"Companion [cost] (When this creature enters the battlefield, create a 3/3 green Beast creature token for each time you paid its companion cost as you cast it.)"
Working on a Ravnica set in which Gruul has a ramp theme, I came up with this as a way to close the gap between early game creatures and late game creatures. The smaller creatures typically build up the ramp, while the late-game creatures serve as the payoff. Sticking this mechanic on the smaller creatures allows them to still be relevant draws later in the game by becoming mana dumps.
1G
Creature - Human Shaman C
Companion 3G T: Add G to your mana pool.
1/1
1RR
Creature - Lizard Shaman U
Companion 3R
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, add R to your mana pool for each creature you control at the beginning of the next main phase.
3/2
Multikicker variants are fine, and as with all kicker variants you want to lock it into a specific action so it isn't exactly another kicker. I think you are over charging for the beast but that's not a problem, numbers can be adjusted.
I'd just personally make it "When this ETBs, create the token for each time you pay its companion cost" - i.e. letting you pay mana as part of an ETB trigger and not an additional cost - just for added shenanigans.
I want a card with Companion, Partner, and Soulbond!
Guy McBuddyson 2WG
Legendary Creature - Human Buddy
~~~
Companion 2G
Soulbond
As long as Guy McBuddyson is paired with another creature, both creatures have banding.
Partner
"We're like brothers, only closer."
~~~
2/5
I would have complained that it's just a more specific multikicker, but as others have pointed out, that's totally a legit thing for limited. So don't mind me.
3GG
Creature - Human Shaman M
Companion G
As long as creatures you control have total power 30 or greater, creatures you control have vigilance and trample.
3/3
This is great, very flavorful. And multikicker variants are always fantastic in limited.
Regarding the mythic, it's cool, but how often is the keyword bonus going to really matter if a player already has that much power on the board? I think reducing it to "As long as creatures you control have total power 8 or greater..." ala formidable would be more relevant. It's less interesting and more blatantly powerful, but actually achievable. Or what about "As long as you control eight or more beasts..."?
This is great, very flavorful. And multikicker variants are always fantastic in limited.
Regarding the mythic, it's cool, but how often is the keyword bonus going to really matter if a player already has that much power on the board? I think reducing it to "As long as creatures you control have total power 8 or greater..." ala formidable would be more relevant. It's less interesting and more blatantly powerful, but actually achievable. Or what about "As long as you control eight or more beasts..."?
I made it a really high threshold so it could be something you had to really reach for. Having 30 power in play seems difficult, but it seems a little less daunting when it translates to just 10 companion beasts, or fewer seeing that they come attached to a creature already. Having the threshold lower seems better for a mechanic, but as a one-off effect I want it to be that extra bit of power that only happens every once in a while. Something to reward a player for doing exceptionally well in a game. I also figured the card is powerful enough as it is just with its companion ability, so I wanted to keep the bonus effect relatively hard to reach as a way to keep the card in check.
That said, it's a random design that I didn't really put into very much context. It's exploratory, so I would expect the numbers to change around a lot.
If you have 10 beasts on the field, chances are you've already won.
I like the idea, but I think it should just be a kicker ability and not a multikicker. It makes it a lot more feasible for commons and allows you to mix in some much more aggressive costing versions of the mechanic to make it exciting.
This feels like a good mechanic. I'm not sure how I feel about the specific costs and sizes involved, but that can be settled through playtesting.
I do see potential issues involving gumming up the board and scaring new players away from attacking, so the set you're building will probably need some more mass removal/Overrun type effects to force games to end.
Private Mod Note
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“Tell me who you walk with, and I'll tell you who you are.” Esmeralda Santiago Art is life itself.
I like it alot. However, it seems more Selesnyan. And thus far, Izzet is the kicker guild.
Are you certain Izzet is the kicker guild? I remember Orzhov getting a keyword that gave all your spells kicker last time around. And the first time around kicker for all your creatures was a Selesnya legend effect.
