The past two artifact blocks have had powerful moxes, both playable in older formats. But not Kaledesh. Rosewater said they tried to make one but couldn't make it work.
I can see two really obvious options, in theme with the set. Energy Mox0
Artifact T: You get E.
or
Energy Mox0
Artifact T, pay E: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
I'm not sure about the first version, but wouldn't the second two versions be pretty busted (and overplayed) in a format with Attune with Aether, Sage of Shaila's Claim and other cards that give lots of energy early in the game?
Also, I wonder if they hesitated about giving the Aetherflux Reservoir deck another 0-cost spell to play with, and this time a very good one.
I'm not sure anyone would have been happy with that first one, while the second one is either worthless or broken, there is no middle ground. Either you have almost no energy so it will sometimes produce one or two mana in a game, or you have a consistent flow meaning it is a Mox Opal with a different deck requirement. None of these choices would have been good for standard.
The first one's not a Mox, to me, I feel like a Mox needs to make mana. I like the second one though. You can play the the amount of energy required to make one mana. At 2 energy I think it's still plenty exciting, at 1 energy I think the amount of power is concerning for Standard.
I think the second Mox is a lot like what they tried, but it needs to produce a little energy when it comes in to avoid being useless in decks without energy (like they've done with all our energy cards so far). But if you give it enough energy for 1 activation, it's too strong, that energy could be used for other things. It's an issue. Maybe the next time we have an energy block they will tolerate parasitic energy cards and print that second Mox.
The first one's not a Mox, to me, I feel like a Mox needs to make mana. I like the second one though. You can play the the amount of energy required to make one mana. At 2 energy I think it's still plenty exciting, at 1 energy I think the amount of power is concerning for Standard.
I think the second Mox is a lot like what they tried, but it needs to produce a little energy when it comes in to avoid being useless in decks without energy (like they've done with all our energy cards so far). But if you give it enough energy for 1 activation, it's too strong, that energy could be used for other things. It's an issue. Maybe the next time we have an energy block they will tolerate parasitic energy cards and print that second Mox.
Delay the Energy received or pull the same kind of stunt as Lions Eye Diamond.
Maybe something like...
Add
pay : Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
You can tap to get the energy, or tap to convert it.
That syntax doesn't look right. Isn't it to one mana? I better look into that.
I'm not convinced an energy income of 1 per turn on a 0 mana card is balanced though. Especially if they need to future proof for energy sinks superior to Aetherworks Marvel.
I'm not convinced an energy income of 1 per turn on a 0 mana card is balanced though. Especially if they need to future proof for energy sinks superior to Aetherworks Marvel.
Good point. Problem being faced is how to avoid a parasitic card. Hhmm.... how about....
Comes into play tapped.
Add
Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
You get one out of it, then you gotta tap it again to get more. The round about cost with Janjeet Sentry would siphon away your if you want to use it again. It'll probably break with older cards though... I can't think of the combo off the top of my head, but I'm sure there's one.
The way it's worded now, the controller would have to create the mana/Energy before the untap step. Add "You may choose not to untap ~ during your untap phase."
Aetherhub Mox0
Artifact
Aetherhub Mox (enters the battlefield tapped and?) doesn't untap during your untap step. T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Remove a counter from you or a permanent you control (wording?): Untap Aetherhub Mox.
I'm not convinced an energy income of 1 per turn on a 0 mana card is balanced though. Especially if they need to future proof for energy sinks superior to Aetherworks Marvel.
Good point. Problem being faced is how to avoid a parasitic card. Hhmm.... how about....
Comes into play tapped.
Add
Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
You get one out of it, then you gotta tap it again to get more. The round about cost with Janjeet Sentry would siphon away your if you want to use it again. It'll probably break with older cards though... I can't think of the combo off the top of my head, but I'm sure there's one.
The way it's worded now, the controller would have to create the mana/Energy before the untap step. Add "You may choose not to untap ~ during your untap phase."
Ghirapur Aether Grid represents a lot of design space that's never going to let the untap symbol go places safely.
I thought of a fixed version of your original design, though. It still has a pretty aggressive power level but might not break the game when you actually dig into it, like Lotus Cobra.
