Underworld Devotee

Power level is probably off the charts here. Not sure what to tweak though. Permanent card partly because of the colors and partly because Giant Growth on a loop with this would be pretty nuts.

Thomas Baker · 2014-04-09 15:58:38

This cycle may in general be too pushed for common. I wanted to put a stake in the ground for a true color pie-friendly cycle, though. This one is not truly W hence the tacked-on lifelink. I was trying to think of a way to say "but if X then return it to play instead" but that doesn't really sound like a common.

Thomas Baker · 2014-04-09 16:12:24

White does plenty of return from graveyard stuff. Yes it is restricted to creatures, artifacts and enchantments, but those are almost all the permanents. If anything is tacked on I would say it is the trample. Not something you find too commonly on black or white creatures. So I would start by removing that and then see how it plays. In some ways returing a card from your graveyard is better than drawing a card from your deck, so comparing this to the Filcher makes this look very strong.

Simon O'Keeffe · 2014-04-09 19:27:54

This is just ridiculously overpowered for a common. Return a CIP effect that removes blockers - especially an Immolate one - and it's game over. Even more crazy in multiples which is what you'll get!

Kieran Symington · 2014-04-09 20:26:22

Yeah, the chance of a repeatable effect (like the Giant Growth I was trying to avoid) makes this a bad common. Will have to rethink this one.

Thomas Baker · 2014-04-10 04:13:31

The unifying mechanical area for BWG is the graveyard. Milling doesn't really fit. Returning to the battlefield is out of the question for common. Raise Dead/Regrowth is fair game but repeatable Regrowth is too good unless you print it on an anemic (and not evasive) creature. It would be nice to have "if it deals combat damage to a player you may choose to sac it for regrowth" but sacrifice is the theme of the WBR wedge so it feels like the CDE common for this wedge shouldn't use it. Tricky!

Thomas Baker · 2014-04-10 04:33:47

Now one-shot regrowth and no trample to make it saner. Compare Blind Zealot (also common) but that had evasion to make the ability make more sense. Make it smaller and give it some evasion? Still looking for a better GWB way to interact with the graveyard while remain a common. Lifelink works as all three colors have lifegain so leaving that.

Thomas Baker · 2014-04-10 04:35:58

Now very similar to Rhox War Monk but that's not necessarily bad.

Thomas Baker · 2014-04-10 04:36:29

You would have to be getting back a massive bomb to ever want to use the ability here. Especially since if you're hitting them with a lifelink 3/3 you are probably already winning!

Kieran Symington · 2014-04-12 19:07:18

Husk is such a sweet ability it seems wrong for this guy not to have it. Reduce his toughness to 2 and give him Husk and I can then retire the 3/1 with Lifelink and Husk.

Kieran Symington · 2014-04-16 17:06:01