DOM Balancing Ideas

Mburn7

So with @bken1234's thread on under-powered cards and the usual grumbling about over-powered cards, I figured it would be nice to have a consolidated thread to discuss how to balance them out to make everyone happy (or happier, at least).

NOTE:
I'm not including commons and uncommons, since those really aren't meant to be that great anyway, and DOM has some sweet uncommons already.
Also, these changes are meant to be realistic.  Not every card should be super powerful or great in every deck.  Also, asking for a ridiculous change is useless, since there is no way the devs would listen.

Pernicious Deed:   Only target your opponent's stuff.  Makes it masterpiece-worthy. 
Alternate idea:  Make it target base power for creatures, not total.  Encourages token and weenie decks.

Flash:  Give the played creature Reach

Elvish Piper:  Give it an ETB effect.  Maybe fetch your next creature.  Give it a reason to bounce (other than someone's DeviantArt page).

Conflux:  Drop the cost.  20 should be fine.  Maybe 15.  Probably not less than that.  Possibly less than that.

Update:  Cost dropped to 22.

Akroma:  Buff the Buff (more gems or bigger bonus).  Or make the hexproof permanent (or make it trigger against a blue or white walker to be more like protection, although that may be too difficult)

Haphazard Bombardment:  Make it closer to paper.  Start of turn destroys an opponent support at random.  If they have no supports, it self-destructs.  Keep it simple.
          Update:  Now targets opponent supports first.  Costs 15.

Traxos:  I personally don't think its that bad, but there's a lot of hate here.  Can't remove the can't attack thing, since he has it in paper.  Maybe add a "historic cards cost 2 less to cast" on him?  Or make him a 10/10 for 10 (or a 12/12 for 12).
          Update:  Now a 12/12 trample for 10

Mishra's Self Replicator:  I actually like him fine as is, but trample wouldn't hurt (maybe make it "has trample if its reinforced 5 or more times")

The Weatherlight:  Not sure if giving 6 mana is a great idea.  Too many easy combos.  Maybe only 4 or 5.  Maybe not.
          Update:  Now gives 5 mana

Multani:  Either make him bigger or drop the reach.

Mox Amber:  Either make it a countdown activate (2 or 3 turn should be fine) or activate 4.  Or trigger it at start of turn.
          Update:  Activate 4

Phyrexian Scriptures:  Drop the buff from chapter 2.  Just destroy non-artifact creatures, just like paper.

Darigaaz:  Support should be destroyed when he comes back.  He should not be resurrected every turn.  That's nuts.

Memorials (and Void):  Cost 10.
          Update:  Memorials cost 8 (with 2 shield), Void costs 7

Squee:  Cost 15.  Or give him +1/+1 per reinforcement (not my idea, saw someone post earlier, like the idea)
          Update:  Now a 4/3 for 16

Slimefoot:  Make him a 3/4 instead of a 4/5.  He's waaay too powerful as is.  That should balance him out some.

Lich's Mastery:  Make it more like paper.  Instead of "discard a card at end of turn" make it "whenever you would take damage, discard a card.  If you can't, destroy Lich's Mastery".  Gives it much more of a downside.

Gilded Lotus:  Either drop the cost to 6 or increase the shields to 3.  I get why +2 was too good.  Or just make it make all negative mana buffs go away.  Would that make Koth way too good?  Probably!  Does anyone care?  Probably not!
Another idea is to put it back how it was but cap how large Lotus can make your bonuses.  So it makes that -2 go to 0, but doesn't make your +7 a +9.  Very complicated, but definitely balanced if done correctly.  Just watch out for funky interactions!  (as you can see, this is a hotly debated topic)
         Update:  Now 3 shields for 9

One fixed, a dozen to go!  Yay!!
They listened!!!  Bigger Yay!!



Did I miss anything?  Comment below!

*edited periodically to consolidate comments from below*

FindingHeart8

really like your Lich's Mastery and Squee suggestion!

Traxos: "if you pull him you can submit a ticket where we will refund you your 400 crystals plus a personal apology for including a mythic in your elite packs that's utterly worthless."

