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.
Let's continue the discussions we've been having here, they've been quite productive.
Let's get back to work guys. I would like to suggest that we begin creating art descriptions for the White Commons since we've already been thinking of artwork for them.
The art descriptions should be formatted in the following way...
CARD NAME {MANA COST}
Art Description: <Insert Art Description>
Mood: <Insert Mood>
CARD TYPE - SUBTYPE (Rarity)
<Card abilities (if any)>
Flavor text (if any)
Power/Toughness (if a Creature)
For example...
Richard Ferron, Robber Baron
Art Description: A portly man in his late forties leans over a desk covered in papers. He is dressed in a suit, with a golden watch chain dangling from a pocket. The room around him is lavishly appointed, and aides of various ages crowd the table, apparently arguing. The central man looks up at the viewer, a smug expression on his face.
Mood: A spider at the center of his web.
Legendary Creature - Human Advisor (M)
"As I'm sure you fine gentlemen know, it's just business."
2/3
Canid Sentry 3WW
Art Description: <Insert Art Description>
Mood: <Insert Mood>
Creature - Hound Soldier (C)
<Vanilla>
To many in the Brass City, canids can fill only one
position: watch dog.
3/5
Chipper Assistant 3W
Art Description: <Insert Art Description>
Mood: <Insert Mood>
Creature - Hound Artificer (C)
When Chipper Assistant enters the battlefield, you may
search your library for a Component card, reveal it, put it
into your hand, then shuffle your library.
"You got it boss, Comin' right up!"
2/3
Cogbound Bison 2(2/W)(2/W)
Art Description: <Insert Art Description>
Mood: <Insert Mood>
Artifact Creature - Ox (C)
((2/W) can be paid with any two mana or with W. This card's converted mana cost is 6.)
Vigilance
Modular 2 (This enters the battlefield with 2 +1/+1 counters
on it. When it dies, you may put its +1/+1 counters on
target artifact creature.)
0/2
Cogbound Falcon 2(2/W)
Art Description: <Insert Art Description>
Mood: <Insert Mood>
Artifact Creature - Bird (C)
((2/W) can be paid with any two mana or with W. This card's converted mana cost is 4.)
Flying
Modular 1 (This enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter
on it. When it dies, you may put its +1/+1 counters on
target artifact creature.)
1/1
Cogbound Stallion (2/W)(2/W)
Art Description: <Insert Art Description>
Mood: <Insert Mood>
Artifact Creature - Horse (C)
((2/W) can be paid with any two mana or with W. This card's converted mana cost is 4.)
First strike
Modular 1 (This enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter
on it. When it dies, you may put its +1/+1 counters on
target artifact creature.)
1/1
Eldaveth's Guard 1W
Art Description: <Insert Art Description>
Mood: <Insert Mood>
Creature - Bird Soldier (C)
Flying
Eldaveth's Guard gets +1/+1 for each component attached to
an artifact you control.
1/1
Frontier Sheriff 1W
Art Description: <Insert Art Description>
Mood: <Insert Mood>
Creature - Human Soldier (C)
Steam powered - (2/W), T: 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
Guard-in-a-Box 1(2/W)
Art Description: <Insert Art Description>
Mood: <Insert Mood>
Artifact Creature - Soldier (C)
((2/W) can be paid with any two mana or with W. This card's converted mana cost is 3.)
First strike
Steam powered - You may cast Guard-in-a-Box as though it
had flash. Spend only colorless mana to cast Guard-in-a-Box
this way.
2/1
Keeper of Spare Parts 2W
Art Description: <Insert Art Description>
Mood: <Insert Mood>
Creature - Elf Artificer Druid (C)
Lifelink
Modular 1 (This enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter
on it. When it dies, you may put its +1/+1 counters on
target artifact creature.)
1/2
Patriot Agenda (2/W)
Art Description: <Insert Art Description>
Mood: <Insert Mood>
Instant (C)
((2/W) can be paid with any two mana or with W. This card's converted mana cost is 2.)
