So, a while ago I posted a mechanic of mine that was meant to go into a block that centered on monocolored strategies. It was called Focus and here's how it was worded:
Focus (When this creature enters the battlefield, if only [color] was spent to cast it, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes focused.)
So it would pretty much work like this:
Sea Breeze Glider1U
Creature - Drake
Flying
Focus (When this creature enters the battlefield, if only U was spent to cast it, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes focused.)
1/1
A scaling issue was mentioned about it on the prior thread, about how it will be more difficult to focus creatures of higher CMCs l, but I have my own inquiry. How can I make this mechanic work with instants and sorceries as well? I would imagine that keeping the +1/+1 counter would help solve memory issues on which creatures are focused and which aren't, but it feels that having the counter is keeping me from also using the keyword on spells.
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How can I make this mechanic work with instants and sorceries as well? I would imagine that keeping the +1/+1 counter would help solve memory issues on which creatures are focused and which aren't, but it feels that having the counter is keeping me from also using the keyword on spells.
There's some information missing on how exactly you want this mechanic to work with instant and sorcery objects. What do you want the interaction with the +1/+1 counter to be with instants and sorceries? Do you want them to be put in some sort of "storage" where your next creature can get their +1/+1 counters from as they enter the battlefield? Do you want the +1/+1 counters to be put onto creatures that you already control?
With the information presented, focus does nothing on instant and sorcery spells, simply because instant and sorcery spells can never enter the battlefield, and will therefore never have the focus triggered ability or replacement effect be able to apply.
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How to use card tags (please use them for everybody's sanity)
[c]Lightning Bolt[/c] -> Lightning Bolt
[c=Lightning Bolt]Apple Pie[/c] -> Apple Pie
Vowels-Only Format Minimum deck size: 60 Maximum number of identical cards: 4 Ban list: Cards whose English names begin with a consonant, Unglued and Unhinged cards, cards involving ante, Ancestral Recall
How can I make this mechanic work with instants and sorceries as well? I would imagine that keeping the +1/+1 counter would help solve memory issues on which creatures are focused and which aren't, but it feels that having the counter is keeping me from also using the keyword on spells.
There's some information missing on how exactly you want this mechanic to work with instant and sorcery objects. What do you want the interaction with the +1/+1 counter to be with instants and sorceries? Do you want them to be put in some sort of "storage" where your next creature can get their +1/+1 counters from as they enter the battlefield? Do you want the +1/+1 counters to be put onto creatures that you already control?
With the information presented, focus does nothing on instant and sorcery spells, simply because instant and sorcery spells can never enter the battlefield, and will therefore never have the focus triggered ability or replacement effect be able to apply.
I apologize for not being clear. The main point of the focus mechanic is not the +1/+1 counter itself, that is simply a marker to remind you that the creature is indeed focused, the point of the mechanic is that as long as a creature is focused it has benwfitsbthat it would not normally have if it weren't. For instance, I also have this card on file:
Ashbringer Colossus5R
Creature - Elemental Giant
Focus
When Ashbringer Colossus becomes focused, it deals 2 damage to each other creature and each player.
4/4
Essentially, I would like to also have the ability to put Focus on instants and sorceries to give them boosts if you only used one color of mana to cast then as well. However, I'm starting to think that perhaps that ability on such spells may go better unkeyworded. However, if there is a feasible way to do this, it would be of great help.
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"Pop in, find a dragon, roast a dragon."
-Chandra Nalaar
I like the concept in theory (forces mono color decks... or super color fixing...) but why does the creature have to be "focused"? I suspect you want to be able to target "focused creatures", but unlike Renown there's no reason for it to have that state (Renowned creatures don't trigger renown when they hit a 2nd time...; but you never "play the spell" a 2nd time so no need.)
It should read:
Dedication - N (If only one color of mana was spent to cast it, it enters the battlefield with N +1/+1 counters on it.)
("Focus" seems like a spell keyword name, not a creature keyword name.)
Re: Instants and Sorceries.
If you want to do that, then you'll need to be an ability word...
Dedicated Bolt2R
Sorcery
~ deals 3 damage to target creature or player. Dedication - If you spent only one color of mana on this, ~ deals 5 damage to that target instead.
Dedicated Dodo2G
Creature - Bird Dedication - If you spent only one color of mana on this, it enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters.
Sacrifice ~: Gain life equal to it's power.
2/1
Dedicated Grappler1R
Creature - Goblin Warrior Dedication - If you spent only one color of mana on this, it enters the battlefield with haste.
2/1
Dawn of the Righteous4W
Sorcery (U)
Put two 2/2 white Knight creature tokens with vigilance onto the battlefield. Purity - If only white mana is spent to cast Dawn of the Righteous, put two 4/4 white Angel creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield instead.
Objective Thinking3U
Instant (C)
Draw 2 cards. Purity - If only blue mana was spent to cast Objective Thinking, draw 4 cards instead.
Inject Madness4B
Sorcery (R)
Look at target player's hand and choose up to two cards from it. That player discards those cards. Purity - If only black mana was spent to cast Inject Madness, that player discards their hand instead.
