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Recent updates to Multiverse Design Challenge: (Generated at 2025-05-17 09:34:30)
woefully? we just had a block with wolf tribal.
Artic Pup
For Challenge # 083. Something tribal and linear. Wolves, as a tribe, are woefully under-explored in Magic. I kept trying to mess with an 'alpha dog' mechanic, where all the other creatures gave credence to the wolf with the higest power... but this seemed more appropriate. I wish I could have added this line:
(When this creature becomes blocked, you may tap any number of untapped wolf creatures. Those wolves fight all creatures blocking this creature.)
But, obviously, I only had enough space for one or the other.
It's true. I wouldn't put them on a lot of cards... just a smattering. But the problem of "That's a lot of triggers" is the similar to the problem that Izzet faces when it has a bunch of triggers of sorceries and instants. Admittedly, 'every spell' is much more common than 'sorceries and instants you control'.
That said, it should probably be as common as tapping lands to play spells, then untapping all your lands on each of your turns. Since the action is simple (it isn't asking you to move counters around, or shuffle your library or anything. Just pick up one pile of cards and flip them, and maybe do the same thing to another pile of cards) and all Abeyance cards do the same thing (If this was team Izzet, you might be allocating damage, untapping a creature, giving another creature a bonus to power, and drawing a card when you play one instant, for example) it should only frustrated a certain subset of players. How large that subset is, though, would probably require playtesting.
mtn to plains
hmmm i wonder how kird ape would look like using this format....
the problem is flipping too often. if this would appear on a lot of cards, imagine flipping them all after every single spelled cast by every player. also these are triggers, so they go on the stack before any of them resolves. would be worse on mtgo. if every 30 seconds you're interrupted by a stack of triggers.
I thought that you got priority in cleanup if madness triggers? But point taken, it might be less confusing anyway.
For Challenge # 083. Don't mind me. I'm just evolving a mechanic over here. Obviously, gargoyles work best in a "Casting spells matters" block.
Cave Totem and Breaker Bearer.
For Challenge # 083. I know flip cards are unlikely to come back, at least for a long time, but this just seemed like the simplest way to execute the idea. (My first thought was to use a counter to express whether the creature was on or off. That was obviously over-wordy.)
Keywords can be tricky. Sometimes they're hard to justify, especially when they take up such a small amount of mind space. In theory, you could just write this ability out on 15 cards... but I do like how the keyword saves you space on the flipped side, giving you the ability to add more stuff.
If you changed it to "by a spell or ability your opponent controls" you could get away with a vaguely cheaper cost, too. That, and it will cut out confusion during cleanup. I'm pretty sure the answer is "You can't do anything during cleanup", but many players will try to pay mana to not discard their 8th card anyway.
I can understand the desire for cards to be written like this, but it reminds me of computer code and mathematics, which turns me off. I wish it didn't, since it seems logical enough, but I can't control my first reaction.
Though, I do agree that "Mountainbound {Vigilance, first strike}" is a lot less offensive to my sensibilities. I'm not sure why one would make a lot of red creatures with Mountainbound... but I could understand why someone would make a lot of Green and Black creatures with Mountainbound, or make creatures with 'enchantmentbound' or Dwarves with 'Dragonbound'. Sure.
Normally this is something like "Homebound Mountain — <keyword>". This is what they normally do when a keyword (e.g. suspend) has two variable. Personally, I'd use the non-mana cost format and reword the keyword so it's a single word, resulting in e.g. "Mountainhaven — <abilities>".
The closest thing we have for reference, I believe, is forecast.
abilities have no rules significance, this does. second if expanding rules means ability words, all keywords are ability words. whats weird to you looks much cleaner to me.
Congrats, you just invented ability words. Those do basically the same thing without the weird format.
"As long as this creature is attacking, prevent all combat damage to it" actually does makes sense on a berserker. You can kill it, just not wound it in battle. That by itself would be a good mechanic IMO.
Fixed the name.
It's a darn good example of an existing built in type though. There's Spider/Reach as well. And Birds+Angels+Dragons+Vampires+SomeInsects+Stuff/Flying
I was going to say "What about shapeshifters and changeling" and then I realised it really, really, really wasn't tied to a single creature type :)
Hm. Maybe it would work better as "You may put it onto the battlefield" or "You may return it to your hand" instead; that removes a lot of the ambiguity and makes it simpler by putting it into the zone you really wanted it in?
PS. Oops on the name. I was thinking of Mystifying Maze which is what Maze of Ith is sort of. But Ith was a lot more iconic.
Blame the "Minotaurs like mazes" thing on Dungeons and Dragons original Fiend Folio. I'm sure it popped up there because Gygax and Co. were looking for an ability that Minotaurs could possess... otherwise, they'd just be yet another bigtough with some horns.
I like what you're going with, Jack, but something feels off. My first thought would be to flicker the Minotaur, instead of forcing him to stay in play... but I don't know how sold you are on your own mechanic. I also like the idea of a card that returns to hand whenever zones would change, but I guess that would also resonate differently.
Oh, but I didn't notice that this was an anti-discard, anti-Morningtide effect, too. Interesting. That is kind of cool... but it reminds me more of how you can't push dwarves around. Maybe this is a Dwarf?
Huh; I've not met that trope before. I guess it's just a consequence of naming. It's "The Minotaur's maze" or "The maze of the Minotaur". Which initially meant a maze imprisoning the minotaur; but I can see how it changed to ownership and thus presumed mastery thereof.
It really is a pretty odd legend that survives, though. "Ah! I have built an inescapable maze! It, uh, has absolutely no turnings and is basically a single winding corridor; but never mind that! Ancient greek powers! But woe is me, I must reveal the secret to the Hero! Um, I know! You can use string! It's... um, recently invented and mystical! In years to come we'll update the legend, I'm sure... probably."
It all comes off looking rather tawdry.
Uh, right. Card.
Minotaur + Maze is an obvious flavour combo. Glad to see it. Interesting take on it; but I guess putting Maze of Ith on a whole decks worth of creatures would be insane. This is kinda super-regenerate? And cannot-be-exiled? And, um, I guess "I can cast this card a lot, without using up a card from my hand" if that ever matters... Seems kinda fiddly to be a red ability. Still, looked at as something like "Really freakin stubborn" it works.