Molten Lava Flow1RR Creature — Elemental
Defender
Enforcer 3 (Whenever this creature blocks or becomes blocked, you may redistribute up to 3 damage assigned to this creature to another attacking or blocking creature. Only half this amount of damage may be assigned to your opponent's creatures this way, rounded up. This creature cannot attack in a band.)
When Molten Lava Flow dies, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control as an Island Mountain land. The mage rose his arms, his body trembling with might. Up roared from the earth the searing flames. It was not alive, but would fight us back with vehemence.
0/4
Possibly could become a cycle. showcasing this as an example of the official adaptation of the Enforcer mechanic. I mistakenly went over my own designation in my Art Studio thread. I had previously used this name for a keyword in the Rapier: Divine Soul concept development. That one has now been re-branded as Indomitable.
Alright, as happened with one of your other recent cards, your ability is triggering at the wrong time for it to do the thing you want to do.
Enforcer 3 (Whenever this creature blocks or becomes blocked,
This is happening in either the Declare Attackers or Declare Blockers Step of combat.
you may redistribute up to 3 damage assigned to this creature to another attacking or blocking creature.
Damage isn't assigned until the Combat Damage Step, meaning the ability will have finished resolving before there is any damage for it to redistribute.
Only half this amount of damage may be assigned to your opponent's creatures this way, rounded up.
What? I can redistribute up to 3 damage, but if I redistribute 3 then 2 have to go to another creature I control? What if this is the only attacking/blocking creature I control?
This creature cannot attack in a band.)
I really don't get why you feel the need for this. I haven't seen banding happen in a game of magic since '96ish and, unlike you, I play the game regularly. Why are you so insistent on bothering to hose a mechanic the no one uses? And especially specifying that a creature with DEFENDER is not able to ATTACK in a band, but can still block in one which is significantly more powerful is just bizarre.
Here's the version that will actually do what you want it to, making it a replacement effect instead of a triggered ability. It still doesn't know what to do if you don't have other creatures on your side to redirect the damage to but that's a problem of design process not rules.
Molten Lava Flow 1RR
Creature — Elemental
Defender
Enforcer 3 (Whenever is dealt combat damage, you may deal up to 3 damage of that damage to another attacking or blocking creature instead. Only half this amount of damage may be assigned to your opponent's creatures this way, rounded up. This creature cannot attack in a band.)
When Molten Lava Flow dies, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control as a colorless Island Mountain land with no other card types or abilities.
Score: 4/10, but solely on the creativity of the last line of text.
-Overall, the Enforcer mechanic is needlessly complicated and overpowering on a blocker to the point where it will discourage attackers without moving the game forward and the play will bog down because of it. This is a function of not understanding actual gameplay patterns.
-Nerfing banding, but only for attackers and on a creature with defender is doubly irrelevant. This is poor design.
-The land returning mechanic is interesting and flavorful, but isn't right on a mono-red card. This ability would make more sense in green.
I don't think the mechanic should have to reference the step, any more than an ability has to reference other technicalities that happen within a phase, without referencing the step it happens in. It's kind of a go-ahead, and in this case, is much better for coherence and force majeure. It is re-distributing damage for good reason, we're not creating unnecessary additional damage. If you can't re-distribute potential damage, the creature has to take that damage. Wow. That is the exact context of "up to—x amount of damage", which I hope you didn't really miss.
If you're changing the type, and it's coherent as such a change, I think these details you're trying to hammer out could more neatly be "a given".
There is need to reference banding, because it still exists, and would exist in tabletop play. It is also necessary because banding is already so powerful in that it allows you to re-direct all damage to a single creature in a band, so then allowing that damage to also be sent back against the opponent becomes over-the-top.
This keyword exists as a check and balance against banding. A great example of how to creatively fix things that are hopelessly considered to be broken and unfixable. I would suggest they need to bring banding back in black, because that is what black entities do. They attack in a band, then redirect all the damage to their scapegoat they attacked with.
FWIW Banding won't be brought back in all likelihood because it's really hard to explain concisely enough to fit onto a card. It's a mechanic that is easy enough to play (well at least not ridiculously difficult) with but hard to write neatly. I would suggest that while this ability would be powerful with banding the banding creatures are all weak enough that you don't need to worry about their balance. In comparison to modern creatures they are all so underpowered that even a strong synergy like that is unlikely to cause problems at a kitchen table.
However I find it quite interesting that you easily see the problems with grouped attackers or blockers here but do not with your entangler ability(especially when paired with protection from a color). To me the issue of a single Enforcer creature attacking in a band is very similar to having a protection from B/R creature with Entangler. It can just completely make it impossible for the opponent to engage on the board state.
I'm curious about why the creature returns as an Island/Mountain rather than just a Mountain though. There doesn't seem to be anything blue about the card. I actually think that there is an interesting argument for that sort of ability in non green colors and slightly disagree with Rowan there.
It becomes a dual land mostly for the glow of it. It adds that sweet something that makes the design pop.
