Subject: Current Issues Forum
Date: Thu, 25 Jun 1998 09:09:38 -0600
From: "Czech, Peter J." <PCZECH@SCGROUPINC.COM>
To: "'fkusumot@ix.netcom.com'" <fkusumot@ix.netcom.com>

                 GREEN'S IDENTITY!

After reading the very good article by R. Kinyon in The Dojo's Current
Issue's page, it got me thinking.  I'd have to agree with R. Kinyon that
Green most definitely needs a bit of an identity change.  Actually I think it
needs less of a change and more of an addition.

According to WotC, Green is the color of Nature and Life.  Think now, what
are Green's allied colors: White and Black.  So of course Green would have
life gaining abilities, ie... regeneration and spells such as Stream of
Life.
What it doesn't have though is enough common characteristics with Black.
Why not?  I can think of many deadly creatures that come from nature.  Here's a
good example:

Giant Venus Flytrap
2GG
When Giant Venus Flytrap comes into play, bury target non-artifact creature.

Giant Venus Flytrap can block creatures with flying.
3/2

Now that's a GREAT and DEADLY green creature.  Green really needs to
share more aspects of Black, just as most of the other colors share aspects
of
their allies and have defenses against their enemy colors.  Cadaverous Roots
was one of the rumored cards to be coming out in Exodus.  A spell that
would bury a target creature in exchange for giving a token land of the
players
choice to your opponent.  This was a stupendous card and for the life of me,
I
just don't understand why WotC doesn't make something like it.

When thinking of how deadly Green can actually be, think of the movie
Jumanji.  In that movie, the forest that Robin Williams supposedly had lived
in all of his adult life was let loose in a mansion.  It literally tore the
mansion
apart with plants more deadly than most creatures.  Why can't GREEN have
these in it's arsenal?  They'd be great and make GREEN a viable mono as
well as a main color.

Another addition I think WotC should make to GREEN is to add Earth to it's
definition.  I've always thought of Earth as a force of and part of Nature.
This
could not only be a good offensive weapon for green, but could also help
defensively against Red and Blue, GREEN's opposing colors.  Here's a good
creature example:

Mud Thing (Very much like Swamp Thing from DC Comics)
2G
All damage dealt to Mud Thing by a creature source is reduced by 2.
1G: Regenerate Mud Thing
2/2

Earth creatures and Earth spells would give GREEN the needed boost to be a
viable color once again.  Every color EXCEPT green is a viable Mono-Color
with green seeming to be the splash or 2nd color, never the main.  Add some
creature destruction via it's neighbor and ally Black and give GREEN another
better aspect to it's definition; Earth.  With those two additives, WotC
should be able to come up with some pretty decent GREEN critters and spells to
make Green Mages happy once again.

Just a few of my thoughts.

Pete Czech