New "Wastes" Concept
Custom Cards forum
Posted on Nov. 21, 2015, 4:59 p.m. by JANKYARD_DOG
Upon seeing the spoils of Wastes for OGW I thought there could be better versions. I know the idea of a '6th color' and 'Basic Colorless' are scary to some and cool to others but what if we added a flavorful twist and added awaken? It would go something like this:
Eldrazi Wastes
T: add 
to your mana pool
Awaken 3
This is a general idea assuming its identity would remain colorless. Now obviously this would not be a basic so you could have others that have color identity as well. Maybe 1 for each color, duels or a clause about matching symbols.
Alternatively I was playing with the idea of Waste Fetches. Still flavorful as it is still "renewing" the land in a sense. That would go something like this:
Eldrazi Wastes 2
T: add to your mana pool
T: Sacrifice 'Name': Search your library for a basic land card that shares a color with the mana spent in this ability. Put it on the battlefield tapped.
OR
T: Sacrifice 'Name':Choose a basic land in your graveyard that shares a color with the mana spent in this ability. Put it on the battlefield tapped.
Well there it is folks. Thanks for the interest. Enjoy!
You could phrase it as 
T: The next spell you cast has Awaken 3
November 21, 2015 5:19 p.m.
JANKYARD_DOG says... #4
Way to kill a dream Epoch.. Jeez. Suppose it would have to be named differently then as an activated ability, but other than that minor infraction (suppose because lands aren't "cast"), they could still work.
November 21, 2015 5:21 p.m.
I was under the impression the flavor for "Wastes" was the land drained of mana. I don't think option 1 or 2 would work out either flavorwise or mechanically, respectfully. Option 1 with awaken skews awaken's nature as an alternate casting cost. I think of option 2 is just an arbitrarily restricted panorama on top of being really slow. I like option 3's flavor of replacing itself with a dead land, how it plays out mechanically, and how unique it is to have a land recur other lands.It doesn't sound like it has a ton of use in standard outside of casting something like Magmatic Insight earlier in the game or getting back one of the blighted lands from BFZ, but I'm on board with it.
November 21, 2015 5:22 p.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #6
Well, I knew that was what Epoch was going to say, so I'll just second that.
Secondly, the set has just started to be spoiled and your first reaction is "they could do better." We haven't even seen what else they have up their sleeves yet.
Edit: As an aside, Awaken on a drained land doesn't seem like it would fit the concept of Wastes.
November 21, 2015 5:22 p.m. Edited.
JANKYARD_DOG says... #7
ojmandias: To be fair with that it would also have to read something like; "that spell must target this land and this land loses this ability"
November 21, 2015 5:25 p.m.
true, or something like T: Sacrifice Wastes and put a 3/3 Blighted land elemental creature token onto the battlefield with T: add to your mana pool.
November 21, 2015 5:31 p.m.
JANKYARD_DOG says... #9
fluffybunnypants Not saying they could do better, I'm just speculating with my own random 'what if' ideas.
Mezahmay Yes wastes are drained of life and all, but I imagine Nissa will make it her job to "renew" the lands which is what I was referring to in regards to flavor.
ojmandias That could work too.
Epochalyptik says... #2
Awaken is not an activated ability. It's an alternate casting cost. It does nothing on land cards.
November 21, 2015 5:09 p.m.