<BB> Idea's Battle Board [Soumaw, ShadowChaser]

How strange. A tunnel where none was before, and wind blowing from the underground. Where did it connect to? Soumaw couldn't deny some curiosity, but neither could it ignore the potential danger. However, something else gave it pause, as it approached the opening: The rocks were colored with a green and black hue, one rather similar to some of the monolyths Soumaw had managed to find that depicted part of the prophecy. Being linked to that place was no doubt bound to come with strange phenomena, if anything the simple appearance of such a tunnel was almost suspiciously mild for what Soumaw sought. Yet, Soumaw could not ignore even a small chance, less it throw away its goal entirely.

Soumaw prepared a spell to remove any 'obstacles' in that were in its way, and began heading down into the mysterious entrance.

---

Now I can't say I'm very experienced when it comes to dungeon cards, as I didn't really play during the set they came out, which effectively means I've never seen one in action. That being said, having a general idea of how it works and looking at the individual effects it certainly seems reasonable, and could lead to some interesting strategic gameplay. 7/10.

Soumaw carefully travelled down the tunnels, finding them even emptier than expected. Still, the latter appearance of food and books suggested that some manner of being lived there... or had, at one point. Soumaw dissipated its earlier spell as it came across the science equipment, inspecting it with some care. In particular, a skull in a case gave Soumaw pause, some manner of lingering hatred seeming to call out to it who had grown far more attuned to souls and spirits than most it had encountered. Purple energy formed from within Soumaw and travelled to the palm of its hands, then zapped the skull. Shadowy tendrils grew out from every opening on it, and shattered the case, then picking up some other tools to use as weapons. Grinning to itself, Soumaw decided to use the newly formed thing as a scout.


After that, they both came across that Surrakar. It was not a type of creature Soumaw was familiar with, nor one it expected, though it had no real particular expectations of this place either way. Its old self would have likely advanced on and swallowed the Surrakar, but now Soumaw knew better than to chase for strange prey... at least not before prying for who and what they were.

"Speak... Greet..." Soumaw whispered.

---

Ah crap, keep making that mistake of forgetting to add "nonland" onto these types of things. As for the stack thing though, maybe I missed something but I don't recall there being a rule about not mentioning the stack. Quite the contrary there's a whole mechanic I based that wording on called Split Second. Still, again, maybe I missed some new rule there is about it that's come out since the days the mechanic was around, would hardly be the only time Wizards changes how they do things. Still, out of curiosity, how would you word an effect like that? For future reference in how I write mine.


Anyways, enough rambling, I'll get to the point.


Regarding this newest dungeon, I like that it feels a bit more like a progression that goes somewhere, as the previous one was flavored something like a random collection of spaces or at least that was the impression that came of it. Effect-wise it's I think still pretty good, none of the effects are anything that big but it doesn't seem like effects in dungeon are meant to be particularly bombastic one way or another, so that's a plus. Only big complaint here is I think the token production should have been the start given you get effects to boost a creature, so in terms of fluidity of the mechanics it would make more sense to first produce a creature and then have abilities that boost a creature.

Still overall, I think it was an improvement over the previous. 8/10



Soumaw conjures Profane Memento and gives it:

The one ahead seemed hesitant, a common sign of them not being a threat. They reminded Soumaw of a certain scholar it had met on a plane it stayed on briefly, called Theros. The scholar wore similar clothes to the surrakar, except for the glasses, and had the same meek tone of voice. They even asked the same question. Hopefully this time there would be no interruption from hoplites.

The memory reminded Soumaw of why he never wished for the hassle of returning to Theros again. And what to say now.

"Here... why... why... here..." Though Soumaw was physically able to form speech, and perhaps some mechanism of the spark aided to understand the speech of others, it was only able to speak a select few words and sentences. Those words and those phrased had been etched into the dying thoughts of the spirits bound to it, and thus it had an intrinsic, instinctive understanding of the words and their meaning. In particular, the thoughts of the prophecy it sought were adamantly clear to it. Yet, it lacked the same understanding of how to use further language.

---

Huh, weird. I could have sworn Ensoul costed 2UU. Definitely would have made this make the thing a 4/4 or maybe made it cost just U in hindsight.

Glad you liked the art choice though. Sometimes I just get this idea in my head for the type of image I would like but the internet just ain't cooperating, so, well, yeah...




As for the card you made, thankfully I happened to save the image (since it made it easier to zoom in on phone), so I'll be putting it in an attachment. I really struggled to make a response to it though cause it feels a bit all over the place mechanics-wise, artifact making, enchantments, a creature, counters... Not to mention a mix of offensive and defenseive strategies, and once again there was an effect that was counting something (enchantments) or doing an effect for something (counters meant for creatures) followed by creating that something (Shard Token / creature) of that type. It came across as a very top down card, definitely built from flavor down, but I find even for those trying to hold some thematic consistency within the card itself is helpful in creating a narrative with the card and getting it across, which is not to mention giving the card a place to be included.

