Format Idea -- Chaos Magic
The Kitchen Table forum
Posted on Sept. 23, 2015, 12:48 a.m. by hempel
So I had this great idea for a new magic format and really want it to catch on. Let me know what you guys think!
Chaos Magic: Ever wanted to run a chaos game without having to run a chaos deck to make it happen because it would be so much more fun if the chaos was still there but you could run one of your other decks? This is the format for you!... This format adds a Chaos Deck , Chaos Zone, and Chaos Step between turns that are explained below.
Chaos Zone: A zone located in the middle of the board that the Chaos Deck and all cards played from it are located. It is outside of the game and cards in it cannot be affected by spells of abilities (including abilities from other cards in the Chaos Zone), cannot be countered, and are not controlled by any players. Cards played in the Chaos Zone still affect all players.
Creating the Chaos Deck: Prior to the game you (or your group as a whole) assemble a 20 card library of world enchantments of different names to form the Chaos Deck, the Chaos Deck is then shuffled and placed in the Chaos Zone. (World enchantments are non-aura enchantment cards that affect all players equally at all times, ie: Confusion in the Ranks, Mass Hysteria, Wild Evocation; converted mana cost and color(s) do not matter; if the enchantment has any type of additional turn-based cost it cannot be placed in the Chaos Deck, ie: Stasis, Contamination; enchantments that only affect a specific color, creature type(s), or tokens cannot be placed in the Chaos Deck, ie: Bad Moon, Dralnu's Crusade, Illness in the Ranks.)
Example of a Chaos Deck: Chaos Deck (For My New Format)
Chaos Step: It is a new step after the end step, but before the next untap step. (the purpose of this is to avoid cards that skip over specific steps, how it functions is explained in 'How it works'). There is a Chaos Step prior to the first turn. Players cannot cast spells or activate abilities during the Chaos Step.
How it works: At the end of each Chaos Step put the top card of the Chaos library into play and the player whose turn it is preceding rolls a 6-sided die; if the result is 1-5 it enters play with X Chaos Counters on it where X the result of the die roll; if the result is 6, put another card from the top of the Chaos Deck into play and the player who rolled places a total of 6 counters divided as they choose on each of them (they cannot place 0 counters on one of the cards this way). At the beginning of each Chaos Step remove a Chaos Counter each enchantment in the Chaos Zone. When a Chaos Counter cannot be removed from an enchantment, return it to the Chaos Library then shuffle it.
Once per turn ability: During a player's turn they may flip a coin, if heads they add or remove one Chaos Counter from one of the enchantments; if tails they put the top card of the Chaos Deck into play and roll a 6-sided die and put a number of Chaos Counters onto it equal to the result of the roll (during this once per turn ability a result of 6 puts 6 Chaos Counters on the permanent rather than putting another card into play as it would during the Chaos Step). Players may only use this ability once per turn anytime they could cast a sorcery; this coin flip does not trigger any abilities from permanents players control.
M a g i c a l H a c k e r... Sorry to tag you again, wasn't sure if you read it yet and I added a new rule, a once per turn ability.
September 23, 2015 1:04 a.m.
This sounds really cool. I'm going to put my Chaos deck together in the morning after a nights sleep.
September 23, 2015 1:17 a.m.
Appreciate that kengiczar!!! Let me know how it goes and if there's any bumps that need smoothing or something that could potentially make it better.
September 23, 2015 1:31 a.m.
MagicalHacker says... #6
I like it! It may be simplified by making an emblem that becomes a copy of one of those enchantments at random. That would make the chaos untouchable.
September 23, 2015 1:48 a.m.
M a g i c a l H a c k e r The way I worded it is essentially the same. haha... But yeah, simpler wording, but then they would have to be removed from the game until the emblem leaves, plus emblems can't really have counters.
September 23, 2015 1:51 a.m.
PepsiAddicted says... #8
kinda like a more chaotic and less controlable planechase :) i like it
September 23, 2015 4:12 a.m. Edited.
Reading through this, it sounds very much like "DIY Planechase" - "when you planeswalk away from this plane, do not remove it from play, but just add another one".
Adding a particular step and having multiple global enchantments into play at the same time just makes everything slow to a crawl. People build decks with consistency in mind. What this does is throw that consistency away, leaving those players (aka everyone) disappointed that they wasted their time considering a mana curve when Eladamri's Vineyard is available for free. I get the idea for chaos, but there is a fine balance between chaotic interactions and complete chaos. Here is the original problem of Planechase, which this format does not solve:
Tldr: It will be extremely hard to get people to agree to play a second game of this.
September 23, 2015 4:13 a.m.
Boza I did not intend for chaotic interactions, it is meant for the later. There is actually a rather large playerbase who likes it that way. I chose this because like I stated at the beginning, wishing you could embrace the chaos without having to lead it with your own deck knowing you're not going to win, wanting to play another deck with the chaos still in tact. Like PepsiAddicted said, a more chaotic less controllable planechase. That's pretty much the point. I never agree to a second game of planechase, or even a first because there's no thrill to it, but that's going pretty strong. This just may not be the format for you. The way I mapped it out, the deeper you get into the game the more chaotic it gets. It doesn't seporate the players that have $500 invested in a so called casual deck from the actual casual players.
