The pursuit of power is a deadly game. To survive the machinations of the Card House, you need strength as well as leverage. The right allies can bring riches, but the throne is only a well-timed betrayal...
Oh, and do remember that your allies can do the same to you.
Conspiracy is a new set based around drafting and multiplayer Magic. Wizards of the Coast is literally banking on the popularity of EDH/Commander's free-for-all multiplayer. So like any other money-hungry corporation they of course created an entire set of multiplayer-focused mechanics, including a gimmiky cards that affect the draft itself!
Chris described it as 'drafted EDH lite', and I see no reason to disagree with his call.
How this works?
- Each player starts the game with 20 life.
- In multiplayer games, you draw seven cards rather than six the first time you take a mulligan.
- The game uses Free-for-All rules, so you can attack multiple players and/or Planeswalkers during combat.
- Last man standing, Wins! (Damn it wizards, requiring me to stand, just like with the National Anthem!)
Draft Abilities
Conspiracy includes something no Magic set ever has: cards that have abilities that affect the draft itself.
Cards with draft abilities have a wide range of effects, so read each carefully so you know what to do. If you're using a draft ability, speak up! There's an large opening below your nostrils that you can use to generate sound along with muscle groups in your neck and tongue. Use them to let the table know what's going on. Blake, i'm looking at you here for not doing so.
During the draft, there's no stack, turn order, or priority. If two or more players want to use a draft ability at the same time, then the order is decided by the only means available:
A bloody round of no-hold-barred street brawl where the order is decided by who lives. I will take the drafts of the fallen while no-one is looking! First in, first serve!
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. Blake Manning, I'm looking at you here again!
If an ability tells you to draft a card face up, leave it face up in front of you, next to your face-down pile of drafted cards (no jokes about this being like the way I stack coins here). It stays face up until you turn it face down (the card will tell you when to do this) or it goes somewhere else, like back into a booster pack.
If an ability tells you to reveal a card as you draft it, you show everyone you're drafting the card. The card may have additional instructions. Many of them tell you to note some information, like a number, the name of a card, or a player. So at the draft, get your crayons, pens, pencils and something to write on. This noted information will be used in the game.
Conspiracies
<drops his voice down to a whisper>
Conspiracy (the card set) introduces a new card type called 'conspiracies' to play in these Conspiracy drafts (the format). Sadly, they aren't legal even in 'vanilla' edh, or any other format for that matter. I was dissapointed to learn that conspiracies aren't able to be included in your deck. Here's why I'm disappoint;.
- Conspiracies start the game in the command zone (much like your commander in a Commander game). You put every conspiracy you drafted into the command zone as the game begins. They can't be countered/destroyed because like emblems, there aren't cards that can target them.
- They don't count toward your deck size, so you still need a deck with a minimum of forty cards for a Conspiracy Draft deck. I was hoping that conspiracies would/could become a new 'ante' deck filler. ('Ante' were cards that made you Wager/Gamble cards from your deck in exchange for game-breaking power. In games that didn't allow 'Ante' meant you could remove them/thin out your deck without penalty.
TBH, I was hoping to add one of every Conspiracy to my deck as a way to thin my Relentless Rat deck.
The abilities of conspiracies work from the command zone. And those abilities can affect the game in some wacky ways. For example, with Power Play, there's no need to roll for starting player... Unless your rivals also have it. I was hoping to add it, so I always go first. The Relentless Rats would gain +1/+1 ala 'Muzzio’s Preparations', -1 from their mana cost ala 'Brago’s Favor', gain haste ala 'Immediate Action', become a mana source ala 'Secrets of Paradise'. (Also start the game with a 1/1 Construct with Defender ala Sentinel Dispatch.)
Hidden Agenda Some conspiracies have an ability called
hidden agenda.