Wave of Sparks2R
Sorcery (U)
Wave of Sparks deals 3 damage to target creature or player. Purity - If only red mana was spent to cast Wave of Sparks, it deals 3 damage to each creature or player instead.
Gigantisize1G
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn. Purity - If only green mana was spent to cast Gigantisize, target creature gets +5/+5 until end of turn instead.
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The designs are very rough but you get the idea. Making it an ability work this effect more flexible as well.
I feel like this mechanic is sort of running into the Skred problem—there's no real gameplay decision to be made about them, only a deckbuilding decision. They're straightforwardly better in monocolor decks, for no reason other than that you don't have competing demands on your mana production.
I feel like this mechanic is sort of running into the Skred problem—there's no real gameplay decision to be made about them, only a deckbuilding decision. They're straightforwardly better in monocolor decks, for no reason other than that you don't have competing demands on your mana production.
That's fair. It was apparent as I was thinking this over that in a monocolor pushed environment it would pretty much be online all the time. Which isn't very interesting.
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Focus (When this creature enters the battlefield, if only [color] was spent to cast it, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes focused.)
So it would pretty much work like this:
Sea Breeze Glider 1U
Creature - Drake
Flying
Focus (When this creature enters the battlefield, if only U was spent to cast it, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes focused.)
1/1
A scaling issue was mentioned about it on the prior thread, about how it will be more difficult to focus creatures of higher CMCs l, but I have my own inquiry. How can I make this mechanic work with instants and sorceries as well? I would imagine that keeping the +1/+1 counter would help solve memory issues on which creatures are focused and which aren't, but it feels that having the counter is keeping me from also using the keyword on spells.
-Chandra Nalaar
There's some information missing on how exactly you want this mechanic to work with instant and sorcery objects. What do you want the interaction with the +1/+1 counter to be with instants and sorceries? Do you want them to be put in some sort of "storage" where your next creature can get their +1/+1 counters from as they enter the battlefield? Do you want the +1/+1 counters to be put onto creatures that you already control?
With the information presented, focus does nothing on instant and sorcery spells, simply because instant and sorcery spells can never enter the battlefield, and will therefore never have the focus triggered ability or replacement effect be able to apply.
[c]Lightning Bolt[/c] -> Lightning Bolt
[c=Lightning Bolt]Apple Pie[/c] -> Apple Pie
Vowels-Only Format
Minimum deck size: 60
Maximum number of identical cards: 4
Ban list: Cards whose English names begin with a consonant, Unglued and Unhinged cards, cards involving ante, Ancestral Recall
Ashbringer Colossus 5R
Creature - Elemental Giant
Focus
When Ashbringer Colossus becomes focused, it deals 2 damage to each other creature and each player.
4/4
Essentially, I would like to also have the ability to put Focus on instants and sorceries to give them boosts if you only used one color of mana to cast then as well. However, I'm starting to think that perhaps that ability on such spells may go better unkeyworded. However, if there is a feasible way to do this, it would be of great help.
-Chandra Nalaar
It should read:
Dedication - N (If only one color of mana was spent to cast it, it enters the battlefield with N +1/+1 counters on it.)
("Focus" seems like a spell keyword name, not a creature keyword name.)
Re: Instants and Sorceries.
If you want to do that, then you'll need to be an ability word...
Dedicated Bolt2R
Sorcery
~ deals 3 damage to target creature or player.
Dedication - If you spent only one color of mana on this, ~ deals 5 damage to that target instead.
Dedicated Dodo2G
Creature - Bird
Dedication - If you spent only one color of mana on this, it enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters.
Sacrifice ~: Gain life equal to it's power.
2/1
Dedicated Grappler 1R
Creature - Goblin Warrior
Dedication - If you spent only one color of mana on this, it enters the battlefield with haste.
2/1
How's that?
Dawn of the Righteous 4W
Sorcery (U)
Put two 2/2 white Knight creature tokens with vigilance onto the battlefield.
Purity - If only white mana is spent to cast Dawn of the Righteous, put two 4/4 white Angel creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield instead.
Objective Thinking 3U
Instant (C)
Draw 2 cards.
Purity - If only blue mana was spent to cast Objective Thinking, draw 4 cards instead.
Inject Madness 4B
Sorcery (R)
Look at target player's hand and choose up to two cards from it. That player discards those cards.
Purity - If only black mana was spent to cast Inject Madness, that player discards their hand instead.
Wave of Sparks 2R
Sorcery (U)
Wave of Sparks deals 3 damage to target creature or player.
Purity - If only red mana was spent to cast Wave of Sparks, it deals 3 damage to each creature or player instead.
Gigantisize 1G
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
Purity - If only green mana was spent to cast Gigantisize, target creature gets +5/+5 until end of turn instead.
------------------
The designs are very rough but you get the idea. Making it an ability work this effect more flexible as well.
BGStandard Green AggroGB
UWRGModern Saheeli CobraGRWU
UBRGLegacy StormGRBU
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-Chandra Nalaar