My bad on forgetting the P/T for the back half, 2/2 was right.
Transform could work, but it's 2 souls mutually sharing one body, so it seemed like the option to choose which side you were casting fit that flavor better. It's like two minds in one body, one mind coming to the front depending on the situation if that makes more sense. One of those minds just happens to be a god's mind.
I agree that red and blue make a little more sense for the front half.
A friend and I have started designing a set where a major theme is two souls inhabiting one body. Trying to figure out how we want the "god" characters to work exactly, so any feedback or advice would be great. The card would work as an MDFC, so I'm not sure exactly how to write that out. The idea is the front side provides resources that the backside can then use. We were a little afraid returning the card to your own hand was abusable so made it sorcery speed only.
Front Side:
Alden, Inquisitive Vessel WU
Legendary Creature - Human
Whenever you scry you may pay 2 if you do draw a card. 2R: Return Alden, Inquisitive Vessel to its owners hand. Activate this ability only as a sorcery.
2/2
Back Side:
Lamell, Breaker of Limits 2RW
Legendary Creature - God
Haste, Double Strike
Whenever Lamell, Breaker of Limits enters the battlefield under your control or attacks you may discard a card, if you do deal damage to any target equal to the converted mana cost of that card. 2U: Return Lamell, Breaker of Limits to its owners hand. Activate this ability only as a sorcery.
I've updated the OP with a link to the first chunk of cards. They obviously still need a lot of work, but as I said in the update priorities are upshifting rarities and making sure the converted mana costs are good. Detailed updates will come later when all of the commons are done.
It was immediately marked as spam. I have read that it's because of the post length and that I haven't been a member long. Could a moderator unblock it? Thanks a lot.
If you've been following along with my previous threads then you'll know I've been slowly developing a set and a world for that set to exist on. I'd like to first go over the intentions of the set as I see them. Please take the following into consideration when giving feedback. As people have seen, I'm more than willing to take advice and completely change ideas if people genuinely think it serves the overall direction better.
This set is designed to be a 360 card cube for the draft. It will be a tricolor set with a high focus on artifact creatures, this means color artifacts. I see the power level and complexity as something closer to Modern Horizons than a typical Standard Set. The main reason for this increased complexity is the fact that I want to try the impossible, and design a set using all 10 tricolors.I will also say that while I am starting this initial design as 360 cards, I will go up if people feel like the mechanics are not getting enough love. Due to this reason, there is a lack of vanilla creatures (for now).
Right now the biggest thing I am concerned about is spreading out the power level across rarities (it will be a singleton set, but I still want it to be varied in power level from low to high). With that said, if you think anything needs to be shifted up or down in rarity or cost, easily done.
Now let's get to the real reason we're all here, flavor and mechanics.
Plane:
The land to toil. The space for peace. The water to cleanse. The strength to gather. The will to change. The passion to strive. The mind to ponder. The hope of wonders. A purpose in death. And rest in the empty.
A futuristic world where gods are a myth, and where science and magic have become one.
One particular myth tells a story of a greedy man who sought his people to be free of the gods, for the power to be free of them. This power he did take, and with it, he created a weapon so dangerous that the gods could not let it stand. In retaliation they began to war with the inhabitants of the plane, laying waste to the living. However, the gods underestimated the will of the people and as more gods fell, the power of the people did rise. When the last god fell, the inhabitants of the plane renounced the old gods, putting their faith in only themselves.
Millenia after the end of this war, the plane has recovered. Now, cities and modern infrastructure intertwine with the natural land. Inhabitants of this plane have invented “Frames” bipedal constructs that can be controlled by placing one’s soul into it. This process of ensouling has led to great constructs being developed throughout the modern age. These constructs are used from everything from manual labor to war. The process for creating a “Frame” is a mystery, but the ghosts in the machines may point towards a clue.
The set takes place in the capital city of the country, a futuristic place where you are as likely to see a 300 story building as a person making fire dance on their fingers. It is here that the first signs of a new war are showing, but will it be a war between the citizens of this plane, or a war with something long forgotten; because nothing lasts forever, not peace, and not the death of a god.
Terinyx WUB:
Was often called The God of The Gates. They represented the void, the unseen places of the world, and endings. Although this mythology does not particularly believe in an actual afterlife, it is believed that the soul enters an empty place where it finally finds peace and ceases to exist. Terinyx was sought after by thieves, assassins, and other varying degrees of criminals. However, he was also viewed highly by people nearing the ends of their lives. As well as by, priests and doctors.
During the ancient war between gods and man Terinyx chose to take neither side, instead offering refuge to both. There is a mystery surrounding how Terinyx died and became a Construct.
Mechanically, the Construct version of Terinyx relates deeply to the artifact creatures made by mortals in recent times due to his cold nature. Yet, Terinyx still cares about being the god the void (exile), and in people who represent the unseen places of the world, but to find a new war brewing after his long slumber has made him more aggressive than he has ever been (combat damage to player).
Fenis WGB:
The first god killed by man, Fenis represents the constant change of the world and is most closely related to the seasons. They were worshipped during times of change and especially during seasonal changes. Their power helped the wildlife bloom and prosper during spring, as well as sleep and recuperate during winter. They were always one of the most benevolent gods and sought to live with the inhabitants of the world in unity.
It was the betrayal of a close mortal friend that caused Fenis to lose their life and become the first Construct. It was also this betrayal that started the century-long war with the gods.
Mechanically, the Construct version of Fenis still cares about change (cycling), however the betrayal and the long corruption of believing they could have prevented the war has caused them to care less and less about the outcome of that change (more random cycling effects/negative effects).
