You start out as nothing, but along your journey, you'll learn the skills of a true legend, worthy to compete in the Arena of the Ancients with the Sword of the Chosen. Will your deeds become legend in this fabled Hall, or will you be relegated to the sidelines of history?
In phase 1, you create a base character to serve throughout the game. This character will have a name, creature types, a mana cost, power, toughness and (if you want) flavor text. In phase 1, this card will be vanilla (or french vanilla), but it will gain abilities in phase 2, 3, and 4 to overcome the challenge of each phase. The goal is to have a well balanced card at the end without ever being able to change your card's mana cost.
The fifth and final phase will be judgement of the final card's design and balance. If the card has become overpowered, they will be stripped of their legendary status, and given a mana cost more befitting their abilities. If they are deemed balanced and of worthy design, they will be extolled as true legends, and immortalized in the Legendary Hall.
Phase One Character3G
Creature- Centaur Warrior
3/2
Phase 2 challenge: As you travel, you are attacked by a fearsome 3/3 horror, and you must defend yourself.
Phase Two Character3G
Creature- Centaur Warrior
When ~ blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +1/+2 until end of turn.
3/2
You can also alter an ability instead of adding one. For example, I could have just made it a 3/4. Additionally I could change it in a later phase so that now I get +2/+2 and trample instead of just +1/+2. If it makes flavor sense, you can tweak your creature type, card name, and flavor text in any phase.
For the first phase all you need to do is make a card with the following limitations:
- It must be a legendary creature.
- It must be vanilla or french vanilla. You may have ONE simple keyword ability to start
- It should have plenty of room to gain abilities without becoming broken. Somewhere around the power level of Ancient Carp or Gray Ogre seems about right.
- Your card must be able to survive the encounter it had with an angry 1/1 rat.
Summary of Naki: Drunken Master style monk, affable, party animal, nobody is sure if he's actually drunk or just a really good actor.
Likes: Fighting, Drinking, Partying, Cats.
Dislikes: Sitting Still, Wearing Hats.
Moppe, Enthusiastic Custodian1RW
Legendary Artifact Creature - Gnome
Protection from rats, spiders, and insects "You forget to close one little teleportal and off it goes, sweeping right into the painforges of the archzebrademons. I wonder how far it got?"
--Luka Pnyx, Laboratory Assistant
0/1
The path is long and arduous to your destination. The motivation may be different for each character, but such travels are a constant among many lives. You have the choice of traveling the vast and unforgiving deserts, or going the more direct but much more dangerous route through the haunted wilderness.
Days are sweltering and the nights are frozen. There are few surprises here-- only hardship. Your character must be able to survive three consecutive Deserts. At long last, the desert begins to fade to grasslands, and you reach the great river, recovering your fortitude (and your damage). But your long journey isn't over yet.
Across the river lie Leonin lands. They aren't fond of non-catfolk, and you've heard of traps along the roads. You'll have to either sneak through the hinterlands (with evasion) or you'll have to find a way to either endure, predict, disarm, or avoid two Leonin Bladetraps (for example, vigilance could allow you to avoid them-- because you are vigilant). Perhaps after recovering from the desert you might be able to survive such an onslaught, but any creature too large will attract unwanted attention. Any character with power or toughness 5 or greater will also be attacked by a Blade of the Sixth Pride unless they have evasion that stops such a card from blocking them. Anyone with power or toughness 8 or higher, and anyone with flying will also be attacked by two Leonin Skyhunters.
You are a fool to take such a dangerous path. You will instantly encounter a Skittering Heartstopper with deathtouch unless you are vigilant enough to notice it, or can avoid it another way. One sting is enough to end most adventures. If you survive that, you are constantly plagued by Swamp Mosquitos, even if you have flying. Unless you can avoid them somehow, you gain poison counters equal to your toughness (permanently).
At one point you come to a bridge, and are stopped by a pair of Trestle Trolls. They say they will attack you unless you are clever enough to answer their riddle (scry or draw one or more cards in anyway). They are also jealous, so if you give something to one of them (a positive effect) they'll both become distracted, but if you try to sneak past one, the other will spot you, follow you, and attack you even if you have evasion. If you are able to incapacitate only one (tapping, bouncing, destroying or some such), the other will again attack you.
Finally if you made it this far, you will be observed by a Vampire Nighthawk. He doesn't attack, but he watches you. You feel that you may meet him again, and the thought fills you with dread.
Not everyone is cut out for such long and dangerous journeys. If you fear for your survival, perhaps you are not ready yet to travel such dire roads. Perhaps you must instead take the path of patience. There is less glory in this, but the path of glory is not always the wisest.
Rather than going on an adventure and learning new skills, you can work either in the forge, study in the library, or remain with your family and friends. If you work in the forge, you will forge for yourself a piece of equipment made to serve you loyally. If you study in the library with the great enchanters, you will weave an aura to make yourself more powerful. If you spend your time among friends and loved ones, you will gain no glory and no respect among the rich and powerful, but you will gain a lifelong companion.
The end result of all three is mostly the same. You must design a card (an equipment, an aura, or a creature) to pair with your own card. You will also add an ability to your card that cares specifically about that card in any way. (like Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith and Hammer of Nazahn, Arachnus Spinner and Arachnus Web, or Brothers Yamazaki) This bonus card will be considered as part of your overall design at the end of the game, just like Nissa's Chosen is part of Nissa Revane's design.
If your character is strong enough to get through one of the challenges without any adjustments, you should still make some modification to your character that makes sense with the path you chose.
Note: Smiles the Skeleton is the only nonliving character, and therefore naturally avoids some of the hazards: the deserts, the Heartstopper, and the mosquitoes won't harm Smiles. Edit: Moppe is an artifact, so is also immune to the Heartstopper and the mosquitoes, but not the deserts. Sand is bad for gears.
Note #2: I didn't specify what was at the end of your journey through the wilderness/ desert because you all clearly have entirely different motivations. The demon avatar doesn't want the same things as the artifact gnome, the monks, or the skeleton. If you want to specify character motivation overall, or just the reason for this journey, be my guest. It's not required though.
Naki ain't afraid of no ghosts, and he wants to get to... where was he going again? Eh, anyways, he wants to get there ASAP.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So he'd been in the wilderness for a day or so, and wasn't sure if it was 'haunted' by anything other than bugs. He'd dealt with the ones under his feet pretty easily, but the mosquitos were more of a problem. He eventually decided to just tough it out with the help of some liquid courage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Naki stumbled upon a couple of trolls blocking a bridge. Well. Annoying, but whatever. He greeted them warmly and offered them some drinks (spiked with some stronger stuff, of course) and soon they had both passed out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finally, he saw the other end. Sure, it was only a couple of days, but those were days he'd been bitten and running low on drinks! Hopefully soon he could- wait, what was that? There was someone staring at him from above. Weird. Naki called out. No answer. Yelled this time. No answer. Again, weird. Eh, probably nothing to worry about.
By the end of the trek Naki looks like this: Naki, Life of the Party1RG
First Strike RG: Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn. "C'mon, friend! One drink can't hurt!"
2/1
Note: Naki has one poison counter.
Basander, Forlorn Pilgrim2WB
Legendary Creature - Kor Cleric
Lifelink He left the enclave as much to find himself, as he did to lose the others.
3/3
Basander seeks solitude for repose and reflection. Where better than the Glassdunes? Now normally no one would dare cross the excoriating expanse of the dunes, but Basander has a trick up his sleeve; stoneform. A spell normally used to aid in meditation, with practice can be extended beyond total immobilization to allow walking. Not terribly fast walking, but certainly well defended. While in stoneform things like heat, cold, rain, and sand mean little to his granite skin and allows Basander to reflect on the disaster that befell the valley. "If we are so gifted by the Gods, why are we told not to use them? What sort of loving deity would bestow on their followers the capacity to save others and yet forbid them from doing so?" Basander ruminates for three days in the glittering wastes. Well, three and a half days truth be told, he had forgotten that his spell made him as heavy in addition to durable and he barely made his way out of a very fine plume of sand that he sank into.
Finally the grasslands of the Leonin creep into view. Though his journey through the desert was not awful while warded by lithomancy, but the flowing grasses and serene river were welcome sights. He makes his way down to the water's edge to refill his canteens and suddenly finds himself stuck. Panic strikes for a moment,"Have the catfolk caught me? Have I sunk into the mud?" Thankfully it is only a series of sharpened metal teeth wrapped around his leg, though finding no purchase in his rocky flesh. It is difficult to pry the metal away, but eventfully he is free... only to take two steps and land in another such trap. Another half hour of wrenching metal and he finally reaches the shore and dips his waterskins into the river. In fact, he lowers his warding spell altogether and relishes in the cool feeling of the waters and the breeze. He had forgotten that stoneform numbs ALL sensation. He resolves to use it so often. Hmmm! What a thought, that turning inward to solely contemplate the divine leaves a man unfeeling toward the mortal realm, a pleasing epiphany mirrored with and without. Once he has restocked his water supplies, he draws up his stone form again to gather plants and from the nearby shrubs and willows, it was nice to feel the waters, but clearly the locals are less than welcoming. It would do him little good to lose a hand finding dinner. Night falls and Basander drifts to peaceful, stony sleep to the sound of croaking river frogs.
Basander, Stoic Pilgrim2WB
Legendary Creature - Kor Cleric
Lifelink 2W: ~ gains indestructible, has base power and toughness 0/2, and is an artifact in addition to their other types until end of turn. The stoneform spell is not the most impressive feat of lithomancy, but it is far more useful than it appears. While uncomfortable it allows practitioners to weather miserable travel conditions and even rest in plain sight without fear of bandits or beasts.
3/3
I didn't read the whole prompt and did not realize we can't change the mana cost of cards.
Smiles, The Skeleton2BB
Legendary Creature - Skeleton
"It's perpetual smile could kill anything."
5/2
The sands of the desert unable to deter Smiles, piles onto and into it.
Smiles, Sturdy Skeleton2BB
Legendary Creature - Skeleton 3: Tap Smiles, Sturdy Skeleton. It gains indestructible until end of turn.
"Undaunted by threats, it could wait out obstacles for eternity."
5/2
Hey Mergatroid_Jones, now that we've kicked off I want to say this challenge seems like good fun, thanks for hosting it! Everyone's designs and flavor are cool, I'm looking forward to see what we all come up with.
This post got a little long, so I'm hiding passages behind spoiler tags. This was my phase 1 design and the thoughts behind it:
Moppe, Enthusiastic Custodian1RW
Legendary Artifact Creature - Gnome
Protection from rats, spiders, and insects "You forget to close one little teleportal and off it goes, sweeping right into the painforges of the archzebrademons. I wonder how far it got?"
--Luka Pnyx, Laboratory Assistant
0/1
My initial idea was to create a card that met the bare minimum of the requirements at each stage in the cheekiest way possible, and see where that led me. A 0/1 with what amounts to trinket text seemed like a good place to start, and the first concept that came to mind to fit these stats was a tiny creature with a push-broom, keeping the vermin at bay. I chose gnome because we've never had a legendary example, and I liked the humble and affable vibe they give off. There's exactly one mono-red gnome and the rest are artifacts, but neither identity seemed exciting. I decided to go RW to lean into potential artifact equipment synergies, and because Moppe's cheerfully industrious character touched on both those colors. I landed on 1RW as it had both colors, the one generic visually hinted at the artifact nature of the card, and it left a bit of ceiling for the card to power up.
I chose the name Moppe (which, in my mind, sounds like the word moppet without the t) to reflect its designated purpose and because I thought it sounded kinda cute. I added the flavor text to steal some of that Fblthp tiny-creature-in-a-world-full-of-dangers magic (and yeah, I chose archzebrademons as the villains specifically because the word is a hot mess to scan,) but with the second prompt I've decided to lean into it.
