Afterburn Instant
When target artifact or creature spell with a converted mana cost 4 or less enters the battlefield as a permanent, its controller sacrifices it. "They say your best ideas always come too late, but it looks to me like this time you'll never get to have them." —Evil Conscience
Alternate Version (Just Because)
Afterburn Instant
Choose an artifact or creature spell with a converted mana cost 4 or less. When the chosen spell enters the battlefield as a permanent, its controller sacrifices it. "The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but some paths are doomed, no matter what you think your skills are." —Good Conscience
Ætherburn Instant
Counter target artifact or creature spell with a converted mana cost 4 or less. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but some paths are marked for doom, no matter what the expertise of your navigation skills.
Came up with this concept as a way to burn chump creatures on the stack. The idea primarily came to me from einhorn's ideal fantasy play in the last thread, with spamming masses of Reprise Odyssey Eggs with Disciple of the Vault over several happy peaceful un-responded turns to supreme victory.
Initially, since there's no way to input damage on the stack, I thought "what about just a red counterspell". But then when devising the name and concept, I came across the suggestive term "Afterburn", which notions an entire change of the game-play dynamics, and inspired me to revise the operating function entirely into something more interactive and unique. And thus comes the presented card, which would enable permanents to enter the battlefield, where theireffects trigger, but then potentiallysees them dissipate (or collapse and die) from the afterburn.
The cost here is subjective, and primarily based on the fact that you can destroy a creature with power 4 or greater for two. And that's an after-the-fact of function, that has way more range potential to its effectiveness than a counterspell, that you can't draw into and use at your leisure. Now traditionally, even most narrow counterspellscost two mana, but subjective terms often net a mana of play to tinker with the cost.
As it stands, I think it's a very effective counter-balance. Want a simple answer? Stop making/playing cheap creatures for the hope of an easy win or advantage. Checks and balances. And these are these dynamics they are supposed to preside upon, and when properly implemented, they force players to plan and play more strategically. They don't break the game. As for balance, I do think the cost needs to remain as it is, but the design could possibly use an additional cost (such as discard or self damage) to fully support its balance. And I'm not against that, I just haven't bothered with where to begin on that.
Completely Blue Removal Spell Oh Wait1U
instant
Target creature with a converted mana cost 4 or less' controller returns it to the top of his library. Then that player puts the top card of his library into his graveyard.
Not what you meant, but that's how it feels.
I'm not sure what you meant by "you can't input damage on the stack". I sup[ose you meant "you can't damage a creature on the stack". You can setup a trigger so that it doesn't feel like a pie violation and bypassing hexproof/pro-red while keeping timing restriction.
afterburnR
instant
Choose 1
--The next time a creature enters the battlefield this turn, ~ deals ? damage to it.
--The next time an artifact enters the battlefield, sacrifice it.
"?" being whatever is appropriate for a 2ccc creature in the set. 3 would probably do.
Instant
When target artifact or creature spell with a converted mana cost 4 or less enters the battlefield as a permanent, its controller sacrifices it.
"They say your best ideas always come too late, but it looks to me like this time you'll never get to have them."
—Evil Conscience
Alternate Version (Just Because)
Afterburn
Instant
Choose an artifact or creature spell with a converted mana cost 4 or less. When the chosen spell enters the battlefield as a permanent, its controller sacrifices it.
"The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but some paths are doomed, no matter what you think your skills are."
—Good Conscience
Ætherburn
Instant
Counter target artifact or creature spell with a converted mana cost 4 or less.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but some paths are marked for doom, no matter what the expertise of your navigation skills.
Initially, since there's no way to input damage on the stack, I thought "what about just a red counterspell". But then when devising the name and concept, I came across the suggestive term "Afterburn", which notions an entire change of the game-play dynamics, and inspired me to revise the operating function entirely into something more interactive and unique. And thus comes the presented card, which would enable permanents to enter the battlefield, where their effects trigger, but then potentially sees them dissipate (or collapse and die) from the afterburn.
The cost here is subjective, and primarily based on the fact that you can destroy a creature with power 4 or greater for two. And that's an after-the-fact of function, that has way more range potential to its effectiveness than a counterspell, that you can't draw into and use at your leisure. Now traditionally, even most narrow counterspells cost two mana, but subjective terms often net a mana of play to tinker with the cost.
As it stands, I think it's a very effective counter-balance. Want a simple answer? Stop making/playing cheap creatures for the hope of an easy win or advantage. Checks and balances. And these are these dynamics they are supposed to preside upon, and when properly implemented, they force players to plan and play more strategically. They don't break the game. As for balance, I do think the cost needs to remain as it is, but the design could possibly use an additional cost (such as discard or self damage) to fully support its balance. And I'm not against that, I just haven't bothered with where to begin on that.
Completely Blue Removal Spell Oh Wait 1U
instant
Target creature with a converted mana cost 4 or less' controller returns it to the top of his library. Then that player puts the top card of his library into his graveyard.
Not what you meant, but that's how it feels.
I'm not sure what you meant by "you can't input damage on the stack". I sup[ose you meant "you can't damage a creature on the stack". You can setup a trigger so that it doesn't feel like a pie violation and bypassing hexproof/pro-red while keeping timing restriction.
afterburn R
instant
Choose 1
--The next time a creature enters the battlefield this turn, ~ deals ? damage to it.
--The next time an artifact enters the battlefield, sacrifice it.
"?" being whatever is appropriate for a 2ccc creature in the set. 3 would probably do.
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn