Can we please also mention the Explore mechanic mentioned previously as well.

Fortify and Explore our are 2 main contenders. I don't feel either would suit the 2nd block well thematically, although some argument could be made for Fortify as the 2nd set has a more aggressive view point.

I think that Fortify is more adequate for the first block. Fortifying is directly making your buildings and lands more resilient and impenetrable, something you do in peace, in preparation for war.

If you want a more agressive second mechanic, then I think something like Progress, which I commented earlier, might work. I'll paste the overview of the mechanic here, for your consideration:

"About our lovely little Otters, if they are about development and engineering with natural resources, we could have their spells be enhanced by sacrificing untapped lands (virgin resources), in a keyword called Progress. This seems counterintuitive to the ramping plan, but we can easily turn it to advantage.

Aspect of the Flower 3

Artifact

Progress (You may sacrifice an untapped land as you play this card.)

Tap, Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. If you paid the Progress cost, instead add 3 mana of any one color to you mana pool.

It also works with the animate land angle, sacrificing a land to put a token in play for example. Lorewise it represents consuming resources to create stuff."

Raven brought a valid point in that sacrificing lands is usually a really bad thing, but if the profit is worth it, I don't see a problem. Especially when it is about destroying lands to create mana rocks, as is the above issue.

Just transforming the land is not only less flavorful, but it either is too weak (if we lower the bonus), or too broken.

I did some alterations to make up for the fact that trying to get extra draws out of having the same cardname as a card in your hand is very difficult to do in constructed.

Actually, I'm going to change it drastically, as trying to do that in draft is nearly impossible.

The premise behind it is that you are looking up land cards in limited and draft, giving that feel of exploration (finding new land)

In constructed you can use it to fetch up additional removal/creatures etc at the cost of giving this information away.

The sacrificing lands idea is interesting. It could play into the 2nd block, with the Lutrin now pulling down their homes to form weapons etc. The land is their biggest resource, so it's what they would rely on.

Ah, but the amount you are exploring is practically dismal on a regular basis Maltanis, and you are more than likely to NOT have a land in hand when you want to explore. Exploration in this sense makes it multi-functional, but yet still has a large enough drawback to not make it over powered.

Great, happy to see this running!

I think that Explore would be a fun and really good card, but is lackluster as a mechanic. Not only is it almost worthless in limited, it doesn't help the more aggressive thinking and immediate value that the second set can be about. It is too passive. Of course this is just my opinion.

What makes Progress good is that the card are decent even if you don't pay the cost. If you pay it, then they become super juicy.

The Lutrin use the land, not destroy it. Personally I think that Fortification is too Steelkin-like also, could we make it an enchantment instead of land equipment?

I hope you realize that that is just basically a kicker maioflw.

Oh sorry, I had misread your update. Having a shared type will give it more flexibility, I see that. Plus you have to show 2 different cards, it's quite a heavy cost really.

I'm not struck on sacrificing lands to be honest. It's more of a red thing colour pie wise and doesn't feel very Lutrin. They don't expend the resources, rather adapt them. These guys don't just destroy forests, they have built their society over time, never taking advantage of the land. I guess they have a slight American Indian view point in this, but their society is more complex and progressive. They adapt, but over time, like natural evolution in a way.

KalvinHobbez - I think some of the above should be put in the lore page. As long as people think it sounds good. Seems to fit in with the Lutrin, at least to me.

Fortification as a word doesn't fit the Lutrin really. But I think the mechanic is a good fit. I'm actually quite keen on seeing explore set 1, fortification set 2 for the Lutrin. As mentioned before, this seems like it would fit in with the Lore.

Definitely. It just seems like the artifact part is too Steelkin for the Lutrin. More their area. The Lutrin don't use artifacts and metals, more like natural materials.

My idea that in the second set things go to hell and every tribe becomes more ruthless, making sacrificing lands acceptable. Basically this is what we do in our own world, destroy a forest to create wood supply. I posted a similar theme in Solas with the keyword Backlash (Whenever this creature deals combat damage, deal the same amount of damage to it). If I am wrong about that lore point, then this becomes moot.

The Lutrin use the land, and enhance it, while the Steelkin recycle their fallen to bolster their numbers. Both feel really artifacty, but on opposite directions, making Fortification a really flavorful mechanic. Enchantments are more like blessings, curses and spiritual things, than engineered contraptions.

How about making them enchantment artifacts FAMOUSWATERMELON?

It's also important to note that any wooden structure to date has been an artifact. So regardless of what the Steelkin make or what the Lutrin make, it is going to be an artifact.

Femme_Fatale a fixed kicker, I know. The alternative would be to make you always sacrifice a land, but that would be far weaker.

I'm just not that sold on the Explore mechanic sorry :p

"Enchanted artifact"?

Wat iz dis?

I think a little more clarification is in order. An artifact is not solely restricted to metals or stone. An artifact is anything that is tangible and that has been created or morphed from materials.

Example:

• Adventuring Gear
• Cobbled Wings
• Diviner's Wand
• Spidersilk Net
• Thornbite Staff

The problem with making them artifacts is it gives the ability to use them with the sacrificing artifacts idea.

We could be totally wild and make a new permanent type called Structure? or something other. If we run it in the 2nd set, maybe a Battlement card. Show how the Lutrin can adapt nature to make amazing fortress's from the land. Early game cards that gain you ramp or a defensive bonus, and late game ones that are catapults or hell even a legendary one on the back of some giant river animal (turtle maybe?)

Similar to an Enchantment creature. That gives me an idea: why not explore Land Creatures? We only have Dryad Arbor, that may be a fine starting point, what with the all creating contraptions using natural resources.

"It's also important to note that any wooden structure to date has been an artifact. So regardless of what the Steelkin make or what the Lutrin make, it is going to be an artifact." This is really important, because it also helps differentiate between the two tribes. One has a Midrange Ramping resource oriented style of play, while the other is basically a big old we have reserves aggro.

I get that an artifact can be another object. But with a whole tribe dedicated to artifacts, we dont want to suddenly give them amazing reasons to be splashing green for ridiculous deck, at least not set 1 where things are very separate.

It's about keeping things separate, so we don't have tons of bleed in sealed and drafted, at least not at such a high level. IF the mechanics interact really well, it could just lead to broken gameplay. The tribes need to feel separate.

Just no to aspect of the flower. 3 for a 3 producing mana source with no other commitment but a land sac is just nuts. lol

It was just to show the top ceiling, don't worry xDIf it costed 4 it should be powerful but fair, since Gilded Lotus only costs one more and you have to sacrifice a land for Aspect of the Flower to be good. That or make it grant two mana, but then it wouldn't be worth the kicker.

It's actually 4 mana for a 3 producing artifact. Sort of a cross between Thran Dynamo and Gilded Lotus, but stuck in the middle in terms of cost, as with both the dynamo and lotus you can just tap purely artifact mana for them, but not this one.

And the Lutrin artifacts would be more based on equipments, ie: they will want to be staying on the field. They won't be entirely beneficial to the Steelkin stuff as they will want to do other shenanigans with them. However, some overlap is going to occur in just plain blue artifacts, as both the Steelkin and the Lutrin have blue. I think it is important to remember that.