The people of Arnat fear death above all things. They seek longevity, and those who have lived the longest among them are revered. In the ideal Arnat society, people would live forever, never having a fear of passing on. Arnatans wish for the immortality of the society, as well. They wish for it to carry on unchangingly forever. As a result, Arnatans hate change almost as much as death.
USholereU
The people of Sholere are masters of illusion. To walk through a street in a Sholerite city is to experience the fusion of hundreds of imaginations made real. Sholerites illusions are nearly impossible to tell from reality, as they are exquisitely crafted. The appearance of a home may change drastically from one day to the next, as may that of its owner, for even unpracticed Sholerites can change their appearance on a whim.
BVanthomB
The king of Vanthom, Ranos Abarine, rules over his subjects with an iron fist. There is not a citizen of Vanthom who would not pledge his life to Ranos... and yet, neither is there a citizen who would not kill Ranos himself to take his place. Vanthans strive every day of their life to advance further in society, whether they do so by murder or mercantile prowess. These things are not always so different, for the primary currency in Vanthom is days of life. To barter with a Vanthan merchant is to give away your future. There are those that say Ranos Abarine is so rich that he will live forever.
REraoR
Erao was founded on principles of self-expression and creativity, and those principles are alive and well today. The arts, whether than term is used to refer to theater, music, painting, or literature, are of foremost importance to all Erians. Grand art exhibitions are held daily, and there is hardly a moment of the day that one cannot attend a concert or play somewhere in Erao. Buildings in Erao are often brightly colored and covered in several layers of graffiti. Erians tend to carry paint and brushes wherever they go, or be schooled in magics allowing them to shift the colors of things so that they have no need of either. Erians believe in periodically casting out old ideals and aesthetics and forming new ones, so that there is constant change and innovation in their art and society.
GGamithG
The focal point of Gamithian society is the gladiator ring. It is a rare Gamithian who goes his whole life without being in the ring himself, and no true Gamithian can say that he has never attended a match. Gamithians give great honor to warriors who win the most matches, believing that strength of body is the most important quality any person can have. Those that lose their lives in the ring, or in battle, are also highly respected by Gamithians. Rulers of Gamithian society are those that have proven themselves time and time again in the ring.
The Collective is not truly a state like Gamith or Arnat, but a group of individuals representing a unifying ideal. The nations of Onora believe they have only one thing in common: their hate for one another. Arnat hates Sholere and Vanthom, Gamith despises Arnat and Erao, all with equal intensity. So, too, do they all hate the Collective, for the Collective represents a will to unify, to remove the hate and the sharp distinctions between peoples that the five nations have formed. The Collective is not a martial movement, nor do they, as a whole, desire to actively convert members of the nations to their movement. The nations, however, have been known to use force against Collectivists, and to persecute any they believe might be associated with the Collective.
Longevity1W
Enchantment- Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +0/+2.
Whenever enchanted creature is dealt damage, you gain that much life.
Nobleman's CourierW
Creature- Bird (C)
Flying
If Nobleman's Courier would die, shuffle it into your library instead. In Arnat, even the pets refuse to die.
1/1
Revered Elder1WW
Creature- Elf Advisor (C)
Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on Revered Elder. "With age comes knowledge of the world. I trust no advice but that of my elders." — Minister Tamao
2/2
Save from TimeW
Instant (C)
Return target creature you own to your hand. You gain 1 life. "Time is our greatest enemy, but some day, it will meet its end." — Zeles, High Scholar
Wall the Cities3W
Sorcery (C)
Put two 0/3 colorless Wall creature tokens with defender onto the battlefield.With the growing "threat" presented by the Collective, the extreme isolationism of Arnat has reached new heights.
:symw:: Defense, protection, clerics, angels, opression, truth
:symu:: Spellcasting, wizards, library and stack manipulation.
:symb:: Demons, undead, corruption, life loss, sacrifice
:symr:: Elements, spellcasting, direct damage
:symg:: Quick creatures, creature pump, tokens
:symwr:: Combat, combat tricks, sacrifice oneself for others
:symug:: Magic triggers, tokens, weird effects
:symbg:: Land manipulation, resource generation, corruption, opponent tricks, greed
Blue:
There is but one true power in Siephaer, which is knowledge. And there is no greater knowledge than magic. Siephaer is a land ruled by powerful wizards, where the most incredible feats of magic are obtained. In it, lies the Great Academy, the a huge complex devoted to teaching and research.
Deceive the Mind1U
Instant (C)
Counter target spell. If that spell is countered this way, shuffle it in its owner's library instead of putting it into that player's graveyard. "I.. I... What was I saying again? Ah, it'll come back to me..."
Trading Trick1U
Sorcery (C)
Target player draw's a card. If he or she does, look at that player's hand and choose a card. That player puts it in the bottom of his or her library. You never know what you are going to get, but it's certain that you will lose if you're not smart enough
Mystic Trinket(2/U)
Artifact (C)
Flash
When ~ comes into the battlefield, if you control a blue spell, draw a card.
:symu:, Sacrifice ~: Draw a card.
Spellweave Adept2U
Creature - Human Wizard (C)
:symtap:: Scry X, where X is the converted mana cost of target spell. Look, sense, learn.
- Spellweaver's Motto
1/2
Glimpse of Understanding
Instant (C)
Draw a card. Feedback - Whenever ~ is target of a spell or ability, scry 1. "The more you try, the more I understand"
R: Songs of the Satyrs: Creativity and Passion. Magic involves random effects, copying. redirecting and theft
W: Aven War Choirs: Measure and Tradition. Magic involves 'tax' effects, cards that synergize with others
U: City Orchestra: Magic involves spells caring about other spells, copying and modifying other spells and permanents.
G: Tribal Frog Chants: Magic involves growth, token creation, adding counters and tutoring land and creatures.
B: Banshee Wailing: magic involves forcing sacrifice, weakening other creatures and traplike effects.
Chaotic Red Bacchanal TricksterR
Creature - Satyr Rogue (C)
Sacrifice Bacchanal Trickster: If target spell or ability has a single target, reselect that target at random. Never underestimate how far a satyr will take a joke.
1/1
Canu Stalker3R
Creature - Hound Warrior (C)
When Canu Stalker attacks, a random untapped creature the defending player controls blocks Canu Stalker this turn if able. Canu hunters live for the chase. Their lack of foresight ensures they don't live for it very long.
4/2
Satyr Agitator 1RR
Creature - Satyr Warrior (C)
Whenever Satyr Agitator becomes blocked, the defending players draws two cards, then discards two cards at random. The wild tactics of the Satyr make strategy a futile endeavor - General Hyrus
3/2
Lyrical Flame R
Instant (C)
Lyrical Flame deals damage to target creature or player equal to the number of spell cast this turn. (Including this one) The sweet sizzle of embers is just another voice, waiting for its song.
Satyr Lyricist2R
Creature - Satyr Warrior (C)
When Satyr Lyricist enters the battlefield, draw two cards then discard a card at random. Who needs rhyme and meter when I have volume!
2/2
As of this set, The Dead Kingdom (:symwb:) is just rising from its ashes—the catacombs, slums, and hidden tomb valleys that surround its captured capital, now the proud city of Tsem (:symw::symur:). The appearance of these ghosts, and the mortuvoxes who follow them, give the Elk People (:symgu:) the opportunity to take back lands the Tsem Empire has taken.
:symw:: Tsem Empire – Imperialism, expansion, farming, edifices, spirits of sun and grain || Dead Kingdom – Nomadism, grief, puppetry
:symu:: Tsem Empire – Aqueducts, diplomacy, exploration || Elk People – Rivers, the night sky, augury
:symb:: Dead Kingdom – Necromancy, revenge, poverty
:symr:: Tsem Empire – City-building, smithing, spirits of fire
:symg:: Elk People – The living earth, elementals, herding
Black Commons
Shrine Squatters
Creature — Human Nomad
As long as you control a Zombie, Shrine Squatters has first strike.
[i]There is nothing more shameful for them than living in the houses of the dead, but there is no other choice.[i/]
1/1
Noble Dead :1mana::symb:
Creature — Zombie Wizard
:1mana:, :symtap:: Add or to your mana pool.
2/1
Novice Mortuvox :2mana::symb:
Creature — Human Shaman
Whenever a creature you control dies, you may have Novice Mortuvox deal 1 damage to target creature or player.
1/2
Inkblood Infusion :1mana::symb::symb:
Sorcery
Inkblood Infusion deals 3 damage to target creature. At the beginning of the next end step, if that creature is still on the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes a Zombie.
Weighing of Hearts :3mana::symb:
Sorcery
Exile a creature card from target opponent’s graveyard. You gain life equal to its power, and its owner loses life equal to its toughness.
In my set, planar explorers have come to fight for the frontier of Casma. They like to ride things and put bounties on people.
Siphon N - Reveal the top N cards of your library. For every land card revealed this way, do X. Then put the revealed cards on the bottom of your library.
This ability can appear on both spells and creatures, as an activated ability. It shows how the people of Casma tap into the land's potential to fuel their magic.
Mount (At the beginning of combat, you may have target creature +X/+Y until end of turn, where X/Y is this creature's power and toughness. If you do, this creature can't attack or block this turn.)
Mounts are creatures that can pair up with another creature for combat. At higher rarities, many of them grant abilities to the riding creature as well.
Bounties - Bounties are an Aura subtype ("Enchantment - Aura Bounty"). They all have "Enchant creature an opponent controls" and give you a bonus when the enchanted creature dies.
Ashbreath Ravager1BR
Creature - Elemental Horror (R)
Intimidate
Mount
Mounted creature has intimidate and "Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices a permanent at random."
3/1
OK I think I'm trying Mount as an ability word and changing it to "Coordinate" for flavor purposes. I'm also tacking on a mana cost. At common, we only do p/t bonuses, but the mana costs can vary a little. I'll accept suggestions for better reminder text, not sure if this is even necessary.
Tressan War-Swine3G
Creature - Boar (C) Coordinate - If Tressan War-Swine would attack or block, you may pay 1G and tap it instead. If you do, target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn. (This creature doesn't attack or block.)
3/3
Hunting HoundW
Creature - Hound (C) Coordinate - If Hunting Hound would attack or block, you may pay W and tap it instead. If you do, target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn. (This creature doesn't attack or block.)
1/1
Trained Drake2UU
Creature - Drake (U)
Flying Coordinate - If Trained Drake would attack or block, you may pay 1U and tap it instead. If you do, target creature gets +2/+2 and gains flying until end of turn.
2/2
Ashbreath Ravager1BR
Creature - Elemental Horror (R)
Intimidate Coordinate - If Ashbreath Ravager would attack or block, you may pay BR and tap it instead. If you do, target creature gets +3/+1 and gains intimidate and "Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices a permanent" until end of turn.
3/1
W: Frontier outposts of the Kerria Empire of aven, hardy settlers, native tribes of long-limbed but thin giants. U: Arcane surveyors and seers of the Kerria, siphoners, merfolk pirates that harness sea serpents to attack ships B: Voodoo shamans, hot underground caverns, Khavrat beetle people, cruel slavers R: Viashino pueblo dwellers, free bounty hunters, stone elementals G: Dinosaurs, jungle humans, herders
White cards:
Aspiring Deputy1W
Creature - Human Soldier (C)
Aspiring Deputy has first strike as long as you control a creature with greater power.
2/2
Kerria Lookout1W
Creature - Bird Scout (C)
Flying T: Remove target creature you control from combat.
1/1
Longarm Spear-Thrower3W
Creature - Giant Soldier (C)
Whenever Longarm Spear-Thrower blocks, you may have it deal 1 damage to target attacking creature.
2/4
Opprobrium1W
Instant (C)
Destroy target attacking creature with power less than or equal to the number of creatures you control.
Holistic Ascension2W
Instant (C)
Target creature gains flying until end of turn. You gain life equal to its power plus its toughness.
Enchantment Set: Everything is an enchantment, besides some lands (and maybe instants and sorceries).
Mechanics: Aura Swap returns, Chant, ...
Chant — Whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, do X.
Wuen — White/Blue, more focused on peace and harmony
Ubch — Blue/Black, more focused on knowledge and power
Bran — Black/Red, more focused on chaos
Terg — Red/Green, more focused on war
Degw — Green/White, more focused on the community
Not sure of the wording, but...I'll try Crystallize. It will appear on instant and sorcery cards. The idea is to be able to cast it as an enchantment (and stuck it onto battlefield) and have it's effect each turn. The idea is to 'cast' instant and sorcery spells as enchantments, by adding its text to an enchantment.
Crystallize — X: Exile NAME crystallizing target enchantment. That enchantment gains "At the beginning of your upkeep, do Y". (Activate this ability only only any time you could cast a sorcery.)
Perpetual PainB
Sorcery (R)
You draw a card and you lose 1 life.
