Crash Test Magic: Cursed Equipment
Crash Test Magic returns with a vengeance this week with not one custom Magic card design, but a whole cycle of five cards. We’ve even created a new keyword: Cursed! See if you can break them, abuse them, create amazing combos or come up with some more card ideas using this mechanic.
My brother Joe and I were playing Magic yesterday, doing Rochester drafts with some Alara Block packs we’d ordered from Troll and Toad, when a rules question came up: can you equip an Equipment Artifact to your opponent’s creatures? I was pretty certain the answer was no (indeed, you can not), but it lead to a whole “What if…?” conversation, and Joe coming up with the idea for the Manacles card on the spot. We figured we could just work around the equipping limitation with some special text: “This equipment can be equipped to creatures your opponent controls.”
Later, I got to thinking that this was a cool idea and could be used for a bunch of different cards. Then I decided we could make the equipping change a keyword and do a whole cycle, and came up with the other card ideas. I depowered the Manacles a bit since the flavor of such an item would suggest restraint rather than killing (originally they gave -2-2). Of course, now they’re the crappy common of the set (sorry Joe), but it’s still a great card for a sealed deck format.
Check out the gallery below, browse the new cards, and see what you can come up with. I think the Cursed Tome is interesting in that it’s the only you might want to put on one of your own creatures. I also have a feeling there’s some kind of ridiculous combo you could use Cursed Plow for, but I can’t figure out exactly what it is. I think Cursed Sword might need an “at end of turn” addition, so the creature can successfully deal its damage before it hurts itself.
Unleash the Vikings!
[Gallery not found]
August 3rd, 2009 12:37 PM
I like the idea of giving them land specific casting costs. It restricts their use a bit but I think it should make sense depending on the card’s ability.
August 3rd, 2009 12:48 PM
Ah yes. The Tome is clearly blue, the Sword red, and the Manacles white. The Plow is probably white…maybe green? Not sure about the Crown…black? Will update the gallery with colored versions shortly.
August 3rd, 2009 12:53 PM
Or colorless casting cost but a mana specific equipping cost. That would be better for multi-colored decks.
August 3rd, 2009 12:56 PM
I thought about that just after I posted the new ones. The red one in particular would be good for that. I’m too lazy to update them again, but it’s a good idea.
August 8th, 2009 12:12 PM
These don’t seem particularly broken, but my inner rules lawyer says that you can’t pay an equip cost to equip to an opponent’s creature. The Equip ability only works for your creatures no matter how much other text is on the card. you’d have to make an ability that lets you equip it to Target Creature instead of Equip. Sorta like Cranial Plating’s cycle from Mirrodin block that let you equip at instant speed for a different cost than the Equip. Other than that, I want the Tome and Sword, and fear for the safety of my elves when their Champion wears the crown. Love how the sword is a super Guilty Concious and think that maybe it could boost power a bit so that it could off high toughness guys quicker, or maybe make you want to equip your own dude in desperation. My only fear is that in a game these will just be glorified Pacifism.