Crash Test Magic — Star Counters
What if a card created counters that didn’t actually do anything? You’d have to rely on other cards to make those counters function. The real twist: those counters don’t always do the same thing. That’s the concept we’re exploring with this edition of Crash Test Magic.
I’ve previously expressed my admiration for top-down game design, where you have a concept (a card that does what zombies do in zombie movies!) and design a card to fit it (this card comes back into play from the graveyard!). Star counters are the exact opposite of that. I had a mechanic in mind, worked on it a little, then wrapped some flavor around it that hopefully makes a little sense.
The idea stems from my Robot Viking Magic set database. I use this great program called Magic Set Editor, and when I make up a new card design, I put it into the RV set. Looking through it last week, I noticed I had a lot of cards making different kinds of counters. That’s bad design. Imagine you’re in the middle of a game with counters all over the place. “Is that a -1/-1 counter on my Abyssal Persecutor, or a Voodoo counter?” “No, I think it’s a Destiny counter. Or maybe a Burrito counter.”
So I thought of ways to unify the counters. The problem was, they all had different effects. That lead me to the idea of generic counters that would be further modified by subsequent cards and effects.
There are a couple of interesting aspects to this kind of design. For one thing, you can really build it into the mythology of the set you put it into. Star counters lend themselves to an astrology theme, and you could create your own fictional astrological signs and systems to replace our familiar Zodiac.
Second, you can create some very powerful effects for relatively low casting costs because getting anything out of a Star counter is almost always going to be a two-step process. There’s an inherent lack of card advantage built into the mechanic. I wouldn’t consider this a weakness as long as the entire set was balanced around that, although obviously these cards might have little interest in older formats.
Third, they’d be a lot of fun in limited formats. You see your opponent putting lots of Star counters on things, but what is he building up to? There’s an unpredictability to them that’s more interesting than totally random stuff like coin flips. You can control the effects of your own Star counters to some extent by building powerful effects into your deck that interact with them, but your opponent might throw down Starfall and obliterate your plans.
It has the same weakness that other set themes that only interact with themselves suffer. The Spirit and Arcane mechanics from Kamigawa were a pretty abysmal failure even within that set (I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone actually splice a spell). Outside of Kamigawa block, those cards are pretty much useless. Star counters could suffer the same fate if they weren’t powerful enough.
Below you’ll find a small gallery of potential Star counter card designs. I’ve only scratched the surface of possible Star counter mechanics and cards here. I’m hoping you guys can think of a ton more, or maybe some reasons this would be a terrible, unworkable idea (it’s still interesting when my ideas get deconstructed brutally).
[Gallery not found]
July 29th, 2010 7:31 PM
Plague Star
Sorcery
All Star counters on all creatures become -1/-1 counters until the end of your turn.
When Plague Star is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, shuffle Plague Star into its owner’s library.
July 29th, 2010 7:40 PM
I love the effect. Might be easier to just say: “Each creature on the battlefield gets -1/-1 until end of turn for each Star counter on that creature” instead of changing the counter type.
Sorceries never enter the battlefield, so that wording would change a little. Maybe give it a second ability, “Shuffle Plague Star into your library. Only do this at the beginning of your upkeep and if Plague Star is in your graveyard.”
July 29th, 2010 7:41 PM
That works. Also would be nice to include some flavor text from the George RR Martin story:
“White is the color of purity, ho, and the plague star purifies this land. Yet its touch corrupts and decays. There is a fine irony in that, is there not?”
July 29th, 2010 8:09 PM
What color were you thinking of making it? I take it White? In terms of mechanics, it is 100 % a black card (a la Mutilate).
What story is that quote from? The one io9 mentioned this week?
July 29th, 2010 8:14 PM
Didn’t read the io9 article, put it is from the prologue to “Tuf Voyaging” by Martin. Great book. I think Ryk borrowed it from me. I’m awful at keeping track of books I lend out.
