Trying to make a balanced planeswalker to represent me?
Custom Cards forum
Posted on April 16, 2015, 4:48 p.m. by MagicalHacker
So about me, I've tried very hard to become a well-balanced player all around, so although I play all archetypes, colors, and color combinations, I like colors in the order of blue-black-white-red-green and I like combo and control over aggro or midrange.
In terms of specific abilities I like, I like Show and Tell type effects, board wipes, extra turns, infinite combos, flash/instants, drawing cards, and more, but I'm not a fan of MLD, stax, ramping/spells costing more than five, Unsummon type effects, and vulnerable creatures (without Hexproof or indestructible).
I'd like to think I'm unique but that whole spiel feels really generic... sweatdrop
Oh and lastly, I play commander 90% of the time, so the planeswalker would have to be playable, but not OP, in EDH.
So here's my first attempt:
Bloodhall, Hacker of Magic
Planeswalker - Bloodhall
+1: Sacrifice any number of creatures. For each creature you sacrifice this way, each opponent sacrifices a creature.
-3: Target player takes an extra turn after this one.
-7: You get an emblem with "At the beginning of your upkeep, if this is not an extra turn, you may destroy target creature. If it dies this way, you get an extra turn after this one."
4
rob_shifflett says... #3
I think your -3 should be target player skips his next turn.
April 16, 2015 5:07 p.m.
Not OP, but it lets you take extra turns? For 5 mana? And you also get to keep a planeswalker afterward? I think you might've missed the mark there.
April 16, 2015 5:09 p.m.
You could make the minus be a -1 and have it be "Tap two permanents each player controls. Those permanents don't untap during their controllers untap steps."
April 16, 2015 5:12 p.m.
Hmm. I can only find one card in magic which is UB and gives extra turns; Time Sieve. I don't think this walker is necessarily broken, but Dimir does extra turns by sacrificing permanents.
I would use something like this as the extra turn ability:
-2: Sacrifice a creature. Take an extra turn. All but X-2 permanents you control don't untap during the extra untap step, where X is Bloodhall's loyalty.
April 16, 2015 5:22 p.m.
Necessarily broken meaning the extra turns. The +1 is a different matter.
April 16, 2015 5:23 p.m.
asasinater13 says... #9
Make the plus non token creatures.
give him like "can't use his abilities during extra turns" then I think he's good.
April 16, 2015 5:32 p.m.
MagicalHacker says... #10
FAMOUSWATERMELON, yeah it could be, but my original reasoning is that you will not hurt any player more than how much you hurt yourself. Really though, it IS a bit over the top. New +1: "If you control a nontoken creature, each player sacrifices a nontoken creature."
I do like that ability too, but I think it'd be completely balanced if it somehow didn't let you activate its plus ability right afterwords. :/
It's basically a Medomai the Ageless + Whispersilk Cloak. But really, I may just scrap this ult altogether. Maybe.
rob_shifflett, I think my two biggest reasons against that are both related to the fact that I play so much multiplayer magic:
- Giving other players can be used very politically.
- Making someone skip a turn will hurt your reputation more than the ability of getting a turn, even though it's also less powerful.
zerowner, well most extra turns cost five (see Time Warp et al.), and so my aim was to have a planeswalker that could be used as a Time Warp but at the risk of having a planeswalker with only 1 loyalty. This is because you also HAVE TO pay two black, so there should be a small upside to it. But I need to add "If this is not an extra turn..." to the first ability.
As for your second comment, absolutely not, because I am opposed to such effects (I dislike the aforementioned Unsummon because it's temporary).
Egann, well the issue is that extra turns isn't really a mechanic for multiple colors. It's blue and pretty much only blue. You could argue that red has it too because of cards like Final Fortune, but I'd actually suggest those to be entirely different in the uses for them. I do agree that the walker may be too centered around extra turns though.
And really since the plus is basically all black, I can have the minus be all blue. I just need to figure out a good ult :/
asasinater13, you are exactly on what I was planning on changing him too lol
Version two:
Bloodhall, Hacker of Magic
Planeswalker - Bloodhall
+1: If this is not an extra turn, each player sacrifices a nontoken creature.
