Senescent Pox, Senescent Hex

[jazzfan27]

Senescent Pox

Type Permanent
Cost - 5

When your opponent plays a non-creature, non-pillar, or non-pendulum card put a counter on Senescent Pox.  At the end of your turn Senescent Pox causes opponents maximum life to be lowered by an amount equal to the number of counters on Senescent Pox.

Hex is the same but 4


I kinda like this one.  A little situational, but, could be very strong against creatureless decks.

[Elbirn]

So it's a themed Shard of Void with a neurotoxin-esque effect that becomes more powerful as the opponent plays more permanents...

It's an interesting concept, I'll give you that. But it'd be kinda weak in play. Max HP reduction is pretty weak in the current meta, unless the focus of the deck IS the HP reduction.. Having said that, this could make for a very interesting duo stall, so for that I give it a thumbs up.

Here's my issue though: It's very, very specific as to what causes an increase in Pox counters. Why is this? In it's current state, it's very weak because

1. Creatures tend to be the focus of most decks (see speedbows, immobows, -tals, etc.)
2. Permanents are not typically played in abundance.

Including pillars/pends could have helped make up for this, but...you specifically exlude them. Why? Is there a thematic reason that I don't know of? (for what it's worth, I have no idea what "senescent" means, nor do I know the thematic inspiration for this card)

I do feel that it would be wrong to make it a pure neurotoxin effect, but with HP reduc., because that could overshadow neurotoxin. Dealing 1 damage is not as powerful as permanently removing 1 hit point. Both have the same gain, but the latter is a hard counter against anything with healing.


EDIT: While writing this, I had thought that only non-pillar permanents would cause a counter increase. Didn't realise that this would also apply to spell/alchemy cards.

[jazzfan27]

Senescence is basically growing old.  And that's kind of what this does, and seems a terrific fit for Death.

Yeah, as you point out, these will trigger on not just permanents, but, spells.  The idea was some sort of counter to a deck like Poison Dial SoSac.  Of the 30ish cards in that deck 22 or so would trigger a counter.  If you have multiples of these out, you get multiple counters.  But, most decks are running something that would trigger the counters.  Whether it's a nova or shield or weapon or sundial, most decks are gonna have something.

And you are right, life reduction is very weak, this was my attempt to make that mechanism more robust.  I didn't want to totally overshadow the shards of the voids, but, rather to compliment them.  I hope I struck a nice balance there.


Obviously, this card would suck balls against a deck with only pillars and creatures, but, I kind of like that kind of tradeoff.

[Elbirn]

Senescence = Growing old = advancement of time = /
Add counters for drawing effects? Would include hourglass, precog, Golden Nymph, dials, SoBra
Just some ramblings.