Maybe, instead, if it said "While a permanent or player is showcased, other permanents and players cannot become showcased"?
Fixed Spotlight 3
Artifact
While a permanent or player is showcased, other permanents and players cannot become showcased. 3: CARDNAME loses all abilities until end of turn. Any player may activate this ability.
Cursed Mana CCCCC
Enchantment
Whenever a player adds a mana to their mana pool, apply the appropriate effect, based on that mana's color:
- White: Tap target creature that player controls chosen at random.
- Blue: Put one card from the top of that player's library into their graveyard.
- Black: Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature that player controls chosen at random.
- Red: CARDNAME deals 1 damage to that player.
- Green: Target land that player controls chosen at random loses all abilities until the beginning of your next upkeep.
"Non-showcased" is included out of necessity. Effects that showcase are targeting effects, so if I were to just say "Showcase target _____", and the _____ in question shared a quality with something that was already showcased, the rules of showcase would require me to target the thing that's already showcased. I.e. if an artifact creature was currently showcased, I would be unable to use a showcase effect targeting any other "artifact", "creature", or "permanent".
You understood the premise behind Display Case. I could add a showcasing effect as a third effect to the card, but I'm concerned about text space; the explanation of the showcase effect does take up a fair bit of real estate. I could take off the player effect, but then that would kind of invalidate the need for the third effect to begin with. Hmm.
I don't understand your sentence "I'm not certain that the rules allow you to preempt a spell or ability based on a possible outcome of its resolution."; can you elaborate?
Wandering Spotlight + Fixed Spotlight is a weird combination, I'll admit. Maybe I should combine the two, and add a "unless you pay ___" effect to Wandering that effectively "turns off" showcasing for the turn?
You mentioned this in passing, but I think it bears discussion: "showcase deck". I'm not sure there ever would be such a thing, because I don't think showcasing lends itself to that. Showcasing isn't, by itself, a win condition, much like heroic, renown, and monstrous aren't win conditions. I think showcasing is more of a playstyle and support mechanic than anything else.
Huatli, Kaladeshian Poet 2WR
Legendary Planeswalker - Huatli
4
[+1] Huatli, Kaladeshian Poet deals 1 damage to up to one target. Gain 1 E(an energy counter).
[-1] Sacrifice an artifact you control. Create a colorless 3/3 Dinosaur artifact creature token with trample.
[-9] For each Dinosaur you control, choose target creature an opponent controls. That Dinosaur deals damage equal to its power to that target.
Next: A planeswalker that has something to do with Phoenixes.
Devotee of Wisdom 1U
Creature - Human Wizard
0/1
Sphinx creature spells you cast cost 1 less to cast.
Whenever a card is added to your hand, add C. Until end of turn, this mana doesn't empty from your mana pool as steps and phases end.
That's a really cool idea, but I'm not sure it fits Azorius...seems more Orzhov? Also, I don't think "Legislate" would be the appropriate word for that kind of ability (though, in fairness, I'm not sure what would be appropriate).
In Amonkhet, there were six embalm cards that had static, non-keyword abilities. The remainder (11) had either one-time-use abilities, or generic keyword abilities (flying, vigilance, etc). Eternalize was even smaller, with only two cards with static, non-keyword abilities.
Enchantments aren't going to have keyword abilities. You could probably get away with one-time-use abilities, and have your creatures have static abilities based on the Law tokens you have out, sort of like the investigate mechanic. But if you're going to have a bunch of Laws with static, complicated abilities, I really think those need to be cards in the set, not tokens.
Let's change tactics, then. Instead of a pedestal, maybe a case?
Display Case 4
Artifact
CARDNAME can't be showcased.
Showcased permanents lose all abilities, can't attack or block, and gain indestructible.
Showcased players can't cast spells and can't lose the game, and their opponents can't win the game.
Also, I was thinking of a way to "calm the chaos" of showcasing constantly shifting around?