Mirmornia BUR:
The god of wisdom and of patterns, Mirmornia was seen as one of the lower gods by mortals due to their distant nature. They would have always rather watched mortals from afar, learning about the creatures that seemed to view his brethren so highly. Mirmornia kept their power by focusing on what they did best, manipulating the higher minds of the world to their own pattern.
Even now they would rather watch and listen; waiting to find a way to take back what was always theirs.
Mechanically, the Construct version of Mirmornia still cares about the information (scry) required to manipulate the pattern of the world and accomplishes this by blending into mortal society (copying). Yet, the longer Mirmonia spends are mortals, the more the pattern unravels in their eye (chaos).
Driv BRG:
A god that knew no difference between love and discipline. They gave people the land and means to cultivate a life in this world. As likely to praise you as scold you, they were never one to beat around the bush when it came to improving life. Driv was looked toward during the long days of labor and when effort seemed pointless. Without Driv, the work of the other gods may have meant nothing. As he taught the people to survive through their own work. This may be the reason Driv took the betrayal of humans so hard because it was his teachings that gave them the tenacity to push back even against a god. During the war, Driv was the most destructive of all the gods. Razing the very land he gave the people with a wave of his hand.
Now their lands are covered in steel and concrete, now their people work little and gain nothing of real substance, these were not the lessons Driv taught. They will remind them what it means to toil for something meaningful.
Mechanically, the Construct version of Driv still cares about what the land has to offer, but sees no point in reward (+1/+1 counters/pard draw) without sacrifice (lands in the graveyard). Yet, they know the people won’t learn the lesson unless they have something to lose (play additional land).
Alplios WUR:
A god of the people. Alplios was perhaps the most social of the gods, often creating magic in the towns for children to see. He saw the wonder in their eyes and only wanted to share a taste of the unimaginable possibilities in the world. Hope died for them the day Fenis was killed. On that day Alplios became someone else, something else, a god with no hope for the inhabitants of this world. They were the first god to strike directly at a mortal establishment, incinerating it from the safety of the sky. There was no hate, no anger, only disappointment. Alplios fell towards the end of the war when his madness finally got the better of him.
At least that’s what everyone believed, but the truth is much simpler than you think. Alplios is here in the capital, much closer than you know. On bright sunny days, you can even see him close to the throne, smiling above us all.
Mechanically, the Construct version Alplios cares about burning it all down, by any means necessary. To do this they use their magic (noncreature spells) to do as much damage as possible (burn/direct damage) and in the process find themself joyful for the first time in a long time with renewed life (lifegain).
Blimbly WBR:
Blimbly never cared much for mortals, unless they were screaming. The god of violent lessons, of giving your all for your desires, because mortals have so many desires. Blimbly was always the easiest god to find, you just had to follow the fighting. It goes without saying that wherever Blimbly went, a trail of bodies followed. The worst of mortals, from warmongers to murderers sought Blimbly for safety and spoils. In the war they found true bliss, sacrificing their soldier left and right to gain a sliver of advantage until they had nothing left to sacrifice.
They have been waiting for millennia to smell the blood of the world again. They can’t wait much longer.
Mechanically, the Construct version of Blimbly cares about living through violence (lifelink) and using their pawn (sacrifice creature), to create an advantage and even steal a few new minions (theft).
Rinicilis WUG:
The god representing peace and contentment, Rinicilis was the only god besides Terinyx that never wanted to war with mortals, instead vowing to go into hiding until the time for peace would come again. For decades the war ranged on while Rinicilis refused to even look towards it. For decades, until the loss of his followers finally leading him to slumber. Eventually, a group of mortals found them and created a Construct with the small sliver of power they had left. Even after everything, Rinicilis is nothing if not forgiving. They are often used during parades and celebrations around the city.
Rinicilis was often patron to diplomats, leaders, and socialites; some of these they often shared with their sibling god Blimbly. Rinicilis was most often sought after during joyous occasions and negotiations.
Mechanically, the Construct version of Rinicilis still cares about peace (prevent combat) and finding the best result for everyone (group hug). With their long time hidden inside the Construct of themself, they have seen the necessity for protection in what you believe (control).
Leviath UBG:
Closely related to their sibling god Terinyx, Leviath represents the other half of death; the physical world. Leviath was often sought after during death rituals, often helping dig graves or grow flowers from the dirt with the help of Fenis. They were close watchers of doctors and the lowest caste of mortals, fearing their fates most of all. Leviath saw their role as their duty, the decaying life of the world would fuel many of their sibling gods.
Leviath was the first god to learn of Fenis's death and subsequent remaking as a Construct. They went to question the very mortals that committed the act and found himself remade as well. During his long deathlike slumber, he has found that emptiness of decay may not be all he believed in.
Mechanically, the construct version of Leviath still cares about the natural order of death and decay (creatures dying). Yet now, they are more than willing to twist the natural order to their whims using the help of their fellow gods (retrace).
Sifale WRG:
Without Sifale the mortals of the world would have had no desire to gather, to form groups to hunt, to learn from each other. They formed the invisible connections that bind the life of the world together. Speech and love flow through them. They spent most of their time residing in the natural world, being surrounded by animals and people alike. Sifale was perhaps the most tragic death on the side of the gods, as they went down without fighting.
After many years, Sifale is one of the only gods to have embraced her Construct, seeing it as a new way to experience the life they were given and the connections they have made.
Mechanically, the Construct version of Sifale still cares about making connections (creatures N) and protection of those connections (can’t be countered), but they are more willing than ever to stand their ground for what they believe in (must attack), against mortals or gods.
