Null Mantis | Minor Null Mantis

[OdinVanguard]

Posted to regular EtG CI&A smithy as well: http://elementscommunity.org/forum/card-ideas-and-art/lesser-null-mantis-greater-null-mantis/
oEtG sized art:

NAME: Lesser Null Mantis ELEMENT: Darkness COST: 4 TYPE: Creature ATK|HP: 2|3 TEXT: Anti-magic: Immune to spells. : Null-Vortex Consume the next spell card that is cast to gain +1|+1.	NAME: Greater Null Mantis ELEMENT: Darkness COST: 6 TYPE: Creature ATK|HP: 6|7 TEXT: Anti-magic: Immune to spells. : Null-Vortex Consume the next spell card that is cast to gain +1|+1.

ART: OdinVanguard Created using Hexagon, Bryce7, and GIMP IDEA: OdinVanguard NOTES: "Secrets and Misdirection rule the day today" "Sometimes the best offense is a good defense. Focus your energies on thwarting your opponent's schemes today. Repurpose them to your own ends." Anti-magic is a slightly different take on creature protection. It does not outright prevent targeting, but any effect are negated. I.e. if shot with a lightening bolt, it takes no damage. This trait also prevents positive buffs as well. anti-magic DOES NOT stop creature or permanent abilities E.g. an otyugh could chow down on a lesser null mantis without a problem, a red nymph could blast it to bits with rage, eternity could rewind it, etc. Antimagic will persist even if the creature is lobotomized. Similarly, null matrix will completely negate the next spell a player casts. If there is more than one mantis with this ability active, then each mantis will consume a different spell. The ability will last until a spell is cast or the mantis dies / leaves play / is lobotomized. Activating it a second time before it absorbs a spell will have no effect. This creature should be an excellent candidate for a hybrid cost card as well. SERIES:

[Fippe94]

Maybe I am missing something here, but are there any good uses for this card? Have anyone built a deck that uses these? I mean sure, the effect looks great in theoy, but have anyone used it?

[OdinVanguard]

Its HPs are so low it just kind of keels over when any kind of PC shield goes up... or otyughs / scarabs... or any creature that can plaster it with poison...

Ya, in theory its got nice defensive potential, but its too tissue paperish and / or expensive right now.

Spell damage evasion in general might be nice. I.e. like permanent self - atlantis protection. Then rage nymphs, owls eyes, etc. cant go to town on it either, and it would actually be truely protected from firestorms, dryspells, etc.

At that point you could leave the low HPs as is it would stay vulnerable to shields without being tissue paper.

[timpa]

I get annoyed by the AI spammingthe ability on occasion, when I'm using a deck that relies too much on spells. But that's it.

[Shinki12345]

I've used the ability in a deck before, it's actually really good. The problem is that the cards effect is in an element that doesn't work all that well with light unless it's in a stall deck, which likely wouldn't want to be running null mantis anyway.

Mantis shines in restricted pvp though, depending on the metagame.

I would suggest changing its effect to air or death or darkness or something. I am leaning towards air.

[OdinVanguard]

It was originally an aether-darkness card when I made it, but serp ended up putting it into light for some reason. Not that adding a little anti-CC to light is bad, but if a deck packs , might as well just go for quints instead...
Making ability by darkness could be interesting and thematically it would work fairly well too. It would make an interesting cloak combo since it would be able to defend the cloak from mass-CC counters and its spell evasion would help it survive until its ability readies.
There's been a lot of discussion on how to buff it. Taking off friendly spell evasion could certainly make a mean combo with fractal given its stats.

[Fippe94]

Because serp doesn't ever seem to announce stuff like this: http://etg.dek.im/forum/index.php?topic=378.0
tl;dr Null Mantis +1/0 cost, +2/1|+1/0, doesn't evade owner

[Shinki12345]

I think I suggested it go in light to give them a decent damage dealing for unupgraded play.