Custom lore, mechanics, and cards (WIP)
Custom Cards forum
Posted on Sept. 29, 2015, 11:22 p.m. by Epochalyptik
So I've been tinkering with a custom set between ARAMs. Some of these ideas are old and some are recent additions.
I did, at one point, have some basic lore for the set, but the summary is that a combination of experimental magic and natural mana flows have led to the emergence of a substance called "clearwater," which forms in wellsprings along the continent's eastern shores. It grants limited clairvoyance and improves magical potency, but is subtly toxic and degrades the environment if it isn't contained within those wellsprings or sealed containers.
Given that the plane is already highly mana dense and, as a result, prone to disasters, clearwater presents both a natural problem and a focal point for various power struggles.
Additionally, an ancient 
order is attempting to restore the plane to the security and idealism it allegedly once had under the authority of a great race of seraphs (which is now either extinct or dormant; the inhabitants of the plane don't know). To do this, the order is exterminating those who would corrupt or destroy the plane or any of its peaceable inhabitants.
Most of the aforementioned peaceable inhabitants have settled in the vast, savannah-like expanse known as the Midlands. Depending on their exact location, they experience either peaceful seclusion from or frequent incursion by raiders from the southwestern marshlands or the northeastern crags.
But enough of that. Here's what you're probably more interested in: the cards and mechanics.
There are three new mechanics: veterancy, reprise, and tectonic.
Veterancy
Veterancy is basically a keywording of the sort of ability that has previously appeared on cards like Sengir Vampire. It's the set's combat-oriented mechanic, and it represents the skill that comes with experience—and survival—in the plane's fluctuating landscape and inhospitable outer settlements.
And no, this is not a one-card machine gun. Note that veterancy triggers only when combat damage is involved in the kill. It is, however, a very powerful example of what kinds of utility abilities are viable with veterancy.
Reprise
Reprise is an embodiment of temporal experiments and the power of clearwater. It allows you to reuse spell cards—for a cost. Note that because reprise requires you to discard the source card, you can't get both the spell's regular effects and the reprise effect. Reprise is not an additional cost.
Tectonic
Tectonic is all about highlighting the instability of the plane and how it impacts both the plane's inhabitants and its magic. This mechanic appears largely, but not exclusively, in 
and 
, and, because it's formatted as an ability word, it can apply to many kinds of effects.
Other stuff
Here are some other cards I've prototyped.
For flavor, there's also a vanilla 6/4 Wurm creature called "Tunnel Wurm."
Might drop the first strike from this one.
The planeswalker seems like a fun idea, but I don't really know whether it's appropriate. I suppose it's better to start with a higher power level and a better embodiment of flavor and then identify opportunities for balance than it is to start with Tibalt and trudge uphill.
Feel free to offer feedback on anything—the lore, mechanics, or cards. I'm not making a very serious project out of this, but I'd like to know if the ideas are sound.
FAMOUSWATERMELON says... #1
I would bring the starting loyalty down by one or two.
October 22, 2015 7:28 p.m.