Read: Kicker/additional costs are universal enough a tool that it can be used to create mechanics for multiple guilds easily.
I actually think with multikicker in the ramp colors the mechanical space is actually moving home.
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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]
Only as certain as the evidence of convention. I don't mean to imply that that Izzet must have a kicker mechanic or that other guilds can't have one. There's definitely enough precedence of overlap and crossover in existing guild mechanics to justify this.
Haunt and Cipher use the exile zone.
Forecast and Cipher are repeating effects.
Transmute and Bloodrush discard as cost.
Bloodthirst and Cipher require (combat) damage to opponent.
Cipher, Replicate, Overload, and Radiance are all instant-and-sorcery mechanics (excepting Wojek Apothecary and Wojek Embermage both forced designs as if to say "Radiance can be on permanent cards too".
And many other smaller and more subtle overlaps in both mechanics and archetypes.
I actually think with multikicker in the ramp colors the mechanical space is actually moving home.
I agree. Don't get me wrong, I like the mechanic, love it even. This is just me nitpicking. Companion does feel rather RG but not specifically Gruul per se, especially coming off the heels of Populate. It feels more Jund or Naya to me. But it's certain that Bloodthirst is Jund colored. So yeah, Companion is certainly serviceable as a Gruul mechanic. At least as much as (if not more so than) my own Gruul mechanic (Erupt), which possesses a similar quality in that it's more Jund or Temur than Gruul.
Nitpicks aside, in all seriousness, the name "Companion" is passable, but sounds Selesnyan or Bant - just way too amiable for Gruul.
Nitpicks aside, in all seriousness, the name "Companion" is passable, but sounds Selesnyan or Bant - just way too amiable for Gruul.
I like to think of this as examining another side of the Gruul. We know that they are prone to "smash first, ask questions later" behavior. We know they generally hate artificial constructs. We know they advocate for nature in its harshest form by respecting "survival of the fittest" above any man-made law.
What we haven't seen is the more wholesome side of the Gruul. They're not just instinctive, they're emotional. That can extend past just rage. Companion shows the Gruul's capacity for empathy and compassion in a very Gruul way without really implying any social constructs at play, which is what Selesnya would rely on. I like that companion shows a softer, more strengthening side to the Gruul in the form of beastmasters truly bonding with their beasts.
Nitpicks aside, in all seriousness, the name "Companion" is passable, but sounds Selesnyan or Bant - just way too amiable for Gruul.
I like to think of this as examining another side of the Gruul. We know that they are prone to "smash first, ask questions later" behavior. We know they generally hate artificial constructs. We know they advocate for nature in its harshest form by respecting "survival of the fittest" above any man-made law.
What we haven't seen is the more wholesome side of the Gruul. They're not just instinctive, they're emotional. That can extend past just rage. Companion shows the Gruul's capacity for empathy and compassion in a very Gruul way without really implying any social constructs at play, which is what Selesnya would rely on. I like that companion shows a softer, more strengthening side to the Gruul in the form of beastmasters truly bonding with their beasts.
Well put. Makes sense to me. Nonetheless, should a term that is both "empathetic" and yet somehow "brutal" occur to you, you may want to consider using it. In the mean time, carry on with designs. I'd love to see them, the support, in fact, all of your red and green cards.
Gruul Beast Tamer2G
Creature - Human Shaman U
1/1
Companion 1G
Nature Whisperer1G
Creature - Dryad C
0/4
Companion 2G
Beast Herder3R
Creature - Goblin U
2/3
Companion 1R
Beast creatures you control have haste and attack each turn if able.
Viashino Quakemage1R
Creature - Lizard Warrior C
1/1
Companion 2R
Haste
Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, ~ gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Firedance ShamanG
Creature - Elf Shaman R
0/3
Companion 3G T, Tap another untapped creature you control: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Alpha Hellkite4RR
Creature - Dragon R
4/4
Companion R
Flying
Strength In Numbers2RG
Enchantment R
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, ~ deals 1 damage to target player and you gain 1 life.
Morale BoostRG
Enchantment - Aura R
Enchant creature
Whenever you spend mana, enchanted creature gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the amount of mana spent.(You spend mana by paying mana costs of spells and activated abilities.)
Feral Fightmaster1RG
Creature - Ogre Warrior R
3/3
Companion RG
At the beginning of combat on your turn, you may have target creature you control fight target creature you don't control.
Territorial Alpha2RG
Creature - Beast U
5/5
Companion 1RG
Trample
At the beginning of your upkeep, return a creature you control to its owner's hand.
Seems I should refamiliarize myself with rarity/power level when it comes to these sorts of effects.
Gruul Beast Tamer is uncommon due to the lower rate for Companion Beasts. I've found ~5 mana to be safe for the creature and 1 beast combined at lower rarities, but I want to be careful with how many times the creature can be kicked within reason. It's much easier to kick a creature multiple times at 2 mana than at 3, which is why this guy is uncommon. I do agree, though, that perhaps his own stats are a bit low. It's supposed to heavily incentivize dumping a lot of mana into multikicking it by giving you an underwhelming creature on its own. Maybe it could be upped to a 2/2 and still be safe while also being barely playable on its own? Keep in mind, this card isn't supposed to be the most flashy card in the world.
Stength in Numbers will probably be changed to a combination of Warstorm Surge and Trostani, Selesnya's Voice (and given a new name) to maintain the rarity and excitement factor.
I'm thinking of just changing Feral Fightmaster to Beast-only fighting like you suggested. I do like the idea of a Beast tribal subtheme given all the token support for it.
Firedance Shaman is likely to get replaced altogether, given the number of mana dorks I already have in this set (which I'll show off below).
As for the fatties, Alpha Hellkite is definitely playing in that space. The Gruul cards are sorta cut into group A (ramp/support cards) and group B (fatties/finishers/mana dumps). Since Companion is designed to bridge the gap, its stuck mostly on group A, which is why I haven't posted too much of group B in this thread. But since you asked, here are some group B cards
Propogator Beast4RG
Creature - Beast R
6/6 4RG: Create a 6/6 red and green Beast creature token.
Mana Swell Shaman2RG
Creature - Elf Shaman R
2/4
You may play an additional land on each of your turns. XRG, T: Exile the top X cards of your library. You may play those cards until end of turn.
Earthquaker Regent5RG
Creature - Beast U
7/7
Haste, trample
Discard two land cards: ~ gains hexproof until end of turn.
Search for the Wild1RG
Instant U
Choose one -
-Discard a card, then draw a card. ~ deals damage to target creature equal to the discarded card's converted mana cost.
-Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped. Then shuffle.
Technically, this belongs in both groups, which is what it was designed to be. Both a ramp spell and (sort of) a payoff for playing with big cards.
Purging Fire8RG
Enchantment M
When ~ enters the battlefield, destroy all other permanents.
You may play land cards from your graveyard.
Gruul Titan8GG
Creature - Beast R
10/10
~ can't be countered
Trample
~ can't be destroyed by effects that say "destroy". (Lethal damage still destroys this creature.)
And the mana dorks I mentioned:
Firedancer InitiateG
Creature - Elf Shaman C
1/1 4, T: Add five mana in any combination of R and G to your mana pool.
Garden Keeper1G
Creature - Human Shaman C
1/1
Haste T: Add G to your mana pool.
Summoning Shaman2G
Creature - Elf Shaman U
1/2 T: Add two mana in any combination of colors to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to cast creature spells.
Gruul ClaimRG
Enchantment - Aura C
Enchant land
Enchanted land has "T: Add RG to your mana pool."
Yeah, I know this isn't actually a mana dork, but it's still part of the ramp package and it's pretty similar.
If red has a rare fattie that's cool, but common should have a green fattie.
If you change Feral Fightmaster to Beasts only, I recommend you do it as a throttle on the ability, not as a signpost for a Beast tribal subtheme.
