MTGNexus

i was hittn the random card button on scryfall, as i do habitually, and saw Laccolith Grunt and noticed the card didnt suck like i thought way back when i first saw it..

then i wondered to myself if the Laccolith ability could work as a keyword ability, maybe even a potential new evergreen ability. for that to happen, it'd a) need to not be a triggered ability and b) not outclass an existing evergreen keyword (first strike, which already has double strike for company)..

so ok,

"As long as this creature is blocked, you may assign its combat damage among any creatures defending player controls."

or something like that. i like that it pairs with first strike now

i dunno what secondary color to red it'd make sense for, or how to flavor it. it mite not make sense for blue, but red/blue does need a shared keyword, and it's kinda sneaky and maybe rogueish and thankfully not another dang evasion ability

i dunno

Its an ability in the same vein as provoke and fight but give the opponent more control. The only real problem is its a very strong ability. Probably in green or black as a secondary color as it fits the ethos of going around the strong to kill the weak and fits their play patterns of killing creatures. As a fourth color it could be white with blue getting fifth since its so antithetical to not killing creatures on the board.

Yeah, this feels like an RG ability. It also feels, indeed, like a "premium tier" keyword like indestructible or double strike - one that's inherently strong and gets exponentially better the bigger the creature it's on, so it'll have to result in extra mana in the mana cost when putting it on a design.

It doesn't help that the new wording seems even a power upgrade to the original mechanic, giving you the ability to spread the damage.