Set Design: Unanswered Question #3

Today's question is about our Egyptian world, Ankh-Theb. We've come up with quite a variety of mechanics for this world, but none of them is a game-changer. Chah made an insightful comment about this a while ago:

It seems to me that the most difficult challenge in designing these pitches is to find a mechanic that changes how Magic plays in a big way and creates a new game experience - something like Infect, DFCs, Level Up, Annihilator, Landfall, Hybrid mana, or Soulbond. 

Not every mechanic needs to do that - there can be fun but minor mechanics on the side like Cascade or Clash, or utility mechanics like Cycling. But it seems to me that most real-life sets have at least one mechanic that really sculpts new game play. 

The exception to that might be sets where the structure of the set itself rather than any single mechanic distinguishes the set's game play (such as the faction systems in Return to Ravnica and Lorwyn, or the high density of artifacts in the original Mirrodin).

Ankh-Theb certainly doesn't seem to be the sort of set that falls into the category described in the third paragraph. So tell us, readers: What is Ankh-Theb's game-changer mechanic?

CCDD 030613—Orelian Lightkeeper, Caustic Fumes, Artificial Inception & Cyborgclops

Cool Card Design of the Day
3/6/2013 - This post tripled in length from what I intended when I started. Shrug.

Two of the mechanics suggested for Ekkremes are sunburst and colorless-hybrid mana, aka "twobrid." We've argued whether these mechanics are complementary or at odds influencing how many colors players will use in their Limited decks, but HavelockV and I agree that they at least shouldn't appear on the same card. While that creates fascinating interactions, it's complex both on paper and in practice. Let's explore a couple possibilities.

And the Nominees are...

In the beginning, the Core sets were formless and empty, and Forsythe said “Let there be Lightning Bolt!” And Forsythe saw that the Lightning Bolt was good, and he separated Magic 2010 from the Nth editions. And since then, each core set has had at least one classic common or uncommon reprint that was constructed worthy and selected to appeal to a wide range of players. Lightning Bolt was re-reprinted along with Mana Leak in M11, Mana Leak came back again for M12, and Rancor was reprinted for M13. Since core staples seem to stick around for two years at a time, it's probably safe to assume that Rancor will be back for M14. But could we get an additional staple reprint?

Set Design: Unanswered Question #2

The next question I'd like to put to our readers is about the technologically advanced world of Ekkremes. The original pitch and several of the subsequent variations used a mechanic called "Operate" to represent the interaction between people and machines. However, this mechanic comes with some problems: it reverses the usual direction of attachment, it takes creatures out of combat readiness (which is inherently something players won't want to do), and it requires a hefty chunk of text and complexity points. Is there a way Operate can be improved? Should we scrap it and find something different, or find a compelling new angle on the existing mechanic?

How can we mechanically portray human/machine interaction in Ekkremes? If we use Operate, what kind of designs will make it work best? If not, what replaces Operate?

CCDD 030513—Blacktree Brave, Elven Warsinger & Goblin Frontrunner

Cool Card Design of the Day
3/5/2013 - Once again, reading a Mark Rosewater article inspired a few designs. Today, I want to share three more Gruul-ish keywords.

Weekend Art Challenge Review 030113—Raven Mimura

Weekend Art Challenge Review
Here's the challenge we're reviewing today.

Weekend Art Challenge 030113—Raven Mimura

Weekend Art Challenge
Let's try two new things this week. First, I'm going to give you a better environment to design for. Context is vital to a good design, so naming the plane this card is meant for might help us design to that set's needs.

Secondly, I'm going to offer an additional service for those interested. If you'd like me to give you feedback on your design before the official review, submit your entry before Sunday afternoon and note that desire explicitly in your comment. I will respond with my initial thoughts as I'm able and you will have the opportunity to revise your design once before the final review. I'm doing this because the only thing better than getting design feedback is being able to act on it and get even more feedback. Iteration is good design.

Click to see this weekend's art and requirements.