For this set, I've re-centered the identity of the new clans on the enemy color that was previously suppressed by the Dragonlords. The story begins with Ob-Nixilis (who has regained his ability to assume human form at will) informing the Clans of their former identities. This has stoked planewide rebellion against the dragons (who are now spawning much more slowly due to Ugin being sealed away in the Meditation Realm). Ob-Nixilis does this under the guise of helping resurgent Khans of Tarkir, but secretly he aims to subjugate both sides once they've been weakened by war. Meanwhile, Sarkhan and Narset join forces, seeking to prevent Ob-Nixilis from conquering Tarkir, while also striving to create a world more balanced between Khans and Dragons.
4/4/23: I've deleted version 1.0 and updated the card list to version 2.0. I may still divide this set up into two, with allied color dragonlords as the first small set. However, for the time being I will include them here:
Overwhelm – Whenever this creature attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, [effect].
Zurgo Skullcrusher 2RWB – Mythic
Legendary Creature – Orc Warrior
Creatures you control have haste.
When Zurgo Skullcrusher enters the battlefield, create two 1/1 white Warrior creature tokens.
Whenever a creature you control attacks, defending player loses 1 life.
3/3
Kerai Ragesinger 2W - Rare
Legendary Creature – Human Shaman
Your opponents can't cast spells or activate abilities during your combat phase.
At the beginning of combat on your turn, you may pay B/R,B/R. If you do, creatures you control gain menace until end of turn.
3/2
Mardu Uprising 2RWB – Rare
Sorcery
Create four 1/1 white Warrior creature tokens. They gain haste and deathtouch until end of turn.
Spoils of Conquest 1RWB – Rare
Enchantment
Whenever a creature you control attacks, choose one of the following that hasn't been chosen yet this turn –
• Create a 1/1 white Warrior creature token.
• Create a Treasure token.
• Each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
Heartpiercer Strike RWB – Rare
Instant
Choose an attacking or blocking creature an opponent controls. That creature's controller sacrifices it. Heartpiercer Strike deals 3 damage to that player.
Inspiring Hordechief 3W – Rare
Creature – Human Warrior
Vigilance Overwhelm – Whenever Inspiring Hordechief attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, untap each other creature you control. They get +1/+1 until end of turn.
4/4
Deft Blademaster 2R – Rare
Creature – Human Warrior
Whenever Deft Blademaster deals combat damage during your turn, exile the top card of your library. Until the end of your next turn, you may play it. Overwhelm – Whenever Deft Blademaster attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, it gains double strike until end of turn.
2/3
Mardu Gutstretcher 2B – Rare
Creature – Orc Archer Overwhelm – Whenever Mardu Gutstretcher attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, destroy target creature that player controls.
2/2
Daring Roc Rider 2W – Uncommon
Creature – Human Warrior
Flying Overwhelm – Whenever Daring Roc Rider attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, another attacking creature gains flying until end of turn.
3/2
Mardu Wind-Conjurer 1W – Uncommon
Creature – Human Shaman Overwhelm – Whenever Mardu Wind-Conjurer attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, tap target creature.
2/2
Reckless Ransacker 2R – Uncommon
Creature – Ogre Berserker
Whenever Reckless Ransacker deals combat damage to player, create a treasure token. Overwhelm – Whenever Reckless Ransacker attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, it gains trample until end of turn.
3/3
Sadistic Hordemate 1B – Uncommon
Creature – Orc Berserker Overwhelm – Whenever Sadistic Hordemate attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, that player discards a card.
2/2
Vanguard of the Horde 1W – Common
Creature – Human Warrior Overwhelm – Whenever Vanguard of the Horde attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, it gains first strike until end of turn.
2/1
Shrieking Bandits R – Common
Creature – Goblin Scout Overwhelm – Whenever Shrieking Bandits attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
1/1
Bloodchin Flayer 1B – Common
Creature – Human Warrior Overwhelm – Whenever Bloodchin Flayer attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, it gains lifelink until end of turn.
2/2
Mardu Clanmage 2W – Uncommon
Creature – Human Shaman R, Tap: Target creature gains haste until end of turn. B, Tap: Target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
2/2
Battle Celebrant 1W – Uncommon
Creature – Human Warrior
As long you control a red or black permanent, Battle Celebrant gets +1/+0 and has menace.
2/2
Arm for War RW – Rare
Enchantment
Aura and equipment spells you control cost 1 to cast.
Equip costs of equipment you control cost 1 less to activate. This cannot reduce the cost to less than 1.
Warsinger's Fury 1RW - Uncommon
Enchantment – Aura
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature is dealt damage, it deals that much damage to any target.
Replenish the Horde 1WB - Uncommon
Enchantment
Whenever a nontoken creature you controls dies, create a 1/1 white Warrior creature token.
Mardu Emblem 3 – Common
Artifact
Tap: Add W, R, or B. 1W, Tap, Sacrifice Mardu Emblem: Draw a card.
Martial Encampment – Uncommon
Land
Martial Encampment enters the battlefield tapped.
Tap: Add W. You gain 1 life.
Tap: Add R or B.
Reverberate [cost] (When you cast this spell, you may pay [cost]. If you do, copy it.)
Surrak Dragonslayer 1GUR – Mythic
Legendary Creature – Human Warrior
Flash, reach
Whenever a creature you control enters the battlefield, it gains first strike until end of turn.
You may cast creature and sorcery spells as though they had flash.
4/4
Arel, Unseen Whisperer 2U – Rare
Legendary Creature – Human Shaman
Whenever you create a creature token, scry 2. This ability triggers once each turn.
At the beginning of each combat, you may pay 1R/G,R/G. If you do, create a token that's a copy of target creature you control. It gains trample and haste. At the beginning of your next end step, exile it.
2/3
Temur Uprising 2GUR – Rare
Sorcery
This spell can't be countered.
Scry X, where X is the greatest power among creatures you control. Then draw cards equal to the number of creatures you control.
Rites of Summoning 1GUR – Rare
Enchantment
If you would copy a spell or ability, copy it that many times plus one instead.
Manifest the Unwritten GUR – Rare
Instant
Copy target spell. (You may choose new targets for the copy. A copy of a permanent spell becomes a token.)
Glacial Image 3U – Rare
Sorcery
Create a token that's a copy of a creature on the battlefield.
Reverberate 2U (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2U. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy).
Frontier Maulpack 3G – Rare
Creature – Bear
Trample
Frontier Maulpack gets +1/+1 for each creature named Frontier Maulpack you control.
Reverberate 2G (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2G. If you do, copy it. The copy becomes a token.)
4/4
Temur Flamestoker 2R – Rare
Creature – Efreet Shaman
When Temur Flamestoker enters the battlefield, it deals 2 damage to any target.
Reverberate 2 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy).
3/1
Bellowing Gales 1U – Uncommon
Instant
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 2.
Reverberate 1 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 1. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy).
Current Glider 2U – Uncommon
Creature – Elemental
Flying
Reverberate 2 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2. If you do, copy it. The copy becomes a token.)
2/3
Woodland Whisperers 1G – Uncommon
Creature – Human Shaman
Tap: Add one mana of any color.
Reverberate 2 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2. If you do, copy it. The copy becomes a token.)
1/2
Cliffside Predator 2R – Uncommon
Creature – Yeti
Menace
Reverberate 2 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2. If you do, copy it. The copy becomes a token.)
3/2
Wielder of Frost 2U – Common
Creature – Human Shaman
When Wielder of Frost enters the battlefield, choose one:
• Tap target creature.
• Put a stun counter on target creature.
Reverberate 2 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2U. If you do, copy it. The copy becomes a token.)
2/2
Revenge of the Wilds 2G – Common
Instant
Choose one:
• Destroy target artifact.
• Destroy target enchantment.
• Destroy target creature with flying.
Reverberate 2 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy).
Temur Battlecry R– Common
Sorcery
Choose one:
• Target creature can't block this turn.
• Until your next turn, target creature attacks if able.
Reverberate 1 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 1. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.)
Temur Clanmage 2U – Uncommon
Creature – Human Shaman G, Tap: Target creature gains trample until end of turn. R, Tap: Temur Clanmage deals 1 damage to any target.
2/2
Frostkin 3U – Uncommon
Creature - Elemental
As long as you control a green or red permanent, Frostkin has trample.
4/3
Eternal Peak Elder 2GU – Rare
Creature – Human Shaman
At the beginning of your upkeep, create a 1/1 blue Shaman creature token.
At the beginning of your end step, scry X, where X is the number of creatures you control that entered the battlefield this turn.
2/3
Qal-Sisma Soothsayer 1GU – Uncommon
Creature – Ainok Shaman 1, Tap: Scry 1.
Whenever you scry, put a +1/+1 counter on Qal-Sisma Soothsayer.
2/2
Torrent of Winds UR - Uncommon
Instant
Target creature gets -2/-0 and loses flying until end of turn. Another target creature gets +2/+0 and gains flying until end of turn.
Temur Emblem 3 – Common
Artifact
Tap: Add U, G, or R. 1U, Tap, Sacrifice Temur Emblem: Draw a card.
Ancestral Grounds – Uncommon
Land
Ancestral Grounds enters the battlefield tapped.
Tap: Add U. You gain 1 life.
Tap: Add G or R.
Abiding N (When this creature dies, distribute N +1/+1 counters among N target creatures you control).
Anafenza, Preeminent Ancestor 1WBG - Mythic
Legendary Creature – Spirit Soldier
Flying
Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature. WB: Exile target creature card from your graveyard: Create a token that's a copy of that creature, except it's a 1/1 black and white Spirit with flying in addition to its other colors, types, and abilities.
3/4
Oret, of the Old Ways 3B – Rare
Legendary Creature – Human Warrior
Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on a creature you control, if it's the first time a +1/+1 counter has been put on that creature this turn, each opponent loses 1 life.
G/W,G/W: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control. You gain 1 life.
2/4
Abzan Uprising 2WBG - Rare
Sorcery
Return a number of creature cards with total combined mana value 5 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. They each enter the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on them.
Kin-Tree Fortification 1WBG – Rare
Enchantment
Whenever a creature you control dies, you gain life equal to its toughness. 2, Sacrifice a creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control. Activate only as a sorcery.
Sandshaper's Scorn WBG – Rare
Instant
Exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls. If that permanent was a creature card, its controller creates a 1/1 black Spirit creature token with flying. If it was a noncreature card, they gain 2 life.
Tormented Spirit Speaker 2B – Rare
Creature – Human Shaman
Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on Tormented Spirit Speaker, create a 1/1 black Spirit creature token with flying. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Abiding 2 (When this creature dies, distribute two +1/+1 counters among one or two target creatures you control).
3/2
Fortress Sentinel 3W – Rare
Creature – Aven Soldier
Flying
Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on Fortress Sentinel, put a +1/+1 counter on another target creature you control. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Abiding 2 (When this creature dies, distribute two +1/+1 counters among one or two target creatures you control).
3/4
Salt-Road Suppliers 3G – Rare
Creature – Human Scout
Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on Salt-Road Suppliers, draw a card. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Abiding 3 (When this creature dies, distribute three +1/+1 counters among one, two, or three target creatures you control).
