Why is there a need to avoid using variable letters in the text? Is it for "complexity reasons" at common? If so, merely having the magnitude of an action that's being performed be dependent on such a dynamic value already increases the complexity quite a bit.
In addition, why the "up to"? The "up to" phrasing makes it even harder to parse, in my opinion.
"You gain 1 life for each creature you control."
"For each creature you control, you may gain 1 life."
"Return a card from your graveyard to your hand for each creature you control."
"For each creature you control, you may return a card from your graveyard to your hand."
I don't really think there's a way to avoid sounding weird in some way for scrying and tapping. Scrying especially, since "iterative" wording doesn't work with scry.
The only other way I could really see it being not as awkward was if you used something like, "an amount less than or equal to the number of creatures you control" for each one, but that takes up a lot of rules real estate.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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
The main reason I can think of to avoid using X would be if there is another effect on the same spell that is already using X defined in a different way. But if that is the reason, then there is probably a bigger problem with the complexity.
"For each ___, you may ___" is a good answer for a lot of uses other than scry.
Scry up to the number of creatures you control.
You gain life up to the number of creatures you control.
Return a number of cards up to the number of creatures you control from your graveyard to your hand.
Tap a number of creatures up to the number of creatures you control.
In addition, why the "up to"? The "up to" phrasing makes it even harder to parse, in my opinion.
"You gain 1 life for each creature you control."
"For each creature you control, you may gain 1 life."
"Return a card from your graveyard to your hand for each creature you control."
"For each creature you control, you may return a card from your graveyard to your hand."
I don't really think there's a way to avoid sounding weird in some way for scrying and tapping. Scrying especially, since "iterative" wording doesn't work with scry.
The only other way I could really see it being not as awkward was if you used something like, "an amount less than or equal to the number of creatures you control" for each one, but that takes up a lot of rules real estate.
[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
"For each ___, you may ___" is a good answer for a lot of uses other than scry.