I don't know how much you've thought about the setting, yet, but I think this might make a neat subterranean world... Caves made of gemstones, ruins of long-buried cities, monster lairs littered with stolen treasure, etc.
I don't know how much you've thought about the setting, yet, but I think this might make a neat subterranean world... Caves made of gemstones, ruins of long-buried cities, monster lairs littered with stolen treasure, etc.
I've thought about it some. Nothing near the critical mass needed for the setting to pull itself into a cohesive whole, yet, but pieces:
The setting is going to have a little Persian flavor. It's not going to be a dominant factor - more on the level of Ravnica's subtle Eastern European flavor than Kamigawa's overt and unceasing Japanese flavor.
There will be a preponderance of Humans, a good deal of animals, some Djinn, and very little else, race-wise. No Elves, Goblins, Merfolk, Dragons, or any of the other typical fantasy races.
Treasure is everywhere. Literally, it covers the ground. In D&D terms, this setting has pushed the magic item economy to its absurd, over-supplied extreme. So, the quest is not to find any magical item, the quest is to dig through the piles of gold and gemstones to find a special magical item.
Alternately, it is to master the heaps of treasure, and evoke power from them in ways nobody else can. This is the practice of alchemy in a nutshell.
I have a villain, and one that I think is a pretty excellent villain. If you look closely, you can already see who it is, although you don't yet know what makes him tick or why that makes him a villain.
So, as you can see, this is not necessarily at odds with anything that you suggest. In fact, I have some cards designed (but not posted yet) that could really hammer home the subterranean flavor. I don't think I want the whole world to be underground, but significant portions of it, yes. I think, specifically, the empire of the Djinn makes sense as a hidden, underground realm. So, I may very well use that idea for them.
I think Jeweled Caravan should get +1/+0 for each artifact you control, and have trample. Perhaps also make it a 3/2 and bring the cost down to
:1mana::symr::symg:.
For Moonsilver Bandit, the second ability could just say:
"Whenever Moonsilver Bandit attacks, target creature becomes an artifact creature." Then the "in addition to its other types" doesn't need to be there. Saves room on the card.
I have a villain, and one that I think is a pretty excellent villain. If you look closely, you can already see who it is, although you don't yet know what makes him tick or why that makes him a villain.
This perplexes me, considering no planeswalkers or legends yet. Except for the Padishah. It's him?
But what, indeed, could make him a villain? I can only envision him as a sort of Grinch figure who seeks to deprive others of treasure...?
I will begin to answer that question with a little bit of setting information.
Barzakh
The middle realm between the mortal world and the world of the djinn is called Barzakh, or The Barrier. Gates to this realm open without notice in locations of great mystery or danger, and often close forever just as quickly. Those who enter these gates find a world of grand arcades, endless hallways, and sweeping concourses, all dimly-lit, cold, and utterly barren. Barzakh is vast, alien, and unchanging. For those who know the way between the worlds, the journey can take days. For those who do not know the way, most perish of thirst or starvation. Their bodies and belongings are always quickly removed by unseen hands and the eyes that guide them - no trace is ever left of the lost.
Depending on the route taken through Barzakh, adventurers may begin to see telltale traces of the djinns' realm well before they reach it - priceless jewels strewn carelessly (so it seems) on the floor of the stone halls, or delicate strings of gold left hanging from an archway. Other adventurers on other routes see no sign of the djinns' realm until they turn a corner to find themselves on a towering balcony, overlooking a sea of glittering riches. The wise will travel no further, content simply to have set their eyes upon the treasures of the djinn, and add their witness to the djinns' perpetuating legend. The foolhardy, however, may continue forth out of the Barrier realm, and into a nightmare of beauty, fear, and unimaginable madness, all ornamented in endless gold and gemstone.
Or, so Marjhan's father had told her since she was a little girl, every night before he would blow out his golden lamp and put her to bed. Whenever Marjhan asked her father how he knew so much about Barzakh and the world of the djinn, he would only wink at her and say, "You can only wonder at what these old eyes have seen!" After her father passed away, Marjhan would remember his stories to her cousins in the city square, though never with the same flair and self-confidence as her father. As she grew older, Marjhan's father became a fond but distant memory, and his stories nothing more than the fairy tales of childhood. Her father's lamp was the only real thing Marjhan had left of him.
