THE ETERNITY COIL Set 1 of 2 in The Eternity Coil[/i] block (7/300)
Story
The Multiverse was once interspersed with beings of near-limitless power. They could shape and invent new magics, breath life into new planes of existence--some even had the power to change the nature of reality itself. Many knew them as gods. Others simply thought of them as seldom visitors. The truth is that they were planeswalkers, traversing the planes of existence to sate whatever whims or obligations so compel them.
The planeswalkers ruled the Multiverse in their own ways, unchecked except by one another for millenia. After eons, this meddling eventually began to take its toll. The hub-world at the center of the multiverse had been exposed to warfare and plague and destruction that could not simply be reversed. It was beginning to fall apart, and threatened to take the Multiverse with it.
During this catasrtophe, planeswalkers raced to find solutions to the problem or salvation for themselves. As Teferi worked to save the Multiverse, another planeswalker of immense power lost hope and began construction on what would have been an escape route for all of those threatened by their impending doom.
As only planeswalkers can withstand the emptiness between planes--called the Blind Eternities, or the Aether--this escape route was intended to provide a means for non-planeswalkers to travel from plane to plane, urging as many races as possible aboard. Like a snake, it writhed through the Aether, connecting sporatically from plane to plane in a pattern that only its inventor could possibly interpret.
Fortunately, this construct proved unnecessary, as Teferi managed to mend most of the damage done to the Multiverse by sacrificing his spark. This came at a cost, though; The Mending.
Without access to the surplus of energy the tears in time allowed, planeswalkers lost their infinite capacity and were reduced to mere travelers. Thus, though the construct's architect was nearly able to finish his work, he vanished before he was able to share with anyone the way in which it was meant to work, and to this day it drifts through the Multiverse, connecting in a seemingly random order to various planes.
No one but the architect and his skeleton crew of automated drones were aboard the construct when he disappeared, but word still spread of a tunnel through time and space that connects to different planes of existence. Naturally, curiosity spread, and many denizens of various planes found themselves aboard the once-vacant vessel.
Unable to find their way back to their home plane, most of these creatures either made themselves a home on the construct--which they've come to call the Eternity Coil, as it's rumored to wind through the blind eternities like a snake--or exit from wherever they can onto whatever plane they can.
The ones who have stayed have found some luck, as the Coil isn't entirely stable, and Ethereal energy has begun to flow in through cracks in the construct's hull that the now-natives call rifts. This energy is highly-influenced by whatever mana it's exposed to, and thus, parts of the Coil have become amalgams of the artifice used to build it and organic formations that are almost reminiscent of their denizen's homeworld.
Themes
Exiling things
Cheating things into play
Minor milling (exiling cards from other players libraries)
Intertwining themes (this set will include flavor elements from many other sets, such as a wide variety of one-off members of races that don't belong together--including Noggle, Salamander, Viashino, Atog, and many others along side the "standard" races--and clashing set pieces from other various planes)
Mechanics Fathom N(Put up to N cards from your hand on the bottom of your library in a random order, then draw that many cards.) Smuggle(As this permanent enters the battlefield, you may exile any number of cards from your hand.) [some effect linked to the exiled cards will be printed on each card with smuggle--they will typically give you some way to cheat one or more of the exiled cards into play.] Mania--If one or more cards you own was exiled from anywhere this turn, [effect]. --OR-- Whenever one or more cards you own are exiled from anywhere, [effect]. Solidarity--Whenever a permanent that shares a color with this one enters the battlefield under your control, [effect].
Cycles
Wirecaster Sentinel (4) Artifact Creature -- Drone (C)
Reach
(1/4)
-- The wirecasters form a perimeter around every corridor of the Eternity Coil, ready to snare smugglers and stowaways like flies in a web.
Cageweaver Guardian (5) Artifact Creature -- Drone (U)
Vigilance, Reach
(2/5)
-- There are no jails in the Eternity Coil. Just the Cageweavers and their steel cocoons.
Snaremaster Warden (6) Artifact Creature -- Drone (R)
Vigilance, Reach
Snaremaster Sentinel can block any number of creatures.
(3/6)
-- From the front, the Snaremasters look like walls of limbs. It is impossible to hide from them when they run their patrols.
