Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Tesla Design Challenge: Designing Mecha Cards

As I mentioned in the Roadmap for Tesla Design, we will be test-drafting Tesla, using a mockup set inserting the Mecha cards into Mirrodin Besieged.

Here are the cards that Havelock designed for our previous tests. They take great pains to reduce complexity, and I think they're very elegant.

  
(Any of the Heads can join with any of the Bodies. We haven't figured out the art layout of the joined cards, so all the Mech cards in the test file will use the same backside art for now.)

  

  

  



The Challenge
In the next playtest, we will test colored Mechas. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to design a cycle of Common Mecha Heads and Bodies for each color as well as a colorless Common Head and Body

If you want to, you can modify how the mechanic works; ask me in the comments if you're not sure.

Criteria: Ease of Mental Processing
One of the key things we're looking for is that the P/T patterns and abilities are easy to process mentally. As you can see in the cards above, Havelock set some guidelines for his cards that make it easy to intuitively remember the size of the flip side. Even though Mecha is potentially an uber-complex mechanic, during our previous playtests it wasn't mentally taxing at all.

So look at the cards above, make observations about what Havelock did, ...and then if you have ideas for your own scheme, go ahead and use it. There have been some good ideas mentioned already. Some of the patterns you see, such as matching costs, might not be necessary. But there is nothing wrong with adopting the current system either. Overall, keep it at Common.

Criteria: Synergy
The second key is that the cards create an interesting web of synergy. Each combination should feel like a different creature with different benefits. Take the lifelink-granting Head in the cards above. 4/7 lifelink, 7/4 lifelink, 6/6 lifelink, and 4/4 flying lifelink each have their advantages. For each ability, there seems to be an optimal combination you hope to get, such as 4/4 flying lifelink, but at the same time you can see situations where other combinations would be useful.

Although Havelock chose to make the Bodies mostly vanilla for low complexity, relying only on Power and Toughness stats to define their characteristics, he managed to pick abilities for the Heads such as "1: Get +1/-1 until end of turn" that has a different meaning depending on the Power and Toughness of the Body it's put on.

These Common cards probably need to be limited to very simple abilities, with a large portion of them being just keywords. Feel free to employ any of the keywords used above as well as your own. It's not about coming up with novel abilities — the transform-and-join part is novel and complex enough already. The real challenge is how to make the set of 6 x 6 pieces intertwine and form combinations in interesting ways. That said, if you have a weird but awesome idea that seems fitting at Common, don't be afraid to use it either.

Criteria: Power Level
One thing about the power level — during previous playtests, it felt as if the power level of the front side could be a little stronger. We still need to figure this out, but for this test, we would like to try out making the Mecha cards good on their own, especially the colored ones. So use the power level of the common Slivers in M14 as a guide, and put the Mechas at a level where their front side is not great, but you don't feel bad about having them in your deck either even if they don't transform.

Bonus Challenge
Many readers probably have ideas for different abilities and takes that Mechas could have at a higher rarity. Also, some readers may have the ideas but not the time for a full double Common cycle.

So, feel free to submit any one-off designs for any of the other rarities as well. We intend to have 5 of each color + 2 Colorless for Uncommon, and 5 of each color + 1 Colorless for Rare in this test. You could make a whole cycle if you want, but you don't have to. I will choose the Uncommons and Rares to put into the test set (this test will be Mythic-less though), and I'll also put all of them in a thread on the wiki so that we can refer to them as we move forward.

Deadline
Please post your ideas in the comment section below before the end of Monday, August 6.

98 comments:

  1. Does a red haste head do anything - ie, can the transformed creatures attack the turn they transform?

    I'm also curious why you're using Mirrodin Besieged as the base set, rather than say Darksteel or Fifth Dawn. Infect is a pretty weird mechanic - are you taking all of those cards out?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haste can do something... currently, the Mecha has summoning sickness after it joins, although we need to write that clearly on the cards.

      Mirrodin Besieged was chosen because we don't want everyone drafting Mechas at the same time, and Infect can provide a second direction for drafters to go into.

      Also, we're on the lookout for fun mechanics to fight Mecha with, and Infect is a good candidate because it can fight Mecha without killing them outright.

      It could have been Scars of Mirrodin, but I don't think the fast & fragile Infect cards in SoM create a good battle. The slow & steady style of Mirrodin Besieged Infecters seems better for fighting the Mecha. Also, Mirrodin Besieged is half Mirran and half Phyrexian, so we just have to replace some of the Mirran cards like Metalcraft, which we don't want for this test.

      Delete
    2. That makes sense. Whittling down the huge guys over several turns seems fun, and 3 of your opponents things for 2 of yours seems like the ratio mechs want to have.

      Delete
  2. *** heads ***


    Veteran Head 1W
    Artifact Creature-Soldier Head (cmn)
    Whenever ~ attacks, target creature gets +1/+1 until EOT.
    1/1
    /-----------------------------------/
    Veteran…
    Artifact Creature-Soldier…
    Whenever ~ attacks, target creature gets +1/+1 until EOT.


    Spy Head 2U
    Artifact Creature-Rogue Head (cmn)
    Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, draw a card.
    1/3
    /-----------------------------------/
    Spying…
    Artifact Creature-Rogue…
    Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, draw a card.


    Blood-Sucking Head B
    Artifact Creature-Vampire Head (cmn)
    Whenever a creature an opponent controls dies, its controller loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
    1/1
    /-----------------------------------/
    Blood-Sucking…
    Artifact Creature-Vampire…
    Whenever a creature an opponent controls dies, its controller loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.


    Firebreathing Head 3R
    Artifact Creature-Elemental Head (cmn)
    R: ~ gets +1/+0 until EOT.
    1/3
    /-----------------------------------/
    Firebreathing…
    Artifact Creature-Elemental…
    R: ~ gets +1/+0 until EOT.


    Striking Head 2G
    Artifact Creature-Lizard Head (cmn)
    2G: ~ gets +2/+2 until EOT. Activate this ability only once each turn.
    2/2
    /-----------------------------------/
    Striking…
    Artifact Creature-Lizard…
    2G: ~ gets +2/+2 until EOT. Activate this ability only once each turn.


    Functional Head 1
    Artifact Creature-Construct Head (cmn)
    1/1
    /-----------------------------------/
    Functional…
    Artifact Creature-Construct…


    *** bodies ***


    Fighter Body W
    Artifact Creature-Soldier Body (cmn)
    First strike
    1/1
    /-----------------------------------/
    …Fighter
    …Soldier Mecha (cmn)
    First strike
    2/2


    Aven Body 2U
    Artifact Creature-Bird Body (cmn)
    Flying
    2/1
    /-----------------------------------/
    …Aven
    …Bird Mecha (cmn)
    Flying
    4/2


    Stinger Body 1B
    Artifact Creature-Scorpion Body (cmn)
    Deathtouch
    1/2
    /-----------------------------------/
    …Stinger
    …Scorpion Mecha (cmn)
    Deathtouch
    2/4


    Rager Body 3R
    Artifact Creature-Berserker Body (cmn)
    Trample
    3/2
    /-----------------------------------/
    …Rager
    …Berserker Mecha (cmn)
    Trample
    6/4


    Tusker Body 3G
    Artifact Creature-Boar Body (cmn)
    3/3
    /-----------------------------------/
    …Tusker
    …Boar Mecha (cmn)
    6/6


    Automaton Body 3
    Artifact Creature-Construct Body (cmn)
    2/2
    /-----------------------------------/
    …Automaton
    …Construct Mecha (cmn)
    4/4

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here's my comments:

      I like Spy Head and Firebreathing Head because of the combos they can form.

      But Veteran Head and Bloodsucking Head don't care what body they go on, which is a minus. I think that for these commons, combining really simple abilities (the kind that can go on keyrunes) are more than enough.

      I understand Functional Head is the Sliver Construct of the set, but it's would be sad for players that you don't get to see what it's contributing, unlike the Automaton Body which you see providing the 4/4 size. There's probably some ability that's acceptable for artifacts that is valuable to Mecha decks of every color.

      I love the sizes of Aven Body, Stinger Body, Rager Body, and Automaton Body.
      I'm not sure if they're worth the risk of 2-for-1s (they totally could be, especially since it's optional to transform). But there's a chance we'll have to change the rules somehow so that Mechas are not a 2-for-1 anyways (such as returning one half to hand when it dies?, etc.), and I suspect they would be perfect sizes.

      However, Fighter Body seems too small to be worth putting 2 cards into.
      It's cool that first strike is on a Body, so that it can combo with Firebreathing. (And maybe with Deathtouch if that's on a Head.)
      That said, I've been working on my own version and I don't know whether to put first strike on a Body or a Head. It's juicy as a Head mechanic because it can work differently on different Bodies. But to form combos with Firebreathing/Quicksilver, I need First Strike to be on a Body, because Firebreathing feels so Head.

      The P/T doubling scheme is very intuitive. But I don't think you need to stick to it 100% though, just like Levelers and Werewolves didn't all have the same pattern. For example, Automaton Body could be a 0/5 turning into 5/5? (If it turns out the current sizes are not enough, that is.)

