greedy custom cards for decks you have in mind

[folding_music]

I'm sitting here trying to build Colfenor, the Last Yew as a commander deck and realizing that I don't like many of creature sacrifice outlets I have access to; I don't own a Birthing Pod or a Natural Order, have moral obligations against using the various broken altars, and although I have Perilous Forays and Evolutionary Leap already maindeck I'd love a creature who did the same, and I'd like it not to be Viscera Seer, who's already in another deck. I also want it to be an activatable ability - Bloodspore Thrinax's trigger is brilliant and powerful, but not something you can use as an instant.

Here's where I end up in my head:

Nutrient Rationer
Creature - Treefolk Shaman
: Put target card from a graveyard on the bottom of its owner's library.
, Sacrifice a creature: Untap Nutrient Rationer.
1/3

Thematically we have a tree creature who monitors the reapportioning of natural energy, and mechanically we've got a utility creature and blocker who serves as a sac outlet and can also stop a Colfenor deck from milling itself with Hermit Druid and Death's Oasis, plus as a Treefolk it lets you play Murmuring Bosk untapped!

Does anyone else do this? giggle

[TheAmericanSpirit]

Sometimes I do this, though with far less rationale. I'm building a MBC deck right now and I'd like another cool finisher along these lines:

Large but Appropriately Costed Nefarious Presence, XBBBB
Creature - Demon or something

Flying, lifelink

When you cast ~, each opponent loses X Life, you gain life equal to the total life lost his way.

~ enters with X +1/+1 counters.

0/0

I don't even think its really even that good, looking at it. I just like big drain effects and a little resistance to blue magic never hurts. But hey, we're being greedy, right?

[void_nothing]

Nutrient Rationer
Creature - Treefolk Shaman
: Put target card from a graveyard on the bottom of its owner's library.
, Sacrifice a creature: Untap Nutrient Rationer.
1/3

I like this a lot. Feels very much like an Eventide card. This could theoretically do dumb things but the ability to recur to the bottom of the library is so absolutely minor that it would need degeneracy around it to be, well, degenerate.

Large but Appropriately Costed Nefarious Presence, XBBBB
Creature - Demon or something

Flying, lifelink

When you cast ~, each opponent loses X Life, you gain life equal to the total life lost his way.

~ enters with X +1/+1 counters.

0/0

I don't even think its really even that good, looking at it. I just like big drain effects and a little resistance to blue magic never hurts. But hey, we're being greedy, right?

Yeah, this would not make waves at that cost, but it's still a damn sight better than Maga, Traitor to Mortals. I'm not sure what you could or would want to do to beef this card up. Maybe tie to the +1/+1 counters to the amount of life lost so it's that much better in a multiplayer setting.

[folding_music]

(thanks <3 I adore Shadowmoor and Eventide, it probably shines through)

[TheAmericanSpirit]

@void nothing

Pretty sure the only thing that could make it really threatening is lowering the cmc or giving it a bigger P/T buff like you said, but frankly, exsanguinate + big lifelinking flyer in one card is good enough for me. Tying the drain to cast instead of etb was my little envelope pushing.

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

Does anyone else do this? giggle

I'm pretty sure everyone on this board has done this.

I was annoyed Grim Haruspex only worked on nontoken creatures, so I whipped up this:

Funerary Pitcher-Plant
2{B}
Creature - Plant (R)
Exploit
Whenever another nontoken creature you control dies, draw a card.
Whenever another creature token you control dies, you may pay 1 life. If you do, draw a card.
1/4

Yes, the exploit gives you nothing of itself, but its other abilities let you draw a card for the exploited creature.

[TheAmericanSpirit]

@Sporegorger_Dragon

I like the design a lot, I just kinda wish the payoffs were different to create more complex play patterns. Like if sacing the nontoken creature draws the card and maybe a 2 damage drain if you sac a token. But I like it as is too!

[void_nothing]

@Sporegorger_Dragon

I like the design a lot, I just kinda wish the payoffs were different to create more complex play patterns. Like if sacing the nontoken creature draws the card and maybe a 2 damage drain if you sac a token. But I like it as is too!

Agreed. It would be pretty cool if it were something like:

"Whenever a nontoken creature you control dies, you draw a card and lose 1 life.
Whenever a creature token you control dies, target opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life."

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

Agreed. It would be pretty cool if it were something like:

"Whenever a nontoken creature you control dies, you draw a card and lose 1 life.
Whenever a creature token you control dies, target opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life."

But the entire point was "Grim Haruspex but for tokens." I wanna draw card from my tokens dying.

It might be too powerful if it just straight-up drew off of every death a la Liliana, Dreadhorde General, so I tossed a bit of Erebos, Bleak-Hearted to "balance" things out.