The name of Azgol has a sinister repute among Planeswalkers throughout the Multiverse. Ruled by the godlike demon known as the Ashen Lord, whose true name is not spoken even by his followers, Azgol is a land of ash, flame, and decay. Armies of corrupt mortals and undead have conquered the plane, establishing cults and vile kingdoms to please the dread Demon-God with the blood of unbelievers. A few dwindling crusader kingdoms hold on, taking up the legacy of a once-great empire, yet they are riven by grudges and are constantly tempted to wield the corrupt magic of the plane in the name of righteousness. Outside the walls of mankind's last bastions lurk horrors beyond imagining: the unquiet dead, raised and deformed into new and terrifying shapes by necromancers; the Nagas, a race created by a mad archmage who sought to defy death; the giants, beings from the plane's primordial past, who owe no allegiance to anyone and pose a threat to all that they come across; and things that defy all classification and sense.
Carius Peregrin, a young planeswalker from Kephalai, is guided to Azgol by an ancient ring he took from the Sanctum of Stars on the day his spark ignited. Soon after he enters, he is beset by the monsters of the Dulendin Forest, only to be saved by Vissalia Verov, a native planeswalker, who then takes him back to the crusader kingdom of Anorleth. There, Carius learns of the lost archives of Bel Ahgrut, where the ring tells him to go. His decision to travel to Bel Ahgrut will set a chain of events that will alter Azgol forever.
However, another planeswalker has arrived on Azgol: Garruk Wildspeaker, fresh off another kill, senses the presence of Carius and Vissalia. He has chosen them for his quarry, and will pursue them to the ends of the plane.
DESIGN GOAL
The set is meant to reflect the flavor of "dark fantasy", where the player is either an evil overlord or a ruthless crusader. Essentially, there should be a feeling of ominousness and "power at a price".
MECHANICS
Martyrdom X(You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +X/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
- Martyrdom symbolizes the "good guys" having to make sacrifices in the name of defeating the enemy. Martyred creatures in Azgol rely on death triggers and combat tricks to get your martyred creatures through blockers. Note that like Bushido, Martyrdom stacks-- this is relevant because permanents exist that grant your creatures Martyrdom.
Corruption(Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
- Adapted from Piar's wonderful Magic: Villains set, Corrupt represents you, the evil overlord, using your minions to fuel your spells.
PossessX(You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it’s an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
- The necromantic energy that suffuses Azgol also means that the souls of the dead can be claimed and forged into weapons by an act of will.
Spellstitch X(As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay X and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
- Having lost access to the great magics from before the age of ashes, the mages of Azgol either pledge service to the Ashen Lord for power or using what little lore they have left to them and combining the scraps of lore to create new spells. Spellstitch represents the latter manner, a manner of spellcasting yet untouched by Azgol's dark lord.
Persist(When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner’s control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
- The returning mechanic for Azgol, persist represents the unholy power that allows beings from the plane to cling to life even after suffering mortal wounds.
Attended Knight2W
Creature — Human Knight (C)
First strike
When Attended Knight enters the battlefield, create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token. The knights of the Iron Torch always go out in pairs, so they can watch each other's backs and bring back news should calamity befall one of them.
2/2
Beatific Anchorite1W
Creature — Human Cleric (C)
Martyrdom 1 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
When Beatific Anchorite dies, create a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying. "Let the fires of the Ashen Lord burn my body. They cannot touch my spirit."
1/2
Believer's Chains2W
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 as long as you control it. Otherwise, it can’t attack or block. “The light of the Solanari empowers the righteous and humbles the wicked. Now let’s see which one you are.”
—Vissalia Verov
Courier Griffin3W
Creature — Griffin (C)
Flying
When Courier Griffin enters the battlefield, you gain 2 life. Fiercely loyal and resistant to corruption, the griffin-steeds of Anorleth and Draganric allow them to contest the Ashen Lord's dominion of the sky.
2/3
Crusaders' Calling2W
Sorcery (C)
Create two 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens. "Faith is the only sure shield against the Ashen Lord's depredations."
—High Confessor Gelmiro of Draganric
Darkflight Guide1WW
Creature — Gargoyle (C)
Flying
Whenever Darkflight Guide attacks, another target attacking creature gains flying until end of turn. By tradition, Draganric's walls are lined with gargoyles, with half facing outward to hunt down the agents of the Ashen Lord and half facing inward to sniff out apostasy.
2/2
Dauntless NoviceW
Creature — Human Warrior (C)
Dauntless Novice gets +1/+0 as long as you control an Aura or Equipment. "A hero doesn't have to lack fear to be brave. A hero just has to ignore it."
1/2
Enduring Devotee1W
Creature — Human Cleric (U)
When Enduring Devotee enters the battlefield, remove a -1/-1 counter from target creature you control. Jurin the Sufferer, one of the most beloved heroes of Anorleth, is often called upon by those about to undergo long and arduous journeys.
2/2
Eternal ReposeW
Sorcery (C)
Exile target permanent card from a graveyard. You gain 3 life. "Here lies Ephran the Unyielding, who slew the Duke of Pestilence. May his spirit be at peace."
Grim Tombguard2W
Creature — Dwarf Soldier (C)
Martyrdom 2 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
When you martyr Grim Tombguard, create a 0/5 white Wall creature token with defender. "This is where we stand. And if we die here, we die so others live."
2/3
Harried HealerW
Creature — Human Cleric (C) T: Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to any target this turn.
Put a -1/-1 counter on Harried Healer: Untap Harried Healer. Her duty only ends when she does.
0/3
Hollow Vanity2W
Sorcery (C)
Exile target artifact or enchantment. "Don't talk to me of delays, pontiff! While the Ashen Lord's servants marshal their strength, you waste time gilding your weapons and bestowing useless titles on each other!"
—”Tirian Craedus, knight-exorcist
Irthaill Refugee3W
Creature — Dwarf Warrior (C) "I failed Irthaill. I failed to see the threat within its walls. I failed to bring the Ashsworn to justice. I failed to die with my beloved city. I will not fail again."
2/4
Litany of War3W
Sorcery (C)
Creatures you control get +2/+1 until end of turn. Cleric creatures you control gain lifelink until end of turn. "Lady Rhienna, martyr and holy warrior, guide our blades against the unhallowed and the heretic."
Martyr's EnduranceW
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1.
When enchanted creature dies, return that card to its owner’s hand.
Mausoleum Guardian5W
Creature — Giant Warrior (C)
Vigilance (Attacking doesn't cause this creature to tap.)
3/6
Mighty Leap1W
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +2/+2 and gains flying until end of turn. "Sure, the minions of the Scourge of Souls may be endless. But very few of them ever think to look skyward."
—Tirian Craedus, knight-exorcist
Palethread Wings1W
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has "1, Sacrifice another creature: This creature gains flying until end of turn." Spun from the light of the Pale Sun, it is a hollow mockery of the divine, yet is more than capable of terrible things.
Sanctum FrontlinerW
Creature — Human Soldier (C)
Possess W(You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
Enchanted creature gets +1/+2.
1/2
Searing Rebuke1W
Instant (C)
Searing Rebuke deals 4 damage to target attacking or blocking creature. The knights of the Iron Torch are able to call down holy judgment upon the sinful—though what "sinful'" means is often left up to the individual.
Templar of the Silent FaneWW
Creature — Spirit Warrior (C) Somewhere in the Bleak Swath lies a curious structure made of white stone, shrouded in pale light. The servants of the Ashen Lord give it a wide berth... and so do the holy warriors of Anorleth and Draganric, for no one who approaches it has ever come back.
2/3
Wayward Pardoner3W
Creature — Spirit Cleric (C)
When Wayward Pardoner enters the battlefield, return target enchantment card from your graveyard to your hand.
1/5
Wickedness' Reward2W
Sorcery (C)
Destroy target creature with power 4 or greater.
Anorleth VeteranW
Creature — Human Soldier (U)
Anorleth Veteran can't be blocked by Zombies and Skeletons. Every citizen of Anorleth is trained from childhood to fight against the hordes of undead that roam outside of the Sanctum Walls.
2/1
Faith Unbroken3W
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature you control
When Faith Unbroken enters the battlefield, exile target creature an opponent controls until Faith Unbroken leaves the battlefield.
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2.
Hellhunter Gargoyle4W
Creature — Gargoyle (U)
Flying, first strike
Possess 4WW(You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has flying and first strike.
3/2
Irontorch Exemplar3WW
Creature — Human Knight (U)
Irontorch Exemplar gets +1/+1 for each other creature you control.
Whenever you martyr a creature, create two 1/1 white Cleric creature tokens. From their fortresses in Draganric and Anorleth, the Holy Order of the Iron Torch wages a never-ending battle against the Ashen Lord and his followers.
2/2
Light of the Iron TorchW
Instant (U)
Target creature you control gets +1/+1 and gains indestructible until end of turn. Remove all -1/-1 counters from it. "To endure in the face of certain death is the mark of one with true faith."
—Precepts of the Torch, entry 150
Memento of the Blessed2W
Sorcery (U)
Choose one or both—
• Return target artifact or enchantment card from your graveyard to your hand.
• Put target face-up exiled card you own with possess into your graveyard. "Though Lady Rhienna may be gone, her might lives on in this blade and in all who wield it."
—Yuria Leviret, priest of Anorleth
Mountainborn AvengerWW
Creature — Dwarf Soldier (U)
Lifelink
Martyrdom 2 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.) "Vengeance is all that is left to me now. Let it be enough for all of us!"
2/2
Purge the Unclean1W
Instant (U)
Exile target tapped creature. "We must be ever vigilant. The first signs of impurity come when we cease to watch for it."
—High Confessor Gelmiro of Draganric
Rally the Pious2WW
Enchantment (U)
Whenever one or more -1/-1 counters are put on a creature you control, create that many 1/1 white Spirit creature tokens with flying. "The will of the faithful multitudes is sturdier than any wall, and sharper than any sword."
—Precepts of the Torch, entry 215
Scourgebearer ThrullW
Creature — Thrull (U) 2, T: Tap target creature. "Let the wounds I have allowed myself to suffer be a lesson to all of you on having faith in the Solanari, no matter what."
—Lady Vinia, pontiff of Draganric
1/2
Veiled Savior3WW
Creature — Archon (U)
Flying
At the beginning of your end step, if you martyred a creature this turn, you may pay 1W. If you do, return target creature card with power 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. "It is not your time yet."
3/3
Zealous Orator2W
Creature — Human Cleric (U)
Martyrdom 1 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
Whenever you martyr a creature, creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn. He practices what he preaches.
2/2
Avenger of the Solanari4WW
Creature — Archon (R)
Flying, lifelink
Possess 5WW(You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
Enchanted creature gets +4/+5 and has flying and lifelink.
4/5
Invoke the Pale Sun4WW
Sorcery (R)
Choose two—
• Destroy all creatures.
• Destroy all artifacts and enchantments.
• Remove all counters from all nonland permanents. "Even the light of the sun is wrong here. On my world it nurtures life, but here it destroys and leaves behind nothing but barren wastelands."
—Carius Peregrin
Palesun Judicator4W
Creature — Giant Cleric (R)
Vigilance
Whenever Palesun Judicator attacks, tap target creature. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s untap step as long as you control Palesun Judicator. Its gaze sears all that it touches, though the faithful see the pain as a sign of its favor.
3/4
Radvin, Steward of Anorleth2W
Legendary Creature — Human Knight (R)
Martyrdom 2 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
Other nontoken creatures you control have martyrdom 1. (Multiple instances of martyrdom are cumulative.)
Whenever you martyr a creature, attacking creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn.
2/3
Vissalia's Intervention3W
Instant (R)
Create X 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens, where X is the power of target creature an opponent controls. If that creature is attacking, Vissalia’s Intervention deals damage to it equal to the number of creatures you control. "Begone, thrall of the Ashen Lord! Your master holds no power here!"
[Story Spotlight 1/5]
Wightslayer Paladin1WW
Creature — Human Cleric Soldier (R)
Double strike
Wightslayer Paladin gets +1/+1 for each Aura you control and +1/+1 for each Equipment attached to a creature you control.
Sacrifice an Aura attached to Wightslayer Paladin: It gains indestructible until end of turn. When the darkness comes, some people cower in fear. Others take up arms and fight.
2/2
Seraph of Fading Dawn5WW
Creature — Angel (M)
Flying
When Seraph of Fading Dawn enters or leaves the battlefield, for each other nonland permanent you control, you may exile it, then return it to the battlefield. Such boons she grants are far beyond what the greatest healers can provide.
6/6
Vissalia Verov2WW
Legendary Planeswalker — Vissalia (M)
Starting Loyalty: 4
+1: Up to two target creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain vigilance until end of turn. Untap those creatures.
-3: You get an emblem with “Whenever a source deals damage to you or a creature you control, create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token.”
-7: Untap all creatures you control. Creatures you control gain vigilance and get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of creatures you control.
Ahgrutian Skyhunter2U
Creature — Drake (C)
Flying
Possess 3U(You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has flying. The skies above Bel Ahgrut have always belonged to the drakes.
2/2
Archive Sentinel3U
Creature — Homunculus (C)
When Archive Sentinel enters the battlefield, return target creature to its owner's hand. Its masters ordered it to expel those who lacked their permission to access the archives. To this day, it has not disobeyed even once.
2/2
Burrowing Cancrix2U
Creature — Crab (C)
Flash (You may cast this spell any time you could cast an instant.) The giant crabs of the Shrouded Shores are big enough to feed an entire tribe of Vargren warriors— though that assumes the crab doesn't eat them first.
2/3
Call on ExperienceU
Sorcery (C)
Draw a card.
Spellstitch 2(As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay 2 and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
Defthand Decoy1U
Creature — Human Rogue (C)
Whenever Defthand Decoy attacks, if you control an enchantment, tap target creature. "Look at the light! See how bright it sparkles. Don't take your eyes off it!"
1/2
Dragged into the Fog4U
Instant (C)
Put target nonland permanent on top of its owner's library. "There are horrors from which even the bravest must flee."
—Lord Steward Radvin
Essence Scatter1U
Instant (C)
Counter target creature spell. "Your magic is... not up to standards. Still, I commend you for trying."
—Yshariq, the Serpentfather
Faceless Servitor3U
Creature — Homunculus (C) With delicate motions, they set books that fell decades ago back on shelves that have grown gray with dust.
1/6
Forlorn SeekerU
Creature — Human Rogue (C)
When Forlorn Seeker dies, draw a card, then discard a card. There is no shortage of petty wizards, scoundrels, mercenaries and broken men who seek out the libraries of lost Bel Ahgrut.
1/2
Fragments of Truth2U
Instant (C)
Draw two cards. If you didn't spellstitch onto Fragments of Truth, discard a card. The smallest bits of lore from the lost archives of Bel Ahgrut are worth their weight in gold to ever-embattled Anorleth and Draganric.
Ghastly Grip1U
Instant (C)
Tap up to two target creatures.
Spellstitch 1U(As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay 1U and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.) One wight is an annoyance. Ten wights are a disaster waiting to happen.
Mental Turmoil1U
Sorcery (C)
Target player puts the top four cards of their library into their graveyard.
Spellstitch U(As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay U and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
Mistcloaked Wight1U
Creature — Spirit (C)
Flying
Mistcloaked Wight can only block creatures with flying.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
2/2
Moonwing Butterfly4U
Creature — Insect (C)
Flying
When Moonwing Butterfly enters the battlefield, draw a card, then discard a card.
3/2
Muckslick Serpent5UU
Creature — Serpent (C)
Muckslick Serpent can't be blocked by creatures with -1/-1 counters on them. The corpse-choked waters of the Surbeni Strand are home to wights, biting insects, waterlogged undead, and worse things.
5/5
Offhand Dismissal2U
Instant (C)
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 1 for each card in your graveyard. "Was that meant to scare me off? Sorry to disappoint you, then."
—Magister Yerithak of the Serpent Brethren
Patient Breathstalker5U
Creature — Homunculus (C)
Flash (You may cast this spell any time you could cast an instant.)
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.) It hunts down those who dare to steal from the library, acting on the orders of long-dead adepts.
3/3
Pupil of Yshariq1U
Creature — Naga Wizard (C)
When Pupil of Yshariq enters the battlefield, put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
1/3
Reclusive Chronicler2U
Creature — Human Advisor (C) T: Draw a card, then put a card from your hand on top of your library.
Put a -1/-1 counter on Reclusive Chronicler: Untap Reclusive Chronicler. "The years have withered my body and mind, but so long as the mysteries of these tomes remain unsolved, I will not allow myself to rest."
1/2
Shed SelfU
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +0/+2.
When enchanted creature dies, create a 2/2 blue Naga creature token. "To transcend mortality, to become immune to the depredations of darkness, one must escape the prison of the human form."
—Yshariq, the Serpentfather
Silent Contemplation2U
Sorcery (C)
Reveal the top five cards of your library. Put up to two instant and/or sorcery cards from among them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard. After the noise and the crowds Carius encountered in Anorleth, the silence of Bel Ahgrut's abandoned archives soothed his mind.
[Story Spotlight 2/5]
Troubled Memories2U
Enchantment (C)
Whenever a counter is placed on a creature, each player puts the top three cards of their library into their graveyard. "Even the strongest soul has its breaking point, and I intend to find it."
—Ishia Forktongue, Ashsworn cultist
Weight of Despair1U
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
When Weight of Despair enters the battlefield, if you control a Ruins or a Ruins card is in your graveyard, tap enchanted creature.
Enchanted creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.
Yhavaran Sorcerer3UU
Creature — Giant Wizard (C)
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Hexproof (This creature can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.) The city of Yhavara is populated by a reclusive clan of giants who possess deep knowledge of sorcery, particularly with regards to the use of souls as fuel for magic.
3/3
Atelier WightU
Creature — Spirit Wizard (U)
Flying
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.) Bel Ahgrut is home to dozens of ruined ateliers haunted by the souls of mages whose obsession with their work bound them to the world after death.
0/2
Biting Tether4U
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
You control enchanted creature.
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature. "It appears to be in agony from the bindings. What if we removed its capacity to feel pain?"
Coldblooded Progenitor3UU
Creature — Naga (U)
Whenever a -1/-1 counter is put on a creature, you may pay 2U. If you do, create a 2/2 blue Naga creature token. "We must discard well-worn notions of right and wrong, and focus on the glorious tomorrow we shall create."
—Yshariq, the Serpentfather
2/5
Dissipate1UU
Instant (U)
Counter target spell. If it's countered this way, exile it instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard.
Doomchained Drake1U
Creature — Drake (U)
Flying
When Doomchained Drake enters the battlefield, put two -1/-1 counters on target creature you control.
Whenever Doomchained Drake attacks, you may move a -1/-1 counter from it onto another target attacking creature. If you do, scry 1. It transfers its fated end onto others.
3/3
Fogspawned PursuersUU
Creature — Spirit (U)
Possess 2UU(You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
Fogspawned Pursuers can't be blocked.
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and can't be blocked.
2/2
Foisted Fate1U
Instant (U)
Move any number of counters from target creature you control onto another target creature. "I will not be anyone's pawn or plaything, least of all that of the Ashen Lord."
—Magister Yerithak of the Serpent Brethren
Keeper of Sealed Tomes2U
Creature — Human Wizard (U)
When Keeper of Sealed Tomes enters the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. 2U, T: Return target creature with a counter on it to its owner's hand.
1/2
Long-Forgotten Lore2UU
Sorcery (U)
Return up to one target instant card and up to one target sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand. Exile Long-Forgotten Lore. "Sometimes, late at night, I lie awake and wonder: how many men and women have died to bring these tomes to me?"
—Sage Morr, adept of the Lone Tower
Reality Stutter1U
Instant (U)
Exile target creature. At the beginning of the next end step, return that creature to the battlefield tapped. It doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step. A diabolical invention of the mages of Bel Ahgrut, soul snags suspend victims between life and oblivion.
Shifting Assailant2UU
Creature — Naga Rogue (U)
Whenever you spellstitch onto a spell, Shifting Assailant gains hexproof until end of turn. U: Shifting Assailant gets +1/-1 until end of turn. Seldom does Yshariq personally intervene when outsiders enter his kingdom in Bel Ahgrut. He prefers sending assassins to rid himself of them.
2/3
Wraith Walk1U
Sorcery (U)
Up to two target creatures you control can't be blocked this turn.
Spellstitch 3U(As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay 3U and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
Bitter Cold2U
Enchantment (R)
Artifacts and creatures your opponents control enter the battlefield tapped.
Brainpicker2U
Creature — Horror (R)
Possess 4U(You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
Whenever Brainpicker or enchanted creature deals damage to a player, draw that many cards.
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2.
2/2
Inspired ResearchXUU
Instant (R)
Scry X, then draw X cards. (Look at the top X cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order.)
Spellstitch—U, Discard X cards. (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay U and discard X cards and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
Thing from the Void3UU
Creature — Horror (R)
Possess 5UU(You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
Flying
Enchanted creature gets +4/+3 and has flying.
Whenever Thing from the Void or enchanted creature is targeted by a noncreature spell for the first time each turn, counter that spell.
4/3
Watcher of the Abyss4UU
Creature — Kraken (R)
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield from your graveyard, draw a card.
Whenever an instant or sorcery card leaves your graveyard, draw a card.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.) The sea holds things that have never seen the light of day.
2/5
Writ of Expulsion3UU
Sorcery (R)
Return all tapped nonland permanents to their owners’ hands, then tap all untapped nonland permanents.
Magistrix of the Archives5UU
Creature — Sphinx (M)
Flash
Flying
When Magistrix of the Archives enters the battlefield, gain control of target nonpermanent spell or nonland permanent you don’t control. "Exquisite!" The sphinx plucked Carius' spell from the air. "A fine addition to the library."
5/5
Yshariq's Insanity2UUU
Enchantment (M)
Rather than pay the mana cost for a spell you cast from your hand, you may distribute X -1/-1 counters among any number of creatures you control, where X is that spell's converted mana cost. "Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating."
—Yshariq, the Serpentfather
Ashsworn Thrall1B
Creature — Skeleton Warrior (C)
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.) The Ashen Lord commands legions of undead soldiers, all obedient and utterly without fear.
2/2
Betrayer of Irthaill1BB
Creature — Azra Cleric (C)
When Betrayer of Irthaill enters the battlefield, if you control a Ruins or a Ruins card is in your graveyard, it deals 2 damage to target player. Irthaill fell to traitors within its walls who opened its gates and welcomed in the armies of their true master.
3/2
Blackfeather Vultures3B
Creature — Bird (C)
Flying
Whenever another creature you control dies, Blackfeather Vultures gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Flocks of vultures, their feathers stained black by ash, are a common sight in Azgol's skies as they seek out corpses to feed on.
2/2
Cannibalistic Crusader2B
Creature — Human Warrior (C)
Menace (This creature can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.) Once, he prayed to the Solanari to keep the darkness at bay. Now, he offers each mouthful of flesh to the one true lord of Azgol.
3/2
Conjoined Ghouls4B
Creature — Zombie (C)
When Conjoined Ghouls dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
3/3
Curdling FleshB
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature. "May your blood turn to sludge and your heart grow black with rot."