Vinden URG:
Vinden is to water, what Driv is to land. Vinden was one of the first gods, growing the microbial life that would one day leave the water and seek the land. It was Vinden’s duty to spark that first life, to incubate it and put part of themselves into it. And when the creatures that were meant to leave Vinden, to leave the depths, Vinden let them go, because that was also their duty. How dark the day must have been when those creatures returned many millennia later to take their life. They came in broken-down machines made of metal and laid waste to the depths. Until that day Vinden had no hate in their core, and no regrets in their life, but no more.
Vinden would take away their machines, to remind them of the spark they were generously given.
//ERROR// CONSTRUCT LOCATION NOT FOUND
CONSTRUCT LOCATION NOT FOUND
Mechanically, Vinden is the only Mythic Legendary Creature that doesn’t have Ensoul. Their focus is still on creating the spark (flash) of life (nonartifact creatures). More than ever Vinden hates the machines his first creations have made, but the only way they see to solve this is to make sure their new creations are given the power to do so (rust).
New Mechanics:
Ensoul(When this enters the battlefield you may exile a nonartifact creature you control until this leaves the battlefield.)
Note: Only Construct creatures can have Ensoul, but not all Construct creatures have Ensoul.
Flavor: A nonartifact creature placing their mind inside of a construct to control it. (Ghost in the machine).
Rust(This creature deals damage to nonartifact creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters.)
Note: I felt it necessary for there to be a new mechanic for artifact hate in terms of lore and set design.
Flavor: Vinden's newest creations, most of whom are born in the deep oceans are taught to destroy the machines of the surface world.
And now we have the 10 tricolor archetypes. I've listed the major themes and one subtheme of each archetype. If it looks like there is a crossover between some of them, good. I don't think doing a set in this way would be possible if different archetypes couldn't function well together.
WUB: Combat damage to opponent/Artifact WGB: Cycling/Midrange BUR: Instants and Sorceries/Chaos BRG: Lands in graveyard/Ramp WUR: Noncreature spells/Direct Damage WBR: Sacrifice/Theft WUG: Group Hug/Control UBG: Graveyard/Self Mill WRG: Creatures N/Must Attack URG: Anti-Artifact/Flash
I'm currently working on finishing the commons and plan to post them here 40 at a time. I'll post update posts as I do. Thanks for joining me on this journey and hopefully I can make something cool, if not a little crazy, with all of your help.
UPDATE 1:
Here is the first update of the cards for the set.
Key things I'm looking to fix in these early updates:
Anything that can be upshifted from common to uncommon can be easily replaced with vanilla or french vanilla things.
Making sure the converted mana cost makes sense. Deciding whether or not to keep the lands in the special slot or shift them to uncommon.
Detailed fixes probably won't come till much later, but you can still recommend things.
Will update again once the rest of the first draft commons are done.
Thanks a lot. This actually seems like a much better progression from Low Recruit. I could still see it being a limited bomb, but isn't going to take someone out in a turn.
The wording seems fine. I guess the only difference is I've noticed WOTC started putting the name of the token first instead of "named ~". But that seems unimportant.
Ok, with all the advice I think something like one of these two versions would be much more realistic. Let me know.
Seo, The Horned Wolf - WUBB
Creature - Rogue (R)
Flying
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, you may create Memory of Ter, a legendary 4/4 (5/5?) artifact Construct creature token with flying and indestructible.
Whenever an artifact enters the battlefield under your control draw a card and lose one life.
4/3
Or
Seo, The Horned Wolf - WUBB
Creature - Rogue (R)
~ and artifact creature you control have flying.
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, you may create Memory of Ter, a legendary 4/4 (5/5?) artifact Construct creature token with indestructible.
4/3
I believe it should be may ability or else you would create it every time you dealt damage to a player and it would constantly have summoning sickness, correct?
I'll add the +1 toughness to Low Recruit. It definitely felt a little weak to me. I'm curious what you think about changing it to:
When ~ deals combat damage you draw a card and that player discards a card. Or if that is still fairly weak for an uncommon.
What if I dropped the token down to a 5/5 or even a 4/4, I figure 9/9 was way too high but better to start at an extreme and work down.
I'll consider that for the Planeswalker, definitely a cool idea for the ultimate. The -3 is what I was originally going to go with.
Thanks again for all the help. I have a lot of the basic lore for the world down, so once I get through enough commons and uncommons on my own you'll finally get to see it.
Yeah, I wasn't positive how to get the distinction to be on the draw part of Cycling. This seems fine.
Thanks a lot.
EDIT:
I decided to go ahead and post my super initial idea for the Temur Mythic Legendary, I call it that because it won't be a construct. I want something that will be partially anti-artifact, as they are such a huge component of this whole set idea, but also something that felt like Temur.
As mentioned before I came up with a mechanic called Rust (basically wither for only artifact creatures). This mechanic seems pretty low impact except for high artifact environments. The flavor idea/justification for it being in these colors is: green and red have artifact destruction, Green is tertiary in wither, blue is water (I know that last part is loose).
With that in mind here is the Temur Avatar (decided not to go with God, too much baggage when the Constructs with Ensoul are pretty simple.)
Vinden, Water to Cleanse - 2URG
Legendary Creature - Avatar (M)
Flash I could take or leave this pretty easily.
Rust (This creature deals damage to artifact creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters.)
You may look at the top card of your library any time.
You may cast the top card of your library if it's a creature card and you may cast it as though it had flash.
When a nonartifact creature enters the battlefield under your control create a 2/2 blue Merfolk Creature with Rust.
