Erasure (Common) B
Sorcery
Each opponent exiles a card from their hand, from the top of their library, and from their graveyard.
Final-Stab Assassin (Common) 2B
Creature — Human Assassin
1/4
Sacrifice Final-Stab Assassin: Exile target creature that was dealt damage this turn.
Giant Leech (Common) 4B
Creature — Leech
4/3 2B: Target player dealt damage by Giant Leech this turn loses 2 life.
Hammer Golem (Common) 1
Artifact Creature — Golem
0/0
Armed (This creature enters the battlefield equipped with a colorless artifact Equipment token. It has “Equip 1” and “Equipped creature gets +1/+1.”)
Jet Monocle (Common) 3
Artifact T: Add B. T, Sacrifice Jet Monocle: Draw a card.
Lunging Corpse (Common) 1B
Creature — Zombie
2/2
Flash
Malevolent Spirit (Common) 3B
Creature — Spirit
2/3 Spectra — When Malevolent Spirit enters the battlefield, target player loses X life, where X is the number of colors among cards in your graveyard.
Mixed Blessing (Common) 2B
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
As long as you control enchanted creature, it gets +2/+2. Otherwise, it gets -2/-2.
Nocturnal Hunt (Common) 4B
Sorcery
Choose one —
• Create a 3/3 black Beast creature token with deathtouch.
• Create two 1/1 black Snake creature tokens with deathtouch.
Overharvest (Common) 4B
Sorcery
Destroy target land.
Draw a card.
Rabid Bat (Common) 2BB
Creature — Bat
2/2
Flying
Haste
Sedition (Common) (B/R)
Creatures you control gain menace until end of turn.
Spectral Doom (Common) 1B
Instant Spectra — Destroy target creature with power X or less, where X is the number of colors among cards in your graveyard.
Tomb Terror (Common) B
Creature — Horror
1/2
Tombstone Terror gets +1/+0 as long as there’s a multicolored card in your graveyard.
Unbury (Common) (B/G)
Sorcery
Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
Undead Vanguard (Common) 1B
Creature — Skeleton Warrior
1/1
Undead Vanguard can’t block.
Tap an untapped Equipment you control that’s attached to Undead Vanguard: Undead Vanguard gains indestructible until end of turn.
Vampiric Strike (Common) 1B
Instant
Choose one —
• Target creature gets +0/+1 and gains lifelink until end of turn.
• Target creature gets +1/+0 and gains indestructible until end of turn.
I feel like the hybrid vanilla creatures should have an evergreen keyword common to both their colors, that way it feels like there's something to go 'hybrid' over (since literally any color could get a vanilla 2/3 for 3). But that could just be my general hatred of vanilla common creatures. Also that said, multicolor commons are hard to design, which is a trouble for a set with a multicolor theme. The vanillas could pretty easily be justified for that reason.
I think Cryptolith would be an uncommon by WotC's standards (as is the linked Vile Manifestation).
Going with the multicolor theme, I think Nocturnal Hunt should be a BG card. Maybe make it a choice between the two snakes or a vanilla 4/4 green beast.
Skeletal Sellsword is a neat idea, but the execution ends up a bit unintuitive and complex since in order to re-equip him you would need to move the equipment onto another creature and then back onto him, which would confuse many new players.
Instead it should probably be "Skeletal Sellsword can't block" and "As long as Skeletal Sellsword is equipped, it has indestructible. (indestructible reminder text)"
That's two abilities on a common, but they're both very straightforward. The 1/1 base body and inability to indestructibly chump block also keeps it from being overpowered in drafts.
I feel like the hybrid vanilla creatures should have an evergreen keyword common to both their colors, that way it feels like there's something to go 'hybrid' over (since literally any color could get a vanilla 2/3 for 3). But that could just be my general hatred of vanilla common creatures. Also that said, multicolor commons are hard to design, which is a trouble for a set with a multicolor theme. The vanillas could pretty easily be justified for that reason.
I think Cryptolith would be an uncommon by WotC's standards (as is the linked Vile Manifestation).
Going with the multicolor theme, I think Nocturnal Hunt should be a BG card. Maybe make it a choice between the two snakes or a vanilla 4/4 green beast.