3/3
Mer-Ek Intimidator 2B – Uncommon
Creature – Orc Warrior
Mer-Ek Intimidator has menace as long as it has a +1/+1 counter on it.
Abiding 2 (When this creature dies, distribute two +1/+1 counters among one or two target creatures you control).
2/2
Kin-Tree Avenger 1B – Uncommon
Creature – Human Assassin
Kin-Tree Avenger has deathtouch as long as it has a +1/+1 counter on it.
Abiding 1 (When this creature dies, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control).
1/2
Arashin Elite 2W – Uncommon
Creature – Human Soldier
Arashin Elite has first strike as long as it has a +1/+1 counter on it.
Abiding 2 (When this creature dies, distribute two +1/+1 counters among one or two target creatures you control).
2/2
Abzan War-Beast 4G – Uncommon
Creature – Rhino
Abzan War-Beast has vigilance as long as it has a +1/+1 counter on it.
Abiding 2 (When this creature dies, distribute two +1/+1 counters among one or two target creatures you control).
4/4
Bloodline Tracker 1B – Common
Creature – Human Shaman
Bloodline Tracker has lifelink as long as it has a +1/+1 counter on it.
Abiding 1 (When this creature dies, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control).
2/1
Wanderer of the Wastes W – Common
Creature – Human Soldier
Abiding 1 (When this creature dies, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control).
1/1
Oasis Guardian 1G - Common
Creature – Hound Scout
Defender
Abiding 1 (When this creature dies, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control).
0/3
Abzan Clanmage 2B – Uncommon
Creature – Human Warrior W, Tap: Target creature gains lifelink until end of turn. G, Tap: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
2/2
Watchful Krumar 3B – Uncommon
Creature – Orc Warrior
As long as you control a white or green permanent, Watchful Krumar gets +0/+1 and has vigilance.
3/3
Voice of the Ancients 1WB - Rare
Creature – Human Shaman
Whenever a creature token enters the battlefield under your control, you gain 1 life.
Whenever a creature token you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life.
2/3
Ancestor's Aid 1WB – Uncommon
Instant
Create two 1/1 black Spirit creature tokens with flying, then you gain 1 life for each creature token you control.
Strength of the Fallen 2BG – Uncommon
Sorcery
Distribute X +1/+1 counters among any number of target creatures you control, where X is the number of creature cards in your graveyard.
Abzan Emblem 3 – Common
Artifact
Tap: Add B, W, or G. 1B, Tap, Sacrifice Abzan Emblem: Draw a card.
Foreboding Fortress – Uncommon
Land
Foreboding Fortess enters the battlefield tapped.
Tap: Add B. You gain 1 life.
Tap: Add W or G.
Mastery N (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put N +1/+1 counters on it and it attains mastery).
Chanyi, Lotus-Eye Visionary 1URW – Mythic
Legendary Creature – Djinn Monk
Flying, first strike
Noncreature spells you control can't be countered.
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell that targets a creature you control, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy. A copy of a permanent becomes a token.
3/3
Kuyai, Bloodfire Mentor 2R - Rare
Legendary Creature – Efreet Monk
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, create a 1/1 red Monk creature token with Mastery 1.
W/U: Target creature you control gains flying until end of turn.
3/2
Jeskai Uprising 2URW – Rare
Sorcery
Until end of turn you may cast a number of noncreature spells with total combined mana value 5 or less from your graveyard without paying their mana costs. If a spell cast this way would be put into your graveyard, exile it instead. Exile Jeskai Uprising.
Way of the Mystic 1URW – Rare
Enchantment
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, put a realization counter on Way of the Mystic.
Once each turn, you may pay 0 rather than pay the mana cost for a noncreature spell you cast with converted mana cost X or less, where X is the number of realization counters on Way of the Mystic.
Silencing Strike URW – Rare
Instant
Silencing Strike deals 3 damage to any target, and you gain 3 life. Counter all activated and triggered abilities controlled by that player or permanents controller.
Ghostfire Mystic 2R – Rare
Creature – Efreet Monk
Your opponents can't gain life.
If a creature or planeswalker dealt damage by Ghostfire Mystic would die, exile it instead.
Mastery 1 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it attains mastery).
When Ghostfire Mystic attains mastery, it deals 3 damage to any target.
3/2
Mistfire Sage 2U – Rare
Creature – Aven Scout
Flying
Mastery 2 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put two +1/+1 counters on it and it attains mastery).
Whenever Mistfire Sage deals combat damage to a player, if it has attained mastery, draw a card.
2/2
Stronghold Guardian 3W – Rare
Creature – Human Monk
Vigilance
Whenever Stronghold Guardian blocks a creature, it gets +0/+2 until end of turn for each creature it's blocking.
Mastery 2 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put two +1/+1 counters on it and it attains mastery).
So long as Stronghold Guardian has attained mastery, it can block any number of creatures.
3/4
Adept of Flames 1R – Uncommon
Creature – Human Monk
Mastery 1 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it attains mastery).
So long as Adept of Flames has attained mastery, it has menace.
2/2
Exuberant Warrior 2R – Uncommon
Creature – Efreet Warrior
Haste
Mastery 2 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put two +1/+1 counters on it and it attains mastery).
2/2
Student of the Hidden Path U – Uncommon
Creature – Human Monk
Student of the Hidden Path can't be blocked.
Mastery 1 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it attains mastery).
So long as Student of the Hidden Path has attained mastery, it has ward 1.
1/1
Swiftblade Enforcer 1W – Uncommon
Creature – Human Warrior
First strike
Mastery 1 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it attains mastery).
So long as Swiftblade Enforcer has attained mastery, it has double strike.
1/2
Humble Artisan 1R – Common
Creature – Human Artificer
Mastery 1 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it attains mastery).
When Humble Artisan attains mastery, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
2/1
Monastery Scholar 1U – Common
Creature – Human Wizard
Mastery 1 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it attains mastery).
When Monastery Scholar attains mastery, draw a card then discard a card.
1/2
Initiate of Pearls W – Common
Creature – Human Monk
Mastery 1 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it attains mastery).
So long as Initiate of Pearls has attained Mastery, it has lifelink.
1/1
Jeskai Clanmage 2R – Uncommon
Creature - Human Monk U, Tap: Target creature gains flying until end of turn. W, Tap: You gain 2 life.
2/2
Nimbus Rider 2R – Uncommon
Creature – Efreet Monk
As long as you control a blue or white permanent, Nimbus Rider has flying.
3/2
Explosive Epiphany 3UR – Rare
Sorcery
Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to target creature or planeswalker an opponent controls. You draw a number of cards equal to the damage dealt this way.
Striking-Tiger Technique UR – Uncommon
Instant
Untap target creature you control. It gains double strike until end of turn.
Forgemaster's Inspiration WR – Uncommon
Sorcery
Search your library for an aura or equipment card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. Create a treasure token.
Jeskai Emblem 3 – Common
Artifact
Tap: Add R, U, or W. 1R, Tap, Sacrifice Jeskai Emblem: Draw a card.
Forbidden Sanctuary – Uncommon
Land
Forbidden Sanctuary enters the battlefield tapped.
Tap: Add R. You gain 1 life.
Tap: Add U or W.
Treachery – If a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, [effect].
Sidisi, Naga Ascendant BGU - Mythic
Legendary Creature – Zombie Naga
Trample, ward 1
If you would draw a card, instead look at the top three cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
Whenever one or more creature cards are put into your graveyard from anywhere, put a +1/+1 counter on Sidisi, Naga Ascendant.
1/1
Eburri, Scheming Vizier 3G – Rare
Legendary Creature – Cat Demon
You may look at the top card of your library at any time.
You may play lands and cast creature spells from the top of your library.
U/B: Mill a card.
3/4
Sultai Uprising 2BGU – Rare
Sorcery
Mill four cards. Until end of turn, creatures you control gain trample and get +X/+X, where X is the number of creature cards in your graveyard.
Fill the Coffers 1BGU – Rare
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card then discard a card. If a creature card is discarded this way, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token. If a land card is discarded this way, create a treasure token. If a noncreature, nonland card is discarded this way, scry 2.
Conjure from the Depths BGU – Rare
Instant
Mill three cards, then choose a card in your graveyard. You may play it this turn. If that card would be put into your graveyard this turn, exile it instead.
Undergrowth Hydra 3G – Rare
Creature – Hydra
Trample
Undergrowth Hydra enters the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters. Treachery – At the beginning of your end step, if a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, put two +1/+1 counters on Undergrowth Hydra.
0/0
Endless Sibsig 2B - Rare
Creature – Zombie Treachery – At the beginning of your end step, if a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, create a token that's a copy of Endless Sibsig.
2/2
Glimpse the Forbidden 3UU – Rare
Sorcery
Draw four cards. Treachery – If a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, scry 3 then draw four cards instead.
Reclaim the Ruins 1G – Uncommon
Sorcery
Draw a card. You may play an additional land this turn. Treachery – If a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, you may play up to one land card from your graveyard this turn.
Serpent Strike G – Uncommon
Instant
Target creature you control gets +2/+2 and trample until end of turn. Treachery – If a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, that creature also gains deathtouch until end of turn.
Pit Offering 1B – Uncommon
Sorcery
Each opponent sacrifices a creature Treachery – If a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, you gain life equal to the highest toughness among creatures sacrificed this way.
Banishment Ritual 1U – Uncommon
Instant
Return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand. Treachery – If a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, you may put that permanent on top of its owner's library instead.
Gudul Sharpshooters 2G – Common
Creature – Naga Archer
Reach Treachery – Gudul Sharpshooters enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it if a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn.
2/3
Kheru Fangkeeper 1G – Common
Creature – Human Shaman Treachery – When Kheru Fangkeeper enters the battlefield, if a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, create a 1/1 green Naga creature token with deathtouch.
1/2
Dross Harvester 1B – Common
Creature - Zombie Treachery – When Dross Harvester enters the battlefield, if a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
2/1
Intoxicating Vapors 1U - Common
Instant
Tap up to two target creatures. Treachery – If a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, those creatures don't untap during their controller's next untap step.
Sultai Clanmage 2G – Uncommon
Creature – Naga Shaman B, Tap: Target creature gains menace until end of turn. U, Tap: Draw a card, then discard a card.
2/2
Qarsi Mindflayer 2G – Uncommon
Creature – Human Shaman
Whenever Qarsi Mindflayer attacks, if you control a black or blue permanent, target player mills three cards.
3/3
Vizier of Venoms 1BG – Rare
Creature – Naga Shaman
Ward – Sacrifice a permanent.
The first time one or more nontoken creature cards are put into your graveyard from anywhere each turn, create a 1/1 green Naga creature token with deathtouch.
2/3
Shed the First Skin 3BG - Uncommon
Sorcery
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature.
Add X mana in any combination of colors to your mana pool, where X is the sacrificed creature's toughness.
Return another target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Sagu Survivalist GU – Uncommon
Creature – Human Scout
When Sagu Survivalist enters the battlefield scry 2, then reveal the top card of your library. If it's a land card, put into play tapped. Otherwise, put it into your hand, and put a +1/+1 counter on Sagu Survivalist.
1/1
Sultai Emblem 3 – Common
Artifact
Tap: Add G, B, or U. 1G, Tap, Sacrifice Sultai Emblem: Draw a card.