5/4
I think it's pretty clear that Elsha the infinite was a big inspiration for this one. I could take out the casting the top card with flash, as I think making the token with rust is the more flavorful part.
This is a series of cards from the same Plane as the Legendary Constructs. I promise I'll eventually start a thread in the Set subsection, but I want to get most of the Commons and Uncommons sorted first.
This is a cycle of three cards, I can't remember what they call this kind of cycle, vertical? Of one character developing through the lore. Similar to the 3 planeswalker Chandras. As you can see this cycle of creatures follows the same mechanical identity as Terinyx the Esper Construct from my first thread.
First is the Uncommon (this card will also work as the draft signpost as long as I can get everything to work right with the megaset):
Low Recruit - WUB
Creature - Rogue (U)
Deathtouch
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player draw a card and lose 1 life.
2/2
Next the character gets a big jump in power. There are more hints to the lore in this card. I really wanted to continue the mechanical theme of dealing combat damage to a player, but make it more narrow and lore focused:
Seo, The Horned Wolf - WUBB
Creature - Rogue (R)
Flying
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, exile target nonland permanent that player controls. If an artifact was exiled this way, create Memory of Ter, a legendary 9/9 artifact creature token with flying and indestructible (or hexproof?).
4/3
And finally the planeswalker of the set. This probably needs a lot of work to make it balanced, but I thought I'd throw it in here to show the progression. The first - ability is really throwing me for a loop, but I would like to stick with some version of the + and the ultimate:
Seo, Gate of the Empty - 3WUB
Planeswalker - Seo (M)
[+1]: Each player draws a card, then exiles a card
[-3]: ?? I honestly don't know. Possibly Making an artifact creature??
[-8]: You get an emblem that says “You may cast player’s cards from exile and you may pay mana as though it were mana of any color to cast them.”
(5)
I hope people have enjoyed me exploring the designs on the strange world I'm building. Where gods are constructs and people possess machines. Again, any advice at all is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for the feedback on these. I'll definitely go with the first version for Naya.
Will make the change to Alplios, really dig that idea.
Yeah, I really like Driv.
As for Fenis, I was having trouble wording it so thanks for any help you can give. I'll also probably change his nonensouled ability to just making cycling cost less. I just think giving every card cycling when it's already a theme of the set would make it too broken.
And because of lore reasons there probably won't be a Temur construct, but there will still be a mythic legendary (possibly an avatar or god.)
Hi everyone, I'm back with the initial ideas for the next four tricolor (Temur is missing) Legendary Constructs that I've been designing. If you want to see the first five and we got to this design you can check out the first thread here.
First up is two versions of the same Construct, let me know which one seems more interesting.
Naya Version 1 ?, ? of ? - 2WRG
Legendary Artifact Creature - Construct (M)
Ensoul (When this enters the battlefield you may exile a nonartifact creature you control until this leaves the battlefield.)
Creatures you control can't be countered.
As long as ~ is ensouled, at the beginning of combat on your turn, creatures you control gain first strike until end of turn if a creature you control has first strike. The same is true for deathtouch, double strike, haste, lifelink, reach, trample, and vigilance.
6/5
Note: Still thinking of a name. This is obviously a variation of Odric Lunarch Marshal, but I wanted to keep the keywords within the primary color pie keywords.
Naya Version 2 ?, ? of ? - 2WRG
Legendary Artifact Creature - Construct (M)
Ensoul (When this enters the battlefield you may exile a nonartifact creature you control until this leaves the battlefield.)
Creatures you control can't be countered.
As long as ~ is ensouled, at the beginning of combat, for each creature you control, create a token that's a copy of that creature. Those copies have haste and must attack this turn. Exile them at the beginning of your next end step.
6/5
Note: This version leans into the archetype of this shard on this world, which is Creatures N and must attack. This is obviously the most aggro color combination of all the Constructs.
The next one needs the most work out of these four. While Mirmornia, from the last thread, was also spellslinger focused, it was focused more on the chaotic side of magic. The idea behind Alplios is Jeskai with their anger turned up to 11. I like the idea of constantly dealing noncombat damage, but not sure the best way to show it.
Alplios, Cinder of Hope - 2WUR
Legendary Artifact Creature - Construct (M)
Ensoul (When this enters the battlefield you may exile a nonartifact creature you control until this leaves the battlefield.)
NEEDS NONENSOUL ABILITY
As long as ~ is ensouled, whenever you cast a noncreature spell Alplios deals damage to any target equal to its converted mana cost.
5/5
The Jund Construct has a variant of the Nantoku Shaman ability, with slightly more risk/payoff. The mechanical theme of this color combination will be land cards in your graveyard. (I just really like that theme in MH1)
Driv, Tiller of Ruin - 2BRG
Legendary Artifact Creature - Construct (M)
Ensoul (When this enters the battlefield you may exile a nonartifact creature you control until this leaves the battlefield.)
You may play an additional land on each of your turns.
As long as ~ is ensouled, when a creature enters the battlefield under your control you may sacrifice any number of lands. Put that many +1/+1 counters on it and draw that many cards.
5/5
And finally, we have the Abzan commander, I wanted to do something different from +1/+1 counters and a focus on reanimator. Well, ever since Amonkhet I've wanted an Abzan cycling commander and here is my take on it. The theme of this color combination is really change and the seasons but pushed towards the darker side. I think cycling is a fun way to represent constant change.
Fenis, Wraith of Change - 2WBG
Legendary Artifact Creature - Construct (M)
Ensoul (When this enters the battlefield you may exile a nonartifact creature you control until this leaves the battlefield.)
