Oathbound Recruit1W
Creature — Human Warrior {C}
Superstitious(This creature is superstitious as long as an opponent has three or more cards in hand than you.)
Oathbound Recruit has first strike as long as it is superstitious.
1/1
Archmage of Gulaetus4U
Creature — Fish Wizard {U}
Whenever you cache a card, target player puts the top two cards of their library into their graveyard. 2U,T: Cache 2 (Put two cards from your hand on top of your library. Then you may shuffle your library.).
3/5
Xenophobia2B
Sorcery {C}
Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn, if that creature is superstituous, destroy it instead.
Enraged Sabretooth2R
Creature — Cat {C}
Empower 1 --2R(Pay 2R, sacrifice this creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.)
3/2
Walking Nest3G
Creature — Insect {U}
Whenever Walking Nest is dealt damage, create a 1/1 green insect creature token.
Infest G(Exile this creature from your graveyard then create X 1/1 green insect creature tokens where X is this creature's power. Infest only as a sorcery.)
1/3
These are just some of the proto-designs I have currently made. If there are any thoughts regarding these or the mechanics themselves, feel free to give input, as its the best way to improve.
So cache as written does seem like a downside but it does have some other benefits.
For example: the superstitious mechanic wants you to have less cards in hand than an opponent, using cache you can whittle your own hand down without having to rely on the opponent keeping a full grip.
Conversely, if your opponent is running a superstitious based deck you can cache your cards to keep their creatures off it.
Not to mention if you have some self mill options available, you can put infest creatures in your hand on top of tour library, mill them, then make some tokens the following turn.
Its both a way of getting rid of bad cards in your hand (without discarding them) and a way for players to manipulate the superstitious mechanic.
-----------------------------------
As far as the superstitious mechanic itself, i really like the flavor of the opponents hand representing the unknown and that making your creatures more wary. However, I'm a bit hard pressed for how to change it and make it still represent that without just remaking heckbent.
I didnt want it to be "if you have less cards in hand than an opponent" because then if you're on the play, unless your opppnent is playing two or more spells a turn, majority of your creatures will get a buff or a debuff, and while cache does help mitigate that to an extent I feel that it would still be too busted compared to "As long as an opponent has three or more cards in hand."
-----------------------------------
In short, I like superstitious flavorfully and cache not only balances it but also gives some combo potential with self-mill and infest cards.
Thanks for the advice, so I've been thinking about ways to do the factions as well as coming up with two new mechanics and how they fit in to each other.
So first here are the mechanics I have now:
Infest: as previously mentioned. (Insects are prevalent in Narreth and most lay their eggs in the remains of the fallen.)
Empower: as you suggested with most creatures having the single counter but with a handful of creatures allowing more than one. (Can be seen as a creature becoming stronger through loss, passing along its techniques, or just being food.)
Superstitious: As long as an opponent has three or more cards in hand than you, this creature is superstitious. (When a creatures fear of the unknown becomes so great that they act differently, usually comes with a buff but some come with a downside.)
Cache N: Put N cards from your hand on top of your library. You may shuffle your library. (Hiding something away or feigning ignorance.)
-----------------------------------
The Factions:
(White) The Church of Light: The Church of Light believes that with combined efforts the five factions could civilize the wild lands of Narreth. Although not all of its members are without fear of the other factions. [Mechanics: Superstitious, Infest, and Life Gain]
(Blue) The Vosk: The Vosk are an ancient fish like humanoid race, they seek to sequester the knowledge and hide it away from prying eyes. [Mechanics: Cache, Superstitious, and Mill]
(Black) Bertrand's Storytellers: The storytellers, agents of Bertrand the Bard, aim to spread fear and chaos among the factions to keep them from leaving the caves where they have more influence. [Mechanics: Cache, Infest, and Superstitious Matters]
(Red) The Warband: Savage warriors who protect the caves from invading predators and hunt beasts to strengthen themselves. [Mechanics: Empower and Power Matters]
(Green) Devotees of Nature: Beings who are attuned with the wild surges of mana on Narreth. They wish to bring others out of the caves and into the wilds to live as nature intended. [Mechanics: Empower and Infest]
-----------------------------------
So going off what you suggested, in that a pervasive isolation is probably better than isolated factions themselves, I figured the factions could have tunnels connecting their caves together and thus they could have an impact on each other (not just flavor wise but mechanic wise as well.).
For now thats what I'm working with; after looking at resilient again i may keep that as like a one or two card thing, but I more than likely won't make it the same as the anti-prowess it was before.
In hindsight the set does seem to sound like Zendikar. What i wanted to portray was a plane thats kind of just open ended. (I'm not very good at writing stories, hence a vague natural setting where everything is unknown.)
As for mechanics, none of them are really set in stone, just ideas I had for mechanics that i could get feedback on for the set.
Geomorph was something I was thinking of as both ramp and as something to do with weaker creatures when they cant break through an opponent's defenses.
In regards to Resilient, I was trying to think of an ability for creature decks to get an edge on control or spellslinger style decks but couldnt really think of any alternatives that wouldn't seem like anti-spells, this one for sure is getting cut.
Infest is, as stated, just a go-wide version of scavenge. Pay a cost, exile the card from your graveyard make that many insects.
And Empower, I forgot to put that it does require a cost. Empower would be instant speed but its only a single +1/+1 counter. So there wouldn't be any Empower 2 or more.
I think when I was coming up with these I just took other mechanics and tried to flip them around.
Geomorph from Morph
Resilient from Prowess
Infest from Scavenge
Empower from Graft
So what it sounds like is:
Geomorph is too complicated and too clunky.
Resilient is just a feel bad mechanic, and is definitely not getting in.
Infest is kind of boring but fine.
And Empower seems a bit too punishing.
I really appreciate the constructive criticism, any ideas for alternatives or other ideas for the mechanic based on the theme?
So im working on a custom set and have some ideas for mechanics for it, but I was hoping to get some feedback/advice/etc. On what I currently have and what I could be doing with it.
The set takes place on Narreth, a plane where mana is lush and volatile. The five factions (monocolored) live inside caves that protect them from the world outside, unaware of each other or the dangers separating them.
Custom Mechanic ideas:
Geomorph: players can pay mana at sorcery speed to turn creatures with geomorph into a colorless land that taps for one mana of any color in that cards casting cost.
Resilient: whenever an opponent casts a noncreature spell, resilient creatures get +1/+1 until end of turn. (Kind of like an anti-prowess).
Infest: Exile a creature card from your graveyard, then create X 1/1 green insect creature tokens where X is the exiled creatures power.
Empower: Sacrifice this creature and put a +1/+1 counter on target creature, that creature gains trample until end of turn.
Of course I would like to receive some feedback about these and I'd like to hear some suggestions as well. Im not sure if I'll do anything with the set other than making it for the sake of it but still would be nice to get others input.
Oathbound Recruit 1W
Creature — Human Warrior {C}
Superstitious(This creature is superstitious as long as an opponent has three or more cards in hand than you.)
Oathbound Recruit has first strike as long as it is superstitious.
1/1
Archmage of Gulaetus 4U
Creature — Fish Wizard {U}
Whenever you cache a card, target player puts the top two cards of their library into their graveyard.
2U,T: Cache 2 (Put two cards from your hand on top of your library. Then you may shuffle your library.).
3/5
Xenophobia2B
Sorcery {C}
Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn, if that creature is superstituous, destroy it instead.
Enraged Sabretooth2R
Creature — Cat {C}
Empower 1 --2R(Pay 2R, sacrifice this creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.)
3/2
Walking Nest3G
Creature — Insect {U}
Whenever Walking Nest is dealt damage, create a 1/1 green insect creature token.
Infest G(Exile this creature from your graveyard then create X 1/1 green insect creature tokens where X is this creature's power. Infest only as a sorcery.)
1/3
These are just some of the proto-designs I have currently made. If there are any thoughts regarding these or the mechanics themselves, feel free to give input, as its the best way to improve.
For example: the superstitious mechanic wants you to have less cards in hand than an opponent, using cache you can whittle your own hand down without having to rely on the opponent keeping a full grip.
Conversely, if your opponent is running a superstitious based deck you can cache your cards to keep their creatures off it.
Not to mention if you have some self mill options available, you can put infest creatures in your hand on top of tour library, mill them, then make some tokens the following turn.
Its both a way of getting rid of bad cards in your hand (without discarding them) and a way for players to manipulate the superstitious mechanic.
-----------------------------------
As far as the superstitious mechanic itself, i really like the flavor of the opponents hand representing the unknown and that making your creatures more wary. However, I'm a bit hard pressed for how to change it and make it still represent that without just remaking heckbent.
