Cool Card Design of the Day6/3/2016 - I don't often argue that countermagic shouldn't belong solely to blue, but not because it's okay for blue to dominate magical ability, because countermagic isn't much fun to play against and the game really doesn't need more of it.
But it's worth exploring the argument that blue magic shouldn't be more magical than any other color of magic. This isn't a game of warriors and wizards, running the gambit of actions from swords to sorcery. Yes, we summon muggles to fight for us. We summon them with magic because we are wizards.
Our school of magic (color, in Magic terms) determines the nature of our spells, their modes, methods, and motives. And those characteristics are what makes the colors not just interesting, but their relationship dynamic, driving the game's drama. Blue magic is more studious than green or red's, and that's important, but it isn't somehow more magical. It's all magic.
And that's why it's ridiculous that blue holds singular domain over fundamental magical concepts like countermagic and card drawing.
White should host countermagic because it's the color of rules and prevention. Black should host countermagic because it has the negative energy to cancel positive magic, and because it can do anything for a price. Red should host countermagic through sheer force of will—A powerful red mage should be able to shout 'no' when her dearest family and ideals are threatened. Green should host countermagic because it is all about rejecting the aberrant, enforcing natural destiny.
Some cards…
I made these (and Warp Spell) hybrid out of deference to blue's 20-year reign over countermagic. Planar Chaos is the only exception to countermagic being blue for most of that time. In terms of precedence, that means nothing, but it does still illustrate how the effect could look outside blue. Oh, and Lapse of Certainty, but I'm not sure that's a healthy example given how powerful tempo-based disruption is in combination with white's aggressive decks.
I think making them hybrid weakens the point you're trying to make (: But I agree we're more likely to see the hybrid versions.
ReplyDeleteIn the long-run, they'd be mono-colored, but people are resistant to change, so we make certain concessions to ease the transition.
DeleteI do like those non-blue ideas.
DeleteI know what you mean, but I think hybrid may make more argument not less...
I know I have a great tendency to notice that it's hard to find good hybrid designs, so anything which CAN be hybrid, I always want to make it hybrid. I don't know if other designers are similar?
OTOH, several seemed like they might be good MU cards.
I think if I could give one piece of advice to aspiring Magic designers, it would be never make hybrid cards. It is a tool people use too much, and it usually muddies the picture.
DeleteThat said, there are some cool ideas here. A Familiar Ruse is the most interesting, though I'm not sure I can see it blurring into mono-G, more likely UG, though I suspect this effect may already be overcosted at UG.
Tommy: While I had a similar feeling, apparently it's fine. Green's weakness is that it needs strong-enough creatures on the field to do stuff - this falls neatly into that weakness.
DeleteAn old post by Chah about red countermagic.
ReplyDeleteThe only one of these that I don't like is Spells to Plowshares. I'm not a fan of that effect on creature removal, so I'm not a fan of that effect on counterspells, either. The 'Reparations' effect just isn't white, except by grandfathering.
ReplyDeleteI'd prefer something more like Banishing Light, but for spells. That's tougher to do, though. Would this work:
Banishing Rite {2}{W}
Enchantment (U)
Flash
When Banishing Rite enters the battlefield, exile target spell until Banishing Rite leaves the battlefield. (That permanent returns to the stack under its owner's control.)
I think that gets screwed up when it comes to targets, though. In which case, could we specify like so:
Banishing Rite Fixed? {2}{W}
Enchantment (U)
Flash
When Banishing Rite enters the battlefield, exile target spell until Banishing Rite leaves the battlefield. When Banishing Rite leaves the battlefield and that spell returns to the stack, its controller may choose new targets for that spell.
I feel like that still doesn't work, though.
I agree about Spells to Plowshares.
DeleteBanishing Rite {2}{W}
Enchantment (U)
Flash
When Banishing Rite enters the battlefield, exile target spell. When Banishing Rite leaves the battlefield, that spell's owner may cast it without paying its mana cost.
I'm with Inanimate on this. Another idea I had some time ago while listening to Maro's podcast about white was preventive counterspells. Here two examples:
DeleteSheriff's Prevention 1 {W}{W}
Enchantment
Whenever an opponent plays a spell, you may sacrifice CARDNAME. If you do, counter that spell.
Sheriff's Prevention 2 {W}{W}
Enchantment
Whenever an opponent plays a spell, sacrifice CARDNAME, then counter that spell.
Sheriff's Prevention 2 is fantastic. That's extremely elegant and exactly how white would do it. Bravo.
DeleteYeah. 1 is oppressive. 2 is good.
Delete