It began with the horses in the village of Pozm. The fishmonger arrived on the back of an old, ugly mule, and told his customers of the bloody night. Thirty dead, all told - a head here, a hoof there. From the village's fastest horse, they took only its skin: beautiful black and spotted grey. Though Marjhan and her friends cringed at the tale, none thought of it again until reports came in from Bok and Zirdaj, of human children hacked to pieces, their arms gone missing and their eyes plucked out. Men began shouting in the streets, blaming rival factions of the Razh for the slaughter and calling for their blood. Panic gripped the countryside, and every night, rumors of another atrocity. Villagers fled to the city and the protection of its walls.
Marjhan was drawing water from the well in the city square one night soon after when she heard the barking of the hyenas of the city's midden, far outside the walls. It was only seconds later that the torrent of ice and sand roared from the sky, knocking her into the well. She awoke to hear terrible screams - screams of her cousins and friends - but also laughter. Bright, beautiful laughter in an old, but familiar tongue. "Loogaloo," her father had once sung to her, also laughing, "It is the djinn word for treasure: something beautiful, something precious, something the djinn simply must have, no matter what the cost. How weak they are for loogaloo!"
Hours afterwards, amassing every ounce of her strength, Marjhan ascended the rope of the well, as the first rays of sun broke through the city walls. In the dirt, her childhood friends and confidants lay dead, bloodied, and dismembered. Only the ugly remained unharmed: Fazel, the pockmarked beggar sat trembling near the square's vaulted archway. Behind him, a trail of carnage, trailing off through the archway and into a place Marjhan had never seen, a seemingly infinite hall of shadow and marble.
"It only appears in places of great mystery, or danger," Marjhan heard her father's voice on the wind, from a child's distant memory.
I'm interested to see how this will turn out. I'll be interesting to see how it's similar/different from Mirrodin. The only thing that irks me is that there's a special place deep in my heart reserverd for Treasures as alternate win conditions, but hopefully it won't take away from this awesome idea.
Still confused as to how limited will work though.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"In the beginning, MTG Salvation switched to a new forum format.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
I'm not well versed in Persian mythology. Are there any references I should be getting?
Also: A mysterious gate to other worlds appearing after the main character faces a horrible revelation? Could this possibly be a metaphor? *wink*wink*nudge*nudge*
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"In the beginning, MTG Salvation switched to a new forum format.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
Also: A mysterious gate to other worlds appearing after the main character faces a horrible revelation? Could this possibly be a metaphor? *wink*wink*nudge*nudge*
If you're claiming that I'm ripping this off from H.P. Lovecraft, I plead ignorance.
Never even heard of the guy!
As for references, nothing is lifted directly from the Shahnameh or 1001 Nights.
But, I did borrow / modify the following concepts:
Barzakh is the Islamic "limbo", where the soul goes after death to await judgment. However, the word does literally mean "barrier", and I am using it in a more physical sense here, i.e. it is a literal world between the worlds.
Marjhan means "coral". It's also the name of this Homelands card, which is why I picked it. The card and the character, above, have no connection other than name. The throwback is deliberate, but not in any card mechanics / functional sense.
Hyenas have a weird place in Persian mythology. They are both reviled for their hideousness and hunted for their magical powers. You can perhaps see why I am eager to put them in this setting. (See Sneaking Targh, above, for starters).
The village names are just plucked from names of Iranian villages on Google Maps.
It was at that moment that I realized: I'm kinda just making these things up. We can just write the rules the way we want them to work. People will have fun, and people will get it.
Not at all. Have I told you how much I love your writing? I read all the flavor snippets for your previous set (and am a little sad to see that it's been abandoned, as I wanted to know how it ends). I'm not a fan of the "ten parasitic themes megablock" idea, but I'll keep watching this space in large part for your stories.
I agree with void_nothing about "Loogaloo" - reminds me of Street Fighter's "Shadaloo", which I also thought was a silly name.
