103112 CCDD—Bare Troll & Friends

Cool Card Design of the Day
10/31/2012 -The random thought occurred to me that a fairly natural regeneration cost for a creature is its casting cost. Regeneration is a little like getting to recast a creature right after it dies, so what does it look like to make that metaphor more concrete?

The immediate concern when I mused about this on Twitter was "Bad gameplay- ties up way too much mana in future turns" which is fair—A card like Selesnya Sentry will rarely be regenerated because it costs so much to do. That said, who's to say the card is only good if it can be regenerated? Sentry is efficient enough to play without the regeneration ability. Can we make cards with matching costs that don't suck?

Set Design: Round 2 Pitches!

Now that we have eight set ideas to work with, the next step is to flesh out some mechanical themes for these sets.  And it's up to you, dear readers, to pitch these sets in the second round!  You may submit a pitch for any set that you did NOT pitch in the first round.  (For example, anyone except Pasteur is welcome to pitch Athambia Academy.)  You are also welcome to pitch more than one set, if you have the time and energy.

Set Design: Pitches are Up!

The top eight pitches have been posted!

• Ekkremes
• Mondombre
• Seas of Higaro
• Muraganda
• Sephorgia
• Frontier
• Ankh-Theb
• Athambia Academy

Let the discussions begin!  Please comment on each individual pitch's thread and start throwing around ideas to flesh out the sets.  The next challenge will be posted in a few days.

Thanks to everyone who submitted a pitch.  All of us at Goblin Artisans are very grateful for your work.  Of course, we couldn't pick all of them to promote, but I sincerely hope you'll all continue to apply your design talents to this project.

NB: The people who submitted these pitches are not eligible to submit the round two challenge for their own sets.  That means you -- yes, you! -- are the ones who should be figuring out what direction to take the sets in.

Set Design Pitch: Athambia Academy

HV: This set pitch is by Pasteur.  My comments are in blue.

What is the name of your set?
"Athambia Academy"


What is the core concept of your set?
Magical dueling academy: Top-down "Hogwarts" + "It's time to duel!"

Seven Commons:

Set Design Pitch: Ankh-Theb

HV: This set pitch is by fading shadows of a memory beloved.  My comments are in blue.

What is the name of your set?

Ankh-Theb

What is the core concept of your set?

An egyptian plane (top down designs) has its 3 kingdoms fighting over the control of sacred areas. Whoever controls them can influence the set of planar rules that determine who gets to have a pleasant afterlife and who will be left to the dead-eating gods. The plain is crossed by a river like the Nile. There are 3 kingdoms (Low, middle and high, corresponding respectively to the end at the seaside, the rocky middle part of the river and the swampy sources of the river). The High kingdom is black (minor green) aligned, the middle kingdom is Red (minor green) and the low kingdom is White (minor blue). The priestly organization tries not to interfere, with the kathari (as seen in Shards of alara) gathering knowledge, while the river priests care for the fertility rites.

Submit seven designs for common cards which represent some of the basic mechanical themes of your set.  All five colors must be represented.  You may repeat colors and/or design colorless cards.

Set Design Pitch: Frontier

HV: This set pitch is by cfnlc.  My comments are in blue.

Set name: Frontier

Set theme: Top down western with hints towards an eldrazi invasion

Card designs:

Set Design Pitch: Sephorgia

HV: This set pitch is by Ben Nassau.  My comments are in blue.

Name: Sephorgia (the plane on which it takes place)

Core concept: The enchantment block. Finally.

Cards (all common):