Card of the Day - Steppe Raiders

Not a shade.

Original Art

Card of the Day - Darkskull Expedition

This is the card for Monday, March 30. Excuses merely encourage further misbehavior, so I won't give any.

Lotsa black token-making lately.

Original Art

1984 Cards

Remember when I said I'd post the 1984 cards if I ever found them? Well, today I did. Anything in parentheses () is a comment I wrote then. Anything in two braces {{}} is a comment I added now. Otherwise, these are exactly as I wrote them. Keep in mind that these just initial ideas, not finished cards, so they are written in a sloppy shorthand.

Frenzied (Something) [R]
Creature - Something
Doublethink 2 - Sac. this creature
Haste
2/1

Attack Helicopter [4][R]
Creature - Soldier
First strike
When Attack Helicopter comes into play, it does 2 damage to target creature
Flying
4/2

Patrol Helicopter [2][U]
Creature - Police?
Doublethink 4 - look at target player's hand
Flying
2/2

Loyal Party Member [1][W]
Creature - Outer Party Member
2/2

Eurasian Thug [1][G]
Creature - Eurasian Soldier
2/2

Rocket Bomb [3][R]
Instant
Kicker - Sac. a creature
3 damage to target creature/player
3 damage more if you paid kicker

Two-Minutes Hate [1][R]
Sorcery
Up to two target creatures get +3/+1 until end of turn.

Slum
Basic Land
[T]: Add [W]

Factory
Basic Land
[T]: Add [R]

Lab?
Basic Land
[T]: Add [U]

Prison
Basic Land
[T]: Add [B]

Railroad? (Maybe keep as forest?)
Basic Land
[T]: Add [G]

Prole Mob [3][W]
Creature - Prole
Doublethink 1 - put a +1/+1 counter on Prole mob
Trample
When Prole mob's power is 6 or greater, sacrifice it and you lose 3 life
1/2

Eastasian Spec-ops [3][G]
Doublethink 2 - put a +1/+0 counter on Eastasian Specops
First Strike
2/1

Ministry of Plenty
Legendary land
Miniplenty comes into play tapped
Whenever you sacrifice a creature, you gain 1 life
[T]: Add [W] to your mana pool
[T], Sac. a creature: Add [Any Color] to your mana pool

Mercenary Soldier [3][R] (maybe Black)
Creature - Mercenary
Kicker - Sac. a creature
If you paid the kicker, put 2 +1/+1 counters on it
3/3

Miniluv Prison Guard [1][B][B]
Creature - Outer Party Member
Whenever you sacrifice a creature, each other player loses 1 life
2/2

Eastasian General [4][G] {{Flip card}}
Creature - Eastasian Soldier
Creatures you control have 1st strike and +1/+2
Doublethink 3 - flip
2/2
---------------
Eurasian General [4][G] {{Flip card}}
Creature - Eurasian Soldier
Creatures you control have trample and +2/+1
Doublethink 3 - flip
2/2

Thought Police [2][U][B]
Creature - Thought Police?
[U], [T]: Tap target creature
[3][B], [T]: Destroy target tapped creature
1/3

Vaporize [1][U][B] {{predates Unmake by about a year}}
Instant
Remove target creature from the game

Hate Week [6][R]
(Legendary)? Sorcery
Remove all doublethink counters from the game
(Flashback - [4][R], sac. 3 creatures)?

Prole Crowd [W]
Creature - Prole
Doublethink 10
When the last doublethink counter is removed, gets +7/+7 and trample until end of turn
1/1

Spies Recruit [1][R]
Creature - Child?
Doublethink 2 - Spies recruit deals 1 damage to target creature/player
1/1

Room 101 [5][B][B]
Legendary Enchantment
[4][U]: Gain control of target creature. It gains doublethink 1 Sac. this creature

O'Brien [5][B][B]
Creature - Inner Party Member
[T]: Destroy target creature with Doublethink
Sac. a creature: Untap O'Brien
3/3

Helecopter Squad [5][U][U]
Creature - Soldier
Protection from Green
Flying
6/7

Hunger [3][B]
Instant
Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn.
When you sac. a creature, return Hunger from your graveyard to your hand

Starving Rats [1][B]
Creature - Rat
When you sac. Starving Rats, target player discards a card
2/1

