These are cards I wrote up for a hypothetical preconstructed deck centered around Tezzeret's origins, with Tezzeret himself being a flip-walker. Since it's Tezzeret, it's an artifact-focused and Tezzeret-focused group of cards, with a number of them being story-oriented (both on his time on Esper and, to a lesser extent, his time in the Infinite Consortium prior to usurping the organization from Bolas), and most attempting to be decent.
I also deliberately kept the majority of the cards 3 CMC and below. Since it's more artifact-matters, the tendency for brokenness is higher than normal, so I attempted (and likely failed) to make them balanced without being overcosted.
Tezzeret of Tidehollow
Mana Cost: 2UB
Power/Toughness: 3/3
Legendary Artifact Creature - Human Artificer
When Tezzeret of Tidehollow enters the battlefield, you may search your library and graveyard for an artifact card with converted mana cost 3 or less, reveal it and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
T: Untap another target artifact. If you control five or more other artifacts, exile Tezzeret of Tidehollow, then return him to the battlefield transformed under his owner's controller.
---> Tezzeret, Consortium Mechanist
Tezzeret, Consortium Mechanist
Colors: U and B
Starting loyalty: 5
Legendary Planeswalker - Tezzeret
+1: Reveal the top three cards of your library. Put any number of artifact cards from among them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
-3: Target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn, where X is the number of artifacts you control.
-7: Search your library for an artifact card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library. You get an emblem with "Whenever you cast a spell, you may gain control of target artifact. It becomes a 5/5 artifact creature."
Amalet Pannex, Academy Headmaster
Mana Cost: 1UB
Power/Toughness: 1/2
Legendary Artifact Creature - Human
Artifact spells you cast cost 1 less to cast.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control another artifact or a Tezzeret planeswalker, you draw a card and you lose 1 life.
"Your ambition is admirable, but your abilities are not."
- Amalet Pannex, to Tezzeret
When Tezzeret's Scavenger dies, you may return another target artifact card with converted mana cost 3 or less from your graveyard to your hand.
"Why go through the hard work of salvaging metal myself?"
- Tezzeret
Tezzeret's Operative
Mana Cost: 1UB
Power/Toughness: 1/1
Creature - Human Wizard
Menace
Whenever Tezzeret's Operative deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a card. If you control a Tezzeret planeswalker, that player discards a card.
Tezzeret deployed his personal agents throughout the Infinite Consortium to gather intelligence in preparation for his usurpation.
Tezzeret's Etherium Arm
Mana Cost: 3
Legendary Artifact
T: Untap another target artifact.
1, T: Create a colorless artifact token named Etherium Cell with "T, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool."
2, T: Target artifact becomes a 5/5 artifact creature. Activate this ability only if you control a Tezzeret planeswalker.
Welding Etherium
Mana Cost: 2
Artifact
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to cast artifact or Tezzeret spells.
1, Sacrifice Welding Etherium: Target artifact or Tezzeret planeswalker gains indestructible until end of turn.
Codex Etherium
Mana Cost: 0
Artifact
A deck can have up to five cards named Codex Etherium.
"There's nothing...anywhere. Frauds! I deserved this. They cheated me. They cheated us all."
- Tezzeret, the Seeker
Tezzeret's Stratagem
Mana Cost: 1U
Sorcery
Look at the top five cards of your library. Reveal an artifact card from among them and put it into your hand. Put one of the other cards on top of your library, and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
If you controlled a Tezzeret planeswalker as you cast Tezzeret's Stratagem, draw a card.
"I will acquire the secrets of the Codex Etherium for myself. Let the other Seekers ignore me then."
- Tezzeret, the Seeker
Seeker's Dismissal
Mana Cost: UB
Instant
Counter target artifact or creature spell. Its controller loses 2 life.
"I win. Again."
- Silas Renn, to Tezzeret
Seeker's Fall
Mana Cost: 1B
Instant
Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn. If that creature is an artifact creature, its controller loses 2 life.
Tezzeret's trespass into the Codex Etherium chamber did not go un-noticed.
Hostile Takeover
Mana Cost: 5UB
Sorcery
Hostile Takeover costs 2 less to cast if you control a Tezzeret planeswalker.
Gain control of target permanent.
After careful machinations and the elimination of key individuals in the organization, the Infinite Consortium belonged to Tezzeret.
Tezzeret's Mastery
Mana Cost: 1U
Instant
Untap target artifact. It becomes a 5/5 artifact creature until end of turn.
Any metal is potentially lethal in Tezzeret's hands.
Fight for Survival
Mana Cost: 2B
Instant
Destroy target nonartifact creature. You gain 2 life.
Tezzeret fought fiend after ravenous fiend in an unfamiliar world.
Nefarious Invitation
Mana Cost: 5BB
Sorcery
Draw seven cards. You lose 7 life.
"Kneel, servant. Your resurrection is at hand."
- Nicol Bolas, to Tezzeret
Tezzeret's Scheme
Mana Cost: 1UB
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. If it's an artifact or Tezzeret card, you may reveal it and put it into your hand.
1B, Sacrifice a creature or artifact: You gain 1 life and draw a card.
For the sake of his ambition to climb the ranks of Esperite society, Tezzeret acquired and hoarded increasing amounts of Etherium.
Way too much Tezzeret, particularly for limited. There had better be, like, five different Tezzeret planeswalkers, with 3 at uncommon in order to make all those cards work in draft.
This feels more like a one-off or a commander theme deck.
Way too much Tezzeret, particularly for limited. There had better be, like, five different Tezzeret planeswalkers, with 3 at uncommon in order to make all those cards work in draft.
This feels more like a one-off or a commander theme deck.
It's not complete. I just wanted to know if something like this was a good idea. If I was doing an actual complete set, this card list would be much longer, and would include reprints of previous Tezzeret walkers.
For one, the Tezzeret reprints would presumably be at rare and/or mythic, which would still invalidate all of the Tezzeret-dependent cards in limited formats, some of which would presumably be common or uncommon.
Players in constructed formats, on the otherhand, would be left with nothing to work with unless they happen to like Tezzeret or if Tezzeret becomes a competitive archetype. In that regard it is a bad idea because it has nothing in it for players that don't specifically like Tezzeret. A lot of these work without Tezzeret specifically (i.e. "artifact or Tezzeret planeswalker"), but because they explicitly mention him in text they will still leave players strangely disappointed. People will also wonder why Karn doesn't count, since he's much closer to being an actual artifact than Tezzeret, even if the Karn PW does not actually synergize with artifacts.
It's possible to make a block with a "planeswalkers-matter" subtheme just like Theros had a "gods-matter" subtheme (but not a main theme going by NWO design, because neither planeswalkers nor gods are common). Being as specific as a "Tezzerets-matter" theme or subtheme just won't work for a set or block. Whatever the rest of the set is, it will be better off by replacing the Tezzeret part with something more general.
Again, these designs are not bad, and they would all be very appropriate for a Tezzeret theme deck, maybe as part of a new set of Planechase decks or a commander deck or something. They are simply far too specific in theme to even be part of a block. The only other cards we have that refer to a specific planeswalker in their rules text are Duel Decks cards and the single cycle of (Person)'s Defeat cards, which refer to five different planeswalkers that are also the most common planeswalker subtype among planeswalkers for each given color (except maybe Nissa vs. Garruk).
For one, the Tezzeret reprints would presumably be at rare and/or mythic, which would still invalidate all of the Tezzeret-dependent cards in limited formats, some of which would presumably be common or uncommon.
Players in constructed formats, on the otherhand, would be left with nothing to work with unless they happen to like Tezzeret or if Tezzeret becomes a competitive archetype. In that regard it is a bad idea because it has nothing in it for players that don't specifically like Tezzeret. A lot of these work without Tezzeret specifically (i.e. "artifact or Tezzeret planeswalker"), but because they explicitly mention him in text they will still leave players strangely disappointed. People will also wonder why Karn doesn't count, since he's much closer to being an actual artifact than Tezzeret, even if the Karn PW does not actually synergize with artifacts.
It's possible to make a block with a "planeswalkers-matter" subtheme just like Theros had a "gods-matter" subtheme (but not a main theme going by NWO design, because neither planeswalkers nor gods are common). Being as specific as a "Tezzerets-matter" theme or subtheme just won't work for a set or block. Whatever the rest of the set is, it will be better off by replacing the Tezzeret part with something more general.
Again, these designs are not bad, and they would all be very appropriate for a Tezzeret theme deck, maybe as part of a new set of Planechase decks or a commander deck or something. They are simply far too specific in theme to even be part of a block. The only other cards we have that refer to a specific planeswalker in their rules text are Duel Decks cards and the single cycle of (Person)'s Defeat cards, which refer to five different planeswalkers that are also the most common planeswalker subtype among planeswalkers for each given color (except maybe Nissa vs. Garruk).
So, in summary, just make this part of a Tezzeret preconstructed deck?
I also deliberately kept the majority of the cards 3 CMC and below. Since it's more artifact-matters, the tendency for brokenness is higher than normal, so I attempted (and likely failed) to make them balanced without being overcosted.
Tezzeret of Tidehollow
Mana Cost: 2UB
Power/Toughness: 3/3
Legendary Artifact Creature - Human Artificer
When Tezzeret of Tidehollow enters the battlefield, you may search your library and graveyard for an artifact card with converted mana cost 3 or less, reveal it and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
T: Untap another target artifact. If you control five or more other artifacts, exile Tezzeret of Tidehollow, then return him to the battlefield transformed under his owner's controller.
---> Tezzeret, Consortium Mechanist
Tezzeret, Consortium Mechanist
Colors: U and B
Starting loyalty: 5
Legendary Planeswalker - Tezzeret
+1: Reveal the top three cards of your library. Put any number of artifact cards from among them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
-3: Target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn, where X is the number of artifacts you control.
-7: Search your library for an artifact card and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library. You get an emblem with "Whenever you cast a spell, you may gain control of target artifact. It becomes a 5/5 artifact creature."
Amalet Pannex, Academy Headmaster
Mana Cost: 1UB
Power/Toughness: 1/2
Legendary Artifact Creature - Human
Artifact spells you cast cost 1 less to cast.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control another artifact or a Tezzeret planeswalker, you draw a card and you lose 1 life.
"Your ambition is admirable, but your abilities are not."
- Amalet Pannex, to Tezzeret
Tezzeret's Guard
Mana Cost: 2
Power/Toughness: 5/5
Artifact Creature - Construct
Tezzeret's Guard can't attack or block unless you control a Tezzeret planeswalker.
If you want to get to Tezzeret, you'll have to go through his metal minions first.
Tezzeret's Scavenger
Mana Cost: 2
Power/Toughness: 2/1
Artifact Creature - Construct
When Tezzeret's Scavenger dies, you may return another target artifact card with converted mana cost 3 or less from your graveyard to your hand.
"Why go through the hard work of salvaging metal myself?"
- Tezzeret
Tezzeret's Operative
Mana Cost: 1UB
Power/Toughness: 1/1
Creature - Human Wizard
Menace
Whenever Tezzeret's Operative deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a card. If you control a Tezzeret planeswalker, that player discards a card.
Tezzeret deployed his personal agents throughout the Infinite Consortium to gather intelligence in preparation for his usurpation.
Tezzeret's Etherium Arm
Mana Cost: 3
Legendary Artifact
T: Untap another target artifact.
1, T: Create a colorless artifact token named Etherium Cell with "T, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool."
2, T: Target artifact becomes a 5/5 artifact creature. Activate this ability only if you control a Tezzeret planeswalker.
Welding Etherium
Mana Cost: 2
Artifact
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to cast artifact or Tezzeret spells.
1, Sacrifice Welding Etherium: Target artifact or Tezzeret planeswalker gains indestructible until end of turn.
Codex Etherium
Mana Cost: 0
Artifact
A deck can have up to five cards named Codex Etherium.
"There's nothing...anywhere. Frauds! I deserved this. They cheated me. They cheated us all."
- Tezzeret, the Seeker
Tezzeret's Stratagem
Mana Cost: 1U
Sorcery
Look at the top five cards of your library. Reveal an artifact card from among them and put it into your hand. Put one of the other cards on top of your library, and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
If you controlled a Tezzeret planeswalker as you cast Tezzeret's Stratagem, draw a card.
"I will acquire the secrets of the Codex Etherium for myself. Let the other Seekers ignore me then."
- Tezzeret, the Seeker
Seeker's Dismissal
Mana Cost: UB
Instant
Counter target artifact or creature spell. Its controller loses 2 life.
"I win. Again."
- Silas Renn, to Tezzeret
Seeker's Fall
Mana Cost: 1B
Instant
Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn. If that creature is an artifact creature, its controller loses 2 life.
Tezzeret's trespass into the Codex Etherium chamber did not go un-noticed.
Hostile Takeover
Mana Cost: 5UB
Sorcery
Hostile Takeover costs 2 less to cast if you control a Tezzeret planeswalker.
Gain control of target permanent.
After careful machinations and the elimination of key individuals in the organization, the Infinite Consortium belonged to Tezzeret.
Tezzeret's Mastery
Mana Cost: 1U
Instant
Untap target artifact. It becomes a 5/5 artifact creature until end of turn.
Any metal is potentially lethal in Tezzeret's hands.
Fight for Survival
Mana Cost: 2B
Instant
Destroy target nonartifact creature. You gain 2 life.
Tezzeret fought fiend after ravenous fiend in an unfamiliar world.
Nefarious Invitation
Mana Cost: 5BB
Sorcery
Draw seven cards. You lose 7 life.
"Kneel, servant. Your resurrection is at hand."
- Nicol Bolas, to Tezzeret
Tezzeret's Scheme
Mana Cost: 1UB
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. If it's an artifact or Tezzeret card, you may reveal it and put it into your hand.
1B, Sacrifice a creature or artifact: You gain 1 life and draw a card.
For the sake of his ambition to climb the ranks of Esperite society, Tezzeret acquired and hoarded increasing amounts of Etherium.
This feels more like a one-off or a commander theme deck.
- Rabid Wombat
It's not complete. I just wanted to know if something like this was a good idea. If I was doing an actual complete set, this card list would be much longer, and would include reprints of previous Tezzeret walkers.
I appreciate the commentary all the same.
For one, the Tezzeret reprints would presumably be at rare and/or mythic, which would still invalidate all of the Tezzeret-dependent cards in limited formats, some of which would presumably be common or uncommon.
Players in constructed formats, on the otherhand, would be left with nothing to work with unless they happen to like Tezzeret or if Tezzeret becomes a competitive archetype. In that regard it is a bad idea because it has nothing in it for players that don't specifically like Tezzeret. A lot of these work without Tezzeret specifically (i.e. "artifact or Tezzeret planeswalker"), but because they explicitly mention him in text they will still leave players strangely disappointed. People will also wonder why Karn doesn't count, since he's much closer to being an actual artifact than Tezzeret, even if the Karn PW does not actually synergize with artifacts.
It's possible to make a block with a "planeswalkers-matter" subtheme just like Theros had a "gods-matter" subtheme (but not a main theme going by NWO design, because neither planeswalkers nor gods are common). Being as specific as a "Tezzerets-matter" theme or subtheme just won't work for a set or block. Whatever the rest of the set is, it will be better off by replacing the Tezzeret part with something more general.
Again, these designs are not bad, and they would all be very appropriate for a Tezzeret theme deck, maybe as part of a new set of Planechase decks or a commander deck or something. They are simply far too specific in theme to even be part of a block. The only other cards we have that refer to a specific planeswalker in their rules text are Duel Decks cards and the single cycle of (Person)'s Defeat cards, which refer to five different planeswalkers that are also the most common planeswalker subtype among planeswalkers for each given color (except maybe Nissa vs. Garruk).
- Rabid Wombat
So, in summary, just make this part of a Tezzeret preconstructed deck?
On the plus side, you may be able to make the cards stronger than they would be in a normal set, depending on the power level of the intended format.
- Rabid Wombat
I'll keep that in mind if I decide to add more to this. I also changed the title.