For me it's something like: (Insert Name) 2URW - During your upkeep, draw until you have at least 3 cards in hand.
Discard a red spell - Draw a card
Discard a blue card - Counter target spell
Discard a white card - Target permanent you control gains indestructible.
Then it'd be like a 2/3 for power/toughness
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*Edit: something within reason is preferred.
Posted Feb 22, 2019, 8:07 AM UTC · edited
I want a Jeskai Commander that can change the color of spells and permanents. Like a Blind seer but in Jeskai colors.
Your commander look likes an adaptation of shattergang brother 🤔
I wanted a Jeskai commander centered around Aikido. So if I remember correctly it would be like:
1URW
Rip Van Pickle, Face Slapper
Legendary Creature- Human Monk
2/5
Flash, Flying
Whenever ~ is dealt damage, it deals that much damage to target creature or player.
The good thing about Commander is that they can produce cards unique to the commander format that can bolster an underappreciated archetype, which I think Aikido fits nicely into. It also has a lot of tasty Monk flavor as well.
I like this a lot, although it's not quite as blue as I'd like. I.e. this could be a boros ability and it wouldn't be out of place.
It's also a combo with a damage doubler and blasphemous act to deal 52 to an opponent. Damaging it yourself is very cool but not thematic, so maybe adding "from a source your opponent controls" but downsizing the stats and lowering the cost at the same time would make it more jeskai.
Something like:
UWR: Human Monk
Flash
Whenever ~ is dealt damage by a source an opponent controls, prevent that damage. If damage is prevented that way, ~ deals that much damage to target creature or player.
2/1
Adds a lot of political elements as far as dealing with opponents to direct damage at a mutual enemy too which is sick.
I like that too, it seems balanced and I like its resilience. Im not completely sure what a deck with this commander would look like though, since the heavy hitting self damage tactic is stripped away.
For the record, I believe Blasphemous + damage doubler is only 26 damage, but you are right that it is less thematic.
The blasphemous act deals double to ~ and then the damage it deals is doubled again actually, it's one of those weird interactions.
I like the Aikido idea also. Maybe it could target a source of damage to counter when it ETBs instead of needing to be dealt damage.
Then, maybe based on the color of the targeted source of damage, it could create a token artifact equipment that gives it double strike if the source was red, indestructible if the source was white, and unblockable if the source was blue etc.
That would be super interesting to me personally
WWUURR
Legendary Creature - Angel
Flying, Hexproof
Whenever you cast a spell during an opponent's turn, put a time counter on ~ and draw a card. ~ has +1/+1 for each time counter on it.
If ~ would leave the battlefield and it has a time counter on it, you may exile it instead and it gains suspend.
Remove a time counter from ~: add one mana of any color to your mana pool. You may only spend this mana on spells cast during an opponent's turn.
0/3
I like this one, it seems fun. While at first the time/+1/+1 counters seem a little clunky I think in practice it would be quite intuitive. One die for the counters, which are both when it’s on the battlefield, and then just the time counters when it’s in exile. Looks like a super fun commander!
The +1/+1 effect isn't supposed to be +1/+1 counters, but instead an effect based on the time counters on the creature. That way, there's less confusion about which counters are which.
I really love this design. It basically is just Control Voltron. It protects itself nicely(albeit you never gave a number of time counters it is suspended with) and it both draws cards and gives mana. The balance on it seems reasonable too since everything has to be done on your opponents' turns not to mention the restrictive mana cost makes it difficult to get out early. Then it gets large and you can kill your opponents with it or just combo off somehow.
I wasn't too sure how to word the suspend stuff, to be honest. The intent was to have it suspend with time counters equal to the number it had when it left the battlefield.
And I also had no idea how to word the last part. I wanted it to read in a way where you removed counters from the exiled creature in order to generate that mana.
