Sapphire has a strict hold on ink ramp, and it’s made it so that NOT running Sapphire is just too damn slow. Looks like the ONLY non-Sapphire card that allows extra inkwell is HeiHei Bumbling Rooster (Emerald).

Some ideas that are thematic and probably not game-breaking to (mostly) add extra ink, or prevent opponents from pulling away:

  • Amethyst: Return character with cost [2] or less to their owner’s hand. The owner can add a card face down and exerted to their inkwell.
  • Amethyst: Look at the top three cards of your deck. You may add one card to your hand OR card to your inkwell. Place the rest on bottom of your deck.
  • Amber: Character with Bodyguard. When this character is banished, place them face down and exerted in your inkwell.
  • Amber: 4-ink (ish) item. Exert + banish to heal a character a bit and play one extra ink.
  • Ruby: 2-ink (ish) item with 2-ink ability: Cast a character 3 ink or less without paying it’s ink cost. Character gains rush, and is banished at the end of turn. When it is banished, add it face down and exerted to your inkwell.
  • Ruby: Reckless character with ability: If this character is exerted at the start of your turn, place it face down and exerted in your inkwell.
  • Emerald: HeiHei’s ability - When you play this character, if opponent has more ink, you can add one more.
  • Emerald: Action card: Move one card from opponent’s inkwell to their discard pile. (Or as a more expensive action, two ink)
  • Steel: Each player chooses one character and places them face down and exerted in their inkwell.
  • Steel: Character ability - [2][exert] - Opponents may not add ink to their inkwell until your next turn.
  • H1jAcK@lemm.eeEnglish
    2·
    22 days ago

    Running Sapphire was a necessity because of how powerful Hiram was, not because it has access to ramp. Ramp seems to be a core part of the Sapphire identity, though, so I don’t see it bleeding into other colors for a long time

    • H1jAcK@lemm.eeEnglish
      2·
      22 days ago

      Also one of your Steel suggestions already exists in Sapphire

  • ToastedPlanet@lemmy.blahaj.zoneMEnglish
    1·
    18 days ago

    These all seem color appropriate. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how Amber, Emerald, and Steel all can run effectively at 5 ink for most of a game. So, I will miss the no ramp nature of these colors if this kind of change eventually takes place.