MTGNexus Single Card Critique Thread/One Card at a Time

[Ryder]

Necro time!

@IvyStar I see what your intention was, but I'm really struggling to find a valid context for the card. I assume it's meant for Commander.
From a design perspective, it's three engines packed into one card. It's all over the place.
From a balance perspective, it's pretty bad in general. All players get one, what's the point? Howling Mine does one speciffic thing, so a very speciffic deck could take advantage of it. This is super broad. All kinds of decks would find it beneficial, and that's bad.
Flavor... It's breaking the 4th wall, Okay for a "meta" set.

My card:
Hybrid Negate 1{g/u}
Instant (C)
Counter target noncreature spell.

How serious of a color pie bend/break is that? Could it work in the right context?

[Venedrex]

Necro time!

@IvyStar I see what your intention was, but I'm really struggling to find a valid context for the card. I assume it's meant for Commander.
From a design perspective, it's three engines packed into one card. It's all over the place.
From a balance perspective, it's pretty bad in general. All players get one, what's the point? Howling Mine does one speciffic thing, so a very speciffic deck could take advantage of it. This is super broad. All kinds of decks would find it beneficial, and that's bad.
Flavor... It's breaking the 4th wall, Okay for a "meta" set.

My card:
Hybrid Negate 1{g/u}
Instant (C)
Counter target noncreature spell.

How serious of a color pie bend/break is that? Could it work in the right context?

It is a break.
Green can counter abilities, see Emerald Dragon // Dissonant Wave. or Repudiate // Replicate, but countering spells, even just noncreature ones is a much stronger effect that green does not have access to.

As far as I am aware, the closest we could get to a hybrid counterspell without breaking the pie would be a white/blue hybrid taxing counterspell like mana tithe, but even that is not likely going to happen since play design thinks white counterspells are very strong for formats such as standard.

I think something like this is the best chance for a hybrid mana counter.

Lawful Dispute
Instant (U)
Counter target noncreature spell unless its controller pays .

[Ryder]

Yes, that is much more plausible, though I'm specifically experimenting with non-white counters here. Here's my black one.

Black Cancel 1{u/b}{u/b}
Instant (C)
Counter target spell if you have more cards in hand than that spell's controller.

[OneAndOnly]

Simple and straightforward. It plays into blue's strengths, where you're likely to have more cards in your hand than an opponent's. That being said, it does fall a little into the win-more or lose-lose areas; having more cards in hand is generally considered the superior position, and if you have fewer cards that your opponent, you a) can't cast this spell and b) are likely not to have any other answers either.

It might be worthwhile changing it, perhaps giving it a cost reduction if you have more cards in hand, or drawing a card.


Ouliphant Cavalry -- 1WG
Creature - Elephant Knight {U}
Whenever Ouliphant Cavalry blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, choose one -- Put a +1/+1 counter on Ouliphant Cavalry; or remove a +1/+1 counter from that creature.
3/3

[TessaMTG]

that card feels... very powerful. maybe give it an extra 1 or a g/w hybrid. otherwise, i actually love this card, very cool card. Gets counters and counters other counters. (that sentence hurts my brain)

[OneAndOnly]

Some of the first few custom magic cards I made referenced recognizable Alpha creatures -- Llanowar Elves, Serra Angels, and others. Of the lit you offer, I could probably tell you what Bribery and Murder do off the bat ... less so the others. (Fyndhorn Pollen is a pretty deep cut!) I'm not certain why you chose this particular set, though, or how they tie into feline behavior. I'd suggest being a little bit cuter, and make all the spells recognizably feline in origin, or at least leonin, and players will just eat that right up!

Rock-Solid Regimen -- URG
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +3/+3.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may move a +1/+1 counter from another target creature onto enchanted creature.

[Komandon]

Would that be that enchanted creature or any other? Either way fits and simic. With cards like Simic Fluxmage and Simic Guildmage
My MTG wiki has is Temur as the archetype of savagery. So going tall fits too.