I need ideas for a "hand" mechanic!

http://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/882/ideas-for-a-hand-set#latest
^^ my original post

Ok, so the challenge is to create a mechanic that uses design space in the hand/library.
In the set, i have so far:

OLD:
Fateseal N
Scour N (Mill)


NEW:
Inquisition (cost): If you pay an additional (cost) while casting this spell, also look at any number of target player's hands.
ABILITYWORDNAME: Reveal (something) from your hand, (effect)
Cache by @fabiocbinbutter
Concentrate: Choose a number. Exile face down cards from the top of your library until that many cards have been exiled. Draw a card, then put those cards back on top of your library.*

AND... A mechanic created by one of you!

Challenge:
Make a mechanic that somehow deals with your hand, library, or an opponents. Also, try not to make it a keyword action**, I have too many of those.

1st place: 3 favorites on cards of his or her choosing, and the mechanic will be in my set.

Everyone who enters will get a favorite on the card he/she entered, also no more than 3 entries.

Have fun!

*I think it's too wordy... If anyone can create a less wordy version, post that below.
** @Tomigon can explain those... again...
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Comments

  • Concentrate could just be "Put the card nth from the top of your library into your hand", but still I don't see how this is sufficiently different from just drawing to be interesting
  • I'm assuming that the end goal is to make these on actual mtgcardsmith cards, but I'm still not 100% sure on these, so Id like to kick them around and get feedback first. More to come...

    Insight (on a permanent) - Each opponent must play with a card in his or her hand revealed that is not already revealed for another insight ability.

    So for example if you have two creatures with insight, and your opponent has 3 cards in hand, he/she must play with two revealed cards and one hidden card.

    Notice Notice - Whenever an opponent reveals a card with {property} (in a hidden zone), {good effect}

  • Tricky. I made this a while ago but it needs work.

    http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/underworld-mindshaper?list=user

    The idea basically being to dictate what your opponent draws.
  • Recon - Whenever you declare any number of attackers, defending player must reveal that many cards from his or her hand.
  • Scout-when this card deals damage to an opponent, draw a card
  • Maybe some kind of opposite to Hellbent for control decks that like to sandbag their cards?

    I dunno, but something like:

    ----------------------------------

    Return target creature to its owner’s hand.

    Mindful – If you have more cards in hand than any other player, or tied for most, instead you may put that creature on top of its owner’s library.

    ----------------------------------

    The problem is that by playing the card you're reducing your hand count, so less likely to trigger. Could be offset by giving Mindful more powerful abilities? Dunno, just thinking out loud here.
  • forgot to say, the challenge ends in a week, that's December... 6...

    December 6th is when the challenge ends!
  • edited November 2015
    http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/whisper-of-fireflies-5?list=user

    Whisper (You may reveal this card when you draw it. If you do, at the beginning of the next main phase, draw a card, then shuffle a card from your hand into your library.)
    ----------------------------------
    http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/creeping-poltergeist?list=user

    Insidious N (Discard a card with converted mana cost N : You may cast this card from your graveyard this turn.)
    ----------------------------------

    The concept of both abilities are
    "You don't know what's in my hand, so how do you move?"
    Please check out cards to know how these abilities are used in cards.


    I feel like there'll be better name that can be replaced with "Whisper"..


  • When (Condition), Defile X - (Look at the top X cards of your opponent's library, put any number of them on the bottom of their library then return the rest to the top in any order.)
  • edited November 2015
    Excavate- (You and your opponent reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature with power 4 or greater, the player who revealed more cards puts both creatures onto the battle field under their control, all other cards revealed this way are put into the graveyard.)
  • edited November 2015
    I'm playing around with two cool mechanics in my head, but still ironing out the details and example cards. Feedback would be greatly appreciated!

    Shellgame {cost}: {effect} - {cost}, reveal this card from your hand and shuffle it back in: {effect}. An opponent picks a card from your hand, and if it has the same name as the revealed card, discard it. Play this ability only as a sorcery.

