MTG Salvation

Quite a few updates and lots of design notes if you got any new feedback.

How can they be based on proven conventions when the fact stands that some people find a thrill in games that are complex?

This wouldn't be a thing if what you're saying was true.

Just want to add that I said Pierce explicitly wouldn't be granted by equipment—not Disarm. And in the scenario you initially suggested, the person destroys their own creature, so Pierce wouldn't go through, because the creature would no longer be on the battlefield for the effect to have any relevance. It doesn't matter if it's a delayed triggered ability—the target/choice/selection is no longer present.

Kicker wasn't a totally defunct mechanic, its fundamental dynamics had some decent potential, but it was poorly implemented. If simply Kicker spells kept the kicker cost down to a single mana, many of them would have been much more efficient and adaptable. Say, doing almost the same thing for a single green or a single blue. That's great! That's efficient! But obviously, the way Kicker was envisioned involved looking down the mana curve, so that spells could effectively exist at two places on the mana curve/color scale (it could be red-white—or it could be white-black; it could be a 6 mana spell or it could be a 10 mana spell; a 2 defensive or a 4 offensive). Another bad implementation involving kicker was that the initial investment did nothing. The cards weren't worth playing unless you could pay the kicker. And many cards had underwhelming effects for their place on the mana curve—suggestively in respects to having kicker (which you can't do and remain at equilibrium with the overworld game). That is why they're only good in their own Block. And once again, they had to make a card ridiculously powerful to circumvent this (which they should never have to do).

This is literally the point where I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree. Mainly because your points of interest seemed to be based upon your personal preferences, and not aspects or conditions that would unconditionally affect everyone.

Saying that aspects like bookkeeping and math make games too tedious to be fun is effectively saying that games like Dungeons and Dragons and Yu-Gi-Oh! aren't fun. Some people don't mind—or actually find a thrill in games with higher levels of detail. With that being said, I don't think it's fair for any game developer to have to cater to the special needs (or low-functioning perception) of certain players. Those kinds of games simply aren't for them. And it should be a respected liberty that the game developer is able to cater to their target demographic with the fullest extent of their capabilities. Some game aspects may be simplified in good faith—but what you're basically suggesting is hard oppression upon the creative talents of the game developer. It's unjust—and suggestions like this should never be made—because they simply can't be won.

Most fun mechanics might be ones that you can build around, but some mechanics also enable you to build more freely, and thus open up (or advance) the fullest extent of the development and its capabilities. Disarm is one such mechanic. There actually is nothing about Disarm that it can't be built around, but the inherent intention for it isn't to be built around. It exists as something built around the overworld of the game itself—and thus seeks to perfect the equilibrium and balance of its elements and their interactivity. It opens up interactivity and creates new interactivity. It is this interactivity that is one of the primary driving forces of the game and its fun. It enables players to do more—that's fun to them. Although you might not see anything that you can do with it.

Just want to note that in the scenario you presented, the effect of Pierce wouldn't resolve, because the creature would no longer be on the battlefield for it to have any relevancy when it resolves. It would if say the creature was regenerated, but that's not exactly an un-self-explanatory scenario. There's great flavor in that, and once again with Pierce working this way (in its Force Majeure), it opens up more interactivity with regeneration (acting as a time-lapsed, hard check against its own hard-lock capabilities). 

The game could really use this, as it enables regeneration (a beloved mechanic) and protection (yet another—suggestively endangered) to see new life. It also enables development to ease up on hard removal that take away interactivity, and can effectively reduce abilities like regeneration to nothing (not fun). Ideally, you want to make it gradual, and that's why I am strongly leaning towards Pierce retaining its current composure in lieu of one that requires damage to actually be dealt. In this, it transcends the game, and through a stretch of imagination, enables the game itself to see new life (good job).

On the topic of complexity, what exactly do you think is over-complicated about it? You're making it out to be an equation of some kind. It's right along the same lines as clash. Did you think that was over-complicated? I didn't find it all that special or interactive, but it wasn't poorly received either.

"Complexity isn't just about comprehension." // Well—what is it about then? This is just an empty authoritative statement because you didn't even explain yourself. If I'm not mistaken, you wanted complexity to be about comprehensive (or to contour to comprehension)—am I right? Because your central argument was that comprehension is being impeded upon by complexity.

If we can just make one clear point about this, what is so complex about the set of three mini games that challenge your luck is based around?

Are anti-forces not the epitome of MTG? It's not very intuitive for a self-proclaimed set developers to make an argument that developing a set around Checks and Balances is bad etiquette. This is one the core-essential aspects that breeds interactivity in a game—and interactivity which breathes the fun of life into the players.

