While Ixalan will be bringing a new wave of Dinosaurs to Magic this fall, I've been working on my own Dinosaur-themed set for a few weeks now. Among my sources of inspiration for Dinosaur themes are:
Dinosaur Planet (both the original Rareware title and the final Star Fox Adventures revision)
Dinotopia
Jurassic Park
Lost World
Turok
I looked at major themes common to Dinosaur-themed media. The most common elements I see are:
Predation
We all recognize Tyrannosaurus Rex and the informally-dubbed "Raptors" as carnivorous dinosaurs that eat other creatures, including other dinosaurs. A world full of dinosaurs has to play into this theme of predation. It's worth noting that predation can also cover scavenging.
Domestication
In a world where dinosaurs and civilization coexist, civilization tends to treat Dinosaurs the way they would any other nonsapient animal: As companions and beasts of burden. A Dinosaur world could therefore explore this theme of Dinosaurs as mounts and companions.
Cataclysm
We're all familiar with the theory that a comet or asteroid caused Dinosaurs to go mostly extinct. A Dinosaur world could explore this theme, perhaps as a cyclical event.
Evolution
Dinosaurs are closely tied to themes of evolution, for many modern species can actually trace their ancestry back to Dinosaurs. A lot of evolution happened following the cataclysmic event, where some species had to change to survive.
Fossilization
Dinosaurs are iconic sources of fossils in the real world. When you say "fossil", chances are dinosaur bones are the first to come to mind. In a Magic set, this obviously entails a graveyard theme, and perhaps an artifact theme as well.
Of these themes, Predation and Domestication seemed the most interesting for a first set while Cataclysm and Fossilization feel appropriate for a second set. Evolution could appear in either set, but I feel the second set is a better place for an evolution mechanic.
For Predation, Devour is about as resonant a mechanic as you can get. Devour works excellent as a mechanic for carnivorous Dinosaurs such as t-rexes and raptors. Devour is concentrated in black, red, and green, with perhaps one or two blue creatures to capture carnivorous dactyls or plesiosaurs.
Bloodmaw Raptor3B
Creature - Dinosaur
Menace
Devour 1 (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with that many +1/+1 counters on it.)
2/1
Sprinting Raptor2R
Creature - Dinosaur
First strike
Devour 1 (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with that many +1/+1 counters on it.)
1/1
Dracosaur3RR
Creature - Dinosaur Dragon
Flying, haste
Devour 2 (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with twice that many +1/+1 counters on it.)
4/4
Brooding Tyrano3GG
Creature - Dinosaur
Devour 2 (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with twice that many +1/+1 counters on it.) 1G, Remove a +1/+1 counter from ~: Create a 1/1 green Dinosaur creature token with devour 1.
3/3
Preychase RaptorBR
Creature - Dinosaur
Devour 1 (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with that many +1/+1 counters on it.)
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, if it devoured a creature, it gains haste until end of turn.
3/1
Vorex, Alpha Tyrano2BRG
Legendary Creature - Dinosaur
Haste
Devour 2
Whenever ~ attacks, each creature your opponents control can’t block this turn unless its controller pays X, where X is the number of +1/+1 counters on Vorex.
5/3
Domestication wants a mount mechanic of some kind, a sense of one creature riding another. This fits the more herbivorous dinosaurs such as triceratops and brontosaurus. For this theme, I introduce the Mount mechanic. The theme of domesticating creatures feels white and blue, the colors of civilization. Green exhibits a sense of natural harmony that can manifest as one creature riding another. Thus, Mounts are concentrated in green, white, and blue.
Towering Brontodon4G
Creature - Dinosaur
Reach
Mount 1G(1G: Another creature you control mounts this creature for as long as you control both creatures. Mount only as a sorcery.)
Each creature mounted on ~ has reach.
2/4
Patrol Ceradon2W
Creature - Dinosaur
Vigilance
Mount 1W(1W: Another creature you control mounts this creature for as long as you control both creatures. Mount only as a sorcery.)
