Hey all! I was just thinking about ideas for mechanics on a set based off superheroes. There are heroes and villains in all colors, with watermarks as appropriate. These are all just rough ideas/thoughts, any constructive criticism would be great. Obviously I couldn't use all of these, so looking for feedback on favorite choices.
Superhero abilities
Fearless (mostly in red and green) - This creature enters the battlefield with a Fearless counter. If this creature would die, instead remove a Fearless counter. (This represents the ability of heroes to "come back" from certain defeat. Some cards will have abilities that make them stronger when their Fearless counter is removed. Note: It doesn't trigger ETB abilities, which makes it different from undying, as well as playing quite nicely with Atraxa, like half of the cards in Magic do.)
Veteran (in all colors) - Whenever a creature controlled by an opponent goes to the graveyard this turn, if it was dealt damage by this creature, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
Selfless (mostly in red and white) - (Still determining how to word this, but the idea is that if this creature is on the battlefield you could sacrifice it, and if in your hand, you could discard it.) COST: Target creature gains hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.
Neutral Abilities
Imprison (mostly in white and black) - When this creature does combat damage to a player, you may exile target creature card from that player's graveyard. If you do, you may draw a card. (This represent heroes and villains capturing/imprisoning their enemies. Still unsure if I want to make this just a good guy or just a bad guy ability.)
Advantage (all colors) - Whenever this creature is blocking or blocked by a creature with type X, this creature gains [[whatever]]. (For instance, a Hero type may have Advantage over Minions, or a Vampire type over other Vampires.)
Plans - These aren't specific typed cards, but are akin to Quests. Each card would enter the battlefield with a number of counters, and when certain actions were performed, the counters would be removed to exemplify a "master plan" being pulled off.
Supervillain abilities
Creature type Bosses and Minions (in all colors) - All bosses will have some interaction with "Minion" creatures, either by being a lord to minions, or by allowing them to search through their library for them, etc etc. Example:
Master of Minds2U
Creature - Boss
Whenever a blue Minion creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may look at the top three cards of target player's library.
2/2
Siphon (mostly in black) - COST: Remove a counter from target permanent. Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
Fearless
I don't like temporary indestructible of this kind. It's more or less a less useful undying/persist. Also, given "Fear" is a keyword, this seems like a bad name for any ability.
Veteran
Why are all colors getting the Sengir Vampire ability? I see what you're going for there, but maybe you want to give it a +1/+1 counter whenever it deals combat damage? (Also, "Veteran" doesn't capture the concept exactly, so a name change is warranted.)
Selfless
I kind of like the idea of discarding a creature to give hexproof, but I think what you might want to do is make a series of vanillas that let you discard them to temporarily pass on their keywords. This could easily be all 5 colors. Think Reinforce meets Channel.
Maybe something like this: Strike Elemental3R
Creature - Elemental Warrior (C)
First Strike
Confer R (R, discard this creature card: Target creature gains all abilities of this creature until end of turn.)
3/1
Or you could just make it a temporary Bestow effect, giving P+T boosts too.
Imprison
This is clearly graverobbing. If you're interested in imprisoning, as a concept, I think you need to go to the Detain - for better or worse.
Advantage
Feels like (functionally inferior) Protection from X. Protection was swept out, in part, for the same reasons they got rid of landwalk - swingy luck. Oh, look, you're playing the Minions deck. I guess I have the Advantage! If you want Warriors to have the advantage over Vampires, make the warrior mechanics work well against vampires (example - low toughness vampires, first strike warriors...)
Plans
I like it! Would you remove counters by performing the same actions, escalating actions, or different actions?
Boss
WOTC axed the minion subtype. I could see bringing it back, and using it like allys. However, I don't like the idea of "boss" being a creature type. Maybe you want to have legendary creatures "stand in" for the bosses?
Siphon
I can't imagine this is going to appear on enough cards to keyword. Also, the name doesn't fit.
Fearless -- so, one shot regen/indestructible? Doesn't really feel "fearless", and fear is already a keyword; having fearless but not having anything to do with fear is odd.
veteran -- this is sengir vampire]'s ability. which is black. Weird for a white creature to kill something in order to get stronger.
imprison -- the name is all wrong for the ability; you don't imprison corpses. And it happens when you hit a player, not a creature. That's like thitting lex luthor then digging through his graveyard so that you can put one of his dead henchmen into prison.
