You are missing one hugely (if not the most) important aspect of MOBAs: Teamwork. What you described is the interpretation of the genre as somewhat accelerated Diablo. The rapid progression from a weak hero, who is sometimes even weaker than a single creep, into a true obliterator of universes over the course of a single hour long game is certainly one of the draws of the genre, but playing it 1v1 is bland as hell (I tried). Nothing gives me quite the same rush as winning a massive teamfight and feeling like I truly contributed.
Teamwork is definitely a key component of the online experience of LoL, Dota and friends. Less so for new players of course, because players often feel competitive with their team mates (which are usually blind-picked from people they don't know) than cooperative. But still, it's a core component. That said, it's not the element we chose to focus on. MOBAs served as a point of inspiration here, and while the variant could certainly be played in team-formats we didn't see the point of requiring it to be only played in 2HG, emperor and so on.
What other game lets you jump in front of a shot aimed at your ally and makes you feel like that's what you were supposed to do?
Most rpgs. I've been doing that a lot as a Guardian in GW2 a lot, and when I DM I see players do it all the time.
Champions are a very interesting idea! Lots of differences to the format that can't really be predicted without a lot of playtesting. Here are some design sketches.
Rasheem the Inciter
Champion
+2 XP Whenever a creature you control attacks.
2: Whenever a creature you control attacks, ~ deals 1 damage to defending player.
4: Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, it gains haste and deathtouch until end of turn.
6: Each opponent loses 9 life.
Voq the Tinkerer
Champion
+3 XP Whenever an artifact enters the battlefield under your control.
2: Whenever an artifact you control is put into your graveyard, you may put it on top of your library.
4: Whenever an artifact enters the battlefield under your control, draw a card.
6: Activated abilities of artifacts you control don't cost mana to activate.
Chell the Hearty
Champion
Whenever you gain life, + that much XP.
2: Whenever you gain life, put a 1/1 something creature token onto the battlefield.
4: Whenever you gain life, you may destroy target artifact or enchantment.
6: Creatures you control get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is your life total.
Innistrad is great. Let's reward some Innistrad archetypes.
Engine of Misery
Champion - Control / Support
_____________________________
+1 XP per card - Whenever an ability you control causes a card to be removed from an opponent's library. (whether milled or exiled or even, I guess, a symmetrical draw effect?)
_____________________________
Level 2 - Whenever an effect you control forces an opponent to discard or exile one or more cards from their hand, Mill 1 that player.
Level 4 - Whenever your opponents discard one or more cards, they must choose and discard an additional card.
Level 6 - Cast target card in an opponent's graveyard without paying its mana cost. You may pay optional costs such as Kicker, and you must pay additional costs specified on the card.
a Mill 10 card gives you 10 exp. This rewards actually trying to kill your opponent with mill. If it was phrased more like "+3 XP - Whenever one or more cards are milled", the player would be more interested in finding cards that have inexpensive or incidental mill.
Thunderstorm
Champion - Assassin
_____________________________
+5 XP - Whenever you cast a spell from a zone other than your hand. (flashback, rebound, imprint, suspend, etc) Even though this is an instant/sorcery based champion, not every single ability needs to say so.
_____________________________
Level 2 - Whenever you cast a nonpermanent spell, you may draw a card. If you do, discard a card.
Level 4 - Whenever you cast your second spell during a turn, if it is a nonpermanent spell, that spell gains Rebound. If it already has Rebound, copy it.
Level 6 - Return X nonpermanent cards from your graveyard to your hand. X is equal to the number of nonpermanent cards you control in exile, plus one.
Axkathka, the Carnivorous Death Spider
Champion - Tank / Pusher
_____________________________
+3 XP - Whenever you gain life.
_____________________________
Level 2 - Whenever a source deals damage to you or an ally, put a 1/2 green Spider creature token with reach onto the battlefield under target player's control.
Level 4 - Whenever you pay or lose life, prevent 1 point of that life loss.