September 23, 2015 4:24 a.m.
Chaos in magic is not about winning, losing, or strategy; it's about chaos. Remember that.
September 23, 2015 4:30 a.m.
Btw, just had to point this out Boza. "People build decks with consistency in mind. What this does is throw that consistency away, leaving those players (aka everyone) disappointed that they wasted their time considering a mana curve when Eladamri's Vineyard is available for free." You perfectly defined chaos. :)
September 23, 2015 4:34 a.m.
And it's tabletop, if the group as a whole does not want a certain enchantment run because they're deck their mana curve trumps a 5-10% chance they'll see that enchantment they don't have to run it. But it's chaos, people typically throw strategy out the window when chaos is involved. You can't fight it, embrace it... And really not trying to beat up that comment, I just feel it's a tad ridiculous to say you turned chaos into chaos instead of a one time surprise.
September 23, 2015 4:41 a.m.
Sure, I mean the idea is great, however the essence of chaos in MTG is not. MTG is already a game with various random elements (shuffling, 1 land per turn, heavy focus on interaction, thousands of cards to choose from). If the people you plan to play this format with are angered any time they are mana-screwed or mana-flooded, this is probably not the format for them.
My advice towards you is to test your audience. Have you playtested this with anyone else? If you have not, do so and record their feedback. When designing a new format, it is more like designing a whole new game, so approach it from that angle.
The most important feedback to get would be: "Would you play this a second time?" and "Would you play this a second time immediately after the first one?".
If you get a great amount of people to answer yes to both of these, only then do you have a fun game/format.
September 23, 2015 5:27 a.m.
I like the idea, but as Boza said it reminds me a bit of Planechase.
Therefore, in the light of planechase, I think you could leave this ruling out:
(The Chaos Library and all enchantments from it have protection from everything and cannot be countered; All Chaos Counters cannot be manipulated by spells or abilities; Enchantments from the Chaos Library are not controlled by any player and they do not trigger abilities as they enter play.)
By simply stating that the chaos effect is an outside occurrence the players have no influence on, comparable to 'walking to a plane' or 'planewalking away from it' in Planechase. Players have no influence on the plane they enter.
However, I am not certain I like the idea of the chaos counters...they seem a bit...non-chaotic, static even. Why not role a six-sided die during your chaos-phase and on a 5 and 6 replace the current chaos enchantment with a new one?
September 23, 2015 5:40 a.m.
GobboE, do you mean a planar die? :)
I like the counters idea more. It gives you an idea of what to expect and you can coin toss to manipulate that in either direction. That is a lot better than the planar die.
September 23, 2015 5:53 a.m.
@ Boza : yep, but I understand not all the players have one :D
But isn't it the idea of chaos to have an occurrence you can't expect? ;)
September 23, 2015 6:36 a.m.
MagicalHacker says... #18
I agree that a predictable shift defeats the purpose of it being chaotic. Also, now that I'm thinking about it, what advantage does this offer over planechase?
September 23, 2015 10:47 a.m.
GobboE I like the random counters idea. And as far as the coin flip, rather than counter manipulation, just removing or replacing a chaos card for heads, still just adding another for tails?
September 23, 2015 12:35 p.m.
And just for some input because the 5 per player sounds a bit sketchy to me now, I thought of this after not sleeping for a few days. But do you think a set in stone 15 or 20 card chaos deck with no duplicates is a better route?
September 23, 2015 12:44 p.m.
So as of right now... I'll be changing the number of counters to equal to the result of rolling a 6-sided die (rolled by the player whose turn it is preceding). Once a turn coin flip stays the same. Change items to simpler wording. And changing the chaos deck to a 20 card no duplicate library (since even in planechase it was always one player who brought all the planar cards anyways, if a group wants everybody's input they can do so). I'll be playtesting against myself later to see how it goes... And the reason I initially had it more static is because the goal was for players to be throwing cards like Confusion in the Ranks, Possibility Storm, Grip of Chaos, Wild Evocation, and Impulsive Maneuvers and the like, they're more fun the more that are out. But I still like the idea of presenting an unknown to how long it will be in play.
September 23, 2015 12:53 p.m.
I have gone through and revised the rules, taking some of the predictability away from the set up and smoothing some edges.
September 23, 2015 1:24 p.m.
M a g i c a l H a c k e r, PepsiAddicted, Boza, GobboE... Thank you all for checking this out and providing input, it has been revised to smooth some wording and to create a less predictable atmosphere.
September 23, 2015 1:27 p.m.
And what it offers over planechase is more fun chaotic abilities (in my opinion planar effects are just meh compared to most enchantments)and numerous instances at once that leave at varying times (set at random) that cannot be walked away from because someone doesn't like it, but rather can be slowed or sped up for removal.
September 23, 2015 1:48 p.m.
Example of a Chaos Deck I threw together: Chaos Deck (For My New Format)
hempel says... #2
M a g i c a l H a c k e r What do you think?! :D
September 23, 2015 12:49 a.m.