Cards in your hand have cycling {1}{w}
As long as ~ is ensouled, whenever you cycle a card, instead exile the top card of your library until you exile a card with the same type as the cycled card, you may put that card into your hand. Put the exiled cards on the bottom of your library in any order.
6/7
And there we have the next 4 tricolor Legendary Constructs, let me know how to make them more balanced and more interesting. I fully admit P/T is hard for me, and I just looked at other legendaries in the same colors to try to match what is common.
EDIT:
As for the Temur Legendary, honestly, I have no idea. The only idea I have at the moment is making Temur very anti artifact heavy, possibly with a new ability, a variant on wither, I'm calling Rust(This creature deals damage to artifact creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters). This cube/set/megaset/whatever, should have a lot of artifact creatures, but I don't know if that is too specific, and too much of a hate archetype.
Transform could work, but it's 2 souls mutually sharing one body, so it seemed like the option to choose which side you were casting fit that flavor better. It's like two minds in one body, one mind coming to the front depending on the situation if that makes more sense. One of those minds just happens to be a god's mind.
I agree that red and blue make a little more sense for the front half.
Front Side:
Alden, Inquisitive Vessel WU
Legendary Creature - Human
Whenever you scry you may pay 2 if you do draw a card.
2R: Return Alden, Inquisitive Vessel to its owners hand. Activate this ability only as a sorcery.
2/2
Back Side:
Lamell, Breaker of Limits 2RW
Legendary Creature - God
Haste, Double Strike
Whenever Lamell, Breaker of Limits enters the battlefield under your control or attacks you may discard a card, if you do deal damage to any target equal to the converted mana cost of that card.
2U: Return Lamell, Breaker of Limits to its owners hand. Activate this ability only as a sorcery.
Thanks for the feedback and advice.
I posted this already, but it may have been in the wrong section. I recently created a thread for my first Custom Set "Adeistal: 360 Cube/Mega Set (Temporary Name".
It was immediately marked as spam. I have read that it's because of the post length and that I haven't been a member long. Could a moderator unblock it? Thanks a lot.
Best,
Graeyvolt
I made a long post to start a thread for my Custom Set. The thread subject is "Adeistal: 360 Cube/Mega Set (Temporary Name)".
I've read that it got marked as spam because I haven't made very many long posts and was hoping a moderator could unmark it.
Thanks a lot.
Hi Everyone,
If you've been following along with my previous threads then you'll know I've been slowly developing a set and a world for that set to exist on. I'd like to first go over the intentions of the set as I see them. Please take the following into consideration when giving feedback. As people have seen, I'm more than willing to take advice and completely change ideas if people genuinely think it serves the overall direction better.
Right now the biggest thing I am concerned about is spreading out the power level across rarities (it will be a singleton set, but I still want it to be varied in power level from low to high). With that said, if you think anything needs to be shifted up or down in rarity or cost, easily done.
Now let's get to the real reason we're all here, flavor and mechanics.
The land to toil. The space for peace. The water to cleanse. The strength to gather. The will to change. The passion to strive. The mind to ponder. The hope of wonders. A purpose in death. And rest in the empty.
A futuristic world where gods are a myth, and where science and magic have become one.
One particular myth tells a story of a greedy man who sought his people to be free of the gods, for the power to be free of them. This power he did take, and with it, he created a weapon so dangerous that the gods could not let it stand. In retaliation they began to war with the inhabitants of the plane, laying waste to the living. However, the gods underestimated the will of the people and as more gods fell, the power of the people did rise. When the last god fell, the inhabitants of the plane renounced the old gods, putting their faith in only themselves.
Millenia after the end of this war, the plane has recovered. Now, cities and modern infrastructure intertwine with the natural land. Inhabitants of this plane have invented “Frames” bipedal constructs that can be controlled by placing one’s soul into it. This process of ensouling has led to great constructs being developed throughout the modern age. These constructs are used from everything from manual labor to war. The process for creating a “Frame” is a mystery, but the ghosts in the machines may point towards a clue.
The set takes place in the capital city of the country, a futuristic place where you are as likely to see a 300 story building as a person making fire dance on their fingers. It is here that the first signs of a new war are showing, but will it be a war between the citizens of this plane, or a war with something long forgotten; because nothing lasts forever, not peace, and not the death of a god.
Was often called The God of The Gates. They represented the void, the unseen places of the world, and endings. Although this mythology does not particularly believe in an actual afterlife, it is believed that the soul enters an empty place where it finally finds peace and ceases to exist. Terinyx was sought after by thieves, assassins, and other varying degrees of criminals. However, he was also viewed highly by people nearing the ends of their lives. As well as by, priests and doctors.
During the ancient war between gods and man Terinyx chose to take neither side, instead offering refuge to both. There is a mystery surrounding how Terinyx died and became a Construct.
Mechanically, the Construct version of Terinyx relates deeply to the artifact creatures made by mortals in recent times due to his cold nature. Yet, Terinyx still cares about being the god the void (exile), and in people who represent the unseen places of the world, but to find a new war brewing after his long slumber has made him more aggressive than he has ever been (combat damage to player).
The first god killed by man, Fenis represents the constant change of the world and is most closely related to the seasons. They were worshipped during times of change and especially during seasonal changes. Their power helped the wildlife bloom and prosper during spring, as well as sleep and recuperate during winter. They were always one of the most benevolent gods and sought to live with the inhabitants of the world in unity.
It was the betrayal of a close mortal friend that caused Fenis to lose their life and become the first Construct. It was also this betrayal that started the century-long war with the gods.
Mechanically, the Construct version of Fenis still cares about change (cycling), however the betrayal and the long corruption of believing they could have prevented the war has caused them to care less and less about the outcome of that change (more random cycling effects/negative effects).