Level 6 - Target player loses life equal to your level. Another target player gains that much life.
The Briber
Champion
+3 XP: Each opponenet draws a card.
Level 2 - At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card if each opponent has more cards in hand than you.
Level 4 - Whenever you lose life, each opponenet with more cards in hand than you loses that much life.
Level 6 - Each opponenet draws card equal to your level, then loses life equal to the number of cards in his or her hand.
The Druid
Champion
Whenever you tap a creature you control for mana, +2 XP.
Level 2 - Lands you control are 0/1 creatures that are still lands.
Level 4 - Creatures you control get +1/+1.
Level 6 - Creatures you control get +3/+3 and gain trample until end of turn.
The Captain
Champion
Whenever three or more creatures you control attack, +2 XP.
Level 2 - Creatures you control have lifelink.
Level 4 - Attacking creatures you control have double strike.
Level 6 - Put X 1/1 white and red Soldiaer creature tokens onto the battlefield, where X is your level.
I imagine those as some kind of vanguard, hance the missing mana const.
The translational format for MOBA to Magic already exists, its called EDH. EDH is the scoping down of the scape of Magic to be around a singular creature that you build your deck around. This creature in the best of cases has some unique ability to build around that separates it from its peers and the color identity rule does a significant amount to push the various legendary creatures apart. I imagine a MOBA-Magic would be sets of teams that play against each other a la emperor, sans the emperors being immune until the sidemen have been dispatched.
The other way to go about it is like scrad discussed above. Having an avatar that's active at the start of the game and which changes the decision making process since different resources matter. Again, I envision this being played as a 3v3 or 5v5 scenario where the different timing of strengths of these cards could work well together. I imagine xp being a reward for taking an action. That makes your Champion have some proactive aspect that you want to enforce as much as possible. Take these too extremes:
The Ignited
Champion
Gain +1 XP whenever damage is dealt.
Level 2: Creatures you control get +1/+0.
Level 4: Whenever a source would deal damage, it deals that much damage +1 instead.
Level 6: At the beginning of your upkeep draw a card. Your maximum hand size is zero.
The Wise
Champion
Gain +1 XP whenever you draw a card.
Level 2: You have no maximum hand size.
Level 4: Spells cost you 1 less to play.
Level 6: Whenever you draw a card look at the top two cards of your library. Put one into your hand
and the other on the bottom of your library.
Those are in the style of caring about and rewarding specific deckbuilding decisions, but that's pretty level one stuff. What would be the next step? Getting rid of the levels of the cards and just making them constrictions of how you play the game. That works better with Magic's already inherent growth over time gameplay, and your Champion would just act as a way to change the focus of your deck.
The Voracious
Champion
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a creature. If you do, draw a card.
The Alien
Champion
If you would draw a card, exile the top card of your library instead.
If a card would go to your graveyard, exile it instead.
You may play one card you own from exile each turn.
The Insidious
Champion
At the start of your turn put a charge counter on The Insidious, then target player puts cards
from the top of their library into their graveyard equal to the number of charge counters on
The Insidious.
Whenever an opponent deals damage to you, remove a charge counter from The Insidious.
These are the cards I think would make the best attempt. They fundamentally change what matters in the game, which is what MOBAs are really all about. That no two games play out the same way given the character match ups changing the progression radically.
Be aware that we have had a very busy week and thus didn't review this challenge in our next episode.
This means that everyone has an additional week to post ideas for Champions.
A thought I originally had was to create "Talent" cards over the dedicated Champions to design your deck around. A Talent card would be assigned to your commander as a normal EDH deck, or it could be a legendary creature with different deck construction constraints. Talent cards would be simpler and create a variety of ways a Commander could be built around.
In the spirit of MOBA, I think adding some sort of shop to buy equipment at would be interesting. Maybe incorporating "gold" rather than EXP into the game to facilitate this.
Gonna try some champs whose level abilities don't lean as hard on the word "whenever" as my previous champs do.
