This set is focused on Arena (Two-Headed Giant) limited. While it does follow some traditions of a "normal expansion" such as being set on a single plane, it is largely inspired by supplemental products such as Conspiracy and will follow many of the same design conventions as those products. Players will experience cooperative success and experience high-five moments of teamwork oriented gameplay.
From before recorded history, Kolbahan's landscapes have been littered with several mysterious castles known as arenas. As civilization progressed, brave souls seeking their destiny ventured into these arenas to be greeted with tremendous obstacles of both might and mind. Though many perished within the arena walls, a pair of warriors finally bested one such trial. News spread quickly of their victory, and a legend was born. Despite their silence regarding their method, more teams of skilled companions followed in their wake and bested the trials within. In victory each was bestowed tremendous powers. Over the centuries, the arenas' magic has fueled rapid technological advancements and civilization. A culture of glory seeking has developed across Kolbahan, leading many of the the popular cities to construct and maintain their own coliseum contests. Though victory in city games is respected, only those who triumph within the arenas earn the title of Sanctified. Rumors tell of an original arena lost to the ages, but scholars cannot source the hearsay and many are convinced the tale is a mere fantasy.
Many different strategies have led to success in the arenas. The wealthy enter with bought armies and scholars to do their bidding. Monks have been known to enter alone and meditate on their predicaments. But by far the most successful method is entering the arena with a single trusted partner. Many aspiring gladiators choose their partner during childhood, training with them constantly until they act as one in combat. If a pair is successful in a city stadium, they are encouraged to attempt the supernatural fields. Each city maintains strict regulation of its own coliseum, and most are overseen by the very people who claimed victory in the nearby castles. Many of the Sanctified seek to steal victory in the arenas of their neighbors, while refusing access to the arenas they have bested. Different philosophies amongst the Sanctified have fragmented the population of Kolbahan, and many of the powerful cities are poised at the brink of war. Diplomacy is difficult when many are so hard to trust. With everything on the line, it's up to you to Unite and Triumph.
As noticed from the themes, we're bringing back Cycling. Allies also make an appearance, although they work a bit differently than in Zendikar - they notice when your teammate has Allies as well. We're also introducing a new keyword that we're currently calling Sidekick (Another player may pay this card's sidekick cost as you cast it.). Finally, there is the Refresh mechanic (Untap up to N lands.) Each of these mechanics along with the card designs themselves serve to advance our design goal: Players will experience cooperative success and experience high-five moments of teamwork oriented gameplay.
We have taken the opportunity to rebrand the Two-Headed Giant format with this supplemental "product." This format is now called Arena, and can support teams of two or more players - importantly, they don't have to be Giants.
Every card in the set will have artwork associated with it (fully credited).
This set is a supplemental set and will contain reprints of both individual cards and mechanics. Due to the inherent complexities of the Arena format, the complexity of the set itself will be lower than other expert level sets.
This set seeks to emulate Battlecruiser magic. That is, teams build up defenses and armies and play a "champion" (like an Eldrazi or a fully leveled Coralhelm Commander) before the battle begins in earnest. Of course, other strategies are available to teams that want to break the mold.
The set will have more conditional/narrow removal, counterspells, and utility cards. This will encourage battlecruising and more interactivity.
The set will have a good number of linear themes to draw upon.
cw01 White Common Ally
Creature — Human Scout Ally (C)
Whenever cw01 White Common Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on cw01 White Common Ally. Creature small
0/2
cw02 Shimmering Barrier*
Creature — Wall (C)
Defender, first strike
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Creature small
1/3
cw03 Auramancer*
Creature — Wizard (C)
When cw03 Auramancer* enters the battlefield, you may return target enchantment card from your graveyard to your hand. Creature small
2/2
cw04 Roused Marble
Creature — Golem (C)
Defender, vigilance
cw04 Roused Marble can attack as though it didn’t have defender as long as you control an Ally. Creature small
2/4
cw05 Respite Spirit
Creature — Spirit (C)
Sacrifice cw05 Respite Spirit: Untap all attacking creatures and remove them from combat. Creature small
2/2
cw06 Hearty Griffin
Creature (C)
Flying
Whenever cw06 Hearty Griffin deals combat damage to a player, you gain 1 life for each attacking creature. Creature small
2/1
cw07 Stalwart Shield-Bearers*
Creature — Human Soldier (C)
Defender
Other creatures you control with defender get +0/+2. Creature small
0/3
cw08 Wipe Clean*
Instant (C)
Exile target enchantment.
Cycling 3 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Creature small — flexed to instant
cw09 Armored Monk
Creature — Cleric Soldier (C)
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to cw09 Armored Monk by creatures blocking it. Creature small
2/2
cw10 Skyrider Trainee*
Creature — Human Soldier (C)
cw10 Skyrider Trainee* has flying as long as it’s enchanted. Creature small
3/3
cw11 Tough Griffin
Creature (C)
Flying Creature medium
2/7
cw12 Yoked Plowbeast
Creature — Beast (C)
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Creature medium
5/5
cw13 Cage of Hands*
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can’t attack or block.
: Return cw13 Cage of Hands* to its owner’s hand. Enchantment Aura
cw14 Swinging Strength
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature attacks, it gets +1/+1 for each attacking creature. Enchantment Aura
cw15 Renewed Faith*
Instant (C)
You gain 6 life.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle cw15 Renewed Faith*, you may gain 2 life. Instant
cw16 Join the Ranks*
Instant (C)
Put two 1/1 white Soldier Ally creature tokens onto the battlefield. Instant
cw17 Icy Teamwork
Instant (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Tap two target creatures. If cw17 Icy Teamwork was kicked, those creatures don’t untap during their controllers’ next untap step. Instant
cw18 Token Teamwork
Sorcery (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Put two 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens onto the battlefield. If cw18 Token Teamwork was kicked, put a +1/+1 counter on each of those creatures. Sorcery
nw01 Guarded Gate
Creature — Wall (U)
Defender
When nw01 Guarded Gate enters the battlefield, put a 1/1 white Soldier creature token onto the battlefield for each creature with Defender your team controls.
0/4
nw02 Shadow Lance*
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has first strike.
: Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
nw03 Pledge Allegiance
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature and each creature your team controls that shares a type with it each get +2/+2.
nw04 Warcall Angel
Creature — Angel (U)
Flying, vigilance
: nw04 Warcall Angel gets +1/+1 for each attacking creature until end of turn.
3/3
nw05 Banishing Chamber
Creature — Spirit (U)
Defender
When nw05 Banishing Chamber enters the battlefield, exile target nonland permanent until nw05 Banishing Chamber leaves the battlefield.
0/4
nw06 Control Teamwork
Sorcery (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Exile target creature. If nw06 Control Teamwork was kicked, return that creature to the battlefield under your control at end of turn.
nw07 Naturalize Teamwork
Instant (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Destroy target artifact or enchantment. If nw07 Naturalize Teamwork was kicked, put an X/X green Ooze creature token onto the battlefield, where X is that permanent’s converted mana cost.
nw08 Intrusion Phalanx
Creature — Human Soldier (U)
Vigilance
: Attacking creatures get +1/+0 until end of turn.
3/3
nw09 White Gladiator
Creature — Giant Knight (U)
Vigilance
When nw09 White Gladiator enters the battlefield, you may have it fight target black or red creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
3/5
nw10 Snare Ally
Creature — Ally (U)
Whenever nw10 Snare Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on nw10 Snare Ally and tap target creature.
2/2
nw11 Flurry of Souls
Instant (U)
Put X 1/1 white Spirit creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield, where X is the number of attacking creatures. “They were soldiers once. The call to battle is a reckoning.”
nw12 Impervious Shielding :symx:
Sorcery (U)
X target creatures each gain indestructible until end of turn.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle nw12 Impervious Shielding, target creature gains indestructible until end of turn.
cu01 Blue Common Ally
Creature — Bird Ally (C)
Flying
Whenever cu01 Blue Common Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on cu01 Blue Common Ally. Creature small
0/2
cu02 Doorkeeper*
Creature — Homunculus (C)
Defender
, : Target player puts the top X cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard, where X is the number of creatures with defender you control. Creature small
0/4
cu04 Studied Librarian
Creature — Human Wizard (C)
: Look at the top card of each player’s library. Creature small
1/1
cu05 Flux Turtle
Creature — Turtle (C)
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may switch cu05 Flux Turtle’s power and toughness until end of turn. Creature small
1/4
cu06 Stringtugger
Creature — Wizard (C)
, : Tap or untap target creature. Creature small
1/1
cu07 Caller of Minds
Creature — Wizard (C)
Prowess
When cu07 Caller of Minds dies, return target instant or sorcery card from a graveyard to its owner’s hand. Creature small
2/2
cu08 Coiling Serpent
Creature — Serpent (C)
Defender, prowess
cu08 Coiling Serpent can attack as though it didn’t have defender as long as a noncreature spell was cast this turn. Creature large
5/5
cu09 Sudden Blockade
Creature — Wall (C)
Flash, defender
Whenever cu09 Sudden Blockade blocks a creature, refresh 1. (Untap up to one land.) Creature medium
3/6
cu10 Mystic Restraints*
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Flash
Enchant creature
When cu10 Mystic Restraints* enters the battlefield, tap enchanted creature.
Enchanted creature doesn’t untap during its controller’s untap step. Enchantment Aura
cu11 Blind Parley
Instant (C)
Parley — Each player reveals the top card of his or her library. For each nonland card revealed this way, creatures your opponents control get -1/-0 until end of turn. Then each player draws a card. Instant
cu12 Choking Tethers*
Instant (C)
Tap up to four target creatures.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle cu12 Choking Tethers*, you may tap target creature. Instant
cu13 Miscalculation*
Instant (C)
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 2.
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Instant
cu14 Counterwind
Instant (C)
Counter target spell.
Refresh 2 (Untap up to two lands.) Instant
cu15 Flicker Teamwork
Instant (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Exile target creature, then return it to the battlefield. If cu15 Flicker Teamwork was kicked, that creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Instant
cu16 Bounce Teamwork
Sorcery (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Return target nonland permanent to its owner’s hand. If cu16 Bounce Teamwork was kicked, target player discards a card. Sorcery
cu17 Barely Visible Stalker
Creature — Human Rogue (C)
cu17 Barely Visible Stalker can’t be blocked by creatures with greater power.
cu17 Barely Visible Stalker has hexproof as long as it’s attacking. Creature medium
3/2
cu18 Take Stock
Sorcery (C)
Draw two cards, then discard a card. Sorcery
nu01 Wall of Frost*
Creature — Wall (U)
Defender
Whenever nu01 Wall of Frost* blocks a creature, that creature doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
0/7
nu02 Counter Parley
Instant (U)
Parley — Choose target spell, then each player reveals the top card of his or her library. Counter that spell unless its controller pays 1 for each nonland card revealed this way. Then each player draws a card.
nu03 Windbag Rogue
Creature — Rogue (U)
Parley — Whenever nu03 Windbag Rogue attacks, each player reveals the top card of his or her library. Creatures with power less than the number of nonland cards revealed this way can’t be blocked this turn. Then each player draws a card.
2/2
nu04 Gust Zendikon
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant land
Enchanted land is a 3/3 Elemental creature with flying. It’s still a land.
When enchanted land dies, refresh 3. (Untap up to three lands.)
nu05 Dragon Wings*
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has flying.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When a creature with converted mana cost 6 or greater enters the battlefield, you may return nu05 Dragon Wings* from your graveyard to the battlefield attached to that creature.
nu06 Blue Gladiator
Creature — Giant (U)
Prowess
When nu06 Blue Gladiator enters the battlefield, you may have it fight target red or green creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
2/6
nu07 Mill Teamwork
Instant (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Target opponent reveals cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals a land card and puts those cards into his or her graveyard. If nu07 Mill Teamwork was kicked, you gain life equal to the number of cards revealed this way.
nu08 Denial Teamwork
Instant (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Counter target noncreature spell. If nu08 Denial Teamwork was kicked, you may destroy target creature.
nu09 Cumber Rune
Enchantment (U)
Creatures your opponents control get -1/-0.
nu10 Refreshing Wall
Creature — Merfolk Wizard (U)
Defender
Whenever you or a teammate casts an instant or sorcery spell, refresh 1. (Untap up to one land.)
1/4
nu11 Tidal Inspiration
Sorcery (U)
Target player draws four cards.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle nu11 Tidal Inspiration, target player draws a card.
nu12 Illusory Sphinx
Creature — Sphinx (U)
Flying
Cast nu12 Illusory Sphinx only if a noncreature spell was cast this turn.
4/4
cb01 Black Common Ally
Creature — Warrior Ally (C)
Whenever cb01 Black Common Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on cb01 Black Common Ally. Creature small
1/1
cb02 Enchanted Skitterling
Creature — Insect (C)
cb02 Enchanted Skitterling has deathtouch as long as it’s enchanted.
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Creature small
1/1
cb03 Cycling Vampire
Creature — Vampire Shaman (C)
Whenever a player cyles a card, cb03 Cycling Vampire gets +1/+0 and gains lifelink until end of turn. Creature small
2/2
cb04 Cemetery Gate*
Creature — Wall (C)
Defender
Protection from black Creature small
0/5
cb05 Devouring Swarm*
Creature — Insect (C)
Flying
Sacrifice a creature: cb05 Devouring Swarm* gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Creature small
2/1
cb06 Drudge Reavers*
Creature — Skeleton (C)
Flash
: Regenerate cb06 Drudge Reavers*. (The next time this creature would be destroyed this turn, it isn’t. Instead tap it, remove all damage from it, and remove it from combat.) Creature small
2/1
cb07 Cycling Ambusher
Creature — Beast (C)
You may cast cb07 Cycling Ambusher as though it has flash if a player cycled a card this turn. Creature medium
3/4
cb08 Black Vanilla Beef
Creature (C) Creature medium
7/5
cb12 Cremation Cycling
Instant (C)
Exile all cards in all graveyards.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle cb12 Cremation Cycling, you may exile target card in a graveyard. Instant
cb13 Cycling Edict
Instant (C)
Target player sacrifices a creature.
