2 mana planeswalkers
Custom Cards forum
Posted on Nov. 6, 2014, 1:29 p.m. by ChiefBell
I've been thinking a lot about 2 mana planeswalkers and their design. How they can be made subtly powerful but also not too game changing.
I've tried one attempt here:
The +1 is useful but without further support kind of meaningless. It has the potential to be really busted with a variety of other effects, but as it stands it does virtually nothing on T2. I think this could be appealing for Johnny players. You could utterly break it - but it might require elaborate plans.
The -2 I'm unsure about. You can pay 2 mana for a +2/+1 single turn buff which is not fantastic for green, however it does last through the opponents turn as well. The combination of the +1 and -2 abilities give you a turn 3 2/2 infect creature on the swing. That's not broken at all. With further support it could be potent but again - it's dependent on your board state.
The -4 can't be played until T4 earliest.....should perhaps be a -5? Unsure. This ability is really, really potent with the right combination of cards but again - on its own you're getting these really useless creatures. It is a game changer and has lasting impact, but the impact it has is dependent on how you build around it.
I don't know. Is this totally busted? Or just interesting? Or useless?
It is yeh.
xlaleclx I think for 2 mana they have to be kinda bad. It's a step up from tibalt being truly awful.
November 6, 2014 2:25 p.m.
not bad. He might need to have the slime thing be a +2 to be good, but iff you did that he would be fun to use. Might put g/b infect back on the map.
November 6, 2014 2:31 p.m.
I think I made him die to lightning bolt on purpose. Not sure now.....
I could make him start on 1 and have a +2. Make his ultimate -5.
November 6, 2014 2:40 p.m.
Gidgetimer says... #11
To be honest I think the possibility to swing with 6 infect on turn 5, having only invested 2 mana and 1 card into it may be a bit too good and you should change the pump to +1/+1.
November 6, 2014 3:22 p.m.
As someone who has spent dozens of hours designing a magic set based on Game of Thrones, I try to stay away from them. They're almost impossible to make relevant. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are the sweet spots for planeswalkers and each CMC is good in its own way.
November 6, 2014 3:29 p.m.
I agree with Gidgetimer. If you ignore the infect, you can give ALL creatures +2 power for 2 mana. That's too much. Make it 2 or so creatures get +2/+1, or all get +1/+0. Something to that effect.
November 6, 2014 3:47 p.m.
Inspired Charge is similar for 4 mana but is a common. I don't think it's that great. Maybe +1/+1 is better.
The thing is this would be a rare or mythic and it also doesn't grant trample or haste or intimidate or any kind of evasion so it is a bit meh.
I can see it as borderline overpowered but debatable.
November 6, 2014 4:04 p.m.
If you think the -2 is too powerful as it is, you could always change it to say "Until your next turn, germ creatures you control get +2/+1."
If you think that is too narrow, you could change the germs to oozes to give it a small tribal element.
November 6, 2014 4:17 p.m.
Yeah we can say that a 2-CMC planeswalker should be bad but if we look at the 3-CMC ones (Jace Beleren, Liliana of the Veil, Ajani, Caller of the Pride). You can see a little theme here that they have very simple abilities and absolutely ridiculous ultimates.
For that, I bet you could remake that card to have a much stronger ultimate and keep those normal abilities the same. One rule though, the -2 should not be equal to 2. It should at least be -1.
November 8, 2014 3:20 a.m.
I wouldn't really call Jace Beleren or Liliana of the veil's ultimates "absolutely ridiculous". If there is any planeswalker that was been ultimated then lost the game it would be Liliana. In terms of power level of ultimates those two are on the lower end of the spectrum.
julianjmoss says... #2
I wouldnt call it busted. Most anthem effects that could abuse the tokens are white and arent that easy to splash, germs also dont have tribal. most infect cards are around the same cost anyways. While he protects himself, he is still very frail. That being said I like his desgn.
November 6, 2014 1:37 p.m.