Speciate; a keyword action. Speciate has the following reminder text: (Create a 1/1 green insect creature token. If you control an insect, instead create a 2/2 green wolf creature token. If you control an insect and a wolf, instead create a 3/3 green beast creature token. If you control an insect, wolf, and beast, instead create a 6/6 green wurm creature token.)
I wanted a mechanic that captured the idea of a group interested in creating biodiversity.
Sample Speciate cards:
Introduce NatureG
Sorcery (C) Speciate. (Create a 1/1 green insect creature token. If you control an insect, instead create a 2/2 green wolf creature token. If you control an insect and a wolf, instead create a 3/3 green beast creature token. If you control an insect, wolf, and beast, instead create a 6/6 green wurm creature token.)
Elbvish Diversifier2G
Creature - Elf Warrior (C)
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, speciate. (Create a 1/1 green insect creature token. If you control an insect, instead create a 2/2 green wolf creature token. If you control an insect and a wolf, instead create a 3/3 green beast creature token. If you control an insect, wolf, and beast, instead create a 6/6 green wurm creature token.)
1/1
Build Ecosystem4G
Sorcery (C)
Search your library for a forest card and put it onto the battlfield, then shuffle your library, then Speciate. (Create a 1/1 green insect creature token. If you control an insect, instead create a 2/2 green wolf creature token. If you control an insect and a wolf, instead create a 3/3 green beast creature token. If you control an insect, wolf, and beast, instead create a 6/6 green wurm creature token.)
Introduce Diversity3G
Sorcery (U) Speciate, then speciate again. (Create a 1/1 green insect creature token. If you control an insect, instead create a 2/2 green wolf creature token. If you control an insect and a wolf, instead create a 3/3 green beast creature token. If you control an insect, wolf, and beast, instead create a 6/6 green wurm creature token. Then repeat this process.)
Diversity's Bounty2GG
Sorcery (U) Speciate. (Create a 1/1 green insect creature token. If you control an insect, instead create a 2/2 green wolf creature token. If you control an insect and a wolf, instead create a 3/3 green beast creature token. If you control an insect, wolf, and beast, instead create a 6/6 green wurm creature token.)
Draw a card for each differently named creature token you control.
Very cool! Seems fun. But not realistically printable in the foreseeable future. I simplified/shortened it (below), and it's still 7 lines of reminder text in MSE.
Speciate (Create a 1/1 green Insect creature token. If you control an Insect, instead create a 2/2 green Wolf creature token. If you control a Wolf, instead create a 3/3 green Beast creature token. If you control a Beast, instead create a 6/6 green Wurm creature token.)
As legend points out, the mechanic is quite long. Even simplified reminder text is going to look like a wall of text when you put it on a card. I'm also a bit worried about the mechanic developmentally. If I understand the ability correctly, all I need is a single changeling to make each instance of speciate give me a 6/6 token. The interaction could only potentially matter in modern and I'm not even sure it's busted. A curve of turn 1 mothdust changeling into turn 2 play a couple Introduce Nature getting two 6/6 bodies seems pretty busted though. It makes eldrazi look inefficient by comparison.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
- Manite
Neat idea but super clunky right now. The creature types seem arbitrary.
Reminds me of Bestial Menace and Mitotic Slime put together.
Gotta be a way we can get this to work.
It's a weird Populate
I don't know there's a way to make this less wordy... but I don't see many other lines of text you want to put here.
I like Legends version... but it lets you cheat by just creating the larger token. That's a cool flavor (IE, you get the next biggest predator!), but not what I was going for here.
Still, both versions deserve some kind of experiments to see if we can reduce the text box...
How about: Speciate V2 (Create the lowest power green creature token you don't control - 1/1 insect, 2/2 wolf, 3/3 beast. If you control all 3, instead create a 6/6 green wurm creature token.)
