Infernal Light (Flip Effect Monster Support!) [Magemeek]

[magemeek22]

Well, here it is:

 

 

All face-down monsters you control are flipped face-up. If you would Summon a monster in face-down Defense Position, Summon it in face-up Defense Position instead. Once per turn: you can discard one card and target one face-up monster you control with a flip effect; activate that effect.

 

Now, I will say this: the cost is steep. Using the card requires discarding AND no more actual flip effect utilization (if you cant set cards, they'll never be flipped). However, with the card, you can utilize a LOT of powerful FLIP monster effects, up to twice in one turn (once when flip summoned, second by this field spell's effect). Some possible targets include:

• [acronym='FLIP: Special Summon 1 Level 2 Beast-Type monster from your Deck, except "Baby Raccoon Tantan".']Baby Raccoon Tantan[/acronym]
• [acronym='FLIP: You can Special Summon 1 Level 5 or higher Tuner monster from your Deck.']Cheepcheepcheep[/acronym] 
• [acronym='FLIP: You can target 1 Level 4 or lower Spellcaster-Type monster in your Graveyard then Special Summon that target.']Magical Undertaker[/acronym] 
• [acronym='FLIP: Target 1 Special Summoned monster on the field then shuffle that target into the Deck.']Evilswarm Azzathoth[/acronym] 
• [acronym='FLIP: Return 2 Spell or Trap Cards on the field to the hands of their owner.']Tornado Bird[/acronym]
• [acronym='FLIP: You can Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower Beast-Type monster from your Deck in face-down Defense Position.']Super-Nimble Mega Hamster[/acronym] 
• [acronym='FLIP: Increase your Life Points by 3000 points. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, you lose 5000 Life Points.']The Immortal of Thunder[/acronym] 
• [acronym='FLIP: Tribute 1 other monster, and if you do, Special Summon 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck. Destroy that Fusion Monster during the End Phase of this turn.']Summoner of Illusions[/acronym] 
• [acronym='FLIP: You can target up to 2 monsters on the field then return those targets to the hand.']Penguin Soldier[/acronym] 
• [acronym='FLIP: Select 1 monster on the field and return it to its owner's hand.']Hane-Hane[/acronym]
• [acronym='FLIP: Take control of 1 DARK monster your opponent controls, while this card remains face-up on the field.']Dharc, the Dark Charmer[/acronym] (and the other charmers)
• [acronym='FLIP: Special Summon 1 "Gravekeeper's" monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck.']Gravekeeper's Spy[/acronym] 
• [acronym='FLIP: Equip this card to a monster on your opponent's side of the field and treat it as an Equip Card. Take control of the equipped monster. Your opponent gains 500 Life Points during each of their Standby Phases.']Brain Jacker[/acronym] 
• [acronym='FLIP: Target 1 Spell Card in your Graveyard then add that target to your hand.']Magician of Faith[/acronym] 

Now, just from the above list of cards (and I have typed up all the card effects as acronyms for your guys' comfort :) Note that all semicolons have been replaced with "then"), you can already tell that there are a LOT of combos that this card lends itself to. Actually, more like a TON of combos. Here, I list my thought process in making this card viable/not-too-insanely-op:

1. The card prevents you from setting any more monsters. You probably will run a bunch of flip effect cards if you have this field spell, so this condition would actually be quite the hassle. Note: Tornado Bird can overcome this.
2. To use the effect, you must discard a card. This is more of a flat-out cost, as the effect itself is pretty powerful and, in my opinion, couldn't just go without cost.
3. No field spell spamming loops can take place due to the last clause.

 

Any suggestions, comments, and critiques are MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH appreciated. Tell me what you think about the card and how you think it could be improved or balanced!!!

[magemeek22]

bump

[Badboy221]

I can see this used with Man-Eater Bug and some equip spells like United We Stand and Mage Power to do a lot of damage. The effect is pretty balanced as well. Good card.

[magemeek22]

Thanks! Do you thing I took too much initiative balancing the card? Like, instead of "This effect of "Infernal Light" can only be activated once per turn.", could I have just made the effect a once-per-turn sort of thing so it could be spammed if you have multiple field spells in your hand? That was something I considered before making the card and thought would be too powerful, but looking back, I think it could work. Still unsure though

[magemeek22]

Bump

[Armoire]

Thanks! Do you thing I took too much initiative balancing the card? Like, instead of "This effect of "Infernal Light" can only be activated once per turn.", could I have just made the effect a once-per-turn sort of thing so it could be spammed if you have multiple field spells in your hand? That was something I considered before making the card and thought would be too powerful, but looking back, I think it could work. Still unsure though

 

I feel like just take out the "This effect of "Infernal Light" can only be activated once per turn." and the card would still be fine. I mean, in most flip-effect decks, discarding's huge cost, since not much of the support activates in the Graveyard.