"Are you referring just to my comments on Silhouette here?" // No, it was also Enforcer, and a number of other empty opposing suggestions. feelsbadman

I am really on the ropes about Pierce. I do understand the feel-bad aspect of it not dealing damage to invoke the piercing effect. But on the flip-side of this, in addition to force majeure (if you come face to face with it—it WILL break you through); the effect currently has the ability to pierce through the likes of protection, which opens up interactivity and creates a new and unique check and balance to the game. What this would mean for protection, would be that it could be implemented more freely and excessively, with there now being a soft-lock check against it (an interactive, time-lapsed, fighting chance against it). It protects them from being killed, but fairly and equally takes it toll on them as it should.

It does leave a bit of a loophole in the perceptive logic that creatures are piercing other creatures without dealing damage to them. And this is why I am very on the ropes about it. The eyes do adjust though for me, and the longer I think it over, the more I see the grander beauty in it, although it forces a stretch upon my imagination.

We might just have to agree to disagree on some of the other points here. Particularly the likeness of this world and other worlds in MTG.

I'm not really seeing the similarities. I think you meant Mercadia and not Dominaria. But even Mercadia was more Middle Eastern—and not very Euro Renaissance. Even Ravinca would be closer than either of those two—with the society development concept it runs.

Still—an immensely far cry. We're talking about an untouched, well-developed, organized world. Magic is like a footnote to them. They're all about aristocratic material world. Politics and social matters, and solving things with their minds and bare hands, before resorting to magic. Not really sure what else to tell you here. Even at first thought, I don't think of this world anything like the others. It's way more neat and polished, and does away with unnecessary or excessive fantasy elements. Which is especially good for the MTG Universe as a whole, because it provides contrast to what is already available. It's actually entirely the opposite—as it intends to be almost nothing like anything that currently exists. But is a much more serious, strict, iron-clad world.

I really loathe the memory-issue argument. Arguing about memory issues for MTG just has lol written all over it. If you have memory problems, then you're just going to want to find a different game altogether. Same is true for saying a new concept is too complex. It's way too late in the game for any of that. Point of no return. Unless a concept is truly mind-bending (which none of these are) then it's going to fit in just find (especially in that it provides new interactivity for the game). This interactivity breeds one of the fun factors of a fantasy game.

I updated Disarm if you check the other posts. I just didn't update the original post so there would be reference as to what the original version looked like. If it did any less, it would be nearly useless. It simply strives to have enough utility so that it's not. This is a equipment/aura heavy development, so it should see great potential here. The current version also has utility with other sets, as it effectively puts a dampener on devotion.

I wanted Pierce the wording composure for Pierce to present the functionality of the mechanic gracefully. It has more command and presence about it triggering of blocking and being blocked. It speaks on fathoms of proficiency. This is a keyword that elaborate finesse. It's not to be abused, or thrown haphazardly around. Rapier equipment don't grant Pierce—for example. It is an action of prowess. It is the man that makes the sword, not the sword that makes the man. I'm not against it working with damage or combat damage, but the majesty of the concept takes a strong kneel then.

I noticed you didn't actually explain why a function or concept doesn't work. You just gave an empty statement, but didn't describe any real significant details of how it's illogical, malfunction, improficient, or counter-productive. This really makes it hard for me to explain myself, when I don't really know what you think is going wrong here. I will say that if the rules say something, and then another developer is presenting something else, the Golden Rule would be a great starting reference. This would really take the simplest adjustment, and I really don't even begin to see the fuss in this one. Limiting face-down cards to creatures only is like crippling yourself as a developer. You need as much design space available to open as possible. This is simply beginning to open some unopened space.

Holy Greaves 2
Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature has haste.
Spells you cast that target equipped creature cost 2 less to cast.
Equip 0

Shouldn't be too much to explain here. Just a graceful palette swap of Lightning Greaves. Could definitely see something like: "Spells you cast cost target equipped creature cost 1 less and spells your opponent casts that target equipped creature cost 1 more to cast." But a holy item wouldn't protect the unholy (if they got their hands on it). It could though suggest that the unholy entity is prime for atonement or redeeming, by the closest reason of superstition. And that certainly backs up the effect it currently has.

Enigmatic Orb 0
Legendary Artifact
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay 3. If you do, copy that spell. You may choose new targets for the copy. Exile Enigmatic Orb.
"No one knows from whence it came, nor the source of its dread power. One thing though is certain: Very few escape its grasp. Even in death—its powers continue."

"No one knows where it came from—or the source of its power. One thing though is very certain: Those whose lives it touches are changed forever."

Exchange Platform 1

Change the text of target permanent by exchanging any single mana cost with the mana cost of that card.


Exchange Platform 2

You may pay a planeswalker's mana cost to activate loyalty abilities that planeswalker has which add loyalty counters. This effect enables you to activate loyalty abilities any number of additional times.

Hunger Pains of Savagery
Lost in the Wild 1G
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature or planeswalker
At the end of your turn, put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature and it loses all abilities until the beginning of your next upkeep; or remove a loyalty counter from enchanted planeswalker. It loses up to one loyalty ability of your choice until the beginning of your next upkeep.

Take by Force RRR
Sorcery
Gain control of target creature with a converted mana cost less than the converted mana cost of a creature you control.

Far from Reason U
Instant
Counter target spell if its converted mana cost is greater than the number of lands it's owner controls.
Ignorance surrounds us. It is the bane of all intelligent people. It is the anti-device of all intelligent things. The negative bonds—which tear away from all that is pure and true.

Crush of a Greater Echelon 2
Instant
Counter target spell if its converted mana cost is less than the number of lands you control that can produce blue mana.

Necrokinesis 1B
Sorcery
Put a creature card with converted mana cost 5 or less from your graveyard onto the battlefield. It gains haste. Sacrifice it at the end of turn.

Chaosforce 1RR (Our Impression of Chaoslace)
Enchantment
Flash
As Chaosforce enters the battlefield, choose a card.
All targets for the chosen card, all copies of it, and all cards with the same name are chosen at random. Re-assign these targets if they weren't chosen at random.
The next time you cast a spell named Chaosforce, the card chosen for it has to be chosen at random.

Mindforce Game U
Instant
Change the target of target spell or ability with a single target unless its controller reveals his or her hand and has you choose a card from it, then discards that card.
"Many things want to work in theory, but they don't work in practice. Opposing me at your level of development is one of them."

Take Prisoner 1UU
Instant
Untap target creature and gain control of it. It gains, "This creature can't attack or block as long as the player that controls it doesn't own it."

Prisoner of War 1UU
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature or planeswalker
You control enchanted creature or planeswalker.
Enchanted creature or planeswalker can't attack or block or use any loyalty abilities that require counters to be removed from it. Anytime you could cast a sorcery, you may sacrifice Prisoner of War and return enchanted permanent to its owner's control. If you do, add five mana in any combination of colored or colorless mana to your mana pool.

I decided to just take the alternative name I had above for Take Prisoner and split it here. I added planeswalkers to the functionality to give it more umph. Then I took the other ransom concept and put it into black—as that's obviously where it would belong.

Take Ransom 2BBB
Sorcery
During target player's next turn, you control that player's hand. (You see all cards in that player's hand and make all decisions for any cards played, exiled, discarded, etc.)

Decided to take this a different route with how crowded it is below. I thought to keep this as a sorcery, because it's definitely realistic that people can flail when being taken hostage (or for ransom). Keeping it a sorcery effectively helps to preserve dynamic—while also opening up interactivity a bit so that it becomes more of a soft-lock than a hard one.

Ransom Negotiation 1BB
Instant
Target a creature you don't control. Target creature's controller sacrifices it or you choose one —
• Add six mana in any combination of colored or colorless mana to your mana pool.
• Target player puts the top 10 cards his or her library into his or her graveyard.
• Search your library for a card, put that card into your hand, then shuffle your library.

Alt. Ver. 1
Choose a creature or planeswalker. The chosen creature or planeswalker dies at the end of its controller's next turn. You can't choose a permanent with protection from black or regeneration this way.

Tragic End 1B
Sorcery
Target creature dies at the end of its controller's next turn.
"O' your indulgence. Makes you feel otherwordly. But you are still, just a mortal man, whose time is ticking away. And you'll be dead soon. And all the things you thought you knew will no longer be relevant. They won't have helped you a single bit."

Ransom Room BBBB
Enchantment
When Ransom Room enters the battlefield, choose a player. The chosen player exiles all creatures he or she controls, then may return any number of those creatures to the battlefield under their control.
Creatures the chosen player controls get -1/-1 for each other creature that player controls.


Decided to go another route again here, seeing as how I don't like to rehash things so much, but prefer to do something unique. Essentially an inverted Coat of Arms with a unique kick. Clears out the room in a unique way—possibly holds a bunch of stuff indefinitely. This is pretty much exactly where it wants to be on par with the gold standard Damnation as a board sweep. Undecided on the cost. It certainly doesn't feel like it should be so cheap, but doesn't feel right to much more expensive either (in contrast with gold standards).

Lucasambumbi the Dark Slave B
Legendary Creature — Human Rogue Wizard
Lucasambumi enters the battlefield under an opponent's control of your choice.
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice another permanent and add B to your mana pool or you lose 2 life.
Exile Lucasambumi: Each opponent creates three treasure tokens.
3/3

Lore Card

"If there was one thing Lucasambumbi knew—it was slave trading. He knew how to be the best, or the worst possible slave. He connivingly choose the latter. And from there knew it was just a matter of time until the patience of his keepers would wear too thin to bare his baneful, scornful soul."

