Command the Seasons could be "For each land on the battlefield, add one mana of any color that land could produce to your mana pool." to prevent steal-and-sac shenanigans.
I'm not sure how much I like Aid of the Ancestors. Is a "combat matters" set well served by a card that heavily punishes trying to win by dealing damage?
I think there needs to be an element of risk with it, so I would design ti to key off the total combined power or total combined toughness to make your life total change. In addition, add another white mana symbol in exchange for a generic mana, so make it 6WW.
Expeditious Maneuver Seems undercosted - I'd suggest adding an additional blue mana symbol to it.
Actually, I think the black and red ones need to have an additional colored symbol, as well.
Command the Seasons probably needs to cost 6GG as well.
I'll definitely consider upping the cost of these - they're meant to be big. I'm invested in making the red one stand out from the pack, though. I was considering the following change. What do you think?
Pierce Hell's HeartXRR
Instant [R]
Tactics (This spell costs less to cast for each attacking or blocking creature you control.)
Pierce Hell's Heart can't be countered by spells or abilities.
Target creature gets +X/+0 until end of turn. Damage it would deal this turn can't be prevented.
Can we talk about how bad Mask of Mortality is? You said these are supposed to be big, game-changing effects, so why is Black's so weak? I vote for a re-animation spell, maybe...
Cool card name6BB
Instant
Tactics (cool reminder text)
Put target creature card in a graveyard onto the battlefield. You may choose to have that creature enter the battlefield attacking or blocking another creature.
I'm not sure of that second sentence. Someone else take a crack at that.
Can we talk about how bad Mask of Mortality is? You said these are supposed to be big, game-changing effects, so why is Black's so weak? I vote for a re-animation spell, maybe...
OK. Talk to me about what makes you think it's so bad.
I would like to point out that the wording is not a typo. It's not until end of turn, and it's not P/T switching. See: Tree of Redemption.
I don't see how that's good. I mean, it's like a slightly different switcheroo. What exactly is super awesome about that?
EDIT: oh also it's not black
I kinda don't like how a lot of these seem random with tactics attached. I like Expeditious maneuver (gives you another combat) and pierce hell's heart (alpha strike FTW), but Aid of the Anscestors and Command the seasons seem random with tactics thrown on.
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
No, it's bad because it's incredibly weak, even if it isn't until end of turn! These are supposed to be huge and flashy, and you want to just swap two creatures' power and toughness (yes, I know it swaps one creature's power with another creature's power and the same with toughness)? It's not a game-changing effect, it's a narrow weird thing that's not powerful.
It's a pretty neat combat trick, I'd say. But it's not as swingy as the rest. I was actually thinking reduce it down to 3B, personally. I also agree about Pierce getting trample. Not sure what Command the Seasons has to do with tactics, but maybe it just needs a rename?
I kinda don't like how a lot of these seem random with tactics attached. I like Expeditious maneuver (gives you another combat) and pierce hell's heart (alpha strike FTW), but Aid of the Anscestors and Command the seasons seem random with tactics thrown on.
It's not random. (Although I do see how it defies expectation somewhat.)
Like Alara Reborn, this is a high-concept set (which only means, every card is in service to a central mechanical idea.) The concept is "combat." Every card in the set needs to have some kind of mechanical connection to the combat phase. (I've given myself a little leeway with this on one or two mythics, but even those will almost certainly be revised.) A lot of the effects you see with tactics are effects that every big set would normally have somewhere, but which don't already have a connection to the combat phase. It's a way to make combat relevant to those kinds of cards.
As for Mask of Mortality, I don't think you can say, "This has to be blue and not black." It could be blue, I agree, but without a clear mechanical precedent, you could make comparisons to Consume Strength as easily as you could to Switcheroo. And saying, "It's just Switcheroo" ignores the Instant-speed and the tactics... which together have the potential of changing this from a quirky trick to a blowout card, I think.
[EDIT] Also, @k-rad: I think the solution to end-of-turn unintuitiveness is simply to add reminder text. (This effect lasts indefinitely.) You usually don't see that on cards that have "exchange" in their text, but in this case maybe that text (or something like it) would be useful. The permanent part is a big selling point, and also why I think it's a better effect than people are giving it credit for.
I think, on second viewing, that Mask of Mortality might be better off as this:
The toughness of creatures target player controls becomes 1 until end of turn.
Then it's a really bad sudden spoiling....
I think something like
6BBB
Instant
Tactics (This spell costs 1 less to cast for each attacking or blocking creature you control.)
Target player loses life equal to the damage dealt this turn, you gain that much life.
or
XBBB
Instant
Tactics (This spell costs 1 less to cast for each attacking or blocking creature you control.)
