Welcome to Viperdale Academy! Unlike those nerds at Strixhaven, our students get prepared for the true challenges in the modern mage's future. Our five schools, Glintscale, Formulei, Rumblehoof, Wanderstroll, and Vectiline, offer a wide range of disciplines, each based on one of our five Draconic Founders (...ours were first and improved!)
(These are Magic concepts for new Schools, this time based on allied colors. Like Strixhaven, each is focused in an academic subject, and they explore the conflict inherent between the two colors.)
Glintscale - "A good credit is spent twice"
Economy UB (Regulation vs Greed) U students try to increase efficiency, and regulate the system. B students try to game the system for themselves.
Formulei - "The right mixture: luck and skill."
Chemistry BR (Control vs Chaos) B students apply the formulas with great care, wary of unexpected results. R students relish experimentation, and huge explosions.
Wanderstroll - "Seek the horizon, find yourself"
Geography RG (Fight vs Join) R explorers are looking for extreme experiences, and seek trophies just for fun. G explorers join the jungle as part of the ecosystem, leaving almost no trace behind.
Rumblehoof - "Healthy body, healthy mana."
Sports GW (Individual vs Team) W players always support the team above themselves. G players prefer solo sports, or being the strongest/leader of the pack (the food chain aspect of green.)
Vectiline - "Ideals brought forth"
Engineering WU (Responsibility vs Agency) W students constrain their creations with many fail-safes, ensuring they can only be used for good. U students create objects adaptable to any use. It's the user's job to use it adequately.
Vectiline - "New purposes for classic lines."
Engineering WU (Tradition vs Innovation) W students create objects based on the classics. U students try to invent completely original stuff.
--
and since I can't end without a card, here is a not-too-inspired mechanic for Vectiline, plus another for Rumblehoof.
Bored Designer2U
Creature - Human Artificer (C)
When this enters the battlefield, create a Diversion token (it's an artifact with "t, Sacrifice this artifact: Tap target creature.")
2/2
Rumblehoof Supporter2W
Creature - Human Student (U)
Creatures you control have +1/+1 if you strained this turn (you strain if you spend 5 or more mana on a single cost.)
2/2
It's always nice to see the other side of a mirror but I feel you have misrepresented several colors and their conflicts.
UB, you hit the nail on the head. The UB conflict is restraint vs individualism. The need to restrict activities and the desire to do as you want. creating regulations that specifically harm rival industries while helping theirs all while disguised as part of something completely different is exactly the kind of thing this group would be looking into.
RB, this is a partial miss. The control vs chaos is literally the WR conflict, though it's usually written as order vs chaos. The RB conflict is choice vs intuition. Your description is really good but you missed what the actual conflict is.
RG, another perfect hit. The RG conflict is individualism vs responsibility. The whole am I an explorer or just another part of the ecosystem fits perfectly.
GW, another partial miss. The GW conflict is restraint vs intuition. White knows you have to hold back so the group can keep up. While green knows that as long as you lead from the front the rest will follow. Again your description of the groups fits better than the conflict.
WU, this is the only complete miss. First, you've once again taken another color's conflict. Tradition vs Innovation is GU, more typically written as tradition vs progress. WU conflict on Responsibility and choice. Then, I'm not certain what your description is attempting but it sounds more like a GR conflict of looking back vs jumping to conclusions. My first thought was the difference between a remake and a reskin. Such as the constant rerelease of classic films such as A Star is Born vs something like West Side Stoy. I'm not sure where you meant to go with this but it would be the perfect place for an ethics class.
Thanks for your great analysis!
I do believe the colors have a broad scope of philosophies, so there can be many conflicts between any pair. (Are those the ones described by Maro?)
I should totally adapt Vectiline though, you are right it's the weakest one. I thought about an Ethics school as an option before assigning colors, but practically all color conflicts could be distilled to ethics, it's too broad. So I'll stick with Engineering, but try to fit that clearer conflict...
Vectiline - "Ideals brought forth"
Engineering WU (Responsibility vs Agency) W students constrain their creations with many fail-safes, ensuring they can only be used for good. U students create objects adaptable to any use. It's the user's job to use it adequately.