      Delete
    2. Lots of good feedback. No real disagreements here. I agree, the doubling scheme doesn't need to apply to every body. I was hoping it could at least go on all the commons, but it may just be too restrictive.

      Fighter Body is an experiment to see if it's worth making 'fast' mecha. Probably not.

      Delete
  3. *** uncommons ***


    Clockwork Head 2
    Artifact Creature-Construct Head (unc)
    3: Put a +1/+1 counter on ~. Activate this ability only as a sorcery.
    At the end of your turn, remove a +1/+1 counter from ~.
    1/1
    /-----------------------------------/
    Clockwork…
    Artifact Creature-Construct… (unc)
    3: Put a +1/+1 counter on ~. Activate this ability only as a sorcery.
    At the end of you turn, remove a +1/+1 counter from ~.


    Watching Body 1W
    Artifact Creature-Soldier Body (unc)
    Vigilance
    1/2
    /-----------------------------------/
    …Watcher
    …Soldier Mecha (unc)
    Vigilance
    2/4


    Slick Body 3U
    Artifact Creature-Wizard Body (unc)
    Hexproof
    2/2
    /-----------------------------------/
    …Slicker
    …Wizard Mecha (unc)
    Hexproof
    4/4


    Terrifying Body 2B
    Artifact Creature-Horror Body (unc)
    Intimidate
    2/1
    /-----------------------------------/
    …Terror
    …Warrior Mecha (unc)
    Intimidate
    4/2


    Racing Body 2R
    Artifact Creature-Warrior Body (unc)
    Haste
    2/1
    /-----------------------------------/
    …Racer
    …Warrior Mecha (unc)
    Haste
    4/2


    Tangling Body 2G
    Artifact Creature-Spider Body (unc)
    Reach
    1/3
    /-----------------------------------/
    …Tangler
    …Spider Mecha (unc)
    Reach
    2/6


    *** rares ***


    Screeching Head 1BB
    Artifact Creature-Specter Head (rare)
    Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card at random.
    2/2
    /-----------------------------------/
    Screeching…
    Artifact Creature-Specter…
    Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card at random.


    Being Body 4
    Legendary Artifact Creature-Body (rare)
    When ~ ETB, you may pay 1. If you do, search your library for a card named Magnetic Head, put it OTB and then shuffle.
    3/3
    /-----------------------------------/
    …Being
    …Mecha (rare)
    6/6


    Magnetic Head 2
    Legendary Artifact Creature-Head (rare)
    When ~ ETB, you may pay 3. If you do, search your library for a card named Being Body, put it OTB and then shuffle.
    1/1
    /-----------------------------------/
    Magnetic…
    Legendary Artifact Creature-…

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I see a lot of the same sizes due to the doubling system not having enough viable P/T combinations, so I think you could mix in other intuitive P/Ts that don't double.

      Clockwork seems too complex at any rarity. We don't need a computer program-style procedure card (I love these types of cards on their own) when it's also transforming and combining. It also doesn't combo with any of the parts.

      Watching Body seems too small to be useful, especially as an Uncommon.

      Vigilance and Hexproof seem better as Heads to me since they can take on different meaning on different sized Bodies.

      We need to figure out if Intimidate works, because the flip side's color will be unclear. Should we have a color marker on the backside, one for each half?

      I like the way that the Haste body is Uncommon, because people need to get used to the normal way of assembling Mecha first (waiting one turn).

      Reach might not be a good ability for this because if you build a mega-creature, you probably want to attack with it rather than hold back.

      With Being Body, I think that it's way more fun if the card is about picking out the right piece in order to adapt to the current situation.
      If it's meant to be a challenge to complete the pair, then it shouldn't tutor for the other piece; getting it in your hand should be the challenge.

      Delete
    2. All going points. I hadn't even though about color identities for intimidate. I'm guessing the mech is all colors of the cards forming it, but always colorless is another, simpler option.

      Delete
    3. Big Head 1 2/G
      CARDNAME ETB with two +1/+1 counters on it.
      0/0
      /-----------------/
      Big…
      (Do not remove counters when transforming a card.)

      Delete
    4. Magnetic Head 4 (unc/rare)
      When ~ ETB, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a body card. Put into your hand and the rest on bottom of your library in random order.
      /-------------/
      When ~ dies, shuffle it into your library.

      Delete
  4. To save space writing these out:
    All of my cards grant any abilities they have when transformed. All of my bodies have exactly double their original P/T when transformed. All transformed names work as follows: X Head + Y Body = X Y. All heads, bodies, and transformed mechas are Artifact Creature- Construct. All are common.

    Heads:
    Stoic Head 2W
    2/2
    4W: CARDNAME gains indestructible until end of turn.

    Perceptive Head 2U
    3/1
    2U: CARDNAME can't be blocked this turn.

    Spectral Head 2B
    1/1
    B: CARDNAME gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

    Crazed Head 2R
    2/3
    1R: Switch CARDNAME's power and toughness until end of turn.

    Wild Head 2G
    2/2
    3G: CARDNAME fights target creature.

    Clockwork Head 1
    1/1

    Bodies:
    Guardian Body 1W
    1/4
    Defender

    Surveyor Body 1U
    1/2
    Flying

    Harvester Body 3B
    3/2
    Lifelink

    Messenger Body 3R
    4/1
    Haste

    Stalker Body 3G
    3/3
    Reach

    Golem Body 6
    4/4

    My idea is that players intuitively want to cast a head one turn and a body the next, or vice versa. To help them curve out well, I am proposing that heads have an odd CMC, bodies even. Also, most evergreen keywords belong to bodies, and most activated/triggered abilities belong to heads. Feedback welcome and appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd recommend putting the transformed P/T next to the creatures.

      I hate defender on Guardian Body. Giant golems should be attacking, not sitting back and clogging up the game field. Similarly though less-so I dislike Reach on it.

      Clockwork Head just feels kinda bad to play. The heads should all have some ability, and this one could have big power issues in terms of how fast you can make a giant un-answerable monster.

      Also, 8/2 haste for 3R is way too scary.

      Delete
    2. The activated ability system is intriguing. On the one hand, it makes the abilities more wordy. But maybe in a future test, we can have colorless Mechas with colored activation costs. That way, we can entice Mecha decks to have a lot of different abilities in them, because they can at least cast the Parts and combine them while they wait to draw their splash lands.

      I like the P/T swapping Head. It would be interesting to put it on different Bodies.

      Indestructible for a high activation price seems great. I would put that on a Colorless Head because it answers the problem of Mechas (although only in the late game when you have mana).

      The Fight Head looks unbalanced; it's a repeat source of removal at Common. Maybe it could be "must be blocked each turn if able" or something, though.

      The Shade ability looks too color intensive; The Common Mechas would probably play better if they are easy to splash.

      Golem Body looks exciting. It would be good to make at least some of the Mechas gigantic.

      Delete
    3. Isn't firebreathing just as color-intensive as shade?

      I like Perceptive Head. I had meant to make an activated unblockable head and theme it as Cloaking.

      Delete
    4. I think an 8/2 haste is OK for a transformed Mecha. It takes two cards to construct, and any old 2-power creature can block and kill it. Probably the closest comparison is Nova Chaser, which is rare but is also better than this in several ways.

      As for the fight head, it probably is too powerful for common as is, but it's such a perfect ability to put on a Mecha that I couldn't resist. "Target creature blocks CARDNAME this turn if able" is my preference if it has to be rewritten; it's not too much less powerful, but it lets the opponent tap down the Mecha, double-block, etc. I could also increase the activation cost to 4G.

      I think color-intensive abilities should be fine on Heads. Even if it's only a few more points of power, it's still be useful, and the colored casting cost on the head will ensure that it does something. If it's a problem it could become 1B: +2/+2, but that way of writing it seems inelegant.

      Delete
  5. is it feasible for the head to have a "leveled up" version of the flipside mechanic? this would provide incentive to combine for heads with abilities that don't scale up with the body like lifelink and trample do. for instance:
    swelling head 1G
    Artifact Creature-Construct Head (C)
    1G: gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Activate this ability only once each turn.
    1/2
    /-----------------------------------/
    swelling…
    Artifact Creature-Construct… (C)
    2G: gets +4/+4 until end of turn. Activate this ability only once each turn.

    or
    vicious head 3R
    Artifact Creature-Construct Head (U)
    first strike
    3/1
    /-----------------------------------/
    vicious…
    Artifact Creature-Construct… (U)
    double strike

    this also has the added benefit that you can put some of the heads at medium to fairly big base creatures and you don't feel jipped when they combine. I feel like the commons don't necessarily need this but the uncommons and the rares should probably scale up when they transform.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Leveling up abilities is cool! What other abilities level up?

      Delete
    2. One type of ability to level up is Defender -> Vigilance.

      Another idea:
      The Bodies already get their P/T doubled.
      It would be fitting if it was the Heads that got their keyword doubled.

      Delete
  6. All of the below are Artifact Creature - Construct. I left off the Head and Body abilities too, because it's obvious from the playtest names.

