Mount (cost) (Attach this creature to another target creature you control. These creatures may only attack or block together. Any creature blocking or being blocked by either of these creatures is considered to be blocking or being blocked by both. You choose how combat damage is assigned to these creatures. Mount only as a sorcery and only if neither creature is attached to another creature.)
Edit: This was the original version, which I left here unedited. All the other cards with Mount have been altered to fit the new format.
First impression: Holy crap wall of text.
ReplyDeleteI really don't like giant walls of texts on cards, especially if it's for a keyword ability. Keywords are meant to be fairly simple and straight forward, so that they're easy to remember and you don't need to look at rules text.
Attaching makes me think of equipment and auras, which while essentially the same effect as say a licid, is done in a much more complex way. Wouldn't it be simpler just to do it in the licid form? Or better yet creatures that transform into equipment.
I like the idea of using another word like what soulbond does (pairing), such as grouping, or even riding (as it is a mount), if you plan on keeping it roughly the same mechanic.
In terms of costs and balance, I think this is overcosted for a few reasons. Compare this to whispersilk cloak. for 2 + 3 colorless mana you get a shrouded unblockable creature. Shadow Mare costs 4 + 3, in colored mana, and doesn't give shroud (which is arguably more relevant than just +2/+2). The unblockable is also lost to a single removal spell, which makes this a very easy 1 for 2 ability, where as cloak takes artifact removal (harder to come by). Lastly in the comparison to cloak, mounting is essentially another drawback, as it can very easily make a non-summoning sick creature have summoning sickness again, as if it's "attaching" to a creature that is summoning sick, neither can attack, equipment and aura's don't have this drawback.
If we also compare mounting to banding, you have roughly the same effect, but you have to pay an additional cost to join the band, and it can only be a band of two. I definitely think the activation cost should be removed, and reflected in the creature's converted cost, which on shadow mare is already adequate, if not still overcosted (compare to Neurok Invisomancer http://magiccards.info/ddi/en/8.html A more recently created creature that no one had much love for, and gave the unblockable ability a turn sooner, albeit without built in recursion, but didn't suffer a double summoning sickness like mount).
What if instead of putting all these restrictions on mount, it just grouped the two creatures, and then you made a triggered ability of when both creatures attack and/or block together, they gain the bonus. might clear up quite a bit of text, although it'd be extremely close to soulbond (just activated pairing, instead of triggered).