—Qara, Quiet Dark cultist
Debased Fleshgorger1B
Creature — Zombie (C)
Sacrifice another creature: Debased Fleshgorger gets +2/+2 until end of turn. The rot that consumes its body drives it to devour the flesh of the living.
1/1
Defile the Dead1B
Sorcery (C)
Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. Put the top card of your library into your graveyard. Nothing is sacred on Azgol—especially not the deceased.
Diseased Clutch2B
Instant (C)
Choose an attacking creature you control. Put a -1/-1 counter on each creature blocking it.
Draganric ApostateB
Creature — Azra Warrior (C)
Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.) "The Draganrians may be a bunch of pompous, self-righteous light-gazers, but their life force is delectable."
1/1
Drinker of Sorrows4B
Creature — Hag Shaman (C) T: Target player discards a card. Activate this ability only during your turn.
Put a -1/-1 counter on Drinker of Sorrows: Untap Drinker of Sorrows. The cult known as the Brotherhood of the Quiet Dark calls for the discarding of all attachments and burdens—including morality, empathy, and the desire to live.
3/2
Fell Endurance1B
Instant (C)
Target creature gains lifelink and indestructible until end of turn. The endless war against the Ashen Lord has driven the knight-exorcists of the Iron Torch to experiment with the weapons of the enemy.
Forsaken Pontiff4BB
Creature — Human Cleric (C)
When Forsaken Pontiff enters the battlefield, it deals X damage to target opponent and you gain X life, where X is the number of creatures you control. "It is folly to think one can wield the powers of darkness against the Ashen Lord and remain pure."
—Yuria Leviret, priest of Anorleth
3/3
Hexbound ThrullB
Creature — Thrull (C)
When Hexbound Thrull dies, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. Some of the lords among the Ashsworn have taken to having a specially-crafted thrull attend them at all times as a defense against curses. The thrull absorbs the dark magic and dies, leaving them unharmed.
1/1
Lingering Cryptstalker2B
Creature — Spirit (C)
Flying
Whenever Lingering Cryptstalker attacks, defending player loses 2 life. "Enter not this place. There is no honor, no glory, no joy or profit to be found here."
—Inscription carved on mausoleum door in Anar Idhil
0/4
Mordant Shadowmage1B
Creature — Human Wizard (C)
Whenever a creature dies, you may pay 1. If you do, exile target card in a graveyard.
1/3
Read the Bloodstains2B
Sorcery (C)
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature.
Draw two cards, then put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard. A bit of blood spilled is a small price to pay for power— especially when it isn't yours.
Shred Psyche4BB
Sorcery (C)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Shred Psyche deals 4 damage to target opponent. That player discards two cards. It is said that at the very end of the Bleak Swath is the Capitol of the Unreturned, a bastion of madness so horrific that merely gazing upon it tears at the soul.
Skittering Corpseworm6B
Creature — Insect Horror (C)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.) The Dead Marches, where the great kingdom of Anar Idhil once stood, is now little more than a city of tombs and a haven for the foulest of abominations.
3/5
Soulstinger3B
Creature — Scorpion Demon (C)
When Soulstinger enters the battlefield, put two -1/-1 counters on target creature you control.
When Soulstinger dies, you may put a -1/-1 counter on target creature for each -1/-1 counter on Soulstinger. The Ashen Lord wrought servants in his image to bring despair to all.
4/5
Squamous WretchB
Creature — Human Naga (C) Not all of Yshariq's disciples succeed in emulating their master. Failures are thrown into the Surbeni Strand and left to die... though some of them fail even in that.
0/4
Succumb to Sickness1B
Instant (C)
Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. If it has a -1/-1 counter on it, destroy it instead. The worst part isn't the fever, the stench, or even the pain: it's knowing that death is coming, and it is a preferable fate to living on like this.
Torment of Venom2BB
Instant (C)
Put three -1/-1 counters on target creature. Its controller loses 3 life unless they sacrifice a nonland permanent or discard a card.
Ashsworn Hierophant1B
Creature — Human Cleric (U)
Whenever Ashsworn Hierophant or another creature you control dies, Ashsworn Hierophant deals 1 damage to each opponent. They offer gifts of flesh and blood to the Ashen Lord, hoping to share in their dark god's power.
0/2
Blasphemous Tutor4BB
Sorcery (U)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Search your library for a card and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Call of the UnhallowedB
Sorcery (U)
As an additional cost to cast this spell, distribute two -1/-1 counters among any number of creatures you control.
Create two 1/1 black Skeleton creature tokens. The bell that once rang to call the faithful to worship now rings to raise the dead in service to the Ashen Lord.
Doomknell Acolyte4B
Creature — Human Cleric (U)
When Doomknell Acolyte enters the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
2/2
Herald of Desolation1BB
Creature — Specter (U)
Flying
Whenever Herald of Desolation deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card. It rides forth from the Lair of the Ashen Idol to bring disaster upon those foolish enough to resist.
2/2
Infernal Torment1B
Sorcery (U)
Target player reveals their hand. You choose a nonland permanent card from it. That player exiles that card. "Every thought, every belief, every hope and dream and whispered prayer... they are but dust in the face of the Ashen Lord's might."
Murder1BB
Instant (U)
Destroy target creature. To the adherents of the Quiet Dark, killing another person is an act of benevolence. They believe those that fall at their hands will be granted a better position in their next life.
Scribe of Imprecations5BB
Creature — Giant Shaman (U)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Whenever a -1/-1 counter is put on a creature you control, Scribe of Imprecations deals 2 damage to each opponent. Every word in his book is filled with an unbridled hate for all that lives.
4/4
Talons of TwilightB
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +3/+3 and has "At the beginning of your upkeep, put a -1/-1 counter on it."
Treacherous Vermifex1B
Creature — Horror (U)
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a creature. If you can't, tap Treacherous Vermifex and it deals 4 damage to you. Many have agreed to pay its price, only to realize too late that it asks for far more than they can ever hope to give.
4/3
Vile Allegiance3B
Enchantment (U)
Whenever you corrupt a creature to cast a spell, you may pay 1. If you do, each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life. "Kill for me, and I shall grant you a taste of the power my master possesses."
—Mordegann, demon of the Ashen Idol
Wretched Painsuckler2BB
Creature — Horror (U)
When Wretched Painsuckler enters the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you control.
Whenever a -1/-1 counter is put on a creature you control, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you don’t control and you gain 1 life. It sates its hunger with the foulest of meals.
3/3
Encroaching Contagion2BB
Sorcery (R)
Put two -1/-1 counters on each creature. As refugees from fallen Irthaill flooded Draganric and Anorleth, pestilence followed them.
Necropolis Patriarch3B
Creature — Human Wizard (R)
Whenever Necropolis Patriarch or another non-Zombie creature you control dies, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token. 1B, T: Skeletons and Zombies you control gain deathtouch until end of turn.
Persist In the land of the dead, the necromancer is king.
3/3
Pound of Flesh2BB
Instant (R)
Creatures you don't control lose hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.
Destroy target creature or planeswalker. Garruk's snarl cut through the silence in the library, and Carius' blood turned to ice. He had escaped one doom— only to find another in his path.
[Story Spotlight 3/5]
Prophet of the Deep7B
Creature — Horror (R)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Menace
When Prophet of the Deep deals combat damage to a player, that player discards their hand unless they pay 1 life for each card in their hand.
4/4
Tyrant of Death's Door4BB
Creature — Giant Horror (R)
Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
When Tyrant of Death's Door enters the battlefield, create X 1/1 black Skeleton creature tokens, where X is its power.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
3/6
Undying Servitude2B
Instant (R)
Return to your hand all creature cards in your graveyard that were put there from anywhere this turn. Death is no escape from the Ashen Lord's will.
Vosgar, Prince of Desolation5BB
Legendary Creature — Demon (M)
Flying
Whenever a creature you don't control with a -1/-1 counter on it dies, return it to the battlefield under your control. It's a Zombie in addition to its other types.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.) A king among demons and a god to mortals.
5/5
Wages of Sin5BBB
Sorcery (M)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Each opponent may sacrifice any number of nonland permanents. Then, Wages of Sin deals 2 damage to each opponent for each nonland permanent they control.
What are your thoughts on the cards? Is there anything that stands out as interesting or problematic? Am I getting my themes across with the cards I've presented so far?
To be honest, I'm not satisfied with the red and green cards for this set, so any comments are especially welcome.
Apostate Swordmage1R
Creature — Human Warrior Wizard (C)
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.) Many such warriors like her exist outside of Anorleth's and Draganric's walls, using creativity and skill to make up for a lack of formal training.
1/3
Ashsworn Cultist2R
Creature — Azra Wizard (C) T: Ashsworn Cultist deals 1 damage to each opponent.
Put a -1/-1 counter on Ashsworn Cultist: Untap Ashsworn Cultist. "Power demands sacrifice. Yours or mine, it makes no difference."
1/2
Bloodmouth Ritualist3R
Creature — Azra Shaman (C)
When Bloodmouth Ritualist enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice a creature. If you do, add RRR. The cannibalistic tribes of Crennoc Vale find wisdom in the blood and flesh of humans, kor, and dwarves.
3/2
Blur of Blades1R
Instant (C)
Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. Blur of Blades deals 2 damage to that creature's controller. "Care to test the swiftness of my sword, monster?"
—Vissalia Verov
Broken-Chain Brawler
Creature — Human Berserker (C)
Martyrdom 1 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
When you martyr Broken-Chain Brawler, another target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn. "I would rather cease to exist than be bound to the Lord of Lies' will."
1/2
Deranged Onslaught2R
Instant (C)
Creatures you control get +1/+0 and gain menace until end of turn.
Hilltribe Aggressors2RR
Creature — Human Berserker (C) The Vargren hill tribes are reckless in battle, believing an honorable death will save them from thralldom under the Ashen Lord.
4/3
Lavacore Gouger5RR
Creature — Elemental (C)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
When Lavacore Gouger enters the battlefield, it deals 3 damage to target opponent.
6/4
Lightning Javelin2R
Instant (C)
Lightning Javelin deals 3 damage to any target.
Spellstitch (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
Lurking Hellhound1R
Creature — Hound (C)
Sacrifice another creature: Lurking Hellhound gets +3/+0 until end of turn.
1/2
Offal Gourmand2R
Creature — Ogre (C)
When Offal Gourmand enters the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you control. The ogres of Crennoc Vale are civilized enough to occasionally condemn their prey to a slow death roasted on an open fire rather than eat raw food.
4/3
Pillarbreaker Ancient3R
Creature — Giant Warrior (C)
When Pillarbreaker Ancient enters the battlefield, if you control a Ruins or a Ruins card is in your graveyard, creatures without flying can't block this turn.
3/3
Reckless Loreweaver1R
Creature — Human Rogue (C)
Whenever you spellstitch onto a spell, sacrifice Reckless Loreweaver. If you do, create a 3/2 red Elemental creature token. Attempting to reconstruct ancient spells from barely-legible tomes and crumbling scrolls can have unforeseen—and often lethal—consequences.
2/1
Savage Strike1R
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +3/+0 and gains trample until end of turn.
Scarred Ravager3RR
Creature — Giant Barbarian (C)
Put a -1/-1 counter on Scarred Ravager: It gains haste until end of turn. There is no honor or glory to be found in the Bleak Swath, only a lonely death amidst the ashes of fallen cities.
5/3
Smelt
Instant (C)
Destroy target artifact. The Crusader Kingdoms melt down old weapons and armor in the forges, both to recycle the metal and to get rid of any foul magic that might linger in them.
Sunder the Foundations4R
Sorcery (C)
Destroy target land. Sunder the Foundations deals 2 damage to each creature without flying. The Bleak Swath is constantly buffeted by earthquakes, shredding winds and boiling lava.
Suntouched ProphecyR
Sorcery (C)
Draw two cards, then discard two cards.
Spellstitch 1R(As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay :1mana::symr: and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.) "Behold, the Pale Sun rises! Partake not of the fruits of ash and sin, but tremble with joyous fear! O Pale Sun, burn us with your flame!"
Torrent of Brimstone6R
Sorcery (C)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Torrent of Brimstone deals 5 damage to target creature. If that creature would die this turn, exile it instead. Mages who regularly cross the Siltsown Flats have learned to utilize the region's volcanic off-run as a crude but deadly weapon.
Traitorous Instinct3R
Sorcery (C)
Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap that creature. Until end of turn, it gets +2/+0 and gains haste. "Watch as your body betrays you, and know that none can resist the Ashen Lord's will!"
—Yurek, Ashsworn cultist
Unmatched Fury1R
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+1 and has menace. "Give in to your rage and bloodlust. Your anger at the Defiler of Worlds shall burn away all impurity and evil."
—Yashar, Vargren shaman
Vargren Spearhunter2R
Creature — Human Berserker (C)
Martyrdom 2 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
When Vargren Spearhunter is martyred, it deals 2 damage to target player or planeswalker.
2/2
Cataclysmic Charge6R
Sorcery (U)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Create two 3/2 red Elemental creature tokens. Creatures you control gain haste until end of turn. Elmek charged at the demon and his servants, drawing on the dying around him— and his battle cry sundered the earth and unleashed its fury.
Chthonian Ritual2R
Sorcery (U)
Add R for each instant and/or sorcery card in your graveyard. Until your next turn, spellstitch costs of cards in your graveyard cost 1 less to activate.
Consuming ZealR
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature you control
Enchanted creature has haste.
Sacrifice enchanted creature: Attach Consuming Zeal to another target creature you control.
Deepfire Incanter3R
Creature — Elemental (U)
When Deepfire Incanter enters the battlefield, it deals X damage to target creature an opponent controls, where X is the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard.
2/3
Gibbering Spellscribe2R
Creature — Horror Wizard (U)
When Gibbering Spellscribe enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a sorcery card, reveal it, and put it into your hand, then shuffle your library. It is said that some of Lady Anara's students were twisted into monstrosities as their bodies and souls broke under the weight of forbidden lore.
1/1
Initiate of the Pale Sun1R
Creature — Dwarf Shaman (U)
Whenever a -1/-1 counter is put on a creature you control, Initiate of the Pale Sun deals 1 damage to any target. When the dwarves arrived in Anorleth, many of them joined the Cult of the Pale Sun to take revenge on the Ashen Lord.
1/2
Maelstrom of Hellfire4R
Sorcery (U)
Maelstrom of Hellfire deals 4 damage divided among any number of creatures and/or planeswalkers.
Spellstitch 4R(As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay 4R and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
Oathsworn Captain1RR
Creature — Dwarf Warrior (U)
Martyrdom 2 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
Whenever a creature you control is martyred, it gains trample until end of turn. "There is no hope for any of us who defy the Ashen Lord. The best we can do is make our deaths mean something."
3/2
Obsidian Elemental4RR
Creature — Elemental (U)
Obsidian Elemental has double strike as long as you control a Ruins or a Ruins card is in your graveyard. A world inimical to life produces elementals that are just as deadly.
4/2
Wisdom of the Lone Tower1RR
Enchantment (U)
Whenever an instant or sorcery spell leaves your graveyard, choose one—
• Wisdom of the Lone Tower deals 2 damage to target opponent.
• Exile the top card of your library. You may play it this turn. "To create an entire school of magic... What a genius this Lady Anara is! I must meet her."
—Carius Peregrin
Zealot of the TorchRR
Creature — Human Cleric Warrior (U)
Martyrdom 2 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
Whenever you martyr a creature, Zealot of the Torch deals 2 damage to target opponent. "No sacrifice is too great in the war against the Ashen Lord."
2/2
Arcanist's Folly4R
Sorcery (R)
Discard your hand, then draw seven cards.
Spellstitch 2R(As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay 2R and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
Ashen Pyrophant1R
Creature — Azra Wizard (R)
When Ashen Pyrophant enters the battlefield, you may put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you control. 1, Remove a -1/-1 counter from target creature you control: Exile the top card of your library. Until end of turn, you may play that card. (You still pay its costs.) "The Ashen Lord has chosen me to become the embodiment of the flame's will."
2/2
Crennoc Vale Cremator3RR
Creature — Giant Spirit (R)
When Crennoc Vale Cremator enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice another creature. If you do, Crennoc Vale Cremator deals damage to target player or planeswalker equal to the sacrificed creature's power. He worships the flame, and wishes for all to share in its glory.
4/4
Douse in HellfireXRR
Instant (R)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Douse in Hellfire deals X damage to any target. If you corrupted a creature to cast Douse in Hellfire, damage can't be prevented this turn. The Ashen Lord's fiery breath burns both body and soul.
Mirage Cavalier2RR
Creature — Human Knight (R)
Martyrdom 1 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
Whenever you martyr a creature, you may pay R. If you do, create a token that's a copy of that creature and is tapped and attacking. Exile that token at end of combat.
3/3
Thundermind Oracle4RR
Creature — Giant Shaman (R)
This spell costs 3 less to cast if there are four or more instant and/or sorcery cards in your graveyard.
Whenever you spellstitch onto a spell, copy that spell. (You may choose new targets for the copy.) It is said that the giants taught Lady Anara the secrets of flame and thunder, which the Ashen Lord could not defile.
3/3
Carius' Desperation5RRR
Sorcery (M)
Exile the top eight cards of your library. For each instant and sorcery card with converted mana cost 8 or less among them, you may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Exile Carius' Desperation. Feral as Garruk was, he knew facing both Vissalia's unwavering advance and the whirlwind of flame and force Carius had just unleashed was a bad idea.
[Story Spotlight 4/5]
Zilraugir, Darkhunter Dragon3RRR
Legendary Creature — Dragon (M)
Flying, haste
At the beginning of your postcombat main phase, add R equal to the total power of all creatures that attacked this turn. Few of Azgol's ancient dragons remain. Those who survived the Ashen Lord's purge are proud, solitary creatures, owing allegiance to none and laying claim to all before them with claw and flame.
4/4
Abhorrent Webweaver2GG
Creature — Spider (C)
Reach (This creature can block creatures with flying.)
3/3
Arachnoid Snare1G
Instant (C)
Untap target creature. It gets +1/+4 and gains reach until end of turn.
Audacious Maneuver2G
Instant (C)
Target creature you control gets +1/+1 until end of turn. It then fights another target creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.) Though relatively few in number, the fighting men and women of Anorleth know many ways to even the odds against the Ashen Lord's armies.
Bloodsop VinesG
Creature — Plant (C)
Defender (This creature can't attack.)
Whenever a -1/-1 counter is put on a creature, you gain 1 life. It grows best on old battlefields, where there are plenty of corpses to nourish it.
0/3
Bristleback Swine3G
Creature — Boar (C)
When Bristleback Swine dies, you gain 4 life. An Azgolan boar that avoids dying from predators, disease, and hungry hunters can live for over three decades.
3/3
Darkthicket Wolf1G
Creature — Wolf (C) 2G: Darkthicket Wolf gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Activate this ability only once each turn. "No nobility is left in the beasts of the wild— only hunger and hate."
—Orsek, wandering herbalist
2/2
Dregwater Elemental3G
Creature — Elemental (C)
When Dregwater Elemental enters the battlefield, return target land card from your graveyard to your hand. The corpses of men and beasts have turned the once-clear waters of the Surbeni River into a murky soup of putrefaction.
2/4
Dulendin Woodwurm5GG
Creature — Wurm (C)
Dulendin Woodwurm can't be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less. The wurms of the Dulendin Forest make their nests in the deepest places of the wood, where the trees grow so thick they hide the path ahead... as well as their titanic bulk.
7/7
Ephemeral Bloom1G
Sorcery (C)
Reveal the top five cards of your library. You may put a creature card or a land card from among them into your hand. Put the rest into your graveyard.
Frostborn Raider2G
Creature — Human Barbarian (C)
As long as you control a Ruins or a Ruins card is in your graveyard, Frostborn Raider gets +1/+0 and has trample. The Frozen Expanse is full of the remains of holdfasts and fortresses, their shattered hulks protruding from the endless ice sheet like jagged teeth. The few people that dwell here are hardy, ruthless, and unafraid of death.
3/2
Gloombark Elder3G
Creature — Treefolk (C)
Gloombark Elder gets +2/+1 as long as you control a creature with a -1/-1 counter on it. "The trees remember a time before this age of dust and flame. They remember, young crusader... and they hate."
—Maurwis, hag of Dulendin Forest
2/4
Poignant SilenceG
Instant (C)
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn.
Draw a card.
Prowling Basilisk2G
Creature — Basilisk (C)
Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
2/2
Ravening Wolfpack4G
Creature — Wolf Horror (C) "I know the beasts of the Dulendin Forest often stray by our walls. I've downed several of them this way. But a pack of this size has never approached Anorleth... unless something—no, someone— commanded them."
—Vissalia Verov
5/4
Reclusive Herbalist2G
Creature — Human Druid (C)
When Reclusive Herbalist enters the battlefield, remove a -1/-1 counter from target creature you control.
2/3
Renewed Vitality3G
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
When Renewed Vitality enters the battlefield, remove a -1/-1 counter from enchanted creature.
Enchanted creature gets +3/+3.
Ruinskulker CroneG
Creature — Hag Druid (C)
When Ruinskulker Crone enters the battlefield, search your library for a basic land card or Ruins card, reveal it, then shuffle your library and put it on top. "The path through this forest is long and dangerous, especially at this hour. I can give you shelter for the night, should you seek it."
0/2
Shed WeaknessG
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Remove a -1/-1 counter from it.
Sprouting Hope2G
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant land
Whenever you tap enchanted land for mana, add G and gain 1 life (in addition to the mana that land produces).
Terrace Tender1G
Creature — Human (C) T: Untap target basic land.
Put a -1/-1 counter on Terrace Tender: Untap Terrace Tender. With most of the land outside the Sanctum Walls either overrun or barren, Anorleth grows crops within its walls in earthen terraces which are cared for by those too young, too old or too badly hurt to fight.
0/2
Thunderstride Ancient4GG
Creature — Giant (C)
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.) The giants of Azgol are embodiments of untamed power that strode the plane eons before the Ashen Lord arrived.
5/5
Wanderer of the Expanse2G
Creature — Elemental (C)
When Wanderer of the Expanse enters the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you control. It brings the deathly chill of winter wherever it goes.
3/4
Wizened Hoarder1G
Creature — Hag (C)
When Wizened Hoarder dies, draw a card. She adds bones, trinkets and scrolls to her stash, mementos from a time before the age of endless ash and misery.
1/3
Brutish Companion2G
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +3/+3.
When enchanted creature dies, create a 3/3 green Beast creature token.
Corrosive Hex2G
Instant (U)
Destroy target artifact or enchantment. If it's attached to a creature, put a -1/-1 counter on that creature. Adherents of the Quiet Dark's philosophy reject any form of attachment and have no qualms about forcing others to abandon theirs.
Delver of Dead Cities2GG
Creature — Beast (U)
Whenever a creature you control with a -1/-1 counter on it dies, draw a card. The deeper one goes into the Bleak Swath, the more twisted the inhabitants grow.
2/4
Drawn from Bones2G
Sorcery (U)
Put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard, then put another two cards from your graveyard on top of your library.
Feral Brambleclaw2G
Creature — Plant Beast (U)
When Feral Brambleclaw enters the battlefield, put two -1/-1 counters on target creature you control.
Whenever a -1/-1 counter is put on Feral Brambleclaw, remove a -1/-1 counter from another target creature you control. Even though corruption suffuses the very earth of Azgol, untainted life finds a way to thrive.