    Heads are small, bodies are big. This way "losing" the head to upgrade the body doesn't feel like a major loss. Bodies are designed to be decent midgame creatures that can create a reasonable board presence. The exception is the black body - that's designed to fit into black's "high risk, high reward" playstyle by providing a very cheap body at the cost of what's essentially a dead drop without a head. (But hey, you can live the dream of dropping a 4/4 first strike on turn 4.)

    I left off non-evergreen abilities because these are commons, and the mecha mechanic is wonky enough that

    Watchful Head
    {2}{W}
    Vigilance
    2/2
    (flipped): "Watchful": Vigilance

    Sentry Body
    {2}{W}
    Defender
    2/6
    (flipped): "Sentry": 6/10, defender

    ------------------------

    Magebane Head
    {2}{U}
    Artifact Creature - Construct
    Hexproof
    2/2
    (flipped): "Magebane": Hexproof

    Rocketeer Body
    {2}{U}{U}
    Flying
    3/3
    (flipped): "Rocketeer": 4/4, flying

    -------------------------

    Vampiric Head
    {2}{B}
    Lifelink
    2/2
    (flipped): "Ascendant": Lifelink

    Ascendant Body
    {1}{B}
    Body
    0/1
    (flipped): "Ascendant": 4/4

    -------------------------

    Trueshot Head
    {1}{R}
    First strike
    2/1
    (flipped): "Trueshot": First strike

    Ravager Body
    {3}{R}
    Artifact Creature - Construct
    4/1
    (flipped): "Ravager": 6/1, trample

    --------------------------

    Sharpshooter Head
    {1}{G}
    Reach
    1/3
    (flipped): "Sharpshooter": Reach

    Behemoth Body
    {4}{G}{G}
    6/4
    (flipped): "Behemoth", 8/8

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like how the creatures each represent their color's style well.
      I also like how you stuck to simple keywords.

      However, since players would want to attack with their cool voltron, reach and defender aren't good for this. While we want to shave off complexity, it would probably be worth it to go into pseudo-keywords like "can't be blocked except by two or more creatures" etc. I feel that without the ability to fuse together two creatures into a cool amalgamation, the point of the mechanic is lost.

      Ascendant Body is neat. It has character without using a keyword.

      Some of the creatures could have sizes that are easier to infer. The Behemoth could be a 5/5 that turns into an 8/8 (+3/+3) or maybe even a 5/4 that turns into a 10/8

      Delete
    2. I feel like beefy defenders may be a little more likeable if they also have "can block any number of creatures"

      Delete
    3. What if the white body started out with defender and then lost it?

      Delete
    4. The main appeal I see in Mechas so far is, "I get to merge these two creatures and get one huge creature with both abilities." While I love cards that have two different stages like Chained Throatseeker, I'm not sure it feeds into the ability-merging appeal of Mechas.

      One way it could work is if Bodies get double P/T when it merges, and Heads gets ability upgrades/doubling when it merges. For example, first strike -> double strike or defender -> vigilance. I'm not sure whether or not it's too complex, but if we do it, I feel it should be across all the Mechas.

      Delete
    5. Doubled/Upgraded abilities is definitely something to consider. If not everywhere, surely at uncommon and above.

      Delete
  7. Still working on my submission, but I'm pretty sure there's some rules issues with combining like this involving targeting. (If it's targeted by something twice, then transforms, what happens?) There's a bunch of other small things too.

    I'm thinking that it might be easy to just have the ability say "Exile both, then return them to the battlefield transformed and combined." or something like that. This also makes auras fall off, which could be a plus or a negative depending on your view.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Although having the combined form inherit all targeting and Auras feels intuitive, there might have been many corner cases I haven't thought of.

      Exile might be a catch-all way to avoid that as you say.
      I think we can figure this out later.

      Delete
  8. Blinding Drone (Common White Head) 1 (2/W)
    Artifact creature - Head
    When CARDNAME attacks, you may tap target creature
    Head
    1/1

    Sentinel Mecha (Common White Body) 3 (2/W)
    Artifact Creature - Body
    vigilance, body
    1/4 -> 2/8

    Informant Drone (Common Blue Head) 2 (2/U)
    Artifact Creature - Head
    When deals combat damage to player or planeswalker, draw a card; head
    1/2

    Dirigible Mecha (Common Blue Body) 3 (2/U)
    Artifact Creature - Body
    Flying; body
    2/2 --> 4/4

    Devouring Drone (Common Black Head) 3 (2/B)
    Artifact creature - Head
    Sac a creature: +2/+2 until the end of turn; head
    2/2

    Horrific Mecha (Common Black Body) 4 (2/B)
    Artifact creature - Body
    Intimidate; body
    2/3 -> 4/6

    Flamefume Drone (Common Red Head) 1 (2/R)
    Artifact creature - Head
    R: +1/+0 until end of turn; head
    1/1

    Quicksilver Mecha (Common Read Body) 3 (2/R)
    Artifact creature - Body
    Haste; body
    3/1 --> 6/2

    Luring Drone (Common Green Head) 2 (2/G)
    Artifact creature - head
    All creatures able to block CARDNAME do so; head
    2/2

    Colossal Mecha (Common Green Body) 5 (2/G)
    Artifact creature - body
    Trample; body
    4/4 -> 8/8

    Clockwork Drone (Common Colorless Head) 2
    Artifact creature - head
    head
    1/1

    Clockwork Mecha (Common Colorless Body) 5
    Artifact Creature - Body
    Body
    3/3 -> 6/6

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. for this design, the front and back would be the same (IE the firebreathing scout is also a firebreathing head when combined with a body. the only thing that changes is that the bodies get bigger, which is indicated by the -> so for example, the body is a 4/4 -> 8/8 means 4/4 on front and 8/8 on back.

      I tried to give the bodies abilities that made sense as a body, and the heads effects that made sense coming from a head. a head granting trample doesn't make sense, but a body granting it does. a fire breathing head makes sense but a fire breathing body doesn't...etc. This is the thought process I used.


      **also i would like to alter my firebreathing head to be "(2/R): +1/+0 until end of turn instead.**

      Delete
    2. Also Shatter is going to be a house in this set.

      Delete
    3. I'm definitely swapping the Into the Core slot in Mirrodin Besieged with something else.

      Delete
    4. This mechanic could already be daunting for a beginner, there is no way we should use hybrid in addition to it.

      Delete
    5. I like the triggers on the tapper Head and scroll thief Head, but their sizes seem too small by themselves to make good use of their abilities.

      I like the funky size of the 2/8 vigilance. I like the Green and Red one too.

      The Blood Bairn head feels weird to me, because it seems to be making it matter whether you have tokens to sac or Act of Treason, etc. rather than what Body you put it on.

      The Lure guy is too strong. At least it should be "This must be blocked every turn if able."

      I wish you could feel the colorless Head contributing something for the Mecha.

      I love the colorless Body because non-Mecha decks won't want it, and it allows Mecha decks of every color to build a fatty.

      Delete
  9. I don't have good names, so I'm just skipping the back side. I'm copying several other submissions that I feel were very well done.

    All the backsides of the heads are just the corresponding ability (Except for the Flash Head it doesn't matter)
    Heads:

    Sentinel Head 1W
    Vigilance 2/2

    Flash Head 3U
    Flash
    2/3

    Lifesuck Head 2B
    Lifelink
    3/1

    Quickstrike Head 2R
    First strike
    2/2

    Rootwalla Head 2G
    1G: ~ gets +2/+2 until EOT. Activate this ability only once each turn.
    2/2

    Quicksilver Head 2
    1: ~ gets +1/-1 until EOT.
    1/2

    All the common bodies keep any abilities and get +2/+2 on flip except for the artifact one, which gets +4/+4.
    bodies:

    Elephant Body 4W
    2/6->4/8

    Thopter Body 2U
    Flying 2/1 -> Flying 4/3

    Demon Body 4B
    5/3->7/5

    Berserker Body 3R
    Haste 3/2 -> Haste 5/4

    Bear Body 1G
    Trample 2/2 -> Trample 4/4

    Baseline Body 4
    2/2->6/6


    We probably want a hexproof head at uncommon, but if it's at common a lot of the time the opponent just won't have an answer to it which isn't as fun.I don't like the Rootwalla head since it will often just be a do-nothing ability, but regeneration will generally either be a do-nothing as well or just plain unfun for the other player, and I couldn't think of any other good green common abilities. I don't like the idea of "upgrading" the abilities since the mechanic is already complicated enough IMHO and we want to keep things as consistent as possible.

    I like the idea of a colorless Head and a Body at rare that's able to search up any of the other part, as long as we force it to transform to encourage diversity in what happens and to make it a minor bomb in limited that requires major thought to use properly.

    An important thing is that all heads should have baseline stats lower than the flipped bodies, which does place a large limitation if we want to cover the whole range of CMCs. I tried to keep the commons as simple as possible, but we can do much more fun things at uncommon and rare.

    Sealed is something to think about. Since everyone will get the exact same number of mecha cards per pool, it will always either be a dominant strategy or not worth playing. How do we want to handle it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This a nice assortment of abilities.

      I'm not a fan of the Rootwalla Head though. It just seems to be good on everything in the same way. The Body provides the P/T, the Head provides… more P/T!