Compared to:
Speciate V1 (Create a 1/1 green insect creature token. If you control an insect, instead create a 2/2 green wolf creature token. If you control an insect and a wolf, instead create a 3/3 green beast creature token. If you control an insect, wolf, and beast, instead create a 6/6 green wurm creature token.)
Note that V2 gets around the "Changling" issue; still I don't want to have any insects, wolves, or beasts in the set with speciate cards to avoid confusion.
V2's wording is unconventional; but remember it's reminder text.
Do you think the creature types and token-sizes are diverse enough? I figured the jump from 3/3 to 6/6 was warranted, a payoff for having speciated successfully 3 times beforehand?
The mechanic also has good synergy with previous cards, as you could strategically create insects, wolves, and beasts in various ways to prep your next speciate to make a 3/3.
Note: It might be worth changing the creature types to those of Bestial Menace, or - at least - creature-type-shifting Bestial Menace for the block preceding this so that it'll trigger your 6/6 wurm...
I don't know there's a way to make this less wordy... but I don't see many other lines of text you want to put here.
I like Legends version... but it lets you cheat by just creating the larger token. That's a cool flavor (IE, you get the next biggest predator!), but not what I was going for here.
I read his text as being equivalent to yours. I read it as each if statement applying only if the previous if statement applied. So the logic would look like..
If (Insect exists):
----if(Wolf exists):
--------if(Elephant exists):
------------create a 6/6
--------else:
------------create a 3/3
----else:
--------create a 2/2
else
----create a 1/1
...I have one more issue with the mechanic. In limited, the ability is highly linear. Your 10th speciate card is much more powerful than your 9th is much more powerful than your 8th. Mechanics like this can work, but often lead to simple and boring draft environments.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
- Manite
Whoa! Hydra, I really like v2. A clever way to word it and it seems easily comprehensible.
The mechanic also has good synergy with previous cards, as you could strategically create insects, wolves, and beasts in various ways to prep your next speciate to make a 3/3.
This is the exact reason I would avoid these creature types. I think the issue is specifically the beast token. Something less common than beast to balance how easy it is to "strategically create" a beast.
Also, maybe the 2/2 isn't necessary? Depending on intended play space.
I want it to create colorless artifact creatures so it makes sense outside of green.
It might be nice if one or two of the tokens had combat abilities, especially the big one.
I don't think there needs to be the special "control all 3" clause to get the big guy. So what if your 1/1 and 2/2 happened to die? You still needed to jump through the hoops to get them.
Speciate V2.1 (Create the lowest power green creature token you don't control - 1/1 insect, 2/2 wolf, 3/3 beast, 6/6 wurm)
The wurm doesn't need a special clause. In order to make it, you need all lower power green creature tokens, meaning you need a 1/1 insect, a 2/2 wolf, and a 3/3 beast.
EDIT: NVM, you need the clause in order to make the ability function when you already have one of each token.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
- Manite
Speciate (Choose a creature type. Create a green creature token of the chosen type with power and toughness each equal to the greatest power among creatures you control plus 1.)
I think there has to be a payoff here; but the way this works, you have to have successfully Speciated 3 times and not lost anyone to get a 6/6. The 6/6 is the payoff... but I don't know that we want to call it "swingy"... I'm more worried about the fact it'll be very difficult to get done at all.
In fact, I'm actually wondering if there should be some speciate enablers. As I mentioned earlier, I think we'd want to seed a functional Bestial Menace reskill in the previous block. But I also think we'd want to produce some dedicated token makers. Ant Queen, Howl of the Night Pack, Beast Within, Midsummer Revel, Pulse of the Tangle and other strategic reprints, as well as just an Ant-Queen-esque token producer for wolves and beasts would be strategically valuable inclusions just to make it easier to get the 6/6.