The story so far:
Moppe doesn't know how long it's been active, but every day it cleans the magical research laboratory at the academy, and every night it dreams of dusting and decluttering more important, more heroic, halls. Tidiness is next to justice, after all. It has been a good life, full of purpose. One day, lost in a fantasy of clearing the floor of litter in some valorous general's command tent, or polishing the marble of an august senate gallery, Moppe blithely strides through a floor-level portal that has been left open accidentally. What awaits on the other side is a cacophony of screams and clanks, and underneath that hammering din: soot. Cake. Strips of leather, charred and discarded. It's a mess!
Moppe instantly gets to work tidying, but gradually begins to notice that the figures towering above it aren't the familiar robed magicians... these striped and braying forgemasters are looking at it quizzically, whinnying and snorting some apparently hilarious joke between them. At first they torment poor Moppe, kicking it over, throwing tongs and ingots and coal at its head, but soon they grow bored of their game and let the little gnome sort out the messes they've made around the workshop. Not knowing what to do, Moppe continues its tasks, but as the days go by it starts to notice troubling signs. The mages treated it with indifference, but their experiments seldom resulted in anything other than a gentle glow, a soft buzz, or some combination of smells following a bang. These smiths, however... their tools look wicked, their materials oddly organic and familiar. When Moppe sees the first captive brought in for harvesting, its recent uneasiness is suddenly confirmed. It knows it has to do something. It knows that the zebra demons must be stopped. But how?
It maintains the appearance of mindlessly cleaning the space around it, but its mind is whirring with possibilities. It stashes every bit and morsel of usable material, every pin, length of wood, and stray demon-hair. It doesn't know what these will become, but some day or night when the archzebrademons leave to rest, or raid, or satisfy whatever twisted desires they may have, Moppe will have the forges to itself. Yes. And it will get to work...
And here, after some alone-time at the forges, is Moppe Phase 2:
Moppe, Enthusiastic Custodian1RW
Legendary Artifact Creature - Gnome
First strike, haste, protection from Rats, from Spiders, and from Insects (Melds with Demonbristle Broom) "I forgot to close one little teleportal and off it went, sweeping right into the painforges of the archzebrademons. I wonder, how long could it have survived in there?"
--Luka Pnyx, Laboratory Assistant
0/1
Demonbristle Broom1R
Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature gets +3/+0 and has "R: this creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn."
Equip: 2 RW: If you both own and control Demonbristle Broom, and it is equipping a creature you both own and control named Moppe, Enthusiastic Custodian, exile them, then meld them into It That Pans the Dust. Restrictions breed creativity. Of course, having plentiful magical materials to hand and access to hellfire-fueled forges doesn't hurt.
It That Pans the Dust
Color Indicator: Red and White
Legendary Artifact Creature - Gnome
Double strike, haste, protection from Rats, from Spiders, from Insects, and from Demons (R/W): It That Pans the Dust gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
When It That Pans the Dust enters the battlefield it deals damage equal to its power to each creature you don't control. Moppe turned toward its demonic captors with a righteous fury it had never before known. At long last it had completed its weapon and cleared the dungeons of vermin: now it was going to take out the trash.
3/1
First, I decided to keep Moppe's PT at 0/1. That seems kinda central to the design at this point, but I wanted it to feel more naturally RW. I added First Strike and Haste, which in a vacuum do nothing to increase its power, but make it a more tempting equip target. I also cleaned up the text itself a bit.
Making a relic-level broom out of zebrademon manes seemed too fun to pass up. There aren't a lot of colored equipment cards yet, but WotC seems to be moving in that direction. It's a little more aggressively costed than equivalent uncommons, but it's not nearly a world-beater outside of the meld ability.
Lastly, It That Pans the Dust. I didn't want the melded form to simply portray Moppe wielding the broom (which is a prerequisite to using the meld ability) but to represent the plucky little gnome stepping into its destiny. The stats are a combination of Moppe's base form and the equipment abilities, only the first strike has been layered over the regular attack to yield double strike, and the firebreathing ability has been shifted into hybrid R/W. I don't think the one-sided boardwipe is too much, given that you've invested nine mana to get it, and all the pieces are fragile (two artifacts, one of which is also a 0/1 creature.) I do like how it's tempting to wait on melding until you have the free mana to pump It That Pans the Dust in response to the ETB, but I'm worried that the card is getting a little busy. I may have to cut things drastically in later phases.
Arabal seeks the greatest of foes to test his Shining Fist on, a mysterious power for which he naturally had a birth. He has always had a strong desire to destroy the darker forces of the world not only to test his mettle, but to prevent others from suffering a worse fate. With that in mind Arabal seeks the more dangerous Haunted Woodlands not out of foolishness but to help rid the forest of the evil within.
None of the threats, be it death-touching insects, poisonous mosquitoes, nor a pair of trolls could overcome the fierce aura of Arabal's fist. It's light forced them aside and left him to pass unscathed.
Arabal, the Shining Fist1URW
Legendary Creature - Human Monk
When Arabal, the Shining Fist attacks, tap up to X target nonland permanents, where X is Arabal's power.
3/2
Zemoo, Irresponsible Inventor2UR
Legendary Creature - Human Artificer
2/4
While it would make sense for an inventor to stay in the lab and work on his magnum opus, Zemoo is not responsible and would rather sojourn through the desert than work on the task at hand. There may even be good materials for his project on the other side.
A master of traps himself, he easily detects and disarms any traps he encounters on his journey. Having kept his gear light, to reduce encumbrance through the dessert, he has no means to bypass the leonin, not that he needs it to take on one. And without his more powerful weapons he won't "accidentally" attract attention, so he shouldn't run into too much resistance.
Zemoo, Irresponsible Inventor 2UR
Legendary Creature - Human Artificer
Activated abilities of Artifacts controlled by players ~ is attacking cannot be activated.
Whenever you activate an ability of an Artifact, if ~ is blocking copy that ability, you may choose new targets for the copy.
2/4
Still waiting on three players. If I don't get anything from them, I'll move on to phase 2 on Saturday. If everybody posts before then, I'll accelerate the process.
Caumotch, evil embodiment of hunger, has had other shapes before the many-toothed fiend body he currently inhabits. He is famished, but he knows this will not be sufficient. Instead of plunging headlong into the glorious hunt for prey this time, he decides to use the considerable ambient magic at his disposal to change his form, the better to set out later and ravage the very skies...
Foreboding Flight3B
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has flying. B: Enchanted creature gains indestructible until end of turn. Tap it unless it's named Caumotch, the Murder-Mouth. B, Pay 2 life: Put a +1/+1 counter on enchanted creature. If it's named Caumotch, the Murder-Mouth, put two +1/+1 counters on it instead. Leathern fluttering hearkens to the next stage of terror.
Siddiq, Child of Asha 1WW
Creature - Human Knight
Vigilance
2/2
Pilgrimage through the desert
Siddiq is tasked with escorting some pilgrims across the Topan savannah, which is practically a desert in the middle of summer. The scroching heat beats down on the group, but Siddiq's unwavering devotion is rewarded one hot night, when she has a vision of the Amesha descending upon their camp and granting her their blessing. With renewed strength, she leads the pilgrims safely to the edge of the river.
This area is known to be populated by a group of Unbeholden who sacrilegiously worship a Leotau skeleton, and call themselves Leonin. There are traps hidden in the long grass, but Siddiq's traning has made her vigilant, so she can easily avoid them.
Siddiq, Child of Asha - Level 2
Siddiq, Child of Asha 1WW
Creature - Human Knight
Vigilance, Renown 1
Heroic: Gain 3 life or Prevent the next 3 damage that would be dealt to any target this turn. Draw a card.
2/2
Ritsuko set out towards the desert, eager to study the sandstorms and the phenomena that create it. Using her control of the wind, she exhibited no problem at all in lifting herself up into the sky. The twists and turns of the sand dunes formed aesthetically pleasing pattern from up above, and Ritsuko theorised that their form must possess certain aerodynamic qualities so as to keep it during the sandstorms. As she curiously inquired into the day to day goings of the local fauna, Ritsuko saw it on the horizon: an incredible sandstorm, raging its way towards her. Despite the obvious oncoming danger, Ritsuko was excited to study it up close. Whipping more air around her to create a semi-protective bubble, she flew straight into the storm. The winds were unlike any she'd seen before: blisteringly hot, and the sand flew at such speed that they effortlessly broke through her bubble and cut into her face and arms. The storm tossed her around like a hound with a sheep's bone, and soon enough Ritsuko had lost her bearings. Remembering the first rule of scholarship (no study is worth more than the students life), she decided to retreat. Picking a cardinal point at random, she whispered a prayer to the kami, then called forth the winds to whisk her away to a far away land.
As the spell ended Ritsuko found herself on the edge of a savannahs. She alighted onto the grasslands and set up camp for the evening, preparing herself some rice and miso while she consulted her maps. It seems in order to reach the academy again she would have to cross over the Leonin plains. She decided she could afford time to rest her wounds before setting off and camped for the night.
Ritsuko didn't know much about the Leonin, only their culture was very insular, possibly xenophobic. She decided it would be for the best to fly past them rather than engage with them, and right she was. From up above she noticed two of the cat-folk setting up a trap for explorers. Unfortunately for her, they noticed her in kind and she could see them mount their pterosaurs to confront her. Fools. The sky was her domain. Don't let your ego cloud your ability." Ritsuko told herself, "assess the situation, then act." One pterosaur she could handle easily, but two may cause a problem if they were coordinated. She would have to ground one of them just to be safe. Ritsuko floated a little to the left so that her approaching assailants would be directly West of her, and she conjured up her magic, this time focusing on one of the pterosaurs this time rather than herself. Whispering to the Myojin to bless her spell, she sent the full force of the East Wind into one of the leonin, blowing him off his mount and several miles into the distance. The second leonin was on her now, and the pterosaur bit at her whilst she dodge. Swiftly making her way past the mount, she flew right in front of the rider and with a small spell knocked him out of its saddle. As the pterosaur flew to catch its falling rider, Ritsukoade her escape.
Ritsuko, Storm Watcher3UR
Legendary creature - Moonfolk Wizard
Flying 2, Return a land you control to its owner's hand: Return target creature to its owner's hand.
3/3
For phase 3, I'll be taking a more customized approach. I think phase 4 may be more like phase 2 was. I wrote some of these yesterday and some today. The ones I wrote today tend to be quite a bit wordier than the ones I wrote yesterday. Don't feel bad if I didn't write as much for you as for others. It's not because I don't like your character, but more because this post is already nine pages in a word document.
Each of you has here an enemy to overcome. A few of you have a choice that would allow you not to face your enemy at all. Others have a foe that they MUST fight, with little hope of escape or diplomacy. Still others might be able to get out of a fight by tricking your enemy, fleeing, or otherwise avoiding what may be lethal combat. If you do fight your opponent, you don't necessarily have to be able to outright kill them (on the MTG battlefield) to overcome them. But don't allow them to outright kill you. I'm pretty open to interpretation on this round, and each of you has a very different challenge. Some of your opponents would be pretty difficult to beat. Others less so.
Naki travels where his feet take him. His destination is always forward, and he has no reason to look back. He was almost disappointed that the "haunted" forest seemed to be haunted by nothing but a bunch of bugs. In reality, the sentinel of these woods finds Naki amusing, and wishes him a silent good luck (though he certainly doesn't respond to Naki's greetings).
Without looking back, Naki trots along out of the wilderness, and into scraggly farmlands. Where there are farms there are farmers, and where there are farmers, there are markets, and that's the place to buy drink. He found the farmers, and stayed the night at the farmhouse (Naki didn't realize Orcish Farmers were so hospitable). Then it was off to the market. Every day is a delight when you delight in every day.
Naki has just bought a large bottle of some strong stuff called Gaknukt from a one-legged Dwarf when he hears somebody shout his name. He turns, and sees one of the orcs he's befriended pointing him out to someone else. It's an elf, but Naki doesn't know the man. Whoever it is, he doesn't look happy. "NAKI!!!" shouts the elf again, and he charges. The monk dodges out of the way of the first blow as the crowd form a bubble around the two.