Skeletal Sellsword is a neat idea, but the execution ends up a bit unintuitive and complex since in order to re-equip him you would need to move the equipment onto another creature and then back onto him, which would confuse many new players.
Instead it should probably be "Skeletal Sellsword can't block" and "As long as Skeletal Sellsword is equipped, it has indestructible. (indestructible reminder text)"
That's two abilities on a common, but they're both very straightforward. The 1/1 base body and inability to indestructibly chump block also keeps it from being overpowered in drafts.
Good call on the Sell-Sword. I’ll try that. It’s simpler and seems more balanced. Especially since there’s enough Auras, exilers, and -#/-# effects to keep it in check.
Nocturnal Hunt can’t be BG because there aren’t any “gold” multicolored cards in the set, only hybrid cards. It’s part of a (somewhat pushed) Common cycle but may very well get bumped up to Uncommon as the set develops.
I considered using evergreen keywords for the full cycle of common hybrid creatures, but UR doesn’t have an evergreen keyword.
I considered using evergreen keywords for the full cycle of common hybrid creatures, but UR doesn’t have an evergreen keyword. Prowess I believe is an evergreen now. B/U doesn't currently
I might make this a little more global, and restrictive. Something like Sacrifice: Target creature gets -1/-1 Eot. Otherwise it should be bumped due to complexity in limitations, if not rare.
I don't like these Hybrid Vanilla creatures, I agree with above that they should all use a unifying keyword. Also seeing as it's R/B I would swap it's P/T. a 3/2 Menace for 3 is pushing for power but well in the realm of being a common card.
Bladed Barrier (Common)
6
Creature — Construct
1/5
Armed (This creature enters the battlefield equipped with a colorless artifact Equipment token. It has “Equip 1” and “Equipped creature gets +1/+1.”)
No "Armed" creatures should sit at common.
Consuming Darkness (Common)
5B
Sorcery
Each opponent loses 5 life.
Prisma — You gain 5 life if there’s three or more colors among cards in your graveyard.
I think this is fine, see what I said for Badlands Minitaur.
Cryptolith (Common)
2B
Creature — Horror
0/4
Cryptolith gets +1/+0 for each multicolored card in your graveyard.
Decapitate (Common)
3B
Sorcery
Exile target creature and the top card of its controller’s library.
I'm not sure, I think this should go up in cost by B. Unconditional Exile is indreadibly powerful, I think it also should be pushed upto uncommon.
Giant Leech (Common)
4B
Creature — Leech
4/3
2B: Target player dealt damage by Giant Leech this turn loses 2 life.
Jet Monocle (Common)
2
Artifact
Jet Monocle enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add B.
B, Sacrifice Jet Monocle: Draw a card.
Lunging Corpse (Common)
1B
Creature — Zombie
2/2
Flash
I really hate the fact that black gets flash. Green should get flash, both from a mechanical and flavor sense but whatever it is what it is.
Mixed Blessing (Common)
2B
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
As long as you control enchanted creature, it gets +2/+2. Otherwise, it gets -2/-2.
Nocturnal Hunt (Common)
4B
Sorcery
Choose one —
• Create a 3/3 black Beast creature token with deathtouch.
• Create two 1/1 black Snake creature tokens with deathtouch.
Pain Transfusion (Common)
1(B/R)
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature is dealt damage, it deals that much damage to its controller.
It's fine.
Pit Brawler (Common)
3B
Creature — Ogre Berserker
3/3
Prisma — Pit Brawler gets +2/+2 as long as there’s three or more colors among cards in your graveyard.
Rabid Bat (Common)
2BB
Creature — Bat
2/2
Flying
Haste
Scathing Invocation (Common)
B
Sorcery
Each opponent exiles a card from their hand, from the top of their library, and from their graveyard.
Skeletal Sell-Sword (Common)
1B
Creature — Skeleton Warrior
1/1
Skeletal Sell-Sword can’t block.
Skeletal Sell-Sword has indestructible as long as it’s equipped.
Unbury (Common)
(B/G)
Sorcery
Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
Vampire Bite (Common)
1B
Instant
Choose one —
• Target creature gets +2/+1 and gains lifelink until end of turn.
• Target creature gets +1/+2 and gains deathtouch until end of turn.