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Instant
cb14 Drain Parley
Instant (C)
Parley — Each player reveals the top card of his or her library. Each opponent loses 1 life for each nonland card revealed this way and you gain that much life. Then each player draws a card. Instant
cb15 Dark Teamwork
Sorcery (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Target creature gets -3/-1 until end of turn. If cb15 Dark Teamwork was kicked, you may switch that creature’s power and toughness until end of turn. Sorcery
cb16 Angry Teamwork
Sorcery (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
cb16 Angry Teamwork deals 2 damage to target creature and you gain 2 life. If cb16 Angry Teamwork was kicked, it also deals 2 damage to that creature’s controller. Sorcery
cb17 Sinister Silhouette
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has “:1mana: : Regenerate this creature.” Sorcery — flexed to Aura
cb18 Discard Parley
Sorcery (C)
Parley — Each player reveals the top card of his or her library. For each nonland card revealed this way, each opponent discards a card. Then each player draws a card. Sorcery
nb01 Mindcull Teamwork
Sorcery (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Target opponent discards two cards. If nb01 Mindcull Teamwork was kicked, target player draws two cards.
nb02 Reanimate Teamwork
Sorcery (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. If nb02 Reanimate Teamwork was kicked, that creature gains haste and double strike until end of turn.
nb03 Sink or Swim
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
As long as an opponent controls enchanted creature, it gets -3/-3. Otherwise it gets +3/+3.
nb04 Talk of Death
Instant (U)
Parley — Each player reveals the top card of his or her library. Each creature gets -1/-1 for each nonland card revealed this way. Then each player draws a card.
nb05 Cycler of Bones
Creature — Skeleton Warrior (U)
Whenever a player on your team cycles a card, return nb05 Cycler of Bones from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
2/1
nb06 Evil Cycling Beef
Creature — Demon (U)
Menace
Cycling 3 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
13/13
nb07 Vampire Necrosage
Creature — Vampire Cleric (U)
Lifelink
When nb07 Vampire Necrosage enters the battlefield, you may return target creature or enchantment card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
3/3
nb08 Opportune Specter
Creature — Specter (U)
Flying
Whenever nb08 Opportune Specter deals combat damage to a player, each opponent discards a card.
2/3
nb09 Black Uncommon Ally
Creature — Ally (U)
Menace
Whenever nb09 Black Uncommon Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on nb09 Black Uncommon Ally.
3/2
nb10 Lifelink Rancor
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+0 and has lifelink.
When nb10 Lifelink Rancor is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, return it to its owner’s hand.
nb11 Death Pulse*
Instant (U)
Target creature gets -4/-4 until end of turn.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle nb11 Death Pulse*, you may have target creature get -1/-1 until end of turn.
nb12 Black Gladiator
Creature — Giant (U)
Menace
When nb12 Black Gladiator enters the battlefield, you may have it fight target white or green creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
4/4
cr01 Common Red Ally
Creature — Warrior Ally (C)
Whenever cr01 Common Red Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on cr01 Common Red Ally. Creature small
2/2
cr02 Spikeshot Goblin*
Creature — Goblin Shaman (C)
, : cr02 Spikeshot Goblin* deals damage equal to its power to target creature or player. Creature small
1/2
cr03 Kiln Fiend*
Creature — Elemental Beast (C)
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, cr03 Kiln Fiend* gets +3/+0 until end of turn. Creature small
1/2
cr04 Shriek Beetle
Creature — Insect (C)
Menace
Whenever cr04 Shriek Beetle attacks, each other attacking creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Creature small
1/1
cr05 Reckless Rummager
Creature (C)
: Target player discards a card. If he or she does, that player draws a card. Creature small
2/1
cr06 Attended Goblin
Creature — Goblin (C)
When cr06 Attended Goblin enters the battlefield, put two 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens onto the battlefield. Creature small
2/2
cr07 Ridge Rannet*
Creature — Beast (C)
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Creature medium
6/4
cr08 Macetail Hystrodon*
Creature — Beast (C)
First strike, haste
Cycling 3 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Creature medium
4/4
cr09 Battleclub Ogre
Creature — Ogre Shaman (C)
At the beginning of each combat step, target creature gets +3/+0 until end of turn. Creature medium
3/3
cr11 Flaming Sword*
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Flash
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+0 and has first strike. Enchantment
cr12 Trumpet Blast*
Instant (C)
Attacking creatures get +2/+0 until end of turn. Instant
cr13 Chargeup Burn
Sorcery (C)
cr13 Chargeup Burn deals 4 damage to target creature or player.
Cast cr13 Chargeup Burn only if another spell has been cast this turn. Instant
cr14 Flame Palms
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Draw a card. Instant
cr15 Half Panic
Sorcery (C)
Creatures target player controls can’t block this turn. Instant
cr16 Cycling Demolish
Sorcery (C)
Destroy target artifact or land.
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Instant — flexed to Sorcery
cr17 Reckless Teamwork
Sorcery (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Discard a card, then draw two cards. If cr17 Reckless Teamwork was kicked, you may choose a creature card in a graveyard and return it to its owner’s hand. Sorcery
cr18 Battle Teamwork
Instant (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Target creature gets +3/+1 until end of turn. If cr18 Battle Teamwork was kicked, that creature’s controller may choose another creature and have those creatures fight. Instant
nr01 Reanimation Phoenix
Creature — Phoenix (U)
Flying, haste
Whenever another creature is put onto the battlefield from a graveyard, you may return nr01 Reanimation Phoenix from your graveyard to the battlefield.
3/2
nr02 Impulse Ritual
Sorcery (U)
Add R:symr: to your mana pool.
Exile the top three cards of your library. Until end of turn, you may play cards exiled this way. (If you cast a spell this way, you still pay its costs. You can play a land this way only if you have an available land play remaining.)
nr03 Burn Teamwork
Sorcery (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
nr03 Burn Teamwork deals 3 damage to target creature or player. If it was kicked, put a 3/3 green Beast creature token onto the battlefield.
nr04 Threaten Teamwork
Sorcery (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Untap target creature and gain control of it until end of turn. It gains haste until end of turn. If nr04 Threaten Teamwork was kicked, you may sacrifice it at end of turn.
nr06 Hogpile
Instant (U)
Cast nr06 Hogpile only during your turn.
nr06 Hogpile deals damage to target creature or player equal to the number of attacking creatures.
nr07 Updated Rupture
Sorcery (U)
As an additional cost to cast nr07 Updated Rupture, sacrifice a creature.
nr07 Updated Rupture deals damage equal to the sacrificed creature’s power to each creature without flying and each player.
nr08 Aggromental
Creature — Elemental (U)
Trample
nr08 Aggromental’s power is equal to the number of attacking creatures.
*/1
nr09 Feral Berserker
Creature — Ogre Berserker (U)
: nr09 Feral Berserker gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is its power.
2/2
nr10 Teamflame Dragon
Creature — Dragon (U)
Flying
: nr10 Teamflame Dragon gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Any player may activate this ability.
5/5
nr11 Explosive Power
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has “When this creature deals combat damage to an opponent, destroy target creature with defender that player controls.”
nr12 Red Gladiator
Creature — Giant (U)
Trample
When nr12 Red Gladiator enters the battlefield, you may have it fight target white or blue creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
5/4
cg01 Green Common Ally
Creature — Warrior Ally (C)
Whenever cg01 Green Common Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on cg01 Green Common Ally. Creature small
1/1
cg02 Viridian Joiner*
Creature — Elf Druid (C)
: Add to your mana pool an amount of equal to cg02 Viridian Joiner*’s power. Creature small
1/2
cg03 Refreshing Bear
Creature — Bear? (C)
Whenever cg03 Refreshing Bear deals combat damage, refresh 1. (Untap up to one land.) Creature small
2/2
cg04 Archer Ally
Creature — Elf Archer Ally (C)
Reach
Whenever cg04 Archer Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on cg04 Archer Ally. Creature small
2/2
cg05 Canopy Chameleon
Creature — Lizard (C)
cg05 Canopy Chameleon can’t be blocked except by creatures with flying. Creature small
2/2
cg06 Cycler Fly Trap
Creature — Plant (C)
Whenever a player cycles a card, untap cg06 Cycler Fly Trap. Creature medium
3/3
cg07 Refreshing Beetle
Creature — Insect (C)
Flash
When cg07 Refreshing Beetle dies, refresh 3. (Untap up to three lands.) Creature medium
3/3
cg08 Jungle Weaver*
Creature — Spider (C)
Reach
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Creature medium
5/6
cg09 Maternal Hystrodon
Creature — Beast (C)
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle cg09 Maternal Hystrodon, you may put a 2/2 green Lizard creature token onto the battlefield. Creature large
6/6
cg10 Thrive* :symx:
Sorcery (C)
Put a +1/+1 counter on each of X target creatures.
cg11 Vanilla Green Beef
Creature — Beast (C) Creature large
8/7
cg12 Lumbering Remains
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
When enchanted creature dies, put an X/X green Ooze creature token onto the battlefield, where X is the enchanted creature’s power. Enchantment Aura
cg13 Fertile Plot
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant land
Whenever enchanted land becomes tapped, add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Enchantment Aura
cg14 Refreshing Growth
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
Refresh 2. (Untap up to two lands.) Instant
cg15 Safety Teamwork
Instant (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Target creature gains hexproof until end of turn. If cg15 Safety Teamwork was kicked, that creature also gains indestructible until end of turn. Instant
cg16 Fog Teamwork
Instant (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn. If cg16 Fog Teamwork was kicked, damage up to one target creature deals can’t be prevented this turn. Sorcery
cg17 Break Asunder*
Sorcery (C)
Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Sorcery
cg18 Trusted Shelter
Sorcery (C)
Reveal the top five cards of your library. You may put an Ally card and/or a land card from among them into your hand. Put the rest into your graveyard. Sorcery
ng01 Rampant Teamwork
Sorcery (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Search your library for a land card and put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library. If ng01 Rampant Teamwork was kicked, destroy target land.
ng02 Summoning Teamwork
Sorcery (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Search your library for a creature card, reveal it, and put it into your hand then shuffle your library. If ng02 Summoning Teamwork was kicked, you gain life equal to that card’s power.
ng03 Arbor Noble
Creature — Elf Druid (U)
: Refresh 1. (Untap up to one land.)
1/1
ng04 Canopy Arena
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant land
Enchanted land has “:symg: , : Target creature you control fights target creature with flying.”
Cycling 3 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
ng05 Solitary Failure
Instant (U)
Prevent all combat damage non-Ally creatures would deal this turn. United we stand.
ng06 Green Uncommon Ally
Creature — Centaur Warrior Ally (U)
Whenever ng06 Green Uncommon Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put two +1/+1 counters on ng06 Green Uncommon Ally.
1/1
ng07 Primal Boost*
Instant (U)
Target creature gets +4/+4 until end of turn.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle ng07 Primal Boost*, you may have target creature get +1/+1 until end of turn.
ng08 Cycling Basilisk
Creature — Beast (U)
Whenever a player on your team cycles a card, put a +1/+1 counter on ng08 Cycling Basilisk.
3/3
ng09 Draw Ooze
Creature — Ooze (U)
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a +1/+1 counter on ng09 Draw Ooze.
When ng09 Draw Ooze dies, draw a number of cards equal to its power.
1/1
ng10 Wandering Warg
Creature — Wolf (U)
Creatures with power less than ng10 Wandering Warg’s power can’t block it.
3/2
ng11 Salvaged Soil
Enchantment (U)
At the beginning of each player’s upkeep, you may put target card from that player’s graveyard on the bottom of that player’s library.
ng12 Green Gladiator
Creature — Giant (U)
Reach
When ng12 Green Gladiator enters the battlefield, you may have it fight target blue or black creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
6/6
nz01 Rolling Spirit
Creature — Spirit (U)
Defender
Whenever a creature your team controls blocks, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature at end of combat.
Creatures with defender and +1/+1 counters on them your team controls can attack as though they didn’t have defender.
1/5
nz02 Anticipation Orrery
Enchantment (U)
As long as a player has cast a spell this turn, you may cast cards from your hand as though they had flash. Flash Control theme - UB
nz03 Rebirth Through Fire
Sorcery (U)
Put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield. It deals damage equal to its power to target creature. Reanimator theme - BR
nz04 Feral Aura
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
At the beginning of each combat step, enchanted creature gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is its power. Power Matters theme - RG
nz05 Multicolor Ally
Creature — Human Cleric Ally (U)
Whenever nz05 Multicolor Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on nz05 Multicolor Ally and you gain life equal to nz05 Multicolor Ally’s power. Ally Tribal theme - GW
1/1
nz06 Boon or Bane
Enchantment (U)
Whenever an Aura becomes attached to a creature, you may have that creature get +2/+2 or -2/-2 until end of turn. Auras theme - WB
nz07 Masterful Looter
Creature — Human Monk (U)
Prowess
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, draw a card then discard a card.
2/2
nz08 Cycler Basilisk
Creature — Basilisk (U)
Deathtouch
Whenever a player on your team cycles a card, nz08 Cycler Basilisk must be blocked this turn if able. Cycling theme - BG
2/5
nz09 Lance Distributor
Creature — Human Knight (U)
Whenever nz09 Lance Distributor attacks, attacking creatures gain first strike until end of turn. Linear Attacking theme - RW
3/2
nz10 Millfog
Instant (U)
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn. Each player puts the top card of his or her library into his or her graveyard for each point of damage prevented this way from a source that player controls. Turbofog theme - GU
ca02 Pilgrim’s Eye*
Artifact Creature — Thopter (C)
Flying
When ca02 Pilgrim’s Eye* enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library. Artifact Creature
1/1
ca03 Explorer’s Scope*
Artifact — Equipment (C)
Whenever equipped creature attacks, look at the top card of your library. If it’s a land card, you may put it onto the battlefield tapped.
Equip 1 Artifact
ca05 Infiltrator Cloak
Artifact — Equipment (C)
Equipped creature can’t be blocked by creatures with defender.
Equip 1 Artifact
cl01 Secluded Steppe*
Land (C)
cl01 Secluded Steppe* enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add to your mana pool.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Land W
cl02 Lonely Sandbar*
Land (C)
cl02 Lonely Sandbar* enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add to your mana pool.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Land U
cl03 Barren Moor*
Land (C)
cl03 Barren Moor* enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add to your mana pool.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Land B
cl04 Forgotten Cave*
Land (C)
cl04 Forgotten Cave* enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add to your mana pool.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Land R
cl05 Tranquil Thicket*
Land (C)
cl05 Tranquil Thicket* enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add to your mana pool.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.) Land G
cl06 Evolving Wilds*
Land (C)
, Sacrifice cl06 Evolving Wilds*: Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped. Land colorless
na01 Titanic Juggernaut
Artifact Creature — Juggernaut (U)
na01 Titanic Juggernaut attacks each turn if able.
na01 Titanic Juggernaut can’t be blocked by creatures with defender.
7/7
na03 Spectral Searchlight*
Artifact (U)
: Choose a player. That player adds one mana of any color he or she chooses to his or her mana pool.
na04 Atlas Room
Artifact (U)
Parley — : Each player reveals the top card of his or her library. For each nonland card revealed this way, add 1 to your mana pool. Then each player draws a card.
nl01 Better Karoo
Land (U)
nl01 Better Karoo enters the battlefield tapped.
When nl01 Better Karoo enters the battlefield, return a land you control to its owner’s hand.
: Add to your mana pool.
nl02 Better Atoll
Land (U)
nl02 Better Atoll enters the battlefield tapped.
