What White Can Do

fellwyndfellwynd
in Custom Card Discussion
I recently got into a discussion about white as a color, with the other person essentially saying that white doesn't have anything interesting to offer, which is why it does poorly. So I made this set of 15 cards to show off the breadth of what white could do. Please let me know what you guys think.

Comments

  • MemoryHeadMemoryHead
    Having briefly looked over the set, I'll provide the following points of rambling:

     - There are some interesting ideas there. Incarnation in particular could probably do with some better wording and setup, but I can see a solid chunk of potential in it. I certainly don't see it as being a mono-white mechanic (though white would probably be one of / the main color[s] using it), but maybe that's besides the point.

     - From a purely mechanical perspective, I don't like tuck. I reckon it just needs to be exile and a manual return to hand clause, like Angel of Serenity, or if that's just what it means then to perhaps be more clear on that.

     - I feel that some of the cards are perhaps interesting more for the reason that they're real heckin' powerful than because they demonstrate something mechanically interesting, which is maybe a problem. I don't know. Depends on your context.

    On the subject of context, are you trying to make the cards towards any particular context (EDH, cube, modern or whatever) or is it more of a random idea-pile than anything else? And as another question, are you more interested in feedback / points on the specific cards, or on the more general ideas they represent? I haven't really gone much into either here, obviously, but I'm wondering if your goal of exploring white's identity perhaps makes the latter far more important than the latter.
  • fellwyndfellwynd
    It's more of a random idea pile more than anything. I'll take anything you can give me, I just wanted to throw it out there. I do agree with your "interesting because they're powerful thing" to some degree, but I think that it's more of a "here's an area of white that could be pushed to be more interesting" moreso than just making it powerful. For instance, Invulnerable Warleader has an ability I don't think I've ever seen in white but that still fits in color pie. So like maybe white could have more activated abilities, or be more protective, or scry more, or do the "you and me draw" thing more. If I'm being honest about tuck, I wasn't sure about it either, but I've seen similar mechanics in other games and wanted to see what people thought. I'm not really sure what I want out of sharing it, I just want people to see the potential that white does have.
  • MemoryHeadMemoryHead
    @fellwynd On the exact subject of Invulnerable Warleader, I'm going to disagree with you. "Whenever NAME becomes blocked, damage the blocker" effects currently exist solely in red, and I'm of the opinion that they should definitely stay there rather than be moved into white. In fact, I can't think of a single white card aimed at hating on blockers, because that just isn't how white operates. I know this is a thing about having ideas that might expand philosophies or do interesting stuff, but this is a bit that should perhaps stay as it is.
  • fellwyndfellwynd
    @MemoryHead While you're correct about that specific effect, which I would argue could significantly help white decks, white hating on blockers is not something particularly new. Cards like steadfast armasaur, catapult squad, and gideon's reproach specifically mention dealing damage to blocking (or attacking) creatures. Additionally, the white "tap target creature" ability is used almost exclusively as a way to temporarily get rid of potential blockers (master of diversion), and white has even been able to control how things are able to block (odric, master tactician). I don't know if this effect alone would necessarily pan out well, but I don't think it's out of white's wheelhouse entirely.
  • MemoryHeadMemoryHead
    @fellwynd The fact that it's "attacking or blocking" is of major importance there. Possibly I didn't emphasise this enough in my previous statement, but the bit saying:
    In fact, I can't think of a single white card aimed at hating on blockers
    Was being specific. White's interaction with blockers will always also have the potential to impact attackers (such as the "damage attacking or blocking") because that aspect is focused on interacting with creatures that are engaged in combat in general. Tapping effects and the rare abilities similar to Odric's block-manipulation represent an area that I like to mentally categorise as combat control (manipulating what attacks / blocks can be made in the first place kind of thing) rather than actually punishing / complicating things that are specifically blocking.

    I totally get that this might have been an issue of me having worded my previous statement terribly more than anything else, and I apologise for that. But I remain certain that in terms of effects, white doesn't and probably shouldn't do anything that hates specifically on blockers. In terms of that specific area it should be working more generally on both attackers and blockers, and in the more general terms of offensive effects it should be looking to buff its own attacking creatures or whatever.
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