Destroy up to X target creatures. They can't be regenerated.
both seem powerful, and seem to work into your theme well enough, second one is especially nice as it can be used before blockers step to take some out while the first one is either a huge life swing or a finisher in a black based aggro deck, both are much much stronger then what black has now, which doesn't even feel rare.
As for the other blue ones should be UUU at the very least, white one probably WW ...
Green one seems like it would be more fun to be a land into creature effect....
Command the Seasons
5GG
Instant
Tactics (This spell costs 1 less to cast for each attacking or blocking creature you control.)
Untap all lands you control, they become 1/1 green creatures in addition to being lands.
Just seems more flavorful and fun, at least IMHO. Works even better if you have a extra attack step type effect somewhere in the block.
and 100% agreed the red one should give Trample or maybe make it a set effect, perhaps a berserk variant?
5R
Instant
Tactics (This spell costs 1 less to cast for each attacking or blocking creature you control.)
Target creature you control gets +X/+0 and trample until end of turn, where X is equal to the number of attacking creatures you control. Sacrifice this creature at end of combat.
or maybe have X be equal to the number of attacking creatures you control + a number (1-3) ...
Like Alara Reborn, this is a high-concept set (which only means, every card is in service to a central mechanical idea.) The concept is "combat." Every card in the set needs to have some kind of mechanical connection to the combat phase. (I've given myself a little leeway with this on one or two mythics, but even those will almost certainly be revised.) A lot of the effects you see with tactics are effects that every big set would normally have somewhere, but which don't already have a connection to the combat phase. It's a way to make combat relevant to those kinds of cards.
In alara reborn, every card felt like a multicolor card in a vacuum. (And if they didn't, they were poorly designed IMO). I would rather get your theme across using well designed combat cards than slapping combat mechanics on cards that don't need them. I think taking an extra turn is a genius way of making a generally noncombat mechanic in a noncombat color feel like a combat card, I would try to look for more cool interactions like that.
As for Mask of Mortality, I don't think you can say, "This has to be blue and not black." It could be blue, I agree, but without a clear mechanical precedent, you could make comparisons to Consume Strength as easily as you could to Switcheroo.
Notice how that card is multicolor; black gets -n/-n, the +n/+n is the green part. You can't do consume strength in just black.
And saying, "It's just Switcheroo" ignores the Instant-speed and the tactics...
I meant the effect, not that this card is an exact copy of switcheroo
(EDIT: Note: I actually think if this were switcheroo instead of... whatever it is now, it would be more black, as changing control can be considered tertiary in black (with Enslave and the like))
which together have the potential of changing this from a quirky trick to a blowout card, I think.
I can never imagine this effect being anywhere near as powerful as the others. Yes, this card can be a blowout, but only as a combat trick. It feels like an uncommon (like switcheroo). Making my switcheroo instant speed and have the potential to cost less doesn't really make it feel like a rare IMO, especially since the effect is most of the time going to be worse than switcheroo.
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
Instant [R]
Tactics (This spell costs less to cast for each attacking or blocking creature you control.)
Your life total becomes your starting life total.
Instant [R]
Tactics (This spell costs less to cast for each attacking or blocking creature you control.)
Target player takes an extra turn after this one.
Instant
Tactics (This spell costs less to cast for each attacking or blocking creature you control.)
Exchange target creature's power and toughness with another target creature's power and toughness.
Instant
Tactics (This spell costs less to cast for each attacking or blocking creature you control.)
Target creature gets +X/+0 until end of turn. Damage it would deal this turn can't be prevented.
Instant
Tactics (This spell costs less to cast for each attacking or blocking creature you control.)
Untap all lands and gain control of them until end of turn.
Big enough?
Avatar by Numotflame96 of Maelstrom Graphics
Sig banner thanks to DarkNightCavalier of Heroes of the Plane Studios!
I'll definitely consider upping the cost of these - they're meant to be big. I'm invested in making the red one stand out from the pack, though. I was considering the following change. What do you think?
Instant [R]
Tactics (This spell costs less to cast for each attacking or blocking creature you control.)
Pierce Hell's Heart can't be countered by spells or abilities.
Target creature gets +X/+0 until end of turn. Damage it would deal this turn can't be prevented.
I'd rather see trample instead of first strike - it rewards you for pumping up X as high as it can go, and the card has pierce in its name, after all.
Avatar by Numotflame96 of Maelstrom Graphics
Sig banner thanks to DarkNightCavalier of Heroes of the Plane Studios!