You have to leave yourself wide open to your opponents' attacks and use your damage spells to protect your allies, in order to make the most of this champion. Your best deck is probably Red control, rather than the low-cmc Red aggro and burn archetypes that are more typical in Modern.
Sus-Scrofa, Angry Boar
Champion R
__________________________________
+4 XP - Whenever you lose life.
(This would be super easy if you were RB, but as mono-Red, you have to use "damage everyone" spells and try to leave yourself open to attacks)
__________________________________
Level 2 - The next time a source you control deals damage to one or more players, deal 9 damage to one of those players.
Level 4 - The next time a source you control deals damage to one or more players, deal 16 damage to one of those players.
Level 6 - The next time a source you control deals damage to one or more players, deal 25 damage to one of those players.
How bout another champion that likes to lose life? We'll give it an appropriately over-the-top, super-serious, DARK FANTASY name, too!
The Lichomancer
Champion B
__________________________________
+2 XP - Whenever you lose life.
__________________________________
Level 2 - You may target cards in other players' graveyards as if those cards were in your graveyard.
Level 4 - At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card unless target opponent sacrifices a creature or pays 3 life.
Level 6 - The next time you are defeated, the player who defeated you is also defeated at the end of this phase. (The phases are: end, postcombat main, combat, precombat main, and beginning.)
And finally!
Null Entity
Champion (you may not cast spells that require colored mana. If you would pay Phyrexian mana, you must pay with life, not colored mana. You can pay activated abilities using mana normally.)
__________________________________
+1 XP - Whenever another player casts a non-artifact spell.
__________________________________
Level 2 - Whenever you play an artifact creature, choose a permanent that has a counter on it. You may add one counter of a kind already there.
Level 4 - Spells that are one or more colors cost your opponents more to cast during your turn.
Level 6 - Search any player's library for a colorless card. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost.
The Archbishop
Champion - W
+2 XP for each point of life an opponent loses
-1 XP for each point of life you lose
20XP: Creatures you control have lifelink.
40XP: Creatures you control get +1/+1.
60XP: For the rest of the game, you and permanents you control have Absorb 3.
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In this episode:
Reuben Covington
Twitter: @reubencovington
Email: reubencovington@gmail.com
MTGsalvation Account: Doombringer
Dan Felder
Email: minimallyexceptional@gmail.com
MTGsalvation Account: Stairc
Are you designing commons? Check out my primer on NWO.
Interested in making a custom set? Check out my Set skeleton and archetype primer.
I also write articles about getting started with custom card creation.
Go and PLAYTEST your designs, you will learn more in a single playtests than a dozen discussions.
My custom sets:
Dreamscape
Coins of Mercalis [COMPLETE]
Exodus of Zendikar - ON HOLD
Lorwyn's still my favorite draft set, so I'm always trying to sneak Changelings or experimental attempts at "non-poisonous tribal" into things.
Teamwork is definitely a key component of the online experience of LoL, Dota and friends. Less so for new players of course, because players often feel competitive with their team mates (which are usually blind-picked from people they don't know) than cooperative. But still, it's a core component. That said, it's not the element we chose to focus on. MOBAs served as a point of inspiration here, and while the variant could certainly be played in team-formats we didn't see the point of requiring it to be only played in 2HG, emperor and so on.
Most rpgs. I've been doing that a lot as a Guardian in GW2 a lot, and when I DM I see players do it all the time.
Sorry! Had no idea you were a female plural infernal bovine.
Remaking Magic - A Podcast for those that love MTG and Game Design
The Dungeon Master's Guide - A Podcast for those that love RPGs and Game Design
Sig-Heroes of the Plane
Rasheem the Inciter
Champion
+2 XP Whenever a creature you control attacks.
2: Whenever a creature you control attacks, ~ deals 1 damage to defending player.
4: Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, it gains haste and deathtouch until end of turn.
6: Each opponent loses 9 life.
Voq the Tinkerer
Champion
+3 XP Whenever an artifact enters the battlefield under your control.
