Pssst.
Hey!
Yes, you buddy, I'm talking to you. I've got something for ya.
I know you're not interested in it. But this is different! This is my own, special batch. Just for you.
Sure, you can make your own decisions, you're a big man. Even big men need some help though. Just try it one time, I promise it you'll come back for more...
__________________________________
That's enough of that, I'm done being creepy (for now). Our vast and wonderfully diverse culture has given me glimpses into the seedier sides of life. Sometimes they bubble to the surface. In this instance, the malcontents and the dissidents all want us to buy what they are selling. It doesn't matter if they're selling bad drugs or Magic rules text - it all boils down to the same thing. Caveat Emptor.
__________________________________
For those of you who missed Latin class, Caveat Emptor translates to mean 'Let the buyer, beware.' Good advice that we should all heed this week. We only get one shot at this per person. I know that I followed my advice from last week. I have a list of different effects that I want to send in for my submission. But I won't share them with you. And I don't want to hear yours either. I don't want to have buyer's remorse a month from now when the next step of YMTC comes up and my idea is no where to be seen.
I have not gone out and read ever bulletin board discussion, Twitter feed, or blog on this topic. I want my entry to remain pure. I want it to be mine. I want it to be perfect. Most importantly, I want to have the opportunity to be proud of my submission and know that it's all mine.
Will my submission gain attention from WotC? Alas, I'm just a Timmy with Johnny aspirations. But I do know one fact.
I can't get there on someone else's shoulders. I can't do it by combining two or three ideas I find (others will do that for me). I won't make it if I slightly modify someone else's brainchild (again, those mysterious others will step in).
There were over 47,000 people that voted in the last round. The second you offer a semi-unique thought in a public forum on this matter - you're toast. Instead I'm going to take the advice of Ethan Fleisher. I'm going to read the 'In the Black' article by Mark Rosewater. I'll apply it to the concepts I've already written. I'll try to imagine my idea in different play situations. (I'd love to have more time to actually build a deck using the text rules I've written, but with a submission deadline of Thursday, there's no way that will happen).
I'm guessing that there will be at least 10,000 unique entries - let's all be adults and admit that people are going to figure out a way to stuff the ballot box a little bit. Of those entries, if 100 are truly original and push the boundaries that would be wonderful. I think though that we won't get word until WotC has it down to 10 entries (that's .1 percent). I'm no statistical genius, but I'm pretty sure people entering this contest have a better chance of making a hole-in-one...twice.
To increase your chances, spend time in front of a blank screen and write down every little dark thought you've ever had about card design. Read Mark's article. Check your text against the Gatherer database. Do a small amount of play testing and user surveys. Or don't and give me a better chance.
I'm happy either way, but I figured all is fair in this competition. Remember, Caveat Emptor.
Until next time, good luck! (Go and make your submissions now...)
Showing posts with label You Make the Card. Show all posts
Showing posts with label You Make the Card. Show all posts
Monday, April 15, 2013
Monday, April 8, 2013
YMtC4 - Enchantment Type
I'm pretty excited by the selection of black as the color we'll all be designing an effect.
I didn't call black as the winning color for the second decision of You Make the Card 4. But seeing that Red was in second place is not completely disappointing. Especially since blue came in a distant fourth. To recap, here is where we are in the process:
Type: Enchantment
Color: Black
AoE: Voting this week - Link to Voting
What is AoE? It's an older acronym occasionally used in gaming that means 'Area of Effect'. Enchantments are funny spells that can, depending on the type, either effect a player, permanent in play, or the battlefield (please note that I'm not a judge, so this explanation is basic and in my own terms). For the purposes of arguing the benefits and keeping this less Spike and more Timmy - we're going to limit the discussion this week to Auras and Global enchantments.
Yes, I realize WotC is also limiting the voting to Aura's and Global enchantments even though Enchantments can have several subtypes (Auras, Curses and Shrines from what I've read). Funny how things work at that way, isn't it?
What's the Difference?
Simply stated, Auras principally affect the card they are attached to. Auras can be attached to Artifacts, Creatures, and Land. Global enchantments, on the other hand, don't attach to anything. They are permanents that stand alone on the battlefield and can only be targeted by spells or abilities that specifically target enchantments.
Recent examples of Auras: Abundant Growth, Arrest, Ethereal Armor, Rancor, and Chronic Flooding.
Recent examples of Global: Collective Blessing, Detention Sphere, and Martial Law.
So how should we determine what to pick? Do we go for the buffed up creature or the clever abuse of a land? Or should we shoot for a way to make everything better for us/more challenging for our opponent? Let's look at them.
Auras
Auras are a means of modifying or otherwise enhancing a permanent in play. Note that I stated a permanent, so this can not affect a sorcery or an instant. Many black aura's that I searched for had some type of penalty attached to it as the effect. Making it a card we'd want to play most of the time on our opponent's permanents.
Could we end up with a Rancor type card, only in black? Not as far as I know. Mark Rosewater, the guru of set development for MTG, is fond of defining what effects fall into which colors. With that in mind (and taking a look at the Gatherer database), black aura cards tend to:
Surely someone with encyclopedic knowledge could add to the list, but all of these are relevant options to consider as we move forward. Would you like an aura that affects Creatures, adds +2/+0 to Demons and gives +0/-4 to all other creatures, and gives the enchanted creature Swampwalk? Well, that type of a card is a possibility with Auras.
Fun fact - there are 152 unique Black Enchantment Auras in Gatherer.
Global - or...Plain Jane Enchantments now on a Global Scale!
Global Enchantments are a means of modifying the game state, all of the cards in play, the graveyard, the exile zone, and more. Whereas aura's are targeted effects, GE's are played to the battlefield. Once they resolve and until they're removed, they're always 'on' and can be triggered by any number of changes that occur during the game.
As such, they have potential to do more than Auras. GE's can do some of the following and more:
In addition to these examples, a carefully worded GE can do much of what an Aura can do - only on a bigger scale. It should be noted that it appears that GE's cost on average a little bit more than Aura style Enchantments. That's not a deal breaker - they do more. But don't think you'll get a similar effect on a Global Enchantment as you'd find on an Aura without paying for it.
Fun fact - there are 209 unique Black Global Enchantments in Gatherer.
What to Choose?
At this point, each time we vote we're all playing a massive game of chess. Voters should be looking at how their decision today will play out to the end - trying to outguess what it will take to get to the endgame.
I, for one, think my recommendation this time is to go for a Global Enchantment. Why? What did it for me this time is the fact that Globals can simply do more. I want to engage and encourage the creative process and selecting Global allows for a larger number of possible outcomes. I'm still not 100% decided though. So, in the interest of fairness, I'll wait a day or two to cast my vote. Everyone who reads this is encouraged to give me some feedback as to which direction they're going in and why. I promise I'll view it all and respond.
TWITTER
Before you run off there is one thing you should do. Post in your Twitter feed the current enchantment direction you are leaning towards and why (if you can do it in less than 140 characters).
In fact - why not link back to this article at the same time. The benefit there is others can get in on the fun as well. We can all see what kind of traffic is generated and have a chance to convince others to change their minds.
Use the following hashtags:
#teamglobalenchantment
I didn't call black as the winning color for the second decision of You Make the Card 4. But seeing that Red was in second place is not completely disappointing. Especially since blue came in a distant fourth. To recap, here is where we are in the process:
Type: Enchantment
Color: Black
AoE: Voting this week - Link to Voting
What is AoE? It's an older acronym occasionally used in gaming that means 'Area of Effect'. Enchantments are funny spells that can, depending on the type, either effect a player, permanent in play, or the battlefield (please note that I'm not a judge, so this explanation is basic and in my own terms). For the purposes of arguing the benefits and keeping this less Spike and more Timmy - we're going to limit the discussion this week to Auras and Global enchantments.
Yes, I realize WotC is also limiting the voting to Aura's and Global enchantments even though Enchantments can have several subtypes (Auras, Curses and Shrines from what I've read). Funny how things work at that way, isn't it?
What's the Difference?
Simply stated, Auras principally affect the card they are attached to. Auras can be attached to Artifacts, Creatures, and Land. Global enchantments, on the other hand, don't attach to anything. They are permanents that stand alone on the battlefield and can only be targeted by spells or abilities that specifically target enchantments.
Recent examples of Auras: Abundant Growth, Arrest, Ethereal Armor, Rancor, and Chronic Flooding.
Recent examples of Global: Collective Blessing, Detention Sphere, and Martial Law.
So how should we determine what to pick? Do we go for the buffed up creature or the clever abuse of a land? Or should we shoot for a way to make everything better for us/more challenging for our opponent? Let's look at them.
Auras
Auras are a means of modifying or otherwise enhancing a permanent in play. Note that I stated a permanent, so this can not affect a sorcery or an instant. Many black aura's that I searched for had some type of penalty attached to it as the effect. Making it a card we'd want to play most of the time on our opponent's permanents.
Could we end up with a Rancor type card, only in black? Not as far as I know. Mark Rosewater, the guru of set development for MTG, is fond of defining what effects fall into which colors. With that in mind (and taking a look at the Gatherer database), black aura cards tend to:
- Destroy target upon an action occurring
- Offer a bonus for black cards
- Offer a penalty for opponents or non-black cards
- Create a situation whereby the player makes a sacrifice for a benefit
- Does something to result in lifelink or damage
- Gives Intimidate/Swampwalk
- or Plays with the Graveyard
Surely someone with encyclopedic knowledge could add to the list, but all of these are relevant options to consider as we move forward. Would you like an aura that affects Creatures, adds +2/+0 to Demons and gives +0/-4 to all other creatures, and gives the enchanted creature Swampwalk? Well, that type of a card is a possibility with Auras.
Fun fact - there are 152 unique Black Enchantment Auras in Gatherer.
Global - or...Plain Jane Enchantments now on a Global Scale!
Global Enchantments are a means of modifying the game state, all of the cards in play, the graveyard, the exile zone, and more. Whereas aura's are targeted effects, GE's are played to the battlefield. Once they resolve and until they're removed, they're always 'on' and can be triggered by any number of changes that occur during the game.
As such, they have potential to do more than Auras. GE's can do some of the following and more:
- Generate tokens
- 'Suspend the rules' (ie, creatures that die are exiled instead of sent to the graveyard)
- Globally affect any card type and/or subtypes (for example, "All lands are now Swamps in addition to their other type(s).")
- Effects that penalize the person who played it, the opponent, or both!
In addition to these examples, a carefully worded GE can do much of what an Aura can do - only on a bigger scale. It should be noted that it appears that GE's cost on average a little bit more than Aura style Enchantments. That's not a deal breaker - they do more. But don't think you'll get a similar effect on a Global Enchantment as you'd find on an Aura without paying for it.
Fun fact - there are 209 unique Black Global Enchantments in Gatherer.
What to Choose?
At this point, each time we vote we're all playing a massive game of chess. Voters should be looking at how their decision today will play out to the end - trying to outguess what it will take to get to the endgame.
I, for one, think my recommendation this time is to go for a Global Enchantment. Why? What did it for me this time is the fact that Globals can simply do more. I want to engage and encourage the creative process and selecting Global allows for a larger number of possible outcomes. I'm still not 100% decided though. So, in the interest of fairness, I'll wait a day or two to cast my vote. Everyone who reads this is encouraged to give me some feedback as to which direction they're going in and why. I promise I'll view it all and respond.
Before you run off there is one thing you should do. Post in your Twitter feed the current enchantment direction you are leaning towards and why (if you can do it in less than 140 characters).
In fact - why not link back to this article at the same time. The benefit there is others can get in on the fun as well. We can all see what kind of traffic is generated and have a chance to convince others to change their minds.
Use the following hashtags:
#teamglobalenchantment
#teamauraenchantment
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