      Flash gives players a special scenario for playing Mechas, which I feel they should experience after they've played Mechas normally. It's like giving players a Flash equipment like Grifter's Blade when they've only just been introduced to Equipment. If this were a block, it would definitely be in the second or third set. If we do it, it might not belong at Common. For similar reasons, I'm not sure about the Haste one either. Maybe Haste is ok, but Flash would make the corner cases of the Mecha mechanic come up very often.

      These sizes are all very meaningful. I like how the Body sizes are each very different from the others and lend themselves to be good in different board states or strategies.

      The +2/+2 boost looks good here, and it might be easier to balance than doubling.

      The 4/3 flying might be the best size for flying.
      It's exciting to have an aggro one like the Bear 4/4 somewhere in the set.
      The 7/5 feels like it belongs in Green than Black.

      Delete
    2. Good point about Sealed, I hadn't considered it. With each color getting only one Head and one Body at Common, you would want them to each be playable, so there isn't much room to differentiate between great Common ones and sucky ones. Although I guess we have to.

      To create varied power levels in the Commons without making them strictly bad, the sucky ones can be the more decktype-specific ones, like the defensive ones with really low power/high toughness, the aggressive ones with really high power/low toughness, the huge ones that require ramping, or the small but fast ones that are only good in an aggro strategy that throws caution to the winds. The Blue flying one would probably be one of the top tier Common Mechas I guess.

      But some pools will have Mechas consolidated in a few colors while others will have them spread out, so I don't think Mechas will always be playable to the same degree.

      Delete
    3. +2/+2 (or maybe +3/+3) is likely the best alternative to always doubling P/T. For one thing, it allows us to have mecha with odd numbers.

      Delete
  10. A one-off idea inspire by Pasteur:
    Bombacious Head RR (Rare)
    2/2
    Sacrifice this creature: This creature deals damage to target creature or player equal to this creature's power. (same ability on both sides.)

    An attempt to make it constructed playable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're usually only sacking it to finish off the other player, but that's plenty exciting. Probably want a mana to activate it.

      Delete
  11. Jay's triggered abilities and TehWERR's comment about upgraded abilities inspired this:

    Surveying Head 1U
    1/2
    When this enters the battlefield, draw a card, then discard a card.
    -> Whenever this attacks, draw a card, then discard a card.

    Signal-Jammer Head 2R
    3/1
    When this enters the battlefield, target creature can't block this turn.
    -> Whenever this attacks, target creature can't block this turn.

    Trumpet Head 2W
    2/3
    When this enters the battlefield, creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.
    -> Whenever this attacks, creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.

    Tracking Head 3G
    3/2
    When this enters the battlefield, target creature must be blocked this turn if able.
    -> Whenever this attacks, target creature must be blocked this turn if able.

    Surveying Head 3B
    2/2
    When this enters the battlefield, target player loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
    -> Whenever this attacks, target player loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.

    These might be better as Uncommons. If this were a Block rather than a stand-alone, these should be reserved for the next set as an evolution of the Mechanic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Uh, yes. Now feel silly for posting without reading this. These feel generally appropriate for common, except maybe the green one.

      Delete
    2. That's awesome.
      I had considered upgrading Veteran Head so that it gave +1/+1 to all your creatures in mecha form rather than just one, for example, but this solution is leagues better: It can be applied to a large swath of abilities and is trivial to remember.
      Love it.

      Delete
  12. An uncommon cycle of heads:
    All of the front sides are Artifact Creature - Construct Head and the back just has the ability text.
    These all felt too strong for common to me, since they have the potential to take over the game.

    Perceptive Head 2U
    When this creature enters the battlefield, draw a card.
    1/3
    --back--
    Whent this creature deals combat damage to a player, draw a card.

    Salvaging Head
    When this creature enters the battlefield, return target artifact card from your graveyard to your hand.
    1/3
    --back--
    When this creature deals combat damage to a player, return target artifact card from your graveyard to your hand.

    Destructive Head
    Whent this creature enters the battlefield, this creature deals one damage to target creature or player.
    2/1
    --back--
    When this creature deals combat damage to a player, this creature deals one damage to target creature or player.

    Spiteful Head
    When this creature enters the battlefield, target player discards a card
    1/3
    --back--
    When this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card.

    Journeying Head
    When this creature enters the battlefield, search your library for a basic land card and put it into your hand.
    1/3
    --back--
    When this creature deals combat damage to a player, search your library for a basic land card and put it into your hand.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These are neat, it feels great to upgrade two vanilla creatures (assuming vanilla Bodies) to get a new creature with powerful effects.

      Delete
  13. Should this line be added to the back's rule text?

    Treat both halves of this card as one creature with the attributes of both halves.

    Then the second line can be:

    If this creature would move to another zone, move both halves to that zone instead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The second line is already on the card.
      The first line should probably be represented visually. For example, you don't need to add together the creatures' stats, creature types, colors, etc., it's right there on the combined card back visually.

      Delete
    2. It is represented visually, but the extra line of text confirms what the player will already be thinking.

      Delete
    3. The current line of text "If either half would move to another zone, move the other half to that zone as well" seems to imply that you have to choose which half to target with a Shatter and can target both with Into the Core.

      Delete
    4. I see, we should put the "treat this as one creature" wording in there.

      Delete
    5. I've been thinking about the reminder text too. I think it just needs to be:

      (This permanent is made up of two or more cards. If one of them leaves the battlefield, transform each other.)

      That way it's clear that it is a single permanent and left side or right side can't be targeted seperately. plus, if there is some way to remove a half (no idea how though) it just flips the other half. Seriously, what are the corner cases?

      Delete
    6. We should try out a version like this.

      But the wording has to tell you who gets to choose which side gets destroyed/bounced/exiled and which side just flips back.

      It would be intuitive if the person who targeted it with a Doom Blade or Unsummon gets to choose which side leaves. But I can't think of a concise wording that covers wrath effects, combat damage, and state-based effects. So maybe the controller of the Mech always chooses?

      Delete
  14. Could you cut into spell slots and increase the mech count?

    Ex: When you connect ~: effect.

    Overrunning Body 3GG
    Trample
    3/3
    --

    When you connect ~, creatures you control get +3/+3 & trample until EOT.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We can increase the Mecha count to any number without cutting other spells because they're on a separate print sheet.

      We could definitely do "When this becomes joined" effects in the sense that the space is there. I'm not sure whether we should or not. One advantage to doing them would be that they will help offset the inherent card disadvantage in the current implementation. One disadvantage is that I'm not sure what it's representing. "Two robots form a Voltron that combines both of their abilities" seems like an intuitive identity for the mechanic; firing off a spell effect when the robots join feels random to me, like giving an Equipment a "whenever this becomes attached" ability just because we can.

      Delete
    2. I can see some flavor for it. When the robot combines, the new form has access to a combined weapon, which it uses immediately. A missile volley, an Iaido sword-drawing attack, a burst of light/energy.

      Delete
    3. It doesn't make sense to me that it only does it once.
      But then again many ETB triggers and LTB triggers don't make strict sense either, so I guess there's no need to be a flavor Nazi.

      Delete
  15. I'd like to present a small flavor change-- Pilots are colored, non-artifact creatures and lend abilities to the combined form (like Heads). Mechs are colorless, artifact creatures that lend power&toughness to the combined form (like Bodies). Other than that, they function the same as before with the same rules text. This kind of split has the advantage of making people commit to a color, while still ensuring that different Blue decks will consistently transform different combos, since all 'body' Mechs are available to pair with the Blue Pilots.

    PILOTS (transformed sides have a color indicator and grant the same ability to the Mech unless noted)

    Soulbound Pilot {2}{W}
    Creature - Human Artificer
    Lifelink
    1/4

    Spy Pilot {4}{U}
    Creature - Salamander Artificer
    Whenever ~ becomes blocked, draw a card.
    3/3

    Miasmic Pilot {2}{B}
    Creature - Rat Artificer
    Deathtouch
    2/2

    Quick-fire Pilot {1}{R}
    Creature - Goblin Artificer
    First Strike
    1/1

    Mystic Pilot {G}
    Creature - Insect Artificer
    {T}: add {G} to your mana pool. (transformed: {T}: add {G}{G}{G} to your mana pool.)
    0/1

    MECHS (tranformed sides have the same abilities, if any. Transformed p/t is in parenthesis next to initial p/t)
    Junior Mech {1}
    Artifact Creature - Construct
    1/1 (3/1)

    Shielded Mech {2}
    Artifact Creature - Construct
    1/3 (1/6)

    Hover Mech {4}
    Artifact Creature - Construct
    Flying
    2/2 (3/3)

    Spiked Mech {4}
    Artifact Creature - Construct
    4/1 (8/1)

    Colossus Mech {6}
    Artifact Creature - Construct
    4/4 (7/7)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This makes a lot of flavor sense in some ways, But I'm not sure how to represent the Pilots on the joined art.

      With the Head/Body system, I'm imaging the Head part showing a tank turret, a humanoid torso, a plane-like cockpit, etc, while the Body part shows legs, tank treadmills, rocket engines, etc. and you get your original mechas through recombination.