"You bastard! I'll kill you, you bastard! I tracked you all this way, and now I'll kill you!" Naki is really confused now, and his adversary can see it. It only incenses him further. "You don't even know who I am do you?! DO YOU?!" Naki has no idea, but the brute doesn't give him time to respond. "There once was a man. An elvish monk like you. You were friends. FRIENDS! Now he's dead. Do you know who I am now?! NAAKII!!! You killed my brother!!!"
Ohhhhhhhh. Now it makes sense. He's Reko's brother. Naki didn't kill Reko. Not exactly. The were friends. Good friends. And it was sort of Naki's fault that Reko died. At the time, he had really blamed himself. But Naki had gotten through all that. Apparently Reko's brother, Kero hasn't, and he really doesn't look like he wants to listen to reason. Kero strikes again, this time with more precision. It's clear that this enemy intimately understands the techniques of Naki's order. He may be a brute, but he has clearly spent his life studying the art of combat.
Kero, Vengeful Monk1RR
Legendary Creature- Elf Monk Warrior
Haste, First Strike
When a creature blocks or becomes blocked by Kero, that creature loses First strike until end of turn. RRR: Kero gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
2/2
For all intents and purposes, you can assume that he can't pump himself more than once. Who has six red mana lying around?
Bassander turns southward along the river's bank as it lazily winds about the increasingly mountainous terrain. To the south lie the Clayfinger Mountains, and the sacred Nessos Shrine of the enclosed valley. Many clerics and lithomancers have made the pilgrimage such a holy site, and Bassander may as well travel there since he's made it this far. It's as good a place as any for solitude and reflection.
As he travels, Bassander is pestered by a pair of young leonin, who seem convinced that the stone-man's blood is magic, and that they can sell it. Bassander's stone form protects him from their attacks, but they continue to follow him for a distance. As the mountains begin to loom closer, the young catfolk back off, frightened of the dragons who roam those skies.
The mountains are said to be beautiful, and they do not disappoint. Walking by the river bank for a few days, Bassander is easily able to forage food for himself, and despite the fears of the leonin, he sees no dragons except for one or two very very far away. In the distance, he can see the ancient pillars of the Nessos Shrine. Dragons wouldn't dare disturb the birthplace of the Greater Stone Spirits. Just as Bassander turns his route away from the river and towards the shrine, he hears voices. Since he is in his stone form, all he has to do to hide is crouch down, and he will simply appear to be a strange stone-- hardly suspicious in these rocky lands.
The voices belong to five goblins, who have left their caves to fish in the river. At first it seems like they're just joking around and making fun of one another. One keeps making fart sounds, and the others keep laughing. But it soon becomes clear that these goblins are terrified. A nocturnal dragon that they call Shushu has raided their warrens three nights in a row. The goblins have been moving from cave to cave, but somehow the beast has found them night after night, and gorged herself on their kin. The five brothers have been lucky to survive, and they fear that if the dragon returns tonight, there will be nothing left of their clan in the morning. Despite this grave reality, the brothers continue their fishing, and continue finding fart sounds hilarious. Goblins have always had an admirable brazenness on the subject of death. After some time, they move upriver allowing Bassander to continue his pilgrimage.
Bassander knows that the wisdom of his elders would say that this is a natural event. A dragon eating goblins is no different than an aardvark eating ants. Nevertheless, there's something about these crass folk, (who are concerned only for their daily catch despite the nightly peril) that Bassander can't help but find endearing, and even almost noble. Bassander has a choice. He can go to the shrine as intended, where he will undoubtedly become further enlightened, or he can attempt to help the goblins against their vicious dragon.
If you choose to meditate on spiritual matters, you will gain some ability reflecting that. Otherwise, you'll have to face a dragon.
Nessos Shrine
Legendary Land T: Add C. T: Add CC. Activate this ability only if you control no other lands. You can't play other lands this turn. T: Add CC. Activate this ability only if you control nine or more lands.
(nothing to overcome, but endless enlightenment to achieve)
or
Shushu, Blind Hellkite3RB
Legendary Creature- Dragon Bat
Flying, Haste, Trample
When Shushu attacks, she deals 1 damage to each other creature.
When a creature dies, Shushu deals 1 damage to that creature's controller.
5/5
You can see why it would be a problem for 1/1 goblins. Shushu would have eaten them all if she weren't saving more for later. She's definitely not a mindless creature. If Bassander cares observe, he'll find that she hunts goblins by her acute hearing, but more by her acute sense of smell. She can sniff out a goblin warren like a bomb-dog.
Smiles would have laughed at the silly cat and her silly weapons if it were capable of laughing. She must have used every weapon in the book. Seriously: axes, swords, knives, nunchucks, brass knuckles, spears, and more-- she even threw a rock. Again and again she struck, and again and again, Smiles just put itself back together. It was entertaining while it lasted, and it was all witnessed by a flying leonin. Eventually she gave up. She cursed the skeleton, who had sorta grown fond of the well-armed, persistant fool.
Smiles made its way through the grasslands, paying little heed to the traps or the scouts. Why should the skeleton care? Eventually the grasslands begin to form pools of standing water. After many miles it becomes a muddy fen. No leonin live here, which is why it surprised Smiles to find one of them slowly approaching. Not a normal cat at all, but a zombie. It attacks Smiles, but its weapons have no more effect than previous catfolk. Smiles makes the thing stop bothering it.
There is a slow, but genuine applause from a shadowy figure, who steps fourth beaming. He seems quite excited. "That filthy fleabag was telling the truth! And look at you, you are magnificent! You simply must be mine."
Filo Veyrul, Collector of the Dead2BB
Legendary Creature- Human Wizard
Skeletons, Vampires, Zombies, and Spirits you control get +1/+1. T: Gain control of target Skeleton, Vampire, Zombie, or Spirit creature until Filo Veyrul leaves the battlefield. "Necromancer is an ugly term. I'm an art collector."
1/6
There is are two feet of standing water surrounding Smiles. If the skeleton dove in and hid (using evasion) it's likely the necromancer would never find it. But is running and hiding really something Smiles would think to do?
We all know who Moppe's enemy has to be:
Zeikai, Archzebrademon7BW
Legendary Creature- Demon
Flying, Vigilance, Trample
When Zeikai attacks or blocks, target player sacrifices a creature. If a player does, you gain life equal to the sacrificed creature's toughness, and put a +1/+1 counter on each demon creature you control.
Remove a +1/+1 counter from Zeikai: Zeikai gains indestructible until end of turn.
7/7
Moppe has an advantage being beneath the demons' notice. Seeing the utility of the little gnome, they grew to rely on Moppe for certain conveniences. Unfortunately, it won't be so easy to take on an archdemon in physical combat. However Moppe has learned that Zeikai is the oldest and strongest archzebrademon. Without him, the fires of the painforge will die out, and the Zebrademons will be left in turmoil.
Perhaps the correct approach is to attack the forge instead of the demons themselves. Zebrademons feed on the pain (and also the flesh) of their enemies. The painforge is a crucial part of the extraction process, and powering it is what allows the Archzebrademons control over the lesser Zebrademons. If this balance were disrupted, Moppe doesn't doubt the younger, and more arrogant Zebrademons rebel against their elders. The resulting conflict would surely bring the downfall of the Zebrademons.
Painforge of the Zebrademons4
Artifact
When a creature an opponent controls dies, that player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. Then put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
"Arrogant fool." Says a lurking figure. Arabal sensed his presence before. Indeed, he senses that this creature seems bonded to the very fabric of this forest. Its magic protects him. "You think your light can save you? Do you even know what it is? It is an abomination, and an affront to all we hold sacred. That it once again defiles the domain of my beloved--" The vampire trails off, distracted by his own hatred. A moment later, he falls upon the monk ferociously, seeking to tear him to pieces and water the trees of his love with Arabal's blood.
Fyernok, Watcher in the WoodsGBB
Legendary Creature- Vampire Shaman
Flying, Deathtouch, Lifelink, Hexproof
When Fyernok dies, you may put a card named "Vixyath, Spirit of the Woods" from your graveyard onto the battlefield.
2/3
Indeed, this is a powerful enemy. Perhaps a worthy foe. But he's not the true threat. That is all around you. If you go so far as to kill this vampire here, you will stir a more ancient and more dangerous adversary. Fortunately, she won't yet have the power to revive her love.
Vixyath, Spirit of the Woods5GB
Legendary Creature- Spirit Avatar
Hexproof T: Target creature gets -5/-5 until end of turn. 5GB: Return a card named "Fyernok, Watcher in the Woods" from your graveyard to the battlefield.
9/9
In the face of such dangers, perhaps the wisest course is to flee (likely using evasion). But then again, Arabal has never fled from anything.
As Zemoo struts irresponsibly through the leonin lands, he should be completely unsurprised to encounter leonins. Did he really think he was sneaky in those clothes? As he hums a diddy he learned from a one-legged dwarf, an arrow whirs past his ear.
A voice rings out from amidst a hedge. "That was a warning shot. Be still, or be dead." A striped leonin steps into the road with a magnificent black longbow drawn and pointed at Zemoo. Such a weapon was not made from the local twigs that pass for trees around here, and the man's garb suggests that he is no ordinary Blade of the Sixth Pride.
Joru of Tribe Hazau2W
Legendary Creature- Cat Warrior 2: Untap Joru. Activate this ability only if Joru is equippd. W,T: Tap target creature.
2/3
Equipped with:
Blackfen Longbow3
Articact- Equipment
Equip 2
Equipped creature has "T: This creature deals 2 damage to target attacking, blocking, or tapped creature."
As the warrior looks Zemoo over, his eyes rest on the remains of the blade-traps. Zemoo has already begun refashioning them to his liking. He speaks with some surprise. "You have an artificer's skill!"
The stranger will introduce himself as Joru, one of the Gahls of tribe Hazau (basically a prince who can't become king). He will demand a demonstration of Zemoo's artifice, and then he will demand that Zemoo accompany him.
You have two options: the first is to fight Joru, or attempt to escape him with some sort of trickery. The second option is to go with him and see what he wants. Zemoo can't help but be curious... but it's probably not good.
If you choose the first option, you don't need to read any further (but you can anyway). If you choose the second option, Joru will lead you into a dense hedge on a twisting path. Escape now would be impossible: this is his domain.
The path is confusing and not remotely straight, but after perhaps half an hour, a village appears, guarded by numerous hulking leonin, all of whom look at Zemoo with disgust, but at Joru with reverence.
Once beyond the village gates, the modest village seems to transform into a bustling city. Clearly the common folk aren't allowed to leave the city or there would be a lot more of them outside. Security is tight here, and escape seems all but impossible. Joru leads you to his mother, the queen. It's no auspicious palace though, just an open forum on the square with statues of great catfolk all around. The Queen is sitting on a step, and lazily stroking a pterodon as she listens to a philosopher speak. Wearing impressive weapons is clearly a status symbol among these folk, and she wears a weapon more magnificent than any Zemoo has ever seen.
When the queen (or Dahl in their custom) sees Zemoo, her eyes flicker with rage. She stands and addresses her son angrily. She yells at him for a few minutes for his idiocy in bringing you to this sacred place, mentioning that if he weren't a Gahl that the penalty would be death. She inquires as to why he should be spared this penalty. Joru (trembling and humiliated) stammers "H-he has an artificer's skill, great one. I only thought that he could be the answer to the prayers that you had issued. You said at the feast that anyone who could-- who could bring you someone to find the-- the flower that they would be rewar--" She grabs him by the face and throws him to the ground.
"You want a reward?! Idiot!" She turns to Zemoo and looks him up and down. She smells him too, which is awkward, but she is a cat after all. The philosopher looks at the remodeled blade-traps with some amusement. "So, pumble, you think you can bring it to me?" Zemoo knows that 'pumble' is a racial slur against humans, but he doesn't have any idea what she wants. "Well I hope you do, because your life depends on it." She storms off followed by some attendants. A glance to Joru insists he follow as well. He slinks off with a look back at Zemoo like they are rival schoolchildren who are being punished together.
