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CardName: Create Cost: Type: Pow/Tgh: / Rules Text: Flavour Text: Set/Rarity: Conversation None

Create
 
 
Updated on 02 Aug 2016 by dude1818

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2016-07-27 04:41:04: dude1818 created and commented on the card Create

What are people's opinions of the keywording of "put a token onto the battlefield"? The first example was shown on the upcoming Rise from the Tides FNM promo card, and Mark Rosewater (and others) confirmed on Twitter that this is the template starting in Kaladesh. My question to you is, do you like the change and what do you think it foretells about Kaladesh?

In my opinion, I'm not a fan. It's convenient, sure, and that's not to say I'm against it, but overall I'm pretty meh about it. Contrast that with dies, which I really liked keyworded.

I was a little surprised they didn't do this for SOI, considering investigate was a mechanic, although I guess the flavor was off. (You're not creating the clues, you're finding them.) I'd be surprised if they introduce this without it mattering in some way in Kaladesh.

I like how it saves space. I don't like the way it sounds and feels when making creature tokens. It feels more right with artifact tokens, which I imagine will be prevalent in Kaladesh.

I think it's funny how the very first card we get to see with the new wording shows an example of how it can be awkward. "Create a tapped Zombie" is uncomfortable phrasing. Of course, maybe it only bothers me because it's new.

I do wish they had chosen a more universal word, though I'm having trouble thinking of one. "Created a 1/1 white Soldier" sounds off when compared to "Create a 3/3 Golem."

Perhaps "Summon a 2/2 green Elf?" I think that sounds better, though I guess it is reminiscent both of Yugioh and the defunct card type Summon.

I like it. I think it'll be intuitive to most people, and making the template shorter is really valuable, both for making common cards easier to read, and for squeezing more effect onto rare cards.

There's several clunky phrases like "put onto the battlefield". I imagine they've tested several phrases to keyword, but wanted to be really sure before using any of them.

I'm not completely happy with "create" but I can't think of anything better. FWIW, I think of it as meaning creating the token, not the creature. I think the keyword needs to make it clear that you take a token and put it into the game, "summon" might imply search your library or something.

Finding some terminology for this is long overdue.

I might have preferred "Summon", which has been used in other games (most recently Codex Card Time Strategy), and fits nicely with "summoning sickness". But Jack's got a sensible point that it could be taken as implying searching your library, or even Elvish Piper/Dramatic Entrance from your hand.

I feel like the fact that it specifies the token's attributes means that the only players who would confuse summon or another keyword with searching their library are the players who already confuse the current template with that (or e.g. the players who think Llanowar Elves taps to search your library for a Forest).

I advocated for this long time and already done this for my custom cards years ago. I have used both "summon" for flavor and "create" for more layman readibility and for cross-compatibility with another game I was working on.

This is a very great change. First, tokens are so common now and huge mechanic in card games, it deserves a simple phrase. Second, it would facilitate rider effects. Third, yes it saves a lot of space. Esp. For planeswalkers cards that have limited space per effect. And many PWs create tokens. Fourth, it reads and types faster. When you make a huge amount of cards, a simple intuitive word helps your brain process faster and helps organizing the cards. Also as a player, you process it faster, helping you focus on strategy.

I appreciate the keyword, even if I'm not thrilled about the word 'create'. As it stands, anyone who 'puts a token on the battlefield' still has to be told what that expression means (what tokens are, and what they do aren't necessarily intuitive.) So if you've got to send someone to the rulebook anyway, you might as well keyword it.

I'm very much a fan of the fact that this action was given shorthand. I just don't love the term. I'm sure it will grow on me, though.

I'm not sure if I was clear in my original post, but I do support the creation of a specific keyword action for making tokens.

@amuseum Typically, tokenmaking abilities on planeswalkers don't take that much space (they only get wordy when other stuff is involved, like Kiora's emblems or Chandra and Sarkhan's sacrifice abilities).

Personally, I like how easy it'll make to find cards that make tokens (as opposed to cards that mentions tokens or use "nontoken") in databases.

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