Postcards from Neobha (custom set)

[spacemonaut]

edit: Thinking about it, removing the sacrifice part of the cost might make a lot of sense! Thanks for making me think about it a little more.

That seems like a good update. I was going to suggest alternately make it a dies trigger if I could only use it once anyway, given the relatively tiny benefit, but now it's got more potential for someone to do something weird and exciting with it.

I like those cards. They're weird and good.

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025.
Heexilee the Muse, 2BB
Legendary Creature - Banshee Rebel, M
Heexilee shares the creature types of every creature on the battlefield at all times.
B, : Put target creature card from your graveyard that shares a creature type with Heexilee onto the battlefield tapped. Play this ability only during your turn.
"This ruthless propagandist has fooled our spoiled children into thinking they have her sympathies, after all our attempts at traditional upringing!" - Councillor Ilmitt
3/4

(One of the patrons of the burgeoning underground art movement in Roln and Neobha, Heexilee is an older woman who was once a court musician, able to mimic and improvise any type of music after listening to a few bars. A medieval jazz comper? Since then she's become more and more radical, witnessing the dwarvish leaders and the neobhan trends become less and less sympathetic to the common folk, eventually deciding to encourage the downtrodden by picking up her flute and drum again. Her young students impress her with their raw, expressive, punk-ish styles and this becomes the sound of the streets - shouted poetry and desperate, untraditional music with plain lyrics about feeling worthless or feeling oppressed. Of course, no-one in charge wants to hear that and she is quickly branded a seditionist.

You could argue that she has a selfish side simply because she has changed the thinking of so many vulnerable people in a magical way thanks to her Banshee heritage! In general I think this is an archetype that's acceptible amongst black mana heroes - she's brought hope to lost people primarily by stoking their egos, restoring their expectation to be able to change society. Agree?)

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026.
Ioni Charm, B
Instant, U
Choose one, or choose both if you control no non-basic lands:
- target attacking creature gains deathtouch until end of turn. Untap that creature whenever a creature that blocked it dies this turn.
- put target creature card in a graveyard on the top or the bottom of its owner's library.

027.
Phrygi Charm, G
Instant, U
Choose one, or choose both if you control no non-basic lands:
- target attacking creature gains "Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, untap all basic lands that player controls." until end of turn.
- put target enchantment card in a graveyard on the top or the bottom of its owner's library.

028.
Lydi Charm, R
Instant, U
Choose one, or choose both if you control no non-basic lands:
- target attacking creature gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is equal to the number of non-basic lands defending player controls.
- put target land card in a graveyard on the top or the bottom of its owner's library.

029.
Locri Charm, U
Instant, U
Choose one, or choose both if you control no non-basic lands:
- reveal the top X cards of your library, where X is equal to the power of target attacking creature. Put one of those cards into your hand and exile the rest.
- put target planeswalker card in a graveyard on the top or the bottom of its owner's library.

030.
Dori Charm, W
Instant, U
Choose one, or choose both if you control no non-basic lands:
- target attacking creature becomes an artifact creature and gets +1/+1 until end of turn. If it was already an artifact creature it gains indestructible until end of turn.
- put target artifact card in a graveyard on the top or the bottom of its owner's library.

(Five greedy but specific charms which aid the colour's main tribe in Neobha and also stake claims to some sort of favoured permanent distribution. If you said the red, green and blue charms should cost more than they do I'd agree but protest for the sake of symmetry and single mana Mirage charm nostalgia...

still thinking about what I'm doing with this set and how to present, probably won't be updating every single day for a while.)

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031.
Lair of Assumptions, 2GG
Enchantment, R
Attacking spiders have deathtouch, attacking elk are indestructible and all creatures able to block attacking nymphs do so.
At the end of each of your turns, target opponent chooses spider, elk or nymph. Create a 1/1 green creature token of that type.
"We project our dark desires on the forbidden woods... and they oblige the worst among us." - Inizah, adventurer

(Sorry if I've given the impression that I don't want feedback; I've had trouble dealing with people's protocol and mechanics-centric responses when I'm trying to construct a story via cards but I still appreciate every response!

Actually I don't want the spiders to have deathtouch, I intended that to be a rogue ability in black alone. I dearly wish that the "any creature damaged by this creature in combat does not untap during its next untap step" thing which elves from Fallen Empires and snakefolk from Kamigawa had was keyworded so I could use that,,.)

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032.
Pavement Adherent, 1WW
Creature - Viashino Bureaucrat, C
As long as you control at least two non-basic lands, Pavement Adherent gains vigilance and first strike.
"The veesheens have names for their brethren who choose to settle in the city; harsh, mocking names, ever deserved by their targets." - Danvrey, dryad
2/2

(Was looking at void_nothing's great Mercadia-based set and realized I need to make some common cards which only have a single sentence of text on them!)