5/4
Naga Frontliner3G
Creature — Naga Warrior (U)
Whenever a -1/-1 counter is put on Naga Frontliner, create a 2/2 blue Naga creature token. Yshariq sent out a force of naga to seek knowledge of the lands beyond. Many of them returned scarred and haunted... but they came with converts in tow.
3/3
Oracle of Mist4G
Creature — Giant Druid (U)
When Oracle of Mist enters the battlefield, draw a card.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
3/2
Savant of the Coils1GG
Creature — Naga Wizard (U)
When Savant of the Coils enters the battlefield, for each kind of counter on target permanent, put another counter of that kind on it or remove one from it. To stave off death, the archmage Yshariq transformed himself into the first naga. His students seek to achieve the same level of mastery over life.
3/3
Sepulchral Delvings5G
Sorcery (U)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Search your library for two basic land cards and put them onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library.
Shackled Brute1G
Creature — Beast (U)
When Shackled Brute enters the battlefield, put three -1/-1 counters on target creature you control.
Whenever a creature you control attacks, remove a -1/-1 counter from Shackled Brute.
4/4
Stalker of the Swath1GG
Creature — Insect (U)
Stalker of the Swath's power is equal to the number of creature cards in your graveyard.
Sacrifice a creature: Stalker of the Swath gains trample until end of turn. "They are not made of flesh, bone, or spirit. They are hunger incarnate, and they will never, ever stop until the last one of us dies."
—Markus Kurar, knight-exorcist
*/3
Vengeance of the Ancients3G
Enchantment (U)
At the beginning of combat on your turn, target creature you control gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of creature cards in your graveyard.
Callous DiscipleG
Creature — Naga Warrior (R)
Trample (This creature can deal excess combat damage to defending player or planeswalker while attacking.)
Callous Disciple gets +2/+2 for each creature you control with a -1/-1 counter on it. One unpleasant trait of Yshariq his disciples often emulate is a lack of empathy, both for outsiders and for their own kind.
1/1
Channeler Initiate1G
Creature — Human Druid (R)
When Channeler Initiate enters the battlefield, put three -1/-1 counters on target creature you control. T, Remove a -1/-1 counter from Channeler Initiate: Add one mana of any color. "The firstborn children of leaf and stone taught us to draw power from pain."
—Mirud, hierodule of the Quiet Dark
3/4
Primordial Sacrament2GG
Enchantment (R) G, Sacrifice a creature: You draw X cards and gain X life, where X is the sacrificed creature's power. Both the Cult of the Quiet Dark and the tribes of Crennoc Vale eat the flesh of their kills: the former to give both killer and killed the chance to reincarnate into a better life, the latter to gain the strength and wisdom of the slain.
To Distant Lands4G
Sorcery (R)
Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal X land cards, where X is the number of land cards in your graveyard. Put the revealed cards onto the battlefield tapped and the rest into your graveyard. "If what I'm looking for can be found in this Lone Tower... it would make all that I've gone through worth it."
—Carius Peregrin
[Story Spotlight 5/5]
Undulating Progenitor3G
Creature — Naga Horror (R)
Whenever Undulating Progenitor deals combat damage to a player, you may put a -1/-1 counter on it. If you do, put a creature card from your hand onto the battlefield.
Return another creature you control to its owner's hand: Remove a -1/-1 counter from Undulating Progenitor.
2/4
Vindictive Elderbark3GG
Creature — Treefolk (R)
Whenever a creature you control with a -1/-1 counter on it dies, choose one—
• Destroy target artifact, enchantment, or land.
• Target creature fights another target creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
• Create a 3/3 green Beast creature token.
5/3
Gather the Chosen5GG
Sorcery (M)
Search your library for any number of creature cards with total converted mana cost 6 or less, reveal them and put them into your hand, then shuffle your library. Until end of turn, creature spells you cast cost 1 less to cast. Exile Gather the Chosen.
Mockery of Predation6GGG
Creature — Beast Horror (M)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Other creatures you control with counters on them have base power and toughness 7/7 and are Beast Horrors in addition to their other types. Whatever it once was before Azgol's evil touched it, it now only seeks to make all life as twisted and odious as itself.
7/7
Adept of the Lone TowerUR
Creature — Human Wizard (U)
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Whenever you spellstitch onto a spell, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
2/2
Ashsworn Templar1BR
Creature — Human Soldier (U)
Haste (This creature can attack and T as soon as it comes under your control.)
Sacrifice a creature: Creatures you control get +2/+0 until end of turn. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery and only once each turn. "The Ashen Lord cares not whose blood it is that flows, only that we spill it in his name."
3/2
Fading-Light Crusader2GW
Creature — Human Knight (U)
Whenever Fading-Light Crusader attacks, remove a -1/-1 counter from each creature you control. Despairing hearts soar and weary limbs lift as he raises his sword and shouts "The dawn will come again!"
4/4
Flames of Fanaticism1RW
Enchantment (U)
Nontoken creatures you control have martyrdom 1. (Multiple instances of martyrdom are cumulative.)
Whenever one or more martyred creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, create a 3/2 red Elemental creature token. "Belief is a potent force. Shame it seems to be misused so often."
—Carius Peregrin
Foulbrew ViragoBG
Creature — Hag Shaman (U) 2, T: Target creature you control gets +4/+4 until end of turn. Put a -1/-1 counter on it at the beginning of the next end step. The potion they make tastes foul, but its potency cannot be denied.
2/2
Gristle Glutton3RG
Creature — Ogre Barbarian (U)
When Gristle Glutton enters the battlefield, you may return target permanent card from your graveyard to your hand. If you returned a creature card to your hand this way, Gristle Glutton deals damage to target creature or planeswalker equal to that creature's converted mana cost. To the ogres of Bonebridge Crags, a grave is a meal, and a fallen army is a feast.
3/3
Malignant Hexcaster3UB
Creature — Azra Wizard (U)
Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
Whenever a creature you control attacks, you may move a -1/-1 counter from it onto a creature you don't control. "If the city of Yhavara sank into the ocean one day, we would all be spared much grief."
—Markus Kurar, knight-exorcist
1/4
Messenger of Yshariq1GU
Creature — Naga Shaman (U)
Other Nagas you control get +1/+1.
Whenever another Naga enters the battlefield under your control, scry 1. "Shed your mortal shell, and embrace the Serpentfather's blessing."
2/2
Ossuary Priest1WB
Creature — Skeleton Cleric (U)
Creature tokens you control have vigilance. 1WB, T, Exile target creature card from your graveyard: Create a tapped 2/2 black Zombie creature token. "Fear not the dark, for its gifts shall sustain us all."
2/2
Sage of the Silent Fane2WU
Creature — Giant Spirit (U)
Vigilance
Spells your opponents control that target enchanted and equipped creatures you control cost 1 more to cast. "My path is guided by the pure light of the soul."
3/3
Daruum, Palesun Prophet1RW
Legendary Creature — Dwarf Cleric (R)
Lifelink
At the beginning of each opponent's end step, if that player was dealt combat damage this turn, Daruum, Palesun Prophet deals damage to them equal to the number of cards in their hand. 1, Sacrifice a creature or discard a card: Daruum deals 1 damage to any target.
1/3
Yshariq, the Serpentfather3GU
Legendary Creature — Naga Wizard (R) 1GU: For each kind of counter on target permanent, put another counter of that kind or remove one from target permanent.
Whenever one or more counters are put on a permanent you control, draw a card and untap that permanent.
3/4
Carius Peregrin2UR
Legendary Planeswalker — Carius (M)
Starting Loyalty: 3
+1: Draw a card, then discard a card. Scry 1.
-3: Carius Peregrin deals damage to any target equal to the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard.
-9: Return all noncreature, nonland cards from your graveyard to your hand. You get an emblem with "You may cast noncreature spells from your hand without paying their mana costs."
Garruk, Corrupted Hunter4BG
Legendary Planeswalker — Garruk (M)
Starting Loyalty: 4
+1: Distribute two -1/-1 counters among any number of creatures.
-3: Create a 3/3 black and green Beast Horror creature token for each creature card in your graveyard.
-9: You get an emblem with "Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you don't control. Then that creature fights another target creature."
Tomorrow I'll upload the last part of the spoiler, artifacts and lands. Comments are, once again, appreciated.
Automated Archivist2
Artifact Creature — Construct (C)
When Automated Archivist dies, draw a card.
1/2
Faithbound Wall3
Artifact Creature — Wall (C)
Reach 3: Faithbound Wall gains indestructible until end of turn.
0/4
Luminous Mindstone3
Artifact (C) T: Add C. T, Sacrifice Luminous Mindstone: Draw a card.
Tarnished Shield0
Artifact — Equipment (C)
Equipped creature gets +0/+3 and has vigilance.
Equip 3(3: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.) "You can keep your filigree and fancy coats of arms. I'd rather have a strong, stout piece of oak any day."
Traveler's Amulet* 1
Artifact (C) 1, Sacrifice Traveler's Amulet: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Worn Longsword2
Artifact — Equipment (C)
Equipped creature gets +2/+0.
Equip 2(2: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.) Though its blade is scratched and blackened by soot, it's still sharp enough to cleave through flesh and bone.
Angelfeather Ward6
Artifact (U)
If an instant or sorcery would deal damage to you, prevent 1 of that damage.
Whenever a creature attacks you, it gets -1/-0 until end of turn.
Bloodrite Implement3
Artifact (U)
Equipped creature gets +1/+2 and has lifelink.
Equip 3
Equip Cleric 1 Once a simple dirk, its constant use in foul rituals has given it a taste for living flesh.
Clockwork Haruspex3
Artifact Creature — Golem (U)
When Clockwork Haruspex enters the battlefield, put two -1/-1 counters on target creature you control. T, Remove a -1/-1 counter from a creature you control: Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.)
3/3
Consecrated Gravestone2
Artifact (U) T: Exile target card in a graveyard. 2, T, Sacrifice Consecrated Gravestone: Exile all cards in all opponents’ graveyards.
Hexbinder's Seal2
Artifact (U)
When Hexbinder's Seal enters the battlefield or is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. 4, T, Sacrifice Hexbinder's Seal: Draw a card.
Talisman of Protection1
Artifact (U)
Sacrifice Talisman of Protection: Target creature gains persist until end of turn.
Ashgraven Sentinel9
Artifact Creature — Golem (R)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
As long as a creature you control with flying has a counter on it, Ashgraven Sentinel has flying. The same is true for first strike, double strike, deathtouch, haste, hexproof, indestructible, lifelink, menace, prowess, reach, trample, and vigilance.
6/6
Banner of Unconquered Will4
Artifact — Equipment (R)
Equipped creature has trample and first strike.
Whenever equipped creature attacks, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each other attacking creature you control.
Equip 3
Sanguinary Font6
Artifact (R)
Sanguinary Font enters the battlefield tapped with X charge counters on it, where X is the number of creature cards in your graveyard. T, Remove any number of charge counters from Sanguinary Font: Add one mana of any color for each charge counter removed this way. The intricate scrollwork on the cup has long since been obscured under a thick coating of dried blood.
Staff of the Nameless Walker4
Legendary Artifact (M)
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, put a charge counter on Staff of the Nameless Walker. 3, T: Staff of the Nameless Walker deals X damage to target creature or planeswalker, where X is the number of charge counters on Staff of the Nameless Walker. 5, T: Draw a card for each charge counter on Staff of the Nameless Walker, then discard that many cards.
Abandoned Watchtower
Land — Ruins (C)
When Abandoned Watchtower enters the battlefield, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.) T: Add C. Remnants of a time before the Age of Ash.
Cinder Barrens
Land (C)
Cinder Barrens enters the battlefield tapped. T: Add B or R
Evolving Wilds*
Land (C) T, Sacrifice Evolving Wilds: Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.
Meandering River
Land (C)
Meandering River enters the battlefield tapped. T: Add W or U. Pure, cold water from melting glaciers in the Frozen Expanse flows to Anorleth from hidden channels in the bedrock. This water is then drawn from several wells within the city.
Submerged Boneyard
Land (C)
Submerged Boneyard enters the battlefield tapped. T: Add U or B.
Temple to the Solanari
Land — Ruins (C)
Whenever a Ruins enters the battlefield under your control, you gain 1 life. T: Add C. Six centuries have passed since its building, and yet the relentless tides of ash and flame have not marred it or the patch of earth on which it stands.
Timber Gorge
Land (C)
Timber Gorge enters the battlefield tapped. T: Add R or G. The land where the Vargren tribes live is a nightmare of jagged rocks and tangled vines stretching over crevices filled with the rotting trunks of trees.
Tranquil Expanse
Land (C)
Tranquil Expanse enters the battlefield tapped. T: Add G or W. Upon a lonely mound in the middle of a field of white flowers stands a pile of rusted arms and armor, marking the spot where ten thousand soldiers fell fighting against the Ashen Lord and his minions.
Travelers' Encampment
Land — Ruins (C) T: Add C. 1, T: Add one mana of any color.
Untended Graves
Land — Ruins (C) T: Add C. 3, T, Sacrifice Untended Graves: Create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery. Those who fail to perform the rites of burial soon follow the dead into the grave.
Desecrated Crypt
Land — Ruins (U) T: Add C. T, Pay 1 life: Add B. 3BB, T, Sacrifice a Ruins: Each player sacrifices a creature. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Endangered Orchard
Land — Ruins (U) T: Add C. T, Pay 1 life: Add G. 1GG, T, Sacrifice a Ruins: Remove a -1/-1 counter from target creature. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Grasping Corpsefields
Land — Ruins (U) T: Add C. 1, T, Sacrifice Grasping Corpsefields: Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Infernal Palace
Land — Ruins (U) T: Add C. T, Pay 1 life: Add R. 1RR, T, Sacrifice a Ruins: Creatures you control get +1/+0 and gain haste until end of turn.
Ransacked Athenaeum
Land — Ruins (U) T: Add C. T, Pay 1 life: Add U. 1U, T, Sacrifice a Ruins: Scry 2. (Look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order.)
Secluded Holdfast
Land — Ruins (U) T: Add C. T, Pay 1 life: Add W. 2WW, T, Sacrifice a Ruins: Create two 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery. Many such fortresses dot the outer rim of the Dead Marches, occupied by petty lords and expeditions from the two Crusader Kingdoms.
Archives of Bel Ahgrut
Legendary Land — Ruins (R) T: Add C. 4, T, Exile a card in your graveyard: Draw a card. If you exiled a Ruins card this way, draw another card.
Festering Fen
Land (R)
As Festering Fen enters the battlefield, you may reveal a Swamp card or a Forest card from your hand. If you don't, Festering Fen enters the battlefield tapped. T: Add B or G.
Misty Woodlands
Land (R)
As Misty Woodlands enters the battlefield, you may reveal a Forest card or an Island card from your hand. If you don't, Misty Woodlands enters the battlefield tapped. T: Add G or U.
Profaned Citadel
Land (R)
As Profaned Citadel enters the battlefield, you may reveal a Plains card or a Swamp card from your hand. If you don't, Profaned Citadel enters the battlefield tapped. T: Add W or B.
Sunscorched Crags
Land (R)
As Sunscorched Crags enters the battlefield, you may reveal a Mountain card or a Plains card from your hand. If you don't, Sunscorched Crags enters the battlefield tapped. T: Add R or W.
Thermal Crevasse
Land (R)
As Thermal Crevasse enters the battlefield, you may reveal an Island card or a Mountain card from your hand. If you don't, Thermal Crevasse enters the battlefield tapped. T: Add U or R. Such warmth these cracks give off is treasured among those who live in and travel through the Frozen Expanse.
And that's all the cards I have for this set. But it's not the final listing, as things may change.
Attended Knight - A good reprint in almost any context - you can't go wrong with this one in Limited - but I notice how inconsistently you makr your reprints. I'd just take out all of the asterisks.
Beatific Anchorite - Doomed Traveler variant. Good Limited weenie, maybe with Constructed Humans.dek applications. Fine.
Crusaders' Calling - Definitely pushing a tokens theme hard here, aren't we? Also quite a bit of lifegain-as-"cantrips" here. Nothing wrong with either thing, and there obviously is a token Limited archetype you want, but without a lifegain theme it can get to be a bit much.
Darkflight Guide - I keep thinking this effect is usually blue but I guess it's split between white and blue. Good flavor.
Dauntless Novice - Fine; good Limited one-drop.
Enduring Devotee - A little niche, but okay. I think the amount of -1/-1 counter removing you have in white is a problem, and I'll get to that later.
Eternal Repose - This could be an instant, couldn't it? "Permanent card" is a little odd but does make flavor sense.
Grim Tombguard - Love this one. Perfect flavor, gameplay, and execution.
Harried Healer - More lifegain, this time as a "pure" effect. I do wish this prevented damage (to creatures, or to creatures/players/planeswalkers) instead.
Hollow Vanity - Instant Solemn Offering is fine, but again with the life-trips?
Litany of War - +2/+1 in white has always bothered me a bit but this is okay. Random Cleric tribal is puzzling but I guess there are enough Clerics in the set...
Martyr's Endurance - This is, at least lately, a black effect, but okay.
Mausoleum Guardian - Fine as a mid-pick Limited beater. Needs flavor text.
Mighty Leap - This card is a Limited staple by now. Decent.
Palethread Wings - Another confusingly black-feeling card, but I guess in this context white is okay. Anyway, I'm glad for the relative Aura density if that's a minor theme.
Sanctum Frontliner - Very nice; Holy Strength is exactly the white possess common I'd be looking for.
Searing Rebuke - Finally some solid removal! This is pretty much a Limited necessity.
Spectral Penitent - This card does not at all need to exist in this set, what with being the only lifegain trigger in white (and maybe in the whole set?) and removing -1/-1 counters much less efficiently than many other cards do. Scrap this for something that can prop up one of your Limited themes.
Wayward Pardoner - More Aura theme I suppose; fine, but I wish there were more and better targets at higher rarities in white.
Wickedness' Reward - Awkward name but fine removal.
Anorleth Veteran - I have a special place in my heart for Savannah Lions with minor, trinkety upsides. This works great.
Faith Unbroken - ETB-bonus Auras are a good thing to have. Wish there were more of them here.
Hellhunter Gargoyle - This feels like a rare, but I don't think it's unacceptable at uncommon. Absolute Limited boss.
Irontorch Exemplar - Love this one, except for the strange combat math where its toughness goes up and down; it may be hard to keep track of whether this lives or dies sometimes. Still, getting two tokens back for martyring is genius.
Light of the Iron Torch - More -1/-1 counter removing, but this is how it should usually be executed imo; not that you want it that dense, because if it's a theme of the set, you want those counters to often or usually stay on creatures, tbh.
Mountainhome Avenger - The bizarre use of a defunct mechanic in the name aside, this is good and potentially crazy strong in Limited.
Purge the Unclean - The exile clause is a bit niche, isn't it? In Limited it seems like the only real time it would be relevant would be against a possess creature with a -1/-1 counter on it, which is too specific.
Rally the Pious - Flourishing Defenses: White Edition seems fine. Not the most efficient, which is good in this case.
Scourgebearer Thrull - Sure. Limited star at its slot.
Veiled Savior - This, too, feels like a rare, save for that at rare it'd cost 1 less. Anyhow, I do like Archons.
Zealous Orator - And this one too! Seems like you messed up putting in the rarity; if this really were common I would be concerned about the Limited stuff in the set.
Avenger of the Solanari - Requisite Limited-bomb rare. I feel like this may play too similarly to the Gargoyle.
Invoke the Pale Sun - Counter removal is, once again, a black effect, but Solemnity suggests this might be okay pie-wise. In terms of power it's hardly the best wrath ever but has plenty of applications.
Palesun Judicator - When is anyone ever going to choose not to get the -1/-1 counter and tap the creature rather than exile it? 99 times out of 100 the exile is never going to be a factor. Instead of tapping the creature I'd have the -1/-1 counter choice incur a bonus for you, so there's an actual modality here.
Radvin, Steward of Anorleth - Interesting, reminds me a bit of a Fanatical Devotion throwback. I feel like 1WW is a better cost, although it does support a two-color Limited theme, so low colored mana requirement might be good too.
Vissalia's Intervention - It feels like this card is stuck between two versions of itself because it doesn't fully work as worded. Update it to what you want it to actually do and I'll get back to you.
Wightslayer Paladin - Why can this not sacrifice Equipments attached to itself? I keep thinking the Aura theme is underrepresented in white and then I remember possess. Even so, maybe there needs to be more than three white cards with possess for it to be a Limited theme?
Seraph of the Fading Dawn - I feel like there's not enough ETB/LTB effects in white in this set for this card to really justifiably be here.
Vissalia Verov - +1 needs to be "up to one target creature" and even then is quite weak. I like emblems, particularly stackable ones, in minus abilities, even though there's some tracking complexity there. Ultimate is pretty ultimate and obviously rewards go-wide. Just tinker with this one a bit more.
Harried Healer-- The original design did have the damage prevention, but I was concerned that the added lines of text might cause it to be red-flagged.
Hollow Vanity-- Ran out of effects to put on this one, so I just added lifegain to it. I'm open to changing the effect to something else.
Martyr's Endurance-- I figured since the RW archetype in this set is Martyrdom, support would be needed-- in other words, recursion.
Palethread Wings-- This one's meant to be a sac outlet for any deck that wants to run W/x decks with Persist stuff. Now that you mention it, though, it might be better off served as something with an ETB trigger.
Spectral Penitent-- Yeah, that one's something I don't mind dumping. I could probably just switch it to a Possess creature.
Irontorch Exemplar-- Maybe I could have it get +X/+X equal to the number of creatures you control so that combat math doesn't make it smaller. But then, would it work with martyrdom?
Avenger of the Solanari-- I could switch it or the Judicator out for a big, splashy ETB Aura, to be honest.
Vissalia's Intervention-- The intent here is to match your opponent's biggest creature with a smaller horde of tokens, and/or deal damage to it if it's attacking. I'm not sure how it doesn't work, or how to word it so that it works.
Vissalia's Intervention-- The intent here is to match your opponent's biggest creature with a smaller horde of tokens, and/or deal damage to it if it's attacking. I'm not sure how it doesn't work, or how to word it so that it works.
"Create X 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens, where X is the power of target creature an opponent controls. If that creature is attacking, Vissalia's Intervention deals damage to it equal to the number of creatures you control."
Also, to fully fix Irontorch Exemplar I'd give it three abilities: "At the beginning of each upkeep, Irontorch Exemplar gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each creature you control," "Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, Irontorch Exemplar gets +1/+1 until end of turn," and the token-making. This is slightly inelegant to read but better for functionality.
"Create X 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens, where X is the power of target creature an opponent controls. If that creature is attacking, Vissalia's Intervention deals damage to it equal to the number of creatures you control."
Also, to fully fix Irontorch Exemplar I'd give it three abilities: "At the beginning of each upkeep, Irontorch Exemplar gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each creature you control," "Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, Irontorch Exemplar gets +1/+1 until end of turn," and the token-making. This is slightly inelegant to read but better for functionality.
That's a good idea, but maybe it'd be better off as just a flat +1/+1 boost? Like so:
Irontorch Exemplar3WW
Creature-- Human Knight [U]
Irontorch Exemplar gets +1/+1 for each other creature you control.