Crystallize — 1BB: Exile Perpetual Pain crystallizing target enchantment. That enchantment gains "At the beginning of your upkeep, you draw a card and you lose 1 life.". (Activate this ability only only any time you could cast a sorcery.)
It begins with a blood drop.
My mechanic ended up being not that modular as I wanted (although it is not parasitic as well. I would say is more modular than eveything else). Do I need to update it or can I keep it as it is?
Common cycle:
Crystal WisdomW
Sorcery (C)
You gain 2 life.
Crystallize — 1WW: Exile Crystal Wisdom crystallizing target enchantment. That enchantment gains "At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain 2 life". (Activate this ability only only any time you could cast a sorcery.) Wealth as limpid as crystal.
Crystal KnowledgeU
Sorcery (C)
Draw two cards, then discard two cards.
Crystallize — 2UU: Exile Crystal Knowledge crystallizing target enchantment. That enchantment gains "At the beginning of your upkeep, draw two cards, then discard two cards". (Activate this ability only only any time you could cast a sorcery.)
Acquaintance as valuable as crystal.
Crystal PainB
Sorcery (C)
Target player loses 2 life.
Crystallize — 2BB: Exile Crystal Pain crystallizing target enchantment. That enchantment gains "At the beginning of your upkeep, target player loses 2 life". (Activate this ability only only any time you could cast a sorcery.) Grief as enduring as crystal.
Crystal FuryR
Sorcery (C)
Crystal Fury deals 2 damage to target creature.
Crystallize — 2RR: Exile Crystal Fury crystallizing target enchantment. That enchantment gains "At the beginning of your upkeep, this permanent deals 2 damage to target creature". (Activate this ability only only any time you could cast a sorcery.)
Rage as vivid as crystal.
Crystal SavageryG
Sorcery (C)
Target creature you control fights another target creature.
Crystallize — 1GG: Exile Crystal Savagery crystallizing target enchantment. That enchantment gains "At the beginning of your upkeep, target creature you control fights another target creature". (Activate this ability only only any time you could cast a sorcery.) Peace as fragile as crystal.
Uncommon cycle:
Crystalline Blade1W
Instant (U)
Put a 2/1 white Soldier creature token with first strike onto the battlefield.
Crystallize — 3WW: Exile Crystalline Blade crystallizing target enchantment. That enchantment gains "At the beginning of your upkeep, put a 2/1 white Soldier creature token with first strike onto the battlefield". (Activate this ability only only any time you could cast a sorcery.)
Crystalline Wings 1U
Instant (U)
Put a 2/1 blue Drake creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
Crystallize — 3UU: Exile Crystalline Wings crystallizing target enchantment. That enchantment gains "At the beginning of your upkeep, put a 2/1 blue Drake creature token with flying onto the battlefield". (Activate this ability only only any time you could cast a sorcery.)
Crystalline Sting1B
Instant (U)
Put a 1/3 black Scorpion creature token with deathtouch onto the battlefield.
Crystallize — 3BB: Exile Crystalline Sting crystallizing target enchantment. That enchantment gains "At the beginning of your upkeep, put a 1/3 black Scorpion creature token with deathtouch onto the battlefield". (Activate this ability only only any time you could cast a sorcery.)
Crystalline Spark 1R
Instant (U)
Put a 2/1 red Elemental creature token with haste onto the battlefield.
Crystallize — 3RR: Exile Crystalline Spark crystallizing target enchantment. That enchantment gains "At the beginning of your upkeep, put a 2/1 red Elemental creature token with haste onto the battlefield". (Activate this ability only only any time you could cast a sorcery.)
Crystalline Steps 1G
Instant (U)
Put a 3/1 green Beast creature token with trample onto the battlefield.
Crystallize — 3GG: Exile Crystalline Steps crystallizing target enchantment. That enchantment gains "At the beginning of your upkeep, put a 3/1 green Beast creature token with trample onto the battlefield". (Activate this ability only only any time you could cast a sorcery.)
(To be completed in the future)
Rare cycle:
Enchanted Fortune2RR
Sorcery (R)
Each player discards his or her hand and draws seven cards.
Crystallize — 4RR: Exile Enchanted Fortune crystallizing target enchantment. That enchantment gains "At the beginning of your upkeep, each player discards his or her hand and draws seven cards". (Activate this ability only only any time you could cast a sorcery.)
And I think it's this for Crystallize. There's much more to do in this set: The initial ideas of Enchantment Creatures, Aura Swap, Chant...and other ideas!
Taking the list I made at the beginning:
Wuen Clan — WU, more focused on peace and harmony. This means tempo, delay and slow pace.
Ubch Clan — UB, more focused on knowledge and power. This means using the emanation to exhaustion only for own purposes.
Bran Clan — BR, more focused on chaos. Much like Tergs, but without a clear goal. Despite fun.
Terg Clan — RG, more focused on war. This means wrecking everything for profit. Creates unbalance in the world.
Degw Clan — GW, more focused on the community. This also means try to keep the peace but they are more focused on themselves. The Clan should impose as the greatest force by the sum.
I have this 2-color Clans, but I won't have that many gold cards. Should I pick a color or a Clan? And should the cards be completely mechanic-free?
Well there's a bunch of cards, depending of the answers to the questions above, judge accordingly.
Opals return (not necessarily in the same template):
Opal Warrior1W
Enchantment (C)
As long as you control 5 or more enchantments, Opal Warrior is a 2/3 Warrior enchantment creature.
Aura Force 1W
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can't attack or block unless its controller pays for each enchantment you control.
Strengthen the Flux W
Enchantment (C)
:symtap:: Target enchantment gains hexproof until end of turn. Survival only depends of a good protection.
Eye of the Vigilant1W
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each enchantment creature you control and has vigilance.
Rusting Immanence3W
Enchantment Creature — Elemental (C)
Sacrifice Rusting Immanence: Destroy target artifact. "There is a reason for this enchanted world."
— Janule, Holy Guard 3/3
Holy GuardW
Enchantment Creature — Human Soldier (C)
Auras you cast that target Holy Guard cost less to cast.
1/1
//////
Wuen Valor W
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has defender.
Aura swap 2UU(2UU: Exchange this Aura with an Aura card in your hand.)
Repulsive Wall 3UU
Enchantment (C)
Return Repulsive Wall to its owner's hand: Return target creature to its owner's hand.
When is as important as where.
DegwValor G
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has reach. 1W, Sacrifice Degw Valor: Enchantments you control are indestructible this turn.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Trophyless guy.
Thought of the Month: I gave up from trying to require the 'i' on my name: SolesticIo
Thanks for keeping the list concise. I'd much prefer to get a grasp of set themes and flavor through cards than write-ups.
Woodland Guide is a green Chasm Drake, which I really enjoy. The card seems like a decent common for limited, especially out of the sideboard. It's one of those cards that is pretty crappy most of the time, but against the right opponent is a bomb. Sets need those kinds of cards. Good job. The flavor comes across really well through the mechanics: I imagine Treebeard picking up a hobbit and crossing the forest with him. Probably my favorite card of yours this round.
Wanderwood Warrior is a bit of a curve ball for me. I guess your set has a multicolor theme now? Definitely more doable than the previously seen legendary theme. I'm not crazy about this guy- I imagine you'll have to jump through a lot of hoops to make him huge, when some of the time he'll just be a bear. There will be more players who don't realize this is a baseline 2/2 than you think, which isn't good for a common.
Canopy Rays feels like a blue card to me. If you have a lot of cards in the set like Wanderwood Warrior, I think this makes things too easy, especially at common. Turn two Warrior, turn three this, swing for six? And draw a card? Ouch.
Flourish also seems to make the multicolor thing a bit two easy at common. One-shot mana effects are usually red, but since this fixes color, I could see it in green. This would go very quickly in draft and lead to several players playing 5-color good stuff, which doesn't sound terribly interesting to me.
I'm not sure how I feel about Grasp of Vines. It reminds me of Utopia Vow, which is definitely a cool card, but not exactly in green's slice of the color pie. Green should be dealing with creatures with its own creatures, not pacifying them. If this had been GW, I'd be in love with it.
Very interesting write-up about Alara. I'm unsure of what caused this "Second Sundering," but that's not terribly important for today. My biggest concern is that many of the shards seem so terribly different than their original incarnations (Jund in particular) that the set being on Alara seems unnecessary. I know you have creative reasons for it, but from a game stand point, this could easily pass for another plane.
Exotic Growth is the type of very clear, very simple card that I'm shocked hasn't already been made. It could possibly just cost 2G. That would make more sense to me, actually, since as a common it will be enabling multicolor decks in limited, so the double G cost is a bit hindering of that. Of course, you may not want these to dominant drafts.
Headstone Nurturer is a very interesting design. I'd say the cost is just about right, though I'm not 100% sure I'd want the effect at common. Maybe. Flavor is interesting for new Grixis.
Groundgorging is crazy. This is so cheap for such an amazing life swing in the late game. And an instant? It reminds me of Gnaw to the Bone, but that at least needed you to build a weird deck to get crazy. This just wants you to play the game. Interesting gold card, though. It could possibly even be hybrid (or just monoblack, I suppose).
I'm not crazy about Blightsoil Sower being a vampire, but otherwise I really like the card (I don't like a lot of Wizards' call on vampire cards either, though). It's a bit more tokens than black usually gets, but as a representative of a wedge with green, that's fine. This will also encourage some graveyard/sacrifice shenanigans. Fun card.
Spirit Absolver is neat, though I don't like the excessive shuffling at common. Shuffling is a crappy way to regrow a card, so this will probably be used like a Purify the Grave. If that's the case, I'd say just put the card on the bottom of the library to avoid an unnecessary shuffle. I'd rework the name, as I was a bit surprised to see that the card isn't a spirit. Other than those neat picks, this is a solid common.
Very interesting world concept. Your color breakdown is intriguing, and one of the few where I wanted to read more. Green was an odd choice this round, but I'll give you my respect for not taking the easy way out.
Sudden Crawler would need to make sense in the set to be a common, and even then I feel like it should probably be uncommon for complexity. During the GDS2, Daniel Williams tried using a reveal theme for his set, which did not go over particularly well. Used sparingly, I could see some design space in revealing cards. Sudden Crawler, though, indicates that it will be a fairly common occurrence, which could get old quick.
Distressed Cartographer, on the other hand, does a really good job of playing with the reveal theme. It feels like a creative and intuitive way to use the design space, since the reveal serves a purpose ("See, I really don't have any lands") instead of being a gimmick ("WOOO! Look at my hand!"). Good job.
I like Whisper as an aura mechanic quite a bit. There is some potential for abuse, since you basically get the aura for free, but I do like it. Medicinal Knowledge itself, though, I'm not crazy about. This isn't the type of effect I want to see coming back over and over again, as it would slow the game down a lot. Regeneration isn't a great keyword for common, anyway, since its so complicated. I'd have much rather seen a high-priced Oakenform with whisper, which would've been a clean common and super exciting.
Voice of the Woods is already a card, first of all. I'll assume you meant Voices of the Woods, but still. I don't like Hidden. It's a more complicated Morph, and morph is already SUPER complex. Why couldn't you just bring back morph as a returning mechanic? It would be a near perfect fit for your setting and Maro has already said that they'd reflavor it when it comes back (not if; when). Simple answers are usually better, Occam's Razor, etc. etc. Anyway, cheating out a 4/5 on turn three is kind of cool. It reminds me of Awakener Druid, which I loved in M11 limited. Hidden= Voices of the Wood=
Feast in the Unseen Garden (which is an awesome, creepy name, by the way) is a bit too powerful for my tastes. The effect is interesting, but should probably cost more mana. I don't really like Secret. I get what its trying to do (keep information hidden from your opponents) but it will cause way too much undue shuffling. Shuffling makes games take longer for no reason, so I'd prefer to not keyword this. Maybe put it on the bottom then draw a card?
Ah, the good ol' Aura/Enchantment set. Your color list is very straightforward, which I appreciate, but I could also stand to see a little more development of it.
Defiled Somnor is a very simple common. I could see this card actually printed in just about any set. I personally enjoy mana sinks, as they give you something to do in the late game while granting some tough decisions (should I cast this spell or get in for some damage?). Intimidate seems like a fairly powerful ability to activate, so the higher ability cost is well warranted. Solid.
Rite of Remembrance is interesting. I'm not sure how often I'd want to play it in Limited, especially in a color that likes to kill creatures. This would be awesome for multiplayer politics, though.
Ostracize on a stick seems fine. Compares interestingly to Liliana's Specter. Another clean and simple design.
Dreamcurdler is a cool card. On the surface, he's a Bog Imp+. I really like how he plays subtly into your enchantment theme, though. A cheap evasive creature is an excellent aura target, and if you can pump his power (through auras, perhaps), he becomes a more potent kill spell. Deceptively powerful in an efficient package. Nice job.
