Cool Card Design of the Day10/7/2011 - I haven't done a CCDD in a while because I've been busy with the M13 project, but that hasn't stopped interesting new ideas from presenting themselves to me. In an odd moment of having a little spare time, I'd like to share one with you.
What if the better-than-freaking-counterspell Mana Drain only gave you the mana and didn't counter a spell? Something like this. Could be argued into blue or green, but red has had all the cards-for-mana spells in modern Magic.
I like it.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, a few issues.
ReplyDeleteFirst, mana drain already has A LOT of memory issues associated with the card. It's better now that there isn't mana burn, but that used to be a major issue. The fact that this adds mana identical to the mana cost doesn't help, especially if something happened to the card between the time that it was cast and when the mana ability happens. Like if it's a creature that gets shuffled into a library or whatever.
Second, the fact that this is basically painless to use on your own spells is also problematic. It really makes it a HUGE combo piece. Cast it targeting Ad Nas? Even better if that Ad Nas was at the end of an opponents turn, so that you untap and get to use the mana again. Having it at R means that it's going to be used as another ritual for legacy and vintage.
Honestly, I'm not sure how to fix this one. Maybe make it into a take on Retraced Image?
Copied Notes R
Instant
You may play a card from your hand with the same name as target spell without paying its mana cost.
or:
Mana Geyser
Sorcery 3RR
Add R to your mana pool for each tapped land your opponents control.
or:
Koth's Ritual RR
Sorcery
Add R to your mana pool for each Mountain you control.
Why not have it add the mana to your mana pool immediately?
ReplyDeleteI also love Copied Notes.
ReplyDeleteIt really is just a matter of time before Koth's Ritual is printed, right?
ReplyDeleteWhy not something like:
ReplyDelete~this~ deals damage to target player equal to the converted mana cost of target spell
I think that'd be much easier done targeting the card in graveyard, wouldn't it?
ReplyDeleteThough, you could definitely make it targeting the spell on the stack at 1CMC. If only it could target itself in the case that nothing is being played... but in the end that whole sphere of stack-issues is not an alley that wants company.
Parallectric Feedback?
ReplyDeleteI really like the design, but it would shift a lot in development. The idea being that while it is color pie correct, leaving only 1 red mana open, to usually get 3+ mana acceleration and play a hasty dragon, or otehr big threat, is a bit too much, as it would be amost equivalent with giving all you 5+ cmm creatures a cost of 3 and adding the additional cost "your opponent must have played a spell last turn" and "discard a card as an additional cost to casting [cardname]". Development would most probably make a combination of the following:
ReplyDeleteup the cost to 2 or 3 mana
make it green-red
restrict where the mana could be spend (sorcery, instant,creature)
give the mana right then and there
give the mana at the begining of your upkeep
Creative would most definitively change the name :p