Whenever you martyr a creature, create two 1/1 white Cleric creature tokens.
2/2
Replaced Luminous Bonds with Believer's Chains
Removed lifegain from Crusader's Call: probably should switch it to uncommon
Hellhunter Gargoyle is now 3/2, flying, first strike
Increased cost of Irontorch Exemplar to 3WW, made it a 2/2, and changed its 1st ability
Changed Eternal Repose to instant
Changed Palesun Judicator's effect
Changed Spectral Penitent to Torchbound Wight
Changed Vissalia Verov's 1st ability to "Up to two target creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain vigilance until end of turn. Untap those creatures."
Changed Word of Expulsion's effect
Increased Swathborn Hellion's P/T from 5/2 to 5/3
Changed Zilraugir, Darkhunter Dragon's effect and increased its cost from 2RRR to 3RRR
Removed persist from Delver of Dead Cities
Changed Carius Peregrin's ultimate to "Return all noncreature, nonland cards from your graveyard to your hand. You get an emblem with 'You may cast noncreature spells from your hand without paying their mana costs.'"
Added Consecrated Gravestone to artifacts
Hollow Vanity2W
Instant (C)
Destroy target artifact or enchantment. You gain 4 life. "Don't talk to me of delays, pontiff! While the Ashen Lord's servants marshal their strength, you waste time gilding your weapons and bestowing useless titles on each other!"
—”Tirian Craedus, knight-exorcist
Spectral Penitent4W
Creature — Spirit (C)
Whenever you gain life, remove a -1/-1 counter from target creature you control. "The Order of the Iron Torch claims to hold dominion over unquiet souls without being corrupted—and they expect me to trust them?"
—Lord Steward Radvin
2/5
Mountainhome Avenger1W
Creature — Dwarf Soldier (U)
Lifelink
Martyrdom 2 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.) "Vengeance is all that is left to me now. Let it be enough for all of us!"
2/2
Purge the Unclean1W
Instant (U)
Destroy target tapped creature. If it has a counter on it, exile it instead. "We must be ever vigilant. The first signs of impurity come when we cease to watch for it."
—High Confessor Gelmiro of Draganric
Zealous Orator2W
Creature — Human Cleric (U)
Martyrdom 1 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
Whenever you martyr a creature, creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn. He practices what he preaches.
2/2
Palesun Judicator4W
Creature — Giant Cleric (R)
Whenever Palesun Judicator attacks, exile target creature you don't control unless its controller puts a -1/-1 counter on it. If that player does, tap that creature. Its gaze sears all that it touches, though the faithful see the pain as a sign of its favor.
3/4
Vissalia's Intervention3W
Instant (R)
Choose a player. Create X 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens, where X is the highest power among creatures that player controls. If that creature is attacking, Vissalia's Intervention deals damage to it equal to the number of creatures you control. "Begone, thrall of the Ashen Lord! Your master holds no power here!"
[Story Spotlight 1/5]
Word of Expulsion3UU
Sorcery (R)
Return all tapped nonland permanents you don't control to their owner's hands.
Zilraugir, Darkhunter Dragon2RRR
Legendary Creature — Dragon (M)
Flying, haste
Whenever Zilraugir, Darkhunter Dragon attacks, each other attacking creature you control gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Few of Azgol's ancient dragons remain. Those who survived the Ashen Lord's purge are proud, solitary creatures, owing allegiance to none and laying claim to all before them with claw and flame.
4/4
Changed Palesun Judicator's effect again
Changed effect of Word of Expulsion and renamed it Writ of Expulsion
Effect of Magistrix of the Archives and Wretched Painsuckler changed
Lowered Oracle of Mist to 3/2
SET THEME
'Dark fantasy' is an interesting line, but it does sound considerably like Innistrad. What will make it different? You've given us 'ominousness' which sounds like Innistrad, and 'power at a price' which doesn't particularly sound like Innistrad, but it doesn't particularly sound like NOT Innistrad either.
MECHANICS REVIEW
First of all, you have five mechanics, which is a little on the high end, and I feel like you could probably cut down to four.
Martyrdom
This seems too dangerous to me. Frenzy has yet to see the light of day because of development reasons. This seems worse. It's just going to be used to beat down your opponent in like, two turns, a lot. And you're going to have to balance around that. Which will make the mechanic pretty unfun.
Also, martyrdom doesn't feel like a great name for this. Martyrdom feels more like it should be a little more defensive or value based rather than so very aggressive, which seems more frenzied and berserk-y.
Corruption
Yeah, this is pretty good.
Not much to say here.
Possess
Nice bestow/unearth combo.
Spellstich
I'm not entirely convinced this isn't just a worse version of flashback. Why do we want this mechanic over flashback? It's more conditional, which can be used to good effect, but makes it more complicated and potentially annoying.
Hmmmm...
Persist
Having a mechanic that specifically doesn't want -1/-1 creatures on your creatures in a set with a mechanic that uses putting -1/-1 counters on your creatures as a cost seems problematic to me. It's not going to feel great to be pressured into corrupting one of your persist creatures to cast a key spell, then having the persist creature die before you can find a way to remove the -1/-1 counter. Obviously, you can try and separate the mechanics by colour and strategy, but in limited and casual at least, they will inevitably end up together often anyway.
Otherwise, this a good include I think.
SET THEME
'Dark fantasy' is an interesting line, but it does sound considerably like Innistrad. What will make it different? You've given us 'ominousness' which sounds like Innistrad, and 'power at a price' which doesn't particularly sound like Innistrad, but it doesn't particularly sound like NOT Innistrad either.
The difference, as I see it, is that in Innistrad, the horror and ominousness slowly build up to an explosive finish-- the "scare", if you will. In Azgol, on the other hand, it's a slow descent into darkness where the horror is in the journey, seeing how things decay and become corrupted. Hence the use of -1/-1 counters instead of +1/+1 counters.
First of all, you have five mechanics, which is a little on the high end, and I feel like you could probably cut down to four.
Martyrdom
This seems too dangerous to me. Frenzy has yet to see the light of day because of development reasons. This seems worse. It's just going to be used to beat down your opponent in like, two turns, a lot. And you're going to have to balance around that. Which will make the mechanic pretty unfun.
Also, martyrdom doesn't feel like a great name for this. Martyrdom feels more like it should be a little more defensive or value based rather than so very aggressive, which seems more frenzied and berserk-y.
Corruption
Yeah, this is pretty good.
Not much to say here.
Possess
Nice bestow/unearth combo.
Spellstich
I'm not entirely convinced this isn't just a worse version of flashback. Why do we want this mechanic over flashback? It's more conditional, which can be used to good effect, but makes it more complicated and potentially annoying.
Hmmmm...
Persist
Having a mechanic that specifically doesn't want -1/-1 creatures on your creatures in a set with a mechanic that uses putting -1/-1 counters on your creatures as a cost seems problematic to me. It's not going to feel great to be pressured into corrupting one of your persist creatures to cast a key spell, then having the persist creature die before you can find a way to remove the -1/-1 counter. Obviously, you can try and separate the mechanics by colour and strategy, but in limited and casual at least, they will inevitably end up together often anyway.
Otherwise, this a good include I think.
At this point, nothing's set in stone, so cutting down to 4 mechanics is certainly a possibility. It might make it even easier for me to design cards, because I want to fit enough enablers for all archetypes in this set.
I'm not sure what's so dangerous about Martyrdom, since it doesn't trigger when it isn't blocked. You can still block it and not take any damage unless the opponent has the guy that gives martyred creatures trample. I could remove the power boost, but that hews a bit close to the Dark Souls set I've seen on PlaneSculptors, and I don't want to take too much inspiration from other people's custom sets.
Also, I think it does fit the name. A creature with Martyrdom charges into battle, attacking without regard for their safety and not expecting to live through it.
Spellstitch is supposed to be Splice from the graveyard, though maybe making it something like "As you cast an instant or sorcery spell that costs more than this, you may exile a single card with spellstitch from your graveyard..." would set it apart.
The Corrupt/Persist nonbo has been noted by people I've spoken to in the Custom Magic Discord, and I agree with them. It does feel bad to put counters on your Persist creature and make it not come back. This is a situation where I may have to cut one or the other, as much as it pains me. Right now, I'm toying with replacing Persist with Exploit, to further underline the ruthlessness and "power at a price" flavor of Azgol.
SET THEME
'Dark fantasy' is an interesting line, but it does sound considerably like Innistrad. What will make it different? You've given us 'ominousness' which sounds like Innistrad, and 'power at a price' which doesn't particularly sound like Innistrad, but it doesn't particularly sound like NOT Innistrad either.
The difference, as I see it, is that in Innistrad, the horror and ominousness slowly build up to an explosive finish-- the "scare", if you will. In Azgol, on the other hand, it's a slow descent into darkness where the horror is in the journey, seeing how things decay and become corrupted. Hence the use of -1/-1 counters instead of +1/+1 counters.
That sounds a little less ominous and more twisted and devious as a gameplay tone. Ominousness comes from the anticipation of something going to happen.
At this point, nothing's set in stone, so cutting down to 4 mechanics is certainly a possibility. It might make it even easier for me to design cards, because I want to fit enough enablers for all archetypes in this set.
I'm not sure what's so dangerous about Martyrdom, since it doesn't trigger when it isn't blocked. You can still block it and not take any damage unless the opponent has the guy that gives martyred creatures trample.
You can still block frenzy creatures too. The problem is it's a mechanic that's inherently very suitable for bursting down your opponent.
I could remove the power boost, but that hews a bit close to the Dark Souls set I've seen on PlaneSculptors, and I don't want to take too much inspiration from other people's custom sets.
All creative projects are full of ideas from other things. You're making an unofficial set for an existing game. I wouldn't worry about that too much if I where you.
Also, something I realised about martyrdom is you can easily bounce or flicker the martyrdom creature to stop it dying at the end of turn. I don't think that's actually so bad, but you may want to change the timing to end of combat to make that just a little harder to do.
Also, I think it does fit the name. A creature with Martyrdom charges into battle, attacking without regard for their safety and not expecting to live through it.
'Martyrdom' doesn't make me think 'suicidal charge'. It fit, but I don't think it's the most evocative name, because martyrdom has a lot to do with religious conflict, and not suicidal tactics. It also doesn't sound very dark either.
Spellstitch is supposed to be Splice from the graveyard, though maybe making it something like "As you cast an instant or sorcery spell that costs more than this, you may exile a single card with spellstitch from your graveyard..." would set it apart.
I'm more worried about the similarity to flashback than splice.
The Corrupt/Persist nonbo has been noted by people I've spoken to in the Custom Magic Discord, and I agree with them. It does feel bad to put counters on your Persist creature and make it not come back. This is a situation where I may have to cut one or the other, as much as it pains me. Right now, I'm toying with replacing Persist with Exploit, to further underline the ruthlessness and "power at a price" flavor of Azgol.
Other returning mechanics I think could fit flavourfully:
Shadow
Delve
Poison
Wither
Proliferate
Morbid
Delirium
Revolt
That sounds a little less ominous and more twisted and devious as a gameplay tone. Ominousness comes from the anticipation of something going to happen.
"Twisted" puts me more in mind of Lorwyn/Shadowmoor, whereas Azgol is more inspired by The Silmarillion and the Dark Souls series of games. But that is a good point.
All creative projects are full of ideas from other things. You're making an unofficial set for an existing game. I wouldn't worry about that too much if I where you.
Also, something I realised about martyrdom is you can easily bounce or flicker the martyrdom creature to stop it dying at the end of turn. I don't think that's actually so bad, but you may want to change the timing to end of combat to make that just a little harder to do.
I know, but taking the keyword verbatim rubs me the wrong way. That said, your suggestion makes sense to me.
Other ideas I have for a replacement are:
Incursion-- Whenever one or more creatures you control attack and aren't blocked, [do something].
-- The flavor is that the "good guys" are attacking and have achieved their goals unscathed.
Bloodied-- When this creature dies, if it was dealt damage this turn, [effect].
-- Going down fighting. Problem is ping effects from your side trigger it, and making it "combat damage only" makes it more complex. I could just borrow Honored from your set (with permission, of course), but that's not optimal to me.
'Martyrdom' doesn't make me think 'suicidal charge'. It fit, but I don't think it's the most evocative name, because martyrdom has a lot to do with religious conflict, and not suicidal tactics. It also doesn't sound very dark either.
I think we might be seeing different meanings in the word "Martyrdom", because that word, to me, has associations of heroic sacrifice. That said, I'll change it to Desperation and remove the power boost.
Desperation (You may have this creature become desperate as it attacks. If you do, sacrifice it at end of combat.)
So, Radvin now reads thus:
Radvin, Steward of Anorleth2W
Legendary Creature-- Human Knight [R]
Desperation (You may have this creature become desperate as it attacks. If you do, sacrifice it at end of combat.)
Whenever a creature you control becomes desperate, untap all other attacking creatures you control. Those creatures gain indestructible until end of turn.
2/3
I'm more worried about the similarity to flashback than splice.
Hence why I proposed a fix:
Spellstitch (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell that costs more than this, you may exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell. Spellstitch only once per spell.)
Other returning mechanics I think could fit flavourfully:
Shadow
Delve
Poison
Wither
Proliferate
Morbid
Delirium
Revolt
Delve is kind of problematic since we're already running with one cost-reduction keyword, and the last time we tried Delve, it broke some things in older formats. I thought of using Proliferate, but I was concerned that it might punish people for playing Corruption spells. As it stands, I think I might go with Morbid, since it rewards you for things dying-- which will be often in this set. Not sure if that means I need to make some of my X/2 creatures X/1 instead.
First things first, I still feel that your general theme isn't clear enough. You have a general sense of evil, fighting and sacrifice, but I don't get a concrete sense of a theme in either your descriptions of your theme or your mechanics.
Is this mean to be a more brutal, corrupt and nefarious world? In the vein of something like Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire, for example?
Is it supposed to be a high fantasy world but the magical stuff is more dark and dangerous?
I just don't get that much of a feel here. And what I do get feels mostly like Innistrad still. The slow decay and corruption you describe is pretty fitting as a description of Shadows over Innistrad.
I know, but taking the keyword verbatim rubs me the wrong way. That said, your suggestion makes sense to me.
Other ideas I have for a replacement are:
Incursion-- Whenever one or more creatures you control attack and aren't blocked, [do something].
-- The flavor is that the "good guys" are attacking and have achieved their goals unscathed.
Does that actually work for your themes? It doesn't really click for me.
Bloodied-- When this creature dies, if it was dealt damage this turn, [effect].
-- Going down fighting. Problem is ping effects from your side trigger it
I don't think self triggering is a problem here. It's not very easy and low cost to do, so I see it more as a good thing allowing a little more build around options and reliability against decks that don't play much damaging cards of any card.
and making it "combat damage only" makes it more complex. I could just borrow Honored from your set (with permission, of course), but that's not optimal to me.
I would be happy to see you use Honored, but it would be better with a different name.
'Martyrdom' doesn't make me think 'suicidal charge'. It fit, but I don't think it's the most evocative name, because martyrdom has a lot to do with religious conflict, and not suicidal tactics. It also doesn't sound very dark either.
I think we might be seeing different meanings in the word "Martyrdom", because that word, to me, has associations of heroic sacrifice. [/quote]
The word's original meaning as far I can tell refers specifically to people be killed because of their religion, and the idea of heroic sacrifice comes from the common usage of people refusing to give up their religion despite threat of death.
That said, I'll change it to Desperation and remove the power boost.
Desperation (You may have this creature become desperate as it attacks. If you do, sacrifice it at end of combat.)
Not a big fan of the name, especially how it reads in the rules text.
I would prefer you stuck to martyrdom. It works better if this mechanic is broader and not so purely aggressive, because of the passive nature of many real martyrs.
I'm more worried about the similarity to flashback than splice.
Hence why I proposed a fix:
Spellstitch (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell that costs more than this, you may exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell. Spellstitch only once per spell.)
Wording for this would have to be 'with greater converted mana cost', which is not ideal in wordiness and complexity. I'm not a big fan of wording like 'spellstitch only once per spell', as it feels very developer and not like something you would put on a card for general fun gameplay.
Easy improvement is to tie Spellstitch to the card being cast not the card in the graveyard.
As in
Spellstitch (As you cast this spell, you may exile an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard with converted mana cost less than it. If you do, add that card's effects to this spell.)
This way the restriction fits in neatly and more subtly, and it's probably better for board complexity sake as you don't need to keep an eye on those spellstitch cards in the graveyard.
This does seem like a somewhat dangerous mechanic though, so I would put it high on the list of your mechanics that you might want to cut to reduce the number (not that you necessarily should cut down).
Other returning mechanics I think could fit flavourfully:
Shadow
Delve
Poison
Wither
Proliferate
Morbid
Delirium
Revolt
Delve is kind of problematic since we're already running with one cost-reduction keyword, and the last time we tried Delve, it broke some things in older formats. I thought of using Proliferate, but I was concerned that it might punish people for playing Corruption spells. As it stands, I think I might go with Morbid, since it rewards you for things dying-- which will be often in this set. Not sure if that means I need to make some of my X/2 creatures X/1 instead.
Morbid is a good mechanic and it fits that so works fine for me.
First things first, I still feel that your general theme isn't clear enough. You have a general sense of evil, fighting and sacrifice, but I don't get a concrete sense of a theme in either your descriptions of your theme or your mechanics.
Is this mean to be a more brutal, corrupt and nefarious world? In the vein of something like Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire, for example?
Is it supposed to be a high fantasy world but the magical stuff is more dark and dangerous?
I just don't get that much of a feel here. And what I do get feels mostly like Innistrad still. The slow decay and corruption you describe is pretty fitting as a description of Shadows over Innistrad.
The third. Azgol is a high fantasy world that has been transformed into a post-apocalyptic nightmare ruled by worshipers of the Ashen Lord. The grand kingdoms of old are gone, and I want to convey the sense of a formerly-grand world in ruins that's being devoured by darkness, with only a few fighting to prevent it... and even they aren't as morally upstanding as they wish they were. Again, Dark Souls is the biggest influence.
What about my set design fails to convey this? I'm not sure what exactly it is that's not doing it.
I don't think self triggering is a problem here. It's not very easy and low cost to do, so I see it more as a good thing allowing a little more build around options and reliability against decks that don't play much damaging cards of any card.
Makes sense. I'll keep it as an option. And I'll switch back to Martyrdom for the time being, but without the power boost.
Wording for this would have to be 'with greater converted mana cost', which is not ideal in wordiness and complexity. I'm not a big fan of wording like 'spellstitch only once per spell', as it feels very developer and not like something you would put on a card for general fun gameplay.
Easy improvement is to tie Spellstitch to the card being cast not the card in the graveyard.
As in
Spellstitch (As you cast this spell, you may exile an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard with converted mana cost less than it. If you do, add that card's effects to this spell.)
This way the restriction fits in neatly and more subtly, and it's probably better for board complexity sake as you don't need to keep an eye on those spellstitch cards in the graveyard.
This does seem like a somewhat dangerous mechanic though, so I would put it high on the list of your mechanics that you might want to cut to reduce the number (not that you necessarily should cut down).
Isn't CMC a red flag at common? If it is, then maybe Spellstitch can be cut out and replaced with more Corruption spells.
The third. Azgol is a high fantasy world that has been transformed into a post-apocalyptic nightmare ruled by worshipers of the Ashen Lord. The grand kingdoms of old are gone, and I want to convey the sense of a formerly-grand world in ruins that's being devoured by darkness, with only a few fighting to prevent it... and even they aren't as morally upstanding as they wish they were. Again, Dark Souls is the biggest influence.
What about my set design fails to convey this? I'm not sure what exactly it is that's not doing it.
If it has a post apocalyptic vibe, you should highlight that. If it has more of an epic struggle, you should highlight that. That's different. A conquering, overwhelming darkness as opposed to Innistrad's creeping, pervasive darkness. Although, if you are going in that direction, you should be mindful of New Phyrexia and Eldritch Moon- by keeping away from anything too alien invasion, body horror or Lovecraft.
The problem with this as a theme is you haven't done very much to capture any unique sense of this particular theme in your mechanics. And by that I mean, you have Corruption, and everything else is more generic. Corruption captures more of this world because it plays into resources, which provide a sense of control in the game, and therefore creates a sense of the darkness gathering strength for the fight, and taking over. I would like if one or two of your other mechanics plays more into this space, especially your new mechanics.
I like how Possess utilises your creatures again- that element has vibe of desperate conflict, in the manner of 'always more use for the soldiers of the army of darkness'. But it's not very strong, simply because the focus is more on the cool thing your card can do rather than the resource element, which just makes it feel more purely darkness and horror flavoured.
Martyrdom portrays more of the good side, which is nice in creating more of a battle than Innistrad, but I wish it had more of a sense of a power struggle. Martyrdom is trying to be a desperate tactics mechanic, but I think it feels more daring and zealous than desperate.
Something I would look at is general game state based mechanics. Something that looks at cards in all graveyards, life totals, or lands. As well as mechanics that interact with counters like Corruption, or other economical mechanics like something with tapping or life payment.
EDIT:
Some mechanic suggestions to consider in life with my resources suggestion, names not particularly important: Reverence- Whenever you pay life, (effect) Reverence (v2)- Whenever you sacrifice a creature, (effect) Decimation- If each player has 10 or less life, (effect) Slaughter- If there are seven or more permanent cards amongst all graveyards, (effect)
If it has a post apocalyptic vibe, you should highlight that. If it has more of an epic struggle, you should highlight that. That's different. A conquering, overwhelming darkness as opposed to Innistrad's creeping, pervasive darkness. Although, if you are going in that direction, you should be mindful of New Phyrexia and Eldritch Moon- by keeping away from anything too alien invasion, body horror or Lovecraft.
"Conquering, overwhelming darkness"-- Yes! That's precisely what I'm gunning for. I'm keeping a few Horrors in the set, but they're not going to be very numerous, unlike in Eldritch Moon where a lot of creatures were also Eldrazi.
I like how Possess utilises your creatures again- that element has vibe of desperate conflict, in the manner of 'always more use for the soldiers of the army of darkness'. But it's not very strong, simply because the focus is more on the cool thing your card can do rather than the resource element, which just makes it feel more purely darkness and horror flavoured.
How would Possess be made to feel like a resource? As you said it yourself, it's a Bestow/Unearth combo, neither of which bring "resource" to mind.
Martyrdom portrays more of the good side, which is nice in creating more of a battle than Innistrad, but I wish it had more of a sense of a power struggle. Martyrdom is trying to be a desperate tactics mechanic, but I think it feels more daring and zealous than desperate.
Your "Honored" mechanic makes more sense, if that's the case.
Something I would look at is general game state based mechanics. Something that looks at cards in all graveyards, life totals, or lands. As well as mechanics that interact with counters like Corruption, or other economical mechanics like something with tapping or life payment.
I did have a mechanic in an older version of the set that was moved to Set 2 of Azgol block:
Encroach-- [effect] as long as there are four or more counters among permanents you control.
Other ideas:
Bloodied-- If a player lost 3 or more life this turn, [effect]. Legacy-- If four* or more cards in your graveyard share a color, [effect].
*-- Might be too easy to trigger in sealed/draft?
If it has a post apocalyptic vibe, you should highlight that. If it has more of an epic struggle, you should highlight that. That's different. A conquering, overwhelming darkness as opposed to Innistrad's creeping, pervasive darkness. Although, if you are going in that direction, you should be mindful of New Phyrexia and Eldritch Moon- by keeping away from anything too alien invasion, body horror or Lovecraft.
"Conquering, overwhelming darkness"-- Yes! That's precisely what I'm gunning for. I'm keeping a few Horrors in the set, but they're not going to be very numerous, unlike in Eldritch Moon where a lot of creatures were also Eldrazi.
How would Possess be made to feel like a resource? As you said it yourself, it's a Bestow/Unearth combo, neither of which bring "resource" to mind.
It doesn't have to be if you have enough other stuff that evokes the desperate struggle theme.
But making possess more resource themed might involve just replacing it instead.
Martyrdom portrays more of the good side, which is nice in creating more of a battle than Innistrad, but I wish it had more of a sense of a power struggle. Martyrdom is trying to be a desperate tactics mechanic, but I think it feels more daring and zealous than desperate.
Your "Honored" mechanic makes more sense, if that's the case.
Something I would look at is general game state based mechanics. Something that looks at cards in all graveyards, life totals, or lands. As well as mechanics that interact with counters like Corruption, or other economical mechanics like something with tapping or life payment.
I did have a mechanic in an older version of the set that was moved to Set 2 of Azgol block:
Encroach-- [effect] as long as there are four or more counters among permanents you control.
It's an interesting idea, but I'm a little skeptical as to whether it would play out in an interesting enough way.
It doesn't have to be if you have enough other stuff that evokes the desperate struggle theme.
But making possess more resource themed might involve just replacing it instead.
I'm not entirely keen on gutting my mechanic suite.
But since we're talking using the graveyard as a resource, I have this keyword in mind:
Gorge X (You may exile exactly X cards from your graveyard that share a color or type with this as it enters the battlefield/resolves.)
The trigger for the effect would read "If CARDNAME gorged, [effect]."
It doesn't have to be if you have enough other stuff that evokes the desperate struggle theme.
But making possess more resource themed might involve just replacing it instead.
I'm not entirely keen on gutting my mechanic suite.
But since we're talking using the graveyard as a resource, I have this keyword in mind:
Gorge X (You may exile exactly X cards from your graveyard that share a color or type with this as it enters the battlefield/resolves.)
The trigger for the effect would read "If CARDNAME gorged, [effect]."
I like the general idea. Not a fan of caring about both colour and type. Would rather it was just type.
This seems like a safer version of Delve, in a good way.
Why bring colour into it? The only reason I can think of is a faction vibe representing your conflict sides, but I don't think that works.
Whoops. Should have been "If three/four or more cards share a color with CARDNAME, [effect]."[/quote]
Ok, but that doesn't answer my question about why you are making mechanics that care about colour.
Darkness Beckons
STORY
Carius Peregrin, a young planeswalker from Kephalai, is guided to Azgol by an ancient ring he took from the Sanctum of Stars on the day his spark ignited. Soon after he enters, he is beset by the monsters of the Dulendin Forest, only to be saved by Vissalia Verov, a native planeswalker, who then takes him back to the crusader kingdom of Anorleth. There, Carius learns of the lost archives of Bel Ahgrut, where the ring tells him to go. His decision to travel to Bel Ahgrut will set a chain of events that will alter Azgol forever.
However, another planeswalker has arrived on Azgol: Garruk Wildspeaker, fresh off another kill, senses the presence of Carius and Vissalia. He has chosen them for his quarry, and will pursue them to the ends of the plane.
DESIGN GOAL
The set is meant to reflect the flavor of "dark fantasy", where the player is either an evil overlord or a ruthless crusader. Essentially, there should be a feeling of ominousness and "power at a price".
MECHANICS
Martyrdom X (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +X/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
- Martyrdom symbolizes the "good guys" having to make sacrifices in the name of defeating the enemy. Martyred creatures in Azgol rely on death triggers and combat tricks to get your martyred creatures through blockers. Note that like Bushido, Martyrdom stacks-- this is relevant because permanents exist that grant your creatures Martyrdom.
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
- Adapted from Piar's wonderful Magic: Villains set, Corrupt represents you, the evil overlord, using your minions to fuel your spells.
Possess X (You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it’s an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
- The necromantic energy that suffuses Azgol also means that the souls of the dead can be claimed and forged into weapons by an act of will.
Spellstitch X (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay X and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
- Having lost access to the great magics from before the age of ashes, the mages of Azgol either pledge service to the Ashen Lord for power or using what little lore they have left to them and combining the scraps of lore to create new spells. Spellstitch represents the latter manner, a manner of spellcasting yet untouched by Azgol's dark lord.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner’s control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
- The returning mechanic for Azgol, persist represents the unholy power that allows beings from the plane to cling to life even after suffering mortal wounds.
ARCHETYPES
WU: Possess
UB: -1/-1 Counter Tempo
BR: Sacrifice Aggro
RG: Tall Recursion
GW: Wide Midrange
WB: Tokens
UR: Spellstitch
BG: -1/-1 Counter Midrange
RW: Martyrdom Aggro
GU: Naga Tribal
----------------------------
Club Flamingo Wins: 10
----------------------------
EDH Decks
BG Vicious Varolz | RW Jor Kadeen, the Mean Machine | RG Atarka: Muh_Dragons.dec (WIP) | WU Brago, Blink Eternal (WIP)
----------------------------
And... cool! Good on you for taking on a relative "mystery" plane.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Creature — Human Knight (C)
First strike
When Attended Knight enters the battlefield, create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token.
The knights of the Iron Torch always go out in pairs, so they can watch each other's backs and bring back news should calamity befall one of them.
2/2
Beatific Anchorite 1W
Creature — Human Cleric (C)
Martyrdom 1 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
When Beatific Anchorite dies, create a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying.
"Let the fires of the Ashen Lord burn my body. They cannot touch my spirit."
1/2
Believer's Chains 2W
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 as long as you control it. Otherwise, it can’t attack or block.
“The light of the Solanari empowers the righteous and humbles the wicked. Now let’s see which one you are.”
—Vissalia Verov
Courier Griffin 3W
Creature — Griffin (C)
Flying
When Courier Griffin enters the battlefield, you gain 2 life.
Fiercely loyal and resistant to corruption, the griffin-steeds of Anorleth and Draganric allow them to contest the Ashen Lord's dominion of the sky.
2/3
Crusaders' Calling 2W
Sorcery (C)
Create two 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens.
"Faith is the only sure shield against the Ashen Lord's depredations."
—High Confessor Gelmiro of Draganric
Darkflight Guide 1WW
Creature — Gargoyle (C)
Flying
Whenever Darkflight Guide attacks, another target attacking creature gains flying until end of turn.
By tradition, Draganric's walls are lined with gargoyles, with half facing outward to hunt down the agents of the Ashen Lord and half facing inward to sniff out apostasy.
2/2
Dauntless Novice W
Creature — Human Warrior (C)
Dauntless Novice gets +1/+0 as long as you control an Aura or Equipment.
"A hero doesn't have to lack fear to be brave. A hero just has to ignore it."
1/2
Enduring Devotee 1W
Creature — Human Cleric (U)
When Enduring Devotee enters the battlefield, remove a -1/-1 counter from target creature you control.
Jurin the Sufferer, one of the most beloved heroes of Anorleth, is often called upon by those about to undergo long and arduous journeys.
2/2
Eternal Repose W
Sorcery (C)
Exile target permanent card from a graveyard. You gain 3 life.
"Here lies Ephran the Unyielding, who slew the Duke of Pestilence. May his spirit be at peace."
Grim Tombguard 2W
Creature — Dwarf Soldier (C)
Martyrdom 2 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
When you martyr Grim Tombguard, create a 0/5 white Wall creature token with defender.
"This is where we stand. And if we die here, we die so others live."
2/3
Harried Healer W
Creature — Human Cleric (C)
T: Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to any target this turn.
Put a -1/-1 counter on Harried Healer: Untap Harried Healer.
Her duty only ends when she does.
0/3
Hollow Vanity 2W
Sorcery (C)
Exile target artifact or enchantment.
"Don't talk to me of delays, pontiff! While the Ashen Lord's servants marshal their strength, you waste time gilding your weapons and bestowing useless titles on each other!"
—”Tirian Craedus, knight-exorcist
Irthaill Refugee 3W
Creature — Dwarf Warrior (C)
"I failed Irthaill. I failed to see the threat within its walls. I failed to bring the Ashsworn to justice. I failed to die with my beloved city. I will not fail again."
2/4
Litany of War 3W
Sorcery (C)
Creatures you control get +2/+1 until end of turn. Cleric creatures you control gain lifelink until end of turn.
"Lady Rhienna, martyr and holy warrior, guide our blades against the unhallowed and the heretic."
Martyr's Endurance W
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1.
When enchanted creature dies, return that card to its owner’s hand.
Mausoleum Guardian 5W
Creature — Giant Warrior (C)
Vigilance (Attacking doesn't cause this creature to tap.)
3/6
Mighty Leap 1W
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +2/+2 and gains flying until end of turn.
"Sure, the minions of the Scourge of Souls may be endless. But very few of them ever think to look skyward."
—Tirian Craedus, knight-exorcist
Palethread Wings 1W
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has "1, Sacrifice another creature: This creature gains flying until end of turn."
Spun from the light of the Pale Sun, it is a hollow mockery of the divine, yet is more than capable of terrible things.
Sanctum Frontliner W
Creature — Human Soldier (C)
Possess W (You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
Enchanted creature gets +1/+2.
1/2
Searing Rebuke 1W
Instant (C)
Searing Rebuke deals 4 damage to target attacking or blocking creature.
The knights of the Iron Torch are able to call down holy judgment upon the sinful—though what "sinful'" means is often left up to the individual.
Templar of the Silent Fane WW
Creature — Spirit Warrior (C)
Somewhere in the Bleak Swath lies a curious structure made of white stone, shrouded in pale light. The servants of the Ashen Lord give it a wide berth... and so do the holy warriors of Anorleth and Draganric, for no one who approaches it has ever come back.
2/3
Torchbound Wight 4W
Creature — Spirit (C)
Possess 5W
Whenever Torchbound Wight or enchanted creature attacks, tap target creature.
Enchanted creature gets +3/+3.
3/3
Wayward Pardoner 3W
Creature — Spirit Cleric (C)
When Wayward Pardoner enters the battlefield, return target enchantment card from your graveyard to your hand.
1/5
Wickedness' Reward 2W
Sorcery (C)
Destroy target creature with power 4 or greater.
Creature — Human Soldier (U)
Anorleth Veteran can't be blocked by Zombies and Skeletons.
Every citizen of Anorleth is trained from childhood to fight against the hordes of undead that roam outside of the Sanctum Walls.
2/1
Faith Unbroken 3W
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature you control
When Faith Unbroken enters the battlefield, exile target creature an opponent controls until Faith Unbroken leaves the battlefield.
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2.
Hellhunter Gargoyle 4W
Creature — Gargoyle (U)
Flying, first strike
Possess 4WW (You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has flying and first strike.
3/2
Irontorch Exemplar 3WW
Creature — Human Knight (U)
Irontorch Exemplar gets +1/+1 for each other creature you control.
Whenever you martyr a creature, create two 1/1 white Cleric creature tokens.
From their fortresses in Draganric and Anorleth, the Holy Order of the Iron Torch wages a never-ending battle against the Ashen Lord and his followers.
2/2
Light of the Iron Torch W
Instant (U)
Target creature you control gets +1/+1 and gains indestructible until end of turn. Remove all -1/-1 counters from it.
"To endure in the face of certain death is the mark of one with true faith."
—Precepts of the Torch, entry 150
Memento of the Blessed 2W
Sorcery (U)
Choose one or both—
• Return target artifact or enchantment card from your graveyard to your hand.
• Put target face-up exiled card you own with possess into your graveyard.
"Though Lady Rhienna may be gone, her might lives on in this blade and in all who wield it."
—Yuria Leviret, priest of Anorleth
Mountainborn Avenger WW
Creature — Dwarf Soldier (U)
Lifelink
Martyrdom 2 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
"Vengeance is all that is left to me now. Let it be enough for all of us!"
2/2
Purge the Unclean 1W
Instant (U)
Exile target tapped creature.
"We must be ever vigilant. The first signs of impurity come when we cease to watch for it."
—High Confessor Gelmiro of Draganric
Rally the Pious 2WW
Enchantment (U)
Whenever one or more -1/-1 counters are put on a creature you control, create that many 1/1 white Spirit creature tokens with flying.
"The will of the faithful multitudes is sturdier than any wall, and sharper than any sword."
—Precepts of the Torch, entry 215
Scourgebearer Thrull W
Creature — Thrull (U)
2, T: Tap target creature.
"Let the wounds I have allowed myself to suffer be a lesson to all of you on having faith in the Solanari, no matter what."
—Lady Vinia, pontiff of Draganric
1/2
Veiled Savior 3WW
Creature — Archon (U)
Flying
At the beginning of your end step, if you martyred a creature this turn, you may pay 1W. If you do, return target creature card with power 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
"It is not your time yet."
3/3
Zealous Orator 2W
Creature — Human Cleric (U)
Martyrdom 1 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
Whenever you martyr a creature, creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.
He practices what he preaches.
2/2
Creature — Archon (R)
Flying, lifelink
Possess 5WW (You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
Enchanted creature gets +4/+5 and has flying and lifelink.
4/5
Invoke the Pale Sun 4WW
Sorcery (R)
Choose two—
• Destroy all creatures.
• Destroy all artifacts and enchantments.
• Remove all counters from all nonland permanents.
"Even the light of the sun is wrong here. On my world it nurtures life, but here it destroys and leaves behind nothing but barren wastelands."
—Carius Peregrin
Palesun Judicator 4W
Creature — Giant Cleric (R)
Vigilance
Whenever Palesun Judicator attacks, tap target creature. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s untap step as long as you control Palesun Judicator.
Its gaze sears all that it touches, though the faithful see the pain as a sign of its favor.
3/4
Radvin, Steward of Anorleth 2W
Legendary Creature — Human Knight (R)
Martyrdom 2 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
Other nontoken creatures you control have martyrdom 1. (Multiple instances of martyrdom are cumulative.)
Whenever you martyr a creature, attacking creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn.
2/3
Vissalia's Intervention 3W
Instant (R)
Create X 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens, where X is the power of target creature an opponent controls. If that creature is attacking, Vissalia’s Intervention deals damage to it equal to the number of creatures you control.
"Begone, thrall of the Ashen Lord! Your master holds no power here!"
[Story Spotlight 1/5]
Wightslayer Paladin 1WW
Creature — Human Cleric Soldier (R)
Double strike
Wightslayer Paladin gets +1/+1 for each Aura you control and +1/+1 for each Equipment attached to a creature you control.
Sacrifice an Aura attached to Wightslayer Paladin: It gains indestructible until end of turn.
When the darkness comes, some people cower in fear. Others take up arms and fight.
2/2
Seraph of Fading Dawn 5WW
Creature — Angel (M)
Flying
When Seraph of Fading Dawn enters or leaves the battlefield, for each other nonland permanent you control, you may exile it, then return it to the battlefield.
Such boons she grants are far beyond what the greatest healers can provide.
6/6
Vissalia Verov 2WW
Legendary Planeswalker — Vissalia (M)
Starting Loyalty: 4
+1: Up to two target creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain vigilance until end of turn. Untap those creatures.
-3: You get an emblem with “Whenever a source deals damage to you or a creature you control, create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token.”
-7: Untap all creatures you control. Creatures you control gain vigilance and get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of creatures you control.
----------------------------
Club Flamingo Wins: 10
----------------------------
EDH Decks
BG Vicious Varolz | RW Jor Kadeen, the Mean Machine | RG Atarka: Muh_Dragons.dec (WIP) | WU Brago, Blink Eternal (WIP)
----------------------------
Creature — Drake (C)
Flying
Possess 3U (You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has flying.
The skies above Bel Ahgrut have always belonged to the drakes.
2/2
Archive Sentinel 3U
Creature — Homunculus (C)
When Archive Sentinel enters the battlefield, return target creature to its owner's hand.
Its masters ordered it to expel those who lacked their permission to access the archives. To this day, it has not disobeyed even once.
2/2
Burrowing Cancrix 2U
Creature — Crab (C)
Flash (You may cast this spell any time you could cast an instant.)
The giant crabs of the Shrouded Shores are big enough to feed an entire tribe of Vargren warriors— though that assumes the crab doesn't eat them first.
2/3
Call on Experience U
Sorcery (C)
Draw a card.
Spellstitch 2 (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay 2 and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
Defthand Decoy 1U
Creature — Human Rogue (C)
Whenever Defthand Decoy attacks, if you control an enchantment, tap target creature.
"Look at the light! See how bright it sparkles. Don't take your eyes off it!"
1/2
Dragged into the Fog 4U
Instant (C)
Put target nonland permanent on top of its owner's library.
"There are horrors from which even the bravest must flee."
—Lord Steward Radvin
Essence Scatter 1U
Instant (C)
Counter target creature spell.
"Your magic is... not up to standards. Still, I commend you for trying."
—Yshariq, the Serpentfather
Faceless Servitor 3U
Creature — Homunculus (C)
With delicate motions, they set books that fell decades ago back on shelves that have grown gray with dust.
1/6
Forlorn Seeker U
Creature — Human Rogue (C)
When Forlorn Seeker dies, draw a card, then discard a card.
There is no shortage of petty wizards, scoundrels, mercenaries and broken men who seek out the libraries of lost Bel Ahgrut.
1/2
Fragments of Truth 2U
Instant (C)
Draw two cards. If you didn't spellstitch onto Fragments of Truth, discard a card.
The smallest bits of lore from the lost archives of Bel Ahgrut are worth their weight in gold to ever-embattled Anorleth and Draganric.
Ghastly Grip 1U
Instant (C)
Tap up to two target creatures.
Spellstitch 1U (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay 1U and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
One wight is an annoyance. Ten wights are a disaster waiting to happen.
Mental Turmoil 1U
Sorcery (C)
Target player puts the top four cards of their library into their graveyard.
Spellstitch U (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay U and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
Mistcloaked Wight 1U
Creature — Spirit (C)
Flying
Mistcloaked Wight can only block creatures with flying.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
2/2
Moonwing Butterfly 4U
Creature — Insect (C)
Flying
When Moonwing Butterfly enters the battlefield, draw a card, then discard a card.
3/2
Muckslick Serpent 5UU
Creature — Serpent (C)
Muckslick Serpent can't be blocked by creatures with -1/-1 counters on them.
The corpse-choked waters of the Surbeni Strand are home to wights, biting insects, waterlogged undead, and worse things.
5/5
Offhand Dismissal 2U
Instant (C)
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 1 for each card in your graveyard.
"Was that meant to scare me off? Sorry to disappoint you, then."
—Magister Yerithak of the Serpent Brethren
Patient Breathstalker 5U
Creature — Homunculus (C)
Flash (You may cast this spell any time you could cast an instant.)
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
It hunts down those who dare to steal from the library, acting on the orders of long-dead adepts.
3/3
Pupil of Yshariq 1U
Creature — Naga Wizard (C)
When Pupil of Yshariq enters the battlefield, put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
1/3
Reclusive Chronicler 2U
Creature — Human Advisor (C)
T: Draw a card, then put a card from your hand on top of your library.
Put a -1/-1 counter on Reclusive Chronicler: Untap Reclusive Chronicler.
"The years have withered my body and mind, but so long as the mysteries of these tomes remain unsolved, I will not allow myself to rest."
1/2
Shed Self U
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +0/+2.
When enchanted creature dies, create a 2/2 blue Naga creature token.
"To transcend mortality, to become immune to the depredations of darkness, one must escape the prison of the human form."
—Yshariq, the Serpentfather
Silent Contemplation 2U
Sorcery (C)
Reveal the top five cards of your library. Put up to two instant and/or sorcery cards from among them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
After the noise and the crowds Carius encountered in Anorleth, the silence of Bel Ahgrut's abandoned archives soothed his mind.
[Story Spotlight 2/5]
Troubled Memories 2U
Enchantment (C)
Whenever a counter is placed on a creature, each player puts the top three cards of their library into their graveyard.
"Even the strongest soul has its breaking point, and I intend to find it."
—Ishia Forktongue, Ashsworn cultist
Weight of Despair 1U
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
When Weight of Despair enters the battlefield, if you control a Ruins or a Ruins card is in your graveyard, tap enchanted creature.
Enchanted creature doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.
Yhavaran Sorcerer 3UU
Creature — Giant Wizard (C)
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Hexproof (This creature can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.)
The city of Yhavara is populated by a reclusive clan of giants who possess deep knowledge of sorcery, particularly with regards to the use of souls as fuel for magic.
3/3
Creature — Spirit Wizard (U)
Flying
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Bel Ahgrut is home to dozens of ruined ateliers haunted by the souls of mages whose obsession with their work bound them to the world after death.
0/2
Biting Tether 4U
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
You control enchanted creature.
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature.
"It appears to be in agony from the bindings. What if we removed its capacity to feel pain?"
Coldblooded Progenitor 3UU
Creature — Naga (U)
Whenever a -1/-1 counter is put on a creature, you may pay 2U. If you do, create a 2/2 blue Naga creature token.
"We must discard well-worn notions of right and wrong, and focus on the glorious tomorrow we shall create."
—Yshariq, the Serpentfather
2/5
Dissipate 1UU
Instant (U)
Counter target spell. If it's countered this way, exile it instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard.
Doomchained Drake 1U
Creature — Drake (U)
Flying
When Doomchained Drake enters the battlefield, put two -1/-1 counters on target creature you control.
Whenever Doomchained Drake attacks, you may move a -1/-1 counter from it onto another target attacking creature. If you do, scry 1.
It transfers its fated end onto others.
3/3
Fogspawned Pursuers UU
Creature — Spirit (U)
Possess 2UU (You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
Fogspawned Pursuers can't be blocked.
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and can't be blocked.
2/2
Foisted Fate 1U
Instant (U)
Move any number of counters from target creature you control onto another target creature.
"I will not be anyone's pawn or plaything, least of all that of the Ashen Lord."
—Magister Yerithak of the Serpent Brethren
Keeper of Sealed Tomes 2U
Creature — Human Wizard (U)
When Keeper of Sealed Tomes enters the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.
2U, T: Return target creature with a counter on it to its owner's hand.
1/2
Long-Forgotten Lore 2UU
Sorcery (U)
Return up to one target instant card and up to one target sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand. Exile Long-Forgotten Lore.
"Sometimes, late at night, I lie awake and wonder: how many men and women have died to bring these tomes to me?"
—Sage Morr, adept of the Lone Tower
Reality Stutter 1U
Instant (U)
Exile target creature. At the beginning of the next end step, return that creature to the battlefield tapped. It doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.
A diabolical invention of the mages of Bel Ahgrut, soul snags suspend victims between life and oblivion.
Shifting Assailant 2UU
Creature — Naga Rogue (U)
Whenever you spellstitch onto a spell, Shifting Assailant gains hexproof until end of turn.
U: Shifting Assailant gets +1/-1 until end of turn.