Overload Mox
Artifact 0 t: You get if you have no . t, pay , pay all your other : Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Overload Mox
Artifact 0 t: You get if you have no . t, pay , pay all your other : Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
This is the closest thing to balanced here, but my god is that an atrocious looking ability. Moxs are almost impossible to balance because of the need for them to cost 0 and produce mana. The starting point is broken so after you start you need to add downside until you think its balanced and it will still end up as one of the strongest cards in the set.
Overload Mox
Artifact 0
: You get if you have no .
, pay all your : Add one mana of any color to your mana pool if you spent this way.
Arguably just as bad, but...
BTW: Rosewater mentioned that the reason for no Mox was that it was too hard to make one that was both cool/exciting and a Mox. Would y'all be happy with any of these ideas if you opened one in a pack?
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Aetherhub Mox0
Artifact
Aetherhub Mox (enters the battlefield tapped and?) doesn't untap during your untap step. T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Remove a counter from you or a permanent you control (wording?): Untap Aetherhub Mox.
This kills the Poison.
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Honestly, when Wizards flat out said they couldn't figure it out, I figure my odds aren't so good...
Aether Mox - 0
Legendary Artifact
~ enters the battlefield tapped, then you get E.
T: Add a charge counter to ~.
Remove a charge counter from ~, T: You get E if you have at least EEE.
So, your free stuff like a Mox when you get it, but then free stuff only every other turn. I have no idea on it's power level.
Aether Conduit0 Artifact (U)
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, you get EE(two energy counters).
It fuels energy cards and the cards that care about you controlling artifacts.
I like it. Not sure if this would be better for Standard, or the idea I proposed above (sacrifice for 3 energy), because sacrificing gets you closer to Delirium.
Breaking the Mox requirements a bit, how about just:
Aether Conduit0 Artifact (U)
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, you get EE(two energy counters).
It fuels energy cards and the cards that care about you controlling artifacts.
Honest question here. If they printed this card would anyone consider it a mox? Would anyone except this as Kaldesh's mox if told by Wizards that this is a mox? Because this is the exact problem wizards said they had with making a mox. It was too hard to find a balance between printable powerlevel and people being excited by a new 'mox'. Personally I wouldn't think this is a mox and would have to reject wizards claim that it is, though really good art could sway me, and I mean REALLY GOOD art. I do like the card, though I'm unsure any deck would run it, it seems like it could fit into the aetherworks marvel deck but that one can already produce all the energy it needs with better cards so I'm not sure it would see play.
I'm not convinced an energy income of 1 per turn on a 0 mana card is balanced though. Especially if they need to future proof for energy sinks superior to Aetherworks Marvel.
Good point. Problem being faced is how to avoid a parasitic card. Hhmm.... how about....
Comes into play tapped.
Add
Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
You get one out of it, then you gotta tap it again to get more. The round about cost with Janjeet Sentry would siphon away your if you want to use it again. It'll probably break with older cards though... I can't think of the combo off the top of my head, but I'm sure there's one.
The way it's worded now, the controller would have to create the mana/Energy before the untap step. Add "You may choose not to untap ~ during your untap phase."
Ghirapur Aether Grid represents a lot of design space that's never going to let the untap symbol go places safely.
I thought of a fixed version of your original design, though. It still has a pretty aggressive power level but might not break the game when you actually dig into it, like Lotus Cobra.
Overload Mox
Artifact 0 t: You get if you have no . t, pay , pay all your other : Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Gah! I forgot about the grid, I use it in one of the casual decks to control Howling Mine.
Hhmmm.... is "use this ability once per turn" still a thing? Prevents abuse by Ghirapur Aether Grid.
Oh well.... this is an 8nteresting thought excercise.
Filigree Mox 0
Artifact (R)
Filigree Mox enters the battlefield tapped.
When Filigree Mox enters the battlefield, you get EE. (Two energy counters) T, Pay EE: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Two energy makes it demanding enough not to be unbalanced without silly "remove all counters" shenanigans, and entering tapped avoids it just being a lotus petal. Not as elegant as I'd like, but Occam's Razor disinclines me from getting too fancy with it. Basically I see it as a "fixed" lotus petal, since it doesn't storm out.
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Filigree Mox 0
Artifact (R)
Filigree Mox enters the battlefield tapped.
When Filigree Mox enters the battlefield, you get EE. (Two energy counters) T, Pay EE: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Elegant. Or maybe as elegant as we're going to get, since it seems hard to make any Moxen at this point that are as simple as the ones printed so far. Seems like the Mox design space is running out fast. The name is exactly right, too.
