[DS]Thoughts on Simic

[GRUNT]

Ok, these are probably going to be off by a longshot. I don't even really think it would work anymore, but I thought I'd share it with you guys for fun :D.

Basically, a while back, I was thinking about the theme of the Simic........how they experiment with nature- create mutant creatures more capable of surviving in Ravnica's nature-less environment, and I thought that a theme of Landwalking would be a good representation of this.

For fun, I just made a few cards :P. Obviously, these aren't really rumours, but since it's a discussion of how I thought the Simic might be like, I figured it'd go here :P. There seems to be a particularly strong landwalking theme in 9th ed and Ravnica (Ivy Dancer, Greyscaled Gharial, Zodiac Monkey) so I thought it might work for the Simic.

Giant Frog :1mana::u::g:
Creature- Mutant Frog
:u::g:: Giant Frog gains a landwalk ability of your choice until end of turn.
3/3


Shambling Abomination :2mana::u::g:
Creature- Mutant Frog
Trample
Whenever Shambling Abomination deals combat damage to a player, draw a card and put a +1/+1 counter on Shambling Abomination.
4/4


Simic Guildmage :managu::managu:
Creature- Elf Wizard
:2mana::u:: Target land becomes the basic land type of your choice until end of turn.
:2mana::g:: Target creature gains or loses the landwalk ability of your choice until end of turn.
2/2

I particularly like my Simic one because even though I doubt it'll work that way, I like the fact that the two abilities fit into what each colour is meant to do :P.

Ok fine, so these are kinda lame :P. But I just find the whole concept of all the guilds having different ways to win to be very fascinating.

All the green guilds tend to be pretty beatdown-orientated. I mean, Golgari get their Grave-Shell Scarabs and Zombie Trolls, while Selesnya get frickin' Siege Wurms, Autochton Wurms, and overwhelming numbers of tokens! While those two guilds have other elements (Selesnyans have a fair bit of control with Glare of Subdual, Devouring Light....Golgari can bring their critters back from the dead), they're all very creature-ish at heart, I feel. Gruul is no exception...they're almost pure beatdown :P.

I've got a feeling Simic will also be heavily creature-oriented (Wizards said again and again that they're all about expeimenting on life forms and creating mutant ones), but I'm sure it'll come with a twist. I wouldn't be suprised if we see stuff like blue's Unstable Mutation, but in Dissension :). Maybe we'll see creatures akin to those with Fading. Perhaps a cheap creature that's strong, but get's a -1/-1 counter each turn? I think that'd feel very green/blue :P...but that's just me (=.

[Tekkactus]

I know as well as anyone landwalk can be beatdown oriented. I think it'd be really sweet if you're right.

(Reprint Shifting Sky! :D )

[GRUNT]

This just in from MTGS

Vedalken Plotter :2mana::u:
Creature - Vedalken Wizard (U)
When Vedalken Plotter comes into play, exchange control of target land you control and target land an opponent controls.
1/1

This guy seems kinda lousy in the Guildpact and Ravniica sets, but he's screaming: "Use me in a blue/green deck with Ivy Dancer!"

I'd hate to say it, but I can't stop the feeling that Simic are going to have a landwalking element to them :P.

[Æther Reaper]

Their keyword will be based on "growing different". Whatever that implies.

[Runeblade]

I don't hate to say it. It's a cool way to win. Unblockable creatures and such. They can also expound upon the ability, make some support cards.

I think landwalk would be a great theme! But it'll probably be a sub-theme or something that just has synergy with the Simic, since they'll have their own mechanic. (Maybe an advanced landwalk! :D)

Although the whole land messing-with is cool. Maybe they're land destruction and unblockable creatures! That'd be a cool deck.

[GRUNT]

I was thinking about Vedalken Plotter + Ivy dancer, and I thought that going through all that trouble just to give one of your creatures forestwalk (and making sure you enemy has a forest) is kinda weak :P.

Aether- how do you know that they keyword is based on 'growing different'? Can you link me to the article?

Perhaps to compensate for the not-too-astounding ability of landwalking, the Simic reward creatures that successfully deal damage to an opponent? Like maybe it gets a +1/+1 counter each time, or gains trample permanently, or something like that :P. I'd love to see something like Dimir Cutpurse for Simic :D. That would be cool. It could represent the way the Simic continually learn from their experiments and improve on them. I made up a card and put it on the original post just to give you an idea of what I'm thinking about :P. And yeah, that card is amazing, but given the power level of cards in Ravnica, I think it fits :P.

