mtg mechanic idea: Multitude
I went ahead and put together a few cards for a mechanic that kept me awake last night, and even made the dubious decision of posting it on reddit, but I wanna put it here too cause I like my blog more.A mechanic for the (mostly unvisited) plane of Xerex, which is seems to be non-euclidean and escheresque.
Multitude N: Whenever you cast this spell, if X is 1, copy it N times. If it is a permanent it enters as a token and is a Reflection in addition to its other types.
Not sure that I enjoy the name, want something that feels reminiscent of the Strixhaven college of Quandrix with their patterns and Fractals. I mocked up a few cards to explore the mechanic a bit;
A simple card that can either be a worse Lotus Petal, or a worse Sol Ring if you pay X = 1 and trigger Multitude, copying it once.
A take on mixing Force of Savagery and Spark Elemental. Getting the Multitude Trigger will leave you with three 2/0s that won't survive on their own, but if you've played an anthem or something before hand then you're spending three mana for three trample haste 3/1s!
A simple sorcery that can either be 2 mana for 3 damage spread how you like, or you can pump more mana into it for a Fireball!
A Legendary bloodartist style creature with a twist. If you pay 1 for X and get the Multitude trigger, you get 7 total 1/0s that will die right away, triggering any other blood artist or other 'dies' triggers you may have on board, If you pay more you get a bit of a higher cost blood artist creature, and 6 other dies triggers as the reflections die to the legend rule, though they won't trigger Yunan themself. Yunan is flavored to be a prisoner in some kinda of mirror box cell, unable to open their gorgon eyes or they'll see their reflection, killing them (the 6 sides of the mirror box represented in the Multitude 6 ability). Maybe they'd be a neat villain that get released in the story, I'm not much of a commander player but maybe they'd be fun there! Could be neat in a cube or constructed aristocrats deck!
I've got a few other ideas for the ability, such as a Confluence spell where you only choose one mode, but it has Multitude 2 so you can choose the same mode or others with the copies you get! Or an idea for a simple common Resolute Reinforcements where the Multitude trigger gets you your second body, or maybe you pump mana into x to give another creature +0/+X until end of turn. Feel like the ability could also do some neat stuff with Ravenous, some broken stuff with Delve, or maybe something neat with Storm!