The god of wisdom and of patterns, Mirmornia was seen as one of the lower gods by mortals due to their distant nature. They would have always rather watched mortals from afar, learning about the creatures that seemed to view his brethren so highly. Mirmornia kept their power by focusing on what they did best, manipulating the higher minds of the world to their own pattern.
Even now they would rather watch and listen; waiting to find a way to take back what was always theirs.
Mechanically, the Construct version of Mirmornia still cares about the information (scry) required to manipulate the pattern of the world and accomplishes this by blending into mortal society (copying). Yet, the longer Mirmonia spends are mortals, the more the pattern unravels in their eye (chaos).
A god that knew no difference between love and discipline. They gave people the land and means to cultivate a life in this world. As likely to praise you as scold you, they were never one to beat around the bush when it came to improving life. Driv was looked toward during the long days of labor and when effort seemed pointless. Without Driv, the work of the other gods may have meant nothing. As he taught the people to survive through their own work. This may be the reason Driv took the betrayal of humans so hard because it was his teachings that gave them the tenacity to push back even against a god. During the war, Driv was the most destructive of all the gods. Razing the very land he gave the people with a wave of his hand.
Now their lands are covered in steel and concrete, now their people work little and gain nothing of real substance, these were not the lessons Driv taught. They will remind them what it means to toil for something meaningful.
Mechanically, the Construct version of Driv still cares about what the land has to offer, but sees no point in reward (+1/+1 counters/pard draw) without sacrifice (lands in the graveyard). Yet, they know the people won’t learn the lesson unless they have something to lose (play additional land).
A god of the people. Alplios was perhaps the most social of the gods, often creating magic in the towns for children to see. He saw the wonder in their eyes and only wanted to share a taste of the unimaginable possibilities in the world. Hope died for them the day Fenis was killed. On that day Alplios became someone else, something else, a god with no hope for the inhabitants of this world. They were the first god to strike directly at a mortal establishment, incinerating it from the safety of the sky. There was no hate, no anger, only disappointment. Alplios fell towards the end of the war when his madness finally got the better of him.
At least that’s what everyone believed, but the truth is much simpler than you think. Alplios is here in the capital, much closer than you know. On bright sunny days, you can even see him close to the throne, smiling above us all.
Mechanically, the Construct version Alplios cares about burning it all down, by any means necessary. To do this they use their magic (noncreature spells) to do as much damage as possible (burn/direct damage) and in the process find themself joyful for the first time in a long time with renewed life (lifegain).
Blimbly never cared much for mortals, unless they were screaming. The god of violent lessons, of giving your all for your desires, because mortals have so many desires. Blimbly was always the easiest god to find, you just had to follow the fighting. It goes without saying that wherever Blimbly went, a trail of bodies followed. The worst of mortals, from warmongers to murderers sought Blimbly for safety and spoils. In the war they found true bliss, sacrificing their soldier left and right to gain a sliver of advantage until they had nothing left to sacrifice.
They have been waiting for millennia to smell the blood of the world again. They can’t wait much longer.
Mechanically, the Construct version of Blimbly cares about living through violence (lifelink) and using their pawn (sacrifice creature), to create an advantage and even steal a few new minions (theft).
The god representing peace and contentment, Rinicilis was the only god besides Terinyx that never wanted to war with mortals, instead vowing to go into hiding until the time for peace would come again. For decades the war ranged on while Rinicilis refused to even look towards it. For decades, until the loss of his followers finally leading him to slumber. Eventually, a group of mortals found them and created a Construct with the small sliver of power they had left. Even after everything, Rinicilis is nothing if not forgiving. They are often used during parades and celebrations around the city.
Rinicilis was often patron to diplomats, leaders, and socialites; some of these they often shared with their sibling god Blimbly. Rinicilis was most often sought after during joyous occasions and negotiations.
Mechanically, the Construct version of Rinicilis still cares about peace (prevent combat) and finding the best result for everyone (group hug). With their long time hidden inside the Construct of themself, they have seen the necessity for protection in what you believe (control).
Closely related to their sibling god Terinyx, Leviath represents the other half of death; the physical world. Leviath was often sought after during death rituals, often helping dig graves or grow flowers from the dirt with the help of Fenis. They were close watchers of doctors and the lowest caste of mortals, fearing their fates most of all. Leviath saw their role as their duty, the decaying life of the world would fuel many of their sibling gods.
Leviath was the first god to learn of Fenis's death and subsequent remaking as a Construct. They went to question the very mortals that committed the act and found himself remade as well. During his long deathlike slumber, he has found that emptiness of decay may not be all he believed in.
Mechanically, the construct version of Leviath still cares about the natural order of death and decay (creatures dying). Yet now, they are more than willing to twist the natural order to their whims using the help of their fellow gods (retrace).
Without Sifale the mortals of the world would have had no desire to gather, to form groups to hunt, to learn from each other. They formed the invisible connections that bind the life of the world together. Speech and love flow through them. They spent most of their time residing in the natural world, being surrounded by animals and people alike. Sifale was perhaps the most tragic death on the side of the gods, as they went down without fighting.
After many years, Sifale is one of the only gods to have embraced her Construct, seeing it as a new way to experience the life they were given and the connections they have made.
Mechanically, the Construct version of Sifale still cares about making connections (creatures N) and protection of those connections (can’t be countered), but they are more willing than ever to stand their ground for what they believe in (must attack), against mortals or gods.
