Critical Mass | Critical Mass

[johannhowitzer]

NAME: Critical Mass ELEMENT: Gravity COST: 4 TYPE: Permanent - Shield ATK|HP: TEXT: Shield: the strength of attacking creatures is limited by their size.	NAME: Critical Mass ELEMENT: Gravity COST: 3 TYPE: Permanent - Shield ATK|HP: TEXT: Shield: the strength of attacking creatures is limited by their size.

ART: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1046179 IDEA: johannhowitzer NOTES: If an attacking creature's attack value is greater than its maximum HP, its attack is reduced until they are equal, permanently.  This change persists even if the shield is destroyed. Example: if your opponent strikes the shield with a Ruby Dragon at 15|2, the Ruby Dragon will become 2|2.  If he strikes it with a Light Dragon at 12|12, the Light Dragon is unchanged.  If it's an Otyugh at 10|15, it's unchanged. Note that this effect occurs after a creature has already attacked.  Thus, a newly-played Ruby Dragon will get in one shot of 15 damage before it is crippled. SERIES: None

"Waste is worse than loss."

[Seiya]

Imagine if you had planned it that way...

[Ajit]

Seems real random, pretty cool though.  Not sure of all the implications of this yet.

[johannhowitzer]

I can give you a few I thought of as I was working on this...

  Holy Light damage-dump on full-HP creatures.  (possibly too powerful)
  Angel damage machine, up to 5 per Angel per turn.
  with mark can get extra damage out of Fractal Devourers.  Probably impractical.  Also make opponents pay through the nose if your vampirism outstrips their damage.
  Heal 120-damage dump.  (possibly too powerful)
  with mark has various Empathy abuses... maybe Malignant Cells too?
  Black Hole, already something of an opening card, becomes a powerhouse.
  Antimatter can be effective, but placement and timing are paramount.

Some of these combos do look a bit OP, especially Heal.  Imagine precogs, Time mark, novas, life pillars, and Heals.  It sounds more devastating than Gas decks.

Not sure how to balance this, dividing it by half sounds good at first but rounding is a problem for stuff like Empathic Bond.  Perhaps a flat-rate for each healing effect?  Again, problematic with Bonds, but I'm thinking out loud and this is a very raw concept so far.

[ISlayCasuals]

is there a particular reason that shard of gratitude does not cause this effect other than being exceptionally powerful when placed into a stall deck?
up to 30 per turn without requiring multiple creatures in play like bonds.

[OldTrees]

I can give you a few I thought of as I was working on this...

  Holy Light damage-dump on full-HP creatures.  (possibly too powerful)
  Angel damage machine, up to 5 per Angel per turn.
  with mark can get extra damage out of Fractal Devourers.  Probably impractical.  Also make opponents pay through the nose if your vampirism outstrips their damage.
  Heal 120-damage dump.  (possibly too powerful)
  with mark has various Empathy abuses... maybe Malignant Cells too?
  Black Hole, already something of an opening card, becomes a powerhouse.
  Antimatter can be effective, but placement and timing are paramount.

Some of these combos do look a bit OP, especially Heal.  Imagine precogs, Time mark, novas, life pillars, and Heals.  It sounds more devastating than Gas decks.

Not sure how to balance this, dividing it by half sounds good at first but rounding is a problem for stuff like Empathic Bond.  Perhaps a flat-rate for each healing effect?  Again, problematic with Bonds, but I'm thinking out loud and this is a very raw concept so far.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't only the heal above and beyond the maximum become damage?
Heal would be only 20 damage because the target wouldn't be at max hp afterwards.
Same situation with multiple small healing like Empathetic Bond or multiple Druidic Staves or SoGs.

Or did you mean if you healed yourself then your excess would harm your opponent?
Also, why Gravity?

[johannhowitzer]

is there a particular reason that shard of gratitude does not cause this effect other than being exceptionally powerful when placed into a stall deck?
up to 30 per turn without requiring multiple creatures in play like bonds.

No, I just forgot to list it.  Fixed, thanks.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't only the heal above and beyond the maximum become damage?
Heal would be only 20 damage because the target wouldn't be at max hp afterwards.

The 120 was for six Heal cards.  At a cost of 2-3 quanta, they can be played very quickly.  Of course, you need one of these babies out first.

Or did you mean if you healed yourself then your excess would harm your opponent?

Any creature or player being healed can cause this.  The player damaged is the opponent of the player/creature healed.  You could even heal your opponent's creature to damage yourself... and it's a two-edged sword, like many of my card ideas.  Doesn't matter who has it in play, if it's on the table, both players can trigger it at their opponent!

I forgot to list this up top, fixing that too.  What do you think, guys, should the card be reworded?

Also, why Gravity?

Technically, critical mass is the mass needed to sustain a nuclear reaction... nuclear reactions have a lot to do with small gravitational forces in atoms.  The card mechanic had little to do with it, although I was influenced by the fact that this would mesh well with Guardian Angel, Armagio, and my Commission | Crusade card idea.

[OldTrees]

I tend to prefer thematic reasons that align the mechanic and element properly. My intuitions have been shown to be insufficient 3 times today. You might be able to find a reason for Gravity to be a fitting place for this card.

Also I am unsure how being overly healthy would harm the opponent.

In conclusion: I like the mechanic, name and element but I only see the name to element connection.

[johannhowitzer]

The mechanic behaves similar to how a fusion reaction works, actually.  Atoms are forced close together (more healing than can fit in a creature's/player's maximum HP), and the result is an often violent release of energy.

[OldTrees]

ok makes enough sense for a release of energy. Why is it a single target attack against the opponent?

[johannhowitzer]

Sort of like how Unstable Gas gets all explodey in their faces.

[OldTrees]

IMO Unstable Gas does about even damage to the Opp and to each creature (after factoring in the ratio of max HP)