Muraganda has been locked in a Time Rift for millennia, and primitive Humans have only began to appear in the last hundred years. The oldest and wisest humans on the plane, the Kangan Druids, believe themselves the lords of this primitive plane. Until Sharptooth the Tyrant, the largest land carnivore ever seen on Muraganda, attacked their village and wiped out the whole tribe. Just as the Archdruid's son, Odadii, is about to be swallowed by the great dinosaur, he disappears, planeswalking away and shattering the Time Rift around Muraganda. Now that the plane is free from the Rift, not only can planeswalkers from outside access the plane, but the passage of time is bringing about unexpected changes in the ecosystem of the primitive plane...
This is a redesign of my old set from the GDS. Maro pointed out how color imbalance in single sets has been a failure in the past, and I think that mistake is what prevented me from moving on to the final 8. I expected another GDS this year and they decided not to have one so I'm working on design for fun, and I decided to redesign my Muraganda set without the color imbalance. I have tested the mechanics, and am now focused on molding interesting archetypes for limited.
Muraganda is a Lost World plane. It is dominated by dinosaurs, and has a small, undeveloped civilization of primitive humanoids (neanderthal). The inspiration of the set was Imperiosaur and Muraganda Petroglyphs. Muraganda is a top-down set and the primary mechanics focus on vanilla creatures, Clash, with some tribal subthemes. This plane is involved with my friends' Magic DnD campaign, so I used a few planeswalkers from that story in the set.
Khan has traveled to the home plane of his minion Odadii to search for the Mox Emerald, and the Consortium has sent agents to track them. Meanwhile the primal plane of Muraganda is starting to undergo drastic changes. Primitive humans have united into clans to protect themselves from the unstoppable Dinosaurs. Odadii is surprised to find that the Insect clans of the Gatana swamps are intelligent and cunning and will make keen allies. Despite the scheming, a powerful future threat looms over the plane: an Ice Age.
Primal- Primal is a card supertype to denote ancient magic and creatures. Primal cards are very simple. The creatures are vanilla and french vanilla. The actual supertype has no mechanical effect but allows other cards to reference it, like Tribal or Instant-Trap.
Carrion- "Carrion 3 - This enters the battlefield with three +1/+1 counter(s) on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to three target creature(s) you control."
Clash- I liked the fit of clash with the survival-of-the-fittest theme of Muraganda, and many of the creatures in the set are large so the converted mana cost of the set is higher than normal, which makes Clash more variable and fun.
There are no true factions, just certain groups in certain colors.
Black: Gatana Insects
The insects are typically 1/1 flyers and use cunning and ruthlessness to fight the massive Dinosaurs.
Green/Red/Blue: Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs are large and destructive. Their abilities greatly vary.
White: Neanderthal Clans
The humans on this plane haven't yet developed a class structure, and are all creature type-Human only. They use primitive tools and frost magic to protect themselves from predators.
Arda of the Highlands
Creature — Spirit (C)
Vigilance
Primal creatures you control have vigilance.
1/1
Baby Mammoth
Primal Creature — Elephant (C)
0/4
Bleach the Battlefield
Sorcery (R)
Destroy all tapped creatures.
Blinding Sleet
Instant (U)
Opponents can’t cast spells this turn.
Draw a card.
Boreal Light
Sorcery (U)
Gain 7 life. Clash with an opponent. If you win the clash, return Boreal Light to its owner’s hand. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Dumb Luck
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Clash with an opponent. If you win, that creature gains flying and lifelink until end of turn. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Dumb Neanderthal
Creature — Human (C)
Carrion 1 (This enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to one target creature you control.)
0/0
Glacial Blast
Sorcery (C)
Tap target creature. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
Glacial Canyon
Enchantment (R)
Creatures with power 3 or greater can’t attack you.
Guardian of the Northwind
Creature — Spirit (R)
Flying, first strike
Primal creatures you control have flying and first strike.
3/2
Harm’s Way
Instant (U)
The next 2 damage that a source of your choice would deal to you and/or permanents you control this turn is dealt to target creature or player instead.
Impenetrable Shroud
Enchantment (U)
: You gain hexproof until end of turn.
, Sacrifice Impenetrable Shroud: Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you this turn.
Maiasaur
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
Vigilance
2/1
Might of the Primitive
Enchantment (R)
Primal creatures you control get +2/+2.
Neanderthal Cliffdiver
Creature — Human (C)
When Neanderthal Cliffdiver enters the battlefield, target creature gains flying until end of turn.
2/2
Neanderthal Fighting Grounds
Enchantment (U)
At the beginning of your upkeep, clash with an opponent. If you win, put a 1/1 white Human creature token onto the battlefield. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Neanderthal Frost Shaman
Creature — Human (C)
Whenever Neanderthal Frost Shaman deals damage to a creature, tap that creature. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
1/3
Neanderthal Rescuer
Creature — Human (U)
When Neanderthal Rescuer enters the battlefield, return target creature card with converted mana cost 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
2/1
Neanderthal Silencer
Creature — Human (U)
Opponents can’t cast spells during your turn.
2/2
Neanderthal Spearwielder
Creature — Human (U)
First strike, vigilance
2/2
Neanderthal Trapper
Creature — Human (C)
, : Tap target creature.
1/2
Neanderthal Windtalker
Creature — Human (C)
When Neanderthal Windtalker enters the battlefield, put a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
2/2
Predator’s Fall
Instant (C)
Exile target creature with power 4 or greater. Clash with an opponent. If you win, gain life equal to that creature’s power. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Primitive Clan
Sorcery (U)
Put three 1/1 white Human creature tokens onto the battlefield. Clash with an opponent. If you win, put four of those tokens into play instead. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Prowling Fang
Primal Creature — Cat (C)
3/1
Repel the Darkness
Instant (C)
Tap up to two target creatures.
Draw a card.
Saber Tooth
Primal Creature — Cat (C)
2/1
Savage Grace
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
If enchanted creature has no other abilities, it gets +1/+1 and lifelink. Otherwise, enchanted creature can’t attack or block.
Sentinel of Khan
Creature — Kor Soldier (M)
Lifelink, vigilance
Creatures your opponents control get -1/-1.
2/6
Sherkha, the White Shadow
Legendary Primal Creature — Cat (R)
2/3
Sleetstorm
Instant (R)
Tap all creatures. Those creatures don’t untap during their controller’s next untap step.
Draw a card.
Snowdigger Neanderthal
Creature — Human (U)
: Exile target card from a graveyard.
2/2
Solemn Offering
Sorcery (C)
Destroy target artifact or enchantment. You gain 4 life.
Strength of Spirit
Instant (C)
Put a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying onto the battlefield. Clash with an opponent. If you win, return Strength of Spirit to your hand. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Sunbeam Arda
Creature — Spirit (U)
Flying
When Sunbeam Arda enters the battlefield, exile target creature you control, then return it to the battlefield. You gain life equal to that creature’s converted mana cost.
2/2
Tabal, Tower of Northwind
Legendary Creature — Elephant (R)
Vigilance, protection from green and black
Tabal, Tower of Northwind can block any number of creatures.
4/8
Taiga Elasmoth
Primal Creature — Rhino (C)
3/5
Trumpeting Mammoth
Creature — Elephant (C)
When Trumpeting Mammoth enters the battlefield, creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.
2/5
Vanguard Arda
Creature — Spirit (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, if an opponent controls more permanents than you, you may put a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
2/2
Way of the Soldier
Sorcery (R)
You get an emblem with “Creatures you control have vigilance.”
Whitemane Sabertooth
Creature — Cat (U)
When Whitemane Sabertooth enters the battlefield, you may return a creature you control to its owner’s hand.
2/1
Word of Duty
Sorcery (U)
Choose two —
-Destroy any number of target enchantments.
-Gain 6 life.
-Put up to two target creatures with converted mana cost 2 or less from your graveyard onto the battlefield.
Archeopteryx
Creature — Dinosaur Bird (R)
Flying
When Archeopteryx or another Dinosaur enters the battlefield under your control, draw a card.
2/2
Bulwark Turtle
Primal Creature — Turtle (C)
2/8
Counter Act
Enchantment (R)
Blue instant cards you own have “Counter up to one target spell.”
Crippling Chill
Instant (C)
Tap target creature. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
Draw a card.
Dactyl Aerie
Sorcery (U)
Put two 2/2 blue Dinosaur creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield.
Dichotomy Elemental
Creature — Elemental (U)
, : Draw a card. Use this ability only if two or more spells are on the stack.
1/3
Dino-Morph
Instant (U)
Exile target creature. Its controller puts a 2/2 green Dinosaur creature token onto the battlefield.
Dispel
Instant (C)
Counter target instant spell.
Domination
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
You control enchanted creature.
Enchanted creature has hexproof.
Doppelganger Entity
Creature — Shapeshifter (R)
Flash
When you cast Doppelganger Entity from your hand, you may have it become a copy of an instant or sorcery card in a graveyard. (If that card has X in its cost, X is 0.)
If Doppelganger Entity would enter the battlefield as a creature, you may have it enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature on the battlefield.
0/0
Elder Knowledge
Primal Sorcery (C)
Draw two cards.
Fleeting Distraction
Instant (C)
Target creature gets -1/-0 until end of turn.
Draw a card.
Frost Breath
Instant (C)
Tap up to two target creatures. Those creatures don’t untap during their controller’s next untap step.
Giant Salmon
Creature — Fish (C)
Carrion 2 (This enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to two target creatures you control.)
Islandwalk
0/0
Ice Cage
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can’t attack or block and its activated abilities can’t be activated.
When enchanted creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice Ice Cage.
Makeshift Snare
Instant (U)
Target creature gets -4/-0 until end of turn. Untap up to one creature you control.
Mana Scavenger
Creature — Elemental (U)
Flying, hexproof
Mana Scavenger’s power is equal to the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard.
*/4
Megalodon
Creature — Fish (R)
Flash
Islandwalk
When Megalodon enters the battlefield, it fights each attacking creature. Draw a card for each creature that dies this turn.
7/7
Mind Shred
Instant (U)
Counter target spell. Clash with an opponent. If you win, that player puts the top eight cards of their library into their graveyard. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Nimbus Predator
Creature — Dinosaur (R)
Flash
Flying
When Nimbus Predator enters the battlefield, tap target creature. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
4/4
Octoluphogus
Legendary Creature — Octopus (R)
Creatures can’t attack unless their controller pays 8 for each attacking creature.
: Target creature becomes 8/8 as long as Octoluphogus is on the battlefield.
8/8
Petroglyph Scribbler
Creature — Human (U)
When Petroglyph Scribbler enters the battlefield, search your library for an artifact card with converted mana cost 2 or less, reveal it, and put it into your hand.
1/2
Power Long Forgotten
Primal Sorcery (M)
Choose one — Draw three cards; or take an extra turn after this one; or each player shuffles his or her hand and graveyard into his or her library, then draws seven cards. (Then put Power Long Forgotten into its owner’s graveyard.)
Principle or Deceit
Instant (R)
Reveal the top five cards of your library. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. Choose one of those piles and put it into your hand and put the other revealed cards on the bottom of your library in any order.
Psychic Rebuttal
Instant (C)
Target spell’s controller reveals his or her hand. Then you may counter that spell. If you don’t, draw a card.
Pterosaur Glider
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
Flying
Primal creatures you control have flying.
2/1
Pterosaur Nestmother
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
Flying
When Pterosaur Nestmother enters the battlefield, return target creature to its owner’s hand.
2/2
Question or Answer
Instant (C)
Reveal the top four cards of your library and separate them into two piles. An opponent chooses a pile. Put the chosen cards on top of your library in any order, then put the other cards on the bottom of your library in any order.
Draw a card.
Savage Cunning
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
If enchanted creature has no other abilities, it gets +1/+1 and flying. Otherwise, it gets -6/-0.
Sky-Eel School
Creature — Fish (C)
Flying
When Sky-Eel School enters the battlefield, draw a card then discard a card.
3/3
Spring
Instant (C)
Return target nonland permanent to its owner’s hand unless its controller pays 2.
Draw a card.
Survivor’s Guile
Instant (U)
Counter target spell. Clash with an opponent. If you win, draw a card. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Time Ebb
Sorcery (C)
Put target creature on top of its owner’s library.
