MTG Cardsmith Community Forums
Post your favorite custom mechanics here. (For Mechanix Challenge #30)
The next mechanix challenge is 30th! So I want to make it something special.
So, if you want your mechanics to be used in Mechanix Challenge 30, post that mechanic and a card that uses it to this thread. (We will show that card as an example in the challenge page.)
You may post up to 3 mechanics. Feel free to tell us which one is your favorite or ask people for how to make it better.
When we think we can pick 12 good mechanics from 12 different cardsmiths, this discussion is closed and MC-30 starts!
Cards with the chosen mechanic will get a favorite.
So, if you want your mechanics to be used in Mechanix Challenge 30, post that mechanic and a card that uses it to this thread. (We will show that card as an example in the challenge page.)
You may post up to 3 mechanics. Feel free to tell us which one is your favorite or ask people for how to make it better.
When we think we can pick 12 good mechanics from 12 different cardsmiths, this discussion is closed and MC-30 starts!
Cards with the chosen mechanic will get a favorite.
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
http://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/2627/mechanix-challenge-eighteen/p1
Trust of the Council—Each player votes for A or B at the same time.
If you voted for A, for each A vote, EFFECT A.
If you voted for B, for each B vote, EFFECT B.
Thanks! Yeah I remember those. Very interesting mechanic.
@tomigon , does this count for this contest?
Example
By @ Shadow123 Elder Circle - Each upkeep, as long as you control 3 or more creatures with the ability Elder Circle
"Cooperation is a keyword without a specific mechanic." Do you mean it's a an ability word like Landfall, Revolt, or Delirium?
If that's what you mean, you can template it like so:
Cooperation—If you control permanents of at least two different colors, EFFECT.
That seems really easy to do though, monocoloured decks are a very small percentage of both limited and constructed decks in most formats, and the restriction doesn't even have to be refreshed every turn (which makes Landfall and Revolt interesting even when they are much easier to turn on compared to Delirium for instance).
@pjbear2005
I believe Seaworthy is actually the mechanic Renown N without the design space offered by the N:
Seaworthy (Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, if it isn't seaworthy, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes seaworthy.)
OR
{cost}: If this creature isn't seaworthy, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes seaworthy.
OR
Whenever {event}, if this creature isn't seaworthy, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes seaworthy.
Ritual {cost} (Rather than pay this spell’s mana cost, you may pay {cost} and sacrifice a creature.)
And here is an ability called Thorns.
Seaworthy (Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, if it isn't seaworthy, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes seaworthy.)
Renown 1 (When this creature deals combat damage to a player, if it isn’t renowned, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes renowned.)
They are the exact same trigger, unless I'm missing something?
Do you mean you can trigger it in other ways than combat damage? If so it cannot be a keyword ability (keyword abilities always work the same), it will likely need to become an action keyword. For instance, it would be worded like this:
- Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, ACTION. (If it isn't seaworthy, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes seaworthy.)
- {2W},T: ACTION. (If this creature isn't seaworthy, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes seaworthy.)
- At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control three or more creatures, ACTION. (If this creature isn't seaworthy, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes seaworthy.)
- Etc...
Devastate:
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/neilo-king-of-the-labyrinth
Spy:
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/ava-rival-infiltrator
Restore:
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/mumbi-creative-innovator
Peaceful (This creature can't attack. It deals damage to creatures in the
form of -1/-0 counters.)
Dawn Blossom
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/dawn-blossom-1?list=user
Dawn Blossom {w}
Sacrifice Dawn Blossom: Target creature
gains peaceful until end of turn. (It can't attack. It deals damage to creatures in the
form of -1/-0 counters.)
This one I don't really want to see.
#1: Tutor for Creature type (cost): (Cost), Sacrifice [This Creature], (Search your library for a [creature type]creature card and put that card into your hand. Then shuffle your library.)
The second one I would like to see in MC-30
(Fixed with the help of @Tomigon)
That is: #2: Retribution(Whenever a creature you control dies, put a +1/+1 counter on it[this creature].)
-It's perfect for demons and other power spells with terrible drawbacks so they aren't easy to get rid of.
Psychic (If this creature would deal combat damage to a player, instead that player puts that many cards from the top of their library into their graveyard.)
-A mainly blue mechanic to weaponize milling. Can color bleed into black and white, but not really meant for red or green. https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/mooncrystal-unicron?list=set&set=30974
Harness N (Whenever an opponent casts a planeswalker spell or activates a loyalty, or a planeswalker is put in the any graveyard from play put N +1/+1 counter on this creature.)
This game needs more Planeswalker hate! https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/notos-punishing-storm?list=set&set=15387
Elude (Can not be blocked by creatures with defender or flying)
I wanted to create a mechanic to punisher flyers, as normally granting evasion rarely has a downside. The idea is the creature is sneaking quickly thru dense surrounding whether be a forest or city and being flying over it wouldn't notice or stationary objects wouldn't get in their way. https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/fafhniel-shadow-claw?list=set&set=15387
My counter measure package here..
Aegis N (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, that player pays {N} or the effect is countered.)
What a Frost Titan has heh. https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/moon-rune-regent-2?list=set&set=16273
Magnitude N (If you pay {N} when casting this spell, it can't countered or targeted of a spell or ability an opponent controls on the battlefield unless that player pays {N} or the effect is countered. Put N +1/+1 counters on it when it enters the battlefield.)
