It can actually be useful if you have Hypersonic Dragon

Or Teferi and the Leyline of Anticipation.

Teferi doesn't do sorceries.

I mean, that's a pretty cool idea - taking one of the only mechanics in the game that HAS to be instant, and making it a sorcery. Then you can jump through some crazy hoops in order to get it to work - the problem of course being that it's a literally useless card on its own.

It's really good with Leyline of Anticipation out, or if you have a Quicken in hand - or really, any of a variety of other things.

My opinion, though? Make it cost 0. If you're never going to cast it by itself, it shouldn't have to cost you mana. And free counterspells with interesting drawbacks have been historically powerful.

Mostly, I like that card because it really sort of opens up interesting deckbuilding options. I have to ask, though - what does this have to do with the M:EM?

Anyway, I've been doing some more thinking about the "stories as cards" thing and drafted up a few more ideas.



Dangerous. O_o







O_O

Haaaah wow nice work digging up those quotes. Major appreciation for using one of my stories too. I'm so flattered.

You're welcome!

"Digging up" the quotes wasn't so bad. I remember how most of the stories I read go, and was just sort of like "Oh, yeah, that line was cool!"

Plus the archive is well-organized, so that's a bonus. (And all these stories were on the first page.)

IDK if I really want Final Fortune in the set. Assuming this is still for the set.
I like the seeker... but it probably won't do much.

I've seen Louder Than Words before. Pretty cool.
The other version had entwine and it read "Choose one - tap target creature; or destroy target creature if it's tapped".
And it was white, since I don't think black really does tapping.

For the nightmare, how about:
Upkeep: If you lost life, target creature gains lifelink.
Upkeep: If you gained life, get 3/3 creature token that loses life.
I thought it more reasonable if they triggered each other.
Probably also needs a way to give multiple lifelink.

Frustratingly, maybe, that does make more sense mechanically... but it doesn't really fit the action of the story itself

Ah.
Pity. I liked the idea of them triggering off each other.

@Nightmares: Yeah, I was just sort of trying to represent Kirsh and Asher doing Kirsh and Asher things. With each other. ...Anyway.

@The Seeker: I agree! An interesting way to trigger morbid, maybe. Good for 2 damage one turn 2. Play him late and he chumps. Definitely limited only. Shrug.

@Louder than Words: Yeah, black doesn't really do tapping, but it can. I actually wanted this card to be Red, but I wasn't sure how to go about doing that...

@Live for the Moment: I guess it would be... fortunate for you if it wasn't included, then! nyuk nyuk nyuk!

Louder than Words
Instant

Choose one - Tap target creature; or ~ deals 3 damage to target creature if it's tapped.
Entwine


Most probably doesn't fit since I don't know the story, but if I were to mechanically recreate the card in red, it would be that.

I'm so glad we're brainstorming story cards, because this is fun.

What Doesn't Kill You

Enchantment - Aura

Flash.

Enchant creature.

If enchanted creature dies, regenerate it instead.

"It turns out I am very hard to kill."
-Beryl, the Heart-Scarred


Smokey Got 'Em

Instant

Exile target creature or planeswalker.

He appears from shadows where no one can see,
Into places where fools thought it was safe to be,
And nothing can spare you his deadliest stroke,
As he vanishes back in a puff of his smoke.


Disrespect For Books

Enchantment - Aura

Enchant player.

Whenever enchanted player would draw a card, that player first puts the top card of his or her library into his or her graveyard.

"What counts as 'madness' on one plane is divine genius on another, and on another it might simply be shiftlessness, or possession, or--and this is the worst of all!--it might be an actual curse or enchantment of some sort!"
-Kirsh of the Flats


One Step Ahead

Enchantment

At the start of each upkeep, you may look at the top card of each player's library. You may put one of those cards on the bottom of that player's library instead.

"Picked up a few tricks, stole a few more."
-Alessa Rehn

I thought it would look nice in a core set, there have to be generic cards too.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is actually a design we see all the time in YMtC. In fact, it's so common that I was thinking of putting it in the NGA core set just to forestall future designers from making it again.

Keep the story cards coming, guys!

Ok!

I legitimately was going to create a card for the monk in Loss, and was like hmm it should be a bit stronger than normal humans and have some sort of lifegain ability maybe?

And I sat here for a while figuring it out and when I was done I realized that the best name for it would probably be Venerable Monk.

...BECAUSE I HAD LITERALLY JUST DESIGNED Venerable Monk ALL OVER AGAIN DOWN TO THE FACT THAT THE MONK IS $!@#ING VENERABLE.

[grumble grumble grumble]

What Doesn't Kill You: Should probably give it indestructibility if you want it to stay in white. White does get regen occasionally, but not extensively. If you want it to stay regen, it should probably be green since green gets both flash and regen. You could also go black, since black enchantments do have a thing for flash, and definitely do regen.
Smokey Got Em: Compare to Unmake and Hero's Downfall. This is almost strictly better than both.
One Step Ahead: "At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, fateseal 1." Unless you don't want to use fateseal since it's not evergreen and whatnot... but I don't think it matters here.

Loss: Technically already a card by that name. Also not too fond of "You win" cards, but... well. Worldfire and Worldslayer do exist.
Hermit's Warden: costs way too much. Probably safe at 3 cmc, maybe even 2.

A Bet on Kindness (under the name "Bet on Kindness" with tweaked numbers), Louder Than Words (shifted to ), and Smokey Got 'Em (under the name "Ol' Smokey Comes") have been added to the set. Good going, everyone!

Out of curiosity, could someone repost the Jackie DeCoeur card mentioned earlier in the thread?

Sure!



We added the Dethrone mechanic in order to represent her penchant for stealing from the well-to-do. Let me know if that's a problem and I can think up an equally flavorful workaround.

EDIT: @Keeper: Ehehe, that's pretty funny, admittedly. I didn't really think about making this one a creature because the visual of the enormous flash of light that blew up the everything really stuck in my head.

@Storyteller: Yeah, I made these at like 4 AM so I must have missed a key somewhere. I went ahead and changed the Hermit's Burden to cost 3 instead of 5, hehe.

Would first strike be okay instead of her third ability?

Also, have we reached a consensus on Beryl? I can easily fix power level concerns – I just want to know which Beryl so far has been the best representation of her character.