The Show Begins!
Welcome to Docaseto, traveler! The lanterns are lit, the curtain is raised, and all is ready for the greatest show you will ever see. The plane of Docaseto seems to live in an eternal play, with everyone dancing, dueling, singing and talking in perfect accuracy. Some deranged souls think that someone must be behind the perfect order - but as anyone will quickly tell you, those are disgraceful lies and outright blasphemy. The denizens of Docaseto wish nothing more than to attain mastery - be it in the arts of song and dance or in those of rapier and poison.
The Invisible Strings
Many visitors to Docaseto have remarked on the unique nature of connections between people, families, organizations, and even entire kingdoms there. It would seem that although the plane is rife with intrigue and scheming, there are no diplomats and no ambassadors. Even more interestingly, the theatrical people of Docaseto seem to know exactly what they will do in response to every incident or hindrance. No one has ever seen a surprised Docasetan. Whenever a situation presents itself, however unexpected, The people of the plane react in poetic statements and bombastic sentences, in a way that always seems strangely fitting, as if planned in advance. But what is perhaps the most interesting feature of Docaseto is the nature of bonds between people. Every meaningful relationship is magically tattooed on the body of all involved, and those must abide by them. A bond of love cannot be broken. A bond of betrayal must be avenged. A bond of partnership must be honored - unless the tattoos, called bondrunes, are overritten. Every once in a while, some mysterious force breaks bonds, inscribes new tattoos, and changes allegiances and loyalties as it sees fit.
Ah, the places you'll go!
Docaseto has many wondrous places to visit, all painstakingly and meticulously maintained. The city of Vialde, with its winding canals and impressive architecture, is a haven for commerce, and one can find almost anything in its floating market. The city is haunted by all manner of wiaps and sparks at night, that seem to survey the city's unfoldong scenes for no apparent purpose.
The great throne of Apifora belongs to high priest Yandrus, a pompous and condescending man of seventy years. He controls the Apiforan church with dogmatic zeal, and maneuvers his court deftly. But behind his back, rumors swirl that he omly managed to keep his throne for so long because of deals with less-than-savory folk. Some even dare to claim that he dabbled in the dark arts, but those are persecuted and must flee or be executed. And beyond the walls of the city, the forests are ordered by unseen hands into groves of great flowers and seemingly endless hedge-mazes, that sometimes hold more than plants...
The Watcher of All
Unbeknownst to all but a short-lived few, there is an audience to the ever-changing play that is Docaseto. That audience is a single creature - the Elder Dragon queen Docasia, who managed to take control of the plane and name it after herself. She is the force behind the neverending cycle of loyalty, trust, scheming and betrayal, and to the undiscerning eye, it would seem that she controls Docaseto only to amuse herself with her puppets. But as with Docaseto, there is more to Docasia's plans than meets the eye...
There is no real point in creating factions for Docaseto, as they can change overnight. I think the main distinction between colors should be more of a mechanical one. White and green should buff all enchanted creatures equally. They believe in commnuity, balance, and helping the other. Black is going to be a parasite color, using other enchanted creatures for its own benefit, sometimes sacrificing them and sometimes using them in other ways. I'm not sure yet what blue's role is going to be, but maybe it will interact more with the enchantments that with the enchanted creatures - passing Auras from creature to another, affecting enchanted creatures in general, and so on. In this plane, white could believe that it's holier-than thou, as per void_nothing's suggestion. Blue is going to want to achieve artistic, magical, or combat mastery. Black is the theatrical villain, the scheming vizier, or the assassin. Green wants harmony. So maybe the green-aligned folk are all about beauty, balance, and gardening. We could have hedge mazes, forests of gigantic roses, and the like.
Docasia, Exquisite Audience3GWUB
Legendary Creature - Elder Dragon (M)
Flying, vigilance
Whenever Docasia, Exquisite Audience or an Aura enters the battlefield under your control, gain control of target creature for as long as you control Docasia.
Whenever Docasia attacks, you may sacrifice a creature. If you do, Docasia gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
7/7
Corageous DuelistW
Creature - Human Soldier (C)
As long as Courageous Duelist is enchanted, it gets +1/+1 and has first strike.
1/1 "You miserable wretch! Have at it!"
Useful Prop1
Artifact - Equipemnt (C)
When Useful Prop enters the battlefield, choose a color.
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and is the chosen color.
