tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post4571633059900653115..comments2024-03-11T02:32:15.295-04:00Comments on Goblin Artisans: CCDD 052115—ExploreUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-66334021786144315912015-05-25T22:00:33.966-04:002015-05-25T22:00:33.966-04:00Only that I was preserving Inanimate's origina...Only that I was preserving Inanimate's originally functionality.Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-69789032349228173912015-05-24T11:57:10.554-04:002015-05-24T11:57:10.554-04:00The disagreement is interesting. I actually think...The disagreement is interesting. I actually think "Draw a card" is both too strong and too weak, in different senses. <br /><br />It is too weak in that it is hard to get excited about except for very Spike-y players. I'm constantly shaving conditional cantrips from my game because there is just something more interesting/captivating/splashy that can go in that space. <br /><br />On the other hand, as I've said many times, card advantage is probably the most insidious force in the game. Certainly fewer than half of Magic players understand it at all, and even fewer can actually do the card advantage math for all of the basic effects. <br /><br />And card advantage isn't just insidious because its power is hidden from new players, but also because it leads to so many games where newer players get just absolutely annihilated and it isn't clear why they're losing. Card advantage isn't something people learn naturally, which is why the Pros didn't even understand it until surprisingly late into the game. <br /><br />(Do note: I'm certainly not advocating getting rid of card advantage. I've said before I think the tempo/card advantage balance is at least as important as any other part of the trifecta to the game's success. I just advocate using it very carefully. I think that time they printed cantrip lands and everyone had to learn to first pick them was a bit of a disaster.)Tommy Occhipintihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13495646355536064735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-20549919315784731112015-05-24T11:44:54.767-04:002015-05-24T11:44:54.767-04:00"Instead"? Any particular reason for br..."Instead"? Any particular reason for bringing out the old Ophidian template?Tommy Occhipintihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13495646355536064735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-46710884500380948862015-05-23T15:49:17.092-04:002015-05-23T15:49:17.092-04:00Jay: That implementation works perfectly fine, but...Jay: That implementation works perfectly fine, but it completely loses the flavor. :P Also, there's a lot of stuff you can do interacting with "the unknown".<br /><br />"Whenever a creature you control hits the unknown" on an Explorer, for example. Or, "Creatures you control attacking the unknown get +2/+2". Etc.Inanimatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00440653491352410437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-20988412692690920372015-05-23T11:02:44.771-04:002015-05-23T11:02:44.771-04:00It also desperately would love to be in a set with...It also desperately would love to be in a set with Landfall...Basshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14796834860620921124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-69930661102001638522015-05-23T10:51:10.566-04:002015-05-23T10:51:10.566-04:00Trailblazer 2G
Creature - Elf Scout (C)
Explorer —...Trailblazer 2G<br />Creature - Elf Scout (C)<br /><i>Explorer</i> — If Trailblazer would deal combat damage to a player, you may instead search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped. Then shuffle your library.<br />1/3Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-14462115113233785462015-05-23T10:45:01.972-04:002015-05-23T10:45:01.972-04:00It's completely different, but it is a solid s...It's completely different, but it is a solid smoothing mechanic (provided we always have a use for land), does feel like exploration, and could work nicely with some triggers:<br /><br />G<br />Whenever you reveal cards from your library, ~ gets +1/+1 until EOT for each card revealed.<br /><br />W<br />Whenever you reveal cards from your library, gain 1 life for each card revealed.<br /><br />R<br />Whenever you reveal cards from your library, you may cast one of them.<br /><br />U<br />Whenever you reveal cards from your library, you may pay {U} to put one of them into your hand.<br /><br />B<br />Whenever you reveal cards from your library, you may put any of them into your graveyard.Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-61208837919114374112015-05-23T08:46:48.435-04:002015-05-23T08:46:48.435-04:00Very interesting. Since planeswalkers introduced t...Very interesting. Since planeswalkers introduced the idea of attacking things other than players, this could be a good way of doing Ophidian-style effects. I might try the reminder text trimmed down to "<i>This creature can attack the unknown. If it does, any player's creatures may block it.</i>" and maybe hold out for alternative concepts to "the unknown" - something more branded to Magic, perhaps.Pasteurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02058331124653341978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-61549380782540704622015-05-23T08:36:06.773-04:002015-05-23T08:36:06.773-04:00I'm not actually sure. This could get the M11/...I'm not actually sure. This could get the M11/scry treatment, and really only appear on a few cards - maybe two green sorceries, a green creature, an artifact, and a red enchantment with "Sac a land"? I really don't think I'd be comfortable with it in white or blue, and only red or black with sufficiently in-color costs.Pasteurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02058331124653341978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-17685437589475976462015-05-22T19:49:43.000-04:002015-05-22T19:49:43.000-04:00That drastically changes this mechanic, in multipl...That drastically changes this mechanic, in multiple ways. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with an entire mechanic of Rampant Growths, for example.Inanimatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00440653491352410437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-36836017946623022232015-05-22T19:49:08.307-04:002015-05-22T19:49:08.307-04:00But then it can only hit things with a CMC of 2 or...But then it can only hit things with a CMC of 2 or less, not 6 or less.Inanimatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00440653491352410437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-77228999824168589452015-05-22T19:29:56.539-04:002015-05-22T19:29:56.539-04:00How about Explore as a reverse Cascade? "Exil...How about Explore as a reverse Cascade? "Exile the top card of your library until your reveal a land card. Put that card onto the battlefield tapped and the other exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order."Basshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14796834860620921124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-462817631589605942015-05-22T18:51:32.066-04:002015-05-22T18:51:32.066-04:00I think Scornful Explorer should cost UU with Kick...I think Scornful Explorer should cost UU with Kicker 4 (yea, I know, Kicker sucks, you could also make it a triggered ability) and if you paid the kicker cost, Explore. Yes, NWO only affects commons, but the way this is worded it still could be confusing, especially for new players.