Lucasambumbi, Slave Trader BB
Planeswalker — Lucasambumbi
{+1} Gain control of target creature with a converted mana cost 1 or less.
{-2} You get an emblem with, "Anytime you could cast a sorcery, you may return a creature you control but don't own to its owner's control. If you do, add four mana of any combination to your mana pool."
{-6} Change of the text of this permanent by replacing all instances of any number and number word with 6 or six.
{3}

Just wanted to put the emblem figure down on a planeswalker (which I wasn't pressured about having to do from the start). Just the natural course as the other designs evolved. I find it neat how this would work with Disarm above—although obviously I had no intentions of this design at all. It also works dynamically with another design I posted awhile back, Alter Equilibrium, which after they flip the switch would enable a player to jump from the number six to eight! I figure he starts out smuggling birds or something, I don't know; and then works his way up to bigger things.

Decrepit World
Legendary Land
You may have Decrepit World enter the battlefield under another target player's control.
At the end of turn, you lose 1 life.
: Add C to your mana pool. Discard a card at random, then target player gains control of Decrepit World.
"What have I become...my sweetest friend? Everyone I know—goes away—in the end."

So here's a design that reflects a play the Divine Spirit made on the world possibly. The design combines elements of Sleeper Agent and Hypnotic Specter to emulate the darkness and severity of the concept. Essentially, this drops, then you give yourself hexproof, so you don't have to hear or deal with any of their bs. From there, they can delude themselves all they want, and pretend f[]| e[]\ o[]t/r i[] [t] [\], and run amok through all their grotesque, disgusting, unspeakable wrong-standing and wrong-doing. And via the suite of Force Bubble, Solitary Confinement, Worship—one transcends onwards to victory.

"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized."

These are words that a famous architect responsible for a lot of work in my city, including the Terminal Tower and the Emerald Necklace made and embodied in the work that was done here. It was marvelous work, and I find the words to be ever inspiring in my own work. And having huge domain over fantasy game development. I think this concept has that exact magic—to stir men's blood. Unlike a lot of decisions and choices that the development team has made, which strip away coherence, and force majeure from the perception and context of the work. These are things you absolutely never want to do in a fantasy game—because it will make the product blanche and unimaginative—no longer having the magic that stirs men's blood.




Thinking about implementing a keyword I designed for another member awhile back to replace Flash in these designs. It's essentially a resource efficient morph based around a more universal, adaptable concept. Also thinking about changing the Silhouette keyword itself, and making it an enchantment rather than a creature for the face-down function. It was only designed to be used for creatures. This form would enable free play (awesome lol-enabler for Enchantment based designs) and currently would exist void of any color designations, although I'd like for it to retain its original color while it's face-down. Making it colorless would open up interaction with the new-age colorless designation, which isn't something I want it to do, as it's not truly relevant to the new-age colorless designation as they've illustrated it.

I like the flavor that Silhouette adds to the designs, although I don't like how it alters their functionality. First by making them more time-lapsed, and second by forcing me to give on the concept of making white and black hard to splash in this set—while red, green, and blue remain openly splashable.

Occulte Police B
Creature — Human Minion
Nuisance (This creature can't be blocked except by creatures with power 3 or greater.)
"They're notorious for staging crimes. Most often the worst of what's seen in a day's work. A scoundrel among servants—a treachery upon the innocent world."
1/1

Just a simple evasive alternative I thought would be interesting. A neat concept for corrupt authorities and the suite of other such problematic characters that you can't directly address without jumping through hoops—or by approaching them from some greater social high ground. I had a haunting power-creep tendency that tempted for a moment thinking this should be a 2/1. Just something about it wanting to appeal strongly in the "modern vision". I didn't really like the notion though, because as a 1/1, then you play something like Unholy Strength—and oh yeah‒this guy's a real d[]|. He's definitely going to be a problem. Other quick plays (like Bad Moon) stack with it so that if you can't respond within a few turns, that's going to be the end of the game. Ultimately decided to dismiss the notion. And then I changed my mind.

And then I changed my mind again. To the integrity of the set, the color critically needs this to remain a common, and act as filler especially for draft and block play. In either case, it remains vulnerable to the likes of Underworld Fires/Pyroclasm, so this choice might only be aesthetic.

Corrupt Inspector Clouseau 1B
Legendary Creature — Human Minion
As Corrupt Inspector Clouseau enters the battlefield, name up to two cards.
Whenever you draw the named card, you may reveal it. If you do, search your library for a copy of that card, reveal it, then put that card into your hand. Shuffle your library. You lose 1 life for each card put into your hand this way.
Nuisance (This creature can't be blocked except by creatures with power 3 or greater.)
3/2

Here's a concept that I thought up last night, conceiving a way to combine/implement/optimize elements of Dark Confidant and Vampiric Tutor together, beginning to etch out the power scale for black. It's somewhat of a palette swap/mirror-universe/doppelganger of Judgeman. As a corrupt inspector, he's got to be very aggressive, ruthless; but putting himself off on the corruptee side comes with immense vulnerability. I had a few variant ideas for this effect. One such was making this design legendary, with the name Corrupt Inspector Clouseau. Another was limiting the function to a single named card, but enabling you to search for any number of copies when you do draw it (for the same amount of life). It's a really tough call to make, when you know you only get one shot, and you need the design to be seeing its apex potential in its final form. That being said, I am still considering those options, so don't put this down as the final version. In either case, would probably be really neat in a deck based around Relentless Rats.

I did decide to increase the power-scale a bit here on this one. Despite the need to reflect vulnerability on putting oneself off on the corruptee side, I felt that it's imperative to reflect some measure of resistance that an experienced individual should have. He always wears a vest, and takes some fundamental precautions that make him more of a hard target. I think that's good to the design being legendary, although this one doesn't exactly beckon for it with an effect such as it has (that would act as a benefit in multiple copies—enabling a player to change the named cards).

I also decided to blend down the life cost for the effect, and change the wording composure for better coherence. Nothing prevents a player from naming the same card twice, and then being able to retrieve two copies of it in a single instance. The life cost was blended down because although powerful, the effect isn't exactly as self-sufficient (relying on the draw) as to require such a heavy life cost. At paying 2 life a card, it kind of bends the design into potentially less than playable territories. And that's definitely not something that should be done here. It's a waste of potential. Potential that I believe the design crucially needs for who it is/who it is supposed to be. Just a mortal man—but still an incredible danger for what one is capable of—especially one with such authorities.

Diary of a Madman 0
Artifact
2, Pay 1 life, : Look at the top three cards of your library, put one of them into your hand and exile the rest.
"It is now October 1st, 4:33AM. Henrietta is dead. I could not bring myself to dismember her corpse. But I dragged her down the steps...and I buried her. I buried her in the cellar."

Here'a a design from a suggestion I gave sainthyacinth in another thread. I decided to put it into a form for myself that I felt wouldn't be thought of—but is the alpha potential available to it. I contrasted the costs with Sensei's Divining Top, as it's almost on odds with it. The fact that you have to exile two cards is a far greater drawback than Sensei's Divining Top, as they both can essentially accomplish the same thing, but at the cost of no precious resources there. Missing your next draw just isn't really a big deal, especially since the Top lets you infinitely work off the top 3 cards of your deck. Dairy of a Madman drops for free, but costs you some life to read it. I don't feel that any more than 1 life is necessary, since it begins to quickly threaten grinding the game down to a sudden end. I actually even questioned if the effect should cost 2, but seeing as how it lets you reach into your library for that one crucial card, I literally can't shake the impact that has, and measure of influence over card advantage and board advantage in the game. I think it really does exactly what it wants to do—exactly as graceful as it needs to be done.

Church Bells 1W
Enchantment — Saga
|: You may play an additional Plains this turn.
||: White spells you cast with a converted mana cost 6 or greater cost 3 less to cast.
|||: White creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.

Here's a design I came up with based on an intention chelovek (a fellow poster) might have had. Originally, I didn't want to do this as a saga, because sagas represent lapses of time, and I felt like the lapse of time for this concept was too short for it to fit the saga concept. Ultimately, seeing no other way it could be done, I quickly decided by a stretch of the imagination that it would have to be done this way. It's a very evocative concept for me. Where I live there are a bunch of churches all around me. I can hear the church bells all the time—ringing out from the distance playing the most beautiful melodies. It opens your heart to the world. Makes you feel like you can accomplish great things. Leaves you feeling so empowered. And that pretty much explains the course of the abilities. So you drop this—and then here comes the bride.

Puritan Police W
Creature — Human Soldier
Lifelink
"Self-aware to the world and its every strife—relentlessly honoring all that is pure and true. An embodiment of patriotism in the fathoms strength that it takes to remain devoted in the face of every crushing danger and desire."
2/1

Judgeman WW
Legendary Creature — Avatar
As Judgeman enters the battlefield, name up to three cards and choose a color.
The named cards are the chosen color in addition to their other colors.
Indomitable (This creature can't be destroyed by creatures with a combined power and toughness less than or equal to its own.)
"It is as I've said it is—argue that it's not. Hold me up to the light if you think you have the power. I will hold you up to mine—I will break you down!"
1/4

"With this flaming sword that is the truth, I will hold you up to the light, and it will burn your vices to nothing. All that you prized as the source of your power will be revealed as it truly was all along."

Should Judgeman be a Knight—or do you think he should be an Avatar?

The seems super cool, but kind of ruins his intended character as a civil proclamator.

Ignoring the name placeholder, this was a concept I quickly thought of while I was on the name a card kick. It branched off from an idea I had about a design that acted as a way to designate ambiguous threats as definite ones. The original code-name for this was "Declaration". It would be card that that declares others cards as enemies as unlawful/unjust, deceptive, primitive, malicious, or even hallowed/orderly/atoned. There was a loose concept in mind that this effect could work with protection in a dynamic way, so that you can protect yourself from unprotected threats. It enables a player to only have to run protection from a single color, and from there would free up all kinds of space in the sideboard for other technical support. As the design unfolded, it began to feel immensely like it belonged in some distant place in time. It still, to me, feels more like a card that was (or should have been) apart of the original Alpha/Beta/Unlimited scene.

I was kind of beside myself with the sense of a power-creep here if I added anything else to the design, but I know better than to more importantly leave something underwhelming. If you want your design to fly, you need to make sure it has enough lift to carry itself in competitive play. Of course, if the effect is really powerful, then it can be more of an easier (or essential) pass to make, but since this effect doesn't really do anything by itself (only enables other content to be useful), I felt there was room enough to give it another ability. I felt something like Order of the Stars would be too cliche, so that's where I decided to put Enforcer down instead.

Currently contemplating a restriction on this card's ability—designating the named cards have to be nonland cards. Currently, it would enable you to name basic lands, and then destroy them with cards like Northern Paladin, Blue and Red Elemental Blast. Sounds awesome though! And with as many a card combo as it is, I'm not hardly seeing the powertrip there. Add Balance and you're only complicating it further. Mine as well just play Armageddon? The more I think about it, the more it just seems like a dynamic deck structure than it does anything totally broken.

The Eternal One 2U
Creature — Avatar
Protection from green
The second time you draw cards each turn, put that many +1/+1 counters on The Eternal One.
1/1

The Flawless One 2W
Creature — Avatar
Protection from black
The first or second time a white source causes you gain life each turn, put that many +1/+1 counters on The Flawless One.
1/1

The Virile One 2G
Creature — Avatar
Protection from red
The second and third time a green creature enters the battlefield under your control each turn, put a number of +1/+1 counters on The Virile One equal to that creature's power or toughness.
1/1

The Cannibalistic One 2B
Creature — Avatar
Protection from blue
The first time a black source you control causes a permanent to be put into a graveyard each turn, put a number of +1/+1 counters on The Cannibalistic One equal to that permanent's converted mana cost.
1/1

The Blazing One 2R
Creature — Avatar
Protection from white
The first time a red source you control deals damage to an opponent or a source an opponent controls each turn, put that many +1/+1 counters on The Blazing One.
1/1


Blazing Whirlwind R
Creature — Elemental
Deathtouch
Blazing Whirlwind can't attack unless it has power 6 or greater.
At the beginning of your upkeep, increase Blazing Whirlwind's base power by 2.
0/3

This brilliant piece of work was the product of a spontaneous idea that came to mind for a time-lapsed Ball Lightning. The concept was that it would essentially be some equal of Ball Lightning—only for a single mana—and would have to mature over the course of a few turns to bridge the gap of power, cost, and balance. I loved the idea when it came to mind. Dynamic and interactive—pseudo-unique. It would have all the qualities that really make for an immensely appealing card (the kind that stimulate and sustain the most interest in the game). To be honest, I really am struggling to make peace with the current version of the design. It almost feels like it does too much, and is all over the place in odd directions. I sort of prefer the original version for its simplicity and linear order. However, I was immensely compelled by the essence of giving this card Deathtouch, and it being able to destroy creatures via other content (such as the Magic Red Loop enchantment posted here). If you put two of them together, it almost becomes like a Father-Son Kamehameha, and enables it to attack on the immediate turn after it enters the battlefield.

I had another concept for perfecting a design from Bloodlines named Kihadou, and doing something like this, only with charge counters instead. Odd that they would kind of be so redundant of one another. It might seem odd that something like Street Urchin is able to deflect it entirely, but if you look back to characters like Paul Revere, it's actually been known to be a quite a thing. I'm really just hard stuck on the essence of this having deathtouch for one mana. It just feels like something so immensely appealing for red, that's long overdue, and deserved for it to have. Another amazing bit about this design is its tactical utility. It secretly exists as my Super Special Awesome Chocolaty Fudge Coated Super Bait Super Card. It's a removal bait for a single mana, that intends to provoke your opponent to waste their removal spells on it, while offering an offensive bonus if they don't. It might come as a surprise, but this is not the first time you should have seen this either.

Mentalforce Armor 2U
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each card in your hand.
Enchanted creature may block creatures as though they have no abilities.

This was a quickie concept that I came up with in the shower. I thought of it being a blue variant of Blanchwood Armor, then remembered there was Empyrial Armor/Empyrial Plate. I really didn't want to expand upon it any—wanting to keep it relevant to its green contemporary. But remembering the pre-existing concepts forced me to take this beyond the likes of that to stave the redundancy. I tried putting both effects into one line, but the effect honestly felt tacky to me then, so I split them apart into two separate lines. The second effect certainly fits in well with the project, and is a great example of how easy it can be to dance circles around even a powerful ability such as Nuisance.

