Srovard is a world overflowing with mana, a natural haven for its inhabitants. Shirixx is an insectoid planeswalker, who saw his own world fall to a terrible plague, but managed to save most of its people by taking them into the world he shaped for them, Srovard.
The races of Srovard are now in conflict with one another; some forged a pact and sealed it in blood, like the scaly Viashinos and the humans, who seek a better place in this world. The insects that inhabit the forests have been allied for a long time with the Amphins of the depths. They are the guardians of the Great Grove, the giant trees that are said to be the heart of Srovard. But there are others who have banded together out of necessity.
The conflict between those alliances has reached its limit and war is spreading across Srovard. And Srovard itself will respond in kind.
Shirixx watches as the world is engulfed in war, but he also sensed another planeswalker's arrival. A dark being with murderous intent.
There are 5 alliances in the world of Srovard: UG: Great Grove Keepers RW: The Bloodpact BW: Voice of the Dead RU: Winter's eyes BG: Servants of the Dread Root
Cards examples:
Keeper of the Cycle 1GG
Creature - Insect Druid
Whenever a nontoken creature you control dies, Cultivate 2. (Distribute two growth counters among any number of target lands you control.
A land with three or more growth counters adds one extra mana to your mana pool of any color it could produce.)
1/3
The warriors of the Great Grove give their life to defend it, and their death to nuture it.
Bloodpact Shieldbringer 2W
Creature - Human warrior Intervene 2W - You may play this creature for its Intervene cost. If you do, you may play it as though as it had flash,
and it enters the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter.
Whenever Bloodpact Shieldbringer enters the battlefield, another target creature gets +0/+3 until end of turn.
1/1
Shirixx, Tender of Srovard 2 GG
Planeswalker - Shirixx
+1 - Reveal the top card of your library. If it is a land card, put it into play. If its a nonland card, put it back at the top of your library, then cultivate 1.
-2 - Put a green enchantment aura token into play with: "Enchanted creature is a 0/3 plant with no abilites.",
then attach it to target creature.
-6 - Look at the top X cards of your library, where X is the number of lands you control. Put any number of creatures from those cards into play and the rest in your graveyard.
(3)
Garruk, Corrupting Hunter 3BB
Planeswalker - Garruk
+1 - Target creature you control gets +2/+0 and deathtouch until end of turn.
-X - Put X -1/-1 counters on target creature. If that creature died this way, put a loyalty counter on Garruk.
-7 - Destroy each creature and each planeswalkers you don't control.
(4)
Cultivate - Why does it have to be 3 growth counters? It would be easier to see from the opponent's side which lands have counters on them if it was just 1 counter. Also, it would easier to cost (and make cards' power level more readily identifiable to players) by having one counter, and making the counter just add colourless. These effects could even stack. You could look at these cards as analogous yet each serving a slightly different role:
1G T: Add G to your mana pool.
2/1
and
1G
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, cultivate. (Put a growth counter on a land you control. Whenever that land becomes tapped for mana, its controller adds 1 to their mana pool.)
2/1
Intervene - I wonder, do you want your set to have +1/+1 counters or -1/-1 counters? If the latter, I'm curious what they would contribute to your set. This mechanic could be turned to use the former. One issue is that your mechanic mentions another mechanic (flash) in it. However, I think that in this case it's quite appropriate. I think that this mechanic works fine without spelling out an alternative out.
Intervene (You may cast this as though it had flash. If you do, it enters the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
Private Mod Note
():
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Gaymer
Custom Card / Set Reviewer
When reviewing custom cards / sets, I look for (a) flavour, (b) function, and (c) cohesiveness, generally through a risk focus.
I was actually trying for an alternate version of Intervene that used +1/+1 counters instead, but it rewarded not intervening so I figured -1/-1 counters worked better. I stumbled upon my above wording in the process.
You could still have effects which care about growth counters. Some ideas which come to mind:
4GG
Creature - Elemental
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, cultivate.
Each land you control with a growth counter on it is a 3/3 Elemental creature in addition to being a land.
4/4
2GU
Creature - Elf Shaman
At the beginning of your upkeep, cultivate.
Remove two growth counters from lands you control: Draw a card.
2/4
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gaymer
Custom Card / Set Reviewer
When reviewing custom cards / sets, I look for (a) flavour, (b) function, and (c) cohesiveness, generally through a risk focus.
I feel like two growth counters is the way to go. With one, the elf shaman you made for example is almost "put a colorless land into play at upkeep", which seems pretty strong, if it stays at one counter. With two it feels better balanced I guess? But I agree on keeping in colorless, seems to work fine.
For RU, there was this ability I made long ago that I really liked, so I would like to show it off again.
Boreal Bolt 2R
Instant
Deal 2 damage to target creature. That creature does not untap during the next untap phase.
Hibernate (2UU) (You may cast this card from exile for its hibernate cost if it had an ice counter on it. As this card resolves, if it was cast from anywhere other than exile, exile it and place an ice counter on it.)
Actually Cultivate is in many ways weaker than getting a free land. If you have a Forest with 2 growth counters on it (and Cultivate 1 is the required number), then you have to get and use all 3 mana at once, otherwise they're lost. Of course, untapping a land makes Cultivate incredibly potent, so be careful with any of those effects.
With Cultivate being set at 2 counters, there is a chance that you never get that second counter, in which case you have a counter on a land doing nothing. Whilst not so awful within the set, the cards in a vacuum are rather parasitic. "This creature ETB, nothing functional happens until I get another card with this mechanic."