The philosopher remains, and speaks more gently to Zemoo, although he still insists on calling him 'pumble'. The philosopher explains the meaning of Zemoo's strange situation. Every 33 years, a magic, metallic flower blooms somewhere in the savannah or in the neighboring fens. The magic of this flower is the stuff of legends, and it was with this magic that the current Dahl's own royal blade was created 33 years prior by the previous Dahl. Truly a masterwork of artifice. If Dahl Shakii is unable to find the flower within the year, it will wither, or worse will be found by a rival tribe, or even one of the treacherous fen witches. She is desperate to find it, and she knows that her mother employed an artificer of some sort to find the treasure in her time. That's where Zemoo the pumble comes in.
Zemoo will be under the strictest of scrutiny until he is able to bring Dahl Shakii her prize. If Zemoo should fail to find it within the year, he'll be executed horribly in a process euphemized as "the boats". The legendary flower is of course a Black Lotus, and the task is to tutor it somehow.
Caumotch takes flight! All flee before him and are consumed. Warriors, wizards, birds, and beasts are imbibed, but it's not enough. Now that Caumotch has begun to eat, he cannot stop himself. He feeds for days, scourging a massive Caribou Range, and gorging himself on an entire elven village. But as always, he proves too greedy for his own good.
One of the elf children prays a prayer before being devoured, and this prayer is answered. Curse his innocence! Curse his delicious stink village! Caumotch knows what's coming. He can feel it.
It is she! She who all but destroyed Caumotch in his previous form. She who has terrorized him as long as the world could remember. Human terms fail to describe the absolute hatred between the two ancient foes. No words are spoken between the two. None are needed.
Enantae, Hand of Retribution2WRU
Legendary Creature- Angel Avatar
Flying, First strike, Haste RU: Enantae gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Target creature gets -2/-0 until end of turn.
When a Demon creature enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, or when a demon attacks you, you may pay W to return Enantae, hand of Retribution from your graveyard to the battlefield.
5/5
Considering Caumotch's aura, this battle would devolve into the one with the most resources winning. We can assume for this purpose that Caumotch and Enantae both have a lot of resources at their disposal. Also, Enantae knows she can't permanently destroy Caumotch any more than he can permanently destroy her. She is satisfied to keep him at bay until her powers grow stronger. She is yet newborn in this form.
Note: Unfortunately, your current build would not let you survive three consecutive Desert triggers unless you trigger heroic (which Desert and Kiss of the Amesha neither do). I do appreciate the Bant theme that you have going on, and Kiss of Amesha plays along with that quite well. Gaining 7 life also does make flavor sense as a ways to recover from the desert, even though it doesn't actually effect creatures in game. I considered giving some sort of penalty, (like a -1/-1 counter), but I thought better of it. Instead, I've made Siddiq's journey through the previous round more difficult than other characters.
Siddiq underestimated the oppressive heat of the Topan Savannah. She has traveled this road in summers before, but this is the driest and the hottest summer in over a hundred years, and all the creeks and ponds Siddiq knows have dried up by the time she leads her weary pilgrims to them. The travelers wish to rest in the day, and travel only at night, but Siddiq pushes them on, knowing that the more time they waste, the less water they will have to carry them to the river. A day comes when the last of the water is accidentally spilled into the rocks, and proud and noble knights slurp desperately as the water disappears. The water is gone. Times are grim.
Two days later, three of their Leotau lie dead behind them. Only Siddiq's own Grizzled Leotau remains. He was older than the other two, and more accustomed to difficult journeys. But he can't carry the whole party, and the pace is slowed further. One Knight, Arth has been showing signs of delirium. The others all pray for him, but the next day, when Siddiq pulls him off her Leotau's back to rest, she finds that he has died. Siddiq can't help but blame herself. The group mourns him silently. None of them are able to speak for dehydration by this point. Their throats are like stone, and their tongues are swollen and useless.
That night, when all are at their lowest, Siddiq performs her nightly religious devotions with more ardor than ever before, and all the knights stand in awe as they share a vision of the Amesha granting the ragged troupe their blessing. That night, they move with a greater zeal than ever before, wordless, but driven by holy devotion. Impossibly, they travel for 47 hours straight, never stopping-- never speaking-- compelled to inhuman exertion. Finally, as the night falls on the Topan, they reach the banks of the river and quench themselves before collapsing in utter exhaustion.
Siddiq had helped them to avoid a few traps along the road, but the group had seen no other signs of Unbeholden. She figured they were wise enough to go north or wait out the heat in underground caves. For the most part, she was right. Only a fool would go picking a fight in such conditions. As the party lies exhausted on the banks of the river, this proves unfortunately true: fools have come to pick a fight.
Siddiq may be exhausted, but her senses aren't so dulled that she would fail to notice a trio of burly brigands snickering in the tall grass. She demands that these rogues show themselves. Two sunburnt knaves jump out and roar as though they hadn't already been spotted. Their leader follows them. She is tall and muscular with scars all over her face. Some of them look quite intentional. She is wearing a very fancy outfit that was clearly made for a noble man much shorter and fatter than she. She brandishes a nasty looking spiked club that looks like it has been used in the last day or two.
"Look at 'em! They's a bunch o' fried rats, they is!" Sneers the leader.
"I likes me a fried rat. I likes 'em." Says another with a lecherous look at Siddiq and her companions. The leader silences her crony.
"Look here, see, look, I's Topan Red! I's the most famous bandit in the whole savannah! Prob'ly the world, I is." Siddiq has never heard of this person. "You's give me yer money, and then we's a-gonna kill you! Yeah? That's what we's a doin'." Without bothering to think about the logic of this statement, Topan Red (whose clothes aren't red, nor is her hair) attacks you, and her goons attack your companions.
Topan Red, Scarred Bandit2RR
Legendary Creature- Human Rogue Warrior
Provoke (Whenever this creature attacks, you may have target creature defending player controls untap and block it if able.)
When Topan Red enters the battlefield, create 2 1/1 red Human Rogue Warrior creature tokens.
Other rogues you control have provoke.
4/1
Your companions can deal with the cronies, but you'll have to deal with Red.
The victorious Ritsuko has traveled only as short distance when she herself is blasted with a mighty gale. An inhuman voice booms out from within it "Who dares disturb my Easterly winds?! The storms and skies are my domain, and I alone dictate them! A lowly insect would pretend at the glory of my greatness-- such an insult!"
What an arrogant creature! As if it could claim to be the master of all the winds of the world-- ridiculous. However, Ritsuko may have been careless to stumble upon its domain. The dragon looks ready to bite poor Ritsuko's head off.
Kokoru, Who Draws the Winds2UU
Legendary Creature- Dragon
Flying
When Kokoru is put into your hand from the battlefield, draw 2 cards and tap two target permanents. 2: Tap target creature with flying.
4/3
If anything is unclear, or if you disagree strongly with anything I had your character doing, feel free to say so.
Not everyday you face a dragon, probably wrote way more than I needed to but here we go
_______________________________________________
Ritsuko found herself face to face with a dragon, the kings of the skies, the apex aerial predators. She had never seen one up close before, having only read about them in the encyclopedias at the library. They were powerful, arrogant and temperamental, and this dragon exhibited all those qualities. Despite it being smaller than the hellkites she had read about, the dragon still towered over her, with a wingspan the size of a small house and a great jaw that could easily bite her in half. Its eyes were fixed on Ritsuko, and it sent a wave of light shimmering through its azure scales. Smaller species compensate for their size with an increased proficiency in magic., she recalled. Given what the dragon had said it seemed reasonable to assume that like Ritsuko, it had a mastery over the magics of the winds and storms. The dragon was still, waiting for Ritsuko to make the first move. "Do I run? No, it wants to chase me. I could reason with it, convince it to let me through. That won't work, it's a powerful being and I've wounded its pride, it's itching for a fight. This won't be an easy opponent."
"Then again, I do like a challenge."
"You hold no domain over the sky, dragon." Ritsuko retorted, "To presume at such only proves your arrogance. Allow me to teach you humility."
The dragon flared its nostrils "You dare challenge the Great Kokoru? I have always respected the Sorotami, but my esteem was misplaced now I see that fools among the likes of you dwell among them."
"Trust me, dragon, there's no Sorotami like me." That part at least was true. The ideal Sorotami is composed, polite, meticulous. Ritsuko possessed those qualities on most days, but her prowess at elemental magic nurtured an ego within her from a very young age. It was an arrogance she had yet to outgrow. "I can assure you the winds will obey the command of a Sorotami master over those of a lizard who made his way up here."
The dragon snorted again, seemingly enjoying the tirades, "Bold words, little mayfly. Let us see if you can back them up." Kokoru beat his wings and let out a mighty roar, summoning wind from all directions to him. The sky darkened as rain clouds started swirling around him. "A typhoon?" In a matter of minutes they stood in the eye of a huge storm, an aerial battlefield limited by gale force winds and thunder. Ritsuko gritted her teeth. The dragon had cut off any escape routes.
"I hope you aren't afraid, little mayfly." Kokoru spoke smugly.
"I recognise your ability, dragon. That does not mean I still can't kill you." It was true, summoning a storm this powerful was a huge magical feat. Ritsuko was confident she could replicate the spell, but nowhere near that fast. Not that the dragon needed to know that. Ritsuko flew over the dragon and blasted it with winds from above her. She had hoped that convection would send him flying towards the ground, but Kokoru shimmered and a powerful gale shot out from the side of the storm, pushing Ritsuko's blast away effortlessly and slamming into her.
Pain flared at her side as she steadied herself. She stretched her hand out towards the storm, grasping at the rain within and pulling it towards her just as another gale slammed into her. The water shielded her from the blast, instead spraying her kimono and drenching it entirely. "This thing never stays dry long."
She heard the dragon scoff once more. "Hydromancy? A fool's art. I had thought this was a battle of wind mages, but it turns out I'm facing a charlatan who dabbles in lesser arts. Your arrogance and deceit has cost you your life. I am the wind incarnate, and I will knock you out of the sky!" Kokoru let out a roar and typhoon closed on him. He was closing its eye, forcing Ritsuko closer to his jaws and talons.
"So he only uses wind magic," she thought, "this isn't good, he's got me pinned against the storm. Either I fall into the typhoon and let it rip me apart, or I face the dragon head-on and he tears me apart." Ritsuko could see her options closing up as quickly as the eye of the typhoon, and then, thinking of how she escaped the sandstorm the day prior, an idea struck her. Like lightning would strike an unwary bird.
The dragon roared at her, sending another blast of wind towards her. Just as it was about to hit her, Ritsuko cancelled her flight spell. She began to fall, speeding towards the ground. As the plummeted, she could see the bottom of the typhoon's eye close up. That was her target. She flew out through the eye, exiting Kokoru's self-imposed battlefield.
Resuming her flight spell, Ritsuko rushed back up to above the storm. The dragon was trapped in his arena: he would have to release the spell to face her again. She outstretched her arms, feeling at the rolling elements within the thunderstorm, waiting. She felt the dragon's grasp on the storm weaken, he was dispelling it.
Ritsuko took her shot and seized control of the typhoon from the dragon. She now wielded the force Kokoru had worked hard to summon, and she now felt it's full power at her disposal. She entered the typhoon, redirecting its winds and lightning around her. "You call me a charlatan, dragon. Allow me to show you I have more than parlor tricks up my sleeve."
She willed the storm to batter the dragon from within, but she could feel him repel the gales she sent. "You think to best me with my own magics? I am the wind, little mage, you cannot harm me with my own power!"
"No," Ritsuko thought, "but I can distract you with it." while the dragon was blasting away his own power, Ritsuko was hiding within the storm, charging a spell of her own. A spell the dragon had no mastery over. After all, Kokoru was the wind.