The flavor of the concept runs along the lines of using ones mind to boost their strength. It's incredibly stylish in the sense that many times over, their confidence is a dark confidence (just a figment of their imagination). They don't actually have any cards in hand, yet they conceive themselves to be immensely empowered. It fits in perfectly with the power toughness boost. Well explained—and great realism. A bit on ends with the title Mentalforce, but possibly just at an absence of words right now. Can't understand why this was never put into blue before. I think it's a great buff for blue that blue creatures have legendarily needed for a long as I can remember.

I started the game in 7th Edition/Odyssey Block, but had a great fascination content from the older sets. Looking over them, I often found so many interesting and imaginative designs that were just missing some bit of crucial support to make it work. This was a great inspiration behind a lot of the creative content I came up with when I got into designing—long after I had left the game (which was a bit after the release of Mirrodin). I had bought one booster box, pulled a Platinum Angel, and kept it as a treasure with my single re-animator deck after selling the rest of my collection. I had a slight return at the Lorwyn set, lasting up until the end of the Shards of Alara block, when I departed once again selling my entire collection.

Even to this day, I find a lot of the development seems very self-centered, and doesn't look back as thoughtfully as it should. I strive not to be like that, and not to make the mistakes of others, or repeat the mistakes of the past. I'd like to not learn the hard way if I can help it. The hard way is never ideal. And though it's thought to be proficient—it's really not. If simply a person is too devoid to fully understand (or interpret) all of the matters and conditions (dynamics of physics) involved, the full lesson or principal is not truly learned. You'll have to revisit it again. Being first is just one of the grand dooms in the professional realm of conscious existence. The other two being—thinking you're smart/but you're not smart—and cheating/or trying to cheat your way through something. Two more grand dooms—best navigated by minding your talent, being honest with yourself, and treading water safely.

Sad Wings of Destiny 2U
Enchantment
Ward 2
: Exile target untapped creature, then return it to the battlefield tapped.
"Although your alpha status is just a figment of your imagination, you're unaware, and so willing to believe. And so you blindly leap, off out on a branch. Taken on the sad wings of destiny. From which you may return a broken man—broken body or broken spirit."

Originally envisioned this design based on the name, which I had absolutely no idea what the effect would be. I had originally thought of something like an aura that you would enchant to a creature you control, and then when it dies, some effect (life gain?). Later I etched out this design based on the effect being combo materia with the design below. Had no name for it and then suddenly felt that it would be an amazing, intriguing fit to the Sad Wings of Destiny. Something compelled me that this wants to be resistant to removal, and that's where the protection from white and from red comes in. Not even the holiest of powers is beyond it. Still open to removal from green, which I don't really mind. Because it's a monkey trick, and then I thought you have the ape, who comes in and quarters it. And thus—that's the sad wings of destiny. But I forgot it's artifacts only. And now it doesn't make much sense. At this cost, I suppose it doesn't really need protection. It's still thought to be beneficial to the flavor, but I quickly don't see any way to implement it as desired (other than adding green to the list). So I did.

Decided to shift the functionality for this one after considering a number of critical issues that the previous version (with a mana activated ability) would face. The design really faced a large cost expensure, and needed to do away with large amount of it to see the self-sufficient potential it would need to thrive in the game. First it wants to be able to do something when it hits the board. It doesn't want to waste a turn just sitting around. Then when it can be put to use—sets you back an additional two mana. Even though the mana activated ability can be used with infinite potential, it more importantly isn't going to see that potential in any time-frame that's precedent to the game. Second it doesn't want to be redundant to itself in multiple copies. You want there to be incentive to having multiple copies in your deck, and being able to make dynamic use of them. From this, I decided to exchange the mana ability cost with a tap activated cost instead. This makes the design more interactive (tapping it interactive—it's fun) and also accomplishes the primary objective by alleviating the immense cost expensure it faced, and solving the redundancy issue in multiple copies.

As disruption/pseudo-removal, this puts it on par with Oblivion Ring, which is great. And for functionality, it is much more graceful in that it forces players to be more resolute and strategic, and doesn't allow them to play like slop, or carry-out unbounded slop operations.

King of Thralls 4UBBR
Legendary Creature — Demon
King of Thralls costs 4 less to cast if a creature you control that entered the battlefield this turn was put into a graveyard.
UBR: Regenerate King of Thralls. If you do, put two +1/+1 counters on it. King of Thralls can't be prevented from regenerating this way.
"You've all been crushed on this front! And all the benefit of doubt has been obliterated. There isn't enough left of any of you to toss into the wind."
7/7

Famous Last Words U
Instant
Draw three cards, then discard your hand.
"Such poetic tragedy—the most famous last words are the ones we should have never said—and not the ones we never got to speak."

Duel at Sunset 1R
Enchantment — Saga
|: Nonbasic lands are Mountains.
||: Create a treasure token.
|||: Each player shuffles their hand into their library, then flips seven coins and draws a card for each flip they won.

"Meet me when the sun is in the western sky. The fighting must begin before another, someone, dies."