Vinden is to water, what Driv is to land. Vinden was one of the first gods, growing the microbial life that would one day leave the water and seek the land. It was Vinden’s duty to spark that first life, to incubate it and put part of themselves into it. And when the creatures that were meant to leave Vinden, to leave the depths, Vinden let them go, because that was also their duty. How dark the day must have been when those creatures returned many millennia later to take their life. They came in broken-down machines made of metal and laid waste to the depths. Until that day Vinden had no hate in their core, and no regrets in their life, but no more.
Vinden would take away their machines, to remind them of the spark they were generously given.
//ERROR// CONSTRUCT LOCATION NOT FOUND
CONSTRUCT LOCATION NOT FOUND
Mechanically, Vinden is the only Mythic Legendary Creature that doesn’t have Ensoul. Their focus is still on creating the spark (flash) of life (nonartifact creatures). More than ever Vinden hates the machines his first creations have made, but the only way they see to solve this is to make sure their new creations are given the power to do so (rust).
Ensoul(When this enters the battlefield you may exile a nonartifact creature you control until this leaves the battlefield.)
Note: Only Construct creatures can have Ensoul, but not all Construct creatures have Ensoul.
Flavor: A nonartifact creature placing their mind inside of a construct to control it. (Ghost in the machine).
Rust(This creature deals damage to nonartifact creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters.)
Note: I felt it necessary for there to be a new mechanic for artifact hate in terms of lore and set design.
Flavor: Vinden's newest creations, most of whom are born in the deep oceans are taught to destroy the machines of the surface world.
And now we have the 10 tricolor archetypes. I've listed the major themes and one subtheme of each archetype. If it looks like there is a crossover between some of them, good. I don't think doing a set in this way would be possible if different archetypes couldn't function well together.
WGB: Cycling/Midrange
BUR: Instants and Sorceries/Chaos
BRG: Lands in graveyard/Ramp
WUR: Noncreature spells/Direct Damage
WBR: Sacrifice/Theft
WUG: Group Hug/Control
UBG: Graveyard/Self Mill
WRG: Creatures N/Must Attack
URG: Anti-Artifact/Flash
I'm currently working on finishing the commons and plan to post them here 40 at a time. I'll post update posts as I do. Thanks for joining me on this journey and hopefully I can make something cool, if not a little crazy, with all of your help.
Here is the first update of the cards for the set.
Common: 60/134
Uncommon: 14/101
Rare: 16/90
Mythic: 18
Special: 10/10
Adeistal Update 1
Key things I'm looking to fix in these early updates:
Anything that can be upshifted from common to uncommon can be easily replaced with vanilla or french vanilla things.
Making sure the converted mana cost makes sense. Deciding whether or not to keep the lands in the special slot or shift them to uncommon.
Detailed fixes probably won't come till much later, but you can still recommend things.
Will update again once the rest of the first draft commons are done.
Sorry, I messed that up. I'm going to assume it should stay at the final design though.
The wording seems fine. I guess the only difference is I've noticed WOTC started putting the name of the token first instead of "named ~". But that seems unimportant.
Seo, The Horned Wolf - WUBB
Creature - Rogue (R)
Flying
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, you may create Memory of Ter, a legendary 4/4 (5/5?) artifact Construct creature token with flying and indestructible.
Whenever an artifact enters the battlefield under your control draw a card and lose one life.
4/3
Or
Seo, The Horned Wolf - WUBB
Creature - Rogue (R)
~ and artifact creature you control have flying.
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, you may create Memory of Ter, a legendary 4/4 (5/5?) artifact Construct creature token with indestructible.
4/3
I believe it should be may ability or else you would create it every time you dealt damage to a player and it would constantly have summoning sickness, correct?
I'm also more than willing to cost it higher.
So instead it's just
Whenever ~ deal combat damage to a player, you may create token blah blah.
When ~ deals combat damage you draw a card and that player discards a card. Or if that is still fairly weak for an uncommon.
What if I dropped the token down to a 5/5 or even a 4/4, I figure 9/9 was way too high but better to start at an extreme and work down.
I'll consider that for the Planeswalker, definitely a cool idea for the ultimate. The -3 is what I was originally going to go with.
Thanks again for all the help. I have a lot of the basic lore for the world down, so once I get through enough commons and uncommons on my own you'll finally get to see it.
Thanks a lot.
EDIT:
I decided to go ahead and post my super initial idea for the Temur Mythic Legendary, I call it that because it won't be a construct. I want something that will be partially anti-artifact, as they are such a huge component of this whole set idea, but also something that felt like Temur.
As mentioned before I came up with a mechanic called Rust (basically wither for only artifact creatures). This mechanic seems pretty low impact except for high artifact environments. The flavor idea/justification for it being in these colors is: green and red have artifact destruction, Green is tertiary in wither, blue is water (I know that last part is loose).
With that in mind here is the Temur Avatar (decided not to go with God, too much baggage when the Constructs with Ensoul are pretty simple.)
Vinden, Water to Cleanse - 2URG
Legendary Creature - Avatar (M)
Flash I could take or leave this pretty easily.
Rust (This creature deals damage to artifact creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters.)
You may look at the top card of your library any time.
You may cast the top card of your library if it's a creature card and you may cast it as though it had flash.
When a nonartifact creature enters the battlefield under your control create a 2/2 blue Merfolk Creature with Rust.
5/4
I think it's pretty clear that Elsha the infinite was a big inspiration for this one. I could take out the casting the top card with flash, as I think making the token with rust is the more flavorful part.
This is a cycle of three cards, I can't remember what they call this kind of cycle, vertical? Of one character developing through the lore. Similar to the 3 planeswalker Chandras. As you can see this cycle of creatures follows the same mechanical identity as Terinyx the Esper Construct from my first thread.
