Conspiracy 2 implementation progress

by **fireshoes** » 17 Aug 2016, 02:46

Cards and mechanics to work on for the new set.

Release notes:
http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/ar ... 2016-08-22

Mechanics:
Melee

| Open: 702.120a Melee is a triggered ability. "Melee" means "Whenever this creature attacks, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each opponent you attacked with a creature this combat."
702.120b If a creature has multiple instances of melee, each triggers separately.
*You determine the size of the bonus as the melee ability resolves. Count each opponent that you attacked with one or more creatures. It doesn't matter if the attacking creatures are still attacking or even if they are still on the battlefield. It also doesn't matter if the opponent you attacked is still in the game.
*It doesn't matter how many creatures you attacked a player with, only that you attacked a player with at least one creature. For example, if you attack one player with Wings of the Guard and another player with five creatures, Wings of the Guard will get +2/+2 until end of turn.
*Melee will trigger if the creature with melee attacks a planeswalker. However, the effect counts only opponents (and not planeswalkers) that you attacked with a creature when determining the bonus.
*Creatures that enter the battlefield attacking were never declared as attackers, so they won't count toward melee's effect. Similarly, if a creature with melee enters the battlefield attacking, melee won't trigger.
*In a Two-Headed Giant game, attacking the opposing team counts both players. Melee will give a +2/+2 bonus per attacked team.

Goad

| Open: 701.35a Certain spells and abilities can goad a creature. Until the next turn of the controller of such a spell or ability, that creature attacks each combat if able and attacks a player other than the controller of that spell or ability if able.
*If, during a player's declare attackers step, a creature that player controls that's been goaded is tapped, is affected by a spell or ability that says it can't attack, or hasn't been under that player's control continuously since the turn began (and doesn't have haste), then it doesn't attack. If there's a cost associated with having a creature attack a player, its controller isn't forced to pay that cost, so it doesn't have to attack in that case either.
*If the creature doesn't meet any of the above exceptions and can attack, it must attack a player other than the controller of the spell or ability that goaded it if able. If the creature can't attack any of those players but could otherwise attack, it must attack an opposing planeswalker (controlled by any opponent) or the player who goaded it.
*Being goaded isn't an ability the creature has. Once it's been goaded, it must attack as detailed above even if it loses all abilities.
*Attacking with a goaded creature doesn't cause it to stop being goaded. If there is an additional combat phase that turn, or if another player gains control of it before it stops being goaded, it must attack again if able.
*If a creature you control has been goaded by multiple opponents, it must attack one of your opponents who hasn't goaded it, as that fulfills the maximum number of goad requirements. If a creature you control has been goaded by each of your opponents, you choose which opponent it attacks. Poor thing.

Council's dilemma

| Open: The council has ties to all the major power players fighting for control...or at least the illusion of control. Council's dilemma is an ability word used to highlight abilities that require each player to vote for one of two effects to occur. An ability word has no rules meaning.
*Unlike the will of the council cards from the original Conspiracy set, where a majority of votes determined what happened, each vote made for a council's dilemma card adds to the ultimate effect.
*The effects of each council's dilemma ability happen in the stated order. First the vote occurs, then the first effect, and finally the second effect.
*Because the votes are made in turn order, each player will know the votes of players who voted beforehand.
*You must vote for one of the available options. You can't abstain.
*If a creature with an enters-the-battlefield council's dilemma ability leaves the battlefield before that ability resolves, players can still vote for any option that would put +1/+1 counters on that creature, even though—or perhaps especially because—those votes won't generate an effect.
*No player votes until the spell or ability resolves. Any responses to that spell or ability must be made without knowing the outcome of the vote.
*Players can't do anything between voting and finishing the resolution of the spell or ability that included the vote.

The Monarch:

| Open: 716.1. The monarch is a designation a player can have. Some cards instruct a player to become the monarch.
716.2. There are two inherent triggered abilities associated with being the monarch. These triggered abilities have no source and are controlled by the player who was the monarch at the time the abilities triggered. This is an exception to rule 112.8. The full texts of these abilities are "At the beginning of the monarch's end step, that player draws a card" and "Whenever a creature deals combat damage to the monarch, its controller becomes the monarch."
716.3. Only one player can be the monarch at a time. As a player becomes the monarch, the current monarch ceases being the monarch.
716.4. If the monarch leaves the game, the active player becomes the monarch. If the leaving monarch is the active player, the next player in turn order becomes the monarch.
*The game starts with no monarch. Once an effect makes one player the monarch, the game will have exactly one monarch from that point forward.
*Abilities that trigger whenever you "become the monarch" trigger only if you aren't already the monarch. For example, if you are already the monarch as Custodi Lich enters the battlefield, its last ability won't trigger.
*If the triggered ability that causes the monarch to draw a card goes on the stack, and a different player becomes the monarch before that ability resolves, the first player will still draw the card.

Conspiracy card mechanics:

| Open: Note that conspiracies aren't legal in Constructed formats, but they're perfect for crafted Limited formats such as Cube.
*Conspiracies are never put into your deck. Instead, you put any number of conspiracies from your card pool into the command zone as the game starts. These conspiracies are face up unless they have hidden agenda (see "Returning Keyword: Hidden Agenda" below) or the new variant double agenda (See Summoner's Bond in the "Card-Specific Notes" section below), in which case they begin the game face down.
*A conspiracy doesn't count as a card in your deck for the purposes of meeting minimum deck size requirements. (In most drafts, the minimum deck size is 40 cards.)
*You don't have to play with any conspiracy you draft. However, your only opportunity to put conspiracies into the command zone is as the game starts. You can't put conspiracies into the command zone after this point.
*You can look at any player's face-up conspiracies at any time. You'll also know how many face-down conspiracies a player has in the command zone, although you won't know what they are.
*A conspiracy's static and triggered abilities function as long as that conspiracy is face up in the command zone. A player may activate the activated abilities of face-up conspiracies he or she owns in the command zone.
*Conspiracies are colorless, have no mana cost, and can't be cast as spells.
*Conspiracies aren't legal for any sanctioned Constructed format, but may be included in other Limited formats, such as Cube Draft.

Hidden agenda

| Open: Hidden agenda is a keyword found on some conspiracies. As the game starts, a conspiracy with hidden agenda is put into the command zone face down and a card name is secretly chosen. You can turn a face-down conspiracy face up whenever you have priority, revealing its abilities.
*You name the card as you put the conspiracy into the command zone at the start of the game, not as you turn the face-down conspiracy face up.
*There are several ways to secretly name a card, including writing the name on a piece of paper that's kept with the face-down conspiracy. If you have multiple face-down conspiracies, you may name a different card for each one. It's important that each chosen name is clearly associated with only one of the conspiracies.
*You must name a Magic card. Notably, you can't name a token (except in the unusual case that a token's name matches the name of an existing card, such as Illusion).
*As a special action, you may turn a face-down conspiracy face up. You may do so any time you have priority. This action doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to. Once a conspiracy is face up, its abilities will affect the game.
*A conspiracy with hidden agenda that has a triggered ability must be face up before that ability's trigger condition is met in order for it to trigger. Turning it face up afterward won't have any effect.
*If you play multiple games after the draft, you can name a different card for each conspiracy with hidden agenda in each new game.
*At the end of the game, you must reveal any face-down conspiracies you own in the command zone to all players. Notably, you can't bluff conspiracies with hidden agenda by putting other cards into the command zone face down as the game starts.

Double agenda
Summoner's Bond has double agenda, a variant of hidden agenda. It works the same way as hidden agenda except that two names are secretly chosen rather than one.

Draft matters mechanics:

| Open: Every booster pack of Conspiracy: Take the Crown contains one special card identified with the crown watermark. These cards have a rarity scheme separate from the rest of the set and all modify your game in some way that relies on the fact that you're drafting.
*Some cards have abilities that instruct you to draft them face up. These cards remain face up throughout the draft, and any abilities they have relevant to the draft function at that time. Some of these abilities allow you to turn the card face down one time for an effect.
*Other cards have abilities that instruct you to reveal them as you draft them. These abilities have additional instructions that you complete as you draft the card. After you do what the card tells you to do, it's placed face down with your other drafted cards.
*Some cards instruct you to note information as you draft them, such as a number or another card. This information is then referred to by other abilities that function during the game. This information is considered public during the draft and subsequent games.
*If a card instructs you to reveal it or draft it face up during the draft, that doesn't mean you've revealed it for another face up card you've drafted unless you declare that to be the case.
*Some cards refer to a "draft round." Most booster drafts have three draft rounds, each consisting of all players opening one booster pack and drafting all the cards in those booster packs. This term doesn't refer to games played after a draft.
*During the draft, there is no active player, priority, or stack. If two players wish to take an action at the same time during the draft, they do so in a random order.
*You may find it helpful during the draft to make sure all players draft and pass booster packs at the same time. That is, don't let booster packs "pile up" behind any player.

Draft matters cards:

| Open: Custodi Peacekeeper
Paliano Vanguard
Arcane Savant
Illusionary Informant
Spire Phantasm
Archdemon of Paliano
Smuggler Captain
Garbage Fire
Pyretic Hunter
Animus of Predation
Caller of the Untamed

Vote changing cards:

| Open: Ballot Broker
Illusion of Choice

Conspiracy draft:

| Open: A Conspiracy draft works well with eight players, but it's fun no matter how many players want in. We recommend having no more than eight players per draft and then splitting up into games of three to five players. Players break off into Free-for-All multiplayer games. Seating for the games is also random. It doesn't matter where you sat during the draft. Everyone starts at 20 life.