Card Idea: Chasing Shadows

There's been an awful lot of cards promoting the bruise and bleed concept lately and I thought I'd counteract that a little because frankly I don't want to see combat playing such a major role in the game. This card is made half to address oversized combat packages, half because I found it thematically fun.

Chasing shadows I
Combat
Only usable before strike resolution when the opposing minion has played 3 or more combat cards.
obf: Prevent 1 damage later this round.
OBF: Combat ends. Begin another combat with the opposing minion.

Most probably not that competitive since it runs the risk of easily becoming a dead card against most decks. One can always tweak it a bit or for example make the inferior a non combat effect for cycling like giving -1 intercept against a minion with +1 intercept or more. Doing that would run the risk of wall of texting it a little though.

Chasing Shadows II
Action Modifier/Combat
obf: [ACTION MODIFIER] Only usable when a minion with +1 intercept or more is attempting to block. The blocking minion gets -1 intercept.
OBF: [COMBAT] Only usable before strike resolution when the opposing minion has played 3 or more combat cards. Combat ends. Begin another combat with the opposing minion.

So, let's pick up on all the people that were trying not to use the boring animalism package ? Oh yes, such a good idea. I also propose that 2nd trad give +10 intercept and stop costing blood, and Mind rape give permanent control, and damage from shattering crescendo should be aggravated.

If you don't want to be pounded to death to combat, let's be frank : there's more than enough already printed for that. The only point you have is that, if (I say if) combats cards become massively multi usage, the anti combat card could also become multi usage.

Before that, juste stick 5-7 No Trace. Or Majesty. Or any of the bajillions powerful anti combat card that exist. Combat end can already ruin a 3-card combos painstakingly reunited to be able to do something, and it's not enough for you ?

To be a bit less negative, what you may need (but no want, since it would still allow Bruise to have any efficiency) would be :

Cowering
Reaction / action modifier.
Play only if this vampire isn't blocking or trying to block.
Until your next untap, this vampire can't rake action, block, or play reaction card. Put this card into play and put blood lost by this vampire to this card. This vampire can't lose blood once two blood is on this card. Burn this card at your next untap.

So, you lose defensive potentiel for you, and ensure your vampire will not take too much damage, so you will be able to use it at your next turn to kill your prey.

Ohlmann wrote:

Before that, juste stick 5-7 No Trace. Or Majesty. Or any of the bajillions powerful anti combat card that exist. Combat end can already ruin a 3-card combos painstakingly reunited to be able to do something, and it's not enough for you ?

Splashing in a few combat ends will not save you against a dedicated combat deck, it will only dilute what your deck is really supposed to do. If you are serious about playing combat getting around S:CE is mandatory.

My wish is that it would be less black and white and people would have some combat to tax a little on the other players resources instead of just ruining their game. Weenie auspex with guns and stickmen are great examples where combat has found the middle ground, it's a little extra attrition.

This card is supposed to help against those deck that invest too much in combat, a slim combat package will not be affected.

Louhi wrote:

This card is supposed to help against those deck that invest too much in combat, a slim combat package will not be affected.

You're wrong on almost every level I can count.

* this will not help against deck that invest heavily in combat. This will help against "bad" deck that are already in full hand cycling mode. (Just as a reminder, this card let people do a Torn Signpost + Immortal Grapple + Disarm, or just about any sane combat deck chain, so it's not exactly as if it were interfering with the normal plan of a combat deck).

* 5-7 majesty will definitely be enough to survive most combat deck (heck, even Potence deck can have real reason not to go for Immortal Grapple !), and a lot of other powerful option bypass Immortal Grapple.

* a deck that invest too much in combat will lose anyway. Why on earth do you want a card to make him lose faster ?

* if you don't find fun to see your vampire being destroyed, take an hard look at Mind Rape, Spirit Marionnet, Shattering Crescendo, Horseshoe, allies, etc. Frankly, combat look tame in comparison, being both harder to make work, less reliable, and less radical.

That's a lot better critique. I guess I should rephrase myself a little since it's not so much having my minions destroyed that's the problem, it's kingmaking. Somehow I can't recall seeing a spirit marionette, mind rape or shattering clearly kingmake nor have I been too bothered when someone's played those cards against me. But on countless occasions someone decides 7 red cards are cool and proceeds to lose the game for himself and whoever else he decides. That sort of play should not be encouraged. Thought out decks that include combat are just fine as long as they are aimed towards winning.

And I don't see the problem with putting some emphasis on bad decks being bad, hopefully people will put effort in improving them a little.