Cool Card Design of the Day5/31/2017 - If an aura triggers when it's countered, that should kick into effect whether it's countered directly by your opponent's Negate, or indirectly by the game rules for lack of a target (because your opponent Murdered the creature you were trying to enchant).
The trick with this aura mechanic is it's probably not worth putting it on something small, like most common auras. There should be some room to play between primary effects that are very good paired with marginal counter effects, and the opposite, but the vast majority want to be right in the middle.
Demonic Bond isn't the best example of this, because your opponent can wait for it resolve and kill your creature then (if they're not using Searing Spear or Last Gasp); I got carried away with the flavor and aesthetics. So here's a bonus card that uses the mechanic better:
What kind of aura would you use this tech on?
Like the Amonkhet "cycled or discard", I think this needs some clarification that the aura is countered of its target leaves the battlefield while this is on the stack. The problem is that I don't have a short, clear way to explain that.
ReplyDelete"If ~ is countered (or 'fizzles' for lack of targets)…"
Delete"Is countered by a spell, ability or if the target is no longer valid as this spell resolves. " is as close as I get, but at that point you might as well say "goes to the graveyard from the stack".
DeleteDisagree: All of the words in the first are well known. "The stack" is still a trivia bonus word.
DeleteI feel like "valid target" or the fact that a spell is "countered" if it's target is no longer legal when it resolves requires a level of rules knowledge more advanced than knowing about the stack. Those concepts are very obscure without a deep Melviny knowledge
DeleteHuh, I like the idea. I wonder if there's a way to line the effects up a bit more, like have a "When a creature dies while ~ is enchanting or targeting it, ..."
ReplyDeleteThat shores up the two most prominent 2-for-1 weaknesses and feels a bit more like a single effect.
Demonic Bond is great in limited, but when I looked at it, my first thought was, "can I play this on a sac creature" which ought to be possible, but probably not look like the main point of the card.
I would like a few of these cards to be actively sweet to counter yourself. I was thinking more in terms of Disrupt or Remand, but sacking the target in response is clever too. The majority shouldn't reward such play, because you're right, that's not the purpose.
DeleteMourning Stag is similar.
DeleteBestow was the Aura mechanic that really covered all the bases - creature dying in response, dying later, or getting bounced. Could the variety of ways an enchantment can die be keyworded?
ReplyDeleteForever Flying U
Enchantment Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has flying.
When CARDNAME expires (is put into a graveyard from the battlefield or the stack), return CARDNAME to your hand.
Maybe we can get a game term, the same way 'dies' is official shorthand for creature goes to the gy from the bf.
Delete"When this aura fades"
Ends
Fizzles
Ceases
Expires
The real trick being that the word has to be so intuitive it doesn't require reminder text.
DeleteSeems like a lot of unnecessary text for something that's only rarely gonna happen -- considering your opponent can see the consequences AND they have to actually have countermagic prepared for this to work.
ReplyDeleteBlossom in Deep Shade is a bit better because its effect is basically to reduce the effects of a counterspell (that is, you still get partial effect from it).
DeleteBut Demonic Bond is some straight up disappointment-in-a-can (I think most players who read the card will be hoping for it to be countered, for the 'countered' effect) unless you're gunning to have players counter/fizzle their own spell.