Engineering WU (Responsibility vs Agency) W students constrain their creations with many fail-safes, ensuring they can only be used for good. U students create objects adaptable to any use. It's the user's job to use it adequately.
This works much better. It has a clearer theme and fits the conflict. White focuses one how the pieces fit together to make a larger whole while blue focuses on what the peices do and how you can combine them.
All that said im not certain how it translates to cards.
All that said im not certain how it translates to cards.
I'm guessing in Strixhaven these "conflicts" just appear in flavor (unless Wotc suprises us with a set with 10 mechanics, two for each color pair.) Or it may be something like: in Silverquill, white uses mechanic X only on other creatures, while black only on itself.
Here is a simple mechanic I made for Vectori:
Fairshape Initiate1W
Creature - Human Artificer (C)
Showcase - W: Create a 1/1 colorless Servo creature token. Activate this ability only once, either the turn this enters the battlefield, or the turn it loses summoning sickness.
2/2
Angleform DesignerU
Creature - Merfolk Artificer (U)
Untapped Golems you control have Hexproof.
Showcase - 3U: Create a 4/4 colorless Golem artifact creature token. Activate this ability only once, either the turn this enters the battlefield, or the turn it loses summoning sickness.
1/1
Inspired by Boast, Showcase is just an activated ability with some restrictions to make it interesting. It's also similar to foretell in that you can distribute a cost in two turns, or one. Should you cast Fairshape on turn 2? It may be riskier, but curve better. Also, plays to White blink / rescue effects.
As for the difference in flavor, W would create small creatures, gain life, or put +1/+1 counters (boons), while U may create big creatures (Golems of war) and mess with the opponent's stuff (i.e: doing no good.)
You'd need to tweak the wording on showcase, since its a slang term and not something the rules recognize. I.e. a creature doesn't "have" summoning sickness like it has flying, so it doesn't "lose" summoning sickness the upkeep after it enters the battlefield.
It might be better to turn this into a delayed trigger, and just always push the activation into the next turn.
Fairshape Initiate 1W
Creature - Human Artificer (C)
Showcase - At the beginning of your upkeep the turn after CARDNAME entered the battlefield, you may pay W. When you do, create a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token.
2/2
With the delay, there is built in opportunity for the opponent to disrupt by destroying the creature, so you can make the abilities a slight nudge more more powerful.
Summoning sickness may not be in the rules (it may be, I don't know) but it's so widespread that it can be used on reminder text. See Life and Limb spoiled two days ago. Reminder text just has to convey the idea, I just feel it reads better than "your next turn."
Summoning sickness may not be in the rules (it may be, I don't know) but it's so widespread that it can be used on reminder text. See Life and Limb spoiled two days ago. Reminder text just has to convey the idea, I just feel it reads better than "your next turn."
That's because reminder text isn't rules text and thus isn't held to the same scrutiny.
The above cards used summoning sickness as rules text which is a no-go. To be rules text the ability needs more uniformity.
Oh, right, I thought I was still using Boast-style wording. I'll change it back, and I'll borrow Saga terminology ("after") to designate the two windows for the activation: either the phase the creature entered the battlefield (usually a Main phase), or your next First Main phase. This is better, actually, because it enables using more aggressive stuff (like +1/+1 counters) without it becoming combat tricks (unless you blink or flash.) And it's easier to remember, since it can't happen anytime during whole turns. You play it, and may use it right then. Otherwise, draw the next turn, and use it, or lose it.
Potion Brewer1W
Creature - Human Peasant
Showcase - W: Gain 3 life. (Activate this ability only once, either after this enters the battlefield, or after your next draw step.)
1/4
This does work as a reminder text, though actually writing the ability out for a comp rules entry would be complex. It seems like its ends up a triggered ability that gives you an option to pay a cost for the effect and, if you don't it creates a delayed trigger for the same on the next turn.
Something like:
When is creature enters the battlefield, you pay <COST>. When you do, <EFFECT>. If you don't, at the beginning of your next pre-combat main phase you may pay <COST>. When you do, <EFFECT>.
