I agree. Layerswise, you can’t grant changeling, you have to just give “every creature type”. So by keeping changing that first ability, you’ll be losing the symmetry by keeping the second one as changeling, and it’s an extremely narrow effect anyway. I think taking away all creature types is much more interesting.
Edit: and oh wait, taking away Changeling won’t work either anyway
True. But that would make it shut down all tribal stuff opponents have in colorless, I feel like that would be a more white ability. Maybe that more justifies it being a 2/2 for 6.
Either way, I like that version better.
My idea for a colorless addition to BNG's [[archetype]] cycle, based on [[Maskwood Nexus]]. Plus something to help obscure tribal decks.
AFAIK there aren't cards that interact with "changeling" as an ability, just "gain all creature types" or whatever, but I think this still works.
I made it a 2/2 for 6 which might be a bit too bad. It was based on Brass Herald, but that serves as a lord, too. Maybe this could be increased to a 3/3 or 4/4. Let me know what you think.
Ah I don't know the rules well enough to know how things work on layers, I'd need a judge for that. Just imagine this is worded in whatever way it actually works :)
In general, it can't be assumed that a designer's intent can be worded to work within Magic's rules. Fortunately for you, your wording is easily fixed by just outright stating that the creatures have all creature types.
>Creatures you control have all creature types.
>Creatures your opponents control lose all creature types and can't gain creature types.
But this actually works differently than op's card. Original card affects only opponent's creatures with changeling, while yours affects all. Although I prefer your version more.
>Original card affects only opponent's creatures with changeling
No, read the card again. It specifies "creatures your opponents control", not "creatures your opponents control with changeling".
The original card removes "changeling" which has no effect on opponent's creatures that don't have that word though. Like how [[Archetype of Imagination]] affects all opponent's creatures but only REALLY affects their fliers.
Unless a non-changeling losing changeling still somehow does something? I know some keywords wind up with some counterintuitive rules effects.
It is correct to say that removing changeling from the opponent's creatures that don't have changeling doesn't do anything. But you missed the part where the second ability also prevents those same creatures from gaining changeling.
Both my rewording and OP's original wording make the second ability affect the same set of creatures. What the ability exactly does to those creatures differs between the two wordings (gaining creature types on my rewording versus gaining changeling in OP's wording), but which creatures it affects is identical (both say "creatures your opponents control"). That's what my comment you responded to is saying.
To be fair, this is exactly why it is important to use totally correct wordings. Current ops wording doesn't do anything due to layers and so it is hard to understand what exactly he meant - remove creature types from only opponent's creatures with changeling or remove types from all opponent's creatures. Seems he meant to just remove types from all creatures (not only changelings) and prohibit them from gaining types.
While you're correct in that OP's card doesn't properly add or remove creature types as intended, the exact set of creatures affected by each ability is unambiguous.
The same thing as any other Archetype, presumably: everybody goes home sad and empty-handed.
Normally if you have "gains flying" vs "losing flying" - for example, [[Flight]] vs [[Colossus Hammer]] - the most recent one will win. But [[Archetype of Imagination]] has a more thorough wording, and in this case, can't beats can. Your Archetype means your opponents creatures can never have flying, regardless of timestamps. And if there are two enemy Archetypes, nobody flies.
Just for your benefit, as a judge, thought I’d explain why. Magic’s complicated ass rules system uses the Layer system, as you’ve seen, to handle continuous effects.
Layers are applied in order, top to bottom, like so:
1. Copiable Values.
2. Control changing effects.
3. Text changing effects.
4. Type changing effects.
5. Colour changing effects.
6. Ability granting/removing effects.
7. Power/Toughness changing effects.
As you can see, “Type changing” is before “Ability changing”, so Changeling would already do it’s ability before being removed, and gaining it would be too late for it to do anything.
It’s why we can have “Red creatures have first strike”, but not “Creatures with first strike are red”.
Maskwood nexus affects creature spells and creature cards you own, too. Was that not included for power level reasons, for text box length, something else?
It's not meant to be Maskwood Nexus' ability exactly, just meant to be more similar to the keyword-granting-and-removing abilities of the Archetype cycle, and using Maskwood Nexus as inspiration for this kind of ability being in colorless.
You'd get more meaningful outcomes by granting all types to your creatures and denying all types to your opponents.
I agree. Layerswise, you can’t grant changeling, you have to just give “every creature type”. So by keeping changing that first ability, you’ll be losing the symmetry by keeping the second one as changeling, and it’s an extremely narrow effect anyway. I think taking away all creature types is much more interesting. Edit: and oh wait, taking away Changeling won’t work either anyway
True. But that would make it shut down all tribal stuff opponents have in colorless, I feel like that would be a more white ability. Maybe that more justifies it being a 2/2 for 6. Either way, I like that version better.
Should be “creatures you control are all creature types” and “creatures your opponents control lose all creature types and cannot gain creature types”
Much cleaner
My idea for a colorless addition to BNG's [[archetype]] cycle, based on [[Maskwood Nexus]]. Plus something to help obscure tribal decks. AFAIK there aren't cards that interact with "changeling" as an ability, just "gain all creature types" or whatever, but I think this still works. I made it a 2/2 for 6 which might be a bit too bad. It was based on Brass Herald, but that serves as a lord, too. Maybe this could be increased to a 3/3 or 4/4. Let me know what you think.
I think there’s a layers issue with granting/removing changeling and that’s why everything says “gain all creature types.
Ah I don't know the rules well enough to know how things work on layers, I'd need a judge for that. Just imagine this is worded in whatever way it actually works :)
In general, it can't be assumed that a designer's intent can be worded to work within Magic's rules. Fortunately for you, your wording is easily fixed by just outright stating that the creatures have all creature types. >Creatures you control have all creature types. >Creatures your opponents control lose all creature types and can't gain creature types.
But this actually works differently than op's card. Original card affects only opponent's creatures with changeling, while yours affects all. Although I prefer your version more.
>Original card affects only opponent's creatures with changeling No, read the card again. It specifies "creatures your opponents control", not "creatures your opponents control with changeling".
The original card removes "changeling" which has no effect on opponent's creatures that don't have that word though. Like how [[Archetype of Imagination]] affects all opponent's creatures but only REALLY affects their fliers. Unless a non-changeling losing changeling still somehow does something? I know some keywords wind up with some counterintuitive rules effects.
It is correct to say that removing changeling from the opponent's creatures that don't have changeling doesn't do anything. But you missed the part where the second ability also prevents those same creatures from gaining changeling. Both my rewording and OP's original wording make the second ability affect the same set of creatures. What the ability exactly does to those creatures differs between the two wordings (gaining creature types on my rewording versus gaining changeling in OP's wording), but which creatures it affects is identical (both say "creatures your opponents control"). That's what my comment you responded to is saying.
[Archetype of Imagination](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/0/3/037b396c-2146-4d86-9d13-757685c850c7.jpg?1592710522) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Archetype%20of%20Imagination) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c18/81/archetype-of-imagination?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/037b396c-2146-4d86-9d13-757685c850c7?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
To be fair, this is exactly why it is important to use totally correct wordings. Current ops wording doesn't do anything due to layers and so it is hard to understand what exactly he meant - remove creature types from only opponent's creatures with changeling or remove types from all opponent's creatures. Seems he meant to just remove types from all creatures (not only changelings) and prohibit them from gaining types.
While you're correct in that OP's card doesn't properly add or remove creature types as intended, the exact set of creatures affected by each ability is unambiguous.
That's a completely different ability tho. But it would make the card a bit more playable at least.
what would happen if both players had one of these
The same thing as any other Archetype, presumably: everybody goes home sad and empty-handed. Normally if you have "gains flying" vs "losing flying" - for example, [[Flight]] vs [[Colossus Hammer]] - the most recent one will win. But [[Archetype of Imagination]] has a more thorough wording, and in this case, can't beats can. Your Archetype means your opponents creatures can never have flying, regardless of timestamps. And if there are two enemy Archetypes, nobody flies.
[Flight](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/1/5/15316953-dcb2-4428-b90a-c90d3d4c45f3.jpg?1562633465) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Flight) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m12/53/flight?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/15316953-dcb2-4428-b90a-c90d3d4c45f3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Colossus Hammer](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/8/9/897a134e-7e61-4fe1-bbae-23ef1fe5c0cf.jpg?1631588878) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Colossus%20Hammer) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/afc/202/colossus-hammer?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/897a134e-7e61-4fe1-bbae-23ef1fe5c0cf?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Archetype of Imagination](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/0/3/037b396c-2146-4d86-9d13-757685c850c7.jpg?1592710522) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Archetype%20of%20Imagination) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c18/81/archetype-of-imagination?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/037b396c-2146-4d86-9d13-757685c850c7?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I actually kind of dig that
Just for your benefit, as a judge, thought I’d explain why. Magic’s complicated ass rules system uses the Layer system, as you’ve seen, to handle continuous effects. Layers are applied in order, top to bottom, like so: 1. Copiable Values. 2. Control changing effects. 3. Text changing effects. 4. Type changing effects. 5. Colour changing effects. 6. Ability granting/removing effects. 7. Power/Toughness changing effects. As you can see, “Type changing” is before “Ability changing”, so Changeling would already do it’s ability before being removed, and gaining it would be too late for it to do anything. It’s why we can have “Red creatures have first strike”, but not “Creatures with first strike are red”.
[archetype](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/8/e/8e6c4afb-6a94-4519-91c6-9824fed2892c.jpg?1593091364) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Archetype%20of%20Courage) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/bng/4/archetype-of-courage?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8e6c4afb-6a94-4519-91c6-9824fed2892c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Maskwood Nexus](https://c1.scryfall.com/file/scryfall-cards/normal/front/4/7/471d2aef-cfd4-4131-bbc7-62eeed9f3343.jpg?1631052188) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Maskwood%20Nexus) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/khm/240/maskwood-nexus?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/471d2aef-cfd4-4131-bbc7-62eeed9f3343?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Maskwood nexus affects creature spells and creature cards you own, too. Was that not included for power level reasons, for text box length, something else?
It's not meant to be Maskwood Nexus' ability exactly, just meant to be more similar to the keyword-granting-and-removing abilities of the Archetype cycle, and using Maskwood Nexus as inspiration for this kind of ability being in colorless.
Mistform Ultimus is unaffected because it doesn't have changeling, nice
Change it from changeling to gain all/lose all creature types and I think you've got something here. Cool idea.