In standard, this lets you get a commander you can replay for the 'commander tax' of 2 mana - an excellent control mechanic.
In limited, this would encourage you to draft this mechanic so you can switch up commanders.
In commander, this would allow you to change/swap commanders.
Mechanic: Designate
* Designate is a keyword action applicable only to legendary creature cards.
Sample card:
Necrotic Summons1B
Sorcery (U)
Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand, then reveal your hand and designate a legendary creature from your hand. (To designate a legendary creature, put that creature card in your command zone. It is now your commander. If it has partner and you had two commanders, choose one of them and the other is no longer your commander. If you have a non-commander in your command zone, put it into your graveyard.)
* If a commander you control dies, you may it into your command zone with a commander tax counter associated with it. You may play creatures from your command zone as though they were in your hand by paying 2 for each commander tax counter associated with it.
* If a commander would go to any zone except the command zone or graveyard, it is no longer your commander.
* When a card is no longer your commander, remove all commander tax counters associated with it.
Positives:
* In standard, you can designate a legendary creature into a commander, with all the commander rules (except without those rules associated with deck building.) This means you still have an incentive to run multiples, as if you don't meet the conditions on the designation card, you won't get the commander.
* It facilitates printing "Partner" cards, as they would have a useful role in limited (if you can designate them from your hand/etc.)
* It avoids the "unbalanced" nature of beginning a limited or standard game with a commander. Now, to designate a commander to your command zone before it becomes your commander. This means that you have to draw it before you can play it.
* This allows you to print other mechanics that care about (a) you having a commander (Command Tower at common.) and (b) would allow you to swap up your commanders on the fly to react to in-game situations.
Negatives:
* Designate will be a useless ability unless you have lots of legends in the set; so we're going to have an all-legendary creature rare/mythic policy for the sets involved, so you'd likely get 3 each.
* Partner Commanders might have to be uncommon legendaries to meet the demand.
* Designate is rarely useful when you've found your commander.
Sample designate effects:
BrunsummonU
Instant (U)
Return target creature or player to its owner's hand. That player may designate a legendary creature card from their hand. (To designate a legendary creature, put that creature card in your command zone. It is now your commander. If it has partner and you had two commanders, choose one of them and the other is no longer your commander. If you have a non-commander in your command zone, put it into your graveyard.)
Commander Save1W
Instant (U)
You may designate a legendary creature on the battlefield you own. If you do, remove all commander tax counters associated with it and return it to the battlefield at the end of turn with a +1/+1 counter. (To designate a legendary creature, put that creature card in your command zone. It is now your commander. If it has partner and you had two commanders, choose one of them and the other is no longer your commander. If you have a non-commander in your command zone, put it into your graveyard.)
Traitorous Enforcer2B
Creature - Zombie Warrior (C)
When ~ enters the battlefield, lose 3 life.
Whenever you designate a creature, if a non-commander card is put from your command zone into your graveyard, put three +1/+1 counters on ~.
3/3
Partner Up!2W
Sorcery (U)
Search your library for up to two legendary creatures, reveal them, and put them into your hand and shuffle your library. Then you may choose 1
- Designate a legendary creature card from your hand.
- Designate two legendary creature cards from your hand with partner.
- Remove up to one commander-tax counter associated for each legendary creature you revealed in this way from one of your commanders. (To designate a legendary creature, put that creature card in your command zone. It is now your commander. If it has partner and you had two commanders, choose one of them and the other is no longer your commander. If you have a non-commander in your command zone, put it into your graveyard.)
Commander's Specter1BB
Creature - Specter (U)
Flying
Whenever you designate a commander, or play a commander from your command zone, each opponent discards a card.
2/2
Commander's Familiar1G
Creature - Tree Spirit (U)
Spells that share a color with your commander cost 1 less to play.
1/3
Commander's Dance2W
Enchantment (U)
Whenever you designate a commander, create two 1/1 white soldier tokens and gain 2 life. Sometimes the president would choose a new army commander just to show that he could.
Wight, the Misforfunted1RR
Legendary Creature - Goblin Soldier (R)
Haste, Menace, First Strike
If you designate another commander while ~ is your command zone, exile it and ~ deals 4 damage to target creature or player.
