I was discussing "wedges" (2 allied colours plus their enemy) and "shards" (3 allied colours) elsewhere and I bought up an old cycle of lands that use the shard formation:
Now these cards have been crap since they were printed, I had a few here and there in casual decks back in the day but I honestly have never seen anyone seriously play them for their mana fixing. So naturally I wanted to think of a cycle that could be printed today, which doesn't directly obsolete any lands that are already good enough to see play. First I had to figure out what has already been done, in the same realm:
Crumbling Necropolis - Nice and basic design. Power level is barely adequate, you wouldn't want anything worse than this or it won't be played at all. Crosis's Catacombs - The bounceland version. Somewhat messy design, but it works. Power level is about right. I believe these lands see some play here and there, mainly casual. Sulfur Vent - This cycle was pretty meh. Design is nice and clean, power level (aside from their use in combo decks) fairly low. Unknown Shores/Shimmering Grotto - Decimates the Sengir Castle cycle, and yet still isn't very playable. Probably shouldn't be obsoleted, but a shard (or wedge) land should be able to produce its 3 colours slightly easier than this card can create all 5.
Something Something
Land (U)
: Add to your mana pool.
: Add , , or to your mana pool. Something Something doesn't untap during your next untap step.
It seems very basic, and I wonder why it hasn't happened yet. Players don't really enjoy things that 'stay tapped', but with the option to tap for :1mana:, and the mana-fixing this provides, I think they would be played at least somewhat. Sorry if it has already been designed here by someone else (I'm fairly sure it has since it's such a basic design).
Here's one a bit different. Like the Castle Sengir cycle, it favours one of the colours over the other, something I think we'll see more of as "shard" and "wedge" design space gets used up.
Yaddayadda
Land T: Add B to your mana pool. Yaddayadda deals 1 damage to you. 1 , T: Add U or R to your mana pool. Yaddayadda deals 1 damage to you.
But wait, Mana Confluence makes these pretty useless. How about giving it the ability to tap for colourless without pain?
Boomflapper
Land T: Add 1 to your mana pool. T: Add B to your mana pool. Boomflapper deals 1 damage to you. 1 , T: Add U or R to your mana pool. Boomflapper deals 1 damage to you.
Unless I'm not seeing something, that hasn't been done before, doesn't obsolete anything already playable, and is playable. Would they be rares or could they be uncommons?
On the same topic, I've had this design sitting around for a while, and I wonder if it's worth looking into:
Bonustime
Land (R) T: Add B to your mana pool. Bonustime deals 1 damage to you. 1 , T: Add UR to your mana pool.
Sorry if that's too much for one thread. Any comments or help on the above would be appreciated - I probably missed a lot!
Bonustime reads weird because it punishes you for the main color, but not for the multicolor. So the multicolor option looks 'better' to a lot of players.
I personally most like the first iteration. The rest feel a little overcomplicated.
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I feel like the more complex it is the worse it gets. Honestly, I'd be perfectly fine with them printing Wedge version of the Shard taplands and nothing else. But given the wedges more unique structure of focusing on AB and AC, and not BC, there are some things you could do. (These'll be written for Mardu, RWB.)
Idea 1
Land T: Add 1 to your mana pool. R, T: Add RW or RB to your mana pool.
Idea 2
Land
~ enters tapped. T: Add R to your mana pool. 1, T: Add RW or RB to your mana pool.
Idea 3
Land T: Add 1 to your mana pool. W, T: Add RB to your mana pool. B, T: Add RW to your mana pool.
Idea 4
~ enters tapped. T: Add R to your mana pool. W, T: Add RB to your mana pool. B, T: Add RW to your mana pool.
These are obviously pretty basic ideas (or really, idea.), but they don't resort to being slowlands (which are the most hated landtype in magic, im pretty sure), or resorting to painlands, which are both currently standard legal (or rather, half are), and rather unfun when every single activation either hurts you and/or doesn't provide extra mana, but just trades 1 for 1. Again though, I'd just prefer normal taplands. Simpler is usually better when it comes to ideas.