In fact, maybe a vertical cycle of pump spells:
Strength of the SwarmG
Instant (C)
Create a 1/1 green insect creature token, then choose a creature. That creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Strength of the WolfGG
Instant (U)
Create a 2/2 green wolf creature token, then choose a creature. That creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
Strength of the Beast1GG
Instant (R)
Create a 3/3 green beast creature token, then choose a creature. That creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
(edited)
I think there has to be a payoff here; but the way this works, you have to have successfully Speciated 3 times and not lost anyone to get a 6/6. The 6/6 is the payoff... but I don't know that we want to call it "swingy"... I'm more worried about the fact it'll be very difficult to get done at all.
That's part of what makes it swingy. It's not going to happen very often, but when it does it will make a big difference. I don't think it's wise to put this large a payoff on such a conditional basis on every card with the mechanic. Specific cards could provide additional rewards if you want them to exist.
I think there has to be a payoff here; but the way this works, you have to have successfully Speciated 3 times and not lost anyone to get a 6/6. The 6/6 is the payoff... but I don't know that we want to call it "swingy"... I'm more worried about the fact it'll be very difficult to get done at all.
You could simplify it to be: 1/1 insect -> 2/2 wolf -> 4/4 Beast
The payoff works similarly it just happens sooner, and because its easier, the payoff isn't quite as large. Also, smooth exponential growth FeelsGoodMan.
In fact, I'm actually wondering if there should be some speciate enablers. As I mentioned earlier, I think we'd want to seed a functional Bestial Menace reskill in the previous block. But I also think we'd want to produce some dedicated token makers. Ant Queen, Howl of the Night Pack, Beast Within, Midsummer Revel, Pulse of the Tangle and other strategic reprints, as well as just an Ant-Queen-esque token producer for wolves and beasts would be strategically valuable inclusions just to make it easier to get the 6/6.
This type of development is so far removed from designing a mechanic that I don't even think its worth talking about. Its interesting to think about, but its totally impossible to actually do unless you start from some reasonably well defined format. Speciate cards may need enablers to be viable in constructed or they may not. Whether or not they are is entirely dependent on the specific designs that make it through play testing and the specific environment they would be being played in. The questions you are trying to answer are akin to the question "How do we solve the over population issues on Mars?" Eventually, we may need to answer that question, but we have a lot of other design and development to do first.
In fact, maybe a vertical cycle of pump spells:
The way these are worded implies that you want the pump spell to be able to target the token. However, your current template doesn't allow for this. Its possible to template these cards in a way that would, but doing so will read so awkwardly that I wouldn't recommend it. You would need them to say something like...
Choose 1 -
Create a 1/1 green Insect creature token and give it +1/+1 until end of turn
Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Create a 1/1 green Insect creature token.
...Alternatively, you could remove the ability of the card to target. But I really don't like the idea of printing a combat trick that doesn't target.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
- Manite
In fact, I'm actually wondering if there should be some speciate enablers. As I mentioned earlier, I think we'd want to seed a functional Bestial Menace reskill in the previous block. But I also think we'd want to produce some dedicated token makers.
Note that V2 gets around the "Changling" issue; still I don't want to have any insects, wolves, or beasts in the set with speciate cards to avoid confusion.
?
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]
Given how sparsely block mechanics get cards, we're looking at MAYBE 20 cards with speciate in a block. I'm thinking more like 12-14, with 7 commons, 3 uncommons, and 4 rares across two sets.
I don't think it will happen often, but it happens through planning, not luck. Hence, I don't think it's swingy... that's like saying a 7 drop 7/7 is swingy... when you had to work for it.
In fact, I'm actually wondering if there should be some speciate enablers. As I mentioned earlier, I think we'd want to seed a functional Bestial Menace reskill in the previous block. But I also think we'd want to produce some dedicated token makers.
Note that V2 gets around the "Changling" issue; still I don't want to have any insects, wolves, or beasts in the set with speciate cards to avoid confusion.
?
I meant non-token insects, wolves, or beasts. And I think we'd make an exception for Ant Queen... but, I'm not sure how design'd go.