2/2
So and So's Bolt1R
Sorcery (C)
Choose 1 -
- ~ deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
- Reveal your hand. You may designate a legendary creature card revealed in this way. If you do, ~ deals damage equal to that creature's power to target creature or player. (To designate a legendary creature, put that creature card in your command zone. It is now your commander. If it has partner and you had two commanders, choose one of them and the other is no longer your commander. If you have a non-commander in your command zone, put it into your graveyard.)
(To designate a legendary creature, put that creature card in your command zone. It is now your commander. If it has partner and you had two commanders, choose one of them and the other is no longer your commander. If you have a non-commander in your command zone, put it into your graveyard.)
First things first: You are over-doing it on the reminder text. Keep it to what the player needs to know. While it's good for us to see that you thought about corner cases like commanders with partner you put that stuff into the FAQ (and if deemed necessary after deliberation maybe on relevant cards). Your reminder text needs to be concise: (Put that card into the command zone as your new commander [and any cards there it replaces into your graveyard.])
What does it mean that this replaces a commander? It means that there will be a SBA checking whether your commanders are legal and you cull them until you are down to a legal set of commanders similar to the planeswalker/legendary rules. I wouldn't even include the text in square brackets any more than I would include reminder text regarding maximum hand size on Concentrate. The word "new" carries a lot of meaning here - meaning "replacement" where necessary, but also "addition" when you designate/promote a new card with partner.
Necrotic Summons1B
Sorcery (U)
Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand, then reveal your hand and designate a legendary creature from your hand.
cut the "reveal" clause and instead make it "you may designate a legendary creature card from your hand."
Reading this reminds me how weird "designate" reads here. You need a better verb. I'm happy with "promote" and I'm not certain why you chose "designate". Whichever way you go I wouldn't keep the current one. You want naturally sounding text and you "designate <someone> <something>" and leaving out that thing reads incomplete.
* If a commander you control dies, you may it into your command zone with a commander tax counter associated with it. You may play creatures from your command zone as though they were in your hand by paying 2 for each commander tax counter associated with it.
[...]
* When a card is no longer your commander, remove all commander tax counters associated with it.
This part is a bit iffy: You can repeatedly reset your commander tax? Even if you swap around around and eventually return the same card to your commander position? (This feels more like a bug than a feature.)
This shines a light on why my version just gives you a single additional commander rather than playing tag. I chose not to invalidate a central aspect of the Commander format by undoing/undermining commander tax.
* If a commander would go to any zone except the command zone or graveyard, it is no longer your commander.
You can't have a commander on the battlefield? What about Momentary Blink? You need this rule for logistical reasons, but you are fundamentally changing the power of Unsummon in Commander with this.
With these changes you risk sacrificing the Commander format on the altar of 60-card Constructed.
* Designate will be a useless ability unless you have lots of legends in the set; so we're going to have an all-legendary creature rare/mythic policy for the sets involved, so you'd likely get 3 each.
Have you skipped Kamigawa-block? You sound like someone who skipped Kamigawa-block.
Fortunately I have an alternative suggestion and it harkens back to the thread of mine: How about rather than having too many legendaries you just go with a slightly increased number and you also include "elite creatures" at lower rarities. You don't need to associate them with any new rule for your set, but you just change your cards to allow "designation" of legendary creatures as well as elite creatures e. g. "you may promote a legendary or elite creature card from your hand."
I imagine this could work out fine for Limited and you could e. g. give all elite creatures partner and name them as cohorts to a rare legendary creature with partner e. g. rare Crime Boss Amar and uncommon Amar's Enforcer (obviously with great synergy). I think this theme could make a marker mechanic/type flavorful enough to be popular or at least justified.
BrunsummonU
Instant (U)
Return target creature or player to its owner's hand. That player may designate a legendary creature card from their hand.
Let me take a guess: Planeswalker?
Wight, the Misforfunted1RR
Legendary Creature - Goblin Soldier (R)
Haste, Menace, First Strike
If you designate another commander while ~ is your command zone, exile it and ~ deals 4 damage to target creature or player.
