Yeah, another underlying theme for purple could be number-based cards, and purple could be a mix of technology and magical powers. And since it would partially be concerned with technology it could slightly deal with artifacts as well as enchantments.
Yeah, I know the "Arrangement of the play area" Idea wouldn't work, but, hey, I was just throwing things out there.
Expanding on the "hand size counts" thing: you could have cards that get a certain effect if you have a certain number of cards in your hand, sorta like hellbent, but a variable number instead of always zero.
First off, Purple could work with time, but it would be much more interesting and open up more development room if purple worked directly with harnessing the power of the AEther (or possibly both AEther and time) Okay, here is what I think about mechanics that could be used for purple.
-Removing things from the game. Right now this is spread around in most every color, but always in small portions. Purple could have a large concentration of its abilities in this. But deal with removing things in strange ways, and using them as utilities. Utilizing the things that purple has removed from the game.
-Dealing with the hand, but in different ways. Do you understand what I mean? Blue and Black do this to a certain extent, but haven't covered all the ground.
-The position of cards ijn the playing area. This is a more far-fetched idea, but it could work. Cards that do certain things if they are next to certain things, etc, etc.
-Effects that use the graveyard as a utility. Something I find very neat to be able to do is "graveyard tapping effects" where you could tap your graveyard to get a cartian effect as long as the card with that ability is in your graveyard. Sort of like leaving a trace of itself on the world.
Combo 4U
Instant
Choose a card in your hand. Put that card in your graveyard. Gain 20 life. If you chose a Sorcery, an Artifact or an Enchantment, if you didn't play Combo in your first or second main phase, counter this.
Uhhh... what?
Nothing has anything to do with your main phases or chosing what type of card, it's always instant or sorcery, however, there is a big chance that you will get another crappy instant or another spellshift. There is only a 4/10 chance that you will hit a heroes remembered, but I still think it might be worth a try.
Purple could work, granted it isn't the best idea ever. I agree with rancorcrankor on most things, but couldn't purple pull mana strait from the AEther itself? Not nessicarily (or only) time rifts?
But I would like to add one more "mechanic" or ability to the list
-Dealing with removing/returning things from and into the game.
-(subsequent Ideas) certian creatures could get +1/+1 for every card removed from the game.
- An improved version of phasing.
-Sorcries and instances that get removed from the game after they resolve, and then get played again after a certian trigger.
Dude, alot of you are looking at Spellshift and Heroes Remembered the wrong way, Imagine having only 12 sorceries and/or instances in the same deck, 4 spellshift, 4 Heroes Remembered, and 4 of some cheap one cost instant (Possibly Clockspinning). You play the instant, counter it with Spellshift, and shift into a Heros Remembered, gaining 20 life on turn 5 (or less with excelleration). You might not hit Heroes Remembered, but you have more of a chance than making another Spellshift fizzle.
A deck can be built around any card, although most of you are only thinking about drafting, type 2, etc. etc. In a lot of cases, yes, The Centaur really sucks, but it could add some clever lifegain in a green/ black maddness deck. I really want to break Spellshift, but its too unreiliable to honestly be good, the Eye of the Storm combo looks really fun and I'm really thinking about using it. Heroes Remembered.... one word, Paradox Haze (Ok, thats two words, but you get my drift.) I realize in a lot of playgroups this combo would suck, but in mine most people would have no way to deal with a turn seven 20 additional life, in fact now I'm really wanting to make a T2 W/U suspend deck featuring this combo and some Riftwing Cloudskates! If you have any unwanted heroes remembered, send em my way!
BTW: ANY card can be built around, even Vizzerdrix!!!
I personally would love to see purple, however, cities or caves or deserts would really, really, really suck as land types. If they introduce purple, they should not have there own basic lands, they should only have non-basic lands, but one or more of each in a booster pack (usually just one, unless your rare was a nonbasic purple land also.). They could create a cycle of nonbasic lands that deal with producing purple along with another effect example:
Time-Torn Ruins
Land- Synth (or some equally strange subtype)
T: Add P to your mana pool.
Whenever an opponent draws a card, you may pay (1) (W) If you do, prevent the next 2 damage dealt to target creature or player.
And you could have 4 others like it with a normal effect for the price of a normal color. Purple mana could come from something equal to AEtherical matter Think AEther + Time= Rips in the fabric of the universe. And those rips are where Purple mana could be drawn from.
True, but if your hand is low on creatures and you have an instant or sorcery in your hand, you can use it as a morph until you can get a better creature and then morph the instant or sorcery.
But you are right, morphed instants and sorceries does seem to be bordering on stupid........
I was reading the Time Spiral Rules Primer about morph and I found this:
Morph is an ability originally seen in the Onslaught block. The morph rules are changing slightly: The old rule said the face-down spell and the face-down creature have mana cost . The new rule says that the face-down spell and the face-down creature have no mana cost. (The face-down spell and the face-down creature still have converted mana cost 0.) This modifies some interactions. A change to the rules governing spells with no mana cost makes this possible. (See the "Cards with No Mana Cost" section above for more information.)
Notice that It says face-down SPELL, why have this part in the rules if morph only specifies creatures (I know that creatures are spells)? Is that part only pertaining to while the creature is on the stack?
My thought is that maybe thay will have morphable sorceries, instances, enchantments, and/or artifacts in PC and FS! Is that even possible? How woulld the rules deal with something like that? Maybe when you flip the morphed spell it ceases to be a creature and is put on the stack as a different type of spell! That would be intriguing!
Dang! You took what I was going to post!!
Oh well...
I agree with you but I think that they will use affinity for {creature type}, that would probably be less confusing and bring back a sort of tribal thing from the Onslaught block.
I would also like to see splice, but think about an arcane spell with splice into non-arcane! Or a non-arcane card with splice into arcane!
And yes, dredge is a good ability, but why bring back it and not the other 10 guild mechanics? The one thing that unifies the Ravinica block is hybrid mana, and I would LOVE to see that return!
Yeah, I know the "Arrangement of the play area" Idea wouldn't work, but, hey, I was just throwing things out there.
Expanding on the "hand size counts" thing: you could have cards that get a certain effect if you have a certain number of cards in your hand, sorta like hellbent, but a variable number instead of always zero.
-Removing things from the game. Right now this is spread around in most every color, but always in small portions. Purple could have a large concentration of its abilities in this. But deal with removing things in strange ways, and using them as utilities. Utilizing the things that purple has removed from the game.
-Dealing with the hand, but in different ways. Do you understand what I mean? Blue and Black do this to a certain extent, but haven't covered all the ground.
-The position of cards ijn the playing area. This is a more far-fetched idea, but it could work. Cards that do certain things if they are next to certain things, etc, etc.
-Effects that use the graveyard as a utility. Something I find very neat to be able to do is "graveyard tapping effects" where you could tap your graveyard to get a cartian effect as long as the card with that ability is in your graveyard. Sort of like leaving a trace of itself on the world.
I don't really know, thats all I got.
Instant
Choose a card in your hand. Put that card in your graveyard. Gain 20 life. If you chose a Sorcery, an Artifact or an Enchantment, if you didn't play Combo in your first or second main phase, counter this.
Uhhh... what?
Nothing has anything to do with your main phases or chosing what type of card, it's always instant or sorcery, however, there is a big chance that you will get another crappy instant or another spellshift. There is only a 4/10 chance that you will hit a heroes remembered, but I still think it might be worth a try.
I Think some are missing something with spellshift.... AHEM....
Restore Balance
and
Wheel of Fate
Would be preety darn cool to Shift out.
Yes, kalamarcet, I'm preaty sure it could.
But I would like to add one more "mechanic" or ability to the list
-Dealing with removing/returning things from and into the game.
-(subsequent Ideas) certian creatures could get +1/+1 for every card removed from the game.
- An improved version of phasing.
-Sorcries and instances that get removed from the game after they resolve, and then get played again after a certian trigger.
Oh, yeah, city SUCKS as a basic land type!
OOOOH, geuss what? You could do the same thing with Spellshift and tha zero-cost suspend spells!! Restore Balance? Wheel of Fate?
BTW: ANY card can be built around, even Vizzerdrix!!!
Time-Torn Ruins
Land- Synth (or some equally strange subtype)
T: Add P to your mana pool.
Whenever an opponent draws a card, you may pay (1) (W) If you do, prevent the next 2 damage dealt to target creature or player.
And you could have 4 others like it with a normal effect for the price of a normal color. Purple mana could come from something equal to AEtherical matter Think AEther + Time= Rips in the fabric of the universe. And those rips are where Purple mana could be drawn from.
Restore Balance + Ghostway + Ignorant Bliss =all of your opponents creatures are destroyed and your opponent has to discard his entire hand.
Order now and you get an additional card at EOT!!!!
But you are right, morphed instants and sorceries does seem to be bordering on stupid........
Morph is an ability originally seen in the Onslaught block. The morph rules are changing slightly: The old rule said the face-down spell and the face-down creature have mana cost
Notice that It says face-down SPELL, why have this part in the rules if morph only specifies creatures (I know that creatures are spells)? Is that part only pertaining to while the creature is on the stack?
My thought is that maybe thay will have morphable sorceries, instances, enchantments, and/or artifacts in PC and FS! Is that even possible? How woulld the rules deal with something like that? Maybe when you flip the morphed spell it ceases to be a creature and is put on the stack as a different type of spell! That would be intriguing!
Oh well...
I agree with you but I think that they will use affinity for {creature type}, that would probably be less confusing and bring back a sort of tribal thing from the Onslaught block.
I would also like to see splice, but think about an arcane spell with splice into non-arcane! Or a non-arcane card with splice into arcane!
And yes, dredge is a good ability, but why bring back it and not the other 10 guild mechanics? The one thing that unifies the Ravinica block is hybrid mana, and I would LOVE to see that return!