Seeing as to how the mystical archives in Strixhaven all had Japanese art counterparts. I predict that each Secret Lair box of the mystical archive treated cards will have 1 of the 6 cards at random in the Japanese art style as the bonus card.
What do you all think?
-Yes, the Ravnica guilds would be the main source of guild identity; although, with Strixhaven, players could just as well build a "school" themed deck. The idea is to limit the permanents that could be used. Groups could decide what they want to see. I wanted players to need to compete for the encounter permanents, but not to remove them completely from player decks.
-As for the encounter deck, that is up to its designer. This is mean to be thematic, like if you were adventurers going to Innistrad, the deck designer would grab color balanced permanents from the innistrad block. You could have a artifacts encounter deck that would be like going to a mechanical world, or elementals only encounter deck that would be like an island of elementals. It is up to the designer to create a play experience for the other players.
-Solemnity would break the emnity/adoration mechanic, but life is still a viable win lose mechanic. I would put this up to each play group as to whether or not they want this kind play at their table.
-As for the "guild named permanents" the permanent would need to specifically have the name of the guild the player chose in the title.
This is all theoretical, if someone wants to take this idea and run with it in another direction they have my blessing.
You have been selected by your guild to expand their territory. You will be sent to distant lands to secure alliances, find wealth and prestige, and eliminate the competition. You have the spellbook and resources of the guild to aid you.
Concept:
In Guild Envoy, up to six players create decks of no less than sixty cards consisting of lands, instants, sorceries, enchantments, and guild-named permanents.
There is a communal “Encounter Deck” of 100 cards in the middle of the table consisting of Creatures, Artifacts, Planeswalkers, and other permanent cards.
Players use spells and guild resources to recruit locals and earn dominance in this new land.
Be careful. Cruelty can make the locals fear you, but earn too much of their enmity and they will purge you from their land.
Basic Rules:
Player Decks:
60 Cards or more
All cards limited to your guild’s color identity
Non-legendary, non-snow Lands, Instants, Sorceries, Enchantments, and Guild-Named Creatures and Artifacts
Only one copy of any card except basic lands
Encounter Deck:
100 Permanent Cards (Colors should be evenly split for fair play to all guilds)
Encounter deck may be themed to a plain or block, but it is not necessary.
Only one copy of named legendary cards.
The Game:
Players start with 25 life
2-6 players
Free for all format
Clockwise turn order
Last player standing wins
Setup:
Players draw 7 cards from their personal library.
Place 7 cards from the encounter library into the encounter zone face up.
Unique Terms:
Encounter Zone:
Cards drawn from the encounter library are placed into the encounter zone face up. Cards in the encounter zone are considered to be in play and can be enchanted, targeted with spells, exiled or destroyed.
During their main phases, players may pay the mana cost of permanents in the encounter zone to gain control of that permanent.
Static abilities of permanents in the encounter zone are active.
Triggered abilities of permanents in the encounter zone that would be triggered will be triggered unless the ability requires a controller who can choose a target.
Permanents from the encounter library are owned by the encounter and cannot be owned by players.
Encounter permanents returned to their owner's control are returned to the encounter zone.
When a player gains control of a spell from the encounter zone, it is considered as "entering the battlefield."
Players may pay Phyrexian mana to pay mana costs outside of their color identity.
During a player's draw phase, they may choose to draw a card from their deck and place it into their hand or draw a card from the encounter library into the encounter zone.
Players may forgo playing a land on their turn in order to place the top card of the encounter library into the encounter zone.
Cards from the encounter library may not be put into players' hands. If a permanent owned by the encounter would be placed in a player's hand or deck, it is put on the bottom of the encounter library.
A player may gain control of a land from the encounter zone only if they have not already played a land this turn.
If a permanent in the encounter zone has a static ability that affects opponents, it affects all players instead.
Non-plainswalker permanents in the encounter zone cannot gain tokens of any form.
Plainswalkers in the encounter zone may be attacked and lose loyalty.
Encounter graveyard:
If creatures owned by the encounter would be placed in a graveyard, they are placed in the encounter graveyard.
If a spell or ability would allow a player to target a permanent in their own graveyard, they may instead target a legal permanent in the encounter graveyard.
Scrying and searching:
If a spell would allow a player to search their library, they may search the top 10 cards of the Encounter library instead. If a card searched this way would be put into a player's hand, it is put into the encounter zone instead.
If a spell allows a player to scry, they may scry the encounter deck instead.
Enmity:
If a player accumulates 10 or more enmity tokens, they lose the game.
When a player destroys or exiles a creature or plainswalker in the encounter zone or mills a creature or plainswalker from the encounter library into the encounter graveyard. They earn an enmity token.
When a player uses Phyrexian mana, they earn 1 enmity.
Creatures owned by the encounter cannot attack players with enmity greater than the creature's combined power/toughness.
What do you all think?
I have a more updated version of this format on a webpage I made for this format: https://sites.google.com/view/guildenvoy/home
-Yes, the Ravnica guilds would be the main source of guild identity; although, with Strixhaven, players could just as well build a "school" themed deck. The idea is to limit the permanents that could be used. Groups could decide what they want to see. I wanted players to need to compete for the encounter permanents, but not to remove them completely from player decks.
-As for the encounter deck, that is up to its designer. This is mean to be thematic, like if you were adventurers going to Innistrad, the deck designer would grab color balanced permanents from the innistrad block. You could have a artifacts encounter deck that would be like going to a mechanical world, or elementals only encounter deck that would be like an island of elementals. It is up to the designer to create a play experience for the other players.
-Solemnity would break the emnity/adoration mechanic, but life is still a viable win lose mechanic. I would put this up to each play group as to whether or not they want this kind play at their table.
-As for the "guild named permanents" the permanent would need to specifically have the name of the guild the player chose in the title.
This is all theoretical, if someone wants to take this idea and run with it in another direction they have my blessing.
Visit the official Guild Envoy Rules Page here:
https://sites.google.com/view/guildenvoy/home
You have been selected by your guild to expand their territory. You will be sent to distant lands to secure alliances, find wealth and prestige, and eliminate the competition. You have the spellbook and resources of the guild to aid you.
Concept:
In Guild Envoy, up to six players create decks of no less than sixty cards consisting of lands, instants, sorceries, enchantments, and guild-named permanents.
There is a communal “Encounter Deck” of 100 cards in the middle of the table consisting of Creatures, Artifacts, Planeswalkers, and other permanent cards.
Players use spells and guild resources to recruit locals and earn dominance in this new land.
Be careful. Cruelty can make the locals fear you, but earn too much of their enmity and they will purge you from their land.
Basic Rules:
Player Decks:
60 Cards or more
All cards limited to your guild’s color identity
Non-legendary, non-snow Lands, Instants, Sorceries, Enchantments, and Guild-Named Creatures and Artifacts
Only one copy of any card except basic lands
Encounter Deck:
100 Permanent Cards (Colors should be evenly split for fair play to all guilds)
Encounter deck may be themed to a plain or block, but it is not necessary.
Only one copy of named legendary cards.
The Game:
Players start with 25 life
2-6 players
Free for all format
Clockwise turn order
Last player standing wins
Setup:
Players draw 7 cards from their personal library.
Place 7 cards from the encounter library into the encounter zone face up.
Unique Terms:
Encounter Zone:
Cards drawn from the encounter library are placed into the encounter zone face up. Cards in the encounter zone are considered to be in play and can be enchanted, targeted with spells, exiled or destroyed.
During their main phases, players may pay the mana cost of permanents in the encounter zone to gain control of that permanent.
Static abilities of permanents in the encounter zone are active.
Triggered abilities of permanents in the encounter zone that would be triggered will be triggered unless the ability requires a controller who can choose a target.
Permanents from the encounter library are owned by the encounter and cannot be owned by players.
Encounter permanents returned to their owner's control are returned to the encounter zone.
When a player gains control of a spell from the encounter zone, it is considered as "entering the battlefield."
Players may pay Phyrexian mana to pay mana costs outside of their color identity.
During a player's draw phase, they may choose to draw a card from their deck and place it into their hand or draw a card from the encounter library into the encounter zone.
Players may forgo playing a land on their turn in order to place the top card of the encounter library into the encounter zone.
Cards from the encounter library may not be put into players' hands. If a permanent owned by the encounter would be placed in a player's hand or deck, it is put on the bottom of the encounter library.
A player may gain control of a land from the encounter zone only if they have not already played a land this turn.
If a permanent in the encounter zone has a static ability that affects opponents, it affects all players instead.
Non-plainswalker permanents in the encounter zone cannot gain tokens of any form.
Plainswalkers in the encounter zone may be attacked and lose loyalty.
Encounter graveyard:
If creatures owned by the encounter would be placed in a graveyard, they are placed in the encounter graveyard.
If a spell or ability would allow a player to target a permanent in their own graveyard, they may instead target a legal permanent in the encounter graveyard.
Scrying and searching:
If a spell would allow a player to search their library, they may search the top 10 cards of the Encounter library instead. If a card searched this way would be put into a player's hand, it is put into the encounter zone instead.
If a spell allows a player to scry, they may scry the encounter deck instead.
Enmity:
If a player accumulates 10 or more enmity tokens, they lose the game.
When a player destroys or exiles a creature or plainswalker in the encounter zone or mills a creature or plainswalker from the encounter library into the encounter graveyard. They earn an enmity token.
When a player uses Phyrexian mana, they earn 1 enmity.
Creatures owned by the encounter cannot attack players with enmity greater than the creature's combined power/toughness.