Tonghan, the Immortal
Legendary Primal Creature — Turtle (R)
1/14
Tortoise Hide
Instant (U)
Target creature gets +0/+4 until end of turn. Untap it.
Draw a card.
Truth or Tale
Instant (U)
Reveal the top five cards of your library and separate them into two piles. An opponent chooses one of those piles. Put a card from the chosen pile into your hand, then put all other cards revealed this way on the bottom of your library in any order.
Way of the Illusionist
Sorcery (R)
You get an emblem with “Nonland cards in your hand have flash.”
Wild Cunning
Enchantment (U)
When you clash, you may draw a card. Then, if you didn’t win the clash, discard a card.
Windstream Pterosaur
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
Flying
When Windstream Pterosaur attacks, tap or untap target creature.
2/3
Word of Deceit
Sorcery (U)
Choose two —
-Return target permanent to its owner’s hand.
-Creatures you control gain flying until end of turn.
-Draw two cards.
Agent of Khan
Creature — Human Wizard (M)
, : Target player loses 3 life and you gain 3 life.
, : Return target creature from a graveyard to the battlefield under your control.
2/2
Ancient Cocoon
Creature — Insect Egg (U)
When Ancient Cocoon dies, search your library for an Insect creature card and put it onto the battlefield.
0/3
Big Game Hunt
Instant (C)
Destroy target creature with power 4 or greater.
Blackmurk Death Vines
Creature — Plant (U)
First strike, deathtouch
1/1
Blackmurk Fly Trap
Creature — Plant (U)
Defender
Sacrifice an Insect: Draw a card and lose 1 life.
3/3
Blackmurk, the Living Mire
Legendary Creature — Horror (R)
Blackmurk’s power and toughness are each equal to the number of Swamps you control.
When Blackmurk, the Living Mire enters the battlefield, search your library for up to X Swamp cards and put them onto the battlefield tapped, where X is the number of Swamps you control.
*/*
Bloodhunter Swarm
Creature — Insect (U)
Flying
When Bloodhunter Swarm enters the battlefield, each opponent loses X life, where X is the number of Insects you control.
1/1
Bog Fumes
Instant (C)
Target creature gains deathtouch until end of turn.
Draw a card.
Bottomless Pit
Enchantment (R)
At the beginning of each player’s upkeep, that player discards a card at random.
Carnipede
Primal Creature — Insect (C)
2/1
Death-Sting Assassin
Creature — Insect (U)
Flying
When Death-Sting Assassin enters the battlefield, destroy target creature that was dealt damage this turn.
2/2
Devouring Tar Pits
Enchantment (U)
If a creature card would be put into an opponent’s graveyard from anywhere, exile it instead.
Douse in Gloom
Instant (C)
Douse in Gloom deals 2 damage to target creature and you gain 2 life.
Essence Harvest
Sorcery (U)
Target player loses X life and you gain X life, where X is the greatest power among creatures you control.
Gatana Bloodseeker
Creature — Insect (C)
Flying
When Gatana Bloodseeker attacks, the defending player loses 1 life.
1/1
Gatana Swarm
Creature — Insect (R)
Flying
When Gatana Swarm enters the battlefield, put two 1/1 black Insect creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield.
When Gatana Swarm is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may pay 3 life. If you do, return Gatana Swarm from your graveyard to your hand.
1/1
Grasp of Darkness
Instant (C)
Target creature gets -4/-4 until end of turn.
Herbivore’s Delight
Creature — Plant (C)
Defender
Carrion 3 (This enters the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to three target creatures you control.)
3/3
Life’s Toll
Sorcery (U)
Target player sacrifices half the creatures he or she controls, rounded down.
Mind Strip
Sorcery (U)
Target player reveals their hand. You may choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. If the chosen card is an instant or sorcery card, that player loses 2 life.
Monstrous Fern
Primal Creature — Plant (C)
5/3
Muraganda Swamp Guide
Creature — Insect (C)
Flying
When Muraganda Swamp Guide attacks, target creature is unblockable this turn.
0/1
Neurotoxin Stinger
Creature — Insect (U)
Flying
When Neurotoxin Stinger enters the battlefield, choose target creature. That creature loses all abilities until Neurotoxin Stinger leaves the battlefield.
1/1
Ozda the Great Moth
Legendary Creature — Insect (R)
Flying, trample
When Ozda the Great Moth or another Insect creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may destroy target creature or land.
7/7
Poison Vapors
Instant (U)
Destroy target creature.
Draw a card.
Pollute
Sorcery (C)
Destroy target creature or land.
Queen of the Swarm
Creature — Insect (R)
Flying
Other Insect creatures you control get +1/+1.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control two or more Insects, you may return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
1/1
Ravenous Drone
Creature — Insect (C)
Flying
Sacrifice a creature: Ravenous Drone gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
1/1
Savage Hatred
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
If enchanted creature has no other abilities, it gets +1/+1 and intimidate. Otherwise, it gets -2/-2.
Scavenging Scout
Creature — Insect (C)
Flying
When Scavenging Scout enters the battlefield, return up to one target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
1/1
Shadow Walk
Sorcery (U)
Target creature is unblockable this turn.
Draw a card.
Somber Moss
Primal Creature — Plant (C)
2/3
Surkrist, the Great Maw
Legendary Primal Creature — Crocodile (R)
10/10
Swarm Leader
Creature — Insect (U)
Flying
When Swarm Leader enters the battlefield, creatures you control get +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is the number of Insects you control.
1/1
Timeless Decay
Primal Sorcery (C)
Target player discards two cards.
Toximancy
Enchantment (U)
Tap two untapped creatures you control: Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
Vengeful Carcass
Creature — Zombie Dinosaur (R)
Vengeful Carcass has Carrion :symx: , where X is the number of Swamps you control. (This enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to X target creatures you control.)
0/0
Vile Calamity
Sorcery (R)
Destroy all creatures. Put X 1/1 black Insect creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield, where X is the total power of the destroyed creatures.
Way of the Assassin
Sorcery (R)
You get an emblem with “Creatures you control have deathtouch.” (An emblem is an ability marker that exists outside of the battlefield.)
Word of Cruelty
Sorcery (U)
Choose two —
-Destroy target land.
-Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn.
-Return target creature card with converted mana cost 4 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Allosaur Crasher
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
Carrion 4 (This enters the battlefield with four +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to four target creatures you control.)
Haste, trample
At the beginning of the end step, sacrifice Allosaur Crasher.
0/0
Alpha Raptor
Creature — Dinosaur (R)
Other Dinosaur creatures you control get +1/+0.
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a 1/1 red Dinosaur creature token onto the battlefield. It gains haste until end of turn.
2/2
Baltrice
Planeswalker — Baltrice (M)
Starting Loyalty: 4
+1: Return an instant or sorcery card at random from your graveyard to your hand.
-3: Baltrice deals 3 damage to each creature.
-6: Baltrice becomes a 20/1 red Human Berserker creature with trample and indestructible until end of turn. (Baltrice doesn’t lose loyalty while she’s not a planeswalker.)
Barbarity
Enchantment (U)
When you clash, Barbarity deals 2 damage to target player. If you win the clash, Barbarity deals 2 damage to up to one creature that player controls.
Burn to Ash
Instant (C)
Burn to Ash deals 3 damage to target creature. If that creature would be put into a graveyard this turn, exile it instead.
Explosive Fervor
Instant (U)
If a source of your choice would deal damage this turn, it deals twice that much damage instead.
Forked Bolt
Sorcery (U)
Forked Bolt deals 2 damage divided as you choose among one or two target creatures and/or players.
Game Chaser
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
Carrion 2 (This enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to two target creatures you control.)
Sacrifice Game Chaser: Target creature gains haste until end of turn.
2/2
Highland Saurid
Creature — Lizard (C)
Carrion 3 (This enters the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to three target creatures you control.)
0/0
Incite the Stampede
Sorcery (R)
After the first postcombat main phase this turn, there’s an additional combat phase followed by an additional main phase. At the beginning of that combat, untap all creatures that attacked this turn.
Add to your mana pool.
Lava Blister
Sorcery (U)
Destroy target nonbasic land unless its controller has Lava Blister deal 6 damage to him or her.
Megacast
Instant (R)
Choose one —
-Copy target instant or sorcery spell. You may choose new targets for the copy.
-Change the target of target instant or sorcery spell with a single target.
Ogadu Canyon Charger
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
Whenever a Dinosaur creature enters the battlefield under your control, target creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn.
4/3
Overcharge Elemental
Creature — Elemental (U)
Haste
When Overcharge Elemental enters the battlefield, target creature gains double strike until end of turn.
1/1
Oviraptor
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
When Oviraptor enters the battlefield, gain control of target Egg.
3/2
Plated Ankylosaur
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
First strike
Primal creatures you control have first strike.
3/3
Raptor Looter
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
When Raptor Looter attacks, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
2/1
Raptor Nest
Enchantment (U)
At the beginning of your upkeep, put an egg counter on Raptor Nest.
When Raptor Nest has three counters on it, sacrifice it. If you do, put three 1/1 red Dinosaur creature tokens with haste onto the battlefield.
Savage Spirit
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
If enchanted creature has no other abilities, it gets +1/+1 and haste. Otherwise, enchanted creature can’t block.
Shatter Equilibrium
Sorcery (R)
Exile all permanents. At the beginning of the next end step, return each permanent exiled this way to the battlefield under a random player’s control.
Skittering Composaur
Creature — Lizard (C)
Lizard and Dinosaur creatures you control have haste.
1/1
Spark Lash
Instant (C)
Spark Lash deals 2 damage to target creature. Clash with an opponent. If you win, Spark Lash deals 2 damage to that creature’s controller. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Spell Sabotage
Instant (U)
Spell Sabotage deals damage equal to target spell’s converted mana cost to that spell’s controller.
Thunder Strike
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +2/+0 and gains first strike until end of turn.
Timeless Thunder
Primal Instant (C)
Timeless Thunder deals 4 damage to target creature or player.
Torrent of Fire
Sorcery (U)
Torrent of Fire deals damage equal to the highest converted mana cost among permanents you control to target creature or player.
Traitorous Blood
Sorcery (C)
Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap it. It gains haste and trample until end of turn.
Triceratops
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
When Triceratops enters the battlefield, target creature can’t block this turn.
3/1
Troodon Packhunters
Creature — Dinosaur (R)
When Troodon Packhunters enters the battlefield, put three 1/1 red Dinosaur creature tokens onto the battlefield.
, Sacrifice a Dinosaur: Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap it. It gains haste.
2/2
Vicious Raptor
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (C)
3/1
Vinicar, the Packleader
Legendary Primal Creature — Dinosaur (R)
4/1
Volcanic Calamity :symx:
Sorcery (R)
As an additional cost to cast Volcanic Calamity, you may sacrifice two Mountains.
Volcanic Calamity deals X damage to target creature or player. Then, if you paid the additional cost, return Volcanic Calamity to your hand.
Volcanic Rite
Sorcery (U)
Add to your mana pool.
Draw a card.
Volcano Pyrosaur
Creature — Lizard (U)
: Volcano Pyrosaur gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
2/1
Way of the Warrior
Sorcery (R)
You get an emblem with “If a noncreature source you control would deal damage to a permanent or player, it deals that much damage plus 1 to that permanent or player instead.” (An emblem is an ability marker that exists outside of the battlefield.)
Word of Passion
Sorcery (U)
Choose two —
- Word of Passion deals 2 damage to each creature.
-Discard your hand and draw three cards.
-Destroy any number of target artifacts.
Allosaur
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (U)
4/3
Ancient Bear
Primal Creature — Bear (C)
2/2
Anger of Muraganda
Primal Enchantment — Aura (R)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +3/+3 and has nonbasic landwalk.
: Return Anger of Muraganda from your graveyard to your hand.
Brontosaur
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
Trample
Primal creatures you control have trample.
5/5
Concealing Overgrowth
Instant (U)
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn. Clash with an opponent. If you win, gain 1 life for each attacking creature. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Cunning Raptor
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
When Cunning Raptor attacks, destroy target artifact or enchantment. “They’ve figured out how to open doors!