Each creature mounted on ~ has vigilance.
1/3
Windrider Dactyl3U
Creature - Dinosaur
Flying
Mount 1U(1U: Another creature you control mounts this creature for as long as you control both creatures. Mount only as a sorcery.)
Each creature mounted on ~ has flying.
2/2
Subthemes
A Dinosaur world would be incomplete without a Dinosaur tribal theme. Red and green feel like the most natural colors for Dino tribal, though I can see Dinosaurs matter being spread among all five colors since the set is Dinosaur-themed.
Stampeding Ceradon3RG
Creature - Dinosaur
Haste
Whenever ~ attacks, Dinosaur creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain trample until end of turn.
4/4
I see potential in Eggs returning as a creature type, a class associated with races such as Bird, Lizard, or indeed Dinosaur. While they may not always work like Dragon Egg and Roc Egg, in a set with Devour they definitely want to. It may be strange flavor that an Egg being eaten allows the creature inside to hatch anyway, but mechanically it plays well. Jurasa has a cycle of common Eggs plus a rare.
Pteryx EggW
Creature - Dinosaur Egg
Defender
When ~ dies, create a 1/1 white Dinosaur creature token with flying.
0/1
Dactyl EggU
Creature - Dinosaur Egg
Defender
When ~ dies, create a 1/1 blue Dinosaur creature token.
0/1
Spitter EggB
Creature - Dinosaur Egg
Defender
When ~ dies, create a 1/1 black Dinosaur creature token with deathtouch.
0/1
Raptor EggR
Creature - Dinosaur Egg
Defender
When ~ dies, create a 1/1 red Dinosaur creature token with first strike.
0/1
Saurian EggG
Creature - Dinosaur Egg
Defender
When ~ dies, create a 2/2 green Dinosaur creature token.
0/1
Mysterious Egg3G
Creature - Dinosaur Egg
Defender
When ~ dies, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature card. You may put that card onto the battlefield, then put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
0/3
Riders are to mounts what Pilots were to Crew in Kaladesh. Riders provide benefits to creatures they're riding, creating a symbiotic relationship with mounts. Riders are focused primarily in white and blue, though green could also get a few since it has mounts.
Saurback Spearfighter2W
Creature - Human Warrior Rider
First strike
As long as ~ is mounted on another creature, that creature has first strike.
2/2
Saurback Trainer1WU
Creature - Human Rider
Each Rider you control gets +1/+1 as long as it's mounted on another creature.
Mount abilities of creatures you control cost 1 less to activate.
2/2
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.
Mount seems a tad off, IMO. Flavorwise it is odd that multiple creatures can mount the same guy, and riders and mounts can attack independently, mechanically it seems to present a tracking issue. You could try doing something more along the lines of soulbond, or a variant on vehicles, where the rider could tap and give the mount a bonus. Another possible idea is to have the mechanic occur on the rider side e.g.
Raptor Rider 3gg
Creature-Human
Mounted 3 (~ ETB w/ 3 +1/+1 counters. Remove 3 +1/+1 counters from ~, create a 3/3 green dinosaur token)
1/1
A lot of the Dinosaur mounts are big enough that multiple creatures, certainly Riders, should be able to mount them. And I find that trying to force uniform attacking/blocking with mechanics like mounts and vehicles just adds complexity for little gain. It's no different from how you can give a Bird a Sword or put a pair of Boots on an Elephant. Sometimes you have to sacrifice flavor for functionality.
If you want the player to get that flavor, incentivize attacking or blocking in unison. That's why the Rider theme in WU is a bit more aggro than normal; you should want to attack with your Riders and Mounts.
Although that makes me wonder if RW shouldn't play around in that space; it handled Vehicles well enough, after all. Thing is, I'm trying to make a clear distinction between savage BRG Dinosaurs and civil GWU Dinosaurs; having Mounts in black or red and devour in white or blue just muddies the line. RW would probably make some sense as a Mount pair for the aggro dino-riders theme, but that means downplaying mounts in green, and I guess making a comparison between BRG and RWU instead.
And sometimes you stretch for a set's needs. Embalm would have worked fine in black mechanically, but for flavor reasons they left it out of black. Likewise Mount better suits the flavor of WU in Jurasa than RW; blue is helping domesticate Dinosaurs while red embraces their wild side. RW has to strike a middle ground in general aggro, though I am considering an Equipment subtheme for either Jurasa or the second set.
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.
First set should contain fossils as they are links to the past that may also hint to future events. Hence, I think it would make more sense for them to be in the first set of a block.
Also, remember, you don't need to design a two set block anymore. You could just do single dinosaur set.
EDIT: Lovin' the Eggs.
EDIT: Mount - There should be some kind of cost/penalty for multiple riders on one mount.
EDIT: Devour really is a bad mechanic. Super *****ty except on flying trample haste creatures or other epic effects. Consider a version that eats creatures from your graveyard instead of sacrificing them and/or a heavy fight theme.
I was thinking of making a second set in the vein of the upcoming 3-and-1 paradigmn, which allows adjacent sets to be set on the same world while also allowing mechanical revamp. The second set (tentatively titled Cataclysm of Jurasa) has the world-altering disaster that sees many of the Dinosaurs die off or evolve, thus I want to save most of the graveyard focus for the second set (extending to mechanics like Scavenge). The flavor of fossils is a little loose here as many of the Dinosaurs are freshly dead, though it's possible that fossils exist pre-cataclysm. Certain tribes on Jurasa use dinosaur bones as materials for equipment, while some necromancers reanimate whole Skeletons. I was considering the world's story being that the Dinosaurs cyclically die off and are brought back every few centuries or so through use of fossil resurrection.
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.
Hmmm... maybe Eggs want to be tokens with some inherent mechanic to hatch into actual cards from your hand/library/graveyard etc. That way you could still sacrifice them to devour, but it would be a choice between using them that way or hatching them - like Clues/Eldrazi Spawn.
It would be an incredible boon to devour to have "worthless" little tokens to prey on.
Hatch. (Create a 0/2 Egg creature token or sacrifice an Egg. If you sacrifice an Egg this way, the next creature spell you cast this turn costs less.)
Or similar.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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]
Dinosaur Planet (both the original Rareware title and the final Star Fox Adventures revision)
Dinotopia
Jurassic Park
Lost World
Turok
I looked at major themes common to Dinosaur-themed media. The most common elements I see are:
Of these themes, Predation and Domestication seemed the most interesting for a first set while Cataclysm and Fossilization feel appropriate for a second set. Evolution could appear in either set, but I feel the second set is a better place for an evolution mechanic.
Bloodmaw Raptor 3B
Creature - Dinosaur
Menace
Devour 1 (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with that many +1/+1 counters on it.)
2/1
Sprinting Raptor 2R
Creature - Dinosaur
First strike
Devour 1 (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with that many +1/+1 counters on it.)
1/1
Dracosaur 3RR
Creature - Dinosaur Dragon
Flying, haste
Devour 2 (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with twice that many +1/+1 counters on it.)
4/4
Brooding Tyrano 3GG
Creature - Dinosaur
Devour 2 (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with twice that many +1/+1 counters on it.)
1G, Remove a +1/+1 counter from ~: Create a 1/1 green Dinosaur creature token with devour 1.
3/3
Preychase Raptor BR
Creature - Dinosaur
Devour 1 (As this enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This creature enters the battlefield with that many +1/+1 counters on it.)
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, if it devoured a creature, it gains haste until end of turn.
3/1
Vorex, Alpha Tyrano 2BRG
Legendary Creature - Dinosaur
Haste
Devour 2
Whenever ~ attacks, each creature your opponents control can’t block this turn unless its controller pays X, where X is the number of +1/+1 counters on Vorex.
5/3
Towering Brontodon 4G
Creature - Dinosaur
Reach
Mount 1G (1G: Another creature you control mounts this creature for as long as you control both creatures. Mount only as a sorcery.)
