Daily Card Redesign #179: Waterspout Djinn

Daily Card Redesign is a daily Magic: The Gathering design exercise where I randomly choose a card for the scenario of it being scrapped late during its own set's development. I design a replacement card that uses the same art, is the same color(s), is the same rarity, and has a name that, alphabetically, keeps it within the same collector number for the set.

ORIGINAL:

REDESIGN:

Edge-case scenario for when it enters the battlefield, but oh-so-flavorful! And it matches the art well! I mean, the original design made little sense with its mechanical drawback. Is that your ship that it's messing with?

To compensate for the effect not being applicable most times (River Boa is the only creature with islandwalk in the set Visions, where the original card originally appeared), I made sure to cost this creature with just one blue mana (albeit, it had to be at an elevated mana cost to compensate) to make it more accessible as a general beefy flier. Sapphire Drake is a good example.

Lastly, I like how shuffling a creature feels like being hit by a whirlpool. It usually means you're a goner, but you never know where you're going to end up, and you just might pop up later after being the eventful whirlpool.

Daily Card Redesign #178: Subterranean Spirit

Daily Card Redesign is a daily Magic: The Gathering design exercise where I randomly choose a card for the scenario of it being scrapped late during its own set's development. I design a replacement card that uses the same art, is the same color(s), is the same rarity, and has a name that, alphabetically, keeps it within the same collector number for the set.

ORIGINAL:

REDESIGN:

It's yet another variant on effects that deal damage all creatures without flying, like Earthquake! In this case, the land becomes alive itself, both disrupting the creatures by its awakening (when it enters the battlefield) and exhibiting its power based on how much earth you have. 

Having to rely upon you having Mountains kept this clean while having its power level a bit controlled.

BOOM!

Daily Card Redesign #177: Raiding Party

Daily Card Redesign is a daily Magic: The Gathering design exercise where I randomly choose a card for the scenario of it being scrapped late during its own set's development. I design a replacement card that uses the same art, is the same color(s), is the same rarity, and has a name that, alphabetically, keeps it within the same collector number for the set.

ORIGINAL:

REDESIGN:

Throw enough Orcs at a problem, and you solve it. This card is comparable to Wild Swing. 

I had to cost this cheaper than Wild Swing, but not too much. If you cast this as early as possible, you could destroy a land. So, the cost had to not be too cheap, otherwise, it'll be super land destruction. I settled on a cost that is between Stone Rain and Craterize.

Daily Card Redesign #176: Laccolith Mechanic

Daily Card Redesign is a daily Magic: The Gathering design exercise where I randomly choose a card for the scenario of it being scrapped late during its own set's development. I design a replacement card that uses the same art, is the same color(s), is the same rarity, and has a name that, alphabetically, keeps it within the same collector number for the set.

ORIGINALS:

REDESIGNS:

So, each of the Laccoliths have the same ability. And with no other abilities. Or differences at all except for the power/toughness or the fact that it's an Aura. So, along with changing the mechanic for Laccoliths, I included additional abilities that are relevant.

The art looks like the fire is spewing out where it wishes, which matches the original design. This redesign is a more streamlined and straightforward mechanic in that it just changes how it can assign combat damage.

It's powerful, to be sure, which I tried to balance by costing, except for the 1-drop. I left it at 1-cost because I didn't want it to be a 2-cost and be a 1/1 (I want to keep the stats square along with the others). I would make it a 1/2 normally.

So, is this a totally busted mechanic? Not sure!

Daily Card Redesign #175: Rite of Ruin

Daily Card Redesign is a daily Magic: The Gathering design exercise where I randomly choose a card for the scenario of it being scrapped late during its own set's development. I design a replacement card that uses the same art, is the same color(s), is the same rarity, and has a name that, alphabetically, keeps it within the same collector number for the set.

ORIGINAL:

REDESIGN:

Daily Card Redesign #174: Voidmage Prodigy

Daily Card Redesign is a daily Magic: The Gathering design exercise where I randomly choose a card for the scenario of it being scrapped late during its own set's development. I design a replacement card that uses the same art, is the same color(s), is the same rarity, and has a name that, alphabetically, keeps it within the same collector number for the set.

ORIGINAL:

REDESIGN:

Oh! A voidmage is a mage that specializes in nullifying magic! I get why it's countering spells. In fact, each of the three voidmages currently in Magic: The Gathering counter spells or abilities.

For the redesign, I could have changed the card's name, so that this could be a different kind of mage, but it was a little difficult for the art I have to work with and the placement alphabetically this card slot is within the set. So, I stuck with the voidmage thing.

Here's a problem, though: there's only so much I can do with rehashing countering spells with a creature to keep it distinct and impressive enough as a Kai Budde card redesign for today's entry. So, I decided to expand my horizons for a moment... 

Other things I thought of that is tied to "voiding" as a word but is not countering spells: Creatures' power becomes 0 until end of turn, exiling spells, creatures losing all abilities until end of turn, shuffling creature(s) into library, returning creatures back to hand.

"End the turn" is simple, elegant, and impressive. And I want an impressive effect for such an important card. There's only been Time Stop (Sundial of the Infinite is a little different) for this type of effect, so it's nice to see it with a morph creature variation!

AND ending turns at instant speed can be used to "counter" spells (exiles them)! Voidmage problem solved!

I wanted the trigger to be upon when it entered the battlefield or when it turned face up, but squeezing in the old wording for flash along with the extra text needed for stating the trigger is upon one of those two conditions proved to be too much to fit within the text box. Only upon the act of turning face up it is.

Because of that, I needed a way to make hardcasting this creature be not totally useless by either not touching the text box or not using up much more text box space. I decided that being a 1/4 was the way to go. I can't make him super large since it's a Human. But Voidwielder as a Human exists, so that will make these stats O.K.!

Daily Card Redesign #173: Awakening

Daily Card Redesign is a daily Magic: The Gathering design exercise where I randomly choose a card for the scenario of it being scrapped late during its own set's development. I design a replacement card that uses the same art, is the same color(s), is the same rarity, and has a name that, alphabetically, keeps it within the same collector number for the set.

ORIGINAL:

REDESIGN:

Too strong? Feels like a possibility of being bonkers! What do you think?