Been thinking about a new format idea. I will list the rules below. I'm looking for feedback. I'd like to know if anyone sees anything fundamentally wrong with my idea that I'm not seeing.
Each deck is based around a Planeswalker in a similar way to the Commander Format.
Each player will start the game with their chosen planeswalker already in play.
Planeswalkers will start off with 20 loyalty counters.
Planeswalker abilities that remove loyalty counters cost 3X, where X is the normal amount on the card (example: Nissa, Vital Force's third ability will now cost 18 rather than 6.)
Planeswalkers can only be targeted by spells or abilities that would normally target a player. (example: Planeswalkers may not be the target of spells or abilities that say, "destroy target planeswalker.")
Planeswalkers do not count as "permanents."
Players may not have other planeswalkers in their deck.
When your planeswalker dies, you lose the game.
Players have no personal life total.
Decks may only contain colors in your planeswalker's casting cost.
Decks contain exactly 40 cards.
Decks may not have more than one copy of any card.
Decks may not contain land of any kind
Each player begins the game with one available mana in play.
Each mana can be used as if it were any color in your planeswalker's identity.
Each player will add one additional mana to the battlefield during their untap phase. (example: After a player's fourth untap phase, that player will have four mana in play. they will then have a maximum of 5 mana after their next untap phase, and so on.)
Any spell or ability that adds mana to your mana pool will instead add a mana of any color to your mana pool instead.
Each player will have a maximum of 12 mana on the battlefield after their 12th untap phase.
At your untap phase, if adding a mana would put you over the limit of 12 mana, instead give yourself a draw counter. At your draw step, draw an additional card for each draw counter you own.
Players initially draw five cards to start the game, but maximum hand size remains at 7 cards.
Each planeswalker's loyalty costs are determined in relation to their starting loyalty and ability to gain loyalty. Defaulting to 20 would skew the game towards planeswalkers with game-ending ultimates that are costed low because the planeswalker in question normally starts with low loyalty and has a +1 (such as Kiora, the Crashing Wave, or Vraska the Unseen and any 1-CMC lifegain spell).
A third issue is that excluding lands leaves certain land-oriented planeswalkers, such as the aforementioned Nissa, Vital Force or the new Lord Windgrace at a large disadvantage.
EDIT: Incidentally, there's a game very similar to what you seem to be going for called "Mage Wars: Arena". It has a variety of mages with their own direct combat capabilities and specialties and that build up a store of mana over time. Each mage has their own different proficiencies in terms of spell types, and summoning things is still an important primary strategy. you might want to check that out.
You should be able to balance low casting PW and higher ones. PW ultimates are game changing, you should manage that as well. Maybe you can use the minus abilities on the amount of turns? -3 abilities can be used on the third turn for example since you're already counting the turns.
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There would need to be some tradeoff for choosing a more expensive planeswalker (e.g. Ugin, the Spirit Dragon as opposed to Tibalt, the Fiend-blooded).
Each planeswalker's loyalty costs are determined in relation to their starting loyalty and ability to gain loyalty. Defaulting to 20 would skew the game towards planeswalkers with game-ending ultimates that are costed low because the planeswalker in question normally starts with low loyalty and has a +1 (such as Kiora, the Crashing Wave, or Vraska the Unseen and any 1-CMC lifegain spell).
A third issue is that excluding lands leaves certain land-oriented planeswalkers, such as the aforementioned Nissa, Vital Force or the new Lord Windgrace at a large disadvantage.
EDIT: Incidentally, there's a game very similar to what you seem to be going for called "Mage Wars: Arena". It has a variety of mages with their own direct combat capabilities and specialties and that build up a store of mana over time. Each mage has their own different proficiencies in terms of spell types, and summoning things is still an important primary strategy. you might want to check that out.
- Rabid Wombat