Deadsands has an equipment sub-theme, so I would like to decide what equipment cards I will have at common before I proceed further with the set. I'm planning on having around five equipment cards at common.
I'm trying to decide if that role should be filled by a cycle of quick draw cards or by a cycle of spellguns and spellblades.
Cycle 1- Spellguns and Spellblades:
Viglante’s Spellgun1
Artifact- Equipment
Whenever equipped creature deals damage, you gain 2 life.
Equipped creature has “W,T: This creature deals 1 damage to target attacking or blocking creature.”
Equip 3
Shyster’s Spellblade1
Artifact- Equipment
Equipped creature gets +1/+0 and has “Whenever this creature deals damage, target player puts the top two cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
Equip 2
Assassin’s Spellgun1
Artifact- Equipment
Whenever equipped creature deals damage, target player loses 1 life.
Equipped creature has “B,T: This creature deals 1 damage to target tapped creature.”
Equip 3
Gambler’s Spellgun1
Artifact- Equipment
Whenever equipped creature deals damage, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
Equipped creature has “R,T: This creature deals 1 damage to target creature.”
Equip 3
Woodsman’s Spellblade1
Artifact- Equipment
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has “Whenever this creature deals damage, you may reveal the top card of your library. If you reveal a noncreature or a nonland card this way, you may put that card on the bottom of your library.”
Equip 2
Cycle 2- Quick Draw
Sheriff's Star2
Artifact-Equipment
Equipped creature gets +1/+2. Quick Draw 2W (You may cast this spell for its Quick Draw cost as though it had flash. If you do, it enters the battlefield attached to target creature you control.) Equip 2
Magpie Lens2
Artifact-Equipment
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a card. Quick Draw 2U (You may cast this spell for its Quick Draw cost as though it had flash. If you do, it enters the battlefield attached to target creature you control.) Equip 1
Widow Maker2
Artifact-Equipment
Equipped creature has deathtouch. Quick Draw 2B (You may cast this spell for its Quick Draw cost as though it had flash. If you do, it enters the battlefield attached to target creature you control.) Equip 2
Bandit's Blade2
Artifact- Equipment
Equipped creature gets +1/+0 and has first strike. Quick Draw 2R (You may cast this spell for its Quick Draw cost as though it had flash. If you do, it enters the battlefield attached to target creature you control.) Equip 1
Knuckle Burrs2
Artifact-Equipment
Equipped creature gets +2/+1. Quick Draw 3G (You may cast this spell for its Quick Draw cost as though it had flash. If you do, it enters the battlefield attached to target creature you control.)
Equip 2
Currently, I'm leaning towards have Cycle 1 at common and cycle 2 at uncommon. I'm not sure though, so I would greatly appreciate some comments.
I'm willing to adjust the complexity level of the cards to fit the appropriate rarity if needed.
The Spellguns/blades are pretty uncomfy right now because two of them have nothing, strictly speaking, to do with the color they represent, while the other three actually have colored activations. Common cycles ought to be relatively tight.
I'll plan to do quick draw at common for now, since it's simple enough while still being resonant and cool. I'll likely do more at higher rarities as well.
Spellguns were designed as an attempt to depict guns in Magic. More info about them and why I decided to do spellblades is here. I agree that they were and still are clunky.
I'm trying to decide if that role should be filled by a cycle of quick draw cards or by a cycle of spellguns and spellblades.
Cycle 1- Spellguns and Spellblades:
Viglante’s Spellgun 1
Artifact- Equipment
Whenever equipped creature deals damage, you gain 2 life.
Equipped creature has “W,T: This creature deals 1 damage to target attacking or blocking creature.”
Equip 3
Shyster’s Spellblade 1
Artifact- Equipment
Equipped creature gets +1/+0 and has “Whenever this creature deals damage, target player puts the top two cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
Equip 2
Assassin’s Spellgun 1
Artifact- Equipment
Whenever equipped creature deals damage, target player loses 1 life.
Equipped creature has “B,T: This creature deals 1 damage to target tapped creature.”
Equip 3
Gambler’s Spellgun 1
Artifact- Equipment
Whenever equipped creature deals damage, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
Equipped creature has “R,T: This creature deals 1 damage to target creature.”
Equip 3
Woodsman’s Spellblade 1
Artifact- Equipment
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has “Whenever this creature deals damage, you may reveal the top card of your library. If you reveal a noncreature or a nonland card this way, you may put that card on the bottom of your library.”
Equip 2
Cycle 2- Quick Draw
Sheriff's Star 2
Artifact-Equipment
Equipped creature gets +1/+2.
Quick Draw 2W (You may cast this spell for its Quick Draw cost as though it had flash. If you do, it enters the battlefield attached to target creature you control.)
Equip 2
Magpie Lens 2
Artifact-Equipment
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a card.
Quick Draw 2U (You may cast this spell for its Quick Draw cost as though it had flash. If you do, it enters the battlefield attached to target creature you control.)
Equip 1
Widow Maker 2
Artifact-Equipment
Equipped creature has deathtouch.
Quick Draw 2B (You may cast this spell for its Quick Draw cost as though it had flash. If you do, it enters the battlefield attached to target creature you control.)
Equip 2
Bandit's Blade 2
Artifact- Equipment
Equipped creature gets +1/+0 and has first strike.
Quick Draw 2R (You may cast this spell for its Quick Draw cost as though it had flash. If you do, it enters the battlefield attached to target creature you control.)
Equip 1
Knuckle Burrs 2
Artifact-Equipment
Equipped creature gets +2/+1.
Quick Draw 3G (You may cast this spell for its Quick Draw cost as though it had flash. If you do, it enters the battlefield attached to target creature you control.)
Equip 2
Currently, I'm leaning towards have Cycle 1 at common and cycle 2 at uncommon. I'm not sure though, so I would greatly appreciate some comments.
I'm willing to adjust the complexity level of the cards to fit the appropriate rarity if needed.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
I'll plan to do quick draw at common for now, since it's simple enough while still being resonant and cool. I'll likely do more at higher rarities as well.
Spellguns were designed as an attempt to depict guns in Magic. More info about them and why I decided to do spellblades is here. I agree that they were and still are clunky.