I thought that it'd be a decent balance of protection/advantage on the battlefield, but turning into an emergency mana battery off it. Sure you'll return it to the battlefield faster, but then it'll also come back as an 0/3. And if you don't have another spell to play during an opponent's turn, if it leaves again it'll go back to the command zone.
Really trying to hammer home that "control/voltron" hybrid strategy, which is incidentally a favorite of mine.
I would just say "you may exile it and it gains suspend x where x is the number of time counters on it". For the suspended part I would start it with "remove a time counter from this suspended card..."
1URW
You may look at the top card of your library.
{1}: Exile the top card of your library. If it's an instant or sorcery card, you may cast it this turn.
- gets +1/+1 for each instant and sorcery you own in exile.
What about this card is white?
It's name is Johor, the Privileged.
I would be happy with several different things.
Legendary Jeskai Monastery Mentor. It could be exactly that, or you could change the tokens slightly. Maybe rather than giving the tokens prowess, he gives all creatures/tokens/monks +x/+x equal to his power (he still has prowess) at the beginning of combat on your turn, so you can avoid the memory challenges.
Jeskai Judo General. Legendary creature that synergies with redirecting damage and or spells. Could have a creature copying or stealing element, but I would probably lean away from that. Not sure exactly how I would design it though. I keep thinking about a Hostage Taker/Spell Queller mixed variant, but for some reason I feel like that should be in Bant, and may not be fun to play with/against.
Jeskai Nicol Bolas the Ravager. Just a cool value good stuff general that can be built in different ways. Has an ETB that generates card advantage (maybe draw a card rather than making opponents discard), and has some secondary effect that helps close out games. Bonus points if he synergies with creatures entering or leaving the battlefield. Extra bonus points for being a Dragon or Angel.
Jeskai Double Spells aka Soul Fire Grand Master light. The Ojutai Brood was rebound focused, Izzet has Jump Start now, and UR (but not Izzet) has also been Spell Flashback focused in Innistrad. All this to say that Jeskai likes doing things that give spells a second use. So maybe it forks, maybe it buysback, maybe it returns or casts instants from graveyards (on combat damage?). Whatever it does, it helps you get the effect of a single spell multiple times. Bonus points if you can get multiple cast triggers before combat to double up prowess triggers.
4.5) Typing out 4 made me think of another idea. Jeskai "spellharmonican". If casting an instant or sorcery would cause an ability you choose to trigger, that ability triggers twice instead.
A lot of these could still exist if you dropped a color though.
I want a Artifact goodstuff commander. I don't want to play Breya, but I think it would be fun to play artifacts without being hated off the table.
Alternatively, a superfriends commander doesn't get hated off the table immediately like Narset would also be fun.
That would be quite darn strong. For your post, you should create some ground rules on what you consider "the best." Otherwise the best would probably be:
URW
Changeling (Has all creature types)
- can be cast without paying it's manacost
0: Put - on the battlefield
Split-second
- can't be countered, and triggered abilities of - can't be countered
As long as - is on the battlefield, your opponents can't cast spells or activate abilities of permanents they control.
As long as - is on the battlefield, permanents your opponents control lose all abilities, and can't gain abilities.
- entering the battlefield or the stack doesn't cause abilities of permanents or emblems your opponents control to trigger.
When - enters the battlefield, you win the game.
If - is in your command zone at the start of the game, put - on the battlefield
Ok, then I'll just have it be within reason.
"on the stack" wouldn't be appropriate with WotC's current wording preferences. Split Second covers most bases, but you could add "As you cast ~, if an ability an opponent controls would trigger, and it isn't a mana ability, counter that ability instead."
They also haven't introduced a way to directly interact with emblems yet, so I don't think they should be referenced it its ability.
I agree "on the stack" isn't optimal, but "As you cast" is a trigger, and thus while that trigger hasn't resolved it's useless. I don't think there is a way to have a passive ability that affects a permanent in a spell on the stack with the current rulings. The closest way I can think of, is the commander having an activated eminence ability, which creates an emblem that denies countering. I just don't think that's good enough.