Because dungeons are a pretty unfamiliar territory to me, and despite my complaints the flavor of individual rooms was well-put-together, I will give this card a 5/10.






Edit: slight errata, should have said “creature tokens” in that second chapter. Oops.
Edit 2: Made some slight changes to the card.

That... creature. When did it appear there? Travelling the multiverse, Soumaw was aware that some beings might be able to escape its detection, but to think one would be able to go as far to climb onto Soumaw without it noticing. Whether it was a prey worth consuming or a threat worth eliminating, to Soumaw there was no reason to hesitate. After all it was small and already within reach.

Soumaw's shoulder began to fold and open, forming something of a maw right below the smaller creature, while Soumaw's hand reached out to grab it at the same time.

---

Definitely a pretty neat card, especially with the different modes if you really need it to be an cheaper instant, likely because you're getting mana-screwed I would imagine. That being said, I do worry about this potential "draw a card every turn" style effect. Then again, it's probably fine since it's a rare and you'd need to build your deck around it a bit to take full advantage, though that is becoming easier as more sets have enchantment creatures around.

I'll give a 9/10 rating.


Now, I guess I'll begin the tale:

Soumaw tilted its head slightly toward the quadruped. So it could fly, or float seemed perhaps a more fitting description. That explained to some extent how it got so close without Soumaw taking notice. The more he observed the creature, the more of an impression Soumaw gained of it, as it had this mystical presence to it, not entirely unlike the Djinn from Soumaw's homeplane, or to a lesser extent the nyxborn from Theros. It was merely an air to the fox, merely an impression Soumaw felt, but Soumaw was rather aware that instinct and cunning were complements not opposites.

Soumaw doubted he had good odds with anything remotely comparable to its maker or to the one who chased it out of Theros. Not yet anyway. Not without more knowledge. This called for a different approach, albeit it wasn't one Soumaw was quite proficient with.

"Distant... sights... distant... paths... meet..." Soumaw recited, drawing on words from the prophecy to establish some line of communication, feeble though it might be.

---

By itself it doesn't really seem worth all that mana... but part of me wonders if it's not actually undercosted considering the combo potential. Well, I guess there are plenty of one-shot combos out there that cost less. It's an interesting card, not super to my tastes but not everything has to be, and I do recognize it gives you some interesting choices to make. Overall, a 9/10.

The change in landscape wasn't expected, but it also wasn't particularly shocking. There seemed to be little consistency when it came to the terrain of this plane, whatever it was. At times it even felt as though Soumaw was merely meandering through an empty void none the wiser. The appearance of the paths, however, was to say the least intriguing. It glanced at the floating fox. Would there be any answers from the animal, even if Soumaw tried asking?

No, likely not. Being with that kind of air about them rarely gave straight answer anyway, from what the spirits claimed. Many such mysterious being often led one astray, like the cults some of the souls Soumaw had captured remembered. They dreaded what may lay ahead, but perhaps they knew better what to avoid than Soumaw itself.

Expelling a mass of shadows, Soumaw forcefully gave an ephemeral form to a humanoid, shaped around the image of the soul ingrained in Soumaw. For a final touch, the soul was brought to the shape of its final moments, the fake body twisting, breaking and molding into the form the experimental ritual had given them back then.

"Walk..." Soumaw commanded, sending the apparition ahead of itself to prod any dangers in its chosen path.

---

Hmmm.... That wording I feel is either a bit confusing to me or possibly has an unintended effect. Unless this card is meant to make your creature a stronger Muldrotha the Gravetide, casting spells with mirage from the graveyard, at a discount, and without this triggering the mirage condition (since the ability doesn't specify that it triggers if you cast it for the mirage cost, it's a trigger associated with using the mirage ability. As written Wandering Sands only seems to make the cost to cast from the graveyard match the mirage cost). For a card like this, I would either have made it explicit that you sacrifice them at the start of the clean-up step as usual, or I would make it so they are exiled when they leave the battlefield. Likely both. It is nice that the card is at least a bit more vulnerable than something like Muldrotha, but it also costs 1 less and it's not a legendary, plus sometimes being an aura can be an advantage (stick it on something with hexproof for instance).

Due to the, unless I misunderstood something, hole created by the wording I'll give this card a 6/10.


Now, conjuring a Lilliana's Devotee and pairing it with

It would appear that the spirit would not permit Soumaw's spawn to prod the path ahead. In which case, another manner of protection was in order. With a glint of magic and a low internal screech, Soumaw plucked a soul from within itself, struggling as green mana flowed out of Soumaw's fingers and encased it within a small stone amulet. Having completed this process, Soumaw begun to follow as seemingly requested of it.