Equip 1 "Quite a delightful find, if i may say so myself!" - Diran Vin Vild, traveling merchant
Midsummer Dance2GW
Enchantment - Aura (U)
Avow 2 (As this Aura enters the battlefield, if it isn't a token, you may create two tokens that are copies of it and attach them to two target creatures.)
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has hexproof. At the summer solstice, the streets are filled with festivities for the whole day - and nothing can disrupt them.
What about red?
There are a few mountains on Docaseto, but their mana has been subdued by Docasia, who feared that it would lead to indeoendent thought, disgruntlement, and inevitably dissent. The people's emotions on the plane feel all too real, but they are in fact programmed by the dragon's magic.
Edit: This plane has some striking similarities to Amonkhet. I think it - and Docasia herself need some more green. As for Docasia's plan - I'm not sure what it is. I think we should create one as the story progresses.
Copy Aura (Uncommon) 1U
Enchantment
You may have Copy Aura enter the battlefield as a copy of any Aura on the battlefield.
Rectify (Uncommon) W
Instant
Return target Aura card from your graveyard to the battlefield attached to target permanent or player it can enchant.
Songbird (Uncommon) WU
Creature - Bird
1/1
Flying
Spells you cast that target Songbird cost 1 less to cast.
Spells your opponents cast that target Songbird cost 1 more to cast.
Exorcism (Common) 3B
Sorocery
Exile target creature and all Auras attached to it.
Above It All (Uncommon) U
Enchantment
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has flying and hexproof.
Thunderous Applause (Uncommon) 3RR
Instant
Thunderous Applause deals 2 damage to each tapped creature.
Cynical Encore (Uncommon) 2RW
Instant
Put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. It gains haste. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.
Writer's Block (Common) 1G
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has defender and blocks each turn if able.
Raw Material (Rare) 2
Artifact X: Raw Material becomes a copy of target permanent with converted mana cost X until end of turn.
Cynicism (Uncommon) 2B
Sorcery
Enchanted creatures get -2/-2 until end of turn.
Critic's Choice (Uncommon) 2BB
Sorcery
Target opponent reveals his or her hand. You choose a nonland card from it. Then that player discards all other nonland cards.
Planar Rim (Rare) 3W
Legendary Enchantment
At the beginning of each end step, each player sacrifices lands until he or she controls four lands.
I love what you're doing with Docasia. The only issue I have is the sac ability, as it elbows into the design space that is reserved for the UBRG (old-school upkeep) Elder Dragon. I have a riff on this design that I will post when I take my crack at avow, which may be soon. Until then, happy designing.
Also, while "not having factions" is great for the feel of the world, it also is at odds with the rest of the worlds, so maybe there could be some sort of... "factions without factions" template going on, where the groups are defined not by the end but by the means. I.E., white is sanctimonious types who try to get ahead by being holier-than-thou, while black is good old fashioned political murderers.
Yeah, I'll say that while I'm not doing factions for Segovia the same way I did them for Photrus, I am just fleshing out some of the inhabitants and locations that you will find associated with each color. The conflict on Segovia is pretty much bourgeois vs. proletariat, rather than faction vs. faction.
Yeah, I'll say that while I'm not doing factions for Segovia the same way I did them for Photrus, I am just fleshing out some of the inhabitants and locations that you will find associated with each color. The conflict on Segovia is pretty much bourgeois vs. proletariat, rather than faction vs. faction.
Oh my God, how many eras of Spanish history did you compress into one?! It's like Roman Hispania with Don Quixote adventures while the Civil War is going on and also everyone is an inch tall.
Thanks for the feedback! I'll definitely give avow a nontoken. I'll wait to see your riff on Docasia before I'll change her. I've also added some "factions" in the design note.
Here are some more designs:
Romas, Unwavering Knight2W
Legendary Creature - Human Knight (R)
First strike
When Romas, Unwavering Knight enters the battlefield, create a legendary 2/3 white Human Cleric creature token named Yalia, Wishful Lover with lifelink and "When a creature named Romas, Unwavering Knight leaves the battleifled, sacrifice Yalia".
When Yalia leaves the battlefield, sacrifice Romas.
2/3
Lianora, Precise Maestro2GU
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard (M)
Hexproof
When Lianora, Precise Mentor enters the battlefield, create a legendary blue enchantment token named Lianora's Masterpiece. GU: Lianora's Masterpiece becomes a 2/2 Spirit creature. It's still an enchantment. 2GU: If Lianora's Masterpiece is a creature, it becomes a 4/4 Spirit Wizard creature with flying. It's still an enchantment. 4GGUU: If Lianora's Masterpiec is a Wizard, it becomes ans 8/8 Spirit Wizard Avatar with flying, trample, and hexproof. It's still an enchantment.
