New skill mechanics idea thread

Unknown

I can't play as much as I used to anymore, but still love the game and spend time thinking about new skill mechanics. It's clear that the devs are pumping a lot of creative energy into new characters - creativity that's not appreciated by the player base as much as it should. Some of the new skills coming out lately have been fascinating and adds to the fun in collecting characters. I'd like start a thread for forum-goers to share their skill mechanics ideas beyond the simple "cost AP, do damage / strike tile / attack tile" that are the norm.

None of these are meant to be top-tier powers that can end a match.

In no way do I suggest these as balanced - they are simply skill mechanics to toss around for thought (if a Dev ever sees this, awesome!). Most of these have no specific heroes in mind, except for the ones noted. Here goes:

Passives
1) Damage shield / collateral damage
Match tile damage reflection (maybe for an Invisible Woman type character)
Whenever the board has at least 7 of each color tile, Character A reflects 30% of all match damage (not skill based) back to the enemy character.
1: Reflects 30% damage
2: Requires at least 6 of each color tile
3: Reflects 50% damage
4: Reflects 70% damage and damages enemy team
5: Your team only takes the remainder of the damage that is not reflected.

Purpose of this skill: Allows a way for a support character to dish out damage. ONLY affects match tile damage and is not affected by strike tiles or protect tiles. Players rarely value protect tiles because of the AP cost. This mechanic would allow a small combination of strike tiles and protect tiles at lvl 5, and up to random chance (the other team should value controlling the number of a certain color to avoid taking collateral damage.

2) Row / column destruction gets an added utility bonus
Whenever your team destroys an entire row (4-way match or CHawkeye's arrow stab), the force of the attack shocks the opposing team. Opposing team loses a random 2ap of colors (could be 1blue + 1red, or 2black)
1: Opposing team loses random 3ap of colors
2: Opposing team loses random 4ap of colors
3: Opposing team also loses control of one attack, strike, protect or countdown tile
4: Opposing team loses a random 5ap of colors
5: Opposing team stumbles, redistributes the team's strongest AP to the team's weakest AP
Purpose: 4-way matches currently clear rows and has a chance for cascades, but they are rare enough that each match will only see 1-3 occurrences (guesstimate). The power isn't strong enough to make the match an easy win, but can be a lucky turning of the tide. This skill will make teams consider taking the match 5 or the match 4 depending on team makeup and situation. Good synergy with underappreciated CHawkeye...good for Balance of Power type events where skills synergize across rarity levels.

3) Revenge mechanic / last man standing
When a hero on your team dies down, grants bonuses to remaining heroes.
1: Gain 1AP in every color
2: Converts 4 basic tiles to enrage tiles - enrage tiles apply +50% bonus match damage when matched by the friendly team
3: 6 enrage tiles on the board - applies +75% bonus match damage when matched by the friendly team
4: 8 enrage tiles on the board - applies 100% bonus match damage when matched by the friendly team
5: Gain 2AP in every color
Purpose: Just something to throw out there to add a new game mechanic. Shouldn't be too strong of a power - it's just an added bonus (that can be used for a 4th passive on several characters?). It's like a mix of Anger and C.Storm's yellow ability.


Active skills
1) Deplete the environment - stop the enemy team from power gain
Turn 3 tiles of a chosen color to stone. A stone tile is one that has its color removed (does not grant AP gain) but does damage equal to TU tiles. Stone tiles do not stack damage with strike tiles.
1: Costs 8AP
2: Turns 4 tiles of a chosen color to stone
3: Costs 6AP
4: Turns 5 tiles of a chosen color to stone
5: Turns all tiles of a chosen color to stone
Purpose: This skill would be like a pre-emptive AP steal, except it prevents the enemy team from gaining their most desired AP. In turn, it also hurts the player team's AP gain, so it allows some meta-game strategy in selecting your team makeup that does not use the same strongest color as your opposing team. Fully powered, the skill can be used to generate cascades that won't fuel itself (with 12ap, can be cast twice to cause major cascades with two colors turning into stone). The damage will be minimal (TU tile damage + crits), but almost no AP gain will result.

2) Damage the enemy (single target) based on their highest AP stash.
Does damage to the enemy for every 1 AP of their highest quantity color.
1: Costs 10AP, 100 damage per enemy AP
2: Does 200 damage per AP
3: Does 300 damage per AP
4: Also does 50 damage per AP of the enemy's 2nd highest color.
5: Also does 100 damage per AP of the enemy's 2nd highest color.