Towering Giant6G
Creature - Giant C
7/7
Reach
How's that?
And one thing I'm aiming for with this set is to give each guild a number of different strategies to create a really diverse draft environment. Obviously, the core of the Gruul strategy is ramp, but there's also a token subtheme. Beast tribal could be another that plays off of either of those. Keep in mind, this wouldn't be a major theme of the set, but just a small variation of the Gruul draft strategy that will set one player's Gruul deck apart from another's.
I'm also thinking of incorporating similar tribal subthemes with other guilds, such as Soldiers in Boros and Nightmares in Dimir. Again, nothing too huge, just maybe one or two uncommons/rares per guild to mix things up between drafts. See Beast Herder in my earlier post.
If you can pull it off, then kudos to you, but I think you'll find that in practice, it won't pan out as intended. Putting tribal signposts in a set that really isn't tribal is going to lead to some real disappointment when drafters find out the hard way that tribal is actually a dead-end archetype. A tribal "lord" such as Feral Fightmaster (or Uthrax seen in my recent hybrid thread) is more than enough.
Working on a Ravnica set in which Gruul has a ramp theme, I came up with this as a way to close the gap between early game creatures and late game creatures. The smaller creatures typically build up the ramp, while the late-game creatures serve as the payoff. Sticking this mechanic on the smaller creatures allows them to still be relevant draws later in the game by becoming mana dumps.
1G
Creature - Human Shaman C
Companion 3G
T: Add G to your mana pool.
1/1
1RR
Creature - Lizard Shaman U
Companion 3R
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, add R to your mana pool for each creature you control at the beginning of the next main phase.
3/2
I'd just personally make it "When this ETBs, create the token for each time you pay its companion cost" - i.e. letting you pay mana as part of an ETB trigger and not an additional cost - just for added shenanigans.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
I'm curious what this would look like on a rare or mythic creature? Any ideas.
UBRKess, Dissident MageUBR - Controlling Dissidents
GRhonas the IndomitableG - Indomitable Four Drops
WUBOloro, Ageless AsceticWUB - Loot & Renanimate
Legendary Creature - Human Buddy
~~~
Companion 2G
Soulbond
As long as Guy McBuddyson is paired with another creature, both creatures have banding.
Partner
"We're like brothers, only closer."
~~~
2/5
I would have complained that it's just a more specific multikicker, but as others have pointed out, that's totally a legit thing for limited. So don't mind me.
- Rabid Wombat
3GG
Creature - Human Shaman M
Companion G
As long as creatures you control have total power 30 or greater, creatures you control have vigilance and trample.
3/3
Regarding the mythic, it's cool, but how often is the keyword bonus going to really matter if a player already has that much power on the board? I think reducing it to "As long as creatures you control have total power 8 or greater..." ala formidable would be more relevant. It's less interesting and more blatantly powerful, but actually achievable. Or what about "As long as you control eight or more beasts..."?
That said, it's a random design that I didn't really put into very much context. It's exploratory, so I would expect the numbers to change around a lot.
I like the idea, but I think it should just be a kicker ability and not a multikicker. It makes it a lot more feasible for commons and allows you to mix in some much more aggressive costing versions of the mechanic to make it exciting.
I do see potential issues involving gumming up the board and scaring new players away from attacking, so the set you're building will probably need some more mass removal/Overrun type effects to force games to end.
Art is life itself.
Are you certain Izzet is the kicker guild? I remember Orzhov getting a keyword that gave all your spells kicker last time around. And the first time around kicker for all your creatures was a Selesnya legend effect.
Read: Kicker/additional costs are universal enough a tool that it can be used to create mechanics for multiple guilds easily.
I actually think with multikicker in the ramp colors the mechanical space is actually moving home.
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."