It's deciduous. Besides, I really don't want Prowess gumming things up. There's already three light themes in the set - multicolored matters, Prisma, and Equipment. I like Prowess, but never as an evergreen mechanic. It simply doesn't qualify. I think WotC was just so desparate for a (U/R) evergreen mechanic, that they went for it and now realize they were wrong.
I might make this a little more global, and restrictive. Something like Sacrifice: Target creature gets -1/-1 Eot. Otherwise it should be bumped due to complexity in limitations, if not rare.
I don't like these Hybrid Vanilla creatures, I agree with above that they should all use a unifying keyword. Also seeing as it's R/B I would swap it's P/T. a 3/2 Menace for 3 is pushing for power but well in the realm of being a common card.
They're roleplayers. That being said, I might give them evergreen mechanics if someone presents a suitable (U/R) custom evergreen mechanic.
Bladed Barrier (Common)
6
Creature — Construct
1/5
Armed (This creature enters the battlefield equipped with a colorless artifact Equipment token. It has “Equip 1” and “Equipped creature gets +1/+1.”)
No "Armed" creatures should sit at common.
There's plenty of common Equipment in Magic, sometimes at high density. Why can't this set have them?
Consuming Darkness (Common)
5B
Sorcery
Each opponent loses 5 life.
Prisma — You gain 5 life if there’s three or more colors among cards in your graveyard.
This should cost at leat B more.
Actually what I'm going to do is increase the Prisma count to the full five colors.
Vampire Bite (Common)
1B
Instant
Choose one —
• Target creature gets +2/+1 and gains lifelink until end of turn.
• Target creature gets +1/+2 and gains deathtouch until end of turn.
I would remove the second mode,
Why would you do that? Do you think there's currently too much removal in black at common?
Nocturnal Hunt can’t be BG because there aren’t any “gold” multicolored cards in the set, only hybrid cards. It’s part of a (somewhat pushed) Common cycle but may very well get bumped up to Uncommon as the set develops.
I considered using evergreen keywords for the full cycle of common hybrid creatures, but UR doesn’t have an evergreen keyword.
Seems kind of weird to have a multicolor set with multicolor-focused mechanics, but no normal multicolor cards. Like being different just for the sake of it.
Nocturnal Hunt can’t be BG because there aren’t any “gold” multicolored cards in the set, only hybrid cards. It’s part of a (somewhat pushed) Common cycle but may very well get bumped up to Uncommon as the set develops.
I considered using evergreen keywords for the full cycle of common hybrid creatures, but UR doesn’t have an evergreen keyword.
Seems kind of weird to have a multicolor set with multicolor-focused mechanics, but no normal multicolor cards. Like being different just for the sake of it.
Being different just for the sake of it could be said for a great deal of Magic. And it should be noted that WotC would have a higher saturation of hybrid cards (in sets with hybrids) if it weren’t too confusing when drafting and that sets with both hybrid and gold in them are exponentially more difficult to draft.
That being said, there is an actual reason. I want drafters to be able to reliably hit Prisma without five-color mana bases. We’re also right in the middle of a three set series of Ravnica, which kicked off right at the end of nearly two years of drafting my own custom (two set) Ravnica block. After all that, my players would be greatly displeased with yet another gold set from me (and probably Wizards). An open ended draft environment will be greatly appreciated by my crowd.
I also like the challenge of designing hybrids and making them meaningful to draft.
blue
red
green
golems
rocks
Badlands Minotaur (Common)
2(B/R)
Creature — Minotaur Warrior
2/3
*vanilla*
Corrupted Centaur (Common)
2B
Creature - Centaur
3/2
Menace
Erasure (Common)
B
Sorcery
Each opponent exiles a card from their hand, from the top of their library, and from their graveyard.
Final-Stab Assassin (Common)
2B
Creature — Human Assassin
1/4
Sacrifice Final-Stab Assassin: Exile target creature that was dealt damage this turn.
Giant Leech (Common)
4B
Creature — Leech
4/3
2B: Target player dealt damage by Giant Leech this turn loses 2 life.
Hammer Golem (Common)
1
Artifact Creature — Golem
0/0
Armed (This creature enters the battlefield equipped with a colorless artifact Equipment token. It has “Equip 1” and “Equipped creature gets +1/+1.”)