What represents the G in this set? Blue is represented by intellect, mind-manipulation, and artifacts; red, by chaos, a love of beauty, and putting artifacts in the graveyard. Maybe it's because all the cards are in cycles so far, but I hardly see anything here that justifies having G in its cost.
For Reconstruct, what if it put the artifact card in your hand instead of onto the battlefield to avoid absurd Atog chains?
For now, I'm going to direct you to my latest card thread. I don't have the stamina (or the time) to go into any more detail tonight, but soon. I'm just saying, meld the idea of a menagerie with the story snippet, above. More later.
Thanks for flattering me about my writing!
For reference, the set Jenesis is referring to is here, and I haven't abandoned it (OK, fine, maybe I have). I think the mill mechanics just need more time to marinate in my brain. The setting / story, I'm still 100% excited about, for real. But, this being the create-a-card forum, the cards need to come first! When the time is right, I'll go back.
If all Djinni have a predisposition for taking objects that are loogaloo at any cost, why is Majid in particular such a villain? Everything you say raises more and more questions, Guesswork.
Why is the URG wedge heavily artifacts?* There is nothing here that is green. Green doesn't care about controlling a lot of artifacts. Metalcraft doesn't count because it is a block mechanic on an artifact plane and every color has metalcraft. Outside of Scars of Mirrodin block, green cards that care about artifacts are all artifact hate. Green is the last color that fits in an artifact wedge. No three color plane with green in it would be about artifacts. WU are the two colors that care the most about artifacts. Esper's WUB was the artifact arc, but I think that the RWU wedge could be the next best fit for artifacts with an equipment based theme.
As for the abilities and cards you have:
-Reconstruct is going to be incredibly difficult to balance and easily abused.
-I don't like evoke being used this way because the only reason to not evoke is if you can use it with cards like Atog, in which case the effects are completely off-color.
-Numb is overpowered because most spells are nonartifact. Should probably be costed similar to Frazzle.
-Gem Weaver is exactly why green does make sense as part of an artifact arc or wedge. Except for metalcraft, the natural loving green would never get stronger for controlling lots of artificial objects. See for contrast Gaea's Avenger and Viridian Lorebearers.
-Jeweled Caravan doesn't make sense as a red green creature. The two colors that hate artifacts the most somehow combine together and get stronger because you control a lot of artifacts?
-Intrepid Archaeologist is asking to be abused. See Myr Landshaper which was only ever used with Tanglewalker and artifact destruction.
*As I see it, URG would be a wedge that cares about casting big spells and/or chaining together a lot of spells. Izzet plus Scourge, minus the instant/sorcery restriction. Mana acceleration, mana ramp, looting or cantrips when able, building up over a couple turns for a large explosive turn. For example:
"Whenever you cast a spell, [effect]" Quirion Dryad
"Other spells you control this turn ..." Bound/Determined
I would encourage you to jump to the following threads:
This is my original :symu::symr::symg: wedge thread, also linked in the OP.
This is the poll where I asked people to vote on which shard / wedge they liked the best. "Treasures" (the :symu::symr::symg: wedge, i.e. this wedge) won handily, to my surprise.
I would also encourage you to jump to the specific threads for the cards you mentioned (links are provided in OP), because a lot of these issues have been raised and discussed within those threads.
You'll see that I have fielded a lot of questions about why I am doing a :symu::symr::symg: artifact set. The easiest answer is that the set is not Mirrodin / Scars of Mirrodin. "Play more artifacts" is not the organizing idea of the set. Interacting with artifacts is the organizing idea. Each of the three colors is going to showcase a unique way of interacting with artifacts, and you will see each of them adopting both pro- and anti-artifact mechanics. I am not rewriting the book on green or red's color identity.
But, in the end, the more important answer to the question of "Why am I doing this?" is, "Because that's what people wanted to see." I understand your reservations, but if you'll meet me halfway on this, I'm very happy to consider whatever constructive criticism you might have.
[EDIT]: Regarding Numb, I don't know what to say except that Frazzle is ass. What would make me happy is if Numb kind of sucked in Treasures-only draft, but got increasingly good-to-awesome as you moved towards Treasures-Other-Other draft. I think 2U is the right cost to achieve that effect. If it was 3U, it would be a 15th pick in just about any draft format.
