Balance of Power

Object of the Game

To get four creatures out that cannot attack without being destroyed by a blocker.

Layout

There are four card slots arranged in a square, a graveyard, a mana stack, and a global area for global enchantments and global artifacts.

Initial Setup

Shuffle the deck and draw cards to fill the first slot. Continue drawing until you draw a creature card then go to the next slot and repeat. If you draw a global enchantment or a non-creature artifact then place that card in the global area. If Land is drawn, put it in the mana stack. Then continue drawing for the slot. If the card is a local enchantment, instant, or sorcery, place it in that slot and continue to draw for that slot. All cards drawn for that slot belong to the creature at the top of the slot. (Note: all cards are placed face up.) Continue until all four slots have a creature at the top. The casting cost of all creatures is zero. Other cards in the creature's slot are considered to be in the creature's spell bag. Costs for the creature's spells are paid when they are cast out of the bag.

Play

After the deal, there will be four creatures, some of which may have spells they own. There may be global enchantment or artifacts that affect the entire play environment, and there may be mana in the mana stack. Mana in the mana stack is available to any creature on its turn. Once a land is tapped for mana, it is destroyed and goes to the graveyard.

Attack

Creatures can only attack creatures in slots adjacent to them. Their spells can affect any slot. Target creatures must defend an attack if able. The creature in the upper right hand slot goes first. He can attack a neighbor, play a spell, or pass. The play moves counter-clockwise around the four slots.

Damage Resolution

If a creature takes lethal damage, then it and all of its spells, artifacts, and enchantments go to the graveyard. Then, draw from the stock for a new creature as before.

General

If any text on a magic card makes no sense to this game, it is not valid. For example, life-affecting spells make no sense and are ignored. This is an extremely fun game with the right deck.

Winning

The game ends when no creature can burn any other creature, and when no creature can attack without being destroyed by a blocker. If an isolated creature cannot be blocked or is unblockable, it counts as being in balance toward the win conditions. When these conditions are met, you have achieved a “Balance of Power.” You lose the game if the library is exhausted.

History

This variant was created by Bruce Zimov.