Lavish Temple – Uncommon
Land
Lavish Temple enters the battlefield tapped.
Tap: Add G. You gain 1 life.
Tap: Add B or U.
BW: Tokens GB: Graveyard UG: Scry RU: Instants and Sorceries RW: Auras and Equipment
Kolaghan, Capricious Marauder 3BR - Mythic
Legendary Creature – Elder Dragon
Flying, haste
Creatures attack each combat if able.
Whenever one or more creatures deal damage to you or a planeswalker you control, destroy one of them at random.
5/4
Atarka, Ravenous Predator 5RG – Mythic
Legendary Creature – Elder Dragon
Flying, trample
Creatures you control with power 4 or greater have haste.
Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
7/6
Dromoka, Unyielding Exemplar 4GW - Mythic
Legendary Creature – Elder Dragon
Flying, vigilance
Whenever Dromoka, Unyielding Exemplar attacks or blocks, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
Each other creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it has vigilance.
4/5
Ojutai, Venerable Teacher 4WU – Mythic
Legendary Creature – Elder Dragon
Flying, ward 2
You may cast noncreature spells as though they had flash.
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, gain 2 life, then tap or untap target creature.
5/6
Silumgar, Avaricious Oppressor 4BU - Mythic
Legendary Creature – Elder Dragon
Flying, deathtouch
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may sacrifice another creature. If you do, each player mills four cards. Return a creature card from a graveyard to the battlefield under your control.
4/6
I like the idea of going back to the Wedges but shifting the dominant colour. It's a good way to give a bit of a novel spin to the whole thing, tie into the story with the reformation of the clans, and push things in a slightly different direction mechanically.
Pitting Sarkhan against Narset in the conflict is also a neat idea. I like conflicts where they are sympathetic POV characters on multiple sides.
Now then, Mechanics Review
Kindred
Tribal spirits is an interesting idea, but feels like a bad idea for a faction set where the factions aren't all tribes. Feels out of place.
Could easily do a spirit subtheme though, like how the previous Tarkir block did Warrior tribal.
Commune
This doesn't feel very Temur. It's a fairly black, graveyard focused mechanic for a blue-centric, non-graveyard themed faction. You don't want to stray too far away from what the faction was doing last time.
Caring directly about both discard and milling also feels like a bit of a crowded theme to choose for a mechanic. Seems tricky to balance too.
Envenom
Given the strong +1/+1 counter theme from last time, namely in Abzan, it's a questionable choice to go with -1/-1 counters for this. +1/+1 counters are in general the safer, simpler option, and are the default choice of counter. I don't know if there's much reason to opt to use -1/-1 counters here.
Envenom as a keyword seems to just be 'put -1/-1 counters on target creature'. That's too broad. Support was more specific of an effect, and it got panned for being too basic. Which is to say, this is not a very interesting effect and it doesn't make an exciting mechanic.
Realization
What exactly is the Realization mechanic? You really should define the mechanic outside of example cards, especially for the ability words.
Assuming it's the creature dealt combat damage dies part, I'd say this is too narrow of an effect to make a mechanic. You *could* design a lot of cards with this mechanic, but it's not an effect you *want* much of in a set, if at all. This won't play very well because it won't go off as often as you might think and be frustratingly unreliable to build around.
Assuming it's the transform part, I'd say this is too much of a big splashy thing to tie to one faction. Especially considering if you're going to do a splashy transformation mechanic in Tarkir it should probably be Morph. If you were to use transform and DFCs, I would at least make it faction neutral so everybody gets some.
Edict
Like with a creature dealt combat damage dies mechanic, this doesn't seem like an effect you'd want to put that much of in a set. In this case, this mechanic is pretty powerful and 'swingy'. It stacks aggressively and has a very high power ceiling with how many creatures you can buff at once. It's not out of the question- this is something you'd want to test- but I'm pretty wary. Especially when this isn't the most interesting effect in general, and quite similar to previous Mardu mechanics, despite the theme of shifting the factions. I suppose it's kind of more white in that it specifically cares about a big team, but that's pretty minimal when the others also liked having a bunch of creatures, just less specifically.
I like the idea of going back to the Wedges but shifting the dominant colour. It's a good way to give a bit of a novel spin to the whole thing, tie into the story with the reformation of the clans, and push things in a slightly different direction mechanically.
Pitting Sarkhan against Narset in the conflict is also a neat idea. I like conflicts where they are sympathetic POV characters on multiple sides.
I'm glad you like the pitch for the set!
It's interesting. I've actually posted this custom set in another forum, and the first response I got there was uncannily similar to your own. I've actually made a lot of adjustments in response to that feedback, and your own, so go ahead and check out the new mechanics.
As far as the design decisions for the first wave of mechanics, all I'll say is that they were based heavily on certain sections of the Planswalker's Guides to the plane of Tarkir. I had flavor considerations for most of the mechanics I chose. However, since I've already changed them there's no point in explaining what those inspirations were at this point.
As far as the second wave of mechanics and card examples go, I'm definitely curious what you think about them in general, but in particular I'm curious about their power levels. Admittedly, I'm new to custom card creation, so I'm still getting used to balancing.
Thanks for your feedback, and let me know what you think about the new content!
Martyr
'When this creature is sacrificed' is an interesting condition. This reminds me a lot of Afterlife. I think given Afterlife already exists, the condition is narrow enough and the reward effect is somewhat limited in colour and possible card frequency, I would open up the mechanic into an ability word.
Like so, Martyr— When (this creature) is sacrificed, (effect)
That said, I'm not sure how appropriate this is for Abzan. It's rather like Exploit, the Silumgar mechanic.
Resonate
This reminds me of the Precedence mechanic that WotC experimented with during Guilds of Ravnica design. I'm concerned by how linear and parasitic it is. I'm worried it won't play very well as a result because the cards are going to tend to live or die together. If they turn out good, it could easily be overbearing and dominate the meta, if they turn out bad, they could easily be quite unplayable. And that while not being the most flexible and interactive strategy to build around. I imagine this will be difficult to make play well with the other clan mechanics.
All that said, maybe this could work if executed properly, but I have my doubts.
It does seem like a good choice for Temur thematically, at least, as a big value creature mechanic and does feel a little more blue than the previous ones to fit with the colour shift.
Resurface
This is interesting. It's kind of like a fixed version of Dredge. I like that the effect works well on its own with the mill effect but the more mill, sacrifice and discard you've got, the better it becomes with more options. My biggest concerns are whether newer players will find the mechanic exciting, as its kind of a subtle effect that newer players might not see as very useful, and the ability with this to repeatedly recur your cards quite effectively and whether that would lead to frustrating and/or repetitive gameplay. But this looks fairly good still, I'd want to test it out at least.
Realize
Again, I have to say I don't think it's a good idea to put transform and DFCs as a specific faction mechanic. DFCs are a big splashy piece for a set, and limiting them to one faction is going to upset some people and also seems a waste to use DFCs just for that.
The second spell condition is a good idea, but that does basically translate to the Surge mechanic, so that might not be quite novel enough.
Aspire
This seems good. It is a little more contained than Edict was, as you say. I do wonder how many good cards you can actually get out of this mechanic in the one set though. That might be a problem.
Martyr
The rationale here was that I was trying to find BWG design space that didn't focus on +1/+1 counters, as I feel they are overused. That leaves lifegain, artistocrats, and graveyard focus (but this is currently taken up by Sultai). Since BW and BG love to sacrifice stuff, and GW makes lots of tokens I decided to go down that route. I made the tokens spirits for flavor reasons, and gave them lifelink to allow for some lifegain sub-themes. You are right about the condition of making spirits being too narrow though. I'll have to open up Martyr to other abilities as you suggested. Also, despite what I said about wanting to avoid +1/+1 counters this time around, it's still an important part of the Abzan identity, so I may need to find a way to work them in anyways (especially now that Sultai isn't using -1/-1 counters anymore).
The difference from Exploit is that Martyr creatures typically sac themselves for the greater good, rather than being sacrificed by some other source for it's own benefit. Also, flavor wise, Martyr is meant to represent some of the Abzan being killed for practicing the old ways of ancestor worship (practicing necromancy from Dromoka's point of view), and then joining their ancestors in death as spirits themselves.
Resonate
Yeah, I really like this mechanic but I'm not sure whether it will work out in the end. I've also been informed in the other thread that ability words aren't allowed to be referenced, which if true, throws even more of a wrench into things. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll have to continue to tweak this mechanic or outright find a replacement.
Resurface
A fixed version of Dredge is exactly what I was going for. Odds are I'll never end up finishing and testing this set, so I'll probably never know if it's "fixed enough" but I really like it at the very least. It's my favorite of the mechanics at this point.
Realize
This mechanic is meant to represent an individuals transition from pre-enlightenment to post-enlightenment, which isn't a factor for the other clans. Having double faced cards felt like the best way to convey this transformation, hence why I've been ok with them belonging only to the Jeskai in this set. The only other alternative I see to this would be a new version of level up, perhaps one where instead of investing mana into the card, you level up each time you play an instant or sorcery (while possibly restricting it to 1 level up per turn this way). The problem with this however, is that there is less text space to work with which would negatively impact the kind of abilities that could be used. Also, rather than symbolizing the transition to enlightenment, it would feel more like a novice of a skill eventually gaining mastery through dedicated practice. That still feels very Jeskai and could work, but it isn't the kind of transition that I was originally trying to convey.
Aspire
Yes, there is limited design space for it, but I'm okay with that. I think this is a kind of one and done mechanic that could be used in this set and never again. There's already more room for variance here then there was with Battle cry for instance. And essentially I designed this mechanic to be a Battle cry of key words.
Again, thanks for your feedback. I'm taking this all under suggestion.
Martyr
The rationale here was that I was trying to find BWG design space that didn't focus on +1/+1 counters, as I feel they are overused. That leaves lifegain, artistocrats, and graveyard focus (but this is currently taken up by Sultai). Since BW and BG love to sacrifice stuff, and GW makes lots of tokens I decided to go down that route. I made the tokens spirits for flavor reasons, and gave them lifelink to allow for some lifegain sub-themes. You are right about the condition of making spirits being too narrow though. I'll have to open up Martyr to other abilities as you suggested. Also, despite what I said about wanting to avoid +1/+1 counters this time around, it's still an important part of the Abzan identity, so I may need to find a way to work them in anyways (especially now that Sultai isn't using -1/-1 counters anymore).
The difference from Exploit is that Martyr creatures typically sac themselves for the greater good, rather than being sacrificed by some other source for it's own benefit. Also, flavor wise, Martyr is meant to represent some of the Abzan being killed for practicing the old ways of ancestor worship (practicing necromancy from Dromoka's point of view), and then joining their ancestors in death as spirits themselves.
The problem with that is that a mechanic like this is going to want to have a bunch of different ways to sacrifice your creatures in set and you can't afford to give all of your martyr creatures self-sacrifice abilities because it would crowd out lower rarities with wordy and complex cards.
New suggestion I just thought of is you could make the mechanic itself a self-sacrifice effect.
Such as
Martyr [cost] ([cost], Sacrifice this creature: Matryr only as a sorcery.)
When you Martyr (this creature), (effect)
Or Martyr — [cost], Sacrifice (this creature): (effect). Martyr only as a sorcery.