      Delete
    2. In the GDS2, the judges talked about how a rider/mount mechanic is like a holy grail in design. If we were to go for the flavor of Pilots, it might be better to try to come up with a mechanic for mounts that's evergreen like Equipment. (With mounts meaning vehicles in this set.)

      Delete
    3. Vigilant Pilot 1W
      Creature - Human Soldier
      2/1
      Vigilance
      2: Mount Vehicle (Exile this card mounting target Vehicle as long as it's on the battlefield. Vigilant Pilot's power is added to the mounted Vehicle's power. Mount as a sorcery.)
      Mounted Vehicle has Vigilance.

      Colossus Mech 6
      Artifact Creature - Vehicle
      5/5

      Delete
    4. It probably doesn't want to be evergreen since it's incredibly parasitic. The only way to make it non-parasitic (allowing many creatures) would eliminate much of the flavor.

      Still, I think it'd probably be pretty easy to visually show the pilots if we were making all of the art ourselves. (Just have the full mecha and have the pilot walking up to it, or have a "zoomed-in view" of the cockpit, or w/e) Since that isn't the case though, I doubt that it'll work very well; we have to make do with whatever art we find online.

      Delete
    5. It's not parasitic; for example, a Knight creature with riding skill would have an ability like "2: Mount a Steed." The ridable creatures in all future expansions will be marked with a creature type like Steed (Like "Pegasus Steed").

      What if we want a rider that can ride a special type of creature, like a Warrior that rides Wurms? It could have "3: Mount a Steed or a Wurm" or have "3: Mount a Steed" and "Wurms you control are Steeds in addition to their other types."

      The Mecha mechanic is a heavy-handed mechanic that puts all sorts of strains on the set. It wouldn't be worth it unless there's some meaning to having the cards flip and join physically, such as B.F.M.-style joining art. If we just want to have Pilots in the set, we don't need to use DFCs to show them standing by themselves on one side and operating a Mecha on the other, just like Equipment don't need to be DFCs just to show a sword in its sheath on one side and a sword being wielded on the other.

      Delete
    6. A more open-ended version:

      Colossus Mech 6
      Artifact Creature - Vehicle
      2: Carry (Exile another target creature with lesser toughness as long as this card is on the battlefield. The carried card's power is added to the Colossus Mech's power. Carry as a sorcery.)
      Colossus Mech gets +3/+3 as long as it's carrying a Pilot.
      5/5

      Vigilant Pilot 1W
      Creature - Human Soldier
      2/1
      Vigilance
      Creatures carrying Vigilant Pilot have Vigilance.

      Delete
    7. By the way, the use of a creature type like "Steed" is not my original idea, it's an idea that's been bouncing around in the forums for a while.

      Delete
    8. Hm, if I were going to design a Mount mechanic from the ground up, it would probably be something like this:

      Trusty Steed 1W
      Creature - Horse
      Creatures mounting ~ get +2/+2
      Mount 2W (2W: exile this mounted by target creature, or return this from exile to the battlefield. Mount only as a sorcery.)
      2/2

      It's probably best not to try to shoehorn Piloting into a mechanic that really wants to evoke combining two machines into a Megazord-like giant robot. But I still think Colored 'Heads' and Colorless 'Bodies' neatly addresses a lot of the potential drafting concerns, and makes it really obvious which kinds of cards can combine.

      Delete
    9. Colored Heads and Colorless Bodies could make a lot of sense in some ways. I'll be writing a post on it.

      Delete
  16. I was gonna read through other designs but with so many pairs I think it'll be easier to throw my ideas down and you can see if it matches anything. I;m gonna go a little more top down looking for the kind of abilities I could see looking right for a head to bring to a body:

    Sentinel Head 1W
    Artifact Creature - Head
    Vigilance
    2/2

    Platinum Body 2WW
    Artifact Creature - Body
    2/4 (=> 6/6)

    Inquisitor Head 1U
    Artifact Creature - Head
    Whenever ~ deals combat damage to player, draw a card.
    1/1

    Seaform Body 2UU
    Artifact Creature - Body
    2/4 (=> 3/8)

    Poison Fang Head 2B
    Artifact Creature - Head
    Any amount of damage dealt to a non-artifact creatures is enough to destroy it.
    1/4

    Deathmarch Body 1BB
    Artifact Creature - Body
    2/3 (=> 4/4)

    Firebreathing Head RR
    Artifact Creature - Head
    1R: ~ gets +1/+0 until the end of turn.
    1/1

    Bonecrusher Body 3R
    Artifact Creature - Body
    3/2 => (5/5)

    Acid Spray Head 1G
    Artifact Creature - Head
    Any amount of damage dealt to an artifact creature is enough to destroy it
    2/1

    Bear Body 2GG
    Artifact Creature - Body
    3/3 => (7/7)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Any amount of damage dealt to a non-artifact creatures is enough to destroy it." is a really cool ability. A global rule-changing effect like that might feel more natural on a Rare, though.

      The scroll thief ability is in many of the submissions, but I'm starting to think it would be very swingy.

      It seems very difficult to differentiate between the vanilla Bodies. The Head abilities don't particularly bring out the differences in the vanilla Bodies either.

      Delete
  17. In "Unanswered Questions: Innistrad" Maro said they didn't keyword the Werewolf trigger because a keyword with keywords in it (or key action in this case) causes a bunch of headaches. Head/Body uses two - Transform and Combine. So I changed Head and Body into artifact types Alpha and Omega. Otherwise it's the same as the original keyword.

    I added Mech-sized because tapping two cards to attack would be annoying. The transform trigger taps both halves. I'm imagining the combined mech being a sideways stack of two cards. The Alpha would actually be on top of the Omega card. Anyway, here are my commons.

    Heads aka Alphas

    Redeemer Chimera (Common)
    4W
    Artifact Creature - Alpha Chimera
    2/3
    When Redeemer Chimera enters the battlefield, you gain 3 life.
    Whenever an Omega artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Redeemer Chimera. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
    -transforms into-
    Redeeming ...
    (Color Indicator: White)
    Artifact Creature - ...
    Whenever this creature attacks, you gain 3 life.
    Mech-sized (Attacking doesn’t cause this creature to tap and it can’t block non-Mech creatures.)

    Illuminator Chimera (Common)
    2U
    Artifact Creature - Alpha Chimera
    0/3
    When Illuminator Chimera enters the battlefield, you may draw a card.
    Whenever an Omega artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Illuminator Chimera. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
    -transforms into-
    Illuminating ...
    (Color Indicator: Blue)
    Artifact Creature - ...
    Whenever this creature attacks, you may draw a card.
    Mech-sized (Attacking doesn’t cause this creature to tap and it can’t block non-Mech creatures.)

    Disturber Chimera (Common)
    2B
    Artifact Creature - Alpha Chimera
    2/1
    When Disturber Chimera enters the battlefield, target opponent discards a card.
    Whenever an Omega artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Disturber Chimera. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
    -transforms into-
    Disturbing ...
    (Color Indicator: Black)
    Artfact Creature - ...
    Whenever this creature attacks, target opponent discards a card.
    Mech-sized (Attacking doesn’t cause this creature to tap and it can’t block non-Mech creatures.)

    Fumer Chimera (Common)
    4R
    Artifact Creature - Alpha Chimera
    2/2
    When Fumer Chimera enters the battlefield, it deals 2 damage to target player.
    Whenever an Omega artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Fumer Chimera. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
    -transforms into-
    Fuming ...
    (Color Indicator: Red)
    Artifact Creature - ...
    Whenever this creature attacks, it deals 2 damage to target player.
    Mech-sized (Attacking doesn’t cause this creature to tap and it can’t block non-Mech creatures.)

    Flourisher Chimera (Common)
    2G
    Artifact Creature - Alpha Chimera
    1/1
    When Flourisher Chimera enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 on target creature.
    Whenever an Omega artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Flourisher Chimera. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
    -transforms into-
    Flourishing ...
    (Color Indicator: Green)
    Artifact Creature - ...
    Whenever this creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
    Mech-sized (Attacking doesn’t cause this creature to tap and it can’t block non-Mech creatures.)

    Energizer Chimera (Common)
    3
    Artifact Creature - Alpha Chimera
    1/1
    When Energizer Chimera enters the battlefield, untap target permanent.
    Whenever an Omega artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Energizer Chimera. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
    -transforms into-
    Energizing ...
    (Color Indocator: Colorless)
    Artifact Creature - ...
    Whenever this creature attacks, untap target permanent.
    Mech-sized (Attacking doesn’t cause this creature to tap and it can’t block non-Mech creatures.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bodies aka Omegas

      Steelhorn Chimera (Common)
      3W
      Artifact Creature - Omega Chimera
      2/4
      Defender (This creature can’t attack.)
      Whenever an Alpha artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Steelhorn Chimera. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
      -transforms into-
      ... Steelhorn
      (Color Indicator: White)
      ... Chimera Mech
      4/6
      This creature can block any number of creatures and as though it didn’t have Mech-sized.
      (This permanent is made up of two or more cards. If one of them leaves the battlefield, transform each other.)