-3: Target player takes an extra turn after this one.
-7: ???
4
April 16, 2015 6:43 p.m.
asasinater13 says... #13
I was saying leave most of the stuff the same.
Static ability:can't activate abilities on extra turns
+1: sac any number non token creatures, each opponent sacs that many creatures
-3 same
-7: emblem with "at the beginning of each end step, if it isn't your turn take an extra turn"
April 16, 2015 6:53 p.m.
MagicalHacker says... #14
How about this to fix all those issues:
Bloodhall, Hacker of Magic
Planeswalker - Bloodhall
+1: You may sacrifice a nontoken creature. If you do, each opponent sacrifices a nontoken creature.
-3: Target player takes an extra turn after this one. During that turn, you can't activate any of Bloodhall's abilities.
-7: You get an emblem with "You may cast cards from your graveyard."
4
April 16, 2015 8:27 p.m.
Didgeridooda says... #15
I think dropping it, and taking an extra turn is a little too strong. maybe -4, and starting loyalty 3. Or maybe -3 random player takes an extra turn.
April 16, 2015 8:31 p.m.
See the thing with the cost is that even though Time Warp is also 5 mana, it doesn't get you a planeswalker afterward. You're still getting an extra turn and more.
Why don't you just make your - ability a Show and Tell and have it be a -2 cost?
Your emblem can be something like "The legend rule doesn't apply to permanents you control. Whenever a non-token creature enters the battlefield under your control, put a token copy of it onto the battlefield tapped.", and would be a -8.
Your +1 ability can be each player sacrifices a creature, plain and simple. You could even make it so that they sacrifice a creature, then the controller of each creature sacrificed scrys for X, where X is the sacrificed creatures CMC.
That'd be a fair planeswalker for 1BBUU, imo. Nothing there is temporary, I'm sure there are plenty of infinite combo's that could be found using just your emblem, black rewards people for sacrificing their creatures, blue for the scry. Show and Tell for simple fun Show and Tell Shenanigans, and it goes well with the rest of the kit.
I'm personally not a fan of extra turns unless they're difficult to come by or come with a decent drawback, so I think just leave it out of the Planeswalker, unless you really believe an absurdly abusable and not very fun for other players mechanic is something that screams "this is so me!"
April 16, 2015 10:08 p.m.
Didgeridooda At the the Planeswalker idea in general, as a joke though. Time Warp on a Planeswalker is just super OP.
April 16, 2015 10:32 p.m.
Didgeridooda says... #20
Yeah, custom planeswalkers do not normally seem to have a realistic power level.
April 16, 2015 10:37 p.m.
MagicalHacker says... #21
I assumed that a harder to cast Time Warp that left a planeswalker at 1 loyalty would be UP, but it seems like everyone agrees it's OP (or it's just groupthink). So I changed the middle ability and then changed the ultimate so how about this:
Bloodhall, Hacker of Magic
Planeswalker - Bloodhall
+1: You may sacrifice a nontoken creature. If you do, each opponent sacrifices a nontoken creature.
-3: Target player draws a card. Another target player discards a card.
-7: You get an emblem with "At the beginning of each of your end steps, if this is not an extra turn, you get an extra turn."
4
But really guys, thanks for the feedback so far, especially those of you who have been kind along the way. (If you haven't, just remember how difficult making a planeswalker actually is.)
April 17, 2015 6:29 a.m.
FAMOUSWATERMELON says... #22
You could probably get away with a -2 on the second ability.
April 17, 2015 8:11 a.m.
Didgeridooda says... #23
Maxxed out lighthouse chronologist is far too strong for an emblem I think, but the middle one is much better.
April 17, 2015 10:14 a.m.
MagicalHacker says... #24
FAMOUSWATERMELON, actually, could I change it to "each opponent discards"? I realized that the ability is much more targeted than I am as a player. I tend to try to hit all people simultaneously, especially since I play so much multiplayer and try to be political.