2/1
Deconstruction
Instant (U)
Cast Planned Deconstruction only if you control six or more lands.
Destroy target noncreature permanent.
Edge of Kanga
Sorcery (U)
Destroy target noncreature permanent. Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped.
Emerald Beetle
Creature — Insect (C)
Carrion 1 (This enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to one target creature you control.)
: Add to your mana pool.
0/0
Expanding Foliage
Creature — Plant (U)
Carrion 3 (This enters the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to three target creatures you control.)
When Expanding Foliage is dealt damage, put that many +1/+1 counters on it at the beginning of the next end step.
0/0
Expedition
Sorcery (C)
You may play up to two additional lands this turn.
Draw a card.
Fern Profusion
Sorcery (U)
Clash with an opponent. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
If you win the clash, search your library for up to two basic land cards and put them onto the battlefield tapped. Otherwise, search your library for one basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped.
Gargantuan Egg
Creature — Egg (R)
When Gargantuan Egg dies, search your library for up to two creature cards and reveal them. Put one into your hand and the other onto the battlefield.
0/3
Gargantuan’s Breath
Sorcery (U)
Gargantuan’s Breath deals 2 damage divided as you choose among one or two target creatures with flying.
Grizzled Raptor
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
Carrion 2 (This enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to two target creatures you control.)
0/0
Hunt the Weak
Sorcery (C)
Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control. Then it fights target creature you don’t control.
Imperisaur
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (C)
5/4
Jurassic Egg
Creature — Egg (C)
When Jurassic Egg dies, put a 4/4 green Dinosaur primal creature token onto the battlefield.
0/4
Kangan Egg
Creature — Egg (C)
When Kangan Egg dies, you may put a creature card with converted mana cost 3 or less from your hand onto the battlefield.
0/2
Lead the Stampede
Sorcery (U)
Look at the top five cards of your library. You may reveal any number of creature cards from among them and put the revealed cards in your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
Lophosaur
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
Carrion 3 (This enters the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to three target creatures you control.)
All creatures able to block Lophosaur do so.
0/0
Lost World
Enchantment (U)
Artifact spells cost 1 more to cast.
Mysterious Egg
Creature — Egg (C)
When Mysterious Egg dies, search your library for a creature card and put it into your hand.
0/2
Odadaii, Thundercaller
Planeswalker — Odadaii (M)
Starting Loyalty: 3
+1: You may play an additional land this turn.
-2: Put a 3/3 green Dinosaur creature token onto the battlefield.
-7: Put three 7/7 green Dinosaur creature tokens with trample onto the battlefield.
Rampage Predator
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
Dinosaur creatures you control can’t be blocked by more than one creature.
4/5
Raptor Egg
Creature — Egg (C)
When Raptor Egg dies, draw two cards.
0/2
Reclamation
Sorcery (U)
Destroy target land. Its controller may search his or her library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped.
Reflective Scales
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Flash (You may cast this spell any time you could cast an instant.)
Enchanted creature has hexproof.
Saurid Stomper
Creature — Dinosaur (R)
Trample
When Saurid Stomper enters the battlefield, choose up to one land of each basic land type, then destroy those lands.
5/5
Savage Ferocity
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
If enchanted creature has no other abilities, it gets +3/+3 and reach. Otherwise, it doesn’t untap during it’s controller’s untap step.
Sharptooth, the Tyrant
Legendary Primal Creature — Dinosaur (R)
7/6
Spinosaur
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (C)
5/6
Steelscale Armasaur
Creature — Dinosaur (R)
Carrion 5 (This enters the battlefield with five +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to five target creatures you control.)
Creatures you control with one or more +1/+1 counters on them have hexproof.
0/0
Stegosaur
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (C)
2/4
Sudden Evolution
Sorcery (C)
Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
Draw a card.
Supergrowth Ferns
Creature — Plant (C)
When Supergrowth Ferns enters the battlefield, search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped.
1/1
Swatting Ferns
Creature — Plant (C)
Reach
Primal creatures you control have reach.
1/4
Titanic Growth
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +4/+4 until end of turn.
Tyrannosaur
Creature — Dinosaur (R)
Trample
Other Dinosaur creatures you control get +2/+2.
: Tyrannosaur fights another target creature.
5/4
Vigor Link
Instant (U)
Move any number of +1/+1 counters from creatures you control onto target creature.
Way of the Monk
Sorcery (R)
You gain an emblem with “Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, gain 1 life.” (An emblem is an ability marker that exists outside of the battlefield.)
Weeds of Muraganda
Creature — Plant (R)
Carrion 3
Haste
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control no creatures, you may return Weeds of Muraganda from your graveyard to the battlefield.
0/0
Word of Savagery
Sorcery (U)
Choose two —
-Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
-Put three +1/+1 counters on target creature.
-Return target permanent card from your graveyard to your hand.
Khan, Blood Artist
Planeswalker — Khan (M)
Starting Loyalty: 4
+2: Target player loses 2 life and discards a card. You gain 2 life and draw a card.
-3: Destroy all creatures.
-7: You get an emblem with “WB: Put a creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control.”
Alpha Petroglyph
Artifact (M)
: Target creature gains vigilance, flying, deathtouch, first strike, or trample until end of turn.
Bloodwrit Petroglyph
Artifact (U)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Bloodwrit Petroglyph: Target player loses 5 life.
Bone Club
Artifact — Equipment (C)
Equipped creature gets +2/+0.
Equip 4
Bone Club costs 3 less to equip to a Human creature.
Divining Petroglyph
Artifact (C)
, : Look at the top three cards of your library and put them back in any order.
, , Sacrifice Divining Petroglyph: Draw a card.
Jungle Petroglyph
Artifact (U)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Jungle Petroglyph: Target creature gets +5/+5 and trample until end of turn.
Kanga Petroglyph
Artifact (C)
When Kanga Petroglyph enters the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
Marshstained Petroglyph
Artifact (U)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Marshstained Petroglyph: Target creature gets +6/-6 until end of turn.
Prismatic Petroglyph
Artifact (C)
, : Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Prismatic Petroglyph: Draw a card.
Sandburied Petroglyph
Artifact (U)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Sandburied Petroglyph: Put three 1/1 blue and white Bird creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield.
Savannah Petroglyph
Artifact (U)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Savannah Petroglyph: Creatures you control get +1/+1 and are indestructible until end of turn.
Totem of Muraganda
Artifact (R)
Nonbasic lands don’t untap during their controller’s untap step.
Carnage Valley
Land (C)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Carnage Valley: Gain control of target creature until end of turn and untap it. It gains haste.
Cradle of Life
Land (R)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Use this mana only to cast Primal spells.
, : Put a +1/+1 counter on each Primal creature you control.
Dark Undergrowth
Land (C)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Dark Undergrowth: Return target card from your graveyard to your hand.
Feeding Pits
Land (R)
Feeding Pits enters the battlefield tapped with a charge counter on it.
: Add or to your mana pool.
Remove a charge counter from Feeding Pits: Target creature can’t block this turn.
Glacier Edge
Land (R)
Glacier Edge enters the battlefield tapped with a charge counter on it.
: Add or to your mana pool.
Remove a charge counter from Glacier Edge: Tap target creature.
Pitfall Plains
Land (C)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Pitfall Plains: Destroy target attacking creature.
Predator’s Domain
Land (R)
Predator’s Domain enters the battlefield tapped with a charge counter on it.
: Add or to your mana pool.
Remove a charge counter from Predator’s Domain: Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Prehistoric Bog
Land (C)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Prehistoric Bog: Draw two cards and lose 2 life.
Shadowy Depths
Land (R)
Shadowy Depths enters the battlefield tapped with a charge counter on it.
: Add or to your mana pool.
Remove a charge counter from Shadowy Depths: Exile target card from a graveyard.
Snowcapped Woods
Land (R)
Snowcapped Woods enters the battlefield tapped with a charge counter on it.
: Add or to your mana pool.
Remove a charge counter from Snowcapped Woods: Target creature gains vigilance until end of turn.
Volatile Geysers
Land (C)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Volatile Geysers: Put target creature on top of its owner’s library.
What does "Primal" do? A section describing mechanics and a section describing basic flavour and theme distribution by colour would be extremely useful.
Should Primal really be a supertype? As it stands all supertypes and types have some natural rules associated. If Primal is to be a supertype it needs to have some rules associated with it and not just a marker. I don't see any reason Primal couldn't just be a special creature type:
Goldcoat Lion1W
Creature - Primal Cat (C)
2/2
What sort of effects will care about cards being Primal? Could you design a keyword around Primal? What is the flavour of Primal effects?
So Carrion is Modular for non-artifacts? Seems fine. I like the switch to distributing the counters rather than piling them up. It encourages going wide, while also untieing the number of +1/+1 counters on the Carrion creature to the counters it gets to distribute. Players won't necessarily catch onto this, so you probably don't want to mix Carrion and effects which care about +1/+1 counters on the same card.
Clash is an odd mecchanic. Because it's pretty much entirely random, increasing the average cmc in your deck doesn't really effect your Clash success. Higher curve means a higher demand for lands, which means fewer nonlands. Including Clash because your set has a slightly higher natural cmc is a trap. Including Clash to give the set a more random feel, the thrill of the jungle where you can get eaten at a moments notice, is not.
I don't get what Freeze is trying to do. Are the ice counters supposed to keep the thing frozen? Are they a resource? Or are they simply a marker, like fate counters?
I'm using Primal in the same way as Tribal. I know Tribal and Primal are parasitic, but it's the best way I could find to flag all the vanilla and french vanilla creatures. I tried "Creatures you control with no other abilities have vigilance" but that just didn't play well and was too confusing. The only way to make the vanilla creatures feel important in the set was to make cards that refer to them, and the only way to do that was to give them a special type.
I did consider making Primal a creature type but it didn't make sense as a race or as a class, and having a creature type that is neither feels off. Also I like the idea of noncreature primal cards, to represent ancient, simple magic.
Freeze ice counters just control how long the card is frozen. It's like vanishing or suspend.
I think if you're going to include Primal it has to be on vanilla creatures only. And then it might as well be a creature type. Creature types aren't exclusively race-class, and even following that model "Primal" could work like a superclass. Superclass-Race-Class-2ndClass with only Race being mandatory is a much better model. Alternatively make Primal a keyword or an ability word. As a call back to the existing Muraganda cards:
Primal - [effect] as long as you control three or more basic lands.
or
Primal (This card is primal if you control three or more basic lands.)
Note that I abandoned the "cast with mana from basic lands" in favour of a threshold mechanic. The original "Primal" from Future Sight is very restrictive and not worth keywording. As it stands you really can't have a super type without rules associated with it. This might be a good place to introduce spell types, such as Fire or Lightning, on top of Primal.
On Freeze, that is what I assumed however you failed to actually write that out in your explanation of Freeze so I wasn't sure. I really like the flavour of Freeze, the board state steadily becoming frosted over, more so as you introduce more Freeze cards in the second set. However you do need that extra line on Freeze:
Freeze N a/target [creature] (Tap and put N freeze counters on that creature. That creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step as long as it has a freeze counter on it. At the beginning of each player's turn, that player removes a freeze counter from all creatures with freeze counters they control.)
Not perfect, but roughly my interpretation. I changed ice counters to freeze counters because ice counters already exist.
As Muraganda is a primitive world transforming into a more advanced world, have you considered using Evolve as a returning mechanic? Building off the theme of counters (from Freeze and potentially Evolve) have you considered bringing back Proliferate? I've done a fair amount of development on my own Muraganda set and this was my line of thinking.
I look at french vanilla creatures as the same classification of vanilla creatures. If you used pure vanilla creatures, some colors, especially green, would be much more powerful than other colors such as blue. The abilities are necessary to balance them. But the cards are so simple that I think it works best to put them in the same category, like Wind Drake and Runeclaw Bears.
I know Primal as a supertype has no rules associated with it, but neither does Tribal other than a creature type attached to it. I think using a supertype is the cleanest way to tie the vanilla theme together, but I did consider using a creature type.
I played around with using basic-lands-matter like on Imperiosaur, but it was useless design space because it doesn't do anything in limited. I decided instead to just put a few nonbasic land hate cards at higher rarities.
I don't think Frozen needs to be worded that way because my wording is the same as Fading or Suspend. And yes I meant to use the same kind of counters as other cards.
