Commander: Ervan the Watcher of Beyond
Custom Cards forum
Posted on Feb. 28, 2015, 6:33 a.m. by KalvinHobbez
Now this guy I felt iffy about sticking to due to utilizing a new kind of concept, but I just felt it's a mechanic that needs some use. Whenever I was thinking of how Sultai would work (Before Khans was out.) I noticed something that blue and black and a bit of green had in common...moving cards between zones.
Blue - Drawing cards, milling cards, bouncing cardsBlack - Destroying cards, sacrificing cards, reanimating cardsGreen - Cheating in creatures, tutoring for lands.
Red and White have their own zone moving as well, but these three do it the most. So with that in mind, I feel like this guy has a pretty interesting idea going for him already. So give me your thoughts and input if you like.
You missed 2 of the zones; the zones are 7:
library, hand, battlefield, graveyard, stack, exile, and command.
otherwise, very well to utilize this design space, giving +1/+1 to creatures is not very blue or black and the exile zone is usually associated with white. Have 3 separate abilities to associate with each of the colors:Whenever a card is moved to that zone, do X.
Graveyard and command: target creature gains intimidate.
Library and stack: Draw a card, then discard a card.
Hand and battlefield: Target creature gets +2/+2.
Exile: Do something white and make this guy four colors.It should also do it only for your cards, otherwise, it will quickly become a mess of forgotten triggers.
February 28, 2015 7:10 a.m.
I think the effect is great, because Cyclonic Rift, and other cards like that.
February 28, 2015 7:10 a.m.
KalvinHobbez says... #5
Well I don't want to make him quad color just because Exile is more oriented towards white. Black has their own share of exiling anyways. The zone movement is primarily Dimir in color, so I made the effect give off more Green to make up for it. I feel like his ability is kind of eh compared to most mythics, but I felt like when it came to Traumatize being able to make a creature get +20/+20 out of nowhere, it'd be a bit funny. Probably I can make him do it to each creature and they get trample and then buff his mana cost up a bit...but he can't be a Tiny Leader anymore if I do that :c
February 28, 2015 7:16 a.m.
KalvinHobbez says... #6
Oh about how the triggers might be forgotten, can't that apply to some other cards? I mean probably not at the level that he does it, but if you know you're playing him it's just the whole thing of paying attention. Won't be as great of a mechanic if you can't utilize bounce and mill on an enemy, anyways.
I could imagine instant speed buffing of creatures would be nice for combat tricks as well with him. Attack with a creature, suddenly Thought Scour you just made a Giant Growth with mill and a card draw.
February 28, 2015 7:21 a.m.
MagicalHacker says... #7
Going back to what I asked, wouldn't it be cooler to have Thought Scour be a Dark Ritual? Moving zones to trigger the making of mana seems perfect for the design.
I'd word it like this though: "Whenever a card you own moves from one zone to another, add one mana of any color to your mana pool."
February 28, 2015 7:46 a.m.
that is just asking to be storm, and I love it. Maybe one or the other. Whenever a card you own moves from one zone to another, add one mana of any color to your mana pool or target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
February 28, 2015 7:48 a.m.
KalvinHobbez says... #10
Ervan Custom Card Tiny Leaders
I made a little odd deck to experiment with mill buffing with Ervan, just to see how powerful he can really get. I do see that he is actually a bit slow, but I feel like any more versatility might make him too powerful. Maybe you get a different effect for what kind of card enters a new zone? Maybe just restrict it that land cards give one mana of any color and creature cards give +1/+1 to each creature you control. This guy sure is odd but interesting to balance around...
February 28, 2015 7:57 a.m.
MagicalHacker says... #11
That's fine too, but what would be the third "nonland, noncreature" effect, in the style of Druidic Satchel and Waste Not?
Also, is it still just cards you own? Because how are you going to see what opponents draw?
February 28, 2015 8:03 a.m.
KalvinHobbez says... #12
Well if it's changed to be specific cards like that then it would be only your stuff...but then an opponent would know what you draw then. Maybe not exactly, but as much as knowing you just got a creature might be a big tell to what they need to do. Maybe I could try this then:
Whenever a card enters a new zone, add one mana of any color to your mana pool and target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Gives him the power he needs as a mythic at triple colors and would be interesting for cards like Shades that utilize black mana for buffing, so you can double buff a lot. My other issue with doing this style is that this basically translates to "Play a spell, get two free mana" and that bothers me for how ridiculous that could get.
February 28, 2015 8:11 a.m.
This is the best storm commander imo. Cast a cantrip, cast another cantrip, into another cantrip, and repeat that a few more times and Tendrils of Agony. Also Brainstorm is so good with him lol.
February 28, 2015 8:17 a.m.