{{No name}} [3][R]
Creature - Party member
[1][R], Sac a creature: Deal 2 damage to target creature or player
2/2

Fanaticism [2][W][W]
Enchantment
When you sac a nontoken creature, put a 1/1 white party member into play

Twisted Researcher [3][U]
Creature - Party Member
When you sac. a creature, draw a card
[T]: Sac a creature
2/2

Cruel Experiment [1][U]
Instant
Kicker - sac. a creature
Draw a card
Draw another if you paid kicker

Peek [U] {{Reprint}}
Instant
Look at target player's hand.
Draw a card

Party Fanatic [R]
Creature - Outer Party Member
When you sacrifice Party Fanatic, deal 1 damage to target creature/player
Haste
1/1

Famine [2][B][B]
Enchantment
All creatures get -1/-1

Patrol Squad [3][B]
Creature - Police
Slumwalk
3/3

Prole Shopkeeper [W]
Creature - Prole
When Prole Shopkeeper comes into play, it deals 2 damage to you.
Doublethink 1 - put a ? counter on Prole Shopkeeper
When you sac. Party Shopkeeper {{should say prole shopkeeper}}, gain life equal to the number of ? counters on it
0/2

Exocution Squad [5][B] {{should say Execution Squad}}
Creature - Party Member
Doublethink 5 - destroy target creature without doublethink
3/3

Bell Tower
Land
Bell tower comes into play tapped
[T]: Add [W] to your mana pool
[T], sacrifice {{bell tower}}: Return target creature sacrificed this turn from your graveyard to ply

Miniplenty [3]
Artifact Land (Legendary)
When you sac a creature, you may gain 1 life
[T]: Add [W]
[T], sac. a creature: add [W][W][W]

The Spies Squad [3][R][R]
Creature - Party Member
Doublethink 1 - Deal 2 damage to target creature/player
3/3

Floating Fortress [6]
Artifact
[T], sac. a creature: deal damage equal to that creature's power to target creature/player

Penguirexasaur [2][R][R] {{placeholder name}}
Creature - Dinosaur
When Penguirexasaur comes into play, sac. 2 creatures
Labwalk
5/5

Hapless Scientist [U]
Creature - Party Member
Sac: Draw a card
1/1

Mindwipe [2][U][U] {{predates Counterbore by about a year}}
Instant
Counter target spell. Search that spell's controller's hand, library, and graveyard for all copies of that spell and remove them from the game

Eastasian Helicopter [3][G] {{flip card}}
Creature - Eastasian Soldier
Flying, first strike
Doublethink 3 - flip
3/3
---------------
Eurasian Helicopter [3][G] {{flip card}}
Creature - Eurasian Soldier
Flying, Trample
Doublethink 3 - flip
3/3

{{At this point, the cards cease to be related to 1984. The names have changed, but the concepts are mostly things I was considering for the set}}

Rough [1G] {{Split card. Name already taken, but I didn't know at the time}}
Instant
Target creature gets +2/+2 and trample until end of turn
///////////////
Tumble [W] {{Split card. Name already taken, but I didn't know at the time}}
Instant
Prevent the next 3 damage that would be dealt to target creature this turn

Hit [R] {{Split card. Name already taken, but I didn't know at the time}}
Instant
Deal 2 damage to target creature
///////////////
Run [U] {{Split card. Name already taken, but I didn't know at the time}}
Instant
Return target creature you control to its owner's hand

Lifeleech [3][G]
{{No card type or subtype}}
Trample
Whenever a source deals damage to you, put that many +1/+1 counters on Lifeleech
1/1

Blood of the Martyr [4]
Artifact
Echo [3]
[1], [T]: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature

Blinding Light [3][W][W]
Sorcery
Destroy target nonwhite creature
Convoke

Urn of Life [4]
Artifact
Whenever you sacrifice a nontoken creature, put a 1/1 green saproling creature token into play

Skirk Spy [2][R]
Creature - Goblin Rogue
Impatience {{A mechanic I made and then discontinued before discovering Magic Set Editor. Because I had never entered the rules for Impatience into MSE or made any MSE cards with impatience, I had forgotten about it and haven't included it in the mechanic poll for that reason. I'll add it to round four. This card might give some clue as to what it does.}}
At the beginning of your upkeep, Skirk Spy gains defender until end of turn
2/2