A three color plane/tribe/group/whatever is going to highlight mechanical and flavor aspects of what those three colors have in common while excluding aspects that define the relationship between the missing colors.
In every place where this is being discussed, there are different people asking the same question about why this is green, but you continue to ignore it. Flavorwise I can see how plenty can represent the absence of the pettiness of white/black, but mechanically URG does not translate into artifacts.
In every place where this is being discussed, there are different people asking the same question about why this is green, but you continue to ignore it.
Not yet showing the cards != ignoring.
I prefer to release the cards in small batches on the main forum because I get a better response to them that way. I'm trying to keep this thread as a repository for what I have already put in the main forum. In keeping with the forum rules, that means one thread a day, and I like to keep each thread on a fairly tight focus, card-wise.
I've been trying to get the common artifact chunk out there, because I feel like it provides the best reference point for the other cards that I have designed. I also have to get the artifacts right, otherwise there is no set. I can just as easily make a green card-dump my next priority after these common artifacts, I guess. I think you will find it interesting.
And again, I want to emphasize that it doesn't matter that green is not an artifact-positive color. This is not an artifact-positive set. It is an artifact-interactive set.
There will be a preponderance of Humans, a good deal of animals, some Djinn, and very little else, race-wise. No Elves, Goblins, Merfolk, Dragons, or any of the other typical fantasy races.
I understand the desire to take a break from overused creature types, but I think you might need another "civilized" race to avoid human overkill. (And a treasure world without Dragons??? Blasphemy! :p.) That being said, the possible overabundance of wild animals gives this world a bit of a post-apocalyptic or "land that time forgot" feel, which is cool.
Don't know if you wanted card ideas, but a few came to mind...
All that Glitters U
Enchantment
Whenever an artifact comes into play under your control, you may tap target creature.
Scarred Hyena 1G
Creature - Hyena
2/3
Scarred Hyena can't block equipped creatures.
Scarred Hyena can't attack as long as the defending player controls an untapped equipped creature.
Chimeric Command 2RUG
Sorcery
Untap all artifacts and gain control of them until end of turn. All noncreature artifacts become 2/2 artifact creatures until end of turn. All artifacts gain haste until end of turn.
Hollow Gift R
Sorcery
Target opponent gains control of target artifact you control. If he or she does so, put X 1/1 red Human Warrior creature tokens with haste into play, where X is that artifact's converted mana cost.
Excavating Gear 2
Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature has ":symtap:: Look at the top X cards of your library, where X is this creature's power. You may reveal an artifact card from there and put it into your hand. Put the remaining cards into your graveyard."
Equip 2
Hollow Gift R
Sorcery
Target opponent gains control of target artifact you control. If he or she does so, put X 1/1 red Human Warrior creature tokens with haste into play, where X is that artifact's converted mana cost.
You're going to like one of my mythic rare cards. You're really, really going to like it.
That said, I think the universe would end if Hollow Gift and that mythic card appeared in the same set. There would be a volatile reaction.
Man, I want to post this card. I will restrain myself...
:symu::symr::symg:
Set Name: The Pauper and the Padishah
Block: Set 1 of 10 in the TBD megablock
Three-Letter Abbreviation: PTP
Number of Cards: 114/150
It Began Here
• Recent Card Ideas • My Drawings at DeviantArt
I've thought about it some. Nothing near the critical mass needed for the setting to pull itself into a cohesive whole, yet, but pieces:
Artifact - Potion [COM]
Flash
Evoke (You may cast this spell for its evoke cost. If you do, it’s sacrificed when it enters the battlefield.)
When ~ is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, counter target activated ability from an artifact source. (Mana abilities can't be targeted.)
Artifact - Potion [UNC]
Evoke :2mana::symr: (You may cast this spell for its evoke cost. If you do, it’s sacrificed when it enters the battlefield.)
When ~ is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, exile two artifacts.
Standard: :symu::symb: Control
I think Jeweled Caravan should get +1/+0 for each artifact you control, and have trample. Perhaps also make it a 3/2 and bring the cost down to
:1mana::symr::symg:.
