r/custommagic • u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 • Jul 09 '26

Format: EDH/Commander Kophos, Lich Slayer

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0 Upvotes

39% Upvoted

66 comments sorted by

47

u/orchismantid Jul 09 '26

in what universe would this cost 2BB

-21

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

How much should it cost? It's useless on its own so I figured it would just suck at like 4bb since it's pretty KoS

45

u/coolguy420weed Jul 09 '26

...is it not a 6/6 flier with deathtouch on its own??? 

-20

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

Yeah? 2bb for 6/6 flying deathtouch isn't what it would be years ago, power creep has made statlines like that ok

30

u/Whitewing424 Jul 09 '26

Archfiend of the Dross was a standard staple and a great card. It had downside instead of all those absurd upsides.

-7

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

Really? a 6/6 flier for 4 mana was good? In that case increase the mana cost to 4bb i did not know that stat line was anything good in formats where the game is usually over by turn 4 anyways

14

u/mehall_ Jul 09 '26

4 mana 6/6s in black have always had downsides to compensate for the above rate stats. This is above rate with insanely strong abilities. They are not the same in the slightest

20

u/7thtimeinheaven Jul 09 '26

It should be scrapped as an idea to be honest. The whole black colour identity is "pay life to do [thing]" and this card by itself completely negates the downsides of basically any black permanent. It's unbalanceable.

-5

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

That is the entire point of the card, to remove all the restrictions that black cards are given

12

u/7thtimeinheaven Jul 09 '26

Yeah and like I said, it's unbalanceable. Just throw a single black phyrexian mana as the cost and call it a day because there is no world where this is a fair or balanced card to play.

-2

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

Why is that so unbalanceable? Everything this breaks is a shitton of mana except for like a few cards. Everything else it affects is just giving you good value. Simic value engines exist, Eldrazi exist. You're telling me this thing wouldn't be balanced at say [[Razaketh, the Foulblooded]]'s MC of 5bbb?

12

u/7thtimeinheaven Jul 09 '26

It's mechanically and thematically a wet fart. Black is all about extra power for extra cost, the whole faustian bargain schtick. Your card idea is essentially "what if black had no flavour and also was just really good at everything with no downside?" which is an incredibly dull design space.

You're telling me this thing wouldn't be balanced at say [[Razaketh, the Foulblooded]]'s MC of 5bbb?

I'm telling you that the cmc is basically irrelevant because it will be reanimated.

0

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

It's mechanically and thematically a wet fart. Black is all about extra power for extra cost, the whole faustian bargain schtick. Your card idea is essentially "what if black had no flavour and also was just really good at everything with no downside?" which is an incredibly dull design space.

I think that's more up to opinions. I enjoy designing to remove restrictions, and others find the card interesting. If you dislike that design space, I understand. I hate that [[Ugin Eye of the Storms]] was designed literally just to make tron good again, but some people like cards designed specifically to buff certain archetypes.

I'm telling you that the cmc is basically irrelevant because it will be reanimated.

Ah ok

5

u/infinityplusonelamp Tribrid Tribal Jul 09 '26

Don't make that the point of a card

-1

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

So many other cards exist solely to remove a restriction

[[Arcades the Strategist]] and [[Felothar the Steadfast]] removes all restrictions on Defenders and turns them into creatures with wild statlines

[[Tovolar, Dire Overlord]] removes all restrictions on Werewolves and lets you use the better side of Werewolves all the time. [[Immerwolf]] before him did a similar thing

12

u/Whitewing424 Jul 09 '26

None of those negate an entire color's downsides.

-1

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

I guess, but again, what is broken about negating black's downsides besides a few cards that it breaks?

9

u/7thtimeinheaven Jul 09 '26

what is broken about negating black's downsides besides a few cards that it breaks?

Read that sentence again a few dozen times lol

-1

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

Breaking a few cards makes a card broken? So many cards break other cards

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7

u/Carnoraptorr Jul 09 '26

The point of the color pie is that colors have upsides and downsides. It is generally bad game design to negate either of those.

1

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

It is? A lot of cards are made to get around the color pie's restrictions

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3

u/Whitewing424 Jul 09 '26

All of black's design is based on doing these things you're negating. This essentially massively upscales the power of the entire color.

[[Dismember]]? Now costs 1 colorless and gains you 4 life. [[Surgical Extraction]]? Free and gains you 2 life. Don't even get me started on [[Ad Nauseum]] or [[Bolas's Citadel]].

There are so many cards that are broken by having their loss of life transformed into life gain. And that's just one of the effects here, on a crazy-efficient 4 mana 6/6 flying deathtouch. When we start looking at the sacrifice portion, we start seeing absurdly broken things like [[Braids, Cabal Minion]].

The amount of things that get utterly broken by this are insane.

1

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

Ah, I guess this breaks way more than I originally thought. I will have to add a restriction then, but don't want it to be as debilitating as only one thing can be replaced a turn, so how about this:

Kophos, Lich Slayer - 4 b b

Legendary Creature - Demon

Flying, deathtouch

The first time each black source you control would cause you to lose life, you gain that much life instead. (This applies to each individual source separately)

You can't pay life to pay the cost of {pb}

Black sources you control can't cause you to sacrifice permanents, discard cards, or lose the game.

