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[darthjeeling]

1. New Phyrexia — For the Creative treatment, definitely not for Infect or Phyrexian mana. Magic’s most unique setting by far. 2. Alara — I love complex multicolor Limited formats 3. Kaladesh — beautiful art 4. Iquati — the idea of a plane where ideas and memories are real could spark some unique new mechanics

5. Innistrad — for art and self-milling strategies

Inquiring Minds Want To Know - Planes to Visit in the Future

In today’s information gathering, I’m interested to hear what planes you want to visit in an upcoming Standard-legal set. Here’s how I would like you to respond. Please list, in order, your favorites from one up to five. You can list less than five, but please restrict yourself to five answers. Number 1 should be the plane you most want to see us visit in the future. 

If you’re interested you may also tell me why you want to return to that plane. You can list any known plane including ones we’ve never visited before. I need names of existing planes though and not “wild west plane”. 

Here’s an example:

1. Innistrad - It’s my favorite plane

2. Fiora - I love Conspiracy and would like to see Fiora in a Standard-legal set.

3. Tarkir - Go back, but there better be clans.

4. Rath - I don’t know how you’d do it, but I’d love it.

5. Alara - More Esper please.

I would love to get a lot of data, so please pass this along to your Magic friends to answer as well.

Please number your answers as the data will be weighted. I will count them in the order listed if you don’t number them. Please don’t list the same plane more than once. 

[darthjeeling]

When creating Laboratory Mayhem, I wanted our reanimators (or Mad Scientists as I briefly called them) to exist in a grey space, slotting into society in useful ways but still reviled by many. The most important role they fill is medical: they can doctor up a living body almost as well as a dead one. Poor neighborhoods of the city rely on reanimators to keep their neighborhoods sanitary and heal their wounds. Some weird entrepreneur has even combined reanimation and naturalism to create this on-the-spot organ delivery service:

There are cultural reasons why some inhabitants of the city of Nomali are more willing to seek treatment from reanimators than others, but the biggest reason for many is cost. A reanimator guild will often charge very little cash for its services, if you’re willing to agree to donate body parts after your death. Customers with good musculature or highly valued physical skills may receive treatment for ‘free’, or be pressured into selling a limb or two before they’ve even died. The arms of seamstresses are especially valuable, as reanimators love a zombie who can help them stitch together the next monster. The largest reanimators’ guild, Guild Imbregog, also runs a free sanitarium where they look after anyone physically or mentally incapable of living on their own, again in exchange for after-death corpse rights. But we ended up keeping that out of the spotlight in final concepting and art direction because our game is pretty lighthearted and a nursing home that stitches your dead grandma’s head onto a zombie chimera is A BIT DARK. There are also a lot of classic crazy reanimators drawing both from B movie Frankenstein type fiction and from mad Lovecraftian characters such as Herbert West, and those are overrepresented in the game because they’re fun! But I didn’t want 1 of our 6 disciplines of alchemy to exist in the city without tying them into society in a more logical way as well.

A city where necromancy is legal and actually a part of every day society. So long as you follow a specific set of laws to make it seem a bit more ethical, you’re allowed to use it to do anything from helping you in a fight, to helping you run your business. In fact, there are entire shops or restaurants where the staff are undead. Laws to handle the undead could be things like:

• The corpses used cannot have flesh on them for sanitary reasons, especially in the case of businesses. Those who raise undead who are more than just bone will face a fine dependent on their situation.

• Similar to how people can donate their bodies to science, or donate their organs to those in need, people can choose to donate their bodies to necromancers before their death.

• If it is unknown if a person wished for their body to be donated after death, and they have been dead for 150+ years, you’re allowed to raise them. If next of kin is still alive, you must get permission from them first.

• You must take care of the undead in your charge. Keep them clean and unbroken. If one of them starts to get too much wear and tear, you are required by law to respectfully lay them back down to rest. Failure to do this will get you a hefty fine.

[darthjeeling]

@inventors-fair​ wrote the flavor text, I designed the card and submitted it to their contest. I love this idea and the artwork I found for it. Does that mean it is worth printing? Not sure — I imagine it would be flash-banned in Commander, where it’s miserable, but other than that it could tickle the fancy of a Rakdos control player who enjoys playing weird cards more than the best win condition. (I have to imagine you can do a lot better than this at 9 mana.) That could be worth it. Anyway, since Magic has not hired me, I can indulge myself in exploring new cards that I enjoy from an aesthetic design perspective, without having to playtest it for a commercial audience. This card is a mirror reflection of Last Chance, causing the upside and the drawback to switch places. Are there any other cards we could do this for to make interesting designs? @follower-of-liliana @flavoracle Want to give it a go?