Even though I also did it in my submission, I'm not crazy about mass removal effects at common. Wizards seems to be a bit more lax with this type of low-power removal, but still. If you can off even one creature with this, you've got a two-for one thanks to the cantrip. Kill any more creatures than that and you've swung things in your favor pretty substantially. I'd be more okay with this if there were some expectation of larger creatures in the format, but I haven't really seen any. Sure, auras could pump creatures to avoid the removal...or they could just add to the card disadvantage.
One final thought: I was shocked to see that your submission didn't include an enchantment. In fact, given that you've kind of built your set theme on enchantments, it's odd that you've only submitted one this entire month.
I wasn't super intrigued by your world concept until I read this color list. A set focused on the afterlife is very interesting. Not to mention that you've packed that list full of heavy metal music video imagery, which I love. Seriously, "Cosmic Kraken" is one of the greatest things I've ever read. One nitpick though- black's line "Those who seek carnal desires even in death" feels a more like red to me. Red's whole eternal battle and Viking schtick could use a little more depth anyway.
Red can already do Faithless Looting, so getting it on a 1/1 that requires jumping through a hoop is probably fine. The odd timing of the trigger is a little complex for common, so I wouldn't want to see a ton of it. Also, I'd prefer to see this discard first, then draw.
I'm not crazy about Idolatrous Procession. Making things lose lifelink seems uncommon to me. The mass +2/-1 might work, but hasn't really been used as removal in a while. That's not really the purpose of this, clearly, but it can be used that way.
Erratic Spoils feels like a blue card. Red gets temporary stealing, I know, but this feels more permanent, like a cheap way to do Mind Control. Either way, repeatable Threaten does not seem common to me.
I really like Wekhwa Bloodsmith. This looks like a decent body in limited with a phenomenally useful ability. Very clean and works pretty well with what seems to be one of red's themes (sacrificing themselves). Easily one of my favorite submissions this round.
Thundering Rearmament is kind of neat, but disjointed. The two effects don't really have anything to do with one another (mechanically or flavorfully) and just feel stapled together. Footbottom Feast says this type of thing works at common, but the self-exiling seems to push it toward uncommon for me.
TacticalCelebrant - Army Recruiter is a neat top-down design, although it'd make for it to make Soldier tokens. Squadmade Squire is a fine Infuse card, as is combat gem. You missed the part where you're not meant to use mechanics though. Surprising Volley is a fine combat trick, and Crystalline Refinements is efficient. Not bad.
Eskimo_Rage - Sky Bounty is annoyingly narrow, and the worst part is it doesn't work with lifelink, which forces you to play lifegain spells. Sun Glare Bomber is a strong limited card, as is Home Advantage. Cloudchaser's Distraction can comfortably cost 1W. Skyfolk distractor is bad - it makes them pay 1 then dies. I like the idea though - W for a 0/2 would be cool. Also, are you trying to force players into monocolor? Your cards are all incredibly color-intensive.
Igmhorus - Decieve the Mind is not a drawback. If anything, it's an advantage because it's harder to recur. Trading Trick is a neat way of both looting and duressing an opponent. Mystic Trinket is a little fiddly for a common, and UU for two cards is too good for common. Spellweave Adept works I guess, although this isn't a thing I'd like to see much of at common. Glimpse of Understanding feels forced.
willows - Woah what. Your colors are all over the place. The squatters are white, the second one...green I guess? Mortuvox could possibly be black, but should really be red. Inkblood Infusion can stand to cost 1B, so it's at least passable as removal. Nice flavor on it though. Weighing of Hearts, again, could cost less, but is a fine card.
Karsus is a pretty average place in the multiverse. Farmers farm, creatures scuttle into their dark caves and forests, soldiers are paid to guard places and people study to advance civilization. But there is something different. Mana does not exist on Karsus and never has. For millenia it's been like this but something is about to happen, something that will change everything...forever. Under Karsus is The Mirrored Depths (http://magiccards.info/extra/plane/p...ed-depths.html), a colossal, almost never ending cavern of shimmering, crystallized mana. The crystals are now being mined and processed, the mana inside able to be used produce the kind of power never seen before. How will the world take the sudden spike of power? That remains to be seen.
Theme: An Enchantment set.
Keyword: Infuse (To infuse a permanent put a crystal counter on it. Permanents with crystal counters on them are enchantments in addition to their other types.) [This represents the enchanting of everyday weapons, agricultural processes, magical items and statues with crystalline mana to imbue them with power]
Supporting mechanic: Groundbreaker (You may discard a land cards as you cast this spell. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.) [This represents mining lands for the crystallized mana in them until there is nothing of value left.]
I tried to get something that hits on magic being a new thing on this plane and how much they want it. They are willing to sacrifice potentially valuable land for the magical crystals underneath.
The mechanics will probably be divided with WU getting most of infuse, RG getting most of groundbreaker, and B getting a little of each.
Magic is still a pretty new concept on this plane, but it is clearly powerful and valuable. Each color wants these new sources of mana, and are developing ways to use them. I'm thinking this will be mostly, if not entirely, a mono-colored set with the colors mostly interacting with the crystals as such: R mines for crystals, G grows and farms crystals, B buys and sells crystals, U studies crystals, and W refines crystals.
Battleground Fervor3RR
Sorcery (R)
Untap target creature and gain control of it until end of turn. That creature gains haste until end of turn.
Groundbreaker [I](You may discard any number of land cards as you cast this spell. If you do, copy it for each card discarded this way. you may choose new targets for each copy.)[/I]
Slight change to the mechanic. You can now only discard 1 land card. This should make groundbreaker cards less swingy and lower the cost to make them more playable without 'breaking ground.'
Groundbreaker
You may discard a land card as you cast this spell. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.
Two vertical cycles and an accompanying horizontal cycle. I may have gone overboard.
Rage Eruption1R
Sorcery (C)
Creatures you control get +1/+0 until end of turn.
Groundbreaker [I](You may discard a land card as you cast this spell. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.)[/I]
[I]"This land is ours. No one's gonna take it, even if we have to tear it apart to keep it."
-Farmer Jovin[/I]
Fungal Outcrop G
Instant (C)
Put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token onto the battlefield.
Groundbreaker [I](You may discard a land card as you cast this spell. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.)[/I]
[I]Farmers found that the crystals could grow when planted in their fields. The crystals also had an interesting effect on any remaining crops[/I]
Crack the Tombs1B
Sorcery (C)
Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand
Groundbreaker [I](You may discard a land card as you cast this spell. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.)[/I]
[I]Some higher class elites elected to be buried with trinkets adorned with the magical crystals. Unfortunately, this made grave robbing more profitable and easier.[/I]
Fissure Blast1R
Instant (U)
Fissure blast deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
Groundbreaker [I](You may discard a land card as you cast this spell. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.)[/I]
Battleground Fervor2RR
Sorcery (R)
Untap target creature and gain control of it until end of turn. That creature gains haste until end of turn.
Groundbreaker [I](You may discard a land card as you cast this spell. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.)[/I]
[I]"The ground started to shift below our feet, and suddenly I couldn't tell if I was aiming at a rebel or a squadmate."
-Squadleader Myala[/I]
Geomancy Vein2G
Sorcery (U)
Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped. Then shuffle your library.
Groundbreaker [I](You may discard any number of land cards as you cast this spell. If you do, copy it for each card discarded this way. you may choose new targets for each copy.)[/I]
Crystalline Wilderness1GG
Sorcery (R)
Search your library for a creature card and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Groundbreaker [I](You may discard a land card as you cast this spell. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.)[/I]
[I]So beautiful. So dangerous. So fragile.[/I]
Gas Chasm3B
Sorcery (U)
Target creature gets -3/-3 until end of turn.
Groundbreaker [I](You may discard a land card as you cast this spell. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.)[/I]
[I]Miners used to use canaries to detect deadly gas pockets, until they ran out of canaries.[/I]
Empty the Silos1W
Sorcery (U)
Gain 4 life
Groundbreaker [I](You may discard a land card as you cast this spell. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.)[/I]
[I]"You need to understand, my people are starving. If your crystals have the power to provide for them, it would be criminal not to use them."
-Lawsmith Gavin[/I]
Plunder the Depths1U
Instant (U)
Draw a card.
Groundbreaker [I](You may discard a land card as you cast this spell. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.)[/I]
[I]"While it is important to study the delicate ecostystems maintained by the crystals, it is also important to understand what effect removing said crystals will have."
-Wisdomsmith Laura[/I]
W is the ruling class. It sees turmoil on the horizon caused by a struggle for these crystals. It intends to use this power to maintain control. There is already talk of a rebelion, so White is marshaling an army to quell dissidents. White wants to see this magic preserved and/or refined and is thus focused on enchantments and creatures that care about enchantments.
U is made up of researchers and academics. They want to figure out exactly how all this magic works. The little funding they had for research is running out, so they have to find creative ways to obtain and study this new phenomena. Blue is focused on seeing this magic used. It will focus on instants and sorceries and sometimes count how many of these have been used. It will also make use of infuse. Mostly turning non-enchantment permanents into enchantments.
B runs the economy. And with a new resource blooming, they see opportunity. White and blue want crystals, red and green want weapons. Black just wants to give everyone what they want. At a price. With a little crystal fueled theft, extortion, blackmail and racketeering, black could be running everything in no time. Jack of all trades in groundbreaker and enchantments.
R are miners were the first ones to discover these crystals. The government and societal elites have been demanding the trade of these crystals. Red is getting sick of white and blue's oppressive rule. They now use the power of the crystals to rebel.
G are the farmers and growers of this plane. They have been providing food for the people for generations. Now they have been given a new crop to cultivate and everyone is looking at their feilds with hungry eyes, hoping to harvest before the crop is ripe. Government officials are signing doccuments that say they own the crystals green is growing. Green must use this new power to defend its land from savage raiders and greedy bureaucrats.
For this first set, pretty much every creature is human. This will change as the block progresses.
Army Recruiter2W
Creature - Human Advisor(C)
When Army Recruiter enters the battlefield, put a 2/2 white knight creature token with vigilance onto the battlefield.
[I]We want you![/I]
0/1
Squadmate Squire1W
Creature - Human Soldier (C)
Infused [I](this permanent enters the battlefield with a crystal counter on it. It is an enchantment in addition to its other types for as long as it has a crystal counter on it.)[/I]
Remove a crystal counter from Squadmate Squire: Squadmate Squire gets +2/+2 and first strike until end of turn.
1/1
Combat GemW
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +1/+0 and first strike until end of turn. Infuse that creature.
[I](To infuse a permanent, put a crystal counter on it. It becomes an enchantment in addition to its other types for as long as it has a crystal counter on it.) [/I]
[I]Combat ready crystals soon became standard issue for the Alabastran military.[/I]
Crystalline Refinements2W
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant Permanent
When enchanted permanent becomes tapped, gain 2 life.
[I]"To inspire defenders, we must make our city worthy of defending."
-Nulon, Alabastran Senator[/I]
Suppressing VolleyxW
Instant
Surpressing Volley deals X damage to target attacking or blocking creature.
[I]"Disorganized, undisciplined, and easily dealt with."
-Squadleader report of rebel forces[/I]
Major change to the infuse keyword. Infuse can now appears on permanents as Infused.
Infused [I](this permanent enters the battlefield with a crystal counter on it. It is an enchantment in addition to its other types for as long as it has a crystal counter on it.)[/I]
Infuse target permanent [I](To infuse a permanent, put a crystal counter on it. It becomes an enchantment in addition to its other types for as long as it has a crystal counter on it.) [/I]
Infuse is kind of reminiscent of the myojin cycle from kamigawa. Rather than having enters or leaves the battlefield triggers, these creatures come with a spell you can activate once whenever they are on the battlefield. Because it's a keyword that requires a counter, it will probably be limited to this block. Putting it anywhere that you are likely to have +1/+1 or -1/-1 counters will cause some confusion.
I know that making the infused creatures enchantments seems a little random, but this was originally supposed to be an enchantment themed block. It does kind of limit its use elsewhere, but the fact that it uses counters kind of does that anyway. Also I think it adds some interesting distinction between infused and non-infused permanents, and the flavor kind of helps link it to the idea that this thing is carrying some magic.
Infuse is a bit confusing in its double form. I much rather infused creature would have " when ~ enters the battlefield, infuse it" instead. I also feel like there should be some sort of downside to losing enchantment status. The way they are now, infused creatures feel more like Icatian Javelineers than the Myojin cycle. The problem is that the mechanic feels like it needs a theme (either enchantments or counters), while there are no cards that support such a theme.