But Ritsuko was the storm.
Her spell finally ready, she released her flight spell once more. As she fell through the typhoon, she made sure to absorb any extra lighting as she passed. She was confident she had collected enough to kill the dragon, but having more couldn't hurt. She fell through the clouds into Kokoru's battlefield, and he turned to face her. His azure eye shone with the crimson reflection of Ritsuko's thunder, and she discharged it all towards the dragon, striking it right in the chest. The sound of scales cracking, lightning crackling and flesh sizzling was the only sound that could be heard in the eye of the dissipating typhoon. As Ritsuko's spell petered out, Kokoru's charred carcass plummeted to the ground with a thud.
Ritsuko slowly floated down towards the grassy plains they had fought above and approached the dead dragon. Exhausted, she rested a little before collecting some of Kokoru's scales, a knuckle bone, and one of his talons: dragon parts held particularly powerful arcane power. She contemplated the fact that she had faced a dragon and survived, then wondered how many of her kind had accomplished something so grand before.
"None of them," she chuckled, "they bow to the elements. I command them."
_______________________________________________
Ritsuko, Storm Caller3UR
Legendary creature — Moonfolk Wizard
Flying
When Ritsuko, Storm Caller enters the battlefield, it deals damage equal to the number of cards in your hand to any target. 2, Return a land you control to its owner's hand: Return target creature to its owner's hand.
3/3
This wasn't good. Naki doubted he would be able to reason with the brother of the guy he (totally hadn't) killed. Retreat would have to work for now.
Naki leapt from cover to cover. It was time. He had been saving it for a rainy day, and this was getting rainier every-ow. He got a hit off-every second. Iron Brew. He'd been told that it could block pain and increase one's durability. He hoped it was true.
The next minute or so consisted of a process of find cover, take a swig, dodge, repeat, all while trying to ignore Kero's screaming. Even Naki hadn't heard some of those words before, which was impressive. Over time, the brew seemed to take effect. Every time Naki actually got hit, he felt it less, kept his focus better. Eventually he barely felt anything. How fitting, he thought. Welp. Time to counterattack.
From behind a stall, he struck. It was a furious melee, and Naki wasn't sure that it looked to the crowd either epic or comical. Then finally, the last blow. Kero slumped, and stopped yelling for the first time in a while. He coughed up blood and gave one last hateful look to Naki before falling to the ground, dead.
So. He'd ended up killing the brother of his long-dead friend. He'd have time to mull on the aptness of that later: the town watch was coming to see what the trouble was, and he didn't want to stay here any longer. As he dashed away from the crowd, one thought went through his head.
Damn. I'm going to need some really strong stuff for this.
Naki, Wild Fist1RG
Creature-Elf Monk
First Strike R:Naki gets +1/+0 until end of turn. G:Naki gets +0/+1 until end of turn
2/1
Note:I assume that if he has RRR available, I can have GGG available.
EDIT--Note #2: Naki still has a poison counter, not that he really cares.
Zemoo decides to accompany the Leonin, not for fear of his life, but because it seems more interesting than fighting.
As a display of his artifice, he has the thopters flanking Joru deactivate their camouflage and reveal themselves, weapons aimed at his head and heart. The blade trap he was holding comes to life, folding itself into a form with legs, and scurries into the underbrush, as does the bow Joru had let drop to his side. "I'm glad you had a peaceful resolution in mind," Zemoo taunts before following the prince.
Zemoo, Indentured Pumble 1UR
Creature - Human Artificer (R)
~ cannot be blocked by artifact creatures or equipped creatures.
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to an opponent, that player reveals the top card of their library. You may search your library for an artifact card with the same converted mana cost as the revealed card and put it into your hand, if you do, shuffle your library.
1/3
You start out as nothing, but along your journey, you'll learn the skills of a true legend, worthy to compete in the Arena of the Ancients with the Sword of the Chosen. Will your deeds become legend in this fabled Hall, or will you be relegated to the sidelines of history?
The fifth and final phase will be judgement of the final card's design and balance. If the card has become overpowered, they will be stripped of their legendary status, and given a mana cost more befitting their abilities. If they are deemed balanced and of worthy design, they will be extolled as true legends, and immortalized in the Legendary Hall.
Phase One Character 3G
Creature- Centaur Warrior
3/2
Phase 2 challenge: As you travel, you are attacked by a fearsome 3/3 horror, and you must defend yourself.
Phase Two Character 3G
Creature- Centaur Warrior
When ~ blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +1/+2 until end of turn.
3/2
You can also alter an ability instead of adding one. For example, I could have just made it a 3/4. Additionally I could change it in a later phase so that now I get +2/+2 and trample instead of just +1/+2. If it makes flavor sense, you can tweak your creature type, card name, and flavor text in any phase.
For the first phase all you need to do is make a card with the following limitations:
- It must be a legendary creature.
- It must be vanilla or french vanilla. You may have ONE simple keyword ability to start
- It should have plenty of room to gain abilities without becoming broken. Somewhere around the power level of Ancient Carp or Gray Ogre seems about right.
- Your card must be able to survive the encounter it had with an angry 1/1 rat.
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
Creature-Elf Monk
First Strike
2/1
Summary of Naki: Drunken Master style monk, affable, party animal, nobody is sure if he's actually drunk or just a really good actor.
Likes: Fighting, Drinking, Partying, Cats.
Dislikes: Sitting Still, Wearing Hats.
Creature - Human Knight
Vigilance
2/2
Legendary Creature - Moonfolk Shaman
Flying
3/3
Legendary Artifact Creature - Gnome
Protection from rats, spiders, and insects
"You forget to close one little teleportal and off it goes, sweeping right into the painforges of the archzebrademons. I wonder how far it got?"
--Luka Pnyx, Laboratory Assistant
0/1
Legendary Creature - Kor Cleric
Lifelink
He left the enclave as much to find himself, as he did to lose the others.
3/3
Legendary Creature - Skeleton
"It's perpetual smile could kill anything."
5/2
Legendary Creature - Devil Avatar
Deathtouch
No one can sate him, and no one should want to.
1/6
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Legendary Creature - Human Monk
3/2
Legendary Creature - Human Artificer
2/4
My Cubes:Pauper|Archetype
My Deviant Art
The path is long and arduous to your destination. The motivation may be different for each character, but such travels are a constant among many lives. You have the choice of traveling the vast and unforgiving deserts, or going the more direct but much more dangerous route through the haunted wilderness.
Across the river lie Leonin lands. They aren't fond of non-catfolk, and you've heard of traps along the roads. You'll have to either sneak through the hinterlands (with evasion) or you'll have to find a way to either endure, predict, disarm, or avoid two Leonin Bladetraps (for example, vigilance could allow you to avoid them-- because you are vigilant). Perhaps after recovering from the desert you might be able to survive such an onslaught, but any creature too large will attract unwanted attention. Any character with power or toughness 5 or greater will also be attacked by a Blade of the Sixth Pride unless they have evasion that stops such a card from blocking them. Anyone with power or toughness 8 or higher, and anyone with flying will also be attacked by two Leonin Skyhunters.
At one point you come to a bridge, and are stopped by a pair of Trestle Trolls. They say they will attack you unless you are clever enough to answer their riddle (scry or draw one or more cards in anyway). They are also jealous, so if you give something to one of them (a positive effect) they'll both become distracted, but if you try to sneak past one, the other will spot you, follow you, and attack you even if you have evasion. If you are able to incapacitate only one (tapping, bouncing, destroying or some such), the other will again attack you.
Finally if you made it this far, you will be observed by a Vampire Nighthawk. He doesn't attack, but he watches you. You feel that you may meet him again, and the thought fills you with dread.
Rather than going on an adventure and learning new skills, you can work either in the forge, study in the library, or remain with your family and friends. If you work in the forge, you will forge for yourself a piece of equipment made to serve you loyally. If you study in the library with the great enchanters, you will weave an aura to make yourself more powerful. If you spend your time among friends and loved ones, you will gain no glory and no respect among the rich and powerful, but you will gain a lifelong companion.
The end result of all three is mostly the same. You must design a card (an equipment, an aura, or a creature) to pair with your own card. You will also add an ability to your card that cares specifically about that card in any way. (like Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith and Hammer of Nazahn, Arachnus Spinner and Arachnus Web, or Brothers Yamazaki) This bonus card will be considered as part of your overall design at the end of the game, just like Nissa's Chosen is part of Nissa Revane's design.
If your character is strong enough to get through one of the challenges without any adjustments, you should still make some modification to your character that makes sense with the path you chose.
Note: Smiles the Skeleton is the only nonliving character, and therefore naturally avoids some of the hazards: the deserts, the Heartstopper, and the mosquitoes won't harm Smiles. Edit: Moppe is an artifact, so is also immune to the Heartstopper and the mosquitoes, but not the deserts. Sand is bad for gears.
Note #2: I didn't specify what was at the end of your journey through the wilderness/ desert because you all clearly have entirely different motivations. The demon avatar doesn't want the same things as the artifact gnome, the monks, or the skeleton. If you want to specify character motivation overall, or just the reason for this journey, be my guest. It's not required though.
EDIT: Added art. Who doesn't like art?
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So he'd been in the wilderness for a day or so, and wasn't sure if it was 'haunted' by anything other than bugs. He'd dealt with the ones under his feet pretty easily, but the mosquitos were more of a problem. He eventually decided to just tough it out with the help of some liquid courage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Naki stumbled upon a couple of trolls blocking a bridge. Well. Annoying, but whatever. He greeted them warmly and offered them some drinks (spiked with some stronger stuff, of course) and soon they had both passed out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finally, he saw the other end. Sure, it was only a couple of days, but those were days he'd been bitten and running low on drinks! Hopefully soon he could- wait, what was that? There was someone staring at him from above. Weird. Naki called out. No answer. Yelled this time. No answer. Again, weird. Eh, probably nothing to worry about.
By the end of the trek Naki looks like this:
Naki, Life of the Party1RG
First Strike
RG: Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
"C'mon, friend! One drink can't hurt!"
2/1
Note: Naki has one poison counter.
Finally the grasslands of the Leonin creep into view. Though his journey through the desert was not awful while warded by lithomancy, but the flowing grasses and serene river were welcome sights. He makes his way down to the water's edge to refill his canteens and suddenly finds himself stuck. Panic strikes for a moment,"Have the catfolk caught me? Have I sunk into the mud?" Thankfully it is only a series of sharpened metal teeth wrapped around his leg, though finding no purchase in his rocky flesh. It is difficult to pry the metal away, but eventfully he is free... only to take two steps and land in another such trap. Another half hour of wrenching metal and he finally reaches the shore and dips his waterskins into the river. In fact, he lowers his warding spell altogether and relishes in the cool feeling of the waters and the breeze. He had forgotten that stoneform numbs ALL sensation. He resolves to use it so often. Hmmm! What a thought, that turning inward to solely contemplate the divine leaves a man unfeeling toward the mortal realm, a pleasing epiphany mirrored with and without. Once he has restocked his water supplies, he draws up his stone form again to gather plants and from the nearby shrubs and willows, it was nice to feel the waters, but clearly the locals are less than welcoming. It would do him little good to lose a hand finding dinner. Night falls and Basander drifts to peaceful, stony sleep to the sound of croaking river frogs.
Basander, Stoic Pilgrim 2WB
Legendary Creature - Kor Cleric
Lifelink
2W: ~ gains indestructible, has base power and toughness 0/2, and is an artifact in addition to their other types until end of turn.
The stoneform spell is not the most impressive feat of lithomancy, but it is far more useful than it appears. While uncomfortable it allows practitioners to weather miserable travel conditions and even rest in plain sight without fear of bandits or beasts.
3/3
Yes, this is the mario power up.
Legendary Creature - Skeleton
"It's perpetual smile could kill anything."
5/2
The sands of the desert unable to deter Smiles, piles onto and into it.
