Building artifacts (written)

[heraldry_lord]

Building is an artifact subtype with the Build keyword.  To Build a Building, you can tap creatures, planeswalkers and/or artifacts you control to pay for {1} of the Building's mana cost. This makes it similar to Convoke (in particular, what Chief Engineer does for artifacts), but you can use more than just creatures to help cast the Building.

 

Typically buildings have been represented by nonbasic lands, but what they can do in that form is limited, since you can just play the land for free. They've also been represented occasionally in regular artifacts, such as with Trading Post or Mana Crypt, but this subtype, like with Vehicles, puts a more "flavourful" spin on them, and allows for support specific only to a small subset of artifacts a la Equipment.

 

 

 

Tower of Great Heights

Mana Cost: {6}

Legendary Artifact - Building

 

Creatures you control can't be blocked, except by creatures with flying or reach.

 

{2}, {T}: Target creature loses flying until end of turn.

 

Build (Your creatures, planeswalkers and artifacts can help cast this spell. Each creature, planeswalker and artifact you tap while casting this spell pays for {1}.)

 

 

The Grand Sea Gate Library

Mana Cost: {7}

Legendary Artifact - Building

 

You have no maximum hand size.

 

{1}{U}, {T}: Draw two cards, then discard a card.

 

Build (Your creatures, planeswalkers and artifacts can help cast this spell. Each creature, planeswalker and artifact you tap while casting this spell pays for {1}.)

 

 

Curio Shop

Mana Cost: {3}

Artifact - Building

 

Play with the top card of your library revealed.

 

You may play the top card of your library if it's an artifact card.

 

Build (Your creatures, planeswalkers and artifacts can help cast this spell. Each creature, planeswalker and artifact you tap while casting this spell pays for {1}.)

 

 

Healers' Sanctum

Mana Cost: {4}

Artifact - Building

 

At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain 1 life for each creature you control.

 

{3}{W}, {T}: Put a 1/1 white Human Cleric creature token onto the battlefield.

 

Build (Your creatures, planeswalkers and artifacts can help cast this spell. Each creature, planeswalker and artifact you tap while casting this spell pays for {1}.)

 

 

Deathbolt Citadel

Mana Cost: {4}

Artifact - Building

 

{2}{R}, {T}: Deathbolt Citadel deals 3 damage to target creature or player.

 

Build (Your creatures, planeswalkers and artifacts can help cast this spell. Each creature, planeswalker and artifact you tap while casting this spell pays for {1}.)

 

 

Mobile Fortress

Mana Cost: {8}

Power/Toughness: 7/6

Artifact Creature - Golem Building

 

Trample, haste

 

Build (Your creatures, planeswalkers and artifacts can help cast this spell. Each creature, planeswalker and artifact you tap while casting this spell pays for {1}.)

 

 

Abandra, the Living City

Mana Cost: {10}

Power/Toughness: 8/8

Legendary Artifact Creature - Golem Building

 

Defender, trample, indestructible

 

{4}: Abandra, the Living City loses defender until end of turn.

 

Build (Your creatures, planeswalkers and artifacts can help cast this spell. Each creature, planeswalker and artifact you tap while casting this spell pays for {1}.)

 

 

Sinister Chapel

Mana Cost: {5}

Artifact - Building

 

Whenever a creature you control dies, you may pay {1}{B}. If you do, each opponent discards a card.

 

{2}{B}, {T}, Sacrifice a creature: Target player sacrifices a creature.

 

Build (Your creatures, planeswalkers and artifacts can help cast this spell. Each creature, planeswalker and artifact you tap while casting this spell pays for {1}.)

 

 

Ugin's Hedron Sanctum

Mana Cost: {3}

Legendary Artifact - Building

 

{T}: Add {C}{C} to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to cast colorless spells.

 

Build (Your creatures, planeswalkers and artifacts can help cast this spell. Each creature, planeswalker and artifact you tap while casting this spell pays for {1}.)

 

 

Building Plans

Mana Cost: {1}

Artifact

 

{2}, {T}, Sacrifice Building Plans: Search your library for a Building card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.

