It was a stormy night when the guests gathered at Moonveil Manor. By dawn, one of them was dead. Who—or what—killed Lord Veylin?
Welcome, Cardsmiths! This is the first in a series of Mystery Challenges where your goal is to create cards that contribute to solving a murder mystery. Think of it as Clue meets Mystery Boxes.
Below is the case file. Use it to inspire your card designs. Cards can be creatures, enchantments, instants, lands, or artifacts—whatever fits the mystery and adds intrigue.
🕯️ Case File: The Murder at Moonveil Manor
Victim: Lord Veylin, eccentric noble, powerful planeswalker (deceased).
Time of Death: Between midnight and 3 AM.
Cause of Death: Unknown magic — no wounds, but body frozen in terror.
Setting: A secluded manor surrounded by ancient woods, cursed ruins nearby.
👤 Suspects
(You may choose one to design a card around.)
Lady Mirelle, the Silent Flame: Pyromancer who hides her fury behind noble grace. Denied a duel with Veylin the day before his death.
Tibryn the Mirrorbinder: An illusionist who creates perfect duplicates of others — including their abilities and voices.
Caretaker Gnoss: Old steward of the manor. Rumored to have made a pact with something in the cellar long ago.
The Forgotten Guest: Not on the guest list. Not in any of the rooms. But seen in a mirror by multiple witnesses.
🕵️♂️ Challenge Objective
Design a card that reveals something about the mystery.
You may:
Create a suspect as a creature card.
Design a clue, artifact, or event that pushes the mystery forward.
Make a sorcery or instant that represents part of the investigation.
Invent a land with hidden history.
Bonus if your card hints at who the real killer might be... but don’t give it away just yet!
🗝️ Card Tag Format (Optional):
Please use [MysteryChallenge01] as a tag or part of your card description/title so others can follow the mystery easily.
🧠 Want to go deeper?
Discuss your theory about what happened at Moonveil Manor in your card’s flavor text or post description. Did Lady Mirelle finally burn too hot? Was Tibryn pretending to be Lord Veylin? Is the Forgotten Guest even real?
The best submissions will be featured in a "Final Deduction" post, where we piece together the cards and vote on the truth!
MTG Cardsmith Community Forums
Comments
Ready!? I'm back but this is all i have time for (sorry if you're waiting on me elsewhere)
I should have made this a challenges discussion (oh well)🔍 Mystery Challenge: The Murder at Moonveil Manor
Design-a-Card Mystery Game
It was a stormy night when the guests gathered at Moonveil Manor. By dawn, one of them was dead. Who—or what—killed Lord Veylin?
Welcome, Cardsmiths! This is the first in a series of Mystery Challenges where your goal is to create cards that contribute to solving a murder mystery. Think of it as Clue meets Mystery Boxes.
Below is the case file. Use it to inspire your card designs. Cards can be creatures, enchantments, instants, lands, or artifacts—whatever fits the mystery and adds intrigue.
🕯️ Case File: The Murder at Moonveil Manor
Victim: Lord Veylin, eccentric noble, powerful planeswalker (deceased).
Time of Death: Between midnight and 3 AM.
Cause of Death: Unknown magic — no wounds, but body frozen in terror.
Setting: A secluded manor surrounded by ancient woods, cursed ruins nearby.
👤 Suspects
(You may choose one to design a card around.)
Lady Mirelle, the Silent Flame: Pyromancer who hides her fury behind noble grace. Denied a duel with Veylin the day before his death.
Tibryn the Mirrorbinder: An illusionist who creates perfect duplicates of others — including their abilities and voices.
Caretaker Gnoss: Old steward of the manor. Rumored to have made a pact with something in the cellar long ago.
The Forgotten Guest: Not on the guest list. Not in any of the rooms. But seen in a mirror by multiple witnesses.
🕵️♂️ Challenge Objective
Design a card that reveals something about the mystery.
You may:
Create a suspect as a creature card.
Design a clue, artifact, or event that pushes the mystery forward.
Make a sorcery or instant that represents part of the investigation.
Invent a land with hidden history.
🗝️ Card Tag Format (Optional):
Please use
[MysteryChallenge01]as a tag or part of your card description/title so others can follow the mystery easily.🧠 Want to go deeper?
Discuss your theory about what happened at Moonveil Manor in your card’s flavor text or post description. Did Lady Mirelle finally burn too hot? Was Tibryn pretending to be Lord Veylin? Is the Forgotten Guest even real?
The best submissions will be featured in a "Final Deduction" post, where we piece together the cards and vote on the truth!