Okay, so I've been working on a custom Shard-colored set for a long time. I have most of the three-color archetypes and some of the two-color subthemes worked out. I don't have any flavor elements for the set yet, only mechanic-based designs. The problem that I've run into is that, while designing for each of my shard mechanics is fairly easy, I hit a brick wall afterwords. I've been brainstorming how to continue and with Kaladesh reducing the number of named mechanics so much, I had an idea for how to make this set different from any other multicolor set: This set will have no faction theme. This means no faction mechanics, and possibly no mythic legendary creature cycle.
I know it seems weird, but having taken away the faction mentality, I've been able to use a lot of new designs that simply didn't work with the keyword mechanics. My goal now is to use this new strategy to design a wide variety of unique cards in each tricolor combination that will encourage, but not really force you to play exclusively those colors.
That said, I now have a few new problems. Firstly, if I didn't have any good idea for tge setting or story before, I'm certainly clueless about that now. The first question is: How do you capture the flavor of a tricolor set without having any faction elements?
Second, I still want set mechanics with names, but I don't want them to be exclusive to any singular color combination. I have one idea so far, but it's a stretch:
"Territorial - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, if that land shares a basic land type with a land you control..."
This came to me after realising that if a set pushes tricolor, it's likely that you will be playing at least one color that your opponent is playing. It has the flavor of your opponent encroaching on your territory, hense the name. That said, this probably isn't a great mechanic.
Any ideas on how to solve thes problems? Suggestions for mechanics, characters, or settings?
Doing something just to make something different isn't a good idea. Doing a multicolor set without factions is only going to work well if you don't focus on a specific set of color combinations, like with Invasion, otherwise you will be swimming against the current of what players will want and try to make out of your set.
Invasion-block had three-color combinations and no factions. But even Invasion-block provided names for these factions without specific mechanics. In the se Apocalypse e. g. the enemy-color theme also provides us with Dega, Ceta, Necra, Raka and Ana cards - entirely without mechanical identity beyond belonging to a certain color combination.
The issue is the following: If you do not provide a thematic and mechanical identity to combinations of three colors you lose a lot of cohesion and the theme of your set effectively becomes something different than "tricolor". That said such a thing does not need to be a bad thing. You could easily have a theme that just coincides with a larger than usual number of cards that are three colors or support playing three colors. You just should realize that the set likely won't *feel* "tricolor".
Storywise you could craft a "rich in mana" world like Alara before the Sundering and/or just have a setting based around cooperation and cultural exchange - Apocalypse e. g. was about the unlikely alliances the people of Dominaria entered into when they were fighting for their survival against an extraplanar apocalyptic invasion.
In unrelated news "territorial" is a terrible mechanic rather than simply "not great". It is dependent on your opponents' deck choices as well as uncertain timing.
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Planar Chaos was not a mistake neither was it random. You might want to look at it again.
[thread=239793][Game] Level Up - Creature[/thread]
If you can not create mechanics use old mechanics. Like devotion or landfall. Well landfall goes with the land theme/subtheme you got going with territorial. So how many shards and what shards. There are 10 three color shards to choose from. You can have a wave of creatures for each shard.
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I know it seems weird, but having taken away the faction mentality, I've been able to use a lot of new designs that simply didn't work with the keyword mechanics. My goal now is to use this new strategy to design a wide variety of unique cards in each tricolor combination that will encourage, but not really force you to play exclusively those colors.
That said, I now have a few new problems. Firstly, if I didn't have any good idea for tge setting or story before, I'm certainly clueless about that now. The first question is: How do you capture the flavor of a tricolor set without having any faction elements?
Second, I still want set mechanics with names, but I don't want them to be exclusive to any singular color combination. I have one idea so far, but it's a stretch:
"Territorial - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, if that land shares a basic land type with a land you control..."
This came to me after realising that if a set pushes tricolor, it's likely that you will be playing at least one color that your opponent is playing. It has the flavor of your opponent encroaching on your territory, hense the name. That said, this probably isn't a great mechanic.
Any ideas on how to solve thes problems? Suggestions for mechanics, characters, or settings?
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
The issue is the following: If you do not provide a thematic and mechanical identity to combinations of three colors you lose a lot of cohesion and the theme of your set effectively becomes something different than "tricolor". That said such a thing does not need to be a bad thing. You could easily have a theme that just coincides with a larger than usual number of cards that are three colors or support playing three colors. You just should realize that the set likely won't *feel* "tricolor".
Storywise you could craft a "rich in mana" world like Alara before the Sundering and/or just have a setting based around cooperation and cultural exchange - Apocalypse e. g. was about the unlikely alliances the people of Dominaria entered into when they were fighting for their survival against an extraplanar apocalyptic invasion.
In unrelated news "territorial" is a terrible mechanic rather than simply "not great". It is dependent on your opponents' deck choices as well as uncertain timing.
Finally a good white villain quote: "So, do I ever re-evaluate my life choices? Never, because I know what I'm doing is a righteous cause."
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