Choose target creature. Then choose another target creature
for each
gain protection from artifacts or from the color of your
choice until end of turn.
Porcelain Patrol 3W
Art Description: <Insert Art Description>
Mood: <Insert Mood>
Creature - Bird Soldier (C)
Flying
"The Aven ensure that only the pure of heart are permitted
to walk the marbled streets of Talonsreach."
-Tulia Kriston, Brass City steamstress
3/2
Protective Custody 1WW
Art Description: <Insert Art Description>
Mood: <Insert Mood>
Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchant creature or planeswalker.
Enchanted permanent’s activated abilities can’t be activated
unless they’re mana abilities. If enchanted permanent is a
creature, it can’t attack or block.
Revoke Existence 1W
Art Description: <Insert Art Description>
Mood: <Insert Mood>
Sorcery (C)
Exile target artifact or enchantment.
"You need a permit for that."
Sheriff's Warning W
Art Description: <Insert Art Description>
Mood: <Insert Mood>
Instant (C)
Tap target creature. If a card named Sheriff's Warning is
your graveyard, exile that creature instead.
"This is your first and only warning."
When I pictured Rehabilitating Sentence, I imagined something closer to this...
Link to art
Granted we probably can't use that because of other issues but that's much closer to my imagination. It puts the stark frontier into perspective and makes it feel like more of punishment.
I think you've focused too much on "This is a steampunk set" with your current artwork. This is not just any generic steampunk world, this is ARCHESTER. Our world building took months and simply slapping any old steampunk artwork on a card regardless of the setting, card description (if present) or even the flavor text of the card (most of which was concept'd with card during its creation therefore making it even more important to the card's design) seems irresponsible.
Don't get me wrong Comic you've done a good job finding a wide variety of "steampunk" art. The problem is Archester isn't simply any old steampunk world so any old steampunk art doesn't work for everything.
Look at your Rehabilitating Sentence in contrast with mine for example.
Which of these fit the flavor text more? Which gives more a look at the world of Archester? Which feels like a Rehabilitating Sentence?
By doing both we open ourselves to a number of interesting opportunities later on. First, it will allow us more varity to pick and choose which version reaches the finally set. Second, it allows outside new comers a choice of which vision of Archester they would like to see and play with. Finally, in creating the art descriptions for the cards we might stumble upon a description that evokes a image that we already have and in the process better marry our two distinct visions.
Small set drafts/sealeds are very hit and miss. There are some that are horrid (like eventide) and others that were amazing (like Dark Acension and Mirrodin Besieged). Basically we won't know which kind Born of the gods is until we play it. Personally, I think it might actually be pretty good as a standalone environment but you never know I could be dead wrong.
Speaking of art descriptions I think we should have them for each card for people that prefer to use their imagination instead of a picture that doesn't fit perfectly.
Flame Javelin was another reprint that got renamed btw...
Having applauded the above art combinations, there are several which i have a district dislike for example...
The rejection of Aven in favor of Angels in these two cards
One of the reasons for the remarkable lack of Angels (or Demons for that matter) in Archester is because of its unique mana. Its mana is crystallized into rocks instead of its normal ætherial state. This crystallization prevents the formation of Angels, Demons and most Elementals which typically form from the concentrations of their respective colors mana.
The next card that i don't like is Macabre Taxidermist.
This one doesn't fit the set, there are no boar-men, it feels more like a bad power ranger villian than something steampunk-ish.
One thing I think that you might want to look into is western steampunk and native jungle and mountain art. Remember that Victorian industry and steampunk is only a 1/3 of the setting of Archester. It also has the great mid-lands wastes, as well as the deep western Mountains and Jungles.
Overall, good job though.
Which one are you referring to? Revoke Existence?
Remember the flavor text on the card is "'You need a permit for that.'"
Huh, didn't think of it that way.
As for the description, it really could go two ways. First, it works great with the green Cogbound creatures since they're all twobrid, which would mean it should be somewhere in the western jungles. However, on the other hand, it works equally well in the