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Cardsmith 17
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Now then, it's time to address card design.
Let's start with the Loxodon in the room, Somnium's bestow mechanic doesn't bestow is P/T and ability to a creature. Instead, somnium utilizes a sleep effect combined with drawing its controller cards and milling the victim's deck. This is meant to reflect the idea that if you bestow Somnium on a creature, that creature is sent into the perfect dream... for you, at least.
The planeswalker side is designed to reflect Somnium's ability to inhabit a body. His ability to draw you cards as a reward for not +1ing him (as you can only +1 him while he's untapped) is to promote his usage in the idea of a kidnapper deck, by adding card advantage to the deck (and hopefully some additional/reprint kidnapping effects within the set).
Finally, the reprints related to Somnium's story:
I know they are all rares, but I will compensate by working on some commons/uncommons, both new and reprints, to compensate for the fact that my total contribution to the set has consisted of 1 mythic and 3 rares.
Anyway, I really hope you liked the lore (and if you didn't, please let me know why and I'll do what you need me to do to make it better). I had a blast writing it and developing Somnium, even to the point where he might be my favorite card to date. Sorry this all took so long! >.<
[b]• Allied Pairs are good.[b] For this, I think we should allied pairs for 'guilds.' This is because the colors cooperate together. This way, it will be easier to make the set more functional
[b]• We should only have one new ability.[b] More than one new ability is too chaotic for a core set, where many MTG players are beginning. Here is my idea for the ability:
Void (or some other name) - If a permanent an opponent controls left the battlefield this turn, {effect}.
This ability would be blue/black.
[b]Three of the 'guilds' should have creature-focused abilities, the other two should have abilities that can apply to spells.[b] Simple as that. Makes games have a healthy balance of spells and creatures.
[b]• White/Blue (Azorius) should be focused on 'flying matters.'[b] Both Blue and White have plenty of flying. Although White tends to have smaller creatures with flying, Blue has much bigger flying creatures. Here are some nice cards that could be reprinted for Blue/White:
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=413618
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=265400
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=370810 (maybe at rare?)
[b]• Blue/Black (Dimir) should be about stuff leaving the battlefield.[b] Blue has many bounce effects while Black has 'real' removal. They both have great ways of removing threats, permanently or not. The Void ability above would work great. Here are some nice cards that could work well if reprinted:
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=416900
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=416876
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=413623
[b]• Black/Red (Rakdos) should be about attacking.[b] Black is selfish and will do anything to get an upper hand. Red just likes smashing things. Both colors are aggressive and have no problem connecting weapon with face. Another possible idea would be to include Unleash instead. Here are some nice cards that would fit in perfectly if reprinted:
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=386354
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=386327
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=2452
[b]• Red/Green (Gruul) should be about creatures with power 3 or greater.[b] Red likes bigger creatures: bigger stuff to smash things with! And Green gives big creatures lots of resources, like mana ramp and power buffs. Cards from other sets that could work nicely here are listed below:
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=383165
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=397534
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=413705 (printed as a Rare)
[b]• Green/White (Selesnya) should be about life.[b] Green is about living, and white is about protection. Both colors have plenty of tools for lifegain, and will work together nicely. For consideration, here are some cards that would work nicely if reprinted:
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=383214
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=253654
http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=249411
[b]There should be plenty of 'flex' room for combining color identities.[b] For example, having a flying creature with lifelink would go a long way for appeasing both Green/White and White/Blue. And having a creature that gets bigger every time it attacks would also make Black/Red and Red/Green happy as well.
[b]And finally, this is not an adamant list.[b] Do not be intimidated into doing what I say because I type a lot. @Arceus8523, although I would think Bestow would be a bit complicated for a starter set, I would be willing to bargain. Maybe pro-enchantments would be better for White/Blue. [b]For every idea I gave above, there should be three other counterideas vying for power. That way, we can pick the best ability for the set. Attack me and my ideas! C'mon, I dare you!
WU: I vote Azorious gets changed from Flying to just evasion in general, mixing in kidnapper and tapdown effects to remove blockers, unblockable (sparingly and balanced, of course), and some lockdown and counterspells to prevent those pesky removal spells from getting in the way. My enchantments-matters idea could factor in with cards that can bestow/enchant these abilities onto creatures as well as a variety of "when this creature deals combat damage to a player..." effects.
UB: Seems good to me, I'd suggest a name change on Void, and it also seems a bit too similar to Revolt, but the overall concept is good.