First is the Uncommon (this card will also work as the draft signpost as long as I can get everything to work right with the megaset):
Low Recruit - WUB
Creature - Rogue (U)
Deathtouch
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player draw a card and lose 1 life.
2/2
Next the character gets a big jump in power. There are more hints to the lore in this card. I really wanted to continue the mechanical theme of dealing combat damage to a player, but make it more narrow and lore focused:
Seo, The Horned Wolf - WUBB
Creature - Rogue (R)
Flying
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, exile target nonland permanent that player controls. If an artifact was exiled this way, create Memory of Ter, a legendary 9/9 artifact creature token with flying and indestructible (or hexproof?).
4/3
And finally the planeswalker of the set. This probably needs a lot of work to make it balanced, but I thought I'd throw it in here to show the progression. The first - ability is really throwing me for a loop, but I would like to stick with some version of the + and the ultimate:
Seo, Gate of the Empty - 3WUB
Planeswalker - Seo (M)
[+1]: Each player draws a card, then exiles a card
[-3]: ?? I honestly don't know. Possibly Making an artifact creature??
[-8]: You get an emblem that says “You may cast player’s cards from exile and you may pay mana as though it were mana of any color to cast them.”
(5)
I hope people have enjoyed me exploring the designs on the strange world I'm building. Where gods are constructs and people possess machines. Again, any advice at all is greatly appreciated.
Will make the change to Alplios, really dig that idea.
Yeah, I really like Driv.
As for Fenis, I was having trouble wording it so thanks for any help you can give. I'll also probably change his nonensouled ability to just making cycling cost less. I just think giving every card cycling when it's already a theme of the set would make it too broken.
And because of lore reasons there probably won't be a Temur construct, but there will still be a mythic legendary (possibly an avatar or god.)
First up is two versions of the same Construct, let me know which one seems more interesting.
Naya Version 1
?, ? of ? - 2WRG
Legendary Artifact Creature - Construct (M)
Ensoul (When this enters the battlefield you may exile a nonartifact creature you control until this leaves the battlefield.)
Creatures you control can't be countered.
As long as ~ is ensouled, at the beginning of combat on your turn, creatures you control gain first strike until end of turn if a creature you control has first strike. The same is true for deathtouch, double strike, haste, lifelink, reach, trample, and vigilance.
6/5
Note: Still thinking of a name. This is obviously a variation of Odric Lunarch Marshal, but I wanted to keep the keywords within the primary color pie keywords.
Naya Version 2
?, ? of ? - 2WRG
Legendary Artifact Creature - Construct (M)
Ensoul (When this enters the battlefield you may exile a nonartifact creature you control until this leaves the battlefield.)
Creatures you control can't be countered.
As long as ~ is ensouled, at the beginning of combat, for each creature you control, create a token that's a copy of that creature. Those copies have haste and must attack this turn. Exile them at the beginning of your next end step.
6/5
Note: This version leans into the archetype of this shard on this world, which is Creatures N and must attack. This is obviously the most aggro color combination of all the Constructs.
The next one needs the most work out of these four. While Mirmornia, from the last thread, was also spellslinger focused, it was focused more on the chaotic side of magic. The idea behind Alplios is Jeskai with their anger turned up to 11. I like the idea of constantly dealing noncombat damage, but not sure the best way to show it.
Alplios, Cinder of Hope - 2WUR
Legendary Artifact Creature - Construct (M)
Ensoul (When this enters the battlefield you may exile a nonartifact creature you control until this leaves the battlefield.)
NEEDS NONENSOUL ABILITY
As long as ~ is ensouled, whenever you cast a noncreature spell Alplios deals damage to any target equal to its converted mana cost.
5/5
The Jund Construct has a variant of the Nantoku Shaman ability, with slightly more risk/payoff. The mechanical theme of this color combination will be land cards in your graveyard. (I just really like that theme in MH1)
Driv, Tiller of Ruin - 2BRG
Legendary Artifact Creature - Construct (M)
Ensoul (When this enters the battlefield you may exile a nonartifact creature you control until this leaves the battlefield.)
You may play an additional land on each of your turns.
As long as ~ is ensouled, when a creature enters the battlefield under your control you may sacrifice any number of lands. Put that many +1/+1 counters on it and draw that many cards.
5/5
And finally, we have the Abzan commander, I wanted to do something different from +1/+1 counters and a focus on reanimator. Well, ever since Amonkhet I've wanted an Abzan cycling commander and here is my take on it. The theme of this color combination is really change and the seasons but pushed towards the darker side. I think cycling is a fun way to represent constant change.
Fenis, Wraith of Change - 2WBG
Legendary Artifact Creature - Construct (M)
Ensoul (When this enters the battlefield you may exile a nonartifact creature you control until this leaves the battlefield.)
Cards in your hand have cycling {1}{w}
As long as ~ is ensouled, whenever you cycle a card, instead exile the top card of your library until you exile a card with the same type as the cycled card, you may put that card into your hand. Put the exiled cards on the bottom of your library in any order.
6/7
And there we have the next 4 tricolor Legendary Constructs, let me know how to make them more balanced and more interesting. I fully admit P/T is hard for me, and I just looked at other legendaries in the same colors to try to match what is common.
EDIT:
As for the Temur Legendary, honestly, I have no idea. The only idea I have at the moment is making Temur very anti artifact heavy, possibly with a new ability, a variant on wither, I'm calling Rust (This creature deals damage to artifact creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters). This cube/set/megaset/whatever, should have a lot of artifact creatures, but I don't know if that is too specific, and too much of a hate archetype.