Thoughts on the TNO Planeswalkers:
The Practical Incarnation: Hell of a draw engine! Very monotonous, though. Perhaps one of his abilities could be "Target player loses life equal to the number of cards in your hand minus the number of cards in their hand"? This also gives him a way to win. (see the nitpicky complaint at the end)
The Paranoid Incarnation: Decent. I'm not too fond of how his ult is often going to go "+2 which does nothing, -5 which kills him". Start at 4 loyalty? Drop the ult to a -4?
The First Incarnation: Flashback is restricted to non-permanents because it interacts weirdly with permanents. The + needs to be something like "If target card in your graveyard is an instant or sorcery card, it gains flashback until end of turn. The flashback cost is equal to its casting cost."
His Ultimate is weak. If your opponent has managed to get you to the point where you need to use it to survive, they almost certainly have a good enough board position to slaughter you before you can get back in the game. It probably needs to exile nonland permanents you control. Also, the last phrase should be "Your life total becomes 20."
The Transcendant One: There has to be a creature in play for him to gain loyalty. This is not good planeswalker design. "Target player sacrifices a creature..."?
Also, it's extremely awkward that if you activate his ultimate as soon as you can it does nothing. Should start with 5 loyalty. "Your opponent's can't draw cards as long as you control a card named The Transcendant One" (would be weird if killing your TTO and then playing their own locked them out of drawing)
The Final Incarnation: Interesting. 1WUBRG is hard enough to get that letting his -3 just put the creature into play won't break anything. There are better ways to cheat Emrakul out.
Also, this is kind of nitpicky, but so far every planeswalker has had a "game plan" that lets them win pretty much on their own as long as they go unmolested (This is because they are, fluffwise, independent operators who you are temporarily calling in for help.) Venser is pretty much the only exception (but he still lets you strip your opponent's best card from the battlefield about once a turn and then beat with a bunch of unblockables), with Ajani Vengeant being a distant second (but he can still do a one-sided Armageddon and then Lightning Helix your enemy to death). The First Incarnation and The Practical Incarnation can't really win at all, and The Paranoid Incarnation is pretty borderline.
edited 7th Jul '11 2:29:15 AM by Glidergun
Each night, he abandons the trappings of civilization. Each morning, he repairs the front door.How would you feel about this? It still requires your opponent to play a creature for him to steal and use, but his whole schtick is conning people into joining him and then sacrificing them as soon as he'll gain an advantage...
The Practical Incarnation 3UB
Planeswalker - Nameless One
+2: Sacrifice a creature, then draw two cards.
-3: You control target creature as long as you control The Practical Incarnation.
-7: You gain an emblem that says "Pay X Life: At the beginning of the end step, draw X cards."
(4)
Paranoid Incarnation: Dropping the ultimate to -4 sounds reasonable. I want him to start at low loyalty, just 'cause, well, he IS the Paranoid Incarnation.
First Incarnation: Good catch on the permanents/flashback issue. I thought I had just stolen the text from Dralnu, but I guess I missed that part. I wanted to make his ultimate essentially the same as Lich's Mirror, but it was hard to figure out a way to let a Planeswalker keep you from losing the game like that. Letting you keep your lands is reasonable — I mean, it is an ultimate. The "wake up alive but without any memories" flavor should still work. What do you think about swapping the middle ability for "-3: Put a 3/3 Incarnation token with lifelink and vigilance onto the battlefield"?
Transcendant One: Fair enough on both points. I totally forgot to check the math on that ultimate.
The Final Incarnation: I dunno. Like you said, if you can tutor-into-play, you're just going to go get Emrankul. Maybe there's something else to do with it... If nothing else, it should probably let you fetch legendary permanents of all kinds, not just creatures.
That's an interesting point — I hadn't thought about planeswalker design like that. I'll mull it over.
edited 7th Jul '11 3:19:24 AM by Aldheim
In light of the fact that the Homunculus tribe has very little support, I made some cards.
Crystalline Manikin\\
1U
Creature – Homunculus
When Crystalline Manikin enters the battlefield, scry 3.
U, sacrifice Crystalline Manikin: Reveal the bottom card of your library, then put it into your hand.
1/1
Only a very brave or very foolhardy alchemist makes a homunculus in his own image, as looking at oneself from the outside is rarely an ego-boosting experience.
Devourer of Distractions
U
Creature – Homunculus
When Devourer of Distractions enters the battlefield, you may pay X. If you do, put that many cards from the top of your library into your graveyard, and put X +1/+1 counters on Devourer of Distractions.
1/1
“Stunningly useful things. There’s nothing worse than suddenly wondering what your childhood friend is doing now or remembering that you forgot to send a letter to a relative when you’re trying to cast a spell to subdue an ornery wurm”. – Pell San, Zoology Mage
Muddler of Minds
U
Creature – Homunculus\\
Haste, defender
When Muddler of Minds enters the battlefield, look at the top three cards of target opponent’s library.
Tap: Target opponent shuffles his or her library.
0/2
There are few things more embarrassing for a trainee mage than their arcane recital suddenly turning into declarations of “good kitty!” or “no, five more minutes”.
Burier of Fancies
2UU
Creature – Homunculus
When Burier of Fancies enters the battlefield, fateseal 2.
3/3
Alchemical Doppelganger
3U
Creature – Homunculus Shapeshifter
Play with the top card of your library revealed.
X: Alchemical Doppelganger becomes a copy of a creature card with converted mana cost X that’s on top of your library and gains this ability.
1/1
After creating one to act as his laboratory assistant, Jarton discovered why all his previous assistants had quit.