Didgeridooda, yeah I agree since I think that previous suggestion is overkill AND very unpolitical, so I'm not too fond of it. However is this Medomai-like effect okay?
April 17, 2015 12:58 p.m.
FAMOUSWATERMELON says... #25
Yeah, but then you would probably have to keep the -3. Not sure though.
April 17, 2015 1 p.m.
MagicalHacker says... #26
Yeah I'm fine with that! Actually, I'd prefer a -3 over a -2 or a -4, because I think the first ability is so powerful already, I'd rather have the second ability to bring it all the way to 1. Also, Tamiyo's ultimate makes abilities that auto kill as soon as it enters kinda gross, so no thanks.
Final version, yes?
Bloodhall, Hacker of Magic
Planeswalker - Bloodhall
+1: You may sacrifice a nontoken creature. If you do, each opponent sacrifices a nontoken creature.
-3: Draw a card and each opponent discards a card.
-7: You get an emblem with "At the beginning of each of your end steps, if this is not an extra turn, you get an extra turn."
4
April 17, 2015 1:17 p.m.
Didgeridooda says... #28
That is a little more reigned in. But I might go with 3 for starting loyalty. Doubling season out, and you get that emblem right away, and still get the walker. I might put the max to -8 also.
The + is very effective protection for the walker, so it should stay out for a while.
April 18, 2015 11:29 a.m.
I would actually say that with the most recent version, there's no reason to keep his 1UUBB casting cost, and 3UB would probably work better. This version is much more balanced.
April 18, 2015 12:08 p.m.
DERPLINGSUPREME says... #30
the -7 is kinda janky. the fact that you have to destroy a creature kinda messes with things.
also, its + is insane. with Grave Pact effects on your board, especialy multiple, it would wreck almost every deck ever.
April 18, 2015 3:13 p.m.
MagicalHacker says... #31
Didgeridooda, I'm not sure if walkers should be built around Doubling Season, especially when they contain two nongreen colors too. I'd say the numbers are fine as is, unless lots of people see it as a flaw in the design itself, but I doubt many people would say that.
Egann, I could see changing that too. I'll make that change if everyone seems to agree on that.
DERPLINGSUPREME, check the most recent version :)
April 18, 2015 5:05 p.m.
Didgeridooda says... #33
Maybe start at 4, have the ultimate -8. That seems to be how some of the really strong ultimates work. Just trying to think of how to balance it in what seems like the current ones are.
April 18, 2015 5:20 p.m.
Didgeridooda says... #34
I don't feel it is building around, just taking everything into consideration.
April 18, 2015 5:22 p.m.
MagicalHacker says... #35
What does everyone else think? Is the ultimate too strong at only a -7?
April 18, 2015 6:57 p.m.
garrettlstewart says... #36
How about something like -7. emblem saying After each opponents end step you may take an extra turn. Skip the draw phase unless you discard a card. Skip the untap phase unless you return 2 lands to your hand. Skip the combat phase unless you sacrifice a creature.
May 7, 2015 10:39 a.m.
Didgeridooda says... #37
That is a bunch of words, but seems much better. Very interesting too.
May 7, 2015 11:09 a.m.
MagicalHacker says... #38
I'd rather not get an extra turn for each opponent. Just one at the end of my own real turn is actually preferred.
May 7, 2015 3:55 p.m.
garrettlstewart says... #39
Yeah the idea came from Savor the Moment, which I thought would be a good -3.
-7. emblem- After your first turn, you may take an extra turn, skip the untap phase unless you sac a permanent.
FAMOUSWATERMELON says... #2
This seems to be the style these days :)
+1 is potentially a boardwipe, which is fairly nuts for a +. I would make it just one creature, because that ability is just begging for tokens. Or maybe non-token creatures.
-3 is an extra turn. And that's awesome :)
-7 is pretty incredible, at least to me. You get two turns instead of one AND you get to destroy a creature along the way? Maybe make it sacrifice a creature, so that it's not an automatic win?
April 16, 2015 4:57 p.m.