Each creature mounted on ~ has reach.
2/4
Patrol Ceradon 2W
Creature - Dinosaur
Vigilance
Mount 1W (1W: Another creature you control mounts this creature for as long as you control both creatures. Mount only as a sorcery.)
Each creature mounted on ~ has vigilance.
1/3
Windrider Dactyl 3U
Creature - Dinosaur
Flying
Mount 1U (1U: Another creature you control mounts this creature for as long as you control both creatures. Mount only as a sorcery.)
Each creature mounted on ~ has flying.
2/2
Subthemes
Stampeding Ceradon 3RG
Creature - Dinosaur
Haste
Whenever ~ attacks, Dinosaur creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain trample until end of turn.
4/4
Pteryx Egg W
Creature - Dinosaur Egg
Defender
When ~ dies, create a 1/1 white Dinosaur creature token with flying.
0/1
Dactyl Egg U
Creature - Dinosaur Egg
Defender
When ~ dies, create a 1/1 blue Dinosaur creature token.
0/1
Spitter Egg B
Creature - Dinosaur Egg
Defender
When ~ dies, create a 1/1 black Dinosaur creature token with deathtouch.
0/1
Raptor Egg R
Creature - Dinosaur Egg
Defender
When ~ dies, create a 1/1 red Dinosaur creature token with first strike.
0/1
Saurian Egg G
Creature - Dinosaur Egg
Defender
When ~ dies, create a 2/2 green Dinosaur creature token.
0/1
Mysterious Egg 3G
Creature - Dinosaur Egg
Defender
When ~ dies, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature card. You may put that card onto the battlefield, then put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
0/3
Saurback Spearfighter 2W
Creature - Human Warrior Rider
First strike
As long as ~ is mounted on another creature, that creature has first strike.
2/2
Saurback Trainer 1WU
Creature - Human Rider
Each Rider you control gets +1/+1 as long as it's mounted on another creature.
Mount abilities of creatures you control cost 1 less to activate.
2/2
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.
Raptor Rider 3gg
Creature-Human
Mounted 3 (~ ETB w/ 3 +1/+1 counters. Remove 3 +1/+1 counters from ~, create a 3/3 green dinosaur token)
1/1
If you want the player to get that flavor, incentivize attacking or blocking in unison. That's why the Rider theme in WU is a bit more aggro than normal; you should want to attack with your Riders and Mounts.
Although that makes me wonder if RW shouldn't play around in that space; it handled Vehicles well enough, after all. Thing is, I'm trying to make a clear distinction between savage BRG Dinosaurs and civil GWU Dinosaurs; having Mounts in black or red and devour in white or blue just muddies the line. RW would probably make some sense as a Mount pair for the aggro dino-riders theme, but that means downplaying mounts in green, and I guess making a comparison between BRG and RWU instead.
And sometimes you stretch for a set's needs. Embalm would have worked fine in black mechanically, but for flavor reasons they left it out of black. Likewise Mount better suits the flavor of WU in Jurasa than RW; blue is helping domesticate Dinosaurs while red embraces their wild side. RW has to strike a middle ground in general aggro, though I am considering an Equipment subtheme for either Jurasa or the second set.
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.
Also, remember, you don't need to design a two set block anymore. You could just do single dinosaur set.
EDIT: Lovin' the Eggs.
EDIT: Mount - There should be some kind of cost/penalty for multiple riders on one mount.
EDIT: Devour really is a bad mechanic. Super *****ty except on flying trample haste creatures or other epic effects. Consider a version that eats creatures from your graveyard instead of sacrificing them and/or a heavy fight theme.
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.
It would be an incredible boon to devour to have "worthless" little tokens to prey on.
Hatch. (Create a 0/2 Egg creature token or sacrifice an Egg. If you sacrifice an Egg this way, the next creature spell you cast this turn costs less.)
Or similar.
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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Remnants: Valheim
Legendary Journey: Heroes & Planeswalkers
Saga: Shards of Rabiah
Legends: The Elder Dragons
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