a 1/1 effect big enough? A 1/1 is not as useful as a card from rhystic study, but may still be worthwhile.

Supply Lines 1W
Enchantment (R)
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, if you control less lands than the number of creatures you control, search your library for a basic plains card and reveal it. Put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.

Going wide makes your mana wide could be a white thing maybe?

Taxing Agent WW
Creature - Human Advisor (R)
Vigilance
Whenever a creature you control is blocked, you draw a card.
2/2

Blue draws more on hitting the opponent and often doesnt hit hard. White hits hard so maybe giving it gas by drawing on blocking can help it win its combat oriented game? Blocking doesnt happen as much in high level play so it may be important to make either the creatures doing it threatening or giving it to creatures that are.

Expel W
Instant (U)
Exile target creature unless it's controller pays 1.

White Force Spike but with white effect instead of the mana tithe color shift. Too good for standard? Too weak?

Coreppa, Princess of Spears 3W
Legendary Creature - Human Lord (R)
First Stirke
Whenever a creature you control attacks, you may have it's power and toughness become X/X until end of turn, where X is the number of creatures you control.
3/3

Do whites best offensive threats have to be keyword focused?

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Post by Morpic_Tide » 4 years ago

Okay, so I was going to critique every card individually, but the issues with that are... Hefty. Instead, I'll talk about the design patterns you're focusing on:

Prison By strict definitions, only Equal Rule qualifies, but Syr Ferra also ties into this. It's a largely-depreciated mechanic, saved for symmetrical effects where you can't play freely either. Modern "Prison" effects hold to this because it's otherwise extremely painful to play the game against control that includes White. Conditional taxes like Syr Ferra also do this, as it's easy to build your deck around the tax effect and leave the opponent utterly crippled, without any options in the window they're supposed to go.

Taxes: There's a lot of issues with proliferating taxes like this, defining "Tax" as "Pay me X when you do Y". Syr Ferra comes in too early, but is otherwise a wonderful example of a Big Tax. At five mana, she's fine, as she won't "lock in" a win before the solutions to White Weenie are applicable. Resist and Recruit is another good example of a tax, as it's a small tax, and the enemy can decline paying for it if they quite literally don't have the mana. This makes it a good nonlegendary taxer, as they can still hit a turn five board wipe when you have three of these things out. Ideally, taxes should be specific or loose, where you have little overlapping, or the tax is a choice. Legendaries are free of this, as you can only have one and thus don't need to worry about stacking them.

Balancing: Archon of Omnipotence is a wonderful example of how to use this "archetype" of mechanics for shoring up White's weaknesses. It's not a "winmore" effect in any fashion, it's a catchup mechanic to make an aggressive deck last longer, including being a 4/5 Flying Lifelink to give a bit more life and evasive damage. Admeasure is another good example if the game was working properly, though if you intend it in Standard, I'd make it six mana and have the lands come untapped, so that it isn't bricking decks without enough basics to function before they have a chance of winning. Balancing effects should generally function primarily as catchup mechanics, where you and other people get more, rather than doing things that cripple.

Board-buffing: This is what White should be focused on, not single-target buffs. Mind-Linked Adept and Coreppa, Princess of Spears are overdoing it, coming out too early for how much value they generate. Both also have the problem of being aggression bonuses, when White is supposed to be defensive. White Weenie is how White Aggro works because chump blocking is a core mechanic, so a wide board of small creatures is a good defensive layer. White buffs shouldn't be offensive in nature. It's fine if they're usable that way, but they must be usable for blocking. Having the two mentioned be activatables can fix this, slowing them down while leaving their access to happen early, and also letting them be used to improve your defenses.

---

My own general "take" on fixing White is to trade single-target ambushes for board buffs, enforcing White Weenie by giving it the kind of support needed for it to take off. Blue works without ramp because it can reliably acquire the tools it needs through card draw. Green works with minimal card draw because it can rely on having enough mana to cast Very Large things.

White working without either then ties right back into White Weenie. Designing things so that White has enough tools low enough in the mana curve that it's reliable by sheer quantity of "good enough" cards. Taxes can serve to draw the game out enough for this extremely direct design to purely "luck into" the needed pieces to win. Balance effects and lifegain do much the same, allowing White to not lose until it begins to win by more-or-less normal progression of the gamestates.

