I had a laundry list of problems. But I've shortened it to these two points:
1. Magic cards contain more information than normal playing cards. You can get everything you need to know about a Jack of Clubs, or a an Uno Yellow 7, by looking at the upper left hand corner. You cannot do this with a magic card.
2. Placing the p/t box and mana boxes (variable from 1 to... like 11? boxes) in the same place confuses players; one set of boxes is relevant to play the card, and the last, final, box is only relevant when the card is on the field, yet they occupy the same space.
Long story short: To read a magic card, in most cases you need to read the entire card. Redesigning the card frame to prioritize an incomplete set of information (and unrelated information at that) is inherently confusing. You understand your design, but it's not intuitive.
If you don't know what your cards do, do not fan them. If you know what your cards do, fanning them doesn't obscure information that you don't already know. At best, your card design is aimed to benefit the section of magic players that have memorized a card's text box, but not it's mana cost or power/toughness.
This is to say that your target audience has memorized the blue parts, but not the red parts of Akroma, Angel of Wrath
5WWW
Legendary Creature — Angel
Flying, first strike, vigilance, trample, haste, protection from black and from red
6/6
Your target audience routinely confuses Open Fire and lightning bolt because they've memorized the game text, but have trouble remembering their mana costs.
Maybe some people have these troubles. But I've never heard anyone express them before. Do you often hear people expressing these problems, or do you infer this from observation?
I'm open to the possibility that the current card frame is not ideal. As far as I can tell, you haven't made that case yet. And the changes that you've suggested have made the card harder to interpret, and has prioritized an arbitrary subset of the card's data, seemingly to solve a problem that I've never experienced before - that some people confuse Open Fire and lightning bolt and need to be reminded, at a moment's notice, that one costs R and one 2R. And they need to be reminded without looking at the entire card... for some reason.
If we are only shooting for "isn't op in any constructed formats," and are honestly trying to maximize the number of keywords I think we can go at least one further.
Eldric the (in)Sane W
Legendary Creature - Human Soldier Archer (R)
Vigilance, Reach, Flash, First Strike, Lifelink, Defender
1/2
Don't fan your cards; this isn't poker and the idea that all of the information should be in the upper lefthand corner of the card is absurd.
Are you going to put a box for keywords, so you know your angel has flying when fanning your cards?
I just don't get this. I've never seen anyone play a creeature and then say "Oh, wait, I didn't realize that was its power and toughness."
Is this a design intended to benefit the person who constructs the deck? Or is this a design intended to benefit someone who has never played magic before? Because seeing at a glance that Tarmogoyf is a 0/1 isn't going to help anyone.
Vampire Nighthawk is a great design, a fun aggressive creature that despite not having the best stats for it's cost, really shows off what evergreen keywords can do, and what they can do together.
So I thought to myself - How many keywords can I shove on a 1 drop.
Here's what I think we could get:
Eldric the SaneW
Legendary Creature - Human Soldier Archer (R)
Vigilance
Reach
Flash
First Strike
Lifelink
1/2
More or less, this is the Akroma of 1-drops... and I hate to say it, I don't know if he'd see much play. With flying, he'd see play. Reach + First Strike helps to make him an interesting, and possibly useful.
Really, though, all this guy is good at is being a target for equipment and auras... and I'm okay with that.
In any case, on a more practical note, here's a cycle of evergreen keyword having 1 drops - a strict cycle of 1/1s for C.
Sprite SpyU Creature - Faerie Wizard (C) Flying, Flash 1/1
Precedent: Faerie Miscreant, Hypnotic Siren, Judge's Familiar, Mausoleum Wanderer Kjeldoran PikemenW Creature - Human Solider (C) Flash, First Strike 1/1
Precedent: Mosquito Guard, Boros Recruit
Note: If the set also has a flash, first strike knight, I think this could be subbed for Lifelink, First Strike... which is rather interesting in itself. Making it an archer with Reach and First Strike could work too. Nether WidowG Creature - Spider (C) Reach, Deathtouch 1/1
Precedent: Gnarlwood Dryad Menacing WhelpR Creature - Goblin Warrior (C) Haste, Menace 1/1
Precedent: Legion Loyalist, Village Messenger, Skitter of Lizards, Insolent Neonate Diseased VerminB Creature - Zombie Rat (C) Menace, Deathtouch 1/1
Precedent: Ruthless Ripper
Alternatives: Something with Deathtouch and lifelink would be interesting (not better, but not terrible), but steps on Vampire Nighthawk's heels. Menace works really well on a Deathtoucher, I think, since you effectively kill your opponent's 2nd worst creature, instead of their worst. However, equipping it means you get to kill both.
And, really, that's what these guys should serve to do - encourage you to equip, enchant, or drop +1/+1 counters and anthem effects.
I genuinely hope the upcoming 2019 Core set features cards like this - cards that teach new players about the evergreen keywords, and encourages them to make interesting deckbuilding decisions.
At present, WOTC is trying to push 1 drops by giving them stupid amounts of abilities (This from the creator of Eldric the Sane...) or by making them tremor-proof by making them 1/2s, or just making them 2/1s. 1/2s and 2/1s are important. Elsewhere I've argued green can get a 1/3 Treefolk for G even, and that's a vanilla I want to see printed for tribal as well as just general principle. But I like this "double keyword" template for common 1/1s as well. I don't think you'd ever choose most of these over Elite Vanguard, but they're still neat deckbuilding options.
Note: I love Ranger of Eos. I genuinely hope as many invitational cards as possible get reprinted in the upcoming core set, but this is one of the most straightforward, but really adds spice to your generic White Weenie archetype. Suddenly you're not just running playsets of the best 1 drop, you're toolboxing. Dark Confidant is probably too good to make the cut, and Meddling Mage is 2 colors, something that I'm not sure we want a core set to be. Solemn Simulacrum could make it though...
Sideshow Wizard2U
Creature - Human Wizard (R) Imprint - When Sideshow Wizard enters the battlefield, you may choose a card you own from outside the game and exile it face down. (That card is imprinted on this creature.)
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, if it has the same name as the card imprinted on Sideshow Wizard, you may play the imprinted card without paying its mana cost. "Just do what everyone else does, they say. Everyone's a critic."
2/3
Demonicly Tutored2B
Creature - Human Wizard (R) Imprint - When ~ enters the battlefield, you may choose a card you own from outside the game and exile it face down. (That card is imprinted on this creature.)
When ~ dies, you may put the exiled card into your hand.
2/3
Hornrune Minotaur2R
Creature - Minotaur Shaman (R) Imprint - When ~ enters the battlefield, you may choose a sorcery or instant card you own from outside the game and exile it. (That card is imprinted on this creature.)
Whenever Hornrune Minotaur attacks and is not blocked, you may play a copy of an instant or sorcery card imprinted on it.
2/3
Freakshow Shaman2G
Creature - Centaur Shaman(R) Imprint - When ~ enters the battlefield, you may choose a creature card you own from outside the game and exile it. (That card is imprinted on this creature.) xx, t: Create a token that's a copy of a creature card imprinted on ~, where X equals that card's converted mana cost.
3/2
Master Smith2W
Creature - Human Artificer Soldier (R) Imprint - When ~ enters the battlefield, you may choose an equipment card you own from outside the game and exile it. (That card is imprinted on this creature.)
Sacrifice a land, x, t: Create a token that's a copy of an equipment card imprinted on ~, where X equals that card's converted mana cost.
3/2
If nothing else, recent bannings have taught us that Standard needs a core set with competent answers to mechanics that might become too good. See the calls for Pithing Needle and Duress. Graveyard hate is one of these thing. Rather than printing a Tormod's Crypt silver bullet for sideboards, I like the idea of printing G recycling effects, notably Loaming Shaman at (U), and black (or white) exile effects, notably Vile Rebirth likely at (C). In addition, I think we could get a utility 2-drop artifact that can exile a single card at a time + some other utility thing (mill, tap for mana, fix mana, etc.) at (u).
Similarly, I think a core set should provide fringe-playable cards that serve as a base for archetypes; for example zombify
Beyond the Grave is set to be an (U) in an expert level set. I like the tension here - it's a Scarab Feast that can kicker into zombify. But as is, its terrible at both. The exile effect, at sorcery, is incredibly narrow. Meanwhile the Zombify effect actively works to avoid triggering Prized Amalgam and costs more.
My suggestion: Leave the GraveB
Instant (U)
Kicker 2B
Exile target creature card in a graveyard and gain 3 life. If Leave the Grave was kicked, instead return it from the graveyard to the battlefield and lose 3 life.
Now it's a slightly more narrow Shadowfeed or a painful flash zombify. The flexibility here might even lead it to be maindeck playable as a preemptive sideboard against reanimator decks....