I didnt want it to be "if you have less cards in hand than an opponent" because then if you're on the play, unless your opppnent is playing two or more spells a turn, majority of your creatures will get a buff or a debuff, and while cache does help mitigate that to an extent I feel that it would still be too busted compared to "As long as an opponent has three or more cards in hand."
-----------------------------------
In short, I like superstitious flavorfully and cache not only balances it but also gives some combo potential with self-mill and infest cards.
So first here are the mechanics I have now:
Infest: as previously mentioned. (Insects are prevalent in Narreth and most lay their eggs in the remains of the fallen.)
Empower: as you suggested with most creatures having the single counter but with a handful of creatures allowing more than one. (Can be seen as a creature becoming stronger through loss, passing along its techniques, or just being food.)
Superstitious: As long as an opponent has three or more cards in hand than you, this creature is superstitious. (When a creatures fear of the unknown becomes so great that they act differently, usually comes with a buff but some come with a downside.)
Cache N: Put N cards from your hand on top of your library. You may shuffle your library. (Hiding something away or feigning ignorance.)
-----------------------------------
The Factions:
(White) The Church of Light: The Church of Light believes that with combined efforts the five factions could civilize the wild lands of Narreth. Although not all of its members are without fear of the other factions. [Mechanics: Superstitious, Infest, and Life Gain]
(Blue) The Vosk: The Vosk are an ancient fish like humanoid race, they seek to sequester the knowledge and hide it away from prying eyes. [Mechanics: Cache, Superstitious, and Mill]
(Black) Bertrand's Storytellers: The storytellers, agents of Bertrand the Bard, aim to spread fear and chaos among the factions to keep them from leaving the caves where they have more influence. [Mechanics: Cache, Infest, and Superstitious Matters]
(Red) The Warband: Savage warriors who protect the caves from invading predators and hunt beasts to strengthen themselves. [Mechanics: Empower and Power Matters]
(Green) Devotees of Nature: Beings who are attuned with the wild surges of mana on Narreth. They wish to bring others out of the caves and into the wilds to live as nature intended. [Mechanics: Empower and Infest]
-----------------------------------
So going off what you suggested, in that a pervasive isolation is probably better than isolated factions themselves, I figured the factions could have tunnels connecting their caves together and thus they could have an impact on each other (not just flavor wise but mechanic wise as well.).
For now thats what I'm working with; after looking at resilient again i may keep that as like a one or two card thing, but I more than likely won't make it the same as the anti-prowess it was before.
As for mechanics, none of them are really set in stone, just ideas I had for mechanics that i could get feedback on for the set.
Geomorph was something I was thinking of as both ramp and as something to do with weaker creatures when they cant break through an opponent's defenses.
In regards to Resilient, I was trying to think of an ability for creature decks to get an edge on control or spellslinger style decks but couldnt really think of any alternatives that wouldn't seem like anti-spells, this one for sure is getting cut.
Infest is, as stated, just a go-wide version of scavenge. Pay a cost, exile the card from your graveyard make that many insects.
And Empower, I forgot to put that it does require a cost. Empower would be instant speed but its only a single +1/+1 counter. So there wouldn't be any Empower 2 or more.
I think when I was coming up with these I just took other mechanics and tried to flip them around.
Geomorph from Morph
Resilient from Prowess
Infest from Scavenge
Empower from Graft
So what it sounds like is:
Geomorph is too complicated and too clunky.
Resilient is just a feel bad mechanic, and is definitely not getting in.
Infest is kind of boring but fine.
And Empower seems a bit too punishing.
I really appreciate the constructive criticism, any ideas for alternatives or other ideas for the mechanic based on the theme?
The set takes place on Narreth, a plane where mana is lush and volatile. The five factions (monocolored) live inside caves that protect them from the world outside, unaware of each other or the dangers separating them.
Custom Mechanic ideas:
Geomorph: players can pay mana at sorcery speed to turn creatures with geomorph into a colorless land that taps for one mana of any color in that cards casting cost.
Resilient: whenever an opponent casts a noncreature spell, resilient creatures get +1/+1 until end of turn. (Kind of like an anti-prowess).
Infest: Exile a creature card from your graveyard, then create X 1/1 green insect creature tokens where X is the exiled creatures power.
Empower: Sacrifice this creature and put a +1/+1 counter on target creature, that creature gains trample until end of turn.
Of course I would like to receive some feedback about these and I'd like to hear some suggestions as well. Im not sure if I'll do anything with the set other than making it for the sake of it but still would be nice to get others input.