Make him a 12/12 for 12 mana with the conditional attack abilities.  I'd still never use him, but I'd feel less like I wasted a couple hours of my life grinding crystals for trash.

sorry, the more I think about the existence of that card in an elite pack (at probably a considerably higher percentage to pull than the other mythics) the saltier it makes me.

bk1234

Mburn7 said:

~snip~



Mox Amber:  Either make it a countdown activate (2 or 3 turn should be fine) or activate 4.

Memorials:  Cost 10.

Gilded Lotus:  Either drop the cost to 6 or increase the shields to 3.  I get why +2 was too good.

Did I miss anything?  Comment below!

Mox Amber is amazing the way it is. 

Memorials should cost 8 or 9. 

Why not just make Gilded Lotus do what the devs wanted it to do -- zero out negative mana gains -- keep it at 9 and give it 3 shields. This would probably be one of my most used cards in this case as I often get mana denied with a few PW who have -1 and -2 gains. Also the intention is clever. 

Brakkis

Another option for Squee is that his own reinforcing actually gives him +3/+2. So he can't be boosted by other goblin token generators (there are only two) but he can buff himself, especially if someone tries to kill him.

Bil

   Haphazard bombardment has to be reworked ... As it is now it is ridiculous .... After playing it several times, it always destroyed itself before any other support ... I'm even wondering if it isnt bugged ...
  When you know you got a 3 mana card that instantly does the same effect ... On an oponents support ... I really don't get how this 17 mana support makes sense in particular if it selfdestroys on the next turn ...

Mburn7

bken1234 said:

Mburn7 said:

~snip~



Mox Amber:  Either make it a countdown activate (2 or 3 turn should be fine) or activate 4.

Memorials:  Cost 10.

Gilded Lotus:  Either drop the cost to 6 or increase the shields to 3.  I get why +2 was too good.

Did I miss anything?  Comment below!

Mox Amber is amazing the way it is. 

Memorials should cost 8 or 9. 

Why not just make Gilded Lotus do what the devs wanted it to do -- zero out negative mana gains -- keep it at 9 and give it 3 shields. This would probably be one of my most used cards in this case as I often get mana denied with a few PW who have -1 and -2 gains. Also the intention is clever. 

I wasn't sure about Mox Amber, so fair enough.

Memorials costing 10 has precedence with the Innistrad Delirium lands (land with an extra ability), so I figured that would work fine.

Making the Lotus only effect negative gains would be interesting.  Definitely useful, but not overpowered.
I think 2 shields is still ok with that ability, though.  Devs already said they don't want it to be a "most used card"

FindingHeart8 said:

Traxos: "if you pull him you can submit a ticket where we will refund you your 400 crystals plus a personal apology for including a mythic in your elite packs that's utterly worthless."

Make him a 12/12 for 12 mana with the conditional attack abilities.  I'd still never use him, but I'd feel less like I wasted a couple hours of my life grinding crystals for trash.

sorry, the more I think about the existence of that card in an elite pack (at probably a considerably higher percentage to pull than the other mythics) the saltier it makes me.

I feel the same way about Haphazard Bombardment lol.  But remember, Traxos is rare in paper with the exact same shtick, so I'm not sure why he's a mythic (must be the 8/8 for 12 bit).  I think my solution would at least give him some use, but it would be tough.

GrizzoMtGPQ

Weatherlight probably doesn't need a buff. Drawing a card every turn it attacks is pretty awesome.

Mburn7

GrizzoMtGPQ said:

Weatherlight probably doesn't need a buff. Drawing a card every turn it attacks is pretty awesome.

This was more of a nerf, which it probably doesn't need anyway.  Just covering all my bases

khurram

Mox Amber is either not working right or it just sucks. Either way, it should cost 10 Mana.

Haphazard bombardment should start with enemy supports, if there are none only then it should start destroying your own, and destroy itself only if there are no supports on the board at all.

ZW2007-

khurram said:

Mox Amber is either not working right or it just sucks. Either way, it should cost 10 Mana.

Both. I agree completely on the cost change. I also think the ability needs to be changed from Activate 3 to "At the beginning of your turn". As it stands now, it just isn't worth including in a deck.

