Magpie | Magpie

[Smurrf]

NAME: Magpie ELEMENT: Air COST: 5 TYPE: Creature ATK|HP: 0|1 TEXT: : Discard target card from either player's hand. Gain random quanta equal to card's casting cost.	NAME: Magpie ELEMENT: Air COST: 4 TYPE: Creature ATK|HP: 0|3 TEXT: : Discard target card from either player's hand.  Gain random quanta equal to card's casting cost.

ART: Arpingstone IDEA: Smurrf NOTES: Created for Quantum Generators Challenge (http://elementscommunity.org/forum/index.php/topic,26873.0.html) Airborne Magpies are known for, among other things, taking stuff (whether trash or treasure) and using it in forming their nests.  This card is for all those situations where you drew both copies of the card you only need one of (weapons, for instance), or as a way to get rid of junk put in your hand by Nightmare. Change notes: The graders from the challenge this was made for pretty universally panned this as not being very useful.  I've changed it up some to make it more offensive.  Original cost  | 2 to cast, activation was  | to use, and only allowed you to discard one of your own cards for random quanta. SERIES:

[Saynt]

I like the discarding mechanic and all, but This + Fractal = massive quanta spam

[Smurrf]

Which is why I made it both very easy to kill, and random quanta instead of based on card's element.

[pie]

I like this card  !!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111 very nice idea.

I like the discarding mechanic and all, but This + Fractal = massive quanta spam

Fractal+Magpie seems fine , maybe even useless , since its random quanta and Rainbows have QTowers/SNovas anyway.

EDIT*
I think it shouldn't be random quanta but the discarded card's element , then its fine 

[Smurrf]

I figured that'd be a bit OP...after all, you could just throw in, say, three copies of Pharaoh with the hope of getting two early on.  Once you do, discard one and cast the other, on turn two, for next to free.

[Hyroen]

Very interesting card. Impressive. I, being a lover of Air have to say that this concept very aptly represents the Freedom theme of the element.

Kudos Smurrf.

+rep

EDIT: Oh, and replace "Flying" with "Airborne". ^_^

[Smurrf]

Fixed, and thanks.  I should have known that after making Wall | Great Wall.

[Rutarete]

Nice idea! Works well with Dis. Shield also.

[Hyroen]

*lovebump*

Yeah, this one should be going into the Crucible soon, amirite?

^_^

[Leerest]

I like the card concept, specially for the improved version, seems able to offer an alternative to (super)nova quanta generation. The power of this card is, imo, that you can replace some of your quanta generators for more copies of your core strategy cards, so you can sacrifice some of them to quanta if you get starting hands full of copies of the same card. Versatility, but for the cost of having a little tiny bird looking for quint, hehe. You can say its OP, but would you dare to remove your typical quanta generators for a bird that could be burned, siphoned, stormed... in turn 1?

I think (altough from my very little experience here) the card is balanced, but i got some questions:

Its supossed a player can use the ability once or more than once per turn? I guess its once, but it could be more considering the price of this quanta acceleration (yes you got 24 extra quanta but now you got a single card in hand, i.e.). Not sure about this.

EDIT*
I think it shouldn't be random quanta but the discarded card's element , then its fine 

Have you considered what is the strongest mechanic, random quanta or one type quanta? I must say i have no idea, actually.

Good luck with your little magpie around the crucible! 

[Smurrf]

Yeah, this one should be going into the Crucible soon, amirite?

Possibly, though I want to let the challenge it was designed for finish before it gets put up.  I'm actually pondering a change to this to make it be half random, half your mark (odd quanta goes to random) for both versions.

Its supossed a player can use the ability once or more than once per turn? I guess its once, but it could be more considering the price of this quanta acceleration (yes you got 24 extra quanta but now you got a single card in hand, i.e.). Not sure about this.

Once per turn only.  Want more, you'll have to have more birds in your deck or otherwise clone it.  That said, there shouldn't be *much* reason (though I'm sure peopl can find some) to have more than one or two of these out.

Thanks for the love for the card from both of you!

[Smurrf]

Based on comments by reviewers of the Quantum Generator Challenge, it looks like this does need a rework before sending it off to crucible.  Possible variations:

A) 1: Discard target card from hand. Gain quanta based on card's casting cost.
(Note: In this variation, cards costing from 0-3 quanta would give 3 random, 1 matching mark, 4-7 would give 4 & 2 respectively, and 8+ would give 5 & 3.)

B) 1: Discard target card from hand. Gain quanta based on card's casting cost.
(In this variation, the whole casting cost would be granted, half random and half (rounding down) to match your mark.)

C) 3: Discard target card from opponent's hand. Gain random quanta equal to card's casting cost.
(A lot more offensive, high activation cost to mitigate multiple Magpies.  Ties in to Precognition and Mindgate, and forces the opponent to play any card drawn later in the game or face it being disposed of.  Can also be coupled with Silence to guarantee a bit of denial.)

A & B above may look alike, but the difference between the two is that A favors discarding low cost cards for a quick profit, while B favors loading your deck with high cost cards.  C takes it into a whole new area, and does tie into the theme of the Magpie a little bit more.
Edit: C could also be changed to read "3: Discard target card from either player's hand. Gain random quanta equal to card's casting cost."  Makes it useful even if the opponent is managing to play everything.