God Gates: Interactive Design Project
Custom Cards forum
Posted on June 6, 2018, 11:09 p.m. by juliusthejules
Ok, so my concept for the God Gates is to have the ultimate land for each color of Mana in Magic.
They would be Mythic Rare, and they would have the tap symbol.
Here is my base set for the five colors:
God of Plains
Land - God Gate
Tap: For each land tapped for mana this turn, you gain X life, where X is each land tapped for Mana.
God of Swamps
Land - God Gate
Tap: For each land tapped for Mana this turn, your opponent loses X life, where X equals each land tapped for Mana this turn.
God of Forests
Land - God Gate
Tap: Regenerate X amount of creatures, where X equals all land tapped for Mana this turn.
God of Mountains
Land - God Gate
Tap: Deal X damage to Target creature or player, where X equals the number of lands you tapped for Mana this turn.
God of Islands
Land - God Gate
Tap: All opponents put X amount of cards from the top of their libraries into their graveyards, where X is equal to the amount of lands you tapped for Mana this turn.
I know that these cards are way too overpowered, and I know that they don't produce Mana. But, there are a lot of lessons to be learned here! This is an extreme way to look at different angles of the game, which can accelerate the growth of the game as a whole! These God Gates I wrote out are meant to complement other lands, not replace them or make new land rules.
You are free to make your own God Gates in this thread, as long as you make only ONE, card for each color. It doesn't matter whether they are overpowered, I just want the creation process to speed up and make the game more octane. The real point is to water these God Gates down to where they are actually fair to play. Just giving a different perspective.
Show us your God Gates!
I agree with Boza's criticisms, and wanted to add some more of my own.
Having the Gate suptype is incredibly problematic, particularly given the power level you've presented. Gatecreeper Vine means you can really easily find your overpowered Gates.
I'm also not a fan with how these interact with Maze's End. That's a fun little deckbuilding card, made all the more challenging by the fact there are only ten Gates, and all of then enter tapped. Making that particular alternate win condition a bit easier leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
If you want to make a cycle of these lands, I might consider using the Lair subtype instead--it's an already established subtype, with no existing interactions. Further, the lair's ETB ability is somewhat unique, and would be a strong way to address the power of these cards.
I'm not sure I'm a fan of using the word "God" in the subtype either, as it already exists as a creature subtype.
Based on the above, here would be my creation:
Lair of the Island God
Legendary Land - Divine Lair
When Lair of the Island enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you return an Island you control to its owner's hand.
: Add .
, Pay 2 life: Search your library for an Island card, put it onto the battlfield tapped, then shuffle your library.
, : Return target creature with a power or toughness of X or less to its owner's hand, where X is the number of Divine Lairs and Islands you control.
To walk through my thought process:
- Divine Lair was used for the reasons delineated above--to avoid using a creature subtype and avoid interactions with old cards, while keeping the flavour.
- Returning an island to your hand seems flavourful--the God is making his home on one of your previous lands.
- It adds mana.
- It has the ability to pump its last ability and provide some mini-ramp. My thought on this flavourfully was that you're giving a tithe to the god (life), and its influence is spreading.
- It has a nifty little ability that cares about the number of Divine Lairs and Islands you control.
I think this provides some utility in the early game, and can be a powerful card later on. I don't think there's any point in the game where it is too broken--which, considering lands can't be countered, seems reasonable.
June 7, 2018 10 a.m.
I have not really thought that Gate could be problematic, I completely forgot about Maze's End. I do like the Lair rider and restriction. Ramping for a blue land at the cost of 2 life seems incredibly out of color pie.
June 7, 2018 10:45 a.m.
The gate subtype does bring with it the bagage of previously being used. The land subtypes found on basics also have fetching implications. For this I do believe I agree with using Lair. I also think that you need to avoid subtype creep, and you can use things like Name/Art/Abilities to pass through flavor. If the goal is to make them Mythic Rare and powerful enough to earn that designation they likely should be Legendary.
As was said before they no longer make lands without a mana ability, so they should probably have that. I like the thought of Boza of having them care about their on color basics. Going in a slightly different direction though I think you could have fun with Devotion as an alternative X-value. Something in the neighborhood of:
[Cardname]
Legendary Land - Mountain Lair
When [Cardname] enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you return a Mountain you control to its owner's hand.
: Add
: Deal X damage to target creature an opponent controls, where X is the number of tapped Mountains you control.
: Target player discards X cards, where X is your devotion to RED. If that player does, they draw a card for each card discarded this way.
These being Lairs means it isn't a free fetch, which I think simplifies the abilities somewhat but still makes the cards searchable.
The first ability allows the card to still ping if it is the only land and acts a pseudo mana sink late game.
The second ability felt two powerful as a loot effect so was worded as a rumage. This also allowed it to be balanced by current handsize and not allow you to go up cards.
Will also second Boza Blue doesn't typically get land ramp or the ability to pay with life to reduce cost of in-pie effects.
June 7, 2018 11:09 a.m. Edited.
Though I suppose if you give them basic lands types they don't actually need the : add ability as it is implicit.
June 7, 2018 11:16 a.m.
Probably should have stated this--my thought was that each land would be given the same fetch ability as part of the cycle. It's problematic, but not something that's 100% unheard of--all colours, for example, were given their version of Islandcycling.
That said, I see where you both are coming from, and, upon reflection, might either rework or cut the ability entirely.
One less problematic rework might be just to use the cycling mechanic already in-game:
, , discard a blue card: Search your library for an Island card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
June 7, 2018 11:22 a.m. Edited.
I think giving repeatable land ramp is to far out. Like if it was somehow a once per thing I don't think it would matter.
Boza says... #2
So, based on this I will try to make actually one gate, lets say black:
Gate of the Swamp God
Legendary Swamp - God Gate
Mythic Rare
: Add .
,: Target opponent loses X life, where X is the number of God Gates and Swamps you control.
,: Put target creature with CMC X or less in your graveyard on the battlefield. Activate this ability only if you control X or more God Gates and Swamps.
I think this design is well balanced - it provides two avenues for development - basics or God Gates, while rewarding you for both. You can make a 5-color deck with all the gates or mono-color deck that leverages a specific gate or anything in between.
June 7, 2018 4:16 a.m.