Earlier, I had the idea of spicing up core set foils by having a few cycles of "full art" foils. Generally speaking, a core set is meant to introduce new players to core concepts of the game. This can be done with quality cards, like Vampire Nighthawk; however such cards with evergreen keywords should (when at common or uncommon) have reminder text to teach players the mechanics. However, Wizards sometimes drops reminder text from foils, which makes them more collectable/insteresting.
So here's the (updated) proposal: Include a cycle of "Extended/Full art" foil versions of core set cards, with gameplay text (but no reminder text or flavor text). (These would be similar to the gameday cards wizards puts out on occasion.) Do a cycle at each rarity: Instants @ (C), creatures @ (U), Sorceries @ (R), and Planeswalkers @ (M).
Rationale: Giant Growth and Holy Day do two classic, iconic, color-representing things. They're fringe playable, solid cards that should be in all core sets. Lightning Bolt is the premier burn spell. At (c) it represents a return to classic magic's freedom to put good removal at common. It also allows you to print competitive 1-3 drops at common and uncommon, as there will be answers to them at 1-3 mana in the format. Quicken always struck me as an excellent card as - at worst - it's a cantrip. However, it encourages designers to print more sorcery speed removal at common and uncommon - removal that gets better with a quicken in hand. Playing against B is different than playing against UB in a relevant way here. Historically Quicken has saw play at (R), but the gameplay changes it would allow at common justify moving it down a few rarities. It is an iconic card that perfectly demonstrates blue's color pie.
Finally, let's talk Vile Rebirth VS Entomb. In an ideal world, I'd want both cards in a core set. Vile Rebirth is a great combat trick and graveyard hoser at the same time. It's great at (C) or (U). Zombies are a popular tribe, and the token will likely be used by several cards in the set, so as long as we're okay with tokens in a core set (and I am), then this is pretty much an obvious inclusion.
Entomb, in contrast, is quite iconic. It enables flashback, reassembling Skeleton (likely an (U)), and - most importantly - zombify strategies, themselves iconic. Make no mistake, I realize I would be fighting an uphill battle just to get this card included in a core set at (R), to make it (C) would be seen as absurd to many people. However, the card is very particular at what it does, and it's not very good at much of anything else, so I don't know if it would warp limited. Although you could argue that making it (C) would be bad because it's so useless in limited (unless you have the right deck). In most drafts Entomb at common would be like Cranial Extraction at common; next to useless. But for the reanimator strategy, which should be a black staple strategy with Zombify (or similar) at uncommon and a Hell's Caretaker effect at (R) and/or (M), would love this card. In many respects, it would draft like Compelling Argument - a card only one strategy could use.
I think a core set should sell the game and include as many staples and iconic cards as possible that would allow for a diverse, everchanging and responsive standard. Entomb enables graveyard strategies, while encouraging players to run graveyard hate (like Vile Rebirth, Loaming Shaman, and some (U) artifact graveyard hate 2 drop that also serves as a signet variant?). Is this appropriate at (C)? I don't know; testing would be required. Given the sheer amount of bulk garbage commons that never have a chance of making your limited deck in contemporary sets, I think Entomb might have a shot at (C) if the set is built right. If that's the case, move Vile Rebirth to (U) along with Loaming Shaman and other, subtle graveyard hate/recycling cards, and give it a shot.
(U) Creature Cycle: Vampire Nighthawk1BB Vampire Shaman - Flying, Deathtouch, Lifelink 2/3 Hurloon Bodyguard1RR Minotaur Warrior - Haste, Menace, First Strike 2/3 (The new Hurloon Minotaur, marketing take note!) Faerie Guard1UU Faerie Soldier - Vigilance, Flying, Flash 2/3 Serra Peacekeeper1WW Angel Cleric - Flying, Lifelink, Vigilance 2/3 (The new Thunder Spirit, Marketing take note?) Ambush Basilisk 1GG Basilisk - Haste, Flash, Deathtouch 2/3 (I still like the Raging Kavu-style tension here.)
These feel Obvious, iconic, and yet - with Lightning Bolt at (C) along with some Dark Banishing variant, these don't seem too good.
(R) Sorcery Cycle: Day of Judgment2WW Scapeshift2GG Break Storm2RR Sorcery (R) Exile all artifacts. (IE, Shatterstorm that works against Darksteel Colossus and doesn't include regeneration text. Strictly better Shatterstorm to preserve a strict cycle for a core set seems okay with me.) Mutilate2BB (Alternative: Ill-Gotten Gains ?) Relicstorm2UU Sorcery (R) Return all artifact cards from all graveyards to their owner's hands.
(M) Planeswalker Cycle:
ETB; probably classic Lorywn walkers with a Gideon replacing Ajani, maybe a nissa > garuuk (but he is iconic)...
3
1. Magic cards contain more information than normal playing cards. You can get everything you need to know about a Jack of Clubs, or a an Uno Yellow 7, by looking at the upper left hand corner. You cannot do this with a magic card.
2. Placing the p/t box and mana boxes (variable from 1 to... like 11? boxes) in the same place confuses players; one set of boxes is relevant to play the card, and the last, final, box is only relevant when the card is on the field, yet they occupy the same space.
Long story short: To read a magic card, in most cases you need to read the entire card. Redesigning the card frame to prioritize an incomplete set of information (and unrelated information at that) is inherently confusing. You understand your design, but it's not intuitive.
If you don't know what your cards do, do not fan them. If you know what your cards do, fanning them doesn't obscure information that you don't already know. At best, your card design is aimed to benefit the section of magic players that have memorized a card's text box, but not it's mana cost or power/toughness.
This is to say that your target audience has memorized the blue parts, but not the red parts of Akroma, Angel of Wrath
5WWW
Legendary Creature — Angel
Flying, first strike, vigilance, trample, haste, protection from black and from red
6/6
Your target audience routinely confuses Open Fire and lightning bolt because they've memorized the game text, but have trouble remembering their mana costs.
Maybe some people have these troubles. But I've never heard anyone express them before. Do you often hear people expressing these problems, or do you infer this from observation?
I'm open to the possibility that the current card frame is not ideal. As far as I can tell, you haven't made that case yet. And the changes that you've suggested have made the card harder to interpret, and has prioritized an arbitrary subset of the card's data, seemingly to solve a problem that I've never experienced before - that some people confuse Open Fire and lightning bolt and need to be reminded, at a moment's notice, that one costs R and one 2R. And they need to be reminded without looking at the entire card... for some reason.
1
You forgot haste.
1
Are you going to put a box for keywords, so you know your angel has flying when fanning your cards?
I just don't get this. I've never seen anyone play a creeature and then say "Oh, wait, I didn't realize that was its power and toughness."
Is this a design intended to benefit the person who constructs the deck? Or is this a design intended to benefit someone who has never played magic before? Because seeing at a glance that Tarmogoyf is a 0/1 isn't going to help anyone.
2
So I thought to myself - How many keywords can I shove on a 1 drop.
Here's what I think we could get:
Eldric the Sane W
Legendary Creature - Human Soldier Archer (R)
Vigilance
Reach
Flash
First Strike
Lifelink
1/2
More or less, this is the Akroma of 1-drops... and I hate to say it, I don't know if he'd see much play. With flying, he'd see play. Reach + First Strike helps to make him an interesting, and possibly useful.
Really, though, all this guy is good at is being a target for equipment and auras... and I'm okay with that.
In any case, on a more practical note, here's a cycle of evergreen keyword having 1 drops - a strict cycle of 1/1s for C.
Sprite Spy U Creature - Faerie Wizard (C) Flying, Flash 1/1
Precedent: Faerie Miscreant, Hypnotic Siren, Judge's Familiar, Mausoleum Wanderer
Kjeldoran Pikemen W Creature - Human Solider (C) Flash, First Strike 1/1
Precedent: Mosquito Guard, Boros Recruit
Note: If the set also has a flash, first strike knight, I think this could be subbed for Lifelink, First Strike... which is rather interesting in itself. Making it an archer with Reach and First Strike could work too.
Nether Widow G Creature - Spider (C) Reach, Deathtouch 1/1
Precedent: Gnarlwood Dryad
Menacing Whelp R Creature - Goblin Warrior (C) Haste, Menace 1/1
Precedent: Legion Loyalist, Village Messenger, Skitter of Lizards, Insolent Neonate
Diseased Vermin B Creature - Zombie Rat (C) Menace, Deathtouch 1/1
Precedent: Ruthless Ripper
Alternatives: Something with Deathtouch and lifelink would be interesting (not better, but not terrible), but steps on Vampire Nighthawk's heels. Menace works really well on a Deathtoucher, I think, since you effectively kill your opponent's 2nd worst creature, instead of their worst. However, equipping it means you get to kill both.
And, really, that's what these guys should serve to do - encourage you to equip, enchant, or drop +1/+1 counters and anthem effects.
I genuinely hope the upcoming 2019 Core set features cards like this - cards that teach new players about the evergreen keywords, and encourages them to make interesting deckbuilding decisions.
At present, WOTC is trying to push 1 drops by giving them stupid amounts of abilities (This from the creator of Eldric the Sane...) or by making them tremor-proof by making them 1/2s, or just making them 2/1s. 1/2s and 2/1s are important. Elsewhere I've argued green can get a 1/3 Treefolk for G even, and that's a vanilla I want to see printed for tribal as well as just general principle. But I like this "double keyword" template for common 1/1s as well. I don't think you'd ever choose most of these over Elite Vanguard, but they're still neat deckbuilding options.
Note: I love Ranger of Eos. I genuinely hope as many invitational cards as possible get reprinted in the upcoming core set, but this is one of the most straightforward, but really adds spice to your generic White Weenie archetype. Suddenly you're not just running playsets of the best 1 drop, you're toolboxing. Dark Confidant is probably too good to make the cut, and Meddling Mage is 2 colors, something that I'm not sure we want a core set to be. Solemn Simulacrum could make it though...
1
"Elemental" detail is present on both classic and modern cards, they look magical. They look special and interesting.
1
Creature - Human Wizard (R)
Imprint - When Sideshow Wizard enters the battlefield, you may choose a card you own from outside the game and exile it face down. (That card is imprinted on this creature.)
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, if it has the same name as the card imprinted on Sideshow Wizard, you may play the imprinted card without paying its mana cost.
"Just do what everyone else does, they say. Everyone's a critic."
2/3
Demonicly Tutored 2B
Creature - Human Wizard (R)
Imprint - When ~ enters the battlefield, you may choose a card you own from outside the game and exile it face down. (That card is imprinted on this creature.)
When ~ dies, you may put the exiled card into your hand.
2/3
Hornrune Minotaur 2R
Creature - Minotaur Shaman (R)
Imprint - When ~ enters the battlefield, you may choose a sorcery or instant card you own from outside the game and exile it. (That card is imprinted on this creature.)
Whenever Hornrune Minotaur attacks and is not blocked, you may play a copy of an instant or sorcery card imprinted on it.
2/3
Freakshow Shaman 2G
Creature - Centaur Shaman(R)
Imprint - When ~ enters the battlefield, you may choose a creature card you own from outside the game and exile it. (That card is imprinted on this creature.)
xx, t: Create a token that's a copy of a creature card imprinted on ~, where X equals that card's converted mana cost.
3/2
Master Smith 2W
Creature - Human Artificer Soldier (R)
Imprint - When ~ enters the battlefield, you may choose an equipment card you own from outside the game and exile it. (That card is imprinted on this creature.)
Sacrifice a land, x, t: Create a token that's a copy of an equipment card imprinted on ~, where X equals that card's converted mana cost.
3/2
1
You lose so much lore and flavor by butchering the card frames in this way.
1
Angel Tribal would love a 3 drop, so I don't see a problem tribal-shifting the creature to be more marketable/popular.
1
Similarly, I think a core set should provide fringe-playable cards that serve as a base for archetypes; for example zombify
Beyond the Grave is set to be an (U) in an expert level set. I like the tension here - it's a Scarab Feast that can kicker into zombify. But as is, its terrible at both. The exile effect, at sorcery, is incredibly narrow. Meanwhile the Zombify effect actively works to avoid triggering Prized Amalgam and costs more.
My suggestion:
Leave the Grave B
Instant (U)
Kicker 2B
Exile target creature card in a graveyard and gain 3 life. If Leave the Grave was kicked, instead return it from the graveyard to the battlefield and lose 3 life.
Now it's a slightly more narrow Shadowfeed or a painful flash zombify. The flexibility here might even lead it to be maindeck playable as a preemptive sideboard against reanimator decks....
1
Earlier, I had the idea of spicing up core set foils by having a few cycles of "full art" foils. Generally speaking, a core set is meant to introduce new players to core concepts of the game. This can be done with quality cards, like Vampire Nighthawk; however such cards with evergreen keywords should (when at common or uncommon) have reminder text to teach players the mechanics. However, Wizards sometimes drops reminder text from foils, which makes them more collectable/insteresting.
So here's the (updated) proposal: Include a cycle of "Extended/Full art" foil versions of core set cards, with gameplay text (but no reminder text or flavor text). (These would be similar to the gameday cards wizards puts out on occasion.) Do a cycle at each rarity: Instants @ (C), creatures @ (U), Sorceries @ (R), and Planeswalkers @ (M).
Here's the proposed cycles:
(C) Instants:
Holy Day W
Giant Growth G
Lightning Bolt R
Vile Rebirth B (or Entomb at common if you want to push it.)
Quicken U
Rationale: Giant Growth and Holy Day do two classic, iconic, color-representing things. They're fringe playable, solid cards that should be in all core sets. Lightning Bolt is the premier burn spell. At (c) it represents a return to classic magic's freedom to put good removal at common. It also allows you to print competitive 1-3 drops at common and uncommon, as there will be answers to them at 1-3 mana in the format. Quicken always struck me as an excellent card as - at worst - it's a cantrip. However, it encourages designers to print more sorcery speed removal at common and uncommon - removal that gets better with a quicken in hand. Playing against B is different than playing against UB in a relevant way here. Historically Quicken has saw play at (R), but the gameplay changes it would allow at common justify moving it down a few rarities. It is an iconic card that perfectly demonstrates blue's color pie.
Finally, let's talk Vile Rebirth VS Entomb. In an ideal world, I'd want both cards in a core set. Vile Rebirth is a great combat trick and graveyard hoser at the same time. It's great at (C) or (U). Zombies are a popular tribe, and the token will likely be used by several cards in the set, so as long as we're okay with tokens in a core set (and I am), then this is pretty much an obvious inclusion.
Entomb, in contrast, is quite iconic. It enables flashback, reassembling Skeleton (likely an (U)), and - most importantly - zombify strategies, themselves iconic. Make no mistake, I realize I would be fighting an uphill battle just to get this card included in a core set at (R), to make it (C) would be seen as absurd to many people. However, the card is very particular at what it does, and it's not very good at much of anything else, so I don't know if it would warp limited. Although you could argue that making it (C) would be bad because it's so useless in limited (unless you have the right deck). In most drafts Entomb at common would be like Cranial Extraction at common; next to useless. But for the reanimator strategy, which should be a black staple strategy with Zombify (or similar) at uncommon and a Hell's Caretaker effect at (R) and/or (M), would love this card. In many respects, it would draft like Compelling Argument - a card only one strategy could use.
I think a core set should sell the game and include as many staples and iconic cards as possible that would allow for a diverse, everchanging and responsive standard. Entomb enables graveyard strategies, while encouraging players to run graveyard hate (like Vile Rebirth, Loaming Shaman, and some (U) artifact graveyard hate 2 drop that also serves as a signet variant?). Is this appropriate at (C)? I don't know; testing would be required. Given the sheer amount of bulk garbage commons that never have a chance of making your limited deck in contemporary sets, I think Entomb might have a shot at (C) if the set is built right. If that's the case, move Vile Rebirth to (U) along with Loaming Shaman and other, subtle graveyard hate/recycling cards, and give it a shot.
(U) Creature Cycle:
Vampire Nighthawk 1BB Vampire Shaman - Flying, Deathtouch, Lifelink 2/3
Hurloon Bodyguard 1RR Minotaur Warrior - Haste, Menace, First Strike 2/3 (The new Hurloon Minotaur, marketing take note!)
Faerie Guard 1UU Faerie Soldier - Vigilance, Flying, Flash 2/3
Serra Peacekeeper 1WW Angel Cleric - Flying, Lifelink, Vigilance 2/3 (The new Thunder Spirit, Marketing take note?)
Ambush Basilisk 1GG Basilisk - Haste, Flash, Deathtouch 2/3 (I still like the Raging Kavu-style tension here.)
These feel Obvious, iconic, and yet - with Lightning Bolt at (C) along with some Dark Banishing variant, these don't seem too good.
(R) Sorcery Cycle:
Day of Judgment 2WW
Scapeshift 2GG
Break Storm 2RR Sorcery (R) Exile all artifacts. (IE, Shatterstorm that works against Darksteel Colossus and doesn't include regeneration text. Strictly better Shatterstorm to preserve a strict cycle for a core set seems okay with me.)
Mutilate 2BB (Alternative: Ill-Gotten Gains ?)
Relicstorm 2UU Sorcery (R) Return all artifact cards from all graveyards to their owner's hands.
(M) Planeswalker Cycle:
ETB; probably classic Lorywn walkers with a Gideon replacing Ajani, maybe a nissa > garuuk (but he is iconic)...