2/2
Who is "it"?
Hope my perspective helps to refine these ideas. I'm probably going to try this version now for my "Kamigawa redux" custom card project.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Planar Chaos was not a mistake neither was it random. You might want to look at it again.
[thread=239793][Game] Level Up - Creature[/thread]
Secret_infiltrator proposed a mechanic that would allow you to make non-legendary creatures into your commander "once per game." I think this is rather interesting, but rather than have it be a creature-mechanic, one could make a mechanic that allowed you to "on the fly" change your commanders in-game.
In standard, this lets you get a commander you can replay for the 'commander tax' of 2 mana - an excellent control mechanic.
In limited, this would encourage you to draft this mechanic so you can switch up commanders.
In commander, this would allow you to change/swap commanders.
Mechanic: Designate
* Designate is a keyword action applicable only to legendary creature cards.
Sample card:
Necrotic Summons 1B
Sorcery (U)
Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand, then reveal your hand and designate a legendary creature from your hand. (To designate a legendary creature, put that creature card in your command zone. It is now your commander. If it has partner and you had two commanders, choose one of them and the other is no longer your commander. If you have a non-commander in your command zone, put it into your graveyard.)
* If a commander you control dies, you may it into your command zone with a commander tax counter associated with it. You may play creatures from your command zone as though they were in your hand by paying 2 for each commander tax counter associated with it.
* If a commander would go to any zone except the command zone or graveyard, it is no longer your commander.
* When a card is no longer your commander, remove all commander tax counters associated with it.
Positives:
* In standard, you can designate a legendary creature into a commander, with all the commander rules (except without those rules associated with deck building.) This means you still have an incentive to run multiples, as if you don't meet the conditions on the designation card, you won't get the commander.
* It facilitates printing "Partner" cards, as they would have a useful role in limited (if you can designate them from your hand/etc.)
* It avoids the "unbalanced" nature of beginning a limited or standard game with a commander. Now, to designate a commander to your command zone before it becomes your commander. This means that you have to draw it before you can play it.
* This allows you to print other mechanics that care about (a) you having a commander (Command Tower at common.) and (b) would allow you to swap up your commanders on the fly to react to in-game situations.
Negatives:
* Designate will be a useless ability unless you have lots of legends in the set; so we're going to have an all-legendary creature rare/mythic policy for the sets involved, so you'd likely get 3 each.
* Partner Commanders might have to be uncommon legendaries to meet the demand.
* Designate is rarely useful when you've found your commander.
Sample designate effects:
Brunsummon U
Instant (U)
Return target creature or player to its owner's hand. That player may designate a legendary creature card from their hand. (To designate a legendary creature, put that creature card in your command zone. It is now your commander. If it has partner and you had two commanders, choose one of them and the other is no longer your commander. If you have a non-commander in your command zone, put it into your graveyard.)
Commander Save 1W
Instant (U)
You may designate a legendary creature on the battlefield you own. If you do, remove all commander tax counters associated with it and return it to the battlefield at the end of turn with a +1/+1 counter. (To designate a legendary creature, put that creature card in your command zone. It is now your commander. If it has partner and you had two commanders, choose one of them and the other is no longer your commander. If you have a non-commander in your command zone, put it into your graveyard.)
Traitorous Enforcer2B
Creature - Zombie Warrior (C)
When ~ enters the battlefield, lose 3 life.
Whenever you designate a creature, if a non-commander card is put from your command zone into your graveyard, put three +1/+1 counters on ~.
3/3
Partner Up! 2W
Sorcery (U)
Search your library for up to two legendary creatures, reveal them, and put them into your hand and shuffle your library. Then you may choose 1
- Designate a legendary creature card from your hand.
- Designate two legendary creature cards from your hand with partner.
- Remove up to one commander-tax counter associated for each legendary creature you revealed in this way from one of your commanders.
(To designate a legendary creature, put that creature card in your command zone. It is now your commander. If it has partner and you had two commanders, choose one of them and the other is no longer your commander. If you have a non-commander in your command zone, put it into your graveyard.)