Jet Monocle (Common)
3
Artifact
T: Add B.
T, Sacrifice Jet Monocle: Draw a card.
Lunging Corpse (Common)
1B
Creature — Zombie
2/2
Flash
Malevolent Spirit (Common)
3B
Creature — Spirit
2/3
Spectra — When Malevolent Spirit enters the battlefield, target player loses X life, where X is the number of colors among cards in your graveyard.
Mixed Blessing (Common)
2B
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
As long as you control enchanted creature, it gets +2/+2. Otherwise, it gets -2/-2.
Nocturnal Hunt (Common)
4B
Sorcery
Choose one —
• Create a 3/3 black Beast creature token with deathtouch.
• Create two 1/1 black Snake creature tokens with deathtouch.
Overharvest (Common)
4B
Sorcery
Destroy target land.
Draw a card.
Rabid Bat (Common)
2BB
Creature — Bat
2/2
Flying
Haste
Reaping Willow (Common)
3(B/G)
Creature - Treefolk
3/4
*vanilla*
Sedition (Common)
(B/R)
Creatures you control gain menace until end of turn.
Spectral Doom (Common)
1B
Instant
Spectra — Destroy target creature with power X or less, where X is the number of colors among cards in your graveyard.
Tomb Terror (Common)
B
Creature — Horror
1/2
Tombstone Terror gets +1/+0 as long as there’s a multicolored card in your graveyard.
Unbury (Common)
(B/G)
Sorcery
Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
Undead Vanguard (Common)
1B
Creature — Skeleton Warrior
1/1
Undead Vanguard can’t block.
Tap an untapped Equipment you control that’s attached to Undead Vanguard: Undead Vanguard gains indestructible until end of turn.
Vampiric Strike (Common)
1B
Instant
Choose one —
• Target creature gets +0/+1 and gains lifelink until end of turn.
• Target creature gets +1/+0 and gains indestructible until end of turn.
I think Cryptolith would be an uncommon by WotC's standards (as is the linked Vile Manifestation).
Going with the multicolor theme, I think Nocturnal Hunt should be a BG card. Maybe make it a choice between the two snakes or a vanilla 4/4 green beast.
Skeletal Sellsword is a neat idea, but the execution ends up a bit unintuitive and complex since in order to re-equip him you would need to move the equipment onto another creature and then back onto him, which would confuse many new players.
Instead it should probably be "Skeletal Sellsword can't block" and "As long as Skeletal Sellsword is equipped, it has indestructible. (indestructible reminder text)"
That's two abilities on a common, but they're both very straightforward. The 1/1 base body and inability to indestructibly chump block also keeps it from being overpowered in drafts.
- Rabid Wombat
Good call on the Sell-Sword. I’ll try that. It’s simpler and seems more balanced. Especially since there’s enough Auras, exilers, and -#/-# effects to keep it in check.
Nocturnal Hunt can’t be BG because there aren’t any “gold” multicolored cards in the set, only hybrid cards. It’s part of a (somewhat pushed) Common cycle but may very well get bumped up to Uncommon as the set develops.
I considered using evergreen keywords for the full cycle of common hybrid creatures, but UR doesn’t have an evergreen keyword.
Prowess I believe is an evergreen now. B/U doesn't currently
Now onto the cards...
Assassin’s Familiar (Common)
B
Creature — Scorpion
1/2
Sacrifice Assassin’s Familiar: Exile target creature token.
I might make this a little more global, and restrictive. Something like Sacrifice: Target creature gets -1/-1 Eot. Otherwise it should be bumped due to complexity in limitations, if not rare.
Badlands Minotaur (Common)
2(B/R)
Creature — Minotaur Warrior
2/3
*vanilla*
I don't like these Hybrid Vanilla creatures, I agree with above that they should all use a unifying keyword. Also seeing as it's R/B I would swap it's P/T. a 3/2 Menace for 3 is pushing for power but well in the realm of being a common card.
Bladed Barrier (Common)
6
Creature — Construct
1/5
Armed (This creature enters the battlefield equipped with a colorless artifact Equipment token. It has “Equip 1” and “Equipped creature gets +1/+1.”)
No "Armed" creatures should sit at common.
Consuming Darkness (Common)
5B
Sorcery
Each opponent loses 5 life.
