Necropoison

[brianb]

Okay, someone had to try it--is there a way to build a "fair" poison necro?

Necropoison (Quicatl's Rewards or something like that)

BBGG Enchantment
1, Take a poison counter: draw a card.  Either player may use this ability

BBGG Enchantment
Take two poison counters: draw a card.

BBGG Enchantment
0: draw a card.
When you draw a card, take a poison counter.

The second version is the most straightforward--without any tricks, it gets you 4 cards.
The first version is potentially the most powerful.  Your opponent can use it too, but you're better prepared presumable to play the poison game.  Hopefully the mana activation cost can keep it from becoming a combo engine.
I like the third version best of all.  It lets you draw a whack of cards, but you can't use them to play more draw spells.

These all obviously have to be taken in context with the design of the entire set.  They would add a design constraint: cards that let you remove poison counters or take advantage of having poison counters (like that breath card) would need to stay in R/W.

Oh, one final note to prevent some broken plays.  The card needs the caveat:  If <this card> leaves play due to an effect you control, you lose the game.
If you commit to this sort of deal, the feathered snake god guy is not going to let you back out of it.  I don't want to make it awful by giving it Lich's drawback.  If your opponent wants to bail you out, that's his business, but you can't be allowed to draw a mess of cards and then disenchant it in response.

Anyway, current version:

Quicatl's Rewards
BBGG Enchantment
0: draw a card.
When you draw a card, take a poison counter.
If Quicatl's Rewards leaves play due to an effect you control, you lose the  game.

[Shadow-Walker]

I dont see why it needs the leaves play clause, the trigger goes on the stack regardless.

[Necrologia]

I think these are rather underpowered. Compare it to Infernal Contract.

[GerryMander]

I would like to see an activation cost on this.  Think about this card with Leeches.

I think that it should be

Skip your draw step.
Gain one poison counter:  Draw a card.
If ~this~ leaves play by a spell or ability you control, you lose the game.

[Shadow-Walker]

With the draw skipping theres actually a reason fo the leaves play ability.

[Bram]

Your current version is way, WAY overpowered.

Seriously.

It says: BBGG - Sorcery - Draw nine cards. OK, so it has a drawback. A clunky one. It's still a draw-nine. If used in, say, DeathLong it should end the game right then and there. I won't even get to the next draw step that would kill me. This card is waaaay too swingy.

I like your first version the best, but I gotta say, in addition to strongy disliking that mana cost, I'm no big fan of this concept alltogether. You can't balance Necro. Not even with Poison.

[Shadow-Walker]

Yeah I wasnt going to comment on the power level but now that Bram mentions it, it would be extremely difficult to balance this without making it total suckage.

[Laurie Cheers]

The "whenever you draw a card, you get a poison counter" disadvantage is interesting.
What about tamper-proofing it this way:

Necropoison
BBGG
Sorcery
Remove Necropoison from the game. As long as Necropoison is removed from the game, whenever you draw a card, you get two poison counters and you may draw another card.

Basically, you will die in five cards. You can draw them all straight away, if you want, but you'd better be able to win the game pretty quick!

[dandan]

The casting cost fits the theme but unfortunately fits fast combos Dark Rituals and ESG rather too well. I think you need an additional cost to draw the cards, 1 mana looks OK (this would delay the ability to draw 4-8 extra cards).

Alternatively, give up on trying to balance the second most broken card drawer in Magic and use a reworked version of one of Wizards balanced Necros:

Poisonstorm 1BG
At the beginning of your upkeep, target opponent may get a poison counter. If that player doesn't, you may draw a card.  

Poison Arena  1BG  
At the beginning of your upkeep, you draw a card and
you get a poison counter.

Poison of Lim-Dul 1BG
For each 1 damage dealt to you or 1 life you lose, get a poison counter.
BG: Draw a card.

[Bram]

Dandan's version are far more interesting and make more sense, to boot. They're even not broken with Leeches

[GerryMander]

what about if this was symetrical and optional?

At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player may draw two cards.  If he or she does, he or she gains one/two poison counters.

In a poison deck, this card would be a trap for the opponent.  They think they are getting an advantage, and then they are assaulted with poison cards.

[Bram]

If it's symmetrical and optional, I guess I could live with it. That would be a non-dangerous way to use poison. You'd have to play leeches to make this card worth your while at all, which in itself naturally sucks hugely (and can be compared with running a symmetrical Arena combined with lifegain).

[Jacob Orlove]

Basically, the card draw has to be limited either by mana, or to once a turn. Free reuseable card draw is just broken.

Poisonstorm seems like the most interesting variant to me. It's weaker than Phyrexian Arena for being two colors, and because they can stop it easily if you play it in a random deck, but it'd be fair with other poison cards.