Or maybe
Martyr [N] — [cost] ([cost], Sacrifice this creature: Put [N] +1/+1 counters on target creature. Matryr only as a sorcery.)
(Providing a base effect that could then add "when you martyr ~", "when you sacrifice ~" or "creatures you control with +1/+1 counters on them" to give bonus effects)
Resurface
A fixed version of Dredge is exactly what I was going for. Odds are I'll never end up finishing and testing this set, so I'll probably never know if it's "fixed enough" but I really like it at the very least. It's my favorite of the mechanics at this point.
It is an interesting idea.
Realize
This mechanic is meant to represent an individuals transition from pre-enlightenment to post-enlightenment, which isn't a factor for the other clans. Having double faced cards felt like the best way to convey this transformation, hence why I've been ok with them belonging only to the Jeskai in this set. The only other alternative I see to this would be a new version of level up, perhaps one where instead of investing mana into the card, you level up each time you play an instant or sorcery (while possibly restricting it to 1 level up per turn this way). The problem with this however, is that there is less text space to work with which would negatively impact the kind of abilities that could be used. Also, rather than symbolizing the transition to enlightenment, it would feel more like a novice of a skill eventually gaining mastery through dedicated practice. That still feels very Jeskai and could work, but it isn't the kind of transition that I was originally trying to convey.
You could just make it an ability word that gives a bonus each time you play your second spell in a turn
i.e. Realize — Whenever you cast your second instant or sorcery spell each turn, (effect)
I would consider opening this up to include more cardtypes, such as making it noncreature spells (fitting for Jeskai) or maybe just all spells.
Aspire
Yes, there is limited design space for it, but I'm okay with that. I think this is a kind of one and done mechanic that could be used in this set and never again. There's already more room for variance here then there was with Battle cry for instance. And essentially I designed this mechanic to be a Battle cry of key words.
Well, that's the right way to go about it.
Again, thanks for your feedback. I'm taking this all under suggestion.
Still toying with "DJK3654's" second version of Martyr: ([Cost], Sacrifice this creature. Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature. (Martyr only as sorcery).) vs. Endure: (When this creature dies, [effect for X +1/+1 counters it had on it].) But I'm going with Martyr so far, while often including (when this creature dies effects) on uncommons and up.
Temur Mechanic
It was a bit of an "aha!" and a "duh" moment for me to realize I could fix Resonate by referencing power 4 or greater. So the mechanic is now:
Reverberate: Whenever this creature, or another creature with power 4 or greater enters the battlefield under your control [effect].
Jeskai Mechanic
So, I'm finally giving up on the idea of DFC. Instead:
Mastery: When you cast your second non-creature spell this turn, if this creature hasn’t attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it. It attains mastery and gains [keyword or ability].
Still toying with "DJK3654's" second version of Martyr: ([Cost], Sacrifice this creature. Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature. (Martyr only as sorcery).) vs. Endure: (When this creature dies, [effect for X +1/+1 counters it had on it].) But I'm going with Martyr so far, while often including (when this creature dies effects) on uncommons and up.
Sounds good
Temur Mechanic
It was a bit of an "aha!" and a "duh" moment for me to realize I could fix Resonate by referencing power 4 or greater. So the mechanic is now:
Reverberate: Whenever this creature, or another creature with power 4 or greater enters the battlefield under your control [effect].
I like this. My only concern is that it might not feel blue enough for a blue-centred Temur, at least in its similarity to the previous Temur theme. But that's fairly subjective and does depend somewhat on execution.
Jeskai Mechanic
So, I'm finally giving up on the idea of DFC. Instead:
Mastery: When you cast your second non-creature spell this turn, if this creature hasn’t attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it. It attains mastery and gains [keyword or ability].
Ooh, that's a cool idea. Reminds me of Monstrosity and Ascend. I suggest templating it as such.
Mastery (When you cast your second non-creature spell each turn, if this creature hasn’t attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it. It attains mastery)
& Optional bonus text: When (this creature) attains mastery/As long as (this creature) has attained mastery.
This means you can tuck away the mechanic text in a keyword and separate the unique effects, as well as give you more flexibility in what bonus effects you give without making the mechanic more confusing.
Maybe add a variable number for the +1/+1 counters as well? Depending on what sort of/how many bonus effects you want to do with the mechanic as to whether the extra flexibility or simplicity is better.
Lol, yeah, it's taken a few iterations. But now it feels like I'm ready to get to the design stage for cards and see how well the mechanics actually pan out. If all goes well, the majority of feedback going forward can be geared toward templating and power balance suggestions.
I like this. My only concern is that it might not feel blue enough for a blue-centred Temur, at least in its similarity to the previous Temur theme. But that's fairly subjective and does depend somewhat on execution.
Agreed. I'll be shifting the weight of the ETB effects a little more heavily to the blue end of the spectrum to compensate. I also plan on including bounce and flicker support for more of that blue feel.
Ooh, that's a cool idea. Reminds me of Monstrosity and Ascend. I suggest templating it as such.
Mastery (When you cast your second non-creature spell each turn, if this creature hasn’t attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it. It attains mastery)
& Optional bonus text: When (this creature) attains mastery/As long as (this creature) has attained mastery.
This means you can tuck away the mechanic text in a keyword and separate the unique effects, as well as give you more flexibility in what bonus effects you give without making the mechanic more confusing.
Maybe add a variable number for the +1/+1 counters as well? Depending on what sort of/how many bonus effects you want to do with the mechanic as to whether the extra flexibility or simplicity is better.
Thanks for pushing me on the DFC front. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to create the kinds of card designs I wanted to without it, but Mastery is proving to work well so far. And yes, your templating definitely feels cleaner. It's a little wordier, but that may be necessary for sake of clarity. Also, I hadn't thought about using multiple counters yet, but I'll keep that in mind as an option when simplicity seems called for.
Lol, yeah, it's taken a few iterations. But now it feels like I'm ready to get to the design stage for cards and see how well the mechanics actually pan out. If all goes well, the majority of feedback going forward can be geared toward templating and power balance suggestions.
Back and forth working on the mechanics is good. Important to get them right. You don't want to jump the gun just so you can get on with the design.
I like this. My only concern is that it might not feel blue enough for a blue-centred Temur, at least in its similarity to the previous Temur theme. But that's fairly subjective and does depend somewhat on execution.
Agreed. I'll be shifting the weight of the ETB effects a little more heavily to the blue end of the spectrum to compensate. I also plan on including bounce and flicker support for more of that blue feel.
Good idea with the bounce and flicker.
Ooh, that's a cool idea. Reminds me of Monstrosity and Ascend. I suggest templating it as such.
Mastery (When you cast your second non-creature spell each turn, if this creature hasn’t attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it. It attains mastery)
& Optional bonus text: When (this creature) attains mastery/As long as (this creature) has attained mastery.
This means you can tuck away the mechanic text in a keyword and separate the unique effects, as well as give you more flexibility in what bonus effects you give without making the mechanic more confusing.
Maybe add a variable number for the +1/+1 counters as well? Depending on what sort of/how many bonus effects you want to do with the mechanic as to whether the extra flexibility or simplicity is better.
Thanks for pushing me on the DFC front.
I understand the temptation. DFCs are cool.
I was worried that I wouldn't be able to create the kinds of card designs I wanted to without it, but Mastery is proving to work well so far. And yes, your templating definitely feels cleaner. It's a little wordier, but that may be necessary for sake of clarity. Also, I hadn't thought about using multiple counters yet, but I'll keep that in mind as an option when simplicity seems called for.
The extra words don't count for that much when you tuck them a bunch of the words away in a keyword. It's easy then to just remember what the keyword does and add on the specific effects rather than reading through the text of an ability word to look for the specific effect and figure out what's the constant.
Exploit did the same thing as well.
Thanks for pushing me on the DFC front. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to create the kinds of card designs I wanted to without it, but Mastery is proving to work well so far. And yes, your templating definitely feels cleaner. It's a little wordier, but that may be necessary for sake of clarity. Also, I hadn't thought about using multiple counters yet, but I'll keep that in mind as an option when simplicity seems called for.
Reknown is a good example of the templating he's talking about. A Keyword has to have the same information except for Costs and numerical variables, so different instances of your mastery couldn't grant different keywords. Using that template, though, the keyword only carries a numerical variable of counters and the added text grants the keyword. You can also have effects that trigger once when a creature gains mastery (i.e. "When CARDNAME attains mastery, it deals 2 damage to any target.")
Looking at your other mechanics, Martyr, Reverberate, and Aspire should be ability words rather than keywords due to the varied effects each has. This is more about templating than anything else, but notably cards can reference Keywords for game effects but not Ability Words, so martyr synergies would need to focus on creature getting sacrificed, not getting Martyred, for example.
Resurgence is neat. I'd Template it as Resurgence [VARIABLE] - [COST]([COST], Exile CARDNAME from your graveyard: Put the top [VARIABLE] cards of your library into your graveyard, then put up to one card that shares a card type with CARDNAME from your graveyard to the top of your library)
Drag to the Depths 1U – Uncommon
Instant
Return target non-land permanent to its owner’s hand.
Resurface 2 - U(U, Exile Drag to the Depths from your graveyard: Put the top 2 cards of your library into your graveyard, then put up to one instant card from your graveyard to the top of your library)
First, you want all of the necessary information in the keyword, so that you can drop the reminder text on more complicated rares and playes still know how many cards to mill. Secondly, if the effect targets, it can be fizzled by graveyard removal and the user cannot choose from any of the cards the effect itself mills. Lastly, given the costs (compared to dredge) you may actually be okay putting the card into hand instead of on top of library. I'd recommend testing that to see if it plays better.
Lastly, the dragonlords are very inconsistent in their power level vs their opposing color. Dromoka is basically a niche sideboard card, but Atarka and Kohlagan put a sword on their opponent's head immediatly, and Ojutai just is not fun to play against. Making the effect symmetrical is also counter intuitive to the way these kinds of cards are designed now, even though I see what you were going for thematically.
Here's an alternate template you might try:
Atarka, the Ravenous 3GR – Mythic
Legendary Creature – Elder Dragon
Flying, Trample
When Atarka, the Ravenous enters the battlefield, sacrifice a blue permanent.
When Atarka attacks, if the defending player controls a blue permanent, create a 4/1 red Elemental creature token, tapped and attacking.
6/5
This would still make Atarka harder to play with the blue Temur cards, but not impossible for draft, and the attack trigger would then get you a bunch of reverberate triggers when your opponent is playing blue. You could probably find ways to synergize the punishment abilities as a reward to the player in the same way for the other dragonlords as well.
1. Renown was the perfect example to help with templating for Mastery. Looking over examples of Renown even showed me that I could refer to Mastery directly, which allowed me to modify Lotus Eye Visionary and Wisdom of the Masters. I've also changed the other three mechanics to be ability words as you suggested.
2. I'm glad you like Resurface. It definitely seems like a fun mechanic. Good catch on the danger of instant speed graveyard removal being able to hose the mechanic too much. I've updated it as a result. As far as allowing the mechanic to put the card directly into hand, that seems a little overpowered to me. The mechanic is intended to filter your draw for the turn (like dredge did), not draw extra cards. The extra costs (and lower mill amounts) are simply to prevent the mechanic from being as broken as dredge was. It seems hard to balance Resurface in a vacuum though, so if/when I get around to testing it'll be interesting to see if I'm playing it too cautiously right now.