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033.
Starcatcher, 1R
Creature - Viashino Shaman, C
Discard a land card: Add R. Play this ability only if Starcatcher is tapped.
"Invite a dune shaman along the next time you go stargazing. Trust me! Somehow they know the exact order in which the asteroids will fall." - Audrey, Rolnish scribe
2/1

034.
Filer's Mnemonic, 2U
Enchantment - Aura, U
Enchant creature you control
Chorus (Whenever a permanent this card could legally enchant becomes untapped, you may attach this card to it.)
Whenever enchanted creature deals combat damage, refine 1.
"I before E, except after C? /
this language lacks consistency!"

(tomorrow: Five common creatures that have on-colour abilities for untapping themselves! Chorus needs its enablers.)

[NUMBERS]

I like the idea behind Starcatcher! But I almost worry it's too good without a once per turn limit on it? (I suppose it's easiest to comment on mechanics, when the flavor picture is still developing, at least in my eyes, throughout the posts. That said, totally digging the use of flavor as such a tool! )

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I like the idea behind Starcatcher! But I almost worry it's too good without a once per turn limit on it? (I suppose it's easiest to comment on mechanics, when the flavor picture is still developing, at least in my eyes, throughout the posts. That said, totally digging the use of flavor as such a tool! )

Thanks! You might be right about Starcatcher being a little too quick.

035.
Autodidact, 1U
Creature - Neobhan Advisor, C
Autodidact can't be blocked if it attacks alone.
Whenever you draw a card during another player's turn, untap Autodidact.
"Talking exclusively to yourself means you never have to explain the jargon." - Audrey, Rolnish scribe
1/3

036.
Snarling Dancer, B
Creature - Banshee Artist, C
1BB: Target attacking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. If that creature dies this turn, untap Snarling Dancer.
"Don't expect Heexilee's pupils to be tame after you heckle 'em." - Viphis, Viashino anarchist
1/1

(Three more later, already did a bunch of writing about magic cards today!)

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037.
Woods Imbuer, 1G
Creature - Dryad Artist, C
: Add G.
Whenever you play an enchantment spell, untap Woods Imbuer.
"We compulsively ascribe beauty to every motion the dryads make but their music does not please the neobhan ear. Their composers place little emphasis on consonance or cadence, even less on comfort." - Bhilpar
1/1

038.
Chorister, 2W
Creature - Dwarf Cleric, C
When Chorister attacks, untap all enchanted creatures you control. They gain lifelink until end of turn.
"Every Rolnish hymn praises the Sealer of the Well. Who knows what the legend signifies? Not me, and not them. Tradition dictates they go on and on about it anyway!" - Amaloury, dancing Banshee
2/1

039.
Cautious Bey, 1RR
Creature - Viashino Warrior, C
Whenever any opponent plays an instant or sorcery spell, untap Cautious Bey and it gains protection from angels and demons until end of turn.
"Why do they only let lizards into the wood? Surely they're the least equipped to appreciate its potential??" - Councillor Ilmitt
3/2

(That Snarling Dancer card I posted last time doesn't actually make any sense, lol. Need to find a way to rewrite it which untaps it in time for it to block!)

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040.
Brachaena of the Woods, 4G
Legendary Creature - Treefolk (R)
At the beginning of each upkeep, put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard.
B, shuffle five target cards from your graveyard into your library: Choose one-
- Until end of turn, whenever you tap a forest or a swamp for mana, add B.
- Brachaena gains hexproof, reach and menace until end of turn. Untap her.
3/7

(This is 50% me designing my dream Commander but 50% seeding the plot with characters who mechanically hint at having lived a very long time and have some seriously heavy secrets. This isn't a big Treefolk set like Lorwyn; any that make it into PFN will be legendary. You can take it Brachaena has the protection of the dryads, and that they protect her for a good reason.

Because this is such a low multi-colour set I went with the identity plan, putting a side-colour activation in that casts a verifiably black spell, in this case a slightly modified Bubbling Muck. Notably, swamps don't really fit into Neobha at all until you deduce that they're hidden within the forests!)

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thinking about traditional utility cards you'd see in a base set, and what the Wild at heart version of them would look like. A few people gave good advice about that ability basically just being a keyword signifier for the spirit of the effect.

so things like G for "Wild at heart - Target creature you control gets +2/+2 until end of turn. If you control no non-basic lands, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature." as the Neobhan Giant Growth or B for "Wild at heart - Enchanted creature gets -1/-1. If you control no non-basic lands, enchanted creature gains 'When this creature is dealt damage, destroy it.' as the Neobhan Weakness. Wild at heart is based in red and green, with a little black here and there, so I'm looking for another ability that'd go on the white and blue ones and I'm thinking I might revive Addendum, given the administrative nature of the Neobhans and the bureacracy of the Dwarves. that's a really recent ability but it's one I admire - it just makes so much sense cos it's always written at the end of the card. in fact:

