MTG Salvation

I'm considering Marauder at 450 but it is on deck for now. For Obstructionist I would need to be at least 540.

Votes: rkohn1357, void_nothing

I've been working on an FF9 inspired set. Here is Village of Dali.

Village of Dali
Land (R)
1, : Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Tap an untapped human you control, : Put a production counter on Village of Dali.
During your end step if Village of Dali has two or more productions counters, transform it.
"Kwehhhh!"
////
Underground Factory
Land (R)
At the beginning of each upkeep you may pay 2, If you do create a 1/1 Black robot wizard token with “ :This creature deals 1 damage to any target.”
"Killll!"

First idea for Village of Dali:

Village of Dali
Land (R)
1, : Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Tap an untapped human you control, : Put a production counter on Village of Dali.
During your end step if Village of Dali has two or more productions counters, transform it.
"Kwehhhh!"
Underground Factory
Land (R)
At the beginning of each upkeep you may pay 2, If you do create a 1/1 Black robot wizard token with “ :This creature deals 1 damage to any target.”
"Killll!"

Notes: The front side Village of Dali represents a farming community that is losing its manpower to the production of black mage soldiers. The mana fixing ability is how I'm representing farming and having to tap humans to get the counters exemplifies the manpower shifting from the farms to producing the soldiers. The each upkeep trigger is supposed to invoke a factory like production and the pinging ability represents a black mage's fireball. The flavor texts mirror one another to contrast life and death much like this segment of the game.

I have just started to work on a Final Fantasy IX--one of my all time favorite games--inspired set and wanted to share my designs, process, and eventual final product with you. I welcome constructive feedback, particularly from those familiar with the flavor and lore of FF9. I've wanted to create this set for an extremely long time, but I had been lacking some of the card types and/or conventions needed to make certain ideas work (e.g. no vehicles or legendary uncommons). I have some around 100 different weapons, places, vehicles, characters, and creatures accounted for in my planned designs so far, but would like to get this up to the size of a set.

Here are some of my designs focused around the earliest sections of Disc 1 of FF9 (and a couple Eidolons because why not).

Plant Spider G
Creature - Plant Spider (C)
1/2
Notes: I know, I know, vanilla 1 drop. Wooooo. Every set needs them though!

Sealion 1UU
Creature - Fish Beast (C)
If you control a creature name Black Waltz 1 it gains “U: This creature can’t be blocked until end of turn.”
3/2
Notes: Foreshadowing! I bet you know what other design is coming later in this preview! Sealion and Black Waltz 1 are BFF's.

Zaghnol 2GG
Creature - Beast (C)
Trample
4/3
Notes: This one is a must include as it plays such a prominent role in the Festival of the Hunt!

Black Waltz I B
Creature - Robot Wizard (U)
If you control a creature names Sealion it gains “B:Regenerate Sealion” (The next time this creature would be destroyed this turn, it isn’t. Instead tap it, remove all damage from it, and remove it from combat.)
2/1
Notes: And there it is! Thought regenerate would really capture the flavor of how Black Waltz 1 heals the Sealion in the game. Common and uncommon for the two creatures help ensure they can both be drafted with ease.

Black Waltz II 2B
Creature - Robot Wizard (U)
Flying, Deathtouch
2/3
Notes: Similarly to the game, not a whole lot of differnce between 1 and 2 besides the addition of flying and a little more lethal.

Black Waltz III 4B
Creature - Robot Wizard (U)
Flying
5B: Return Black Waltz III from your graveyard to the battlefield. It gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step.
4/3
Notes: The whole Black Waltz series is uncommon as there are just too many better choices for rares/mythics from FF9. This one recurs to invoke its return appearance in Disc 2!

Ifrit 1R
Legendary Creature - Eidolon (U)
Trample, Haste
When Ifrit is summoned it deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
Sacrifice Ifrit at the beginning of the next end step.
3/1
Notes: Eidolons are uncommon and 2 mana! What?! Yes! Well the more basic ones at least...Ifrit can be a more expensive Spark Elemental when played normally, but if he is summoned first (NOTE: This is not the same as casting or entering the battlefield! You will see how summon works with the mythic reveal!) then you get added value!