Of course, all this is just kinda stupid because we don't even know if Simic are going to be having landwalk or not, but with cards like Zodiac Monkey, Goblin Spelunkers, Grayscaled Gharial, Ivy Dancer, Vedalken Plotter, I can't help but think there's going to be something with landwalking coming up >_<. And four of those cards are green/blue! :P

I was thinking about the flavour text for 'Stasis Cell'. Perhaps the Simic have some way of rewarding players for having TAPPED creatures? Something like:

Viashino Recluse :2mana::managu::managu:
Creature - Viashino Mutant
Whenever Viashino Recluse deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on Viashino Recluse.
As long as Viashino Recluse is tapped, creatures you control get +1/+1.
3/3

Other possibilities include stuff like:

As long as blahblahblah is tapped...

...all damage dealt to creatures you control is reduced by 1.
...all creatures you control gain: ":2mana::u:: Return this creature to its owner's hand."
...creatures you control cannot be the target of abilities your opponents control.

Wheeee......making up stuff is fun :P. I keep thinking the flavour text for Stasis Cell is hinting at something =/. I also think I'm thinking too much about it :P.

[UyOwned]

i think the simic will somehow have a land based themes. Other simic cards would then be Stone-Seeder Heirophant and Vinelasher Kudzu, among others. Note that the Kudzu is already being played in UG decks!

[GRUNT]

This just in from MTGS:

Dryad Sophisticate - :1mana::g:
Creature - Dryad (U)
Nonbasic landwalk
2/1

So much....landwalking...knew it would be a theme....gah! Perhaps this would make for a good Simic card...assuming Simic work out the way I think they might :P.

It'll also make a decent Gruul card. Since your opponent MUST be running either bouncelands or shocklands (everyone I play with does, at least :P), this Dryad's almost a 2/1 unblockable for 2 mana, which is pretty decent.

Pity it's so susceptable to darkblast, though :(. Incidently, I love the art for Ivy Dancer :).

[Ultima66]

For some reason, U/G is just horribly unnappealing to me.

I don't know why, but the colors just unconsciously turn me off. Maybe it's because blue and green seem to belong together (water and plants) yet they're enemy colors, but that shouldn't turn me off. It's just doesn't seem so good to me.

OR it could be that blue doesn't seem to pair with green very well. Green decks try to use up resources to win, an is the least "keep stuff in hand" color, while blue is definitely all about keeping stuff in your hand.

[Interpolled]

umm. maybe im biased, because i play it, but


[size=24]U/G Madness

[Tekkactus]

I like UG a lot just because, like BW, the major difference is what makes the whole ordeal fun.

RG? Pssh, boring.

[Runeblade]

Meh. I find all the guilds interesting. The most bland is the Boros to me, they're just weenie and radiance and crap. Too generic for me. But otherwise, every guild has interesting traits to me.

[Maleficent]

UG is AWESOME! I made a few decks with it, but the best one was some beatdown thing with [card:9d7115a1fd]Avatar of Might[/card:9d7115a1fd]s, [card:9d7115a1fd]Vitalizing Wind[/card:9d7115a1fd]s tons of mana accel yada yada yada.. plus some HUGE blue creatures like [card:9d7115a1fd]Tidal Kraken[/card:9d7115a1fd] :shock: and some card drawing like [card:9d7115a1fd]Opportunity[/card:9d7115a1fd] and to top it off.. [card:9d7115a1fd]Ensnare[/card:9d7115a1fd] :devil:. That deck was so awesome. Also it could do huge flying tramplers ([card:9d7115a1fd]Levitation[/card:9d7115a1fd], use [card:9d7115a1fd]Proteus Staff[/card:9d7115a1fd] to get rid of unneeded Vine Trellises for Avatars...

[UyOwned]

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE B/G! Seriously, I love big creatures and also counterspells and also mana accel like crazy and also messing with minds and all the while playing heartbeat of spring + eye of the storm + early harvest + recollect and get a huge maga all in one turn!

But seriously, U/G is gonna be powerful. And... i like that!

Simic... catchy phrase!

[fullfrontallobotomy]

ok, here's my dollar and 48 cents on the simic...

we know they have some twisted mad scientists. their leader is an elven biomancer, and are an enemy color (thus making it hard to predict). here is my idea of the simic mechanic...

MORPH!!!

just kidding. i cant think of anything good. its too hard to guess, (personally, i DID NOT see replicate coming for Izzet.) hmmm wait...