[magemeek22]

@Haru-Star Shadow

 

Okay, based on what you say, I feel a lot better about removing that last clause and changing it to a normal OPT card effect. I know you said that discarding's a large enough cost as it is, but honestly, it would be vicious to not put an OPT clause. Take, for example, the following situation: You run Gravekeeper's and draw both Gravekeeper's Spy and either Infernal Light or some field spell searcher. Then what? You set the monster, activate the field spell, and discard, say, 3 cards to just keep special summoning gravekeepers? Or maybe you have a chickadee in your hand a bunch of cockadoodle doos? I feel like it's not a good idea to rely on this field spell in the first place since any deck that relies on flip effects is bound to fail; however, that said, I'm worried about potential loops that can arise if I made it unlimited (actually, in my original design, the field spell did not have the OPT clause. I added it at a later point). However, I will consider removing the entirety of OPT if you could perhaps justify it against potential loops.

Changes made: No longer have the last clause, instead the effect is a basic OPT.

 

Also, reconsidering what Haru-Shadow said, I'm considering one of the following changes (I think I may have been too stringent with this card's design):

• Remove the discard-a-card cost, but keep the effect at once per turn.
• Remove the once per turn clause, but keep the discard-a-card cost.

With the first option, I get rid of the difficulty of discarding in an already under-par deck. With the second change, more dangerous plays (not necessarily op, just really powerful) become possible.

[Armoire]

@Haru-Star Shadow

 

Okay, based on what you say, I feel a lot better about removing that last clause and changing it to a normal OPT card effect. I know you said that discarding's a large enough cost as it is, but honestly, it would be vicious to not put an OPT clause. Take, for example, the following situation: You run Gravekeeper's and draw both Gravekeeper's Spy and either Infernal Light or some field spell searcher. Then what? You set the monster, activate the field spell, and discard, say, 3 cards to just keep special summoning gravekeepers? Or maybe you have a chickadee in your hand a bunch of cockadoodle doos? I feel like it's not a good idea to rely on this field spell in the first place since any deck that relies on flip effects is bound to fail; however, that said, I'm worried about potential loops that can arise if I made it unlimited (actually, in my original design, the field spell did not have the OPT clause. I added it at a later point). However, I will consider removing the entirety of OPT if you could perhaps justify it against potential loops.

Changes made: No longer have the last clause, instead the effect is a basic OPT.

 

Also, reconsidering what Haru-Shadow said, I'm considering one of the following changes (I think I may have been too stringent with this card's design):

• Remove the discard-a-card cost, but keep the effect at once per turn.
• Remove the once per turn clause, but keep the discard-a-card cost.

With the first option, I get rid of the difficulty of discarding in an already under-par deck. With the second change, more dangerous plays (not necessarily op, just really powerful) become possible.

 

 

Now that I think about it, I guess this would kind of support Exodia decks, if the flip effect monster draws a card. Like Des Lacooda or Mimic. But that's still inefficient, because you have to discard a card. I'm not sure what deck would get advantage from discarding that relies on FLIP effects. Even Ghostricks wouldn't like this because it doesn't let you set them.

[Overfrost!]

Des Lacooda has no flip effects. So does ghostrick.
 
This: 'You can target 1 monster you control; apply that target's Flip Effect as this effect. You can only use this effect of "Infernal Light" once per turn.'. Every monster you control is always face up, so there's no need for that face up part there. This effect bypasses once per turn limitation on shaddoll monsters, as it's actually Infernal Light that uses the effect, not shaddolls. Note that 'activate that target's Flip Effect.' means that the monster is the one that activates it. Also, based on Evilswarm Ouroboros' ruling, that monster's effect is activated when this card targets the monster (not after the chain resolves).

 

A minor OCG fix: 'Face-down monsters you control are flipped face-up.'. It's a continuous effect.

[magemeek22]

Hmmm...I really like a lot of your suggestions @Overfrost!. I was hesitant about letting this card work with Shadoll's, but I suppose its an interesting venture. I have updated the card so that it now:

• Triggers a Flip Effect as its own
• Does not require you to discard a card
• Does not prevent you from Setting monsters, but instead immediately flips those monster(s) up

 

The OCG is terrible, but here's the tentative card:

 

 

When this card is activated: All face-down monsters you control are flipped face-up. If you Summon a monster(s) in face-down Defense Position: Immediately flip that monster(s) face-up.  You can target one face-up monster you control; Apply any of that target's effects that would be triggered if it were flipped face-up as this card's effect. This effect of "Infernal Light" can only be activated once per turn.

[Overfrost!]

When this card is activated: Change all face-down Defense Position monsters you control to face-up Defense Position. If you Summon a monster(s) in face-down Defense Position: Change that monster(s) to face-up Defense Position.

Fixed the ocg (and my ocg as well, as flipping something face up doesn't actually exists; instead, changing battle position from face down to face up exists). This actually do almost the same: 'Face-down Defense Position monsters you control are changed to face-up Defense Position.'. The only difference is that it becomes a continuous effect instead. Mystical Space Typhoon can screw activated field effects (when it's activated), but it can't do any response to continuous effects (except destroying it before you summon something).

You can target 1 face-up monster you control; apply, 1 of that target's effects that triggers if it is flipped face-up, as this card's effect. This effect of "Infernal Light" can only be used once per turn.

Fixing it as best as I can. Something like that is new, so I can't say if it's good or not. Note that Flip Summoned effects won't count (as they won't be activated when it's flipped face up by any other ways).

The fact that I care this much about this card is because I actually like this card. Good job on this.

[magemeek22]

@Overfrost! 

The first OCG fix you gave me makes sense; the second one, however, I'm unsure about. Card upsofar: