Oblivion Engine
Custom Cards forum
Posted on Oct. 20, 2020, 3:54 p.m. by Benthehen333
go to the Custom Set thread, I'm getting rid of these to reduce clutter.
RiotRunner789 says... #3
You could just change the end to "when x leaves the battlefield..."
October 20, 2020 4:12 p.m.
Benthehen333 says... #4
Balaam__ It'll be a new one if I go ahead with making the custom set.
RiotRunner789 - I based it off the wordings from the God-Eternal cycle, because otherwise it would trigger off of an Unsummon which I didn't want.
October 20, 2020 4:39 p.m.
It seems like a pretty balanced card to me. The only thing overpowered about it would be the last ability. It basically gives it Hexproof, or is really annoying when it goes off. The Raze ability is like a balanced version of annihilator, one of my favorite abilities.
The only critiques I have on this card are that it seems to be doing too many things. There’s no reason for it to have affinity, and the last ability is just obnoxious. It also should synergies with Raze, so having everybody sacrifice would make more sense. Sacrificing nonlands sounds less frustrating to me as well. Otherwise, people can pull all kinds of Worldfire type shenanigans since this creature can easily be reanimated from the graveyard. There’s a reason every busted, gigantic card shuffles itself somehow when it hits the graveyard.
October 20, 2020 6:12 p.m.
VampDemigod says... #6
I mean, it’s super powerful. Also, I was under the impression that Affinity could only be for a supertype, not a subtype. Even so, I really like it.
I do think that it would still be extremely powerful without the affinity. IDK how many machines are in your custom set, but even if it costs 11 mana, that’s still 11 mana for something better than almost any eldrazi that was ever produced.
At minimum, I’d suggest making it legendary. I’d also suggest its cost be raised to somewhere between 13 and 16 mana to cast it, or removing the affinity.
Then again, potential changes would be reliant on how powerful you’re aiming for this to be.
October 20, 2020 7:08 p.m.
I agree that this card is trying to do too much. The last ability is absurdly broken, and way too easy to cause shenanigans with.
It is hard to evaluate its Affinity ability without seeing how good the other machines are; so you’d have to balance the entire creature type around affinity to be careful.
(Also, VampDemigod - Affinity can be for subtypes, such as with Dross Golem.)
October 20, 2020 7:21 p.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #8
I mean if it was just affinity for artifacts it'd still be fairly balanced imo.
October 20, 2020 7:47 p.m.
RNR_Gaming for a 13/13 with Trample, Indestructible, and "if you remove me, I wipe your board?" Affinity is pretty powerful, particularly in eternal formats where you can run Artifact Lands, things like Smothering Tithe, and where players already are running lots of mana rocks (which effectively add an additional when casting Affinity for Artifact spells).
October 20, 2020 7:54 p.m.
VampDemigod says... #10
... RNR_Gaming what world do you live in, where giving an 11 mana 13/13 trample, indestructible, that punishes your opponents for getting around the indestructible is balanced? I want to live there.
Not to mention, this Raze mechanic is basically just the option of giving your card anhillator. Yes you have to pay mana for it, but it’s still great.
Not trying to be rude, but powerwise, this card won’t be balanced till at least 2030, with current levels of power creep.
Actually it’s a mythic. It might be balanced for a mythic in 2025, but you get my point. It’s not anywhere near balanced by any contemporary sense.
October 20, 2020 7:56 p.m.
VampDemigod says... #11
*first paragraph had the part where I finished the “giving” with the word affinity. My high school AP Comp teacher would be disappointed.
October 20, 2020 7:57 p.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #12
Caerwyn - the effect is symmetrical in this instance. It's very similar to Bearer of the Heavens. Also, titans exist and this Raze mechanic seems a lot more fair to me than annailator. There are answers for the death trigger like Stifle, Eerie Interlude and Teferi's Protection. Having to build with the constant of having loads of artifacts for something to be effective is an opportunity cost. Its definitely strong but I don't see it as being unbeatable or entirely unfair.
October 20, 2020 8:26 p.m.
RNR_Gaming - I think you are vastly underestimating how dangerous Affinity for Artifacts happens to be. But, don't take my word for it, take MaRo's. There is a reason Affinity for Artifacts is given an 8 on the Storm Scale (and has periodically been a 9), while non-Artifact Affinity is rated just a 6. Or, to use his own words on the subject:
"There are few mechanics in the history of Magic that have caused more tournament problems than affinity for artifacts."
