The idea of a card that is either a minion or a minion enchantment is a great one! It offers flexibility like Discover, prevents dead cards in your hand, and generally encourages more in-game decision-making. Therefore, the idea of the Magnetic keyword has a lot going for it!
The problem is that Magnetic is limited to the mech tribe, arbitrarily restricting the design space for use of this keyword mechanic in future expansions. We saw this problem before, after GvG, the mech tribe received little support. If that happens again, this would be Blizzard introducing a new keyword with limited use, and Blizzard has said that they want to limit the number of keyword mechanics to keep the game accessible (I'm looking at you, Enrage).
Here is a simple proposal to improve the mechanic: Call it "Fuse" and have it always specify a tribe (or tribes). For example, this is how the card text of the new card, Spider Bomb would read:
Fuse: Mech
Deathrattle: Destroy a random enemy minion.
This would allow for many more interesting card interactions. Sure, some could be problematic. Don't print them!
What are your thoughts on Magnetic? Do you have a better idea to improve it?
To sum up your argument (keep me honest, please), you believe the "magnetic" mechanic is a good mechanic, but that it should be open to all tribes in Hearthstone so it can stay relevant even if Mechs fall out of favor.
From a design philosophy standpoint, I completely disagree. Giving mechs a unique game mechanic is exactly what Blizzard should be doing to make tribal synergies more interesting. Today, most tribal synergies exist in the form of conditional battlecries - yes the conditions are different ("hold a dragon" vs. "played an elemental last turn," etc.), but in principle there's nothing fundamentally different about those tribes. Maybe they should add unique mechanics for other tribes to better differentiate tribes, but making this mechanic generic to support all tribes ruins the "specialness" of it.
Regarding whether or not the broad support of mechs over the last few expansions highlights a problem, I think the opposite is true. It's great to see that mechs will get a lot of support now, and that at some point that support will rotate out of standard to make room for some other tribe and/or mechanic to be front and center. It's okay for the support of certain aspects of the game to ebb and flow to keep things fresh.
Yeah I agree with this totally, and I reckon this is how it's going to be moving forward.
Mech's having "magnetic" is perfect thematically, but also adds a new mechanic, that is unique to their tribe alone.
If they were to do this for each tribe, their powers being thematic, and unique it would be amazing.
This might just be the test run for a new approach to Tribe Synergy.
I don't even think this needs to be approached from the thematic point of view. We've had Dragons, Demons, Murlocs, Beasts, Elementals and Pirates being viable somewhere in 2017 or later. Mechs have been killed off ever since GvG rotated out.
I don't think anyone who doesn't play murlocs or demons wants more synergy for them right now. We literally need an expansion with as few dragons as possible. Elementals get support by gaining new members with every update. It's almost impossible to make any expansion without beasts. The world hasn't forgotten the pirate crisis yet.
That being said, mechs never were much explored besides the formerly broken mage deck, and even then their identity was little more than tempo-friendly, possibly sticky cockroaches. I hope Blizzard manages to breathe some new life into the tribe, and maybe even let older mechs shine for the first time. (Mech-Bear-Cat, for example)
I'm really looking forward to it mate.
I remember seeing the GvG trailer and thinking it looked really cool, but I never tried the game till Old Gods came around. So This is the first time I'm getting my hands on Goblin mech's and tech.
So we now get another chance to play with this stuff. The fact they have their own built in synergy, that also has synergy with all our other mech's is really cool... it's going to revamp a ton of un-used or niche cards, and probably breathe new life into the GvG set in wild.
All in all I am really looking forward to this one, already got a Boomsday screensaver on my computer. ha ha
I'm personally hoping that Meat Wagons will hopefully become even more fun.
PS:
(I have the mount in WoW that is like a giant metal goblin... I once got people in Ogrimmar to build a giant wall out of them.. in fact I will have screens if you wanna see? haha)
as a meat wagon fan I love it. I'm hoping my niche archtype becomes a beast... in fact I kind of hope it doesn't, as if another of my favourites becomes "popular" I may just hang myself :D
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Yeah I agree with this totally, and I reckon this is how it's going to be moving forward.
Mech's having "magnetic" is perfect thematically, but also adds a new mechanic, that is unique to their tribe alone.
If they were to do this for each tribe, their powers being thematic, and unique it would be amazing.
This might just be the test run for a new approach to Tribe Synergy.
I'm really looking forward to it mate.
I remember seeing the GvG trailer and thinking it looked really cool, but I never tried the game till Old Gods came around. So This is the first time I'm getting my hands on Goblin mech's and tech.
So we now get another chance to play with this stuff. The fact they have their own built in synergy, that also has synergy with all our other mech's is really cool... it's going to revamp a ton of un-used or niche cards, and probably breathe new life into the GvG set in wild.
All in all I am really looking forward to this one, already got a Boomsday screensaver on my computer. ha ha
I'm personally hoping that Meat Wagons will hopefully become even more fun.
PS:
(I have the mount in WoW that is like a giant metal goblin... I once got people in Ogrimmar to build a giant wall out of them.. in fact I will have screens if you wanna see? haha)
as a meat wagon fan I love it. I'm hoping my niche archtype becomes a beast... in fact I kind of hope it doesn't, as if another of my favourites becomes "popular" I may just hang myself :D