Yes, you are exactly right with Evolve. I planned on using Evolve and Frozen as big mechanics in the second set, and I actually did consider using Proliferate as well. There won't be a third set because I'm trying the new Wizards block sizes.
I'm starting to swing around to your line of thinking and just make Primal a supertype. Provided Primal is a supertype, you then need flavour justification. This is easy enough on individual creatures, but when you mix other mechanics on primal creatures things start to get a little hairy. Might I suggest having flavour separation between Primal magic, ice age magic, and "Evolving" magic? This would create an interesting shift in the second set, where Primal magic is rare and ice age magic rules supreme. "Evolved" (or rather "evolving") magic would be in a minority, but could increase in relative presence from set one to two.
As it stands this is the wording for Frozen in your full set file:
Freeze 4 a/target creature (Tap that creature and put four ice counters on it. It gains Frozen.)
There is no explanation of what the ice counters are doing, and no point to the second line. You need to explain what wording you're going for on the cards. This is why I included my wording, which on review is understandably awkward. Does this fixed wording work?
Freeze N a/target [creature] (Tap and put N ice counters on that creature. That creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step as long as it has an ice counter on it. At the beginning of that creature's controller's upkeep, they remove an ice counter from that creature.)
This wording is better than my original wording, as well as making the swap to ice counters. However it still retains the awkward "creature's controller's" phrase which I've run into problems with before. It's also quite a wordy mechanic, and doesn't mechanically fit outside white or blue (with maybe a bleed into black in set two). With complexity being such a limited resource, I'd rather spend it on other more interesting (and widespread) mechanics than a weaponized version of suspend.
I hear you on the basic lands matter. The thought about limited hadn't occurred to me yet because I haven't thought enough about the concept.
I assumed you were going to follow the standard two set structure, a feature I've readily adopted in my own designs. On the topic of my own designs I've done a fair amount of concept work on my own Muraganda set, and I had the same jungle to ice theme (though in mine the ice age was already present, we were just moving region). I will put my work in a separate post so as not to cross commentary too much (yet).
Here's my design document so far, just with the concepting work. A lot of these ideas were taking from around these forums, and I haven't really done any work to mold them into my image yet.
Muraganda Block Plan
Muraganda "Wolf"
>Focus: Dinosaurs, the Jungle, Insects, the Seas and Swamps
>Walkers: Maers 2.0, Garruk the Slayer
>Mechanics:
- Proliferate (For each creature and player with a counter on them you may put another of those counters on those creatures or players.)
- Evolve (Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control with greater power or toughness than this creature, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.)
- BloodFrenzy (When this creature attacks, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn for each blood counter on defending player. Whenever it deals damage to a player, put a blood counter on that player.)
- Feed N (As you cast this spell, you may sacrifice a creature. If you do, reduce this card's cost by N.)
- Dominance (You are dominant as long as you control or are tied for control the creature with greatest power.)
- Dormant (This creature enters the battlefield dormant. Whenever it deals combat damage to a player or planeswalker, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it is no longer dormant.)
- Overwhelm [cost] (You may cast this card during combat for its overwhelm cost if you control an attacking creature with greater power.)
- Spite ([effect] as long as an opponent lost 3 or more life this turn.)
- Pack N (When this enters the battlefield, choose one - Put N +1/+1 counters on CARD; or put a N/N creature token onto the battlefield) - NOT KEYWORD
- Vampirism N (Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, you may exile target creature card from that player's graveyard at end of combat. If you do, put N+1/+1 counters on this creature.) - NOT KEYWORD
- BloodStorm (When you cast this spell, copy it for every two blood counters on your opponent.) - NOT KEYWORD
- +1/+1 counters matter
- Power matters
- Monstrous?
- Devour?
- Prowl rework?
- Provoke?
- Cipher rework?
- Ferocious?
- Morbid?
Ice "Hart"
>Focus: Prehistoric Beasts, the Mountains and Plains
>Walkers:
>Mechanics:
Also have you should check out this current thread.
On flavour, I like your basic three groups but I would like to expand upon them. Based on Muraganda Petroglyphs we know Elves exist on Muraganda, are at least green, and are probably more advanced than Homo Neanderthalis. Dinosaurs dominate the plane, but I would also include other prehistoric beasts (Mollusks, Fish, Mammals, Arthropods, and Avians included). In fact you could even assign a different real world time period to each colour (or colour combination), naturally giving the factionalism inherent with the five colours of Magic. Each of the ten colour pairs would thus have a prehistoric group of creatures and each of the five colour pairs could have a primitive intelligent species:
WU - Ice Age Mammals (Woolly Rhino, Mastodon, Sabretooth Cat) UB - Ancient Mollusks (Giant Squids and other Deep Sea Giants) BR - The Giant Crocadilians RG - The BIG Two-Legged Dinos (Gigantosaurus, Spinosaurus, and T-Rex) GW - The great Sauropods (Good ol Steggy, Tricep, and Bronto) WB - Prehistoric birds (Carniverous 4m tall Ostriches) UR - Pterasaurs BG - Carboniferous-Era Giant Insects (Spiders the size of dogs, Dragonflies with 4m wingspans) RW - Raptors (Velociraptor, Oviraptor) GU - The GIANT Prehistoric Mammals (Rhinos the size of Elephants, Carnivorous Warthogs the size of Horses, Amphibious Whales)
Obviously the groups need fiddling around with to get right, but these are my basic concepts.
W - Neanderthals (Humans) U - Lizardy-Merfolk of some kind (Perhaps bring back the Cephalids as deep sea Mollusk-People?) B - Intelligent Insects R - Dragonfolk? G - Elves
The planar conflict could be in the different creature groups adaptation to the rapidly advancing ice age. The intelligent races could each have some variation on the evolution concept, using magic to accelerate their mastery of the elements and the various kinds of beast.
I really like a lot of your ideas. First of all I kind of agree with you on the Frozen mechanic. It was originally in my expansion for Muraganda that wasn't submitted for the GDS, but if it had been in the set Maro would have probably torn it apart. Yes it is not more complicated than vanishing, but vanishing isn't really a good mechanic. I think the classic use of freezing ala Crippling Chill or Wall of Frost is probably just better. Also I didn't realize that some of my cards didn't explain how Frozen ticked down and went away. I guess I overlooked it.
Some of these cards have been seen by lots of people including the GDS people, and some I just made when I redesigned the set, so some are probably a lot better than others.
I love some of the mechanic ideas in your set file. I especially like the idea of Dominance, especially on instants and sorceries, but I'm not sure if it would play well in all colors. Maybe that should be the RUG mechanic.
I read that thread you linked and I have worked with similar mechanics before, but I don't like the feel of advertising a vanilla theme and having complicated creatures that make themselves vanilla. I don't mind the idea at higher rarities though.
I actually had elves in Muraganda, then changed them to humans so they could be in green and white, then moved them to white only. Then I decided to make them Neanderthals to play on the caveman trope. The GDS seemed to like that, but in my original set Blue and White had half the cards of Green and Black, so the Neanderthals had much less representation. Now that I balanced the colors, I'm worried about giving them enough of a mechanical identity of their own since they have a much bgger representation.
I definitely like the idea of assigning identities to each color pair, but in this set I was trying to promote monocolor play. I like having most of the black creatures as one race, most of the white creatures as another, and having the RUG creatures be an assortment of mostly Dinosaurs because I feel that that's the most exciting part of the set.
However I do like the idea of using Cephalid or Merfolk as a blue race. I'm okay with using flying Dinosaurs in blue, but having a non-Dinosaur race in blue might be better. I'm unsure.
Three mechanics isn't enough, most large sets have five mechanics. On your mechanics in the set: Primal is interesting, but could be a little too parasitic, not sure about this. Carrion seems uninspired and could be easily replaced with a pre-existing +1/+1 counter mechanic to fill the same role (or obviously a new mechanic). Clash was not very popular for a reason, it is swingy and is often frustrating. While it could be returned, there would have to be a good reason. This set is pretty suitable for it, but I don't think there is enough reason to bring it back here.
Some interesting ideas, but it seems like you have rushed to fill out the set with not a lot going on here. I would step back and evaluate the set's design and structure.
To be fair, the definition of mechanic is a little looser than most might think. Keywords, ability words, and action words are the most common, but there also exist subtypes with associated rules baggage like Trap and Curse, tribal themes like Allies and Slivers, and even different takes on mana like snow and phyrexian. Devotion is practically its own category, though I'd consider it part of a larger class of "mana mechanics".
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Some (if not much) of the flavor bland or simply out of place. (Genocide for example in a prehistoric theme set?) But that's forgivable seeing as how we have a $0 flavor department budget.
I really like the Primal supertype. It's grockable, and I imagine it would be fun. I vaguely recall posting a few cards (elsewhere) years ago with a unique supertype (not really realizing what I was doing at the time), but it got shot down as parasitic so I dropped it. But seeing your Primal cards in the context of a set really makes me think it's viable as the backbone of a block.
I don't expect this of you, but personally I'd rather see a supertype + supertype-checking theme be more generic so it could be used in future sets without having to be "primal" in flavor yet still be backwards compatible.
I'm surprised it took you this long to join us here at MTGS
Some (if not much) of the flavor bland or simply out of place. (Genocide for example in a prehistoric theme set?) But that's forgivable seeing as how we have a $0 flavor department budget.
I really like the Primal supertype. It's grockable, and I imagine it would be fun. I vaguely recall posting a few cards (elsewhere) years ago with a unique supertype (not really realizing what I was doing at the time), but it got shot down as parasitic so I dropped it. But seeing your Primal cards in the context of a set really makes me think it's viable as the backbone of a block.
I don't expect this of you, but personally I'd rather see a supertype + supertype-checking theme be more generic so it could be used in future sets without having to be "primal" in flavor yet still be backwards compatible.
I'm surprised it took you this long to join us here at MTGS
Genocide is a standard plant moved from another set. I guess I missed that the name doesn't really fit this setting. Also I'm just terrible at names in general.
I do think Primal is parasitic, but I think it's the best solution to making a vanilla themed set. I'm gonna stick with it until me or another poster comes up with a better solution. I do agree that it is grokable and that is a strength.
I posted this set on this forum before but it was the version I submitted for the GDS. It had some weaknesses and I didn't make the final 8. I'm redesigning it now and I had to make a new username when the forum integrated with Curse.
Primal isn't really doing it for me. It's essentially just a tribal theme, and would probably be cooler if it actually were dinosaur tribal or something. Even if you took out the theme-muddling Primal noncreature spells and some of the less vanilla-y Primal french vanillas ("Hey, did you notice all the Primal cards are vanilla creatures?...whoops, just read Power Long Forgotten, never mind"), the mechanic itself would still be underwhelming and couldn't carry itself off the novelty of kind of being close to "vanilla matters."
I don't think a set with "vanilla matters" as its main theme is viable, but I think it could work as a subtheme, maybe paired with Morph or something, and not including any cards that give the creatures abilities.
@Deutschmeister
Power Long Forgotten doesn't have to be a Primal spell, but I love the flavor of it. And I'm currently tweaking the Primal vanilla theme with irl limited playtesting so hopefully it will look better by the end.
I think you are probably right about the mana cost. I'll try 2UU and may increase to 2UUU after testing.
I liked the idea of splicing text onto your cards because it is in blue's color pie, but also because it allows the spells to be countered. If people are confused by how the card works now, I'll change it to the triggered ability.
I wouldn't focus on the rares until you have a stable set of commons from which to draft. It is the ten common archetypes (which typically follow bi-colour combinations, but not always) which will define the character of your set more than any handful of rares. You've already mentioned you'd rather have a monocolour focus, however limited simply doesn't work with monocolour archetypes only. Scars is probably the closest we've come in recent years to a "monocolour" set, and it only worked because a quarter of the set was artifacts. Monocolour as a theme is a trap, one which requires a strong focus on colourless and ultimately still results in the need for ten multicolour archetypes. Note that Khans simply added a third colour to each of the allied colour pairs, but otherwise maintained the integrity of the ten colour pairs as archetypes.
