Unfortunately, I've fallen a little behind in my bar-prep studies, and that kind of has to take priority over this, so I'm pretty much taking this week off. I'll be back next Monday with the final Suvnica visions and a new challenge. Before I settle on the final creative identities of the world and guilds, I'd like some participant feedback as far as what visions you all are most interested in developing. Please check out this poll and rank your interest in each of the proposed guild visions. The vision with the highest rank isn't guaranteed to be the final one, but having a higher rank will definitely influence my choice.
When I was populating that survey, I tried to distill the visions into their bare-essence. If you want to read the full descriptions provided, go ahead and check out the design review pages from each of the guilds. Oh! Did I mention? We now have a handy Suvnica Index page located on the sidebar that lists every Suvnica article!
After you've ranked the guild visions in order of preference, check out this poll to rank the proposed world visions, and also so I can get a better sense of how everyone is interested in further developing the Suvnica project.
Additionally, if you missed a week, or the options in any given guild just aren't speaking to you, now's your chance to make-up any of the past-weeks assignments. If you post another possible vision (creative, not mechanical) before Monday, I'll definitely take it into consideration when deciding on the final identities.
If you really want a card design challenge this week, take a crack at cycles of mana fixers. Like Ravnica, Suvnica is going to want 10-card cycles of common dual lands, rare dual lands, and common or uncommon artifacts that tap for either or both guild colors. I'm completely comfortable using the karoos, shocklands, and signets, but we can also take a stab at making our own. If you design them, I'll review them. If I miraculously find time before Monday, I may try to design a cycle or two.
Good luck, guys! Next week, we'll wrap up Stage 2 of Suvnica design.
-Zeff
Rank 1 is good, yes?
ReplyDeleteyeah
DeleteMust... do... design... challenge...
ReplyDeleteCommon lands:
[idea 1]
{T}: Add {1} to your mana pool.
{2}, {T}: Add {W}{U} to your mana pool.
[idea 2]
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you pay {1}.
{1}, {T}: Add {W}{U} to your mana pool.
[idea 3]
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, sacrifice a land.
{T}: Add {W}{U} to your mana pool.
Rare Lands:
CARDNAME enters the battlefield tapped unless you reveal a white card and a blue card from your hand. (They may be the same card.)
{T}: Add {W} or {U} to your mana pool.
[If this is too powerful, could change to require a card that's white *and* blue.]
Uncommon Artifacts:
Azorius Emblem
{3}
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, target creature gains flying until end of turn.
{T}: Add {W} or {U} to your mana pool.
Dimir- Put the top three cards of target player's library into his or her graveyard.
Rakdos- Each player discards a card.
Gruul- Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
Selesnya- Put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token onto the battlefield.
Orzhov- Target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
Golgari- Put target card in your graveyard on top of your library.
Simic- Untap target land.
Izzet- Draw a card, then discard a card.
Boros- Creatures you control get +1/+0 until end of turn.
[These are based on the old Ravnica guild identities, but you get the idea.]
Feedback welcome and appreciated, especially on the common land ideas.
Azorius Crest 3
ReplyDeleteArtifact - C or U
T: Add U or W to your mana pool.
When Azorius Insignia enters the battlefield, if you control a blue permanent and a white permanent, draw a card.
And friends. Quick design here, it can still be used to splash in three color decks but rewards you for playing cards from that guild. A T2 UW creature into this T3 is pretty nice.
Justicar's District
Land - C
Justicar's District enters the battlefield tapped unless you pay 1.
T: Add U or W to your mana pool.
And friends. Effectively ETBs tapped but you can filter one of your other color lands through it if you need the colored mana that turn.
I *really* like Justicar's District. It reads well and is marginally more useful than a Gate without doing anything ultra-powerful or degenerate. Never mind my common land designs; my vote is for this.
DeleteI'm not so much a fan of the Crest. It's weird that it is most powerful when it *isn't* fixing you, and it creates feel-bad situations where you have to give up the extra card forever because you need the mana. In contrast, the Keyrunes and Cluestones both allow you to play the card as a fixer, *then* draw a white or blue source later and start getting extra value. They also give you something to do with the card when you no longer need the mana.
Yeah, I think your mana rocks are better, I came up with that design in about 30 seconds xD Cluestones/keyrunes do tend to be more powerful when they aren't fixing you, but as you say they aren't useless. I suppose you could change it to T, Sacrifice Azorius Crest, Draw a card, activate this ability only if you control a white permanent and a blue permanent, but that starts to get clunky and inelegant.
DeleteFor another mana rock designs:
DeleteAzorius Crest V2 2
Artifact - C/U
Azorius Crest enters the battlefield tapped unless you reveal a white card or a blue card from your hand.
T: Add U or W to your mana pool.
From the Lorwyn tribelands and similar to one of your land designs above (though needing only one card revealed). It might be a bit powerful than what you're after though.
Cycle of common lands:
ReplyDeleteSuiroza Plaza
Land (C)
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
(W/U), T: Add WU to your mana pool.
Basically, filter lands without the ability to filter into double of a single color.
Rare lands:
Horizon Spires
Land (R)
T, Pay 1 life: Add W or U to your mana pool.
1, T, Sacrifice CARDNAME: Draw a card.
Horizon Canopy's siblings.
Artifact fixing...
Suiroza Trinket 1
Artifact (C)
1, T: Add W or U to your mana pool.
1W/U, T, Sacrifice CARDNAME: Untap target permanent.
These effects should be unique to the guilds. A few more examples.
Sorob Trinket 1
Artifact (C)
1, T: Add R or W to your mana pool.
R/W, T, Sacrifice CARDNAME: Target creature gains vigilance until end of turn.
Cimis Trinket 1
Artifact (C)
1, T: Add G or U to your mana pool.
G/U, T, Sacrifice CARDNAME: Regenerate another target artifact.
Common Land:
ReplyDeleteVozhro Plaza
Land (C)
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
T, Sacrifice Vozhro Plaza: Search your library for a card named Plains or Swamp and put it onto the battlefield tapped.
Uncommon Artifact:
Cimis Prism 2
At the beginning of your upkeep, if Cimis Prism has no charge counters on it, put a charge counter on it.
Remove a charge counter from Cimis Prism: Add U or G to your mana pool.
Rare Land:
My favorite land in the game is Nimbus Maze. I think it is a very elegant design and I think a cycle of them is long overdue and would fit Suvnica well.
Deep Cavern
Land (R)
T: Add 1 to your mana pool
T: Add R to your mana pool. Activate this ability only if you control a Swamp.
T: Add B to your mana pool. Activate this ability only if you control a Mountain.
Can't decide if the common land is broken or not. I don't think it is but I haven't studied it very much. I'm sure someone will tell me if it is. :P
I think Vozhro Plaza is reasonable as far as power level. Compare to Terramorphic Expanse, which is far from broken (it hasn't seen much Constructed play recently). This is strictly better in a two-color deck of the correct colors, but not by that much.
DeleteCimis Prism is a pretty powerful ramp spell-- on its own it gets you to 6 mana on turn 4, or 8 mana on turn 5. I'd prefer that it just tapped for mana and entered the battlefield tapped.
Mana Myr for CD?
ReplyDeleteSuiroza Attendant - 3
Artifact Creature - Construct (Unc)
T: Add W or U to your mana pool.
1/1
Suvnica Mana Stone 2
ReplyDeleteArtifact
When ~ ETB, draw a card.
2, T: Add CD to your mana pool.
Ridgeview Copse
I also love the Nimbus Maze cycle.