Smiles, Sturdy Skeleton 2BB
Legendary Creature - Skeleton
3: Tap Smiles, Sturdy Skeleton. It gains indestructible until end of turn.
"Undaunted by threats, it could wait out obstacles for eternity."
5/2
This post got a little long, so I'm hiding passages behind spoiler tags. This was my phase 1 design and the thoughts behind it:
Moppe, Enthusiastic Custodian 1RW
Legendary Artifact Creature - Gnome
Protection from rats, spiders, and insects
"You forget to close one little teleportal and off it goes, sweeping right into the painforges of the archzebrademons. I wonder how far it got?"
--Luka Pnyx, Laboratory Assistant
0/1
My initial idea was to create a card that met the bare minimum of the requirements at each stage in the cheekiest way possible, and see where that led me. A 0/1 with what amounts to trinket text seemed like a good place to start, and the first concept that came to mind to fit these stats was a tiny creature with a push-broom, keeping the vermin at bay. I chose gnome because we've never had a legendary example, and I liked the humble and affable vibe they give off. There's exactly one mono-red gnome and the rest are artifacts, but neither identity seemed exciting. I decided to go RW to lean into potential artifact equipment synergies, and because Moppe's cheerfully industrious character touched on both those colors. I landed on 1RW as it had both colors, the one generic visually hinted at the artifact nature of the card, and it left a bit of ceiling for the card to power up.
I chose the name Moppe (which, in my mind, sounds like the word moppet without the t) to reflect its designated purpose and because I thought it sounded kinda cute. I added the flavor text to steal some of that Fblthp tiny-creature-in-a-world-full-of-dangers magic (and yeah, I chose archzebrademons as the villains specifically because the word is a hot mess to scan,) but with the second prompt I've decided to lean into it.
The story so far:
Moppe doesn't know how long it's been active, but every day it cleans the magical research laboratory at the academy, and every night it dreams of dusting and decluttering more important, more heroic, halls. Tidiness is next to justice, after all. It has been a good life, full of purpose. One day, lost in a fantasy of clearing the floor of litter in some valorous general's command tent, or polishing the marble of an august senate gallery, Moppe blithely strides through a floor-level portal that has been left open accidentally. What awaits on the other side is a cacophony of screams and clanks, and underneath that hammering din: soot. Cake. Strips of leather, charred and discarded. It's a mess!
Moppe instantly gets to work tidying, but gradually begins to notice that the figures towering above it aren't the familiar robed magicians... these striped and braying forgemasters are looking at it quizzically, whinnying and snorting some apparently hilarious joke between them. At first they torment poor Moppe, kicking it over, throwing tongs and ingots and coal at its head, but soon they grow bored of their game and let the little gnome sort out the messes they've made around the workshop. Not knowing what to do, Moppe continues its tasks, but as the days go by it starts to notice troubling signs. The mages treated it with indifference, but their experiments seldom resulted in anything other than a gentle glow, a soft buzz, or some combination of smells following a bang. These smiths, however... their tools look wicked, their materials oddly organic and familiar. When Moppe sees the first captive brought in for harvesting, its recent uneasiness is suddenly confirmed. It knows it has to do something. It knows that the zebra demons must be stopped. But how?
It maintains the appearance of mindlessly cleaning the space around it, but its mind is whirring with possibilities. It stashes every bit and morsel of usable material, every pin, length of wood, and stray demon-hair. It doesn't know what these will become, but some day or night when the archzebrademons leave to rest, or raid, or satisfy whatever twisted desires they may have, Moppe will have the forges to itself. Yes. And it will get to work...
And here, after some alone-time at the forges, is Moppe Phase 2:
Moppe, Enthusiastic Custodian 1RW
Legendary Artifact Creature - Gnome
First strike, haste, protection from Rats, from Spiders, and from Insects
(Melds with Demonbristle Broom)
"I forgot to close one little teleportal and off it went, sweeping right into the painforges of the archzebrademons. I wonder, how long could it have survived in there?"
--Luka Pnyx, Laboratory Assistant
0/1
Demonbristle Broom1R
Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature gets +3/+0 and has "R: this creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn."
Equip: 2
RW: If you both own and control Demonbristle Broom, and it is equipping a creature you both own and control named Moppe, Enthusiastic Custodian, exile them, then meld them into It That Pans the Dust.
Restrictions breed creativity. Of course, having plentiful magical materials to hand and access to hellfire-fueled forges doesn't hurt.
It That Pans the Dust
Color Indicator: Red and White
Legendary Artifact Creature - Gnome
Double strike, haste, protection from Rats, from Spiders, from Insects, and from Demons
(R/W): It That Pans the Dust gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
When It That Pans the Dust enters the battlefield it deals damage equal to its power to each creature you don't control.
Moppe turned toward its demonic captors with a righteous fury it had never before known. At long last it had completed its weapon and cleared the dungeons of vermin: now it was going to take out the trash.
3/1
First, I decided to keep Moppe's PT at 0/1. That seems kinda central to the design at this point, but I wanted it to feel more naturally RW. I added First Strike and Haste, which in a vacuum do nothing to increase its power, but make it a more tempting equip target. I also cleaned up the text itself a bit.
Making a relic-level broom out of zebrademon manes seemed too fun to pass up. There aren't a lot of colored equipment cards yet, but WotC seems to be moving in that direction. It's a little more aggressively costed than equivalent uncommons, but it's not nearly a world-beater outside of the meld ability.
Lastly, It That Pans the Dust. I didn't want the melded form to simply portray Moppe wielding the broom (which is a prerequisite to using the meld ability) but to represent the plucky little gnome stepping into its destiny. The stats are a combination of Moppe's base form and the equipment abilities, only the first strike has been layered over the regular attack to yield double strike, and the firebreathing ability has been shifted into hybrid R/W. I don't think the one-sided boardwipe is too much, given that you've invested nine mana to get it, and all the pieces are fragile (two artifacts, one of which is also a 0/1 creature.) I do like how it's tempting to wait on melding until you have the free mana to pump It That Pans the Dust in response to the ETB, but I'm worried that the card is getting a little busy. I may have to cut things drastically in later phases.
None of the threats, be it death-touching insects, poisonous mosquitoes, nor a pair of trolls could overcome the fierce aura of Arabal's fist. It's light forced them aside and left him to pass unscathed.
Arabal, the Shining Fist 1URW
Legendary Creature - Human Monk
When Arabal, the Shining Fist attacks, tap up to X target nonland permanents, where X is Arabal's power.
3/2
Legendary Creature - Human Artificer
2/4
While it would make sense for an inventor to stay in the lab and work on his magnum opus, Zemoo is not responsible and would rather sojourn through the desert than work on the task at hand. There may even be good materials for his project on the other side.
A master of traps himself, he easily detects and disarms any traps he encounters on his journey. Having kept his gear light, to reduce encumbrance through the dessert, he has no means to bypass the leonin, not that he needs it to take on one. And without his more powerful weapons he won't "accidentally" attract attention, so he shouldn't run into too much resistance.
Zemoo, Irresponsible Inventor 2UR
Legendary Creature - Human Artificer
Activated abilities of Artifacts controlled by players ~ is attacking cannot be activated.
Whenever you activate an ability of an Artifact, if ~ is blocking copy that ability, you may choose new targets for the copy.
2/4
My Cubes:Pauper|Archetype
My Deviant Art
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
Foreboding Flight 3B
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has flying.
B: Enchanted creature gains indestructible until end of turn. Tap it unless it's named Caumotch, the Murder-Mouth.
B, Pay 2 life: Put a +1/+1 counter on enchanted creature. If it's named Caumotch, the Murder-Mouth, put two +1/+1 counters on it instead.
Leathern fluttering hearkens to the next stage of terror.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Pilgrimage through the desert
Siddiq, Child of Asha - Level 2
As the spell ended Ritsuko found herself on the edge of a savannahs. She alighted onto the grasslands and set up camp for the evening, preparing herself some rice and miso while she consulted her maps. It seems in order to reach the academy again she would have to cross over the Leonin plains. She decided she could afford time to rest her wounds before setting off and camped for the night.
Ritsuko didn't know much about the Leonin, only their culture was very insular, possibly xenophobic. She decided it would be for the best to fly past them rather than engage with them, and right she was. From up above she noticed two of the cat-folk setting up a trap for explorers. Unfortunately for her, they noticed her in kind and she could see them mount their pterosaurs to confront her. Fools. The sky was her domain. Don't let your ego cloud your ability." Ritsuko told herself, "assess the situation, then act." One pterosaur she could handle easily, but two may cause a problem if they were coordinated. She would have to ground one of them just to be safe. Ritsuko floated a little to the left so that her approaching assailants would be directly West of her, and she conjured up her magic, this time focusing on one of the pterosaurs this time rather than herself. Whispering to the Myojin to bless her spell, she sent the full force of the East Wind into one of the leonin, blowing him off his mount and several miles into the distance. The second leonin was on her now, and the pterosaur bit at her whilst she dodge. Swiftly making her way past the mount, she flew right in front of the rider and with a small spell knocked him out of its saddle. As the pterosaur flew to catch its falling rider, Ritsukoade her escape.
Ritsuko, Storm Watcher 3UR
Legendary creature - Moonfolk Wizard
Flying
2, Return a land you control to its owner's hand: Return target creature to its owner's hand.
3/3
Each of you has here an enemy to overcome. A few of you have a choice that would allow you not to face your enemy at all. Others have a foe that they MUST fight, with little hope of escape or diplomacy. Still others might be able to get out of a fight by tricking your enemy, fleeing, or otherwise avoiding what may be lethal combat. If you do fight your opponent, you don't necessarily have to be able to outright kill them (on the MTG battlefield) to overcome them. But don't allow them to outright kill you. I'm pretty open to interpretation on this round, and each of you has a very different challenge. Some of your opponents would be pretty difficult to beat. Others less so.
Without looking back, Naki trots along out of the wilderness, and into scraggly farmlands. Where there are farms there are farmers, and where there are farmers, there are markets, and that's the place to buy drink. He found the farmers, and stayed the night at the farmhouse (Naki didn't realize Orcish Farmers were so hospitable). Then it was off to the market. Every day is a delight when you delight in every day.
Naki has just bought a large bottle of some strong stuff called Gaknukt from a one-legged Dwarf when he hears somebody shout his name. He turns, and sees one of the orcs he's befriended pointing him out to someone else. It's an elf, but Naki doesn't know the man. Whoever it is, he doesn't look happy. "NAKI!!!" shouts the elf again, and he charges. The monk dodges out of the way of the first blow as the crowd form a bubble around the two.
"You bastard! I'll kill you, you bastard! I tracked you all this way, and now I'll kill you!" Naki is really confused now, and his adversary can see it. It only incenses him further. "You don't even know who I am do you?! DO YOU?!" Naki has no idea, but the brute doesn't give him time to respond. "There once was a man. An elvish monk like you. You were friends. FRIENDS! Now he's dead. Do you know who I am now?! NAAKII!!! You killed my brother!!!"
Ohhhhhhhh. Now it makes sense. He's Reko's brother. Naki didn't kill Reko. Not exactly. The were friends. Good friends. And it was sort of Naki's fault that Reko died. At the time, he had really blamed himself. But Naki had gotten through all that. Apparently Reko's brother, Kero hasn't, and he really doesn't look like he wants to listen to reason. Kero strikes again, this time with more precision. It's clear that this enemy intimately understands the techniques of Naki's order. He may be a brute, but he has clearly spent his life studying the art of combat.
Kero, Vengeful Monk 1RR
Legendary Creature- Elf Monk Warrior
Haste, First Strike
When a creature blocks or becomes blocked by Kero, that creature loses First strike until end of turn.
RRR: Kero gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
2/2
For all intents and purposes, you can assume that he can't pump himself more than once. Who has six red mana lying around?
Bassander turns southward along the river's bank as it lazily winds about the increasingly mountainous terrain. To the south lie the Clayfinger Mountains, and the sacred Nessos Shrine of the enclosed valley. Many clerics and lithomancers have made the pilgrimage such a holy site, and Bassander may as well travel there since he's made it this far. It's as good a place as any for solitude and reflection.
As he travels, Bassander is pestered by a pair of young leonin, who seem convinced that the stone-man's blood is magic, and that they can sell it. Bassander's stone form protects him from their attacks, but they continue to follow him for a distance. As the mountains begin to loom closer, the young catfolk back off, frightened of the dragons who roam those skies.
The mountains are said to be beautiful, and they do not disappoint. Walking by the river bank for a few days, Bassander is easily able to forage food for himself, and despite the fears of the leonin, he sees no dragons except for one or two very very far away. In the distance, he can see the ancient pillars of the Nessos Shrine. Dragons wouldn't dare disturb the birthplace of the Greater Stone Spirits. Just as Bassander turns his route away from the river and towards the shrine, he hears voices. Since he is in his stone form, all he has to do to hide is crouch down, and he will simply appear to be a strange stone-- hardly suspicious in these rocky lands.
The voices belong to five goblins, who have left their caves to fish in the river. At first it seems like they're just joking around and making fun of one another. One keeps making fart sounds, and the others keep laughing. But it soon becomes clear that these goblins are terrified. A nocturnal dragon that they call Shushu has raided their warrens three nights in a row. The goblins have been moving from cave to cave, but somehow the beast has found them night after night, and gorged herself on their kin. The five brothers have been lucky to survive, and they fear that if the dragon returns tonight, there will be nothing left of their clan in the morning. Despite this grave reality, the brothers continue their fishing, and continue finding fart sounds hilarious. Goblins have always had an admirable brazenness on the subject of death. After some time, they move upriver allowing Bassander to continue his pilgrimage.
Bassander knows that the wisdom of his elders would say that this is a natural event. A dragon eating goblins is no different than an aardvark eating ants. Nevertheless, there's something about these crass folk, (who are concerned only for their daily catch despite the nightly peril) that Bassander can't help but find endearing, and even almost noble. Bassander has a choice. He can go to the shrine as intended, where he will undoubtedly become further enlightened, or he can attempt to help the goblins against their vicious dragon.
If you choose to meditate on spiritual matters, you will gain some ability reflecting that. Otherwise, you'll have to face a dragon.
Nessos Shrine
Legendary Land
T: Add C.
T: Add CC. Activate this ability only if you control no other lands. You can't play other lands this turn.
T: Add CC. Activate this ability only if you control nine or more lands.
(nothing to overcome, but endless enlightenment to achieve)
or
Shushu, Blind Hellkite 3RB
Legendary Creature- Dragon Bat
Flying, Haste, Trample
When Shushu attacks, she deals 1 damage to each other creature.
When a creature dies, Shushu deals 1 damage to that creature's controller.
5/5
You can see why it would be a problem for 1/1 goblins. Shushu would have eaten them all if she weren't saving more for later. She's definitely not a mindless creature. If Bassander cares observe, he'll find that she hunts goblins by her acute hearing, but more by her acute sense of smell. She can sniff out a goblin warren like a bomb-dog.
Smiles made its way through the grasslands, paying little heed to the traps or the scouts. Why should the skeleton care? Eventually the grasslands begin to form pools of standing water. After many miles it becomes a muddy fen. No leonin live here, which is why it surprised Smiles to find one of them slowly approaching. Not a normal cat at all, but a zombie. It attacks Smiles, but its weapons have no more effect than previous catfolk. Smiles makes the thing stop bothering it.
There is a slow, but genuine applause from a shadowy figure, who steps fourth beaming. He seems quite excited. "That filthy fleabag was telling the truth! And look at you, you are magnificent! You simply must be mine."
Filo Veyrul, Collector of the Dead 2BB
Legendary Creature- Human Wizard
Skeletons, Vampires, Zombies, and Spirits you control get +1/+1.
T: Gain control of target Skeleton, Vampire, Zombie, or Spirit creature until Filo Veyrul leaves the battlefield.
"Necromancer is an ugly term. I'm an art collector."
1/6
There is are two feet of standing water surrounding Smiles. If the skeleton dove in and hid (using evasion) it's likely the necromancer would never find it. But is running and hiding really something Smiles would think to do?
Zeikai, Archzebrademon 7BW
Legendary Creature- Demon
Flying, Vigilance, Trample
When Zeikai attacks or blocks, target player sacrifices a creature. If a player does, you gain life equal to the sacrificed creature's toughness, and put a +1/+1 counter on each demon creature you control.
Remove a +1/+1 counter from Zeikai: Zeikai gains indestructible until end of turn.
7/7
Moppe has an advantage being beneath the demons' notice. Seeing the utility of the little gnome, they grew to rely on Moppe for certain conveniences. Unfortunately, it won't be so easy to take on an archdemon in physical combat. However Moppe has learned that Zeikai is the oldest and strongest archzebrademon. Without him, the fires of the painforge will die out, and the Zebrademons will be left in turmoil.
Perhaps the correct approach is to attack the forge instead of the demons themselves. Zebrademons feed on the pain (and also the flesh) of their enemies. The painforge is a crucial part of the extraction process, and powering it is what allows the Archzebrademons control over the lesser Zebrademons. If this balance were disrupted, Moppe doesn't doubt the younger, and more arrogant Zebrademons rebel against their elders. The resulting conflict would surely bring the downfall of the Zebrademons.
Painforge of the Zebrademons 4
Artifact
When a creature an opponent controls dies, that player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. Then put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
Fyernok, Watcher in the Woods GBB
Legendary Creature- Vampire Shaman
Flying, Deathtouch, Lifelink, Hexproof
When Fyernok dies, you may put a card named "Vixyath, Spirit of the Woods" from your graveyard onto the battlefield.
2/3
Indeed, this is a powerful enemy. Perhaps a worthy foe. But he's not the true threat. That is all around you. If you go so far as to kill this vampire here, you will stir a more ancient and more dangerous adversary. Fortunately, she won't yet have the power to revive her love.
Vixyath, Spirit of the Woods 5GB
Legendary Creature- Spirit Avatar
Hexproof
T: Target creature gets -5/-5 until end of turn.
5GB: Return a card named "Fyernok, Watcher in the Woods" from your graveyard to the battlefield.
9/9
In the face of such dangers, perhaps the wisest course is to flee (likely using evasion). But then again, Arabal has never fled from anything.
A voice rings out from amidst a hedge. "That was a warning shot. Be still, or be dead." A striped leonin steps into the road with a magnificent black longbow drawn and pointed at Zemoo. Such a weapon was not made from the local twigs that pass for trees around here, and the man's garb suggests that he is no ordinary Blade of the Sixth Pride.
Joru of Tribe Hazau 2W
Legendary Creature- Cat Warrior
2: Untap Joru. Activate this ability only if Joru is equippd.
W,T: Tap target creature.
2/3
Equipped with:
Blackfen Longbow 3
Articact- Equipment
Equip 2
Equipped creature has "T: This creature deals 2 damage to target attacking, blocking, or tapped creature."
As the warrior looks Zemoo over, his eyes rest on the remains of the blade-traps. Zemoo has already begun refashioning them to his liking. He speaks with some surprise. "You have an artificer's skill!"
The stranger will introduce himself as Joru, one of the Gahls of tribe Hazau (basically a prince who can't become king). He will demand a demonstration of Zemoo's artifice, and then he will demand that Zemoo accompany him.
You have two options: the first is to fight Joru, or attempt to escape him with some sort of trickery. The second option is to go with him and see what he wants. Zemoo can't help but be curious... but it's probably not good.
If you choose the first option, you don't need to read any further (but you can anyway). If you choose the second option, Joru will lead you into a dense hedge on a twisting path. Escape now would be impossible: this is his domain.
The path is confusing and not remotely straight, but after perhaps half an hour, a village appears, guarded by numerous hulking leonin, all of whom look at Zemoo with disgust, but at Joru with reverence.
Once beyond the village gates, the modest village seems to transform into a bustling city. Clearly the common folk aren't allowed to leave the city or there would be a lot more of them outside. Security is tight here, and escape seems all but impossible. Joru leads you to his mother, the queen. It's no auspicious palace though, just an open forum on the square with statues of great catfolk all around. The Queen is sitting on a step, and lazily stroking a pterodon as she listens to a philosopher speak. Wearing impressive weapons is clearly a status symbol among these folk, and she wears a weapon more magnificent than any Zemoo has ever seen.
When the queen (or Dahl in their custom) sees Zemoo, her eyes flicker with rage. She stands and addresses her son angrily. She yells at him for a few minutes for his idiocy in bringing you to this sacred place, mentioning that if he weren't a Gahl that the penalty would be death. She inquires as to why he should be spared this penalty. Joru (trembling and humiliated) stammers "H-he has an artificer's skill, great one. I only thought that he could be the answer to the prayers that you had issued. You said at the feast that anyone who could-- who could bring you someone to find the-- the flower that they would be rewar--" She grabs him by the face and throws him to the ground.
"You want a reward?! Idiot!" She turns to Zemoo and looks him up and down. She smells him too, which is awkward, but she is a cat after all. The philosopher looks at the remodeled blade-traps with some amusement. "So, pumble, you think you can bring it to me?" Zemoo knows that 'pumble' is a racial slur against humans, but he doesn't have any idea what she wants. "Well I hope you do, because your life depends on it." She storms off followed by some attendants. A glance to Joru insists he follow as well. He slinks off with a look back at Zemoo like they are rival schoolchildren who are being punished together.
The philosopher remains, and speaks more gently to Zemoo, although he still insists on calling him 'pumble'. The philosopher explains the meaning of Zemoo's strange situation. Every 33 years, a magic, metallic flower blooms somewhere in the savannah or in the neighboring fens. The magic of this flower is the stuff of legends, and it was with this magic that the current Dahl's own royal blade was created 33 years prior by the previous Dahl. Truly a masterwork of artifice. If Dahl Shakii is unable to find the flower within the year, it will wither, or worse will be found by a rival tribe, or even one of the treacherous fen witches. She is desperate to find it, and she knows that her mother employed an artificer of some sort to find the treasure in her time. That's where Zemoo the pumble comes in.
Zemoo will be under the strictest of scrutiny until he is able to bring Dahl Shakii her prize. If Zemoo should fail to find it within the year, he'll be executed horribly in a process euphemized as "the boats". The legendary flower is of course a Black Lotus, and the task is to tutor it somehow.
One of the elf children prays a prayer before being devoured, and this prayer is answered. Curse his innocence! Curse his delicious stink village! Caumotch knows what's coming. He can feel it.
It is she! She who all but destroyed Caumotch in his previous form. She who has terrorized him as long as the world could remember. Human terms fail to describe the absolute hatred between the two ancient foes. No words are spoken between the two. None are needed.
Enantae, Hand of Retribution 2WRU
Legendary Creature- Angel Avatar
Flying, First strike, Haste
RU: Enantae gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Target creature gets -2/-0 until end of turn.
When a Demon creature enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, or when a demon attacks you, you may pay W to return Enantae, hand of Retribution from your graveyard to the battlefield.
5/5
Considering Caumotch's aura, this battle would devolve into the one with the most resources winning. We can assume for this purpose that Caumotch and Enantae both have a lot of resources at their disposal. Also, Enantae knows she can't permanently destroy Caumotch any more than he can permanently destroy her. She is satisfied to keep him at bay until her powers grow stronger. She is yet newborn in this form.
Siddiq underestimated the oppressive heat of the Topan Savannah. She has traveled this road in summers before, but this is the driest and the hottest summer in over a hundred years, and all the creeks and ponds Siddiq knows have dried up by the time she leads her weary pilgrims to them. The travelers wish to rest in the day, and travel only at night, but Siddiq pushes them on, knowing that the more time they waste, the less water they will have to carry them to the river. A day comes when the last of the water is accidentally spilled into the rocks, and proud and noble knights slurp desperately as the water disappears. The water is gone. Times are grim.