I really like that first land. Clean and simple, and really clearly gets across how the Clans of Tarkir work. Very nice!
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I'm more curious as to the common/uncommon mana fixing as opposed to rare varieties. Those are the lands I default to on kitchen tables.
Bant Panorama and the like are neat little cards. For wedge emphasis I was thinking...
RWB FTW
Land T: Add 1 tymp. 3, T, Sac: Search for a basic Mountain and then a basic Plains or Swamp. Put one of them into your hand, and the other onto the battlefield tapped. Shuffle up.
I would suggest that Bonus Time enters tapped and then has "Maincolor, T: Add the other two colors tymp." Ignore the pain.
Others:
Influence Land
Land T: Add 1 tymp. T: Add R, W, or B tymp. Activate only if you control a red permanent/Mountain.
Three Mana
Land T: Add 1. 1R, T: Add RWB tymp.
Goro's Lair
Land - Lair
ETB tapped.
When ETB, put a land you control on top or on bottom of library. T: Add RR or WB tymp.
Something Something is a decent enough design. I'd still rather see them print Wedge taplands, as earning an entire additional colour of mana is enough to make them playable. People played Guildgates in Standard this year because some decks needed the better mana, so any acceptable option is likely a good option.
@BaronVonGrixis: Also, wouldn't Mardu colours be WB and WR? Seems to me the wedge should be centered on the colour that is enemies to the others, which would mean your first land should read as:
Horde Encampment
Land (U) t: Add 1 to your mana pool. W, t: Add WR or WB to your mana pool.
Which is reminiscent of the Shadowmoor Hybrid Lands, which were pretty good.
MaRo has stated each wedge is based around a color so that it has an ally and enemy pairing. This means that Mardu will focus on RW and RB. What this also means is that every khan represents two different ravnica guilds - WB, which should techically exist in both Mardu and Abzan (WBG), will only be Abzan, not Mardu. It was also stated that they made this decision for 'Reasons he can't explain now but will become apparent later.', which probably means the second set (which won't be wedge based, but still needs to support the wedges). Also, if it was focused on the 'lone' color, then they'd have a tough time designing the wedges, because there are only enemy colored interactions in every khan, which is hard to design for when each one would get repeated twice.
Castle Sengir and friends
Now these cards have been crap since they were printed, I had a few here and there in casual decks back in the day but I honestly have never seen anyone seriously play them for their mana fixing. So naturally I wanted to think of a cycle that could be printed today, which doesn't directly obsolete any lands that are already good enough to see play. First I had to figure out what has already been done, in the same realm:
Crumbling Necropolis - Nice and basic design. Power level is barely adequate, you wouldn't want anything worse than this or it won't be played at all.
Crosis's Catacombs - The bounceland version. Somewhat messy design, but it works. Power level is about right. I believe these lands see some play here and there, mainly casual.
Sulfur Vent - This cycle was pretty meh. Design is nice and clean, power level (aside from their use in combo decks) fairly low.
Unknown Shores/Shimmering Grotto - Decimates the Sengir Castle cycle, and yet still isn't very playable. Probably shouldn't be obsoleted, but a shard (or wedge) land should be able to produce its 3 colours slightly easier than this card can create all 5.
Something Something
Land (U)
: Add to your mana pool.
: Add , , or to your mana pool. Something Something doesn't untap during your next untap step.
It seems very basic, and I wonder why it hasn't happened yet. Players don't really enjoy things that 'stay tapped', but with the option to tap for :1mana:, and the mana-fixing this provides, I think they would be played at least somewhat. Sorry if it has already been designed here by someone else (I'm fairly sure it has since it's such a basic design).
Here's one a bit different. Like the Castle Sengir cycle, it favours one of the colours over the other, something I think we'll see more of as "shard" and "wedge" design space gets used up.