Coiltether Operator (7) Legendary Artifact Creature -- Drone (M)
Vigilance, Reach, Hexproof
Coiltether Operator can block any number of creatures.
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, fathom 1. (You may put one card from your hand on the bottom of your library. If you do, draw a card.)
(4/7)
--
[i]Nothing evades the Operator's gaze.
Cards by Color and Rarity
Mad Chronographer (1U) Creature -- Human Wizard (C)
Sacrifice Mad Chronographer: Fathom 2. (Put up to two cards from your hand on the bottom of your library in a random order, then draw that many cards.)
(1/3)
-- Some dive through the rifts, certain they've discovered the Eternity Coil's path through the Multiverse. They have a tendency to lose this conviction when they blink suddenly out of existence.
Glimpse the Eternities (1UU) Instant (U)
Draw a card.
Fathom 3 (Put up to three cards from your hand on the bottom of your library in a random order, then draw that many cards.)
-- When Trip looked into the Blind Eternities, it looked back.
Wirecaster Sentinel (4) Artifact Creature -- Drone (C)
Reach
(1/4)
-- The wirecasters form a perimeter around every corridor of the Eternity Coil, ready to snare smugglers and stowaways like flies in a web.
Cageweaver Guardian (5) Artifact Creature -- Drone (U)
Vigilance, Reach
(2/5)
-- There are no jails in the Eternity Coil. Just the Cageweavers and their steel cocoons.
Chronograph (3) Artifact (R)
At the beginning of your end step, put a time counter on Chronograph, then fathom X where X is the number of time counters on Chronograph. (To fathom X, put up to X cards from your hand on the bottom of your library in a random order, then draw that many cards.)
-- "Tricky things. They look just like pocket watches, but stare at one for too long and you might just start to lose your grip."
--Viscele, smuggler
Snaremaster Warden (6) Artifact Creature -- Drone (R)
Vigilance, Reach
Snaremaster Sentinel can block any number of creatures.
(3/6)
-- From the front, the Snaremasters look like walls of limbs. It is impossible to hide from them when they run their patrols.
Coiltether Operator (7) Legendary Artifact Creature -- Drone (M)
Vigilance, Reach, Hexproof
Coiltether Operator can block any number of creatures.
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, fathom 1. (You may put one card from your hand on the bottom of your library. If you do, draw a card.)
(4/7)
-- Nothing escapes the Operator's gaze.
I'm glad you like fathom~ It was honestly the only ability I was able to come up with that fit the flavor I was going for for some of the specific creatures I'll be introducing. I'm sure there's something more flavorful, but I'm content enough with this. :b
I don't actually think I'll be bringing suspend back, because as cool as it was, I've always kind of seen it as one of those abilities that becomes to complicated at times that it ceases to be fun, like cumulative upkeep. That doesn't mean I'm not a fan of suspend, I'm just afraid of delving into that design space, haha. As for vanishing, it's representative of creatures that are manifesting from the Aether of their own accord. Their forms are generally so unstable that they just collapse back into their basic elements after a while. But no, it definitely wasn't a dumb suggestion. Don't sell yourself short, friend.
That incarnation of smuggle, unfortunately, had to be canned. It didn't work very well with Fathom, as they're both "filtering" or "smoothing" effects. And if I'm honest, it was just kinda broken to begin with. High learning curve, too. Heh. But I've got a replacement in the works, which should be pretty fun if I put it together right.
I'm glad you like it! I'm more of a fiction writer than a game designer, so you'll definitely be getting some story soon. I'll give you a hint: it isn't an extension of the Time Spiral block, but it has a lot to do with the events that took place during Time Spiral.
Update! The following elements were added/removed:
A new section under "Story" named "What is the Eternity Coil?" This will give you some background information on what the Eternity Coil is and where it came from. Enjoy!
Thanks! I've been getting tired of "welcome to new plane, here are the mechanics" and "welcome back to old plane, here are some new mechanics," so I wanted to make a block that didn't introduce players to a plane at all, instead giving them a story about creation and the space between planes. What you read was only a primer--the back story. :b
As for factions, it's more or less divided into two ideological groups: those who want to protect the coil and prevent any tampering with the fabric of reality, and those who want to abuse it for their own gain. I'm still working on the mechanics for the "order" faction, but the "chaos" faction gets Mania and Smuggle. Fathom is neutral. Neither of these factions will be specifically referred to on cards, but they'll be evident through flavor and mechanics. I also need to come up with at least one more neutral mechanic, as this is a large set (templated after the coming two-set block structure).