The cards are overall good. Army Recruiter is the highlight of the submission, a solid common that can be great in limited with a few flickering cards. Squadmate Squire is a bit underwhelming. Crystalline Refinements should probably give 3 life so it might double as a sort of soft removal. Combat Gem is good, but once again would be great if there was an actual enchantment theme in the set. Finally Suppressing Volley is quite inferior to Heat Ray, and could probably use some extra effect and a bump to uncommon.
The plane of Urmia is a plane of diverse races who have put aside inclinations to war openly and through eons of inter-racial trade created mutual dependency and tolerance.
Each race has something to offer:
A race of flying creatures that are the couriers of the skies often providing the fastest way to trade or travel.
A race of Forest dwellers they are the quickest way to courier goods or travel through the forest or trade in goods from the forests. These may include food, rare and common wood, medicinal herbs, pets etc.
As their goods indicate they are a peaceful tribal people living off the forests resources for generations, they are also the best way to contact the treefolk living within the forest.
In appearance they are humanoid flying squirrels, agile, unseen and able to glide through the forest.
primarily
A race of gnomish innovators they use the raw materials from trade to craft artifacts and provide the resources for their cities. Trade is the lifeblood of their progress.
The Innovators favour ingenuity and leaps of insight. Their talents are so well known that artifacts have been created in their own image even on other planes. This is attributed to visiting planeswalkers who have heard of the Innovators' skill and visit in disguise, spreading myths and stories of these prodigious artificers throughout the multiverse. http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/GnomesPrimarily :symu::symr:
:symw::symu::symb::symr::symg:: Elementals are fundamentally linked to the world of Urmia, they are the most noble, spiritual and enlightened of the races and are often sought for their wisdom.
Urmia: Innovators
Finds the plane in relative peace, the Innovators continue to push forward new technologies and trading with partners is as important as ever. The Sky Folk prepare for breeding season among their people and the Leaf Dwellers have little interest outside the shamanic rituals and co-existence with their forest homes. They continue to trade passage, wood, berries, magic and other forest paraphernalia enthusiastically as do the skyfolk, providing courier services and goods from sky homes.
However the Innovators have invented a new technology that will come to change the plane and all its inhabitants. Constructs, machines that can do anything limited only by imagination. As these machines are brought in to replace the work force demand grows and so does civil disobedience.
The recently unemployed are not happy and the machines themselves are not self sustaining but require fuels such as water, wood or solar depending on there function.
Unknown to the Innovators waste products from the machines are toxic to the environment.
Urmia: Infighting Mysterious maladies strike the inhabitants of Urmia. The Sky Folk have left for their breeding grounds in the unreachable Peak Cliffs to nurture their young, but some eggs appear diseased and the young appear feeble.
The new technology among the Innovators has shifted the balance of power a little in favour of the greedy who think nothing of covertly taking resources and building on their neighbours lands.
The Leaf Dwellers wake each day to find the boundaries of the forest shifted or burnt as mysterious people plunder the forests resources and infuriate the wrath of the Treefolk.
Each inhabitant battles with factions from within, who are winning influence in the face of new issues and would strike back at neighbours or try to grab more power for themselves.
With each race caught within their own problems little is noticed about the sudden disappearance of many of the Elementals, those that are passed upon are incoherent appearing to battle some unseen force for control.
Urmia: Elemental Uprising
Urmia it seems cannot find an end one problem before another begins. The problem of theft and pollution from The Innovators new inventions are dealt with diplomatically as each race wrestles with the power struggle with the factions within and overcomes them.
New trade agreements are made and old ties renewed but to late the inhabitants of Urmia find themselves facing unmitigating violence. The noble Elementals inexplicably linked with Urmia itself have lost their fight for free will as the Plane lashes back like a wounded animal against the pollution and abuse.
As Urmia roils with unnatural weather the elementals become similarly wild and feral breaking upon the other races with impunity. Can a coalition of the races working to buy time for new Innovator technology to be developed save the Elementals and the plane of Urmia?
R: Disgruntled unemployed replaced by construct machines, wild gnomish innovation, earth resources/ basic elements of artifice [heat, energy, mana].
B: pollution, ooze, xenophobia, theft of resources, selfish elements within each race [mostly presented in hybrid or multicolour].
U: artificers, innovation, cities, constructs, machines, knowledge, experimentation, technologically advanced, trade dependent, also sometimes hybridised with green and white for skyfolk and flying squirrels [The River Tribe for example}
W: cliffs and canyons, inhospitable terrain, skyfolk, home advantage, couriers, sky guides and traders.
Sky Bounty1WW
enchantment [c]
Whenever you gain life you may tap target creature.
[I]"The very land that sustains the Skyfolk is a draining ordeal on all others." [/I]
Sun Glare Bomber2W
creature- bird soldier [c]
Flying 1WW, Discard Sun Glare Bomber: Sun Glare Bomber deals 2 damage to target attacking or blocking creature.
2/2
[I]"Fly with the glaring sun at your backs and you will not be seen until to late." Aust, Patrol Instructor [/I]
Home advantageWW
enchantment- aura [c]
enchant creature
Enchanted creature has vigilance and ', : Tap target creature.'
[I]"Imagine having to traverse crumbling cliffs and hazardous canyons while your quarry can glide on the very air." [/I]
Cloudchaser's Distortion1WW
sorcery [c]
Choose one or both — Destroy target enchantment; and/or return target enchantment from your graveyard to your hand.
[I]"Under this relentless Sun the weary mind creates distortions of dancing enchantment ebbing and flowing just beyond the peripheral vision." [/I]
Skyfolk Distractor 1WW
creature [c]
flying, defender
When Skyfolk Distractor blocks a creature, destroy that creature unless it's controller pays :1mana:.
1/1
[I]"A distraction at these crumbling heights could be fatal for Landfolk."[/I]
Biggest problem I have is the amount of doubled colored mana in your commons. Wizards almost never print cheap cards with double colored mana in their costs, because it hurts limited.
The thing is, most of your cards don't even need the CC in their costs. Cloudchaser's Distortion would certainty be fine at 2W. Skyfolk Distractor is completely useless. Three mana for a 1/1 with defender? and why would anyone ever attack into it without leaving mana open? Sky Glare Bomber is the best of the bunch, I've got nothing to complain about in it. Sky bounty feels like an uncommon to me. It has a certain "build around me" feel that usually goes in uncommon. Home Advantage is also fine, and the only card that I'm ok with having CC in its cost.
:symw:: Defense, protection, clerics, angels, opression, truth
:symu:: Spellcasting, wizards, library and stack manipulation.
:symb:: Demons, undead, corruption, life loss, sacrifice
:symr:: Elements, spellcasting, direct damage
:symg:: Quick creatures, creature pump, tokens
:symwr:: Combat, combat tricks, sacrifice oneself for others
:symgu:: Magic triggers, tokens, weird effects
:symbg:: Land manipulation, resource generation, corruption, opponent tricks, greed
Blue:
There is but one true power in Siephaer, which is knowledge. And there is no greater knowledge than magic. Siephaer is a land ruled by powerful wizards, where the most incredible feats of magic are obtained. In it, lies the Great Academy, the a huge complex devoted to teaching and research.
Deceive the Mind1U
Instant (C)
Counter target spell. If that spell is countered this way, shuffle it in its owner's library instead of putting it into that player's graveyard.
[I]"I.. I... What was I saying again? Ah, it'll come back to me..."[/I]
Trading Trick1U
Sorcery (C)
Target player draw's a card. If he or she does, look at that player's hand and choose a card. That player puts it in the bottom of his or her library.
[I]You never know what you are going to get, but it's certain that you will lose if you're not smart enough[/I]
Mystic Trinket(2/U)
Artifact (C)
Flash
When ~ comes into the battlefield, if you control a blue spell, draw a card.
:symu:, Sacrifice ~: Draw a card.
Spellweave Adept2U
Creature - Human Wizard (C)
:symtap:: Scry X, where X is the converted mana cost of target spell.
[I]Look, sense, learn.
- Spellweaver's Motto[/I]
1/2
Glimpse of Understanding
Instant (C)
Draw a card.
[I]Feedback - [/I] Whenever ~ is target of a spell or ability, scry 1.
[I]"The more you try, the more I understand"[/I]
Interesting ideas. I'm a bit worried that having so many stack interactions at common would confuse new player, but I'll allow you your creaive freedom.
The cards are a mixed bunch of highs and lows. Deceive the Mind is broken. Memory Lapse was a long time ago, and many would argue that shuffling into the library is better than regular countering, since it doesn't allow graveyard shenanigans. Up the cost. It took me a while, but I warmed up to Trading Trick quite a bit. I like how it's allowing you to get rid of an opponent's best card for an extra card, or trade your worst card and draw a new one. It's not exactly control, but I do like the mini game within it. Mystic Trinket is bizarre. If the only way to get something out of it requires you to have access to blue mana, there really is no need for hybrid. Spellweave Adept can be really useful in long limited games, perhaps too useful. I feel like uncommon is better for it. Glimpse of understanding works with your theme, but Opt let's you do pretty much the same without jumping through any hoops.
As of this set, The Dead Kingdom (:symbw:) is just rising from its ashes—the catacombs, slums, and hidden tomb valleys that surround its captured capital, now the proud city of Tsem (:symw::symru:). The appearance of these ghosts, and the mortuvoxes who follow them, give the Elk People (:symgu:) the opportunity to take back lands the Tsem Empire has taken.
:symw:: Tsem Empire – Imperialism, expansion, farming, edifices, spirits of sun and grain || Dead Kingdom – Nomadism, grief, puppetry
:symu:: Tsem Empire – Aqueducts, diplomacy, exploration || Elk People – Rivers, the night sky, augury
:symb:: Dead Kingdom – Necromancy, revenge, poverty
:symr:: Tsem Empire – City-building, smithing, spirits of fire
:symg:: Elk People – The living earth, elementals, herding
Black Commons
Shrine Squatters
Creature — Human Nomad
As long as you control a Zombie, Shrine Squatters has first strike.
[i]There is nothing more shameful for them than living in the houses of the dead, but there is no other choice.[i/]
1/1
Noble Dead :1mana::symb:
Creature — Zombie Wizard
:1mana:, :symtap:: Add or to your mana pool.
2/1
Novice Mortuvox :2mana::symb:
Creature — Human Shaman
Whenever a creature you control dies, you may have Novice Mortuvox deal 1 damage to target creature or player.
1/2
Inkblood Infusion :1mana::symb::symb:
Sorcery
Inkblood Infusion deals 3 damage to target creature. At the beginning of the next end step, if that creature is still on the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes a Zombie.
Weighing of Hearts :3mana::symb:
Sorcery
Exile a creature card from target opponent’s graveyard. You gain life equal to its power, and its owner loses life equal to its toughness.
Holy color-pie breaking batman! it's as though you wanted to do five colors with five black cards. Flavor can allow for some color-bleeding, but not on every card.
Shrine Squatters exhibits first strike in black, something that aside certain knights has not been seen since Planar Chaos. I wouldn't have minded if the flavor excused it, but I really can't see why some squatters will have first strike. Noble Dead feels a bit more green than black, but not too badly, and the flavor works. Novice Mortuvox is red. Completely. I'd be fine if it would have said "Whenever a creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may have target player lose 1 life", but pinging like this needs red in its mana cost, and in anyway feels like it needs to be uncommon, since you can chain kill an army of tokens with it. Inkblood Infusion also feels a bit red, but in this case the flavor once again excuses it. Lastly, Weighing of Hearts, the only completely black card, is really underwhelming. The life gain will come out to be very little in most cases and exiling a creature is just not good enough. Cremate gives you a card, for Odin's sake, and only costs one mana.
Your flavor blurbs are alright, and the give me a vague idea of what I would encounter in each of those places and an idea of the scenery, but I can't see how they'd much help you know what to go for mechanically. Woodland Guide is nice. I like it. It's like Chasm Drake for forestwalk, which means it's perfectly acceptable at common. Wanderwood Warrior should possibly be uncommon.
I don't like Flourish at all. Fast mana is occasionally green these days, but in my opinion in belongs in red. In fact, it hasn't really happened since Mirrodin block, except for Manamorphose, which may have just been a bleed because it's hybrid. Doubling mana also has only occured on Doubling Cube, as far as I know, which was a wonky rare from Fifth Dawn. I don't think it belongs on a common. Grasp of Vines could probaly cost G and only enchant creatures with flying. The exclamation point in the flavor text is unnecessary.
Nice flavor. Exotic Growth is a nice tweak on Rampant Growth. Any particular reason it would be Grixis-flavored for the set?
My gut feeling is that Headstone Nurturer should be uncommon, since usually this effect with a bonus is uncommon. There's also the fact that it can reclaim other Headstone Nurturers.
Why is Archangel's Light a mythic rare that costs 8? Apparently 2 life for each card is a big difference. I have a feeling this should be a higher rarity, cost a bit more, or be a sorcery. When you're doing ALL cards from ALL graveyards, this is potentially a large swing in life.