For Moonsilver Bandit, the second ability could just say:
"Whenever Moonsilver Bandit attacks, target creature becomes an artifact creature." Then the "in addition to its other types" doesn't need to be there. Saves room on the card.
My art blog
Claims:
The kicker variant in WWK will be "Kicker without a kicked effect." - proven wrong Jan 2010 : 2 wrongs
Decks:
:symu::symb: Bloodchief Ascension - Modern
:symb::symr: Rakdos, the Defiler - EDH
:symu::symb::symw: Sharuum the Hegemon - EDH
:symw::symu::symb: Zur the Enchanter - EDH
This perplexes me, considering no planeswalkers or legends yet. Except for the Padishah. It's him?
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Yes.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
I will begin to answer that question with a little bit of setting information.
Barzakh
The middle realm between the mortal world and the world of the djinn is called Barzakh, or The Barrier. Gates to this realm open without notice in locations of great mystery or danger, and often close forever just as quickly. Those who enter these gates find a world of grand arcades, endless hallways, and sweeping concourses, all dimly-lit, cold, and utterly barren. Barzakh is vast, alien, and unchanging. For those who know the way between the worlds, the journey can take days. For those who do not know the way, most perish of thirst or starvation. Their bodies and belongings are always quickly removed by unseen hands and the eyes that guide them - no trace is ever left of the lost.
Depending on the route taken through Barzakh, adventurers may begin to see telltale traces of the djinns' realm well before they reach it - priceless jewels strewn carelessly (so it seems) on the floor of the stone halls, or delicate strings of gold left hanging from an archway. Other adventurers on other routes see no sign of the djinns' realm until they turn a corner to find themselves on a towering balcony, overlooking a sea of glittering riches. The wise will travel no further, content simply to have set their eyes upon the treasures of the djinn, and add their witness to the djinns' perpetuating legend. The foolhardy, however, may continue forth out of the Barrier realm, and into a nightmare of beauty, fear, and unimaginable madness, all ornamented in endless gold and gemstone.
Or, so Marjhan's father had told her since she was a little girl, every night before he would blow out his golden lamp and put her to bed. Whenever Marjhan asked her father how he knew so much about Barzakh and the world of the djinn, he would only wink at her and say, "You can only wonder at what these old eyes have seen!" After her father passed away, Marjhan would remember his stories to her cousins in the city square, though never with the same flair and self-confidence as her father. As she grew older, Marjhan's father became a fond but distant memory, and his stories nothing more than the fairy tales of childhood. Her father's lamp was the only real thing Marjhan had left of him.
It began with the horses in the village of Pozm. The fishmonger arrived on the back of an old, ugly mule, and told his customers of the bloody night. Thirty dead, all told - a head here, a hoof there. From the village's fastest horse, they took only its skin: beautiful black and spotted grey. Though Marjhan and her friends cringed at the tale, none thought of it again until reports came in from Bok and Zirdaj, of human children hacked to pieces, their arms gone missing and their eyes plucked out. Men began shouting in the streets, blaming rival factions of the Razh for the slaughter and calling for their blood. Panic gripped the countryside, and every night, rumors of another atrocity. Villagers fled to the city and the protection of its walls.
Marjhan was drawing water from the well in the city square one night soon after when she heard the barking of the hyenas of the city's midden, far outside the walls. It was only seconds later that the torrent of ice and sand roared from the sky, knocking her into the well. She awoke to hear terrible screams - screams of her cousins and friends - but also laughter. Bright, beautiful laughter in an old, but familiar tongue. "Loogaloo," her father had once sung to her, also laughing, "It is the djinn word for treasure: something beautiful, something precious, something the djinn simply must have, no matter what the cost. How weak they are for loogaloo!"
Hours afterwards, amassing every ounce of her strength, Marjhan ascended the rope of the well, as the first rays of sun broke through the city walls. In the dirt, her childhood friends and confidants lay dead, bloodied, and dismembered. Only the ugly remained unharmed: Fazel, the pockmarked beggar sat trembling near the square's vaulted archway. Behind him, a trail of carnage, trailing off through the archway and into a place Marjhan had never seen, a seemingly infinite hall of shadow and marble.
"It only appears in places of great mystery, or danger," Marjhan heard her father's voice on the wind, from a child's distant memory.