[darthjeeling]

@inventors-fair provided the flavor text and I built the card around it. Also around a goblin!

[darthjeeling]

Three more @inventors-fair challenges — cards designed based on the flavor texts. I made nine total and these are the least interesting of the three, so I’ve lumped them together. Two more to come, including the one I actually submitted!

[darthjeeling]

Yep, another @inventors-fair​ challenge: design a card to match the flavor text.

Originally I made this as “Sorin’s Betrayal”, a black card which drew X cards and gained X life. I changed it partly because the flavor matches Nahiri’s side of the story better, partly because this sweet art exists that never ended up on a card, and partly because a damage-dealing version was a more interesting decision. A straightforward draw spell encourages you to build a deck with beefy planeswalkers that you always want to sacrifice. Choosing when to cast Nahiri’s Revenge is much more interesting, since you have to evaluate the board state. Posting these designs here often has me revisit them for tweaks and corrections. In this case I just changed it from “X damage divided as you choose” to “X damage to all creatures your opponents control”. The last version was way too weak and something as potentially cool as a one-sided wrath is necessary to get players to enjoy sacrificing something as powerful as a planeswalker.

[darthjeeling]

Yet another @inventors-fair​ design challenge (start with the flavor text and design a card for it). I’m proud of this one — it’s hard to find an elegant monocolor common that hasn’t been done before. It’s nice and versatile too, with three uses that are all relevant in Limited. When combining monocolor abilities like this you have to be careful not to be too clever and break the color pie. One use here does veer weirdly close to “target creature can’t block this turn”, a red ability, but that’s functionally the same as blue’s ability to tap a creature, so there’s no harm done!

[darthjeeling]

Another card I made but didn’t submit for this week’s @inventors-fair​ challenge (design a card with the provided flavor text). This one started as a much clunkier design called “Poisonform Curse” that I envisioned as a person transformed into poisonous mist, unable to touch anyone around them without dying. But I failed to find a suitable open source image for that concept, so I gave up and returned the next day to redo the mechanics and find this lovely abstract weirdness from an old Norse Edda. This version is much better, and I like the new “Enchant the only creature you control” technology.

This card's giant drawback (requiring only one creature) makes the general vulnerability of Auras even worse, so I don’t think this is a good card, but 5 mana seems like a good starting point for a card that grants guaranteed card advantage every turn you keep it around.

[darthjeeling]

I designed this transform card for the current @inventors-fair​ contest, i.e. designing to the flavor text they provided. I ended up submitting something else, but I really like this Expedition mechanic as an all-purpose way to design transform cards that represent a quest. Of course there have been many “jump through these hoops” cards but I like the scavenger hunt twist of getting to complete the goals in any order. The goals here are very simple but of course you could write anything you like.

Marking the goals complete in a non-irritating way is probably the biggest barrier to this mechanic. I picture either counters or a checklist card, but it’s something to look for in playtesting. Maybe these could even have a special layout similar to Richard Garfield’s early Saga designs:

As for the old museum collection flavor, I’ve been decorating my walls with old naturalism drawings, so that’s probably what inspired me. The insect collection theme adds a unique on-flavor feel here to set this apart from countless “play lots of artifacts!” cards, so I encouraged people to build around the insect theme by creating the possibility of getting two cards per activation.

If I wanted to make this a flashy rare, the Research Collection side would also have: {7}: Non-equipment non-creature artifacts you control become 1/1 colorless Insect creatures with flying until end of turn.

But since I mostly want to show off the Expedition mechanic, I kept the design more elegant.

[darthjeeling]

Hey @inventors-fair​, I got hooked and designed nine cards, one for each flavor text. Thanks for the design prompt!

Now to consult a Ouija board over which one to submit.

The Flavor Saver

Magic’s staying power is its flavor. And its gameplay. And its appeal. Look, the point is that Magic’s flavor is a crucial part of the game. How is flavor represented on a card? There are like twelve different things. But there’s a very important part of a card: the flavor text.

Take one of the flavor test options from below and design a card based around it:

A fate worse than death.

His collection was finally complete.

“You were once an ally. Now you’re just an obstacle.”

He had never felt so truly alone.

The solution isn’t simple, but it’s possible. And that’s all that matters.

“Fine, you were right. Now please put me down.”

Every adept needs the right tools.