2/3
Horifo, Greedy Noble2BB
Legendary Creature - Human (R)
When Horifo, Greedy Noble enters the battlefield, create four colorless artifact tokens named Gold. They have "Sacrifice the artifact: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool."
Whenever you sacrifice a token, put a -1/-1 counter on Horifo.
4/4
Daggerthorn Roses1G
Creature - Plant (C)
Deathtouch
1/3 The beautiful flowers are just a distraction.
Traverse the Canals3U
Sorcery (U)
Draw two cards. If you control an Aura, draw four cards instead. If you know where to look and have the right bondrunes, you can find just about anyone and anything in the city of Vialde.
Force Pike1U
Instrant (C)
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 1. Scry 2. "I think not."
Force Spike was first printed in legends, and this seems perfect for a callback.
Clergy of the Sacred Sun2W
Creature - Human Cleric (U)
If Clergy of the sacred sun would die, you may pay 2. If you do, it gains indestructible until end of turn instead.
2/3 "Thou shalt not harm."
Concordant Hedge-Maze1G
Enchantment (R)
All creatures have hexproof.
Reference to Concordant Crossroads. Very powerful but comes with a real drawback of not being able to target opponents' creatures. Also very good with Avow.
Bartering with Hell3B
Enchantment - Aura (R)
Avow 1
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has "t, sacrifice an enchanted creature: Return target creature card from your gravyard to the battlefield. Activate this ability only during your upkeep."
Reference to Hell's Caretaker, another known legends card. Works well with the upkeep theme.
Collaborative Research1U
Enchantment - Aura (U)
Avow 1
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has "Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, draw a card."
Triple Alliance1W
Enchantment - Aura (C)
Avow 2
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1. The three riders from the north quickly became the stuff of legend.
Reference to the three musketeers.
Enchanted Being1WW
Creature - Human
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to Enchanted Being by enchanted creatures. In a strange twist of fate, some Docasetans are born with an innate immunity to the magic of bondrunes. They don't tend to survive long.
2/2
Descendant of Halfdane1WUB
Legendary Creature - Shapeshifter (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, if Descendant of Halfdane is enchanted, you may have it become a copy of target creature, except it gains this ability. Somehow, the progeny of the great Halfdane found itself in the perfect hunting ground.
3/3
Pet Wombat2G
Creature - Wombat (U)
Pet Wombat gets +2/+2 for each Aura attached to it. The more bondrunes are inscribed on a creature's body, the more useful it is.
2/2
So, I don't want to interject myself too much into the proceedings, here, but I do want to make my case for the original, ability-word version of avow, as opposed to the new, keyword, self-copying version of avow:
Heavenly Puppeteer2WW
Creature — Spirit [C]
Flying Avow — When Heavenly Counterpart enters the battlefield, create a white Aura enchantment token named Heavenly Strings and attach it to target creature. That Aura has enchant creature and "Enchanted creature gets +1/+2 and has flying."
[1/2]
The most important thing it creates, IMO, is flexibility. With this version, avow can appear on any non-Aura card. Here it is doing its best bestow impersonation.
Heavenly Dance4W
Enchantment [U] Avow — When Heavenly Dance enters the battlefield, create two white Aura enchantment tokens named Heavenly Strings and attach them to one or two target creatures. Those Auras have enchant creature and "Enchanted creature gets +1/+2 and has flying."
Sacrifice Heavenly Dance: You gain 4 life.
The next thing it does is actually allow us to re-use Aura tokens, so we don't need as many different tokens in the set. Admittedly, this matters not one bit so long as L2 is just a theoretical exercise on the CCC forums, but if we're proposing to actually play this set, even using proxies, it does matter. It also, you know, comes off like we care and are thinking about logistical factors like that, which gives us wonderful imaginary style points!
Nefarious Agent1BB
Creature — Human Rogue [R] Avow — Whenever Nefarious Agent deals combat damage to a player, create a black Aura enchantment token named Nefarious Strings and attach it to target creature. It has enchant creature and "At the beginning of your end step, sacrifice this creature."
[2/3]
It also allows us to expand the mechanic beyond ETB effects and have it trigger off of other events, or even do repeated-use applications like the one above.