3. I agree that the Dragonlords are going to need a rework at some point. Rather than hosing a particular color, I may have them hose the clan's mechanic in some way. For instance, Atarka would punish etbs to make life difficult for the Temur players. If I go this route, I might limit the negative effect to only impact your opponents, so if someone wanted to play Atarka in their own Temur deck it wouldn't hurt them as well. The problem is that this approach doesn't work as well thematically. It would definitely play better though.
Ok, so I came on here to ask a question about my own Wedge themed set (Eventually I hope to do my own version of a return to Tarkir, maybe one day), got distracted by your set because I love Khans of Tarkir (My favorite set to date) and I was overlooking some of yours, and I noticed something...we both used the exact same Jeskai mechanic Mastery...literally same name and everything, just found that absolutely hilarious. BTW love the custom mechanics!
Ok, so I came on here to ask a question about my own Wedge themed set (Eventually I hope to do my own version of a return to Tarkir, maybe one day), got distracted by your set because I love Khans of Tarkir (My favorite set to date) and I was overlooking some of yours, and I noticed something...we both used the exact same Jeskai mechanic Mastery...literally same name and everything, just found that absolutely hilarious. BTW love the custom mechanics!
Yeah, Khans of Tarkir is definitely my favorite set as well. And it's pretty wild that we came up with the exact same mechanic and name! What are the odds?! And thanks for the positive feedback on the mechanics.
Btw, did you have a question you wanted to ask about your wedge set? Also, I'm interested in what you've come up with so far for your own Tarkir set. PM me if your interested in sharing.
I would recommend formatting Resound cards like this:
Resound UGR(When this creature enters the battlefield, you may pay its Resound cost. If you do, create a token that's a copy of it.)
Similar formatting can be seen on Flashback cards: Sylvan Might
Aside from that, I think that the Resound and Endure mechanics seem pretty good. At first glance it seemed like Endure would be better in Sultai just because it has the phrase "When this creature dies", but most of the sacrifice synergies are in GB and the +1/+1 counter themes are in GW, so it seems fine.
Looking at endure and considering the current design of standard sets, I'm wondering if Endure should keyword the "when this creature dies, redistribute its counters" abilities and have 0/0 creatures with +1/+1 counters instead of creatures with Endure X. Also allows you to have noncreature permanents with the keyword, if that is up your alley.
Edit: I realized after I posted here that this threat was almost a year old. My b.
I like Mastery the most out of these, it’s very on-theme and open-ended. I would suggest a slightly different wording:
Mastery N (Whenever you cast your second noncreature spell each turn, if this isn’t a Master, put N +1/+1 counters on it and it becomes a Master in addition to its other types.)
I know that’s a bit longer but the reminder text can adapt to the card it’s on the way Embalm does:
Soulfire Mentor1URW
Creature - Efreet Monk
1/3
Mastery 1 (Whenever you cast your second noncreature spell each turn, if this isn’t a Master, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes a Master Efreet Monk.)
Noncreature spells you cast cost X less to cast, where X is ~’s power.
This way it’s a little more natural and it opens up some tribal design space and creature type shenanigans.
Passionate Exemplar2R
Creature - Efreet Monk
2/1
First strike
Mastery 1
Masters you control have double stirke.
Edit: I realized after I posted here that this threat was almost a year old. My b.
No worries about "necroing" this thread. I haven't worked on this set for awhile, but recently I've been considering what tweaks and improvements I could make to the current mechanics and cycles, so I may start tinkering again soon.
I like your suggestion regarding Mastery. As you said, it would open up some interesting design space. My only concern is that the set as a whole isn't very tribal, and it might feel weird only having one faction in a set that cares about creature types. Nonetheless, it's an idea I'll try on for size when I get around to making new adjustments to the set.
4/4/23: I've deleted version 1.0 and updated the card list to version 2.0. I may still divide this set up into two, with allied color dragonlords as the first small set. However, for the time being I will include them here:
Overwhelm – Whenever this creature attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, [effect].
Zurgo Skullcrusher 2RWB – Mythic
Legendary Creature – Orc Warrior
Creatures you control have haste.
When Zurgo Skullcrusher enters the battlefield, create two 1/1 white Warrior creature tokens.
Whenever a creature you control attacks, defending player loses 1 life.
3/3
Kerai Ragesinger 2W - Rare
Legendary Creature – Human Shaman
Your opponents can't cast spells or activate abilities during your combat phase.
At the beginning of combat on your turn, you may pay B/R,B/R. If you do, creatures you control gain menace until end of turn.
3/2
Mardu Uprising 2RWB – Rare
Sorcery
Create four 1/1 white Warrior creature tokens. They gain haste and deathtouch until end of turn.
Spoils of Conquest 1RWB – Rare
Enchantment
Whenever a creature you control attacks, choose one of the following that hasn't been chosen yet this turn –
• Create a 1/1 white Warrior creature token.
• Create a Treasure token.
• Each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
Heartpiercer Strike RWB – Rare
Instant
Choose an attacking or blocking creature an opponent controls. That creature's controller sacrifices it. Heartpiercer Strike deals 3 damage to that player.
Inspiring Hordechief 3W – Rare
Creature – Human Warrior
Vigilance
Overwhelm – Whenever Inspiring Hordechief attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, untap each other creature you control. They get +1/+1 until end of turn.
4/4
Deft Blademaster 2R – Rare
Creature – Human Warrior
Whenever Deft Blademaster deals combat damage during your turn, exile the top card of your library. Until the end of your next turn, you may play it.
Overwhelm – Whenever Deft Blademaster attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, it gains double strike until end of turn.
2/3
Mardu Gutstretcher 2B – Rare
Creature – Orc Archer
Overwhelm – Whenever Mardu Gutstretcher attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, destroy target creature that player controls.
2/2
Daring Roc Rider 2W – Uncommon
Creature – Human Warrior
Flying
Overwhelm – Whenever Daring Roc Rider attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, another attacking creature gains flying until end of turn.
3/2
Mardu Wind-Conjurer 1W – Uncommon
Creature – Human Shaman
Overwhelm – Whenever Mardu Wind-Conjurer attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, tap target creature.
2/2
Reckless Ransacker 2R – Uncommon
Creature – Ogre Berserker
Whenever Reckless Ransacker deals combat damage to player, create a treasure token.
Overwhelm – Whenever Reckless Ransacker attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, it gains trample until end of turn.
3/3
Sadistic Hordemate 1B – Uncommon
Creature – Orc Berserker
Overwhelm – Whenever Sadistic Hordemate attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, that player discards a card.
2/2
Vanguard of the Horde 1W – Common
Creature – Human Warrior
Overwhelm – Whenever Vanguard of the Horde attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, it gains first strike until end of turn.
2/1
Shrieking Bandits R – Common
Creature – Goblin Scout
Overwhelm – Whenever Shrieking Bandits attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
1/1
Bloodchin Flayer 1B – Common
Creature – Human Warrior
Overwhelm – Whenever Bloodchin Flayer attacks, if you control more creatures than defending player, it gains lifelink until end of turn.
2/2
Mardu Clanmage 2W – Uncommon
Creature – Human Shaman
R, Tap: Target creature gains haste until end of turn.
B, Tap: Target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
2/2
Battle Celebrant 1W – Uncommon
Creature – Human Warrior
As long you control a red or black permanent, Battle Celebrant gets +1/+0 and has menace.
2/2
Arm for War RW – Rare
Enchantment
Aura and equipment spells you control cost 1 to cast.
Equip costs of equipment you control cost 1 less to activate. This cannot reduce the cost to less than 1.
Warsinger's Fury 1RW - Uncommon
Enchantment – Aura
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature is dealt damage, it deals that much damage to any target.
Replenish the Horde 1WB - Uncommon
Enchantment
Whenever a nontoken creature you controls dies, create a 1/1 white Warrior creature token.
Mardu Emblem 3 – Common
Artifact
Tap: Add W, R, or B.
1W, Tap, Sacrifice Mardu Emblem: Draw a card.
Martial Encampment – Uncommon
Land
Martial Encampment enters the battlefield tapped.
Tap: Add W. You gain 1 life.
Tap: Add R or B.
Reverberate [cost] (When you cast this spell, you may pay [cost]. If you do, copy it.)
Surrak Dragonslayer 1GUR – Mythic
Legendary Creature – Human Warrior
Flash, reach
Whenever a creature you control enters the battlefield, it gains first strike until end of turn.
You may cast creature and sorcery spells as though they had flash.
4/4
Arel, Unseen Whisperer 2U – Rare
Legendary Creature – Human Shaman
Whenever you create a creature token, scry 2. This ability triggers once each turn.
At the beginning of each combat, you may pay 1R/G,R/G. If you do, create a token that's a copy of target creature you control. It gains trample and haste. At the beginning of your next end step, exile it.
2/3
Temur Uprising 2GUR – Rare
Sorcery
This spell can't be countered.
Scry X, where X is the greatest power among creatures you control. Then draw cards equal to the number of creatures you control.
Rites of Summoning 1GUR – Rare
Enchantment
If you would copy a spell or ability, copy it that many times plus one instead.
Manifest the Unwritten GUR – Rare
Instant
Copy target spell. (You may choose new targets for the copy. A copy of a permanent spell becomes a token.)
Glacial Image 3U – Rare
Sorcery
Create a token that's a copy of a creature on the battlefield.
Reverberate 2U (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2U. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy).
Frontier Maulpack 3G – Rare
Creature – Bear
Trample
Frontier Maulpack gets +1/+1 for each creature named Frontier Maulpack you control.
Reverberate 2G (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2G. If you do, copy it. The copy becomes a token.)
4/4
Temur Flamestoker 2R – Rare
Creature – Efreet Shaman
When Temur Flamestoker enters the battlefield, it deals 2 damage to any target.
Reverberate 2 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy).
3/1
Bellowing Gales 1U – Uncommon
Instant
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 2.
Reverberate 1 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 1. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy).
Current Glider 2U – Uncommon
Creature – Elemental
Flying
Reverberate 2 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2. If you do, copy it. The copy becomes a token.)
2/3
Woodland Whisperers 1G – Uncommon
Creature – Human Shaman
Tap: Add one mana of any color.
Reverberate 2 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2. If you do, copy it. The copy becomes a token.)
1/2
Cliffside Predator 2R – Uncommon
Creature – Yeti
Menace
Reverberate 2 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2. If you do, copy it. The copy becomes a token.)
3/2
Wielder of Frost 2U – Common
Creature – Human Shaman
When Wielder of Frost enters the battlefield, choose one:
• Tap target creature.
• Put a stun counter on target creature.
Reverberate 2 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2U. If you do, copy it. The copy becomes a token.)
2/2
Revenge of the Wilds 2G – Common
Instant
Choose one:
• Destroy target artifact.
• Destroy target enchantment.
• Destroy target creature with flying.
Reverberate 2 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 2. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy).
Temur Battlecry R– Common
Sorcery
Choose one:
• Target creature can't block this turn.
• Until your next turn, target creature attacks if able.
Reverberate 1 (When you cast this spell, you may pay 1. If you do, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.)