Envious Simulacrum
UU
Creature - Homunculus
When Envious Simulacrum enters the battlefield, fateseal 2.\\
U: Reveal the top card of target opponent’s library. If it’s a creature card with higher converted mana cost than Envious Simulacrum, put a +1/+1 counter on Envious Simulacrum.
2/1
Like its creator, but slightly inferior in every respect, the homunculus became fuelled by a bitterness that drove it to terrible deeds.
Psychological Perusal\\
1U
Tribal Sorcery – Homunculus
Scry X, where X is the number of Homunculi you control, then draw a card.
Eltarin, Collector of Lost Ideas
3UUU
Legendary Creature – Homunculus
If you would put a card from the top of your library into your graveyard, exile it instead.
You may play cards exiled by Eltarin’s ability.
At the end of your upkeep, put all cards removed from the game with Eltarin on the bottom of their owner’s library.
Tap: Put the top three cards of your library into your graveyard.
3/3
“The best weapon against it? Carry around a notebook at all times”. – Jera, scholar of the unreal
Mad Thoughtform
3U
Creature – Homunculus
When Mad Thoughtform enters the battlefield, put the top three cards of your library into your graveyard.
4/4
In retrospect, the flaw in the idea of creating a homunculus to only devour one’s insanity-inducing thoughts was obvious.
Thoughtform Assault\\
3UU
Tribal Enchantment -Homunculus
Whenever a card is placed on the bottom of its owner’s library, you may pay U. If you do, put a 1/1 blue Homunculus creature token onto the battlefield.
The homunculus rebellion brought a new meaning to the term “thought-provoking”.
Biting Labspawn
1U
Creature – Homunculus
When you look at Biting Labspawn while scrying, you may put it onto the battlefield.
1/1
Hoarder of Compulsions\\
UU
Creature – Homunculus
Sacrifice Hoarder of Compulsions: exile the top three cards of target opponent’s library.
2/2
Put it in. The right file! According to alphabetical order!
edited 7th Jul '11 11:28:21 AM by Idler20
You're an ad hominem attack!
Planescape Hijack
...! I knew that looked familiar. It's the original context of the alphabet freakout from the middle of this song
, right? If so, well done.
edited 7th Jul '11 11:34:44 AM by Haven
Productivity is for people without internet connections. -Count Dorku
Planescape Hijack
Like I said, the fact that the ability can't do what it's trying to was the point. Otherwise I could've used exactly the wording I originally used, sans the "target". But then it wouldn't kill Illusions, which was the actual point.
Yes, this is all really dumb, I know.
edited 7th Jul '11 2:02:44 PM by Haven
Productivity is for people without internet connections. -Count DorkuTwo versions of the main character of Drunkard's Walk, one version as a creature and the other as a planeswalker.
Looney Toons, Warrior 1WRU
Legendary Creature - Human Warrior
Vigilance, haste
UR: Reveal the top card of your library. If it's an instant or sorcery spell with converted mana cost 3 or less, you may cast it without paying its casting cost. If you don't, put it on the bottom of your library.
3/3
Douglas Sangnoir 1WRU
Planeswalker - Douglas
+1: Look at the top five cards of your library. You may reveal an instant or sorcery card with converted mana cost 3 or less from among them and cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
-1: Target player can't untap more than one land, one creature, and one artifact during his or her next untap step.
-4: You may put a creature card from your hand on the battlefield. That creature gains haste. At the beginning of the next end step, return it to your hand.
3
edited 7th Jul '11 2:30:20 PM by Glidergun
Each night, he abandons the trappings of civilization. Each morning, he repairs the front door.Isolation Barrier 3WU
Enchantment
Creatures can't attack you or planeswalkers you control.
Creatures you control can't attack.
You and all other permanents you control have hexproof.
Spells or abilities you control can't target other players or permanents other players control.
Leave me alone!
edited 8th Jul '11 5:50:50 AM by Zakdos
I ain't saying no showy crap like "later buddies" or something lame like that. I'll be back soon, you bozos!@Idler: Well, the original Ouphes (not counting things that were errata'd to have the type) messed with artifacts, so you can try something there. Three of the four Ouphes from Shadowmoor block put -1/-1 counters on themselves, but that was a major theme of the block so it's debatable whether it's really an Ouphe thing.
Three of the four creatures that were errata'd to be Ouphes all had activated abilities that require tapping and target creatures, but that's a bit of a stretch.
Maybe some of this stuff can give you some ideas?
edited 7th Jul '11 5:15:33 PM by Nyktos
I guess it is.Zakdos: All your permanents have Hexproof? Even the Barrier itself? It seems like as long as you have more cards in your library than your opponent, you just win when you play this card... forty-five turns after you play it.
Is there a way to win against a resolved Isolation Barrier except through an alternate win condition?
Oops, forgot the other there. Fixing in 3...
Fixed. I wanted the barrier itself to be targetable since it's a barrier, and barriers protect things by standing in the middle of the trajectories of other things that would harm the former things. It still pretty much turns every non-liquimetal red deck into a pile of dead cards. If it were to be balanced I guess it should have some kind of cumulative upkeep.
edited 7th Jul '11 5:47:40 PM by Zakdos
I ain't saying no showy crap like "later buddies" or something lame like that. I'll be back soon, you bozos!Well, I think things like Armageddon, Slagstorm, Day of Judgement and Whipflare, as well as other effects that don't explicitly state targets can get around it. Or, just take out the barrier with Divine offering or Naturalize. Maybe the cumulative upkeep could be something that means you can't win via milling.
Hmmm: "At the beginning of your upkeep, place the top card of your library into the graveyard."
That might work...
I ask the questions that should never be answered. Good thing I have Brain Bleach...

Zudak: don't worry about it, it's a common mistake.
Productivity is for people without internet connections. -Count Dorku