Hibernate - This mechanic is essentially Flashback without limitations. That could be dangerous.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Gaymer
Custom Card / Set Reviewer
When reviewing custom cards / sets, I look for (a) flavour, (b) function, and (c) cohesiveness, generally through a risk focus.
Well technically it does have limitations. You cast it, then exile it with an ice counter. Then you can replay it for the hibernate cost, but it goes to the graveyard, so unless you can take it back into your hand, it stays there.
I am starting to repeat myself, but nevertheless, you need a design goal. Just a short paragraph describing what the design of the set is about, try to include a sense of an emotional sort-of experience. Right now I have no way to evaluate mechanical themes because I don't know what your mechanical focus is.
The races of Srovard are now in conflict with one another; some forged a pact and sealed it in blood, like the scaly Viashinos and the humans, who seek a better place in this world. The insects that inhabit the forests have been allied for a long time with the Amphins of the depths. They are the guardians of the Great Grove, the giant trees that are said to be the heart of Srovard. But there are others who have banded together out of necessity.
The conflict between those alliances has reached its limit and war is spreading across Srovard. And Srovard itself will respond in kind.
Shirixx watches as the world is engulfed in war, but he also sensed another planeswalker's arrival. A dark being with murderous intent.
There are 5 alliances in the world of Srovard:
UG: Great Grove Keepers
RW: The Bloodpact
BW: Voice of the Dead
RU: Winter's eyes
BG: Servants of the Dread Root
Cards examples:
Keeper of the Cycle 1GG
Creature - Insect Druid
Whenever a nontoken creature you control dies, Cultivate 2.
(Distribute two growth counters among any number of target lands you control.
A land with three or more growth counters adds one extra mana to your mana pool of any color it could produce.)
1/3
The warriors of the Great Grove give their life to defend it, and their death to nuture it.
Bloodpact Shieldbringer 2W
Creature - Human warrior
Intervene 2W - You may play this creature for its Intervene cost. If you do, you may play it as though as it had flash,
and it enters the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter.
Whenever Bloodpact Shieldbringer enters the battlefield, another target creature gets +0/+3 until end of turn.
1/1
Shirixx, Tender of Srovard 2 GG
Planeswalker - Shirixx
+1 - Reveal the top card of your library. If it is a land card, put it into play. If its a nonland card, put it back at the top of your library, then cultivate 1.
-2 - Put a green enchantment aura token into play with: "Enchanted creature is a 0/3 plant with no abilites.",
then attach it to target creature.
-6 - Look at the top X cards of your library, where X is the number of lands you control. Put any number of creatures from those cards into play and the rest in your graveyard.
(3)
Garruk, Corrupting Hunter 3BB
Planeswalker - Garruk
+1 - Target creature you control gets +2/+0 and deathtouch until end of turn.
-X - Put X -1/-1 counters on target creature. If that creature died this way, put a loyalty counter on Garruk.
-7 - Destroy each creature and each planeswalkers you don't control.
(4)
1G
T: Add G to your mana pool.
2/1
and
1G
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, cultivate. (Put a growth counter on a land you control. Whenever that land becomes tapped for mana, its controller adds 1 to their mana pool.)
2/1
Intervene - I wonder, do you want your set to have +1/+1 counters or -1/-1 counters? If the latter, I'm curious what they would contribute to your set. This mechanic could be turned to use the former. One issue is that your mechanic mentions another mechanic (flash) in it. However, I think that in this case it's quite appropriate. I think that this mechanic works fine without spelling out an alternative out.
Intervene (You may cast this as though it had flash. If you do, it enters the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
Custom Card / Set Reviewer
When reviewing custom cards / sets, I look for (a) flavour, (b) function, and (c) cohesiveness, generally through a risk focus.
Leaf reader 1GG
Creature - Insect Shaman
: Add G to your mana pool.
Remove three growth counters from target land you control: Draw a card.
2/2
Something like this. But I get your point so I'll have to think about it.
Also thanks for that intervene text fix, thats a lot better now.
You could still have effects which care about growth counters. Some ideas which come to mind:
4GG
Creature - Elemental
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, cultivate.
Each land you control with a growth counter on it is a 3/3 Elemental creature in addition to being a land.
4/4
2GU
Creature - Elf Shaman
At the beginning of your upkeep, cultivate.
Remove two growth counters from lands you control: Draw a card.
2/4
Custom Card / Set Reviewer
When reviewing custom cards / sets, I look for (a) flavour, (b) function, and (c) cohesiveness, generally through a risk focus.
For RU, there was this ability I made long ago that I really liked, so I would like to show it off again.
Boreal Bolt 2R
Instant
Deal 2 damage to target creature. That creature does not untap during the next untap phase.
Hibernate (2UU) (You may cast this card from exile for its hibernate cost if it had an ice counter on it. As this card resolves, if it was cast from anywhere other than exile, exile it and place an ice counter on it.)
With Cultivate being set at 2 counters, there is a chance that you never get that second counter, in which case you have a counter on a land doing nothing. Whilst not so awful within the set, the cards in a vacuum are rather parasitic. "This creature ETB, nothing functional happens until I get another card with this mechanic."
Hibernate - This mechanic is essentially Flashback without limitations. That could be dangerous.
Custom Card / Set Reviewer
When reviewing custom cards / sets, I look for (a) flavour, (b) function, and (c) cohesiveness, generally through a risk focus.
Custom Card / Set Reviewer
When reviewing custom cards / sets, I look for (a) flavour, (b) function, and (c) cohesiveness, generally through a risk focus.
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