“Then why did you make it flammable?”

The glory, immeasurable. The cost, unfathomable.

Feel free to change pronouns as you need (he/she/they/etc.) in prompts 2 or 4, but aside from that, the flavor texts need to appear on the cards exactly as is.

Happy brewing!

[darthjeeling]

I’m so ready for a plot about Dimir agents taking down Nicol Bolas. Leave those pesky green and white characters out of it.

Lazav is still alive going into Guilds of Ravnica, right? How does that square with your (well-supported) theory that Jace ends up running the Dimir? Surely Lazav won't like an alien dragon with a horde of armoured zombies on his turf?

Yes, Lazav should still be around. He disappears at the end of The Secretist and we don’t see him again. He could definitely still be around.

We legitimately don’t know much about Lazav. The Dimir’s original purpose was to destroy the Guildpact. They succeeded. Lazav seemed to want to destroy the guilds themselves, but his end goal was never clear.

Personally, I think Jace is just going to usurp control of the Dimir, not work with Lazav. Jace now has the telepathic skill to ensure his agents don’t even know he’s in charge (like he did with Vraska) and be undetectable to even Nicol Bolas himself.

[darthjeeling]

Nevertheless, I highly recommend those Planeswalker’s Guides to New Phyrexia on the mothership. Part 1 is here: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/savor-flavor/planeswalkers-guide-new-phyrexia-machine-orthodoxy-2011-04-06. I had returned to Magic a couple sets before New Phyrexia came out, but this worldbuilding guide (and the flavor of the set itself, of course) cemented my renewed love of Magic lore and set design. Overall, the Praetors and other high-ranking Phyrexians tend to be “native” Phyrexians, while most compleated Mirrans are rank-and-file. However, “Occasionally a particularly promising compleated Mirran specimen rises through the ranks into a position of true power.“ This includes at least three compleated Mirrans who are de facto the same rank as the praetors, or who could reasonably scheme to become one: * Glissa is Vorinclex’s advisor and champion, but due to his lack of interest in governing she is the de facto ruler of the Tangle * Geth, the Gatekeeper: a compleated Moriok lich who now controls the Vault of Whispers in Mephidross’s heart, as one of the Seven Steel Thanes. Now that Sheoldred has been unseated, it’s likely that one of the other Thanes has become the new praetor. * Vraan, Thane of Blood: compleated vampire, ruler of the Bleak Coven assassins. Another Steel Thane and therefore another possible praetor. Here are a few more compleated Mirrans who didn’t quite reach such heights, but are still locally powerful: * Unctus, a high-ranking subpraetor under Jin-Gitaxias * Benzir, leader of a splinter group of compleated Sylvok * Kuldotha the Great Furnace itself, now Phyrexianezed and “quasi-alive”. Not an official part of any hierarchy, but arguably the most important red Phyrexian. It’s also worth noting that “Many creatures native to the Mephidross were already Phyrexians, perhaps even during Memnarch's day.“ and that “parts of former Mirrans have even made it into the body of the Praetor Elesh Norn.“ Enjoy, @bug-friend and other Phyrexian fans.

Hi Jay, do we know anything about the praetors of new phyrexia before they rose to power? Were they mirrans before, or something entirely new?

They were created, so they aren’t compleated Mirrans but Phyrexian from the ground up. Very little lore exists on them outside of the Planeswalkers guides to New Phyrexia because they were created (in real life) during development, late in the process. They don’t even appear in the block novel, The Quest for Karn.

[darthjeeling]

My grandfather would tell his kids “Shadrach, Meschach, and To-bed-you-go!”

“Oh c'mon, you know who I mean. Those three guys who got thrown in the fire and lived? Shadrach, Meschach, and Häagen-Dazs.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure those aren’t all correct.”

[darthjeeling]

Ah, Tony, I’ll miss your designs! But I refuse to let our conversations stop so I’m not going to say I’ll miss those. You’ve been so supportive and honest and I look forward to meeting you in person one day (maybe even this fall). Until then, I’ll be around to talk about anything. I am depressed myself and I know exactly how hard it is to watch the months go by without feeling like you’ve made the progress you want. But sometimes people have to cut through the brambles for a while, getting lost and scraping themselves, before they find an unexpected new path. When you do find the ability to work on a game design project, I'll be there to give you more advice and feedback and cheerleading than you can handle.

