5/20/15- I have rebooted the set again. Posts #2 through #14 are commenting on the previous version of the set.
6/7- Updated OP with the most up-to-date info that I have posted in the CCC forum.
Background:
Deadsands is my Wild West themed set that I have been working on since the GDS2 in 2010. The set is a top-down design based on the histories, myths, and fictional depictions of the American West. My goal is capture the feel of this setting both in flavor and in mechanics while creating a set that is both fun to play and that lives up to the design and development standards set by Wizards of the Coast.
Mechanics
Rapidfire- If you've cast two or more spells this turn, (effect) Gold Counters(Gold counters can be spent as mana of any color.) Quickdraw(You may cast this spell any time you could cast an instant. It enters the battlefield attached to a creature you control.) Reload N(If you cast this spell from your hand, put it into your library face up beneath the top N cards as it resolves. As it reaches the top, cast it for free.)
If you are not familiar with Warp (AKA Premonition), please look over this thread. I will not answer any questions about how face up cards in the library work, since that has been discussed extensively in the CCC forum.
I'll make one suggestion for now: Drop manifest and blessing in favor of Evoke. I think Evoke is a powerful mechanic that can capture a good deal of the flavor you're looking for, while also allowing you to re-use an existing mechanic in a new way.
Expect to see me in this forum for a while as I am shamelessly farming for feedback on my set. (Link in sig).
BOUNTY is great. Have you considered modeling it after Haunt?
VENDETTA is nice mechanically. Very aggressive. But the flavor as it relates to the bare-bones mechanic is lost on me. A "vendetta" is "a blood feud in which the family of a murdered person seeks vengeance on the murderer". Which means it should trigger when an offense is committed against you (or your creature), not when you commit an offense against an opponent. Consider changing the word or the mechanic. The following matches the definition of Vendetta and even ties in with Bounty. I'm not saying it's great. It's just an idea.
Bad Bart's Minion (Common) R
Creature - Human Rogue
1/1 Vendetta - Whenever this creature is the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, this creature gets really pissed off and does something that opponent won't like.
MANIFEST. I'm not a fan. There's nothing particularly bad about it mechanically, but the term "manifest" is just taking Mango and throwing it out the window which is not good. I'm not saying abandon your tribal mechanic, just saying don't insert keyword where keyword isn't helping. If you're bent on keeping it for flavor's sake, make it an ability word.
Quelling Elder (Common) 2W
Creature - Bird Shaman
2/2 Manifest - When Quelling Elder enters the battlefield, you may reveal a Spirit card from your hand. If you do, tap target creature. That creature doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.
BLESSING is okay. It's completely parasitic unless you fix "manifest" (by abandoning the keyword altogether). If you do so, it'll be alot more interesting. It's potentially dangerous either way, but looks like it might could be fun. You could even rename "Blessing" to "Manifest" if that flavor is more important to you.
Wood Spirit (Uncommon) 5G
Creature - Spirit
3/3
When Wood Spirit enters the battlefield, put two +1/+1 counters on target creature. Blessing - Whenever Wood Spirit is revealed from your hand, you may pay G. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
QUICK DRAW is some serious stuff. Very potent. Give it the Evoke drawback to allow for desired mechanics with realistic mana costs. This will allow you to make a relatively high amount of Quick Draw Equipment which will occupy some slots normally held by instants and sorceries.
Widowmaker's Wand (Uncommon) 2
Artifact - Equipment
Quick Draw 1B(You may cast this spell for its quick draw cost as though it had flash. If you do, it enters the battlefield attached to target creature you control. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
Equipped creature has deathtouch.
Equip 2
(I've always thought of a western theme set should portray the use of wands and staffs as in reality pistols and rifles were used - Harry Potter style basically.)
CLASH is a mechanic I think is perfect for a shootout feel.
Keep it up. You've picked a difficult trope to tackle.
And remember, I am shamelessly farming for feedback on my set. (Link in sig).
I think you've done a great job of picking up mechanics for the most part. As others have mentioned, I think Manifest/Blessing is not where this set wants to be. You've already got a lot of new mechanics for the invaders/"cowboys", and I understand that manifest+blessing were meant as a mechanic for the locals/"indians." I'd highly recommend using a returning mechanic for the indians rather than spending more of your design points on them - otherwise the set will become overly complex. I don't know if you agree or not, but perhaps the indigenous tribes can use Totem Armor? Its possible that they don't even need a focused mechanic (At least in your introduction set), but just a strong theme present throughout their slice of cards.
How is the set going? I'm really curious to see how it turns out, since its a really cool theme. If you need any help, please ask! I'd hate for this project to burn out.
December was a very busy month for me and I had a lot going on, so I unfortunately didn't get to devote much time to Deadsands. I have been thinking about the set though and I hope I can post some more updates soon.
My slow progress on Deadsands has mostly been due to a lack of free time on my part. I work a full-time job and practice two different martial arts, so I don't have much free time beyond that. I appreciate the offer, Piar, and I think I should get more help from the community and from the people I know IRL that play Magic. I'm not sure of the best way to do that, but I'll definitely think about it.
Yeah, blue is a tricky color for a Wild West setting. I'm planning to give the color some sort of subtheme to work with- probably based around the concepts of scouts/explorers or conmen.
Edit- I decided to go ahead and post something while I had some time and I was on the forums: Mechanical Revamp
Bounty: Doesn't really make sense. Why do you get the reward before the creature dies?
Why not this?:
Generic Bounty
Bounty - Exile this card as bounty on target creature an opponent controls. When that creature dies, place a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control, and place another +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
Vendetta: Amazing.
Posse: Amazing.
Quick Draw: Quick Draw does too many things.
1) Equip and cast at the same time.
2) Equip as instant.
3) Play as instant.
I prefer 2 and 3. It also shouldn't have colored costs.
Example:
Concealed Switchblade 1
Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature gets +2/0
Quick Draw (You may cast and equip this card at any time you could cast an instant.)
Equip 1
Indians: Shouldn't benefit from spirits and produce spirits on the same card. Otherwise, go crazy.
When you cast a spell with Lock & load from your hand you get that spell's effects and then it gets exiled until the end of turn. As long as it's sitting in exile this way, you can keep casting it by paying its mana cost.
Background:
Deadsands is my Wild West themed set that I have been working on since the GDS2 in 2010. The set is a top-down design based on the histories, myths, and fictional depictions of the American West. My goal is capture the feel of this setting both in flavor and in mechanics while creating a set that is both fun to play and that lives up to the design and development standards set by Wizards of the Coast.
Mechanics
Rapidfire- If you've cast two or more spells this turn, (effect)
Gold Counters (Gold counters can be spent as mana of any color.)
Quickdraw (You may cast this spell any time you could cast an instant. It enters the battlefield attached to a creature you control.)
Reload N (If you cast this spell from your hand, put it into your library face up beneath the top N cards as it resolves. As it reaches the top, cast it for free.)
If you are not familiar with Warp (AKA Premonition), please look over this thread. I will not answer any questions about how face up cards in the library work, since that has been discussed extensively in the CCC forum.
(Mostly) Up-to-date Threads
Draft of White Commons
Draft of Blue Commons
Draft of Black Commons
Draft of Red Commons
Quickdraw Cards
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
(I was waiting to reply until I had an update ready, and I just updated the mechanics section.)
- Main Cube
- No Brains, All Feelings Cube
BOUNTY is great. Have you considered modeling it after Haunt?
VENDETTA is nice mechanically. Very aggressive. But the flavor as it relates to the bare-bones mechanic is lost on me. A "vendetta" is "a blood feud in which the family of a murdered person seeks vengeance on the murderer". Which means it should trigger when an offense is committed against you (or your creature), not when you commit an offense against an opponent. Consider changing the word or the mechanic. The following matches the definition of Vendetta and even ties in with Bounty. I'm not saying it's great. It's just an idea.