Boss -- basically, lords.
siphon -- probably not going to pass muster except in a single rare/mythic card. vampire hexmage was a single card; a mechanic around whacking planewalkers is not going to be popular. "permanent you control" is going to be necessary if you want this to be a mechanic that appears on several cards.
Superhero abilities
Fearless (mostly in red and green) - This creature enters the battlefield with a Fearless counter. If this creature would die, instead remove a Fearless counter. (This represents the ability of heroes to "come back" from certain defeat. Some cards will have abilities that make them stronger when their Fearless counter is removed. Note: It doesn't trigger ETB abilities, which makes it different from undying, as well as playing quite nicely with Atraxa, like half of the cards in Magic do.)
Veteran (in all colors) - Whenever a creature controlled by an opponent goes to the graveyard this turn, if it was dealt damage by this creature, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
Selfless (mostly in red and white) - (Still determining how to word this, but the idea is that if this creature is on the battlefield you could sacrifice it, and if in your hand, you could discard it.) COST: Target creature gains hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.
Neutral Abilities
Imprison (mostly in white and black) - When this creature does combat damage to a player, you may exile target creature card from that player's graveyard. If you do, you may draw a card. (This represent heroes and villains capturing/imprisoning their enemies. Still unsure if I want to make this just a good guy or just a bad guy ability.)
Advantage (all colors) - Whenever this creature is blocking or blocked by a creature with type X, this creature gains [[whatever]]. (For instance, a Hero type may have Advantage over Minions, or a Vampire type over other Vampires.)
Plans - These aren't specific typed cards, but are akin to Quests. Each card would enter the battlefield with a number of counters, and when certain actions were performed, the counters would be removed to exemplify a "master plan" being pulled off.
Supervillain abilities
Creature type Bosses and Minions (in all colors) - All bosses will have some interaction with "Minion" creatures, either by being a lord to minions, or by allowing them to search through their library for them, etc etc. Example:
Master of Minds 2U
Creature - Boss
Whenever a blue Minion creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may look at the top three cards of target player's library.
2/2
Siphon (mostly in black) - COST: Remove a counter from target permanent. Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
Thoughts?
Club Flamingo Wins: 1!
I don't like temporary indestructible of this kind. It's more or less a less useful undying/persist. Also, given "Fear" is a keyword, this seems like a bad name for any ability.
Veteran
Why are all colors getting the Sengir Vampire ability? I see what you're going for there, but maybe you want to give it a +1/+1 counter whenever it deals combat damage? (Also, "Veteran" doesn't capture the concept exactly, so a name change is warranted.)
Selfless
I kind of like the idea of discarding a creature to give hexproof, but I think what you might want to do is make a series of vanillas that let you discard them to temporarily pass on their keywords. This could easily be all 5 colors. Think Reinforce meets Channel.
Maybe something like this:
Strike Elemental 3R
Creature - Elemental Warrior (C)
First Strike
Confer R (R, discard this creature card: Target creature gains all abilities of this creature until end of turn.)
3/1
Or you could just make it a temporary Bestow effect, giving P+T boosts too.
Imprison
This is clearly graverobbing. If you're interested in imprisoning, as a concept, I think you need to go to the Detain - for better or worse.
Advantage
Feels like (functionally inferior) Protection from X. Protection was swept out, in part, for the same reasons they got rid of landwalk - swingy luck. Oh, look, you're playing the Minions deck. I guess I have the Advantage! If you want Warriors to have the advantage over Vampires, make the warrior mechanics work well against vampires (example - low toughness vampires, first strike warriors...)
Plans
I like it! Would you remove counters by performing the same actions, escalating actions, or different actions?
Boss
WOTC axed the minion subtype. I could see bringing it back, and using it like allys. However, I don't like the idea of "boss" being a creature type. Maybe you want to have legendary creatures "stand in" for the bosses?
Siphon
I can't imagine this is going to appear on enough cards to keyword. Also, the name doesn't fit.
Post some cards! I'm into it!
veteran -- this is sengir vampire]'s ability. which is black. Weird for a white creature to kill something in order to get stronger.
imprison -- the name is all wrong for the ability; you don't imprison corpses. And it happens when you hit a player, not a creature. That's like thitting lex luthor then digging through his graveyard so that you can put one of his dead henchmen into prison.
Boss -- basically, lords.
siphon -- probably not going to pass muster except in a single rare/mythic card. vampire hexmage was a single card; a mechanic around whacking planewalkers is not going to be popular. "permanent you control" is going to be necessary if you want this to be a mechanic that appears on several cards.
plans -- need to see sample cards first.
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn