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This week we’re headed joining heads to brainstorm a ton of new ideas for 2HG draft! The episode starts with a recap of Battlebond along with cracking a sample pack. Once the table it set, we settle in to the big brainstorming session, sharing over a dozen ideas for a Battlebond followup.
Brad’s stream: https://twitch.tv/bradleyrose
Topics and tidbits:
- Battlebond is a set built for 2HG draft/sealed
- 4 pack draft, pick 2 per pack
- 14 cards per pack (not 16 like in the episode) means 14×4 = 56 cards to make decks for two people
- Most 2hg teams will absorb cards of all colors, making draft lanes muddled
- Simpler cards in the card pool than other sets
- Set Mechanic – Partner With… let your teammate tutor up a match card
- Partners are basically always worth drafting highly
- Set Mechanic – Support… reprinted mechanic that puts counters on a wide swath of creatures
- Set Mechanic – Assist… your teammate can help you pay for these overcosted spells
- Only 85 new cards, the rest were reprints. 22 Partners, 63 other cards
- Some extra artifact creatures to help make playables
- Gold cards do provide some lanes (my WU+BRG team doesn’t want WR or UB cards) but not loud ones
- Partners are enemy color, gold cards are allied. Helps push you to spread out partners
- Cracking a pack of Battlebond
- Wait there’s no partners in there?
- Big moment for Millenials
- Main segment! Pitching Battlebond sequel ideas to each other
- Brad’s first idea: “Combo”
- First version of combo: like cases from Murders at Karlov Manor but can be solved by multiple players
- Like a coach calling a play after a time out
- Second version of combo: keyword on a card that is looking for other combo cards to be cast
- Sort of kicker if you fulfill a condition?
- Tim’s first idea: “Team player” – If this creature dies in combat, ~clause~
- Alt from Brad: Maybe “dies while attacking”?
- Brad’s second idea: Split card with “fuse” but each half is cast by different players
- Alt from Tim: “Team kicker”
- Tim’s second idea: “Home field” a command zone land that one player on your team can have
- There should maybe only be one home field per battlefield, but Tim went with one home field per team instead
- Only one home field per team rather than per player to reduce draft pressure
- Brad’s third idea: “Winning” and “Losing” – Bonus effect if ahead or behind
- What’s the best measure of winning/losing? Different in multiplayer?
- Tim’s third idea: (followup to Brad’s third) Trophy… monarch-like token you pass back and forth by hitting for 5+ damage
- Promoting and rewarding early aggression gives more place in the format for small ground creatures
- Brad’s fourth idea: “Points” alternate win condition… is there something out there that would be a fun poison-y alternative to damage?
- Brad’s returning mechanic pitch 1: Surge… natural fit and it’s been a while
- Brad’s returning mechanic pitch 2: Spectacle… flavor fit for Kylem
- Brad’s returning mechanic pitch 3: Myriad… might need to rename/tweak it, but a cool way to get more two-ness
- Myriad a good fit for Littjara’s clone people?
- Tim’s fourth idea: “Captain”ing creatures… pick one of your creatures to get extra size/abilities
- How to differentiate from equipment… maybe it’s better on good creatures? No sac attacks with weenie captains.
- Brad’s fifth idea: “Pit Crew”… vehicles shared by your team
- Tim’s fifth idea: 3v3 draft, one pod
- How do you draft enough cards for three people at once??
- Do you simultaneously draft like in Battlebond or stagger like normal team draft (where everyone sits between two players from the other team)
- Brad’s sixth idea: Flexible Partner With… One card can partner with one of several other cards
- Tim’s sixth idea: The Sidelines… A cap on the number of creatures you can declare eligible for combat. Even if you have 9 creatures, you have to present the 5 that you are allowed to attack/block with in combat.
- Brad immediately goes to “how about a max of 1”?
- Tim’s seventh idea: Spotlight Packs. In between packs 1 and 2. Pile out four piles of R+C, S+2C, 2U+2C, U+4C. Draft them face up, rochester style, and you get the whole pile when you pick it. Each team gets to pick once eventually.
- Most of the draft is normal style, but with these moments in between packs where everyone gets to talk with each other
- By roughly balancing the pile value, it makes the picks more interesting and worth discussion
- Having more cards might give you more flexibility in the rest of the draft, even if you don’t have the best card
- One of Brad’s favorite things about Battlebond: everyone learns sign language!
- Frost Lynx MVP