I'm glad you find it interesting, and I'm really glad you got the "space station" vibe, cause that's sort of what it is, only 500x more steampunk and magical, haha.
Do you have any ideas about where I could go with this?
Set 1 of 2 in The Eternity Coil[/i] block
(7/300)
Story
The planeswalkers ruled the Multiverse in their own ways, unchecked except by one another for millenia. After eons, this meddling eventually began to take its toll. The hub-world at the center of the multiverse had been exposed to warfare and plague and destruction that could not simply be reversed. It was beginning to fall apart, and threatened to take the Multiverse with it.
During this catasrtophe, planeswalkers raced to find solutions to the problem or salvation for themselves. As Teferi worked to save the Multiverse, another planeswalker of immense power lost hope and began construction on what would have been an escape route for all of those threatened by their impending doom.
As only planeswalkers can withstand the emptiness between planes--called the Blind Eternities, or the Aether--this escape route was intended to provide a means for non-planeswalkers to travel from plane to plane, urging as many races as possible aboard. Like a snake, it writhed through the Aether, connecting sporatically from plane to plane in a pattern that only its inventor could possibly interpret.
Fortunately, this construct proved unnecessary, as Teferi managed to mend most of the damage done to the Multiverse by sacrificing his spark. This came at a cost, though; The Mending.
Without access to the surplus of energy the tears in time allowed, planeswalkers lost their infinite capacity and were reduced to mere travelers. Thus, though the construct's architect was nearly able to finish his work, he vanished before he was able to share with anyone the way in which it was meant to work, and to this day it drifts through the Multiverse, connecting in a seemingly random order to various planes.
No one but the architect and his skeleton crew of automated drones were aboard the construct when he disappeared, but word still spread of a tunnel through time and space that connects to different planes of existence. Naturally, curiosity spread, and many denizens of various planes found themselves aboard the once-vacant vessel.
Unable to find their way back to their home plane, most of these creatures either made themselves a home on the construct--which they've come to call the Eternity Coil, as it's rumored to wind through the blind eternities like a snake--or exit from wherever they can onto whatever plane they can.
The ones who have stayed have found some luck, as the Coil isn't entirely stable, and Ethereal energy has begun to flow in through cracks in the construct's hull that the now-natives call rifts. This energy is highly-influenced by whatever mana it's exposed to, and thus, parts of the Coil have become amalgams of the artifice used to build it and organic formations that are almost reminiscent of their denizen's homeworld.
Themes
Exiling things
Cheating things into play
Minor milling (exiling cards from other players libraries)
Intertwining themes (this set will include flavor elements from many other sets, such as a wide variety of one-off members of races that don't belong together--including Noggle, Salamander, Viashino, Atog, and many others along side the "standard" races--and clashing set pieces from other various planes)
Mechanics
Fathom N (Put up to N cards from your hand on the bottom of your library in a random order, then draw that many cards.)
Smuggle (As this permanent enters the battlefield, you may exile any number of cards from your hand.) [some effect linked to the exiled cards will be printed on each card with smuggle--they will typically give you some way to cheat one or more of the exiled cards into play.]
Mania--If one or more cards you own was exiled from anywhere this turn, [effect]. --OR-- Whenever one or more cards you own are exiled from anywhere, [effect].
Solidarity--Whenever a permanent that shares a color with this one enters the battlefield under your control, [effect].
Cycles
Artifact Creature -- Drone (C)
Reach
(1/4)
--
The wirecasters form a perimeter around every corridor of the Eternity Coil, ready to snare smugglers and stowaways like flies in a web.
Cageweaver Guardian (5)
Artifact Creature -- Drone (U)
Vigilance, Reach
(2/5)
--
There are no jails in the Eternity Coil. Just the Cageweavers and their steel cocoons.
Snaremaster Warden (6)
Artifact Creature -- Drone (R)
Vigilance, Reach
Snaremaster Sentinel can block any number of creatures.
(3/6)
--
From the front, the Snaremasters look like walls of limbs. It is impossible to hide from them when they run their patrols.
Coiltether Operator (7)
Legendary Artifact Creature -- Drone (M)
Vigilance, Reach, Hexproof
Coiltether Operator can block any number of creatures.
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, fathom 1. (You may put one card from your hand on the bottom of your library. If you do, draw a card.)
(4/7)
--
[i]Nothing evades the Operator's gaze.
Creature -- Human Wizard (C)
Sacrifice Mad Chronographer: Fathom 2. (Put up to two cards from your hand on the bottom of your library in a random order, then draw that many cards.)
(1/3)
--
Some dive through the rifts, certain they've discovered the Eternity Coil's path through the Multiverse. They have a tendency to lose this conviction when they blink suddenly out of existence.
Instant (U)
Draw a card.
Fathom 3 (Put up to three cards from your hand on the bottom of your library in a random order, then draw that many cards.)
--
When Trip looked into the Blind Eternities, it looked back.
Artifact Creature -- Drone (C)
Reach
(1/4)
--
The wirecasters form a perimeter around every corridor of the Eternity Coil, ready to snare smugglers and stowaways like flies in a web.
Artifact Creature -- Drone (U)
Vigilance, Reach
(2/5)
--
There are no jails in the Eternity Coil. Just the Cageweavers and their steel cocoons.
Artifact (R)
At the beginning of your end step, put a time counter on Chronograph, then fathom X where X is the number of time counters on Chronograph. (To fathom X, put up to X cards from your hand on the bottom of your library in a random order, then draw that many cards.)
--
"Tricky things. They look just like pocket watches, but stare at one for too long and you might just start to lose your grip."
--Viscele, smuggler
Snaremaster Warden (6)
Artifact Creature -- Drone (R)
Vigilance, Reach
Snaremaster Sentinel can block any number of creatures.
(3/6)
--
From the front, the Snaremasters look like walls of limbs. It is impossible to hide from them when they run their patrols.
Legendary Artifact Creature -- Drone (M)
Vigilance, Reach, Hexproof
Coiltether Operator can block any number of creatures.
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, fathom 1. (You may put one card from your hand on the bottom of your library. If you do, draw a card.)
(4/7)
--
Nothing escapes the Operator's gaze.
Exiling Instead of Milling?
Smuggling 2.0 -- some test cards
Help me fix the Smuggle mechanic
Mad Chronologist, Glimpse the Eternities, Chronograph
Fathom -- a mechanic about making predictions (Scrapped)
Drone Cycle
Colored uncommon artifacts with Smuggle (Scrapped)
Smuggle Lands (Scrapped)
Edge of Eternity
I don't actually think I'll be bringing suspend back, because as cool as it was, I've always kind of seen it as one of those abilities that becomes to complicated at times that it ceases to be fun, like cumulative upkeep. That doesn't mean I'm not a fan of suspend, I'm just afraid of delving into that design space, haha. As for vanishing, it's representative of creatures that are manifesting from the Aether of their own accord. Their forms are generally so unstable that they just collapse back into their basic elements after a while. But no, it definitely wasn't a dumb suggestion. Don't sell yourself short, friend.
That incarnation of smuggle, unfortunately, had to be canned. It didn't work very well with Fathom, as they're both "filtering" or "smoothing" effects. And if I'm honest, it was just kinda broken to begin with. High learning curve, too. Heh. But I've got a replacement in the works, which should be pretty fun if I put it together right.
I'm glad you like it! I'm more of a fiction writer than a game designer, so you'll definitely be getting some story soon. I'll give you a hint: it isn't an extension of the Time Spiral block, but it has a lot to do with the events that took place during Time Spiral.
Thanks for the support. c:
As for factions, it's more or less divided into two ideological groups: those who want to protect the coil and prevent any tampering with the fabric of reality, and those who want to abuse it for their own gain. I'm still working on the mechanics for the "order" faction, but the "chaos" faction gets Mania and Smuggle. Fathom is neutral. Neither of these factions will be specifically referred to on cards, but they'll be evident through flavor and mechanics. I also need to come up with at least one more neutral mechanic, as this is a large set (templated after the coming two-set block structure).
I'm glad you find it interesting, and I'm really glad you got the "space station" vibe, cause that's sort of what it is, only 500x more steampunk and magical, haha.
Do you have any ideas about where I could go with this?