ZW2007-

Mburn7 said:

Traxos:  I personally don't think its that bad, but there's a lot of hate here.  Can't remove the can't attack thing, since he has it in paper.  Maybe add a "historic cards cost 2 less to cast" on him? 

Traxos is just so different in paper. He costs 4 for a 7/7. Once you get him untapped, you can just have him sit there as a huge blocker and have value even without attacking or casting Historic cards. You could also give him vigilance which would negate his effect. On top of all that, 7 power would take over a third of an opponents health in one attack.

The PQ equivalent should be closer to a 12/12 for 8 mana that is also able to attack when you reinforce him (in paper you could cast another copy of him just to untap and then sacrifice the freshly cast one). I honestly don't know how to fix him otherwise.

AdriA

Conflux - Drop its cost. I only see this card useful in a laaaate game using Karn with gilded lotus on board.

Squee - He is a core for reinforce decks and it will be useful if he cost 15 at max. 

Traxo - Drop the cost or add abilities or raise its power and toughness everything can make him useful.

Memorials - Drop its cost.

Mburn7

@bken1234 @FindingHeart8 @ZW2007- @AdriA I edited the original post with your ideas.  Feel like its easier to keep track of everything in one place.

Gilesclone

I’m not crazy about the idea of Lotus buffing the negatives.  Bolas, Samut and Elspeth are doing just fine without a huge mana increase.

bk1234

Gilesclone said:

I’m not crazy about the idea of Lotus buffing the negatives.  Bolas, Samut and Elspeth are doing just fine without a huge mana increase.

Before I had green gem changers I lost with Samut more than I won from being mana denied. I also found it hard to get matches in RtO this week because you’re playing the same color and going after the same gems. 

BATMAN1

Great idea on Traxos, give him some abitly that makes him worth having on the such as reduced cost of other historic card by 4 would be great and i think you would see him played ALlLLLLLLL the time. 

Mburn7

BATMAN1 said:

Great idea on Traxos, give him some abitly that makes him worth having on the such as reduced cost of other historic card by 4 would be great and i think you would see him played ALlLLLLLLL the time. 

The problem is, the devs don't want to see cards ALLLL the time.  But reducing costs by 2 would probably make it played more, but not enough to bring out the hammer

But thanks for the compliment!  I try to have good ideas at least once a year, I find it helps keep me sane

Kinesia

Mburn7 said:

BATMAN1 said:

Great idea on Traxos, give him some abitly that makes him worth having on the such as reduced cost of other historic card by 4 would be great and i think you would see him played ALlLLLLLLL the time. 

The problem is, the devs don't want to see cards ALLLL the time.  But reducing costs by 2 would probably make it played more, but not enough to bring out the hammer

But thanks for the compliment!  I try to have good ideas at least once a year, I find it helps keep me sane

Small bonuses like that seem to be the path they are taking for most things now...

FindingHeart8

BATMAN1 said:

Great idea on Traxos, give him some abitly that makes him worth having on the such as reduced cost of other historic card by 4 would be great and i think you would see him played ALlLLLLLLL the time. 

that would actually make me feel better about my wasted pink crystals, good idea!

Random side note: nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah.  Sorry, I couldn't resist

Bil

FindingHeart8 said:

BATMAN1 said:

Great idea on Traxos, give him some abitly that makes him worth having on the such as reduced cost of other historic card by 4 would be great and i think you would see him played ALlLLLLLLL the time. 

Random side note: nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah.  Sorry, I couldn't resist

   If it is what i think about, it's such a classic but awful reference ... ( I'm actually thinking about a song with 2 lyrics ... Am i hot or cold?)  ^^"

FindingHeart8

Bil said:

FindingHeart8 said:

BATMAN1 said:

Great idea on Traxos, give him some abitly that makes him worth having on the such as reduced cost of other historic card by 4 would be great and i think you would see him played ALlLLLLLLL the time. 

Random side note: nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah nahnah.  Sorry, I couldn't resist

   If it is what i think about, it's such a classic but awful reference ... ( I'm actually thinking about a song with 2 lyrics ... Am i hot or cold?)  ^^"