WU - Neanderthals (Humans) UB BR - Carrion (could also fit in BG) RG - Primal on creatures, Dinosaurs GW WB UR - Primal on spells BG RW GU
Most of these sections are blank because as it stands your set is lacking a fair amount of meat and identity. What does a red-white Muraganda deck look like? How about a green-blue one? Until you have at least a vague idea of what each colour and colour pair is meant to be doing, you shouldn't be moving onto uncommons, let alone rares.
@jaxck
You are exactly right, I just haven't had the chance to playtest the set yet but have had plenty of time to design higher rarities. I should get to print and play with it in the next week or two. I have room for 1-2 more mechanics so those should be useful to help limited archetypes.
I just had a thought. Neandrathals should be RW not WU because they are proificient users of fire as a tool. You also said you liked my earlier idea about bringing back the Cephalids as some kind of deep sea Mollusk-people. They can easily be UB, with some kind of 'primordial sea' mechanic.
The Primal environments, pre-ice age
W - Ancient fern praries, slowing giving way to true grasses
U - Volatile deep seas, full of electrochemicals such as iron yet to be oxidized into rock
B - Stinking swamps of decaying matter and tar
R - Highly volcanic and largely bare rock faces, fully exposed to the elements
G - Great forests stretching from pole to equator
The Ice Age environments
W - True grasslands have now started to form with their weapon, fire
U - The oceans are still writhing, but ice has now formed on the surface for the first time
B - The toxic gasses and tar of the great swamps had been tamed by the colder, heavier air
R - Bare rock has given way to deep glaciers and snowfields
G - The forests are receding, but now give way to a deeply tiered ecosystem
This basic concepting leads me to thr colour pair environments
WU - The cooler, polar fern praries
UB - The volatile deep
BR - The oily (burning) swamps
RG - The great forests, dominated by the Terror-lizards
GW - Where the forests meet the ferns in the temperate regions
WB - Upwellings of resource-rich oil in the rocky deserts
UR - The electrochemical bath of the deep
BG - The source of all the tar and oil, the great vegetative mass of swamp
RW - The ancient grasslands equipped with a new terror weapon, fire
GU - Rich bacteria mats, the source of the first soils and primal magic of Muraganda
I'm spending so much time worldbuilding because Magic is an environmental game, and the world will thus help to define the mechanics and their role.
Finally got around to playtesting the set. I plan on solidifying mechanics first, then testing with uncommons and crafting archetypes for different color combinations.
Primal creatures play great. There are tons of vanilla creatures that are high picks in limited. Carrion is great as well. I think it needs to be focused in red and black.
Clash, however, had an extremely low as-fan. I need to spread it out to other colors at common.
I also think the set needs one more mechanic. Possibly a mechanic on instants and sorceries.
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Muraganda has been locked in a Time Rift for millennia, and primitive Humans have only began to appear in the last hundred years. The oldest and wisest humans on the plane, the Kangan Druids, believe themselves the lords of this primitive plane. Until Sharptooth the Tyrant, the largest land carnivore ever seen on Muraganda, attacked their village and wiped out the whole tribe. Just as the Archdruid's son, Odadii, is about to be swallowed by the great dinosaur, he disappears, planeswalking away and shattering the Time Rift around Muraganda. Now that the plane is free from the Rift, not only can planeswalkers from outside access the plane, but the passage of time is bringing about unexpected changes in the ecosystem of the primitive plane...
This is a redesign of my old set from the GDS. Maro pointed out how color imbalance in single sets has been a failure in the past, and I think that mistake is what prevented me from moving on to the final 8. I expected another GDS this year and they decided not to have one so I'm working on design for fun, and I decided to redesign my Muraganda set without the color imbalance. I have tested the mechanics, and am now focused on molding interesting archetypes for limited.
Muraganda is a Lost World plane. It is dominated by dinosaurs, and has a small, undeveloped civilization of primitive humanoids (neanderthal). The inspiration of the set was Imperiosaur and Muraganda Petroglyphs. Muraganda is a top-down set and the primary mechanics focus on vanilla creatures, Clash, with some tribal subthemes. This plane is involved with my friends' Magic DnD campaign, so I used a few planeswalkers from that story in the set.
Primal- Primal is a card supertype to denote ancient magic and creatures. Primal cards are very simple. The creatures are vanilla and french vanilla. The actual supertype has no mechanical effect but allows other cards to reference it, like Tribal or Instant-Trap.
Carrion- "Carrion 3 - This enters the battlefield with three +1/+1 counter(s) on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to three target creature(s) you control."
Clash- I liked the fit of clash with the survival-of-the-fittest theme of Muraganda, and many of the creatures in the set are large so the converted mana cost of the set is higher than normal, which makes Clash more variable and fun.
Black: Gatana Insects
The insects are typically 1/1 flyers and use cunning and ruthlessness to fight the massive Dinosaurs.
Green/Red/Blue: Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs are large and destructive. Their abilities greatly vary.
White: Neanderthal Clans
The humans on this plane haven't yet developed a class structure, and are all creature type-Human only. They use primitive tools and frost magic to protect themselves from predators.
Primal Creature — Spirit (C)
Flying
2/2
Arda of the Highlands
Creature — Spirit (C)
Vigilance
Primal creatures you control have vigilance.
1/1
Baby Mammoth
Primal Creature — Elephant (C)
0/4
Bleach the Battlefield
Sorcery (R)
Destroy all tapped creatures.
Blinding Sleet
Instant (U)
Opponents can’t cast spells this turn.
Draw a card.
Boreal Light
Sorcery (U)
Gain 7 life. Clash with an opponent. If you win the clash, return Boreal Light to its owner’s hand. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Calm
Primal Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can’t attack or block.
Dumb Luck
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Clash with an opponent. If you win, that creature gains flying and lifelink until end of turn. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Dumb Neanderthal
Creature — Human (C)
Carrion 1 (This enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to one target creature you control.)
0/0
Glacial Blast
Sorcery (C)
Tap target creature. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
Glacial Canyon
Enchantment (R)
Creatures with power 3 or greater can’t attack you.
Guardian of the Northwind
Creature — Spirit (R)
Flying, first strike
Primal creatures you control have flying and first strike.
3/2
Harm’s Way
Instant (U)
The next 2 damage that a source of your choice would deal to you and/or permanents you control this turn is dealt to target creature or player instead.
Impenetrable Shroud
Enchantment (U)
: You gain hexproof until end of turn.
, Sacrifice Impenetrable Shroud: Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you this turn.
Maiasaur
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
Vigilance
2/1
Might of the Primitive
Enchantment (R)
Primal creatures you control get +2/+2.
Neanderthal Cliffdiver
Creature — Human (C)
When Neanderthal Cliffdiver enters the battlefield, target creature gains flying until end of turn.
2/2
Neanderthal Fighting Grounds
Enchantment (U)
At the beginning of your upkeep, clash with an opponent. If you win, put a 1/1 white Human creature token onto the battlefield. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Neanderthal Frost Shaman
Creature — Human (C)
Whenever Neanderthal Frost Shaman deals damage to a creature, tap that creature. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
1/3
Neanderthal Rescuer
Creature — Human (U)
When Neanderthal Rescuer enters the battlefield, return target creature card with converted mana cost 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
2/1
Neanderthal Silencer
Creature — Human (U)
Opponents can’t cast spells during your turn.
2/2
Neanderthal Spearwielder
Creature — Human (U)
First strike, vigilance
2/2
Neanderthal Trapper
Creature — Human (C)
, : Tap target creature.
1/2
Neanderthal Windtalker
Creature — Human (C)
When Neanderthal Windtalker enters the battlefield, put a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
2/2
Predator’s Fall
Instant (C)
Exile target creature with power 4 or greater. Clash with an opponent. If you win, gain life equal to that creature’s power. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Primitive Clan
Sorcery (U)
Put three 1/1 white Human creature tokens onto the battlefield. Clash with an opponent. If you win, put four of those tokens into play instead. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Prowling Fang
Primal Creature — Cat (C)
3/1
Repel the Darkness
Instant (C)
Tap up to two target creatures.
Draw a card.
Saber Tooth
Primal Creature — Cat (C)
2/1
Savage Grace
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
If enchanted creature has no other abilities, it gets +1/+1 and lifelink. Otherwise, enchanted creature can’t attack or block.
Sentinel of Khan
Creature — Kor Soldier (M)
Lifelink, vigilance
Creatures your opponents control get -1/-1.
2/6
Sherkha, the White Shadow
Legendary Primal Creature — Cat (R)
2/3
Sleetstorm
Instant (R)
Tap all creatures. Those creatures don’t untap during their controller’s next untap step.
Draw a card.
Snowdigger Neanderthal
Creature — Human (U)
: Exile target card from a graveyard.
2/2
Solemn Offering
Sorcery (C)
Destroy target artifact or enchantment. You gain 4 life.
Strength of Spirit
Instant (C)
Put a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying onto the battlefield. Clash with an opponent. If you win, return Strength of Spirit to your hand. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Sunbeam Arda
Creature — Spirit (U)
Flying
When Sunbeam Arda enters the battlefield, exile target creature you control, then return it to the battlefield. You gain life equal to that creature’s converted mana cost.
2/2
Tabal, Tower of Northwind
Legendary Creature — Elephant (R)
Vigilance, protection from green and black
Tabal, Tower of Northwind can block any number of creatures.
4/8
Taiga Elasmoth
Primal Creature — Rhino (C)
3/5
Trumpeting Mammoth
Creature — Elephant (C)
When Trumpeting Mammoth enters the battlefield, creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.
2/5
Vanguard Arda
Creature — Spirit (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, if an opponent controls more permanents than you, you may put a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
2/2
Way of the Soldier
Sorcery (R)
You get an emblem with “Creatures you control have vigilance.”
Whitemane Sabertooth
Creature — Cat (U)
When Whitemane Sabertooth enters the battlefield, you may return a creature you control to its owner’s hand.
2/1
Wooly Guardian
Creature — Elephant (U)
Lifelink
1/4
Word of Duty
Sorcery (U)
Choose two —
-Destroy any number of target enchantments.
-Gain 6 life.
-Put up to two target creatures with converted mana cost 2 or less from your graveyard onto the battlefield.
Primal Creature — Turtle (C)
1/4
Archeopteryx
Creature — Dinosaur Bird (R)
Flying
When Archeopteryx or another Dinosaur enters the battlefield under your control, draw a card.
2/2
Bulwark Turtle
Primal Creature — Turtle (C)
2/8
Counter Act
Enchantment (R)
Blue instant cards you own have “Counter up to one target spell.”
Crippling Chill
Instant (C)
Tap target creature. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
Draw a card.
Dactyl Aerie
Sorcery (U)
Put two 2/2 blue Dinosaur creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield.
Dichotomy Elemental
Creature — Elemental (U)
, : Draw a card. Use this ability only if two or more spells are on the stack.
1/3
Dino-Morph
Instant (U)
Exile target creature. Its controller puts a 2/2 green Dinosaur creature token onto the battlefield.
Dispel
Instant (C)
Counter target instant spell.
Domination
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
You control enchanted creature.
Enchanted creature has hexproof.
Doppelganger Entity
Creature — Shapeshifter (R)
Flash
When you cast Doppelganger Entity from your hand, you may have it become a copy of an instant or sorcery card in a graveyard. (If that card has X in its cost, X is 0.)
If Doppelganger Entity would enter the battlefield as a creature, you may have it enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature on the battlefield.
0/0
Elder Knowledge
Primal Sorcery (C)
Draw two cards.
Fleeting Distraction
Instant (C)
Target creature gets -1/-0 until end of turn.
Draw a card.
Frost Breath
Instant (C)
Tap up to two target creatures. Those creatures don’t untap during their controller’s next untap step.
Giant Salmon
Creature — Fish (C)
Carrion 2 (This enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to two target creatures you control.)
Islandwalk
0/0
Ice Cage
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can’t attack or block and its activated abilities can’t be activated.
When enchanted creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice Ice Cage.
Makeshift Snare
Instant (U)
Target creature gets -4/-0 until end of turn. Untap up to one creature you control.
Mana Scavenger
Creature — Elemental (U)
Flying, hexproof
Mana Scavenger’s power is equal to the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard.
*/4
Megalodon
Creature — Fish (R)
Flash
Islandwalk
When Megalodon enters the battlefield, it fights each attacking creature. Draw a card for each creature that dies this turn.