Factions: Sleeping
Remnants: Valheim
Legendary Journey: Heroes & Planeswalkers
Saga: Shards of Rabiah
Legends: The Elder Dragons
Read up on Red Flags & NWO
Only as certain as the evidence of convention. I don't mean to imply that that Izzet must have a kicker mechanic or that other guilds can't have one. There's definitely enough precedence of overlap and crossover in existing guild mechanics to justify this.
Haunt and Cipher use the exile zone.
Forecast and Cipher are repeating effects.
Transmute and Bloodrush discard as cost.
Bloodthirst and Cipher require (combat) damage to opponent.
Cipher, Replicate, Overload, and Radiance are all instant-and-sorcery mechanics (excepting Wojek Apothecary and Wojek Embermage both forced designs as if to say "Radiance can be on permanent cards too".
And many other smaller and more subtle overlaps in both mechanics and archetypes.
I agree. Don't get me wrong, I like the mechanic, love it even. This is just me nitpicking. Companion does feel rather RG but not specifically Gruul per se, especially coming off the heels of Populate. It feels more Jund or Naya to me. But it's certain that Bloodthirst is Jund colored. So yeah, Companion is certainly serviceable as a Gruul mechanic. At least as much as (if not more so than) my own Gruul mechanic (Erupt), which possesses a similar quality in that it's more Jund or Temur than Gruul.
Nitpicks aside, in all seriousness, the name "Companion" is passable, but sounds Selesnyan or Bant - just way too amiable for Gruul.
I like to think of this as examining another side of the Gruul. We know that they are prone to "smash first, ask questions later" behavior. We know they generally hate artificial constructs. We know they advocate for nature in its harshest form by respecting "survival of the fittest" above any man-made law.
What we haven't seen is the more wholesome side of the Gruul. They're not just instinctive, they're emotional. That can extend past just rage. Companion shows the Gruul's capacity for empathy and compassion in a very Gruul way without really implying any social constructs at play, which is what Selesnya would rely on. I like that companion shows a softer, more strengthening side to the Gruul in the form of beastmasters truly bonding with their beasts.
Well put. Makes sense to me. Nonetheless, should a term that is both "empathetic" and yet somehow "brutal" occur to you, you may want to consider using it. In the mean time, carry on with designs. I'd love to see them, the support, in fact, all of your red and green cards.
Gruul Beast Tamer 2G
Creature - Human Shaman U
1/1
Companion 1G
Nature Whisperer 1G
Creature - Dryad C
0/4
Companion 2G
Beast Herder 3R
Creature - Goblin U
2/3
Companion 1R
Beast creatures you control have haste and attack each turn if able.
Viashino Quakemage 1R
Creature - Lizard Warrior C
1/1
Companion 2R
Haste
Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, ~ gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Firedance Shaman G
Creature - Elf Shaman R
0/3
Companion 3G
T, Tap another untapped creature you control: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Alpha Hellkite 4RR
Creature - Dragon R
4/4
Companion R
Flying
Strength In Numbers 2RG
Enchantment R
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, ~ deals 1 damage to target player and you gain 1 life.
Morale Boost RG
Enchantment - Aura R
Enchant creature
Whenever you spend mana, enchanted creature gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the amount of mana spent.(You spend mana by paying mana costs of spells and activated abilities.)
Feral Fightmaster 1RG
Creature - Ogre Warrior R
3/3
Companion RG
At the beginning of combat on your turn, you may have target creature you control fight target creature you don't control.
Territorial Alpha 2RG
Creature - Beast U
5/5
Companion 1RG
Trample
At the beginning of your upkeep, return a creature you control to its owner's hand.
Morale Boost is sweet.
Feral Fightmaster is busted. Probably not printable. It would probably be okay if only a Beast you control could fight.
Your version of Strength In Numbers hasn't been rare since Ice Age.
Gruul Beast Tamer is way too tame for uncommon. A 3/3 Beast for 3G with Companion 1G would be about right.
Firedance Shaman should be common.
The whole lot seems to be missing a green or red/green fattie. Like 3(R/G)(R/G)(R/G) 6/6 with Companion - Discard a land card.
Gruul Beast Tamer is uncommon due to the lower rate for Companion Beasts. I've found ~5 mana to be safe for the creature and 1 beast combined at lower rarities, but I want to be careful with how many times the creature can be kicked within reason. It's much easier to kick a creature multiple times at 2 mana than at 3, which is why this guy is uncommon. I do agree, though, that perhaps his own stats are a bit low. It's supposed to heavily incentivize dumping a lot of mana into multikicking it by giving you an underwhelming creature on its own. Maybe it could be upped to a 2/2 and still be safe while also being barely playable on its own? Keep in mind, this card isn't supposed to be the most flashy card in the world.
Stength in Numbers will probably be changed to a combination of Warstorm Surge and Trostani, Selesnya's Voice (and given a new name) to maintain the rarity and excitement factor.
I'm thinking of just changing Feral Fightmaster to Beast-only fighting like you suggested. I do like the idea of a Beast tribal subtheme given all the token support for it.
Firedance Shaman is likely to get replaced altogether, given the number of mana dorks I already have in this set (which I'll show off below).
As for the fatties, Alpha Hellkite is definitely playing in that space. The Gruul cards are sorta cut into group A (ramp/support cards) and group B (fatties/finishers/mana dumps). Since Companion is designed to bridge the gap, its stuck mostly on group A, which is why I haven't posted too much of group B in this thread. But since you asked, here are some group B cards
Propogator Beast 4RG
Creature - Beast R
6/6
4RG: Create a 6/6 red and green Beast creature token.
Mana Swell Shaman 2RG
Creature - Elf Shaman R
2/4
You may play an additional land on each of your turns.
XRG, T: Exile the top X cards of your library. You may play those cards until end of turn.
Earthquaker Regent 5RG
Creature - Beast U
7/7
Haste, trample
Discard two land cards: ~ gains hexproof until end of turn.
Search for the Wild 1RG
Instant U
Choose one -
-Discard a card, then draw a card. ~ deals damage to target creature equal to the discarded card's converted mana cost.
-Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped. Then shuffle.
Technically, this belongs in both groups, which is what it was designed to be. Both a ramp spell and (sort of) a payoff for playing with big cards.
Purging Fire 8RG
Enchantment M
When ~ enters the battlefield, destroy all other permanents.
You may play land cards from your graveyard.
Gruul Titan 8GG
Creature - Beast R
10/10
~ can't be countered
Trample
~ can't be destroyed by effects that say "destroy". (Lethal damage still destroys this creature.)
And the mana dorks I mentioned:
Firedancer Initiate G
Creature - Elf Shaman C
1/1
4, T: Add five mana in any combination of R and G to your mana pool.
Garden Keeper 1G
Creature - Human Shaman C
1/1
Haste
T: Add G to your mana pool.
Summoning Shaman 2G
Creature - Elf Shaman U
1/2
T: Add two mana in any combination of colors to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to cast creature spells.
Gruul Claim RG
Enchantment - Aura C
Enchant land
Enchanted land has "T: Add RG to your mana pool."
Yeah, I know this isn't actually a mana dork, but it's still part of the ramp package and it's pretty similar.
If you change Feral Fightmaster to Beasts only, I recommend you do it as a throttle on the ability, not as a signpost for a Beast tribal subtheme.
Creature - Giant C
7/7
Reach
How's that?
And one thing I'm aiming for with this set is to give each guild a number of different strategies to create a really diverse draft environment. Obviously, the core of the Gruul strategy is ramp, but there's also a token subtheme. Beast tribal could be another that plays off of either of those. Keep in mind, this wouldn't be a major theme of the set, but just a small variation of the Gruul draft strategy that will set one player's Gruul deck apart from another's.
I'm also thinking of incorporating similar tribal subthemes with other guilds, such as Soldiers in Boros and Nightmares in Dimir. Again, nothing too huge, just maybe one or two uncommons/rares per guild to mix things up between drafts. See Beast Herder in my earlier post.