I think Blightsoil Sower should be uncommon. Spirit Absolver is nice, though I feel like it would be a 2/2 at common. I could be wrong, though.
Secrets Untold
Your flavor intrigues me, because it reminds me of Innistrad. Innistrad was a horror set and therefore skewed all the colors slightly toward black. Your set is based on knowing things and keeping secrets, which to me, will skew the set toward blue. I like how you've broken down the ways each of the colors cares about knowledge.
Hidden is just too similar to morph, but with a unified cost for your set. It's also going to be quite hard to put on larger creatures, since you'll just play them on turn 3 all the time and then flip them immediately. Sudden Crawler feels very much like an uncommon. Distressed Cartographer seems way too complex for not enough gain. I'd rather the land went onto the battlefield, and that this was uncommon. Medicinal Knowledge could be really, really annoying. I like that you're trying to overcome the card disadvantage inherent in auras, though. Feast in the Unseen Garden has a very long name and probably gains too much life for common.
Fabacin
I see that you've done most of the work of defining your colors in your entry round, and that you've done just as much as Prophylaxis here with your color descriptions. That's enough.
Honestly, I'm a fan of all of your cards but Sickening Delusion, and only because I'm a bit iffy about a one-sided "wrath" at common. Electrickery did it, though, so maybe it's okay.
Heaven
Very nice flavor.
I like Tyrmoz's Ululant quite a lot.
I do NOT like Idolatrous Procession, because giving +2/-1 to everyone is too much of a color bleed for red. I also don't like Erratic Spoils at common, because repeatedly stealing any type of permanent just should not be a common effect. For the record, I do really like it, I just don't think it should be common. Thundering Rearmanent feels uncommon to me.
:symb:: Dead Kingdom – Necromancy, revenge, poverty
Shrine Squatters
Creature — Human Nomad
As long as you control a Zombie, Shrine Squatters has first strike. There is nothing more shameful for them than living in the houses of the dead, but there is no other choice.
1/1
Noble Dead :1mana::symb:
Creature — Zombie Wizard
:1mana:, :symtap:: Add or to your mana pool.
2/1
Novice Mortuvox :2mana::symb:
Creature — Human Shaman
Whenever a creature you control dies, you may have Novice Mortuvox deal 1 damage to target creature or player.
1/2
Inkblood Infusion :1mana::symb::symb:
Sorcery
Inkblood Infusion deals 3 damage to target creature. At the beginning of the next end step, if that creature is still on the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes a Zombie.
Weighing of Hearts :3mana::symb:
Sorcery
Exile a creature card from target opponent’s graveyard. You gain life equal to its power, and its owner loses life equal to its toughness.
“Dead Kingdom” and its descriptors are a bit generic, but I’m all about the new world order so it’s all good. The flavor of your cards supports your description of black in your set. The individual cards look more or less good. Inkblood infusion is possibly too complicated for a common by NWO standards, but I like it. Weighing of Hearts is excellent. I would’ve like to have seen some flavor text on this batch. Nonetheless, the cards do a decent job of evoking your description of black in your set.
W is the ruling class. It sees turmoil on the horizon caused by a struggle for these crystals. It intends to use this power to maintain control. There is already talk of a rebelion, so White is marshaling an army to quell dissidents. White wants to see this magic preserved and/or refined and is thus focused on enchantments and creatures that care about enchantments.
Army Recruiter2W
Creature - Human Advisor(C)
When Army Recruiter enters the battlefield, put a 2/2 white knight creature token with vigilance onto the battlefield. We want you!
0/1
Squadmate Squire1W
Creature - Human Soldier (C)
Infused (this permanent enters the battlefield with a crystal counter on it. It is an enchantment in addition to its other types for as long as it has a crystal counter on it.)
Remove a crystal counter from Squadmate Squire: Squadmate Squire gets +2/+2 and first strike until end of turn.
1/1
Combat GemW
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +1/+0 and first strike until end of turn. Infuse that creature. (To infuse a permanent, put a crystal counter on it. It becomes an enchantment in addition to its other types for as long as it has a crystal counter on it.) Combat ready crystals soon became standard issue for the Alabastran military.
Crystalline Refinements2W
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant Permanent
When enchanted permanent becomes tapped, gain 2 life. "To inspire defenders, we must make our city worthy of defending."
-Nulon, Alabastran Senator
Suppressing VolleyxW
Instant
Surpressing Volley deals X damage to target attacking or blocking creature. "Disorganized, undisciplined, and easily dealt with."
-Squadleader report of rebel forces
Infuse[d] is fine as parasitic mechanics go. It would’ve been nice to see a card that interacts positively with enchantments rather than a relatively generic bizarro Attended Knight so that it might be understood via the cards as to why things are enchantments as long as they have a crystal counter on them. Crystalline Refinements is a pretty weak flavor, but the batch overall fits your description of white in your set.
:symu:: Spellcasting, wizards, library and stack manipulation.
Blue:
There is but one true power in Siephaer, which is knowledge. And there is no greater knowledge than magic. Siephaer is a land ruled by powerful wizards, where the most incredible feats of magic are obtained. In it, lies the Great Academy, the a huge complex devoted to teaching and research.
Deceive the Mind1U
Instant (C)
Counter target spell. If that spell is countered this way, shuffle it in its owner's library instead of putting it into that player's graveyard. "I.. I... What was I saying again? Ah, it'll come back to me..."
Trading Trick1U
Sorcery (C)
Target player draw's a card. If he or she does, look at that player's hand and choose a card. That player puts it in the bottom of his or her library. You never know what you are going to get, but it's certain that you will lose if you're not smart enough
Mystic Trinket(2/U)
Artifact (C)
Flash
When ~ comes into the battlefield, if you control a blue spell, draw a card.
:symu:, Sacrifice ~: Draw a card.
Spellweave Adept2U
Creature - Human Wizard (C)
:symtap:: Scry X, where X is the converted mana cost of target spell. Look, sense, learn.
- Spellweaver's Motto
1/2
Glimpse of Understanding
Instant (C)
Draw a card. Feedback - Whenever ~ is target of a spell or ability, scry 1. "The more you try, the more I understand"
Your description of blue in your set was acceptable and even basic blue until “stack manipulation”. For starters, the concept is not original. It has been proposed time and time again. It may seem original because it’s never been done by WotC before. I propose that it never will be done by WotC because there’s at least one less complicated way to do it. Deceive the Mind is the best hard counter since Force of Will. Trading Trick is awesome (though worded wrong).
W: cliffs and canyons, inhospitable terrain, skyfolk, home advantage, couriers, sky guides and traders.
Sky Bounty1WW
enchantment [c]
Whenever you gain life you may tap target creature. "The very land that sustains the Skyfolk is a draining ordeal on all others."
Sun Glare Bomber2W
creature- bird soldier [c]
Flying 1WW, Discard Sun Glare Bomber: Sun Glare Bomber deals 2 damage to target attacking or blocking creature.
2/2 "Fly with the glaring sun at your backs and you will not be seen until to late." Aust, Patrol Instructor
Home advantageWW
enchantment- aura [c]
enchant creature
Enchanted creature has vigilance and ', : Tap target creature.' "Imagine having to traverse crumbling cliffs and hazardous canyons while your quarry can glide on the very air."
Cloudchaser's Distortion1WW
sorcery [c]
Choose one or both — Destroy target enchantment; and/or return target enchantment from your graveyard to your hand. "Under this relentless Sun the weary mind creates distortions of dancing enchantment ebbing and flowing just beyond the peripheral vision."
Skyfolk Distractor 1WW
creature [c]
flying, defender
When Skyfolk Distractor blocks a creature, destroy that creature unless it's controller pays :1mana:.
1/1 "A distraction at these crumbling heights could be fatal for Landfolk."
Your description of white looks good until “home advantage”. Other than a card named “Home Advantage”, I don’t get it. Anyways, I like the cards. The batch as a whole looks decent with the exception of Sky Bounty, which has an uncommon ability even if your set has a large amount of lifegain. And I think it should be on a creature with lifelink with an activation cost of W.
U: Moneylenders, wizards, controlling. On a world where water is hard to come by the blue mages suddenly found themselves with a fathomless amount of power. Water became the major currency.
R: Carvers/Shapers/Builders, statesmen. With a world forced to live underground, they mold the ground around them to provide room for the populace to live and grow.
W: Traders/Artificers/Healers, nomads. This group is mostly comprised of lizard men who were better equipped to remain on the cataclysmic surface. As such they are able to search the ruins of the old world for relics.
G: Farmers/Explorers, druids, elves. This group has become the caretakers of the masses. They have adapted to grow like in the most hostile environments under the ground and produce food to feed all that need it.
B: Soldiers, sanitation, necromancers, guardians. Adapted to the depths of the dark, those that wield black mana have found a respect over the years. They are the first line of defense against incursions of all sorts. They are also aptly equipped to do the one job no one wants to, sanitation.
With such a harsh environment, there remains a feral element also: U: Sprites, Nymphs R: Goblins W: Wurms G: Plants B: Shades, Spirits
Shadow Wanderer3B
Creature - Spirit (C)
Exile a card from your graveyard: Return Shadow Wanderer to its owner's hand. "There was something there a second ago.....I know it!!!"
2/3
Sewage Extractor4B
Creature — Human (C)
Whenever Sewage Extractor attacks and isn't blocked, exile target card from defending player's graveyard.
2/4
Mass Withering6B
Sorcery (C)
Delve (You may exile any number of cards from your graveyard as you cast this spell. It costs less to cast for each card exiled this way.) Creatures your opponents control get -2/-2 until end of turn. "A slight redirection of the sewage flow can help turn the tide in any battle."
Enlivened Sludge3BB
Instant (C)
Put two 1/1 black Ooze creature tokens with deathtouch onto the battlefield.
Dark Sentry1B
Creature - Human Soldier (C)
Defender
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to and dealt by Dark Sentry.
Discard a card: Dark Sentry can't block this turn. Only any opponent may activate this ability.
0/2
I feel some uncomfortable tension between Delve and the graveyard exiling you have going on here — I see that you're trying to develop a "graveyard as resource" theme without doing the "all reanimation all the time" thing Innistrad did, and I appreciate that you're developing "spend cards in the yard" beyond delve, but it does exacerbate the tension of delve, which is that you benefit less from delve if you use more of it.
It would be nice to see something like self-mill, cycling, or whatever to support the delving, and maybe that's in your plan (I look forward to seeing it), but it's not in your posts yet :/
Your individual cards seem all right, although Dark Sentry and Shadow Wanderer give me a blue vibe. The sewage theme is cool, but I'd have liked a little more flavor text.
W: The traces of Civilization. Adventurers. Enclaves. Nomads. Survival of the group through sacrifice of the fittest.
R: The great mountain ranges. Warriors. Pride. Mountainclans. Slay or be slain culture. Great emphasis on personal Honor within Mountain denizens.
U: The deep sea. Very high intelligence. Strange magic. accelerated evolution of the mind. A swath of Xenophobia to top it off.
G: Vast untouched forests. Great Diversity in denizens. Ancient ruins of Civilizations. Creatures that are of untold age.
B: The grim, cold north. Getting Lost. Eternal Night. Secluded cults of people. Ancient powers of magic.
Lost in this World1B
Instant (C)
Nonblack creatures get -1/-1 until end of turn.
Hunter of the Dead2BB
Creature - Human Shaman (C)
Whenever another creature dies, you may pay B. If you do, you gain 1 life.
3/4
Sons of Northern Darkness2B
Creature - Human (C)
Whenever Sons of Northern Darkness attacks, defending player loses life equal to the number of tapped creatures he or she controls. Even when the freezing wind might pull you down, do not lie to rest.
2/2
Treacherous Winds2B
Instant (C)
Destroy target untapped creature. In the North, staying put is just as deadly as moving on
Trail of the Demon1B
Enchantment (C)
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may sacrifice Trail of the Demon. If you do, target player draws 2 cards and loses 2 life.
Lost in this World has a really evocative title and a solid black mechanic, but Shrivel and Nausea say it's too good, since it doesn't hit your dudes and it's faster than those cards are.
Hunter of the Dead — Solid.
Sons of Northern Darkness is complicated and strong enough to be an uncommon, at least. I'm very intrigued by the mechanic. The flavor is strong here too. I like that you put visible effort into that.
Treacherous Winds — I see there's an 'untapped creature hate' subtheme developing here; that's kind of cool, although the effect it draws out — your opponent is incentivized to attack heavily — feels green or red to me, not black. I'd watch the costing on this carefully, but it's worse than Doom Blade as it is, so that's a good starting point.
Trail of the Demon — Sure.
