So, I've come across an interesting thing I am not sure how exactly to solve wording or rules wise.
Basically, what I want to do is make a card that allows you to cast auras onto dead creatures and revive them this way. Now, this creates two issues:
1) You'd need to target the creature while casting the aura, so you'd either have to declare dead creatures as legal targets or solve it differently. I want to avoid Animate Dead because that's very clunky.
2) How do I make sure only auras that can also enchant creatures can be used to revive a creature without limiting the mechanic to auras with "enchant creature", which leaves out a few cards?
Currently my ideas are:
Reveal an Aura card with "enchant creature" from your hand and pay its mana cost: Return a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield and put the revealed card onto the battlefield enchanting that creature.
Aura spells you cast with "enchant creature" have "enchant creature card in your graveyard" and "As this card enters the battlefield, return enchanted creature card to the battlefield."
The idea here is that the card only has the "enchant dead creature" text while it is targeting the creature. When it is about to enter the battlefield it revives the creature and no longer has the text, because it's no longer a spell. (Not sure about the timing here though.)
Does your card have to target the dead creature? Would you be fine with a card that animated creatures and then moved the aura on ETB like Ajani's Chosen?
Your second try is more complicated than you want. You need to have the auras lose enchant creature otherwise they must fulfill both enchant conditions.
Does your card have to target the dead creature? Would you be fine with a card that animated creatures and then moved the aura on ETB like Ajani's Chosen?
I thought about this, but it's not very intuitive and doesn't do what the player thinks the card does. I want to keep the card as intuitive as possible. So when you describe the card to a player in your own words, the functionality should be exactly as the player expects. (I know this isn't always possible, but that's the ideal.)
How about this:
Aura spells you cast can enchant creature cards in your graveyard as though they were on the battlefield.
Whenever a creature card in your graveyard becomes enchanted, return it to the battlefield.
I kinda want to avoid the auras sticking around when the creature dies, so I restrict the ability only to when the Aura is still a spell, but I am not sure if it works timing-wise.
Enchanting the creature in the graveyard and the battlefield is awfully close to unterritory. Because you avoided the problem of that you have your aura sitting on the battlefield not attached to anything while it waits for a trigger to return the creature it wanted to enchant. Not to mention that when a card changes zones it's supposed to be a new card so the aura shouldn't remember that it wanted to enchant the newly revied creature.
I think I can finagle an ability that works.
You may cast Aura spells as though they had "Enchant creature card in (your?)/a graveyard" and no other enchant ability. When you do, return the targeted creature card to the battlefield under your control. Change the target of your aura spell to that creature.
I am 90% certain this does exactly what you want. Because you are only casting "As though" they had the ability, on the stack they don't actually have the ability and can obey their singular "enchant X" ability. Its a little awkward that they have to ignore their own ability as you cast it but if you didn't you would need a valid target on the battlefield. It will sit on the stack without a legal target while the trigger returns the creature to the battlefield which is why the redirect is built in. The only problem I can find is that this allows you to use any aura as a reanimate even if the aura can't legally enchant the creature on the battlefield. I don't think this is a problem. If you are trying to abuse this card with Abundant Growth you could be doing much better things.
Depending on the cost of the actual card with this ability you will want the animate dead clause of destroying when it isn't enchanted. Something like:
Hallowed Unlife (W/B)(W/B)
Enchantment
When you control a creature that isn't enchanted, sacrifice it.
You may cast Aura spells as though they had "Enchant creature card in a graveyard" and no other enchant ability. When you do, return the targeted creature card to the battlefield under your control. Change the target of your aura spell to that creature.
Mmh, I would like to be able to "hijack" the aura's innate enchant ability, to allow reviving artifact creatures with "enchant artifact" and in general be able to automatically restrict illegal targets without any hubbub.
Would "move [that creature card] to the battlefield" work differently, to stop the auras from thinking it's a new card? I assume it leads to even more weird things though.
If all else fails, I suppose in the worst case I'll just assume the "you can enchant as though" version works as intended. It wouldn't be the first time an ability caused some minor rules rework. I can clarify the worst with reminder text I guess.
If you go with an activated ability as opposed to altering how its cast I think you can get it fairly simple.
Reveal an Aura card from your hand and pay its mana cost.: Return target creature that Aura could enchant from your graveyard to the battlefield. Then put that Aura onto the battlefield attached to that creature.
So, I've come across an interesting thing I am not sure how exactly to solve wording or rules wise.
Basically, what I want to do is make a card that allows you to cast auras onto dead creatures and revive them this way. Now, this creates two issues:
1) You'd need to target the creature while casting the aura, so you'd either have to declare dead creatures as legal targets or solve it differently. I want to avoid Animate Dead because that's very clunky.
2) How do I make sure only auras that can also enchant creatures can be used to revive a creature without limiting the mechanic to auras with "enchant creature", which leaves out a few cards?
Currently my ideas are:
Thoughts?
Your second try is more complicated than you want. You need to have the auras lose enchant creature otherwise they must fulfill both enchant conditions.
I thought about this, but it's not very intuitive and doesn't do what the player thinks the card does. I want to keep the card as intuitive as possible. So when you describe the card to a player in your own words, the functionality should be exactly as the player expects. (I know this isn't always possible, but that's the ideal.)
How about this:
Whenever a creature card in your graveyard becomes enchanted, return it to the battlefield.
I kinda want to avoid the auras sticking around when the creature dies, so I restrict the ability only to when the Aura is still a spell, but I am not sure if it works timing-wise.
I think I can finagle an ability that works.
I am 90% certain this does exactly what you want. Because you are only casting "As though" they had the ability, on the stack they don't actually have the ability and can obey their singular "enchant X" ability. Its a little awkward that they have to ignore their own ability as you cast it but if you didn't you would need a valid target on the battlefield. It will sit on the stack without a legal target while the trigger returns the creature to the battlefield which is why the redirect is built in. The only problem I can find is that this allows you to use any aura as a reanimate even if the aura can't legally enchant the creature on the battlefield. I don't think this is a problem. If you are trying to abuse this card with Abundant Growth you could be doing much better things.
Depending on the cost of the actual card with this ability you will want the animate dead clause of destroying when it isn't enchanted. Something like:
Hallowed Unlife (W/B)(W/B)
Enchantment
When you control a creature that isn't enchanted, sacrifice it.
You may cast Aura spells as though they had "Enchant creature card in a graveyard" and no other enchant ability. When you do, return the targeted creature card to the battlefield under your control. Change the target of your aura spell to that creature.
Would "move [that creature card] to the battlefield" work differently, to stop the auras from thinking it's a new card? I assume it leads to even more weird things though.
If all else fails, I suppose in the worst case I'll just assume the "you can enchant as though" version works as intended. It wouldn't be the first time an ability caused some minor rules rework. I can clarify the worst with reminder text I guess.
But this wouldn't work because creature cards in the graveyard aren't creatures.
Also, just wanted to say that I appreciate your replies. This has helped me a lot even if I keeps aying that's not what I'm looking for.