"Bringing back a mechanic that destroyed a Standard environment is never an easy ask."
October 20, 2020 8:49 p.m.
EleshNornsFs says... #14
Caerwyn This is not affinity for artifacts though. Artifact lands don't help, neither do mana rocks or most artifact creatures. If all of the machines cost stupid high mana costs, affinity machines could be a completely dead mechanic until the very late game.
October 20, 2020 9:14 p.m.
VampDemigod says... #15
EleshNornsFs RNR had said they didn’t see a reason to upgrade the affinity to affinity for artifacts.
October 20, 2020 9:17 p.m.
EleshNornsFs - I was specifically responding to a post saying it would be balanced with Affinity for Artifacts.
For the ability on the card itself, I merely commented that one has to be careful on balancing it as affinity for X can be easy to accidentally break.
October 20, 2020 9:19 p.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #18
I still don't think it was the mechanic so much as the cards in that environment it existed in. If you look at Mirrodin Standard affinity Frogmite and Thoughtcast were the only cards in the meta breaking deck with affinity for artifacts. If you look at affinity prior to Mox Opal ban most players either used Thoughtcast or Galvanic Blast the rest of the deck leaned heavily on Cranial Plating and efficient robots. Though Maro is an actual game design and I'm just some scrub who cannot wait for another game warping card :)
October 20, 2020 9:42 p.m.
VampDemigod says... #19
...I feel like asking RNR’s opinion on how Oko Standard was, but I’m scared to ask.
October 20, 2020 11:38 p.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #20
Standard is a garbage fire lol. Oko was 100% a mistake and they fed green/sonic way too much and didnt do much in the way of giving other colors bombs of equal or relative power.
October 20, 2020 11:44 p.m.
VampDemigod says... #21
I’m glad you didn’t enjoy it.
Also, I love what autocorrect did to Simic.
October 20, 2020 11:45 p.m.
VampDemigod says... #22
Ok that might come off as mean. What I meant was I was scared you say “oh yeah, Oko was a ton of fun, and they shouldn’t have banned it, wilderness rec, teferi, or veil of summer.
October 20, 2020 11:46 p.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #23
You're fine dude lol. I do like those cards but in a format with limited card selection they stifle deck building. Oko transcended formats by far the strongest walker printed since jtms.
October 20, 2020 11:53 p.m.
and Oko's +1 in the Standard environment it became legal in was just too oppressive for how fast he could get put into play.
October 21, 2020 12:05 a.m.
Regarding the OP's custom card I have a couple of comments.
First, I am a fan of the theme and style of the card. It made me think of Fred Saberhagen's Berserker series. Which is a science fiction book and short story series about machines as Man's nemesis. Great series.
Now, regarding Oblivion Engine; This card is just too powerful by any measure. It's way stronger than any of the Eldrazi gods. Even without the affinity ability. It's so open to abuse that if it were real, people would not even use the raze ability. Except for lol moments of course.
October 21, 2020 12:09 a.m.
If you maybe changed the destroy all permanents by tying it into the Raze ability somehow and limited the destroyed/exile trigger to sources you don't control it might be more acceptable. Something like;
"...When Oblivion Engine is destroyed or put into exile by a source you do not control, if it razed any permanents, exile all permanents..."
This way, you eliminate it as a self-abusing control engine and retain everything it does. And I would drop the "at beginning of next end step" part because that seems unnecessary. Just leave it a trigger.
Something like these ideas, anyways. This way, it might almost be not too strong enough to keep the affinity keyword too.
To be honest, the fact you could give it haste still makes me unhappy with the affinity but I like the keyword on the card.
October 21, 2020 12:03 p.m.
Omnicron13 says... #27
I would have it cost more mana. You have an 11 mana 13/13 with no obvious downside that can cost cheaper. Raze is just an added bonus.
October 21, 2020 12:54 p.m.
Benthehen333 says... #28
Thanks everyone for all the suggestions! I edited the card based on a lot of them, and I think it's more balanced now. I agree it was way too OP before, but tbh it was a fun card to design. Would anyone like to see more cards for a custom Steampunk type set?
October 22, 2020 2:58 p.m.
Benthehen333 says... #31
Alright, well I'll have to get started on more cards, I'm not sure I want to do a full storyline and stuff because I'm bad at coming up with that kind of stuff lol.
Balaam__ says... #2
Is machines a creature type? I’m fairly new to magic so I apologize if that’s an obvious question. The artwork is really neat on this card.
October 20, 2020 4:08 p.m.