Engrossed Artisan1W
Creature - Human Artificer [Common]
Shape 3WW(You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its shape cost and also create a 3/3 colorless Construct artifact creature token.) You may not have heard of her yet, but soon you will.
1/3
Hide in the Crowds1U
Instant [Common]
Return target creature to its owner's hand. If you control an artifact, draw a card. "This war is now a covert one. Too much destruction has been wrought; too much lost. The consulate must be fought quietly, lest Ghirapur never recover." - Pia Nalaar
Illicit Wares1B
Instant [Common]
Furbish (You may tap an untapped artifact you control as you cast this.)
Target creature gets +2/+1 until end of turn. If this spell is furbished, that creature also gains deathtouch until end of turn.
Scrapyard AnarchistR
Creature - Human Artificer [Common]
Shape 2RR(You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its shape cost and also create a 3/3 colorless Construct artifact creature token.)
When Scrapyard Anarchist is turned face up, target creature you control gains haste until end of turn.
1/1
Primal Glare2G
Enchantment - Aura [Common]
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has "This creature can't be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less."
Gleaming Masses2WW
Instant
Furbish (You may tap an untapped artifact you control as you cast this.)
Creatures you control get +2/+2 until end of turn. If this spell is furbished, those creatures also gain lifelink until end of turn.
Aetherbrass Drake3U
Artifact Creature - Drake Construct [Common]
Flying
Modular 2 (This creature enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it. When it dies, you may put its +1/+1 counters on target artifact creature.)
0/0
Inspector's Glasses1
Artifact [Common]
When Inspector's Glasses enters the battlefield, you may look at the top card of your library and up to one target face down creature. 4, Sacrifice Inspector's Glasses: Draw two cards.
Fade into Antiquity2G
Sorcery [Common]
Exile target artifact or enchantment. Even the greatest innovations become tired and trivial.
Silent Engineers2U
Creature - Vedalken Artificer [Uncommon] 3U, T: Draw a card, then discard a card unless you control an artifact.
Shape 4UU(You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its shape cost and also create a 3/3 colorless Construct artifact creature token.)
0/4
Gonti's Enforcers3B
Creature - Aetherborn Rogue [Uncommon]
Gonti's Enforcers has menace as long as you control an artifact.
Shape - 3BB, Sacrifice a creature (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its shape cost and also create a 3/3 colorless Construct artifact creature token.) "My agents are hidden in plain sight. Cross me, and you shall regret it." - Crime Lord Gonti
3/3
Inventor's Competition1WU
Enchantment [Uncommon]
Artifact creatures you control get +1/+1. 2, Tap an untapped artifact you control: Turn target creature face down. (It's a 2/2 creature.) Many an artificer has experienced creating a masterpiece, only to be quickly forgotten as a rival takes center stage.
Runed Arch3
Artifact [Rare]
Runed Arch enters the battlefield tapped. X, T, Sacrifice Runed Arch: X target creatures with power 2 or less can't be blocked this turn. "Well, Tezzeret took that other portal, but look what I found in the shed." - Sram, senior edificer
Shape is appealing to me as a morph variant but looks really hard to balance (how do you account for all that extra fat in a Limited? I would drop the costs and have it make Servos), and I really wish Runed Arch was uncommon in this printing - makes for a disappointing rare nowadays.
Pick 1: Riparian Tusker. BEEF.
Pick 2: Gleaming Masses. Latter day Rush of Battle - such cards can easily be finishers.
Pick 3: Inventor's Competition. Build-around and it seems easy to be a more or less universal anthem drafting this set.
Pick 14: Runed Arch. Just not useful enough often enough. At least Inspector's Glasses draws cards.
Some bullet points as I have a bunch of unrelated thoughts in my caffeine brain:
1. I should really have prefaced everything with "I thought this all up on a whim and it's only semi-serious." Hence everything's a bit raw - flavor/tone is all over the place, a weird old card sitting in the rare slot, etc.
2. I had originally though of 1/1 Servos, but I thought "why not bigger tokens as we so rarely see them". I do agree that smaller tokens would likely play better and be easier to balance. I actually was first looking at Megamorph (a mechanic I think plays well yet irks me) and was thinking about how to create a Megamorph-esque mechanic that is hopefully better? I think turning the +1/+1 counter from Megamorph into a 1/1 Servo is probably the best version.
3. Runed Arch was a bit of a lolzy inclusion at rare, precisely because it is so lackluster compared to the kinds of chase cards they put into boosters nowadays. However I do think it would play interestingly with the whole "2 power matters" subtheme of this theoretical set (though a bit too expensive for what it does).