Fixed Spotlight 1
Artifact
While a permanent or player is showcased, players cannot activate spells or abilities that would showcase a permanent or player. Any player may pay 4 to have this permanent lose this ability until end of turn.
...I'm not sure why it would be outside the rules? Can you elaborate?
EDIT: Ninja'd.
I like the reworded version much better; thank you. I'll update the cards in a bit.
I worded Display Pedestal's effect the way that I did to avoid the word "target".
In regards to showcase + hexproof: Remember that showcasing only affects a targeting effect if that effect could target the thing being showcased. If a noncreature artifact is currently being showcased, Lightning Bolt will work just fine since it can't target that anyways.
Also, "feels-bad" is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I would find the situation you described fun and clever (yes, even if I was on the losing side of it).
Oh, this would be a royal pain to play against...which is probably the point, so well done.
My biggest concern with this is the sheer amount of abilities everyone would need to remember. Maybe the Legislate ability shouldn't generate tokens, but should instead pull Laws from your library?
Legislate - When ~ enters the battlefield (or when it deals combat damage, or when you draw a card, or at the beginning of your upkeep, etc), search your library for a Law card with converted mana cost _ or less, reveal it, and add it to your hand. Then shuffle your library.
_ would be one less than the converted mans cost of whatever is Legislating. The old Rebel cards and the Soulshift mechanic were similar.
Flight Formation - Reduced the cost, but I can't bring myself to make it care about just anything with flying. Do dragons fly "in formation"? Do angels? Nah, flying in formation is strictly for the birds, so that's where it should stay.
Call the Flock - Noted and fixed.
Tailwind - Noted and fixed.
Quill Flurry - Noted and fixed.
Delta Stream - I honestly wasn't sure what other ability to give it that made sense. I'm open to other ideas if this is too strong.
Flock Swarm - Yeah, I realized that when I thought of it. The idea in my head was a sort of Attack of the Birds theme. It's definitely a red effect, but there's no such thing as a red Bird deck. How else can I give a Bird deck this kind of effect?
Falconer's Call (W/U)
Instant
Look at the top five cards of your library. You may reveal a Bird card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
Flight Formation 2U
Sorcery
Choose target Bird creature you control. The base power and toughness of each other Bird creature you control become the same as those of that targeted creature, until end of turn.
Call the Flock 2WW
Sorcery
Choose target Bird creature you control. Create X 1/1 white Bird creature tokens with flying, where X is equal to that targeted creature's converted mana cost.
Mystic Falconer 1WU
Creature - Human Shaman
1/1
Bird creature spells you cast cost 1 less to cast.
You may cast Bird creature spells with no other creature types without paying their mana costs.
Falconer's Protection 1W
Instant
Bird creatures you control gain protection from from the color of your choice until of turn. 2, Return a nontoken Bird creature you control to the bottom of its owner's library: Return CARDNAME from your graveyard to your hand.
Tailwind 1WU
Enchantment
Creatures with flying you control have first strike.
Whenever a Bird creature you control deals combat damage to an opponent or planeswalker, you may pay 1. If you do, draw a card.
Quill Flurry 1W
Instant
Until end of turn, prevent all damage that would be dealt to target creature with flying you control. If that creature is a Bird, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn.
Delta Stream
Land
CARDNAME enters the battlefield tapped. T: Add W or U. (W/U)(W/U), T: Remove target attacking creature without flying from combat.
Flock Swarm 3W
Instant
As an additional cost to cast Flock Swarm, tap X untapped Bird creatures you control.
Flock Swarm deals X damage divided as you choose among any number of targets.
Hidden Nest
Land T: Add C. T, Tap two untapped Bird creatures you control: Create a colorless 1/1 Egg creature token with "1, T, Sacrifice this creature: Put a Bird creature from your hand onto the battlefield."
