Tesla: Charged with Battery

We've been looking at potential artifact mechanics for Tesla, and last week saw a lot of good ideas. I've given some thoughts in the comments, so today I'm going to focus in on one idea I found particularly interesting: Bass' Batteries.

One Size Fits All

This little bauble may not look like much, but it actually has a lot going for it. The simplest application is its interaction with one of these.

Batteries slot into a similar space to Eldrazi Spawn and Gold tokens in that they deliver one-time mana to allow players to either cast expensive spells or build up for one big turn. Eldrazi Spawn deliver colorless mana, Gold gives you any kind, and Batteries give you more of what you already have. Slightly different space, but it doesn't sound like enough to warrant a whole new mechanic.

But there's a reason we've seen Eldrazi Spawn as a major part of a set, but not Gold (and I don't think we will anytime soon). The difference is that Spawn add more gameplay value: They block; they make enters-the-battlefield and death triggers; they attack (with a little help); they blank lifelink damage. And there's more if you delve deeper. A lot of cards interact with creatures. And the reason we're on this topic is that Batteries have similar range. Targeting a creature after attacking grants a sort of psuedo-Vigilance.

Lands aren't the only cards with repeatable tap abilities.

Untapping an opponent's creature enables a potential blocker (especially relevant in multiplayer variants).

Some cards care about untapping.

Or being untapped.

Batteries can even interact with your opponents' removal.

And there are plenty more. Batteries are artifacts, which might matter if we have a mechanic like Metalcraft; they enable Gravestorm. I could go on. But before we get too excited there's another point to address.

Tailor Made

How do we put them onto the battlefield in the first place? We have three basic options, of which we'll probably want a mix.

Add them as a bonus to spells like Scry:

Offer them as a reward for jumping through hoops:

Or allow them to build up consistently over time:

No matter the approach, our biggest hurdle is clear: Batteries make for some text-laden cards. Our best bet would probably be to bundle that up into a keyword action so it's clear where one effect ends and players don't need to read through it every time. Unfortunately, I don't see a way around the associated up-front comprehension complexity.

What are your thoughts on Battery? Am I missing a major flaw? Is it a good fit for Tesla? Does it excite you?

If you're a Johnny the answer to that last question is probably "yes." Regardless of your own psychographic membership, we all need to design for everyone. This week's challenge is to design a card for Tesla that Johnny would be excited to play with Batteries. Bonus points for submitting commons.