2: Whenever an artifact you control is put into your graveyard, you may put it on top of your library.
4: Whenever an artifact enters the battlefield under your control, draw a card.
6: Activated abilities of artifacts you control don't cost mana to activate.
Chell the Hearty
Champion
Whenever you gain life, + that much XP.
2: Whenever you gain life, put a 1/1 something creature token onto the battlefield.
4: Whenever you gain life, you may destroy target artifact or enchantment.
6: Creatures you control get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is your life total.
Engine of Misery
Champion - Control / Support
_____________________________
+1 XP per card - Whenever an ability you control causes a card to be removed from an opponent's library.
(whether milled or exiled or even, I guess, a symmetrical draw effect?)
_____________________________
Level 2 - Whenever an effect you control forces an opponent to discard or exile one or more cards from their hand, Mill 1 that player.
Level 4 - Whenever your opponents discard one or more cards, they must choose and discard an additional card.
Level 6 - Cast target card in an opponent's graveyard without paying its mana cost. You may pay optional costs such as Kicker, and you must pay additional costs specified on the card.
a Mill 10 card gives you 10 exp. This rewards actually trying to kill your opponent with mill. If it was phrased more like "+3 XP - Whenever one or more cards are milled", the player would be more interested in finding cards that have inexpensive or incidental mill.
Champion - Assassin
_____________________________
+5 XP - Whenever you cast a spell from a zone other than your hand. (flashback, rebound, imprint, suspend, etc)
Even though this is an instant/sorcery based champion, not every single ability needs to say so.
_____________________________
Level 2 - Whenever you cast a nonpermanent spell, you may draw a card. If you do, discard a card.
Level 4 - Whenever you cast your second spell during a turn, if it is a nonpermanent spell, that spell gains Rebound. If it already has Rebound, copy it.
Level 6 - Return X nonpermanent cards from your graveyard to your hand. X is equal to the number of nonpermanent cards you control in exile, plus one.
Champion - Tank / Pusher
_____________________________
+3 XP - Whenever you gain life.
_____________________________
Level 2 - Whenever a source deals damage to you or an ally, put a 1/2 green Spider creature token with reach onto the battlefield under target player's control.
Level 4 - Whenever you pay or lose life, prevent 1 point of that life loss.
Level 6 - Target player loses life equal to your level. Another target player gains that much life.
Champion
+3 XP: Each opponenet draws a card.
Level 2 - At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card if each opponent has more cards in hand than you.
Level 4 - Whenever you lose life, each opponenet with more cards in hand than you loses that much life.
Level 6 - Each opponenet draws card equal to your level, then loses life equal to the number of cards in his or her hand.
The Druid
Champion
Whenever you tap a creature you control for mana, +2 XP.
Level 2 - Lands you control are 0/1 creatures that are still lands.
Level 4 - Creatures you control get +1/+1.
Level 6 - Creatures you control get +3/+3 and gain trample until end of turn.
The Captain
Champion
Whenever three or more creatures you control attack, +2 XP.
Level 2 - Creatures you control have lifelink.
Level 4 - Attacking creatures you control have double strike.
Level 6 - Put X 1/1 white and red Soldiaer creature tokens onto the battlefield, where X is your level.
I imagine those as some kind of vanguard, hance the missing mana const.
The other way to go about it is like scrad discussed above. Having an avatar that's active at the start of the game and which changes the decision making process since different resources matter. Again, I envision this being played as a 3v3 or 5v5 scenario where the different timing of strengths of these cards could work well together. I imagine xp being a reward for taking an action. That makes your Champion have some proactive aspect that you want to enforce as much as possible. Take these too extremes:
The Ignited
Champion
Gain +1 XP whenever damage is dealt.
Level 2: Creatures you control get +1/+0.
Level 4: Whenever a source would deal damage, it deals that much damage +1 instead.
Level 6: At the beginning of your upkeep draw a card. Your maximum hand size is zero.
The Wise
Champion
Gain +1 XP whenever you draw a card.
Level 2: You have no maximum hand size.
Level 4: Spells cost you 1 less to play.
Level 6: Whenever you draw a card look at the top two cards of your library. Put one into your hand
and the other on the bottom of your library.
Those are in the style of caring about and rewarding specific deckbuilding decisions, but that's pretty level one stuff. What would be the next step? Getting rid of the levels of the cards and just making them constrictions of how you play the game. That works better with Magic's already inherent growth over time gameplay, and your Champion would just act as a way to change the focus of your deck.
The Voracious
Champion
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a creature. If you do, draw a card.
The Alien
Champion
If you would draw a card, exile the top card of your library instead.
If a card would go to your graveyard, exile it instead.
You may play one card you own from exile each turn.
The Insidious
Champion
At the start of your turn put a charge counter on The Insidious, then target player puts cards
from the top of their library into their graveyard equal to the number of charge counters on
The Insidious.
Whenever an opponent deals damage to you, remove a charge counter from The Insidious.
These are the cards I think would make the best attempt. They fundamentally change what matters in the game, which is what MOBAs are really all about. That no two games play out the same way given the character match ups changing the progression radically.
I could also be crazy.
http://lefowens.blogspot.com/
This means that everyone has an additional week to post ideas for Champions.
Lets see what you guys can come up with!
Are you designing commons? Check out my primer on NWO.
Interested in making a custom set? Check out my Set skeleton and archetype primer.
I also write articles about getting started with custom card creation.
Go and PLAYTEST your designs, you will learn more in a single playtests than a dozen discussions.
My custom sets:
Dreamscape
Coins of Mercalis [COMPLETE]
Exodus of Zendikar - ON HOLD
In the spirit of MOBA, I think adding some sort of shop to buy equipment at would be interesting. Maybe incorporating "gold" rather than EXP into the game to facilitate this.
Draft My Cube!
You have to leave yourself wide open to your opponents' attacks and use your damage spells to protect your allies, in order to make the most of this champion. Your best deck is probably Red control, rather than the low-cmc Red aggro and burn archetypes that are more typical in Modern.
Sus-Scrofa, Angry Boar
Champion R
__________________________________
+4 XP - Whenever you lose life.
(This would be super easy if you were RB, but as mono-Red, you have to use "damage everyone" spells and try to leave yourself open to attacks)
__________________________________
Level 2 - The next time a source you control deals damage to one or more players, deal 9 damage to one of those players.
Level 4 - The next time a source you control deals damage to one or more players, deal 16 damage to one of those players.
Level 6 - The next time a source you control deals damage to one or more players, deal 25 damage to one of those players.
How bout another champion that likes to lose life? We'll give it an appropriately over-the-top, super-serious, DARK FANTASY name, too!
The Lichomancer
Champion B
__________________________________
+2 XP - Whenever you lose life.
__________________________________
Level 2 - You may target cards in other players' graveyards as if those cards were in your graveyard.
Level 4 - At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card unless target opponent sacrifices a creature or pays 3 life.
Level 6 - The next time you are defeated, the player who defeated you is also defeated at the end of this phase. (The phases are: end, postcombat main, combat, precombat main, and beginning.)
And finally!
Null Entity
Champion
(you may not cast spells that require colored mana. If you would pay Phyrexian mana, you must pay with life, not colored mana. You can pay activated abilities using mana normally.)
__________________________________
+1 XP - Whenever another player casts a non-artifact spell.
__________________________________
Level 2 - Whenever you play an artifact creature, choose a permanent that has a counter on it. You may add one counter of a kind already there.
Level 4 - Spells that are one or more colors cost your opponents more to cast during your turn.
Level 6 - Search any player's library for a colorless card. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost.
The Archbishop
Champion - W
+2 XP for each point of life an opponent loses
-1 XP for each point of life you lose
20XP: Creatures you control have lifelink.
40XP: Creatures you control get +1/+1.
60XP: For the rest of the game, you and permanents you control have Absorb 3.