I’ve written and deleted this post so many times now that I don’t know if the real thing is gonna be any good, so here goes

Keep reading

[darthjeeling]

Hi Nic and @wizardsmagic​,

Personally I’m a huge fan of Magic’s environmental stories, communicating new worlds through cards. I enjoy the narratives best when they build on this, such as when Yahenni gave us the perspective of a dying aetherborn, or when we saw the strange, brilliant end to Emrakul in Shadows block. I enjoy Liliana’s mysterious plot and her uncertain future allegiances, but in general I prefer it when the Gatewatch characters show up one or two at a time and don’t steal the stage from the new guys. (Jace's Ixalan role was great in this respect, and also gave him room for more character development than usual.) I’d also love to see more planeswalker designs that mechanically match what’s going on in the story, if you can push some creative involvement onto the planeswalker design team. And just for fun I’ll do Dave’s thing:

First set - Portal Second Age

Favourite format - Cube

Favourite plane - New Phyrexia

Favourite card - Kraken Hatchling

Favourite Planeswalker - Venser ;(

Favourite story article - The Promised End (Eldritch Moon)

Favourite Color Identity - Dimir

A Big Vorthos Welcome

Yesterday on Twitter, Trick Jarret let us know that things are in the works to better introduce the MTG Community to Nic Kelman, who is now the person at @wizardsmagic primarily responsible for Magic narrative. 

But with emotions running among fans high after this week’s story, I worry that Nic’s first impression of us is that we’re a bunch of rabid fans out for blood at the slightest mistake or story hiccup. 

And that’s not what we want!! We want a good, open relationship of communication and trust. So let’s see if we can get things going with our best foot forward. 

Perhaps Nic will be more comfortable introducing himself to us, if we give him a chance to get to know us first. So I thought some introductions might be in order.  

With that in mind, I’m asking my fellow Vorthos and MTG fans to reblog this post with an brief greetings and introduction (and be sure to tag @wizardsmagic so they can pass it along to Nic.) 

Since I’m writing this post, I suppose I should go first… 

Hi Nic! I’m Dave. 

I’ve been playing Magic on and off since 1996, though I only became really active in the online MTG community around 2015 when I started this Tumblr blog. 

Some of the things I love about Magic stories are the wide range of interesting characters, the diversity of locations among the different planes in the Multiverse, and the bountiful opportunities for speculation, discussion, and collaboration among the community. 

I also appreciate Magic stories because even though I’m not a very skilled player, they allow me to still feel strongly connected to the game, and be part of the conversation when new sets and cards are revealed. It adds a dimension where I can still be relevant and valued in the community, even when I rarely win games. 

Some quick facts about me: 

First set - Ice Age 

Favorite format - Commander 

Favorite plane - Lorwyn 

Favorite card - Vigor 

Favorite Planeswalker - Tamiyo (though Angrath is really close) 

Favorite story article - “Release” (Aether Revolt) 

Personal Color Identity - Bant (Green/White/Blue) 

@wizardsmagic 

OK, that’s me. Now who wants to go next?! 

(Please don’t leave me standing here awkwardly alone.) 

[darthjeeling]

It’s an interesting question. I think most players love Ravnica for its static setting. Yes, plenty of events have happened, but in the end it’s always the “city of ten guilds” feel that survives and draws people in.

Mirrodin and Innistrad, in contrast, went through such radical changes from block to block (and set to set) that players would easily recognize those stories in Saga form. Their whole environments changed in a much more visible way than Ravnica ever has.

Sagas seem to need back story to work with the set, which makes me think that, next to Dominaria, Ravnica the next most saga-able plane. Would you agree?

The sets we’ve visited more than once have the most history.

[darthjeeling]

SPOILERS for the latest magic story

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I do like this sneaky long-term Jaya plot, but I’m going to be that jerk who questions some plot holes:

If Chandra can recognize Jaya’s “aether trails” on Dominaria (which is a little weird in the first place for someone she’s never met), how has she never noticed that same signature all over Keral Keep? Chandra and Jaya/Luti are in the same room in Keral Keep at the same time Jaya is supposed to be en route to battle kobolds. Not an impossible plot hole, but it’s a bit of a jerk move to planeswalk away from your army during a military expedition! Does Jaya have an interplanar “Chandra’s in the monastery” alarm that she jumped back to check on? Are such things even feasible post-Mending?

Let’s Talk About Return to Dominaria: Episode 8

Return to Dominaria: Episode 8 does not miss a beat as we pick up where we left off with Chandra and her search for Jaya Ballard.

If you follow my fan theories, let me say that you probably won’t be disappointed.

Pyromancer’s Goggles by James Paick

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