Boa Constrictor Idea

[AD TienzuStorm]

NAME: Boa Constrictor ELEMENT: Death COST: 6 TYPE: Creature ATK|HP: 0|4 TEXT: The opponent can play X cards; X is 8 minus Boa Constrictor's attack	NAME: Elite Boa ELEMENT: Death COST: 6 TYPE: Creature ATK|HP: 0|6 TEXT: The opponent can play X cards; X is 8 minus Elite Boa's attack

ART: No art IDEA: AD Storm Bolt NOTES: So, this is my first card idea (and post), and I've been thinking about this idea for a long time. Is this too OP? The amount of cards that the opponent can use won't go under 1, but it might be too easy to buff its attack. Should I change the mechanic for deciding the amount of cards the opponent can use, something like the amount of Death quanta owned divided by the Boa's attack? All criticism is welcome.

[Espithel]

Like most people who make thier first card, they believe something is OP when it really isn't.

For this card, people very rarely play more than 3 cards a turn, after thier first turn (Pillar spam.)

As it stands, you'd have to use two blessings on it to allow your opponent to play 2 cards a turn - I believe allowing your opponent to play 2 cards a turn would be quite balanced as a 3-cost weapon. That's 12 quanta. Quite weak.

Of course, there's also acceleration - that's 10 quanta and 3 turns to get a 6-1. Then you'd have to reduce the card.

What I'm going to say is buff it.
Either reduce the cost, give it some ATK to begin with, or change how the mechanic works.
I don't like how variable this mechanic is - a fixed number (Your opponent can play 3 cards a turn) Or something a bit less swingy (X is equal to the number of constrictors on the field) would work just fine.

If I was going to keep the mechanic, this is what I would do:


(Currently, the mechanic is ambiguous as to whether it's a passive or active skill - if it's an active skill, it can be lobotomized or replaced via mitosis/acceleration. I've made it an active skill.)

[Chapuz]

If you bless this card it becomes a permanent silence? that is indeed broken!
In oEtG there is a weapon that silences the player that plays 2 cards, limiting the cards played per turn to that number. It's pretty new so I don't know how useful it is at the moment.

[Espithel]

If you bless this card it becomes a permanent silence? that is indeed broken!

X cannot be lower than 1.
And, sure, pay 8 in two elements to get a stronger epoch. Why not?

...Snarkier than I should have been. Apologies.

[iDaire]

Thematically, what is stopping the Boa Constrictor from paralyzing the opponent and only allowing him one card?
I'm going to go ahead and ask what happens if I have six of these on the field and play shard of patience.

[AD TienzuStorm]

Ok, thanks for all the comments, I'm still not entirely sure where I want this to go, but this is a good start.

Thematically, what is stopping the Boa Constrictor from paralyzing the opponent and only allowing him one card?
I'm going to go ahead and ask what happens if I have six of these on the field and play shard of patience.

The amount of restricted cards is based on the Boa Constrictor with the highest attack, so it doesn't matter how many there are (although I could change that, the mechanic could be 7 minus the amount of Constrictors on the field).

Or, it could be that every turn, the value of X is lowered by one until it reaches one and then stays there until the Boa that has that count is removed from play, if that makes any sense.


Turn               One           Two          Three          Four         Five          Six         Seven          Eight
# of Boas        Send         One          Send           Two          Two          Two       One (kill)      One
Card Use         Six            Five          Four            Three       Two          One       Two              One

Send: you cast a Boa Constrictor | Elite Boa
Kill: First Boa is killed (or removed from play from cards like RT)

If that table makes it any clearer (which it probably doesn't, but let's pretend here), that's how I think the mechanic could possibly work.

Also, I've decided that Constriction (I like the name, thanks Frozengaia ) is a passive ability, although I suppose having it as an active ability would allow it to be countered by more than just hard CC.

And as for thematics, I imagined the Boa Constrictor slowly squeezing the opponent and gradually stopping movement and action, not just straight up paralyzing and immediate effects.

[Devourer]

Thematically, I like constriction over time regardless of attack better than constriction based on attack. It also makes the card more effective in more decks.

[AD TienzuStorm]

Okay, so I think I'll go with the over time mechanic, any ideas on how to shorten that to fit on a card?

EDIT: Also, is this mechanic worth working on with a few tweaks, or is it too unbalanced/UP/irrelevant/situational to try and keep?

[Chapuz]

Timed mechanic is more complex to play and understand in-game. In my opinion the idea you are trying to do is just limiting your opponent to play cards and the card shouldn't be more complex than that: "Your opponent can't play more than 3 cards per turn" or "Silences opponent after playing 3 cards"

[AD TienzuStorm]

Okay, well, thanks for all the feedback, I've decided that I'll try thinking of ideas for other cards, it was a great first experience though, thanks!