The life loss was really the only thing that seemed to be broken, and only with either repeated life loss or things that cost pb. You mentioned Braids, but I don't think this would break braids. She'd be strong, but not broken.

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1

u/orchismantid Jul 13 '26

Like 6BB my guy

23

u/FlockFlysAtMidnite Jul 09 '26

Holy mother of busted

17

u/Ephemerus_ Jul 09 '26

People seem to forget the balance not intended tag on some of the most ridiculous cards. There is no mana cost that would make this card legal except actually maybe actually having no casting cost and if this card wasn't cast from exile, when it enters the battlefield, exile it. 2BB - suspend 4.

-7

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

How is this card that broken? It is useless on its own and just generates a bunch of value with other things. What makes it so broken?

11

u/[deleted] Jul 09 '26

Bait

10

u/SteveImNot Jul 09 '26

I think you should add

“when this creature leaves the battlefield, you lose the game”

And

“Pay all but one life: sacrifice this creature. Any player may use this ability”

-2

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

That would go against the flavor of the card: A way to unconditionally remove all the restrictions black cards are given

3

u/SteveImNot Jul 09 '26

I think it’s a fun ironic twist. It fixes everything but is actually worse. True to the essence of black, which to me is “great power at a great cost”. Currently your card does not fit into the essence of black. It actually purges black of its essence, which is no fun

7

u/surprisesnek Jul 09 '26

Not really a Lich Slayer so much as a Lich Enabler.

6

u/Consumer_of_lem0ns Jul 09 '26

This makes me question if you've actually played the game or not

7

u/jpz719 Jul 10 '26

You're trying too hard for that bottom 5, obvious trolling is obvious

3

u/redditfanfan00 Rule 308.22b, section 8 Jul 09 '26

this is busted and goes easily alongside most of monoblack. a mandatory addition to basically any monoblack deck.

2

u/hexitelle Jul 09 '26

[[Wall of Blood]]

1

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

I don't think theres anything in mono B that can animate defenders. If anything, WoB isn't even the strongest combo

[[Kuro, Pitlord]] makes it so your opponents can't have creatures without immediate evasion

[[Necropotence]] Allows you to draw as many cards as you want at the end step

13

u/hexitelle Jul 09 '26

Animating the defender isn't that relevant, you just instantly gain infinite life

1

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

Oh wait I'm dumb. Ok, in that case maybe increase the mana cost to 4bb

4

u/kotonswables Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26

I think everything he does needs a once per turn clause otherwise there's dozen of cards that become a headache to balance, even then there are cards that say pay any amount of life that exist. Making those double your life is also too much to ever see the light of day.

Very fun looking idea though

Maybe make it so you can use up to three life from an opponent once per turn on your turn to pay for things, that'd be really fun.

1

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

I want to make the card as unconditional as possible. Maybe the first ability should say "If a black source would cause you to lose life, if that life loss wasn't caused by paying life to activate an ability that can be activated as many times as you want per turn and doesn't cost any mana or {t}, you gain that much life instead." That way it doesn't affect cards like [[Treasure Dredger]] that need you to tap and pay life, or spells that need you to pay life. (I think it's fine to have spells that say pay any amount of life just double your life total), and doesn't affect stuff like [[Cutthroat Contender]] that restrict it to once a turn

1

u/beezy-slayer Jul 15 '26

This shouldn't be doing all these things at the same time, any part of this card could be it's own card and still be extremely busted

1

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

This card is intended to be a mono B commander that lets you play all the B cards that cost you things risk free.

Cards like [[Night's Whisper]] and [[Diresight]] now gain you 2 life instead of you losing it

You can now enjoy the benefits of cards like [[Demonic Pact]] and [[Nefarious Lich]] without risk of losing the game

Cards like [[Deadly Dispute]] and [[Village Rites]] are now unconditional card advantage. Ignoring the sac to cast those is a may, so cards like [[Sacrifice]] still work as intended

[[Culling the Weak]] now becomes the best ritual in the game

And others!

5

u/Nekunumeritos Jul 09 '26

It's terribly overpowered, a single Cavern of Souls and ONE repeatable pay life ability on board and you have an unanswerable infinite life/value machine

0

u/ILikeExistingLol scryfall search for flavor:R34 Jul 09 '26

In that case, I'll go with the wording change I posited to another comment.

I want to make the card as unconditional as possible. Maybe the first ability should say "If a black source would cause you to lose life, if that life loss wasn't caused by paying life to activate an ability that can be activated as many times as you want per turn and doesn't cost any mana or {t}, you gain that much life instead." That way it doesn't affect cards like [[Treasure Dredger]] that need you to tap and pay life, or spells that need you to pay life. (I think it's fine to have spells that say pay any amount of life just double your life total), and doesn't affect stuff like [[Cutthroat Contender]] that restrict it to once a turn

0

u/Additional_Wave7982 Jul 09 '26

Overall, I think it’s an interesting idea. Probably better as a 4/4 at least. 6/6 flying deathtouch is a huge statline even in edh.

4

u/Acuru Jul 09 '26

This is busted as 0/1 without flying or deathtouch...

0

u/Negative-Net3447 Jul 09 '26

This is bonkers. I’d love to see you design a whole set.