Next Challenge

Land ~Enters the battlefield tapped. 2, T: Add U, G, or B to your mana pool. As long as ~ remains tapped, tokens you control have wither.

Other lands will function the same (2, T: C, C, or C and as long as it remains tapped, permanents gain a working shard mechanic).

(Yay for my card making it!)

If this wasn't a common land challenge I would say that completing the cycle of wedge tri-lands that Murmuring Bosk started would be both cool and flavorful especially as the Bosk could fit in just fine on Morglen.

I think that a cycle of wedge lands with a block specific comes into play untapped could work pretty well considering that they are only commons.

Sorok for example

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Sorok Steppes

Land

Sorok Steppes enters the battlefield tapped unless you reveal a card with Resolve from your hand.

T: Add 1 to your mana pool.

R T: Add W and U to your mana pool.

W T: Add R and U to your mana pool.

U T: Add R and W to your mana pool.

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## Reasoning

I think that it potentially eating the color you need to get the other two you need is one of this cards drawbacks, and, without having the mana of that this shard alone produces you can't fully use its abilities.

If there isn't a conditional enters tapped then the other Wedges could just use the color set that applies to them to splash essentially making Signet lands which seem like they would be too good for commons.

All the cards would be EBT unless you reveal a card with the Wedge's unique ability. The only issue I see with that part is that Morglen likely gets Regeneration and Ulgris gets Wither both of which have been printed before whereas Resolve, Flow and Cleave have not to my knowledge ever existed. I think that this is likely the best way to push some new design space without trying to make an exact replica of Murmuring Bosk 's theoretical cycle and while trying to stay at common where multiple colors still need to be gotten.

As might be obvious all the cards would be replicas of each other with the appropriate colors, naming, and Wedge specific ability revealing.

Thoughts?

This cycle is hard. It's going to be way too easy to make these to powerful or complex for common. For example, they probably should have at most 2 lines of text (a mana ability and a nonmana ability). Dritz, your suggestions are way too complicated for common, but I like the idea. I'll spend some time working on these and submit my idea later.

About the two newest cards: I think both of them could be more concise. What if Hunger said, "Target creature gets +1/+1 and gains trample until end of turn. If it's a token, it gets an additional +2/+2 until end of turn." and Broadening Horizons said in part, "At the beginning of your upkeep, put a +1/+1 counter on enchanted creature."?

Agreed with the rewording of the cards.

Farbog Reaches

Land

If Farbog Reaches would enter the battlefield sacrifice a basic landtap: add Green, White, or Black

Whenever mana produced by this land is used to cast a noncreature spell,you lose life equal to that spells converted mana cost.

each land would have a specific non-type corresponding to each shard

RE-EDIT

Farbog Reaches

                       (Insert really bad ass art here)

Land

If Farbog Reaches would enter the battlefield

sacrifice a basic land, If you do not, Exile Farbog Reaches.

       Tap: Add Green White or Black to your mana pool.

If you use mana produced by this land to cast a noncreature spell

you lose 2 life

each land would have a specific Non-type clause corresponding to each shard

Desolate Mines

Land

(T): Add (1) to your mana pool

(1),(T), Sacrifice Desolate Mines: You may play an additional land this turn.

-Thoughts:

The though of an Iron Age society makes me think of workers, trudging to the mines to get out the ever important ore for the precious tools and weapons. However, in a forest, when the mine finally depletes, the native elves don't want it to just sit there. The forest previously there is simply gone. They would, of course, work as hard as they could to restore the land to its previous condition. Or better.The effect is simple, but effective. Play it early game and drop land for late game. Play it late game and get that specific color of mana you need for a certain spell.

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Amber-wood Forest

Land

(T): Add (G) or (W) to your mana pool

If you control no other lands, destroy Amber-wood Forest.

-Thoughts:

I like the idea of a dual land, namely because they can be so useful. The problem of course, is finding a way to nerf them. Having four of these is just like having any combination of four for the lands you need. With this land, you have to play it safe. You can't play it first turn, and you have to be careful playing it turn two or even three. Any player who wants to get rid of your mana supply will be hammering away at your other lands, knowing that getting this one alone will make it crumble. Then again, an expert player also knows this and can work it to their advantage. Having two of these out with a few basic lands out might guarantee you at least two mana of the color you need, hopefully letting you tap the others for a colorless cost.

I don't think it's amazing, but I do think it has some potential.

@dude1818 I agree that my proposed idea is somewhat complicated but if the last three mana abilities are condensed then they don't let you fix early mana early game because the activation cost to get the colors has to go up.

There are plenty of simpler common lands that fix the same colors as these Wedges but they are frequently based around one color and then sacing for the others, or they are depletion lands. These mechanics work but I wanted to try and make a different cycle of land while still making them obnoxious enough to play that they don't replace Rare mana fixers.