I'm interested to see how this will turn out. I'll be interesting to see how it's similar/different from Mirrodin. The only thing that irks me is that there's a special place deep in my heart reserverd for Treasures as alternate win conditions, but hopefully it won't take away from this awesome idea.
Still confused as to how limited will work though.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
Yeah, it is a bit long for this crowd.
tl;dr: watch out, djinns be stealin' yo' face.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Also: A mysterious gate to other worlds appearing after the main character faces a horrible revelation? Could this possibly be a metaphor? *wink*wink*nudge*nudge*
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
If you're claiming that I'm ripping this off from H.P. Lovecraft, I plead ignorance.
Never even heard of the guy!
As for references, nothing is lifted directly from the Shahnameh or 1001 Nights.
But, I did borrow / modify the following concepts:
Barzakh is the Islamic "limbo", where the soul goes after death to await judgment. However, the word does literally mean "barrier", and I am using it in a more physical sense here, i.e. it is a literal world between the worlds.
Marjhan means "coral". It's also the name of this Homelands card, which is why I picked it. The card and the character, above, have no connection other than name. The throwback is deliberate, but not in any card mechanics / functional sense.
Hyenas have a weird place in Persian mythology. They are both reviled for their hideousness and hunted for their magical powers. You can perhaps see why I am eager to put them in this setting. (See Sneaking Targh, above, for starters).
The village names are just plucked from names of Iranian villages on Google Maps.
"Loogaloo" is completely made up.
"Fazel" is just an incidental name.
I was actually claiming you were ripping off of planeswalkers, but that works too
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."
Comic Book Set
Archester: Frontier of Steam (A steampunk set!)
A Good Place to Start Designing
Not at all. Have I told you how much I love your writing? I read all the flavor snippets for your previous set (and am a little sad to see that it's been abandoned, as I wanted to know how it ends). I'm not a fan of the "ten parasitic themes megablock" idea, but I'll keep watching this space in large part for your stories.
I agree with void_nothing about "Loogaloo" - reminds me of Street Fighter's "Shadaloo", which I also thought was a silly name.
What represents the G in this set? Blue is represented by intellect, mind-manipulation, and artifacts; red, by chaos, a love of beauty, and putting artifacts in the graveyard. Maybe it's because all the cards are in cycles so far, but I hardly see anything here that justifies having G in its cost.
For Reconstruct, what if it put the artifact card in your hand instead of onto the battlefield to avoid absurd Atog chains?
Avatar by Numotflame96 of Maelstrom Graphics
Sig banner thanks to DarkNightCavalier of Heroes of the Plane Studios!
You're asking all the right questions! Love it!
For now, I'm going to direct you to my latest card thread. I don't have the stamina (or the time) to go into any more detail tonight, but soon. I'm just saying, meld the idea of a menagerie with the story snippet, above. More later.
Thanks for flattering me about my writing!
For reference, the set Jenesis is referring to is here, and I haven't abandoned it (OK, fine, maybe I have). I think the mill mechanics just need more time to marinate in my brain. The setting / story, I'm still 100% excited about, for real. But, this being the create-a-card forum, the cards need to come first! When the time is right, I'll go back.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
http://magiccards.info/query?q=c%3Arwu+o%3Aartifact+%28o%3Asearch+or+o%3Areturn%29&v=card&s=cname
http://magiccards.info/query?q=c%3Arwu+o%3Aequip&v=card&s=cname
As for the abilities and cards you have:
-Reconstruct is going to be incredibly difficult to balance and easily abused.
-I don't like evoke being used this way because the only reason to not evoke is if you can use it with cards like Atog, in which case the effects are completely off-color.
-Numb is overpowered because most spells are nonartifact. Should probably be costed similar to Frazzle.
-Gem Weaver is exactly why green does make sense as part of an artifact arc or wedge. Except for metalcraft, the natural loving green would never get stronger for controlling lots of artificial objects. See for contrast Gaea's Avenger and Viridian Lorebearers.
-Jeweled Caravan doesn't make sense as a red green creature. The two colors that hate artifacts the most somehow combine together and get stronger because you control a lot of artifacts?