      Tinglider Chimera (Common)
      2U
      Artifact Creature - Omega Chimera
      2/1
      Flying
      Tinglider Chimera can block only creatures with flying.
      Whenever an Alpha artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Tinglider Chimera. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
      ... Tinglider
      (Color Indicator: Blue)
      ... Chimera Mech
      4/3
      Flying
      (This permanent is made up of two or more cards. If one of them leaves the battlefield, transform each other.)

      Deathbelly Chimera (Common)
      3B
      Artifact Creature - Omega Chimera
      1/3
      1B: Deathbelly Chimera has deathtouch until end of turn. (Any amount of damage it deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
      Whenever an Alpha artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Deathbelly Chimera. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
      -transforms into-
      ... Deathbelly
      (Color Indicator: Black)
      ... Chimera Mech
      3/5
      Deathtouch
      (This permanent is made up of two or more cards. If one of them leaves the battlefield, transform each other.)

      Ironside Chimera (Common)
      3R
      Artifact Creature - Omega Chimera
      4/1
      Whenever an Alpha artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Ironside Chimera. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
      -transforms into-
      ... Ironside
      (Color Indicator: Red)
      ... Chimera Mech
      6/3
      Trample
      (This permanent is made up of two or more cards. If one of them leaves the battlefield, transform each other.)

      Coppercap Chimera (Common)
      3G
      Artifact Creature - Omega Chimera
      3/2
      Whenever an Alpha artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Coppercap Chimera. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
      -transforms into-
      ... Coppercap
      (Color Indicator: Green)
      ... Chimera Mech
      5/4
      1G: Regenerate this creature.
      (This permanent is made up of two or more cards. If one of them leaves the battlefield, transform each other.)

      Rusthull Chimera (Common)
      4
      Artifact Creature - Omega Chimera
      2/2
      Whenever an Alpha artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Rusthull Chimera. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
      -transforms into-
      ... Rusthull
      (Color Indicator: Colorless)
      ... Chimera Mech
      4/4
      (This permanent is made up of two or more cards. If one of them leaves the battlefield, transform each other.)

      Delete
    2. The nice thing about Alpha and Omega being artifact types is that you can have a few non creature ones, like this Uncommon Cycle.

      Cobbler Matrix (Uncommon)
      1W
      Artifact - Alpha
      W, T: Put a 1/1 white Gnome artifact creature token onto the battlefield.
      Whenever an Omega artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Cobbler Matrix. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
      -transforms into-
      Cobbling ...
      (Color Indicator: White)
      Artifact Creature - ...
      Whenever this creature attacks, put a 1/1 white Gnome artifact creature token onto the battlefield.
      Mech-sized (Attacking doesn’t cause this creature to tap and it can’t block non-Mech creatures.)

      Plotter Matrix (Uncommon)
      1U
      Artifact - Alpha
      U, T: Target opponent puts the top two cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
      Whenever an Omega artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Plotter Matrix. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
      -transforms into-
      Plotting ...
      (Color Indicator: Blue)
      Artifact Creature - ...
      Whenever this creature attacks, each opponent puts the top two cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
      Mech-sized (Attacking doesn’t cause this creature to tap and it can’t block non-Mech creatures.)

      Killer Matrix (Uncommon)
      1B
      Artifact - Alpha
      B, T: Target opponent loses 1 life.
      Whenever an Omega artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Killer Matrix. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
      -transforms into-
      Killing ...
      (Color Indicator: Black)
      Artifact Creature - ...
      Whenever this creature attacks, each opponent loses 1 life.
      Mech-sized (Attacking doesn’t cause this creature to tap and it can’t block non-Mech creatures.)

      Hunter Matrix (Uncommon)
      1R
      Artifact - Alpha
      R, T: Target attacking creature can’t be blocked by creature tokens this turn.
      Whenever an Omega artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Hunter Matrix. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
      -transforms into-
      Hunting ...
      (Color Indicator: Red)
      Artifact Creature - ...
      Whenever this creature attacks, attacking creatures can’t be blocked by creature tokens this turn.
      Mech-sized (Attacking doesn’t cause this creature to tap and it can’t block non-Mech creatures.)

      Drummer Matrix (Uncommon)
      1G
      Artifact - Alpha
      G, T: Target attacking creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
      Whenever an Omega artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Drummer Matrix. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
      -transforms into-
      Drumming ...
      (Color Indicator: Green)
      Artifact Creature - ...
      Whenever this creature attacks, each attacking creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
      Mech-sized (Attacking doesn’t cause this creature to tap and it can’t block non-Mech creatures.)

      Wirer Matrix (Common)
      4
      Artifact - Alpha
      1, T: Untap target Construct you control.
      Whenever an Omega artifact enters the battlefield, you may tap it and Wirer Matrix. Transform both artifacts tapped this way, then combine them.
      -transforms into-
      Wiring ...
      (Color Indicator: Colorless)
      Artifact Creature - ...
      Whenever this creature attacks, untap each Construct you control.
      Mech-sized (Attacking doesn’t cause this creature to tap and it can’t block non-Mech creatures.)

      Delete
    3. Mech-sized:
      I tried tapping two cards together, and I don't think it's that much of a hassle.

      One thing that's good about Mech-sized is that it induces a battle between two Mechas, if both sides happen to control one. But overall, I don't think it's a good idea.

      The choice of "Do I use this creature for attacking or blocking this turn?" that you make in Magic is a great type of choice-making. It makes the combat system deep, and I would hate to take that choice-making away.

      If we were to design just a one-off joining card, it would be possible to design a card that genuinely wants to be a vigilance creature (in fact I did that with my joining Onslaught card that I posted a while ago), but applying that as a rule for 3 cycles would be too restricting. It's also super awkward to give a creature vigilance only to take away the ability to block.

      If it really is a hassle to tap creatures, I would rather propose something like a double-sized card holder that you can place joined cards onto, complete with a band for holding cards in place. And put them in the prerelease packages.

      Delete
    4. With the Common Alphas, I like the Flourisher Chimera.

      Some of these feel overcosted, although this might be a development issue. I think a good place for these ETB Alphas are creatures that feel like a Blister Beetle: They're cheap with a small body, but have an extra utility ETB ability that's just good enough to make you feel that the card paid for itself already despite its small size. Then it will feel great when something turns that one-shot ability turns into a repeat ability.

      It would be neat to make Flourisher into a Bear, or rather a 2-drop 1/1 that grants a +1/+1 counter.

      When I gave the example of Blister Beetle, I also thought of Elvish Visionary and Ravenous Rats. But I'm not sure the Alphas should grant blatant card advantage every turn. (Although perhaps making joined Mechas into a repeat card advantage engine is what it takes to make it worthy in constructed.)

      Finally, most of the abilities don't combo with any Omegas. If there was a tapdown effect or a "target creature gains flying until end of turn", it could combo with a high-power, low toughness Omega. Overall, the more the ability ties in with the act of attacking, the better.

      Delete
    5. Common Omegas:
      The ability upgrades of "high-flyer -> flyer" and "defender -> block any number of attackers" are neat!

      Some of your creatures are vanilla on the front and have abilities on the back. I think one the main appeal factors of this mechanic is that you get to merge the abilities of two creatures. To create that feeling, I think that if a Part has an ability on the back, it should also have some form of that ability on the front.

      Rusthull Chimera looks like it could be stronger; It should at least be as big as a 4-drop with a +2/+2 Aura on it.

      Delete
    6. Uncommon Alphas:
      Making a repeatable tapping ability into a conditionally repeatable ability (conditional in the sense that if you attack, your creature might die, so you can't always activate it) aren't as feel-good as the Commons that make a one-shot ability into a repeatable ability.

      Also, upgrading "target opponent" into "each opponent" doesn't feel like an upgrade in many play formats, so it feels weird as a cycle when other effects are being genuinely upgraded in a way that matters in a two-player duel.

      "Can't be blocked by tokens" and "Untap each Construct you control" seem way too narrow as an ability. This may be a special Limited environment where these things are meaningful, but these cards are parasitic enough already because they need to be played with other Mechas. It shouldn't have another ability that's only meaningful in a specific block environment.

      Delete
    7. Chah, Your comment about the Alphas not combo-ing with the Omegas is well taken. I think the fact that the keywords are already on the Omegas, is partly to blame. And that the Alphas have attack triggers. If they were saboteur triggers, it would make the evasion on Tinglider and Ironside matter. in fact maybe evasion keywords should be moved over to the Alphas, to create the feel you're looking for.

      I am concerned that these will be generally be undercosted because each one has the possible side effect of coming onto the board and immediately flipping into a huge creature. I don't think any of the Common parts should cost less than 3 mana. That way Mechs aren't able to affect the board until at least turn 4. By that point an opponent should have a chance to fight back.

      It's only superawkward that Mech-sized restricts blocking if you think of it as viligiance, which it isn't. These combined creatures sit on the board head and shoulders above the other creatures. They want to battle each other. Conversely, you can think of it that the regular creatures have a size advantage and can out manuever mechs, explaining why they attack past them. Playing with them online is easy, but I do believe having one or more untapping every turn will get messy and break the illusion that they are one giant sized permanent. But if you can lay they down one time and they stay there, the illusion will be uninterrupted. The aesthetic integrity of the mechanic should be considered.

      The choice making of "do I attack or not?" isn't going to be hurt by a single creature mechanic. And Mech-sized's blocking limitation will require players to have plenty of other creatures on the board to block with. Combat will still be deep, and in fact, there may arise occasions were you have an Alpha on the board that you need to NOT transform, so it can still block. There's your strategic depth.

      The transformation trigger is going to take up a lot of space, and to manage complexity in the common cycle, there should be two (or at least more than 1 to follow the rules of cycles) that doesn't have anything extra on the front side.

      Delete
    8. Also, to make the p/t matter more for mixing and matching the combined mechs, we could make the Alpha trigger based on engaging in combat. That makes the keywords, especially evasion less important, and the p/t way more important.

      Whenever this engages a creature in combat, you gain 3 life.

      Whenever this engages a creature in combat, you may draw a card.

      Whenever this engages a creature in combat, target opponent discards a card.

      Whenever this engages a creature in combat, it deals 2 damage to target player.

      Whenever this engages a creature in combat, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.

      Whenever this engages a creature in combat, untap target permanent.

      Delete
    9. I'm not entirely sold on Mech-Sized, but there are some good reasons for it, both mechanically and thematically. I would definitely change "can't block non-Mech creatures" to something like "can't block creatures with power or toughness 3 or less" so that they can fight Eldrazi and the like outside of block.

      Delete
    10. Ok, I see that the decision to transform or not is legit strategy. But I still think Mech-size is very heavy-handed design.

      It's trying to solve a perceived problem of the Mecha mechanic by heaping more and more abilities in a chain, with each one solving the previous one but requiring another solution itself.

      The chain is like this:

      We don't want this to tap to attack, because it's hard to tap two joined cards. Let's give it an ability to not tap.

      That makes it too good of a blocker. Let's give it an ability to not be able to block.

      Now we can't have Mecha-on-Mecha battles. Let's give it an exception clause that says it can block other Mechsa.

      If you look at the defender Chimera, there is a continuation of this chain:

      But this creature can't make use of the "can block any number of attackers" ability. Let's give it an ability that lets it ignore ability #2.

      There should be a game designer's term for this kind of chain of fixes (if there isn't already), because it happens to me a lot when I try to design a game.

      Currently, I think it's adding too much complexity to be worth what it's trying to fix.

      Delete
    11. I was thinking Nich's motivation for Mech-Sized was to ensure that mechs would actually fight each other, since you'd rather attack with your mech than block with it, and since you'll often just chump-block opposing mechs. Hadn't even thought how awkward it will be tap double-cards, but you're right it will be.

      Delete
  18. Some utility heads that help cope with the wonkiness of the mechanic:

    Force Field Head {3} (Common)
    0/2
    {4}: ~ gets indestructible until end of turn.
    (Same ability on back.)

    Ejection Seat Body {3} (Common)
    2/2 -> 4/4
    (Ability on back:) Sacrifice the Body half of this: Return the Head half to your hand.

    Nexus Head {4} (Uncommon)
    2/2
    Tap a Head or Body you control: This gets +2/+2 until end of turn.

    Cloakshield Head {1}{U} (Uncommon)
    1/1
    Spells and abilities that target Heads and Bodies you control cost 2 more.
    (Same ability on back.)

    Beacon Body {1}{G} Uncommon
    1/1 -> 3/3
    When this enters the battlefield, look at the top 4 cards of your library. You may reveal a colorless card from those cards and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
    ( -> Attack trigger version of the ability on the back side.)

    Converter Head {1}{B} (Uncommon)
    1/2
    1, T, Sacrifice a Head you control: Search your library for a Body card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
    1, T, Sacrifice a Body you control: Search your library for a Head card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A forcefield is a great ability for a head. 1/1 seems a little more interesting.

      Ejection Seat Body is a clever way to limit risk. Seems like it should be uncommon; Not entirely sure it can know which half is the body and which is the head.

      Nexus Head seems to circumvent the Mechs=combined cards metaphor, and muddy the waters of how robots can work together.

      Does the back of Cloakshield Head protect heads, bodies, and mechs?

      Maybe Converter Head should just be Tinker or Tinker-to-hand.

      Delete
    2. Nexus Head is meant to deal with the problem of drawing too many parts of one type. It allows you to stall on the ground while you wait to draw a Body, by threatening to pump itself after blocking. It can also combo with another part that provides Vigilance or an ability like "3: Untap this."

      I think it's ok for Parts to have linear abilities that reference Heads & Bodies in different ways in addition to combining if it makes the Mecha deck more viable, the Nexus Head being one example.

      Cloakshield should protect joined Mechas too, although we haven't decided on the terminology for that yet.

      Tinker-to-hand sounds great, as it would be open-ended.

      Delete
    3. It's fine for other cards to reference Heads and Bodies, but it's thematically expensive to introduce other methods of combining robots. Imagine if there had been one INN werewolf that was a flip card instead of a DFC. That's much more drastic than what Nexus Head is doing, but it illustrates the same break in continuity. With mecha, we're saying "This is how robots combine" in Tesla; Nexus Head is saying, "and also this way" which is inconsistent and hurts the resonance of the mechanic and the set.

      That doesn't mean we have to discard it out of hand, particularly if it's serving an important role in the set, but it is a good reason to look for other ways to serve that same role. Maybe Distant Melody, Door of Destinies, or:

      Scrapyard
      Land (unc)
      T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
      1, T, Sacrifice an artifact: Look at the top X cards of your library, where X is the sacrificed artifact's CMC. You may reveal an artifact card among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on bottom in any order.

      Delete
    4. It's not another way of combining though.
      Bramblesnap is not combining with anything.

      If we use the pinger Head by lpaulsen, we need more combos with vigilance and untapping bodies. We also need ways for Mecha decks to make use of unmatched parts, as well as stall until drawing a matching part.

      It's still an early stage, so it's not like we don't have any other options. And who knows, maybe the card above is unbalanced. But I feel like you're suggesting canceling all of the above benefits based on what seems to me like a minor flavor hangup. Would it help if it was named "Clockwork Head" and its ability was "2, Tap an artifact you control: Gets +2/+2 until end of turn?"

      Delete
  19. Some Rare Heads:

    Flash Head {1}{U} or {1}{G} (Rare)
    2/1
    Flash

    Nirvanic Head {5} (Mythic)
    0/1
    (Back side) When this transforms, draw cards equal to this creature's power and gain life equal to this creature's toughness.

    Spike-studded Body {1}{R}{R} (Rare)
    2/3 -> 4/6
    Whenever damage is dealt to ~, ~ deals that much damage to the source's controller.
    When ~ transforms, you may have it fight target creature.

    Gastank Body {2}{B}{B} (Rare)
    0/5 -> 5/5
    When ~ transforms, non-artifact creatures get -5/-5 until end of turn.

    Necropotent Head {B}{B}{B} (Rare)
    1/3
    (Both sides) Whenever this deals combat damage, you lose that much life and draw that many cards.

    Technoscanner Head {2}{B} (Rare)
    1/1
    (Front) When ~ enters the battlefield, target opponent reveals his or her hand. You may exile an instant or sorcery card from that player's hand or your own hand.
    (Back) Whenever this deals combat damage to an opponent, you may copy the exiled card and cast the copy without paying its mana cost.

    Hunting Body {1}{G}{G} (Rare)
    3/3 -> 5/5
    (Front side) trample
    (Back side) Trample. When ~ transforms, it gets +5/+5 until end of turn.

    Tribelord Head {1} (Rare)
    0/2
    (Front side)
    When ~ enters the battlefield, choose a creature type.
    Nonartifact creature spells of the chosen type cost 1 less to cast.
    (Back side)
    When ~ transforms, put two +1/+1 counters on each nonartifact creature of the chosen type you control.

    Inciter Head {2}{R} (Rare)
    2/3 -> 4/5
    Attacking creatures you control get +1/+0.
    When ~ transforms, untap target creature and gain control of it until end of turn. It gains haste.
    OR
    When ~ transforms, creatures you control gain first strike until end of turn.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Gideonic Body {2}{W}{W} (Rare)
    3/5 -> 6/10
    ~ may block any number of attacking creatures.
    When this transforms, each creature opponents control attack if able until your next turn.

    ReplyDelete
  21. If the cards sit vertically rather than horizontally, it makes things easier to tap.

    Soon the back you have:

    HEAD TEXT
    -----
    HEAD ART

    BODY ART
    -----
    BODY TEXT

    This also allows you to mix and match art easier by having clearly defined top halves and bottom halves rather than trying to make two side by side pictures work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Top half and bottom half art is a better way than left and right. For sure.

      I am in favor of two stacked tapped cards, where the art is on one side and the rules text is on the other side:

      HEAD ART / HEAD TEXT
      BODY ART / BODY TEXT

      Delete
  22. You should ask @theproxyguy on Twitter to help with this challenge.