Seldom does Yshariq personally intervene when outsiders enter his kingdom in Bel Ahgrut. He prefers sending assassins to rid himself of them.
2/3
Wraith Walk 1U
Sorcery (U)
Up to two target creatures you control can't be blocked this turn.
Spellstitch 3U (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay 3U and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
Enchantment (R)
Artifacts and creatures your opponents control enter the battlefield tapped.
Brainpicker 2U
Creature — Horror (R)
Possess 4U (You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
Whenever Brainpicker or enchanted creature deals damage to a player, draw that many cards.
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2.
2/2
Inspired Research XUU
Instant (R)
Scry X, then draw X cards. (Look at the top X cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order.)
Spellstitch—U, Discard X cards. (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay U and discard X cards and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
Thing from the Void 3UU
Creature — Horror (R)
Possess 5UU (You may cast this from your graveyard for its possess cost. If you do, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. Exile it when it leaves the battlefield.)
Flying
Enchanted creature gets +4/+3 and has flying.
Whenever Thing from the Void or enchanted creature is targeted by a noncreature spell for the first time each turn, counter that spell.
4/3
Watcher of the Abyss 4UU
Creature — Kraken (R)
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield from your graveyard, draw a card.
Whenever an instant or sorcery card leaves your graveyard, draw a card.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
The sea holds things that have never seen the light of day.
2/5
Writ of Expulsion 3UU
Sorcery (R)
Return all tapped nonland permanents to their owners’ hands, then tap all untapped nonland permanents.
Creature — Sphinx (M)
Flash
Flying
When Magistrix of the Archives enters the battlefield, gain control of target nonpermanent spell or nonland permanent you don’t control.
"Exquisite!" The sphinx plucked Carius' spell from the air. "A fine addition to the library."
5/5
Yshariq's Insanity 2UUU
Enchantment (M)
Rather than pay the mana cost for a spell you cast from your hand, you may distribute X -1/-1 counters among any number of creatures you control, where X is that spell's converted mana cost.
"Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating."
—Yshariq, the Serpentfather
Creature — Skeleton Warrior (C)
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
The Ashen Lord commands legions of undead soldiers, all obedient and utterly without fear.
2/2
Betrayer of Irthaill 1BB
Creature — Azra Cleric (C)
When Betrayer of Irthaill enters the battlefield, if you control a Ruins or a Ruins card is in your graveyard, it deals 2 damage to target player.
Irthaill fell to traitors within its walls who opened its gates and welcomed in the armies of their true master.
3/2
Blackfeather Vultures 3B
Creature — Bird (C)
Flying
Whenever another creature you control dies, Blackfeather Vultures gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Flocks of vultures, their feathers stained black by ash, are a common sight in Azgol's skies as they seek out corpses to feed on.
2/2
Cannibalistic Crusader 2B
Creature — Human Warrior (C)
Menace (This creature can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.)
Once, he prayed to the Solanari to keep the darkness at bay. Now, he offers each mouthful of flesh to the one true lord of Azgol.
3/2
Conjoined Ghouls 4B
Creature — Zombie (C)
When Conjoined Ghouls dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
3/3
Curdling Flesh B
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature.
"May your blood turn to sludge and your heart grow black with rot."
—Qara, Quiet Dark cultist
Debased Fleshgorger 1B
Creature — Zombie (C)
Sacrifice another creature: Debased Fleshgorger gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
The rot that consumes its body drives it to devour the flesh of the living.
1/1
Defile the Dead 1B
Sorcery (C)
Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. Put the top card of your library into your graveyard.
Nothing is sacred on Azgol—especially not the deceased.
Diseased Clutch 2B
Instant (C)
Choose an attacking creature you control. Put a -1/-1 counter on each creature blocking it.
Draganric Apostate B
Creature — Azra Warrior (C)
Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)
"The Draganrians may be a bunch of pompous, self-righteous light-gazers, but their life force is delectable."
1/1
Drinker of Sorrows 4B
Creature — Hag Shaman (C)
T: Target player discards a card. Activate this ability only during your turn.
Put a -1/-1 counter on Drinker of Sorrows: Untap Drinker of Sorrows.
The cult known as the Brotherhood of the Quiet Dark calls for the discarding of all attachments and burdens—including morality, empathy, and the desire to live.
3/2
Fell Endurance 1B
Instant (C)
Target creature gains lifelink and indestructible until end of turn.
The endless war against the Ashen Lord has driven the knight-exorcists of the Iron Torch to experiment with the weapons of the enemy.
Forsaken Pontiff 4BB
Creature — Human Cleric (C)
When Forsaken Pontiff enters the battlefield, it deals X damage to target opponent and you gain X life, where X is the number of creatures you control.
"It is folly to think one can wield the powers of darkness against the Ashen Lord and remain pure."
—Yuria Leviret, priest of Anorleth
3/3
Hexbound Thrull B
Creature — Thrull (C)
When Hexbound Thrull dies, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.
Some of the lords among the Ashsworn have taken to having a specially-crafted thrull attend them at all times as a defense against curses. The thrull absorbs the dark magic and dies, leaving them unharmed.
1/1
Lingering Cryptstalker 2B
Creature — Spirit (C)
Flying
Whenever Lingering Cryptstalker attacks, defending player loses 2 life.
"Enter not this place. There is no honor, no glory, no joy or profit to be found here."
—Inscription carved on mausoleum door in Anar Idhil
0/4
Mordant Shadowmage 1B
Creature — Human Wizard (C)
Whenever a creature dies, you may pay 1. If you do, exile target card in a graveyard.
1/3
Read the Bloodstains 2B
Sorcery (C)
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature.
Draw two cards, then put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard.
A bit of blood spilled is a small price to pay for power— especially when it isn't yours.
Shred Psyche 4BB
Sorcery (C)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Shred Psyche deals 4 damage to target opponent. That player discards two cards.
It is said that at the very end of the Bleak Swath is the Capitol of the Unreturned, a bastion of madness so horrific that merely gazing upon it tears at the soul.
Skittering Corpseworm 6B
Creature — Insect Horror (C)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
The Dead Marches, where the great kingdom of Anar Idhil once stood, is now little more than a city of tombs and a haven for the foulest of abominations.
3/5
Soulstinger 3B
Creature — Scorpion Demon (C)
When Soulstinger enters the battlefield, put two -1/-1 counters on target creature you control.
When Soulstinger dies, you may put a -1/-1 counter on target creature for each -1/-1 counter on Soulstinger.
The Ashen Lord wrought servants in his image to bring despair to all.
4/5
Squamous Wretch B
Creature — Human Naga (C)
Not all of Yshariq's disciples succeed in emulating their master. Failures are thrown into the Surbeni Strand and left to die... though some of them fail even in that.
0/4
Succumb to Sickness 1B
Instant (C)
Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. If it has a -1/-1 counter on it, destroy it instead.
The worst part isn't the fever, the stench, or even the pain: it's knowing that death is coming, and it is a preferable fate to living on like this.
Torment of Venom 2BB
Instant (C)
Put three -1/-1 counters on target creature. Its controller loses 3 life unless they sacrifice a nonland permanent or discard a card.
Creature — Human Cleric (U)
Whenever Ashsworn Hierophant or another creature you control dies, Ashsworn Hierophant deals 1 damage to each opponent.
They offer gifts of flesh and blood to the Ashen Lord, hoping to share in their dark god's power.
0/2
Blasphemous Tutor 4BB
Sorcery (U)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Search your library for a card and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Call of the Unhallowed B
Sorcery (U)
As an additional cost to cast this spell, distribute two -1/-1 counters among any number of creatures you control.
Create two 1/1 black Skeleton creature tokens.
The bell that once rang to call the faithful to worship now rings to raise the dead in service to the Ashen Lord.
Doomknell Acolyte 4B
Creature — Human Cleric (U)
When Doomknell Acolyte enters the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
2/2
Herald of Desolation 1BB
Creature — Specter (U)
Flying
Whenever Herald of Desolation deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card.
It rides forth from the Lair of the Ashen Idol to bring disaster upon those foolish enough to resist.
2/2
Infernal Torment 1B
Sorcery (U)
Target player reveals their hand. You choose a nonland permanent card from it. That player exiles that card.
"Every thought, every belief, every hope and dream and whispered prayer... they are but dust in the face of the Ashen Lord's might."
Murder 1BB
Instant (U)
Destroy target creature.
To the adherents of the Quiet Dark, killing another person is an act of benevolence. They believe those that fall at their hands will be granted a better position in their next life.
Scribe of Imprecations 5BB
Creature — Giant Shaman (U)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Whenever a -1/-1 counter is put on a creature you control, Scribe of Imprecations deals 2 damage to each opponent.
Every word in his book is filled with an unbridled hate for all that lives.
4/4
Talons of Twilight B
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +3/+3 and has "At the beginning of your upkeep, put a -1/-1 counter on it."
Treacherous Vermifex 1B
Creature — Horror (U)
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a creature. If you can't, tap Treacherous Vermifex and it deals 4 damage to you.
Many have agreed to pay its price, only to realize too late that it asks for far more than they can ever hope to give.
4/3
Vile Allegiance 3B
Enchantment (U)
Whenever you corrupt a creature to cast a spell, you may pay 1. If you do, each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
"Kill for me, and I shall grant you a taste of the power my master possesses."
—Mordegann, demon of the Ashen Idol
Wretched Painsuckler 2BB
Creature — Horror (U)
When Wretched Painsuckler enters the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you control.
Whenever a -1/-1 counter is put on a creature you control, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you don’t control and you gain 1 life.
It sates its hunger with the foulest of meals.
3/3
Sorcery (R)
Put two -1/-1 counters on each creature.
As refugees from fallen Irthaill flooded Draganric and Anorleth, pestilence followed them.
Necropolis Patriarch 3B
Creature — Human Wizard (R)
Whenever Necropolis Patriarch or another non-Zombie creature you control dies, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token.
1B, T: Skeletons and Zombies you control gain deathtouch until end of turn.
Persist
In the land of the dead, the necromancer is king.
3/3
Pound of Flesh 2BB
Instant (R)
Creatures you don't control lose hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.
Destroy target creature or planeswalker.
Garruk's snarl cut through the silence in the library, and Carius' blood turned to ice. He had escaped one doom— only to find another in his path.
[Story Spotlight 3/5]
Prophet of the Deep 7B
Creature — Horror (R)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Menace
When Prophet of the Deep deals combat damage to a player, that player discards their hand unless they pay 1 life for each card in their hand.
4/4
Tyrant of Death's Door 4BB
Creature — Giant Horror (R)
Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
When Tyrant of Death's Door enters the battlefield, create X 1/1 black Skeleton creature tokens, where X is its power.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
3/6
Undying Servitude 2B
Instant (R)
Return to your hand all creature cards in your graveyard that were put there from anywhere this turn.
Death is no escape from the Ashen Lord's will.
Legendary Creature — Demon (M)
Flying
Whenever a creature you don't control with a -1/-1 counter on it dies, return it to the battlefield under your control. It's a Zombie in addition to its other types.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
A king among demons and a god to mortals.
5/5
Wages of Sin 5BBB
Sorcery (M)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Each opponent may sacrifice any number of nonland permanents. Then, Wages of Sin deals 2 damage to each opponent for each nonland permanent they control.
What are your thoughts on the cards? Is there anything that stands out as interesting or problematic? Am I getting my themes across with the cards I've presented so far?
----------------------------
Club Flamingo Wins: 10
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EDH Decks
BG Vicious Varolz | RW Jor Kadeen, the Mean Machine | RG Atarka: Muh_Dragons.dec (WIP) | WU Brago, Blink Eternal (WIP)
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Creature — Human Warrior Wizard (C)
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Many such warriors like her exist outside of Anorleth's and Draganric's walls, using creativity and skill to make up for a lack of formal training.
1/3
Ashsworn Cultist 2R
Creature — Azra Wizard (C)
T: Ashsworn Cultist deals 1 damage to each opponent.
Put a -1/-1 counter on Ashsworn Cultist: Untap Ashsworn Cultist.
"Power demands sacrifice. Yours or mine, it makes no difference."
1/2
Bloodmouth Ritualist 3R
Creature — Azra Shaman (C)
When Bloodmouth Ritualist enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice a creature. If you do, add RRR.
The cannibalistic tribes of Crennoc Vale find wisdom in the blood and flesh of humans, kor, and dwarves.
3/2
Blur of Blades 1R
Instant (C)
Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. Blur of Blades deals 2 damage to that creature's controller.
"Care to test the swiftness of my sword, monster?"
—Vissalia Verov
Broken-Chain Brawler
Creature — Human Berserker (C)
Martyrdom 1 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
When you martyr Broken-Chain Brawler, another target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
"I would rather cease to exist than be bound to the Lord of Lies' will."
1/2
Deranged Onslaught 2R
Instant (C)
Creatures you control get +1/+0 and gain menace until end of turn.
Hilltribe Aggressors 2RR
Creature — Human Berserker (C)
The Vargren hill tribes are reckless in battle, believing an honorable death will save them from thralldom under the Ashen Lord.
4/3
Lavacore Gouger 5RR
Creature — Elemental (C)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
When Lavacore Gouger enters the battlefield, it deals 3 damage to target opponent.
6/4
Lightning Javelin 2R
Instant (C)
Lightning Javelin deals 3 damage to any target.
Spellstitch (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
Lurking Hellhound 1R
Creature — Hound (C)
Sacrifice another creature: Lurking Hellhound gets +3/+0 until end of turn.
1/2
Offal Gourmand 2R
Creature — Ogre (C)
When Offal Gourmand enters the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you control.
The ogres of Crennoc Vale are civilized enough to occasionally condemn their prey to a slow death roasted on an open fire rather than eat raw food.
4/3
Pillarbreaker Ancient 3R
Creature — Giant Warrior (C)
When Pillarbreaker Ancient enters the battlefield, if you control a Ruins or a Ruins card is in your graveyard, creatures without flying can't block this turn.
3/3
Reckless Loreweaver 1R
Creature — Human Rogue (C)
Whenever you spellstitch onto a spell, sacrifice Reckless Loreweaver. If you do, create a 3/2 red Elemental creature token.
Attempting to reconstruct ancient spells from barely-legible tomes and crumbling scrolls can have unforeseen—and often lethal—consequences.
2/1
Savage Strike 1R
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +3/+0 and gains trample until end of turn.
Scarred Ravager 3RR
Creature — Giant Barbarian (C)
Put a -1/-1 counter on Scarred Ravager: It gains haste until end of turn.
There is no honor or glory to be found in the Bleak Swath, only a lonely death amidst the ashes of fallen cities.
5/3
Smelt
Instant (C)
Destroy target artifact.
The Crusader Kingdoms melt down old weapons and armor in the forges, both to recycle the metal and to get rid of any foul magic that might linger in them.
Sunder the Foundations 4R
Sorcery (C)
Destroy target land. Sunder the Foundations deals 2 damage to each creature without flying.
The Bleak Swath is constantly buffeted by earthquakes, shredding winds and boiling lava.
Suntouched Prophecy R
Sorcery (C)
Draw two cards, then discard two cards.
Spellstitch 1R (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay :1mana::symr: and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
"Behold, the Pale Sun rises! Partake not of the fruits of ash and sin, but tremble with joyous fear! O Pale Sun, burn us with your flame!"
Swathborn Hellion 5R
Creature — Hellion (C)
Menace
5/3
Torrent of Brimstone 6R
Sorcery (C)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Torrent of Brimstone deals 5 damage to target creature. If that creature would die this turn, exile it instead.
Mages who regularly cross the Siltsown Flats have learned to utilize the region's volcanic off-run as a crude but deadly weapon.
Traitorous Instinct 3R
Sorcery (C)
Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap that creature. Until end of turn, it gets +2/+0 and gains haste.
"Watch as your body betrays you, and know that none can resist the Ashen Lord's will!"
—Yurek, Ashsworn cultist
Unmatched Fury 1R
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+1 and has menace.
"Give in to your rage and bloodlust. Your anger at the Defiler of Worlds shall burn away all impurity and evil."
—Yashar, Vargren shaman
Vargren Spearhunter 2R
Creature — Human Berserker (C)
Martyrdom 2 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
When Vargren Spearhunter is martyred, it deals 2 damage to target player or planeswalker.
2/2
Sorcery (U)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Create two 3/2 red Elemental creature tokens. Creatures you control gain haste until end of turn.
Elmek charged at the demon and his servants, drawing on the dying around him— and his battle cry sundered the earth and unleashed its fury.
Chthonian Ritual 2R
Sorcery (U)
Add R for each instant and/or sorcery card in your graveyard. Until your next turn, spellstitch costs of cards in your graveyard cost 1 less to activate.
Consuming Zeal R
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature you control
Enchanted creature has haste.
Sacrifice enchanted creature: Attach Consuming Zeal to another target creature you control.
Deepfire Incanter 3R
Creature — Elemental (U)
When Deepfire Incanter enters the battlefield, it deals X damage to target creature an opponent controls, where X is the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard.
2/3
Gibbering Spellscribe 2R
Creature — Horror Wizard (U)
When Gibbering Spellscribe enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a sorcery card, reveal it, and put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
It is said that some of Lady Anara's students were twisted into monstrosities as their bodies and souls broke under the weight of forbidden lore.
1/1
Initiate of the Pale Sun 1R
Creature — Dwarf Shaman (U)
Whenever a -1/-1 counter is put on a creature you control, Initiate of the Pale Sun deals 1 damage to any target.
When the dwarves arrived in Anorleth, many of them joined the Cult of the Pale Sun to take revenge on the Ashen Lord.
1/2
Maelstrom of Hellfire 4R
Sorcery (U)
Maelstrom of Hellfire deals 4 damage divided among any number of creatures and/or planeswalkers.
Spellstitch 4R (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay 4R and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
Oathsworn Captain 1RR
Creature — Dwarf Warrior (U)
Martyrdom 2 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
Whenever a creature you control is martyred, it gains trample until end of turn.
"There is no hope for any of us who defy the Ashen Lord. The best we can do is make our deaths mean something."
3/2
Obsidian Elemental 4RR
Creature — Elemental (U)
Obsidian Elemental has double strike as long as you control a Ruins or a Ruins card is in your graveyard.
A world inimical to life produces elementals that are just as deadly.
4/2
Sadistic Tormentor R
Creature — Azra Shaman (U)
Menace
Prowess
1/2
Wisdom of the Lone Tower 1RR
Enchantment (U)
Whenever an instant or sorcery spell leaves your graveyard, choose one—
• Wisdom of the Lone Tower deals 2 damage to target opponent.
• Exile the top card of your library. You may play it this turn.
"To create an entire school of magic... What a genius this Lady Anara is! I must meet her."
—Carius Peregrin
Zealot of the Torch RR
Creature — Human Cleric Warrior (U)
Martyrdom 2 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
Whenever you martyr a creature, Zealot of the Torch deals 2 damage to target opponent.
"No sacrifice is too great in the war against the Ashen Lord."
2/2
Sorcery (R)
Discard your hand, then draw seven cards.
Spellstitch 2R (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay 2R and exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell.)
Ashen Pyrophant 1R
Creature — Azra Wizard (R)
When Ashen Pyrophant enters the battlefield, you may put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you control.
1, Remove a -1/-1 counter from target creature you control: Exile the top card of your library. Until end of turn, you may play that card. (You still pay its costs.)
"The Ashen Lord has chosen me to become the embodiment of the flame's will."
2/2
Crennoc Vale Cremator 3RR
Creature — Giant Spirit (R)
When Crennoc Vale Cremator enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice another creature. If you do, Crennoc Vale Cremator deals damage to target player or planeswalker equal to the sacrificed creature's power.
He worships the flame, and wishes for all to share in its glory.
4/4
Douse in Hellfire XRR
Instant (R)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Douse in Hellfire deals X damage to any target. If you corrupted a creature to cast Douse in Hellfire, damage can't be prevented this turn.
The Ashen Lord's fiery breath burns both body and soul.
Mirage Cavalier 2RR
Creature — Human Knight (R)
Martyrdom 1 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
Whenever you martyr a creature, you may pay R. If you do, create a token that's a copy of that creature and is tapped and attacking. Exile that token at end of combat.
3/3
Thundermind Oracle 4RR
Creature — Giant Shaman (R)
This spell costs 3 less to cast if there are four or more instant and/or sorcery cards in your graveyard.
Whenever you spellstitch onto a spell, copy that spell. (You may choose new targets for the copy.)
It is said that the giants taught Lady Anara the secrets of flame and thunder, which the Ashen Lord could not defile.
3/3
Sorcery (M)
Exile the top eight cards of your library. For each instant and sorcery card with converted mana cost 8 or less among them, you may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Exile Carius' Desperation.
Feral as Garruk was, he knew facing both Vissalia's unwavering advance and the whirlwind of flame and force Carius had just unleashed was a bad idea.
[Story Spotlight 4/5]
Zilraugir, Darkhunter Dragon 3RRR
Legendary Creature — Dragon (M)
Flying, haste
At the beginning of your postcombat main phase, add R equal to the total power of all creatures that attacked this turn.
Few of Azgol's ancient dragons remain. Those who survived the Ashen Lord's purge are proud, solitary creatures, owing allegiance to none and laying claim to all before them with claw and flame.
4/4
Creature — Spider (C)
Reach (This creature can block creatures with flying.)
3/3
Arachnoid Snare 1G
Instant (C)
Untap target creature. It gets +1/+4 and gains reach until end of turn.
Audacious Maneuver 2G
Instant (C)
Target creature you control gets +1/+1 until end of turn. It then fights another target creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
Though relatively few in number, the fighting men and women of Anorleth know many ways to even the odds against the Ashen Lord's armies.
Bloodsop Vines G
Creature — Plant (C)
Defender (This creature can't attack.)
Whenever a -1/-1 counter is put on a creature, you gain 1 life.
It grows best on old battlefields, where there are plenty of corpses to nourish it.
0/3
Bristleback Swine 3G
Creature — Boar (C)
When Bristleback Swine dies, you gain 4 life.
An Azgolan boar that avoids dying from predators, disease, and hungry hunters can live for over three decades.
3/3
Darkthicket Wolf 1G
Creature — Wolf (C)
2G: Darkthicket Wolf gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Activate this ability only once each turn.
"No nobility is left in the beasts of the wild— only hunger and hate."
—Orsek, wandering herbalist
2/2
Dregwater Elemental 3G
Creature — Elemental (C)
When Dregwater Elemental enters the battlefield, return target land card from your graveyard to your hand.
The corpses of men and beasts have turned the once-clear waters of the Surbeni River into a murky soup of putrefaction.
2/4
Dulendin Woodwurm 5GG
Creature — Wurm (C)
Dulendin Woodwurm can't be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less.
The wurms of the Dulendin Forest make their nests in the deepest places of the wood, where the trees grow so thick they hide the path ahead... as well as their titanic bulk.
7/7
Ephemeral Bloom 1G
Sorcery (C)
Reveal the top five cards of your library. You may put a creature card or a land card from among them into your hand. Put the rest into your graveyard.
Frostborn Raider 2G
Creature — Human Barbarian (C)
As long as you control a Ruins or a Ruins card is in your graveyard, Frostborn Raider gets +1/+0 and has trample.
The Frozen Expanse is full of the remains of holdfasts and fortresses, their shattered hulks protruding from the endless ice sheet like jagged teeth. The few people that dwell here are hardy, ruthless, and unafraid of death.
3/2
Gloombark Elder 3G
Creature — Treefolk (C)
Gloombark Elder gets +2/+1 as long as you control a creature with a -1/-1 counter on it.
"The trees remember a time before this age of dust and flame. They remember, young crusader... and they hate."
—Maurwis, hag of Dulendin Forest
2/4
Poignant Silence G
Instant (C)
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn.
Draw a card.
Prowling Basilisk 2G
Creature — Basilisk (C)
Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
2/2
Ravening Wolfpack 4G
Creature — Wolf Horror (C)
"I know the beasts of the Dulendin Forest often stray by our walls. I've downed several of them this way. But a pack of this size has never approached Anorleth... unless something—no, someone— commanded them."
—Vissalia Verov
5/4
Reclusive Herbalist 2G
Creature — Human Druid (C)
When Reclusive Herbalist enters the battlefield, remove a -1/-1 counter from target creature you control.
2/3
Renewed Vitality 3G
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
When Renewed Vitality enters the battlefield, remove a -1/-1 counter from enchanted creature.
Enchanted creature gets +3/+3.
Ruinskulker Crone G
Creature — Hag Druid (C)
When Ruinskulker Crone enters the battlefield, search your library for a basic land card or Ruins card, reveal it, then shuffle your library and put it on top.
"The path through this forest is long and dangerous, especially at this hour. I can give you shelter for the night, should you seek it."
0/2
Shed Weakness G
Instant (C)
Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Remove a -1/-1 counter from it.
Sprouting Hope 2G
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant land
Whenever you tap enchanted land for mana, add G and gain 1 life (in addition to the mana that land produces).
Terrace Tender 1G
Creature — Human (C)
T: Untap target basic land.
Put a -1/-1 counter on Terrace Tender: Untap Terrace Tender.
With most of the land outside the Sanctum Walls either overrun or barren, Anorleth grows crops within its walls in earthen terraces which are cared for by those too young, too old or too badly hurt to fight.
0/2
Thunderstride Ancient 4GG
Creature — Giant (C)
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
The giants of Azgol are embodiments of untamed power that strode the plane eons before the Ashen Lord arrived.
5/5
Wanderer of the Expanse 2G
Creature — Elemental (C)
When Wanderer of the Expanse enters the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you control.
It brings the deathly chill of winter wherever it goes.
3/4
Wizened Hoarder 1G
Creature — Hag (C)
When Wizened Hoarder dies, draw a card.
She adds bones, trinkets and scrolls to her stash, mementos from a time before the age of endless ash and misery.
1/3
Enchantment — Aura (U)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +3/+3.
When enchanted creature dies, create a 3/3 green Beast creature token.
Corrosive Hex 2G
Instant (U)
Destroy target artifact or enchantment. If it's attached to a creature, put a -1/-1 counter on that creature.
Adherents of the Quiet Dark's philosophy reject any form of attachment and have no qualms about forcing others to abandon theirs.
Delver of Dead Cities 2GG
Creature — Beast (U)
Whenever a creature you control with a -1/-1 counter on it dies, draw a card.
The deeper one goes into the Bleak Swath, the more twisted the inhabitants grow.
2/4
Drawn from Bones 2G
Sorcery (U)
Put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard, then put another two cards from your graveyard on top of your library.
Feral Brambleclaw 2G
Creature — Plant Beast (U)
When Feral Brambleclaw enters the battlefield, put two -1/-1 counters on target creature you control.
Whenever a -1/-1 counter is put on Feral Brambleclaw, remove a -1/-1 counter from another target creature you control.
Even though corruption suffuses the very earth of Azgol, untainted life finds a way to thrive.
5/4
Naga Frontliner 3G
Creature — Naga Warrior (U)
Whenever a -1/-1 counter is put on Naga Frontliner, create a 2/2 blue Naga creature token.
Yshariq sent out a force of naga to seek knowledge of the lands beyond. Many of them returned scarred and haunted... but they came with converts in tow.
3/3
Oracle of Mist 4G
Creature — Giant Druid (U)
When Oracle of Mist enters the battlefield, draw a card.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)
3/2
Savant of the Coils 1GG
Creature — Naga Wizard (U)
When Savant of the Coils enters the battlefield, for each kind of counter on target permanent, put another counter of that kind on it or remove one from it.
To stave off death, the archmage Yshariq transformed himself into the first naga. His students seek to achieve the same level of mastery over life.
3/3
Sepulchral Delvings 5G
Sorcery (U)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Search your library for two basic land cards and put them onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library.
Shackled Brute 1G
Creature — Beast (U)
When Shackled Brute enters the battlefield, put three -1/-1 counters on target creature you control.
Whenever a creature you control attacks, remove a -1/-1 counter from Shackled Brute.
4/4
Stalker of the Swath 1GG
Creature — Insect (U)
Stalker of the Swath's power is equal to the number of creature cards in your graveyard.
Sacrifice a creature: Stalker of the Swath gains trample until end of turn.
"They are not made of flesh, bone, or spirit. They are hunger incarnate, and they will never, ever stop until the last one of us dies."
—Markus Kurar, knight-exorcist
*/3
Vengeance of the Ancients 3G
Enchantment (U)
At the beginning of combat on your turn, target creature you control gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of creature cards in your graveyard.
Creature — Naga Warrior (R)
Trample (This creature can deal excess combat damage to defending player or planeswalker while attacking.)
Callous Disciple gets +2/+2 for each creature you control with a -1/-1 counter on it.
One unpleasant trait of Yshariq his disciples often emulate is a lack of empathy, both for outsiders and for their own kind.
1/1
Channeler Initiate 1G
Creature — Human Druid (R)
When Channeler Initiate enters the battlefield, put three -1/-1 counters on target creature you control.
T, Remove a -1/-1 counter from Channeler Initiate: Add one mana of any color.
"The firstborn children of leaf and stone taught us to draw power from pain."
—Mirud, hierodule of the Quiet Dark
3/4
Primordial Sacrament 2GG
Enchantment (R)
G, Sacrifice a creature: You draw X cards and gain X life, where X is the sacrificed creature's power.
Both the Cult of the Quiet Dark and the tribes of Crennoc Vale eat the flesh of their kills: the former to give both killer and killed the chance to reincarnate into a better life, the latter to gain the strength and wisdom of the slain.
To Distant Lands 4G
Sorcery (R)
Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal X land cards, where X is the number of land cards in your graveyard. Put the revealed cards onto the battlefield tapped and the rest into your graveyard.
"If what I'm looking for can be found in this Lone Tower... it would make all that I've gone through worth it."
—Carius Peregrin
[Story Spotlight 5/5]
Undulating Progenitor 3G
Creature — Naga Horror (R)
Whenever Undulating Progenitor deals combat damage to a player, you may put a -1/-1 counter on it. If you do, put a creature card from your hand onto the battlefield.
Return another creature you control to its owner's hand: Remove a -1/-1 counter from Undulating Progenitor.
2/4
Vindictive Elderbark 3GG
Creature — Treefolk (R)
Whenever a creature you control with a -1/-1 counter on it dies, choose one—
• Destroy target artifact, enchantment, or land.
• Target creature fights another target creature. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)
• Create a 3/3 green Beast creature token.
5/3
Sorcery (M)
Search your library for any number of creature cards with total converted mana cost 6 or less, reveal them and put them into your hand, then shuffle your library. Until end of turn, creature spells you cast cost 1 less to cast. Exile Gather the Chosen.
Mockery of Predation 6GGG
Creature — Beast Horror (M)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Other creatures you control with counters on them have base power and toughness 7/7 and are Beast Horrors in addition to their other types.
Whatever it once was before Azgol's evil touched it, it now only seeks to make all life as twisted and odious as itself.
7/7
Creature — Human Wizard (U)
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Whenever you spellstitch onto a spell, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
2/2
Ashsworn Templar 1BR
Creature — Human Soldier (U)
Haste (This creature can attack and T as soon as it comes under your control.)
Sacrifice a creature: Creatures you control get +2/+0 until end of turn. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery and only once each turn.
"The Ashen Lord cares not whose blood it is that flows, only that we spill it in his name."
3/2
Fading-Light Crusader 2GW
Creature — Human Knight (U)
Whenever Fading-Light Crusader attacks, remove a -1/-1 counter from each creature you control.
Despairing hearts soar and weary limbs lift as he raises his sword and shouts "The dawn will come again!"
4/4
Flames of Fanaticism 1RW
Enchantment (U)
Nontoken creatures you control have martyrdom 1. (Multiple instances of martyrdom are cumulative.)
Whenever one or more martyred creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, create a 3/2 red Elemental creature token.
"Belief is a potent force. Shame it seems to be misused so often."
—Carius Peregrin
Foulbrew Virago BG
Creature — Hag Shaman (U)
2, T: Target creature you control gets +4/+4 until end of turn. Put a -1/-1 counter on it at the beginning of the next end step.
The potion they make tastes foul, but its potency cannot be denied.
2/2
Gristle Glutton 3RG
Creature — Ogre Barbarian (U)
When Gristle Glutton enters the battlefield, you may return target permanent card from your graveyard to your hand. If you returned a creature card to your hand this way, Gristle Glutton deals damage to target creature or planeswalker equal to that creature's converted mana cost.
To the ogres of Bonebridge Crags, a grave is a meal, and a fallen army is a feast.
3/3
Malignant Hexcaster 3UB
Creature — Azra Wizard (U)
Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
Whenever a creature you control attacks, you may move a -1/-1 counter from it onto a creature you don't control.
"If the city of Yhavara sank into the ocean one day, we would all be spared much grief."
—Markus Kurar, knight-exorcist
1/4
Messenger of Yshariq 1GU
Creature — Naga Shaman (U)
Other Nagas you control get +1/+1.
Whenever another Naga enters the battlefield under your control, scry 1.
"Shed your mortal shell, and embrace the Serpentfather's blessing."
2/2
Ossuary Priest 1WB
Creature — Skeleton Cleric (U)
Creature tokens you control have vigilance.
1WB, T, Exile target creature card from your graveyard: Create a tapped 2/2 black Zombie creature token.
"Fear not the dark, for its gifts shall sustain us all."
2/2
Sage of the Silent Fane 2WU
Creature — Giant Spirit (U)
Vigilance
Spells your opponents control that target enchanted and equipped creatures you control cost 1 more to cast.
"My path is guided by the pure light of the soul."
3/3
Legendary Creature — Dwarf Cleric (R)
Lifelink
At the beginning of each opponent's end step, if that player was dealt combat damage this turn, Daruum, Palesun Prophet deals damage to them equal to the number of cards in their hand.
1, Sacrifice a creature or discard a card: Daruum deals 1 damage to any target.
1/3
Yshariq, the Serpentfather 3GU
Legendary Creature — Naga Wizard (R)
1GU: For each kind of counter on target permanent, put another counter of that kind or remove one from target permanent.
Whenever one or more counters are put on a permanent you control, draw a card and untap that permanent.
3/4
Legendary Planeswalker — Carius (M)
Starting Loyalty: 3
+1: Draw a card, then discard a card. Scry 1.
-3: Carius Peregrin deals damage to any target equal to the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard.
-9: Return all noncreature, nonland cards from your graveyard to your hand. You get an emblem with "You may cast noncreature spells from your hand without paying their mana costs."
Garruk, Corrupted Hunter 4BG
Legendary Planeswalker — Garruk (M)
Starting Loyalty: 4
+1: Distribute two -1/-1 counters among any number of creatures.
-3: Create a 3/3 black and green Beast Horror creature token for each creature card in your graveyard.
-9: You get an emblem with "Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you don't control. Then that creature fights another target creature."
Tomorrow I'll upload the last part of the spoiler, artifacts and lands. Comments are, once again, appreciated.
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Club Flamingo Wins: 10
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EDH Decks
BG Vicious Varolz | RW Jor Kadeen, the Mean Machine | RG Atarka: Muh_Dragons.dec (WIP) | WU Brago, Blink Eternal (WIP)
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I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Artifact Creature — Construct (C)
When Automated Archivist dies, draw a card.
1/2
Faithbound Wall 3
Artifact Creature — Wall (C)
Reach
3: Faithbound Wall gains indestructible until end of turn.
0/4
Luminous Mindstone 3
Artifact (C)
T: Add C.
T, Sacrifice Luminous Mindstone: Draw a card.
Tarnished Shield 0
Artifact — Equipment (C)
Equipped creature gets +0/+3 and has vigilance.
Equip 3 (3: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)
"You can keep your filigree and fancy coats of arms. I'd rather have a strong, stout piece of oak any day."
Traveler's Amulet* 1
Artifact (C)
1, Sacrifice Traveler's Amulet: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Worn Longsword 2
Artifact — Equipment (C)
Equipped creature gets +2/+0.
Equip 2 (2: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)
Though its blade is scratched and blackened by soot, it's still sharp enough to cleave through flesh and bone.
Artifact (U)
If an instant or sorcery would deal damage to you, prevent 1 of that damage.
Whenever a creature attacks you, it gets -1/-0 until end of turn.
Bloodrite Implement 3
Artifact (U)
Equipped creature gets +1/+2 and has lifelink.
Equip 3
Equip Cleric 1
Once a simple dirk, its constant use in foul rituals has given it a taste for living flesh.
Clockwork Haruspex 3
Artifact Creature — Golem (U)
When Clockwork Haruspex enters the battlefield, put two -1/-1 counters on target creature you control.
T, Remove a -1/-1 counter from a creature you control: Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.)
3/3
Consecrated Gravestone 2
Artifact (U)
T: Exile target card in a graveyard.
2, T, Sacrifice Consecrated Gravestone: Exile all cards in all opponents’ graveyards.
Hexbinder's Seal 2
Artifact (U)
When Hexbinder's Seal enters the battlefield or is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.
4, T, Sacrifice Hexbinder's Seal: Draw a card.
Talisman of Protection 1
Artifact (U)
Sacrifice Talisman of Protection: Target creature gains persist until end of turn.
Artifact Creature — Golem (R)
Corruption (Each creature you corrupt by putting one -1/-1 counter on it while casting this spell pays for 1.)
As long as a creature you control with flying has a counter on it, Ashgraven Sentinel has flying. The same is true for first strike, double strike, deathtouch, haste, hexproof, indestructible, lifelink, menace, prowess, reach, trample, and vigilance.
6/6
Banner of Unconquered Will 4
Artifact — Equipment (R)
Equipped creature has trample and first strike.
Whenever equipped creature attacks, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each other attacking creature you control.
Equip 3
Sanguinary Font 6
Artifact (R)
Sanguinary Font enters the battlefield tapped with X charge counters on it, where X is the number of creature cards in your graveyard.
T, Remove any number of charge counters from Sanguinary Font: Add one mana of any color for each charge counter removed this way.
The intricate scrollwork on the cup has long since been obscured under a thick coating of dried blood.
Legendary Artifact (M)
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, put a charge counter on Staff of the Nameless Walker.
3, T: Staff of the Nameless Walker deals X damage to target creature or planeswalker, where X is the number of charge counters on Staff of the Nameless Walker.
5, T: Draw a card for each charge counter on Staff of the Nameless Walker, then discard that many cards.
Land — Ruins (C)
When Abandoned Watchtower enters the battlefield, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.)
T: Add C.
Remnants of a time before the Age of Ash.
Cinder Barrens
Land (C)
Cinder Barrens enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add B or R
Evolving Wilds*
Land (C)
T, Sacrifice Evolving Wilds: Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.
Meandering River
Land (C)
Meandering River enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add W or U.
Pure, cold water from melting glaciers in the Frozen Expanse flows to Anorleth from hidden channels in the bedrock. This water is then drawn from several wells within the city.
Submerged Boneyard
Land (C)
Submerged Boneyard enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add U or B.
Temple to the Solanari
Land — Ruins (C)
Whenever a Ruins enters the battlefield under your control, you gain 1 life.
T: Add C.
Six centuries have passed since its building, and yet the relentless tides of ash and flame have not marred it or the patch of earth on which it stands.
Timber Gorge
Land (C)
Timber Gorge enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add R or G.
The land where the Vargren tribes live is a nightmare of jagged rocks and tangled vines stretching over crevices filled with the rotting trunks of trees.
Tranquil Expanse
Land (C)
Tranquil Expanse enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add G or W.
Upon a lonely mound in the middle of a field of white flowers stands a pile of rusted arms and armor, marking the spot where ten thousand soldiers fell fighting against the Ashen Lord and his minions.
Travelers' Encampment
Land — Ruins (C)
T: Add C.
1, T: Add one mana of any color.
Untended Graves
Land — Ruins (C)
T: Add C.
3, T, Sacrifice Untended Graves: Create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Those who fail to perform the rites of burial soon follow the dead into the grave.
Land — Ruins (U)
T: Add C.
T, Pay 1 life: Add B.
3BB, T, Sacrifice a Ruins: Each player sacrifices a creature. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Endangered Orchard
Land — Ruins (U)
T: Add C.
T, Pay 1 life: Add G.
1GG, T, Sacrifice a Ruins: Remove a -1/-1 counter from target creature. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Grasping Corpsefields
Land — Ruins (U)
T: Add C.
1, T, Sacrifice Grasping Corpsefields: Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Infernal Palace
Land — Ruins (U)
T: Add C.
T, Pay 1 life: Add R.
1RR, T, Sacrifice a Ruins: Creatures you control get +1/+0 and gain haste until end of turn.
Ransacked Athenaeum
Land — Ruins (U)
T: Add C.
T, Pay 1 life: Add U.
1U, T, Sacrifice a Ruins: Scry 2. (Look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order.)
Secluded Holdfast
Land — Ruins (U)
T: Add C.
T, Pay 1 life: Add W.
2WW, T, Sacrifice a Ruins: Create two 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Many such fortresses dot the outer rim of the Dead Marches, occupied by petty lords and expeditions from the two Crusader Kingdoms.
Legendary Land — Ruins (R)
T: Add C.
4, T, Exile a card in your graveyard: Draw a card. If you exiled a Ruins card this way, draw another card.
Festering Fen
Land (R)
As Festering Fen enters the battlefield, you may reveal a Swamp card or a Forest card from your hand. If you don't, Festering Fen enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add B or G.
Misty Woodlands
Land (R)
As Misty Woodlands enters the battlefield, you may reveal a Forest card or an Island card from your hand. If you don't, Misty Woodlands enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add G or U.
Profaned Citadel
Land (R)
As Profaned Citadel enters the battlefield, you may reveal a Plains card or a Swamp card from your hand. If you don't, Profaned Citadel enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add W or B.
Sunscorched Crags
Land (R)
As Sunscorched Crags enters the battlefield, you may reveal a Mountain card or a Plains card from your hand. If you don't, Sunscorched Crags enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add R or W.
Thermal Crevasse
Land (R)
As Thermal Crevasse enters the battlefield, you may reveal an Island card or a Mountain card from your hand. If you don't, Thermal Crevasse enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add U or R.
Such warmth these cracks give off is treasured among those who live in and travel through the Frozen Expanse.
And that's all the cards I have for this set. But it's not the final listing, as things may change.
----------------------------
Club Flamingo Wins: 10
----------------------------
EDH Decks
BG Vicious Varolz | RW Jor Kadeen, the Mean Machine | RG Atarka: Muh_Dragons.dec (WIP) | WU Brago, Blink Eternal (WIP)
----------------------------
----------------------------
Club Flamingo Wins: 10
----------------------------
EDH Decks
BG Vicious Varolz | RW Jor Kadeen, the Mean Machine | RG Atarka: Muh_Dragons.dec (WIP) | WU Brago, Blink Eternal (WIP)
----------------------------
Attended Knight - A good reprint in almost any context - you can't go wrong with this one in Limited - but I notice how inconsistently you makr your reprints. I'd just take out all of the asterisks.
Beatific Anchorite - Doomed Traveler variant. Good Limited weenie, maybe with Constructed Humans.dek applications. Fine.
Courier Griffin - 'nother reprint, and just as acceptable.
Crusaders' Calling - Definitely pushing a tokens theme hard here, aren't we? Also quite a bit of lifegain-as-"cantrips" here. Nothing wrong with either thing, and there obviously is a token Limited archetype you want, but without a lifegain theme it can get to be a bit much.
Darkflight Guide - I keep thinking this effect is usually blue but I guess it's split between white and blue. Good flavor.
Dauntless Novice - Fine; good Limited one-drop.
Enduring Devotee - A little niche, but okay. I think the amount of -1/-1 counter removing you have in white is a problem, and I'll get to that later.
Eternal Repose - This could be an instant, couldn't it? "Permanent card" is a little odd but does make flavor sense.
Grim Tombguard - Love this one. Perfect flavor, gameplay, and execution.
Harried Healer - More lifegain, this time as a "pure" effect. I do wish this prevented damage (to creatures, or to creatures/players/planeswalkers) instead.
Hollow Vanity - Instant Solemn Offering is fine, but again with the life-trips?
Irthaill Refugee - Fine, Pillarfield Ox is always okay.
Litany of War - +2/+1 in white has always bothered me a bit but this is okay. Random Cleric tribal is puzzling but I guess there are enough Clerics in the set...
Luminous Bonds - Eugh. Couldn't this be Pacifism?
Martyr's Endurance - This is, at least lately, a black effect, but okay.
Mausoleum Guardian - Fine as a mid-pick Limited beater. Needs flavor text.
Mighty Leap - This card is a Limited staple by now. Decent.
Palethread Wings - Another confusingly black-feeling card, but I guess in this context white is okay. Anyway, I'm glad for the relative Aura density if that's a minor theme.
Sanctum Frontliner - Very nice; Holy Strength is exactly the white possess common I'd be looking for.
Searing Rebuke - Finally some solid removal! This is pretty much a Limited necessity.
Spectral Penitent - This card does not at all need to exist in this set, what with being the only lifegain trigger in white (and maybe in the whole set?) and removing -1/-1 counters much less efficiently than many other cards do. Scrap this for something that can prop up one of your Limited themes.
Templar of the Silent Fane - Hey, I like Armored Warhorse too.
Wayward Pardoner - More Aura theme I suppose; fine, but I wish there were more and better targets at higher rarities in white.
Wickedness' Reward - Awkward name but fine removal.
Anorleth Veteran - I have a special place in my heart for Savannah Lions with minor, trinkety upsides. This works great.
Faith Unbroken - ETB-bonus Auras are a good thing to have. Wish there were more of them here.
Hellhunter Gargoyle - This feels like a rare, but I don't think it's unacceptable at uncommon. Absolute Limited boss.
Irontorch Exemplar - Love this one, except for the strange combat math where its toughness goes up and down; it may be hard to keep track of whether this lives or dies sometimes. Still, getting two tokens back for martyring is genius.
Light of the Iron Torch - More -1/-1 counter removing, but this is how it should usually be executed imo; not that you want it that dense, because if it's a theme of the set, you want those counters to often or usually stay on creatures, tbh.
Memento of the Blessed - Runic Repetition, sorta! I like.
Mountainhome Avenger - The bizarre use of a defunct mechanic in the name aside, this is good and potentially crazy strong in Limited.
Purge the Unclean - The exile clause is a bit niche, isn't it? In Limited it seems like the only real time it would be relevant would be against a possess creature with a -1/-1 counter on it, which is too specific.