    Basically, you can reuse the spell/effect as long as the opponent does not pick it. With a one card hand, it's single use, but with a 7-card hand, it can be recurred for a long time. Revealed cards (such as with my insight mechanic above) effectively count against this card total... Sorcery speed because it's too much shenanigans to be doing at any time, just keep it to your main phase please :P

    Example:
    Shellshock {1}{R}
    Instant
    Shellshock deals 2 damage to target creature or player
    Shellgame {r}: Shellshock deals 1 damage to target creature or player

    Leverage is found on instants and sorceries and modifies how you play them. As you cast a leverage spell, before you put it on the stack, you may announce the name of the card you are playing and split your hand into two piles, then an opponent picks a pile. When the spell is cast, you copy the spell for each card in the chosen pile. (Then the spell has a positive effect if the opponent chose wrong, or a negative effect if the opponent chose right - maybe always random targets, maybe not?) I like that the word has a dual meaning - tied to information, but also tied to multiplying the magnitude of an effect.

    Examples:
    Counsel of the Sages {u}
    Sorcery
    Leverage
    Target player scries 1.
    If Counsel of the Sages was not in the chosen pile, choose the target at random.

    Ire of the Gods {1}{r}
    Sorcery
    Leverage
    Ire of the Gods deals two damage to target creature.
    If Ire of the Gods was not in the chosen pile, choose the target at random.
  • Also, to help feed cards that care about hand size/hidden information, there could be "fluff" or "Pawn" cards, which could be cards that you could search for outside the game, but have very low play value, so they are most useful in your hand.

    Phyrexian Laboratory {1}{B}
    Enchantment
    At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life and choose a Pawn card you own from outside the game, reveal it, and put it into your hand.
  • I think that an effect for what happens based on the size of the pile is a bit overpowered, just saying, as it would lead to infinite sets of leverage activation.
  • also, I have a new mechanic: Prepare. look at the top X cards of your library. put a card with casting cost Y or less into your hand., where X is determined by the card, and Y is the number of a specific type of perminant on the battlefield. example:

    Journey's Planning
    Sorcery
    2wg
    Prepare Creature 3( look at the top three cards of your library. put a card with casting cost X or less into your hand, where X is the number of creatures you control.)
    Put 2 +1/+1 counters on target creature

    Please comment on how this could be fixed or balanced.
  • @Sorins_Thirst that's already fateseal.
  • @Sorins_Thirst Defile. Excavate is new.
  • @michaelmvm @stormbreath I change it to When (Condition), Divulge X - (Look at the top X cards of your opponent's library, put any number of them on the bottom of their library then return the rest to the top in any order.)
  • edited November 2015
    @sorins_thirst
    So it's "when a thing happens, fateseal."

    And fateseal is already in the set.
  • @Sorins_Thirst- work on excavate, Divulge is already good.
    @michaelmvm-can you look at my Prepare mechanic? I want to check if it is OP or underpowered or what.
  • @stormbreath
    I like it, but it's a little too complicated and not specific enough, like, there are too many different possible versions, it could be 10 mechanics with a lot of design space. It would probably not be on commons...
    Maybe if it was:

    Insight N
    As you cast this spell, look at the top N cards of your library. Put a card with cmc N or less into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library.

    Or something...
  • thanks for the tip. I really had to much design space in that mechanic.
  • http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/whisper-of-fireflies-6?list=user

    Inkling (You may reveal this card when you draw it. If you do, at the beginning of the next main phase, draw a card, then shuffle a card from your hand into your library.)

    Thanxs to @Gelectrode for the ability's name "Inkling"! It was "Whisper" in my previous post. The old card was deleted.
  • edited December 2015
    While this isn't exactly what you asked for, here's a planeswalker I whipped up that I think fits your theme:

    http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/po-pleasure-planeswalker-1

    Po, Pleasure Planeswalker. He's BUG colored, with emphasis on a theme of "Indulgence to Excess". He makes players draw cards, which could be considered "diplomatic" in multiplayer games, but with the goal of eventually causing potential overdraw.
  • Disregard (Look at and rearrange to top twenty cards of that opponent's library, then look at that opponent's hand. You may put five cards in that player's graveyard into their library.)

    Way too OP, but useful for those mythics.
  • edited December 2015
    For a moment I thought this ended December 6th, but now I'm not sure so here you go: http://mtgcardsmith.com/view/time-caster-1

    Other applications of this could be as follows:
    *Keyword ability* Warp: cards in hand to *keyword* or permanents to gain a *keyword* until end of turn.

    or

    Warp (X): Pay X generic and then what you cast has flash. (sorcery or maybe permanent)
  • December 6th is a vague date... it could end anytime, really...
  • This is all I have before it ends...no its not a joke entry...sometimes I do that
This discussion has been closed.