7/7
Mind Shred
Instant (U)
Counter target spell. Clash with an opponent. If you win, that player puts the top eight cards of their library into their graveyard. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Mistwing Pterosaur
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
Flying
Protection from sorceries.
3/2
Nimbus Predator
Creature — Dinosaur (R)
Flash
Flying
When Nimbus Predator enters the battlefield, tap target creature. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
4/4
Octoluphogus
Legendary Creature — Octopus (R)
Creatures can’t attack unless their controller pays 8 for each attacking creature.
: Target creature becomes 8/8 as long as Octoluphogus is on the battlefield.
8/8
Petroglyph Scribbler
Creature — Human (U)
When Petroglyph Scribbler enters the battlefield, search your library for an artifact card with converted mana cost 2 or less, reveal it, and put it into your hand.
1/2
Plesiosaur
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (C)
Islandwalk
5/5
Power Long Forgotten
Primal Sorcery (M)
Choose one — Draw three cards; or take an extra turn after this one; or each player shuffles his or her hand and graveyard into his or her library, then draws seven cards. (Then put Power Long Forgotten into its owner’s graveyard.)
Principle or Deceit
Instant (R)
Reveal the top five cards of your library. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. Choose one of those piles and put it into your hand and put the other revealed cards on the bottom of your library in any order.
Psychic Rebuttal
Instant (C)
Target spell’s controller reveals his or her hand. Then you may counter that spell. If you don’t, draw a card.
Pterosaur Glider
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
Flying
Primal creatures you control have flying.
2/1
Pterosaur Hatchling
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (C)
Flying
1/1
Pterosaur Nestmother
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
Flying
When Pterosaur Nestmother enters the battlefield, return target creature to its owner’s hand.
2/2
Question or Answer
Instant (C)
Reveal the top four cards of your library and separate them into two piles. An opponent chooses a pile. Put the chosen cards on top of your library in any order, then put the other cards on the bottom of your library in any order.
Draw a card.
Savage Cunning
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
If enchanted creature has no other abilities, it gets +1/+1 and flying. Otherwise, it gets -6/-0.
Sensory Deprivation
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets -3/-0.
Sky-Eel School
Creature — Fish (C)
Flying
When Sky-Eel School enters the battlefield, draw a card then discard a card.
3/3
Spring
Instant (C)
Return target nonland permanent to its owner’s hand unless its controller pays 2.
Draw a card.
Survivor’s Guile
Instant (U)
Counter target spell. Clash with an opponent. If you win, draw a card. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Time Ebb
Sorcery (C)
Put target creature on top of its owner’s library.
Tonghan, the Immortal
Legendary Primal Creature — Turtle (R)
1/14
Tortoise Hide
Instant (U)
Target creature gets +0/+4 until end of turn. Untap it.
Draw a card.
Truth or Tale
Instant (U)
Reveal the top five cards of your library and separate them into two piles. An opponent chooses one of those piles. Put a card from the chosen pile into your hand, then put all other cards revealed this way on the bottom of your library in any order.
Way of the Illusionist
Sorcery (R)
You get an emblem with “Nonland cards in your hand have flash.”
Wild Cunning
Enchantment (U)
When you clash, you may draw a card. Then, if you didn’t win the clash, discard a card.
Windstream Pterosaur
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
Flying
When Windstream Pterosaur attacks, tap or untap target creature.
2/3
Word of Deceit
Sorcery (U)
Choose two —
-Return target permanent to its owner’s hand.
-Creatures you control gain flying until end of turn.
-Draw two cards.
Creature — Human Wizard (M)
, : Target player loses 3 life and you gain 3 life.
, : Return target creature from a graveyard to the battlefield under your control.
2/2
Ancient Cocoon
Creature — Insect Egg (U)
When Ancient Cocoon dies, search your library for an Insect creature card and put it onto the battlefield.
0/3
Big Game Hunt
Instant (C)
Destroy target creature with power 4 or greater.
Blackmurk Death Vines
Creature — Plant (U)
First strike, deathtouch
1/1
Blackmurk Fly Trap
Creature — Plant (U)
Defender
Sacrifice an Insect: Draw a card and lose 1 life.
3/3
Blackmurk Stinger
Creature — Insect (C)
Flying, deathtouch
1/1
Blackmurk, the Living Mire
Legendary Creature — Horror (R)
Blackmurk’s power and toughness are each equal to the number of Swamps you control.
When Blackmurk, the Living Mire enters the battlefield, search your library for up to X Swamp cards and put them onto the battlefield tapped, where X is the number of Swamps you control.
*/*
Bloodhunter Swarm
Creature — Insect (U)
Flying
When Bloodhunter Swarm enters the battlefield, each opponent loses X life, where X is the number of Insects you control.
1/1
Bog Fumes
Instant (C)
Target creature gains deathtouch until end of turn.
Draw a card.
Bottomless Pit
Enchantment (R)
At the beginning of each player’s upkeep, that player discards a card at random.
Carnipede
Primal Creature — Insect (C)
2/1
Death-Sting Assassin
Creature — Insect (U)
Flying
When Death-Sting Assassin enters the battlefield, destroy target creature that was dealt damage this turn.
2/2
Devouring Tar Pits
Enchantment (U)
If a creature card would be put into an opponent’s graveyard from anywhere, exile it instead.
Douse in Gloom
Instant (C)
Douse in Gloom deals 2 damage to target creature and you gain 2 life.
Essence Harvest
Sorcery (U)
Target player loses X life and you gain X life, where X is the greatest power among creatures you control.
Gatana Ancestor
Primal Creature — Insect (C)
Flying
2/1
Gatana Bloodseeker
Creature — Insect (C)
Flying
When Gatana Bloodseeker attacks, the defending player loses 1 life.
1/1
Gatana Swarm
Creature — Insect (R)
Flying
When Gatana Swarm enters the battlefield, put two 1/1 black Insect creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield.
When Gatana Swarm is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may pay 3 life. If you do, return Gatana Swarm from your graveyard to your hand.
1/1
Grasp of Darkness
Instant (C)
Target creature gets -4/-4 until end of turn.
Herbivore’s Delight
Creature — Plant (C)
Defender
Carrion 3 (This enters the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to three target creatures you control.)
3/3
Life’s Toll
Sorcery (U)
Target player sacrifices half the creatures he or she controls, rounded down.
Mind Strip
Sorcery (U)
Target player reveals their hand. You may choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. If the chosen card is an instant or sorcery card, that player loses 2 life.
Monstrous Fern
Primal Creature — Plant (C)
5/3
Muraganda Swamp Guide
Creature — Insect (C)
Flying
When Muraganda Swamp Guide attacks, target creature is unblockable this turn.
0/1
Natural Selection
Instant (C)
Destroy target non-Primal creature.
Neurotoxin Stinger
Creature — Insect (U)
Flying
When Neurotoxin Stinger enters the battlefield, choose target creature. That creature loses all abilities until Neurotoxin Stinger leaves the battlefield.
1/1
Ozda the Great Moth
Legendary Creature — Insect (R)
Flying, trample
When Ozda the Great Moth or another Insect creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may destroy target creature or land.
7/7
Poison Vapors
Instant (U)
Destroy target creature.
Draw a card.
Pollute
Sorcery (C)
Destroy target creature or land.
Queen of the Swarm
Creature — Insect (R)
Flying
Other Insect creatures you control get +1/+1.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control two or more Insects, you may return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
1/1
Ravenous Drone
Creature — Insect (C)
Flying
Sacrifice a creature: Ravenous Drone gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
1/1
Ruthless Buzzer
Creature — Insect Zombie (C)
Flying
: Regenerate Ruthless Buzzer.
1/1
Sarcosuchus
Primal Creature — Crocodile (C)
4/3
Savage Hatred
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
If enchanted creature has no other abilities, it gets +1/+1 and intimidate. Otherwise, it gets -2/-2.
Scavenging Scout
Creature — Insect (C)
Flying
When Scavenging Scout enters the battlefield, return up to one target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
1/1
Shadow Walk
Sorcery (U)
Target creature is unblockable this turn.
Draw a card.
Somber Moss
Primal Creature — Plant (C)
2/3
Surkrist, the Great Maw
Legendary Primal Creature — Crocodile (R)
10/10
Swarm Leader
Creature — Insect (U)
Flying
When Swarm Leader enters the battlefield, creatures you control get +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is the number of Insects you control.
1/1
Timeless Decay
Primal Sorcery (C)
Target player discards two cards.
Toximancy
Enchantment (U)
Tap two untapped creatures you control: Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
Vengeful Carcass
Creature — Zombie Dinosaur (R)
Vengeful Carcass has Carrion :symx: , where X is the number of Swamps you control. (This enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to X target creatures you control.)
0/0
Vile Calamity
Sorcery (R)
Destroy all creatures. Put X 1/1 black Insect creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield, where X is the total power of the destroyed creatures.
Way of the Assassin
Sorcery (R)
You get an emblem with “Creatures you control have deathtouch.” (An emblem is an ability marker that exists outside of the battlefield.)
Word of Cruelty
Sorcery (U)
Choose two —
-Destroy target land.
-Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn.
-Return target creature card with converted mana cost 4 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
Carrion 4 (This enters the battlefield with four +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to four target creatures you control.)
Haste, trample
At the beginning of the end step, sacrifice Allosaur Crasher.
0/0
Alpha Raptor
Creature — Dinosaur (R)
Other Dinosaur creatures you control get +1/+0.
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a 1/1 red Dinosaur creature token onto the battlefield. It gains haste until end of turn.
2/2
Baltrice
Planeswalker — Baltrice (M)
Starting Loyalty: 4
+1: Return an instant or sorcery card at random from your graveyard to your hand.
-3: Baltrice deals 3 damage to each creature.
-6: Baltrice becomes a 20/1 red Human Berserker creature with trample and indestructible until end of turn. (Baltrice doesn’t lose loyalty while she’s not a planeswalker.)
Barbarity
Enchantment (U)
When you clash, Barbarity deals 2 damage to target player. If you win the clash, Barbarity deals 2 damage to up to one creature that player controls.
Burn to Ash
Instant (C)
Burn to Ash deals 3 damage to target creature. If that creature would be put into a graveyard this turn, exile it instead.
Canyon Raptor
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
Haste
Mountainwalk
2/2
Carnivore’s Instinct
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +3/+2 until end of turn.
Compsognathus
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (C)
2/1
Crush
Instant (C)
Destroy target noncreature artifact.
Elder Raptor
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (C)
3/2
Explosive Fervor
Instant (U)
If a source of your choice would deal damage this turn, it deals twice that much damage instead.
Forked Bolt
Sorcery (U)
Forked Bolt deals 2 damage divided as you choose among one or two target creatures and/or players.
Game Chaser
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
Carrion 2 (This enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to two target creatures you control.)
Sacrifice Game Chaser: Target creature gains haste until end of turn.
2/2
Highland Saurid
Creature — Lizard (C)
Carrion 3 (This enters the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to three target creatures you control.)
0/0
Incite the Stampede
Sorcery (R)
After the first postcombat main phase this turn, there’s an additional combat phase followed by an additional main phase. At the beginning of that combat, untap all creatures that attacked this turn.
Add to your mana pool.
Lava Blister
Sorcery (U)
Destroy target nonbasic land unless its controller has Lava Blister deal 6 damage to him or her.
Megacast
Instant (R)
Choose one —
-Copy target instant or sorcery spell. You may choose new targets for the copy.
-Change the target of target instant or sorcery spell with a single target.
Ogadu Canyon Charger
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
Whenever a Dinosaur creature enters the battlefield under your control, target creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn.
4/3
Ogadu Carnivore
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (C)
4/3
Overcharge Elemental
Creature — Elemental (U)
Haste
When Overcharge Elemental enters the battlefield, target creature gains double strike until end of turn.
1/1
Oviraptor
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
When Oviraptor enters the battlefield, gain control of target Egg.
3/2
Plated Ankylosaur
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
First strike
Primal creatures you control have first strike.
3/3
Raptor Looter
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
When Raptor Looter attacks, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
2/1
Raptor Nest
Enchantment (U)
At the beginning of your upkeep, put an egg counter on Raptor Nest.
