Card idea: Open the Gate

Name: Open the Gate
Cardtype: Action
Discipline: Daimoinon
Cost: 1 blood
Requires an infernal vampire.
[dai] Search your library for a demon ally and put it into play (ignore requirements and cost, and shuffle afterwards). At the end of your minion phase, if that demon is ready, shuffle it back to your library.
[DAI] As [dai] above, and untap this vampire.

The idea is
- to make Herald of Tophet (mainly) playable
- to make a demon perform an action instead of the vampire

For example, one could build a rush deck with 2 Herald and 14 Open the Gate (Open the Gate would replace in proportions a Bum's rush). Other demons (Abyssal Hunter, Impudulu and Succubus) are limited to attrition (steal/burn 1 blood/life) so it wouldn't be very effective (but can be a B plan). Infernal Servitor removes itself from the game so it doesn't work well, and Nocturn and Succubus may bleed for 1. So the Herald would be a best choice (it may also bleed for 1).

The action is at 0 stealth (to match Summon History and to give it a slight drawback), costs 1 blood and is a "free" action at superior, so the vampire may go and bleed, or stay untapped.

Herald is not playable (according to me) because it costs 5 pool before being able to act: 3 pool (recruit cost) + 1 pool (during discard phase to keep it) + 1 pool (to untap the Baali). Using this card, it costs 1 blood (+1 pool at inferior) for 1 turn, which makes it more affordable. Since it can act the turn it comes in play, there's also a surprise element.

Thoughts?

dude_PL wrote:

herald can also rush with dive bomb, untap with as the crow and use his special to rush again to effectively obliterate non-combat minions twice in the same tourn. plus - if you're playing baali, you already have to invest in some at least decent bloat mechanism to actually survive. sure, if he was infernal (instead of his crappy "pay 1 pool or he dies" thingie), he'd be way better, especially thanks to the path, but oh well...can't have everything.

all I'm saying is that I wouldn't totally disregard herald, he's not THAT bad (although he's far from ideal).

Herald is not played at all, and is not playable, even in fun decks. Bloating has its limits, especially when you must already cope with the infernal cost.

dude_PL wrote:

having said that - I like the concept, but I'd work around it a bit. the current idea allows you to use the herald you already have to recruit another one,

The Herald doesn't fill the requirement: it is not infernal.