Many of my designs are geared towards cube and one of the biggest considerations of a card's cubability (if you will) is whether it is splashable or requires a heavy commitment to a color. Enrich helps ingratiate players to color intensive costs by not forcing a player to adhere to the difficult cost in order to cast the card, but rewarding the player if they can pay such a cost.
Enrich--If greater than half of the mana spent to cast this card is colored mana that matches the color(s)in this card’s mana cost, it enters the battlefield enriched.
Notes: While my mock-ups are creatures this keyword could easily be applied to other colored permanent types.
Interpreter of the Tides2U
Creature – Merfolk Wizard (C)
Enrich- Draw a card when Interpreter of the Tides enters the battlefield.
1/4
Notes: Powerful common. Great defensive stats and a card draw if you cast this for 1UU
Fledgling Demon2B
Creature – Demon (U)
Flying
When Fledgling Demon enters the battlefield you lose 2 life.
Enrich- Fledgling Demon enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
2/2
Notes: An enriched take upon Foul Imp.
Hexamus, Deathly Ritualist4B
Creature – Human Wizard (M)
Deathtouch
When Hexamus, Deathly Ritualist enters the battlefield target player sacrifices a creature and you create a 2/2 black Zombie.
Enrich- Instead, when Hexamus, Deathly Ritualist enters the battlefield destroy target creature and create a 3/3 black Demon with flying.
2/2
Notes: Cubes desperately want an awesome black 5-drop. I aim to please with this design.
Bramblebeast7G
Creature – Treefolk Beast (R)
Trample, Protection from Instants and Sorceries
Bramblebeast can’t be countered.
Enrich- Gain 10 life when Bramblebeast enters the battlefield.
8/8
Notes: TIMMEH! This is your Green fatty with enrich. Somewhat of a twist on Pelakka Wurm.
Eternal Soldier1W
Creature – Human Soldier (M)
First Strike, Vigilance
Enrich—Eternal Soldier enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
2/1
Notes: WW is one of the toughest sells in cube, but this guy is just fine without the boost and an elite 2-drop if you can cast it for WW.
Would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Constructed feedback is much appreciated!
Suppose you were considering printing Interpreter of the Tides as is, and printing:
Interpreter of the Tides V21UU
Creature - Merfolk Wizard (C)
When ~ enters the battlefield, draw a card.
1/4
A few problems:
1) V2 is above curve, and V1 is better than V2 since V1 has two different ways you could play it.
2) V1 is far more complicated than V2.
3) The primary benefit to V1 over V2 is that it can be common in limited, because a 1CC in limited is going to be hard to play/draft.
4) If you ever pay 2C for V1, you always feel terrible.
I think Fabricate offers an interesting analogy to show why this is a bad idea - variety is good, but it always comes at a cost. If a 2/2 with Fabricate 1 is okay for 2G, you might be able to fairly print a 4/4 for 2G or a 2/2 that puts 2 1/1s into play for 2G. In constructed, you'll rarely prefer the 2/2 Fabricate 1 to either of these "more focused" cards, all else being equal, so the only way to design a constructed playable fabricate card is to refrain from printing "otherwise printable" playable cards, limiting the pool, or to print an above-curve Fabricate card that obsoletes these otherwise printable/playable card options.
I love fabricate, and there are ways WOTC could have made either option constructed playable. So I think it's a good mechanic, despite it's inherent drawback and untapped potential.
In contrast, only one option (the enriched option) is constructed playable for Enrich cards. If this is the case, just print V2... it's less powerful than V1, but will be used the same way in 99.9% of the situation, and save substantial player time reading and understanding the mechanic.
Another thing to consider; it strikes me you might be best off cribbing from the lorwyn hybrid mana costs here. You could easily make something like this: Guy1
Creature - Human Wizard
When ~ enters the battlefield, if you payed U, draw a card.
When ~ enters the battlefield, if you payed B, each player discards a card.