I figured it would be black, though it would be killer with Cosmic Alignment. Here’s another quote that kind of goes along with its mechanic:
“This is no fair world, no world for life. Here is death, and plagues beyond numbering. The plague star will shine again.”
July 29th, 2010 8:39 PM
Oh, I see where the quote is from now.
July 30th, 2010 7:45 AM
“White!’ he sneered. ‘It serves as a beginning. White cloth may be dyed. The white page can be overwritten; & the white light can be broken.’”
Anyhow, unrelatedly, I use counters a lot as red herrings. “You hear skitterings in the room,” I say, putting out counters & moving them around occasionally. A good way to make the more meta-minded players on edge in the haunted mansion.
July 30th, 2010 1:18 PM
I wonder what would happen if I started putting random counters on my creatures at a Magic tournament.
“What are those for?”
“Oh nothing. Decoration.”
July 30th, 2010 6:58 PM
I’m pretty sure that’d be entertaining. Just don’t call them damage counters or they may send you to the pokemon tourney.
On the subject of Star counters, that’s very similar to how level counters are. The counter itself does nothing, it only does what the card says it does. Personally, I think this would be an awesome idea, and would love to see it in play.
Here’s a good one
End of Destiny
4B
At the beginning of each player’s upkeep, remove a star counter from each creature that player controls. If you cannot, sacrifice that creature.
The template on that last sentence is terrible, but I like the idea of generic counters that each card treats differently. I’d also suggest and artifact that does different things for different types of permanents. Creatures get +1/+1, artifacts and lands can remove one to untap it, enchantments probably shouldn’t have them, and neither should Planeswalkers. REALLY NOT PLANESWALKERS. That’s too many types of counters, and if you’ve ever played Thrive on a field of Thallids you can see the problems there.
August 1st, 2010 7:33 PM
Here are a couple more:
Supernova
http://lotofsnow.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/supernova_space_art.jpg
Instant
As an additional cost to cast Supernova, sacrifice a land.
For each Star counter on target permanent, place a 1/1 white Artifact Creature token with flying onto the battlefield under your control. Destroy that permanent.
“The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless.”
— Steven Weinberg
—–
Pillars of Creation
http://lotofsnow.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/pillars.jpg
Artifact
Tap: Put a Star counter on target permanent.
Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may untap Pillars of Creation
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
— Arthur C. Clarke
August 2nd, 2010 3:49 PM
Pillars is perfect.
I love the concept of Supernova, I can imagine it like this cosmic-infused creature at the last moment bursts into these little star motes. The land sac cost seems too harsh though. I think it could be balanced via casting cost. Alternative title: “Made of Stars.”
August 2nd, 2010 4:05 PM
The land sac is because it is an instant and you can target it on any permanent. The idea being, any star that goes nova destroys all planets within the system.
Originally I had designed it as “Sacrifice a permanent. Place a 1/1 blah blah blah for each Star counter on that permanent.” Maybe that would be better.
Another possible card has an X in the mana cost. You destroy all permanents that have X or less Star counters on them.
August 2nd, 2010 4:11 PM
Flavorwise, the land sac works, but no one would play that. Setting yourself behind on land is too costly. But it works without it – it’s a powerful effect, destroying a permanent and getting a bunch of little dudes, but it’s useless without Star counters, so that keeps it balanced. In terms of the color pie, this might actually be a green card, though white makes a certain amount of sense too.
The X version could be like Pernicious Deed. Or maybe an artifact that you can pay some mana and tap to destroy all permanents with the same number of Star counters on them as the artifact itself. Something like:
Truncheon of Fate CC: 3
Artifact
3T: Destroy all permanents with Star counters on them that have the same number of Star counters as Truncheon of Fate.
August 2nd, 2010 4:17 PM
Yeah, I think this idea has a ton of possibilities. You should pitch it to WotC and offer to head their design team.
