Make it so

[Limbo]

It has been a while since my last card, lets see if you all like this rather simple card:

Make it so
UU
Instant
Activate or trigger target ability. You make all decisions related to the ability.
Energize

So this would let you activate an opponents mind slaver, your own reya dawnbringer or someones oath of druids. I am not sure how to incorporate stuff like abilities that require tapping, mana costs or special conditions (like actually drawing a card for chains of mephistopholes). Name and flavourtext are up for suggestions of course

Current Version

Activate
U
Instant
Activate target activated ability on target permanent. You may choose targets for the ability. (Mana abilities can't be targeted.)
Using this energy grants me one of the purest forms of control. -Memnarch-

[Anusien]

This doesn't work, like at all.  Just firing off triggered abilities would cause all sorts of rules issues, like if you were calling on Rector's RFG ability.  More likely is "untap and gain control of target permanant until end of turn.  It has haste if it is a creature" then you could fire off all those abilities.  Outside of that, I don't see how to make it work, and it's ridiculously cheap for its ability.

[rvs]

Did you steal my TNG DVDs Leon? It seems like you've been watching Picard too much.

[asmoranomardicodais]

Maybe just stick to:

Activate target ability

That way we wouldn't have all these rules issues

[Matt]

It might have to be worded like "the controller of target permanent with an activated abillity plays that ability" or some such.

[Nibble]

"You may play an activated ability of target permanent without paying its costs." This seems to be the cleanest I could come up with.

This seems very strong, however. It'd be interesting if it could only target your opponents' permanents, so there's less chance for abuse.

[Godder]

I don't think it's too strong for UU and a card – most activated abilities aren't really that strong anyway. Making it last until end of turn seems reasonable as well.

[rvs]

most activated abilities aren't really that strong anyway

Uh? Mindslaver, memory jar? Want more?

[Limbo]

Just firing off triggered abilities would cause all sorts of rules issues, like if you were calling on Rector's RFG ability.

Like I said, I don't know how to incorporate special conditions yet. RFG would be one of these.

Did you steal my TNG DVDs Leon? It seems like you've been watching Picard too much.

I think Picard-quotes fit the card nice while working on the card itself

"You may play an activated ability of target permanent without paying its costs."

Although I am not opposed to make the activation "free", adding some clause where you need to pay for the activation with just colorless mana  could be needed.

Is there any way to make it work with triggered abilities as well, or would this be too huge of a rules-nightmare?

[Godder]

most activated abilities aren't really that strong anyway

Uh? Mindslaver, memory jar? Want more?

Sure, go nuts. Jar was a big mistake, and not relevant anywhere but type 1, where Power Artifact + Grim Monolith is just as much a problem in this line, and nobody plays it... Mindslaver is scary, too, but this is a cool counterspell of sorts, so eh. It's not like it's better or worse than Bind or Interdict, or even Stifle or Squelch, and activating another player's Wasteland or Strip Mine would be very interesting.

[Limbo]

How about this:

Activate target ability or trigger target upkeep ability. You make all decisions related to the ability.

You get the idea, but I don't know how to word it. Intention is that you can ignore activation costs (like tapping, sacrificing or paying mana) in case of activated abilities.

As for the triggered abilities, limiting it to upkeep abilities only will prevent rules issues with weird stuff like triggering upon drawing a card, or stuff like rector. I'd say this is safe if kept to upkeep related stuff. Even allows you to force an opponent to pay upkeep again

Modal is nice in case of misdirection

Thoughts?

[Matt]

There's no such thing as an "upkeep ability." I think this would be much, much easier to get made if you make it only activated abilities OR triggered abilities:

"All triggered abilities on target permanent trigger. (That permanent's controller chooses the order they are placed on the stack.)"

That would be a neat card.

[Limbo]

There's no such thing as an "upkeep ability." I think this would be much, much easier to get made if you make it only activated abilities OR triggered abilities:

"All triggered abilities on target permanent trigger. (That permanent's controller chooses the order they are placed on the stack.)"

That would be a neat card.

That is something along the lines I was looking for. However, some triggered stuff is highly conditional, like rectors stuff with RFG bonus. If "my" card triggered stuff that says: At the beginning of your upkeep" that would be sweet. I am not sure how to correctly word it though.