Creature - Human Artificer [Common]
Shape 3WW (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its shape cost and also create a 3/3 colorless Construct artifact creature token.)
You may not have heard of her yet, but soon you will.
1/3
Hide in the Crowds 1U
Instant [Common]
Return target creature to its owner's hand. If you control an artifact, draw a card.
"This war is now a covert one. Too much destruction has been wrought; too much lost. The consulate must be fought quietly, lest Ghirapur never recover." - Pia Nalaar
Illicit Wares 1B
Instant [Common]
Furbish (You may tap an untapped artifact you control as you cast this.)
Target creature gets +2/+1 until end of turn. If this spell is furbished, that creature also gains deathtouch until end of turn.
Scrapyard Anarchist R
Creature - Human Artificer [Common]
Shape 2RR (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its shape cost and also create a 3/3 colorless Construct artifact creature token.)
When Scrapyard Anarchist is turned face up, target creature you control gains haste until end of turn.
1/1
Primal Glare 2G
Enchantment - Aura [Common]
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has "This creature can't be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less."
Gleaming Masses 2WW
Instant
Furbish (You may tap an untapped artifact you control as you cast this.)
Creatures you control get +2/+2 until end of turn. If this spell is furbished, those creatures also gain lifelink until end of turn.
Aetherbrass Drake 3U
Artifact Creature - Drake Construct [Common]
Flying
Modular 2 (This creature enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it. When it dies, you may put its +1/+1 counters on target artifact creature.)
0/0
Inspector's Glasses 1
Artifact [Common]
When Inspector's Glasses enters the battlefield, you may look at the top card of your library and up to one target face down creature.
4, Sacrifice Inspector's Glasses: Draw two cards.
Riparian Tusker 5GG
Creature - Beast Tiger [Common]
Trample
7/7
Fade into Antiquity 2G
Sorcery [Common]
Exile target artifact or enchantment.
Even the greatest innovations become tired and trivial.
Silent Engineers 2U
Creature - Vedalken Artificer [Uncommon]
3U, T: Draw a card, then discard a card unless you control an artifact.
Shape 4UU (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its shape cost and also create a 3/3 colorless Construct artifact creature token.)
0/4
Gonti's Enforcers 3B
Creature - Aetherborn Rogue [Uncommon]
Gonti's Enforcers has menace as long as you control an artifact.
Shape - 3BB, Sacrifice a creature (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its shape cost and also create a 3/3 colorless Construct artifact creature token.)
"My agents are hidden in plain sight. Cross me, and you shall regret it." - Crime Lord Gonti
3/3
Inventor's Competition 1WU
Enchantment [Uncommon]
Artifact creatures you control get +1/+1.
2, Tap an untapped artifact you control: Turn target creature face down. (It's a 2/2 creature.)
Many an artificer has experienced creating a masterpiece, only to be quickly forgotten as a rival takes center stage.
Runed Arch 3
Artifact [Rare]
Runed Arch enters the battlefield tapped.
X, T, Sacrifice Runed Arch: X target creatures with power 2 or less can't be blocked this turn.
"Well, Tezzeret took that other portal, but look what I found in the shed." - Sram, senior edificer
Pick 1: Riparian Tusker. BEEF.
Pick 2: Gleaming Masses. Latter day Rush of Battle - such cards can easily be finishers.
Pick 3: Inventor's Competition. Build-around and it seems easy to be a more or less universal anthem drafting this set.
Pick 14: Runed Arch. Just not useful enough often enough. At least Inspector's Glasses draws cards.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
1. I should really have prefaced everything with "I thought this all up on a whim and it's only semi-serious." Hence everything's a bit raw - flavor/tone is all over the place, a weird old card sitting in the rare slot, etc.
2. I had originally though of 1/1 Servos, but I thought "why not bigger tokens as we so rarely see them". I do agree that smaller tokens would likely play better and be easier to balance. I actually was first looking at Megamorph (a mechanic I think plays well yet irks me) and was thinking about how to create a Megamorph-esque mechanic that is hopefully better? I think turning the +1/+1 counter from Megamorph into a 1/1 Servo is probably the best version.
3. Runed Arch was a bit of a lolzy inclusion at rare, precisely because it is so lackluster compared to the kinds of chase cards they put into boosters nowadays. However I do think it would play interestingly with the whole "2 power matters" subtheme of this theoretical set (though a bit too expensive for what it does).