A submission of mine to an old contest that I really liked.
Matching Expansion – This design challenge is about designing within constraints of a defined set. You will be judged by how much your cards feel as if they belong in the expansion you've chosen.
Flavor – It's important that your cards feel and play as if they are from the world that expansion is set on.
Creativity – This assignment is not just about mimicking the set you're in but finding cool new things to do with the preexisting tools of that set.
Color Pie Appropriateness – This, and the next two categories, are the areas where I'm going to let you deviate from the original expansion. Use the modern color pie and not the color pie at the time of the set. Any mechanic that was used may be used in the colors it was used in that set. As always, matching color means staying within the color pie constraints. Bends are allowed if appropriate (although be frugal with them), but breaks are not.
Rarity Appropriateness – Your designs need to fit into the rarity you're designing for. Think about things like complexity and impact on Limited. As with color pie, use modern-day rarity constraints.
Card Type Appropriateness – Make sure that your cards are properly representing the card type they're in. As with color pie and rarity, use modern-day constraints.
You will submit the following:
Your Name
Label each card Design 1 through 15. Put any basic land first, then your commons in WUBRG order, then your uncommons in WUBRG order, then your rares (and/or mythic rare if mythic rares exist in this set) and finally any extra card(s) if your set has a special slot(s).
We're excited to open your booster packs!
This was more challenging than I thought it would be. And it took more time to complete than I thought it would take.
I chose Antiquities, an aptly named 85 card set.
The word "artifact" is required to be on every nonland card.
It was quite challenging to design artifact themed cards that didn't feel like they're for/from Mirrodin.
Wastes (basic land)
Basic Land t: Add C.
Neutralize (common) 1W
Instant
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to and dealt by target artifact this turn.
Energize (common) 2U
Instant
Untap all artifacts you control.
Draw a card.
Skittering Scavenger (common) 3B
Creature - Horror
2/2
When Skittering Scavenger dies, return an artifact card from your graveyard to your hand.
Yawgmoth's Blessing (common) B
Instant
Target creature gets +1/-1 until end of turn for each artifact you control.
Overheat (common) 1R
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant permanent
Whenever enchanted permanent becomes tapped, its controller adds R.
Ancient Automaton (common) 6
Artifact Creature - Construct
6/6
Ancient Automaton attacks and blocks each turn if able
Quarry Gnomes (common) 3
Artifact Creature - Gnome
2/2
Exile Quarry Gnomes from your hand: Add C.
Signet Ring (common) 2
Artifact 1, t: Add CC.
Trap Door (common) 4
Artifact 4, t, Exile Trap Door: Exile target tapped creature without flying.
Giant Engineer (uncommon) 4R
Creature - Giant
*/4
Giant Engineer's power is equal to the greatest converted mana cost among artifacts in graveyards.
Titania's Touch (uncommon) 2G
Instant
Until end of turn, target noncreature artifact loses all abilities and becomes an artifact creature with base power and toughness 5/5 in addition to its other types. Intended to be a riff/nod to Titania's Song, I realized (too late) that this is improperly flavored.
Urza's Workshop (uncommon)
Land t: Add C. x: Urza's Workshop becomes an X/X Assembly-Worker artifact creature that's still a land until end of turn.
Chronicles of War (rare) 7
Artifact
If damage would be dealt to a player, that player draws that many cards instead.
Side note: Antiquities was 85 cards? Somehow I never remember that fact. In the old days "expansion set" meant something a bit more like expansions for board games.
Wastes - Why is this one in? Only reason I can think of to print Wastes in a set is if you have C costs. If the set is "just" artifact themed it's only worse than a colored basic. Is it for... artifact commanders in... Brawl?
Neutralize - Fine for Limited. I guess there'll be a decent number of noncreature artifacts that can ping.
Energize - Sure, set-specific Dramatic Reversal. I'd be wary of this effect in Constructed though. Just don't print anything in the fictional Standard that could combo with this dumbly and you'd be fine.
Skittering Scavenger - Normally this would not be a black effect (recurring artifacts is white or blue) but in an artifact-themed set I think it's okay.
Yawgmoth's Blessing - Sure. Flexible removal that's probably not doing a damn thing turn 1. A deece Limited include. Also amusingly plays with black's tendency to get fat toughnesses.
Overheat - I'm positive this is actually a green card. Not with that flavor, but mechanically speaking. Still an interesting design, seems like it'd set up fun combos in Limited.
Ancient Automaton - Drawback fat is a classic artifact theme. Sure.
Cyclopean Armor - Probably okay, just, again, don't print a two-card infinite combo in Standard (no Crackdown Construct).
Quarry Gnomes - Elvish Spirit Guide is never a safe effect. If you must have this maybe 2, exile from hand: add CCC?
Signet Ring - Neat.
