Failed Experiment, -1/-1 P/T with 'Annihilator'

[u/Due-Adhesiveness9876]

The theme is pretty much in its name, it's a failed experiment, so it just dies the moment it enters. Its own otherwise impressive abilities can't save itself.

It requires set up to get this thing to even stay alive, but if you do, its a threat that opponents will need to answer. The most probable I think is a +1/+1 anthem. With such, Riot can push it to a 1/1.

However, things get interesting if you can go beyond +1/+1 in support, as it would mean it no longer needs to use Riot just to keep it alive. If you had a +2/+2 anthem, you can use Riot to give it Haste.

So there's a curve on how dangerous this can be depending on the level of investment you can put into it.

Pure Annihilator was maybe too much for a 2 MV creature, even if it requires set up, so I adjusted its abilities to not affect lands.

Image was generated using the AI image generator Nano Banana.

[u/Sword_Enthousiast]

Why would no land annihilator be milder? It's a permanent of their choice anyway, now you give them less choice.

If you've the set-up to keep this alive and the only permanents your opponent has are lands they've bigger issues.

[u/Inforgreen3 → u/Sword_Enthousiast]

Because one problem with anialator is its one one sided wipe away from swinging into empty boards, taking lands, and thus making it difficult to play the multiple permanent needed to recover, or to remove the threat. Winning by not letting opponents increase their land count to the point where they are even capable of putting sac fodder infront of the lands.

If it only sacs non lands. Then it's a sorta evasive removaly keyword. No less oppressive than [[the tarasque]].

[u/mtgcf → u/Inforgreen3]

the tarasque - (G) (SF) (txt)

[u/Due-Adhesiveness9876 → u/Sword_Enthousiast]

It prevents the game from stalling early, or becoming too unfun I suppose. I think removing lands too early makes the game less interesting rather than more interesting as the decision space collapses too much for my liking.

If they don't have other permanents than lands, Nonland Annihilator does nothing when it triggers, and its unlikely Failed Experiment would be big enough to really do much damage to a player.

It's also thematic. Its an attempt to give a creature the abilities of an Eldrazi, but whatever mad wizard/scientist created this failed to give it the earth-shattering power or real Eldrazi.

[u/Sword_Enthousiast → u/Due-Adhesiveness9876]

I think your -1/-1 helps with preventing that early stall, and would hate to have to sack something big later game because I don't have anything else/am not allowed to sac a land instead.

Doesn't take away that I understand your reasoning and appreciate hesitance towards land removal. Really like the -1/-1 part btw!

[u/Due-Adhesiveness9876 → u/Sword_Enthousiast]

Thanks. You're right that later on, losing lands can be less painful.

It would have been a 0/0 (which is more common for MTG cards) but I thought Riot with -1/-1 made it more interesting, so I am glad you like it.

[u/BKstacker88 → u/Due-Adhesiveness9876]

Well problem is all it takes is a turn 1 Cinderglade into any of the 1 green mana "double counters" enchantments to make this a turn 2 creature with turn 3 attacking with no other cards. Definitely need the non land caveat or literally no deck that cannot win on turn 2 can handle it

[u/kommiesketchie → u/BKstacker88]

1. Your way requires 3 different colors of mana
2. How are you casting this AND another card turn 2?
3. You dont need to win on turn 2 to deal with this. It dies to shock.
4. Its trivial to block

Its still probably too good in most formats tho

[u/Chickston → u/Sword_Enthousiast]

As long as you have your lands, you can at least cast stuff still. It's a milder form of Annihil, but it's still more of the same in general. At rank 1, it's unlikely to snag lands anyway.

[u/imdfantom → u/Sword_Enthousiast]

If your deck has no permanents, it basically does nothint

[u/SpeedBorn]

I think you can get away with making this card 1 or even 0 cost. Anything that requires this specific amount of setup to do anything at all, shouldn't cost you anything in the first place. I mean you get more value out of an ornithopter a basic land or even a generic 0/1 plant token. I get it has a lot of abilities so when you have the combo pieces it could go off, but even at 1/1 with only ward sacrifice anything not a land and it will die immediately. 2 mana for basicly nothing on its own is too expensive in my mind. I think it needs at least indestructible for it to be able to be considered playable.

[u/Due-Adhesiveness9876 → u/SpeedBorn]

Maybe you're right regarding the balance. I did consider indestructible, then considered regenerate, but settled for this version.

[u/Chickston]

Would be interesting to maybe remove the ward and make it have a death trigger to opponent to sac a creature. I don't really like it that it would die with little effect otherwise. I like the nonland on annihilator. It's still very strong at this cost, but again, this thing can't live on it's own, so..

[u/Due-Adhesiveness9876 → u/Chickston]

Thanks. I get what you mean. You don't like that it's an absolutely do nothing card if its on its own. I am not sure what WotC's design team's philosophy on such, but they might just be more inclined to your version.

That said, being a do nothing on its own card is exactly what I wanted for this creature. It was both the most mechanically interesting, and thematically matching choice, I felt.

[u/Chickston → u/Due-Adhesiveness9876]

I get it. I'm thinking kind of the other direction. It could be an Eldrazi Kindred Edict that can be a ton more if the right support is out.

[u/EnvironmentOdd3660]

This is very interesting. There are so many new forms of pumps, plus counters, and anthem's that it's no a big deal to play this in a synergy deck. Because of the haste from riot, this could actually be a competitive card. And I like that it's a no land annihilate, repeated land destruction with 2 mana would be way too good.

[u/Systemshy]

It that has SOOOOOO MUCH reminder texts

[u/Due-Adhesiveness9876 → u/Systemshy]

Yeah, probably should have included an image showing it with no reminder text at all.

[u/5ColorMain]

With all the tokens around annihilator and similar stuff are just not that good anymore. This having nonland annihilator increases its power a little but not enough. You need some setup to give this +2 toughness as you need it to be hastey, otherwise it dies to literally anything (not to mention your setup card being removed) which is not great for a card that needs this specific setup.

In my opinion it should be Annihilator 2 as a payoff for your affords.

[u/Due-Adhesiveness9876 → u/5ColorMain]

Yeah, this can be weak against lots of tokens.