In essence, I suggest that the best state for White is to more or less be designed as Slivers, where everything in the deck feeds into eachother so every card is useful enough to play, almost regardless of the current situation.

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Icarii
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Post by Icarii » 4 years ago

Thank you for your thoughtful response!

Prison effects are tough to balance and can certainly lead to unfun. It's probably a better idea to balance them on creatures to ensure every color can interact with them. Regardless, this is not the main way I'd push improvement for white.

I think taxing IS a big way to push to improve white and opens up a lot of design space and reasonable color bleeds. Syr Ferra is probably too aggressive, but my goal here is to be pushing white. So I'm looking at top tier versions of the effect like Gaddock Teeg. Perhaps limiting Syr Ferra to a range of card types as well as CMC is order.

Balance is a good way to improve white, but i feel it has less applications. Anything that allows white to catch up in balance should still be useful when at parity/ahead, even if less so. Admeasure does need rewording to ensure it doesn't lock people out when cast, as it's not the goal of the design/play experience.

Baord buffing is the other category Id like to see pushed hard, but I feel you're overrating those two designs. Compare Mind-Linked Adept to any rare 3cc double striker and Coreppa, Princess of Spears to Odric, Lunarch Marshal. They may arguable be more powerful but situationally so. I'm looking to improve the power level of white, both in spectrum of effects and raw force.

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Post by user_938036 » 4 years ago

Syr Ferra the Valor Brand, it's cast not play. "Each spell that would cost more than three mana to cast costs and additional 2 mana to cast." This is way too potent at stopping board wipes single handily. While the effect is interesting the fact that even on the draw it comes down soon enough to functionally shut down the opponent's options makes it far too oppressive. At 5 mana it could reasonably be on a slightly larger body but making it only 1 at the same body is probably better.

Archon of Omnipotence, a good place to get white card advantage but it should probably only draw on excess draws. Like a Notion Thief that doesn't actually steal. Otherwise it combos too well with whites low to the ground strategy of dumping your hand early.

National Borders, the idea of an anti ramp spell is interesting but at this price its a horrible lockdown when the opponent has any etbt or fetch lands. I don't think it can be fixed so it still functions as anti ramp without having this effect which is far too strong.

Mind-Linked Adept, I think this is the best place to explore further for white agro strategies. But like other cards here it is massively over the top. Anyone of these effects simplified to "on attack all creatures you control gain X" would make it a good 3 drop. The added benefit of having the option to choose between three different modes would make it a powerhouse. Being able to pick and choose per creature makes it insane and a clicking nightmare. Finally being able to stack up buffs on the creatures you want to attack with pushes it well into game-breaking. Frontline Medic was a decent extremely powered down version of this. Which shows how broken this version is.

Ardrealle, the Creator, this is a good card. My only real comment was your remark after the card. Blue isn't the 'not creature' color. There is no 'not creature' color. White is the 'little creature' color while green is the 'big creature' color. White's large creatures shouldn't be inherently better than blue's large creatures.

Admeasure, yes white used to destroy all lands. Land destruction also used to cost 3. Neither of these are true anymore. Focusing on nonbasic hate this effect could like like "Search target opponent's library for any number of basic lands and exile them. For each card exiled this way destroy a nonbasic land they control of your choice. Put all cards exiled this way onto the battlefield tapped under their owner's control."

Sun-Mantle Angel, this can't be countered variant is very awkward. Also probably just too strong. Doublestrike is a very powerful effect.

Equal Rule, when this is working its far too good at what it does. But it's just way too bad at getting to work. As long as they can destroy all of your creatures they can play any number of creatures, but if you control one creature they can only cast one creature. What deck would reasonably be able to use this? Control can't keep creatures on the board to stop agro from dumping their hands. Aggro decks can't get out a planeswalker to stop control's value engines. It's trying to do something unfun and broken yet failing.

Absolve, nonland and its probably fine. Very strong but fine. Land destruction is kept at 4 and higher now to decrease the number of nongames that happen from hitting opponent lands before they could reasonably play spells.

Resist and Recruit, Rhystic is a bad mechanic that leads to nothing but feel bad cards that range between worthless and broken.

Supply Lines, white should not get such dominating ramp. No one should get such dominating ramp but especially not the color of go wide token strategies.