The tradeoff, of course, is that ability-word avow is wordy, but I don't think it's that much wordier than the keyworded version you've gone with, here.
I always imagined that avow and shrink would be our two mechanics that skewed rare, which is fine because neither one has to do with the central theme of the set (legends) and since frenzy, immortalize, Wall tribal, and old-school upkeep can all work together to pick up the slack at common. This is all to say, I don't think we have to fear avow's wordiness. My assumption was that it would appear on 2 or maybe 3 commons, like shrink, so it wouldn't ding us too bad on common complexity.
Anyway, I'm not in charge of the decision-making here, but I do think you'll find that the mechanic is going to design better if you go with the original version, so I wanted to share my two cents about how and why I created it as I did.
I think that the problem with your mechanic is that it definitely has more complexity than the keyword. The keyword creates copies of the enchantment, which is somewhat complex, but also much simpler than your version. That being said, I definitely see the merit behind your suggestion, and I think that we can try both for now and see which works better.
Here's my take: drive the keyword/copy version as far as it will go, design-wise. Do as many cool things with it as you can make it do, and we'll have a look at it once everything's on the table. No harm in that.
Welcome to Docaseto, traveler! The lanterns are lit, the curtain is raised, and all is ready for the greatest show you will ever see. The plane of Docaseto seems to live in an eternal play, with everyone dancing, dueling, singing and talking in perfect accuracy. Some deranged souls think that someone must be behind the perfect order - but as anyone will quickly tell you, those are disgraceful lies and outright blasphemy. The denizens of Docaseto wish nothing more than to attain mastery - be it in the arts of song and dance or in those of rapier and poison.
The Invisible Strings
Many visitors to Docaseto have remarked on the unique nature of connections between people, families, organizations, and even entire kingdoms there. It would seem that although the plane is rife with intrigue and scheming, there are no diplomats and no ambassadors. Even more interestingly, the theatrical people of Docaseto seem to know exactly what they will do in response to every incident or hindrance. No one has ever seen a surprised Docasetan. Whenever a situation presents itself, however unexpected, The people of the plane react in poetic statements and bombastic sentences, in a way that always seems strangely fitting, as if planned in advance. But what is perhaps the most interesting feature of Docaseto is the nature of bonds between people. Every meaningful relationship is magically tattooed on the body of all involved, and those must abide by them. A bond of love cannot be broken. A bond of betrayal must be avenged. A bond of partnership must be honored - unless the tattoos, called bondrunes, are overritten. Every once in a while, some mysterious force breaks bonds, inscribes new tattoos, and changes allegiances and loyalties as it sees fit.
Ah, the places you'll go!
Docaseto has many wondrous places to visit, all painstakingly and meticulously maintained. The city of Vialde, with its winding canals and impressive architecture, is a haven for commerce, and one can find almost anything in its floating market. The city is haunted by all manner of wiaps and sparks at night, that seem to survey the city's unfoldong scenes for no apparent purpose.
The great throne of Apifora belongs to high priest Yandrus, a pompous and condescending man of seventy years. He controls the Apiforan church with dogmatic zeal, and maneuvers his court deftly. But behind his back, rumors swirl that he omly managed to keep his throne for so long because of deals with less-than-savory folk. Some even dare to claim that he dabbled in the dark arts, but those are persecuted and must flee or be executed. And beyond the walls of the city, the forests are ordered by unseen hands into groves of great flowers and seemingly endless hedge-mazes, that sometimes hold more than plants...
The Watcher of All
Unbeknownst to all but a short-lived few, there is an audience to the ever-changing play that is Docaseto. That audience is a single creature - the Elder Dragon queen Docasia, who managed to take control of the plane and name it after herself. She is the force behind the neverending cycle of loyalty, trust, scheming and betrayal, and to the undiscerning eye, it would seem that she controls Docaseto only to amuse herself with her puppets. But as with Docaseto, there is more to Docasia's plans than meets the eye...
Docasia, Exquisite Audience 3GWUB
Legendary Creature - Elder Dragon (M)
Flying, vigilance
Whenever Docasia, Exquisite Audience or an Aura enters the battlefield under your control, gain control of target creature for as long as you control Docasia.
Whenever Docasia attacks, you may sacrifice a creature. If you do, Docasia gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
7/7
Corageous Duelist W
Creature - Human Soldier (C)
As long as Courageous Duelist is enchanted, it gets +1/+1 and has first strike.
1/1
"You miserable wretch! Have at it!"
Useful Prop 1
Artifact - Equipemnt (C)
When Useful Prop enters the battlefield, choose a color.
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and is the chosen color.
Equip 1
"Quite a delightful find, if i may say so myself!" - Diran Vin Vild, traveling merchant
Midsummer Dance 2GW
Enchantment - Aura (U)
Avow 2 (As this Aura enters the battlefield, if it isn't a token, you may create two tokens that are copies of it and attach them to two target creatures.)
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has hexproof.
At the summer solstice, the streets are filled with festivities for the whole day - and nothing can disrupt them.
What about red?
There are a few mountains on Docaseto, but their mana has been subdued by Docasia, who feared that it would lead to indeoendent thought, disgruntlement, and inevitably dissent. The people's emotions on the plane feel all too real, but they are in fact programmed by the dragon's magic.
Edit: This plane has some striking similarities to Amonkhet. I think it - and Docasia herself need some more green. As for Docasia's plan - I'm not sure what it is. I think we should create one as the story progresses.
1U
Enchantment
You may have Copy Aura enter the battlefield as a copy of any Aura on the battlefield.
Rectify (Uncommon)
W
Instant
Return target Aura card from your graveyard to the battlefield attached to target permanent or player it can enchant.
Songbird (Uncommon)
WU
Creature - Bird
1/1
Flying
Spells you cast that target Songbird cost 1 less to cast.
Spells your opponents cast that target Songbird cost 1 more to cast.
Exorcism (Common)
3B
Sorocery
Exile target creature and all Auras attached to it.
Above It All (Uncommon)
U
Enchantment
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has flying and hexproof.
Thunderous Applause (Uncommon)
3RR
Instant
Thunderous Applause deals 2 damage to each tapped creature.
Cynical Encore (Uncommon)
2RW
Instant
Put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. It gains haste. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.
Writer's Block (Common)
1G
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has defender and blocks each turn if able.
Raw Material (Rare)
2
Artifact
X: Raw Material becomes a copy of target permanent with converted mana cost X until end of turn.
Cynicism (Uncommon)
2B
Sorcery
Enchanted creatures get -2/-2 until end of turn.
Critic's Choice (Uncommon)
2BB
Sorcery
Target opponent reveals his or her hand. You choose a nonland card from it. Then that player discards all other nonland cards.
Planar Rim (Rare)
3W
Legendary Enchantment
At the beginning of each end step, each player sacrifices lands until he or she controls four lands.
And I dig this flavor.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
I love what you're doing with Docasia. The only issue I have is the sac ability, as it elbows into the design space that is reserved for the UBRG (old-school upkeep) Elder Dragon. I have a riff on this design that I will post when I take my crack at avow, which may be soon. Until then, happy designing.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Oh my God, how many eras of Spanish history did you compress into one?! It's like Roman Hispania with Don Quixote adventures while the Civil War is going on and also everyone is an inch tall.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Here are some more designs:
Romas, Unwavering Knight 2W
Legendary Creature - Human Knight (R)
First strike
When Romas, Unwavering Knight enters the battlefield, create a legendary 2/3 white Human Cleric creature token named Yalia, Wishful Lover with lifelink and "When a creature named Romas, Unwavering Knight leaves the battleifled, sacrifice Yalia".
When Yalia leaves the battlefield, sacrifice Romas.
2/3
Lianora, Precise Maestro 2GU
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard (M)
Hexproof
When Lianora, Precise Mentor enters the battlefield, create a legendary blue enchantment token named Lianora's Masterpiece.
GU: Lianora's Masterpiece becomes a 2/2 Spirit creature. It's still an enchantment.
2GU: If Lianora's Masterpiece is a creature, it becomes a 4/4 Spirit Wizard creature with flying. It's still an enchantment.
4GGUU: If Lianora's Masterpiec is a Wizard, it becomes ans 8/8 Spirit Wizard Avatar with flying, trample, and hexproof. It's still an enchantment.
2/3
Horifo, Greedy Noble 2BB
Legendary Creature - Human (R)
When Horifo, Greedy Noble enters the battlefield, create four colorless artifact tokens named Gold. They have "Sacrifice the artifact: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool."
Whenever you sacrifice a token, put a -1/-1 counter on Horifo.
4/4
Daggerthorn Roses 1G
Creature - Plant (C)
Deathtouch
1/3
The beautiful flowers are just a distraction.
