Well this is interesting, but sort of concerning.
Simic Ascendancy implies a cycle of Ascendancies for each guild.
Uh... no it doesn't? One previous data point about how the word "ascendancy" is used in Magic doesn't imply a trend. Plus, the only strict gold cycles at rare in GRN were the champions and the split cards. I would be surprised if we deviate heavily from that.
Also, pretty sure The Haunt of Hightower is the buy-a-box. Which sucks, because I have a few EDH decks that would love to get acquainted with it.
More in-depth description to come. For now, the plan is simple: lob a bunch of Auras onto the board, trigger A+C, swing for massive damage. Add extra combat spells and season to taste. Would like feedback on the considerations in the maybeboard.
The "beyond the first" wording is already used with escalate. As phrased now, I (as a new player) would assume based off of prior exposure that I can choose any mode without paying the intensify cost. Which as I understand it isn't the intent.
On another note, there are also only three possible choices from Conspiracy 2 (new from the set, common/uncommon, and have no non-evergreen mechanics): Spectral Grasp, Deadly Designs and Borderland Explorer. None of them are crunched out yet, so I expect to see one or more of those included.
Irrelevant questions, but what is a "signpost" in this context? I kept thinking people were talking about the Borderpost cycle definitely being in this set, but clearly that is not what it refers to.
A "signpost" is a two-colored uncommon that indicates a draft archetype. You see them in sets designed for limited play.
And to repost my guesses, because I edited the original post but the edits wouldn't stick:
Kolzag is not as desolate as it once appeared - its council of Archons has met with each of the five factions that were taken there under mysterious circumstances not long ago, and shown them the true purpose for their summoning. Kolzag, they say, is the keystone of a new and enlightened age for each of their planes - but only if they can Endure Together.
Devastate COST (COST, Sacrifice a land: Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature with devastate you control. Activate this ability only if a creature you control attacked or blocked this turn and only once each turn.) {Theros Monsters}
Supply - If you would draw a card, you may [SOMETHING] instead. {Bant}
Gruntwork (If you would tap this creature to pay a cost, you may sacrifice it instead or vice-versa.){Phyrexia}
Meditate COST (COST: Move any number of counters from another creature you control onto this creature. Meditate only as a sorcery.) {Jeskai}
Vote {Orzhov}
Radiance — Do something to target permanent and each permanent that shares a type and color with it.
Zombie (B)
Token Creature - Zombie (S)
2/2
{Watermark: Phyrexia}
Archon Journey-Singer5W
Creature - Archon (C)
Flying T: Tap target creature. You gain 1 life. "I wish to join their hymns. I know not their language." - Simoul, Bant hierarch
3/3
Archon's CallU
Instant (C) Radiance — Choose a color. Untap target creature and each other creature that shares a color with it. Words were unknown, but the meaning was perfectly understandable.
Common 3 of 10
Fire-Stained Weaponmaster1R
Creature — Efreet Monk (C)
Prowess 1W: ~ gains first strike until end of turn.
2/1 "Reach heaven through violence."
{Watermark: Jeskai}
Burden of ChoiceWB
Sorcery (C)
Choose target opponent. Starting with you, each player votes for method or madness. If madness wins, that player discards two cards. If method wins or the vote is tied, that player reveals his or her hand. You choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card.
{Watermark: Orzhov}
I don't like the inelegance of the first ability. Giving something evolve doesn't matter much if you don't have other creatures in hand, and if something can tap to put a counter on itself or something else you go infinite fast.
The -X seems absurdly powerful. You basically get a sorcery that gives eight points of power on the board for 2GU.
The -8 has the downside of killing all of your non-countered creatures, but I guess if you're okay with that...
Got an idea of my own, as well! (Sans render because I don't like searching for them.)
Yuliyana of the Crows2BR
Legendary Creature – Human Rebel {M}
First strike
Exploit (When this creature enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice a creature.)
At the beginning of each end step, if a creature died under your control this turn, draw two cards, then discard a card at random. "No death is without lessons learnt."
3/3
I wanted to design a "heroic Rakdos" legend, and this is what I got. She's a hypothetical rebel leader against a staid regime in a dreamlike, magic-heavy cityscape. Exploit is the returning mechanic (in (B/R)): although Yuliyana doesn't benefit from exploiting herself, when her comrades die plans are set into motion - sometimes under her control, and sometimes not. Would love feedback on whether she seems like an interesting commander, and whether she's appropriately costed.
Finally got around to updating this list. With Rivals coming soon and having recently built a more midrange-y token deck in Hazezon Tamar, I changed the strategy here and went for more all-in aggro. Specific changes are listed in the first post.