Cool card name 6BB
Instant
Tactics (cool reminder text)
Put target creature card in a graveyard onto the battlefield. You may choose to have that creature enter the battlefield attacking or blocking another creature.
I'm not sure of that second sentence. Someone else take a crack at that.
When in doubt, call a judge.
Objectivist here. Hit me up to talk philosophy.
OK. Talk to me about what makes you think it's so bad.
I would like to point out that the wording is not a typo. It's not until end of turn, and it's not P/T switching. See: Tree of Redemption.
EDIT: oh also it's not black
I kinda don't like how a lot of these seem random with tactics attached. I like Expeditious maneuver (gives you another combat) and pierce hell's heart (alpha strike FTW), but Aid of the Anscestors and Command the seasons seem random with tactics thrown on.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
When in doubt, call a judge.
Objectivist here. Hit me up to talk philosophy.
Karador EDH
Comments on decks welcome: http://tappedout.net/users/AradonTemplar/
Currently developing Set 1 of 3, 'Shadow': http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=436885
It's not random. (Although I do see how it defies expectation somewhat.)
Like Alara Reborn, this is a high-concept set (which only means, every card is in service to a central mechanical idea.) The concept is "combat." Every card in the set needs to have some kind of mechanical connection to the combat phase. (I've given myself a little leeway with this on one or two mythics, but even those will almost certainly be revised.) A lot of the effects you see with tactics are effects that every big set would normally have somewhere, but which don't already have a connection to the combat phase. It's a way to make combat relevant to those kinds of cards.
As for Mask of Mortality, I don't think you can say, "This has to be blue and not black." It could be blue, I agree, but without a clear mechanical precedent, you could make comparisons to Consume Strength as easily as you could to Switcheroo. And saying, "It's just Switcheroo" ignores the Instant-speed and the tactics... which together have the potential of changing this from a quirky trick to a blowout card, I think.
[EDIT] Also, @k-rad: I think the solution to end-of-turn unintuitiveness is simply to add reminder text. (This effect lasts indefinitely.) You usually don't see that on cards that have "exchange" in their text, but in this case maybe that text (or something like it) would be useful. The permanent part is a big selling point, and also why I think it's a better effect than people are giving it credit for.
Then it's a really bad sudden spoiling....
I think something like
6BBB
Instant
Tactics (This spell costs 1 less to cast for each attacking or blocking creature you control.)
Target player loses life equal to the damage dealt this turn, you gain that much life.
or
XBBB
Instant
Tactics (This spell costs 1 less to cast for each attacking or blocking creature you control.)
Destroy up to X target creatures. They can't be regenerated.
both seem powerful, and seem to work into your theme well enough, second one is especially nice as it can be used before blockers step to take some out while the first one is either a huge life swing or a finisher in a black based aggro deck, both are much much stronger then what black has now, which doesn't even feel rare.
As for the other blue ones should be UUU at the very least, white one probably WW ...
Green one seems like it would be more fun to be a land into creature effect....
Command the Seasons
5GG
Instant
Tactics (This spell costs 1 less to cast for each attacking or blocking creature you control.)
Untap all lands you control, they become 1/1 green creatures in addition to being lands.
Just seems more flavorful and fun, at least IMHO. Works even better if you have a extra attack step type effect somewhere in the block.
and 100% agreed the red one should give Trample or maybe make it a set effect, perhaps a berserk variant?
5R
Instant
Tactics (This spell costs 1 less to cast for each attacking or blocking creature you control.)
Target creature you control gets +X/+0 and trample until end of turn, where X is equal to the number of attacking creatures you control. Sacrifice this creature at end of combat.
or maybe have X be equal to the number of attacking creatures you control + a number (1-3) ...
In alara reborn, every card felt like a multicolor card in a vacuum. (And if they didn't, they were poorly designed IMO). I would rather get your theme across using well designed combat cards than slapping combat mechanics on cards that don't need them. I think taking an extra turn is a genius way of making a generally noncombat mechanic in a noncombat color feel like a combat card, I would try to look for more cool interactions like that.
Notice how that card is multicolor; black gets -n/-n, the +n/+n is the green part. You can't do consume strength in just black.
I meant the effect, not that this card is an exact copy of switcheroo
(EDIT: Note: I actually think if this were switcheroo instead of... whatever it is now, it would be more black, as changing control can be considered tertiary in black (with Enslave and the like))
I can never imagine this effect being anywhere near as powerful as the others. Yes, this card can be a blowout, but only as a combat trick. It feels like an uncommon (like switcheroo). Making my switcheroo instant speed and have the potential to cost less doesn't really make it feel like a rare IMO, especially since the effect is most of the time going to be worse than switcheroo.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing