Considering how difficult it is to incorporate the new colors to MTG, I feel like giving up on the "new color" idea completely.
Orange - Represents Blue (machinery, time, do I have to say anything?)
Brown - Represents Green (oh c'mon just look at both colors)
Pink - Represents White (very pacifist...like White)
Purple - Represents Black (just look)
Yellow - Represents Red (loves changes)
However, I do like the idea of Orange. Permanency is kinda a rare thing nowadays in MTG with all the crazy removals and counterspells. So maybe we can turn them into completely and truly different colors that do represent their corresponding color, but they deviate from their rooting color's strategies (like Yellow relying on crazy switcheroos unlike Red's direct-damaging spells) and also act as "alternate-universe colors" so they don't have to become part of the existing Ravnica factions (but alt-universe colors can faction up with other alt-universe colors). Maybe like some sort of weird expansion to introduce these as "test alt-colors"? These are really just my three and a half cents on this complicated color pie topic.
Rainbow-1000 5
Legendary Creature - Construct
~'s colors are the colors of mana you spent to cast it.
As long as ~ is black, it has deathtouch.
As long as ~ is red, it has haste.
As long as ~ is green, it has trample.
As long as ~ is blue, it has flying.
As long as ~ is white, it has lifelink.
4/4
"The perfect machine."
Inzerva, Protractor of Knowledge 3UR
Legendary Creature - Dragon Wizard
Flying
Opponents play with their hands revealed.
Whenever an opponent draws a card, Inzerva, Protractor of Knowledge deals 1 damage to that player.
Whenver you cast an instant or sorcery spell, each player draws a card.
4/4
"When he entered our guild, he was only a dragon seeking questions and answers. But the last time I saw him, he was now a genius that rivals even Niv-Mizzet." -Ral Zarek
I'll Take That Seat 4UUU
Instant
You may cast this spell without paying its mana cost if a player left their seat this turn for any reason.
Take an extra turn after this one.
End the turn.
"May I sit on your chair?"
Now that you mentioned that Boros likes to mess around with combat, I just realized several things:
1. Temporary "card draw" as reward for dealing combat damage.
2. Same goes for ramp: reward treasure and stuff for dealing combat damage.
3. To survive against the other removal-based-around factions, maybe, rather than give big creatures to Boros, instead give Boros powerful yet disposable cretures? This can solve the problem of nasty removal besides some sort of protection to the big guys.
Ex. 1
Boros Scout RW
When Boros Scout enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
When Boros Scout dies, exile the top two cards of your library. Until the end of your next turn, you may cast those cards.
4. Boros is a faction that wants to be aggressive, and therefore the true problem lies in not lack of ramp or draw (easily solved by giving treasure and stuff or by rewarding the player with ramp/card draw for being aggressive), but rather simply due to a ****ton of removal and how it fails to be aggressive enough to threaten opponents at the early game and ending up being hard-removed late game. So we can easily design off cards to give Boros the ramp, draw and reanimation it loves, but we need cards to help Boros survive more removal in some way (even by just making the creatures disposable, that's already enough) and also giving them more options to become truly aggressive early game. The design for EDH alone has everyone starting at 40 life, making all aggro decks that aren't voltron just some pesky insects that will inevitably die late game. So yeah, card designing for Boros needs a good and big change.
So, let's note the problems with a pure Boros deck in EDH:
1. Absolutely ****ed vs any control deck matchup
2. Lacks ramp aside from artifacts, and will fall behind in the game if unable to ramp well
3. Lacks card draw, though artifacts can solve it again
4. Simply just overall much worse than other faction decks simply because it relies on having a good board state while others either screw up board states, rush everyone, or pillowfort themselves
Here are cards that (could) solve these problems:
Lifethroc 2WW
Instant
Rather than pay this card's mana cost, you may have target opponent gain 6 life instead.
Counter target spell.
(so Boros has less problems dealing with spellslinging players or bs disruption)
Recruit the Spirits RW
Instant
Destroy target permanent. That permanent's controller creates a 2/2 Soldier Spirit token with lifelink.
(more removal for Boros)
Magos, Great Guardian of Sunhome 3RW
Legendary Creature - Golem
Lifelink
This spell can't be countered.
You can't lose the game and your opponents can't win the game unless you have 0 or less life.
You can't win the game unless you are the only player remaining. RW: ~ gains +1/+1 until end of turn.
4/4
(This card will give a reason why chaplain's blessing and other lifegain cards exist, and will make your opponents who rely on alt win cons cry)
Keep Honor 1RW
Instant
Return target creature from your graveyard to the battlefield. That creature gains haste until end of turn. Return it to your hand at the beginning of the next end step.
(Some recursion for Boros)
Plan to War 2RW
Enchantment (Note: only going to be available in EDH due to the design of this card) Will of the council - At the beginning of your upkeep, starting with you, each player votes for either tactics or aggressive.
If tactics gets more votes, you draw a card. If aggressive gets more votes, ~ deals 3 damage to each opponent.
(this both gives card draw and aggro capabilities, though it's a council dillema type card, so they will try to choose the worst option for you. Please tell me how to improve if possible.)
Divide the Spoils 1RW
At the end of your combat phase, if a creature you control dealt combat damage to a player, create a Treasure token. (It has "T, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.")
I could suggest more cards, please feedback! Also, still kinda W.I.P.
And yes, I'm kinda lazy.
Again, another update. But just to note, the creature token themselves will have the "cast sorcery or instant from exile", NOT Uldroc, since that would mean they can simply counter the effect by playing removal on Uldroc. I did take your creature type advice though.
Extraplanic lands are lands that allow you to play a land on your next upkeep, but they (the extraplanic lands and the land play they give) enter the battlefield tapped and do not do any color fixing (by themselves).
They are also still purely nonbasic even though they cover one color.
(Punch me if you like if you think this idea is actually bad and very dumb)
Example:
Streaming Waterfalls
Land
~ enters the battlefield tapped.
When this enters the battlefield, at the beginning of your next upkeep, you may put a land on the battlefield tapped. T: Add U to your mana pool.
Smelting Caves
Land
~ enters the battlefield tapped.
When this enters the battlefield, at the beginning of your next upkeep, you may put a land on the battlefield tapped. T: Add R to your mana pool.
Uldroc, Former of Spells 3UGW
Legendary Creature - Wizard
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, if it wasn't cast from exile, you may
have it lose all its other types and put it on the battlefield face down after it resolves. It becomes an X/X creature token, where X is its converted mana cost. It has "When this creature dies, you may exile it. If you do, cast this spell from exile without paying its mana cost." 3UGW, Exile a card from your hand: You may cast target instant or sorcery card in your graveyard without paying its mana cost.
2/2
"I'm never gonna give it up! I'm never gonna let him down! I'm gonna show to him that living spells are possible!" -Uldroc, Former of Spells
Criticism?
Lore to fit this in MTG: "When the Eldrazi were once again imprisoned by the hedrons and sent away from the realms, they left a powerful force. They knew about it, but couldn't find a way to get use of it....until now. Mirs, one of the Dimir mad scientists, has made a successful experiment on fusing himself with this "void" energy, becoming a being of pure (un)matter, harnessing this energy at his will. However, as more people began using this "mana", more mysterious creatures resembling the long gone Eldrazi have appeared on each realm, each worst than the last. But even worse, people also began abusing this power for evil, thus, another fight for this mysterious energy has began."
Notes:
1. The Eldritch ability can be on any card type.
2. Eldritch (You can only use mana produced from Eldritch spells or permanents to cast this spell.)
3. The mana symbol for mana produced from Eldritch cards is the colorless mana symbol but colored purple.
4. The purple colorless mana (or Void mana) is still colorless; think of it as the same old colorless mana but restricted to some archetype.
5. V will represent this void mana.
6. All cards with Eldritch are colorless. (Yes, like Devoid)
7. You CANNOT use the mana to pay for colorless mana costs unless that card has Eldritch, and vice versa.
Example Cards:
Dimension Crack
Land
Eldritch T, Pay 1 Life: Add 1 to your mana pool.
Corrupted Tetrahedron 5
Artifact Creature
Eldritch T: Add 3 to your mana pool.
"When they were exposed to the energy, they became horrific monsters."
2/2
Eldritch Ritual 1
Sorcery
Eldritch
Add 3 to your mana pool.
Emrakul, Renewed 20
Eldritch
If you didn't cast this spell from your hand, shuffle ~ to its owner's library.
This creature costs 1 less to cast for each permanent with Eldritch you control.
Flying, Trample, Hexproof
Annihilator 3
All permanents you control have Eldritch and "T: Add 1 to your mana pool."
Whenever you cast a spell with Eldritch, you may search your library for a card with Eldritch with converted mana cost less than the spell you cast, reveal it, and put it in your hand.
12/12
Any suggestions or criticism are accepted. Though please remember this was just a knack-off idea from the cancelled purple color.
I originally used the very well known banned card Mana Crypt as a template for this card, except it's weaker. The main problem with Mana Crypt was the fact that it's literally a 0 mana Sol Ring that uses luck to make it balanced, which is the reason why it's banned in modern. So I decided to make it enter tapped, make the 3 dmg guaranteed but give you a second option to just make 1 colorless mana, and limit the mana to only be usable on artifacts (including your suggestion which were the activated abilities of artifacts).
Blastcore Sidelabs
Land
~ enters the battlefield tapped. T: Add C to your mana pool. T, Pay 2 life: Add CC to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to cast artifact spells or activate artifact abilities.
Suggestions?
So, in general, I'm thinking this keyword is too op to exist. I tried looking for a way to balance the keyword so that it isn't too ridiculously powerful, but I couldn't really find the answer.
If I made the counters be -1/-1 counters, then it's just an even worse provoke. Maybe I'll just con this mechanic as a failure and try finding another better one instead.
Ok, thanks for the response.
Jester's Boots was supposed to screw your opponent's hand and in other words their ultimate plan, but I didn't think it would annoy TOO much, since they draw a card and could end up actually drawing a really good card, so I might give it a few uses only and not forever. Yes, second ability is also annoying, but it only kills off one card, and you can't use the first ability. Also quite expensive, so the nerf is on the first ability.
Terraforming Automaton's purpose was to be like a "loan" card, where you instantly get a land on the battlefield (but it enters tapped so that the terraforming automaton isn't technically 0 cost) but will have to destroy one land later. To keep it off from tron decks, I'll make it so that it only searches BASIC lands, which is cruel for tron decks but it has to be done.
Duel and Provoke are both targeted removal which is powerful, but I intentionally made the creatures who have duel poor stats. Design limits so that it isn't broken. As for the potential board clear with the duel mechanic, that is something I'll nerf on. Will have to think about it. Here's a thread that is related to this mechanic:https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/custom-card-creation/815133-the-duel-mechanic
Edit: Duel is no longer considered a balanced keyword. Expect all cards with duel to be op.
If the cards don't look balanced, please don't smash hard. It's only my first attempt to make such an archetype of cards related to some 4 horsemen and the end of the world.
Orange - Represents Blue (machinery, time, do I have to say anything?)
Brown - Represents Green (oh c'mon just look at both colors)
Pink - Represents White (very pacifist...like White)
Purple - Represents Black (just look)
Yellow - Represents Red (loves changes)
However, I do like the idea of Orange. Permanency is kinda a rare thing nowadays in MTG with all the crazy removals and counterspells. So maybe we can turn them into completely and truly different colors that do represent their corresponding color, but they deviate from their rooting color's strategies (like Yellow relying on crazy switcheroos unlike Red's direct-damaging spells) and also act as "alternate-universe colors" so they don't have to become part of the existing Ravnica factions (but alt-universe colors can faction up with other alt-universe colors). Maybe like some sort of weird expansion to introduce these as "test alt-colors"? These are really just my three and a half cents on this complicated color pie topic.
Legendary Creature - Construct
~'s colors are the colors of mana you spent to cast it.
As long as ~ is black, it has deathtouch.
As long as ~ is red, it has haste.
As long as ~ is green, it has trample.
As long as ~ is blue, it has flying.
As long as ~ is white, it has lifelink.
4/4
"The perfect machine."
Inzerva, Protractor of Knowledge 3UR
Legendary Creature - Dragon Wizard
Flying
Opponents play with their hands revealed.
Whenever an opponent draws a card, Inzerva, Protractor of Knowledge deals 1 damage to that player.
Whenver you cast an instant or sorcery spell, each player draws a card.
4/4
"When he entered our guild, he was only a dragon seeking questions and answers. But the last time I saw him, he was now a genius that rivals even Niv-Mizzet." -Ral Zarek
I'll Take That Seat 4UUU
Instant
You may cast this spell without paying its mana cost if a player left their seat this turn for any reason.
Take an extra turn after this one.
End the turn.
"May I sit on your chair?"
Meerslime 2G
Creature
Multimeld with Meermulk
W.I.P
1. Temporary "card draw" as reward for dealing combat damage.
2. Same goes for ramp: reward treasure and stuff for dealing combat damage.
3. To survive against the other removal-based-around factions, maybe, rather than give big creatures to Boros, instead give Boros powerful yet disposable cretures? This can solve the problem of nasty removal besides some sort of protection to the big guys.
Ex. 1
Boros Scout RW
When Boros Scout enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
When Boros Scout dies, exile the top two cards of your library. Until the end of your next turn, you may cast those cards.
4. Boros is a faction that wants to be aggressive, and therefore the true problem lies in not lack of ramp or draw (easily solved by giving treasure and stuff or by rewarding the player with ramp/card draw for being aggressive), but rather simply due to a ****ton of removal and how it fails to be aggressive enough to threaten opponents at the early game and ending up being hard-removed late game. So we can easily design off cards to give Boros the ramp, draw and reanimation it loves, but we need cards to help Boros survive more removal in some way (even by just making the creatures disposable, that's already enough) and also giving them more options to become truly aggressive early game. The design for EDH alone has everyone starting at 40 life, making all aggro decks that aren't voltron just some pesky insects that will inevitably die late game. So yeah, card designing for Boros needs a good and big change.
1. Absolutely ****ed vs any control deck matchup
2. Lacks ramp aside from artifacts, and will fall behind in the game if unable to ramp well
3. Lacks card draw, though artifacts can solve it again
4. Simply just overall much worse than other faction decks simply because it relies on having a good board state while others either screw up board states, rush everyone, or pillowfort themselves
Here are cards that (could) solve these problems:
Lifethroc 2WW
Instant
Rather than pay this card's mana cost, you may have target opponent gain 6 life instead.
Counter target spell.
(so Boros has less problems dealing with spellslinging players or bs disruption)
Recruit the Spirits RW
Instant
Destroy target permanent. That permanent's controller creates a 2/2 Soldier Spirit token with lifelink.
(more removal for Boros)
Magos, Great Guardian of Sunhome 3RW
Legendary Creature - Golem
Lifelink
This spell can't be countered.
You can't lose the game and your opponents can't win the game unless you have 0 or less life.
You can't win the game unless you are the only player remaining.
RW: ~ gains +1/+1 until end of turn.
4/4
(This card will give a reason why chaplain's blessing and other lifegain cards exist, and will make your opponents who rely on alt win cons cry)
Keep Honor 1RW
Instant
Return target creature from your graveyard to the battlefield. That creature gains haste until end of turn. Return it to your hand at the beginning of the next end step.
(Some recursion for Boros)
Plan to War 2RW
Enchantment (Note: only going to be available in EDH due to the design of this card)
Will of the council - At the beginning of your upkeep, starting with you, each player votes for either tactics or aggressive.
If tactics gets more votes, you draw a card. If aggressive gets more votes, ~ deals 3 damage to each opponent.
(this both gives card draw and aggro capabilities, though it's a council dillema type card, so they will try to choose the worst option for you. Please tell me how to improve if possible.)
Divide the Spoils 1RW
At the end of your combat phase, if a creature you control dealt combat damage to a player, create a Treasure token. (It has "T, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.")
I could suggest more cards, please feedback! Also, still kinda W.I.P.
And yes, I'm kinda lazy.
They are also still purely nonbasic even though they cover one color.
(Punch me if you like if you think this idea is actually bad and very dumb)
Example:
Streaming Waterfalls
Land
~ enters the battlefield tapped.
When this enters the battlefield, at the beginning of your next upkeep, you may put a land on the battlefield tapped.
T: Add U to your mana pool.
Smelting Caves
Land
~ enters the battlefield tapped.
When this enters the battlefield, at the beginning of your next upkeep, you may put a land on the battlefield tapped.
T: Add R to your mana pool.
Legendary Creature - Wizard
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, if it wasn't cast from exile, you may
have it lose all its other types and put it on the battlefield face down after it resolves. It becomes an X/X creature token, where X is its converted mana cost. It has "When this creature dies, you may exile it. If you do, cast this spell from exile without paying its mana cost."
3UGW, Exile a card from your hand: You may cast target instant or sorcery card in your graveyard without paying its mana cost.
2/2
"I'm never gonna give it up! I'm never gonna let him down! I'm gonna show to him that living spells are possible!" -Uldroc, Former of Spells
Criticism?
Notes:
1. The Eldritch ability can be on any card type.
2. Eldritch (You can only use mana produced from Eldritch spells or permanents to cast this spell.)
3. The mana symbol for mana produced from Eldritch cards is the colorless mana symbol but colored purple.
4. The purple colorless mana (or Void mana) is still colorless; think of it as the same old colorless mana but restricted to some archetype.
5. V will represent this void mana.
6. All cards with Eldritch are colorless. (Yes, like Devoid)
7. You CANNOT use the mana to pay for colorless mana costs unless that card has Eldritch, and vice versa.
Example Cards:
Dimension Crack
Land
Eldritch
T, Pay 1 Life: Add 1 to your mana pool.
Corrupted Tetrahedron 5
Artifact Creature
Eldritch
T: Add 3 to your mana pool.
"When they were exposed to the energy, they became horrific monsters."
2/2
Eldritch Ritual 1
Sorcery
Eldritch
Add 3 to your mana pool.
Emrakul, Renewed 20
Eldritch
If you didn't cast this spell from your hand, shuffle ~ to its owner's library.
This creature costs 1 less to cast for each permanent with Eldritch you control.
Flying, Trample, Hexproof
Annihilator 3
All permanents you control have Eldritch and "T: Add 1 to your mana pool."
Whenever you cast a spell with Eldritch, you may search your library for a card with Eldritch with converted mana cost less than the spell you cast, reveal it, and put it in your hand.
12/12
Any suggestions or criticism are accepted. Though please remember this was just a knack-off idea from the cancelled purple color.
I originally used the very well known banned card Mana Crypt as a template for this card, except it's weaker. The main problem with Mana Crypt was the fact that it's literally a 0 mana Sol Ring that uses luck to make it balanced, which is the reason why it's banned in modern. So I decided to make it enter tapped, make the 3 dmg guaranteed but give you a second option to just make 1 colorless mana, and limit the mana to only be usable on artifacts (including your suggestion which were the activated abilities of artifacts).
Land
~ enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add C to your mana pool.
T, Pay 2 life: Add CC to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to cast artifact spells or activate artifact abilities.
Suggestions?
If I made the counters be -1/-1 counters, then it's just an even worse provoke. Maybe I'll just con this mechanic as a failure and try finding another better one instead.
Jester's Boots was supposed to screw your opponent's hand and in other words their ultimate plan, but I didn't think it would annoy TOO much, since they draw a card and could end up actually drawing a really good card, so I might give it a few uses only and not forever. Yes, second ability is also annoying, but it only kills off one card, and you can't use the first ability. Also quite expensive, so the nerf is on the first ability.
Terraforming Automaton's purpose was to be like a "loan" card, where you instantly get a land on the battlefield (but it enters tapped so that the terraforming automaton isn't technically 0 cost) but will have to destroy one land later. To keep it off from tron decks, I'll make it so that it only searches BASIC lands, which is cruel for tron decks but it has to be done.
Duel and Provoke are both targeted removal which is powerful, but I intentionally made the creatures who have duel poor stats. Design limits so that it isn't broken. As for the potential board clear with the duel mechanic, that is something I'll nerf on. Will have to think about it. Here's a thread that is related to this mechanic:https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/custom-card-creation/815133-the-duel-mechanic
Edit: Duel is no longer considered a balanced keyword. Expect all cards with duel to be op.