1/1
There are conceivably times you'd want to play this for 1U and want to play this for 1B, but you'd often want to play it for UB. Still, even when you had to play it for 1U, you're still pretty happy; same for 1B in madness or reanimator decks.
The ability word idea is a great one! Makes it even easier to understand. I will definitely implement this in future workings of my idea.
Please keep in mind that the designs presented are just mock-ups. They are deliberately on the stronger end of applications for the mechanic. I agree that flexibility should come at a cost as well and most designs would not be so pushed (I also design with cube in mind which is why I often shoot for a power level that is as high as possible without being unprintable with rarity taken into consideration).
To your particular critiques I say. 1) Yes, and this is by design for the reason above. 2) Not unreasonably so. Especially if I use the ability word suggestion. 3)I'm not sure what you mean by a 1CC (converted cost)? 4) Not necessarily. A 1/4 for 2U is a standard going rate. You're still getting a great blocker even if you aren't getting the card draw.
I don't understand the point you are trying to make with Fabricate. The only thing this has in common with fabricate is both mechanics are giving you a choice based on what you're trying to achieve. Fabricate asks do you want to go big or go wide? Enrich asks do you want to go splashable or optimal.
I also don't agree that only one mode is standard playable. If you look at the designs that could feasibly rise to the level of standard playable (technically all of them except the common) they're all playable in either mode. You have to decide when the optimal mode is worth the more mana intensive (colorwise) cost and account for that in your deckbuilding.
Hybrid mana couldn't be further from what I want to do with this mechanic. The whole intent is to provide an incentive to pay casting costs with more of a particular color while still providing the flexibility to still have a serviceable card even if you cannot take advantage of its maximum potential. Hybrid mana costs improve flexibility but don't incentivize a heavier commitment to a color. In fact, quite the opposite, they ease commitments to a color by allowing other colors to be substituted.
Thank you for your feedback! I look forward to hearing more from everyone.
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Many of my designs are geared towards cube and one of the biggest considerations of a card's cubability (if you will) is whether it is splashable or requires a heavy commitment to a color. Enrich helps ingratiate players to color intensive costs by not forcing a player to adhere to the difficult cost in order to cast the card, but rewarding the player if they can pay such a cost.
Enrich--If greater than half of the mana spent to cast this card is colored mana that matches the color(s)in this card’s mana cost, it enters the battlefield enriched.
Notes: While my mock-ups are creatures this keyword could easily be applied to other colored permanent types.
Creature – Merfolk Wizard (C)
Enrich- Draw a card when Interpreter of the Tides enters the battlefield.
1/4
Notes: Powerful common. Great defensive stats and a card draw if you cast this for 1UU
Fledgling Demon 2B
Creature – Demon (U)
Flying
When Fledgling Demon enters the battlefield you lose 2 life.
Enrich- Fledgling Demon enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
2/2
Notes: An enriched take upon Foul Imp.
Hexamus, Deathly Ritualist 4B
Creature – Human Wizard (M)
Deathtouch
When Hexamus, Deathly Ritualist enters the battlefield target player sacrifices a creature and you create a 2/2 black Zombie.
Enrich- Instead, when Hexamus, Deathly Ritualist enters the battlefield destroy target creature and create a 3/3 black Demon with flying.
2/2
Notes: Cubes desperately want an awesome black 5-drop. I aim to please with this design.
Bramblebeast 7G
Creature – Treefolk Beast (R)
Trample, Protection from Instants and Sorceries
Bramblebeast can’t be countered.
Enrich- Gain 10 life when Bramblebeast enters the battlefield.
8/8
Notes: TIMMEH! This is your Green fatty with enrich. Somewhat of a twist on Pelakka Wurm.
Eternal Soldier 1W
Creature – Human Soldier (M)
First Strike, Vigilance
Enrich—Eternal Soldier enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
2/1
Notes: WW is one of the toughest sells in cube, but this guy is just fine without the boost and an elite 2-drop if you can cast it for WW.