While my previous Un-mander deck was mostly silver-bordered, this one is black-bordered with some silvery spice. I got the idea after noticing how many Riggers were power 1 or 2, so Alesha would be able to recur them easily. Artifacts are the name of the game here: assemble them, sacrifice them, produce tokens of them, etc etc etc. This is primarily a beatdown deck: although there are some light sacrifice elements to make better use of Alesha's abilities, I'm mainly just trying to swing for the hills here.
Note: Cards with a (W) after the name have at least one printing with a watermark, which can thus be cast by Watermarket.
I'm surprised you cut Panharmonicon being as most of your creatures do something when entering the battlefield. In any case that'd be the one artifact I'd constantly have Mirage Mirror become a copy of in order to make things even more epic.
I only counted eight permanents in this list with relevant ETB triggers: Wrench-Rigger, Steady-Handed Mook, Ogre Battledriver, Purphoros, Solemn Simulacrum, Garbage Elemental B, Steamflogger of the Month, and Chancellor of the Forge. Purphoros and Battledriver are enticing but I don't think the two of them alone are worth playing it. :/
Wanted to build one of the Un-manders. Grusilda is overdone, Baron is cute but highly susceptible to literally any form of interaction, and Mary o'Kill is 60-card bait. So that leaves our favorite egghead. Built this as a tokens deck with two hefty subthemes to celebrate the spirit of Un: dice rolling and Contraption assembling. Bit heavier on the tutors than I'd normally like, but it's because the deck naturally plays weaker cards due to being silver-bordered. There's also one infinite combo, in Lobe Lobber + Squirrel-Powered Scheme + Mirage Mirror copying Scheme = infinite damage.
Chandra's Ignition is the one card I'm surprised isn't here. It's already a decent removal spell, but cast it targeting a pumped-up Licia and you wipe the board, fireball your opponents and gain a massive chunk of life. It + Aetherflux Reservoir = game over.
Uh... no it doesn't? One previous data point about how the word "ascendancy" is used in Magic doesn't imply a trend. Plus, the only strict gold cycles at rare in GRN were the champions and the split cards. I would be surprised if we deviate heavily from that.
Also, pretty sure The Haunt of Hightower is the buy-a-box. Which sucks, because I have a few EDH decks that would love to get acquainted with it.
3 Anax and Cymede
Creature (13)
2 Hero of Iroas
2 Kor Spiritdancer
2 Sram, Senior Edificer
2 Tilonalli's Summoner
3 Duergar Hedge-Mage
3 Eidolon of Countless Battles
3 Heliod's Pilgrim
3 Prophetic Flamespeaker
3 Valduk, Keeper of the Flame
4 Ajani's Chosen
4 Iroas, God of Victory
4 Ogre Battledriver
5 Tiana, Ship's Caretaker
Spells (20)
1 Ajani's Presence
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Launch the Fleet
1 Pyroblast
1 Reckless Charge
1 Tempt with Vengeance
2 Bathe in Light
2 Boros Charm
2 Deflecting Palm
2 Response // Resurgence
3 Chaos Warp
3 Rally the Righteous
3 Teferi's Protection
4 Divine Reckoning
4 Retether
4 Seize the Day
5 Chandra's Ignition
5 Reforge the Soul
5 Savage Beating
5 Waves of Aggression
1 Crown of Flames
1 Ethereal Armor
1 Flickering Ward
1 Mark of Fury
1 Sigarda's Aid
2 Conviction
2 Emblem of the Warmind
2 Flickerform
2 Path of Mettle
2 Spirit Loop
2 Squee's Embrace
3 Battle Mastery
3 Price of Glory
3 Scourge of the Nobilis
3 Shielded by Faith
3 Unquestioned Authority
4 Angelic Destiny
4 Elemental Mastery
4 Sage's Reverie
4 War's Toll
5 Starfield of Nyx
Artifact (9)
1 Helm of the Gods
1 Meekstone
1 Sol Ring
2 Boros Signet
2 Scroll of the Masters
3 Boros Locket
3 Cloudstone Curio
3 Sunforger
5 Mind's Eye
3 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Land (35)
12 Plains
10 Mountain
1 Arch of Orazca
1 Arid Mesa
1 Battlefield Forge
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Command Tower
1 Inspiring Vantage
1 Needle Spires
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Slayers' Stronghold
1 Spinerock Knoll
1 Windbrisk Heights
Maybeboard:
I'm building an Elenda list as well and am looking for some feedback on "niche tech" that's worked well for you. The knight/Haakon package in particular tickles my fancy. Stuff like Arvad the Cursed, Aryel, Knight of Windgrace, Benalish Marshal and Dauntless Bodyguard seem like they'd perform well in this deck. I also think there are a number of other cards from Dominaria that could go well here: Blackblade Reforged, Cast Down, Memorial to Folly, Phyrexian Scriptures, Whisper, Blood Liturgist and Yawgmoth's Vile Offering are all on my "maybeboard" for the deck.