Prisma — You gain 5 life if there’s three or more colors among cards in your graveyard.
This should cost at leat B more.
Corrupted Centaur (Common)
2B
Creature - Centaur
3/2
Menace
I think this is fine, see what I said for Badlands Minitaur.
Cryptolith (Common)
2B
Creature — Horror
0/4
Cryptolith gets +1/+0 for each multicolored card in your graveyard.
Decapitate (Common)
3B
Sorcery
Exile target creature and the top card of its controller’s library.
I'm not sure, I think this should go up in cost by B. Unconditional Exile is indreadibly powerful, I think it also should be pushed upto uncommon.
Giant Leech (Common)
4B
Creature — Leech
4/3
2B: Target player dealt damage by Giant Leech this turn loses 2 life.
Jet Monocle (Common)
2
Artifact
Jet Monocle enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add B.
B, Sacrifice Jet Monocle: Draw a card.
Lunging Corpse (Common)
1B
Creature — Zombie
2/2
Flash
I really hate the fact that black gets flash. Green should get flash, both from a mechanical and flavor sense but whatever it is what it is.
Mixed Blessing (Common)
2B
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
As long as you control enchanted creature, it gets +2/+2. Otherwise, it gets -2/-2.
Nocturnal Hunt (Common)
4B
Sorcery
Choose one —
• Create a 3/3 black Beast creature token with deathtouch.
• Create two 1/1 black Snake creature tokens with deathtouch.
Pain Transfusion (Common)
1(B/R)
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature is dealt damage, it deals that much damage to its controller.
It's fine.
Pit Brawler (Common)
3B
Creature — Ogre Berserker
3/3
Prisma — Pit Brawler gets +2/+2 as long as there’s three or more colors among cards in your graveyard.
Rabid Bat (Common)
2BB
Creature — Bat
2/2
Flying
Haste
Reaping Willow (Common)
3(B/G)
Creature - Treefolk
3/4
*vanilla*
Give it deathtouch.
Scathing Invocation (Common)
B
Sorcery
Each opponent exiles a card from their hand, from the top of their library, and from their graveyard.
Skeletal Sell-Sword (Common)
1B
Creature — Skeleton Warrior
1/1
Skeletal Sell-Sword can’t block.
Skeletal Sell-Sword has indestructible as long as it’s equipped.
Unbury (Common)
(B/G)
Sorcery
Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
Vampire Bite (Common)
1B
Instant
Choose one —
• Target creature gets +2/+1 and gains lifelink until end of turn.
• Target creature gets +1/+2 and gains deathtouch until end of turn.
I would remove the second mode,
Behind the eyes of truth, is a world of illustions.
Dragon Riderof a Mist Dragonn anyway with the Dragon Riders Clan.
It's deciduous. Besides, I really don't want Prowess gumming things up. There's already three light themes in the set - multicolored matters, Prisma, and Equipment. I like Prowess, but never as an evergreen mechanic. It simply doesn't qualify. I think WotC was just so desparate for a (U/R) evergreen mechanic, that they went for it and now realize they were wrong.
Agreed. Bumped to rare. Working on a replacement.
They're roleplayers. That being said, I might give them evergreen mechanics if someone presents a suitable (U/R) custom evergreen mechanic.
There's plenty of common Equipment in Magic, sometimes at high density. Why can't this set have them?
Actually what I'm going to do is increase the Prisma count to the full five colors.
There's ample precedent for unconditional exile at common.
Why would you do that? Do you think there's currently too much removal in black at common?
- Rabid Wombat
Being different just for the sake of it could be said for a great deal of Magic. And it should be noted that WotC would have a higher saturation of hybrid cards (in sets with hybrids) if it weren’t too confusing when drafting and that sets with both hybrid and gold in them are exponentially more difficult to draft.
That being said, there is an actual reason. I want drafters to be able to reliably hit Prisma without five-color mana bases. We’re also right in the middle of a three set series of Ravnica, which kicked off right at the end of nearly two years of drafting my own custom (two set) Ravnica block. After all that, my players would be greatly displeased with yet another gold set from me (and probably Wizards). An open ended draft environment will be greatly appreciated by my crowd.
I also like the challenge of designing hybrids and making them meaningful to draft.
Thanks for asking.