A mix of uncounterable and hexproof for a kicker cost. https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/rex-lionedas?list=set&set=15387
Feedback N (If a spell or ability an opponent controls would counter or causes you to discard this card, exile it instead of putting it into your graveyard unless your opponent pays {N}. You may play it with paying it's mana cost.)
A mechanic to punish disacrding and countering. Example of Feedback: https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/ruby-rand-dwarf-pyromancer
another example of Feedback on a spell https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/what-dreams-may-come
Massacre- At the end of your combat phase, if three or more creatures died this combat, *Powerful effect*
Examples https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/konima-the-calamity?list=set&set=15387 and https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/rampos-winged-death?list=set&set=15387
And Last one, as I think this something alot of people like.
*Creature/type* Slayer (Whenever this creature assigns damage to a *Creature of chosen type*, it deals double damage instead.)
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/rashida-the-dragonslayer?list=set&set=15387
-Cooperation
Yes, ability word counts. From your two examples, I think cooperation is..
Cooperation - If you control ___'text'___ , (effect..)
Correct? This feels a bit too wide and people might not see the concept..
-Thorns
"damage" isn't action in MtG, so "damaged it" part is wrong. How about this?
Thorns N (Whenever this creature is dealt combat damage by creature, this creature deals N damage to that creature.)
@TigerFang8
Looks good! I have a wording suggestion;
Legion N (When this creature enters the battlefield, if it's not a token, create N tokens that are copies of it.)
@pjbear2005 @Shadow123
Elder Circle isn't keyword ability. It's an ability word. so "creatures with the ability Elder Circle" part is wrong X(
@sorinjace
So devastate is
Devastate - At the beginning of each end step, if a source you don't control dealt damage to you this turn, (effect..)
Correct?
@TezzeretofCarmot21
What if seaworthy said
Seaworthy (Whenever this creature's activated ability resolves, if it isn't seaworthy, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes seaworthy.)
just my idea..
I like Ritual! This wording is more right, I think. Check out Force of Will.
Ritual {cost} (You may pay {cost} and sacrifice a creature rather than pay this spell’s mana cost.)
@saveria201
Thanks!⭐️
@Dechujoh64
Retribution should be a keyword ability. Not ability word like landfall, Battalion, Fateful hour..
Retribution (At the beginning of each player's upkeep, you may put X +1/+1 counters on this creature, where X is the number of creatures under your control that died last turn.)
Ability words are used to label mechanics that cannot be keyworded, because a part of the effect changes on each card.
Retribution mechanic isn't bad I think, but maybe it's less confusing if it says;
Retribution (Whenever a creature you control dies, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.)
This way you don't need to keep track the number of death until the next upkeep.
..or if you want to make it ability word;
Retribution - Whenever a creature dies, (effect...)
I said up to 3 mechanics, but you made 12 cards for MC29, so I'll make an exception for you!
I choose only one mechanic from one cardsmith's post, so the less mechanics you put there the more likely you see your favorite mechanic in MC30
Reverberate N - Cost (Cost: Exile this card from your hand with N wave counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a wave counter from it. If you do, copy the exiled card. You may cast this copy without paying its mana cost.)
Here's some examples:
Insular: an ability word that rewards you for spending only mana of one colour on a spell. As in:
Example Blue Spell
4U
Effect
Insular -- if you spent only blue mana to cast Example Blue Spell, bigger effect.
A couple examples of this:
Dreadful (This creature can only be blocked by creatures with total power greater than or equal to this creature's toughness.)
Mechanic 2 (my favorite)
Forge N (Create N colorless Sword Equipment artifact tokens with "Equipped creature gets +1/+0" and equip {1}.)
OR
Forge N Swords (Create N colorless Sword Equipment artifact tokens with "Equipped creature gets +1/+0" and equip {1}.)
OR
Forge N Shields (Create N colorless Shield Equipment artifact tokens with "Equipped creature gets +0/+1" and equip {1}.)
Mechanic 3
Specialty -- As long as equipped creature shares a creature type with this artifact, (effect)
What do you guys think of this flooded mechanic? I haven't really developed this mechanic much, I kind of dropped it as I made more cards here, so it would be interesting to see what everyone else would do with it!
Anytime!
@Dechujoh64
Ok!
@ManaChrome
That's a cool one. But I don't think that's a mechanic. I think it's more like a name for characteristic, like monstrous, renowned, city's blessing, monarch,, It especially reminds me of monarch, because it has an effect. https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Monarch
MagicalMagic made an action mechanic named flood with similar concept, and we already used it in MC27.
"Flood target land. (Put a flood counter on it. It's an Island for as long as it has a flood counter on it.)"
I like this mechanic, but it doesn't have so much design space and it wasn't so popular.. It helps Islandwalk creatures, but I think people don't like to use landwalk because it was declared obsolete altogether with the release of Magic Origins
I think if Flood has more effects other than turning lands into Islands, it might become a bit more interesting. Some ideas:
Flood - Battlefield's characteristic.
(All lands are Islands in addition to their other types and have "{5}, {t}: Return target permanent to its owner's hand.")
..or..
(All lands have "{t}: Add {u}" and "Whenever this land becomes tapped, it doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.")