I think that in a deck based around a specific Wedge with the mechanics of that Wedge these lands would be both useful and powerful because they will likely end up untapped in the early game because you probably will keep a hand with a card showcasing the Wedge's mechanic, they will let you get some mana and fix into more than one color at a time including the enemy pairs which is good.

When it comes down to them being just too complex I suppose that I feel they are still less complex than the cycle of Ravnica bounce lands, i.e. Boros Garrison , Azorius Chancery , Gruul Turf and the rest which are just chock full of conditions but give you more mana as the trade whereas my idea is also full of conditions but lets you fix and have the chance for them to be untapped as the trade.

Possibly making them always enter tapped could be the way to go here.

Sorry for my extremely long comments. :P

Ravaged Landscape

Land

(T): Add one colorless mana to your mana pool.

(T), Sacrifice an untapped land: Add three mana of any color or colors to your mana pool.

Solemn Weald (Morglen land)

1, T: Add W, B, or G to your mana pool.

WBG, T: Creature tokens you control get +1/+0 until end of turn.

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This is what I'm trying to go for, here. I was looking at the non-basic lands in Standard right now and brainstorming ideas on how to include mana-fixing, some sort of flavor-utility, and keep the card a common. Then I happened upon Shimmering Grotto and figured that a type of filter-land would work best. Without producing its own stand-alone mana, the lands feel more like commons. It's a negative aspect of the lands but the positive aspect is potentially gaining small advantages here and there from the bonus abilities.

Each of the lands in my cycle all have the same mana ability (respective of each wedge's colors) and each has some sort of extra ability (each with the same cost, colors different) that gives a small, common-worthy bonus reflective of what that wedge does. Morlgen is all about the afterlife, so why not create a land that, flavor-wise, channels the mana of the plane into the ghosts of past lives?

Whoa. That sounded cool.

Anyways, I know you just wanted one land from the cycle, but I just want to share the names and bonus abilities of the other 4 in my cycle, half because I want to really get across what I'm going for, and half because I'm an insomniac.

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Barren Shrubland (Chavest land)

(mana ability here)

WBR, T: Until end of turn, target creature you control gains "Whenever this creature deals damage to a player, you gain that much life."

(Life gain/drain, "Cleave" interaction")

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Plangent Dell (Irindu land)

(mana ability here)

URG, T: Draw a card. That card gains "Flow X, where X is equal to this card's converted mana cost."

(Card draw, Flow interaction)

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Opulent Tarn (Sorok land)

(mana ability here)

WUR, T: All creatures get -1/-0 until end of turn.

(Resolve interaction)

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Muddled Quag (Ulgris land)

(mana ability here)

UBG, T: Target creature with a -1/-1 counter on it can't block this turn.

(Wither and -1/-1 counter interaction)

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Those are my lands. I hope I didn't overstep any boundaries in posting the full cycle. For analyzing/voting purposes, just use the first one.

So i think this could be a land that could work for each shard or alternatively one could be made that works in a similar fashion that would add the appropriate mana for the shard.such as this.

Festerwood Tributary

Land

T: Add G to your mana pool.

T, Sacrifice Festerwood Tributary: Search your library for a basic Island or Swamp card and put it onto the battlefield tapped. Then shuffle your library. Play this ability only if you control a blue or black permanent.

This card was inspired by the Sanctuaries from the Apocalypse set. As long as the player controls a permanent of one of the enemy colors within the shard, they can fetch a land that produces one of those colors.

I feel that while it comes in at Forest speed, realistically its activated ability is that of a 2nd turn watered-down Evolving Wilds at best. Since it only searches for basic lands of the mentioned types, I felt it wasn't necessary to add mana to the activation cost to keep this card from being an uncommon.

Festerwood Tributary is an Ulgris land, forgot to mention.

Chavest Land

Land

T: Add 1 to your mana pool

1, T: Add W, B, or R to your mana pool

T, sacrifice ~: Target creature gains Cleave 2 until end of turn

This would be repeated for each wedge, with Irindu giving the next card you draw Flow, where its flow cost is equal to its mana cost (though this may be rather complex, maybe it would be better to switch target creature's power and toughness). Sorok would give a creature Resolve, Morglen would give a creature Momento, and Ulgris would give a creature wither, or maybe "counter target ability unless its controller pays 1." Alternatively, maybe each land should tap for one mana of the wedge's main color and filter for the others; for example, Irindu's land would tap for U, and pay 1 and tap for R or G

Irindu Rapids

Land

Common

Irindu Rapids comes into play tapped.

T: Add U to your mana pool.