Gaea's Dragoon [1][G][W]
Creature - Human Knight
Vigilance, First Strike
When Annointed Dragoons {{old name}} comes into play, target opponent gains 4 life
3/3

Toxic Dart [B]
Instant
Put a poison counter on target player

Card of the Day - Fell Banishing, Impromptu Revival, Worldmoss

Confession time. I did not create reclaim. I discovered it during a brief stint on the MTG Salvation forums. Someone else had created a fair few intelligent, well-designed cards with it and I thought, "this is just what I need for Chicken." Chicken, the codename of the first set in the Chicken block (followed by Noodle and Soup) had a land-matters theme. A mechanic that messed around with lands would be a welcome addition. So, being the well-mannered individual that I am, I politely sent the creator a message asking if I could use his mechanic. This was a nicety. I did not have to do it. Only Wizards of the Coast has copyrights for cards and mechanics. But I wanted to be thoughtful and to honor the collective illusion of control, and to give him a chance to feel good about graciously granting my request. The response I received was anything but polite. It informed me that I could use reclaim but that I was not to display any cards I created with it. Although it granted permission, it did so grudgingly. This guy seemed insulted that I should even notice this mechanic he had revealed in the public domain for all to see, let alone request to use it. Well, I'm violating his terms. I've been able to use reclaim since the second I laid eyes on it, permission or not. Reclaim's creator is a smart fella and a good designer. But that doesn't give him permission to be rude.

NOTA BENE: None of my cards or mechanics or names or what-have-you belong to me. Not reclaim, not fervor, not portend, not anything. Only the art has some ownership attached to it, and none of it's mine. Even if I did have control over these things, I would encourage people to use them. Collaboration (even when not actually working together) fosters creativity. Just look at growing (the mechanic Shenafu based on doublethink). And look at the new way I'm using reclaim:




Reclaim is one of those things that gives me difficulty when judging the power level. So I'm not sure if Fell Banishing is good or if it's terrible or if it's just mediocre. But I am sure that it's neat. And yes, the discard triggers for both spells if you reclaimed a swamp.




This is exactly the sort of card I railed against during Shadowmoor. Sure, white does get some zombify effects, and green does get some raise dead effects, but mono-green doesn't get zombify. Because of cards like Temple Garden and Hermit's Hovel, you can get 3 Plains in a mono-green deck. It is better than hybrid in that you HAVE to have some way to get white mana to get its white ability, but it irks me that you don't actually have to use that mana.

But I'm getting too serious about this. After all, Magic is just a game (and these cards aren't even real).




What do we do with games? We win them! Twice!

EDIT: The original version let you win the game without actually reclaiming any lands. While certainly amusing, it was slightly overpowered. The problem has been subdued.

I just lost the game.

Original Art - Fell Banishing
Original Art - Impromptu Revival
Original Art - Worldmoss

Fucking Worthless

New Rocket Quest

EDIT: And another. Longest one yet.

Card of the Day - Rage Infusion and Desmodu Raid

Reclaim is, like so many other mechanics, a form of kicker cost. Reclaim is functionally superfluous because any reclaim card can be made with kicker. Then again, so are entwine and evoke. It's not an issue.

When you play Rage Infusion, you chose whether or not to bounce the two lands. If you do, you copy Rage Infusion and chose a new target for the copy (although it can also target the same creature). The spell and the copy resolve separately, so countering will only affect one of them. You can only reclaim once per spell.




This card should be red. The only reason it's black is because of the art. The critters (called gremlins by the artist) look uncannily like desmodu, bat people in Dungeons and Dragons. They also look uncannily unlike goblins. And there has yet to be a bat printed that wasn't black. Who am I to break that cycle?

A terrible designer, that's who.

Original Art - Rage Infusion
Original Art - Desmodu Raid

[Land Week] Card of the Day - Bustling Port

Bustling Port is too good. Colorless mana is surprisingly hard to use (especially when it's not your turn). The Port will almost always ping when you use it. The occasional mana that ends up in your opponent's lap is an insignificant cost.

EDIT: As of the Magic 2010 rules updates, Bustling Port sucks. If only it added mana of any color instead...

Original Art