These conspiracies have you secretly name a card before the game begins. Perhaps the easiest way to do this is write the name on a piece of paper and keep it with the face-down conspiracy. Hopefully, you can name a card you've drafted multiples of. Any time you have priority during the game, you can turn the conspiracy face up and reveal the chosen name and what bonus the conspiracy gives cards with that name.
Imagine the looks on your opponents' faces when they discover your creatures actually have haste or... um, other secret abilities.
Dethrone
If you want to assume the throne, start with removing the person already there... <normal volume> Actually there is really no reason to add this, because I'm a benevolent ruler. I'm sure if you were to meet me and my ... ah... shadow advisor, we can find a solution to your complaints.
Anyway, I will recount this for the sake of 'transparency'.
Dethrone triggers whenever a creature with
dethrone attacks the player with the most life or tied for the most life. When the ability resolves, you put a +1/+1 counter on the creature. This happens before blockers are declared. Once the ability triggers, it doesn't matter what happens to anybody's life total. If the defending player doesn't have the most life when the ability resolves, the creature will still get the +1/+1 counter. Note that
dethrone won't trigger if the creature attacks a Planeswalker. You're going after the crown, after all, not the royal advisors. If you have the most life, your dethrone abilities won't trigger, but you may find a few choice ways to avoid that situation.
Will of the Council
New '
will of the council' abilities let the table determine what's going to happen. I see no reason why we need 'democracy' when I already act in the best interests of my fellow cardhousians.
This is the means that I was stabbed in the back; My 'ally' Rachel cast my Stasis-Pod'ed, tapped Heartless Hidetsugu and defensive constructs as more dangerous then her flying and trampling horde, before dropping the Voting card down when I sought to save my Vent Elemental.
Each
will of the council ability calls for the players to vote. Starting with you and proceeding in turn order, each player announces his or her vote. Everyone has to vote—no abstaining! Sometimes you'll be voting between two effects, like the grace or condemnation effects of Magister of Worth. Other cards may have you voting on different creatures, or colors, or... um... other things. Once everyone has voted, tally up the results to see what happens. Players can't do anything once the vote has begun. That is, you can respond to Magister of Worth's ability, but once it starts resolving, you can't interrupt the vote by casting a spell or activating an ability.
Everyone gets one vote. I thought I didn't sign the Magna Carta precisely for this reason!
If you somehow have multiple votes, for whatever special favor you did for me, you make them all at the time you'd normally vote. As the reminder text reminds us, you could spread the votes around or you can load them all up on one choice that benefits me. Some older cards, like Archangel of Strife, have players make choices but don't use the word "vote." Keep in mind that Brago's Representative applies only to abilities that use the word "vote" (that is, just
will of the council abilities... for now MWAHAHAHAH!).
Parley
Sometimes, opening dialogue with others is the best answer.
Parley abilities instruct each player to reveal the top card of his or her library. Then, an additional effect happens based on the number of nonland cards revealed this way. Finally, each player draws a card (the one that was just revealed). Just as we saw with will of the council abilities, you can respond to most parley abilities (Selvala, Explorer Returned has a parley mana ability that can’t be responded to) , but once one starts resolving, no one can do anything until the ability completely finishes resolving.
Alright, there's the round-up on the Conspiracy Format. I was only able to buy a single box ATM, but Ideally I want to get my hands on another 3 more and create a 'Conspiracy Cube', (or second 'Conspiracy Cube' as that's what I named my room/flat.)
I just want to remind you of the Saturday 12th July Pre-release of M15. Whether you are a veteran Planeswalker, a novice planeswalker, or a yugioh duelist who is still reading this for some reason, you better get your arse in on this action! 8 boosters per player, bonus items for all players, free pizza, random prizes, and if I can get Chelsea lined up to do photography, a chance to hit on my Legal-aged sister!.
Don't know how to play Magic? I'm sure I have a spell for that The Magic players: eH's a pretty cool guys. They taught an idiot/me to play and who doesn't afraid of anything. First time for everything!
Welcome back one and all to the cardhousian blog.
