Cool Card Design of the Day1/6/2015 - Like auras, and with good reason, equipment doesn't tap. Players tend to tap and untap everything attached to a creature with that creature and so tracking the actual tapped state of equipment independently of the equipped creature is awkward and could cause misplays.
But I really wanted to see if I could make a geared equipment, so I gave the creature vigilance, which means it won't be tapping at all (unless it has a tap ability, but you'll soon see you want to be attacking with it.)
While I feel good about the solution of vigilance to mitigate the problem of a tapping equipment, it's not a perfect solution. We could definitely make this a plain artifact. We lose some really neat flavor, and we're no longer guaranteeing we enhance at least the equipped creature, but we weren't guaranteed to enhance any artifact creatures either. In this case, I think simplicity trumps flavor.It certainly trumps clever design: everything does.
X doesn't work well with Geared anyway - there's usually no reason not to spend the entirety of X the first time, so untapping it to use it again is not as useful.
ReplyDeleteRiffing in a totally different direction:
Warlink
4
Artifact - Rare
Geared
T: Attach target Equipment you control to target creature you control.
I like the idea. Can you make it do more? I wouldn't run this in any deck currently.
DeleteWarlink
Delete4
Artifact - Rare
Geared
T: Attach target Equipment you control to target creature you control, then equipped creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.
or even bolder:
Warlink
4
Artifact - Rare
Geared
T: Put a token copy of target Equipment you control onto the battlefield. Attach it to target creature you control.
Warlink has the strongest possible synergy with geared:
DeleteWhenever you cast an equipment, warlink will untap and allow you to attach it for free. Too synergistic? I dunno, but definitely points for synergy.
If it's rare, I would go with a static bonus to equipped creatures and a T:attach equipment. We can probably add a 1 to the cost of the T ability and make it a lot safer without being much more unattractive?
DeleteJay - had you realized that before you said "I wouldn't run this in any decks currently"? Because that was the original thought in my mind - that this card essentially read "you get one free equip for every Equipment you cast".
DeleteIt's not that dissimilar to:
Warlink
4
Artifact - Rare
Whenever an Equipment enters the battlefield under your control, attach it to target creature you control.
Does that read better, even though it's strictly worse (as it doesn't allow instant speed equip shenanigans or multiple uses if you cast non-Equipment artifacts)?
I had.
DeleteThe trouble is this effect isn't good enough on a card that doesn't do anything else. On a creature it would be an awesome bonus. On Stoneforge Mystic is was nuts.
I like the version that boosts all equipped creatures.
How many equipment does a deck need before the pure Warlink is worth running? Does that deck leave enough room for creatures to equip? Other spells?
Delete"On a creature it would be an awesome bonus" - Well, I always liked Auriok Windwalker, but nobody else seems to :/
DeleteAlong with the aforementioned Auriok Windwalker, Puresteel Paladin and Brass Squire have similar abilities, not sure how much play they saw. Is there a reason that Geared can't be on a small creature?
DeleteRusted Outfitter
2
Artifact Creature - Construct
Geared
T: Attach target Equipment you control to target creature you control
0/2
What about equipment that grants a creature geared?
ReplyDeletePower Suit 3
Artifact- Equipment (Uncommon)
Equipped creature gets +3/+3 and has geared. (It doesn't untap during your untap step. Untap it whenever an artifact enters the battlefield under your control.)
Equip 2
Not at all sure of the numbers on this. Compare to Leaden Fists.
I like this, modulo getting the numbers right. I would add "and can't block" to avoid the cheap answer.
DeleteOr "must attack if able," but yeah. It's cool. And a great solution to geared-equipment. Probably better as an aura, though.
Delete