2, Discard Irindu Rapids: Search your library for a mountain or forest card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.

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The lands in the cycle would all have the same basic defining features, the only thing that changes is the color that the land produces (which is always the enemy color within the shard) and the two kinds of lands you can search up (which is always the allied colors within the shard) I'll let the design team figure out the other four names for the lands, but I thought Irindu Rapids did a good job of conveying the "flowing" and wild nature of Irindu. I can see the rapids winding their way through the mountains and forests.

Reasoning: My lands don't have any extra abilities because they are a common cycle and I don't believe it's possible to make the lands fix mana (which is the most important thing for a multi colored block/set) as well as give another bonus without making them too complicated/wordy and too swingy (too good sometimes and terrible the rest of the time) and unbalanced. This cycle fixes your mana appropriately, but its also simple and, I believe, balanced. In the early game you can just play your land, and get colored mana out of it the next turn, and a little later on in the game (turn two, three or later) you have the choice to play your land, or fix your mana by searching up a different land then playing it untapped (if you didn't play a land that turn).

I know this is a DESIGN CHALLENGE and all, but we should take into account that an adaption of the Panorama cycle (e.g. Bant Panorama is a possibe option here.

Anyways, here's my design, the card below, for the shard Chavest.

Wartorn Ridge (Land, Common)

Wartorn Ridge comes into play tapped.

T: Add W to your mana pool.

When Wartorn Ridge enters the battlefield, add B or R to your mana pool.

The rest of the cycle is simple, with the main mana-producing effect of each land corresponding with the primary colour of each wedge, while the ETB effect is the colour of each opposing colour to that. No idea if this is underpowered, overpowered or what, but hey, ideas ideas. I would have made the ETB effect produce one of each colour instead of one or the other (e.g. BR instead of B or R), but I think that would have been highly unsuitable for common and would only be present at rare or higher.

Sluice Well (Land, Common)

Sluice Well enters the battlefield tapped if you control two or more lands.T: Add (1) to manapool.

(1)T: Add RUG to your mana pool.

This idea revolves around something similar to Shimmering Grotto , only the mana added is specified, in greater amount, and would be strategically better to be played early on as opposed to late in the game. I like this idea because it can get you a color land you don't have enough of on the field (say you have too many Forests and not enough Mountains) without having to top deck a Mountain. Just use one Forest in tandem with Sluice Well, and you get the Forest back along with an Island and a Mountain.

We never said that you can't use a panorama.

Sun-touched Bog

Sun-touched Bog enters the battlefield tapped and with a charge counter on it.

Whenever a non-token permanent with memento enters the battlefield under you control, put a charge counter on Sun-touched Bog.

T, remove a charge counter from Sun-touched Bog: Add B,G, or W to your mana pool.

The other shard's lands would act the same as this one. The difference is the permanent or spell's requirement would change to the shard's mechanic. And the mana generated, obviously. The non-token requirement is necessary for memento or it'd get more counters than the others.

Sorok Mountain Range

Land

Sorok Mountain Range enters the battlefield tapped with a charge counter.

tap: add r to your mana pool.

remove a charge counter from sorok mountain range, tap: search your library for a basic plains or basic island, reveal it and add it to your hand then shuffle your library.

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The idea is simple. Each land enters the battlefield tapped with a counter. You can tap it for the shard's primary color or you can tap it and remove the charge counter to search your library for a basic version one of the shad's other colors and add it to your hand.

Looking back on it, I am not sure why I said Regen for Morglen as it obviously gets Momento instead. :P I blame tiredness.

Morglen Glade

Land

Morglen Glade Enters the battlefield tapped.

Whenever a token enters the battlefield under your control, you gain 1 life.

1 Tap: Add BW, WG or BG to your mana pool.

Why not keep it simple and use the Alara set as the blueprint.

Breeding Grounds.

Land

Breeding Grounds enters the battlefield tapped.

Tap: Add B, W or G to your mana pool.

@ReymondKira: Simplicity is awesome, but the original Alara tri-lands (e.g. Crumbling Necropolis ) were printed at uncommon rather than common; at common was the panorama. Although, that doesn't necessarily have to stop that idea at all?

@ReymondKira: You're also a few days after the deadline to get submissions.

I really like zandl's submission. Just saying.

aw, a few days after the deadline?!? Mergle. um...

Irindu's Vista

Land

Irindu's Vista enters the battlefield tapped.

T: Add U to your mana pool.

1,T: Add R or G to your mana pool.

& so on, with each land giving the 'base' color & filtering into the two enemy colors. Whatever land is chosen, I think it should only give mana, not grant abilities. Common mana fixing is needed.

So when are we going to get to vote?

they have already been chosen. Set is almost done