Taxing Agent, this is just way too efficient card draw in white.

Expel, Force Spike is too good for standard. Censor is just fine so you may think that 1W is a reasonable cost but you would fall into a simple trap. Censor is fine because you can't wait for your opponent to tap out for a spell and get rid of any problem you can only stop that problem. But this means if they ever tap out you have an easy answer. At a suitably high enough cost it wouldn't be worth the fail rate.

Coreppa, Princess of Spears, this is an interesting effect I had never considered. I have no idea where you would cost this effect. Obviously any lower than 4 sounds crazy as the base ability for itself is 3 but it's hard to say it should cost more than 4.

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Post by Icarii » 4 years ago

To clarify my design intentions, while considering standard is a factor, I'm really more interested in the overall power level of white across multiple formats. Saying that something is "too good for standard" doesn't really bother me in terms of balance. If you said it was too good for modern or commander, then I'd need to do some evaluation.

Syr Ferra is definitely pushed and I could see it going either of your suggested directions as well as limiting the type of cards it effects.

Archon of Omnipotence would be an unimpressive card for older formats with your suggested change. It's still worse than a Consecrated Sphinx most of the time, and these designs are looking to boost white, not play safe for standard.

National borders would probably be more fair as a hate bear with current design philosophies.

Mind-Linked Adept being a powerhouse is this goal of these and the other designs. Think of these as ideas that development pushed to be above the curve like Brimaz, King of Oreskos. You can also compare it to Gideon Blackblade and how little of an effect that has had in standard compared to other strategies, yet alone in modern or commander.

Ardrealle, the Creator: White has always been a color, along with green, that was designed to have more efficient creatures than other colors. While this gap has been lessened in contemporary magic, especially with the overall boost to creatures ever since Return to Ravnica, white and green should STILL get creatures that are "bigger" or "more efficient" for their cost. That doesn't mean blue/red/black creatures can't be as good, it just means they are often less P/T oriented. Which is my point. If blue can have a 4/4 for 4 with flying plus upsides, white should have something that is at least as stat efficient, if not slightly better. (even if white is suppose to be a bit more meh at midrange)

Admeasure: Your redesign gets rid of the entire balance side of the card and makes it feel red or green. It does need a rewording to not shut opponents out of instant speed actions after resolution if anything.

Sun-Mantle Angel: Maybe? Point of comparisons here are Baneslayer Angel, Archangel of Tithes, and Lyra Dawnbringer. If anything I'd shave a point of power.

Absolve: Sure

Resist and Recruit: I think taxing is important to white's growth, but you're right in that rhtysic effects are often either very good or very weak. Maybe make the tax 2 and creature 2/2 vigilance Knights, but only trigger on creature spells? Make the enchantment cost 1w and do the same thing but only on limited conditions? Or something similar where the range of spells taxed was smaller.

Supply Lines: This is pushed for sure, but again that's to goal. However, maybe it would work better as a pseudo ramp spell that was a sorcery that only did the comparison once instead of an enchantment that repeatedly checked?

Taxing Agent: How often to be people block in competitive?

Expel: You're probably right.

Coreppa, Princess of Spears: Thanks! I think this one of the cleanest answer from this set of designs.

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Post by M00NSIDIAN » 4 years ago

My big obvious immediate complaint is that National Borders is basically "lands your opponents control enter the battlefield tapped," an effect that has since been yanked out of Kismet and feels way too big. Admeasure actually works better as an anti-ramp mechanic (albeit late on). Anti-ramp is a decent idea, but maybe it should very specifically say "whenever a land enters an opponent's control from a library" or something like that. Most ramped lands come out of the deck anyway, right?

Otherwise: Supply Lines goes out of control way too fast considering it's a two-drop. T1 one-drop, T2 this, T3 Spectral Procession and, if I remember how this works, you get +3 lands setting you up for a 7-drop T4. It should probably be capped in some regard. Maybe even once per turn a creature does Gift of Estates or Tithe on ETB?

Coreppa is an interesting effect that can again easily become overpowering with the right cards -- Spectral Procession again being really, really nasty. It's probably okay, though. Overall, this is probably where this kind of design should go: creative solutions to white's shortcomings, as opposed to just making the cards stronger. White is often a very powerful support color in a multicolor deck anyway, so that can end up having very much not the desired effect.