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08835459710709023309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-18030343270675335412015-05-22T15:41:07.401-04:002015-05-22T15:41:07.401-04:00I've included the "any opponent's cre...I've included the "any opponent's creatures" as I think it's an interesting addition and solves the problem of "who can block it?", but it does feel a bit weird since it gets worse the more players you include in the game.Inanimatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00440653491352410437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-84820890309467631842015-05-22T15:40:15.102-04:002015-05-22T15:40:15.102-04:00I was thinking about the part of this mechanic tha...I was thinking about the part of this mechanic that I really liked - the choice between tapping down a valuable creature to explore, or keeping them available for other purposes. I really like the mechanical implementation of 'exploration' here - you're sending the creature on a mission, so they can't do anything else.<br /><br />Is there another way to represent that? I think there is. Inspired by <br />http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/creativity/custom-card-creation/562182-horizon-stride<br />I present to you:<br /><br /><b>Trailblazer</b> {2}{G}<br />Creature - Elf Scout (C)<br />Explorer <i>(This creature can attack the unknown. If it does, any opponent's creatures may block this creature as though they were the defending player.)</i><br />When Trailblazer hits the unknown, search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped. Then shuffle your library.<br />1/3<br /><br />Interesting? Inanimatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00440653491352410437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-43655976877484027812015-05-22T15:35:41.647-04:002015-05-22T15:35:41.647-04:00I wasn't saying that being a pseudo-cantrip is...I wasn't saying that being a pseudo-cantrip is bad. I was saying that being a pseudo-cantrip is not worth all the words it takes to explain it.<br /><br />The sad part about your proposed 'fix' is that it removes all the actual decision-making from the mechanic. I wish there was a way to keep that.Inanimatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00440653491352410437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-67989859943840900662015-05-22T15:14:39.782-04:002015-05-22T15:14:39.782-04:00I had something between cantrip and scrying.
Augu...I had something between cantrip and scrying.<br /><br />Augur N <i>(Look at the top N cards of your library. You may pay {2} or 2 life to put one of them into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library.)</i>Amuseumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17016954204399843993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-58735205676008644492015-05-22T14:11:47.723-04:002015-05-22T14:11:47.723-04:00Not every mechanic goes on every color. But is ble...Not every mechanic goes on every color. But is bleeding this effect in a land set okay? If so, which color(s) should get it?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17647677781801914930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-20511566253615824602015-05-22T13:15:19.654-04:002015-05-22T13:15:19.654-04:00We have disagreement whether "draw a card&quo...We have disagreement whether "draw a card" is too much effect or too little, but that's all relative to how it's used. What I think we all agree on is that it's too much text. We can remove the tap, making the ability easier and slightly shorter:<br /><br />Explore <i>(Look at the top card of your library. If its converted mana cost is less than the highest among creatures you control, you may reveal it and put it into your hand.)</i><br /><br />What else can we do to shorten it? CMC takes more text than 3 words.<br /><br />Explore <i>(Look at the top card of your library. If no cards with its name has been played this game, you may reveal it and put it into your hand.)</i><br /><br />Are there more interesting effects than drawing the card? That feel like discovery? Casting it for free would be hard to balance.Jay Treathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09428861685923241850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-10936942917792433982015-05-22T06:35:13.228-04:002015-05-22T06:35:13.228-04:00Yeah. This was seeming really cool and interesting...Yeah. This was seeming really cool and interesting until I realised that it was just worse-than-cantrip. Worse both because you need to tap down a creature, normally at sorcery speed; and also because the cantrip isn't reliable (or at least you need to work to make it reliable). <br /><br />Nonetheless, "worse than cantrip" can still be a fine spot for a smoothing mechanic with good gameplay and fitting flavour. But the prices need to make it attractive (or the cards be otherwise playable without the explore). If you have a creature big enough to guarantee hitting the explore, Wander Dark Passages can be... Twitch at sorcery speed. It's probably better used as a sorcery-speed Repel the Darkness where the cantrip is unreliable and needs you to tap something of your own, but, well, that description makes it clear how bad it is. (And possibly clarifies that just changing the costs or speed might not help.)AlexChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05674122775216494431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-64776251677431803992015-05-22T06:27:28.409-04:002015-05-22T06:27:28.409-04:00Exactly my feelings.Exactly my feelings.Basshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14796834860620921124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-50518139931087234702015-05-21T20:48:17.702-04:002015-05-21T20:48:17.702-04:00The problem with keywording green mechanics is tha...The problem with keywording green mechanics is that then they get put on blue cards.Pasteurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02058331124653341978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-3964471580689884762015-05-21T20:32:50.234-04:002015-05-21T20:32:50.234-04:00I'm not too sure that there's enough fun i...I'm not too sure that there's enough fun in this mechanic to justify the lingual contortions it seems to require.zefferalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13845251416516553492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-88746298980479911582015-05-21T19:56:23.093-04:002015-05-21T19:56:23.093-04:00I do think there is potential, but I think drawing...I do think there is potential, but I think drawing a too strong a reward. Maybe a +1/+1 counter instead?Tommy Occhipintihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13495646355536064735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5479847193762153273.post-12892994140944265382015-05-21T19:48:30.646-04:002015-05-21T19:48:30.646-04:00"Just a cantrip bonus" is really underse..."Just a cantrip bonus" is really underselling how swingy this is. This is absolutely make or break. My initial take is that this is way too swingy, though I know Jay loves players seeing way more cards than "normal" Magic.Tommy Occhipintihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13495646355536064735noreply@blogger.com