Shiva 1U
Legendary Creature - Eidolon (U)
When Shiva is summoned target tapped permanent an opponent controls does not untap during its controller’s next untap step.
Whenever Shiva blocks a creature, that creature does not untap during its controller’s next untap step.
1/3
Notes: The second revealed eidolon! Summon mechanic is coming!

Regent Cid R
Legendary Creature - Oglop (U)
Menace
Vehicles cost 1 less to cast.
1/1
Notes: Aw, poor Cid. At least he got a vehicle cost reduction mechanic to go with his engineering brilliance.

Prison Cage BG
Creature - Treefolk Horror (U)
When Prison Cage enters the battlefield put a sap counter on target creature.
2: Target creature with a sap counter gets -1/-1 and Prison Cage gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
2/2
Notes: Remember these from the Evil Forest? They are back to drain your characters!

Theatre Ship Tantalus 3
Artifact - Vehicle (R)
Flying
Crew 2
When Theatre Ship Tantalus deals combat damage to a player you may take control of target legendary creature that player controls with a converted mana cost of 3 or less.
3/4
Notes: Get all that flavor! The theatre ship is here to kidnap your princess. Oh, you want to see the princess? Fine.

Princess Dagger WU
Creature - Human Shaman (M)
Lifelink
Princess Dagger enters the battlefield with two mute counters.
At the beginning of your upkeep remove a mute counter from Princess Dagger, then if there are no mute counters on Princess Dagger you may summon an Eidolon(Search your library for an Eidolon type card and pay its converted mana cost to put it into your hand, shuffle your library afterwards).
2/2
Notes: Here's your summoner! There will be a few. Summon is a tutor effect that requires you to pay the cost of the eidolon you are tutoring. When you do so however you are rewarded with that Eidolon's summon affect and you get to put it into your hand! Also, all the flavor! "Dagger can't concentrate!" Dagger needs two discs to clear her head and those two discs are represented by mute counters! After they are gone she summons each one of your upkeeps! She's also a healer, so lifelink works well here.

Places

Qu's Marsh
Land (U)
Qu’s Marsh enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add B
3, : Create a 0/1 Green frog token.
Note: All the frogs!

Chocobo's Forest
Land (U)
: Add 1
: Add R or G. Activate this ability only if you control Chocobo’s Lagoon and Chocobo’s Air Garden.
Notes: A chocobo land inspired by the tron lands.

Treno, City of Nobles
Land (R)
: Flip a coin. If heads, add one mana of any color to your mana pool, if tails, lose 2 life.
1, : Create a colorless artifact token named Gil. It has “Sacrifice this artifact: Add 1.”
Notes: The first ability is meant to capture the class divide, and the second ability is a fun reference to Gil the currency of FF9.

Hope you enjoyed these as much as I enjoyed making them. Here are a few of my upcoming ideas still in the works.
- Zidane, Kuja, and Garland as the PW's of the set. My rationale here is that they are the only two who have gone between two "planes" and they're all rather different in color allignment and the types of effects I would assign to them.
- Right now I'm working on executing a design that makes sense for Mog and Gizamaluke. Also going to try to incorporate some spells or events as instants/sorceries/enchantments.
- Also working on a flip-land for Village of Dali/Underground Factory

Thanks for looking! Check in over the next few weeks for further updates!

Self-Assembling Scrapyard
Land (R)
: Add C
4: Self-Assembling Scrapyard becomes a 3/3 Construct artifact creature until end of turn.
8: Self-Assembling Scrapyard becomes a 6/6 Construct artifact creature with trample that's still a land.

Notes: Kind of a Dread Statuary/Stalking Stones hybrid. Would the added flexibility be enough to make your cube as a colorless land? Torn between costing the last ability at 7 or 8. Seven might be too efficient to print.

It's an interesting matchup. You've got void which is low impact, but guaranteed impact vs. Abbey which can win games, but rarely triggers (I've seen it once) and the token producing ability is a joke at 6 mana and 1 life for a 1/1.

Zhalfirin Void or Westvale Abbey

Precursor Golem or Gilded Lotus

Note on this one: Cube is 450 unpowered and doesn't run any superfatties (9 mana+ creatures) except Emrakul, the Promised End although I do run several 7 and 8 drops.

Couple quick designs.

Xeo, Adept Necromancer 1BB
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard (M)
When Xeo, Adept Necromancer enters the battlefield search your library for a creature card and put it into your graveyard. Shuffle your library afterwards.
When Xeo, Adept Necromancer dies you may return another target creature from your graveyard to the battlefield. If you do, you lose life equal to that creature’s converted mana cost. Exile Xeo, Adept Necromancer.
3/2

Ilixis, Fae Illusionist 1UU
Legendary Creature - Faerie Wizard (M)
Flash, Flying
When Ilixis, Fae Illusionist enters the battlefield create two 1/2 Blue illusion creature tokens with flying and “if this creature dies from lethal combat damage, draw a card.”. Exile them at the beginning of the next end step.
1: Ilixis, Fae Illusionist gets +1/-1
1/3

Harmonic Familiar 4
Artifact Creature - Construct (U)
As Harmonic Familiar enters the battlefield, you may reveal any number of other creature cards that all share a race with each other from you hand. Harmonic Familiar gets a +1/+1 counter for each creature revealed this way.
Its strength reflects the strength of a people.
2/2

Love the extort arena idea. That, IMO, strikes the perfect balance.

I think rift having a base mode that is the same as disperse would make it more attractive then rushing river. Also being able to return any permanent--which can often work to your advantage in many archetypes--is way better than having to sacrifice a land even if you can't get a creature with the second bounce effect on my design.

Of the red four drops you list I would only consider Hellrider and Pia and Kiran Nalaar to be high-quality options. FTK and Hero are fine and the others don't do it for me at all.

I'm sold on losing the death trigger for Seeker, when it attacks and then dies in combat you are potentially looking 3 cards deep and drawing two of them in one turn which is absurd even as a best case scenario for a green 2-drop.
The 3rd point of toughness is just so important for this card though. It gives green a good blocker against aggro and improves the likelihood that Fauna Seeker will survive to see another trigger of its ability.

Coliseum isn't a drain necessarily since you don't gain the one life they lose, I'm not sure if adding 1 to the cost is enough to switch the lifeloss to your opponent and gain life to boot.

Rift - Noted, will fix the wording. The non-creature clause for the second bounce is intentional. The nonkicked mode here is extremely unattractive though and that's the bigger issue to me. I want to switch this to costing 1U and adding U to the kicker.

Sacrifice - I think the average lifeloss is a lot less with this card thanAshes to Ashes or Reckless Spite. Also instant speed double edict would be a strong play even at 4 in cube I think. Would need testing to be sure.

Distiller shouldn't have lifelink. Otherwise though I think the drawback of giving an opponent life if you cast this whether you have a target for its effect or not is a tough decision. Maybe it should give 4 instead of 3?

I think Red needs better creatures overall so if this is on the strong side I am okay with this.

I mean, it only digs two cards deep so it will whiff decently often even in creature heavy decks. I like that it keeps the cards on top, reminds me a bit of Mirri's Guile.

Would you play these variants of existing cube cards?

Phyrexian Coliseum 2BB
Enchantment (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep draw an additional card and each opponent loses 1 life.

Would you pay an extra mana to have your opponent lose the life instead? Would this need something extra to be playable in your cube?

Asymetrical Rift 1U
Instant (U)
Kicker - U, Return a permanent you control to your hand.
Return target non-land permanent to its owner's hand. If Asymetrical Rift was kicked you may return another target non-creature, non-land permanent an opponent controls to its owner's hand.

Potential double bounce for three! Would you run this?