This is such a cool idea. I've been playing with the idea of a fleshed-out setting involving Strixhaven and another school with the allied colors, and this fits the bill. My only complaint is: What are the mascots? You can't have a school of mages without giving them all bizarre Pokemon-inspired pets!
Thanks! The associated Lessons seem a good place to start, when designing mascots.
Toxic Summoning(B/R)(B/R)
Sorcery - Lesson
Create a 1/1 red and black Ooze creature token with Deathtouch and "This creature can't block."
Adaptable Summoning1(W/U)(W/U)
Sorcery - Lesson
Create a 1/4 white and blue Construct artifact creature token. It has base power and toughness 3/1 while attacking.
League Summoning2(G/W)(G/W)
Sorcery - Lesson
Create two 1/1 green and white Teammate creature tokens. They gain Exalted ("Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.")
Wilderness Summoning3(R/G)(R/G)
Sorcery - Lesson
Create a 3/2 red and green Beast creature token with Trample and "Whenever this creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on it."
Securities Summoning4(U/B)(U/B)
Sorcery - Lesson
Create a 4/5 blue and black Golem artifact creature token with "When this creature enters the battlefield or dies, create a Treasure token."
I think you've gone more complicated than you should on these tokens. Excepts the Pests, all the creature tokens in Strixhaven were vanilla or french vanilla and these almost all have multiple lines of text and/or are way above rate.
Also, remember that to be hybrid a spell must fit as a mono-colored spell of either of its components so, for instance, toxic summoning doesn't work because Deathtouch doesn't fit in mono-red.
RB I'd suggest 2/2 menace and "Can't Block"
WU The changing power/toughness is way too much for a base token. Stick with it as a 1/4 artifact for 3.
GW Teammate doesn't really fit as a "Mascot" and adding multiple instances of Exlated at once is SUUUUPER strong, not to mention complex if Exalted isn't a core mechanic of the set. I'd suggest 1/2s with Vigilance instead.
RG The counter ability is too complex and strong for a token you want showing up a lot. I'd go with a straight 3/3 trample.
UB The 4/5 is a problem because it will lead to stalemates where one of these on each side will just bounce off each other, at the treasure text is just extra complication. Part of me wants this to just be a 4/3 flyer, and part of me wants this to be 4/4 "T, Sac: Draw a card". So that it can both get you value when stalled and psuedo dodge removal.
(B/R)(B/R) 1/1 Haste and Menace 1(W/U)(W/U) 1/4 artifact creature 2(R/G)(R/G) 3/3 Trample 2(U/B)(U/B) 5/4 artifact creature with "This can't attack or block unless you sacrifice another artifact." plus a Treasure token. 3(G/W)(G/W) */4 treefolk. * equals the number of creatures you control.
BR is the weakest in a vacuum, but the environment could make it better by having Deathtouch grants, elemental synergies, cheap sorcery interactions, etc. UB The Economy college would benefit from a Treasure creator in its signature spell, but its mascot is expensive to maintain (makes sense that it's hired help, too.) In other (non-lesson) cards the Golem could be created without the treasure, or with extra treasures, in the way of quandrix variable effects. GW would be the equivalent of prismari and quandrix top end tokens. It also fits the idea of the team making a champion stronger.
Theme-wise, Construct still seems not "Mascoty" enough, and Treefolk is a little odd since its the only creature type primarily represented as sentient. As you flesh out the colleges you may want to come up with other types like WotC did with Fractals, Inklings, and Pests.
The complexity level of these are definitely better. I'd just change the UB Golem to a 5/3 and "When this creature attacks, sacrifice an artifact." that way, it is always able to defend but only fragilly.
These are pretty cool. While I was waiting for a reply, I tried to come up with my own. It's tough, no joke. I eventually resorted to making up my own for Wanderstroll--Totems. I played around with other ideas like "vermin" for awhile, but couldn't figure out what those were. Theme-wise, I would suggest a resurrection of "Explore," since it fits the theme pretty well.
Otherwise, I went with:
Imps for Glintscale (For a Blue/Black School focused on monetary gains, it felt like there needed to be something nasty.)
Thopters for Victiline (I agreed that "Construct" didn't work, if only because it was already being used in other cards, in Strixhaven itself no less. I had trouble picking between Thopter and Servo, though)
Homunculi for Formulei (I know they're traditionally Blue, but they fit with the theme, since they're alchemic creations. For a while, I wanted to do Weirds, but they're just Elementals with a different name.)
Slivers for Rumblehoof (I admit I was kind of winging it there. Slivers are kind of interesting conceptionally, and the hive-mind thing and ability to copy others' abilities works for a sports theme, I thought).
Still, what you got was pretty cool; I especially like Ooze as the Formulei mascot, and agree that Glintscales should make Treasures. I love the idea of Viperdale; in fact, I wish it was canon. It always bugged me they only did half the color combos for Strixhaven. I really want to run an RPG set in a world with both schools.
Thank you so much!! of course if someone likes the new school so much, I'll revisit and flesh out the idea as long as there is interest I'm finishing up the Dragons and uncommon Students right now, I'll post them on a new thread since they can stand on their own.
(These are Magic concepts for new Schools, this time based on allied colors. Like Strixhaven, each is focused in an academic subject, and they explore the conflict inherent between the two colors.)
Glintscale - "A good credit is spent twice"
Economy UB (Regulation vs Greed)
U students try to increase efficiency, and regulate the system.
B students try to game the system for themselves.
Formulei - "The right mixture: luck and skill."
Chemistry BR (Control vs Chaos)
B students apply the formulas with great care, wary of unexpected results.
R students relish experimentation, and huge explosions.
Wanderstroll - "Seek the horizon, find yourself"
Geography RG (Fight vs Join)
R explorers are looking for extreme experiences, and seek trophies just for fun.
G explorers join the jungle as part of the ecosystem, leaving almost no trace behind.
Rumblehoof - "Healthy body, healthy mana."
Sports GW (Individual vs Team)
W players always support the team above themselves.
G players prefer solo sports, or being the strongest/leader of the pack (the food chain aspect of green.)
Vectiline - "Ideals brought forth"
Engineering WU (Responsibility vs Agency)
W students constrain their creations with many fail-safes, ensuring they can only be used for good.
U students create objects adaptable to any use. It's the user's job to use it adequately.
Vectiline - "New purposes for classic lines."
Engineering WU (Tradition vs Innovation)
W students create objects based on the classics.
U students try to invent completely original stuff.
--
and since I can't end without a card, here is a not-too-inspired mechanic for Vectiline, plus another for Rumblehoof.
Bored Designer 2U
Creature - Human Artificer (C)
When this enters the battlefield, create a Diversion token (it's an artifact with "t, Sacrifice this artifact: Tap target creature.")
2/2
Rumblehoof Supporter 2W
Creature - Human Student (U)
Creatures you control have +1/+1 if you strained this turn (you strain if you spend 5 or more mana on a single cost.)
2/2
UB, you hit the nail on the head. The UB conflict is restraint vs individualism. The need to restrict activities and the desire to do as you want. creating regulations that specifically harm rival industries while helping theirs all while disguised as part of something completely different is exactly the kind of thing this group would be looking into.
RB, this is a partial miss. The control vs chaos is literally the WR conflict, though it's usually written as order vs chaos. The RB conflict is choice vs intuition. Your description is really good but you missed what the actual conflict is.
RG, another perfect hit. The RG conflict is individualism vs responsibility. The whole am I an explorer or just another part of the ecosystem fits perfectly.
GW, another partial miss. The GW conflict is restraint vs intuition. White knows you have to hold back so the group can keep up. While green knows that as long as you lead from the front the rest will follow. Again your description of the groups fits better than the conflict.
WU, this is the only complete miss. First, you've once again taken another color's conflict. Tradition vs Innovation is GU, more typically written as tradition vs progress. WU conflict on Responsibility and choice. Then, I'm not certain what your description is attempting but it sounds more like a GR conflict of looking back vs jumping to conclusions. My first thought was the difference between a remake and a reskin. Such as the constant rerelease of classic films such as A Star is Born vs something like West Side Stoy. I'm not sure where you meant to go with this but it would be the perfect place for an ethics class.
I do believe the colors have a broad scope of philosophies, so there can be many conflicts between any pair. (Are those the ones described by Maro?)
I should totally adapt Vectiline though, you are right it's the weakest one. I thought about an Ethics school as an option before assigning colors, but practically all color conflicts could be distilled to ethics, it's too broad. So I'll stick with Engineering, but try to fit that clearer conflict...
Vectiline - "Ideals brought forth"
Engineering WU (Responsibility vs Agency)
W students constrain their creations with many fail-safes, ensuring they can only be used for good.
U students create objects adaptable to any use. It's the user's job to use it adequately.
All that said im not certain how it translates to cards.
Here is a simple mechanic I made for Vectori:
Fairshape Initiate 1W
Creature - Human Artificer (C)
Showcase - W: Create a 1/1 colorless Servo creature token. Activate this ability only once, either the turn this enters the battlefield, or the turn it loses summoning sickness.
2/2
Angleform Designer U
Creature - Merfolk Artificer (U)
Untapped Golems you control have Hexproof.
Showcase - 3U: Create a 4/4 colorless Golem artifact creature token. Activate this ability only once, either the turn this enters the battlefield, or the turn it loses summoning sickness.
1/1
Inspired by Boast, Showcase is just an activated ability with some restrictions to make it interesting. It's also similar to foretell in that you can distribute a cost in two turns, or one. Should you cast Fairshape on turn 2? It may be riskier, but curve better. Also, plays to White blink / rescue effects.
As for the difference in flavor, W would create small creatures, gain life, or put +1/+1 counters (boons), while U may create big creatures (Golems of war) and mess with the opponent's stuff (i.e: doing no good.)
It might be better to turn this into a delayed trigger, and just always push the activation into the next turn.
Fairshape Initiate 1W
Creature - Human Artificer (C)
Showcase - At the beginning of your upkeep the turn after CARDNAME entered the battlefield, you may pay W. When you do, create a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token.
2/2
With the delay, there is built in opportunity for the opponent to disrupt by destroying the creature, so you can make the abilities a slight nudge more more powerful.
The above cards used summoning sickness as rules text which is a no-go. To be rules text the ability needs more uniformity.
Oh, right, I thought I was still using Boast-style wording. I'll change it back, and I'll borrow Saga terminology ("after") to designate the two windows for the activation: either the phase the creature entered the battlefield (usually a Main phase), or your next First Main phase. This is better, actually, because it enables using more aggressive stuff (like +1/+1 counters) without it becoming combat tricks (unless you blink or flash.) And it's easier to remember, since it can't happen anytime during whole turns. You play it, and may use it right then. Otherwise, draw the next turn, and use it, or lose it.
Potion Brewer 1W
Creature - Human Peasant
Showcase - W: Gain 3 life. (Activate this ability only once, either after this enters the battlefield, or after your next draw step.)
1/4
Something like:
When is creature enters the battlefield, you pay <COST>. When you do, <EFFECT>. If you don't, at the beginning of your next pre-combat main phase you may pay <COST>. When you do, <EFFECT>.
Toxic Summoning (B/R)(B/R)
Sorcery - Lesson
Create a 1/1 red and black Ooze creature token with Deathtouch and "This creature can't block."
Adaptable Summoning 1(W/U)(W/U)
Sorcery - Lesson
Create a 1/4 white and blue Construct artifact creature token. It has base power and toughness 3/1 while attacking.
League Summoning 2(G/W)(G/W)
Sorcery - Lesson
Create two 1/1 green and white Teammate creature tokens. They gain Exalted ("Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.")
Wilderness Summoning 3(R/G)(R/G)
Sorcery - Lesson
Create a 3/2 red and green Beast creature token with Trample and "Whenever this creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on it."
Securities Summoning 4(U/B)(U/B)
Sorcery - Lesson
Create a 4/5 blue and black Golem artifact creature token with "When this creature enters the battlefield or dies, create a Treasure token."
Also, remember that to be hybrid a spell must fit as a mono-colored spell of either of its components so, for instance, toxic summoning doesn't work because Deathtouch doesn't fit in mono-red.
RB I'd suggest 2/2 menace and "Can't Block"
WU The changing power/toughness is way too much for a base token. Stick with it as a 1/4 artifact for 3.
GW Teammate doesn't really fit as a "Mascot" and adding multiple instances of Exlated at once is SUUUUPER strong, not to mention complex if Exalted isn't a core mechanic of the set. I'd suggest 1/2s with Vigilance instead.
RG The counter ability is too complex and strong for a token you want showing up a lot. I'd go with a straight 3/3 trample.
UB The 4/5 is a problem because it will lead to stalemates where one of these on each side will just bounce off each other, at the treasure text is just extra complication. Part of me wants this to just be a 4/3 flyer, and part of me wants this to be 4/4 "T, Sac: Draw a card". So that it can both get you value when stalled and psuedo dodge removal.
(B/R)(B/R) 1/1 Haste and Menace
1(W/U)(W/U) 1/4 artifact creature
2(R/G)(R/G) 3/3 Trample
2(U/B)(U/B) 5/4 artifact creature with "This can't attack or block unless you sacrifice another artifact." plus a Treasure token.
3(G/W)(G/W) */4 treefolk. * equals the number of creatures you control.
BR is the weakest in a vacuum, but the environment could make it better by having Deathtouch grants, elemental synergies, cheap sorcery interactions, etc.
UB The Economy college would benefit from a Treasure creator in its signature spell, but its mascot is expensive to maintain (makes sense that it's hired help, too.) In other (non-lesson) cards the Golem could be created without the treasure, or with extra treasures, in the way of quandrix variable effects.
GW would be the equivalent of prismari and quandrix top end tokens. It also fits the idea of the team making a champion stronger.
The complexity level of these are definitely better. I'd just change the UB Golem to a 5/3 and "When this creature attacks, sacrifice an artifact." that way, it is always able to defend but only fragilly.
I'd also bump up the RB Ooze to 2/1.
These are pretty cool. While I was waiting for a reply, I tried to come up with my own. It's tough, no joke. I eventually resorted to making up my own for Wanderstroll--Totems. I played around with other ideas like "vermin" for awhile, but couldn't figure out what those were. Theme-wise, I would suggest a resurrection of "Explore," since it fits the theme pretty well.
Otherwise, I went with:
Imps for Glintscale (For a Blue/Black School focused on monetary gains, it felt like there needed to be something nasty.)
Thopters for Victiline (I agreed that "Construct" didn't work, if only because it was already being used in other cards, in Strixhaven itself no less. I had trouble picking between Thopter and Servo, though)
Homunculi for Formulei (I know they're traditionally Blue, but they fit with the theme, since they're alchemic creations. For a while, I wanted to do Weirds, but they're just Elementals with a different name.)
Slivers for Rumblehoof (I admit I was kind of winging it there. Slivers are kind of interesting conceptionally, and the hive-mind thing and ability to copy others' abilities works for a sports theme, I thought).
Still, what you got was pretty cool; I especially like Ooze as the Formulei mascot, and agree that Glintscales should make Treasures. I love the idea of Viperdale; in fact, I wish it was canon. It always bugged me they only did half the color combos for Strixhaven. I really want to run an RPG set in a world with both schools.
Glintscale: Treasure Mages, Debt-Callers, Economancers, Currency Wizards, Stock Warlocks,
Formulei: Alchemists, Poison-Brewers, Chemisters, Blastseekers, Pyrochemists, Mix Mages, Caustic Warlocks, Chemical Shamans
Rumblehoof: Offense Knights, Defense Knights, All-Star Heroes, Mage-Jocks, Field Druids, Team Spirit Clerics,
Wanderstroll: Beast-Callers, Survival Sorcerers, Forager Druids, Cartogramancers, Survey Shamans, Totem-Raisers
Vectaliline: Artificers, Vehicle-Shapers, Cog-Clerics, Gadget Wizards, Gizmomancers, Mech Mages