Trap Door - Neat but... not really Antiquities-feeling. This is, I'm sure of it, an Innistrad card. Or maybe Tempest block.
Giant Engineer - Cool. Could have trample, maybe, if you want it to be a Limited build-around finisher. For extra coolness call it Cyclopean Engineer and make it a Cyclops.
Titania's Touch - Once again we have an off-color effect out of an artifact context (Tezzeret and Ensoul Artifact and others tell us it's blue) but I think it works in green in this set.
Urza's Workshop - Strong, strong stuff in Limited but I dig this.
Chronicles of War - WHOA! This is bizarre. I think I've basically designed this card before. Seems hard to balance but 7 just feels like the right mana cost. Love it for Sharuum the Hegemon commander.
Wastes - I feel like Antiquities would have been both the best time and setting for Barry's Land to have been introduced with the Waste subtype. It could have been made relevant in fairly obvious ways - if not the mana symbol, then the subtype. Or perhaps it could have/should have had indestructible and/or shroud to defy Strip Mines and Armageddons.
Neutralize - It can stop combat damage too. But yes, there's noncreature artifact ping and the like. EDIT: Also, you can prevent damage that would be dealt to your own artifact creature.
Overheat - Changed from "enchant permanent" to "enchant artifact or creature"
Cyclopean Armor - Increasing "Equip artifact creature" cost from 0 to 2 just to be safe. Still plenty good like that.
Trap Door - Or even Homelands, but yeah, not Antiquities.
Giant Engineer - Great idea! Changed to Cylclopean.
Urza's Workshop - Yeah, this should probably be rare.
Chronicles of War - And this mythic rare.
Titania's Touch - How about an Aura?
Titania's Touch (Uncommon) 2G
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant artifact
Enchanted artifact loses all abilities and doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.
Your new version of Titania's Touch could stand to cost less. It's going to be worse than Naturalize against any artifact without a graveyard trigger, indestructibility, or self-recursion. Disadvantages include a loss of functionality, vulnerability to enchantment hate, sorcery timing, and allowing untapped artifact creatures to block (and attack once).
Yeah, hoser!Titania's Touch could readily cost G; sorcery-speed artifact removal that hits indestructible but that can be reversed with a Disenchant is at best a sidegrade of Smelt/Vandalblast/Shattering Spree.
Just a thought: What if the colorless basic land was an artifact land? I know the artifact lands caused balance problems for Mirrodin, but I think it could work in a set without affinity, and it would be "worse" than the Mirrodin ones since it only taps for colorless and has no other abilities.
These are pretty cool. The commons are nice while still simple enough to be commons.
Giving any abilities or subtypes to Barry's Land defeats its purpose. Those things are outside the scope of what a basic land should do and would be non-basic.
I think it's possible to care about colorless mana and not have colorless costs. For example
Unstable Mana3R
Enchantment {R}
Whenever a player taps a permanent to produce colored mana, ~~ deals 1 damage to that player.
But It's not like people need more reasons to play Tron lands lol
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Standard - Serious BGU Control R Aggro
Standard - For Fun BG Auras
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Matching Expansion – This design challenge is about designing within constraints of a defined set. You will be judged by how much your cards feel as if they belong in the expansion you've chosen.
Flavor – It's important that your cards feel and play as if they are from the world that expansion is set on.
Creativity – This assignment is not just about mimicking the set you're in but finding cool new things to do with the preexisting tools of that set.
Color Pie Appropriateness – This, and the next two categories, are the areas where I'm going to let you deviate from the original expansion. Use the modern color pie and not the color pie at the time of the set. Any mechanic that was used may be used in the colors it was used in that set. As always, matching color means staying within the color pie constraints. Bends are allowed if appropriate (although be frugal with them), but breaks are not.
Rarity Appropriateness – Your designs need to fit into the rarity you're designing for. Think about things like complexity and impact on Limited. As with color pie, use modern-day rarity constraints.
Card Type Appropriateness – Make sure that your cards are properly representing the card type they're in. As with color pie and rarity, use modern-day constraints.
You will submit the following:
Your Name
Label each card Design 1 through 15. Put any basic land first, then your commons in WUBRG order, then your uncommons in WUBRG order, then your rares (and/or mythic rare if mythic rares exist in this set) and finally any extra card(s) if your set has a special slot(s).
We're excited to open your booster packs!
I chose Antiquities, an aptly named 85 card set.
The word "artifact" is required to be on every nonland card.
It was quite challenging to design artifact themed cards that didn't feel like they're for/from Mirrodin.
Wastes (basic land)
Basic Land
t: Add C.
Neutralize (common)
1W
Instant
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to and dealt by target artifact this turn.
Energize (common)
2U
Instant
Untap all artifacts you control.
Draw a card.
Skittering Scavenger (common)
3B
Creature - Horror
2/2
When Skittering Scavenger dies, return an artifact card from your graveyard to your hand.
