So is there a color pie in this game?

Unknown

So, as a on-again, off most of the time Magic player, Magic card creation is dictated by a "color pie", which basically says for the five colors in the game, they have very defined rules and frameworks when it comes to what they can and can't do (i.e. White doesn't do direct damage, Red doesn't blow up enchantments, etc.) but they can always be tinkered with to allow rare exceptions.

Does this sort of thing exist in MPQ?
Red abilities seem to be very damaged focused without much else (Unibeam, Adamanteum Slash, Retribution, etc.)
Green seems to focus on damage, but then you get some added value in exchange for less raw damage (Feral Slash, Flame Jet, The Thirst)
Blue is tuned to longevity and stunning (Peacemaker, Power Surge, Billy Club, Anti-Gravity Device)
Black seems to be the "evil" color although it's not bad guy specific. Good guys doing naughty things seems to wedge in too (Summon Demons, Masterstroke, Surgical Strike, Lift Visor)
Yellow is the healing / team focused color. (Web Bandages, Invisibility, Coercive Field, Sentinel of Liberty)
Pink seems to be the "Tricky" color, that does some things outside the range of the other colors (Aggressive Recon, Shapeshift, Whalesx3, Illusions, Radar Sense)

There are some obvious exceptions to these, but the overall rules seem to be in place. I'd be interested to know if MPQ actually has a color pie of sorts that they work with when designing characters.

Mawtful

In short: no.

There's a hint of a colour pie - and the designers seems to believe that they made one - but nothing quite on terms with MtG.

Der_Lex

It's a lot more flexible than magic's current color pie, but some colors do have more of a certain effect than others. I'd say these are their primary traits:

Red - direct damage
Green - strike tile generation and board shake
Blue - stun, maybe charged tile generation
Purple - tile color conversion
Yellow - healing, team-up gem manipulation (Storm, Cyclops, BP)
Black - attack tile generation

Team damage and defense tiles seem to be pretty spread out.

But as mawtful said, it's more of a hint of one, and often which color combination fits the hero thematically or practically will take priority.

GuntherBlobel

The above is spot on but here's a few more thematic observations:

: The primary color for growth powers that have increased effect based on total AP available.
Fun fact: yellow was originally white and still is in the code (I think). Explains why it is almost exclusively health and protect tile associated. (Also why is Red, Yellow, and Blue)

Black abilities have been evolving a lot recently with a little of everything now, but here are the major themes as I see them.
: Persistent crippling effects. Often tiles, but In some cases the crippling effect is represented by AP drain or denial.

: Devastating, but conditional direct damage.

There are exceptions to these rules that make certain characters more desirable simply because they have abilities typically reserved for other colors. For example, is rare in that that acts more like a ability due to it's board shake. Similarly, X-Force shakes the board with and , which is also unusual. Put these two together and you have 4 board shake powers of different colors instead of just the typical green.

Any other notable mechanic themes not already mentioned?

Pylgrim

Going from what we can divine from the characters and little snippets of info from the developers, the colour pie exists more philosophically than mechanically. For example, Yellow is the colour of friendship and allegiance and helpfulness. That why it usually gets abilities that restore life or create protect tiles or interact with team-up tiles, but you also get something like Luke Cage's yellow which deals damage based in the number of alive characters you have. On that line purple is the colour of trickery and deception, blue is the colour of science and healing, red is the colour of anger and violence, black is the colour of relentlessness and cruelty, and green is the colour of raw power and growth.

Mawtful

GuntherBlobel wrote:

Any other notable mechanic themes not already mentioned?

Here's how I've observed and translated the pie - based off in-game examples, but using my own design principles. I'll offer some examples for my reasoning, but ask me if you want clarification.


Usually ranged or energy attacks. Conditional bonus damage.
eg. Fireball, Psychic Knife, Star-Spangled Avenger, Ambush, Retribution, etc.


Usually melee or physical attacks. Generators.
eg. Berserker Rage, Furry Friends, The Thirst, etc.


Protection, Teamwork, Selfless defense and Healing.
eg. Sentinel of Justice, Battleplan, Immoveable Object, Recovery, etc.


Disables, Support.
Peacemaker, Power Surge, Anti-Gravity Device, Redwing, etc.


Theft (and Deception).
eg. Aggressive Recon, Shapeshift, Fisk Defense, etc.


Destruction & Chaos.
Surgical Strike, Hailstorm, Life of the Party, etc.

Unknown

It use to follow a lot more strictly, with being damage and being support, with a few exceptions. Then Nick Fury put up a 10k blue damage power, Deadpool threw out a 12k purple power, and we got XF with a crazy insane black power. Now the color lines blur a lot more.