Thoughts? Would love to hear about non-Dominaria choices as well.
The "beyond the first" wording is already used with escalate. As phrased now, I (as a new player) would assume based off of prior exposure that I can choose any mode without paying the intensify cost. Which as I understand it isn't the intent.
A "signpost" is a two-colored uncommon that indicates a draft archetype. You see them in sets designed for limited play.
And to repost my guesses, because I edited the original post but the edits wouldn't stick:
197: Baloth Null
198: Blazing Specter (from rare)
199: Boros Charm
207: Lim-Dûl's Vault
213: Pillory of the Sleepless
215: Razorfin Hunter (from common)
217: Secret Plans
Supply - If you would draw a card, you may [SOMETHING] instead. {Bant}
Gruntwork (If you would tap this creature to pay a cost, you may sacrifice it instead or vice-versa.){Phyrexia}
Meditate COST (COST: Move any number of counters from another creature you control onto this creature. Meditate only as a sorcery.) {Jeskai}
Vote {Orzhov}
Radiance — Do something to target permanent and each permanent that shares a type and color with it.
Zombie (B)
Token Creature - Zombie (S)
2/2
{Watermark: Phyrexia}
Archon Journey-Singer 5W
Creature - Archon (C)
Flying
T: Tap target creature. You gain 1 life.
"I wish to join their hymns. I know not their language." - Simoul, Bant hierarch
3/3
Archon's Call U
Instant (C)
Radiance — Choose a color. Untap target creature and each other creature that shares a color with it.
Words were unknown, but the meaning was perfectly understandable.
Common 3 of 10
Fire-Stained Weaponmaster 1R
Creature — Efreet Monk (C)
Prowess
1W: ~ gains first strike until end of turn.
2/1
"Reach heaven through violence."
{Watermark: Jeskai}
Burden of Choice WB
Sorcery (C)
Choose target opponent. Starting with you, each player votes for method or madness. If madness wins, that player discards two cards. If method wins or the vote is tied, that player reveals his or her hand. You choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card.
{Watermark: Orzhov}
Got an idea of my own, as well! (Sans render because I don't like searching for them.)
Yuliyana of the Crows 2BR
Legendary Creature – Human Rebel {M}
First strike
Exploit (When this creature enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice a creature.)
At the beginning of each end step, if a creature died under your control this turn, draw two cards, then discard a card at random.
"No death is without lessons learnt."
3/3
I wanted to design a "heroic Rakdos" legend, and this is what I got. She's a hypothetical rebel leader against a staid regime in a dreamlike, magic-heavy cityscape. Exploit is the returning mechanic (in (B/R)): although Yuliyana doesn't benefit from exploiting herself, when her comrades die plans are set into motion - sometimes under her control, and sometimes not. Would love feedback on whether she seems like an interesting commander, and whether she's appropriately costed.
Note: Cards with a (W) after the name have at least one printing with a watermark, which can thus be cast by Watermarket.
1 Alesha, Who Smiles at Death (W)
One Drops (6)
1 Goblin Welder
1 Hope of Ghirapur
1 Reconnaissance
1 Sol Ring
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Wrench-Rigger (W)
Two Drops (13)
1 Akiri, Line-Slinger
1 Altar of Dementia
1 Arcbound Ravager
1 Boros Signet (W)
1 Cathartic Reunion
1 Costly Plunder
1 Hidden Stockpile
1 Jackknight (W)
1 Key to the City
1 Orzhov Signet (W)
1 Rakdos Signet (W)
1 Smuggler's Copter
1 Sword of the Animist
Three Drops (16)
1 Ashnod's Altar
1 Behind the Scenes
1 By Gnome Means (W)
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Crackling Doom (W)
1 Deal Broker (W)
1 Etched Champion (W)
1 Filigree Familiar
1 Mentor of the Meek
1 Painful Truths
1 Pia's Revolution (W)
1 Riveting Rigger (W)
1 Steady-Handed Mook (W)
1 Tempered Steel (W)
1 Thopter Engineer
1 Tymna the Weaver
1 Arcbound Crusher
1 Arcbound Reclaimer
1 Border Guardian (W)
1 Conqueror's Galleon
1 Damnation
1 Midlife Upgrade (W)
1 Overt Operative (W)
1 Panharmonicon
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Split Screen (W)
1 Unwinding Clock (W)
1 Work a Double (W)
Five Drops (8)
1 Angel of Invention
1 Grusilda, Monster Masher (W)
1 Karmic Guide
1 Ravos, Soultender
1 Reforge the Soul
1 Reveillark
1 Rules Lawyer (W)
1 Sly Requisitioner
Six Drops (4)
1 Do-It-Yourself Seraph (W)
1 Marionette Master
1 Merciless Eviction (W)
1 Over My Dead Bodies (W)
Seven+ Drops (2)
1 Arcbound Overseer
1 Dusk // Dawn
Lands (37)
7 Plains
4 Mountain
3 Swamp
1 Command Tower
1 Mana Confluence
1 Path of Ancestry
1 Arid Mesa
1 Marsh Flats
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Godless Shrine
1 Blood Crypt
1 Temple of Triumph
1 Temple of Silence
1 Temple of Malice
1 Battlefield Forge
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Sulfurous Springs
1 Great Furnace
1 Ancient Den
1 Vault of Whispers
1 Maze of Ith
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Slayers' Stronghold
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Watermarket
1 Accessories to Murder
1 Dual Doomsuits
1 Duplication Device
1 Faerie Aerie
1 Gnomeball Machine
1 Goblin Slingshot
1 Hard Hat Area
1 Hypnotic Swirly Disc
1 Pet Project
1 Rapid Prototyper
1 Record Store
1 Refibrillator
1 Sundering Fork
1 Top-Secret Tunnel
1 Widget Contraption
I only counted eight permanents in this list with relevant ETB triggers: Wrench-Rigger, Steady-Handed Mook, Ogre Battledriver, Purphoros, Solemn Simulacrum, Garbage Elemental B, Steamflogger of the Month, and Chancellor of the Forge. Purphoros and Battledriver are enticing but I don't think the two of them alone are worth playing it. :/
Adds:
- Ashnod's Altar
- Burn at the Stake
- Chancellor of the Forge
- Chaos Warp
- Conspiracy
- Damnation
- Dictate of Erebos
- Goblin Chieftain
- Goblin Rabblemaster
- Krenko, Mob Boss
- Unlicensed Disintegration
Cuts:- Clock of DOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
- Divergent Transformations
- Finders, Keepers
- Hellrider (want to add this back in)
- Neheb, the Eternal
- Painiac
- Panharmonicon
- Raid Bombardment
- Slobad, Goblin Tinkerer
- Sword of Dungeons & Dragons
- Thousand-Year Elixir
Nope. That seems lame, haha.6 The Big Idea
Creatures
1 Snickering Squirrel
1 Wrench-Rigger
2 Inhumaniac
2 Metallic Mimic
2 Steamflogger Temp
3 Baron Von Count
3 Goblin Chieftain
3 Goblin Rabblemaster
3 Sly Spy
3 Steady-Handed Mook
4 Krenko, Mob Boss
4 Ogre Battledriver
4 Overt Operative
4 Paragon of Fierce Defiance
4 Purphoros, God of the Forge
4 Solemn Simulacrum
5 Garbage Elemental
5 Grusilda, Monster Masher
5 Steamflogger of the Month
5 The Scorpion God
7 Chancellor of the Forge
Spells
1 Gamble
1 Goblin Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
2 Rakdos Charm
2 Strategy, Schmategy
2 Terminate
3 Chaos Warp
3 Read the Bones
3 Toxic Deluge
3 Unlicensed Disintegration
4 Damnation
4 Hammer Helper
4 Work a Double
5 Burn at the Stake
5 Torrent of Souls
6 Box of Free-Range Goblins
6 Kindred Charge
6 Steamfloggery
7 Kindred Dominance
1 Ricochet
3 Phyrexian Arena
3 Shared Animosity
3 Squirrel-Powered Scheme
4 Outpost Siege
5 Conspiracy
5 Dictate of Erebos
6 Sunbird's Invocation
Artifacts
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
2 Illusionist's Bracers
2 Krark's Other Thumb
2 Lightning Greaves
2 Lobe Lobber
2 Rakdos Signet
2 Talisman of Indulgence
2 Throne of the God-Pharaoh
3 Ashnod's Altar
3 Mirage Mirror
3 Worn Powerstone
4 Hedron Archive
4 Split Screen
6 Obelisk of Urd
Lands
10 Mountain
4 Swamp
1 Arid Mesa
1 Blood Crypt
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Canyon Slough
1 Command Beacon
1 Command Tower
1 Foreboding Ruins
1 Graven Cairns
1 Marsh Flats
1 Polluted Delta
1 Rakdos Carnarium
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Shadowblood Ridge
1 Smoldering Marsh
1 Sulfurous Springs
1 Tainted Peak
1 Temple of Malice
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Watermarket
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Accessories to Murder
1 Boomflinger
1 Deadly Poison Sampler
1 Dual Doomsuits
1 Faerie Aerie
1 Gift Horse
1 Goblin Slingshot
1 Hard Hat Area
1 Pet Project
1 Record Store
1 Refibrillator
1 Sundering Fork
1 Thud-for-Duds
1 Twiddlestick Charger
1 Widget Contraption
And since I can't show which variants I intend: