Disregarding RTR/GTC (Gates) and ISD (Flip cards), 230-ish has been the standard for large sets for a while, counting the basics. 249 would be slightly larger, to allow for whatever the gimmick is, but still not too far off of the usual set size. I'm also inclined to think we're looking at a L/S/S distribution this time around.
Unless I'm missing something, those are the same flavor texts as the original Gates, and a quick glance at Orzhov seems to show the same raised letters. Clarification, anyone?
While MaRo has said that such a thing is (probably) not going to happen, as a player of both games, I've been enamored with the idea before. I think the only way this could work would be a joint venture between the two departments, and a purpose-built World/Campaign Setting. Let's use Innistrad as an example, though I'm not advocating that as the right choice.
You have the Innistrad block in Magic, then after the third set comes out, a D&D supplement comes out. You roll up your wizard or barbarian and set out into the world, learning more about it's history, it's inhabitants, etc. Maybe the book presents rules for playing before the MtG block, and you see the decline of humanity after the loss of Avacyn, or maybe during, so your character is involved in Thalia's search for/protection of the Helvault. The easiest option, however, is obviously afterwards, where your character goes on in a world that's been affected/shaped by the machinations and squabbles of godlike figures who have since moved on from your world, leaving it to it's own devices.
Then, a few years later when the game circles back around to that world, the Return to Innistrad (in this case) incorporates the lore and events built upon in the campaign setting materials that have come out since.
Setting up a system like that could potentially work, and even bring a lot of cross-play and promotion between the two games, but I don't think that's the direction WotC is looking to go. Still, we can dream, and homebrew our own Ravnica campaign setting.
The controller of the creature targeted by Basandra, Battle Seraph can elect to not pay the 2 required by Ghostly Prison, which means that creature can't attack you this turn, thus negating the ability ("If able").
In multiplayer, the controller of the creature must declare it as an attacker during their combat step if it can attack someone, whether that's you (if they pay 2), a Planeswalker you control, or another player/Planeswalker. They can again elect not to pay for Ghostly Prison and not be required to attack you, but unless the other players have similar effects protecting them (or in case of Range of Influence or Team rules), someone's going to get hit.
I go to the tourny, pick Golgari...I get a pack that is G/B then the rest of the packs(5 or 6?) are just your regular random packs filled with whatever?
Yeah. You show up for your pre-release and pick a guild. When the event starts, you get a sweet little box with 5 RTR booster packs (just like would come out of any regular box of packs) and a guild-specific booster that contains your Promo card (specific to your guild, so Corpsejack Menace in your Golgari example) and 15 other cards that are you guild's watermark or colors. If this pack has a mythic, it will be your guild leader (so no Vraska in Golgari or Jace v4 in Azorius/Izzet). You can play with all the cards you get, including your guild-specific promo (unlike most events, where you typically receive the promo after the first round starts and aren't allowed to include it in your deck).
Growing Ranks. I don't think gates are going to be as pickable as the Karoos were, so cutting off a guild early for signaling purposes is pretty good, and getting a free guy every turn will probably win you most games eventually, especially when those guys could be 3/3 Centaurs. Annihilating Fire is a close second, but RR and the presence of other red cards (mediocre or not) lowers it's appeal, for me.
How about Grove of Burnwillows OR Nimbus Maze lands and equivalents in the rest of allied combinations for M13? Graven Cairns where originally from Future Sight and have been printed in Shadowmoor so it seems quite possible for those lands as well.
Nimbus Maze can be seen as the spiritual predecessor to Glacial Fortress and friends. I think that's as close a reprint as we'll see, there.
Grove of the Burnwillows is interesting, a cycle of 'reverse painlands' could work, but with the increasing focus Wizards is putting on multiplayer (with things like Planechase and Commander), they might be hesitant, because they would be really bad in that format.
Ratchet Bomb. The flip cards 'night' side doesn't have a CMC. Non-existent CMCs are considered zero for effects that count CMC. Thus, a ratchet bomb with no counters destroys all flipped Werewolves.
I highly recommend you look for Arena, by William R. Forstchen. While not exactly high literature, it was the first Magic novel (that I'm aware of), and offers a good framework for legendary creatures casting spells. A series of novellas in the same style could be very interesting.
Equipping is 'Suit(ing) Up!', attacking is 'swinging' or 'bashing' depending on the number and size of attackers, connecting with a utility creature (Coiling Oracle or Eternal Witness, for example) is 'big huge beats' or an 'X turn clock' (40 or 20, above), repeating such an attack (especially with no other plays) means 'X is gonna get there', looking at the top 3 w/ SDT is 'spinning the top', Protection (especially from Swords) is 'Pro *Player X*', where X is the person running a deck with those colors, and me tapping out (especially while playing Riku) is usually preceded by: "Hey, you wanna see something dumb?" (so much so that others say it while playing with my decks, now).
There are still a lot more, but I think that's enough for now.
You can't, which was the point. He's saying his artifact lands are safe in his meta because nobody but him runs sweepers that hits artifacts. The only other player who might is playing a deck that doesn't run them.
On topic, I've never included them in a deck, to date, but I've frequently considered it. Typically I find that my non-basic slots go towards other utility uses rather than supplementing some artifact-count theme. That said, I wouldn't hesitate to use them in the right deck/situation.
Alternatively, there's the 'ci:', 't:', and 'o:' filters for Magiccards.info.
For example, this set of filters will give you all lands that produce White mana for a UW commander such as Hanna.
I will admit that it's not ideal (Without a format filter, it sees things like Karakas and without expanding on the 'o:' it finds things like Kor Haven which require W but don't produce it), but the moral of the story is learn to use the advanced filters for MC.i, because they're that awesome.
On the subject of Teferi's Veil, if you're using it because you think you can keep the tokens, you're mistaken. From the CR:
702.24k Phased-out tokens cease to exist as a state-based action. See rule 704.5d
Sundial does work, however, if you end the turn in response to the End of Combat trigger firing. And the Veil does blank sorcery speed removal against your attackers, as mentioned.
That aside, I'm working on a GoST list as well, so thanks for posting, it's great to see someone else's take on this guy.
Unless I'm missing something, those are the same flavor texts as the original Gates, and a quick glance at Orzhov seems to show the same raised letters. Clarification, anyone?
You have the Innistrad block in Magic, then after the third set comes out, a D&D supplement comes out. You roll up your wizard or barbarian and set out into the world, learning more about it's history, it's inhabitants, etc. Maybe the book presents rules for playing before the MtG block, and you see the decline of humanity after the loss of Avacyn, or maybe during, so your character is involved in Thalia's search for/protection of the Helvault. The easiest option, however, is obviously afterwards, where your character goes on in a world that's been affected/shaped by the machinations and squabbles of godlike figures who have since moved on from your world, leaving it to it's own devices.
Then, a few years later when the game circles back around to that world, the Return to Innistrad (in this case) incorporates the lore and events built upon in the campaign setting materials that have come out since.
Setting up a system like that could potentially work, and even bring a lot of cross-play and promotion between the two games, but I don't think that's the direction WotC is looking to go. Still, we can dream, and homebrew our own Ravnica campaign setting.
In multiplayer, the controller of the creature must declare it as an attacker during their combat step if it can attack someone, whether that's you (if they pay 2), a Planeswalker you control, or another player/Planeswalker. They can again elect not to pay for Ghostly Prison and not be required to attack you, but unless the other players have similar effects protecting them (or in case of Range of Influence or Team rules), someone's going to get hit.
Yeah. You show up for your pre-release and pick a guild. When the event starts, you get a sweet little box with 5 RTR booster packs (just like would come out of any regular box of packs) and a guild-specific booster that contains your Promo card (specific to your guild, so Corpsejack Menace in your Golgari example) and 15 other cards that are you guild's watermark or colors. If this pack has a mythic, it will be your guild leader (so no Vraska in Golgari or Jace v4 in Azorius/Izzet). You can play with all the cards you get, including your guild-specific promo (unlike most events, where you typically receive the promo after the first round starts and aren't allowed to include it in your deck).
Nimbus Maze can be seen as the spiritual predecessor to Glacial Fortress and friends. I think that's as close a reprint as we'll see, there.
Grove of the Burnwillows is interesting, a cycle of 'reverse painlands' could work, but with the increasing focus Wizards is putting on multiplayer (with things like Planechase and Commander), they might be hesitant, because they would be really bad in that format.
Ratchet Bomb. The flip cards 'night' side doesn't have a CMC. Non-existent CMCs are considered zero for effects that count CMC. Thus, a ratchet bomb with no counters destroys all flipped Werewolves.
Equipping is 'Suit(ing) Up!', attacking is 'swinging' or 'bashing' depending on the number and size of attackers, connecting with a utility creature (Coiling Oracle or Eternal Witness, for example) is 'big huge beats' or an 'X turn clock' (40 or 20, above), repeating such an attack (especially with no other plays) means 'X is gonna get there', looking at the top 3 w/ SDT is 'spinning the top', Protection (especially from Swords) is 'Pro *Player X*', where X is the person running a deck with those colors, and me tapping out (especially while playing Riku) is usually preceded by: "Hey, you wanna see something dumb?" (so much so that others say it while playing with my decks, now).
There are still a lot more, but I think that's enough for now.
You can't, which was the point. He's saying his artifact lands are safe in his meta because nobody but him runs sweepers that hits artifacts. The only other player who might is playing a deck that doesn't run them.
On topic, I've never included them in a deck, to date, but I've frequently considered it. Typically I find that my non-basic slots go towards other utility uses rather than supplementing some artifact-count theme. That said, I wouldn't hesitate to use them in the right deck/situation.
For example, this set of filters will give you all lands that produce White mana for a UW commander such as Hanna.
I will admit that it's not ideal (Without a format filter, it sees things like Karakas and without expanding on the 'o:' it finds things like Kor Haven which require W but don't produce it), but the moral of the story is learn to use the advanced filters for MC.i, because they're that awesome.
Sundial does work, however, if you end the turn in response to the End of Combat trigger firing. And the Veil does blank sorcery speed removal against your attackers, as mentioned.
That aside, I'm working on a GoST list as well, so thanks for posting, it's great to see someone else's take on this guy.