BR: Rakdos makes a great aggro color paring, if we keep Dictate of Erebos in the set, that could be the top end of the curve, punishing the opponent for blocking your attackers, by turning trades and even chumps in your favor.
RG: Gruul big things is a classic archetype and a personal favorite of mine. I am in full support of seeing it used again in this set.
GW: While I think the life-gain deck is underrepresented and tends to be a bit on the unpopular/underpowered side, there is potential there. I think the archetype should give a focus towards either counters or tokens in addition to life gain, but in a defensive way rather than aggressive, sort of the other side of the UB archetype, rather than remove and destroy, Selesnya can create and protect.
Also, don't think that you were intimidating in any way (I mean that positively! =D)! I always enjoying reading through archetype ideas as it organizes the focus of card design within the set. Plus, I just posted 4 full-length posts, so if anything I'm the one who is intimidating! >.<
One last general question: Masterpiece series? Every set is now supposed to have one. Y'all dig it?
Lastly, I was a bit lost when you guys were talking about the color coordination and its relationship with abilities. Lastly, when it comes to a new affect, I would like to have it be something else. Like floral/bramble
Yeah, I'm no writer and characters are definitely not my strong point. Part of that is intentional as this is more of an origin story to establish a past and the character can be created more as he has his own proper plots and storylines when I or other people use him on various planes and conflicts. Any suggestions on how I can improve his character at all?
Also, yeah, I'd totally be willing to help you with Jyotika if you feel like you need it. I mean I might be able to string a plot together, but I'm not amazing at character design.
Lastly, the discussion we are having is about how the strategies within the set should be made so that future cards are designed with those archetypes in mimd.
Anyway, it's pretty late so I should get to bed.
Sure, throw it at me!
Adding onto the Azorius concept: What about just combat control? That would work nicely. I still think we could make 'flying matters' work in a creative way (like an instant that counters a spell if you control a creature with flying), but combat control is a cool idea.
I agree with the idea of making gaining life more concrete and substantial for G/W. I am not just talking about just cards that gain you life, like creatures with lifelink and "You gain 5 life." I am also thinking about creatures and enchantments that create permeable benefits, like Ajani's Pridemate, Ageless Entity, and Well of Lost Dreams.
One last thing: I still don't think we should add bestow, especially as a side mechanic. Bestow is a very complex ability that requires a lot of room in a set for it. Because Theros was a set that was all about enchantments and enchanting, bestow could fit just because auras were everywhere. But in a core set? I would say that it would be too much.
Or another option is to give Azorius 'auras matter.' I think that bestow wouldn't make the cut, but that would also be really cool!
@Ranshi922, when we are talking about color identities, we are talking about how the colors are kinda similar when you combine them together. For example (if we follow my plan), White would be mainly about flying creatures because both White and Blue have a flying subtheme, but White would also be about lifegain because both White and Green have a 'life matters' subtheme. Do you understand more clearly now? Color identities are essential for sets because they add relevance to the colors.
My main reason for having bestow is that a "Core Set" is not the same as a "Starter Set." The job of a core set was to reprint specific cards. The one aspect it has to a newer player is that it will often use rule's text on the cards to write out the evergreen mechanics for the new players.
The closet things we have to a "starter set" are deckbuilder's toolkits and those still manage to get reprinted every so often despite core sets being abolished and since Wizards did abolish core sets, that leads me to believe they think that their playerbase (even new players) are competent enough to learn the game without everything having to be spelled out to them and that they can adapt to the more complex mechanics like Bestow. In fact, my first ever MTG product was a Magic 2015 deckbuilder's toolkit, which had Theros block packs in it, and I understood bestow perfectly.
In terms of space, @Ranshi922 did bring up that Bestow is a 5-color mechanic, so it can slot literally anywhere designers in this set want it.
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Whatever, here's the jist of spaz
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\# U #/
Don't worry, man, you're cool.
Anyway, I think we should split the set chat into three different discussions: Lore, Cards, and General Discussion. Also, instead of calling the set Cardsmith 17 (which is too similar to the already-finished group set Cardsmith 2017), we should come up with a new name, to clear up confusion.
Also, @Arceus8523, that is a good idea, starting up the 3 discussions. I will start them up later today most likely, and there will be the links to each of them, in them.
Lore:
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/2599/cardsmith-origins-discussion-lore
Cards:
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/2600/cardsmith-origins-discussion-cards
General:
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/2601/cardsmith-origins-general-discussion
@Arceus, you should probably copy and paste the backstory of Somnium onto the Lore. sorry, I know that is a lot to copy. Also move the cards to the cards.