KalvinHobbez says... #15
Wouldn't he be broken in a storm style though? Also seems odd for a Sultai card to be favored in storm as well. I mean simply playing an Ornithopter and sacrificing it...you just made your own technical Black Lotus. Maybe he just adds colorless to your mana pool, but that still feels like a bit much. I mean I could probably make a better storm commander in possibly Grixis colors after all, I just feel like I wanted a different path taken with Ervan
February 28, 2015 8:21 a.m.
I have actually made a successful Damia storm deck. I love it the way it is imo.
February 28, 2015 8:25 a.m.
KalvinHobbez says... #17
Well I liked how short and sweet the original concept was but I guess he does need to be changed around. Here's a more Druidic Satchel approach like mentioned before. Mana for land, +1/+1 to all for creature, scry for nonland, noncreature. Originally I thought of having the third one be to draw a card, but I think that might combo into chaos, so I settled on all three not affecting the zone a card goes to. The reveal part of it allows for opponents to know the card straight up and gives a bit of a drawback to utilizing Ervan
February 28, 2015 8:33 a.m.
KalvinHobbez says... #20
I don't believe so, I think only spells can be in the stack zone as they are being casted. You can't really counter a land so I guess that makes sense. I do like how this commander could also allow players to understand fundamentals of Magic a bit better. Knowing what these zones are, what the stack is, and how things change in zones.
February 28, 2015 8:37 a.m.
This should be soooo white! Blinking cards? That's what white is good for!
February 28, 2015 9:34 a.m.
pookypuppy6 says... #23
I think this card would be well-suited to having reminder text like the original version of Tarmogoyf ust to clarify what the zones are. Seeing as it an effect that hasn't really been looked at in this way before (and because the card doesn't have that much text), I think there is space for this card to interate what the zones are for a helpful reference. That's just my thoughts though, others may likely find it easy to understand whether the hand or the deck is a zone or not.
February 28, 2015 10:05 a.m.
Wait. So if I play a Lightning Bolt, it then triggers the ability 2 times? Since it go to the stack and then to the GY. That might be a little too good....
February 28, 2015 10:10 a.m.
Yeh, I was going to say. This card is OP as shit guys.
February 28, 2015 10:10 a.m.
Gidgetimer says... #27
Stack is a zone.
The card is very powerful. Wheel of Fortune effects being a guaranteed +16/+16 not counting any discarded cards or if there are more than 2 people is a bit crazy.
February 28, 2015 11:01 a.m.
I like the general idea and the trigger, while possibly confusing to new players, is really interesting but am I the only one who thinks this is a little too broken? I mean you already have a better Lotus Cobra on a bigger but wait there's more you can Traumatize yourself or Enter the Infinite to get a bunch of mana and pump your creatures considerably for the turn, Champion of Lambholt anyone? I love the idea especially since I love self mill and mill so much but it just seems really powerful.
February 28, 2015 12:02 p.m.
Wow forgot there was a second page and didnt read it befire I posted but I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this is too op
February 28, 2015 12:05 p.m.
KalvinHobbez says... #30
So it wasnt just me who was feeling like the trigger might have been a bit OP. I feel like for mythic rare at triple color his trigger isn't that brutally ridiculous. But I did edit Ervan to a bit more balanced standard that he has different triggers for each card and only for your cards.
February 28, 2015 1:22 p.m.
KalvinHobbez says... #31
Actually since the stack just breaks the card, I'll just do the usual "any nonland card" kinda thing.
Also made his creature trigger only target a single creature.
February 28, 2015 1:33 p.m.
MagicalHacker says... #34
Okay, so this could be completely off topic, but this would be awesome for sultai reanimator:
You can target cards in opponent's graveyards as if they were in your graveyard.
: Each player mills until they hit a creature
March 5, 2015 1:58 p.m.
That is sick, but a but OP imo b/c what if they have now creatures then its infinimill.
March 5, 2015 2:01 p.m.
MagicalHacker says... #36
How about "Each player reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal a creature card. Put that card into its owners graveyard and put the other revealed cards at the bottom of its library in a random order"?
March 5, 2015 2:36 p.m.
hmm but what happens if you're opponent has no creatures?
March 5, 2015 2:39 p.m.
KalvinHobbez says... #39
I guess I had some art sitting around that kinda fit the idea. Randomly off topic but heh, I guess it would be interesting to see the interactions this kind of guy could have.
March 5, 2015 8:53 p.m.
KalvinHobbez says... #41
I guess I have a good habit of finding some good art here and there, heh. But yeah, I could imagine a whole multiplayer mill commander could be pretty interesting.
March 5, 2015 9:34 p.m.
MagicalHacker says... #42
I was thinking about what a true Sultai reanimator legend could do. Since a lot if reanimate spells only target your graveyard, I think it'd be cool for it to translate over to any graveyard instead.
MagicalHacker says... #2
The trigger is great! The effect is bleh. Even though it's three mana, I still wish the effect was more impactful. Unfortunately, I can't think of any effect that would work, but I was thinking maybe adding two mana of any one color could work. But this design seems really neat!
February 28, 2015 7:08 a.m.