Burning Knowledge

[Anusien]

I feel like this really plays into red's flavor, both for being impulsive and for hating long-term knowledge.  This is theoretically but not actually similar; it gives an interesting choice which is nice on what is effectively a control hoser.  All of a sudden, I have concerns about the power level though, since this can either hymn for 2R or hit for 10 on turn 3.

Burning Knowledge - 2R
Sorcery
Target opponent may discard any number of cards.  Burning Knowledge deals 2 damage to that player for card in his or her hand.

Current Wording:
Burning Knowledge - 2R
Sorcery
Each player may discard any number of cards, then Burning Knowledge deals 2 damage to each player for each card in that player's hand.
Act on instinct, or instinct acts on you.

Changes:
#1) Made it symmetrical
#2) Adopted Ephraim's wording
#3) Adopted a flavortext suggestion[/B]

Flavor text suggestions:
"All statements are true in some sense, false in some sense, meaningless in some sense, true and false in some sense, true and meaningless in some sense, false and meaningless in some sense, and true and false and meaningless in some sense." - Principia Discordia

"Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught." - Oscar Wilde (would have to check copyright on that one)

"The most merciful thing in the world is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents." - H.P. Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"

[Matt]

http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/index.php?topic=9079.0

2. Please try to state some relevance. Why are you making this card? What place does it have in the game?

3. After comments, please edit the original post to include a current wording of the card in bold so us mods know which ones to add. Leave the original cards wording intact so we can see its evolution.

[Anusien]

Sorry, I blame lateness.  I've been inspired to make cards after each of MaRo (I think it's him) articles about discard.  I was trying to think of a way Red could do discard in an interesting, challenging way.  This is a very decision heavy card, and Red often likes to put your opponents into difficult decisions (a la the decision cards like Book Burning and Browbeat).  It's sort of a combination between the choice cards and something like Sirocco.

[Matt]

You could also think of it as a faster, weaker version of that red Storm Seeker whose name slips my mind.

[Ephraim]

Suddent Impact. With that card in mind, this probably needs to cost more than it does. I definitely think that this is better than Sudden Impact, so 3R or 2RR would not be out of line. Although this gives an opponent a way out of taking damage, it is arguably more painful than 2 damage per card -- and of course, 2 damage per card is twice as powerful as Sudden Impact. This could also be tempered somewhat by being symmetrical. It could probably stay at 2R in that case. Although red is good at emptying its hand quickly, having this affect both players would probably be sufficient drawback. After all, this is really strongest right now as an early-game play. Making the red player wait until he's emptied his hand will automatically put the opponent in a better position to dodge grotesque harm.

[Anusien]

I had been considering making it symmetrical for some time, which makes it better and worse.  In a lot of respects it's more like Mind Bomb than Sirocco or Sudden Impact, but Mind Bomb was very weak and very out of flavor for blue.

[Ephraim]

The clearest wording would probably be...

Each player may discard any number of cards then Burning Knowledge deals 2 damage to each player for each card in that player's hand.

[Marco]

I like it.

[Nefarias]

It would be awesome if the flavor text was "Ouch! My brain!"

[Anusien]

24 hour clock

[Jacob Orlove]

I don't like that flavor text. Also, shouldn't there be a comma right after "cards"?

[BlueJay]

This card would be great in a madness deck! 

[Matt]

You could as well word it:

"Each player may discard any number of cards.
Burning Knowledge deals 2 damage to each player for each card in that player's hand."

because you just follow the instructions in the order they're written (see also: Serum Visions).

[Ephraim]

I suggested this wording so there's absolutely no ambiguity about which order the effects go in. They do still use "then" from time to time to indicate order-wise effects and it can help to prevent rules questions from arising later.

[Anusien]

How about we pretend I said 24 hour clock[/B] several months ago?

[Jacob Orlove]

1. Comma before "then".
2. That flavor text is terrible, and also very similar to overwhelming intellect.

[Anusien]

Adopting an oprhan from the CCF annals.  You're right too, Jacob, that flavor text is awful.  And all of a sudden I'm worried about this being overwhelmingly powerful.  Is it worth making?