W: Frontier outposts of the Kerria Empire of aven, hardy settlers, native tribes of long-limbed but thin giants. U: Arcane surveyors and seers of the Kerria, siphoners, merfolk pirates that harness sea serpents to attack ships B: Voodoo shamans, hot underground caverns, Khavrat beetle people, cruel slavers R: Viashino pueblo dwellers, free bounty hunters, stone elementals G: Dinosaurs, jungle humans, herders
White cards:
Aspiring Deputy1W
Creature - Human Soldier (C)
Aspiring Deputy has first strike as long as you control a creature with greater power.
2/2
Kerria Lookout1W
Creature - Bird Scout (C)
Flying T: Remove target creature you control from combat.
1/1
Longarm Spear-Thrower3W
Creature - Giant Soldier (C)
Whenever Longarm Spear-Thrower blocks, you may have it deal 1 damage to target attacking creature.
2/4
Opprobrium1W
Instant (C)
Destroy target attacking creature with power less than or equal to the number of creatures you control.
Holistic Ascension2W
Instant (C)
Target creature gains flying until end of turn. You gain life equal to its power plus its toughness.
I want to start by saying I love how streamlined these cards are. You've done a lot with a very small amount of text.
It would have been nice to see just a little flavor text, but I think your mechanics capture the flavor of their names very well, and they fit well into the themes you've described for white in your color guide. I'm a little puzzled by Kerria Lookout, because it sort of looks like an answer to a question that hasn't been asked — when are you going to have to pull a creature out of combat? Are there things that force creatures into combat? Maybe it's meant as a further exploration on the theme of Coordinate. (I think it could use reminder text saying what happens if you remove a blocker, as well.)
Holistic Ascension feels like an odd man out in this set; something about the mystical language of its name doesn't fit with the 'wild frontier' vibe of the rest of the cards.
No-show
This was a tough decision! Everyone showed really great work. It was a pleasure to read.
One final thought: I was shocked to see that your submission didn't include an enchantment. In fact, given that you've kind of built your set theme on enchantments, it's odd that you've only submitted one this entire month.
Fair, although I submitted two cards meant specifically for Auras (the Somnor and the Imp). Also, of all the colors, black cares about enchantments the least (or at least not directly - sort of like Innistrad only had two blue creatures that cared about things dying). I'll get to it eventually though, trust me.
Round One
Round Two
(W/U)(U/B)(B/R)(R/G)(G/W)The Collective(W/B)(B/G)(G/U)(U/R)(R/W)
Enchantment- Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +0/+2.
Whenever enchanted creature is dealt damage, you gain that much life.
Creature- Bird (C)
Flying
If Nobleman's Courier would die, shuffle it into your library instead.
In Arnat, even the pets refuse to die.
Creature- Elf Advisor (C)
Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on Revered Elder.
"With age comes knowledge of the world. I trust no advice but that of my elders." — Minister Tamao
Instant (C)
Return target creature you own to your hand. You gain 1 life.
"Time is our greatest enemy, but some day, it will meet its end." — Zeles, High Scholar
Sorcery (C)
Put two 0/3 colorless Wall creature tokens with defender onto the battlefield.With the growing "threat" presented by the Collective, the extreme isolationism of Arnat has reached new heights.
:symu:: Spellcasting, wizards, library and stack manipulation.
:symb:: Demons, undead, corruption, life loss, sacrifice
:symr:: Elements, spellcasting, direct damage
:symg:: Quick creatures, creature pump, tokens
:symwr:: Combat, combat tricks, sacrifice oneself for others
:symug:: Magic triggers, tokens, weird effects
:symbg:: Land manipulation, resource generation, corruption, opponent tricks, greed
Blue:
There is but one true power in Siephaer, which is knowledge. And there is no greater knowledge than magic. Siephaer is a land ruled by powerful wizards, where the most incredible feats of magic are obtained. In it, lies the Great Academy, the a huge complex devoted to teaching and research.
Deceive the Mind 1U
Instant (C)
Counter target spell. If that spell is countered this way, shuffle it in its owner's library instead of putting it into that player's graveyard.
"I.. I... What was I saying again? Ah, it'll come back to me..."
Trading Trick 1U
Sorcery (C)
Target player draw's a card. If he or she does, look at that player's hand and choose a card. That player puts it in the bottom of his or her library.
You never know what you are going to get, but it's certain that you will lose if you're not smart enough
Mystic Trinket (2/U)
Artifact (C)
Flash
When ~ comes into the battlefield, if you control a blue spell, draw a card.
:symu:, Sacrifice ~: Draw a card.
Spellweave Adept 2U
Creature - Human Wizard (C)
:symtap:: Scry X, where X is the converted mana cost of target spell.
Look, sense, learn.
- Spellweaver's Motto
1/2
Glimpse of Understanding
Instant (C)
Draw a card.
Feedback - Whenever ~ is target of a spell or ability, scry 1.
"The more you try, the more I understand"
Guild ability being used by another guild
Graveyard effects
Done:
1 Mana Legendary Permanent
Kamigawa re-done
W: Aven War Choirs: Measure and Tradition. Magic involves 'tax' effects, cards that synergize with others
U: City Orchestra: Magic involves spells caring about other spells, copying and modifying other spells and permanents.
G: Tribal Frog Chants: Magic involves growth, token creation, adding counters and tutoring land and creatures.
B: Banshee Wailing: magic involves forcing sacrifice, weakening other creatures and traplike effects.
Chaotic Red
Bacchanal Trickster R
Creature - Satyr Rogue (C)
Sacrifice Bacchanal Trickster: If target spell or ability has a single target, reselect that target at random.
Never underestimate how far a satyr will take a joke.
1/1
Canu Stalker 3R
Creature - Hound Warrior (C)
When Canu Stalker attacks, a random untapped creature the defending player controls blocks Canu Stalker this turn if able.
Canu hunters live for the chase. Their lack of foresight ensures they don't live for it very long.
4/2
Satyr Agitator 1RR
Creature - Satyr Warrior (C)
Whenever Satyr Agitator becomes blocked, the defending players draws two cards, then discards two cards at random.
The wild tactics of the Satyr make strategy a futile endeavor - General Hyrus
3/2
Lyrical Flame R
Instant (C)
Lyrical Flame deals damage to target creature or player equal to the number of spell cast this turn. (Including this one)
The sweet sizzle of embers is just another voice, waiting for its song.
Satyr Lyricist2R
Creature - Satyr Warrior (C)
When Satyr Lyricist enters the battlefield, draw two cards then discard a card at random.
Who needs rhyme and meter when I have volume!
2/2
Round 1
Round 2
As of this set, The Dead Kingdom (:symwb:) is just rising from its ashes—the catacombs, slums, and hidden tomb valleys that surround its captured capital, now the proud city of Tsem (:symw::symur:). The appearance of these ghosts, and the mortuvoxes who follow them, give the Elk People (:symgu:) the opportunity to take back lands the Tsem Empire has taken.
:symw:: Tsem Empire – Imperialism, expansion, farming, edifices, spirits of sun and grain || Dead Kingdom – Nomadism, grief, puppetry
:symu:: Tsem Empire – Aqueducts, diplomacy, exploration || Elk People – Rivers, the night sky, augury
:symb:: Dead Kingdom – Necromancy, revenge, poverty
:symr:: Tsem Empire – City-building, smithing, spirits of fire
:symg:: Elk People – The living earth, elementals, herding
Black Commons
Shrine Squatters
Creature — Human Nomad
As long as you control a Zombie, Shrine Squatters has first strike.
[i]There is nothing more shameful for them than living in the houses of the dead, but there is no other choice.[i/]
1/1
Noble Dead :1mana::symb:
Creature — Zombie Wizard
:1mana:, :symtap:: Add or to your mana pool.
2/1
Novice Mortuvox :2mana::symb:
Creature — Human Shaman
Whenever a creature you control dies, you may have Novice Mortuvox deal 1 damage to target creature or player.
1/2
Inkblood Infusion :1mana::symb::symb:
Sorcery
Inkblood Infusion deals 3 damage to target creature. At the beginning of the next end step, if that creature is still on the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes a Zombie.
Weighing of Hearts :3mana::symb:
Sorcery
Exile a creature card from target opponent’s graveyard. You gain life equal to its power, and its owner loses life equal to its toughness.
Siphon N - Reveal the top N cards of your library. For every land card revealed this way, do X. Then put the revealed cards on the bottom of your library.
This ability can appear on both spells and creatures, as an activated ability. It shows how the people of Casma tap into the land's potential to fuel their magic.
Mount (At the beginning of combat, you may have target creature +X/+Y until end of turn, where X/Y is this creature's power and toughness. If you do, this creature can't attack or block this turn.)
Mounts are creatures that can pair up with another creature for combat. At higher rarities, many of them grant abilities to the riding creature as well.
Bounties - Bounties are an Aura subtype ("Enchantment - Aura Bounty"). They all have "Enchant creature an opponent controls" and give you a bonus when the enchanted creature dies.
Ashbreath Ravager 1BR
Creature - Elemental Horror (R)
Intimidate
Mount
Mounted creature has intimidate and "Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices a permanent at random."
3/1
OK I think I'm trying Mount as an ability word and changing it to "Coordinate" for flavor purposes. I'm also tacking on a mana cost. At common, we only do p/t bonuses, but the mana costs can vary a little. I'll accept suggestions for better reminder text, not sure if this is even necessary.
Tressan War-Swine 3G
Creature - Boar (C)
Coordinate - If Tressan War-Swine would attack or block, you may pay 1G and tap it instead. If you do, target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn. (This creature doesn't attack or block.)
3/3
Hunting Hound W
Creature - Hound (C)
Coordinate - If Hunting Hound would attack or block, you may pay W and tap it instead. If you do, target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn. (This creature doesn't attack or block.)
1/1
Trained Drake 2UU
Creature - Drake (U)
Flying
Coordinate - If Trained Drake would attack or block, you may pay 1U and tap it instead. If you do, target creature gets +2/+2 and gains flying until end of turn.
2/2
Ashbreath Ravager 1BR
Creature - Elemental Horror (R)
Intimidate
Coordinate - If Ashbreath Ravager would attack or block, you may pay BR and tap it instead. If you do, target creature gets +3/+1 and gains intimidate and "Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices a permanent" until end of turn.
3/1
U: Arcane surveyors and seers of the Kerria, siphoners, merfolk pirates that harness sea serpents to attack ships
B: Voodoo shamans, hot underground caverns, Khavrat beetle people, cruel slavers
R: Viashino pueblo dwellers, free bounty hunters, stone elementals
G: Dinosaurs, jungle humans, herders
White cards:
Aspiring Deputy 1W
Creature - Human Soldier (C)
Aspiring Deputy has first strike as long as you control a creature with greater power.
2/2
Kerria Lookout 1W
Creature - Bird Scout (C)
Flying
T: Remove target creature you control from combat.
1/1
Longarm Spear-Thrower 3W
Creature - Giant Soldier (C)
Whenever Longarm Spear-Thrower blocks, you may have it deal 1 damage to target attacking creature.
2/4
Opprobrium 1W
Instant (C)
Destroy target attacking creature with power less than or equal to the number of creatures you control.
Holistic Ascension 2W
Instant (C)
Target creature gains flying until end of turn. You gain life equal to its power plus its toughness.
Taking the list I made at the beginning:
Wuen Clan — WU, more focused on peace and harmony. This means tempo, delay and slow pace.
Ubch Clan — UB, more focused on knowledge and power. This means using the emanation to exhaustion only for own purposes.
Bran Clan — BR, more focused on chaos. Much like Tergs, but without a clear goal. Despite fun.
Terg Clan — RG, more focused on war. This means wrecking everything for profit. Creates unbalance in the world.
Degw Clan — GW, more focused on the community. This also means try to keep the peace but they are more focused on themselves. The Clan should impose as the greatest force by the sum.
I have this 2-color Clans, but I won't have that many gold cards. Should I pick a color or a Clan? And should the cards be completely mechanic-free?
Well there's a bunch of cards, depending of the answers to the questions above, judge accordingly.
Opals return (not necessarily in the same template):
Opal Warrior 1W
Enchantment (C)
As long as you control 5 or more enchantments, Opal Warrior is a 2/3 Warrior enchantment creature.
Aura Force 1W
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can't attack or block unless its controller pays for each enchantment you control.
Strengthen the Flux W
Enchantment (C)
:symtap:: Target enchantment gains hexproof until end of turn.
Survival only depends of a good protection.
Eye of the Vigilant 1W
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each enchantment creature you control and has vigilance.
Rusting Immanence 3W
Enchantment Creature — Elemental (C)
Sacrifice Rusting Immanence: Destroy target artifact.
"There is a reason for this enchanted world."
— Janule, Holy Guard
3/3
Holy Guard W
Enchantment Creature — Human Soldier (C)
Auras you cast that target Holy Guard cost less to cast.
1/1
//////
Wuen Valor W
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has defender.