Mutate
On Creatures: instead of putting a creature into play, you take an existing creature and add the new guys text to it. sorta like splice.
for spells: when you play a spell, you can mutate the spell onto a permanent to become an activated ability instead, which can be used once per turn, and the ability costs the same as the CMC.
EXAMPLES:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
2UG
Creature- Mutant Ninja Turtle
First Strike, Vigilance
Mutate: 2UG(when you play this spell, you may instead play it's mutate cost and add the abilities of this card, except for Mutate, to target creature. that creature gains +X/+Y, where X is power, Y is toughness)
2/2

Controlled Breeding
2UGG
Sorcery
Put a token into play that is a copy of any target non-legendary creature in play with power 2 or less.
Mutate: 4UG (when you play this spell, you may instead play it's mutate cost and add the abilities of this card, except for Mutate, to target permanent. the ability becomes and activated ability that can be used as a sorcery once per turn. the cost to play the ability is equal to the cards CMC)

OK so its a veritable rules nightmare, not to mention a huge strain on templating, and not very elegant, but a cool concept nonetheless. now, watch me hit the nail right on head with this...

[Runeblade]

That's a cool mechanic, but it could become broken. Let me try and show a more balanced, elegant version of mutate.


Bog Giant

:1mana::u::g:

Creature - Mutant Elemental

Trample

Mutate :u::g: (As you play a creature, you may discard this card from your hand and pay it's mutate cost. If you do, add this card's effects to that creature, excluding Mutate, and that creature gains +X/+Y, where X is half of this creature's power, rounded down, and Y is half of this creature's toughness, rounded down.)

2/2


Well, do you like it? It's in interesting idea to say the least, much more splice-ish, but the whole discard thing makes mutate a more balanced ability, and yet similar to splice... Hmmm...

Any other ideas?

[UnknownKnowned]

lol i discard this hear krosan cloudscraper... and i win.. lol

cool ability runey, leave it to you to smash

[Runeblade]

I just had a stroke of genius:

Take a look at [card:5e6b5bff73]Earth Surge[/card:5e6b5bff73] from Guildpact. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Maybe teh Simic will have a manland sub-theme. That'd be awesome! Imagine, lands with landwalk. XD

Anyway, if this is true, it'll be a good, good, day for al the Johnnies out there. As it is, it's possible to build a manland deck in Casual utilizing this... I may just do that to let loose my Johnny side.

[Maleficent]

I'm about 97.8% sure the Simic is a Johnny guild, because there should be one of each player type in the set, Azorius is Spike, and Rakdos is Timmy (Kills things! Burns things! Yay!), so this should be Johnny. That would make sense though, since green is all naturey and blue likes to tinker with stuff, hey, I wonder what would happen if that forest over there could walk around and smash things! Let's do it! And make it bigger too! With unblockability, no wait, landwalk, ha! Get it? Land? Walk?

[thegeneralpublic]

Simic will be the guild that makes the creatures hwo they want them to. Want this creature black/red? All right. Want to up its power? No problem. What's that? You wan't trample? Coming right up! Remember: you get a free arse-kicking with every sale.

[Runeblade]

Lol, yeah, I'm expecting that the Simic creature may have bonus effects if somethign special happns to them. (Something like [card:f1acbd274a]Witch-Maw Nephilim[/card:f1acbd274a].)

But I still think land an landwalk will play a role.

[thegeneralpublic]

Landwalk will definitely be there, considering blue also has [card:669d8d53bb]Fishliver Oil[/card:669d8d53bb] and [card:669d8d53bb]Sea's Claim[/card:669d8d53bb] in ninth as well as those islandhome-esque abilities found on cards such as [card:669d8d53bb]Sea Serpent[/card:669d8d53bb]. With green in the mix, and green being the color of land, I definitely expect a lot of landwalk fixing to come.

[UyOwned]

basically, once simic comes out, [card:0961573845]earth surge[/card:0961573845] will be broken :)

[thegeneralpublic]

Yeah, I guess that too...any cards you think would be reprinted for Simic?

[Tekkactus]

Go go [card:872fb57e86]Æther Mutation[/card:872fb57e86]?

[lionden_56]

Originally posted by Tekkactus
Go go [card:c0aaa23062]Æther Mutation[/card:c0aaa23062]?
That sounds probable, especially with the token theme already in Ravnica block.
I'm hoping for a [card:c0aaa23062]Mystic Snake[/card:c0aaa23062].

[Tekkactus]

Oh man... Mystic Snake, I love that card. XD

[thegeneralpublic]

The [card:24f02718c5]Grizzly Bears[/card:24f02718c5] and [card:24f02718c5]Counterspell[/card:24f02718c5] hybrid? Maybe; cost seems a little low though...

[GRUNT]

I don't think so =/. The Simic are Biologists...not Mystics :P. I don't think Mystic Snake would really fit into the Simic theme =/.

Maybe if they re-name it or something :P.

I agree that Aether Mutation is possible, though! Especially since Simic love mutating stuff :P.

[kishiesties]

Since the simic are about card customization there might be a morphling like card and there will be creatures like [card:0ca27596f6]Fungasaur[/card:0ca27596f6] & [card:0ca27596f6]Mossdog[/card:0ca27596f6] it could also be the return of volrath's slugs.