When Raptor Nest has three counters on it, sacrifice it. If you do, put three 1/1 red Dinosaur creature tokens with haste onto the battlefield.
Raptor Pack
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (C)
4/4
Red-Moon Hellkite
Creature — Dragon (R)
Flying
Nonbasic lands are Mountains.
5/4
Renegade Raptor
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
, Sacrifice Renegade Raptor: Destroy target artifact.
2/1
Savage Spirit
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
If enchanted creature has no other abilities, it gets +1/+1 and haste. Otherwise, enchanted creature can’t block.
Shatter Equilibrium
Sorcery (R)
Exile all permanents. At the beginning of the next end step, return each permanent exiled this way to the battlefield under a random player’s control.
Skittering Composaur
Creature — Lizard (C)
Lizard and Dinosaur creatures you control have haste.
1/1
Spark Lash
Instant (C)
Spark Lash deals 2 damage to target creature. Clash with an opponent. If you win, Spark Lash deals 2 damage to that creature’s controller. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Spell Sabotage
Instant (U)
Spell Sabotage deals damage equal to target spell’s converted mana cost to that spell’s controller.
Thunder Strike
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +2/+0 and gains first strike until end of turn.
Timeless Thunder
Primal Instant (C)
Timeless Thunder deals 4 damage to target creature or player.
Torrent of Fire
Sorcery (U)
Torrent of Fire deals damage equal to the highest converted mana cost among permanents you control to target creature or player.
Traitorous Blood
Sorcery (C)
Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap it. It gains haste and trample until end of turn.
Triceratops
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
When Triceratops enters the battlefield, target creature can’t block this turn.
3/1
Troodon Packhunters
Creature — Dinosaur (R)
When Troodon Packhunters enters the battlefield, put three 1/1 red Dinosaur creature tokens onto the battlefield.
, Sacrifice a Dinosaur: Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap it. It gains haste.
2/2
Vicious Raptor
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (C)
3/1
Vinicar, the Packleader
Legendary Primal Creature — Dinosaur (R)
4/1
Volcanic Calamity :symx:
Sorcery (R)
As an additional cost to cast Volcanic Calamity, you may sacrifice two Mountains.
Volcanic Calamity deals X damage to target creature or player. Then, if you paid the additional cost, return Volcanic Calamity to your hand.
Volcanic Rite
Sorcery (U)
Add to your mana pool.
Draw a card.
Volcano Pyrosaur
Creature — Lizard (U)
: Volcano Pyrosaur gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
2/1
Way of the Warrior
Sorcery (R)
You get an emblem with “If a noncreature source you control would deal damage to a permanent or player, it deals that much damage plus 1 to that permanent or player instead.” (An emblem is an ability marker that exists outside of the battlefield.)
Word of Passion
Sorcery (U)
Choose two —
- Word of Passion deals 2 damage to each creature.
-Discard your hand and draw three cards.
-Destroy any number of target artifacts.
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (U)
4/3
Ancient Bear
Primal Creature — Bear (C)
2/2
Anger of Muraganda
Primal Enchantment — Aura (R)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +3/+3 and has nonbasic landwalk.
: Return Anger of Muraganda from your graveyard to your hand.
Brontosaur
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
Trample
Primal creatures you control have trample.
5/5
Concealing Overgrowth
Instant (U)
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn. Clash with an opponent. If you win, gain 1 life for each attacking creature. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
Crushing Vines
Instant (C)
Choose one:
-Destroy target artifact;
-Destroy target creature with flying.
Cunning Raptor
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
When Cunning Raptor attacks, destroy target artifact or enchantment.
“They’ve figured out how to open doors!
2/1
Deconstruction
Instant (U)
Cast Planned Deconstruction only if you control six or more lands.
Destroy target noncreature permanent.
Edge of Kanga
Sorcery (U)
Destroy target noncreature permanent. Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped.
Emerald Beetle
Creature — Insect (C)
Carrion 1 (This enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to one target creature you control.)
: Add to your mana pool.
0/0
Expanding Foliage
Creature — Plant (U)
Carrion 3 (This enters the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to three target creatures you control.)
When Expanding Foliage is dealt damage, put that many +1/+1 counters on it at the beginning of the next end step.
0/0
Expedition
Sorcery (C)
You may play up to two additional lands this turn.
Draw a card.
Fern Profusion
Sorcery (U)
Clash with an opponent. (Each clashing player reveals the top card of his or her library, then puts that card on the top or bottom. A player wins if his or her card had a higher converted mana cost.)
If you win the clash, search your library for up to two basic land cards and put them onto the battlefield tapped. Otherwise, search your library for one basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped.
Gargantuan Egg
Creature — Egg (R)
When Gargantuan Egg dies, search your library for up to two creature cards and reveal them. Put one into your hand and the other onto the battlefield.
0/3
Gargantuan’s Breath
Sorcery (U)
Gargantuan’s Breath deals 2 damage divided as you choose among one or two target creatures with flying.
Grizzled Raptor
Creature — Dinosaur (C)
Carrion 2 (This enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to two target creatures you control.)
0/0
Hunt the Weak
Sorcery (C)
Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control. Then it fights target creature you don’t control.
Imperisaur
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (C)
5/4
Jurassic Egg
Creature — Egg (C)
When Jurassic Egg dies, put a 4/4 green Dinosaur primal creature token onto the battlefield.
0/4
Kangan Egg
Creature — Egg (C)
When Kangan Egg dies, you may put a creature card with converted mana cost 3 or less from your hand onto the battlefield.
0/2
Lead the Stampede
Sorcery (U)
Look at the top five cards of your library. You may reveal any number of creature cards from among them and put the revealed cards in your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
Lophosaur
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
Carrion 3 (This enters the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to three target creatures you control.)
All creatures able to block Lophosaur do so.
0/0
Lost World
Enchantment (U)
Artifact spells cost 1 more to cast.
Mysterious Egg
Creature — Egg (C)
When Mysterious Egg dies, search your library for a creature card and put it into your hand.
0/2
Odadaii, Thundercaller
Planeswalker — Odadaii (M)
Starting Loyalty: 3
+1: You may play an additional land this turn.
-2: Put a 3/3 green Dinosaur creature token onto the battlefield.
-7: Put three 7/7 green Dinosaur creature tokens with trample onto the battlefield.
Rampage Predator
Creature — Dinosaur (U)
Dinosaur creatures you control can’t be blocked by more than one creature.
4/5
Raptor Egg
Creature — Egg (C)
When Raptor Egg dies, draw two cards.
0/2
Reclamation
Sorcery (U)
Destroy target land. Its controller may search his or her library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped.
Reflective Scales
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Flash (You may cast this spell any time you could cast an instant.)
Enchanted creature has hexproof.
Saurid Stomper
Creature — Dinosaur (R)
Trample
When Saurid Stomper enters the battlefield, choose up to one land of each basic land type, then destroy those lands.
5/5
Savage Ferocity
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
If enchanted creature has no other abilities, it gets +3/+3 and reach. Otherwise, it doesn’t untap during it’s controller’s untap step.
Sharptooth, the Tyrant
Legendary Primal Creature — Dinosaur (R)
7/6
Spinosaur
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (C)
5/6
Steelscale Armasaur
Creature — Dinosaur (R)
Carrion 5 (This enters the battlefield with five +1/+1 counters on it. When it’s put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on up to five target creatures you control.)
Creatures you control with one or more +1/+1 counters on them have hexproof.
0/0
Stegosaur
Primal Creature — Dinosaur (C)
2/4
Sudden Evolution
Sorcery (C)
Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
Draw a card.
Supergrowth Ferns
Creature — Plant (C)
When Supergrowth Ferns enters the battlefield, search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped.
1/1
Swatting Ferns
Creature — Plant (C)
Reach
Primal creatures you control have reach.
1/4
Titanic Growth
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +4/+4 until end of turn.
Titanoboa
Creature — Snake (R)
Deathtouch, vigilance
: Titanoboa fights target creature.
6/4
Tyrannosaur
Creature — Dinosaur (R)
Trample
Other Dinosaur creatures you control get +2/+2.
: Tyrannosaur fights another target creature.
5/4
Vigor Link
Instant (U)
Move any number of +1/+1 counters from creatures you control onto target creature.
Way of the Monk
Sorcery (R)
You gain an emblem with “Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, gain 1 life.” (An emblem is an ability marker that exists outside of the battlefield.)
Weeds of Muraganda
Creature — Plant (R)
Carrion 3
Haste
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control no creatures, you may return Weeds of Muraganda from your graveyard to the battlefield.
0/0
Word of Savagery
Sorcery (U)
Choose two —
-Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
-Put three +1/+1 counters on target creature.
-Return target permanent card from your graveyard to your hand.
Planeswalker — Khan (M)
Starting Loyalty: 4
+2: Target player loses 2 life and discards a card. You gain 2 life and draw a card.
-3: Destroy all creatures.
-7: You get an emblem with “WB: Put a creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control.”
Alpha Petroglyph
Artifact (M)
: Target creature gains vigilance, flying, deathtouch, first strike, or trample until end of turn.
Bloodwrit Petroglyph
Artifact (U)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Bloodwrit Petroglyph: Target player loses 5 life.
Bone Club
Artifact — Equipment (C)
Equipped creature gets +2/+0.
Equip 4
Bone Club costs 3 less to equip to a Human creature.
Divining Petroglyph
Artifact (C)
, : Look at the top three cards of your library and put them back in any order.
, , Sacrifice Divining Petroglyph: Draw a card.
Jungle Petroglyph
Artifact (U)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Jungle Petroglyph: Target creature gets +5/+5 and trample until end of turn.
Kanga Petroglyph
Artifact (C)
When Kanga Petroglyph enters the battlefield, you may put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
Marshstained Petroglyph
Artifact (U)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Marshstained Petroglyph: Target creature gets +6/-6 until end of turn.
Prismatic Petroglyph
Artifact (C)
, : Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Prismatic Petroglyph: Draw a card.
Sandburied Petroglyph
Artifact (U)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Sandburied Petroglyph: Put three 1/1 blue and white Bird creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield.
Savannah Petroglyph
Artifact (U)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Savannah Petroglyph: Creatures you control get +1/+1 and are indestructible until end of turn.
Totem of Muraganda
Artifact (R)
Nonbasic lands don’t untap during their controller’s untap step.
Turtleshell Shield
Artifact — Equipment (C)
Equipped creature gets +0/+3.
Equip 1
Worn Petroglyph
Artifact (C)
Primal spells you cast cost 1 less.
Carnage Valley
Land (C)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Carnage Valley: Gain control of target creature until end of turn and untap it. It gains haste.
Cradle of Life
Land (R)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Use this mana only to cast Primal spells.
, : Put a +1/+1 counter on each Primal creature you control.
Dark Undergrowth
Land (C)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Dark Undergrowth: Return target card from your graveyard to your hand.
Feeding Pits
Land (R)
Feeding Pits enters the battlefield tapped with a charge counter on it.
: Add or to your mana pool.
Remove a charge counter from Feeding Pits: Target creature can’t block this turn.
Glacier Edge
Land (R)
Glacier Edge enters the battlefield tapped with a charge counter on it.
: Add or to your mana pool.
Remove a charge counter from Glacier Edge: Tap target creature.
Pitfall Plains
Land (C)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Pitfall Plains: Destroy target attacking creature.
Predator’s Domain
Land (R)
Predator’s Domain enters the battlefield tapped with a charge counter on it.
: Add or to your mana pool.
Remove a charge counter from Predator’s Domain: Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Prehistoric Bog
Land (C)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Prehistoric Bog: Draw two cards and lose 2 life.
Shadowy Depths
Land (R)
Shadowy Depths enters the battlefield tapped with a charge counter on it.
: Add or to your mana pool.
Remove a charge counter from Shadowy Depths: Exile target card from a graveyard.
Snowcapped Woods
Land (R)
Snowcapped Woods enters the battlefield tapped with a charge counter on it.
: Add or to your mana pool.
Remove a charge counter from Snowcapped Woods: Target creature gains vigilance until end of turn.
Volatile Geysers
Land (C)
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
, , Sacrifice Volatile Geysers: Put target creature on top of its owner’s library.