August 2nd, 2010 5:03 PM
Before or after we convert BattleTech into 4e?
August 6th, 2010 10:29 AM
Accretion Disk
2,Blue
Artifact
X,T: Remove X Star counters from target permanent and place them on Accretion Disk
T: Sacrifice Accretion Disk. Deal damage equal to the number of Star counters on Accretion Disk divided evenly, rounded down, among any number of target creatures and/or players.
August 6th, 2010 1:31 PM
Fireflies in a bottle
3
artifact
At the beginning of your upkeep put a Star counter on Fireflies
Sacrifice Fireflies: put X Star counters on target permanant, where X is the number of Star counters on Fireflies.
August 6th, 2010 1:33 PM
I would just like to say that the Accretion Disk shouldn’t be blue. Blue doesn’t usually get direct damage stuff. Red would make more sense.
August 6th, 2010 8:13 PM
Yeah? I’m just here for the SCIENCE.
August 6th, 2010 10:24 PM
I freaking love all of these ideas. I want to design a whole set with you guys. Community project?
August 7th, 2010 2:53 AM
I’m in, let’s make a forum!
August 7th, 2010 9:28 AM
We’ve tried the forum thing before. Maybe a wiki? I’ll ponder it and see what I can do when I get home.
August 7th, 2010 10:17 AM
Photosynthesis
2, Green
Enchantment
Enchant target creature.
Creature has +0/+3 and reach.
If creature has 1 or more Star counters on it, it instead has +3/+3 and reach.
If creature has 3 or more Star counters on it, it also has first strike.
August 9th, 2010 1:53 PM
Nice. First strike is relatively rare in green, I like it – I imagine that it grows big thorns when it gets enough cosmic light.
August 9th, 2010 2:19 PM
Trample then.
But thorns are what I had in mind.
August 9th, 2010 2:23 PM
Actually, there is precedent for Green with first strike. So we’ll keep it.
August 9th, 2010 2:29 PM
Yeah, I wasn’t saying we should change it. The colors should break a little out of the color pie stereotypes now and then, especially when there’s a cool thematic justification for it (ie thorns).
August 9th, 2010 2:46 PM
Prismatic Wall
Blue? White? Red? Who knows?
Creature – Wall
Defender
If Prismatic Wall has 2 or more Star counters on it, it gains the following ability:
T: Deal 2 damage to target creature or player. Remove all Star counters from Prismatic Wall.
0/4
August 9th, 2010 3:37 PM
Another good design. Along the lines of making cards that depend on star counters more powerful, I might suggest, T: Remove a star counter from Prismatic Wall, deal 3 damage to target creature.
August 9th, 2010 3:51 PM
Well, my initial concept had it doing its toughness as damage. I think you’re right that 2 damage for all of the counters is steep especially with the Tap. Tap for 3 damage and remove a counter works better.
August 9th, 2010 3:56 PM
If we’re going to design a set around this mechanic, I feel like it should be pretty powerful to begin with. We can reduce power levels later, but the defining premise should be that star counters are really powerful.
August 9th, 2010 9:26 PM
And very risky because of it.
August 9th, 2010 10:45 PM
Exactly.
By the way, I can easily add a wiki to the site. I’ll do it later this week. I’m not going to link to it from the front page or anything, just from this discussion, so those of you interested in making the set, watch here (there’ll probably be an article about it too).
August 10th, 2010 2:57 AM
Awesome!
I’ll be there.
August 13th, 2010 6:53 PM
Yoink!
August 14th, 2010 10:36 AM
I’m moving it to a pbwiki because it’s much easier to use and easier to control user access. Not sure if I’ll get it set up this weekend, however you can still email me if you want to participate (Gavin, I know you want to participate, ggodo, I’ll get you set up on it asap).
August 16th, 2010 11:40 PM
Sorry I haven’t updated the wiki. Been busy. I’ll try to do some tomorrow. Have to learn how to work the website though.