If your opponent has no marshalling points in a category (besides kill and miscellaneous), you may double your points in that category. No more than half of your positive MPs may come from one category.
Suggested rule:
If you have more marshalling points than your opponent in a category (besides kill and miscellaneous), you may double the excess points in that category. No more than half of your positive MPs may come from one category.
The idea behind this system is that it punishes decks that rely heavily on very few MP categories (Wolfiegast) or that play large amounts of misc points (Red Hills, Map-Hog, Faithless Stewards). A more traditional deck playing against these would get compensated by doubling most of their item/faction points, thus leveling the playing field. Once the cheezy decks no longer have a clear advantage over the more normal ones, we should see their decline in the tournament scene.
I do believe this system could work, but it can impact the games in other ways as well. First of all, it can bring a different dynamic to the last turns, as it becomes clear that some MP cards might be worth double points while others would not. It also makes it more difficult to assess the actual end game MP totals during the last turns due to extras awarded for several categories at Council. Because of this the last turns may become more chaotic, dramatic and exciting at the same time. I'm not sure if this really is a bad thing, but I would perhaps not recommend using this point counting system with a beginning player.
Another clear change is that misc MP cards go down in value. This is necessary to slightly nerf Red Hills and such, but it can also effectively kill more fun decks like Pass the Doors of Dol Guldur. The more thematic decks don't usually make an impact on the tournament scene anyway, but perhaps it would be wise to keep the old points system for more casual games, reserving the new one for (high level) tournament play.
I would like to start gathering some data on how the new system would affect game results. When you play a game, please take a moment to record the MP totals by category and post them here (you can also count them using the new system, or I can do that later), along with a quick description of the decks used and any other relevant things (dead avatar, uniques revealed at Council etc.). I'm especially interested in decks involving the more cheezy ones vs. regulars, but of course need to find out about other match-ups too. And if you have any other comments or questions, don't hesitate to post below.