The idea for this came to be out of the blue. It was just a cosmetic image in my head, no effects, no lead in any direction whatsoever. I actually first thought of it as being a black card. However, the potential (and relativity) to red had so much domain, I just wrote down the concept with both to poise the question, and leaving the design blank to begin the tension. I figured anyone who seen it would try filling in the spots, and I welcomed that, because then it would become a duel at sunset unto itself. And we would see who the best man is. Lots of cliche effects and blanche damage assignments were immediately thought to be avoided. Of course, I had the newborn Challenge function to work with, but was a bit skeptical of using it. It's been sitting in my OneNote for quite awhile (as long as Knxtxdxth)—but I'm still not very familiarized with it myself. I knew the first ability wanted to be something immensely technical. No leads still, but something really intuitive came to mind in the effect of a temporary Blood Moon. Early in the game, that can be such an amazing technical punisher. It almost operates as a Time Walk. The flavor with the mountains also fits perfectly into the theme, by a stretch of the imagination, painting a scene of the sunset in its effect (the sun setting behind the mountains).

The second ability I had originally thought to be universal (effecting both players). However, I would be doing something terrible in that, and going against my own advice: Never give your opponent any unnecessary card advantages. It was then I scrapped the uncomfortable equal sides draw and turned it into a one-sided effect instead. For the effect, there are a lot of possible draw combinations, but in the end I decided the classic Bazaar sequence would be the best. The reason for this actually has to do with the third and final ability having gone down on the card first. And Wheel of Fortune was the pretty much the best possible duel reward there could be. It's such as hard card advantage, you're basically dead if you miss it. Since discarding cards would be contradictory as a punisher (even against a winning opponent) I replaced it with a shuffle effect instead. Now here's where the bazaar effect becomes super intuitive to the design. You're loading your chamber, and the draw to discard proportion enables you to "cut the fat", and discard any cards that could be an adulterant when you shuffle and redraw.

Noble Corsair WW
Creature — Human Noble Fighter
Pierce (Whenever this creature blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, put a -1/-1 counter on that creature at the end of combat.)
2/2

Godborn Sentinel 2WWW
Creature — Human Noble Fighter
Indomitable (This creature can't be destroyed by creatures with a combined power and toughness less than or equal to its own.)
: Godborn Sentinel gets +0/+2 until end of turn. Creatures it blocks this turn don't untap during their controller's next untap step.
3/5

Street Urchin R
Creature — Human Thug
Disarm (Whenever this creature blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, detach all cards attached to that creature. It permanently loses up to one of its colors and/or all instances of a keyword of your choice.)
"They're notorious for carrying daggers, often laced with poison for pernicious deeds. A wild dog among humanity—a mutiny upon the spirit of brotherhood."
1/1

Just a few neat designs.

I suddenly realized that Disarm wasn't going to work as I envisioned it, so I thought I mine as well just turn it into a soft-lock deathtouch. Currently, I have it limited to combat damage, but am questioning how necessary that is compared to actual deathtouch. I had a really neat idea of doing something especially unique with the final clause added, and having it remove a colored mana symbol from the cost. The way I envision this to work is: If a card loses all its colored mana symbols, then it loses its color designation and becomes colorless instead. Kinda narrow, but opens up interactivity and design space none-the-less.

Ideally, one of the flavor aspects behind Disarm is that it breaks your body or it breaks your spirit.

EDIT: I had to rework Disarm again, because it wouldn't function the way I originally envisioned it if damage has to be done first. The main idea to disarm was to do so before damage is dealt. With the addition of removing counters, it now treads uncomfortably upon the likes of mid-school phantoms—which is kinda narrow—but still rather feel-bad for me. I guess it can't be helped. Disarmers aren't afraid of ghosts—I don't know what else to tell ya. I am currently contemplating a version that has the creature lose all abilities until the end of its controller's next turn, but that won't really fix the phantom issue any. Also brushed up the flavor text, since it originally referenced being like rats. And with it begin red (and rats traditionally being black) I'm not trying to give anyone a seizure.

Merry Christmas everyone!

I just wanted to share another world concept that I came up with at about the same time as Knuxtxdxth. This set takes place in a well-developed, aristocratic world. The primary struggle in the world is a battle between honor and merit and vice and debauchery. The world's heritage is deeply rooted in the principals of virtue. Handed-down by the instruction of the Divine Soul, who said that it is only through what is true and pure that conscious life may see any meaning. And without these (or in opposite of them), a chaos will consume all and gravely threaten the balance, so that no conscious existence will go unadulterated.


Mechanics

This is mostly a combat based set revolving around sword-fighting, so the nature of the mechanics should be obvious. However, the mechanics are pretty pretty adaptable, so that they could easily see use outside of the block as well. I thought to provide enough functionality so that this is adaptable by both form and flavor. As a side-note, I was also thinking about making Disarm reset power and toughness. I've included that version in the Full Form variant.