Rally the Pious - Flourishing Defenses: White Edition seems fine. Not the most efficient, which is good in this case.
Scourgebearer Thrull - Sure. Limited star at its slot.
Veiled Savior - This, too, feels like a rare, save for that at rare it'd cost 1 less. Anyhow, I do like Archons.
Zealous Orator - And this one too! Seems like you messed up putting in the rarity; if this really were common I would be concerned about the Limited stuff in the set.
Avenger of the Solanari - Requisite Limited-bomb rare. I feel like this may play too similarly to the Gargoyle.
Invoke the Pale Sun - Counter removal is, once again, a black effect, but Solemnity suggests this might be okay pie-wise. In terms of power it's hardly the best wrath ever but has plenty of applications.
Palesun Judicator - When is anyone ever going to choose not to get the -1/-1 counter and tap the creature rather than exile it? 99 times out of 100 the exile is never going to be a factor. Instead of tapping the creature I'd have the -1/-1 counter choice incur a bonus for you, so there's an actual modality here.
Radvin, Steward of Anorleth - Interesting, reminds me a bit of a Fanatical Devotion throwback. I feel like 1WW is a better cost, although it does support a two-color Limited theme, so low colored mana requirement might be good too.
Vissalia's Intervention - It feels like this card is stuck between two versions of itself because it doesn't fully work as worded. Update it to what you want it to actually do and I'll get back to you.
Wightslayer Paladin - Why can this not sacrifice Equipments attached to itself? I keep thinking the Aura theme is underrepresented in white and then I remember possess. Even so, maybe there needs to be more than three white cards with possess for it to be a Limited theme?
Seraph of the Fading Dawn - I feel like there's not enough ETB/LTB effects in white in this set for this card to really justifiably be here.
Vissalia Verov - +1 needs to be "up to one target creature" and even then is quite weak. I like emblems, particularly stackable ones, in minus abilities, even though there's some tracking complexity there. Ultimate is pretty ultimate and obviously rewards go-wide. Just tinker with this one a bit more.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Harried Healer-- The original design did have the damage prevention, but I was concerned that the added lines of text might cause it to be red-flagged.
Hollow Vanity-- Ran out of effects to put on this one, so I just added lifegain to it. I'm open to changing the effect to something else.
Martyr's Endurance-- I figured since the RW archetype in this set is Martyrdom, support would be needed-- in other words, recursion.
Palethread Wings-- This one's meant to be a sac outlet for any deck that wants to run W/x decks with Persist stuff. Now that you mention it, though, it might be better off served as something with an ETB trigger.
Spectral Penitent-- Yeah, that one's something I don't mind dumping. I could probably just switch it to a Possess creature.
Irontorch Exemplar-- Maybe I could have it get +X/+X equal to the number of creatures you control so that combat math doesn't make it smaller. But then, would it work with martyrdom?
Avenger of the Solanari-- I could switch it or the Judicator out for a big, splashy ETB Aura, to be honest.
Vissalia's Intervention-- The intent here is to match your opponent's biggest creature with a smaller horde of tokens, and/or deal damage to it if it's attacking. I'm not sure how it doesn't work, or how to word it so that it works.
----------------------------
Club Flamingo Wins: 10
----------------------------
EDH Decks
BG Vicious Varolz | RW Jor Kadeen, the Mean Machine | RG Atarka: Muh_Dragons.dec (WIP) | WU Brago, Blink Eternal (WIP)
----------------------------
"Create X 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens, where X is the power of target creature an opponent controls. If that creature is attacking, Vissalia's Intervention deals damage to it equal to the number of creatures you control."
Also, to fully fix Irontorch Exemplar I'd give it three abilities: "At the beginning of each upkeep, Irontorch Exemplar gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each creature you control," "Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, Irontorch Exemplar gets +1/+1 until end of turn," and the token-making. This is slightly inelegant to read but better for functionality.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
That does look better: I'll fix it.
That's a good idea, but maybe it'd be better off as just a flat +1/+1 boost? Like so:
Irontorch Exemplar 3WW
Creature-- Human Knight [U]
Irontorch Exemplar gets +1/+1 for each other creature you control.
Whenever you martyr a creature, create two 1/1 white Cleric creature tokens.
2/2
----------------------------
Club Flamingo Wins: 10
----------------------------
EDH Decks
BG Vicious Varolz | RW Jor Kadeen, the Mean Machine | RG Atarka: Muh_Dragons.dec (WIP) | WU Brago, Blink Eternal (WIP)
----------------------------
Replaced Luminous Bonds with Believer's Chains
Removed lifegain from Crusader's Call: probably should switch it to uncommon
Hellhunter Gargoyle is now 3/2, flying, first strike
Increased cost of Irontorch Exemplar to 3WW, made it a 2/2, and changed its 1st ability
Changed Eternal Repose to instant
Changed Palesun Judicator's effect
Changed Spectral Penitent to Torchbound Wight
Changed Vissalia Verov's 1st ability to "Up to two target creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain vigilance until end of turn. Untap those creatures."
Changed Word of Expulsion's effect
Increased Swathborn Hellion's P/T from 5/2 to 5/3
Changed Zilraugir, Darkhunter Dragon's effect and increased its cost from 2RRR to 3RRR
Removed persist from Delver of Dead Cities
Changed Carius Peregrin's ultimate to "Return all noncreature, nonland cards from your graveyard to your hand. You get an emblem with 'You may cast noncreature spells from your hand without paying their mana costs.'"
Added Consecrated Gravestone to artifacts
Instant (C)
Destroy target artifact or enchantment. You gain 4 life.
"Don't talk to me of delays, pontiff! While the Ashen Lord's servants marshal their strength, you waste time gilding your weapons and bestowing useless titles on each other!"
—”Tirian Craedus, knight-exorcist
Spectral Penitent 4W
Creature — Spirit (C)
Whenever you gain life, remove a -1/-1 counter from target creature you control.
"The Order of the Iron Torch claims to hold dominion over unquiet souls without being corrupted—and they expect me to trust them?"
—Lord Steward Radvin
2/5
Mountainhome Avenger 1W
Creature — Dwarf Soldier (U)
Lifelink
Martyrdom 2 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
"Vengeance is all that is left to me now. Let it be enough for all of us!"
2/2
Purge the Unclean 1W
Instant (U)
Destroy target tapped creature. If it has a counter on it, exile it instead.
"We must be ever vigilant. The first signs of impurity come when we cease to watch for it."
—High Confessor Gelmiro of Draganric
Zealous Orator 2W
Creature — Human Cleric (U)
Martyrdom 1 (You may martyr this creature when it attacks. If you do, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
Whenever you martyr a creature, creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.
He practices what he preaches.
2/2
Palesun Judicator 4W
Creature — Giant Cleric (R)
Whenever Palesun Judicator attacks, exile target creature you don't control unless its controller puts a -1/-1 counter on it. If that player does, tap that creature.
Its gaze sears all that it touches, though the faithful see the pain as a sign of its favor.
3/4
Vissalia's Intervention 3W
Instant (R)
Choose a player. Create X 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens, where X is the highest power among creatures that player controls. If that creature is attacking, Vissalia's Intervention deals damage to it equal to the number of creatures you control.
"Begone, thrall of the Ashen Lord! Your master holds no power here!"
[Story Spotlight 1/5]
Word of Expulsion 3UU
Sorcery (R)
Return all tapped nonland permanents you don't control to their owner's hands.
Zilraugir, Darkhunter Dragon 2RRR
Legendary Creature — Dragon (M)
Flying, haste
Whenever Zilraugir, Darkhunter Dragon attacks, each other attacking creature you control gets +2/+0 until end of turn.
Few of Azgol's ancient dragons remain. Those who survived the Ashen Lord's purge are proud, solitary creatures, owing allegiance to none and laying claim to all before them with claw and flame.
4/4
----------------------------
Club Flamingo Wins: 10
----------------------------
EDH Decks
BG Vicious Varolz | RW Jor Kadeen, the Mean Machine | RG Atarka: Muh_Dragons.dec (WIP) | WU Brago, Blink Eternal (WIP)
----------------------------
Changed Palesun Judicator's effect again
Changed effect of Word of Expulsion and renamed it Writ of Expulsion
Effect of Magistrix of the Archives and Wretched Painsuckler changed
Lowered Oracle of Mist to 3/2
----------------------------
Club Flamingo Wins: 10
----------------------------
EDH Decks
BG Vicious Varolz | RW Jor Kadeen, the Mean Machine | RG Atarka: Muh_Dragons.dec (WIP) | WU Brago, Blink Eternal (WIP)
----------------------------
'Dark fantasy' is an interesting line, but it does sound considerably like Innistrad. What will make it different? You've given us 'ominousness' which sounds like Innistrad, and 'power at a price' which doesn't particularly sound like Innistrad, but it doesn't particularly sound like NOT Innistrad either.
MECHANICS REVIEW
First of all, you have five mechanics, which is a little on the high end, and I feel like you could probably cut down to four.
Martyrdom
This seems too dangerous to me. Frenzy has yet to see the light of day because of development reasons. This seems worse. It's just going to be used to beat down your opponent in like, two turns, a lot. And you're going to have to balance around that. Which will make the mechanic pretty unfun.
Also, martyrdom doesn't feel like a great name for this. Martyrdom feels more like it should be a little more defensive or value based rather than so very aggressive, which seems more frenzied and berserk-y.
Corruption
Yeah, this is pretty good.
Not much to say here.
Possess
Nice bestow/unearth combo.
Spellstich
I'm not entirely convinced this isn't just a worse version of flashback. Why do we want this mechanic over flashback? It's more conditional, which can be used to good effect, but makes it more complicated and potentially annoying.
Hmmmm...
Persist
Having a mechanic that specifically doesn't want -1/-1 creatures on your creatures in a set with a mechanic that uses putting -1/-1 counters on your creatures as a cost seems problematic to me. It's not going to feel great to be pressured into corrupting one of your persist creatures to cast a key spell, then having the persist creature die before you can find a way to remove the -1/-1 counter. Obviously, you can try and separate the mechanics by colour and strategy, but in limited and casual at least, they will inevitably end up together often anyway.
Otherwise, this a good include I think.
RUNIN: Norse mythology set (awaiting further playtesting)
FATE of ALARA: Multicolour factions (currently on hiatus)
Contibutor to the Pyrulea community set
I'm here to tell you that all your set mechanics are bad
#Defundthepolice
The difference, as I see it, is that in Innistrad, the horror and ominousness slowly build up to an explosive finish-- the "scare", if you will. In Azgol, on the other hand, it's a slow descent into darkness where the horror is in the journey, seeing how things decay and become corrupted. Hence the use of -1/-1 counters instead of +1/+1 counters.
At this point, nothing's set in stone, so cutting down to 4 mechanics is certainly a possibility. It might make it even easier for me to design cards, because I want to fit enough enablers for all archetypes in this set.
I'm not sure what's so dangerous about Martyrdom, since it doesn't trigger when it isn't blocked. You can still block it and not take any damage unless the opponent has the guy that gives martyred creatures trample. I could remove the power boost, but that hews a bit close to the Dark Souls set I've seen on PlaneSculptors, and I don't want to take too much inspiration from other people's custom sets.
Also, I think it does fit the name. A creature with Martyrdom charges into battle, attacking without regard for their safety and not expecting to live through it.
Spellstitch is supposed to be Splice from the graveyard, though maybe making it something like "As you cast an instant or sorcery spell that costs more than this, you may exile a single card with spellstitch from your graveyard..." would set it apart.
The Corrupt/Persist nonbo has been noted by people I've spoken to in the Custom Magic Discord, and I agree with them. It does feel bad to put counters on your Persist creature and make it not come back. This is a situation where I may have to cut one or the other, as much as it pains me. Right now, I'm toying with replacing Persist with Exploit, to further underline the ruthlessness and "power at a price" flavor of Azgol.
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Club Flamingo Wins: 10
----------------------------
EDH Decks
BG Vicious Varolz | RW Jor Kadeen, the Mean Machine | RG Atarka: Muh_Dragons.dec (WIP) | WU Brago, Blink Eternal (WIP)
----------------------------
That sounds a little less ominous and more twisted and devious as a gameplay tone. Ominousness comes from the anticipation of something going to happen.
You can still block frenzy creatures too. The problem is it's a mechanic that's inherently very suitable for bursting down your opponent.
All creative projects are full of ideas from other things. You're making an unofficial set for an existing game. I wouldn't worry about that too much if I where you.
Also, something I realised about martyrdom is you can easily bounce or flicker the martyrdom creature to stop it dying at the end of turn. I don't think that's actually so bad, but you may want to change the timing to end of combat to make that just a little harder to do.
'Martyrdom' doesn't make me think 'suicidal charge'. It fit, but I don't think it's the most evocative name, because martyrdom has a lot to do with religious conflict, and not suicidal tactics. It also doesn't sound very dark either.
I'm more worried about the similarity to flashback than splice.
Other returning mechanics I think could fit flavourfully:
Shadow
Delve
Poison
Wither
Proliferate
Morbid
Delirium
Revolt
RUNIN: Norse mythology set (awaiting further playtesting)
FATE of ALARA: Multicolour factions (currently on hiatus)
Contibutor to the Pyrulea community set
I'm here to tell you that all your set mechanics are bad
#Defundthepolice
"Twisted" puts me more in mind of Lorwyn/Shadowmoor, whereas Azgol is more inspired by The Silmarillion and the Dark Souls series of games. But that is a good point.
I know, but taking the keyword verbatim rubs me the wrong way. That said, your suggestion makes sense to me.
Other ideas I have for a replacement are:
Incursion-- Whenever one or more creatures you control attack and aren't blocked, [do something].
-- The flavor is that the "good guys" are attacking and have achieved their goals unscathed.
Bloodied-- When this creature dies, if it was dealt damage this turn, [effect].
-- Going down fighting. Problem is ping effects from your side trigger it, and making it "combat damage only" makes it more complex. I could just borrow Honored from your set (with permission, of course), but that's not optimal to me.
I think we might be seeing different meanings in the word "Martyrdom", because that word, to me, has associations of heroic sacrifice. That said, I'll change it to Desperation and remove the power boost.
Desperation (You may have this creature become desperate as it attacks. If you do, sacrifice it at end of combat.)
So, Radvin now reads thus:
Radvin, Steward of Anorleth 2W
Legendary Creature-- Human Knight [R]
Desperation (You may have this creature become desperate as it attacks. If you do, sacrifice it at end of combat.)
Whenever a creature you control becomes desperate, untap all other attacking creatures you control. Those creatures gain indestructible until end of turn.
2/3
Hence why I proposed a fix:
Spellstitch (As you cast an instant or sorcery spell that costs more than this, you may exile this card from your graveyard. If you do, add its effects to that spell. Spellstitch only once per spell.)
Delve is kind of problematic since we're already running with one cost-reduction keyword, and the last time we tried Delve, it broke some things in older formats. I thought of using Proliferate, but I was concerned that it might punish people for playing Corruption spells. As it stands, I think I might go with Morbid, since it rewards you for things dying-- which will be often in this set. Not sure if that means I need to make some of my X/2 creatures X/1 instead.
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Club Flamingo Wins: 10
----------------------------
EDH Decks
BG Vicious Varolz | RW Jor Kadeen, the Mean Machine | RG Atarka: Muh_Dragons.dec (WIP) | WU Brago, Blink Eternal (WIP)
----------------------------
Is this mean to be a more brutal, corrupt and nefarious world? In the vein of something like Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire, for example?
Is it supposed to be a high fantasy world but the magical stuff is more dark and dangerous?
I just don't get that much of a feel here. And what I do get feels mostly like Innistrad still. The slow decay and corruption you describe is pretty fitting as a description of Shadows over Innistrad.
Does that actually work for your themes? It doesn't really click for me.
I don't think self triggering is a problem here. It's not very easy and low cost to do, so I see it more as a good thing allowing a little more build around options and reliability against decks that don't play much damaging cards of any card.
I would be happy to see you use Honored, but it would be better with a different name.
I think we might be seeing different meanings in the word "Martyrdom", because that word, to me, has associations of heroic sacrifice. [/quote]
The word's original meaning as far I can tell refers specifically to people be killed because of their religion, and the idea of heroic sacrifice comes from the common usage of people refusing to give up their religion despite threat of death.
Not a big fan of the name, especially how it reads in the rules text.
I would prefer you stuck to martyrdom. It works better if this mechanic is broader and not so purely aggressive, because of the passive nature of many real martyrs.
Wording for this would have to be 'with greater converted mana cost', which is not ideal in wordiness and complexity. I'm not a big fan of wording like 'spellstitch only once per spell', as it feels very developer and not like something you would put on a card for general fun gameplay.
Easy improvement is to tie Spellstitch to the card being cast not the card in the graveyard.
As in
Spellstitch (As you cast this spell, you may exile an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard with converted mana cost less than it. If you do, add that card's effects to this spell.)
This way the restriction fits in neatly and more subtly, and it's probably better for board complexity sake as you don't need to keep an eye on those spellstitch cards in the graveyard.
This does seem like a somewhat dangerous mechanic though, so I would put it high on the list of your mechanics that you might want to cut to reduce the number (not that you necessarily should cut down).
Morbid is a good mechanic and it fits that so works fine for me.
RUNIN: Norse mythology set (awaiting further playtesting)
FATE of ALARA: Multicolour factions (currently on hiatus)
Contibutor to the Pyrulea community set
I'm here to tell you that all your set mechanics are bad
#Defundthepolice
The third. Azgol is a high fantasy world that has been transformed into a post-apocalyptic nightmare ruled by worshipers of the Ashen Lord. The grand kingdoms of old are gone, and I want to convey the sense of a formerly-grand world in ruins that's being devoured by darkness, with only a few fighting to prevent it... and even they aren't as morally upstanding as they wish they were. Again, Dark Souls is the biggest influence.
What about my set design fails to convey this? I'm not sure what exactly it is that's not doing it.
Makes sense. I'll keep it as an option. And I'll switch back to Martyrdom for the time being, but without the power boost.
Isn't CMC a red flag at common? If it is, then maybe Spellstitch can be cut out and replaced with more Corruption spells.
Alright, then I'll use Morbid instead of Persist. That way, Corruption can really do its thing.
----------------------------
Club Flamingo Wins: 10
----------------------------
EDH Decks
BG Vicious Varolz | RW Jor Kadeen, the Mean Machine | RG Atarka: Muh_Dragons.dec (WIP) | WU Brago, Blink Eternal (WIP)
----------------------------
If it has a post apocalyptic vibe, you should highlight that. If it has more of an epic struggle, you should highlight that. That's different. A conquering, overwhelming darkness as opposed to Innistrad's creeping, pervasive darkness. Although, if you are going in that direction, you should be mindful of New Phyrexia and Eldritch Moon- by keeping away from anything too alien invasion, body horror or Lovecraft.
The problem with this as a theme is you haven't done very much to capture any unique sense of this particular theme in your mechanics. And by that I mean, you have Corruption, and everything else is more generic. Corruption captures more of this world because it plays into resources, which provide a sense of control in the game, and therefore creates a sense of the darkness gathering strength for the fight, and taking over. I would like if one or two of your other mechanics plays more into this space, especially your new mechanics.
I like how Possess utilises your creatures again- that element has vibe of desperate conflict, in the manner of 'always more use for the soldiers of the army of darkness'. But it's not very strong, simply because the focus is more on the cool thing your card can do rather than the resource element, which just makes it feel more purely darkness and horror flavoured.
Martyrdom portrays more of the good side, which is nice in creating more of a battle than Innistrad, but I wish it had more of a sense of a power struggle. Martyrdom is trying to be a desperate tactics mechanic, but I think it feels more daring and zealous than desperate.
Something I would look at is general game state based mechanics. Something that looks at cards in all graveyards, life totals, or lands. As well as mechanics that interact with counters like Corruption, or other economical mechanics like something with tapping or life payment.
EDIT:
Some mechanic suggestions to consider in life with my resources suggestion, names not particularly important:
Reverence- Whenever you pay life, (effect)
Reverence (v2)- Whenever you sacrifice a creature, (effect)
Decimation- If each player has 10 or less life, (effect)
Slaughter- If there are seven or more permanent cards amongst all graveyards, (effect)
RUNIN: Norse mythology set (awaiting further playtesting)
FATE of ALARA: Multicolour factions (currently on hiatus)
Contibutor to the Pyrulea community set
I'm here to tell you that all your set mechanics are bad
#Defundthepolice
"Conquering, overwhelming darkness"-- Yes! That's precisely what I'm gunning for. I'm keeping a few Horrors in the set, but they're not going to be very numerous, unlike in Eldritch Moon where a lot of creatures were also Eldrazi.
How would Possess be made to feel like a resource? As you said it yourself, it's a Bestow/Unearth combo, neither of which bring "resource" to mind.
Your "Honored" mechanic makes more sense, if that's the case.
I did have a mechanic in an older version of the set that was moved to Set 2 of Azgol block:
Encroach-- [effect] as long as there are four or more counters among permanents you control.
Other ideas:
Bloodied-- If a player lost 3 or more life this turn, [effect].
Legacy-- If four* or more cards in your graveyard share a color, [effect].
*-- Might be too easy to trigger in sealed/draft?
----------------------------
Club Flamingo Wins: 10
----------------------------
EDH Decks
BG Vicious Varolz | RW Jor Kadeen, the Mean Machine | RG Atarka: Muh_Dragons.dec (WIP) | WU Brago, Blink Eternal (WIP)
----------------------------
Alright, we're getting somewhere.
It doesn't have to be if you have enough other stuff that evokes the desperate struggle theme.
But making possess more resource themed might involve just replacing it instead.
Maybe.
It's an interesting idea, but I'm a little skeptical as to whether it would play out in an interesting enough way.
I could easily see this.
Why bring colour into it? The only reason I can think of is a faction vibe representing your conflict sides, but I don't think that works.
RUNIN: Norse mythology set (awaiting further playtesting)
FATE of ALARA: Multicolour factions (currently on hiatus)
Contibutor to the Pyrulea community set
I'm here to tell you that all your set mechanics are bad
#Defundthepolice
I'm not entirely keen on gutting my mechanic suite.
But since we're talking using the graveyard as a resource, I have this keyword in mind:
Gorge X (You may exile exactly X cards from your graveyard that share a color or type with this as it enters the battlefield/resolves.)
The trigger for the effect would read "If CARDNAME gorged, [effect]."
Whoops. Should have been "If three/four or more cards share a color with CARDNAME, [effect]."
----------------------------
Club Flamingo Wins: 10
----------------------------
EDH Decks
BG Vicious Varolz | RW Jor Kadeen, the Mean Machine | RG Atarka: Muh_Dragons.dec (WIP) | WU Brago, Blink Eternal (WIP)
----------------------------
I like the general idea. Not a fan of caring about both colour and type. Would rather it was just type.
This seems like a safer version of Delve, in a good way.
Whoops. Should have been "If three/four or more cards share a color with CARDNAME, [effect]."[/quote]
Ok, but that doesn't answer my question about why you are making mechanics that care about colour.
RUNIN: Norse mythology set (awaiting further playtesting)
FATE of ALARA: Multicolour factions (currently on hiatus)
Contibutor to the Pyrulea community set
I'm here to tell you that all your set mechanics are bad
#Defundthepolice