MTG Salvation

Also, if you Tooth and Nail this guy into play you don't get to draw four cards, which is huge. Obviously if you can swing once with him, then great. If you drop him with sneak attack that could be good, cause even though you don't draw 4, he will have haste and at the very least be making your opponent sac 4 permanents. Still don't think he's quite good enough.

Unless we're going mono-red (which we're not), we take Baloths here. It is one of the biggest bombs in the format. Period.

Ruin Ghost is a complete beast. He activates landfall, recurs the spell-land effects, and can even mana fix. He is a gooooood.

HOLD

Library of Glass 3
Legendary Artifact - Fortification
At the beginning of your upkeep, if Library of Glass is fortifying a land, draw a card.
When Library of Glass or another artifact you control is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may search your library for an artifact card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. If you do, shuffle your library.
Fortify 3

Edit: Omitted the "Legendary" from this card. Sorry!

I'm not a fan of this mechanic, keyworded or not. It doesn't serve much of a purpose. It's basically a variation on first strike that seems unneccessary. First Strike already covers that design, and then we have double strike as well. This is like Half strike or something, and I'm just not a fan.

So we're going to introduce both Manabind AND Haunt, as well as keeping the progression of already established mechanics such as Awe, Experience, Urge, and Grandeur? Seems like a quite a lot for one small set (Even for a large one). While I like both mechanics, and think they fit well with our progression, it seems to really saturate the set with too many things.

Also, what does Manabind really accomplish? It returns the creature to play as a 2/2 colorless, typeless creature. I get the flavor ties, but just don't see how it is in any way dynamic. Especially if we are toying with creatures hitting the yard, creatures with Manabind never would. Seems fine to just use Haunt and try to find interesting angles on some of the other mechanics we have introduced previously.

Quote from Dodavehu

Both of those are good cards for black. Just don't do the same in W, U, and almost never do it in G and it should be fine.

I'm kind of confused now. If none of those are a big part of the set, what are you proposing should be the push of the set then? Weren't you saying that LtB was to be the theme? That means we're dedicating most of our commons, much of our uncommons, and a good number of rares to that. All I'm saying is that we need to be careful not to make our set about things dying since it would be going against human nature.
--

Agree. We can explore rewards for creatures leaving the battlefield, even encourage some with death by combat, but it should be a minor exploration, not the focus of the set.

With that said, what is the set's identity? Obviously we still have combat as the overarching theme, but what's the spin for this set.

Alara Block was:
Alara (shards)
Conflux (Domain)
Reborn (All Gold)

What is our natural progression on the theme?

No, I see what you're saying Flappy, and I agree; after all, it's essentially the same thing. We should plant things in the set which reward creatures leaving the battlefield. It doesn't mean we have to encourage players to use the death of their own creatures as a resource. Moving from that, it might also be interesting to put a few things in which do encourage "death by combat." It is in theme (and more specific, of course), but it would also trigger Deathgreeter-esque cards.

Like I said, I think everyone is saying similar things, and they're all valid. We should just try to move forward to develop mechanics (if we want) and/or ideas for implementing this concept into already established tenets of the blocks.

Cheers!

Flappy, I'm tending to agree with Doda here. Your example of Fecundity doesn't further your arguement - if anything it bolsters the opposing point of view. Fecundity gives you a reward when the creature hits the yard, but it just sits there in a passive manner. If we made a creature which had the ability "At the beginning of your end step, if this dealth lethal combat damage, draw a card." It is pretty similar, but is encouraging you to attack/enter combat, which is the overarching theme of the block.

Instead of focusing on solely having creatures "leave play," it should be the manner in which they leave play -- i.e. combat based.

This doesn't mean we can't have other leaves play effects outside of combat, but those should be only few in number.

I agree with you Doda, I think leaving the battlefield as a theme does not serve the purpose of this block very well, and also that people don't like losing their creatures for effects. However, if we spin it, as you have, with dealing lethal damage, or some other such condition, I think it could be cool. What if we fused your idea with my former mechanic idea and have something like this (once again, working name):

Battlehardened -- At the beginning of the end step,If this dealt lethal combat damage, [effect]

Avelion Cutthroat BB
reature - Merfolk Assassin (U)
3B: Destroy target blocking creature at end of combat.
2/1

Exhaust the Land 2GG
Enchantment (R)
Whenever one or more creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, tap all lands that player controls and untap all lands you control.

I'd love to try hop back on board with the design of this final set. I had a lot of fun submitting and brainstorming for Aegea, and then life took over and I could only casually check in and watch the progress of Pax Reproba. So, count me in.

With that said, I think it might be a good idea to explore some of the design space of the "untap" mechanic. After all if we're still focusing on experience, etc., it seems like a logical progression. It's the sort of mechanic that is interesting in our theme, and fits well as a brief exploration for a third set of a block. I think this idea was thrown out earlier in the thread, but I, for one, would really push for its inclusion.

Edit: Just had an idea for a mechanic for the set. Please note, the name is merely a placeholder and I'm not sure the wording is 100% accurate, but I think you can get the idea of the effect I'm going for.

Battlehardened -- If this entered combat during your last turn, [effect]

This could translate to giving it an activated ability, p/t boost, etc.

Example:

Hardy Soldier WW
Creature - Human Soldier
Vigilance
Battlehardened -- If this entered combat during your last turn, it gets +1/+0 and has first strike.
2/2

That's just some rough thinking, but I it could be cool to explore. Not sure if it steps on the toes of the way the experience mechanic fucntions or not.

Um. Nighthawk is CLEARLY the pick here.

I would have taken the Angel second pick as well.

Then, at p1p5, I would take the Sell-Sword. As has been mentioned, B/W Aggro is good, and he is a solid body, plus upside as an ally this early in the draft. Then your next few picks could have been Guul Draz Vampire and Vampire Lacerator.

For P2P1, I would snatch up the Blade of the Bloodchief. While slightly underwhelming in a vacuum, after the pack one picks, it becomes very solid. This is how I had it shaking out:

p1 Emeria Angel
p2 Shepherd of the Lost
p3 Kor Sanctifiers
p4 Pitfall Trap
p5 Nimana Sell-Sword
p6 Guul Draz Vampire
p7 Vampire Lacerator
p8 Narrow Escape
p9 Stonework Puma
p10 Explorer's Scope
p11 Ondu Cleric
p12 Hagra Crocodile
p13 Landbind Ritual
p14 Blood Seeker

That's already three pretty solid vamps that can benefit from the blade. And, the BW deck likes equipment that can help it race. My two cents, anyways.