Yawgmoth's Blessing (common)
B
Instant
Target creature gets +1/-1 until end of turn for each artifact you control.
Overheat (common)
1R
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant permanent
Whenever enchanted permanent becomes tapped, its controller adds R.
Ancient Automaton (common)
6
Artifact Creature - Construct
6/6
Ancient Automaton attacks and blocks each turn if able
Cyclopean Armor (common)
2
Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature gets +2/+2.
Equip artifact creature 0
Equip 4
Quarry Gnomes (common)
3
Artifact Creature - Gnome
2/2
Exile Quarry Gnomes from your hand: Add C.
Signet Ring (common)
2
Artifact
1, t: Add CC.
Trap Door (common)
4
Artifact
4, t, Exile Trap Door: Exile target tapped creature without flying.
Giant Engineer (uncommon)
4R
Creature - Giant
*/4
Giant Engineer's power is equal to the greatest converted mana cost among artifacts in graveyards.
Titania's Touch (uncommon)
2G
Instant
Until end of turn, target noncreature artifact loses all abilities and becomes an artifact creature with base power and toughness 5/5 in addition to its other types.
Intended to be a riff/nod to Titania's Song, I realized (too late) that this is improperly flavored.
Urza's Workshop (uncommon)
Land
t: Add C.
x: Urza's Workshop becomes an X/X Assembly-Worker artifact creature that's still a land until end of turn.
Chronicles of War (rare)
7
Artifact
If damage would be dealt to a player, that player draws that many cards instead.
Wastes - Why is this one in? Only reason I can think of to print Wastes in a set is if you have C costs. If the set is "just" artifact themed it's only worse than a colored basic. Is it for... artifact commanders in... Brawl?
Neutralize - Fine for Limited. I guess there'll be a decent number of noncreature artifacts that can ping.
Energize - Sure, set-specific Dramatic Reversal. I'd be wary of this effect in Constructed though. Just don't print anything in the fictional Standard that could combo with this dumbly and you'd be fine.
Skittering Scavenger - Normally this would not be a black effect (recurring artifacts is white or blue) but in an artifact-themed set I think it's okay.
Yawgmoth's Blessing - Sure. Flexible removal that's probably not doing a damn thing turn 1. A deece Limited include. Also amusingly plays with black's tendency to get fat toughnesses.
Overheat - I'm positive this is actually a green card. Not with that flavor, but mechanically speaking. Still an interesting design, seems like it'd set up fun combos in Limited.
Ancient Automaton - Drawback fat is a classic artifact theme. Sure.
Cyclopean Armor - Probably okay, just, again, don't print a two-card infinite combo in Standard (no Crackdown Construct).
Quarry Gnomes - Elvish Spirit Guide is never a safe effect. If you must have this maybe 2, exile from hand: add CCC?
Signet Ring - Neat.
Trap Door - Neat but... not really Antiquities-feeling. This is, I'm sure of it, an Innistrad card. Or maybe Tempest block.
Giant Engineer - Cool. Could have trample, maybe, if you want it to be a Limited build-around finisher. For extra coolness call it Cyclopean Engineer and make it a Cyclops.
Titania's Touch - Once again we have an off-color effect out of an artifact context (Tezzeret and Ensoul Artifact and others tell us it's blue) but I think it works in green in this set.
Urza's Workshop - Strong, strong stuff in Limited but I dig this.
Chronicles of War - WHOA! This is bizarre. I think I've basically designed this card before. Seems hard to balance but 7 just feels like the right mana cost. Love it for Sharuum the Hegemon commander.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Neutralize - It can stop combat damage too. But yes, there's noncreature artifact ping and the like. EDIT: Also, you can prevent damage that would be dealt to your own artifact creature.
Overheat - Changed from "enchant permanent" to "enchant artifact or creature"
Cyclopean Armor - Increasing "Equip artifact creature" cost from 0 to 2 just to be safe. Still plenty good like that.
Trap Door - Or even Homelands, but yeah, not Antiquities.
Giant Engineer - Great idea! Changed to Cylclopean.
Urza's Workshop - Yeah, this should probably be rare.
Chronicles of War - And this mythic rare.
Titania's Touch - How about an Aura?
Titania's Touch (Uncommon)
2G
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant artifact
Enchanted artifact loses all abilities and doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
These are pretty cool. The commons are nice while still simple enough to be commons.
Is Overheat supposed to have "Enchant Artifact"?
• Recent Card Ideas • My Drawings at DeviantArt
I think it's possible to care about colorless mana and not have colorless costs. For example
Unstable Mana 3R
Enchantment {R}
Whenever a player taps a permanent to produce colored mana, ~~ deals 1 damage to that player.
But It's not like people need more reasons to play Tron lands lol
BGU Control
R Aggro
Standard - For Fun
BG Auras