---

Well, it's true that I can't put costs to cast with three mana symbols, but I do seem to distinctly remember back around when I joined someone asking about this. I'm paraphrasing but the question was essentially around whether we were allowed to use costs in the rules text that we couldn't make the actual card cost. And answer back then that yes, there was some leeway for that. Of course, if that is a mistake or I'm misremembering, I'll avoid making the same mistake in the future.


It seems to me the card you're presenting me is part of a cycle, presumably one where each land has an effect of sacrificing itself, and also a sliver-esque effect where each gives itself and others of the same type (trial) a color. Design-wise the card is pretty good, especially considering it's a land, and lands with extras are almost always pretty sweet in my view. I don't quite see the idea of a trial as a land, the two concepts just don't quite go together in my mind, I guess it's probably just a perilous place? Either way, design-wise pretty good, costs well-done and a simple but neat effect. A 9/10 from me.

Soumaw couldn't help pondering where it was being led to. Or was there even a destination? The environment around them warped, to the point where Soumaw was beginning to suspect the small creature was in fact the perpetrator of that change, rather than it being a simple feature of the unusual properties of this plane. Could it learn such a technique, Soumaw wondered. How much easier a hunt would be if Soumaw were to simply warp the land around them, transforming the surroundings into its own consuming shadows and swallowing any who happened to stand in the vicinity. Perhaps such a feat was of yet not in Soumaw's reach, but a smaller version of it might.

The fox creature might not be pleased at a change in its work, however, so Soumaw would wait until later. However, the blurring of the horizon and the seeming pointlessness of the path was not the kind of thing that made it so comfortable. Nothing eerie of course, but akin to looking back to see the threshold of a door you didn't remember opening. As it saw the buried treetops, Soumaw called upon one of the bounded souls to whisper to it some knowledge, as soon as it might be needed. 

It continued to walk toward the trees.

---

That's a lot of card draw, but the numbers do seem about right. Around 6 mana drawing three cards, 7 mana drawing four, which is around where you get your mana's worth on this mirage I think. If anything the rarity might be a bit much for this kind of effect, I could easily see this at rare. Oh and I'm assuming you meant to write "(...) enters the battlefield under your control you draw a card". 

Rating: 9/10


Now let's try for the Legend's Pass!





PS: Woo made it past 100 points with this last rating you gave me. Time for some purchases.

Soumaw bent down and dipped its fingers into the water. The shadows seemed to spread onto the lake, searching for a bottom. Where they reached, it knew not. However, eyes were not needed for Soumaw to see, for every part of it was the same, that consuming mass of shadows. It had a form because it had taken that form, and its shadows shifted through it, like blood running in veins. There was always blood in a spot, but it was only the same blood at times and it made no difference, and the same way it mattered not that those shadows happened to be claws, or spreading through a lake: Soumaw could see him all the same. 

What Soumaw saw was as unnatural as the plants emerging suddenly in a sea of sand.

---

I feel that card should cost more. Specifically it should cost 5. It's something between a Mind Control and a Slave of Bolas. Both of those are admittedly easier to cast than Lost Amidst the Sands would be at 5, but only by a marginal amount.

Other than that, very solid card. 9/10



Now, to climb the steps:

What? Where was it all? Not a drop of water, not a distortion on Soumaw's body, no willful fox spirit fluttering about. Just a sense of confusion... and emptiness. It was an odd sensation for Soumaw, what was this void it felt, as though air was mixed into the shadows. The souls spoke of someone free. The ones less carefully bound spoke of it gleefully, with voices full of hope. The shadows curled tighter around those, bringing them to silence. Others seemed simply confused and in shock, just as Soumaw itself.

No...

NO....

Someone had stolen from Soumaw? Taken those it'd already bound? There was such a threat that could appear out of nowhere, and steal a piece of Soumaw itself! The soul it bound, ripped straight from within, a void now forever unfulfilled, unless... Unless Soumaw took it back. But such a thing would not be easy. It needed to change. It needed to improve.

Soumaw would consume.

A more careful inspection of the room, driven by the necessitation of a distraction, led Soumaw to notice a certain device laying around the room. There were traces of dried blood, though the curious shape of the device made Soumaw question what it was actually for. Perhaps the pebble scholar knew, or perhaps the souls did. The later was more likely, but Soumaw decided to ask both regardless, the way it knew how.

"Stone... what ... is... " Soumaw pointed towards the device in the corner with one of its hands, while the other prepared to make a move on the souls floating towards the two of them. A green, ethereal flame seems to ignite on Soumaw's arm, as it stretches towards the direction the sound of the souls is coming from, the claws reshaping themselves into a skull with large, sharp teeth. If they reached the souls, the maw would close upon them and devour, incorporating them into Soumaw.

---

First of all, I want to say, I love how this card is so well tied in to the roleplay and how it really tells a story as you move through it. It's great both as a card and as prompt to respond to.

In terms of the card design mechanically, it's very consistent with a good ending. 

Overall: 10/10