Given how sparsely block mechanics get cards, we're looking at MAYBE 20 cards with speciate in a block. I'm thinking more like 12-14, with 7 commons, 3 uncommons, and 4 rares across two sets.
I don't think it will happen often, but it happens through planning, not luck. Hence, I don't think it's swingy... that's like saying a 7 drop 7/7 is swingy... when you had to work for it.
Anything based on getting specific combinations of cards with high reward is swingy, because getting specific combinations of cards is always significantly based on the draw, even if you have tutors because you are still relying on drawing them. The more specific the cards required and the more powerful the reward the swingier it is.
Working for it is not the point, it's whether or not you are creating something fairly inconsistent that has huge impact, and therefore making games potentially revolve around whether or not it happens to pull together.
Some amount of this is good for games. I don't think the 'wurm clause' is included in that selection. Not, at least, when it also makes a wordy mechanic even wordier.
I don't think a vanilla 6/6 is game-warpingly powerful. That, combined with the fact that you could probably get it consistently (since you could have several copies of speciate cards in your deck) but probably not quickly/easily (it requires at least four speciations to get the Wurm), makes it feel not overly swingy to me.
Regardless, since the Wurms are the most exciting part of the mechanic and since this mechanic is not obviously broken, I think the current V2 deserves some playtesting before you move on from it- if it proves to be too powerful you can tweak it (and/or the cards you use it on); if it's not fun at all you can scrap it. V2 is a very unique and elegant mechanic and I'd hate to see it not get fully explored.
In fact, I'm actually wondering if there should be some speciate enablers. As I mentioned earlier, I think we'd want to seed a functional Bestial Menace reskill in the previous block. But I also think we'd want to produce some dedicated token makers.
Note that V2 gets around the "Changling" issue; still I don't want to have any insects, wolves, or beasts in the set with speciate cards to avoid confusion.
?
Anyway - tokens are versatile. You wouldn't need to restrict yourself to a vertical cycle.
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]
(Create an X/X green (Beast? Elemental? Depends what you want here, but it might be easier to pick just one), where X is equal to the number of creature types among creatures you control.)
I wanted a mechanic that captured the idea of a group interested in creating biodiversity.
Sample Speciate cards:
Introduce Nature G
Sorcery (C)
Speciate. (Create a 1/1 green insect creature token. If you control an insect, instead create a 2/2 green wolf creature token. If you control an insect and a wolf, instead create a 3/3 green beast creature token. If you control an insect, wolf, and beast, instead create a 6/6 green wurm creature token.)
Elbvish Diversifier 2G
Creature - Elf Warrior (C)
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, speciate. (Create a 1/1 green insect creature token. If you control an insect, instead create a 2/2 green wolf creature token. If you control an insect and a wolf, instead create a 3/3 green beast creature token. If you control an insect, wolf, and beast, instead create a 6/6 green wurm creature token.)
1/1
Build Ecosystem 4G
Sorcery (C)
Search your library for a forest card and put it onto the battlfield, then shuffle your library, then Speciate. (Create a 1/1 green insect creature token. If you control an insect, instead create a 2/2 green wolf creature token. If you control an insect and a wolf, instead create a 3/3 green beast creature token. If you control an insect, wolf, and beast, instead create a 6/6 green wurm creature token.)
Introduce Diversity 3G
Sorcery (U)
Speciate, then speciate again. (Create a 1/1 green insect creature token. If you control an insect, instead create a 2/2 green wolf creature token. If you control an insect and a wolf, instead create a 3/3 green beast creature token. If you control an insect, wolf, and beast, instead create a 6/6 green wurm creature token. Then repeat this process.)
Diversity's Bounty 2GG
Sorcery (U)
Speciate. (Create a 1/1 green insect creature token. If you control an insect, instead create a 2/2 green wolf creature token. If you control an insect and a wolf, instead create a 3/3 green beast creature token. If you control an insect, wolf, and beast, instead create a 6/6 green wurm creature token.)
Draw a card for each differently named creature token you control.
Thoughts?
Speciate (Create a 1/1 green Insect creature token. If you control an Insect, instead create a 2/2 green Wolf creature token. If you control a Wolf, instead create a 3/3 green Beast creature token. If you control a Beast, instead create a 6/6 green Wurm creature token.)
- Manite
Reminds me of Bestial Menace and Mitotic Slime put together.
Gotta be a way we can get this to work.
It's a weird Populate
I like Legends version... but it lets you cheat by just creating the larger token. That's a cool flavor (IE, you get the next biggest predator!), but not what I was going for here.
Still, both versions deserve some kind of experiments to see if we can reduce the text box...
How about:
Speciate V2 (Create the lowest power green creature token you don't control - 1/1 insect, 2/2 wolf, 3/3 beast. If you control all 3, instead create a 6/6 green wurm creature token.)
Compared to:
Speciate V1 (Create a 1/1 green insect creature token. If you control an insect, instead create a 2/2 green wolf creature token. If you control an insect and a wolf, instead create a 3/3 green beast creature token. If you control an insect, wolf, and beast, instead create a 6/6 green wurm creature token.)
Note that V2 gets around the "Changling" issue; still I don't want to have any insects, wolves, or beasts in the set with speciate cards to avoid confusion.
V2's wording is unconventional; but remember it's reminder text.
Do you think the creature types and token-sizes are diverse enough? I figured the jump from 3/3 to 6/6 was warranted, a payoff for having speciated successfully 3 times beforehand?
The mechanic also has good synergy with previous cards, as you could strategically create insects, wolves, and beasts in various ways to prep your next speciate to make a 3/3.
Note: It might be worth changing the creature types to those of Bestial Menace, or - at least - creature-type-shifting Bestial Menace for the block preceding this so that it'll trigger your 6/6 wurm...
I read his text as being equivalent to yours. I read it as each if statement applying only if the previous if statement applied. So the logic would look like..
If (Insect exists):
----if(Wolf exists):
--------if(Elephant exists):
------------create a 6/6
--------else:
------------create a 3/3
----else:
--------create a 2/2
else
----create a 1/1
...I have one more issue with the mechanic. In limited, the ability is highly linear. Your 10th speciate card is much more powerful than your 9th is much more powerful than your 8th. Mechanics like this can work, but often lead to simple and boring draft environments.
- Manite
This is the exact reason I would avoid these creature types. I think the issue is specifically the beast token. Something less common than beast to balance how easy it is to "strategically create" a beast.
Also, maybe the 2/2 isn't necessary? Depending on intended play space.
I want it to create colorless artifact creatures so it makes sense outside of green.
It might be nice if one or two of the tokens had combat abilities, especially the big one.
I don't think there needs to be the special "control all 3" clause to get the big guy. So what if your 1/1 and 2/2 happened to die? You still needed to jump through the hoops to get them.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
The wurm doesn't need a special clause. In order to make it, you need all lower power green creature tokens, meaning you need a 1/1 insect, a 2/2 wolf, and a 3/3 beast.
EDIT: NVM, you need the clause in order to make the ability function when you already have one of each token.
- Manite
Speciate (Choose a creature type. Create a green creature token of the chosen type with power and toughness each equal to the greatest power among creatures you control plus 1.)
Ignore my previous comment about that clause, then.
RUNIN: Norse mythology set (awaiting further playtesting)
FATE of ALARA: Multicolour factions (currently on hiatus)
Contibutor to the Pyrulea community set
I'm here to tell you that all your set mechanics are bad
#Defundthepolice
In fact, I'm actually wondering if there should be some speciate enablers. As I mentioned earlier, I think we'd want to seed a functional Bestial Menace reskill in the previous block. But I also think we'd want to produce some dedicated token makers. Ant Queen, Howl of the Night Pack, Beast Within, Midsummer Revel, Pulse of the Tangle and other strategic reprints, as well as just an Ant-Queen-esque token producer for wolves and beasts would be strategically valuable inclusions just to make it easier to get the 6/6.
