A new poison mechanic- dying poison

[dawn to dusk]

ive had this idea for ages but ive never really done anything about it. i think its been in my mind since before last brawl maybe?

anyway, the dying poison mechanic gives poison counters and overrides any existing ones. when applied, it decreases by 1 each turn until it dies out. creatures and cards that inflict this will have a low cost and high poison damage (maybe 2 for example) this is because, if the upkeep isnt kept, the poison will quickly die out and will need to be restarted.

the poison decreases after it deals damage

2 examples of how to use it:
1. a defence against other poisons- its less situational than purify and can override any poison counters
2. offensive capabilities- since it deals damage before counter goes down, it is more offensive than other poison counters. if the upkeep is held of course

[xyan]

what about a type of poison that reduces a creature's power.

low chance to activate shield compared to thorn carapace, that gives 1 counter that reduces power by 1 but loses 1 counter after reduction takes place.

perhaps a creature ability when eaten or activation or a spell.

nice for of cc that still locks a player's creature zone. of course this cc has weaknesses such as not reducing the power of hope/bonds/etc.

would work quite well with damage reduction shields and not defeat the purpose of gravity shield as normal poison does.



another thought: what about a type of poison that a creature while poisoned is technically lobotomized, where the counter goes away after 2-3 turns so to say (comparable cc to freeze).

[BeefSupreme]

A card that specifically counters poison would be more situational, not less.

[dawn to dusk]

it doesnt really specifically counter poison but it has the capability to do so. it mainly has offensive properties

[BeefSupreme]

it doesnt really specifically counter poison but it has the capability to do so. it mainly has offensive properties

What would be the point of using poison if there was a card that was poison + poison counter?

[serprex]

Poison itself is still better in stalls. This mechanic is targetted towards soft countering poison and being useful in speed poison decks

[OdinVanguard]

The idea of having a "poison" that decreases in magnitude each turn is mechanically analogous to the bleed / burn mechanic I proposed.
http://elementscommunity.org/forum/design-theory/mechanic-idea-burn-bleed-status/
Maybe some of the discussion in that thread will help you develop this idea a bit more.

The mechanic itself, regardless of how it gets used thematically, seems interesting since it is a much softer version of poison that may be easier to balance.
Mathematically, the damage output is closely analogous to the deflation of a steam machine.
The total damage output is quadratic with respect to the initial input.
This is also similar (but inverted) to an inflating creature that only lasts a specific number of turns.