[Post-Contest Tune-up] Bringer of Misfortune

[Trebuchet MS]

[spoiler Lore]3 Level 4 monsters
All monsters your opponent controls lose 400 ATK and DEF. During each Standby Phase: Inflict 400 damage to your opponent. Once per turn, during either player's turn, if your opponent activates a card effect that would cause this card to leave the field: Toss a coin 2 times. If at least 1 of the results is Tails, this card does not leave the field. During either player's turn, when your opponent would Summon a Level 4 or Rank 4 monster: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate the Summon, and if you do, destroy it.[/spoiler]

 

(Italic text lifted from my entry in wightpower's Ten Days Contest)

 

4 is my favourite digit for its significance in life and various beliefs. Four elements, four cardinal directions, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 4 being a basic number in rhythms, the Elite Four... but rather significantly, 4 is an inauspicious number in various Asian beliefs due to it being a homophone with "death" in the same language. In fact, in Cantonese, 24 and 14 are increasingly inauspicious, sounding similar to phrases that further confirm one's death in that language.

 

So I designed a card with 4 effects of varying magnitude.

 

At first, the 400 ATK/DEF decrease doesn't look like much, especially when this card needs 3 LV4 monsters to Summon. (No, I'm not going to make it 4 LV4 monsters. Too troublesome.) But when you factor in its 2400/1400 stats it effectively bumps it to 2800/1800 where a battle is concerned - sufficient to handle most big beaters in the current game, and a good deal for a 3-mat Rank 4.

 

The second effect gives a mild-looking 400 burn - but unlike most other continuous burn effects it checks on both player's Standby Phases. Even when it's not doing anything it'll still be troubling the opponent.

 

I had trouble deciding on the third effect, with the base design coming off having 4 cards in hand. Several drafts involved doing things that are either too troublesome (your opponent having a max hand size of 4) or too pointless (doing things if the opponent has more than 4 cards in hand) before I settled with targeting immunity while you keep a 4-card hand count. Think Unicore but not as frustrating.

 

New third effect now gives the opponent a 1 in 4 chance of successfully taking this card out by a card effect - at least for the first time. Any subsequent attempts in the same turn will still work.

 

The final effect would be its main selling point - the ability to negate the Summon of Level/Rank 4 monsters. Seeing that Rank 4 is master Rank in the current game, being able to interfere accordingly would be incredibly disruptive. I originally had this card have a hard-lock on Level/Rank 4 Summons, but that would push the envelope and not give the Xyz Material any proper use.

 

Modifications since the contest entry include rephrasing of this card's effects and addition of a "during either player's turn" clause to the final effect. I might consider modifying the final effect to affect the summon of a single monster, knowing that negating a Pendulum Summon crushes every single monster involved.

 

If I could make this "Number 4", I definitely would. I'm not satisfied at the "real" Numbers 1-4. Not to mention making this Number 4 opens up the possibility of making a "Number C4", which would have amazingly explosive results.

[Overfrost!]

This is needed: '4 Level 4 monsters'
Also, 'Number 4444: Foul Fate Four Face'. If you're really serious about all fours.
More, ATK/DEF 2200/2200. Four 2s and 0s, total of 4400 (in turn, 2 4s and 0s, AND 0 2s).

For effects: From my point of view, its first to third effects are a bit random. Its fourth is good though.

 

Some effect suggestions:

• Once per turn, if this card attacked or was attacked, during damage calculation: The monster this card is battling loses 2200 ATK and DEF.
• Once per turn, if this card would leave the field, toss a coin twice, and if at least 1 of the results is tail, this card is not removed from the field.
• Once per turn, during either player's turn, if your opponent controls exactly 4 face-up cards, 4 face-down cards, 4 monsters, or 4 Spell/Trap Cards: Shuffle into the Deck 4 cards your opponent controls.
• Once per turn, during the Standby Phase: Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; inflict 2200 damage to both players.

Hope those help, somehow.

[Trebuchet MS]

I think I'll back away from the 2200 motif to make the 4 motif more apparent.

 

As I've said before, 4 Level 4 monsters makes this card cumbersome.

 

Third suggestion actually looks neat, but it looks more like something one would need to detach Xyz Materials for. Second suggestion would be a good replacement for the protection effect, giving the opponent a 1 in 4 chance of taking it out on the first try. Shame we can't specify 4-sided dice in Yugioh.

[Trebuchet MS]

Third effect - the self-protection effect - has been adjusted it to be a double coin toss that creates a 1-in-4 chance for a card effect to successfully take it out for the first time each turn.