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Recent updates to Soradyne Laboratories: (Generated at 2025-07-07 10:01:57)
Though I wasn't really thinking about the distinction, it does feel a little bit more like a feint if your creatures can actually be put into combat and removed.
It might not be that aggressive though, as you would still be leaving yourself open to a counterattack, as the feinted creature wouldn't be returned to an untapped state. But I can imagine a lame scenario where someone just sends some dweebs to feint while they just cast cheap business.
So probably for the best if tested as "unblocked" rather than "attacking".
Cleaned it up and rebalanced it for better play in this format.
Whoa. M_Houlding, I think you've hit on it, though I'd consider rephrasing it as 'remove an unblocked creature you control from combat' so that the mechanic isn't 100% upside for the caster. As it would go now, you could save a creature that would die otherwise and means that the environment would become extremely aggressive, maybe moreso than we'd want.
Very good ideas, everyone!
Another overhaul...
Also, if Houlding's last template works the way I think it does, it means we can put feint on a spell that will affect damage dealt by other creatures in that same combat scenario.
I kind of like that last option. I'd need to reconsider the costing of a few spells, but it could work. It would also allow the ability to work a little more intuitively with Mindstrikers...which is a whole other can of worms.
Here's another thought -
At the moment Feint has three primary elements contributing to its complexity:
In keeping the flavor of Feint, it seems vital that Feinting can only happen during your combat, so there's no real reason to try to mess with that at the moment. The question then is whether a) the cost reduction needs to be scalable and b) if so, can it be attached to something else.
Considering you've gone with a reduction mechanism that doesn't allow for free spells, I wonder if you wouldn't be better served by just removing the scaling altogether, as changing the timing can often be a significant bonus of its own. You could then just attach a Feint cost to the ability and have something much cleaner like:
Ruinous Riot




(You may cast this during combat for its Feint cost if you prevent all combat damage that would be dealt by an attacking creature you control.)
Sorcery
Destroy target artifact or land.
Feint
It doesn't solve the issue of someone feinting off the same creature repeatedly. The only way to do that (that I can think of) is to strengthen the effect somewhat by removing the creature from combat:
Feint [cost] (You may cast this during combat for its feint cost if you remove an attacking creature you control from combat.)
"Now the creature will deal 0 combat damage, regardless of what happens later."
I agree, but what will the cost reduction be?
M Houlding: Hm, interesting idea. Perhaps make it: "Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt by any number of unblocked attackers you control: Cast ~ for
less for each of those creatures" or something? This way works better with more creatures, the original way with big creatures.
I tried
instead of
but it could be either; the cost can be adjusted to match the discounts available.
Playtesting should tell whether than or the original play better (both in terms of fun, or simplicity).
I feel like there must be some good solution to templating rules for the original, though I'm still not sure what. I agree about the giving life back, I thought the same thing, but it would just make it more complicated.
I want something like "When a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may prevent that damage and cast ~ from your hand as though it had flash and for
less for each damage prevented that way". But it doesn't quite work because (1) abilities can't trigger from cards hidden in your hand and (2) the ability doesn't go on the stack until the middle of the combat damage step when damage has already been dealt.