Flatten

[Godot]

Flatten - :1::g::w:
Instant
Destroy target blocking creature. Creatures blocked by that creature gain trample until the end of turn.

Heaven help anything that stands between him and his prey. Then, heaven help his prey...
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Any templating advice for the trample component? It sounds clumsy, but I'm not sure how else to do it and keep the trample ability exclusively on creatures blocked by the destroyed blocker...

[Litlfatdog]

niiiiiiice card. i love it. this is a good gold card. combines mechanics excellently, improves over vanquish in a clever and balanced fashion. even the flavor is great. superb job.

[keldon]

Flatten - :1::g::w:
Instant
Destroy target blocking creature. Creatures blocked by that creature gain trample until the end of turn.

Very good idea and good flavor! Just i can't see white in this effect while it could be more flavorful at :1::g::g: or :1::r::g: as they are more brutal...

[GenericKen]

Heh. Love the name. Good mechanic too.

Could stand better flavor text though.

[Godot]

Very good idea and good flavor! Just i can't see white in this effect while it could be more flavorful at :1::g::g: or :1::r::g: as they are more brutal...White is the "destroy blocking creature" part. Green doesn't really destroy creatures, and red destroys creatures via damage.

I would have kept it monocolor if one color had access to both mechanics, but destroying combative creatures is clearly white, and giving trample clearly green, so :g::w: was the only way to make it.

As for the flavor text...I'm almost happy with it, it adds flavorful support of the mechanic of killing a blocker and getting the damage through to boot, but I'm not happy with the word "target." I'll edit that if something better comes to me.

Thanks for the comments.

[keldon]

Speaking in terms of mechanics, i agree. Speaking in terms of flavor, this is not white... white is the color of the hero against the monster, eroic efforts and so on... green (and, to a lesser extent, red) is the color of raw power, it's the color whose creatures do not play fancy sword tricks, just swat everything with superior strength...

In wording terms, it may be :

Target creature gains trample until the end of turn. Destroy all creatures blocking that creature.

That makes it more powerful however...

[Godot]

Even if I agreed on your flavor argument, keldon, I'm a slave to the pie, and couldn't put it outside of :g::w: on pie considerations alone.

I think white has broader flavor potential than you are giving it credit for, though. An important flavor characteristic of white is that it leaves creatures alone unless they cross it, at which point there is no mercy.

If your creature would just stay out of WG's way, it would be unharmed, but as soon as it obstructs justice, it is terminated by the attacker's white side. Then the attacker's green side provides the overwhelming brute force required to render the obstruction moot.

Your wording is interesting and worth considering, but as you say, it makes it more powerful. How about:

"Target creature gains trample. Destroy target creature blocking that creature."

That might be better from a templating standpoint, but from a flavor standpoint I like the creature destruction happening first, and the trample happening second, like he eliminates the blocker and then bears down to get the damage through. Hmmmm...

[who is the pilot]

pie ambivalences aside, this is a great example of flavor and function coming together to make an excellent card. . .i'd be reluctant to give green a card that said "destroy target..." outright, but i would prefer if this were monochromatic. . .i guess the best abilities don't allow that, see: vindicate. . .

[Godot]

Yeah, I don't make multi-colored cards lightly. There has to be no monochromatic, in-pie way to accomplish the desired effect to qualify for gold status...and for better or worse, this effect qualifies...