Temur Clanmage 2U – Uncommon
Creature – Human Shaman
G, Tap: Target creature gains trample until end of turn.
R, Tap: Temur Clanmage deals 1 damage to any target.
2/2
Frostkin 3U – Uncommon
Creature - Elemental
As long as you control a green or red permanent, Frostkin has trample.
4/3
Eternal Peak Elder 2GU – Rare
Creature – Human Shaman
At the beginning of your upkeep, create a 1/1 blue Shaman creature token.
At the beginning of your end step, scry X, where X is the number of creatures you control that entered the battlefield this turn.
2/3
Qal-Sisma Soothsayer 1GU – Uncommon
Creature – Ainok Shaman
1, Tap: Scry 1.
Whenever you scry, put a +1/+1 counter on Qal-Sisma Soothsayer.
2/2
Torrent of Winds UR - Uncommon
Instant
Target creature gets -2/-0 and loses flying until end of turn. Another target creature gets +2/+0 and gains flying until end of turn.
Temur Emblem 3 – Common
Artifact
Tap: Add U, G, or R.
1U, Tap, Sacrifice Temur Emblem: Draw a card.
Ancestral Grounds – Uncommon
Land
Ancestral Grounds enters the battlefield tapped.
Tap: Add U. You gain 1 life.
Tap: Add G or R.
Abiding N (When this creature dies, distribute N +1/+1 counters among N target creatures you control).
Anafenza, Preeminent Ancestor 1WBG - Mythic
Legendary Creature – Spirit Soldier
Flying
Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.
WB: Exile target creature card from your graveyard: Create a token that's a copy of that creature, except it's a 1/1 black and white Spirit with flying in addition to its other colors, types, and abilities.
3/4
Oret, of the Old Ways 3B – Rare
Legendary Creature – Human Warrior
Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on a creature you control, if it's the first time a +1/+1 counter has been put on that creature this turn, each opponent loses 1 life.
G/W,G/W: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control. You gain 1 life.
2/4
Abzan Uprising 2WBG - Rare
Sorcery
Return a number of creature cards with total combined mana value 5 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. They each enter the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on them.
Kin-Tree Fortification 1WBG – Rare
Enchantment
Whenever a creature you control dies, you gain life equal to its toughness.
2, Sacrifice a creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control. Activate only as a sorcery.
Sandshaper's Scorn WBG – Rare
Instant
Exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls. If that permanent was a creature card, its controller creates a 1/1 black Spirit creature token with flying. If it was a noncreature card, they gain 2 life.
Tormented Spirit Speaker 2B – Rare
Creature – Human Shaman
Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on Tormented Spirit Speaker, create a 1/1 black Spirit creature token with flying. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Abiding 2 (When this creature dies, distribute two +1/+1 counters among one or two target creatures you control).
3/2
Fortress Sentinel 3W – Rare
Creature – Aven Soldier
Flying
Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on Fortress Sentinel, put a +1/+1 counter on another target creature you control. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Abiding 2 (When this creature dies, distribute two +1/+1 counters among one or two target creatures you control).
3/4
Salt-Road Suppliers 3G – Rare
Creature – Human Scout
Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on Salt-Road Suppliers, draw a card. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Abiding 3 (When this creature dies, distribute three +1/+1 counters among one, two, or three target creatures you control).
3/3
Mer-Ek Intimidator 2B – Uncommon
Creature – Orc Warrior
Mer-Ek Intimidator has menace as long as it has a +1/+1 counter on it.
Abiding 2 (When this creature dies, distribute two +1/+1 counters among one or two target creatures you control).
2/2
Kin-Tree Avenger 1B – Uncommon
Creature – Human Assassin
Kin-Tree Avenger has deathtouch as long as it has a +1/+1 counter on it.
Abiding 1 (When this creature dies, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control).
1/2
Arashin Elite 2W – Uncommon
Creature – Human Soldier
Arashin Elite has first strike as long as it has a +1/+1 counter on it.
Abiding 2 (When this creature dies, distribute two +1/+1 counters among one or two target creatures you control).
2/2
Abzan War-Beast 4G – Uncommon
Creature – Rhino
Abzan War-Beast has vigilance as long as it has a +1/+1 counter on it.
Abiding 2 (When this creature dies, distribute two +1/+1 counters among one or two target creatures you control).
4/4
Bloodline Tracker 1B – Common
Creature – Human Shaman
Bloodline Tracker has lifelink as long as it has a +1/+1 counter on it.
Abiding 1 (When this creature dies, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control).
2/1
Wanderer of the Wastes W – Common
Creature – Human Soldier
Abiding 1 (When this creature dies, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control).
1/1
Oasis Guardian 1G - Common
Creature – Hound Scout
Defender
Abiding 1 (When this creature dies, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control).
0/3
Abzan Clanmage 2B – Uncommon
Creature – Human Warrior
W, Tap: Target creature gains lifelink until end of turn.
G, Tap: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
2/2
Watchful Krumar 3B – Uncommon
Creature – Orc Warrior
As long as you control a white or green permanent, Watchful Krumar gets +0/+1 and has vigilance.
3/3
Voice of the Ancients 1WB - Rare
Creature – Human Shaman
Whenever a creature token enters the battlefield under your control, you gain 1 life.
Whenever a creature token you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life.
2/3
Ancestor's Aid 1WB – Uncommon
Instant
Create two 1/1 black Spirit creature tokens with flying, then you gain 1 life for each creature token you control.
Strength of the Fallen 2BG – Uncommon
Sorcery
Distribute X +1/+1 counters among any number of target creatures you control, where X is the number of creature cards in your graveyard.
Abzan Emblem 3 – Common
Artifact
Tap: Add B, W, or G.
1B, Tap, Sacrifice Abzan Emblem: Draw a card.
Foreboding Fortress – Uncommon
Land
Foreboding Fortess enters the battlefield tapped.
Tap: Add B. You gain 1 life.
Tap: Add W or G.
Mastery N (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put N +1/+1 counters on it and it attains mastery).
Chanyi, Lotus-Eye Visionary 1URW – Mythic
Legendary Creature – Djinn Monk
Flying, first strike
Noncreature spells you control can't be countered.
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell that targets a creature you control, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy. A copy of a permanent becomes a token.
3/3
Kuyai, Bloodfire Mentor 2R - Rare
Legendary Creature – Efreet Monk
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, create a 1/1 red Monk creature token with Mastery 1.
W/U: Target creature you control gains flying until end of turn.
3/2
Jeskai Uprising 2URW – Rare
Sorcery
Until end of turn you may cast a number of noncreature spells with total combined mana value 5 or less from your graveyard without paying their mana costs. If a spell cast this way would be put into your graveyard, exile it instead. Exile Jeskai Uprising.
Way of the Mystic 1URW – Rare
Enchantment
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, put a realization counter on Way of the Mystic.
Once each turn, you may pay 0 rather than pay the mana cost for a noncreature spell you cast with converted mana cost X or less, where X is the number of realization counters on Way of the Mystic.
Silencing Strike URW – Rare
Instant
Silencing Strike deals 3 damage to any target, and you gain 3 life. Counter all activated and triggered abilities controlled by that player or permanents controller.
Ghostfire Mystic 2R – Rare
Creature – Efreet Monk
Your opponents can't gain life.
If a creature or planeswalker dealt damage by Ghostfire Mystic would die, exile it instead.
Mastery 1 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it attains mastery).
When Ghostfire Mystic attains mastery, it deals 3 damage to any target.
3/2
Mistfire Sage 2U – Rare
Creature – Aven Scout
Flying
Mastery 2 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put two +1/+1 counters on it and it attains mastery).
Whenever Mistfire Sage deals combat damage to a player, if it has attained mastery, draw a card.
2/2
Stronghold Guardian 3W – Rare
Creature – Human Monk
Vigilance
Whenever Stronghold Guardian blocks a creature, it gets +0/+2 until end of turn for each creature it's blocking.
Mastery 2 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put two +1/+1 counters on it and it attains mastery).
So long as Stronghold Guardian has attained mastery, it can block any number of creatures.
3/4
Adept of Flames 1R – Uncommon
Creature – Human Monk
Mastery 1 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it attains mastery).
So long as Adept of Flames has attained mastery, it has menace.
2/2
Exuberant Warrior 2R – Uncommon
Creature – Efreet Warrior
Haste
Mastery 2 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put two +1/+1 counters on it and it attains mastery).
2/2
Student of the Hidden Path U – Uncommon
Creature – Human Monk
Student of the Hidden Path can't be blocked.
Mastery 1 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it attains mastery).
So long as Student of the Hidden Path has attained mastery, it has ward 1.
1/1
Swiftblade Enforcer 1W – Uncommon
Creature – Human Warrior
First strike
Mastery 1 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it attains mastery).
So long as Swiftblade Enforcer has attained mastery, it has double strike.
1/2
Humble Artisan 1R – Common
Creature – Human Artificer
Mastery 1 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it attains mastery).
When Humble Artisan attains mastery, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
2/1
Monastery Scholar 1U – Common
Creature – Human Wizard
Mastery 1 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it attains mastery).
When Monastery Scholar attains mastery, draw a card then discard a card.
1/2
Initiate of Pearls W – Common
Creature – Human Monk
Mastery 1 (When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability you control, if it hasn't attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it attains mastery).
So long as Initiate of Pearls has attained Mastery, it has lifelink.
1/1
Jeskai Clanmage 2R – Uncommon
Creature - Human Monk
U, Tap: Target creature gains flying until end of turn.
W, Tap: You gain 2 life.
2/2
Nimbus Rider 2R – Uncommon
Creature – Efreet Monk
As long as you control a blue or white permanent, Nimbus Rider has flying.
3/2
Explosive Epiphany 3UR – Rare
Sorcery
Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to target creature or planeswalker an opponent controls. You draw a number of cards equal to the damage dealt this way.
Striking-Tiger Technique UR – Uncommon
Instant
Untap target creature you control. It gains double strike until end of turn.
Forgemaster's Inspiration WR – Uncommon
Sorcery
Search your library for an aura or equipment card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. Create a treasure token.
Jeskai Emblem 3 – Common
Artifact
Tap: Add R, U, or W.
1R, Tap, Sacrifice Jeskai Emblem: Draw a card.
Forbidden Sanctuary – Uncommon
Land
Forbidden Sanctuary enters the battlefield tapped.
Tap: Add R. You gain 1 life.
Tap: Add U or W.
Treachery – If a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, [effect].
Sidisi, Naga Ascendant BGU - Mythic
Legendary Creature – Zombie Naga
Trample, ward 1
If you would draw a card, instead look at the top three cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
Whenever one or more creature cards are put into your graveyard from anywhere, put a +1/+1 counter on Sidisi, Naga Ascendant.
1/1
Eburri, Scheming Vizier 3G – Rare
Legendary Creature – Cat Demon
You may look at the top card of your library at any time.
You may play lands and cast creature spells from the top of your library.
U/B: Mill a card.
3/4
Sultai Uprising 2BGU – Rare
Sorcery
Mill four cards. Until end of turn, creatures you control gain trample and get +X/+X, where X is the number of creature cards in your graveyard.
Fill the Coffers 1BGU – Rare
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card then discard a card. If a creature card is discarded this way, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token. If a land card is discarded this way, create a treasure token. If a noncreature, nonland card is discarded this way, scry 2.