-Intrepid Archaeologist is asking to be abused. See Myr Landshaper which was only ever used with Tanglewalker and artifact destruction.
*As I see it, URG would be a wedge that cares about casting big spells and/or chaining together a lot of spells. Izzet plus Scourge, minus the instant/sorcery restriction. Mana acceleration, mana ramp, looting or cantrips when able, building up over a couple turns for a large explosive turn. For example:
"Whenever you cast a spell, [effect]" Quirion Dryad
"Other spells you control this turn ..." Bound/Determined
I would encourage you to jump to the following threads:
This is my original :symu::symr::symg: wedge thread, also linked in the OP.
This is the poll where I asked people to vote on which shard / wedge they liked the best. "Treasures" (the :symu::symr::symg: wedge, i.e. this wedge) won handily, to my surprise.
I would also encourage you to jump to the specific threads for the cards you mentioned (links are provided in OP), because a lot of these issues have been raised and discussed within those threads.
You'll see that I have fielded a lot of questions about why I am doing a :symu::symr::symg: artifact set. The easiest answer is that the set is not Mirrodin / Scars of Mirrodin. "Play more artifacts" is not the organizing idea of the set. Interacting with artifacts is the organizing idea. Each of the three colors is going to showcase a unique way of interacting with artifacts, and you will see each of them adopting both pro- and anti-artifact mechanics. I am not rewriting the book on green or red's color identity.
But, in the end, the more important answer to the question of "Why am I doing this?" is, "Because that's what people wanted to see." I understand your reservations, but if you'll meet me halfway on this, I'm very happy to consider whatever constructive criticism you might have.
[EDIT]: Regarding Numb, I don't know what to say except that Frazzle is ass. What would make me happy is if Numb kind of sucked in Treasures-only draft, but got increasingly good-to-awesome as you moved towards Treasures-Other-Other draft. I think 2U is the right cost to achieve that effect. If it was 3U, it would be a 15th pick in just about any draft format.
In every place where this is being discussed, there are different people asking the same question about why this is green, but you continue to ignore it. Flavorwise I can see how plenty can represent the absence of the pettiness of white/black, but mechanically URG does not translate into artifacts.
Not yet showing the cards != ignoring.
I prefer to release the cards in small batches on the main forum because I get a better response to them that way. I'm trying to keep this thread as a repository for what I have already put in the main forum. In keeping with the forum rules, that means one thread a day, and I like to keep each thread on a fairly tight focus, card-wise.
I've been trying to get the common artifact chunk out there, because I feel like it provides the best reference point for the other cards that I have designed. I also have to get the artifacts right, otherwise there is no set. I can just as easily make a green card-dump my next priority after these common artifacts, I guess. I think you will find it interesting.
And again, I want to emphasize that it doesn't matter that green is not an artifact-positive color. This is not an artifact-positive set. It is an artifact-interactive set.
Don't know if you wanted card ideas, but a few came to mind...
All that Glitters U
Enchantment
Whenever an artifact comes into play under your control, you may tap target creature.
Scarred Hyena 1G
Creature - Hyena
2/3
Scarred Hyena can't block equipped creatures.
Scarred Hyena can't attack as long as the defending player controls an untapped equipped creature.
Chimeric Command 2RUG
Sorcery
Untap all artifacts and gain control of them until end of turn. All noncreature artifacts become 2/2 artifact creatures until end of turn. All artifacts gain haste until end of turn.
Hollow Gift R
Sorcery
Target opponent gains control of target artifact you control. If he or she does so, put X 1/1 red Human Warrior creature tokens with haste into play, where X is that artifact's converted mana cost.
Excavating Gear 2
Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature has ":symtap:: Look at the top X cards of your library, where X is this creature's power. You may reveal an artifact card from there and put it into your hand. Put the remaining cards into your graveyard."
Equip 2
• Recent Card Ideas • My Drawings at DeviantArt
You're going to like one of my mythic rare cards. You're really, really going to like it.
That said, I think the universe would end if Hollow Gift and that mythic card appeared in the same set. There would be a volatile reaction.
Man, I want to post this card. I will restrain myself...
Does it have CMC 20 or something?
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