Two days later, three of their Leotau lie dead behind them. Only Siddiq's own Grizzled Leotau remains. He was older than the other two, and more accustomed to difficult journeys. But he can't carry the whole party, and the pace is slowed further. One Knight, Arth has been showing signs of delirium. The others all pray for him, but the next day, when Siddiq pulls him off her Leotau's back to rest, she finds that he has died. Siddiq can't help but blame herself. The group mourns him silently. None of them are able to speak for dehydration by this point. Their throats are like stone, and their tongues are swollen and useless.
That night, when all are at their lowest, Siddiq performs her nightly religious devotions with more ardor than ever before, and all the knights stand in awe as they share a vision of the Amesha granting the ragged troupe their blessing. That night, they move with a greater zeal than ever before, wordless, but driven by holy devotion. Impossibly, they travel for 47 hours straight, never stopping-- never speaking-- compelled to inhuman exertion. Finally, as the night falls on the Topan, they reach the banks of the river and quench themselves before collapsing in utter exhaustion.
Siddiq had helped them to avoid a few traps along the road, but the group had seen no other signs of Unbeholden. She figured they were wise enough to go north or wait out the heat in underground caves. For the most part, she was right. Only a fool would go picking a fight in such conditions. As the party lies exhausted on the banks of the river, this proves unfortunately true: fools have come to pick a fight.
Siddiq may be exhausted, but her senses aren't so dulled that she would fail to notice a trio of burly brigands snickering in the tall grass. She demands that these rogues show themselves. Two sunburnt knaves jump out and roar as though they hadn't already been spotted. Their leader follows them. She is tall and muscular with scars all over her face. Some of them look quite intentional. She is wearing a very fancy outfit that was clearly made for a noble man much shorter and fatter than she. She brandishes a nasty looking spiked club that looks like it has been used in the last day or two.
"Look at 'em! They's a bunch o' fried rats, they is!" Sneers the leader.
"I likes me a fried rat. I likes 'em." Says another with a lecherous look at Siddiq and her companions. The leader silences her crony.
"Look here, see, look, I's Topan Red! I's the most famous bandit in the whole savannah! Prob'ly the world, I is." Siddiq has never heard of this person. "You's give me yer money, and then we's a-gonna kill you! Yeah? That's what we's a doin'." Without bothering to think about the logic of this statement, Topan Red (whose clothes aren't red, nor is her hair) attacks you, and her goons attack your companions.
Topan Red, Scarred Bandit 2RR
Legendary Creature- Human Rogue Warrior
Provoke (Whenever this creature attacks, you may have target creature defending player controls untap and block it if able.)
When Topan Red enters the battlefield, create 2 1/1 red Human Rogue Warrior creature tokens.
Other rogues you control have provoke.
4/1
Your companions can deal with the cronies, but you'll have to deal with Red.
The victorious Ritsuko has traveled only as short distance when she herself is blasted with a mighty gale. An inhuman voice booms out from within it "Who dares disturb my Easterly winds?! The storms and skies are my domain, and I alone dictate them! A lowly insect would pretend at the glory of my greatness-- such an insult!"
What an arrogant creature! As if it could claim to be the master of all the winds of the world-- ridiculous. However, Ritsuko may have been careless to stumble upon its domain. The dragon looks ready to bite poor Ritsuko's head off.
Kokoru, Who Draws the Winds 2UU
Legendary Creature- Dragon
Flying
When Kokoru is put into your hand from the battlefield, draw 2 cards and tap two target permanents.
2: Tap target creature with flying.
4/3
If anything is unclear, or if you disagree strongly with anything I had your character doing, feel free to say so.
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
_______________________________________________
Ritsuko found herself face to face with a dragon, the kings of the skies, the apex aerial predators. She had never seen one up close before, having only read about them in the encyclopedias at the library. They were powerful, arrogant and temperamental, and this dragon exhibited all those qualities. Despite it being smaller than the hellkites she had read about, the dragon still towered over her, with a wingspan the size of a small house and a great jaw that could easily bite her in half. Its eyes were fixed on Ritsuko, and it sent a wave of light shimmering through its azure scales. Smaller species compensate for their size with an increased proficiency in magic., she recalled. Given what the dragon had said it seemed reasonable to assume that like Ritsuko, it had a mastery over the magics of the winds and storms. The dragon was still, waiting for Ritsuko to make the first move. "Do I run? No, it wants to chase me. I could reason with it, convince it to let me through. That won't work, it's a powerful being and I've wounded its pride, it's itching for a fight. This won't be an easy opponent."
"Then again, I do like a challenge."
"You hold no domain over the sky, dragon." Ritsuko retorted, "To presume at such only proves your arrogance. Allow me to teach you humility."
The dragon flared its nostrils "You dare challenge the Great Kokoru? I have always respected the Sorotami, but my esteem was misplaced now I see that fools among the likes of you dwell among them."
"Trust me, dragon, there's no Sorotami like me." That part at least was true. The ideal Sorotami is composed, polite, meticulous. Ritsuko possessed those qualities on most days, but her prowess at elemental magic nurtured an ego within her from a very young age. It was an arrogance she had yet to outgrow. "I can assure you the winds will obey the command of a Sorotami master over those of a lizard who made his way up here."
The dragon snorted again, seemingly enjoying the tirades, "Bold words, little mayfly. Let us see if you can back them up." Kokoru beat his wings and let out a mighty roar, summoning wind from all directions to him. The sky darkened as rain clouds started swirling around him. "A typhoon?" In a matter of minutes they stood in the eye of a huge storm, an aerial battlefield limited by gale force winds and thunder. Ritsuko gritted her teeth. The dragon had cut off any escape routes.
"I hope you aren't afraid, little mayfly." Kokoru spoke smugly.
"I recognise your ability, dragon. That does not mean I still can't kill you." It was true, summoning a storm this powerful was a huge magical feat. Ritsuko was confident she could replicate the spell, but nowhere near that fast. Not that the dragon needed to know that. Ritsuko flew over the dragon and blasted it with winds from above her. She had hoped that convection would send him flying towards the ground, but Kokoru shimmered and a powerful gale shot out from the side of the storm, pushing Ritsuko's blast away effortlessly and slamming into her.
Pain flared at her side as she steadied herself. She stretched her hand out towards the storm, grasping at the rain within and pulling it towards her just as another gale slammed into her. The water shielded her from the blast, instead spraying her kimono and drenching it entirely. "This thing never stays dry long."
She heard the dragon scoff once more. "Hydromancy? A fool's art. I had thought this was a battle of wind mages, but it turns out I'm facing a charlatan who dabbles in lesser arts. Your arrogance and deceit has cost you your life. I am the wind incarnate, and I will knock you out of the sky!" Kokoru let out a roar and typhoon closed on him. He was closing its eye, forcing Ritsuko closer to his jaws and talons.
"So he only uses wind magic," she thought, "this isn't good, he's got me pinned against the storm. Either I fall into the typhoon and let it rip me apart, or I face the dragon head-on and he tears me apart." Ritsuko could see her options closing up as quickly as the eye of the typhoon, and then, thinking of how she escaped the sandstorm the day prior, an idea struck her. Like lightning would strike an unwary bird.
The dragon roared at her, sending another blast of wind towards her. Just as it was about to hit her, Ritsuko cancelled her flight spell. She began to fall, speeding towards the ground. As the plummeted, she could see the bottom of the typhoon's eye close up. That was her target. She flew out through the eye, exiting Kokoru's self-imposed battlefield.
Resuming her flight spell, Ritsuko rushed back up to above the storm. The dragon was trapped in his arena: he would have to release the spell to face her again. She outstretched her arms, feeling at the rolling elements within the thunderstorm, waiting. She felt the dragon's grasp on the storm weaken, he was dispelling it.
Ritsuko took her shot and seized control of the typhoon from the dragon. She now wielded the force Kokoru had worked hard to summon, and she now felt it's full power at her disposal. She entered the typhoon, redirecting its winds and lightning around her. "You call me a charlatan, dragon. Allow me to show you I have more than parlor tricks up my sleeve."
She willed the storm to batter the dragon from within, but she could feel him repel the gales she sent. "You think to best me with my own magics? I am the wind, little mage, you cannot harm me with my own power!"
"No," Ritsuko thought, "but I can distract you with it." while the dragon was blasting away his own power, Ritsuko was hiding within the storm, charging a spell of her own. A spell the dragon had no mastery over. After all, Kokoru was the wind.
But Ritsuko was the storm.
Her spell finally ready, she released her flight spell once more. As she fell through the typhoon, she made sure to absorb any extra lighting as she passed. She was confident she had collected enough to kill the dragon, but having more couldn't hurt. She fell through the clouds into Kokoru's battlefield, and he turned to face her. His azure eye shone with the crimson reflection of Ritsuko's thunder, and she discharged it all towards the dragon, striking it right in the chest. The sound of scales cracking, lightning crackling and flesh sizzling was the only sound that could be heard in the eye of the dissipating typhoon. As Ritsuko's spell petered out, Kokoru's charred carcass plummeted to the ground with a thud.
Ritsuko slowly floated down towards the grassy plains they had fought above and approached the dead dragon. Exhausted, she rested a little before collecting some of Kokoru's scales, a knuckle bone, and one of his talons: dragon parts held particularly powerful arcane power. She contemplated the fact that she had faced a dragon and survived, then wondered how many of her kind had accomplished something so grand before.
"None of them," she chuckled, "they bow to the elements. I command them."
_______________________________________________
Ritsuko, Storm Caller 3UR
Legendary creature — Moonfolk Wizard
Flying
When Ritsuko, Storm Caller enters the battlefield, it deals damage equal to the number of cards in your hand to any target.
2, Return a land you control to its owner's hand: Return target creature to its owner's hand.
3/3
Naki leapt from cover to cover. It was time. He had been saving it for a rainy day, and this was getting rainier every-ow. He got a hit off-every second. Iron Brew. He'd been told that it could block pain and increase one's durability. He hoped it was true.
The next minute or so consisted of a process of find cover, take a swig, dodge, repeat, all while trying to ignore Kero's screaming. Even Naki hadn't heard some of those words before, which was impressive. Over time, the brew seemed to take effect. Every time Naki actually got hit, he felt it less, kept his focus better. Eventually he barely felt anything. How fitting, he thought. Welp. Time to counterattack.
From behind a stall, he struck. It was a furious melee, and Naki wasn't sure that it looked to the crowd either epic or comical. Then finally, the last blow. Kero slumped, and stopped yelling for the first time in a while. He coughed up blood and gave one last hateful look to Naki before falling to the ground, dead.
So. He'd ended up killing the brother of his long-dead friend. He'd have time to mull on the aptness of that later: the town watch was coming to see what the trouble was, and he didn't want to stay here any longer. As he dashed away from the crowd, one thought went through his head.
Damn. I'm going to need some really strong stuff for this.
Naki, Wild Fist 1RG
Creature-Elf Monk
First Strike
R:Naki gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
G:Naki gets +0/+1 until end of turn
2/1
Note:I assume that if he has RRR available, I can have GGG available.
EDIT--Note #2: Naki still has a poison counter, not that he really cares.
As a display of his artifice, he has the thopters flanking Joru deactivate their camouflage and reveal themselves, weapons aimed at his head and heart. The blade trap he was holding comes to life, folding itself into a form with legs, and scurries into the underbrush, as does the bow Joru had let drop to his side. "I'm glad you had a peaceful resolution in mind," Zemoo taunts before following the prince.
Zemoo, Indentured Pumble 1UR
Creature - Human Artificer (R)
~ cannot be blocked by artifact creatures or equipped creatures.
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to an opponent, that player reveals the top card of their library. You may search your library for an artifact card with the same converted mana cost as the revealed card and put it into your hand, if you do, shuffle your library.
1/3
My Cubes:Pauper|Archetype
My Deviant Art