This is an attempt to make something like Meditate only more versatile. It also needs some major wording help too, but before getting into the nitty gritty I'd just like to see if it's worth the trouble.
Lost in Meditation3U
Instant
Until end of turn, whenever a phase other than the end phase would occur instead the active player takes a draw phase.
Here's the idea: It's your upkeep, you get four draw phases then end. It's like Meditate, only it combos with Howling Mine and you got an untap and upkeep step in there. You can also play it on your opponent's upkeep to force a lot of draw and prevent an attack, basically this is a Time Walk for a Forced Fruition deck. You can also play it during their precombat main step to stop an attack and give them two cards, which isn't generally optimal but it's a nice way to deal with Ball Lightning etc. You can also play it on your own precombat main step if you weren't planning on attacking to draw two cards.
Interesting idea, sounds really complicated though. Basically has to played during upkeep to be good. On your own main phase is also kinda cool. Could be overly complicated lol, but I think it could be cool.
If you play it during your draw step instead of your upkeep, you still draw for the turn.
It's a nice idea, but any card that requires 4 lines of explanation is probably not simple enough to print (i'm looking at you, Ice Cauldron).
Those four lines aren't reminder text, I was just explaining what I was shooting for. I'm sure a good rewording would fix some of that problem. Maybe it might look like this:
Lost in Meditation3U
Instant
Skip each main or attack phase this turn turn. For each phase skipped in this way there is an additional draw phase.
It just occured to me that there is no draw phase anymore, it's a step. So maybe " Skip each main or attack phase this turn turn. At end of turn, the active player draws a card for each phase skipped in this way." or something like that.
Lost in Meditation3U
Instant
End the turn. The player whose turn it is when this spell is played draws a card for each phase skipped this way. Okay, I'm inside my calm center. Now how do I get back out?
Doesn't give extra draw phases but that's allready been covered in the Card of The Month. This is a counterspell with some bite and a similar effect, not to mention it's allready incredibly johnny.
Lost in Meditation3U
Instant
End the turn. The player whose turn it is when this spell is played draws a card for each phase skipped this way. Okay, I'm inside my calm center. Now how do I get back out?
I think you can say "the active player," actually. But this is a great idea.
Lost in Meditation :3mana::symu:
Instant (R)
The active player draws a card for each phase after this one, then end the turn. (Remove all spells and abilities on the stack from the game, including this card. The player whose turn it is discards down to his or her maximum hand size. Damage wears off, and "this turn" and "until end of turn" effects end. The phases are untap, upkeep, draw, precombat main, combat, postcombat main, and end of turn.)
Something like that. Dunno how much reminder text you'd need.
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That would also counter spells on the stack, which would make a much cheaper Time Stop, so maybe if it ended the turn at the end of the current phase. I don't think you'd need as much reminder text that way, since the stack would be empty. But yeah, that's the idea.
I tried templating it to end the turn after the current phase but it's really awkward to word. Also, Time Stop needs to be cheaper. And this version makes up for it by drawing cards for the player whose turn you're skipping. And since you'd basically never play it as a counterspell when your own spells are on the stack, it still ahs the same functionality during your own turn. Also, its power is more evident as a counterspell - allowing players to evaluate it more easilly and know which decks it belongs in.
This turn, if there would be a main phase or combat phase, instead skip that phase and there is an additional beginning phase before this turn's [first] end phase. Skip all steps of that phase that aren't draw steps.
Plagiarize <- I thought I could cut that 'instead', but apparently not. Relentless Assault <- We can say the phase is 'after', why not 'before'? All we have to do is indicate where the phase is.
EDIT: By the way, the problem with a lot of the wordings here is that you can't count things that are "skipped this way". Skipped things don't exist. You have to keep track of occasions that you skip something; i.e., when you apply the replacement effect.
And, also, when you "skip a phase or turn," the effect, you don't destroy an upcoming turn or phase just then. You are simply creating a replacement effect: "The next time a {tokening of [INITIATIVE TYPE]} would happen, instead it doesn't."
I feel I can safely say no turn will ever have more than one End Phase, but you never know.
I do not think I can create a step (a) outside its appropriate phase, or, barring that, (b) on an arbitrary player's turn.
Lost in Meditation 3U
Instant
Until end of turn, whenever a phase other than the end phase would occur instead the active player takes a draw phase.
Here's the idea: It's your upkeep, you get four draw phases then end. It's like Meditate, only it combos with Howling Mine and you got an untap and upkeep step in there. You can also play it on your opponent's upkeep to force a lot of draw and prevent an attack, basically this is a Time Walk for a Forced Fruition deck. You can also play it during their precombat main step to stop an attack and give them two cards, which isn't generally optimal but it's a nice way to deal with Ball Lightning etc. You can also play it on your own precombat main step if you weren't planning on attacking to draw two cards.
It's a nice idea, but any card that requires 4 lines of explanation is probably not simple enough to print (i'm looking at you, Ice Cauldron).
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=504072
Lost in Meditation 3U
Instant
Skip each main or attack phase this turn turn. For each phase skipped in this way there is an additional draw phase.
It just occured to me that there is no draw phase anymore, it's a step. So maybe " Skip each main or attack phase this turn turn. At end of turn, the active player draws a card for each phase skipped in this way." or something like that.
Lost in Meditation 3U
Instant
End the turn. The player whose turn it is when this spell is played draws a card for each phase skipped this way.
Okay, I'm inside my calm center. Now how do I get back out?
Doesn't give extra draw phases but that's allready been covered in the Card of The Month. This is a counterspell with some bite and a similar effect, not to mention it's allready incredibly johnny.
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Sig-Heroes of the Plane
I think you can say "the active player," actually. But this is a great idea.
Lost in Meditation :3mana::symu:
Instant (R)
The active player draws a card for each phase after this one, then end the turn. (Remove all spells and abilities on the stack from the game, including this card. The player whose turn it is discards down to his or her maximum hand size. Damage wears off, and "this turn" and "until end of turn" effects end. The phases are untap, upkeep, draw, precombat main, combat, postcombat main, and end of turn.)
Something like that. Dunno how much reminder text you'd need.
Very Well Then I Contradict Myself.
Just my thoughts =).
Remaking Magic - A Podcast for those that love MTG and Game Design
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Sig-Heroes of the Plane
is one of the best flavor text ideas I've ever seen.
Plagiarize <- I thought I could cut that 'instead', but apparently not.
Relentless Assault <- We can say the phase is 'after', why not 'before'? All we have to do is indicate where the phase is.
EDIT: By the way, the problem with a lot of the wordings here is that you can't count things that are "skipped this way". Skipped things don't exist. You have to keep track of occasions that you skip something; i.e., when you apply the replacement effect.
And, also, when you "skip a phase or turn," the effect, you don't destroy an upcoming turn or phase just then. You are simply creating a replacement effect: "The next time a {tokening of [INITIATIVE TYPE]} would happen, instead it doesn't."
I feel I can safely say no turn will ever have more than one End Phase, but you never know.
I do not think I can create a step (a) outside its appropriate phase, or, barring that, (b) on an arbitrary player's turn.
Shouldn't that text be "I'm in my happy place"?
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