They actually had some of those life counters on display at Worlds 2004, with some random japanese guy making them.... He had all sorts of crazy shit, like a Foil Lightning Bolt, a Beta Balance, and any number of other badass cards.
Yeah he was the original inspiration then I saw some at YMG RI so I thought I'd take a crack at a few. A few turned into over a dozen. There will be many of these at a vendor's booth at Waterbury. Is anyone interested in seeing something specific that I can work on before Saturday?