Cursed Moxes, what ideas/improvements can you guys think of?

[Dune Echo]

If anyone has read my "Cursed Moxes" article, what do you think could be done to improve it or ideas you guys come up with? I'd like to send it in to R&D to see if maybe it can get past their security and won't be dumped.

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Dune Echo

...letting the whole world know everything.

 

[Zadok001]

Well, the big problem with cards like these is that, in general, any card that creates more mana than it costs on the turn it comes into play, is breakable. On that basis, what about making them cost 1, and removing the damage from tapping for mana? It would still be fairly restrictive, especially if your opponent has a Grim Monolith and some mana, but it wouldn't crush you quite as fast when tapped. And, it wouldn't be a mana machine like it is now.

Or, you could go with something without the damage factor altogether, but then you would make them look more like the Diamonds or Ramos Parts. Oh, well.

--Zadok001, aka Greater Good fanatic
CPA Member
"We have more sprouts than they have hands."

 

[Dune Echo]

Well, I'd like the idea to be very much like Moxes as they can break the One Land Per Turn rule but instead penalize you for using them.

Remember Zadok, that once you hit 0 life now, you're dead. So, if you follow my example, you can get four Cursed Moxes into play on your first turn and only tap them collectively 5 times before you are at 1 life. Death Spark can kill you then.

Also, the more you use them, the more danger you get into. If someone can give a seriously broken deck with these, I'll consider changing them.

If you look at the conversion of life to mana, the Cursed Moxes are at least 2 (2 to 5) life to 1 mana. Theoretically, most tournament players won't even consider this as this isn't broken enough for them. Lotus petal had no drawback. 1 card for 1 mana. A reasonable conversion of resources. Even in my example, four Cursed Moxes being tapped will result in a 14 life to 4 mana conversion. Way too much of a drawback for a serious tournament player and I don't think they'll be inherently broken as the drawback is so cumulative. Maybe in Type 1 would be a problem, but why use a Cursed Mox when regular Moxes work way better and are restricted anyway?

So, what does everyone else think?

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Dune Echo

... Smiling... I have more articles written than Ferret now...

 

[theorgg]

If the "mana" ability delt two damage to you, along with the alternate drawback(sac critter for black, gain four life for white, put 1/1 sapourling into play, deal 2 dmg to anything for red, draw a card for blue) would be a good, balanced card.

I have been thinking of somthing similar for an all-color dark ritual, ttehctarp ritual.
you probably saw it posted on the dojo.


-theorgg
I'm bigger than I think, I think.

 

[Ed Sullivan]

I think what Dune was aiming at was a new mox. The mox was intended to break the one land per turn rule. Here's a quick version I just thought up.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Mini Mox Ruby 0
Legendary Artifact
Mini Mox Ruby comes into play tapped.
T: Add a Heat counter to Mini Mox Ruby. For each Heat counter on Mini Mox Ruby, lose 1 life. Add R to your mana pool.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
So you get cumulative damage--err, life loss, so you can't prevent it. Maybe too limited.
And then, for the other colors, you could either continue with the life loss, or try a more thematic way (tokens, cards, life).

Oh yeah, something I just added. Why not just make it legendary. So that way it is restricted automatically?

-mike

 

[Dune Echo]

That's actually a good idea, Mike. I don't feel that these should be Legendary, though. Yeah, they would deffinitely restrict themselves, but then the cumulative effect just won't work as well for mono-colored decks.

I still feel that the version above could get a lot into play without immediate adverse effects. The long term effects are strong but this version could still work in conjunction with each other. Theorgg has a good idea with damage and cumulative thematic effects but I feel they are too weak then. I think new moxes should be unable to work together effectively. I want these cards to be unabusable in a German Dragon type deck, for example. The Mox Diamond did this. You could start with a hand of three or four and still be unable to use them without lands in your hand as well (after the errata) of which the chances are very unlikely. Also, there was card disadvantage. 2 cards to make the equivalent of a Thran Quarry for breaking the One Land Per Turn Rule. Mox Diamonds did not work in conjunction with one another. Which is why I feel that such effects need to be cumulative with each other, thus restricting them.

I like the idea though, Mike.

So far the different suggested templates amount to the following:

Cursed Mox
Legendary Artifact
Cursed Mox comes into play tapped.
Whenever Cursed Mox is tapped, put a &lt;counter name&gt; on it.
T: Add &lt;color&gt; to your mana pool. You &lt;lose life/your opponent gains 1 optional life, mana, 1/1 token creature, or card&gt; for each &lt;counter name&gt;.

Cursed Mox
Artifact
Whenever an artifact is tapped, you &lt;lose 1 life/your opponent gains 1 optional life, mana, 1/1 token creature, or card&gt; .
T: Add &lt;color&gt; to your mana pool. You lose 1 life. (Optionally, paying 1 life could be apart of the activation cost.)

And of course, there's my basic template which is in the article and doesn't need to be repeated. Any other ideas out there, folks?


[Edited by Dune Echo (11-02-1999 at 06:22 AM).]

[Edited by Dune Echo (11-04-1999 at 06:31 AM).]

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Dune Echo

Wondering when Ferret's gonna catch up on the articles he keeps promising...

 

[Baron Sengir]

How's this sound. It even kind of fits with the Cursed theme.

Cursed Mox Emerald
0
Artifact
T: add one green mana to your mana pool and give yourself one poison counter. Whenever a player has ten poison counters, he loses the game.

If you have a whole bunch of these on the first turn you're giving yourself three or four poison counters right off the bat. You can't use these things too much or you'll kill yourself. And in a set where poison was actually done right and made a viable way to win ... I'd call them balanced.

I remain
The Baron
Who will save the sane?