Commander's Specter 1BB
Creature - Specter (U)
Flying
Whenever you designate a commander, or play a commander from your command zone, each opponent discards a card.
2/2
Commander's Familiar 1G
Creature - Tree Spirit (U)
Spells that share a color with your commander cost 1 less to play.
1/3
Commander's Dance 2W
Enchantment (U)
Whenever you designate a commander, create two 1/1 white soldier tokens and gain 2 life.
Sometimes the president would choose a new army commander just to show that he could.
Wight, the Misforfunted 1RR
Legendary Creature - Goblin Soldier (R)
Haste, Menace, First Strike
If you designate another commander while ~ is your command zone, exile it and ~ deals 4 damage to target creature or player.
2/2
So and So's Bolt 1R
Sorcery (C)
Choose 1 -
- ~ deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
- Reveal your hand. You may designate a legendary creature card revealed in this way. If you do, ~ deals damage equal to that creature's power to target creature or player. (To designate a legendary creature, put that creature card in your command zone. It is now your commander. If it has partner and you had two commanders, choose one of them and the other is no longer your commander. If you have a non-commander in your command zone, put it into your graveyard.)
First things first: You are over-doing it on the reminder text. Keep it to what the player needs to know. While it's good for us to see that you thought about corner cases like commanders with partner you put that stuff into the FAQ (and if deemed necessary after deliberation maybe on relevant cards). Your reminder text needs to be concise: (Put that card into the command zone as your new commander [and any cards there it replaces into your graveyard.])
What does it mean that this replaces a commander? It means that there will be a SBA checking whether your commanders are legal and you cull them until you are down to a legal set of commanders similar to the planeswalker/legendary rules. I wouldn't even include the text in square brackets any more than I would include reminder text regarding maximum hand size on Concentrate. The word "new" carries a lot of meaning here - meaning "replacement" where necessary, but also "addition" when you designate/promote a new card with partner.
cut the "reveal" clause and instead make it "you may designate a legendary creature card from your hand."
Reading this reminds me how weird "designate" reads here. You need a better verb. I'm happy with "promote" and I'm not certain why you chose "designate". Whichever way you go I wouldn't keep the current one. You want naturally sounding text and you "designate <someone> <something>" and leaving out that thing reads incomplete.
This part is a bit iffy: You can repeatedly reset your commander tax? Even if you swap around around and eventually return the same card to your commander position? (This feels more like a bug than a feature.)
This shines a light on why my version just gives you a single additional commander rather than playing tag. I chose not to invalidate a central aspect of the Commander format by undoing/undermining commander tax.
You can't have a commander on the battlefield? What about Momentary Blink? You need this rule for logistical reasons, but you are fundamentally changing the power of Unsummon in Commander with this.
With these changes you risk sacrificing the Commander format on the altar of 60-card Constructed.
Have you skipped Kamigawa-block? You sound like someone who skipped Kamigawa-block.
Fortunately I have an alternative suggestion and it harkens back to the thread of mine: How about rather than having too many legendaries you just go with a slightly increased number and you also include "elite creatures" at lower rarities. You don't need to associate them with any new rule for your set, but you just change your cards to allow "designation" of legendary creatures as well as elite creatures e. g. "you may promote a legendary or elite creature card from your hand."
I imagine this could work out fine for Limited and you could e. g. give all elite creatures partner and name them as cohorts to a rare legendary creature with partner e. g. rare Crime Boss Amar and uncommon Amar's Enforcer (obviously with great synergy). I think this theme could make a marker mechanic/type flavorful enough to be popular or at least justified.
Let me take a guess: Planeswalker?
Who is "it"?
Hope my perspective helps to refine these ideas. I'm probably going to try this version now for my "Kamigawa redux" custom card project.
Finally a good white villain quote: "So, do I ever re-evaluate my life choices? Never, because I know what I'm doing is a righteous cause."
Factions: Sleeping
Remnants: Valheim
Legendary Journey: Heroes & Planeswalkers
Saga: Shards of Rabiah
Legends: The Elder Dragons
Read up on Red Flags & NWO