Traverse the Canals 3U
Sorcery (U)
Draw two cards. If you control an Aura, draw four cards instead.
If you know where to look and have the right bondrunes, you can find just about anyone and anything in the city of Vialde.
Force Pike 1U
Instrant (C)
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 1. Scry 2.
"I think not."
Force Spike was first printed in legends, and this seems perfect for a callback.
Azure Drake 3U
Creature - Drake (C)
Flying
2/4
The drakes' shimmering wings complement Docaseto's shining facade perfectly.
Clergy of the Sacred Sun 2W
Creature - Human Cleric (U)
If Clergy of the sacred sun would die, you may pay 2. If you do, it gains indestructible until end of turn instead.
2/3
"Thou shalt not harm."
Reference to Clergy of the Holy Nimbus.
Concordant Hedge-Maze 1G
Enchantment (R)
All creatures have hexproof.
Reference to Concordant Crossroads. Very powerful but comes with a real drawback of not being able to target opponents' creatures. Also very good with Avow.
Bartering with Hell 3B
Enchantment - Aura (R)
Avow 1
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has "t, sacrifice an enchanted creature: Return target creature card from your gravyard to the battlefield. Activate this ability only during your upkeep."
Reference to Hell's Caretaker, another known legends card. Works well with the upkeep theme.
Enchantment - Aura (U)
Avow 1
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has "Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, draw a card."
Triple Alliance 1W
Enchantment - Aura (C)
Avow 2
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1.
The three riders from the north quickly became the stuff of legend.
Reference to the three musketeers.
Enchanted Being 1WW
Creature - Human
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to Enchanted Being by enchanted creatures.
In a strange twist of fate, some Docasetans are born with an innate immunity to the magic of bondrunes. They don't tend to survive long.
2/2
Descendant of Halfdane 1WUB
Legendary Creature - Shapeshifter (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, if Descendant of Halfdane is enchanted, you may have it become a copy of target creature, except it gains this ability.
Somehow, the progeny of the great Halfdane found itself in the perfect hunting ground.
3/3
Reference to Halfdane.
Pet Wombat 2G
Creature - Wombat (U)
Pet Wombat gets +2/+2 for each Aura attached to it.
The more bondrunes are inscribed on a creature's body, the more useful it is.
2/2
Reference to Rabid Wombat.
Creature — Spirit [C]
Flying
Avow — When Heavenly Counterpart enters the battlefield, create a white Aura enchantment token named Heavenly Strings and attach it to target creature. That Aura has enchant creature and "Enchanted creature gets +1/+2 and has flying."
[1/2]
The most important thing it creates, IMO, is flexibility. With this version, avow can appear on any non-Aura card. Here it is doing its best bestow impersonation.
Enchantment [U]
Avow — When Heavenly Dance enters the battlefield, create two white Aura enchantment tokens named Heavenly Strings and attach them to one or two target creatures. Those Auras have enchant creature and "Enchanted creature gets +1/+2 and has flying."
Sacrifice Heavenly Dance: You gain 4 life.
The next thing it does is actually allow us to re-use Aura tokens, so we don't need as many different tokens in the set. Admittedly, this matters not one bit so long as L2 is just a theoretical exercise on the CCC forums, but if we're proposing to actually play this set, even using proxies, it does matter. It also, you know, comes off like we care and are thinking about logistical factors like that, which gives us wonderful imaginary style points!
Creature — Human Rogue [R]
Avow — Whenever Nefarious Agent deals combat damage to a player, create a black Aura enchantment token named Nefarious Strings and attach it to target creature. It has enchant creature and "At the beginning of your end step, sacrifice this creature."
[2/3]
It also allows us to expand the mechanic beyond ETB effects and have it trigger off of other events, or even do repeated-use applications like the one above.
The tradeoff, of course, is that ability-word avow is wordy, but I don't think it's that much wordier than the keyworded version you've gone with, here.
I always imagined that avow and shrink would be our two mechanics that skewed rare, which is fine because neither one has to do with the central theme of the set (legends) and since frenzy, immortalize, Wall tribal, and old-school upkeep can all work together to pick up the slack at common. This is all to say, I don't think we have to fear avow's wordiness. My assumption was that it would appear on 2 or maybe 3 commons, like shrink, so it wouldn't ding us too bad on common complexity.
Anyway, I'm not in charge of the decision-making here, but I do think you'll find that the mechanic is going to design better if you go with the original version, so I wanted to share my two cents about how and why I created it as I did.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