In fact, maybe a vertical cycle of pump spells:
Strength of the Swarm G
Instant (C)
Create a 1/1 green insect creature token, then choose a creature. That creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Strength of the Wolf GG
Instant (U)
Create a 2/2 green wolf creature token, then choose a creature. That creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
Strength of the Beast 1GG
Instant (R)
Create a 3/3 green beast creature token, then choose a creature. That creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
(edited)
That's part of what makes it swingy. It's not going to happen very often, but when it does it will make a big difference. I don't think it's wise to put this large a payoff on such a conditional basis on every card with the mechanic. Specific cards could provide additional rewards if you want them to exist.
RUNIN: Norse mythology set (awaiting further playtesting)
FATE of ALARA: Multicolour factions (currently on hiatus)
Contibutor to the Pyrulea community set
I'm here to tell you that all your set mechanics are bad
#Defundthepolice
You could simplify it to be: 1/1 insect -> 2/2 wolf -> 4/4 Beast
The payoff works similarly it just happens sooner, and because its easier, the payoff isn't quite as large. Also, smooth exponential growth FeelsGoodMan.
This type of development is so far removed from designing a mechanic that I don't even think its worth talking about. Its interesting to think about, but its totally impossible to actually do unless you start from some reasonably well defined format. Speciate cards may need enablers to be viable in constructed or they may not. Whether or not they are is entirely dependent on the specific designs that make it through play testing and the specific environment they would be being played in. The questions you are trying to answer are akin to the question "How do we solve the over population issues on Mars?" Eventually, we may need to answer that question, but we have a lot of other design and development to do first.
The way these are worded implies that you want the pump spell to be able to target the token. However, your current template doesn't allow for this. Its possible to template these cards in a way that would, but doing so will read so awkwardly that I wouldn't recommend it. You would need them to say something like...
Choose 1 -
- Manite
Aren't you just sabotaging yourself:
?
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
I don't think it will happen often, but it happens through planning, not luck. Hence, I don't think it's swingy... that's like saying a 7 drop 7/7 is swingy... when you had to work for it.
I meant non-token insects, wolves, or beasts. And I think we'd make an exception for Ant Queen... but, I'm not sure how design'd go.
Anything based on getting specific combinations of cards with high reward is swingy, because getting specific combinations of cards is always significantly based on the draw, even if you have tutors because you are still relying on drawing them. The more specific the cards required and the more powerful the reward the swingier it is.
Working for it is not the point, it's whether or not you are creating something fairly inconsistent that has huge impact, and therefore making games potentially revolve around whether or not it happens to pull together.
Some amount of this is good for games. I don't think the 'wurm clause' is included in that selection. Not, at least, when it also makes a wordy mechanic even wordier.
RUNIN: Norse mythology set (awaiting further playtesting)
FATE of ALARA: Multicolour factions (currently on hiatus)
Contibutor to the Pyrulea community set
I'm here to tell you that all your set mechanics are bad
#Defundthepolice
Regardless, since the Wurms are the most exciting part of the mechanic and since this mechanic is not obviously broken, I think the current V2 deserves some playtesting before you move on from it- if it proves to be too powerful you can tweak it (and/or the cards you use it on); if it's not fun at all you can scrap it. V2 is a very unique and elegant mechanic and I'd hate to see it not get fully explored.
Aren't you just sabotaging yourself:
?
Anyway - tokens are versatile. You wouldn't need to restrict yourself to a vertical cycle.
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
(Create an X/X green (Beast? Elemental? Depends what you want here, but it might be easier to pick just one), where X is equal to the number of creature types among creatures you control.)
Dunes of Zairo
SHANDALAR
Innistrad - The Darkest Night
~THE RAVNICAN CONSORTIUM~
A Community Set
Commander: Allies & Adversaries