When nl02 Better Atoll enters the battlefield, return a land you control to its owner’s hand.
: Add to your mana pool.
nl03 Better Everglades
Land (U)
nl03 Better Everglades enters the battlefield tapped.
When nl03 Better Everglades enters the battlefield, return a land you control to its owner’s hand.
: Add to your mana pool.
nl04 Better Volcano
Land (U)
nl04 Better Volcano enters the battlefield tapped.
When nl04 Better Volcano enters the battlefield, return a land you control to its owner’s hand.
: Add to your mana pool.
nl05 Better Basin
Land (U)
nl05 Better Basin enters the battlefield tapped.
When nl05 Better Basin enters the battlefield, return a land you control to its owner’s hand.
: Add to your mana pool.
Question: Would you possibly want to set this on the plane featured in Astral Arena? Perhaps that arena could be one of many that exist on the plane.
Initial thoughts on the mechanics:
Invoke: Still don't like the name, but I feel like this is definitely something this set could use.
Inherit: So I get the flavor and mechanical reason for this, but I don't really understand why it's necessary. Auras already have the natural ability to work well in 2HG, and while this is far from a bad mechanic, I'm not sure it really needs to be here either. I guess what I'm saying is that I feel like we could replace it with something better.
Cycling: As I mentioned before, I think this is going to be an important mechanic for the set.
Battle Cry: I like battlecry as much as the next guy, but is it better here than Battalion?
Mindtether: This seems just as confusing as soulbond was, and I'm not really sure how they're different beyond not being controller exclusive (which I'm not even really sure works since the definition of a creature pair may conflict with that). I could be convinced, but I need to see more of what you're thinking for this one.
I feel like this set could fit one, maybe even two more mechanics (depending on what they are). Invoke doesn't really change much about a card, and cycling is very non-intrusive.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"In the beginning, MTG Salvation switched to a new forum format.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
Question: Would you possibly want to set this on the plane featured in Astral Arena? Perhaps that arena could be one of many that exist on the plane.
I thought this plane card existed and went looking for it, but didn't find it on any lists. I'm always a fan of building on existing M:TG lore, so I like the idea of doing this. I'll want to check to make sure the plane is a suitable location for this concept, but it doesn't look like much is out there besides the name Kolbahan. I think the prison plane concept is useful for bringing in references to established characters/lore. Doing so strikes a chord with players from what I've seen.
The mechanics are definitely in the brainstorming stage right now. Most of them do not facilitate the battlecruiser environment we're striving for, so I expect we'll be spending more time on finding the right ideas for mechanics as we further refine the flavor of the setting. I'll be posting a dedicated thread for mechanics brainstorming soon.
Battle-Cruiser magic seriously benefits from things like Eldrazi Tokens. I'd highly recommend finding a version of something like this or gold tokens, perhaps with a spin to allow you to help your team mate too. For example... An artifact token that you can sacrifice to add 1 mana of any color to target player's mana pool... So you can help your ally cast spells and get over mana issues too.
Random suggestions not related to mechanics (in the other thread).
1) The name: I feel like the name is a bit of a mouthful and doesn't need to point out the plane name (the same way Conspiracy is not "Conspiracies of Fiora"). Personally, I like the name "Doubles" for the format, freeing up "Team Arena" or just "Arena" for the set name. The reason I like Doubles as a format name is that:
- Like "2 Headed Giant", the "Doubles" draws attention to the fact it's a two on two format
- "Doubles" references real life doubles formats (like tennis) that are very similar to 2HG (2v2 analogues of normally 1v1 games)
- The word "Team" usually implies three or more, especially in the world of magic where "team" formats have 3 players playing completely separate games
2) Strong synergy: with four pairs taking two cards per pick, signals get mixed up pretty fast. In this format, more than others, its going to be important to have very clear archetypes. I should be able to tell the difference between pairs drafting (W/U)(B/R) and (W/B)(U/R), even though they're in the same colors.
3) Pick a threshold power: something you can see in the designs of certain formats is a focus on a particular size. Many of them have what I call a "threshold power", which is the point on the size curve where things pivot. For instance, RtR's threshold was 3: the most commonly populated token was a 3/3 centaur, which meant having 4 toughness was important. Good blockers (Voidwielder, Frostburn Weird, Lobber Crew) needed to have 4 toughness, and strong attackers needed to have 4 power to punch through. KtK's threshold is 4: ferocity makes power 4 creatures matter, which means good blockers (Archer's Parapet, Monastery Flock, etc.) need to have 5 toughness to block them, and strong attackers need to have 5 power to punch through. I think this format could use a distinction like this, allowing designers to design around what's considered a "battlecruiser", and give players a good feel for how big you need to be in the format.
4) Dead cards: as I mentioned in the other thread, 2HG limited leaves you with a lot of cards in your pool. Not only are you making more efficient decks by splitting colors, but you're also playing higher than average land counts, and one-game matches means those cards will never see the light of day. I think this is something we should keep in mind, and look to find solutions for (we can't fix the problem, but we can alleviate it).
5) Conspiracies and Draft-matters cards: these cards were a huge hit in conspiracy, and I feel they're definitely intuitive enough to show up here as well. Since players liked adding these cards to their cubes, I think it might be a good idea to keep the Doubles specific mechanics to a minimum. Unless we can find some really great design space, I feel like the draft effects should be workable in a single player draft environment. Also, while we can add our own subtypes, any Conspiracy-style cards should probably still have the type "Conspiracy". While not a perfect flavor match, adding another card type to the game that functions exactly the same seems like a bad idea, and it's not too much of a stretch to imagine Conspiracies in Arena world (rigged matches, bribes, cheating, etc.)
6) Encouraging teamwork: Something I think this set should definitely deliver on is finding ways to encourage pairs to draft complementary decks instead of just two good ones. Not sure how to accomplish this, it could be as simple as making draft archetypes that work together, or as complicated as adding a dedicated mechanic or implementing it through conspiracies. I think this point, more than any other, is key for making the set feel like it's made for Doubles Draft.
7) Flavor: There are plenty of directions you could take with this setting, and the desire to have art for every card definitely limits our creative options. While the short description you gave in the OP is fine, IMO the feel of this set is much more lighthearted. Doubles is a naturally social format, and in my experience a lot of the fun comes from banter between the four players. Because of this, I think I'd have the set lean a little closer to the silly side. I imagine a world where war is a spectator sport. Combatants of all shapes and sizes meet to duke it out on the pitch, with scores of screaming fans in the stands. The world is full of famous "star player" warriors, rich sponsors, bribery, and performance enhancing magic. I'm not saying it should be as overt and tounge-in-cheek as something like Bloodbowl, but I do think it's a setting where you could play up the sporting aspects of the world (like getting support from fans, or maybe putting someone in a penalty ring) over the brutal fighting aspects that we see all the time.
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
Random suggestions not related to mechanics (in the other thread).
Random responses to random suggestions: Activate!
By the way, what other thread are we talking about?
1) The name: I feel like the name is a bit of a mouthful and doesn't need to point out the plane name (the same way Conspiracy is not "Conspiracies of Fiora"). Personally, I like the name "Doubles" for the format, freeing up "Team Arena" or just "Arena" for the set name. The reason I like Doubles as a format name is that:
- Like "2 Headed Giant", the "Doubles" draws attention to the fact it's a two on two format
- "Doubles" references real life doubles formats (like tennis) that are very similar to 2HG (2v2 analogues of normally 1v1 games)
- The word "Team" usually implies three or more, especially in the world of magic where "team" formats have 3 players playing completely separate games
Not important right now. Conspiracy itself didn’t get its name or theme until it was being playtested.
2) Strong synergy: with four pairs taking two cards per pick, signals get mixed up pretty fast. In this format, more than others, its going to be important to have very clear archetypes. I should be able to tell the difference between pairs drafting (W/U)(B/R) and (W/B)(U/R), even though they're in the same colors.
It’s also worth noting that reading signals is less important in such a format, because you’ve got twice as many decks you can build from the pool.
3) Pick a threshold power: something you can see in the designs of certain formats is a focus on a particular size. Many of them have what I call a "threshold power", which is the point on the size curve where things pivot. For instance, RtR's threshold was 3: the most commonly populated token was a 3/3 centaur, which meant having 4 toughness was important. Good blockers (Voidwielder, Frostburn Weird, Lobber Crew) needed to have 4 toughness, and strong attackers needed to have 4 power to punch through. KtK's threshold is 4: ferocity makes power 4 creatures matter, which means good blockers (Archer's Parapet, Monastery Flock, etc.) need to have 5 toughness to block them, and strong attackers need to have 5 power to punch through. I think this format could use a distinction like this, allowing designers to design around what's considered a "battlecruiser", and give players a good feel for how big you need to be in the format.
Awesome point. A bear was a trap in Eldrazi. Setting a threshold is key.
It’s also worth noting two things. In 2HG, players block together – so having a single big blocker is stronger than in other formats.
4) Dead cards: as I mentioned in the other thread, 2HG limited leaves you with a lot of cards in your pool. Not only are you making more efficient decks by splitting colors, but you're also playing higher than average land counts, and one-game matches means those cards will never see the light of day. I think this is something we should keep in mind, and look to find solutions for (we can't fix the problem, but we can alleviate it).
What’s this other thread I’ve heard so many magical sparkly things about?
But on topic, it’s worth noting that a 2HG format is much harder to have dead cards in… As sideboard cards can be safely maindecked more often than not. Still, nearly every card should be potentially maindeckable. Use of mechanics like Cycling – and potentially some really awesome lands that players will want to draft (I love lands that look cool to draft, because it means having to go through a less painful process of cutting cards to et to 40) – can definitely address this issue.
5) Conspiracies and Draft-matters cards: these cards were a huge hit in conspiracy, and I feel they're definitely intuitive enough to show up here as well. Since players liked adding these cards to their cubes, I think it might be a good idea to keep the Doubles specific mechanics to a minimum. Unless we can find some really great design space, I feel like the draft effects should be workable in a single player draft environment. Also, while we can add our own subtypes, any Conspiracy-style cards should probably still have the type "Conspiracy". While not a perfect flavor match, adding another card type to the game that functions exactly the same seems like a bad idea, and it's not too much of a stretch to imagine Conspiracies in Arena world (rigged matches, bribes, cheating, etc.)
I. Love. Draft-Matters. Cards.
I. Love. Conspiracy. Cards.
However, I disagree that we should avoid playing with the 2-player space. Conspiracy and similar products do that. And they’ve explored a lot of the cool space. Having 2 players in a draft, and draft-matters effects, is awesome. It can create a unique drafting experience, when cards you take can give bonuses or restrictions to your opponent’s drafting. I think taking advantage of this space in order to make the format as interesting as possible is far more important than making sure players can include the designs in their non-2HG cubes. It’s not like people will be needing to justify a purchase of the set.
6) Encouraging teamwork: Something I think this set should definitely deliver on is finding ways to encourage pairs to draft complementary decks instead of just two good ones. Not sure how to accomplish this, it could be as simple as making draft archetypes that work together, or as complicated as adding a dedicated mechanic or implementing it through conspiracies. I think this point, more than any other, is key for making the set feel like it's made for Doubles Draft.
Definitely something we should consider. I think the teamwork of 2-player draft-matters cards will definitely do a ton of this. In actual gameplay, several mechanical possibilities come to mind. For example…
Gift of Might – 2G
Sorcery
Put two +1/+1 counters on target creature. Draw a card.
Teamwork – If Gift of Might’s target is a creature you don’t control, put four +1/+1 counters on it instead.
7) Flavor: There are plenty of directions you could take with this setting, and the desire to have art for every card definitely limits our creative options. While the short description you gave in the OP is fine, IMO the feel of this set is much more lighthearted. Doubles is a naturally social format, and in my experience a lot of the fun comes from banter between the four players. Because of this, I think I'd have the set lean a little closer to the silly side. I imagine a world where war is a spectator sport. Combatants of all shapes and sizes meet to duke it out on the pitch, with scores of screaming fans in the stands. The world is full of famous "star player" warriors, rich sponsors, bribery, and performance enhancing magic. I'm not saying it should be as overt and tounge-in-cheek as something like Bloodbowl, but I do think it's a setting where you could play up the sporting aspects of the world (like getting support from fans, or maybe putting someone in a penalty ring) over the brutal fighting aspects that we see all the time.
I agree that locking down flavor right now doesn’t make sense. This is clearly a bottom-up set (we’re starting with a style of drafting and gameplay after all). Let’s work out the best gameplay and then figure out what flavor fits… Exactly how Conspiracy did it.
Not important right now. Conspiracy itself didn’t get its name or theme until it was being playtested.
Piar has expressed a desire for this set to have more of a flavor identity than conspiracy, and since we're re-branding the format I think it's worth talking about.
What’s this other thread I’ve heard so many magical sparkly things about?
The mechanics brainstorm thread on the main page.
But on topic, it’s worth noting that a 2HG format is much harder to have dead cards in… As sideboard cards can be safely maindecked more often than not. Still, nearly every card should be potentially maindeckable. Use of mechanics like Cycling – and potentially some really awesome lands that players will want to draft (I love lands that look cool to draft, because it means having to go through a less painful process of cutting cards to et to 40) – can definitely address this issue.
I'm not talking about dead cards in the traditional sense, I was talking more about "unplayed" cards. Lands are another good solution.
However, I disagree that we should avoid playing with the 2-player space. Conspiracy and similar products do that. And they’ve explored a lot of the cool space. Having 2 players in a draft, and draft-matters effects, is awesome. It can create a unique drafting experience, when cards you take can give bonuses or restrictions to your opponent’s drafting. I think taking advantage of this space in order to make the format as interesting as possible is far more important than making sure players can include the designs in their non-2HG cubes. It’s not like people will be needing to justify a purchase of the set.
My reasoning here is not just cube related, but also just typical draft related. Even though they were well received, the biggest complaint about Conspiracies and Draft Matter cards was that they were essentially useless after the draft. That's an unavoidable complaint when the cards are literally designed for drafting, but at least they were all worded so they could work in any booster draft, even non-multipalyer ones. Doubles draft is a format that appeals to even less people and requires an even more specific set of players (an even number of two-player teams). I'm not saying we shouldn't include Draft cards that play well in a doubles draft, what I'm saying is there shouldn't be any cards that literally do not work outside of that style of drafting.
I agree that locking down flavor right now doesn’t make sense. This is clearly a bottom-up set (we’re starting with a style of drafting and gameplay after all). Let’s work out the best gameplay and then figure out what flavor fits… Exactly how Conspiracy did it.
Though it's conspiracy-esque, Piar has definitely said he wants it to feel closer to a true expansion than conspiracy did. A big part of this is finding a good flavor base, especially when determining what the world looks like could help guide our design.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"In the beginning, MTG Salvation switched to a new forum format.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
Piar has expressed a desire for this set to have more of a flavor identity than conspiracy, and since we're re-branding the format I think it's worth talking about.
Sure worth talking about. I think it’s a red herring at the moment though. Name is traditionally the very last thing in every set, and as you mentioned – if the goal is to create a feeling closer to a standard set then the development being close to how normal sets are designed makes sense.
The mechanics brainstorm thread on the main page.
Thanks.
not talking about dead cards in the traditional sense, I was talking more about "unplayed" cards. Lands are another good solution.
And so are conspiracies and other card types, maybe even something brand new. Lots of good options here. Glad you brought it up early.
My reasoning here is not just cube related, but also just typical draft related. Even though they were well received, the biggest complaint about Conspiracies and Draft Matter cards was that they were essentially useless after the draft. That's an unavoidable complaint when the cards are literally designed for drafting, but at least they were all worded so they could work in any booster draft, even non-multipalyer ones. Doubles draft is a format that appeals to even less people and requires an even more specific set of players (an even number of two-player teams). I'm not saying we shouldn't include Draft cards that play well in a doubles draft, what I'm saying is there shouldn't be any cards that literally do not work outside of that style of drafting.
I understand that you’re looking to address the complaints about Draft-Matters and Conspiracy cards, while maintaining the stuff that makes them awesome. After all, why increase the only significant complaints around this incredibly well-received mechanic?
However, I think the answer to that question lies in the cards themselves. The mechanics were extremely well-received, despite being useless outside of the draft with the extraordinarily narrow exception of being usable in cubes (and, to an extent, being able to supplement normal drafting). This was due to the unique gameplay experience they offered (which also happened to be awesome).
My point is, if we can design some awesome gameplay that specifically creates a unique team experience in a custom set which people won’t be paying money for (and so won’t have to worry about retention of value that caused the complaints in the first place)… I think that design space is totally worth exploring. I wouldn’t want to cut off the exploration for the sake of protecting the non-value of the cards to cube players. Not if it has a chance to create an awesome and unique gameplay experience.
Though it's conspiracy-esque, Piar has definitely said he wants it to feel closer to a true expansion than conspiracy did. A big part of this is finding a good flavor base, especially when determining what the world looks like could help guide our design.
Real sets are made in the same way when they’re bottom-up. Sometimes the flavor comes early in the overall design, if the mechanics are nailed down (like the block structure of Tarkir) and things need to make immediate flavor sense in order for the rest of development to even be possible. However, I don’t think we’re at that point yet. If you want to talk about flavor now, cool, I just think it’s a premature. No point arguing over it.
We've recently added void_nothing to the team, and I plan for him to drive the flavor of the set once we have the foundation of the set figured out. Names and flavor will surely change as we get into development. Right now I think the flavor is passable enough for us to focus on mechanics and fundamentals of the set design. Once we get those nailed down I'll create a set skeleton and we can move forward with the fun part - making cards.
Regarding the set's "critical power/toughness", I'd like this set to have its 'good blockers' to have toughness 5. There are two primary consequences of this. The first is that since the format is naturally slower, cards with toughness 5 will be relevant for longer into the game. The second is that aggressive strategies will have a bit more time to do their work (since X/5 blockers cost more than X/4 ones) before control strategies stabilize. This is also a way for us to differentiate the format from Rise of the Eldrazi, which had critical toughness at 4.
Edit:
I concur with Command Zone cards and lands being good opportunities for us to decrease the number of unplayed cards. That said, I don't think we've found the right Command Zone mechanic yet and should see what other ideas we can come up with on that front. There are some decent ideas so far, but I'm hoping we can iterate into something we all love.
I went with Team Arena specifically because it doesn't reference the number of players on a team. As part of rebranding I envisioned genericizing team formats to extend to n-sized teams, with this set simply focusing on n=2. I'm honestly not expecting that generalization to be valuable or used often, but I see it as a justification for moving away from the old name. I don't think the format terminology discussion is particularly useful right now, though I do want to address it and we will re-introduce the discussion as we move into development.
In discussing signals - I think MOON-E's point (and certainly my own here) is that because color signalling is less reliable, other methods of signalling are more important to consider. Things like "there's a sliver still in this pack?" or "that's a pretty late Venerated Teacher." Signalling is as important as we make it, but we have to think about other ways we can enable players to signal aside from color. As far as I'm aware, the alternative is players drafting 5-color-good-stuff pools.
Based on this discussion I think there are two fundamental questions we need to ask, neither of which I have a particularly strong opinion on.
1. As we design the set, do we design it as though we are WotC? Do we consider things like secondary markets, eternal formats, etc as we go about balancing the set? Do we try to account for market research we don't have deep access to? Do we design the set with both regular draft and in 2HG draft in mind?
2. Do we want to use the game term "teammate" in the set? The precedent is set in Imperial Mask but that doesn't mean we necessarily want to use the term. I do think that the context of this set is ripe for it, but the answer to this in part relies on the answer to question 1. If we do use the term, how heavily do we want to rely on it?
Based on this discussion I think there are two fundamental questions we need to ask, neither of which I have a particularly strong opinion on.
I think these are questions that will ripple out to affect all other discussions, so I'll dig into this before the other stuff..
1. As we design the set, do we design it as though we are WotC? Do we consider things like secondary markets, eternal formats, etc as we go about balancing the set? Do we try to account for market research we don't have deep access to? Do we design the set with both regular draft and in 2HG draft in mind?
This is rather a compound question. I think the best answer is, "Yes, we design as though we're Wizards of the Coast releasing this product exactly how we'll release it." Since we clearly won't be charging money for the product and it will be designed for print-and-play enjoyment, or similar distribution, I think those are both factors. This would definitely affect how Wizards develops the product, because the market and interaction is different. We also don't need to worry about breaking legacy tournaments - because they won't be legal in legacy tournaments. Basically, if a team from wizards was somehow working on a free print-and-play product like this - what would they do? Maintaining the colour pie would still be important. Balancing for eternal formats wouldn't be.
I don't think it's important to design for regular draft though. We're making something cool and unique that players won't have to pay money for. I understand the desire to broaden the set's appeal to as many players as possible, but I think that shackling ourselves to that restriction will take away more from the set than it adds. Normally I'm all for creative limitations, but drafting-with-a-team-mate is an amazing space to explore. I'd rather appeal to 100% of our target audience and make the best 2HG draft environment possible. If people want to draft a custom set, there are lots of options. Let's make our set the one they pick up when they want to draft in teams, and make sure it's the best possible version of that experience.
2. Do we want to use the game term "teammate" in the set? The precedent is set in Imperial Mask but that doesn't mean we necessarily want to use the term. I do think that the context of this set is ripe for it, but the answer to this in part relies on the answer to question 1. If we do use the term, how heavily do we want to rely on it?
I'f anything's going to be future shifted into this set, Imperial Mask is a great choice. I don't have an issue with using Team Mate and I think now is a great time to own the terminology. We can work around it a bit, like the current wording of copay, but I don't see the point. Wizards already did it in a future shifted card. Let's follow their lead and make all our team-based cards more grokkable in the process
Look at the following cards.
Shared Vision - 4UU
Sorcery
You and another player of your choice each draw 2 cards.
Shared Vision - 4UU
Sorcery
You and your teammate each draw 2 cards.
The second card is a LOT easier to grok. The first card seems odd at first, becase normally other players are your opponents and our brains are wired to think of them that way. The second card fits the design like a glove.
Now, the templating of the second card assumes you only have one team mate (which a 2HG set is designed for and I'm okay with building the cards with that assumption). However, we could easily redesign the card so you choose one of your team mates. In any case, using team mate makes many cards read better - such as an aura that is more powerful if it's enchanting a creature one of your team mates controls or effects like Copay which can make it clear that your team mates can tap mana to help pay for it.
Agreed on the use of the term "teammate." Wizards hasn't made much use of this templating technology they've introduced, and we have a definite good reason to make use of it.
To reiterate something - the flavor could be quite bleak or quite sunny for this plane.
Bleak: plane of Everything Trying to Kill You, but in a different way than Zendikar - more focused on dangerous flora and fauna than perilous terrain/weather. The social codes that have developed, such as they are, allow for combat-by-champion rather than outright genocide and slaughter to determine control of the safest and most fertile land.
Sunny: plane of possibilities and new life. It's an exciting time for the origins of civilization, and different small villages are delighted to find they're not the only sentients on this dangerous world. They're starting to unite into great cities, but to determine whether an alliance will be fruitful they're having friendly sparring contests to feel out one another's technology, strategies, and other things.
Draft Structure
One thing I'd like to explore is draft structure. I think the commonly accepted rules might actually handicap us. With the notion that everything should be explored, and that we are effectively creating our own limited format with lots of flexibility (and that Wizards has changed how drafts operate before), let's take a look at the current rules.
2HG Booster Draft follows a somewhat different procedure than usual:
The teams are randomly distributed into pods and the players of the same team sit together. After opening the first booster, each team selects two cards before passing to the left. These cards aren't assigned to a specific player, but rather form a common card pool from which both players will construct their decks.
The process continues, picking two cards each time before passing to the left, until all the cards have been drafted. The order alternates between boosters as normal, going left-right-left-right-left-right.
This format has the advantage of players being able to conference during picks. However, it has some disadvantages.
1) It severely limits interesting team-based draft-matters interactions.
2) It encourages an alpha-player to dominate the draft discussion.
3) It slows down the drafting process, because players need to discuss picks (slowing things down) from among pools of cards that are twice as large as normal (slowing things down.
4) It makes the format feel less about 2 players working together and much more like one organism controlled by the loudest player.
It also has several advantages
1) Drafting with someone else can be fun, because discussing picks together can be fun.
2) Skilled players can guide less skilled players along the drafting process (though this is countered by the less skilled player being overwhelmed by twice as many options as normal).
[card]
It's also worth noting that building 2 decks from a shared cardpool takes a lot longer to do and is harder to do. But let's take this one at a time.
Crazy Idea
What if players drafted much more normally? What if team mates drafted individually, and were spaced around the table away from one another? Suddenly, there's a lot more you can do. For one thing, being able to pass information about what you're drafting to your opponent would be invaluable. Suddenly cards that allow you to show your picks to your team mate, or look at another player's picks, are very useful. Here are some crazy ideas that can work in such a format, which cannot work in traditional 2HG draft (and still be meaningful). Using the term "bridgework" instead of "cogwork" as a playtest name, because this team-based format when you don't have perfect information about what your opponent is picking resembles games like bridge. I'm not suggesting we actually use the name "bridgework".
Bridgework Messenger - 3
Artifact Creature
Flying
You may draft this card face up. If you do, your team mate may look at the next card you draft.
2/1
Bridgework Bauble - 0
Artifact
You may draft this card face up. If you do, your team mate may draft 2 cards from his or her pack instead of 1.
It's also worth noting that if there isn't a shared cardpool, cards that allow players to draft for eachother's cardpools when it comes to building a deck afterwards are very interesting.
Bridgework Mule - 4
Artifact Creature
You may reveal this card from your picks at the end of the draft. If you do, you may give your teammate up to 3 cards from your cardpool.
2/5
Like I said, crazy ideas. Not necessarily endorsing them.
I'm not sure I like too many draft interactions in this set. Don't wanna step on Conspiracy's toes. I think we want a set that can support both 2HG Constructed and Draft.
There's also value in letting players do what's familiar.
That's an interesting perspective. I'd actively like to build on conspiracy's coolest aspects. If possible, I'd also like to explore designing the set to explore what team-drafting could be like. If it doesn't play well, that's a whole other thing, but I like to explore the crazier and more unique options first - because you can always retreat to safer ground later.
I forgot "teammate" was a rules term. Definitely seems like something we could make use of, though it does feel a bit ham-fisted for me (instead of coming up with cards that work anywhere but excel in 2HG, we're making cards that only do that).
In general I don't think partner chemistry is something we should worry about. 2HG in general is meant for friends/couples/etc. If they can't work together well it's not really something that can be fixed through design. Working together is the whole point of 2HG, so splitting pairs up during the draft because it could lead to teamwork issues (that are going to be a problem during the game regardless) seems counter intuitive. If we utilize draft mechanics (which I'm open to but not locked into), they should work with the format not against it.
You're right however that length is a big issue. There's not really a good solution for this, though I did consider suggesting reducing the number of packs in the draft. Normal sets require more packs since many cards aren't viable in 2HG, but this set should have a much higher playable count that requires less packs. There are a bunch of advantages to this:
- Reduces the length of the draft and deck construction
- Reduces the number of unused cards left over
- Puts a strong emphasis on knowing the direction of your draft, instead of drafting 5 color good stuff
There are also some disadvantages:
- There are simply fewer cards at the table, which means fewer rares, fewer key cards for archetype decks, etc.
- There's much less room for error, as the total card pool will be smaller
This might be something worth exploring. I first considered four packs, but that seems a bit too small. Assuming each player will use ~25 cards (including nonbasic lands and potential conspiracies), 4 packs would mean each team uses ~50/60 cards, which doesn't leave a lot of room. Five packs might be a good compromise, since ~50/75 is a little more breathing room, and the odd number of packs more closely emulates normal booster drafts in terms of signaling. The downside to using 5 is that it's so close to 6 it doesn't seem worth it to switch. Still, I do like it for both time and putting pressure on the draft. Remember that a normal booster draft only uses about half the cards picked (~23/45), and the leftovers are usually off color cards (which your partner can use) or sideboard cards (which are main deck cards in 2HG). Also, 2HG sealed uses 8 packs, not 12, so using less than 6 packs in a draft would make sense.
EDIT: @void_nothing: In terms of flavor, not sure if you read my previous post, but I like emphasizing the arena aspect of this world, as it's the most unique part of the setting. Disparate settlements fighting over territory on a dangerous plane is fine, but it's been done. I really feel like a world of high profile spectator warfare is something fun that magic hasn't really explored yet.
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
We do need to reduce the length of the draft in some fashion. Fewer packs might work rather well, and reduces the number of cards that end up not being played. However, if players end up having to play most of the cards they draft, it's worth noting that it'll feel a lot more like sealed unless there are *strong* non-color based archetypes that you can draft around.
Frankly, building a product more like commander specifically for 2HG might be a good warm-up. Preconstructed decks designed for 2HG play and with many new cards designed for the format. Has anyone done something like that before? I haven't seen it, though I'm sure someone has.
EDIT: @void_nothing: In terms of flavor, not sure if you read my previous post, but I like emphasizing the arena aspect of this world, as it's the most unique part of the setting. Disparate settlements fighting over territory on a dangerous plane is fine, but it's been done. I really feel like a world of high profile spectator warfare is something fun that magic hasn't really explored yet.
That's definitely a cool idea. What kind of world this sort of thing would take place in, however, is still an open question. There are definitely ways to have this in a "primitive" world; it's easy but stereotypical to see it in an ancient Roman-style world; I kind of oddly like it in a Mesoamerican-inspired world given the Aztecs' many entertainments of the like (the Mesoamerican Ballgame, gladiatorial sacrifices).
EDIT: @void_nothing: In terms of flavor, not sure if you read my previous post, but I like emphasizing the arena aspect of this world, as it's the most unique part of the setting. Disparate settlements fighting over territory on a dangerous plane is fine, but it's been done. I really feel like a world of high profile spectator warfare is something fun that magic hasn't really explored yet.
That's definitely a cool idea. What kind of world this sort of thing would take place in, however, is still an open question. There are definitely ways to have this in a "primitive" world; it's easy but stereotypical to see it in an ancient Roman-style world; I kind of oddly like it in a Mesoamerican-inspired world given the Aztecs' many entertainments of the like (the Mesoamerican Ballgame, gladiatorial sacrifices).
The main reason this doesn't feel quite like a "primitive" world to me is that the plane card this concept comes from, Astral Arena, doesn't look very primitive. I mean yes it's kinda rustic and made of stone, but it's also huge bleachers floating in the sky, which at least implies some level of advanced organization (and a large fan base that watches them). Even if this arena (and others) were "natural" parts of the world that just existed, it definitely feels like everything would organize around them.
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"In the beginning, MTG Salvation switched to a new forum format.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
Flavor proposal: The overarching feel of Kolbahan is like ancient Rome, but many cultures (some maybe takes on real-world cultures, some not) are represented because Rome was a cosmopolitan empire and thus the many "provinces" would have competitors of their own in Kolbahan's arenas.
We may even have the arenas associated with specific "home teams"/regions; like a team of super-fast, pious dervishes who trains/manages/has their "home" fights in a harsh desert arena that's blasted by sandstorms, or the savvy relatively high-tech city fighters playing in the capital area which is the largest arena.
If Rome is an option, Colosseum is an Arena with better PR. Even has the "Co" as in Cooperation.
There are two major mechanics I think will make the set/drafting work well.
Copay is amazing and has already been discussed. However, one thing that worries me is that a copay spell can go in either deck equally - because your ally can pay the colored mana for it. I think a version of copay where your ally can only pay for the colorless cost of it works better. So, if you have a spell tht costs 7GG, your opponent can help you pay for the 7 but you still have to pay for the GG.
But how about spells that encourage true cooperative deck construction? I like an idea like this...
Floodgrove Elemental - 3UU
Flying
Teamwork - When Floodgrove Elemental enters the battlefield, one of your teammates may pay 2G. If he or she does, put two +1/+1 counters on Floodgrove Elemental.
3/3
A templating more like kicker could work better of course. In any case, what I like about this design is that it enables players to draft cooperative decks and rewards certain kinds of color management in deck construction (single colors on each side might be way too easy if there's a shared cardpool, multicolored cards with multicolored teamwork triggers might be better). It's building on the way the Shared mechanic mentioned in the other thread used split cards, but with the advantage of being able to go on creatures and leaving a lot more space for rules text than split cards usually have.
Does teamwork need to be limited to just teammates? For instance, you could print the exact same creature but with "another player" instead of teammate. This opens up these cards to work in commander, where other players could want to help you out without technically being on your team. FWIW, I think this mechanic is great, and combines the best aspects of Copay, Shared, and Kicker.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"In the beginning, MTG Salvation switched to a new forum format.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
Does teamwork need to be limited to just teammates? For instance, you could print the exact same creature but with "another player" instead of teammate. This opens up these cards to work in commander, where other players could want to help you out without technically being on your team. FWIW, I think this mechanic is great, and combines the best aspects of Copay, Shared, and Kicker.
I can see advantages to calling out teammates specifically (mostly related to making the cards easier to read, more grokkable and shout's the set's spirit loud and clear - in a way that differentiates it from all the cooperative mechanics we've seen in products like Commander), as well as advantages to leaving it open to all players ( more functionality in other formats).
However, I don't think this is something that needs to be resolved right now - as in the format it's designed for the Teamwork mechanic would end up playing the same way. This makes it more a templating question for this specific mechanic.
I think the core idea of the Teamwork mechanic, however it's templated, works very well for what the set needs. I also think a version of Copay would work wonders, as it allows a lot of flexibility in the mana curve and allows players to run many more powerful creatures. a 4cmc copay creature simultaneously fills slots along the 2-drop, 3-drop and 4-drop range. That's awesome.
First, I agree that the draft format is probably sustainable at 5 packs per team. I think we should at least use that as the basis of the format and test from there. This significantly lessens the burden of unplayed cards and will make for more interesting deck construction decisions. It is possible that 4 packs is the correct number, if all our commons are strategically flexible and borderline playable, but let's sit at 5 packs for now.
Regarding use of the word "teammate," I think the best course of action is to use it on individual cards as it makes sense for grokkability, but to exclude it from mechanic reminder text (with the possible exception of format-specific Conspiracies/etc).
That's an excellent point about the colored mana for Copay. Only helping with colorless mana is a good fix; I think Teamwork might be a better fix. I do prefer a kicker template to it though, so it can be used on permanents and spells if need be with the same template. So it'd become:
Floodgrove Elemental3UU
Creature - Elemental (C)
Harmony 2G(Another player may pay 2G as you cast this spell.)
Flying
If Floodgrove Elemental was harmonized, it enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it.
3/3
I doubt this set wants both Copay and Teamwork? Both have their advantages and disadvantages. My present opinion is that we can do more with Teamwork than we can with Copay, so we should use Teamwork. We can always keep Copay on the backburner in case Teamwork doesn't play as well as we like.
Flavor proposal: The overarching feel of Kolbahan is like ancient Rome, but many cultures (some maybe takes on real-world cultures, some not) are represented because Rome was a cosmopolitan empire and thus the many "provinces" would have competitors of their own in Kolbahan's arenas.
We may even have the arenas associated with specific "home teams"/regions; like a team of super-fast, pious dervishes who trains/manages/has their "home" fights in a harsh desert arena that's blasted by sandstorms, or the savvy relatively high-tech city fighters playing in the capital area which is the largest arena.
I dig this. Especially if we can get the provinces to have distinct looks&feels.
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Unite and Triumph
Art by Flavio Bolla
This set is focused on Arena (Two-Headed Giant) limited. While it does follow some traditions of a "normal expansion" such as being set on a single plane, it is largely inspired by supplemental products such as Conspiracy and will follow many of the same design conventions as those products. Players will experience cooperative success and experience high-five moments of teamwork oriented gameplay.
Many different strategies have led to success in the arenas. The wealthy enter with bought armies and scholars to do their bidding. Monks have been known to enter alone and meditate on their predicaments. But by far the most successful method is entering the arena with a single trusted partner. Many aspiring gladiators choose their partner during childhood, training with them constantly until they act as one in combat. If a pair is successful in a city stadium, they are encouraged to attempt the supernatural fields. Each city maintains strict regulation of its own coliseum, and most are overseen by the very people who claimed victory in the nearby castles. Many of the Sanctified seek to steal victory in the arenas of their neighbors, while refusing access to the arenas they have bested. Different philosophies amongst the Sanctified have fragmented the population of Kolbahan, and many of the powerful cities are poised at the brink of war. Diplomacy is difficult when many are so hard to trust. With everything on the line, it's up to you to Unite and Triumph.
UB: Reactive/Flash control (Parley?)
BR: Reanimator
RG: Power matters
GW: Allies ("Tribal")
WB: Auras
UR: Spells matter
BG: Cycling matters
RW: Lots of attacking creatures ("Each attacking creature" scaling)
GU: Turbofog
As noticed from the themes, we're bringing back Cycling. Allies also make an appearance, although they work a bit differently than in Zendikar - they notice when your teammate has Allies as well. We're also introducing a new keyword that we're currently calling Sidekick (Another player may pay this card's sidekick cost as you cast it.). Finally, there is the Refresh mechanic (Untap up to N lands.) Each of these mechanics along with the card designs themselves serve to advance our design goal: Players will experience cooperative success and experience high-five moments of teamwork oriented gameplay.
Designers: MOON-E, Stairc, void_nothing
Every card in the set will have artwork associated with it (fully credited).
This set is a supplemental set and will contain reprints of both individual cards and mechanics. Due to the inherent complexities of the Arena format, the complexity of the set itself will be lower than other expert level sets.
This set seeks to emulate Battlecruiser magic. That is, teams build up defenses and armies and play a "champion" (like an Eldrazi or a fully leveled Coralhelm Commander) before the battle begins in earnest. Of course, other strategies are available to teams that want to break the mold.
The set will have more conditional/narrow removal, counterspells, and utility cards. This will encourage battlecruising and more interactivity.
The set will have a good number of linear themes to draw upon.
Mill and drain effects will be kept to a minimum.
There will be multiple ways "teams" come together within the flavor of the set.
Creature — Human Scout Ally (C)
Whenever cw01 White Common Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on cw01 White Common Ally.
Creature small
0/2
cw02 Shimmering Barrier*
Creature — Wall (C)
Defender, first strike
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Creature small
1/3
cw03 Auramancer*
Creature — Wizard (C)
When cw03 Auramancer* enters the battlefield, you may return target enchantment card from your graveyard to your hand.
Creature small
2/2
cw04 Roused Marble
Creature — Golem (C)
Defender, vigilance
cw04 Roused Marble can attack as though it didn’t have defender as long as you control an Ally.
Creature small
2/4
cw05 Respite Spirit
Creature — Spirit (C)
Sacrifice cw05 Respite Spirit: Untap all attacking creatures and remove them from combat.
Creature small
2/2
cw06 Hearty Griffin
Creature (C)
Flying
Whenever cw06 Hearty Griffin deals combat damage to a player, you gain 1 life for each attacking creature.
Creature small
2/1
cw07 Stalwart Shield-Bearers*
Creature — Human Soldier (C)
Defender
Other creatures you control with defender get +0/+2.
Creature small
0/3
cw08 Wipe Clean*
Instant (C)
Exile target enchantment.
Cycling 3 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Creature small — flexed to instant
cw09 Armored Monk
Creature — Cleric Soldier (C)
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to cw09 Armored Monk by creatures blocking it.
Creature small
2/2
cw10 Skyrider Trainee*
Creature — Human Soldier (C)
cw10 Skyrider Trainee* has flying as long as it’s enchanted.
Creature small
3/3
cw11 Tough Griffin
Creature (C)
Flying
Creature medium
2/7
cw12 Yoked Plowbeast
Creature — Beast (C)
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Creature medium
5/5
cw13 Cage of Hands*
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can’t attack or block.
: Return cw13 Cage of Hands* to its owner’s hand.
Enchantment Aura
cw14 Swinging Strength
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature attacks, it gets +1/+1 for each attacking creature.
Enchantment Aura
cw15 Renewed Faith*
Instant (C)
You gain 6 life.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle cw15 Renewed Faith*, you may gain 2 life.
Instant
cw16 Join the Ranks*
Instant (C)
Put two 1/1 white Soldier Ally creature tokens onto the battlefield.
Instant
cw17 Icy Teamwork
Instant (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Tap two target creatures. If cw17 Icy Teamwork was kicked, those creatures don’t untap during their controllers’ next untap step.
Instant
cw18 Token Teamwork
Sorcery (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Put two 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens onto the battlefield. If cw18 Token Teamwork was kicked, put a +1/+1 counter on each of those creatures.
Sorcery
Creature — Wall (U)
Defender
When nw01 Guarded Gate enters the battlefield, put a 1/1 white Soldier creature token onto the battlefield for each creature with Defender your team controls.
0/4
nw02 Shadow Lance*
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has first strike.
: Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
nw03 Pledge Allegiance
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature and each creature your team controls that shares a type with it each get +2/+2.
nw04 Warcall Angel
Creature — Angel (U)
Flying, vigilance
: nw04 Warcall Angel gets +1/+1 for each attacking creature until end of turn.
3/3
nw05 Banishing Chamber
Creature — Spirit (U)
Defender
When nw05 Banishing Chamber enters the battlefield, exile target nonland permanent until nw05 Banishing Chamber leaves the battlefield.
0/4
nw06 Control Teamwork
Sorcery (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Exile target creature. If nw06 Control Teamwork was kicked, return that creature to the battlefield under your control at end of turn.
nw07 Naturalize Teamwork
Instant (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Destroy target artifact or enchantment. If nw07 Naturalize Teamwork was kicked, put an X/X green Ooze creature token onto the battlefield, where X is that permanent’s converted mana cost.
nw08 Intrusion Phalanx
Creature — Human Soldier (U)
Vigilance
: Attacking creatures get +1/+0 until end of turn.
3/3
nw09 White Gladiator
Creature — Giant Knight (U)
Vigilance
When nw09 White Gladiator enters the battlefield, you may have it fight target black or red creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
3/5
nw10 Snare Ally
Creature — Ally (U)
Whenever nw10 Snare Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on nw10 Snare Ally and tap target creature.
2/2
nw11 Flurry of Souls
Instant (U)
Put X 1/1 white Spirit creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield, where X is the number of attacking creatures.
“They were soldiers once. The call to battle is a reckoning.”
nw12 Impervious Shielding :symx:
Sorcery (U)
X target creatures each gain indestructible until end of turn.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle nw12 Impervious Shielding, target creature gains indestructible until end of turn.
Creature — Bird Ally (C)
Flying
Whenever cu01 Blue Common Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on cu01 Blue Common Ally.
Creature small
0/2
cu02 Doorkeeper*
Creature — Homunculus (C)
Defender
, : Target player puts the top X cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard, where X is the number of creatures with defender you control.
Creature small
0/4
cu03 Smart Drake
Creature — Drake (C)
Flying, prowess
Creature small
2/3
cu04 Studied Librarian
Creature — Human Wizard (C)
: Look at the top card of each player’s library.
Creature small
1/1
cu05 Flux Turtle
Creature — Turtle (C)
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may switch cu05 Flux Turtle’s power and toughness until end of turn.
Creature small
1/4
cu06 Stringtugger
Creature — Wizard (C)
, : Tap or untap target creature.
Creature small
1/1
cu07 Caller of Minds
Creature — Wizard (C)
Prowess
When cu07 Caller of Minds dies, return target instant or sorcery card from a graveyard to its owner’s hand.
Creature small
2/2
cu08 Coiling Serpent
Creature — Serpent (C)
Defender, prowess
cu08 Coiling Serpent can attack as though it didn’t have defender as long as a noncreature spell was cast this turn.
Creature large
5/5
cu09 Sudden Blockade
Creature — Wall (C)
Flash, defender
Whenever cu09 Sudden Blockade blocks a creature, refresh 1. (Untap up to one land.)
Creature medium
3/6
cu10 Mystic Restraints*
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Flash
Enchant creature
When cu10 Mystic Restraints* enters the battlefield, tap enchanted creature.
Enchanted creature doesn’t untap during its controller’s untap step.
Enchantment Aura
cu11 Blind Parley
Instant (C)
Parley — Each player reveals the top card of his or her library. For each nonland card revealed this way, creatures your opponents control get -1/-0 until end of turn. Then each player draws a card.
Instant
cu12 Choking Tethers*
Instant (C)
Tap up to four target creatures.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle cu12 Choking Tethers*, you may tap target creature.
Instant
cu13 Miscalculation*
Instant (C)
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 2.
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Instant
cu14 Counterwind
Instant (C)
Counter target spell.
Refresh 2 (Untap up to two lands.)
Instant
cu15 Flicker Teamwork
Instant (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Exile target creature, then return it to the battlefield. If cu15 Flicker Teamwork was kicked, that creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
Instant
cu16 Bounce Teamwork
Sorcery (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Return target nonland permanent to its owner’s hand. If cu16 Bounce Teamwork was kicked, target player discards a card.
Sorcery
cu17 Barely Visible Stalker
Creature — Human Rogue (C)
cu17 Barely Visible Stalker can’t be blocked by creatures with greater power.
cu17 Barely Visible Stalker has hexproof as long as it’s attacking.
Creature medium
3/2
cu18 Take Stock
Sorcery (C)
Draw two cards, then discard a card.
Sorcery
Creature — Wall (U)
Defender
Whenever nu01 Wall of Frost* blocks a creature, that creature doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
0/7
nu02 Counter Parley
Instant (U)
Parley — Choose target spell, then each player reveals the top card of his or her library. Counter that spell unless its controller pays 1 for each nonland card revealed this way. Then each player draws a card.
nu03 Windbag Rogue
Creature — Rogue (U)
Parley — Whenever nu03 Windbag Rogue attacks, each player reveals the top card of his or her library. Creatures with power less than the number of nonland cards revealed this way can’t be blocked this turn. Then each player draws a card.
2/2
nu04 Gust Zendikon
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant land
Enchanted land is a 3/3 Elemental creature with flying. It’s still a land.
When enchanted land dies, refresh 3. (Untap up to three lands.)
nu05 Dragon Wings*
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has flying.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When a creature with converted mana cost 6 or greater enters the battlefield, you may return nu05 Dragon Wings* from your graveyard to the battlefield attached to that creature.
nu06 Blue Gladiator
Creature — Giant (U)
Prowess
When nu06 Blue Gladiator enters the battlefield, you may have it fight target red or green creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
2/6
nu07 Mill Teamwork
Instant (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Target opponent reveals cards from the top of his or her library until he or she reveals a land card and puts those cards into his or her graveyard. If nu07 Mill Teamwork was kicked, you gain life equal to the number of cards revealed this way.
nu08 Denial Teamwork
Instant (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Counter target noncreature spell. If nu08 Denial Teamwork was kicked, you may destroy target creature.
nu09 Cumber Rune
Enchantment (U)
Creatures your opponents control get -1/-0.
nu10 Refreshing Wall
Creature — Merfolk Wizard (U)
Defender
Whenever you or a teammate casts an instant or sorcery spell, refresh 1. (Untap up to one land.)
1/4
nu11 Tidal Inspiration
Sorcery (U)
Target player draws four cards.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle nu11 Tidal Inspiration, target player draws a card.
nu12 Illusory Sphinx
Creature — Sphinx (U)
Flying
Cast nu12 Illusory Sphinx only if a noncreature spell was cast this turn.
4/4
Creature — Warrior Ally (C)
Whenever cb01 Black Common Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on cb01 Black Common Ally.
Creature small
1/1
cb02 Enchanted Skitterling
Creature — Insect (C)
cb02 Enchanted Skitterling has deathtouch as long as it’s enchanted.
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Creature small
1/1
cb03 Cycling Vampire
Creature — Vampire Shaman (C)
Whenever a player cyles a card, cb03 Cycling Vampire gets +1/+0 and gains lifelink until end of turn.
Creature small
2/2
cb04 Cemetery Gate*
Creature — Wall (C)
Defender
Protection from black
Creature small
0/5
cb05 Devouring Swarm*
Creature — Insect (C)
Flying
Sacrifice a creature: cb05 Devouring Swarm* gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Creature small
2/1
cb06 Drudge Reavers*
Creature — Skeleton (C)
Flash
: Regenerate cb06 Drudge Reavers*. (The next time this creature would be destroyed this turn, it isn’t. Instead tap it, remove all damage from it, and remove it from combat.)
Creature small
2/1
cb07 Cycling Ambusher
Creature — Beast (C)
You may cast cb07 Cycling Ambusher as though it has flash if a player cycled a card this turn.
Creature medium
3/4
cb08 Black Vanilla Beef
Creature (C)
Creature medium
7/5
cb09 Zombie Dinosaur
Creature — Zombie Lizard (C)
cb09 Zombie Dinosaur can’t block.
Creature medium
5/3
cb10 Menacing Cycler
Creature — Insect (C)
Menace
Cycling 3 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Creature medium
5/5
cb11 Body Erosion
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets -4/-4.
Enchantment
cb12 Cremation Cycling
Instant (C)
Exile all cards in all graveyards.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle cb12 Cremation Cycling, you may exile target card in a graveyard.
Instant
cb13 Cycling Edict
Instant (C)
Target player sacrifices a creature.
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Instant
cb14 Drain Parley
Instant (C)
Parley — Each player reveals the top card of his or her library. Each opponent loses 1 life for each nonland card revealed this way and you gain that much life. Then each player draws a card.
Instant
cb15 Dark Teamwork
Sorcery (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Target creature gets -3/-1 until end of turn. If cb15 Dark Teamwork was kicked, you may switch that creature’s power and toughness until end of turn.
Sorcery
cb16 Angry Teamwork
Sorcery (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
cb16 Angry Teamwork deals 2 damage to target creature and you gain 2 life. If cb16 Angry Teamwork was kicked, it also deals 2 damage to that creature’s controller.
Sorcery
cb17 Sinister Silhouette
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has “:1mana: : Regenerate this creature.”
Sorcery — flexed to Aura
cb18 Discard Parley
Sorcery (C)
Parley — Each player reveals the top card of his or her library. For each nonland card revealed this way, each opponent discards a card. Then each player draws a card.
Sorcery
Sorcery (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Target opponent discards two cards. If nb01 Mindcull Teamwork was kicked, target player draws two cards.
nb02 Reanimate Teamwork
Sorcery (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. If nb02 Reanimate Teamwork was kicked, that creature gains haste and double strike until end of turn.
nb03 Sink or Swim
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
As long as an opponent controls enchanted creature, it gets -3/-3. Otherwise it gets +3/+3.
nb04 Talk of Death
Instant (U)
Parley — Each player reveals the top card of his or her library. Each creature gets -1/-1 for each nonland card revealed this way. Then each player draws a card.
nb05 Cycler of Bones
Creature — Skeleton Warrior (U)
Whenever a player on your team cycles a card, return nb05 Cycler of Bones from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
2/1
nb06 Evil Cycling Beef
Creature — Demon (U)
Menace
Cycling 3 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
13/13
nb07 Vampire Necrosage
Creature — Vampire Cleric (U)
Lifelink
When nb07 Vampire Necrosage enters the battlefield, you may return target creature or enchantment card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
3/3
nb08 Opportune Specter
Creature — Specter (U)
Flying
Whenever nb08 Opportune Specter deals combat damage to a player, each opponent discards a card.
2/3
nb09 Black Uncommon Ally
Creature — Ally (U)
Menace
Whenever nb09 Black Uncommon Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on nb09 Black Uncommon Ally.
3/2
nb10 Lifelink Rancor
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+0 and has lifelink.
When nb10 Lifelink Rancor is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, return it to its owner’s hand.
nb11 Death Pulse*
Instant (U)
Target creature gets -4/-4 until end of turn.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle nb11 Death Pulse*, you may have target creature get -1/-1 until end of turn.
nb12 Black Gladiator
Creature — Giant (U)
Menace
When nb12 Black Gladiator enters the battlefield, you may have it fight target white or green creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
4/4
Creature — Warrior Ally (C)
Whenever cr01 Common Red Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on cr01 Common Red Ally.
Creature small
2/2
cr02 Spikeshot Goblin*
Creature — Goblin Shaman (C)
, : cr02 Spikeshot Goblin* deals damage equal to its power to target creature or player.
Creature small
1/2
cr03 Kiln Fiend*
Creature — Elemental Beast (C)
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, cr03 Kiln Fiend* gets +3/+0 until end of turn.
Creature small
1/2
cr04 Shriek Beetle
Creature — Insect (C)
Menace
Whenever cr04 Shriek Beetle attacks, each other attacking creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Creature small
1/1
cr05 Reckless Rummager
Creature (C)
: Target player discards a card. If he or she does, that player draws a card.
Creature small
2/1
cr06 Attended Goblin
Creature — Goblin (C)
When cr06 Attended Goblin enters the battlefield, put two 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens onto the battlefield.
Creature small
2/2
cr07 Ridge Rannet*
Creature — Beast (C)
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Creature medium
6/4
cr08 Macetail Hystrodon*
Creature — Beast (C)
First strike, haste
Cycling 3 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Creature medium
4/4
cr09 Battleclub Ogre
Creature — Ogre Shaman (C)
At the beginning of each combat step, target creature gets +3/+0 until end of turn.
Creature medium
3/3
cr10 Masterful Minotaur
Creature — Minotaur Warrior (C)
Prowess
Creature large
7/3
cr11 Flaming Sword*
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Flash
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+0 and has first strike.
Enchantment
cr12 Trumpet Blast*
Instant (C)
Attacking creatures get +2/+0 until end of turn.
Instant
cr13 Chargeup Burn
Sorcery (C)
cr13 Chargeup Burn deals 4 damage to target creature or player.
Cast cr13 Chargeup Burn only if another spell has been cast this turn.
Instant
cr14 Flame Palms
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Draw a card.
Instant
cr15 Half Panic
Sorcery (C)
Creatures target player controls can’t block this turn.
Instant
cr16 Cycling Demolish
Sorcery (C)
Destroy target artifact or land.
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Instant — flexed to Sorcery
cr17 Reckless Teamwork
Sorcery (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Discard a card, then draw two cards. If cr17 Reckless Teamwork was kicked, you may choose a creature card in a graveyard and return it to its owner’s hand.
Sorcery
cr18 Battle Teamwork
Instant (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Target creature gets +3/+1 until end of turn. If cr18 Battle Teamwork was kicked, that creature’s controller may choose another creature and have those creatures fight.
Instant
Creature — Phoenix (U)
Flying, haste
Whenever another creature is put onto the battlefield from a graveyard, you may return nr01 Reanimation Phoenix from your graveyard to the battlefield.
3/2
nr02 Impulse Ritual
Sorcery (U)
Add R:symr: to your mana pool.
Exile the top three cards of your library. Until end of turn, you may play cards exiled this way. (If you cast a spell this way, you still pay its costs. You can play a land this way only if you have an available land play remaining.)
nr03 Burn Teamwork
Sorcery (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
nr03 Burn Teamwork deals 3 damage to target creature or player. If it was kicked, put a 3/3 green Beast creature token onto the battlefield.
nr04 Threaten Teamwork
Sorcery (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Untap target creature and gain control of it until end of turn. It gains haste until end of turn. If nr04 Threaten Teamwork was kicked, you may sacrifice it at end of turn.
nr05 Menacing Minotaur
Creature — Minotaur (U)
Menace, prowess
3/3
nr06 Hogpile
Instant (U)
Cast nr06 Hogpile only during your turn.
nr06 Hogpile deals damage to target creature or player equal to the number of attacking creatures.
nr07 Updated Rupture
Sorcery (U)
As an additional cost to cast nr07 Updated Rupture, sacrifice a creature.
nr07 Updated Rupture deals damage equal to the sacrificed creature’s power to each creature without flying and each player.
nr08 Aggromental
Creature — Elemental (U)
Trample
nr08 Aggromental’s power is equal to the number of attacking creatures.
*/1
nr09 Feral Berserker
Creature — Ogre Berserker (U)
: nr09 Feral Berserker gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is its power.
2/2
nr10 Teamflame Dragon
Creature — Dragon (U)
Flying
: nr10 Teamflame Dragon gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Any player may activate this ability.
5/5
nr11 Explosive Power
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has “When this creature deals combat damage to an opponent, destroy target creature with defender that player controls.”
nr12 Red Gladiator
Creature — Giant (U)
Trample
When nr12 Red Gladiator enters the battlefield, you may have it fight target white or blue creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
5/4
Creature — Warrior Ally (C)
Whenever cg01 Green Common Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on cg01 Green Common Ally.
Creature small
1/1
cg02 Viridian Joiner*
Creature — Elf Druid (C)
: Add to your mana pool an amount of equal to cg02 Viridian Joiner*’s power.
Creature small
1/2
cg03 Refreshing Bear
Creature — Bear? (C)
Whenever cg03 Refreshing Bear deals combat damage, refresh 1. (Untap up to one land.)
Creature small
2/2
cg04 Archer Ally
Creature — Elf Archer Ally (C)
Reach
Whenever cg04 Archer Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on cg04 Archer Ally.
Creature small
2/2
cg05 Canopy Chameleon
Creature — Lizard (C)
cg05 Canopy Chameleon can’t be blocked except by creatures with flying.
Creature small
2/2
cg06 Cycler Fly Trap
Creature — Plant (C)
Whenever a player cycles a card, untap cg06 Cycler Fly Trap.
Creature medium
3/3
cg07 Refreshing Beetle
Creature — Insect (C)
Flash
When cg07 Refreshing Beetle dies, refresh 3. (Untap up to three lands.)
Creature medium
3/3
cg08 Jungle Weaver*
Creature — Spider (C)
Reach
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Creature medium
5/6
cg09 Maternal Hystrodon
Creature — Beast (C)
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle cg09 Maternal Hystrodon, you may put a 2/2 green Lizard creature token onto the battlefield.
Creature large
6/6
cg10 Thrive* :symx:
Sorcery (C)
Put a +1/+1 counter on each of X target creatures.
cg11 Vanilla Green Beef
Creature — Beast (C)
Creature large
8/7
cg12 Lumbering Remains
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
When enchanted creature dies, put an X/X green Ooze creature token onto the battlefield, where X is the enchanted creature’s power.
Enchantment Aura
cg13 Fertile Plot
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant land
Whenever enchanted land becomes tapped, add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Enchantment Aura
cg14 Refreshing Growth
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
Refresh 2. (Untap up to two lands.)
Instant
cg15 Safety Teamwork
Instant (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Target creature gains hexproof until end of turn. If cg15 Safety Teamwork was kicked, that creature also gains indestructible until end of turn.
Instant
cg16 Fog Teamwork
Instant (C)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn. If cg16 Fog Teamwork was kicked, damage up to one target creature deals can’t be prevented this turn.
Sorcery
cg17 Break Asunder*
Sorcery (C)
Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
Cycling 2 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Sorcery
cg18 Trusted Shelter
Sorcery (C)
Reveal the top five cards of your library. You may put an Ally card and/or a land card from among them into your hand. Put the rest into your graveyard.
Sorcery
Sorcery (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Search your library for a land card and put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library. If ng01 Rampant Teamwork was kicked, destroy target land.
ng02 Summoning Teamwork
Sorcery (U)
Sidekick (Another player may pay as you cast this spell.)
Search your library for a creature card, reveal it, and put it into your hand then shuffle your library. If ng02 Summoning Teamwork was kicked, you gain life equal to that card’s power.
ng03 Arbor Noble
Creature — Elf Druid (U)
: Refresh 1. (Untap up to one land.)
1/1
ng04 Canopy Arena
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant land
Enchanted land has “:symg: , : Target creature you control fights target creature with flying.”
Cycling 3 ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
ng05 Solitary Failure
Instant (U)
Prevent all combat damage non-Ally creatures would deal this turn.
United we stand.
ng06 Green Uncommon Ally
Creature — Centaur Warrior Ally (U)
Whenever ng06 Green Uncommon Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put two +1/+1 counters on ng06 Green Uncommon Ally.
1/1
ng07 Primal Boost*
Instant (U)
Target creature gets +4/+4 until end of turn.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle ng07 Primal Boost*, you may have target creature get +1/+1 until end of turn.
ng08 Cycling Basilisk
Creature — Beast (U)
Whenever a player on your team cycles a card, put a +1/+1 counter on ng08 Cycling Basilisk.
3/3
ng09 Draw Ooze
Creature — Ooze (U)
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a +1/+1 counter on ng09 Draw Ooze.
When ng09 Draw Ooze dies, draw a number of cards equal to its power.
1/1
ng10 Wandering Warg
Creature — Wolf (U)
Creatures with power less than ng10 Wandering Warg’s power can’t block it.
3/2
ng11 Salvaged Soil
Enchantment (U)
At the beginning of each player’s upkeep, you may put target card from that player’s graveyard on the bottom of that player’s library.
ng12 Green Gladiator
Creature — Giant (U)
Reach
When ng12 Green Gladiator enters the battlefield, you may have it fight target blue or black creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
6/6
Creature — Spirit (U)
Defender
Whenever a creature your team controls blocks, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature at end of combat.
Creatures with defender and +1/+1 counters on them your team controls can attack as though they didn’t have defender.
1/5
nz02 Anticipation Orrery
Enchantment (U)
As long as a player has cast a spell this turn, you may cast cards from your hand as though they had flash.
Flash Control theme - UB
nz03 Rebirth Through Fire
Sorcery (U)
Put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield. It deals damage equal to its power to target creature.
Reanimator theme - BR
nz04 Feral Aura
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
At the beginning of each combat step, enchanted creature gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is its power.
Power Matters theme - RG
nz05 Multicolor Ally
Creature — Human Cleric Ally (U)
Whenever nz05 Multicolor Ally or another Ally enters the battlefield under your team’s control, put a +1/+1 counter on nz05 Multicolor Ally and you gain life equal to nz05 Multicolor Ally’s power.
Ally Tribal theme - GW
1/1
nz06 Boon or Bane
Enchantment (U)
Whenever an Aura becomes attached to a creature, you may have that creature get +2/+2 or -2/-2 until end of turn.
Auras theme - WB
nz07 Masterful Looter
Creature — Human Monk (U)
Prowess
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, draw a card then discard a card.
2/2
nz08 Cycler Basilisk
Creature — Basilisk (U)
Deathtouch
Whenever a player on your team cycles a card, nz08 Cycler Basilisk must be blocked this turn if able.
Cycling theme - BG
2/5
nz09 Lance Distributor
Creature — Human Knight (U)
Whenever nz09 Lance Distributor attacks, attacking creatures gain first strike until end of turn.
Linear Attacking theme - RW
3/2
nz10 Millfog
Instant (U)
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn. Each player puts the top card of his or her library into his or her graveyard for each point of damage prevented this way from a source that player controls.
Turbofog theme - GU
Artifact Creature — Cat Ally (C)
Artifact Creature
2/2
ca02 Pilgrim’s Eye*
Artifact Creature — Thopter (C)
Flying
When ca02 Pilgrim’s Eye* enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
Artifact Creature
1/1
ca03 Explorer’s Scope*
Artifact — Equipment (C)
Whenever equipped creature attacks, look at the top card of your library. If it’s a land card, you may put it onto the battlefield tapped.
Equip 1
Artifact
ca04 Timid Golem
Artifact Creature — Golem (C)
ca04 Timid Golem can’t attack or block alone.
Artifact
3/3
ca05 Infiltrator Cloak
Artifact — Equipment (C)
Equipped creature can’t be blocked by creatures with defender.
Equip 1
Artifact
cl01 Secluded Steppe*
Land (C)
cl01 Secluded Steppe* enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add to your mana pool.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Land W
cl02 Lonely Sandbar*
Land (C)
cl02 Lonely Sandbar* enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add to your mana pool.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Land U
cl03 Barren Moor*
Land (C)
cl03 Barren Moor* enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add to your mana pool.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Land B
cl04 Forgotten Cave*
Land (C)
cl04 Forgotten Cave* enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add to your mana pool.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Land R
cl05 Tranquil Thicket*
Land (C)
cl05 Tranquil Thicket* enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add to your mana pool.
Cycling ( , Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Land G
cl06 Evolving Wilds*
Land (C)
, Sacrifice cl06 Evolving Wilds*: Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped.
Land colorless
Artifact Creature — Juggernaut (U)
na01 Titanic Juggernaut attacks each turn if able.
na01 Titanic Juggernaut can’t be blocked by creatures with defender.
7/7
na02 Monk’s Sandals
Artifact — Equipment (U)
Equipped creature has prowess.
Equip 1
na03 Spectral Searchlight*
Artifact (U)
: Choose a player. That player adds one mana of any color he or she chooses to his or her mana pool.
na04 Atlas Room
Artifact (U)
Parley — : Each player reveals the top card of his or her library. For each nonland card revealed this way, add 1 to your mana pool. Then each player draws a card.
na05 Brutish Mace
Artifact — Equipment (U)
Equipped creature gets +3/+3.
Equip 4
nl01 Better Karoo
Land (U)
nl01 Better Karoo enters the battlefield tapped.
When nl01 Better Karoo enters the battlefield, return a land you control to its owner’s hand.
: Add to your mana pool.
nl02 Better Atoll
Land (U)
nl02 Better Atoll enters the battlefield tapped.
When nl02 Better Atoll enters the battlefield, return a land you control to its owner’s hand.
: Add to your mana pool.
nl03 Better Everglades
Land (U)
nl03 Better Everglades enters the battlefield tapped.
When nl03 Better Everglades enters the battlefield, return a land you control to its owner’s hand.
: Add to your mana pool.
nl04 Better Volcano
Land (U)
nl04 Better Volcano enters the battlefield tapped.
When nl04 Better Volcano enters the battlefield, return a land you control to its owner’s hand.
: Add to your mana pool.
nl05 Better Basin
Land (U)
nl05 Better Basin enters the battlefield tapped.
When nl05 Better Basin enters the battlefield, return a land you control to its owner’s hand.
: Add to your mana pool.
Initial thoughts on the mechanics:
Invoke: Still don't like the name, but I feel like this is definitely something this set could use.
Inherit: So I get the flavor and mechanical reason for this, but I don't really understand why it's necessary. Auras already have the natural ability to work well in 2HG, and while this is far from a bad mechanic, I'm not sure it really needs to be here either. I guess what I'm saying is that I feel like we could replace it with something better.
Cycling: As I mentioned before, I think this is going to be an important mechanic for the set.
Battle Cry: I like battlecry as much as the next guy, but is it better here than Battalion?
Mindtether: This seems just as confusing as soulbond was, and I'm not really sure how they're different beyond not being controller exclusive (which I'm not even really sure works since the definition of a creature pair may conflict with that). I could be convinced, but I need to see more of what you're thinking for this one.
I feel like this set could fit one, maybe even two more mechanics (depending on what they are). Invoke doesn't really change much about a card, and cycling is very non-intrusive.
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The mechanics are definitely in the brainstorming stage right now. Most of them do not facilitate the battlecruiser environment we're striving for, so I expect we'll be spending more time on finding the right ideas for mechanics as we further refine the flavor of the setting. I'll be posting a dedicated thread for mechanics brainstorming soon.
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1) The name: I feel like the name is a bit of a mouthful and doesn't need to point out the plane name (the same way Conspiracy is not "Conspiracies of Fiora"). Personally, I like the name "Doubles" for the format, freeing up "Team Arena" or just "Arena" for the set name. The reason I like Doubles as a format name is that:
- Like "2 Headed Giant", the "Doubles" draws attention to the fact it's a two on two format
- "Doubles" references real life doubles formats (like tennis) that are very similar to 2HG (2v2 analogues of normally 1v1 games)
- The word "Team" usually implies three or more, especially in the world of magic where "team" formats have 3 players playing completely separate games
2) Strong synergy: with four pairs taking two cards per pick, signals get mixed up pretty fast. In this format, more than others, its going to be important to have very clear archetypes. I should be able to tell the difference between pairs drafting (W/U)(B/R) and (W/B)(U/R), even though they're in the same colors.
3) Pick a threshold power: something you can see in the designs of certain formats is a focus on a particular size. Many of them have what I call a "threshold power", which is the point on the size curve where things pivot. For instance, RtR's threshold was 3: the most commonly populated token was a 3/3 centaur, which meant having 4 toughness was important. Good blockers (Voidwielder, Frostburn Weird, Lobber Crew) needed to have 4 toughness, and strong attackers needed to have 4 power to punch through. KtK's threshold is 4: ferocity makes power 4 creatures matter, which means good blockers (Archer's Parapet, Monastery Flock, etc.) need to have 5 toughness to block them, and strong attackers need to have 5 power to punch through. I think this format could use a distinction like this, allowing designers to design around what's considered a "battlecruiser", and give players a good feel for how big you need to be in the format.
4) Dead cards: as I mentioned in the other thread, 2HG limited leaves you with a lot of cards in your pool. Not only are you making more efficient decks by splitting colors, but you're also playing higher than average land counts, and one-game matches means those cards will never see the light of day. I think this is something we should keep in mind, and look to find solutions for (we can't fix the problem, but we can alleviate it).
5) Conspiracies and Draft-matters cards: these cards were a huge hit in conspiracy, and I feel they're definitely intuitive enough to show up here as well. Since players liked adding these cards to their cubes, I think it might be a good idea to keep the Doubles specific mechanics to a minimum. Unless we can find some really great design space, I feel like the draft effects should be workable in a single player draft environment. Also, while we can add our own subtypes, any Conspiracy-style cards should probably still have the type "Conspiracy". While not a perfect flavor match, adding another card type to the game that functions exactly the same seems like a bad idea, and it's not too much of a stretch to imagine Conspiracies in Arena world (rigged matches, bribes, cheating, etc.)
6) Encouraging teamwork: Something I think this set should definitely deliver on is finding ways to encourage pairs to draft complementary decks instead of just two good ones. Not sure how to accomplish this, it could be as simple as making draft archetypes that work together, or as complicated as adding a dedicated mechanic or implementing it through conspiracies. I think this point, more than any other, is key for making the set feel like it's made for Doubles Draft.
7) Flavor: There are plenty of directions you could take with this setting, and the desire to have art for every card definitely limits our creative options. While the short description you gave in the OP is fine, IMO the feel of this set is much more lighthearted. Doubles is a naturally social format, and in my experience a lot of the fun comes from banter between the four players. Because of this, I think I'd have the set lean a little closer to the silly side. I imagine a world where war is a spectator sport. Combatants of all shapes and sizes meet to duke it out on the pitch, with scores of screaming fans in the stands. The world is full of famous "star player" warriors, rich sponsors, bribery, and performance enhancing magic. I'm not saying it should be as overt and tounge-in-cheek as something like Bloodbowl, but I do think it's a setting where you could play up the sporting aspects of the world (like getting support from fans, or maybe putting someone in a penalty ring) over the brutal fighting aspects that we see all the time.
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By the way, what other thread are we talking about?
Not important right now. Conspiracy itself didn’t get its name or theme until it was being playtested.
It’s also worth noting that reading signals is less important in such a format, because you’ve got twice as many decks you can build from the pool.
Awesome point. A bear was a trap in Eldrazi. Setting a threshold is key.
It’s also worth noting two things. In 2HG, players block together – so having a single big blocker is stronger than in other formats.
What’s this other thread I’ve heard so many magical sparkly things about?
But on topic, it’s worth noting that a 2HG format is much harder to have dead cards in… As sideboard cards can be safely maindecked more often than not. Still, nearly every card should be potentially maindeckable. Use of mechanics like Cycling – and potentially some really awesome lands that players will want to draft (I love lands that look cool to draft, because it means having to go through a less painful process of cutting cards to et to 40) – can definitely address this issue.
I. Love. Draft-Matters. Cards.
I. Love. Conspiracy. Cards.
However, I disagree that we should avoid playing with the 2-player space. Conspiracy and similar products do that. And they’ve explored a lot of the cool space. Having 2 players in a draft, and draft-matters effects, is awesome. It can create a unique drafting experience, when cards you take can give bonuses or restrictions to your opponent’s drafting. I think taking advantage of this space in order to make the format as interesting as possible is far more important than making sure players can include the designs in their non-2HG cubes. It’s not like people will be needing to justify a purchase of the set.
Definitely something we should consider. I think the teamwork of 2-player draft-matters cards will definitely do a ton of this. In actual gameplay, several mechanical possibilities come to mind. For example…
Gift of Might – 2G
Sorcery
Put two +1/+1 counters on target creature. Draw a card.
Teamwork – If Gift of Might’s target is a creature you don’t control, put four +1/+1 counters on it instead.
I agree that locking down flavor right now doesn’t make sense. This is clearly a bottom-up set (we’re starting with a style of drafting and gameplay after all). Let’s work out the best gameplay and then figure out what flavor fits… Exactly how Conspiracy did it.
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The mechanics brainstorm thread on the main page.
I'm not talking about dead cards in the traditional sense, I was talking more about "unplayed" cards. Lands are another good solution.
My reasoning here is not just cube related, but also just typical draft related. Even though they were well received, the biggest complaint about Conspiracies and Draft Matter cards was that they were essentially useless after the draft. That's an unavoidable complaint when the cards are literally designed for drafting, but at least they were all worded so they could work in any booster draft, even non-multipalyer ones. Doubles draft is a format that appeals to even less people and requires an even more specific set of players (an even number of two-player teams). I'm not saying we shouldn't include Draft cards that play well in a doubles draft, what I'm saying is there shouldn't be any cards that literally do not work outside of that style of drafting.
