I sometimes stumble upon this set and have a new thought on climax/ultimate this time around: It should be just a single keyword/ability word and can read "Climax 2 — EFFECT" on scenes and "Climax 3 — EFFECT" on planeswalkers. This takes not much space (for planeswalkers "ultimate" is longer than "climax" anyway) and serves as a reminder of the different VP values - especially since planeswalkers historically have little room for reminder text.

Read the first sentence again. I'm not talking about cutting all color hosers, but cutting off-color benefits out of color hosers.

Magic has moved from Volcanic Erruption (red effect on a blue card hosing red) to Baleful Stare (blue effect on a blue card hosing red). Do you see how this improvement doesn't remove the concept of a color hoser from the game? It just means that the means of hosing should still be available to the colors you play.

­Saprazzan Legate e. g. has flying rather than first strike, because it's a blue creature, not red. It's a color hoser, but it's also in-color.

You have placed trample in blue, so Glacial Crasher should be fine.

The arts of the black creatures are depicted to make them seem so terrifying and what not. But then I read their rules text, and they just don't emit the same feeling of terror -- not even close.

Hence I chose to assign double strike as primary in black (and red) for two main reasons. First strike is still primary in white-red. So only red now is primary for both first and double strike.

Double strike in black now gives it a reason to fear it. Whereas black also have several forms of evasion, however, evasion doesn't really emit that sense of fright. It's not same when you don't have to interact with, versus now you must interact and you're not going to like it.

Second, I want black-red to also feel the same scariness. Also extra speed and aggressiveness for that color pair. Who should never slow down.

To compensate for white losing double strike, instead it now gets retaliate. Which means "when this is dealt damage by a source, it deals that much damage to the source's controller". (sort of like reflecting damage.) This gives white some reach to close out games. While this could also feel black, however black already has direct damage spells and various forms of evasion; so it doesn't need it as much as white.

who said anything about require red? why must that be the only path? why can't it both help you and hurt opponent?

you seem to imply ANY hoser is 'bad' gameplay. you know they are printing cards in upcoming set that benefit you if an opponent plays certain colors. oops they must be bad designs, too. oops that counters your argument WotC don't like color hosers.

If a Vampire hoser violates the color pie, then, yes, they is bad too.

If this is about you rewarding for playing red in addition to blue, then it should require you to play red in addition to blue: "you control" over "a player controls".

really? what about Vampire hosers? is they bad too? is constricted removal (e.g. destroy artifact) bad design, vs. universal removal (e.g. detroy permanent)?

anyway this is more about rewarding your own red-blue deck.

Blue getting first strike just because the opponent plays red is the nonsense Magic has consciously cut out of their color hosers for multiple reasons. Bad gameplay is the more important one.

Is the intent that this can imitate allies or enemies? I feel the complexity of imitating opposing blockers may be too much.

> amuseume wrote: "Ultimate and Climax give different amount of points."

Well, you already specified the card type with each of them, so just change the description I quoted above thusly:

> "You get Victory points by activating a planeswalker's Climax (3 pts.) or scene's Climax (2 pts.). Need (7) VP to win."

I mean, we can also open a whole discussion about the reasons behind those numbers being different. It basically says "Activate climax abilities three times to win, except if all three are from scenes you need one more activation."

I vaguely understand scenes have only two activated abilities and their ultimate ability always seems to be a climax ability, so there is a slight understanding that there is a more inherent tendency to activate them, but otherwise scenes and planeswalkers (with designated ultimate/climax) are not that dissimilar.

­:shrug:

Ultimate and Climax give different amount of points.

How is naming an existing mechanic suddenly turn it into non interactive and parasitic?