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Icarii
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Post by Icarii » 4 years ago

Anti ramp could use some adjustments. Finding the sweeat spot of playable but not oppressive is a challenge.

Im pretty sure Supply Lines would only put you to 4 total lands in the scenario you described. At least that's my intent. Not sure if have all the tokens come in at once messes with the stack that wya.

Coreppa is strong, but is really board dependent unlike a lot of other 4 drop scary mythics running around standard these days.

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Ryder
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Post by Ryder » 4 years ago

Most of those cards would warp Standard around them. I know you wanted to make some good cards for White, but still, each new card has to be considered in each format. There is a reason why there are no functional reprints of Lightning Bolt, they would break older formats, Standard would not care. And vice versa. You can't print a Baneslayer Angel with built-in card advantage, because it would break Standard even if older formats wouldn't even blink at it.

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Icarii
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Post by Icarii » 4 years ago

Who says id want my main aim is standard? While standard considerations are something I'm willing to hear, i specifically mention commander, and its non standard environments where whites weakness really shows. Like I mention before, im looking at multiple formats here. The more magic goes forward, the more non standard products magic gets.

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Post by Mimicvat » 4 years ago

Is 2 months a necropost? I want to make a white edh deck of mostly custom cards so this really takes my interest.

I want to chip in from a commander viewpoint and say that I really like the design philosophy behind these cards.

White and red are in a tough place commander-wise, both from the card quality and effects they have access to, but also the fact that they essentially have to transform into different beasts entirely when swapping from 1v1 constructed formats into edh - weenies, burn etc just don't translate to this format. Their colour pies need to bleed a little into areas held by other colours, particularly when it comes to card advantage.

Given that any random BUG card printed in standard might see commander play, I think that it is a good idea to proactively design commander-effective white and red effects at a higher rate and power level than the average of what they print for commander. I also oppose printing good white cards with a low white requirement, such as Smothering Tithe, as white is already seeing play as a splash colour and does not need support here.

So through the lens of "edh focused", "pushing combat in edh (but not cedh)", "promoting heavy W decks" and "bleeding W into card advantage", lets look at the specific cards.

(edit: on review lots of mana costs dissappeared from my cut and paste, but not going back to re-add them sorry)
Syr Ferra the Valor Brand
Legendary Creature - Humana Knight (R)
First Strike, vigilance
Each spell that would cost greater than three mana to play costs an additional to play.
3/2
I love this effect, its very suitable for white. Perhaps it could be noncreature spells instead of 'any spell'? I like the idea of helping deter wipes and removal, but not as much with white saying "no" to creature decks that go over it. I'm ok with how it is costed for what you get.
Archon of Omnipotence
Creature - Avatar (M)
Flying, lifelink
Whenever an opponent draws a card, if that player has more cards in hand than you, you may draw a card.
4/5
This is quite pushed for the type of playgroups I could see it run in. Gonna second user_938036's earlier suggestion to make it based around subsequent draws after the first. Personally I'd advocate for an additional W in the casting cost to help keep it out of non-white heavy decks - if your going to add a pushed white card reward people for being heavily involved in white!
National Borders
Enchantment - R
Whenever a land enters the battlefield under an opponents control, that player may pay . If they dont, that player sacrifices a land.
I like this design, but I think it slows the game down too much for people who are not actually ramping. It could be based off of additional land drops instead of the first one each turn? Personally I'd make it symmetrical or cost , otherwise it seems like it would just be splashed into decks that are ramping to make them better than other ramp decks.
Mind-Linked Adept
Creature - Kithkin Solider (R)
At the beginning of your combat step, choose one for each creature you control. (you may choose the same mode more than once)
• Target Creature gains indestructible until end of turn.
• Target Creature gains double strike until end of turn.
• Target Creature gains lifelink until end of turn.
2/2
Seems *way* pushed, and thats coming from a guy who wants white weenie and combat in EDH to be much better. My suggestions for this card would be:
1) hand out each effect once, to seperate creatures, not one effect per creature. A three mana double strike anthem is too much!
2) tie the effects to white weenie, and to this creature attacking rather than start of combat. Maybe it only effects white creatures, or creatures POW 2 or less, or creatures with equal or lower power than this creature. Makes it more on theme, helps keep it out of the fatties decks and haste is needed to make it an immediate anthem effect.
Ardrealle, the Creator
Legendary Creature - Angel (M)
Flying, vigilance
When Ardrealle, the Creator deals combat damage to a player, if that player controls more lands than you, search your library for a number of basic plain cards equal to the difference and reveal them. Put one onto the battlefield tapped and rest into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
4/4
I honestly think searching and playing one plains is enough. This is coming from a guy with three different "combat damage trigger" decks!
Admeasure
Sorcery (R)
Each player searches their library for a number of basic land cards equal to the greatest number of lands a player controls and reveals them. Each player then exiles all lands they control, puts the reveled cards onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffles their library.
I adore this card. 3+ colour decks need more hate in EDH. The greediest decks with the huge money manabases might be put out of the game, but most decks will be able to do *something* after this resolves and mono or dual colour decks are probably unaffected. An alternative might be to set all players to a certain number of lands, not to the highest number, such as the card Natural Balance. Maybe even just colourshifting that would be enough.
Sun-Mantle Angel
Creature - Angel (M)
If Sun-Mantle Angel is countered, put it onto the battlefield instead unless any player pays 2 .
Flying, vigilance, double strike
Creatures can't block Sun-Mantle Angel unless their controller pays 2 for each creature they control blocking it..
3/5
Thumbs down from me. As essentially a french vanilla beater, I just don't find this very interesting or necessary in commander.
Equal Rule
Enchantment (R)
As longs as you control a nonland permanent, your opponents can't cast spells that share a type with that permanent if they control more permanents of that type than you.
Begging to be abused in an unfun and efficient stax deck. Lets put a white spin on it;

Equal Rule www
Enchantment (R)
As longs as you control a white nonland permanent, your opponents can't cast spells that share a type with that permanent if they control more permanents of that type than you.

If you want to lock artifacts, you need to run Godslayer or something. Want to lock creatures? Need white weenies on the field.
Absolve
Sorcery (R)
Exile target permanent. It's Controller gains 3 life.
Massive thumbs up. This is the sort of second rate but still good removal that budget decks will run. We need a lot more effects like that particularly in white which has a huge difference between its top stuff and its second rate playables.
Resist and Recruit 2w
Enchantment (U)
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token unless that player pays 1
This is a weak effect but one that I really like. I would legitimately cut this card to 1w

I would also suggest a bigger version of this card, maybe 2ww, that gives soldiers equal to the CMC of the cast spell unless they pay 2.
Supply Lines 1w
Enchantment (R)
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, if you control less lands than the number of creatures you control, search your library for a basic plains card and reveal it. Put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.
Main problem is keeping it away from the aristocrat decks, which would benefit from it far more than a go-wide weenie deck would even with the "more creatures than lands" clause. Could just make it "white creature enters the battlefield" etc.
Taxing Agent WW
Creature - Human Advisor (R)
Vigilance
Whenever a creature you control is blocked, you draw a card.
2/2
In EDH, I think that the piracy effects (coastal piracy and friends) are well within the area that white should be playing with. I think this card is pretty weak because, as you said, blocking is generally not common and many players will happily take 1 or 2 damage to prevent a card draw. You could add to the mana cost and give a "when a creature is attacking and unblocked, do X" effect to help incentivize blocking them?
Expel w
Instant (U)
Exile target creature unless it's controller pays .
Don't card about standard, but I do like this card a lot. It could be downgraded a little by sticking the SoP or PtE clauses on it and it would still be run.
Coreppa, Princess of Spears
3w
Legendary Creature - Human Lord (R)
First Stirke
Whenever a creature you control attacks, you may have it's power and toughness become X/X until end of turn, where X is the number of creatures you control.
3/3
Would suggest maybe 2 or 3 white pips in the cmc, and perhaps should only affect white creatures? Could also add this clause for blocking creatures too, or to go with the spear theme, start handing out first strike to blockers. As a princess she doesn't necessarily need to be attacking or blocking for the effect to trigger, but adding that clause could let you up the power a little or help justify this card if it is too pushed.

tl:dr version: white creature, white creatures you control, more white pips in the cmc, make anthem effects attack to trigger. Bit of a theme here.
Currently building: ww Bruna, the Fading Light (card advantage tribal / reanimator)
Main decks;
r Neheb, Big Red Champion g Yeva's Mono Green Control, b Ayara's Aristocrats rb Greven, Predator Captain the One Punch Man, ugw Derevri, Empirical Tactician Aggro,rwbu Tymna & Kraum's Saboteurs, wbg Kondo & Tymna's Hatebears wugTuvasa's Silver Bullets, urBrudiclad does Brudiclad thingsgubSidisi, Brood Tyrant (lantern control)

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Cyberium
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Post by Cyberium » 4 years ago

I made a card on MS similar to your theme here:

Dousing Balance
XXW
Sorcery

Each opponent sacrifices a permanent of each type among artifact, creature, land, enchantment, and planeswalker if that player controls more permanents of that type than you. Each opponent discards cards and exiles cards from their graveyard the same way. Repeat this process up to X times.

I love white's Balance effect and while the original card is too cheap for its power, we can always make water down version that aren't necessarily less powerful: This one for example hits enchantment and PWs.

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Scarman
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Post by Scarman » 4 years ago

I would like to give my two cents on the topic, too, and rate some of the cards:
Syr Ferra the Valor Brand 1WW
Legendary Creature - Humana Knight (R)
First Strike, vigilance
Each spell that would cost greater than three mana to play costs an additional to play.
3/2
Personally I don´t dislike this card. I think it´s not as oppressive as some may think, as decks that want to get to four lands usually have the means to survive until they get to five, as cheap interaction isn´t hindered by Syr Ferra´s effect. If anything, I´d make her less combat-efficient by removing first strike.
National Borders 1W
Enchantment - R
Whenever a land enters the battlefield under an opponents control, that player may pay 1. If they dont, that player sacrifices a land.
I don´t think this card is paricularly pushed or broken, as it usually just slows down the opponent by a turn (which ideally is what you expend to cast it. However, adding a clause like "If that player controls more lands than you" may make it feel less unpleasant to play against and easier to evaluate.
Taxing Agent WW
Creature - Human Advisor (R)
Vigilance
Whenever a creature you control is blocked, you draw a card.
2/2
Maybe it´s just me, but I´d like to have this effect when blocking, rather than when being blocked. Aggressive combat mechanics are already overused in white in my opinion.
Do whites best offensive threats have to be keyword focused?
That appears to be the direction Wizards has taken, but I don´t think it has to be that way. I really like the focus on Plains that some of the posted cards have, and would like to see Wizards work on that idea; for example I would appreciate a functional reprint of Emeria Angel, or something like this:

Darien, the Crusader King 3WW
Legendary Creature - Human Soldier
When Darien, the Crusader King enters the battlefield, create a 1/1 Human creature token for each Plains you control.
Prevent all noncombat damage that would be dealt to other creatures you control.
2/5

Edit: Improved grammar.
Last edited by Scarman 4 years ago, edited 1 time in total.

sjuotori
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Post by sjuotori » 4 years ago

Genie: 3 rules - no wishing for death / no falling in love / no bring back dead people

???: I wish white had good card draw

Genie: there are 4 rules

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pokken
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Post by pokken » 4 years ago

White has so many ways to get cards that I don't understand why people complain about that. Ridiculous stuff like bygone bishop reveillark sun titan without even getting into the colorless stuff white is great at using like skullclamp and sword of fire and ice.

White's problem is two fold:
1) Bombs
White bombs suck. They're worse even than red bombs. Compare nonsense like sunbird invocation or etali, primal storm. If you start comparing to other colors it gets worse...rise of the dark realms expropriate etc.

White has stuff like archangel avacyn as its best of the best, but she's rarely game ending on her own. White needs expropriate level power more than it needs anything else to compete.

2) Ramp

White has a strong subtheme of land finding and ramping from behind. There's just not enough of the good stuff to build a deck around. Give us a lot more:
If you could get to the point where you could consistently get to 10 mana on turn 7 by playing just white cards and the critical artifacts white would be fine. White is the only color other than green with these effects and also the secondary color of artifact/enchantment hate, so really should be able to build a deck that ramps decently without relying on artifacts entirely.

If we had a sakura-tribe scout that had a "someone controls more lands than you" rider for example, that would be amazing. Or an exploration effect or two with that rider, or even a white version of cultivate -- say

White Cultivate - 1WW
Sorcery
Search your library for up to 2 plains cards. If someone controls more lands than you you may put one land from your hand into play tapped.