Would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Constructed feedback is much appreciated!
Interpreter of the Tides 2U
Creature — Merfolk Wizard (C)
Enrich — When ~ enters the battlefield, if UUwas spent to cast it, draw a card.
1/4
I had to read the original wording twice to get how it works.
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
Interpreter of the Tides V2 1UU
Creature - Merfolk Wizard (C)
When ~ enters the battlefield, draw a card.
1/4
A few problems:
1) V2 is above curve, and V1 is better than V2 since V1 has two different ways you could play it.
2) V1 is far more complicated than V2.
3) The primary benefit to V1 over V2 is that it can be common in limited, because a 1CC in limited is going to be hard to play/draft.
4) If you ever pay 2C for V1, you always feel terrible.
I think Fabricate offers an interesting analogy to show why this is a bad idea - variety is good, but it always comes at a cost. If a 2/2 with Fabricate 1 is okay for 2G, you might be able to fairly print a 4/4 for 2G or a 2/2 that puts 2 1/1s into play for 2G. In constructed, you'll rarely prefer the 2/2 Fabricate 1 to either of these "more focused" cards, all else being equal, so the only way to design a constructed playable fabricate card is to refrain from printing "otherwise printable" playable cards, limiting the pool, or to print an above-curve Fabricate card that obsoletes these otherwise printable/playable card options.
I love fabricate, and there are ways WOTC could have made either option constructed playable. So I think it's a good mechanic, despite it's inherent drawback and untapped potential.
In contrast, only one option (the enriched option) is constructed playable for Enrich cards. If this is the case, just print V2... it's less powerful than V1, but will be used the same way in 99.9% of the situation, and save substantial player time reading and understanding the mechanic.
Another thing to consider; it strikes me you might be best off cribbing from the lorwyn hybrid mana costs here. You could easily make something like this:
Guy 1
Creature - Human Wizard
When ~ enters the battlefield, if you payed U, draw a card.
When ~ enters the battlefield, if you payed B, each player discards a card.
1/1
There are conceivably times you'd want to play this for 1U and want to play this for 1B, but you'd often want to play it for UB. Still, even when you had to play it for 1U, you're still pretty happy; same for 1B in madness or reanimator decks.
Please keep in mind that the designs presented are just mock-ups. They are deliberately on the stronger end of applications for the mechanic. I agree that flexibility should come at a cost as well and most designs would not be so pushed (I also design with cube in mind which is why I often shoot for a power level that is as high as possible without being unprintable with rarity taken into consideration).
To your particular critiques I say. 1) Yes, and this is by design for the reason above. 2) Not unreasonably so. Especially if I use the ability word suggestion. 3)I'm not sure what you mean by a 1CC (converted cost)? 4) Not necessarily. A 1/4 for 2U is a standard going rate. You're still getting a great blocker even if you aren't getting the card draw.
I don't understand the point you are trying to make with Fabricate. The only thing this has in common with fabricate is both mechanics are giving you a choice based on what you're trying to achieve. Fabricate asks do you want to go big or go wide? Enrich asks do you want to go splashable or optimal.
I also don't agree that only one mode is standard playable. If you look at the designs that could feasibly rise to the level of standard playable (technically all of them except the common) they're all playable in either mode. You have to decide when the optimal mode is worth the more mana intensive (colorwise) cost and account for that in your deckbuilding.
Hybrid mana couldn't be further from what I want to do with this mechanic. The whole intent is to provide an incentive to pay casting costs with more of a particular color while still providing the flexibility to still have a serviceable card even if you cannot take advantage of its maximum potential. Hybrid mana costs improve flexibility but don't incentivize a heavier commitment to a color. In fact, quite the opposite, they ease commitments to a color by allowing other colors to be substituted.
Thank you for your feedback! I look forward to hearing more from everyone.