It's alright, though I think it would be more fitting if it gave +0/+2 instead of +1/+1.
My reasoning is that the vast majority of the good Spiders have always been designed as blockers designed to deal with {G}'s usual weakness to the Flying ability. This can be seen when you look at how many Spiders have low Power but fairly high Toughness (Silklash Spider comes to mind for me). I just think it would fit better with the whole Spider vibe if it was made more to help your creature block (and survive) a Flyer.
Aaron’s Random Card Comment of the Day #41, 11/29/10
With most keywords, you want there to be some super-splashy implementations that show off the full breadth and power of what the mechanic has to offer, but you also need what I call “quota-filling cards”—cards that are the most predictable baseline execution. Spider Umbra is one of the latter.
Originally, this Aura gave the enchanted creature deathtouch, but it changed for two reasons. One, we wanted to minimize the number of times deathtouch appeared in the set because it is particularly harsh to levelers and the other high-investment fatties in the set. And two, deathtouch reminder text wouldn’t fit on the card alongside the totem armor reminder text. So it was changed to +1/+1 and reach, which basically served the same purpose—to slow limited games down so that the more expensive cards could come out to play.
Totem armor was a tough mechanic to get right in development, not from a power-level perspective, but from a “how exactly is this supposed to work” perspective. We bandied around all sorts of ideas, from sacrificing the Aura to make the creature indestructible, to having the Aura replace the creature going to the graveyard in any fashion, including sacrificing. In the end, the developers and the rules people went with this version, which very closely mimics regeneration in that it replaces destruction with the removal of damage. While this version of totem armor won’t save your creatures from sacrifice effects like All Is Dust, it isn’t technically regeneration, so it still works against “anti-regen” cards like Wrath of God and Incinerate.
The best part of this mechanic, as far as I'm concerned, though, is the art. Each one shows someone "driving" a ghostly version of the animal in the card's name. I love it!
willpell
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(4 votes)
Wurmweaver Coil and the Totem Armor creatures make me very happy because I am a Green Lantern fan. I was sad that red and black didn't get TA and that Coil didn't have a cycle (naturally I homebrewed one, but they weren't very good and I don't know where I put the file). I will always be happy any time the game's art returns to this trope for any reason.
C0nker4
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(2 votes)
i love these umbra cards!!! MAGIC MAKE MORE PLEASE! For black and red? they would like some... like maybe... Dragon umbra? or Rat umbra? lol oh rat umbra...
BlandBoy
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Just to get this straight, a question.
First Strike/Double Strike vs Totem Armor.
If a creature with totem armor would be destroyed by lethal damage of a first-striker or double-striker, that damage is removed, and the creature that would've been destroyed now gets to attack with full health?
I'm 80% sure but not 100% as I'm noob, that the creature is still blocking, and because it doesn't say to remove it from combat specifically like "regenerate " that it will attack as normal?
@ BlandBoy A creature with this on it will absolutely hit back at a first striker that caused the umbra to fire.
I love the idea of the the umbras. They are supposed to provide an efficient boost in aura form in a way that doesn't hose you. However, the creature can still be hit at instant speed before it resolves or it can be exiled. This is not something you want to risk. But it can work in this case. It's a cheep umbra in green (a color with hexproof) that covers a crucial weakness is absolutely playable early game when your opponent has tapped out. This also allows aura gnarlid to hang out in hexproof decks (you don't want your most powerful creature to make all of your opponent's dead cards some to life).
Lord_of_phyrexia
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
my little brother (he's 12) thought this said space umbrella for a second!
Comments (9)
My reasoning is that the vast majority of the good Spiders have always been designed as blockers designed to deal with {G}'s usual weakness to the Flying ability. This can be seen when you look at how many Spiders have low Power but fairly high Toughness (Silklash Spider comes to mind for me). I just think it would fit better with the whole Spider vibe if it was made more to help your creature block (and survive) a Flyer.
With most keywords, you want there to be some super-splashy implementations that show off the full breadth and power of what the mechanic has to offer, but you also need what I call “quota-filling cards”—cards that are the most predictable baseline execution. Spider Umbra is one of the latter.
Originally, this Aura gave the enchanted creature deathtouch, but it changed for two reasons. One, we wanted to minimize the number of times deathtouch appeared in the set because it is particularly harsh to levelers and the other high-investment fatties in the set. And two, deathtouch reminder text wouldn’t fit on the card alongside the totem armor reminder text. So it was changed to +1/+1 and reach, which basically served the same purpose—to slow limited games down so that the more expensive cards could come out to play.
Totem armor was a tough mechanic to get right in development, not from a power-level perspective, but from a “how exactly is this supposed to work” perspective. We bandied around all sorts of ideas, from sacrificing the Aura to make the creature indestructible, to having the Aura replace the creature going to the graveyard in any fashion, including sacrificing. In the end, the developers and the rules people went with this version, which very closely mimics regeneration in that it replaces destruction with the removal of damage. While this version of totem armor won’t save your creatures from sacrifice effects like All Is Dust, it isn’t technically regeneration, so it still works against “anti-regen” cards like Wrath of God and Incinerate.
The best part of this mechanic, as far as I'm concerned, though, is the art. Each one shows someone "driving" a ghostly version of the animal in the card's name. I love it!
First Strike/Double Strike vs Totem Armor.
If a creature with totem armor would be destroyed by lethal damage of a first-striker or double-striker,
that damage is removed, and the creature that would've been destroyed now gets to attack
with full health?
I'm 80% sure but not 100% as I'm noob, that the creature is still blocking, and because it doesn't say
to remove it from combat specifically like "regenerate " that it will attack as normal?
@ BlandBoy
A creature with this on it will absolutely hit back at a first striker that caused the umbra to fire.
I love the idea of the the umbras. They are supposed to provide an efficient boost in aura form in a way that doesn't hose you. However, the creature can still be hit at instant speed before it resolves or it can be exiled. This is not something you want to risk.
But it can work in this case. It's a cheep umbra in green (a color with hexproof) that covers a crucial weakness is absolutely playable early game when your opponent has tapped out. This also allows aura gnarlid to hang out in hexproof decks (you don't want your most powerful creature to make all of your opponent's dead cards some to life).