Yaddayadda
Land
T: Add B to your mana pool. Yaddayadda deals 1 damage to you.
1 , T: Add U or R to your mana pool. Yaddayadda deals 1 damage to you.
But wait, Mana Confluence makes these pretty useless. How about giving it the ability to tap for colourless without pain?
Boomflapper
Land
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
T: Add B to your mana pool. Boomflapper deals 1 damage to you.
1 , T: Add U or R to your mana pool. Boomflapper deals 1 damage to you.
Unless I'm not seeing something, that hasn't been done before, doesn't obsolete anything already playable, and is playable. Would they be rares or could they be uncommons?
On the same topic, I've had this design sitting around for a while, and I wonder if it's worth looking into:
Bonustime
Land (R)
T: Add B to your mana pool. Bonustime deals 1 damage to you.
1 , T: Add UR to your mana pool.
Sorry if that's too much for one thread. Any comments or help on the above would be appreciated - I probably missed a lot!
.
I personally most like the first iteration. The rest feel a little overcomplicated.
Lead Tesla, a community set designed by everyone and led by me, over at Goblin Artisans. Index of articles here!
Idea 1
Land
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
R, T: Add RW or RB to your mana pool.
Idea 2
Land
~ enters tapped.
T: Add R to your mana pool.
1, T: Add RW or RB to your mana pool.
Idea 3
Land
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
W, T: Add RB to your mana pool.
B, T: Add RW to your mana pool.
Idea 4
~ enters tapped.
T: Add R to your mana pool.
W, T: Add RB to your mana pool.
B, T: Add RW to your mana pool.
These are obviously pretty basic ideas (or really, idea.), but they don't resort to being slowlands (which are the most hated landtype in magic, im pretty sure), or resorting to painlands, which are both currently standard legal (or rather, half are), and rather unfun when every single activation either hurts you and/or doesn't provide extra mana, but just trades 1 for 1. Again though, I'd just prefer normal taplands. Simpler is usually better when it comes to ideas.
Avant Block: Avant -- Stormfront
Lead Tesla, a community set designed by everyone and led by me, over at Goblin Artisans. Index of articles here!
Bant Panorama and the like are neat little cards. For wedge emphasis I was thinking...
RWB FTW
Land
T: Add 1 tymp.
3, T, Sac: Search for a basic Mountain and then a basic Plains or Swamp. Put one of them into your hand, and the other onto the battlefield tapped. Shuffle up.
I would suggest that Bonus Time enters tapped and then has "Maincolor, T: Add the other two colors tymp." Ignore the pain.
Others:
Influence Land
Land
T: Add 1 tymp.
T: Add R, W, or B tymp. Activate only if you control a red permanent/Mountain.
Three Mana
Land
T: Add 1.
1R, T: Add RWB tymp.
Goro's Lair
Land - Lair
ETB tapped.
When ETB, put a land you control on top or on bottom of library.
T: Add RR or WB tymp.
Banner by Topher!
@BaronVonGrixis: Also, wouldn't Mardu colours be WB and WR? Seems to me the wedge should be centered on the colour that is enemies to the others, which would mean your first land should read as:
Horde Encampment
Land (U)
t: Add 1 to your mana pool.
W, t: Add WR or WB to your mana pool.
Which is reminiscent of the Shadowmoor Hybrid Lands, which were pretty good.
Avant Block: Avant -- Stormfront
Wedge filter
Land
{t}: Add {1}.
{2}, {t}: Add {r}{w}{b}.
it's a bit slow. doesn't allow double colored mana, but allows more 'colorless' lands in your deck. could be common or uncommon.
to make it more intersting, add 'hybrid' mana. then it would be rare-worthy.
Wedge filter 2
Land
{t}: Add {1}.
{2}, {T}: Add {r/w}{w/b}{b/r}.
........................