MTG Salvation

MaRo talk about this un-sets is for two purposes for fun causal players and to test run mechanics

And plus if you do notice quite a bit A bit of the cards seem to be black borderable.

What mechanics do you feel that could end up being black bordered

From everything the most likely seems to be "last-strike" and "triple-strike"
(Then again for triple strike any high powered legendary creature could get banned just like that in edh.)

As much as Squirrellink is an un-mechanic, I think the effects that makes tokens based on the damage dealt is something that could be made and integrated into a standard environment.

My hope is for Augment to make its way to black border. Seems like the perfect Simic mechanic. Contraptions, I'd love to see get a supplemental set much like Archenemy or Planechase, a cycle of precon decks each loaded with 15 new and unique Contraptions.

Quote from Serberus_08 »

As much as Squirrellink is an un-mechanic, I think the effects that makes tokens based on the damage dealt is something that could be made and integrated into a standard environment.

A number of individual cards exist with a similar mechanic where they create tokens from taking damage, so we can probably expect to one day eventually see cards that create tokens from dealing damage. But I highly doubt it will ever be a mechanic, given how powerful and easily manipulated such an effect is. Would easily compare to the developmental problems of infect.

There is a card that gives trample to a damage dealing spell. i.e. If you deal 4 damage to a 2/2, the creature dies and it's controller gets dealt 2 damage. I feel that is all but inevitable to eventually making its way to black border.

last strike and triple strike could make it to black border. i really hope that augment makes it too, it's a better meld. you don't need DFC and you don't need to have those two specific cards to activate it: any host can work with any augment

Quote from doc.brown »

last strike and triple strike could make it to black border.

Last strike is a downside mechanic, and last strike is just an evenmore powerful double strike. The reason they haven't been done is because honestly they really just aren't worth the extra rules overall, I'm not even sure they would be godd if there wasn't such a rules update required.

i really hope that augment makes it too, it's a better meld. you don't need DFC and you don't need to have those two specific cards to activate it: any host can work with any augment

I'm pretty sure augment has some rules issues. But I think there's chance if they are willing to work for it. I strongly doubt it would end up working the same way as Augment is supposed to work, but something that riffs off it I think is actually quite feasible.

Clocknapper has already generated some positive attention, and I could easily see some variation on the ability being used, particularly on something like a planeswalker ultimate.

Mary O'Kill and Earl of Squirrel also seem like their abilities could be seen in some form.

Spell/non-combat trample will likely exist under an entirely different name in the future, but it would be a tall order to, as some in the death ray's spoiler thread suggested, change trample to match the silver-bordered spell's reminder text. Multiple blockers are the biggest issue, especially in comparison to how Wizards would want the mechanic to work on spells that deal damage to multiple creatures. Even the most elegant solution would likely function differently between combat and non-combat damage by necessity (all rolled up into the definition of "excess damage"), which brings the entire point of the exercise into question.

Augument and other combination mechanics are one of MaRo's great passions, so him trying to make that happen in black border (or meld again) is only a matter of time.

Quote from Mergatroid_Jones »

Clocknapper has already generated some positive attention, and I could easily see some variation on the ability being used, particularly on something like a planeswalker ultimate.

Mary O'Kill and Earl of Squirrel also seem like their abilities could be seen in some form.

Clocknapper seems like a gem for design space; I think it would be interesting in a constructed format.

About half the set could easily see print in any black border set/product. Unstable seemed more of a testing grounds than a "joke set" for the various mechanics we've seen.

-Grusilda, Monster Masher is what Ludevic probably should have been and would work, although with exiling the two creatures being "combined".
-By Gnome Means is another that would easily work in a set with some focus on counters.
-Do-It-Yourself Seraph is some design space I'm surprised they haven't tried more of.
-Crow Storm would easily fit into something like another Time Spiral just as a normal reprint.
-Graveyard Busybody I thought this card should have existed prior as a black enchantment with having control of opponents graveyards. I could see it in the future.
-Super Duper Deathray This could potentially lead to more spells like it. Seeing spells with Lifelink as well doesn't seem out of the equation either.
-Last Strike does seem possible. Having a downside mechanic doesn't seem too terrible and could be potentially interesting. I don't see Triple Strike happening or if it does happen it will only happen on a small handful of creatures.

crow storm wouldn't fit into anything because it has storm.

Having extra text boxes gets complicated in weird ways. I don't think it's likely that we'll see that in black-border without some serious changes.

I really, really want to see Mary O'Kill's switch mechanic implemented. It works very well within the rules, is intuitive enough to not be confusing (in fact a lot of new players are often confused that other cards don't work this way, and that their lightning bolt fizzles to a Cloudshift), and has tremendous design space.

I also want it not to be in blue, because blue already gets to do so much stuff. I like it as-is in BR.

Honestly it works in every color.
Black has the "use your underlings as a meat shield" angle.
Red has a trickery subtheme, and likes that this is a much more aggressive version of bounce that can swap dudes mid-attack.
Blue has just as much or more of a trickery subtheme, and is the color of bounce and deception.
White has a whole bunch of cards that bounce a creature you control, and stepping in to heroically save someone is very white.
Green has the evolution/metamorphosis angle.