I understand the technicalities of running entangler and protection together, but the thing is, I force myself to take a full spectrum view when designing. In a competitive scene, especially a draft, there aren't enough cards to go around to secure any absolutes for a single color or color combination. People are forced to play every color, and that's where the utility of soft locks like protection fall off and don't do anything anymore. It balances out against the full spectrum.
Banding and enforcer would not do this, because they're solid-state functions that will never fall off and do nothing. The liability of base power and toughness is too narrow-sighted, as these attributes are easily increased to push the competitive edge over-the-top.
Furthermore, might I explain that enforcer is much more coherent to revolve around actual 'blocking and blocked by' functionality, because otherwise you have an awkward loop hole potential that exists where an ability that designates something such as "when ~ attacks, you may have it deal its damage to [source] instead. Of course, one could argue that you can just compose it as direct damage, or the olde "deals no combat damage this turn"; but certainly it's only one example of many that can exist so long as the ability is a discriminate as I've composed it to be; even though it involves some "floating" of functionality across "steps in phases" to fully resolve.
A three drop creature that turns into a land when it dies is probably pretty fine, though it really wants to be part green. 1RG probably. The keyword you slapped on here seems way out of place. Making it a 2/1 (not defender) with a Laccolith Rig might serve your purposes better.
I think your for the glow of it is just a bit much. I get you want it to be flashy but red probably shouldn't be able to provide fixing as well. It's a bridge too far for me as a color pie bend. I can get behind red ramping for red mana, it's rare but has been done a few times but fixing is a no no to me.
As for this:
In a competitive scene, especially a draft, there aren't enough cards to go around to secure any absolutes for a single color or color combination. People are forced to play every color
It just isn't the experience of most players. In draft you will almost always end up in a two color deck unless the format is specifically pushing you to draft more colors. Possibly splashing a third color for a bomb. As for banding and enforcer the fall off would be that the damage is large enough that it can't redirect enough to be relevant. Which is a pretty large fall off. If you have one Enforcer creature in a large Band the counterplay is they can either block and trade with a sufficiently single large creature that the enforcer amount is irrelevant or choose to race and block with one small creature while attack with the rest of their army.
I think the core idea is good. The ability is needlessly difficult though. Just allow it to do all the damage to the attackers. They are basically running into a patch of lava after all. Maybe say you can redirect 3 damage to any number of nonflying attacking creatures? And then it makes sense...
No. Red can not get blue mana. A fail in that area. It could create a mountain when it dies though.
Molten Lava Flow 1RR
Creature — Elemental
Defender
Enforcer 3 (Whenever this creature is delt damage in combat you may redistribute up to 3 damage assigned to this creature to any nonflying creatures that are attacking or blocking.)
When Molten Lava Flow dies, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control as a Mountain land.
0/4
The problem with your version, as with every version here, is that it doesn't work as written. Your enforcer's wording suggests it effectively increases toughness by 3, but the creature is dead by the time the damage gets redistributed.
Maybe it really should be a version of Boros Reckoner with a cap on damage output though, as splitting the toughness between two places is a bit weird.
The problem with your version, as with every version here, is that it doesn't work as written. Your enforcer's wording suggests it effectively increases toughness by 3, but the creature is dead by the time the damage gets redistributed.
Reap tends to not dwell on trivial little things like "does this card actually work like I want it to?" or "does this card actually work?"
No, it literally would mean that you can "redistribute the damage" when the damage happens. The blocking and becomes blocked is the trigger that enables this, and then floats the effect to when it is valid.
Floating effects isn't exactly new or anything. It's just taking a more dynamic form here.
Enforcer 3 (Prevent the first 3 combat damage that would be dealt to this creature each turn. When damage is prevented this way, this creature deals that much damage to another target creature.)
I mean, it's still a broken ability, but at least it works (I think).
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Creature — Elemental
Defender
Enforcer 3 (Whenever this creature blocks or becomes blocked, you may redistribute up to 3 damage assigned to this creature to another attacking or blocking creature. Only half this amount of damage may be assigned to your opponent's creatures this way, rounded up. This creature cannot attack in a band.)
When Molten Lava Flow dies, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control as an Island Mountain land.
The mage rose his arms, his body trembling with might. Up roared from the earth the searing flames. It was not alive, but would fight us back with vehemence.
0/4
Possibly could become a cycle. showcasing this as an example of the official adaptation of the Enforcer mechanic. I mistakenly went over my own designation in my Art Studio thread. I had previously used this name for a keyword in the Rapier: Divine Soul concept development. That one has now been re-branded as Indomitable.
This is happening in either the Declare Attackers or Declare Blockers Step of combat.
Damage isn't assigned until the Combat Damage Step, meaning the ability will have finished resolving before there is any damage for it to redistribute.
What? I can redistribute up to 3 damage, but if I redistribute 3 then 2 have to go to another creature I control? What if this is the only attacking/blocking creature I control?
I really don't get why you feel the need for this. I haven't seen banding happen in a game of magic since '96ish and, unlike you, I play the game regularly. Why are you so insistent on bothering to hose a mechanic the no one uses? And especially specifying that a creature with DEFENDER is not able to ATTACK in a band, but can still block in one which is significantly more powerful is just bizarre.