Conjure from the Depths BGU – Rare
Instant
Mill three cards, then choose a card in your graveyard. You may play it this turn. If that card would be put into your graveyard this turn, exile it instead.
Undergrowth Hydra 3G – Rare
Creature – Hydra
Trample
Undergrowth Hydra enters the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters.
Treachery – At the beginning of your end step, if a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, put two +1/+1 counters on Undergrowth Hydra.
0/0
Endless Sibsig 2B - Rare
Creature – Zombie
Treachery – At the beginning of your end step, if a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, create a token that's a copy of Endless Sibsig.
2/2
Glimpse the Forbidden 3UU – Rare
Sorcery
Draw four cards.
Treachery – If a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, scry 3 then draw four cards instead.
Reclaim the Ruins 1G – Uncommon
Sorcery
Draw a card. You may play an additional land this turn.
Treachery – If a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, you may play up to one land card from your graveyard this turn.
Serpent Strike G – Uncommon
Instant
Target creature you control gets +2/+2 and trample until end of turn.
Treachery – If a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, that creature also gains deathtouch until end of turn.
Pit Offering 1B – Uncommon
Sorcery
Each opponent sacrifices a creature
Treachery – If a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, you gain life equal to the highest toughness among creatures sacrificed this way.
Banishment Ritual 1U – Uncommon
Instant
Return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand.
Treachery – If a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, you may put that permanent on top of its owner's library instead.
Gudul Sharpshooters 2G – Common
Creature – Naga Archer
Reach
Treachery – Gudul Sharpshooters enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it if a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn.
2/3
Kheru Fangkeeper 1G – Common
Creature – Human Shaman
Treachery – When Kheru Fangkeeper enters the battlefield, if a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, create a 1/1 green Naga creature token with deathtouch.
1/2
Dross Harvester 1B – Common
Creature - Zombie
Treachery – When Dross Harvester enters the battlefield, if a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
2/1
Intoxicating Vapors 1U - Common
Instant
Tap up to two target creatures.
Treachery – If a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere this turn, those creatures don't untap during their controller's next untap step.
Sultai Clanmage 2G – Uncommon
Creature – Naga Shaman
B, Tap: Target creature gains menace until end of turn.
U, Tap: Draw a card, then discard a card.
2/2
Qarsi Mindflayer 2G – Uncommon
Creature – Human Shaman
Whenever Qarsi Mindflayer attacks, if you control a black or blue permanent, target player mills three cards.
3/3
Vizier of Venoms 1BG – Rare
Creature – Naga Shaman
Ward – Sacrifice a permanent.
The first time one or more nontoken creature cards are put into your graveyard from anywhere each turn, create a 1/1 green Naga creature token with deathtouch.
2/3
Shed the First Skin 3BG - Uncommon
Sorcery
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature.
Add X mana in any combination of colors to your mana pool, where X is the sacrificed creature's toughness.
Return another target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Sagu Survivalist GU – Uncommon
Creature – Human Scout
When Sagu Survivalist enters the battlefield scry 2, then reveal the top card of your library. If it's a land card, put into play tapped. Otherwise, put it into your hand, and put a +1/+1 counter on Sagu Survivalist.
1/1
Sultai Emblem 3 – Common
Artifact
Tap: Add G, B, or U.
1G, Tap, Sacrifice Sultai Emblem: Draw a card.
Lavish Temple – Uncommon
Land
Lavish Temple enters the battlefield tapped.
Tap: Add G. You gain 1 life.
Tap: Add B or U.
BW: Tokens
GB: Graveyard
UG: Scry
RU: Instants and Sorceries
RW: Auras and Equipment
Kolaghan, Capricious Marauder 3BR - Mythic
Legendary Creature – Elder Dragon
Flying, haste
Creatures attack each combat if able.
Whenever one or more creatures deal damage to you or a planeswalker you control, destroy one of them at random.
5/4
Atarka, Ravenous Predator 5RG – Mythic
Legendary Creature – Elder Dragon
Flying, trample
Creatures you control with power 4 or greater have haste.
Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
7/6
Dromoka, Unyielding Exemplar 4GW - Mythic
Legendary Creature – Elder Dragon
Flying, vigilance
Whenever Dromoka, Unyielding Exemplar attacks or blocks, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
Each other creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it has vigilance.
4/5
Ojutai, Venerable Teacher 4WU – Mythic
Legendary Creature – Elder Dragon
Flying, ward 2
You may cast noncreature spells as though they had flash.
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, gain 2 life, then tap or untap target creature.
5/6
Silumgar, Avaricious Oppressor 4BU - Mythic
Legendary Creature – Elder Dragon
Flying, deathtouch
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may sacrifice another creature. If you do, each player mills four cards. Return a creature card from a graveyard to the battlefield under your control.
4/6
BR: Attacking
RG: Power
GW: +1/+1 Counters
WU: Noncreature Spells
BU: Sacrifice
Pitting Sarkhan against Narset in the conflict is also a neat idea. I like conflicts where they are sympathetic POV characters on multiple sides.
Now then,
Mechanics Review
Kindred
Tribal spirits is an interesting idea, but feels like a bad idea for a faction set where the factions aren't all tribes. Feels out of place.
Could easily do a spirit subtheme though, like how the previous Tarkir block did Warrior tribal.
Commune
This doesn't feel very Temur. It's a fairly black, graveyard focused mechanic for a blue-centric, non-graveyard themed faction. You don't want to stray too far away from what the faction was doing last time.
Caring directly about both discard and milling also feels like a bit of a crowded theme to choose for a mechanic. Seems tricky to balance too.
Envenom
Given the strong +1/+1 counter theme from last time, namely in Abzan, it's a questionable choice to go with -1/-1 counters for this. +1/+1 counters are in general the safer, simpler option, and are the default choice of counter. I don't know if there's much reason to opt to use -1/-1 counters here.
Envenom as a keyword seems to just be 'put -1/-1 counters on target creature'. That's too broad. Support was more specific of an effect, and it got panned for being too basic. Which is to say, this is not a very interesting effect and it doesn't make an exciting mechanic.
Realization
What exactly is the Realization mechanic? You really should define the mechanic outside of example cards, especially for the ability words.
Assuming it's the creature dealt combat damage dies part, I'd say this is too narrow of an effect to make a mechanic. You *could* design a lot of cards with this mechanic, but it's not an effect you *want* much of in a set, if at all. This won't play very well because it won't go off as often as you might think and be frustratingly unreliable to build around.
Assuming it's the transform part, I'd say this is too much of a big splashy thing to tie to one faction. Especially considering if you're going to do a splashy transformation mechanic in Tarkir it should probably be Morph. If you were to use transform and DFCs, I would at least make it faction neutral so everybody gets some.
Edict
Like with a creature dealt combat damage dies mechanic, this doesn't seem like an effect you'd want to put that much of in a set. In this case, this mechanic is pretty powerful and 'swingy'. It stacks aggressively and has a very high power ceiling with how many creatures you can buff at once. It's not out of the question- this is something you'd want to test- but I'm pretty wary. Especially when this isn't the most interesting effect in general, and quite similar to previous Mardu mechanics, despite the theme of shifting the factions. I suppose it's kind of more white in that it specifically cares about a big team, but that's pretty minimal when the others also liked having a bunch of creatures, just less specifically.
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 glad you like the pitch for the set!
It's interesting. I've actually posted this custom set in another forum, and the first response I got there was uncannily similar to your own. I've actually made a lot of adjustments in response to that feedback, and your own, so go ahead and check out the new mechanics.
As far as the design decisions for the first wave of mechanics, all I'll say is that they were based heavily on certain sections of the Planswalker's Guides to the plane of Tarkir. I had flavor considerations for most of the mechanics I chose. However, since I've already changed them there's no point in explaining what those inspirations were at this point.
As far as the second wave of mechanics and card examples go, I'm definitely curious what you think about them in general, but in particular I'm curious about their power levels. Admittedly, I'm new to custom card creation, so I'm still getting used to balancing.
Thanks for your feedback, and let me know what you think about the new content!
Martyr
'When this creature is sacrificed' is an interesting condition. This reminds me a lot of Afterlife. I think given Afterlife already exists, the condition is narrow enough and the reward effect is somewhat limited in colour and possible card frequency, I would open up the mechanic into an ability word.
Like so,
Martyr— When (this creature) is sacrificed, (effect)
That said, I'm not sure how appropriate this is for Abzan. It's rather like Exploit, the Silumgar mechanic.
Resonate
This reminds me of the Precedence mechanic that WotC experimented with during Guilds of Ravnica design. I'm concerned by how linear and parasitic it is. I'm worried it won't play very well as a result because the cards are going to tend to live or die together. If they turn out good, it could easily be overbearing and dominate the meta, if they turn out bad, they could easily be quite unplayable. And that while not being the most flexible and interactive strategy to build around. I imagine this will be difficult to make play well with the other clan mechanics.
All that said, maybe this could work if executed properly, but I have my doubts.
It does seem like a good choice for Temur thematically, at least, as a big value creature mechanic and does feel a little more blue than the previous ones to fit with the colour shift.
Resurface
This is interesting. It's kind of like a fixed version of Dredge. I like that the effect works well on its own with the mill effect but the more mill, sacrifice and discard you've got, the better it becomes with more options. My biggest concerns are whether newer players will find the mechanic exciting, as its kind of a subtle effect that newer players might not see as very useful, and the ability with this to repeatedly recur your cards quite effectively and whether that would lead to frustrating and/or repetitive gameplay. But this looks fairly good still, I'd want to test it out at least.
Realize
Again, I have to say I don't think it's a good idea to put transform and DFCs as a specific faction mechanic. DFCs are a big splashy piece for a set, and limiting them to one faction is going to upset some people and also seems a waste to use DFCs just for that.
The second spell condition is a good idea, but that does basically translate to the Surge mechanic, so that might not be quite novel enough.
Aspire
This seems good. It is a little more contained than Edict was, as you say. I do wonder how many good cards you can actually get out of this mechanic in the one set though. That might be a problem.
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 rationale here was that I was trying to find BWG design space that didn't focus on +1/+1 counters, as I feel they are overused. That leaves lifegain, artistocrats, and graveyard focus (but this is currently taken up by Sultai). Since BW and BG love to sacrifice stuff, and GW makes lots of tokens I decided to go down that route. I made the tokens spirits for flavor reasons, and gave them lifelink to allow for some lifegain sub-themes. You are right about the condition of making spirits being too narrow though. I'll have to open up Martyr to other abilities as you suggested. Also, despite what I said about wanting to avoid +1/+1 counters this time around, it's still an important part of the Abzan identity, so I may need to find a way to work them in anyways (especially now that Sultai isn't using -1/-1 counters anymore).
The difference from Exploit is that Martyr creatures typically sac themselves for the greater good, rather than being sacrificed by some other source for it's own benefit. Also, flavor wise, Martyr is meant to represent some of the Abzan being killed for practicing the old ways of ancestor worship (practicing necromancy from Dromoka's point of view), and then joining their ancestors in death as spirits themselves.