 

 

Veteran Architect

Mana Cost: {2}{W}

Power/Toughness: 2/2

Creature - Human Artificer

 

When Veteran Architect enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a Building card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.

 

Building spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.

 

 

Demolition Crew

Mana Cost: {3}{R}

Power/Toughness: 2/1

Creature - Goblin

 

When Demolition Crew enters the battlefield, put a colorless Dynamite artifact token onto the battlefield. It has "{1}{R}, Sacrifice this artifact: Destroy target Building or nonbasic land."

 

 

Castle Siege

Mana Cost: {1}{R}

Sorcery

 

Destroy target Building. Castle Siege deals 3 damage to the Building's controller.

[CuriousHeartless]

This is an overcomplicated mess. Why an arbitrary number here? It feels weird to be able to use my other things to help pay for it...up to a certain point. The two major Cost Reduction mechanics (as far as I remember) are Delve which does have a limit but it is set by that creature's colored cost so it feels less arbitrary, and Convoke whose limit is paying for the whole creature.

 

Maybe if you didn't give as many options that sudden cut-off wouldn't feel as awkward? Instead of "You may tap up to X...this card costs 1 less for each" it should be "You may tap X nontoken Creatures and/or Artifacte you control while casting this card. If you do, this card costs X less to cast." This makes it a bit more kicker than Convoke though. Would probably let you push it a bit more since it has less room to be variable.

 

Also that last clause really needs to be dropped. I'm assuming it is some sort of balancer but it is a weird drawback that either won't matter or will make them near unisable. Also the templating for the ability you want now makes the cards pay for mana instead of reducing cost (something brought up when Convole returned for M15and continued with Delve) so that last line would make the rest not work in your version. Which segues into how you made a mechanic in a very outdated style.

 

So yeah two suggestions for the ability: Change it to be more like kicker, or fix the wording to match up with Convoke and Delve. Either way drop that last clause.

[heraldry_lord]

This is an overcomplicated mess. Why an arbitrary number here? It feels weird to be able to use my other things to help pay for it...up to a certain point. The two major Cost Reduction mechanics (as far as I remember) are Delve which does have a limit but it is set by that creature's colored cost so it feels less arbitrary, and Convoke whose limit is paying for the whole creature.

 

Maybe if you didn't give as many options that sudden cut-off wouldn't feel as awkward? Instead of "You may tap up to X...this card costs 1 less for each" it should be "You may tap X nontoken Creatures and/or Artifacte you control while casting this card. If you do, this card costs X less to cast." This makes it a bit more kicker than Convoke though. Would probably let you push it a bit more since it has less room to be variable.

 

Also that last clause really needs to be dropped. I'm assuming it is some sort of balancer but it is a weird drawback that either won't matter or will make them near unisable. Also the templating for the ability you want now makes the cards pay for mana instead of reducing cost (something brought up when Convole returned for M15and continued with Delve) so that last line would make the rest not work in your version. Which segues into how you made a mechanic in a very outdated style.

 

So yeah two suggestions for the ability: Change it to be more like kicker, or fix the wording to match up with Convoke and Delve. Either way drop that last clause.

 

 

 

Before I make any changes, I'd like a second opinion just to get any additional feedback or suggestions.  Considering how hard it is to get feedback though, I'll make the suggested changes if I don't get anything else in the next few hours.

 

Note: Don't take this to mean that I'm ignoring your advice; it's just that at times when more than one person posts in these, the opinions tend to differ in some way, so I find myself having to change x and y with each new post.

 

Also, I think this may be the first time I've seen you post in one of these; other times, I've seen you just lurking.

 

Finally, the last clause is not really a balancer; it is more or less just a "flavour" thing, which I explained in the OP.  The X numbers aren't entirely arbitrary for similar reasons.  I did consider just making it like Convoke, and it'd be on point since Chief Engineer is a thing, but I figured I'd try this instead.

 

 

 

EDIT: Well, I don't want to wait much longer, so I'm changing this to match Convoke.