Though it's conspiracy-esque, Piar has definitely said he wants it to feel closer to a true expansion than conspiracy did. A big part of this is finding a good flavor base, especially when determining what the world looks like could help guide our design.
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Sure worth talking about. I think it’s a red herring at the moment though. Name is traditionally the very last thing in every set, and as you mentioned – if the goal is to create a feeling closer to a standard set then the development being close to how normal sets are designed makes sense.
Thanks.
And so are conspiracies and other card types, maybe even something brand new. Lots of good options here. Glad you brought it up early.
I understand that you’re looking to address the complaints about Draft-Matters and Conspiracy cards, while maintaining the stuff that makes them awesome. After all, why increase the only significant complaints around this incredibly well-received mechanic?
However, I think the answer to that question lies in the cards themselves. The mechanics were extremely well-received, despite being useless outside of the draft with the extraordinarily narrow exception of being usable in cubes (and, to an extent, being able to supplement normal drafting). This was due to the unique gameplay experience they offered (which also happened to be awesome).
My point is, if we can design some awesome gameplay that specifically creates a unique team experience in a custom set which people won’t be paying money for (and so won’t have to worry about retention of value that caused the complaints in the first place)… I think that design space is totally worth exploring. I wouldn’t want to cut off the exploration for the sake of protecting the non-value of the cards to cube players. Not if it has a chance to create an awesome and unique gameplay experience.
Real sets are made in the same way when they’re bottom-up. Sometimes the flavor comes early in the overall design, if the mechanics are nailed down (like the block structure of Tarkir) and things need to make immediate flavor sense in order for the rest of development to even be possible. However, I don’t think we’re at that point yet. If you want to talk about flavor now, cool, I just think it’s a premature. No point arguing over it.
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Regarding the set's "critical power/toughness", I'd like this set to have its 'good blockers' to have toughness 5. There are two primary consequences of this. The first is that since the format is naturally slower, cards with toughness 5 will be relevant for longer into the game. The second is that aggressive strategies will have a bit more time to do their work (since X/5 blockers cost more than X/4 ones) before control strategies stabilize. This is also a way for us to differentiate the format from Rise of the Eldrazi, which had critical toughness at 4.
Edit:
I concur with Command Zone cards and lands being good opportunities for us to decrease the number of unplayed cards. That said, I don't think we've found the right Command Zone mechanic yet and should see what other ideas we can come up with on that front. There are some decent ideas so far, but I'm hoping we can iterate into something we all love.
I went with Team Arena specifically because it doesn't reference the number of players on a team. As part of rebranding I envisioned genericizing team formats to extend to n-sized teams, with this set simply focusing on n=2. I'm honestly not expecting that generalization to be valuable or used often, but I see it as a justification for moving away from the old name. I don't think the format terminology discussion is particularly useful right now, though I do want to address it and we will re-introduce the discussion as we move into development.
In discussing signals - I think MOON-E's point (and certainly my own here) is that because color signalling is less reliable, other methods of signalling are more important to consider. Things like "there's a sliver still in this pack?" or "that's a pretty late Venerated Teacher." Signalling is as important as we make it, but we have to think about other ways we can enable players to signal aside from color. As far as I'm aware, the alternative is players drafting 5-color-good-stuff pools.
Based on this discussion I think there are two fundamental questions we need to ask, neither of which I have a particularly strong opinion on.
1. As we design the set, do we design it as though we are WotC? Do we consider things like secondary markets, eternal formats, etc as we go about balancing the set? Do we try to account for market research we don't have deep access to? Do we design the set with both regular draft and in 2HG draft in mind?
2. Do we want to use the game term "teammate" in the set? The precedent is set in Imperial Mask but that doesn't mean we necessarily want to use the term. I do think that the context of this set is ripe for it, but the answer to this in part relies on the answer to question 1. If we do use the term, how heavily do we want to rely on it?
I think these are questions that will ripple out to affect all other discussions, so I'll dig into this before the other stuff..
This is rather a compound question. I think the best answer is, "Yes, we design as though we're Wizards of the Coast releasing this product exactly how we'll release it." Since we clearly won't be charging money for the product and it will be designed for print-and-play enjoyment, or similar distribution, I think those are both factors. This would definitely affect how Wizards develops the product, because the market and interaction is different. We also don't need to worry about breaking legacy tournaments - because they won't be legal in legacy tournaments. Basically, if a team from wizards was somehow working on a free print-and-play product like this - what would they do? Maintaining the colour pie would still be important. Balancing for eternal formats wouldn't be.
I don't think it's important to design for regular draft though. We're making something cool and unique that players won't have to pay money for. I understand the desire to broaden the set's appeal to as many players as possible, but I think that shackling ourselves to that restriction will take away more from the set than it adds. Normally I'm all for creative limitations, but drafting-with-a-team-mate is an amazing space to explore. I'd rather appeal to 100% of our target audience and make the best 2HG draft environment possible. If people want to draft a custom set, there are lots of options. Let's make our set the one they pick up when they want to draft in teams, and make sure it's the best possible version of that experience.
I'f anything's going to be future shifted into this set, Imperial Mask is a great choice. I don't have an issue with using Team Mate and I think now is a great time to own the terminology. We can work around it a bit, like the current wording of copay, but I don't see the point. Wizards already did it in a future shifted card. Let's follow their lead and make all our team-based cards more grokkable in the process
Look at the following cards.
Shared Vision - 4UU
Sorcery
You and another player of your choice each draw 2 cards.
Shared Vision - 4UU
Sorcery
You and your teammate each draw 2 cards.
The second card is a LOT easier to grok. The first card seems odd at first, becase normally other players are your opponents and our brains are wired to think of them that way. The second card fits the design like a glove.
Now, the templating of the second card assumes you only have one team mate (which a 2HG set is designed for and I'm okay with building the cards with that assumption). However, we could easily redesign the card so you choose one of your team mates. In any case, using team mate makes many cards read better - such as an aura that is more powerful if it's enchanting a creature one of your team mates controls or effects like Copay which can make it clear that your team mates can tap mana to help pay for it.
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To reiterate something - the flavor could be quite bleak or quite sunny for this plane.
Bleak: plane of Everything Trying to Kill You, but in a different way than Zendikar - more focused on dangerous flora and fauna than perilous terrain/weather. The social codes that have developed, such as they are, allow for combat-by-champion rather than outright genocide and slaughter to determine control of the safest and most fertile land.
Sunny: plane of possibilities and new life. It's an exciting time for the origins of civilization, and different small villages are delighted to find they're not the only sentients on this dangerous world. They're starting to unite into great cities, but to determine whether an alliance will be fruitful they're having friendly sparring contests to feel out one another's technology, strategies, and other things.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
One thing I'd like to explore is draft structure. I think the commonly accepted rules might actually handicap us. With the notion that everything should be explored, and that we are effectively creating our own limited format with lots of flexibility (and that Wizards has changed how drafts operate before), let's take a look at the current rules.
2HG Booster Draft follows a somewhat different procedure than usual:
The teams are randomly distributed into pods and the players of the same team sit together. After opening the first booster, each team selects two cards before passing to the left. These cards aren't assigned to a specific player, but rather form a common card pool from which both players will construct their decks.
The process continues, picking two cards each time before passing to the left, until all the cards have been drafted. The order alternates between boosters as normal, going left-right-left-right-left-right.
This format has the advantage of players being able to conference during picks. However, it has some disadvantages.
1) It severely limits interesting team-based draft-matters interactions.
2) It encourages an alpha-player to dominate the draft discussion.
3) It slows down the drafting process, because players need to discuss picks (slowing things down) from among pools of cards that are twice as large as normal (slowing things down.
4) It makes the format feel less about 2 players working together and much more like one organism controlled by the loudest player.
It also has several advantages
1) Drafting with someone else can be fun, because discussing picks together can be fun.
2) Skilled players can guide less skilled players along the drafting process (though this is countered by the less skilled player being overwhelmed by twice as many options as normal).
[card]
It's also worth noting that building 2 decks from a shared cardpool takes a lot longer to do and is harder to do. But let's take this one at a time.
Crazy Idea
What if players drafted much more normally? What if team mates drafted individually, and were spaced around the table away from one another? Suddenly, there's a lot more you can do. For one thing, being able to pass information about what you're drafting to your opponent would be invaluable. Suddenly cards that allow you to show your picks to your team mate, or look at another player's picks, are very useful. Here are some crazy ideas that can work in such a format, which cannot work in traditional 2HG draft (and still be meaningful). Using the term "bridgework" instead of "cogwork" as a playtest name, because this team-based format when you don't have perfect information about what your opponent is picking resembles games like bridge. I'm not suggesting we actually use the name "bridgework".
Bridgework Messenger - 3
Artifact Creature
Flying
You may draft this card face up. If you do, your team mate may look at the next card you draft.
2/1
Bridgework Bauble - 0
Artifact
You may draft this card face up. If you do, your team mate may draft 2 cards from his or her pack instead of 1.
It's also worth noting that if there isn't a shared cardpool, cards that allow players to draft for eachother's cardpools when it comes to building a deck afterwards are very interesting.
Bridgework Mule - 4
Artifact Creature
You may reveal this card from your picks at the end of the draft. If you do, you may give your teammate up to 3 cards from your cardpool.
2/5
Like I said, crazy ideas. Not necessarily endorsing them.
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There's also value in letting players do what's familiar.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
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In general I don't think partner chemistry is something we should worry about. 2HG in general is meant for friends/couples/etc. If they can't work together well it's not really something that can be fixed through design. Working together is the whole point of 2HG, so splitting pairs up during the draft because it could lead to teamwork issues (that are going to be a problem during the game regardless) seems counter intuitive. If we utilize draft mechanics (which I'm open to but not locked into), they should work with the format not against it.
You're right however that length is a big issue. There's not really a good solution for this, though I did consider suggesting reducing the number of packs in the draft. Normal sets require more packs since many cards aren't viable in 2HG, but this set should have a much higher playable count that requires less packs. There are a bunch of advantages to this:
- Reduces the length of the draft and deck construction
- Reduces the number of unused cards left over
- Puts a strong emphasis on knowing the direction of your draft, instead of drafting 5 color good stuff
There are also some disadvantages:
- There are simply fewer cards at the table, which means fewer rares, fewer key cards for archetype decks, etc.
- There's much less room for error, as the total card pool will be smaller
This might be something worth exploring. I first considered four packs, but that seems a bit too small. Assuming each player will use ~25 cards (including nonbasic lands and potential conspiracies), 4 packs would mean each team uses ~50/60 cards, which doesn't leave a lot of room. Five packs might be a good compromise, since ~50/75 is a little more breathing room, and the odd number of packs more closely emulates normal booster drafts in terms of signaling. The downside to using 5 is that it's so close to 6 it doesn't seem worth it to switch. Still, I do like it for both time and putting pressure on the draft. Remember that a normal booster draft only uses about half the cards picked (~23/45), and the leftovers are usually off color cards (which your partner can use) or sideboard cards (which are main deck cards in 2HG). Also, 2HG sealed uses 8 packs, not 12, so using less than 6 packs in a draft would make sense.
EDIT: @void_nothing: In terms of flavor, not sure if you read my previous post, but I like emphasizing the arena aspect of this world, as it's the most unique part of the setting. Disparate settlements fighting over territory on a dangerous plane is fine, but it's been done. I really feel like a world of high profile spectator warfare is something fun that magic hasn't really explored yet.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
Frankly, building a product more like commander specifically for 2HG might be a good warm-up. Preconstructed decks designed for 2HG play and with many new cards designed for the format. Has anyone done something like that before? I haven't seen it, though I'm sure someone has.
Remaking Magic - A Podcast for those that love MTG and Game Design
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That's definitely a cool idea. What kind of world this sort of thing would take place in, however, is still an open question. There are definitely ways to have this in a "primitive" world; it's easy but stereotypical to see it in an ancient Roman-style world; I kind of oddly like it in a Mesoamerican-inspired world given the Aztecs' many entertainments of the like (the Mesoamerican Ballgame, gladiatorial sacrifices).
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
We may even have the arenas associated with specific "home teams"/regions; like a team of super-fast, pious dervishes who trains/manages/has their "home" fights in a harsh desert arena that's blasted by sandstorms, or the savvy relatively high-tech city fighters playing in the capital area which is the largest arena.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
There are two major mechanics I think will make the set/drafting work well.
Copay is amazing and has already been discussed. However, one thing that worries me is that a copay spell can go in either deck equally - because your ally can pay the colored mana for it. I think a version of copay where your ally can only pay for the colorless cost of it works better. So, if you have a spell tht costs 7GG, your opponent can help you pay for the 7 but you still have to pay for the GG.
But how about spells that encourage true cooperative deck construction? I like an idea like this...
Floodgrove Elemental - 3UU
Flying
Teamwork - When Floodgrove Elemental enters the battlefield, one of your teammates may pay 2G. If he or she does, put two +1/+1 counters on Floodgrove Elemental.
3/3
A templating more like kicker could work better of course. In any case, what I like about this design is that it enables players to draft cooperative decks and rewards certain kinds of color management in deck construction (single colors on each side might be way too easy if there's a shared cardpool, multicolored cards with multicolored teamwork triggers might be better). It's building on the way the Shared mechanic mentioned in the other thread used split cards, but with the advantage of being able to go on creatures and leaving a lot more space for rules text than split cards usually have.
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This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
Agreed on all counts.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
However, I don't think this is something that needs to be resolved right now - as in the format it's designed for the Teamwork mechanic would end up playing the same way. This makes it more a templating question for this specific mechanic.
I think the core idea of the Teamwork mechanic, however it's templated, works very well for what the set needs. I also think a version of Copay would work wonders, as it allows a lot of flexibility in the mana curve and allows players to run many more powerful creatures. a 4cmc copay creature simultaneously fills slots along the 2-drop, 3-drop and 4-drop range. That's awesome.
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Regarding use of the word "teammate," I think the best course of action is to use it on individual cards as it makes sense for grokkability, but to exclude it from mechanic reminder text (with the possible exception of format-specific Conspiracies/etc).
That's an excellent point about the colored mana for Copay. Only helping with colorless mana is a good fix; I think Teamwork might be a better fix. I do prefer a kicker template to it though, so it can be used on permanents and spells if need be with the same template. So it'd become:
Floodgrove Elemental 3UU
Creature - Elemental (C)
Harmony 2G (Another player may pay 2G as you cast this spell.)
Flying
If Floodgrove Elemental was harmonized, it enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it.
3/3
I doubt this set wants both Copay and Teamwork? Both have their advantages and disadvantages. My present opinion is that we can do more with Teamwork than we can with Copay, so we should use Teamwork. We can always keep Copay on the backburner in case Teamwork doesn't play as well as we like.
I dig this. Especially if we can get the provinces to have distinct looks&feels.