Vanguard Resurection
Custom Cards forum
Posted on May 14, 2015, 2:35 a.m. by NiTRoBoX
"The VanguardTM supplements consist of oversized cards that modify the game. A Vanguard card is selected before the game begins, adjusting a player's starting and maximum hand size and starting life total. Any abilities printed on a Vanguard card are played exactly like those of an in-play Magic card; however, these abilities have no color, and damage from them isn't damage from a permanent of any type or a source of any color. A Vanguard card isn't a Magic card, so it can't be affected by spells or abilities.Your starting life may be higher or lower than 20, depending on the card.Your starting and maximum hand size may be higher or lower than seven, depending on the card.Here's the fun part: Each Vanguard card gives you some benefit that might be considered "ba-roken" in normal Magic play. For example, your creatures are unaffected by summoning sickness, or you draw an extra card each turn."Source: Vanguard
But those cards are old and hard to get, so I decided to create my own.
Note: I didn't draw the images, nor the borders, I just altered them for personal non profit use.
I need help, guys let me know what do you think in mater of balance and if you have any other better ideas please share, also ty comparing them one to another rather then looking at one and saying its too op..I will share them all here in high quality for your personal non profit use.
Here are those I've created so far the left number represent the starting HP modifier and the right is the starting hand size and max size.
mathimus55 I see your point, that is why I posted it here to get more better ideas. :P
The original did increase life and hand size plus gave a huge bonus, I tried to make the new one less OP that's why I thought maybe having two affects like one good the other not will balance it.
And maybe in such way it will add some flavor to the game and still more or less will be balance.
Paying life seems like good balancing cost as you wont do it every time..
but again I see your point it does feel blackish. Any ideas?
May 14, 2015 8:54 a.m.
mathimus55 says... #4
Most of the originals had a unique static ability to go with their life/hand changes. Most of these aren't worth having unless you use their activated ability, many using life and causing you to start with less life than normal which wouldn't really give you much benefit. Start at 16 life, pay 4 more to get any use out of it...that's a huge chunk of life for a so-so effect.
Like I said before, I would focus on something the character represents with the color wheel. It helps give direction to those who don't have a lot of experience in designing cards. Maybe have Crovax's new card be a "pay x life: target creature gets -x/-x until eot" to show he is has black characteristics and also was a vampire according to lore. Since Rofellos was an elf something that would be fitting to an elf card, or Tangarth could be "whenever a creature you controls attacks it gets +1/+0 until eot" to show off the Minotaur red of his character. You could even just make up new characters of your own an use their abilities(again, not all have to drain you of life) reflect who they are. And it's ok to make some average abilities and use the life/hand benefits to balance that out.
mathimus55 says... #2
As someone who still has the entire set of the original Vanguard cards, all of these feel very much the same. They all feel very black with the using life as a resource and most dealing with the graveyard. Looking again they all feel like the same card designed several times over more or less. All the original vanguard cards only had one ability as well and stuck to something that was very indicative of a certain color the character represents. These all feel very B/x. Maybe try doing something that gives them a unique identity, something that doesn't have "pay x life" or concerning the life total in general.
May 14, 2015 8:17 a.m.