Snapping Drake
The first time I ever drafted, I had no idea what I was doing. I some how managed to draft 4 Snapping Drakes in M10 and won my first ever draft without losing even once. It was such an amazing feeling that I fell in love with drafting and have been doing it almost exclusively ever since.
Sooooo... anyone have ideas for white common non-creatures they'd like to throw out?
In the original Archester, we had a discussion about the presence or absence of Angels and Demons on Archester. We came to the conclusion that, since both were manifestations of raw pure-mana, they didn't exist "naturally" on Archester becuase of the way it's mana was ore-fied. To a lesser extent this translated over into less elementals too, since they too were mana constructs.
As for going with one particular Mythos over another, Magic has it's own mythos that we should be working towards. For example, Angels and Demons being beings of pure-Mana rather than servants of a diety is wholely magic's creation. Instead of drawing from the mythos of Christianity or Cthulhu, we should draw from the rich mythos of Magic's history as our base and use Steampunk's ideas and concepts to create Magic's own version of it.
I think we have several things we have to do very soon. First, we need to start concepting what we want our non-creature spells to be, we've barely any over on Multiverse and there are simply not enough at the moment to make any kind of decisions. Second, once we've thought up some White Instants/Sorceries/Enchantments we should start tossing them around and seeing what fits well in what slot. Finally, once we've gotten everything more or less stable we should work on doing the same for the other colors as most of them are pretty shallow when it comes to non-creatures spells too.
[CW01]: (Creature)(Twobrid)
[CW02]: (Creature)(Twobrid)
[CW03]: (Creature)
[CW04]: (Creature)
[CW05]: (Creature)
[CW06]: (Creature)
[CW07]: (Creature)
[CW08]: (Creature)
[CW09]: (Creature)
[CW10]: Patriot Agenda(Twobrid)(Cycle)
[CW11]: (Instant/Sorcery)(Twobrid)
[CW12]: (Instant/Sorcery/Enchantment)
[CW13]: (Instant/Sorcery/Enchantment)
[CW14]: (Instant/Sorcery/Enchantment)
[CW15]: (Instant/Sorcery/Enchantment)
[CW16]: (Instant/Sorcery/Enchantment)
Just as a general guideline for White common non-Creature spells, just so everyone is on the same page:
Protective Custody 1WW
Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchant creature or planeswalker
Enchanted permanent's activated abilities can't be activated. If enchanted permanent is a creature, it can't attack or block.
Frontier Sheriff 1W
Creature - Human Soldier (C)
Steam-powered— , : Tap target creature. If only colorless mana spent to activate this ability, that creature doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.
1/2
Merchant Airship
Artifact Creature - Construct (C)
Steam-powered— When ~ enters the battlefield, draw a card, then discard a card unless only colorless mana was spent to cast it.
Flying
3/2
Boiler Shade 1B
Creature - Shade (C)
Steam-powered-- : ~ gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Then if only colorless mana was spent to activate this ability, it gains flying until end of turn.
They haunt the boilers and furnaces of the manufactories in which they worked and died.
1/1
Unrenewable Resources 2B
Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchant land
Whenever enchanted land becomes tapped, its controller sacrifices it and adds 2 to his or her mana pool.
These Flats were farms one day, manufactories the next. It's high time the land took itself back."
--Terent Livinton, Ex-Flats farmer
Gremlin Mischief
Instant (C)
As an additional cost to cast ~, sacrifice an artifact.
Put X 1/1 red Gremlin creature tokens onto the battlefield, where X is the sacrificed artifact's converted mana cost.
Rummage
Sorcery (C)
Put two random artifact cards from your graveyard on top of your library.
Soul's Might
Sorcery (C)
Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature, where X is that creature's power.
"Once in a blue moon, a lowly Clockwork Beast will fight back against civilization with the primal might of the long extinct creature it mimics."
--Willar Waston, Frontiersman
Assembly-Worker 3
Artifact Creature - Assembly-Worker (C)
: Target Assembly-Worker creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
2/2
Copper Ring 3
Artifact (C)
Whenever you cast a green spell, target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
: Add 1 to your mana pool.
The verdigris isn't just a reaction to pollution.
[Note this is meant to represent the whole cycle.]
Junk Collector 4
Artifact Creature - Construct (C)
~ gets +1/+1 for each artifact attached to it.
In their search for discarded machinery to maintain their own mechanisms, junk collectors will settle for any parts they can get their hands on. Or their pincers. Or their grapplers. Or their...
1/1
Steston Hat 3
Artifact - Equpiment (C)
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has intimidate.
Equip 2
"Watch out for that guy, he's the Boss of the Midlands."
It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to set (hehe) aside a cache of interesting cards even if they never get used. That'd allow us to use them if holes pop up late in design/development as well as give a jumping off point for a second set should we decide to head in that direction. We just need to stick them somewhere we'll be able to find them again in who knows how long.
Sunsoaked Flats
Land [Common]
: Add to your mana pool.
, : Add or to your mana pool.
A field so hot the wheat practically bakes itself.
Simmering Coastline
Land [Common]
: Add to your mana pool.
, : Add or to your mana pool.
Though many have tried, none have been able to replicate the natural power of Archester's oceans.
Sludge Pit
Land [Common]
: Add to your mana pool.
, : Add or to your mana pool.
The sludge found here is used for many industrial purposes, such as a heavy duty adhesive, cheap fuel, and in some extreme cases, dietary supplements.
Natural Furnace
Land [Common]
: Add to your mana pool.
, : Add or to your mana pool.
Some rock formations on Archester seem to suggest that the land itself is trying to industrialize.
Steamy Rainforest
Land [Common]
: Add to your mana pool.
, : Add or to your mana pool.
Some forests are good for more than just lumber and land.
It's under the "Magic - Styles Inspired by Other Games" in the template index.
I agree, having a simple threshold mechanic is an overall simpler, more elgant design than a variable mechanic. The variable version gives a little more design space and some interesting possibilities but it might be just to much in a draft format that's likely to be pretty complex already.
Exiling a card from your graveyard when it ETBs or is cast? It'd probably work but it'd kind of feel tacked on since, barring a few individual cards, there aren't any main mechanics (besides trash, which is the one potentially changing) that care about the graveyard.
It's good to see you to Moon-E. I'm currently reading through the posts (only Around the mid-50s atm) and I'm ecstatic to see the vigor and passion people have jump in with. I got a couple questions/comments...
• We're still doing Twobrid ((2/W)(2/U)(2/B)(2/R)(2/G)), right? I assumed so since there was a lot of references Steampowered up-to where I am but idk if it's been outright stated as "returning".
• Have we worked out what the overall block plan is? That was one of the main stumbling blocks in the original set, we went full steam ahead (pun intended) for our first set and didn't plan out where we were heading. So where are we headed?
• I'd like to point out that both the LD theme in (U/B) as well the Spellslinger mechanic in (B/R) were my responsibility. I proposed them and pushed them too far, to the detriment of the set as a whole. I can see now, looking back over the original set, that I allowed my infatuation with Spellshapers and land destruction at the time to overshadow the set. I promise that won't happen again.
I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do with this and I'm so glad to be able to work with you guys on Archester again.
That led me back here. I was wondering if you might be interested in letting an old decrepit designer, such as myself, join your ranks?