Infest <type> <cost> (<cost>: This creature infests another target <type> or stops infesting all permanents. A creature can't attack or block while it's infesting a permanent. Infest as a sorcery.)
I proposed this keyword some time back, it's essentially an attempt to re-imagine how the Licids work, parasitic creatures that cling onto other creatures, applying effects to them. The fact that Licids turn into enchantments rather than staying creatures always bothered me, it's a flavor-fail in my mind and was just a mechanical limitation.
Now the issue with my keyword is of course also on the mechanical side. There's very little that captures the fact that Infestors remain discreet creatures while infesting something, and virtually no reason to use this new complex mechanic rather than stick with existing things like Bestow and Living Weapon.
The one that really felt different was:
Bulwark Beetles3
Artifact Creature - Insect
Infest 3
All damage that would be dealt to infested creature is dealt to Barricade Beetles instead.
0/6
But I was never able to come up with any other effects that captured that feeling, so now I'm thinking that if that's the one big thing that sets Infest apart from all the similar things, I should just lean into that and make it a feature, and draw upon the legacy of Banding a little:
Infest <type> <cost> (This creature infests another target <type> or stops infesting all permanents. Infest as a sorcery. A creature can't attack or block while its infesting another permanent. An infested permanent's controller may divide damage dealt to it among creatures infesting it.)
Now that reminder text is very wordy, slightly longer than Suspend. It also increases the power of the ability, which will force me to reduce the power of the Infest effects and/or increase the costs.
Real quick, the second version doesn't feel at all like an infestation. Instead, it feels like turning into living armor, like more of a Carapace situation. I like it, but at the same time it needs a reflavor.
The thing is that I was hoping for a mixture of positive and negative effects, like the original Licids. Allowing the host to redirect damage to the parasite does make offensive applications much narrower.
Brain Slug1U
Creature - Slug
You control infested creature
Infest creature 3UU
0/2
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I proposed this keyword some time back, it's essentially an attempt to re-imagine how the Licids work, parasitic creatures that cling onto other creatures, applying effects to them. The fact that Licids turn into enchantments rather than staying creatures always bothered me, it's a flavor-fail in my mind and was just a mechanical limitation.
Now the issue with my keyword is of course also on the mechanical side. There's very little that captures the fact that Infestors remain discreet creatures while infesting something, and virtually no reason to use this new complex mechanic rather than stick with existing things like Bestow and Living Weapon.
The one that really felt different was:
Bulwark Beetles 3
Artifact Creature - Insect
Infest 3
All damage that would be dealt to infested creature is dealt to Barricade Beetles instead.
0/6
But I was never able to come up with any other effects that captured that feeling, so now I'm thinking that if that's the one big thing that sets Infest apart from all the similar things, I should just lean into that and make it a feature, and draw upon the legacy of Banding a little:
Infest <type> <cost> (This creature infests another target <type> or stops infesting all permanents. Infest as a sorcery. A creature can't attack or block while its infesting another permanent. An infested permanent's controller may divide damage dealt to it among creatures infesting it.)
Now that reminder text is very wordy, slightly longer than Suspend. It also increases the power of the ability, which will force me to reduce the power of the Infest effects and/or increase the costs.
That would make:
Bulwark Beetles 3
Artifact Creature - Insect
Infest creature 4
0/6
Thoughts? Especially if anyone can figure out how to trim down the reminder text at all?
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
The thing is that I was hoping for a mixture of positive and negative effects, like the original Licids. Allowing the host to redirect damage to the parasite does make offensive applications much narrower.
Brain Slug 1U
Creature - Slug
You control infested creature
Infest creature 3UU
0/2