In the March CCL I came up with this idea and wanted to work on it a bit more.
Flow mana is designed for a multiplayer-focused supplementary set like Conspiracy or a Commander product. It can be spent as mana of any color, but instead of emptying from your pool, you pass each flow mana on to another player of your choice. It does not empty from mana pools as steps and phases end. Token cards similar to energy would be included so each player can track their current flow mana.
Flow mana does not have a new symbol and is flavored as being part of water or air currents.
Canyon Ascetic1W
Creature - Human Monk (C)
When Canyon Ascetic enters the battlefield, if you have no flow mana in your mana pool, add one flow mana. (Flow mana doesn't empty from your mana pool as steps and phases end, and can be spent as any color. When you spend it, choose another player to add one flow mana.)
1/3
Read the Current3U
Instant (U)
Scry X, where X is the amount of flow mana spent to cast this spell, then draw two cards. "It's delightful to plunge into fresh currents and get a taste of a far-off destination...except when they come from the mer-goblin reefs."
-Kiora
Tarresh, the Eroding Wind5BRG
Legendary Creature - Elemental (M)
Flying, trample
When Tarresh, the Eroding Wind enters the battlefield, destroy all lands. For each land destroyed this way, its controller adds one flow mana.
At the end of each opponent's turn, Tarresh deals 1 damage to that player for each flow mana in their mana pool.
7/5
One piece of feedback I got was to make it colorless, which is maybe ok but makes the last guy not really work.
Another person was concerned about it favoring instant speed interactions. I'm not that concerned about casting actual instants, I think the only big danger would be two people having activated abilities that they could keep passing back and forth, but that seems pretty specific - they would both need to have something like Ambassador Laquatus or Diviner's Wand and be motivated to keep enabling each other.
I don't want to change it to something like adding mana at the start of the next player's turn, because the politics of deciding where the mana goes is the big appeal to me.
Looking at treasure, it seems like a repeatable generator should cost maybe 3 mana?
Windvane2
Artifact (C) 3, T: Add one flow mana.
Encouraging spending the mana is key to keep it flowing, thus the blue uncommon effect. Could probably expand that out to a cycle pretty easily:
White: Creatures get +1/+1 and X of them get lifelink where X is the flow mana spent?
Black: Destroy a creature, controller loses X life.
Red: Act on Impulse and add R for each flow mana spent.
Green: Put X counters on a guy, then guy fights someone?
Would love to hear more opinions on the viability of this mechanic, first thing I've thought of in a long time that I think might be interesting to build a set around.
Rainbow Vale the mechanic - I love it! I saw it over at the CCL yesterday and shamelessly pasted it into a multiplayer set (then reflavored it and tweaked the reminder text).
Sol Song (Uncommon) R
Add two eternal mana to your mana pool. (Eternal mana doesn’t empty from mana pools. It can be spent as mana of any color. Whenever it’s spent, its added to an opponent’s mana pool.)
This feels really easy to infinite combo in 2HG or really any multiplayer format with alliances or teams. All each player needs is a mana sink with colors that sync properly, and they get to loop them as much as they see fit. To prevent such easy combos, flow mana shouldn't add flow mana to other mana pools. Just regular mana.
Thanks Legend, eternal is a good flavor take as well.
BlazingRagnarok, that's an interesting take but it basically makes it into a downside mechanic unless you are playing teams, although it also feels like it would just be a waste most of the time, as I think it's fairly rare to have a use for one or two extra mana during an opponent's turn (in Limited).
Kjsharp suggested in his feedback, but I think its a good idea to just make it colorless mana so the set/product it is in can have more distinctive archetypes. Otherwise it's a "play the best cards of any color" problem.
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Flow mana is designed for a multiplayer-focused supplementary set like Conspiracy or a Commander product. It can be spent as mana of any color, but instead of emptying from your pool, you pass each flow mana on to another player of your choice. It does not empty from mana pools as steps and phases end. Token cards similar to energy would be included so each player can track their current flow mana.
Flow mana does not have a new symbol and is flavored as being part of water or air currents.
Canyon Ascetic 1W
Creature - Human Monk (C)
When Canyon Ascetic enters the battlefield, if you have no flow mana in your mana pool, add one flow mana. (Flow mana doesn't empty from your mana pool as steps and phases end, and can be spent as any color. When you spend it, choose another player to add one flow mana.)
1/3
Read the Current 3U
Instant (U)
Scry X, where X is the amount of flow mana spent to cast this spell, then draw two cards.
"It's delightful to plunge into fresh currents and get a taste of a far-off destination...except when they come from the mer-goblin reefs."
-Kiora
Tarresh, the Eroding Wind 5BRG
Legendary Creature - Elemental (M)
Flying, trample
When Tarresh, the Eroding Wind enters the battlefield, destroy all lands. For each land destroyed this way, its controller adds one flow mana.
At the end of each opponent's turn, Tarresh deals 1 damage to that player for each flow mana in their mana pool.
7/5
One piece of feedback I got was to make it colorless, which is maybe ok but makes the last guy not really work.
Another person was concerned about it favoring instant speed interactions. I'm not that concerned about casting actual instants, I think the only big danger would be two people having activated abilities that they could keep passing back and forth, but that seems pretty specific - they would both need to have something like Ambassador Laquatus or Diviner's Wand and be motivated to keep enabling each other.
I don't want to change it to something like adding mana at the start of the next player's turn, because the politics of deciding where the mana goes is the big appeal to me.
Looking at treasure, it seems like a repeatable generator should cost maybe 3 mana?
Windvane 2
Artifact (C)
3, T: Add one flow mana.
Encouraging spending the mana is key to keep it flowing, thus the blue uncommon effect. Could probably expand that out to a cycle pretty easily:
White: Creatures get +1/+1 and X of them get lifelink where X is the flow mana spent?
Black: Destroy a creature, controller loses X life.
Red: Act on Impulse and add R for each flow mana spent.
Green: Put X counters on a guy, then guy fights someone?
Would love to hear more opinions on the viability of this mechanic, first thing I've thought of in a long time that I think might be interesting to build a set around.
Sol Song (Uncommon)
R
Add two eternal mana to your mana pool. (Eternal mana doesn’t empty from mana pools. It can be spent as mana of any color. Whenever it’s spent, its added to an opponent’s mana pool.)
Tarresh, the Eroding Wind is fantastic.
BlazingRagnarok, that's an interesting take but it basically makes it into a downside mechanic unless you are playing teams, although it also feels like it would just be a waste most of the time, as I think it's fairly rare to have a use for one or two extra mana during an opponent's turn (in Limited).