Resonate
Yeah, I really like this mechanic but I'm not sure whether it will work out in the end. I've also been informed in the other thread that ability words aren't allowed to be referenced, which if true, throws even more of a wrench into things. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll have to continue to tweak this mechanic or outright find a replacement.
Resurface
A fixed version of Dredge is exactly what I was going for. Odds are I'll never end up finishing and testing this set, so I'll probably never know if it's "fixed enough" but I really like it at the very least. It's my favorite of the mechanics at this point.
Realize
This mechanic is meant to represent an individuals transition from pre-enlightenment to post-enlightenment, which isn't a factor for the other clans. Having double faced cards felt like the best way to convey this transformation, hence why I've been ok with them belonging only to the Jeskai in this set. The only other alternative I see to this would be a new version of level up, perhaps one where instead of investing mana into the card, you level up each time you play an instant or sorcery (while possibly restricting it to 1 level up per turn this way). The problem with this however, is that there is less text space to work with which would negatively impact the kind of abilities that could be used. Also, rather than symbolizing the transition to enlightenment, it would feel more like a novice of a skill eventually gaining mastery through dedicated practice. That still feels very Jeskai and could work, but it isn't the kind of transition that I was originally trying to convey.
Aspire
Yes, there is limited design space for it, but I'm okay with that. I think this is a kind of one and done mechanic that could be used in this set and never again. There's already more room for variance here then there was with Battle cry for instance. And essentially I designed this mechanic to be a Battle cry of key words.
Again, thanks for your feedback. I'm taking this all under suggestion.
The problem with that is that a mechanic like this is going to want to have a bunch of different ways to sacrifice your creatures in set and you can't afford to give all of your martyr creatures self-sacrifice abilities because it would crowd out lower rarities with wordy and complex cards.
New suggestion I just thought of is you could make the mechanic itself a self-sacrifice effect.
Such as
Martyr [cost] ([cost], Sacrifice this creature: Matryr only as a sorcery.)
When you Martyr (this creature), (effect)
Or
Martyr — [cost], Sacrifice (this creature): (effect). Martyr only as a sorcery.
Or maybe
Martyr [N] — [cost] ([cost], Sacrifice this creature: Put [N] +1/+1 counters on target creature. Matryr only as a sorcery.)
(Providing a base effect that could then add "when you martyr ~", "when you sacrifice ~" or "creatures you control with +1/+1 counters on them" to give bonus effects)
It is an interesting idea.
You could just make it an ability word that gives a bonus each time you play your second spell in a turn
i.e.
Realize — Whenever you cast your second instant or sorcery spell each turn, (effect)
I would consider opening this up to include more cardtypes, such as making it noncreature spells (fitting for Jeskai) or maybe just all spells.
Well, that's the right way to go about it.
No problem
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
Deleted Old Mechanics
Added "Wedgends"
Continuing to fine tune mechanics:
Abzan Mechanic
Still toying with "DJK3654's" second version of Martyr: ([Cost], Sacrifice this creature. Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature. (Martyr only as sorcery).) vs. Endure: (When this creature dies, [effect for X +1/+1 counters it had on it].) But I'm going with Martyr so far, while often including (when this creature dies effects) on uncommons and up.
Temur Mechanic
It was a bit of an "aha!" and a "duh" moment for me to realize I could fix Resonate by referencing power 4 or greater. So the mechanic is now:
Reverberate: Whenever this creature, or another creature with power 4 or greater enters the battlefield under your control [effect].
Jeskai Mechanic
So, I'm finally giving up on the idea of DFC. Instead:
Mastery: When you cast your second non-creature spell this turn, if this creature hasn’t attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it. It attains mastery and gains [keyword or ability].
Sounds good
I like this. My only concern is that it might not feel blue enough for a blue-centred Temur, at least in its similarity to the previous Temur theme. But that's fairly subjective and does depend somewhat on execution.
Ooh, that's a cool idea. Reminds me of Monstrosity and Ascend. I suggest templating it as such.
Mastery (When you cast your second non-creature spell each turn, if this creature hasn’t attained mastery, put a +1/+1 counter on it. It attains mastery)
& Optional bonus text: When (this creature) attains mastery/As long as (this creature) has attained mastery.
This means you can tuck away the mechanic text in a keyword and separate the unique effects, as well as give you more flexibility in what bonus effects you give without making the mechanic more confusing.
Maybe add a variable number for the +1/+1 counters as well? Depending on what sort of/how many bonus effects you want to do with the mechanic as to whether the extra flexibility or simplicity is better.
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
Lol, yeah, it's taken a few iterations. But now it feels like I'm ready to get to the design stage for cards and see how well the mechanics actually pan out. If all goes well, the majority of feedback going forward can be geared toward templating and power balance suggestions.
Agreed. I'll be shifting the weight of the ETB effects a little more heavily to the blue end of the spectrum to compensate. I also plan on including bounce and flicker support for more of that blue feel.
Thanks for pushing me on the DFC front. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to create the kinds of card designs I wanted to without it, but Mastery is proving to work well so far. And yes, your templating definitely feels cleaner. It's a little wordier, but that may be necessary for sake of clarity. Also, I hadn't thought about using multiple counters yet, but I'll keep that in mind as an option when simplicity seems called for.
Back and forth working on the mechanics is good. Important to get them right. You don't want to jump the gun just so you can get on with the design.
Good idea with the bounce and flicker.
I understand the temptation. DFCs are cool.
The extra words don't count for that much when you tuck them a bunch of the words away in a keyword. It's easy then to just remember what the keyword does and add on the specific effects rather than reading through the text of an ability word to look for the specific effect and figure out what's the constant.
Exploit did the same thing as well.
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
Reknown is a good example of the templating he's talking about. A Keyword has to have the same information except for Costs and numerical variables, so different instances of your mastery couldn't grant different keywords. Using that template, though, the keyword only carries a numerical variable of counters and the added text grants the keyword. You can also have effects that trigger once when a creature gains mastery (i.e. "When CARDNAME attains mastery, it deals 2 damage to any target.")
Looking at your other mechanics, Martyr, Reverberate, and Aspire should be ability words rather than keywords due to the varied effects each has. This is more about templating than anything else, but notably cards can reference Keywords for game effects but not Ability Words, so martyr synergies would need to focus on creature getting sacrificed, not getting Martyred, for example.
Resurgence is neat. I'd Template it as Resurgence [VARIABLE] - [COST]([COST], Exile CARDNAME from your graveyard: Put the top [VARIABLE] cards of your library into your graveyard, then put up to one card that shares a card type with CARDNAME from your graveyard to the top of your library)
Drag to the Depths 1U – Uncommon
Instant
Return target non-land permanent to its owner’s hand.
Resurface 2 - U(U, Exile Drag to the Depths from your graveyard: Put the top 2 cards of your library into your graveyard, then put up to one instant card from your graveyard to the top of your library)
First, you want all of the necessary information in the keyword, so that you can drop the reminder text on more complicated rares and playes still know how many cards to mill. Secondly, if the effect targets, it can be fizzled by graveyard removal and the user cannot choose from any of the cards the effect itself mills. Lastly, given the costs (compared to dredge) you may actually be okay putting the card into hand instead of on top of library. I'd recommend testing that to see if it plays better.
Lastly, the dragonlords are very inconsistent in their power level vs their opposing color. Dromoka is basically a niche sideboard card, but Atarka and Kohlagan put a sword on their opponent's head immediatly, and Ojutai just is not fun to play against. Making the effect symmetrical is also counter intuitive to the way these kinds of cards are designed now, even though I see what you were going for thematically.
Here's an alternate template you might try:
Atarka, the Ravenous 3GR – Mythic
Legendary Creature – Elder Dragon
Flying, Trample
When Atarka, the Ravenous enters the battlefield, sacrifice a blue permanent.
When Atarka attacks, if the defending player controls a blue permanent, create a 4/1 red Elemental creature token, tapped and attacking.
6/5
This would still make Atarka harder to play with the blue Temur cards, but not impossible for draft, and the attack trigger would then get you a bunch of reverberate triggers when your opponent is playing blue. You could probably find ways to synergize the punishment abilities as a reward to the player in the same way for the other dragonlords as well.
2. I'm glad you like Resurface. It definitely seems like a fun mechanic. Good catch on the danger of instant speed graveyard removal being able to hose the mechanic too much. I've updated it as a result. As far as allowing the mechanic to put the card directly into hand, that seems a little overpowered to me. The mechanic is intended to filter your draw for the turn (like dredge did), not draw extra cards. The extra costs (and lower mill amounts) are simply to prevent the mechanic from being as broken as dredge was. It seems hard to balance Resurface in a vacuum though, so if/when I get around to testing it'll be interesting to see if I'm playing it too cautiously right now.
3. I agree that the Dragonlords are going to need a rework at some point. Rather than hosing a particular color, I may have them hose the clan's mechanic in some way. For instance, Atarka would punish etbs to make life difficult for the Temur players. If I go this route, I might limit the negative effect to only impact your opponents, so if someone wanted to play Atarka in their own Temur deck it wouldn't hurt them as well. The problem is that this approach doesn't work as well thematically. It would definitely play better though.
Thanks for the feedback!
Edit: Did a quick update of the Dragonlords.
Yeah, Khans of Tarkir is definitely my favorite set as well. And it's pretty wild that we came up with the exact same mechanic and name! What are the odds?! And thanks for the positive feedback on the mechanics.
Btw, did you have a question you wanted to ask about your wedge set? Also, I'm interested in what you've come up with so far for your own Tarkir set. PM me if your interested in sharing.
I'm open to feedback regarding the Endure mechanic for the Abzan and the Resound mechanic for Temur.
Resound UGR (When this creature enters the battlefield, you may pay its Resound cost. If you do, create a token that's a copy of it.)
Similar formatting can be seen on Flashback cards: Sylvan Might
Aside from that, I think that the Resound and Endure mechanics seem pretty good. At first glance it seemed like Endure would be better in Sultai just because it has the phrase "When this creature dies", but most of the sacrifice synergies are in GB and the +1/+1 counter themes are in GW, so it seems fine.
I like Mastery the most out of these, it’s very on-theme and open-ended. I would suggest a slightly different wording:
Mastery N (Whenever you cast your second noncreature spell each turn, if this isn’t a Master, put N +1/+1 counters on it and it becomes a Master in addition to its other types.)
I know that’s a bit longer but the reminder text can adapt to the card it’s on the way Embalm does:
Soulfire Mentor 1URW
Creature - Efreet Monk
1/3
Mastery 1 (Whenever you cast your second noncreature spell each turn, if this isn’t a Master, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes a Master Efreet Monk.)
Noncreature spells you cast cost X less to cast, where X is ~’s power.
This way it’s a little more natural and it opens up some tribal design space and creature type shenanigans.
Passionate Exemplar 2R
Creature - Efreet Monk
2/1
First strike
Mastery 1
Masters you control have double stirke.
No worries about "necroing" this thread. I haven't worked on this set for awhile, but recently I've been considering what tweaks and improvements I could make to the current mechanics and cycles, so I may start tinkering again soon.
I like your suggestion regarding Mastery. As you said, it would open up some interesting design space. My only concern is that the set as a whole isn't very tribal, and it might feel weird only having one faction in a set that cares about creature types. Nonetheless, it's an idea I'll try on for size when I get around to making new adjustments to the set.