Just ride really hard on that theme and white would have a distinct feel and be really fun.

You could even load up on the taxation subtheme a little, too, with cards like:

Luxury Tithe - 1WW
Enchantment
If an opponent casts a spell with converted mana cost greater than the number of lands you control, search your library for a Plains and put it into play tapped.

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Cyberium
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Post by Cyberium » 4 years ago

How about this:

Equal Opportunity
3WW
Sorcery

Choose one -

- Destroy each nonland permanent with mana abilities.
- Choose target player who controls most lands or is tied for the most. Each other player search their library for a number of basic land cards equal to the difference and put them onto the battlefield tapped.

Entwine 1W

What good is a competition if everyone has a different starting line?

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Ertai Planeswalker
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Post by Ertai Planeswalker » 3 years ago

I get that the whole balancing thing is a white design vein with some potential, but let's not forget that that only allows white to catch up. What it also needs are cards that allow it to take the lead or keep a leading position. Something like:

Consulate Restrictions ww
Enchantment
At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, that player taps a noncreature permanent they control.

It slows down people who ramp harder than you but is still usefull even when you're ahead.

Fortunate Tithe ww
Enchantment
Whenever a nontoken permanent would enter the battlefield under an opponent's control untapped that player may have that permanent enter the battlefield tapped instead. If they don't, you create a treasure token.

Pygyzy
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Post by Pygyzy » 3 years ago

I too feel like whites identity has been usurped by green. And I remember when white was the most frustrating color. Wrath, swords, balance, you get the idea. Ernhageddon was my first competitive deck. I'm not saying give white that level of power but for the sake of design I'd rather see a radical idea and then work it into something usable than rehash the same old ideas.

White can be good at things too! W
Sorcery
Exile target non basic land you don't control. It's controller reveals their library and exiles each card with the same name as the exiled card, then searches their library for a basic land card for each card exiled this way. That player puts one of those cards onto the battlefield and the rest into their hand. That player shuffles their library.

Is it a nonbasic land hate extraction effect for W? Yes. Is it printable? Lol.
But my justification is 1: IMO nonbasics deserve the hate. I've seen so many games lost to unanswerable lands. I always mainboard at least one way to interact with a land just in case. 2 it's at best -1 card disadvantage and could potentially give your opponent +3 cards. 3 I'm not saying print it just that if you're gonna shake things up at least be bold.

Eriya, Priestess of the Threefold 2W
Legendary Creature - Faerie Demigod
Fated (This creature has protection from defending player during your combat.)
Noncreature spells you don't control that costs less than 3 costs 3 more to cast.
Creatures you don't control with base power and toughness greater than 3/3 are 3/3 instead.
3/3

Get lost trinisphere. White should get narrow hate cards that are also maindeckable. Keyword is a random idea. Unsure of the power level. Can hose strategies or be a 3/3 for 3 with minor upside.

Bane of MaRo W
Instant
The next time a creature would enter the battlefield under an opponents control this turn, if it wasn't cast from their hand, it enters the battlefield under your control instead. That opponent may cast a creature spell from their hand without paying its mana cost.
Draw a card.

Can you tell I'm a fan of hosers? This is my idea to push the boundaries of what's white. MaRo says white control is a color pie break. My opinion differs although I don't wanna get into my argument for it.

Revenge of the DCI 1WW
Sorcery
Starting with you, each player names a nonland card type that's on the battlefield. The same type can't be named twice. Each player may choose up to one permanent of each of the named types. Exile them.

God that was confusing. I like weird wrath effects like this.

Gleemax Lives! 6WWW
Legendary Enchantment
The next time you would lose the game, instead you don't. If your life total is less than 1, it becomes 1. If an opponents life total is greater than their starting life total, it becomes their starting total. Exile all tokens. Shuffle your graveyard and hand into your library. Draw a card for each card from your hand you shuffled this way. Gain control of an opponents next turn. Exile Gleemax Lives!

Could mindslaver be white? I argue if someone kills you, you're allowed to take control of them. This is my Omniscience but for white. Ever prevented yourself from dying and regained control of the game only to realize you can't actually win either cuz your opponent has infinite life or infinite creatures, your one answer is in the yard and you'll die anyways next turn? That's never happened.

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