Purpose: Punishes the enemy team for stashing high AP. Hurts the Player for stashing unused colors also. Highest quantity AP is usually due to the team construction not covering all colors. Could benefit from BP's RotP and Ares' Onslaught AP gift. Prevents putting this character on the same team as Hood. Useful against PvE. Should be a strong attack because the player does not control what the enemy team gathers AP in.

3) Power steal
Attacks the enemy using a random skill from the enemy team against themselves. Does not require AP in the skill's color to use.
1: Costs 12AP, random skill amongst the lowest AP cost of each opposing team member
2: Random skill amongst all but the highest cost skill of each opposing team member
3: Costs 10ap
4: Random skill amongst the highest cost skill only of each opposing team member and uses the enemy team's AP in the skill's color
5: Select the enemy hero's skill to use

Purpose: For a Rogue-like character, it's a reverse Colossus' Fast-ball special. Or a mind-control type ability. Or Dr. Doom's third skill!

4) De-power
Temporarily prevents the opposing team from using a skill. costs 9ap
1: Places 1 mind control countdown tiles on the board. The countdown tile lasts for 3 turns. As long as there is at least one mind-control tile on the board, the enemy team cannot activate a skill.
2: Places 2 mind control countdown tiles on the board. After countdown tiles activate, converts 1 enemy strike tile to friendly strike tile per mind control tile.
3: Places 3 mind control countdown tiles on the board. Countdown tiles last for 2 turns
4: Places 4 mind control countdown tiles on the board countdown tiles last for 1 turn. Also converts enemy attack tiles
5: Also converts countdown and protect tiles

Purpose: Acts as a stun for the enemy team on skill-based powers only. Still allows team to hit with physical damage. Taking away special tiles allows a counter to daken / cmags / falcon / sentry. Should be used frequently enough to cast 1-2 times per pvp match. Designed for PvE matches.

5) Fast-attack, rabbit punches
Close quarters combat - punch your enemy. Removes one friendly strike tile. Costs 5ap
1: Does 50 damage
2: Costs 4ap
3: Does 150 damage
4: Costs 3ap
5: Does not remove friendly strike tile
Purpose: People loved CMags' fast attack (red) because it allowed stacking with strike tiles for bonus damage. It's a strategy that is still legitimate (in light of Sentry's WR being way more powerful) but could use some reduced power. This power lets players utilize the strike tile / fast hit strategy again, but with a downside - it reduces strike tiles so it's not as spammable. Let's say there are 600dmg sitting out there with strike tiles. This skill would only do about 1950 damage for 9ap at level 5. That's not that far out of whack. It does not cause cascades like CMags' old skill.

6) Telepathic mind-control (Professor X?) Get into your enemy's mind and turn them against their own team.
Take control of one enemy hero for 1 turn. If that hero makes does match-tile damage, they inflict it on their own teammate. Costs 11ap
1: Controls for 2 turns
2: Controls enemy for 3 turns
3: Also converts strike / protect / attack / countdown tiles caused by the controlled hero. Tiles revert to enemy control after mind control wears off
4: Controls enemy for 4 turns. Special tiles are destroyed after mind control wears off.
5: Allows one skill to be cast by the controlled character using the enemy's AP. Mind control wears off afterwards.
Purpose: Play with the mind control powers. It should be powerful, but limited by the opposing team's AP to activate a special power.

7) Transform AP
Converts your team's TU AP to a color of another choice. Costs 10 ap
1: Converts up to half of the team's TU AP to a color of your choice
2: Converts up to 75% of the TU AP to a color of your choice
3: Converts all TU AP to a color of your choice
4: Converts all TU AP distributed to two colors of your choice
5: Also converts up to 5 TU tiles on the board to purple. Converts up to 5 black tiles to TU tiles.

Purpose: Players may collect AP but not use them because the TU they equipped does not fit with the current strategy. Allows redistribution of the TU ap to gain a skill. It's similar to the color conversion skills by MNMags and GSBW's purple skills, except it does it in the team's AP stash instead of on the board. It is less powerful because it is limited to what is already gained (MNMags and GSBW usually gains AP in the conversion), and does not generate 1-2 critical tiles. The benefit is, this skill allows AP generation of any color based on TU tiles. The 5th power is a board shakeup.

8) Destroy board and AP on both teams
Destroys Every other row on the board and does tile damage to the opposing team. Does not generate AP. Reduces AP of both teams by half.
1: Costs 16AP
2: Reduces all AP on both teams by 75%
3: Also destroys every other column on the board
4: Reduces AP on both teams by 100% and eliminates TU ability
5: Costs 13AP and Destroys entire board.

Purpose: Fun to think about, wipe out all enemy special tiles, and resets the game to 0-0. Makes the player have to suffer through increasing repercussions until they get to level 5.