    Something like his sideways planeswalkers might work.

    http://zeerbe.blogspot.com/2012/07/plethora-of-lion-o-planeswalkers.html?m=1

    ReplyDelete
  23. Uncommon head designs:

    Commanding Head 2W
    2/2
    Other artifact creatures you control get +1/+1.
    ---------------------------------------
    Commanding ...
    Other artifact creatures you control get +2/+2.

    Spying Head 2U
    1/3
    Whenever CARDNAME deals combat damage to a player, draw a card.
    ---------------------------------------
    Spying ...
    Whenever CARDNAME deals combat damage to a player, draw two cards.

    Noxious Head 2B
    2/1
    When CARDNAME dies, you may have target creature get -2/-2 until end of turn.
    ---------------------------------------
    Noxious ...
    When CARDNAME dies, you may have target creature get -4/-4 until end of turn.

    Laser Head 2R
    1/1
    T: CARDNAME deals 1 damage to target creature or player.
    ---------------------------------------
    Laser ...
    T: CARDNAME deals 2 damage to target creature or player.

    Enlarging Head 2G
    2/2
    When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
    ---------------------------------------
    When CARDNAME is connected, target creature gets +4/+4 until end of turn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These are awesome! They all make sense as playable cards on both sides. They're also clean. I like how they're each good in a different direction rather than having the same type of strength.

      Spying Head might be too strong.
      Maybe it could progress from looting -> draw 1 card. Otherwise, it could progress from draw 1 card -> look at the top 2 cards of library and draw one of them. It won't scream "everything doubles!" anymore but I don't think it can be helped.

      Delete
  24. I'm not sold on this as a cycle, but it's at least interesting to think about — colorless colored non-creature bodies that can be animated either with raw mana or by inserting a sentient piloting Head.

    Brutal Chassis 4
    Artifact - Chassis
    1G: Brutal Chassis becomes a 6/4 creature until end of turn.
    Body (Whenever a Head enters the battlefield under your control, you may untap, transform, and connect both artifacts.)
    -----------
    ...Brute
    (reminder text about zones)
    6/4

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a neat flavor... a pilotless vehicle requiring mana to get up and move about.

      I do think the Mecha parts already have very characteristics behavior just by transforming. A style of animating artifacts are worthy on their own but probably not in conjunction with mechas.

      Delete
  25. An incredibly rough take on colored pilots/colorless bodies in two tight common cycles.

    Quixotic Cadet W
    Creature - Human Soldier
    First Strike
    1/1

    Aven Envoy U
    Creature - Bird Soldier
    Flying
    0/2

    Rustblood Pilot B
    Creature - Vampire Scout
    Lifelink
    1/1

    Goblin Throttler R
    Creature - Goblin Artificer
    Whenever an artifact is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on CARDNAME.
    0/1

    Elven Engineer G
    Creature - Elf Artificer
    As long as you control an artifact, CARDNAME has hexproof.
    1/1

    Warweary Walker 3
    Artifact - Equipment
    Equipped creature is a white 3/5 Giant.
    Equip 3W

    Waterway Walker 3
    Artifact - Equipment
    Equipped creature is a blue 3/3 Giant. It gains islandwalk.
    Equip 3U

    Wasteland Walker 3
    Artifact - Equipment
    Equipped creature is a black 3/2 Giant. It gains intimidate.
    Equip 3B

    Warpath Walker 3
    Artifact - Equipment
    Equipped creature is a red 4/3 Giant. It gains trample and attacks each turn if able.
    Equip 3R

    Wayfaring Walker 3
    Artifact - Equipment
    Equipped creature is a green 6/4 Giant.
    Equip 3G

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The best type of equipment is the type that works differently based on what it's put on. The combination of creature and equipment should matter. So I don't think setting uniform stats is a cool thing. There are lots of virtual vanilla creatures in most sets and not every creature is going to have an ability to produce an interesting new amalgamation. If every creature an opponent draws after a certain point is going to be the same size like 6/4, that makes things very repetitive.

      The Mecha mechanic with Heads and Bodies also produce a fixed P/T based on the Body, but it's an attempt to solve a problem (such as representing the back side visually), not a main feature that is meant to be a source of coolness in itself. I feel as if you're focusing on the wrong aspect (like a fixed P/T that doesn't combine), while changing the factors that made that aspect necessary (like joining art).

      Flavorwise, it seems odd to represent a creature riding a big vehicle by transforming the rider's stats into the vehicle's stats. If it's a big vehicle like a ship, tank, or a plane so that the rider's P/T doesn't matter (rather than something of similar size to the rider like a horse), it would be more natural if the vehicle card attacked and blocked using its P/T, and the pilot was attached to it providing some bonus.

      There's another advantage to that; you could have vehicles with multiple riders if the vehicle is the base creature and the pilots are the augmenting element, perhaps providing additional power because they're firing weapons etc. For example, if it was used in a naval combat set, you could have combat between barges loaded up with a whole bunch of sailors.

      Delete
    2. Compare Warweary Walker to Magebane Armor (minus the non P/T adjustment stuff, for simplicity). Both modify a vanilla 1/1 the same way. Both modify a Legion Loyalist the same way. Warweary Walker does less for a 2/2, considerably less for a 3/3, and is actually a detriment to a 5/5. That actually means the combination of creature and equipment matters more. On the other hand, it also means Warweary Walker is less useful more often. On the other other hand, that means we can cost it more aggressively and that it rewards players for building their deck to consciously maximize its value.

      You're right that these equipment play out almost opposite the way normal equipment does (comboing more with their abilities than their size), but it's still interesting.

      Functionally, Pasteur's submission is very similar to the others, he's just done it a simpler way that requires no new tech. That's a good thing and a bad thing, but ignoring the novelty of flipping two cards into one big card, equipping a Quixotic Cadet with a Wayfaring Walker plays out quite a lot like joining a first strike head to a 6/4 body. Mainly, it makes mecha not parasitic, and removes concern over card disadvantage, again, at the very real cost of losing novelty.

      Delete
    3. This is plunging into a matter of semantics, or at least that's what it feels like to me. I want the combination of Equipment and Creature to matter for the resulting size of the Creature that you get. You are saying that the combination of Equipment and Creature for size-setting Equipment matters for the amount of boost that you get each time. Is the amount of boost really what's in question here? Which type of "mattering" matters more in a game?

      If it was something like "Equipped creature is a 2/3" then it does start to feel like it matters what you put it on. You might be upgrading or downgrading your creature depending on what you equipped. You want to fill your deck with Elvish Visionaries, Krenko's Call, etc. to actually benefit from it.

      But if it's something like "Equipped creature is a 6/5" then what matters more for that game is the fact that you control a 6/5, and that each new creature you play to replace it will be that size. It doesn't matter that much whether you're getting a +4/+4 boost or a +2/+2 boost from the deal.

      For most Equipment bonuses, the resulting size that you get is the most important part. When you equip a +0/+3 equipment to a creature, you benefit more from equipping a 4/2 creature than equipping a 1/5 creature.

      This has great benefits for game play. The Equipment produces a different result every game. It challenges players to pick up the right type of equipment for the creatures you drafted. It gives players the feeling that you've built your own monster as well. If you look through the Equipment in Scars of Mirrodin, virtually all of them are designed like that.

      It doesn't always have to be like that. Equipment don't have to be normal. If you want to explore the uses of P/T-setting Equipment, more power to you. Maybe there can be an evil empire that breeds Saprolings and issues them standard Storm Trooper armor to make uniform troops out of them. Better yet, there can be Vats that create Germ tokens and Equipment that say "Equipped creature is 2/2 and has Infect." That standardizing, de-individualizing effect feels very Phyrexian, and also gives Infect decks the fuel it needs to work.

      But the point I'm trying to make is that the alternate style of Equipment needs some benefit that makes it worth it to cancel the gameplay benefits of normal Equipment for those cards. In the case of Mechas, we really want the "build your own machine" feel, so Equipment that set a uniform P/T is not a good fit for the needs of Mechas.

      Now, the current Mechas have a real problem of not being open-ended. I've been trying to see how far we can go with the joining art route, but there's a real chance they should just be creatures that turn into Equipment or Auras.

      For a "build your own machine" feel, the Mecha parts should each grant +X/+Y if at all possible. The joining art factor is what's holding that back. Currently, the Body's size setting isn't terrible since with the limited number of Head and Body cards, we can ensure that the Bodies all have really characteristic sizes and the Heads all have abilities that care what P/T the Bodies have. But it's not as good as it could be in some directions, and it's only being done that way for another large benefit, the splashiness of the joining cards.

      If there's going to be another version that doesn't have that joining card constraint, though, it should most likely grant +X/+Y bonuses rather than set a fixed size. The size-setting was the weak part of the mechanic, and it's not something to keep around as a "pivot foot" (to use basketball terms) while changing other parts around for different iterations.

      Delete
    4. If we stick with the left-right joining of mecha, heads could set the power and bodies could set the toughness. They'd be spaced apart strangely, but it could work. Not sure that's interesting enough.

      Heads could grants +N/+N to their bodies, but I think that's our last resort.

      Heads could have some number of +1/+1 counters that affect the mechs final size.

      I don't see any other options for joining-DFCs to have combine P/T.

      Delete