Transcend (For the rest of the game, you may spend mana as though it was mana of any type.)
It seems crazy by itself, so lets look at how it's used:
Destined SoldierGW
Creature - Human Soldier (C) UBR: Destined Soldier gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Transcend.
3/2
Pain DrinkerBR
Creature - Vampire (U) T: Pain Drinker deals 1 damage to target opponent. You gain life equal to the life lost by that player this turn. GWU: Untap Pain Drinker. Transcend.
1/2
SungreeterRG
Creature - Human Druid (U)
Whenever you cast a spell, add one mana of any color to your mana pool. 1WUB: Draw a card. Transcend.
2/2
Enlightened Chameleon1RG
Creature - Lizard (R)
Trample B: Enlightened Chameleon gets +1/+1 until end of turn. U: Enlightened Chameleon gets +2/-1 or -1/+2 until end of turn. W: If Enlightened Chameleon is 3/6, put a +1/+1 counter on it and transcend.
3/3
As you might be able to tell, the direction of the mechanic is "hit five colors once and you don't need to worry about colors again." Also, here's part of a common land cycle. Shimmering Mountain
Land (C)
Shimmering Mountain enters the battlefield tapped. T: Add R to your mana pool. 2, T: Add two mana in any combination of colors to your mana pool.
As you might be able to tell, the direction of the mechanic is "hit five colors once and you don't need to worry about colors again."
Using it this way is an inherent balancing factor; it's also a bit win-more, since what does it matter once you've gotten to five colors anyway, but I could at least conceive of an environment (heavy on both single-use mana ramp/filtering a la Manamorphose and three-plus color cards) where it'd be useful and make sense.
Transcend could work exactly like a city's blessing or becoming a monarch, so memory issues aren't a problem I think.
Most of those cards require REALLY crazy environment, but they may work. I would leave them at uncommon+, though.
The activated abilities don't fit perfectly the color pie (W to draw a card? U to +2/+2?), but in 5c, it can be forgiven, but it also could be worked with
I think Chameleon is too much. 3 mana 3/3 with trample is not bad, and look at this card without its U and W abilities, or without B and W abilities, that's a powerful card. If you can can hit the colors, it becomes an unstoppable threat that wins you a game in two or three turns if not answered.
This is an interesting idea, and the way your explored it in these designs show a subtle cleverness. I like how transcend stays meaningful since it makes using the activated abilities of the cards very flexible after you achieve it.
That said, I see a big issue with it. Where would a mechanic like this fit in terms of magic products? In a typical set, it would be almost impossible to balance in a way that allows it both to be playable and not warp the format to be all 5 color decks. If 5 color decks are easily accessible, then the format becomes "Play the best cards of any color" and the color pie becomes meaningless. Some 5 color control decks would take over and dominate like in the Alara days.
While transcend is an interesting concept in a vacuum, I'm not sure it really works in broader design. Could it maybe fit in a commander product perhaps? I don't know. Even in casual formats like that it feels like it would warp things to make 5 color decks extremely strong.
In a draft/limited environment it wouldn't destroy everything, but even introducing them would have huge ramification across anything they were legal in.
There was a time EDH was not a Magic product. They renamed the format and now it is.
I'm not knowledgeable about Magic Online, but I hear they have Holiday Cubes and stuff. Is it free? Is it a product you can pay for? Are there other digital Cubes yet? I don't know. But even if there isn't yet, that's a product that could happen any time.
But anything that goes into a Cube could probably also used in a dedicated draft environment. If they evolve the Masters-series to include new cards to support more outlandish themes.
I also encourage Custom Card Creators to think about "products" beyond the spectrum of what we know. I have a long history of tying supplemental formats into planes and creating crossover formats between simplified board games and Magic that predicted several recent releases like Archenemy: Nicol Bolas and Explorers of Ixalan etc.
Cube is a CCC product if it's not a Wizards product.
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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]
Sure, I'm cool with exploratory design like you suggest. It's good to try and expand the game. However, my initial point of cube not being a magic product still stands. Which still leaves my concern about where does this fit into current magic products as valid. Since the OP didn't give an intent behind what they present, I'm just providing general feedback.
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It seems crazy by itself, so lets look at how it's used:
Destined Soldier GW
Creature - Human Soldier (C)
UBR: Destined Soldier gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Transcend.
3/2
Pain Drinker BR
Creature - Vampire (U)
T: Pain Drinker deals 1 damage to target opponent. You gain life equal to the life lost by that player this turn.
GWU: Untap Pain Drinker. Transcend.
1/2
Sungreeter RG
Creature - Human Druid (U)
Whenever you cast a spell, add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
1WUB: Draw a card. Transcend.
2/2
Enlightened Chameleon 1RG
Creature - Lizard (R)
Trample
B: Enlightened Chameleon gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
U: Enlightened Chameleon gets +2/-1 or -1/+2 until end of turn.
W: If Enlightened Chameleon is 3/6, put a +1/+1 counter on it and transcend.
3/3
As you might be able to tell, the direction of the mechanic is "hit five colors once and you don't need to worry about colors again." Also, here's part of a common land cycle.
Shimmering Mountain
Land (C)
Shimmering Mountain enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add R to your mana pool.
2, T: Add two mana in any combination of colors to your mana pool.
Using it this way is an inherent balancing factor; it's also a bit win-more, since what does it matter once you've gotten to five colors anyway, but I could at least conceive of an environment (heavy on both single-use mana ramp/filtering a la Manamorphose and three-plus color cards) where it'd be useful and make sense.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Most of those cards require REALLY crazy environment, but they may work. I would leave them at uncommon+, though.
The activated abilities don't fit perfectly the color pie (W to draw a card? U to +2/+2?), but in 5c, it can be forgiven, but it also could be worked with
I think Chameleon is too much. 3 mana 3/3 with trample is not bad, and look at this card without its U and W abilities, or without B and W abilities, that's a powerful card. If you can can hit the colors, it becomes an unstoppable threat that wins you a game in two or three turns if not answered.
That said, I see a big issue with it. Where would a mechanic like this fit in terms of magic products? In a typical set, it would be almost impossible to balance in a way that allows it both to be playable and not warp the format to be all 5 color decks. If 5 color decks are easily accessible, then the format becomes "Play the best cards of any color" and the color pie becomes meaningless. Some 5 color control decks would take over and dominate like in the Alara days.
While transcend is an interesting concept in a vacuum, I'm not sure it really works in broader design. Could it maybe fit in a commander product perhaps? I don't know. Even in casual formats like that it feels like it would warp things to make 5 color decks extremely strong.
Cube. Make a gold-multicolor themed draft set and add these in?
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
In a draft/limited environment it wouldn't destroy everything, but even introducing them would have huge ramification across anything they were legal in.
There was a time EDH was not a Magic product. They renamed the format and now it is.
I'm not knowledgeable about Magic Online, but I hear they have Holiday Cubes and stuff. Is it free? Is it a product you can pay for? Are there other digital Cubes yet? I don't know. But even if there isn't yet, that's a product that could happen any time.
But anything that goes into a Cube could probably also used in a dedicated draft environment. If they evolve the Masters-series to include new cards to support more outlandish themes.
I also encourage Custom Card Creators to think about "products" beyond the spectrum of what we know. I have a long history of tying supplemental formats into planes and creating crossover formats between simplified board games and Magic that predicted several recent releases like Archenemy: Nicol Bolas and Explorers of Ixalan etc.
Cube is a CCC product if it's not a Wizards product.
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