Welcome to MaRo's remedial class for standard power level. These cards you've designed are the first step to a standard without bans. Pray we don't need to advance to step 2. Your cards will be judged on how close they match the original card's use, the fixed power level, as well as the fun factor of the card. It's not good if you ruin a card by fixing it, after all.
scarbo wrote: ↑4 years ago
I think the standard power level pendulum is swinging back to the other side
Oko the Vagrant 2gu
Planeswalker - Oko (M)
+1: Create a 1/1 blue Faerie creature token with flying. You gain 1 life.
-2: Target artifact or creature you don't control becomes a copy of target artifact or creature you control.
-7: You get an emblem with "At the beginning of your upkeep, you may search your library for a creature card and put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library. Creatures you control become a copy of that creature, except they're not legendary."
(3)
IIW: faeries!
Closeness to original use: This is still a simic planeswalker, the abilities are all reminiscent of the old Oko while being good toned down versions. One thing I like about this one is the actual ultimate, where old oko just had the steal thing for small creatures.
Fixed power level: Definitely turned down a lot of the knobs on Broko here, but I think it's still a good midrange planeswalker.
Fun Factor: No where near as broko as Oko, but still looks interesting to play with. I'm already planning a lot of things to do with that ultimate, and I just now realized it's an upkeep triggering emblem. Oh boy.
spacemonaut wrote: ↑4 years ago
Ramunap Ruins
was banned in 2018, because it was "acting as a virtual reduction to the opponent's starting life total" and it provided "a high level of inevitability in matchups that go long".
It's a desert so most of its card is already filled out for us, but we could make the bottom ability do something that's cool but doesn't have this effect.
Ramunap Remnants
Land—Desert
: Add
.
, Pay 1 life: Add
.
2RR, T, Sacrifice a Desert: Exile the top card of your library. You may cast that card until end of turn.
---
Ok, here's one that actually is a whole new card entry, filling the slot of Rampaging Ferocidon (
coming between Otepec Huntmaster and Raptor Hatchling). I'm engaging in a dream world where R&D realised they needed tribal overlap.
Rambunctious Swashbuckler 2RR
(Art: A velociraptor in a full pirate outfit. Even has a sword, although it's not using it because it's busy biting someone instead.)
Creature — Dinosaur Pirate
Haste, menace
Enrage — Whenever Rambunctious Swashbuckler is dealt damage, put a +1/+1 counter on it and each creature you control that shares a creature type with it.
The most enthusiastic member of the crew, communicating almost exclusively through violence.
3/3
IIW: A tokenlink ability, like
squirrellink.
two fixed cards for the price of one! I'll review each one independently, but it's a dirty trick to have 2 cards for one entry.
Ramunamp:
Closeness to original use: Fits with original card well, as it's still clearly part of the desert cycle, and still does something that Red likes to do. Solid here.
Fixed Power level: Still provides advantage in the late game, but now the advantage is greatly reduced. you're spending 5 mana to draw a card in red that you have to use that turn. You may have fixed it too far in the other direction. Maybe allow the card to still be used until the end of your next turn, or reduce the mana.
Fun Factor: As said in the last section, less fun than the old card just because you're likely not going to be able to use the card you draw unless you're super flooded. This was a red deck that regularly went to 5 mana, you must recall, and this doesn't really work in that kind of deck.
Rambunctious Raptor:
Closeness to original use: Aside from the menace, not terribly close, and the abilities don't totally fit in either of its tribes. Dinosaurs had counters, but mostly from white, and pirates only as etb raid triggers. The biggest user of counters was the river heralds, so this doesn't fully work. Additionally, the original card was supposed to counter copy cat decks, and this doesn't do anything like that.
Fixed Power Level: This part you're really good in, since this is an appropriately costed rare that has a very exciting ability and interesting synergies.
Fun Factor: Very fun to play, and inspires a lot of fun gameplay stories
Cythare wrote: ↑4 years ago
Ior, Ruins of Glasspool
Legendary Land (R)
Ior, Ruins of Glasspool enters the battlefield tapped.
t: Add
C.
T, Pay 2 life: Add one mana of any color. If that mana was used to cast a permanent spell, it enters the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter, charge counter, or loyalty counter on it.
(You choose which counter after the spell resolves.)
IIW: CMC 4 creatures
EDIT: I changed the cost for the second ability from 1 life to 2 life, because I realized 1 probably was too little for the advantage generated (at least in Limited).
Now this is an interesting card idea, but I'm not sure how well it works, or if it would see print at all. Let's get into it.
Closeness to original use: Field of the dead was a go over the top card, designed to add a level of inevitability to a deck running it. This just makes your cards better for payment of life, which is an interesting idea, but I think it's a little far from the original concept.
Fixed Power Level: As with the ramunamp remnants earlier, this maybe goes too far in the other direction, not necessarily being underpowered, but just by not providing a lot to work with.
Fun Factor: Lots going against this card, especially when compared to field of the dead. it's a lot less interesting of an ability, and Wotc doesn't like to print legendary lands, citing that they feel bad when drawn in multiples.
mellifluoresce wrote: ↑4 years ago
Once Upon a Time 2G
Enchantment (R)
Play with the top card of your library revealed.
You may cast the top card of your library if it's a creature card that has an Adventure.
You may spend mana as though it were any color to cast Adventure instant or sorcery spells.
IIW: Halo: Combat Evolved
The only card that changes a card's type that it's remaking. I don't really think that's a bad thing, but it's still an interesting idea.
Closeness to original use: Not terribly close. The old Once was used to add consistency to decks, acting as a sort of ancient stirrings, while this is a future sight variant. A good one, don't get me wrong, but it's not quite the same idea.
Fixed Power Level: Definitely a good power level. I'd maybe add in a cost reduction on adventures, but I like the way that it plays together. One note from a design perspective is that cards that let you play from the top don't reveal anymore, they just let you look.
Fun Factor: This is another very good use of the top down idea of starting a story, but instead, you're sending out everyone on adventures as the way you begin to tell your story. I like it.
jamblock wrote: ↑4 years ago
Smuggler's Thopter 1
Artifact - Vehicle (U)
Flying
Whenever ~ attacks or blocks, you may draw a card. If you do, discard a card.
Crew 2
1/1
IIW: echo
And the one that stuck the closest to the original card. I'm glad you didn't make it blue, since it would have changed the collector's number.
Closeness to original use: Definitely close, as it's the same card, just reduced in power. I'd have preferred a fully new card that just played in similar space. Also, you downshifted the rarity, that would change the set too, so gotta knock you points for that as well.
Fixed Power Level: Definitely fixed, you turned down the knob and now it's much more in line. Still good card selection, but 1 toughness means it's not blocking for long
Fun Factor: Losing a power on the crew seems really bad, I'd have liked a neutral crew cost at least for this, but you really wanted to tone this down.
Judging:
I'm just glad to get to judge one of these again, but now I need to actually say who won, that's less fun for me, but oh well.
HM: Spacemonaut and Melliflouresce. Spacemonaut, you had two designs that combined had the right mix I was looking for, but individually just missed the mark. Melli, your take on a story's beginning was exciting, but it just wasn't quite there.
Winner: Scarbo, and Oko! Each loyalty ability does what the original's was supposed to do (token and lifegain, threat reduction, powerful ultimate) but more in line with reasonable power levels. This planeswalker looks exciting for midrange decks, I'd be honored to play it into a fry a hundred times.
Next: Faeries!
