Parallax Engineer

[nineisnoone]

Parallax Engineer

Artifact Creature

When Parallax Engineer comes into play, remove all artifacts you control other than Parallax Construct from the game

When Parallax Engineer leaves play, return to play under their owners' control all cards removed from the game with Parallax Engineer.

Fading 3
(This artifact comes into play with three fade counters on it.  At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a fade counter from it. If you can't, sacrifice it.)

4/4

The demon machine set to guard the great engine of the gods.

The card is basically designed to be an answer to Recall/Rebuild for Shops deck, but also create interesting play routes of it's own.

The way it works to help storm decks is basically play this and remove all your artifacts from play.  Once you do, you can start playing more artifacts again.  So if you went turn 1 Sphere of Resistance, and turn 2 Parallax Engine followed by another Sphere of Resistance.  A storm deck could not simply bounce your Artifacts and then go off because upon being removed from play the removed artifact would return and again inhibit with the other Sphere of Resistance.

However it can also be a high risk play.  Chaining a Chain of Vapor/Recall/Rebuild to it coming into play triggers the leave play effect before the come into play effect, which basically means all the artifacts are removed with no way of being returned.

Additionally, the ability gives you another play option and the ability to play artifacts at (sort of) instant speed.  So you could go for turn 1 Parallax Wave, then play turn 2 Sphere of Resistance and then remove another Sphere of Resistance with Parallax Wave's activated effect. 

The fading counter is there because "Parallax" is associated with them.  Incidentally it ended up being a good cost for the ability.


EDIT:  Also considering a different ability....

Fading X
(This artifact comes into play with X Fading counters on it where X is the number of artifacts you control.  At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a fade counter from it. If you can't, sacrifice it.)

Remove Fading counters from Parallax Engine, : Remove an artifact card with a cost X or less in your hand from the game.

EDIT:

Fixed it so that it doesn't loop with itself or other cards with the same name.

EDIT:

Removed the ability.  Now that it is a creature it seems to be a bit excessive.  I also increased the mana cost to justify it's size. it's fairly useless turn 1 anyways.

[Anusien]

That's an interesting concept.  I wonder if there should be another way to remove counters to come back faster.  You could make it just 0: remove a counter if you made the "Remove an artifact card from the game" bit optional.

Also, should this use imprint?

[nineisnoone]

I hadn't thought about Imprint.  It would certainly make sense.  I'm not sure if it would be necessary, but it could be templated that way.  My main concern would be having two somewhat obscure keywords on the card.

I do want a way to remove the Fading counters faster though. 

What would you think about...

Fading X
(This artifact comes into play with X Fading counters on it where X is the number of artifacts you control.  At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a fade counter from it. If you can't, sacrifice it.)

Remove Fading counters from Parallax Engine, : Remove an artifact card with a cost X or less in your hand from the game.

This allows you to quickly remove fading counters if you want to get them into play quickly since the way it's templated it doesn't require (I think) you to have an artifact card in hand.

Additionally, it creates an interesting play tension.  The longer you wait the fewer Fading counters you have and thus the weaker your ability to imprint will be.  The quicker you use it the shorter the benefit will last.  Later in the game it can even be used as an of sorts. 

[Harlequin]

As worded, I think the card is a Dragon-loop.

When it comes into play - it removes itself from the game.
Then the leaves play trigger resolves and it returns itself to play.  Which triggers the comes into play trigger (refreshes the fading counters) and removes itself from the game...

Even if you said "All other artifacts" you still get into a situation were you have multiples effecting each-other.

I think the best solution would be to make it a creature and say "non-creature Artifacts."   

Or just make it an enchantment...

[Darkenslight]

What about making this cost    as the manacost?  That fits the flavour of White (see: Parallax Wave, StP, Reciprocate.

OR would that hose the card monumentally?

[nineisnoone]

As worded, I think the card is a Dragon-loop.

When it comes into play - it removes itself from the game.
Then the leaves play trigger resolves and it returns itself to play.  Which triggers the comes into play trigger (refreshes the fading counters) and removes itself from the game...

Even if you said "All other artifacts" you still get into a situation were you have multiples effecting each-other.

I think the best solution would be to make it a creature and say "non-creature Artifacts."

Good call.  I'll turn it into an artifact creature.

What about making this cost    as the manacost?  That fits the flavour of White (see: Parallax Wave, StP, Reciprocate.

OR would that hose the card monumentally?

Monumentally.

[Godder]

This card could learn a few tricks from Faceless Butcher, cards like Liberate, and Portcullis in particular. It doesn't have to be a creature - just use the wording "remove all artifacts you control other than Parallax Construct from the game". If you do keep it as a creature, make it big enough to not die to Lightning Bolt (a 4/4 for 4 with fading 2 might be interesting...).

When Parallax Construct leaves play, return all non-creature artifacts to play that you own were removed from the game by Parallax Engine.

Where you use "own", that should be "control", and stuff should be returned to play under its owner's control. Also, cards are only creatures/artifacts etc when in play - when RFG, they're creature/artifact (etc) cards. I'd reword the leaves play ability like this:

"When Parallax Construct leaves play, return to play under their owners' control all cards removed from the game with Parallax Construct."

[Matt]

This card seems like it's trying to do too much. Portcullis for Artifacts is special enough, I would drop the activated ability, or make it into a separate card.

[nineisnoone]

This card seems like it's trying to do too much. Portcullis for Artifacts is special enough, I would drop the activated ability, or make it into a separate card.

Yeah, I think you're right.  Especially now with the fact that I made it a creature. 

Simplified it a bit in the first post.