We can split the cards if that is better btw, something like:

Activate
U
Instant
Activate an activated ability on target permanent. You make all decisions for this ability.

Trigger
U
Instant
Activate a triggered ability on target permanent.You make all decisions for this ability.

[racetraitor]

Do the conditons for the activation/trigger have to be met, or do you intend them to be "free"?
If they're free, the second card would be the new and improved Illusions/Donate when combined with Battle Of Wits or Darksteel Reactor. The first one would make a nice casual combo with Goblin Bomb as well

[Limbo]

Do the conditons for the activation/trigger have to be met, or do you intend them to be "free"?
If they're free, the second card would be the new and improved Illusions/Donate when combined with Battle Of Wits or Darksteel Reactor. The first one would make a nice casual combo with Goblin Bomb as well

They would indeed be nice when combined with "I win-permanents". However, much stronger combinations exist, so this shouldn't be to big of a problem.

If nobody disagrees with powerlevel / CC maybe we should start with names, flavour.

[Toad]

This is hardly good on Mindslaver, since the opponent will still control the ability. Basically, you would just force your opponent to gain control of his own turn, turning the card into an overcosted Stifle.

I fear that wording the card so that you would control the triggered or activated ability would be a nightmare of all sorts.

[Matt]

Do the conditons for the activation/trigger have to be met, or do you intend them to be "free"?
If they're free, the second card would be the new and improved Illusions/Donate when combined with Battle Of Wits or Darksteel Reactor. The first one would make a nice casual combo with Goblin Bomb as well

Stupid two-card combos need to be avoided, so if it's free then we can't make the triggered ability one (I don't think Door To Nothingness is worth worrying about, though).

[Limbo]

Ok, point taken, lets stick to :

Activate
U
Instant
Activate an activated ability on target permanent. You make all decisions for this ability.

Name / flavourtext? Although I actually do like Activate as a cardname, as it fits the card.

[Ephraim]

Are you supposed to act as the controller of the ability as well? If you activate an ability of an opponent's ability that targets an opponent, who can you target? If you use an opponent's Mindslaver, will you get to control the next turn of whomever you target or will your opponent (does that count as part of the decisions involved in activating the ability?)

[Nova442]

I think as he has it now it is clear that the ability remains under the control of the player who controls the permanent.

For Mindslaver, you would get to make a choice (logical one being to have the Mindslaver control its controllers turn), but you would NOT receive the effect because the ability is controlled by the opponent.  You couldn't steal the turn of your opponent with ~this~.

There are several cards with abilities that are controlled by one player but the decisions are made by the other.  Like the triggered abilities on Smokestack/Tangle Wire.  Quite an interesting card.

[Limbo]

I have given the flavourtext some thought, and I think this fits it well:

Using this energy grants me one of the purest forms of control. -Memnarch-

[Limbo]

Time for the 24 hour clock thingy.

[Jacob Orlove]

Does that wording have any kind of precedent?

[endersdouble]

Sorry, slightly confused--under current rules, do you have to pay the costs for this ability?  (If not, consider Door to Nothingness...5 colorless+this=gg.)

[Machinus]

Someone submitted this and Maro accepted it as one of the YMTC possible mechanics. Vote for it!!!!

[Limbo]

Someone submitted this and Maro accepted it as one of the YMTC possible mechanics. Vote for it!!!!

To be honest, the YMTC states "copy target ability", where this card states "activate target ability".

[Jacob Orlove]

That only means that our version is worded wrong.

[Limbo]

That only means that our version is worded wrong.

Relevant wording "borrowed". Do we want the "(Mana abilities can't be targeted.)" added to the wording to prevent using this as a way to generate mana burn wfor an opponent?

[Ephraim]

I don't think that ours is worded incorrectly. I think ours does something differant than the one being proposed for YMTC3. I think the YMTC3 one takes an ability on the stack and copies it, ala Twincast or Mischievous Quanar. Ours takes an ability on a permanent and activates/triggers it.

[Jacob Orlove]

Oh, I see what you mean. Sorry about that. We should make it nonmana ability, though.