Aura swap 2UU (2UU: Exchange this Aura with an Aura card in your hand.)
Repulsive Wall 3UU
Enchantment (C)
Return Repulsive Wall to its owner's hand: Return target creature to its owner's hand.
When is as important as where.
Degw Valor G
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has reach.
1W, Sacrifice Degw Valor: Enchantments you control are indestructible this turn.
Thought of the Month:
I gave up from trying to require the 'i' on my name: SolesticIo
Parasitic crits Sorcery, Sorcery crits Combat, Combat crits Modular, and Mofular crits Parasitic.
If you Prophy is cool with you getting an entry in, PM me and I'll totally judge it.
Thanks for keeping the list concise. I'd much prefer to get a grasp of set themes and flavor through cards than write-ups.
Woodland Guide is a green Chasm Drake, which I really enjoy. The card seems like a decent common for limited, especially out of the sideboard. It's one of those cards that is pretty crappy most of the time, but against the right opponent is a bomb. Sets need those kinds of cards. Good job. The flavor comes across really well through the mechanics: I imagine Treebeard picking up a hobbit and crossing the forest with him. Probably my favorite card of yours this round.
Wanderwood Warrior is a bit of a curve ball for me. I guess your set has a multicolor theme now? Definitely more doable than the previously seen legendary theme. I'm not crazy about this guy- I imagine you'll have to jump through a lot of hoops to make him huge, when some of the time he'll just be a bear. There will be more players who don't realize this is a baseline 2/2 than you think, which isn't good for a common.
Canopy Rays feels like a blue card to me. If you have a lot of cards in the set like Wanderwood Warrior, I think this makes things too easy, especially at common. Turn two Warrior, turn three this, swing for six? And draw a card? Ouch.
Flourish also seems to make the multicolor thing a bit two easy at common. One-shot mana effects are usually red, but since this fixes color, I could see it in green. This would go very quickly in draft and lead to several players playing 5-color good stuff, which doesn't sound terribly interesting to me.
I'm not sure how I feel about Grasp of Vines. It reminds me of Utopia Vow, which is definitely a cool card, but not exactly in green's slice of the color pie. Green should be dealing with creatures with its own creatures, not pacifying them. If this had been GW, I'd be in love with it.
Very interesting write-up about Alara. I'm unsure of what caused this "Second Sundering," but that's not terribly important for today. My biggest concern is that many of the shards seem so terribly different than their original incarnations (Jund in particular) that the set being on Alara seems unnecessary. I know you have creative reasons for it, but from a game stand point, this could easily pass for another plane.
Exotic Growth is the type of very clear, very simple card that I'm shocked hasn't already been made. It could possibly just cost 2G. That would make more sense to me, actually, since as a common it will be enabling multicolor decks in limited, so the double G cost is a bit hindering of that. Of course, you may not want these to dominant drafts.
Headstone Nurturer is a very interesting design. I'd say the cost is just about right, though I'm not 100% sure I'd want the effect at common. Maybe. Flavor is interesting for new Grixis.
Groundgorging is crazy. This is so cheap for such an amazing life swing in the late game. And an instant? It reminds me of Gnaw to the Bone, but that at least needed you to build a weird deck to get crazy. This just wants you to play the game. Interesting gold card, though. It could possibly even be hybrid (or just monoblack, I suppose).
I'm not crazy about Blightsoil Sower being a vampire, but otherwise I really like the card (I don't like a lot of Wizards' call on vampire cards either, though). It's a bit more tokens than black usually gets, but as a representative of a wedge with green, that's fine. This will also encourage some graveyard/sacrifice shenanigans. Fun card.
Spirit Absolver is neat, though I don't like the excessive shuffling at common. Shuffling is a crappy way to regrow a card, so this will probably be used like a Purify the Grave. If that's the case, I'd say just put the card on the bottom of the library to avoid an unnecessary shuffle. I'd rework the name, as I was a bit surprised to see that the card isn't a spirit. Other than those neat picks, this is a solid common.
Very interesting world concept. Your color breakdown is intriguing, and one of the few where I wanted to read more. Green was an odd choice this round, but I'll give you my respect for not taking the easy way out.
Sudden Crawler would need to make sense in the set to be a common, and even then I feel like it should probably be uncommon for complexity. During the GDS2, Daniel Williams tried using a reveal theme for his set, which did not go over particularly well. Used sparingly, I could see some design space in revealing cards. Sudden Crawler, though, indicates that it will be a fairly common occurrence, which could get old quick.
Distressed Cartographer, on the other hand, does a really good job of playing with the reveal theme. It feels like a creative and intuitive way to use the design space, since the reveal serves a purpose ("See, I really don't have any lands") instead of being a gimmick ("WOOO! Look at my hand!"). Good job.
I like Whisper as an aura mechanic quite a bit. There is some potential for abuse, since you basically get the aura for free, but I do like it. Medicinal Knowledge itself, though, I'm not crazy about. This isn't the type of effect I want to see coming back over and over again, as it would slow the game down a lot. Regeneration isn't a great keyword for common, anyway, since its so complicated. I'd have much rather seen a high-priced Oakenform with whisper, which would've been a clean common and super exciting.
Voice of the Woods is already a card, first of all. I'll assume you meant Voices of the Woods, but still. I don't like Hidden. It's a more complicated Morph, and morph is already SUPER complex. Why couldn't you just bring back morph as a returning mechanic? It would be a near perfect fit for your setting and Maro has already said that they'd reflavor it when it comes back (not if; when). Simple answers are usually better, Occam's Razor, etc. etc. Anyway, cheating out a 4/5 on turn three is kind of cool. It reminds me of Awakener Druid, which I loved in M11 limited. Hidden= Voices of the Wood=
Feast in the Unseen Garden (which is an awesome, creepy name, by the way) is a bit too powerful for my tastes. The effect is interesting, but should probably cost more mana. I don't really like Secret. I get what its trying to do (keep information hidden from your opponents) but it will cause way too much undue shuffling. Shuffling makes games take longer for no reason, so I'd prefer to not keyword this. Maybe put it on the bottom then draw a card?
Ah, the good ol' Aura/Enchantment set. Your color list is very straightforward, which I appreciate, but I could also stand to see a little more development of it.
Defiled Somnor is a very simple common. I could see this card actually printed in just about any set. I personally enjoy mana sinks, as they give you something to do in the late game while granting some tough decisions (should I cast this spell or get in for some damage?). Intimidate seems like a fairly powerful ability to activate, so the higher ability cost is well warranted. Solid.
Rite of Remembrance is interesting. I'm not sure how often I'd want to play it in Limited, especially in a color that likes to kill creatures. This would be awesome for multiplayer politics, though.
Ostracize on a stick seems fine. Compares interestingly to Liliana's Specter. Another clean and simple design.
Dreamcurdler is a cool card. On the surface, he's a Bog Imp+. I really like how he plays subtly into your enchantment theme, though. A cheap evasive creature is an excellent aura target, and if you can pump his power (through auras, perhaps), he becomes a more potent kill spell. Deceptively powerful in an efficient package. Nice job.
Even though I also did it in my submission, I'm not crazy about mass removal effects at common. Wizards seems to be a bit more lax with this type of low-power removal, but still. If you can off even one creature with this, you've got a two-for one thanks to the cantrip. Kill any more creatures than that and you've swung things in your favor pretty substantially. I'd be more okay with this if there were some expectation of larger creatures in the format, but I haven't really seen any. Sure, auras could pump creatures to avoid the removal...or they could just add to the card disadvantage.
One final thought: I was shocked to see that your submission didn't include an enchantment. In fact, given that you've kind of built your set theme on enchantments, it's odd that you've only submitted one this entire month.
I wasn't super intrigued by your world concept until I read this color list. A set focused on the afterlife is very interesting. Not to mention that you've packed that list full of heavy metal music video imagery, which I love. Seriously, "Cosmic Kraken" is one of the greatest things I've ever read. One nitpick though- black's line "Those who seek carnal desires even in death" feels a more like red to me. Red's whole eternal battle and Viking schtick could use a little more depth anyway.
Red can already do Faithless Looting, so getting it on a 1/1 that requires jumping through a hoop is probably fine. The odd timing of the trigger is a little complex for common, so I wouldn't want to see a ton of it. Also, I'd prefer to see this discard first, then draw.
I'm not crazy about Idolatrous Procession. Making things lose lifelink seems uncommon to me. The mass +2/-1 might work, but hasn't really been used as removal in a while. That's not really the purpose of this, clearly, but it can be used that way.
Erratic Spoils feels like a blue card. Red gets temporary stealing, I know, but this feels more permanent, like a cheap way to do Mind Control. Either way, repeatable Threaten does not seem common to me.
I really like Wekhwa Bloodsmith. This looks like a decent body in limited with a phenomenally useful ability. Very clean and works pretty well with what seems to be one of red's themes (sacrificing themselves). Easily one of my favorite submissions this round.
Thundering Rearmament is kind of neat, but disjointed. The two effects don't really have anything to do with one another (mechanically or flavorfully) and just feel stapled together. Footbottom Feast says this type of thing works at common, but the self-exiling seems to push it toward uncommon for me.
3. void_nothing
2. Raikou Rider
1. Oculus
Mechanic Creator's Contest III- Winner
[Clan Flamingo]
Guild ability being used by another guild
Graveyard effects
Done:
1 Mana Legendary Permanent
Kamigawa re-done
Seconded.
TacticalCelebrant - Army Recruiter is a neat top-down design, although it'd make for it to make Soldier tokens. Squadmade Squire is a fine Infuse card, as is combat gem. You missed the part where you're not meant to use mechanics though. Surprising Volley is a fine combat trick, and Crystalline Refinements is efficient. Not bad.
Eskimo_Rage - Sky Bounty is annoyingly narrow, and the worst part is it doesn't work with lifelink, which forces you to play lifegain spells. Sun Glare Bomber is a strong limited card, as is Home Advantage. Cloudchaser's Distraction can comfortably cost 1W. Skyfolk distractor is bad - it makes them pay 1 then dies. I like the idea though - W for a 0/2 would be cool. Also, are you trying to force players into monocolor? Your cards are all incredibly color-intensive.
Igmhorus - Decieve the Mind is not a drawback. If anything, it's an advantage because it's harder to recur. Trading Trick is a neat way of both looting and duressing an opponent. Mystic Trinket is a little fiddly for a common, and UU for two cards is too good for common. Spellweave Adept works I guess, although this isn't a thing I'd like to see much of at common. Glimpse of Understanding feels forced.
willows - Woah what. Your colors are all over the place. The squatters are white, the second one...green I guess? Mortuvox could possibly be black, but should really be red. Inkblood Infusion can stand to cost 1B, so it's at least passable as removal. Nice flavor on it though. Weighing of Hearts, again, could cost less, but is a fine card.
TOP 3:
1 - TacticalCelebrant
2 - Igmhorus
3 - Eskimo_rage
[Clan Flamingo] Tier Archivist
[15:21] <@CC> Remember, if you argue, you are an idiot.
Untrophied Wins:
Perfect MCC Scores: 2
---------------------------------------------------------------
Infuse is a bit confusing in its double form. I much rather infused creature would have " when ~ enters the battlefield, infuse it" instead. I also feel like there should be some sort of downside to losing enchantment status. The way they are now, infused creatures feel more like Icatian Javelineers than the Myojin cycle. The problem is that the mechanic feels like it needs a theme (either enchantments or counters), while there are no cards that support such a theme.
The cards are overall good. Army Recruiter is the highlight of the submission, a solid common that can be great in limited with a few flickering cards. Squadmate Squire is a bit underwhelming. Crystalline Refinements should probably give 3 life so it might double as a sort of soft removal. Combat Gem is good, but once again would be great if there was an actual enchantment theme in the set. Finally Suppressing Volley is quite inferior to Heat Ray, and could probably use some extra effect and a bump to uncommon.
Biggest problem I have is the amount of doubled colored mana in your commons. Wizards almost never print cheap cards with double colored mana in their costs, because it hurts limited.
The thing is, most of your cards don't even need the CC in their costs. Cloudchaser's Distortion would certainty be fine at 2W. Skyfolk Distractor is completely useless. Three mana for a 1/1 with defender? and why would anyone ever attack into it without leaving mana open? Sky Glare Bomber is the best of the bunch, I've got nothing to complain about in it. Sky bounty feels like an uncommon to me. It has a certain "build around me" feel that usually goes in uncommon. Home Advantage is also fine, and the only card that I'm ok with having CC in its cost.
