Tablets of Laws

Summary:

From my initial pitch of Ankh-Theb, I envisioned laws that rule how you got to the afterlife: these are special rarity cards (like timeshifted and DFCs) that impact limmited game choises.

Tablets of Laws

Fading shadows 07 Dec 2012 13:32

Keeping in mind that the set we would develop would be a single set-block, and staying true to my initial concept of tables of law controling the afterlife, I would like to have these tables of law be a special rarity, and be present in every limited game and shape it. There would be 20 such cards, as in INNISTRAD : 1 mythic 5 rare (1/color) 6 uncommon, 8 common.

I have made them artifacts, and will give common and uncommon ways to interact with these in all colors (white will get an artifact exiling oblivion circle, in the way of entombing what we cannot control, red will get manic vandals smashing artifacts, black will get counter removal, blue bounce and green artifact destruction)

I would like to hear your ideas out on this… Here are some examples, please feel free to critique and tell me if this is not a path worth exploring and if so, why.

I bend the color pie a tiny bit to keep the flavor of afterlife related efect in mind. I also have not fixed the mana costs at all.

Table of the Law of War 3R – special (rare)
Artifact
Whenever a creature dies durring at the end of the combat phase put a Law counter on ~.
At the beggining of your upkeep, if 10 or more Law counters on ~, remove all counters from it, and return all creatures from all graveyards into play. They have haste. Exile them at the end of turn.

This one plays pretty well with viashino scout effects… you get them back into your hand while your opponent gets to block, fuelling your table of law back…

Table of the Law of Heat 3R – special (common)
Artifact
Whenever a creature dies from non-combat damage, ~ deals 2 damage to the creature's controller.

Tablet of the Law of Change 3R - special (uncommon)
Artifact
Whenever a player casts a spell, he discards his hand then draws that many cards

Table of the Law of Protection 3W - special
Artifact
Whenever a creature dies, if you have not been dealt damage this turn, put a Law counter on ~
Whenever a source would deal damage to you, or to a creature or planeswalker you control, reduce that damage by the number of counters on Law of protection.

Table of the Law of Rememberance 3G special (uncommon)
Artifact
Whenever a creature dies, his controller may search his library for a copy of that creature, reveal it and put it in his hand.

Table of the Law of Embalment 2WBB (mythic)
Creatures you control have mumify.
(Mummify : When ~ dies, return it to the battlefield with a mummified counter. Creatures with a mumified counter loose all abilities. It's a zombie in addition to its other types.)

Table of the Law of Pain 3B - special

Table of the Law of Ignorance 3B - special

Table of the Law of Growth 3G - special

…

Last edited on 07 Dec 2012 16:03 by Fading shadows Show more

Re: Tablets of Laws

Fading shadows 07 Dec 2012 15:49

I was also thinking of adding:

Artifact – tablet
Tablet (You cannot cast a tablet if you already control one)

But I would rather hear your oppinions out.

Re: Tablets of Laws

George Gone 07 Dec 2012 16:49

These feel like World Enchantments. Also, not special enough to be on a separate sheet.

If they're just a series of cycles, they'll be prevalent enough in the packs. Also, by adding a limiting clause, you defeat the purpose of making them more available. It really just feels like you're jumping through a lot of hoops to do World Enchantments.

Re: Tablets of Laws

Fading shadows 07 Dec 2012 17:04

Ok, then not adding the tablet effect might be interesting.
Indeed the seem like world enchaantments with these…

The problem is that in my fist submision I was told:

Tablet of the law of war
CMC = 3 Artifact
4,tap: all attacking creatures you control must be blocked this turn if possible.
[The middle kingdom has never lost control of the tablet of the law of war in all known history]

This is a reasonable top-down rare, but it's certainly not a common.

Therefore I was trying to see how I could introduce those. I might be too in love with the tablets however. Do you think they have potential or should I just scrap them?

Re: Tablets of Laws

George Gone 07 Dec 2012 18:15

I think they're not laws.

Laws, as far as I see them executed in game, would work like World Enchantments without the rules baggage - a broad condition effecting gameplay.

You're pitching rube goldberg devices, not overarching themes. They don't feel legal.

Example (on phone so wording will be off) -
Law of Speed - R
Enchantment - Law
Creatures you control have haste.
Whenever another law etb, sacrifice ~.

Law of Brutality - 2RR
Enchantment - Law
At the end of combat, if three or more creatures died, untap all creatures you control. There is a second combat phase.
Whenever another law ETB, sacrifice ~

Re: Tablets of Laws

HavelockV 08 Dec 2012 04:21

I don't think your average Magic player would recognize these as a distinctly Egyptian trope. I could see a five-card cycle of these, but probably no more.