Back when WotC was doing their challenges for their new R&D person, I followed along and did the challenges myself. One of the challenges was to create a new keyword effect, and I came up with "showcase". Simple example:
Boast (Common) G
Sorcery
Showcase target non-showcased creature you control, until another permanent or player becomes showcased. Put two +1/+1 counters on it. (When choosing targets for a spell or ability, players must choose a showcased permanent or player, if able.)
It's sort of the opposite of shroud: instead of being unable to be targeted, everything has to target it. I included the "must target it first" caveat because I wasn't sure how else to handle spells / abilities that target multiple things simultaneously.
Here are the rest:
Gossip (Uncommon) B
Instant
Showcase target non-showcased creature an opponent controls, until another permanent or player becomes showcased. (When choosing targets for a spell or ability, players must choose a showcased permanent or player, if able.) 2B: Return CARDNAME from your graveyard to your hand. Target showcased creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn.
Proud Mama (Common) 4G
Creature - Bear
4/3 2G: Create a 2/2 green Bear creature token, then showcase it, until another permanent or player becomes showcased. (When choosing targets for a spell or ability, players must choose a showcased permanent or player, if able.)
Showcased creatures you control have trample and must be blocked if able.
Innovative Tinkerer (Uncommon) 2U
Creature - Human Artificer
1/3 U, T: Showcase target non-showcased artifact you control, until another permanent or player becomes showcased. (When choosing targets for a spell or ability, players must choose a showcased permanent or player, if able.)
Showcased artifacts you control have "T: Add C."
Display Pedestal (Rare) 4
Artifact
Showcased permanents you control have hexproof and haste. 1, T: Tap or untap all showcased permanents.
Wandering Spotlight (Rare) 3R
Enchantment
At the beginning of each upkeep, showcase target non-showcased permanent at random, until another permanent or player becomes showcased. (When choosing targets for a spell or ability, players must choose a showcased permanent or player, if able.)
Bainum, Storied Ringmaster (Mythic Rare) WUBRG
Legendary Creature - Human Performer
Convoke
At beginning of combat, you may showcase target non-showcased creature, until another permanent or player becomes showcased.
Showcased creatures must be blocked, if able.
Other Performer creatures get +1/+1.
*NOTE: One of the earlier challenges was a top-down design centered around a new circus-themed plane called Bigtopia. Showcasing seemed to work well thematically with a circus spectacle, so I mixed the two.
Glory of Ego 5WR
Enchantment 5: Showcase target non-showcased player, until another permanent or player becomes showcased. Any player may activate this ability.
While a player is showcased, all permanents they control are also showcased, creatures must attack that player if they attack, and creatures must block attackers controlled by that player if able.
Maybe, instead, if it said "While a permanent or player is showcased, other permanents and players cannot become showcased"?
Fixed Spotlight
3
Artifact
While a permanent or player is showcased, other permanents and players cannot become showcased.
3: CARDNAME loses all abilities until end of turn. Any player may activate this ability.
Cursed Mana
CCCCC
Enchantment
Whenever a player adds a mana to their mana pool, apply the appropriate effect, based on that mana's color:
- White: Tap target creature that player controls chosen at random.
- Blue: Put one card from the top of that player's library into their graveyard.
- Black: Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature that player controls chosen at random.
- Red: CARDNAME deals 1 damage to that player.
- Green: Target land that player controls chosen at random loses all abilities until the beginning of your next upkeep.
You understood the premise behind Display Case. I could add a showcasing effect as a third effect to the card, but I'm concerned about text space; the explanation of the showcase effect does take up a fair bit of real estate. I could take off the player effect, but then that would kind of invalidate the need for the third effect to begin with. Hmm.
I don't understand your sentence "I'm not certain that the rules allow you to preempt a spell or ability based on a possible outcome of its resolution."; can you elaborate?
Wandering Spotlight + Fixed Spotlight is a weird combination, I'll admit. Maybe I should combine the two, and add a "unless you pay ___" effect to Wandering that effectively "turns off" showcasing for the turn?
You mentioned this in passing, but I think it bears discussion: "showcase deck". I'm not sure there ever would be such a thing, because I don't think showcasing lends itself to that. Showcasing isn't, by itself, a win condition, much like heroic, renown, and monstrous aren't win conditions. I think showcasing is more of a playstyle and support mechanic than anything else.
2WR
Legendary Planeswalker - Huatli
4
[+1] Huatli, Kaladeshian Poet deals 1 damage to up to one target. Gain 1 E (an energy counter).
[-1] Sacrifice an artifact you control. Create a colorless 3/3 Dinosaur artifact creature token with trample.
[-9] For each Dinosaur you control, choose target creature an opponent controls. That Dinosaur deals damage equal to its power to that target.
Next: A planeswalker that has something to do with Phoenixes.
Devotee of Wisdom
1U
Creature - Human Wizard
0/1
Sphinx creature spells you cast cost 1 less to cast.
Whenever a card is added to your hand, add C. Until end of turn, this mana doesn't empty from your mana pool as steps and phases end.
Enchantments aren't going to have keyword abilities. You could probably get away with one-time-use abilities, and have your creatures have static abilities based on the Law tokens you have out, sort of like the investigate mechanic. But if you're going to have a bunch of Laws with static, complicated abilities, I really think those need to be cards in the set, not tokens.
Let's change tactics, then. Instead of a pedestal, maybe a case?
Display Case
4
Artifact
CARDNAME can't be showcased.
Showcased permanents lose all abilities, can't attack or block, and gain indestructible.
Showcased players can't cast spells and can't lose the game, and their opponents can't win the game.
Also, I was thinking of a way to "calm the chaos" of showcasing constantly shifting around?
Fixed Spotlight
1
Artifact
While a permanent or player is showcased, players cannot activate spells or abilities that would showcase a permanent or player. Any player may pay 4 to have this permanent lose this ability until end of turn.
EDIT: Ninja'd.
I like the reworded version much better; thank you. I'll update the cards in a bit.
I worded Display Pedestal's effect the way that I did to avoid the word "target".
In regards to showcase + hexproof: Remember that showcasing only affects a targeting effect if that effect could target the thing being showcased. If a noncreature artifact is currently being showcased, Lightning Bolt will work just fine since it can't target that anyways.
Also, "feels-bad" is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I would find the situation you described fun and clever (yes, even if I was on the losing side of it).
My biggest concern with this is the sheer amount of abilities everyone would need to remember. Maybe the Legislate ability shouldn't generate tokens, but should instead pull Laws from your library?
Legislate - When ~ enters the battlefield (or when it deals combat damage, or when you draw a card, or at the beginning of your upkeep, etc), search your library for a Law card with converted mana cost _ or less, reveal it, and add it to your hand. Then shuffle your library.
_ would be one less than the converted mans cost of whatever is Legislating. The old Rebel cards and the Soulshift mechanic were similar.
Flight Formation - Reduced the cost, but I can't bring myself to make it care about just anything with flying. Do dragons fly "in formation"? Do angels? Nah, flying in formation is strictly for the birds, so that's where it should stay.
Call the Flock - Noted and fixed.
Tailwind - Noted and fixed.
Quill Flurry - Noted and fixed.
Delta Stream - I honestly wasn't sure what other ability to give it that made sense. I'm open to other ideas if this is too strong.
Flock Swarm - Yeah, I realized that when I thought of it. The idea in my head was a sort of Attack of the Birds theme. It's definitely a red effect, but there's no such thing as a red Bird deck. How else can I give a Bird deck this kind of effect?
Hidden Nest - Thank you
(W/U)
Instant
Look at the top five cards of your library. You may reveal a Bird card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
Flight Formation
2U
Sorcery
Choose target Bird creature you control. The base power and toughness of each other Bird creature you control become the same as those of that targeted creature, until end of turn.