Here's the version that will actually do what you want it to, making it a replacement effect instead of a triggered ability. It still doesn't know what to do if you don't have other creatures on your side to redirect the damage to but that's a problem of design process not rules.
Molten Lava Flow 1RR
Creature — Elemental
Defender
Enforcer 3 (Whenever is dealt combat damage, you may deal up to 3 damage of that damage to another attacking or blocking creature instead. Only half this amount of damage may be assigned to your opponent's creatures this way, rounded up. This creature cannot attack in a band.)
When Molten Lava Flow dies, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control as a colorless Island Mountain land with no other card types or abilities.
Score: 4/10, but solely on the creativity of the last line of text.
-Overall, the Enforcer mechanic is needlessly complicated and overpowering on a blocker to the point where it will discourage attackers without moving the game forward and the play will bog down because of it. This is a function of not understanding actual gameplay patterns.
-Nerfing banding, but only for attackers and on a creature with defender is doubly irrelevant. This is poor design.
-The land returning mechanic is interesting and flavorful, but isn't right on a mono-red card. This ability would make more sense in green.
I don't think the mechanic should have to reference the step, any more than an ability has to reference other technicalities that happen within a phase, without referencing the step it happens in. It's kind of a go-ahead, and in this case, is much better for coherence and force majeure. It is re-distributing damage for good reason, we're not creating unnecessary additional damage. If you can't re-distribute potential damage, the creature has to take that damage. Wow. That is the exact context of "up to—x amount of damage", which I hope you didn't really miss.
If you're changing the type, and it's coherent as such a change, I think these details you're trying to hammer out could more neatly be "a given".
There is need to reference banding, because it still exists, and would exist in tabletop play. It is also necessary because banding is already so powerful in that it allows you to re-direct all damage to a single creature in a band, so then allowing that damage to also be sent back against the opponent becomes over-the-top.
This keyword exists as a check and balance against banding. A great example of how to creatively fix things that are hopelessly considered to be broken and unfixable. I would suggest they need to bring banding back in black, because that is what black entities do. They attack in a band, then redirect all the damage to their scapegoat they attacked with.
However I find it quite interesting that you easily see the problems with grouped attackers or blockers here but do not with your entangler ability(especially when paired with protection from a color). To me the issue of a single Enforcer creature attacking in a band is very similar to having a protection from B/R creature with Entangler. It can just completely make it impossible for the opponent to engage on the board state.
I'm curious about why the creature returns as an Island/Mountain rather than just a Mountain though. There doesn't seem to be anything blue about the card. I actually think that there is an interesting argument for that sort of ability in non green colors and slightly disagree with Rowan there.
I understand the technicalities of running entangler and protection together, but the thing is, I force myself to take a full spectrum view when designing. In a competitive scene, especially a draft, there aren't enough cards to go around to secure any absolutes for a single color or color combination. People are forced to play every color, and that's where the utility of soft locks like protection fall off and don't do anything anymore. It balances out against the full spectrum.
Banding and enforcer would not do this, because they're solid-state functions that will never fall off and do nothing. The liability of base power and toughness is too narrow-sighted, as these attributes are easily increased to push the competitive edge over-the-top.
Furthermore, might I explain that enforcer is much more coherent to revolve around actual 'blocking and blocked by' functionality, because otherwise you have an awkward loop hole potential that exists where an ability that designates something such as "when ~ attacks, you may have it deal its damage to [source] instead. Of course, one could argue that you can just compose it as direct damage, or the olde "deals no combat damage this turn"; but certainly it's only one example of many that can exist so long as the ability is a discriminate as I've composed it to be; even though it involves some "floating" of functionality across "steps in phases" to fully resolve.
Oh no! Anyways.
A three drop creature that turns into a land when it dies is probably pretty fine, though it really wants to be part green. 1RG probably. The keyword you slapped on here seems way out of place. Making it a 2/1 (not defender) with a Laccolith Rig might serve your purposes better.
As for this:
It just isn't the experience of most players. In draft you will almost always end up in a two color deck unless the format is specifically pushing you to draft more colors. Possibly splashing a third color for a bomb. As for banding and enforcer the fall off would be that the damage is large enough that it can't redirect enough to be relevant. Which is a pretty large fall off. If you have one Enforcer creature in a large Band the counterplay is they can either block and trade with a sufficiently single large creature that the enforcer amount is irrelevant or choose to race and block with one small creature while attack with the rest of their army.
No. Red can not get blue mana. A fail in that area. It could create a mountain when it dies though.
Molten Lava Flow 1RR
Creature — Elemental
Defender
Enforcer 3 (Whenever this creature is delt damage in combat you may redistribute up to 3 damage assigned to this creature to any nonflying creatures that are attacking or blocking.)
When Molten Lava Flow dies, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control as a Mountain land.
0/4
Maybe it really should be a version of Boros Reckoner with a cap on damage output though, as splitting the toughness between two places is a bit weird.
Reap tends to not dwell on trivial little things like "does this card actually work like I want it to?" or "does this card actually work?"
Floating effects isn't exactly new or anything. It's just taking a more dynamic form here.
Bone Harvest
I mean, it's still a broken ability, but at least it works (I think).