The cards are a mixed bunch of highs and lows. Deceive the Mind is broken. Memory Lapse was a long time ago, and many would argue that shuffling into the library is better than regular countering, since it doesn't allow graveyard shenanigans. Up the cost. It took me a while, but I warmed up to Trading Trick quite a bit. I like how it's allowing you to get rid of an opponent's best card for an extra card, or trade your worst card and draw a new one. It's not exactly control, but I do like the mini game within it. Mystic Trinket is bizarre. If the only way to get something out of it requires you to have access to blue mana, there really is no need for hybrid. Spellweave Adept can be really useful in long limited games, perhaps too useful. I feel like uncommon is better for it. Glimpse of understanding works with your theme, but Opt let's you do pretty much the same without jumping through any hoops.
Holy color-pie breaking batman! it's as though you wanted to do five colors with five black cards. Flavor can allow for some color-bleeding, but not on every card.
Shrine Squatters exhibits first strike in black, something that aside certain knights has not been seen since Planar Chaos. I wouldn't have minded if the flavor excused it, but I really can't see why some squatters will have first strike. Noble Dead feels a bit more green than black, but not too badly, and the flavor works. Novice Mortuvox is red. Completely. I'd be fine if it would have said "Whenever a creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may have target player lose 1 life", but pinging like this needs red in its mana cost, and in anyway feels like it needs to be uncommon, since you can chain kill an army of tokens with it. Inkblood Infusion also feels a bit red, but in this case the flavor once again excuses it. Lastly, Weighing of Hearts, the only completely black card, is really underwhelming. The life gain will come out to be very little in most cases and exiling a creature is just not good enough. Cremate gives you a card, for Odin's sake, and only costs one mana.
1. lgmhorus
2. TacticalCelebrant
3. willows
This was very close. It was hard to pick t3.
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No entry.
Woodland Guide is nice. I like it. It's like Chasm Drake for forestwalk, which means it's perfectly acceptable at common.
Wanderwood Warrior should possibly be uncommon.
I don't like Flourish at all. Fast mana is occasionally green these days, but in my opinion in belongs in red. In fact, it hasn't really happened since Mirrodin block, except for Manamorphose, which may have just been a bleed because it's hybrid. Doubling mana also has only occured on Doubling Cube, as far as I know, which was a wonky rare from Fifth Dawn. I don't think it belongs on a common.
Grasp of Vines could probaly cost G and only enchant creatures with flying. The exclamation point in the flavor text is unnecessary.
Exotic Growth is a nice tweak on Rampant Growth. Any particular reason it would be Grixis-flavored for the set?
My gut feeling is that Headstone Nurturer should be uncommon, since usually this effect with a bonus is uncommon. There's also the fact that it can reclaim other Headstone Nurturers.
Why is Archangel's Light a mythic rare that costs 8? Apparently 2 life for each card is a big difference. I have a feeling this should be a higher rarity, cost a bit more, or be a sorcery. When you're doing ALL cards from ALL graveyards, this is potentially a large swing in life.
I think Blightsoil Sower should be uncommon.
Spirit Absolver is nice, though I feel like it would be a 2/2 at common. I could be wrong, though.
Secrets Untold
Your flavor intrigues me, because it reminds me of Innistrad. Innistrad was a horror set and therefore skewed all the colors slightly toward black. Your set is based on knowing things and keeping secrets, which to me, will skew the set toward blue. I like how you've broken down the ways each of the colors cares about knowledge.
Hidden is just too similar to morph, but with a unified cost for your set. It's also going to be quite hard to put on larger creatures, since you'll just play them on turn 3 all the time and then flip them immediately.
Sudden Crawler feels very much like an uncommon.
Distressed Cartographer seems way too complex for not enough gain. I'd rather the land went onto the battlefield, and that this was uncommon.
Medicinal Knowledge could be really, really annoying. I like that you're trying to overcome the card disadvantage inherent in auras, though.
Feast in the Unseen Garden has a very long name and probably gains too much life for common.
Fabacin
I see that you've done most of the work of defining your colors in your entry round, and that you've done just as much as Prophylaxis here with your color descriptions. That's enough.
Honestly, I'm a fan of all of your cards but Sickening Delusion, and only because I'm a bit iffy about a one-sided "wrath" at common. Electrickery did it, though, so maybe it's okay.
Heaven
Very nice flavor.
I like Tyrmoz's Ululant quite a lot.
I do NOT like Idolatrous Procession, because giving +2/-1 to everyone is too much of a color bleed for red. I also don't like Erratic Spoils at common, because repeatedly stealing any type of permanent just should not be a common effect. For the record, I do really like it, I just don't think it should be common.
Thundering Rearmanent feels uncommon to me.
1. Oculus
2. Raikou Rider
3. Galdra
aurorasparrow
yewlas
drewdagreek
Solestico
Jimmy Groove
Top 3
Hey lgmhorus,
Is it possible for you to post critiques of Round 2? Those are still missing and I would like to have them to calculate scores for Top 8.
Never mind.
His are not.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
“Dead Kingdom” and its descriptors are a bit generic, but I’m all about the new world order so it’s all good. The flavor of your cards supports your description of black in your set. The individual cards look more or less good. Inkblood infusion is possibly too complicated for a common by NWO standards, but I like it. Weighing of Hearts is excellent. I would’ve like to have seen some flavor text on this batch. Nonetheless, the cards do a decent job of evoking your description of black in your set.
Infuse[d] is fine as parasitic mechanics go. It would’ve been nice to see a card that interacts positively with enchantments rather than a relatively generic bizarro Attended Knight so that it might be understood via the cards as to why things are enchantments as long as they have a crystal counter on them. Crystalline Refinements is a pretty weak flavor, but the batch overall fits your description of white in your set.
Your description of blue in your set was acceptable and even basic blue until “stack manipulation”. For starters, the concept is not original. It has been proposed time and time again. It may seem original because it’s never been done by WotC before. I propose that it never will be done by WotC because there’s at least one less complicated way to do it. Deceive the Mind is the best hard counter since Force of Will. Trading Trick is awesome (though worded wrong).
Your description of white looks good until “home advantage”. Other than a card named “Home Advantage”, I don’t get it. Anyways, I like the cards. The batch as a whole looks decent with the exception of Sky Bounty, which has an uncommon ability even if your set has a large amount of lifegain. And I think it should be on a creature with lifelink with an activation cost of W.
1st: Willows
2nd: Eskimo_Rage
3rd: TacticalCelebrant
Sorry Prophs, but I was really late with my crits, but it's there
Guild ability being used by another guild
Graveyard effects
Done:
1 Mana Legendary Permanent
Kamigawa re-done
R: Carvers/Shapers/Builders, statesmen. With a world forced to live underground, they mold the ground around them to provide room for the populace to live and grow.
W: Traders/Artificers/Healers, nomads. This group is mostly comprised of lizard men who were better equipped to remain on the cataclysmic surface. As such they are able to search the ruins of the old world for relics.
G: Farmers/Explorers, druids, elves. This group has become the caretakers of the masses. They have adapted to grow like in the most hostile environments under the ground and produce food to feed all that need it.
B: Soldiers, sanitation, necromancers, guardians. Adapted to the depths of the dark, those that wield black mana have found a respect over the years. They are the first line of defense against incursions of all sorts. They are also aptly equipped to do the one job no one wants to, sanitation.
With such a harsh environment, there remains a feral element also:
U: Sprites, Nymphs
R: Goblins
W: Wurms
G: Plants
B: Shades, Spirits
Shadow Wanderer 3B
Creature - Spirit (C)
Exile a card from your graveyard: Return Shadow Wanderer to its owner's hand.
"There was something there a second ago.....I know it!!!"
2/3
Sewage Extractor 4B
Creature — Human (C)
Whenever Sewage Extractor attacks and isn't blocked, exile target card from defending player's graveyard.
2/4
Mass Withering 6B
Sorcery (C)
Delve (You may exile any number of cards from your graveyard as you cast this spell. It costs less to cast for each card exiled this way.)
Creatures your opponents control get -2/-2 until end of turn.
"A slight redirection of the sewage flow can help turn the tide in any battle."
Enlivened Sludge 3BB
Instant (C)
Put two 1/1 black Ooze creature tokens with deathtouch onto the battlefield.
Dark Sentry 1B
Creature - Human Soldier (C)
Defender
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to and dealt by Dark Sentry.
Discard a card: Dark Sentry can't block this turn. Only any opponent may activate this ability.
0/2
I feel some uncomfortable tension between Delve and the graveyard exiling you have going on here — I see that you're trying to develop a "graveyard as resource" theme without doing the "all reanimation all the time" thing Innistrad did, and I appreciate that you're developing "spend cards in the yard" beyond delve, but it does exacerbate the tension of delve, which is that you benefit less from delve if you use more of it.
It would be nice to see something like self-mill, cycling, or whatever to support the delving, and maybe that's in your plan (I look forward to seeing it), but it's not in your posts yet :/
Your individual cards seem all right, although Dark Sentry and Shadow Wanderer give me a blue vibe. The sewage theme is cool, but I'd have liked a little more flavor text.
R: The great mountain ranges. Warriors. Pride. Mountainclans. Slay or be slain culture. Great emphasis on personal Honor within Mountain denizens.
U: The deep sea. Very high intelligence. Strange magic. accelerated evolution of the mind. A swath of Xenophobia to top it off.
G: Vast untouched forests. Great Diversity in denizens. Ancient ruins of Civilizations. Creatures that are of untold age.
B: The grim, cold north. Getting Lost. Eternal Night. Secluded cults of people. Ancient powers of magic.
Lost in this World 1B
Instant (C)
Nonblack creatures get -1/-1 until end of turn.
Hunter of the Dead 2BB
Creature - Human Shaman (C)
Whenever another creature dies, you may pay B. If you do, you gain 1 life.
3/4
Sons of Northern Darkness 2B
Creature - Human (C)
Whenever Sons of Northern Darkness attacks, defending player loses life equal to the number of tapped creatures he or she controls.
Even when the freezing wind might pull you down, do not lie to rest.
2/2
Treacherous Winds 2B
Instant (C)
Destroy target untapped creature.
In the North, staying put is just as deadly as moving on
Trail of the Demon 1B
Enchantment (C)
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may sacrifice Trail of the Demon. If you do, target player draws 2 cards and loses 2 life.
Lost in this World has a really evocative title and a solid black mechanic, but Shrivel and Nausea say it's too good, since it doesn't hit your dudes and it's faster than those cards are.
Hunter of the Dead — Solid.
Sons of Northern Darkness is complicated and strong enough to be an uncommon, at least. I'm very intrigued by the mechanic. The flavor is strong here too. I like that you put visible effort into that.
Treacherous Winds — I see there's an 'untapped creature hate' subtheme developing here; that's kind of cool, although the effect it draws out — your opponent is incentivized to attack heavily — feels green or red to me, not black. I'd watch the costing on this carefully, but it's worse than Doom Blade as it is, so that's a good starting point.
Trail of the Demon — Sure.
U: Arcane surveyors and seers of the Kerria, siphoners, merfolk pirates that harness sea serpents to attack ships
B: Voodoo shamans, hot underground caverns, Khavrat beetle people, cruel slavers
R: Viashino pueblo dwellers, free bounty hunters, stone elementals
G: Dinosaurs, jungle humans, herders
White cards:
Aspiring Deputy 1W
Creature - Human Soldier (C)
Aspiring Deputy has first strike as long as you control a creature with greater power.
2/2
Kerria Lookout 1W
Creature - Bird Scout (C)
Flying
T: Remove target creature you control from combat.
1/1
Longarm Spear-Thrower 3W
Creature - Giant Soldier (C)
Whenever Longarm Spear-Thrower blocks, you may have it deal 1 damage to target attacking creature.
2/4
Opprobrium 1W
Instant (C)
Destroy target attacking creature with power less than or equal to the number of creatures you control.
Holistic Ascension 2W
Instant (C)
Target creature gains flying until end of turn. You gain life equal to its power plus its toughness.
It would have been nice to see just a little flavor text, but I think your mechanics capture the flavor of their names very well, and they fit well into the themes you've described for white in your color guide. I'm a little puzzled by Kerria Lookout, because it sort of looks like an answer to a question that hasn't been asked — when are you going to have to pull a creature out of combat? Are there things that force creatures into combat? Maybe it's meant as a further exploration on the theme of Coordinate. (I think it could use reminder text saying what happens if you remove a blocker, as well.)
Holistic Ascension feels like an odd man out in this set; something about the mystical language of its name doesn't fit with the 'wild frontier' vibe of the rest of the cards.
1. Gerrard's Mom
2. Profani
3. Saagn
Fair, although I submitted two cards meant specifically for Auras (the Somnor and the Imp). Also, of all the colors, black cares about enchantments the least (or at least not directly - sort of like Innistrad only had two blue creatures that cared about things dying). I'll get to it eventually though, trust me.
[Clan Flamingo] Tier Archivist
[15:21] <@CC> Remember, if you argue, you are an idiot.
Untrophied Wins:
Perfect MCC Scores: 2
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