Bad Bart's Minion (Common)
R
Creature - Human Rogue
1/1
Vendetta - Whenever this creature is the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, this creature gets really pissed off and does something that opponent won't like.
MANIFEST. I'm not a fan. There's nothing particularly bad about it mechanically, but the term "manifest" is just taking Mango and throwing it out the window which is not good. I'm not saying abandon your tribal mechanic, just saying don't insert keyword where keyword isn't helping. If you're bent on keeping it for flavor's sake, make it an ability word.
Quelling Elder (Common)
2W
Creature - Bird Shaman
2/2
Manifest - When Quelling Elder enters the battlefield, you may reveal a Spirit card from your hand. If you do, tap target creature. That creature doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.
BLESSING is okay. It's completely parasitic unless you fix "manifest" (by abandoning the keyword altogether). If you do so, it'll be alot more interesting. It's potentially dangerous either way, but looks like it might could be fun. You could even rename "Blessing" to "Manifest" if that flavor is more important to you.
Wood Spirit (Uncommon)
5G
Creature - Spirit
3/3
When Wood Spirit enters the battlefield, put two +1/+1 counters on target creature.
Blessing - Whenever Wood Spirit is revealed from your hand, you may pay G. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
QUICK DRAW is some serious stuff. Very potent. Give it the Evoke drawback to allow for desired mechanics with realistic mana costs. This will allow you to make a relatively high amount of Quick Draw Equipment which will occupy some slots normally held by instants and sorceries.
Widowmaker's Wand (Uncommon)
2
Artifact - Equipment
Quick Draw 1B (You may cast this spell for its quick draw cost as though it had flash. If you do, it enters the battlefield attached to target creature you control. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
Equipped creature has deathtouch.
Equip 2
(I've always thought of a western theme set should portray the use of wands and staffs as in reality pistols and rifles were used - Harry Potter style basically.)
CLASH is a mechanic I think is perfect for a shootout feel.
Keep it up. You've picked a difficult trope to tackle.
And remember, I am shamelessly farming for feedback on my set. (Link in sig).
My slow progress on Deadsands has mostly been due to a lack of free time on my part. I work a full-time job and practice two different martial arts, so I don't have much free time beyond that. I appreciate the offer, Piar, and I think I should get more help from the community and from the people I know IRL that play Magic. I'm not sure of the best way to do that, but I'll definitely think about it.
Yeah, blue is a tricky color for a Wild West setting. I'm planning to give the color some sort of subtheme to work with- probably based around the concepts of scouts/explorers or conmen.
Edit- I decided to go ahead and post something while I had some time and I was on the forums: Mechanical Revamp
Why not this?:
Generic Bounty
Bounty - Exile this card as bounty on target creature an opponent controls. When that creature dies, place a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control, and place another +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
Vendetta: Amazing.
Posse: Amazing.
Quick Draw: Quick Draw does too many things.
1) Equip and cast at the same time.
2) Equip as instant.
3) Play as instant.
I prefer 2 and 3. It also shouldn't have colored costs.
Example:
Concealed Switchblade 1
Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature gets +2/0
Quick Draw (You may cast and equip this card at any time you could cast an instant.)
Equip 1
Indians: Shouldn't benefit from spirits and produce spirits on the same card. Otherwise, go crazy.
But I also propose even distribution of number of cards in each rarity: Large set: 60 c, 60 u, 60 r, 60 m.
Probabilities of particular cards: Common 7/60, Uncommon 1/12, Rare 1/20, Mythic 1/60.
I also updated the mechanics section of the opening post earlier today.
I have completed a first draft of my commons and I will be posting them in batches in the main Custom Card Creation thread.
I'm planning to get initial comments and critiques on these cards and then playtest these cards before moving on to higher rarities.
Yeah I get it. You can threaten to trigger rappid fire/other cards that care about etb stuff. It indeed promises to play out like a dramatic gunfight.
Cool!
When you cast a spell with Lock & load from your hand you get that spell's effects and then it gets exiled until the end of turn. As long as it's sitting in exile this way, you can keep casting it by paying its mana cost.