Negotiated Sacrifice 3B
Instant (R)
Target player sacrifices two creatures. You lose life equal to half of the combined power of the sacrificed creatures rounded up.

Would you play a costly edict effect like this? It's a cheaper dead drop with a life loss drawback.

Kor Distiller 1W
Creature - Kor Cleric (U)
When Kor Distiller enters the battlefield target opponent gains 3 life. You may destroy target artifact or enchantment that player controls.
2/2

Naturalize on a stick in white for 2 mana, but you have to give them some life whether they have a target or not.

Keldon Destroyers 3R
Creature - Human Warrior (R)
Vanishing 2 (This creature enters the battlefield with two time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter from it. When the last is removed, sacrifice it.)
When Keldon Destroyers enters the battlefield or leaves the battlefield, it deals 2 damage to any target.
4/4

Keldon Marauders big brother.

Fauna Seeker 1G
Creature - Human Druid (R)
When Fauna Seeker attacks or dies look at the top 2 cards of your library. You may reveal a creature card from among those 2 cards and put it into your hand. Put the unrevealed cards back on top of your library in any order.
2/3

Good body for a 2-drop and a mini-creature only impulse upon attack or death. Also let's you reorganize the top two cards if neither are creatures.

Since we're all on the black 5 drop wishlist state of mind again I have a few more I made up. I threw these together pretty fast, but maybe one will resonate.

Demos, Head of the Cabal 2BBB
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard (M)
Hexproof
Pay 5 Life: Create a legendary 5/5 Black Demon token with flying named Belial, the Black Scourge.
Pay 10 Life: Destroy all creatures you don’t control.
Sacrifice Demos, Head of the Cabal: Return target legendary creature from your graveyard to the battlefield.
1/1

Notes: Wanted to toy with the idea of blood magic and high-risk, high-reward. Getting access to Plague Wind at 5CC is pretty sexy I would say. I also was feeling a bit inspired by the Legendary theme of Dominaria and so I chose to limit his reanimation ability to legendary creatures.

Hypnoxia, Specter Queen 3BB
Legendary Creature - Specter(M)
Haste, Flying
When Hypnoxia Specter Queen enters the battlefield you may look at target opponent’s hand.
Whenever Hypnoxia Specter Queen attacks you may name a card. The defending player reveals their hand and discards all cards with that name.
3/4

Notes: Black is getting haste because it's a legendary mythic and because without it this might not be good enough. For 2 more than the original Hippy Specter you get Haste, +1/+2, the ability triggers on attack for assured value, and the ability lets you choose which card they discard each time provided you have any short-term memory.

Thrull Spawnsire 4B
Creature - Thrull (M)
When Thrull Spawnsire enters the battlefield create two 0/1 Black thrull tokens.
Thrulls you control get +2/+0
Thrull Spawnsire can be cast from your graveyard.
Sacrifice Thrull Spawnsire: Gain 1 life for each thrull you control.
0/1

Notes: It's my ideal black token engine. It creates bodies, it pumps those bodies, it can be cast from the grave, and it can be sacrificed for sorely needed lifegain in black and then recast for more dudes next turn.

W/B was an incredibly common archetype in the 16 man sealed I played in last weekend. I played it and faced two mirror matches in four rounds. I think it comes down to excellent removal (Eviscerate, Seal Away, Gideon's Reproach, Vicious Offering, Blessed Light, and Settle the Score) strong white common and uncommon creatures (Sargent At Arms, Danitha, Baird), and some strong W or B/W bombs Arvad (in some decks) and Aryel. I don't think mono-black has many truly incredible bombs outside of Demonlord Belzenlok. Also On Serra's Wings is the real deal. It was particularly sexy when I was able to resolve it on Traxos, Scourge of Kroog.

I picked up a void and have it on deck pending more people's feedback on it. Ran it in sealed and it was always nice to draw, but in order to cube this in my 450 unpowered it would have to jump Ash Barrens or Westvale Abbey. Not sure it gets there.