Call the Flock
2WW
Sorcery
Choose target Bird creature you control. Create X 1/1 white Bird creature tokens with flying, where X is equal to that targeted creature's converted mana cost.
Mystic Falconer
1WU
Creature - Human Shaman
1/1
Bird creature spells you cast cost 1 less to cast.
You may cast Bird creature spells with no other creature types without paying their mana costs.
Falconer's Protection
1W
Instant
Bird creatures you control gain protection from from the color of your choice until of turn.
2, Return a nontoken Bird creature you control to the bottom of its owner's library: Return CARDNAME from your graveyard to your hand.
Tailwind
1WU
Enchantment
Creatures with flying you control have first strike.
Whenever a Bird creature you control deals combat damage to an opponent or planeswalker, you may pay 1. If you do, draw a card.
Quill Flurry
1W
Instant
Until end of turn, prevent all damage that would be dealt to target creature with flying you control. If that creature is a Bird, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn.
Delta Stream
Land
CARDNAME enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add W or U.
(W/U)(W/U), T: Remove target attacking creature without flying from combat.
Flock Swarm
3W
Instant
As an additional cost to cast Flock Swarm, tap X untapped Bird creatures you control.
Flock Swarm deals X damage divided as you choose among any number of targets.
Hidden Nest
Land
T: Add C.
T, Tap two untapped Bird creatures you control: Create a colorless 1/1 Egg creature token with "1, T, Sacrifice this creature: Put a Bird creature from your hand onto the battlefield."
Boast (Common)
G
Sorcery
Showcase target non-showcased creature you control, until another permanent or player becomes showcased. Put two +1/+1 counters on it. (When choosing targets for a spell or ability, players must choose a showcased permanent or player, if able.)
It's sort of the opposite of shroud: instead of being unable to be targeted, everything has to target it. I included the "must target it first" caveat because I wasn't sure how else to handle spells / abilities that target multiple things simultaneously.
Here are the rest:
Gossip (Uncommon)
B
Instant
Showcase target non-showcased creature an opponent controls, until another permanent or player becomes showcased. (When choosing targets for a spell or ability, players must choose a showcased permanent or player, if able.)
2B: Return CARDNAME from your graveyard to your hand. Target showcased creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn.
Proud Mama (Common)
4G
Creature - Bear
4/3
2G: Create a 2/2 green Bear creature token, then showcase it, until another permanent or player becomes showcased. (When choosing targets for a spell or ability, players must choose a showcased permanent or player, if able.)
Showcased creatures you control have trample and must be blocked if able.
Innovative Tinkerer (Uncommon)
2U
Creature - Human Artificer
1/3
U, T: Showcase target non-showcased artifact you control, until another permanent or player becomes showcased. (When choosing targets for a spell or ability, players must choose a showcased permanent or player, if able.)
Showcased artifacts you control have "T: Add C."
Display Pedestal (Rare)
4
Artifact
Showcased permanents you control have hexproof and haste.
1, T: Tap or untap all showcased permanents.
Wandering Spotlight (Rare)
3R
Enchantment
At the beginning of each upkeep, showcase target non-showcased permanent at random, until another permanent or player becomes showcased. (When choosing targets for a spell or ability, players must choose a showcased permanent or player, if able.)
Bainum, Storied Ringmaster (Mythic Rare)
WUBRG
Legendary Creature - Human Performer
Convoke
At beginning of combat, you may showcase target non-showcased creature, until another permanent or player becomes showcased.
Showcased creatures must be blocked, if able.
Other Performer creatures get +1/+1.
*NOTE: One of the earlier challenges was a top-down design centered around a new circus-themed plane called Bigtopia. Showcasing seemed to work well thematically with a circus spectacle, so I mixed the two.
Glory of Ego
5WR
Enchantment
5: Showcase target non-showcased player, until another permanent or player becomes showcased. Any player may activate this ability.
While a player is showcased, all permanents they control are also showcased, creatures must attack that player if they attack, and creatures must block attackers controlled by that player if able.