I would become much less concerned with tapping that for mana and much more concerned with bouncing it with Aviary Mechanic, Aether Tradewinds, and Paradoxical Outcomes. That's not a death knell though, and I think it's the correct answer here. The development notes suggests that maybe they overrated Aetherflux Resoivoir (I'd card tag it if I could ever spell that word) and underrated Aetherworks Marvel which overcautioned against Mox designs like Filigree Mox probably.
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I can see two really obvious options, in theme with the set.
Energy Mox 0
Artifact
T: You get E.
or
Energy Mox 0
Artifact
T, pay E: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Artifact
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Activate this ability only if you have EEE.
Also, I wonder if they hesitated about giving the Aetherflux Reservoir deck another 0-cost spell to play with, and this time a very good one.
I think the second Mox is a lot like what they tried, but it needs to produce a little energy when it comes in to avoid being useless in decks without energy (like they've done with all our energy cards so far). But if you give it enough energy for 1 activation, it's too strong, that energy could be used for other things. It's an issue. Maybe the next time we have an energy block they will tolerate parasitic energy cards and print that second Mox.
Delay the Energy received or pull the same kind of stunt as Lions Eye Diamond.
Maybe something like...
Add
pay : Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
You can tap to get the energy, or tap to convert it.
That syntax doesn't look right. Isn't it to one mana? I better look into that.
Good point. Problem being faced is how to avoid a parasitic card. Hhmm.... how about....
Comes into play tapped.
Add
Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
You get one out of it, then you gotta tap it again to get more. The round about cost with Janjeet Sentry would siphon away your if you want to use it again. It'll probably break with older cards though... I can't think of the combo off the top of my head, but I'm sure there's one.
The way it's worded now, the controller would have to create the mana/Energy before the untap step. Add "You may choose not to untap ~ during your untap phase."
What about a Black Lotus for Energy?
Aether Amulet 0
Artifact
t, Sacrifice Aether Amulet: You get .
Aetherhub Mox 0
Artifact
Aetherhub Mox (enters the battlefield tapped and?) doesn't untap during your untap step.
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Remove a counter from you or a permanent you control (wording?): Untap Aetherhub Mox.
Ghirapur Aether Grid represents a lot of design space that's never going to let the untap symbol go places safely.
I thought of a fixed version of your original design, though. It still has a pretty aggressive power level but might not break the game when you actually dig into it, like Lotus Cobra.
Overload Mox
Artifact
0
t: You get if you have no .
t, pay , pay all your other : Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Overload Mox
Artifact
0
: You get if you have no .
, pay all your : Add one mana of any color to your mana pool if you spent this way.
Arguably just as bad, but...
BTW: Rosewater mentioned that the reason for no Mox was that it was too hard to make one that was both cool/exciting and a Mox. Would y'all be happy with any of these ideas if you opened one in a pack?
--Buck v Bell, 1927. This case, regarding the compulsory sterilization of inmates at mental institutions, has -- somehow -- never been overturned. Just a wee PSA for ya.
Art is life itself.
Aether Mox - 0
Legendary Artifact
~ enters the battlefield tapped, then you get E.
T: Add a charge counter to ~.
Remove a charge counter from ~, T: You get E if you have at least EEE.
So, your free stuff like a Mox when you get it, but then free stuff only every other turn. I have no idea on it's power level.
Shrug?
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Aether Conduit 0
Artifact (U)
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, you get EE (two energy counters).
It fuels energy cards and the cards that care about you controlling artifacts.
Gah! I forgot about the grid, I use it in one of the casual decks to control Howling Mine.
Hhmmm.... is "use this ability once per turn" still a thing? Prevents abuse by Ghirapur Aether Grid.
Oh well.... this is an 8nteresting thought excercise.
Artifact (R)
Filigree Mox enters the battlefield tapped.
When Filigree Mox enters the battlefield, you get EE. (Two energy counters)
T, Pay EE: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Two energy makes it demanding enough not to be unbalanced without silly "remove all counters" shenanigans, and entering tapped avoids it just being a lotus petal. Not as elegant as I'd like, but Occam's Razor disinclines me from getting too fancy with it. Basically I see it as a "fixed" lotus petal, since it doesn't storm out.
Generals meant to be drafted first in a single pack of 6 cards.
And here is the actual cube, meant to be drafted in 4 regular sized packs. (60 card decks)