GWU Rafiq
RWB Zurgo
WBG Ghave
WUB Oloro
WBR Kaalia (Archived)
My Blog, currently working on series about my custom set Cazia.
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Goldcoat Lion 1W
Creature - Primal Cat (C)
2/2
What sort of effects will care about cards being Primal? Could you design a keyword around Primal? What is the flavour of Primal effects?
So Carrion is Modular for non-artifacts? Seems fine. I like the switch to distributing the counters rather than piling them up. It encourages going wide, while also untieing the number of +1/+1 counters on the Carrion creature to the counters it gets to distribute. Players won't necessarily catch onto this, so you probably don't want to mix Carrion and effects which care about +1/+1 counters on the same card.
Clash is an odd mecchanic. Because it's pretty much entirely random, increasing the average cmc in your deck doesn't really effect your Clash success. Higher curve means a higher demand for lands, which means fewer nonlands. Including Clash because your set has a slightly higher natural cmc is a trap. Including Clash to give the set a more random feel, the thrill of the jungle where you can get eaten at a moments notice, is not.
I don't get what Freeze is trying to do. Are the ice counters supposed to keep the thing frozen? Are they a resource? Or are they simply a marker, like fate counters?
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I did consider making Primal a creature type but it didn't make sense as a race or as a class, and having a creature type that is neither feels off. Also I like the idea of noncreature primal cards, to represent ancient, simple magic.
Freeze ice counters just control how long the card is frozen. It's like vanishing or suspend.
Primal - [effect] as long as you control three or more basic lands.
or
Primal (This card is primal if you control three or more basic lands.)
Note that I abandoned the "cast with mana from basic lands" in favour of a threshold mechanic. The original "Primal" from Future Sight is very restrictive and not worth keywording. As it stands you really can't have a super type without rules associated with it. This might be a good place to introduce spell types, such as Fire or Lightning, on top of Primal.
On Freeze, that is what I assumed however you failed to actually write that out in your explanation of Freeze so I wasn't sure. I really like the flavour of Freeze, the board state steadily becoming frosted over, more so as you introduce more Freeze cards in the second set. However you do need that extra line on Freeze:
Freeze N a/target [creature] (Tap and put N freeze counters on that creature. That creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step as long as it has a freeze counter on it. At the beginning of each player's turn, that player removes a freeze counter from all creatures with freeze counters they control.)
Not perfect, but roughly my interpretation. I changed ice counters to freeze counters because ice counters already exist.
As Muraganda is a primitive world transforming into a more advanced world, have you considered using Evolve as a returning mechanic? Building off the theme of counters (from Freeze and potentially Evolve) have you considered bringing back Proliferate? I've done a fair amount of development on my own Muraganda set and this was my line of thinking.
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I know Primal as a supertype has no rules associated with it, but neither does Tribal other than a creature type attached to it. I think using a supertype is the cleanest way to tie the vanilla theme together, but I did consider using a creature type.
I played around with using basic-lands-matter like on Imperiosaur, but it was useless design space because it doesn't do anything in limited. I decided instead to just put a few nonbasic land hate cards at higher rarities.
I don't think Frozen needs to be worded that way because my wording is the same as Fading or Suspend. And yes I meant to use the same kind of counters as other cards.
Yes, you are exactly right with Evolve. I planned on using Evolve and Frozen as big mechanics in the second set, and I actually did consider using Proliferate as well. There won't be a third set because I'm trying the new Wizards block sizes.
As it stands this is the wording for Frozen in your full set file:
Freeze 4 a/target creature (Tap that creature and put four ice counters on it. It gains Frozen.)
There is no explanation of what the ice counters are doing, and no point to the second line. You need to explain what wording you're going for on the cards. This is why I included my wording, which on review is understandably awkward. Does this fixed wording work?
Freeze N a/target [creature] (Tap and put N ice counters on that creature. That creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step as long as it has an ice counter on it. At the beginning of that creature's controller's upkeep, they remove an ice counter from that creature.)
This wording is better than my original wording, as well as making the swap to ice counters. However it still retains the awkward "creature's controller's" phrase which I've run into problems with before. It's also quite a wordy mechanic, and doesn't mechanically fit outside white or blue (with maybe a bleed into black in set two). With complexity being such a limited resource, I'd rather spend it on other more interesting (and widespread) mechanics than a weaponized version of suspend.
I hear you on the basic lands matter. The thought about limited hadn't occurred to me yet because I haven't thought enough about the concept.
I assumed you were going to follow the standard two set structure, a feature I've readily adopted in my own designs. On the topic of my own designs I've done a fair amount of concept work on my own Muraganda set, and I had the same jungle to ice theme (though in mine the ice age was already present, we were just moving region). I will put my work in a separate post so as not to cross commentary too much (yet).
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Also have you should check out this current thread.
GWU Rafiq
RWB Zurgo
WBG Ghave
WUB Oloro
WBR Kaalia (Archived)
My Blog, currently working on series about my custom set Cazia.
Steam Trades - I play Dota 2, CS:GO, TF2, and trade cards heavily. Add me if you like.
WU - Ice Age Mammals (Woolly Rhino, Mastodon, Sabretooth Cat)
UB - Ancient Mollusks (Giant Squids and other Deep Sea Giants)
BR - The Giant Crocadilians
RG - The BIG Two-Legged Dinos (Gigantosaurus, Spinosaurus, and T-Rex)
GW - The great Sauropods (Good ol Steggy, Tricep, and Bronto)
WB - Prehistoric birds (Carniverous 4m tall Ostriches)
UR - Pterasaurs
BG - Carboniferous-Era Giant Insects (Spiders the size of dogs, Dragonflies with 4m wingspans)
RW - Raptors (Velociraptor, Oviraptor)
GU - The GIANT Prehistoric Mammals (Rhinos the size of Elephants, Carnivorous Warthogs the size of Horses, Amphibious Whales)
Obviously the groups need fiddling around with to get right, but these are my basic concepts.
W - Neanderthals (Humans)
U - Lizardy-Merfolk of some kind (Perhaps bring back the Cephalids as deep sea Mollusk-People?)
B - Intelligent Insects
R - Dragonfolk?
G - Elves
The planar conflict could be in the different creature groups adaptation to the rapidly advancing ice age. The intelligent races could each have some variation on the evolution concept, using magic to accelerate their mastery of the elements and the various kinds of beast.
GWU Rafiq
RWB Zurgo
WBG Ghave
WUB Oloro
WBR Kaalia (Archived)
My Blog, currently working on series about my custom set Cazia.
Steam Trades - I play Dota 2, CS:GO, TF2, and trade cards heavily. Add me if you like.
Some of these cards have been seen by lots of people including the GDS people, and some I just made when I redesigned the set, so some are probably a lot better than others.
I love some of the mechanic ideas in your set file. I especially like the idea of Dominance, especially on instants and sorceries, but I'm not sure if it would play well in all colors. Maybe that should be the RUG mechanic.
I read that thread you linked and I have worked with similar mechanics before, but I don't like the feel of advertising a vanilla theme and having complicated creatures that make themselves vanilla. I don't mind the idea at higher rarities though.
I definitely like the idea of assigning identities to each color pair, but in this set I was trying to promote monocolor play. I like having most of the black creatures as one race, most of the white creatures as another, and having the RUG creatures be an assortment of mostly Dinosaurs because I feel that that's the most exciting part of the set.
However I do like the idea of using Cephalid or Merfolk as a blue race. I'm okay with using flying Dinosaurs in blue, but having a non-Dinosaur race in blue might be better. I'm unsure.
Some interesting ideas, but it seems like you have rushed to fill out the set with not a lot going on here. I would step back and evaluate the set's design and structure.
RUNIN: Norse mythology set (awaiting further playtesting)
FATE of ALARA: Multicolour factions (currently on hiatus)
Contibutor to the Pyrulea community set
I'm here to tell you that all your set mechanics are bad
#Defundthepolice
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
I really like the Primal supertype. It's grockable, and I imagine it would be fun. I vaguely recall posting a few cards (elsewhere) years ago with a unique supertype (not really realizing what I was doing at the time), but it got shot down as parasitic so I dropped it. But seeing your Primal cards in the context of a set really makes me think it's viable as the backbone of a block.
I don't expect this of you, but personally I'd rather see a supertype + supertype-checking theme be more generic so it could be used in future sets without having to be "primal" in flavor yet still be backwards compatible.
I'm surprised it took you this long to join us here at MTGS
Genocide is a standard plant moved from another set. I guess I missed that the name doesn't really fit this setting. Also I'm just terrible at names in general.
I do think Primal is parasitic, but I think it's the best solution to making a vanilla themed set. I'm gonna stick with it until me or another poster comes up with a better solution. I do agree that it is grokable and that is a strength.
I posted this set on this forum before but it was the version I submitted for the GDS. It had some weaknesses and I didn't make the final 8. I'm redesigning it now and I had to make a new username when the forum integrated with Curse.
I don't think a set with "vanilla matters" as its main theme is viable, but I think it could work as a subtheme, maybe paired with Morph or something, and not including any cards that give the creatures abilities.
Power Long Forgotten doesn't have to be a Primal spell, but I love the flavor of it. And I'm currently tweaking the Primal vanilla theme with irl limited playtesting so hopefully it will look better by the end.
I liked the idea of splicing text onto your cards because it is in blue's color pie, but also because it allows the spells to be countered. If people are confused by how the card works now, I'll change it to the triggered ability.
WU - Neanderthals (Humans)
UB
BR - Carrion (could also fit in BG)
RG - Primal on creatures, Dinosaurs
GW
WB
UR - Primal on spells
BG
RW
GU
Most of these sections are blank because as it stands your set is lacking a fair amount of meat and identity. What does a red-white Muraganda deck look like? How about a green-blue one? Until you have at least a vague idea of what each colour and colour pair is meant to be doing, you shouldn't be moving onto uncommons, let alone rares.
GWU Rafiq
RWB Zurgo
WBG Ghave
WUB Oloro
WBR Kaalia (Archived)
My Blog, currently working on series about my custom set Cazia.
Steam Trades - I play Dota 2, CS:GO, TF2, and trade cards heavily. Add me if you like.
You are exactly right, I just haven't had the chance to playtest the set yet but have had plenty of time to design higher rarities. I should get to print and play with it in the next week or two. I have room for 1-2 more mechanics so those should be useful to help limited archetypes.
The Primal environments, pre-ice age
W - Ancient fern praries, slowing giving way to true grasses
U - Volatile deep seas, full of electrochemicals such as iron yet to be oxidized into rock
B - Stinking swamps of decaying matter and tar
R - Highly volcanic and largely bare rock faces, fully exposed to the elements
G - Great forests stretching from pole to equator
The Ice Age environments
W - True grasslands have now started to form with their weapon, fire
U - The oceans are still writhing, but ice has now formed on the surface for the first time
B - The toxic gasses and tar of the great swamps had been tamed by the colder, heavier air
R - Bare rock has given way to deep glaciers and snowfields
G - The forests are receding, but now give way to a deeply tiered ecosystem
This basic concepting leads me to thr colour pair environments
WU - The cooler, polar fern praries
UB - The volatile deep
BR - The oily (burning) swamps
RG - The great forests, dominated by the Terror-lizards
GW - Where the forests meet the ferns in the temperate regions
WB - Upwellings of resource-rich oil in the rocky deserts
UR - The electrochemical bath of the deep
BG - The source of all the tar and oil, the great vegetative mass of swamp
RW - The ancient grasslands equipped with a new terror weapon, fire
GU - Rich bacteria mats, the source of the first soils and primal magic of Muraganda
I'm spending so much time worldbuilding because Magic is an environmental game, and the world will thus help to define the mechanics and their role.
GWU Rafiq
RWB Zurgo
WBG Ghave
WUB Oloro
WBR Kaalia (Archived)
My Blog, currently working on series about my custom set Cazia.
Steam Trades - I play Dota 2, CS:GO, TF2, and trade cards heavily. Add me if you like.
Primal creatures play great. There are tons of vanilla creatures that are high picks in limited. Carrion is great as well. I think it needs to be focused in red and black.
Clash, however, had an extremely low as-fan. I need to spread it out to other colors at common.
I also think the set needs one more mechanic. Possibly a mechanic on instants and sorceries.