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041.
Shaky Claim 2uu
Instant (R)
Tap up to five target lands.
Addendum - If you cast this spell during your main phase, exchange control of target land you control and target land an opponent controls.
"A dwarfy joined us on our patrol yesterday, his pet dog too. He said his shack fell down a sinkhole, lost all his tools; I said 'Why'dya think the land was so cheap?'" - Viphis

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042.
Essential Boost, G
Instant (C)
Wild at heart - Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. If you control no non-basic lands, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.
"It's rare to see a green face in the crowd - the dryads shrivel in the shadows of buildings." - Amaloury

043.
Touchy Subject, B
Enchantment - Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Wild at heart - Enchanted creature gets -1/-1. If you control no non-basic lands, enchanted creature has "Whenever this creature is dealt damage, destroy it."
"Asked Inizah what was so special about his spiky hide that the dryads allow him into the woods. Punched me on the nose. Used to it." - Imnilki, viashino carver

044.
Path of the Dart, R
Instant (C)
Wild at heart - Path of the Dart deals two damage to target creature. If you control no non-basic lands, unattach all equipment from that creature.
"A squad of our young lumberjacks returned early, with scrapes and pinpricks all over their arms. Hmph! Abandoned their charge AND their tools at the first sign of resistance!" - Councillor Ilmitt

045.
Buoyant Tonic, W
Instant (C)
Gain four life.
Addendum - If you cast this spell during your main phase, creatures you control get +0/+1 until end of turn.
"The Rolns are habitually tipsy the whole day long, but they can never get drunk enough to hide their fear of... of something." - Heexilee, banshee

046.
Translate, U
Instant (C)
Draw a card.
Addendum - If you cast this spell during your main phase, look at the top card of your library. You may exile that card.
"I dearly love it when our betters repeat our own history to us in language that gives them the starring role. Oh, I just love it." - Viphis

(The five Neobhan boons! Tell me why they're terrible or OP! I did a Weakness variant in place of the Dark Ritual variant because, um, we've all read Dark Ritual and it is a deeply ridiculous card. I'm feeling like this thread is muted recently, so welcome to my secret home.)

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047.
Peryton Square
Land (U)
: Add 1.
Whenever you put a card on the bottom of your library from anywhere, Peryton Square becomes a 2/3 Elk creature with flying until end of turn.
"The statue in Peryton square was commissioned from the Rolns; we see wonder in it but it represents their apprehension of what might lie inside the woods." - Bhilpar

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048.
Sharp Ting-sha 1
Artifact - Equipment (R)
Whenever equipped creature becomes tapped, put a crescendo counter on Sharp Ting-sha, then each player loses X life, where X is the number of verse counters on Sharp Ting-sha.
Whenever Sharp Ting-sha becomes unattached from a creature, remove a crescendo counter from it.
Equip 2
"Loved the concert. Don't expect the ringing in my ears will ever stop." - Imnilki

049.
Viphis, Scourge of Lords 1rrr
Legendary Creature - Viashino Artist (M)
Haste
Whenever another legendary creature enters the battlefield, put a crescendo counter on Viphis, then Viphis deals X damage to that creature and X damage to that creature's controller, where X is the number of crescendo counters on Viphis.
"He promotes his act as comedy but all I hear is vile agitprop." - Thom Turmo, dwarvish guard
3/4

(I think these are the first cards in the set which add counters so I might keep "crescendo" as the single counter type in the entire set. I was gonna use "verse" counters but the performance underground in Neobha is very varied and verse wouldn't make sense for a comedian as much as it would for a poet. Feel free to comment!)

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050.
Silver Vinanber 2gg
Legendary Planeswalker - Vinanber
+1 - Put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard, then create a 1/1 green Rabbit creature.
-3 - Put target card from your graveyard on top of your library.
-6 - Choose a card type and exile every card of that type from your graveyard, then create that many 3/3 green Rabbit Beast creatures with trample.
Loyalty 4

(These first fifty cards have been sort of a prelude, intending to establish Neobha and Roln as cities undergoing cultural transformation, create a few characters who'll have witty or semi-profound takes on the things going on around them and little to no action. Then, a planeswalker appears in their midst, a human, the first human ever to visit the plane as far as anyone's aware... and screws everything up.

Silver Vinanber is a magically-powerful man, looking about 50 to 60 years old in the dominarian reckoning, a tall and slightly portly man with very long silver hair erupting from a turban. Although he's a green mage (he doesn't just tap the verdant regions of the world but rather can reshape them and elicit the appearance of creatures there who were never originally indiginous) he styles himself as a corny stage magician because it allows him to meet people - he's naturally gregarious. Vinanber tends to walk to a new plane when he feels he has worn out his welcome on the last - not an insulting man as such, but hard to deal with for long anyway thanks to his insistence on showing his magic at every turn, never ever shutting up and never running out of room for food or alcohol.

Vinanber walks to this plane and apparates directly opposite two Neobhan guards. They each hold a halberd in their hands plus a javelin in their tail and they have never seen a human before, especially not one who manifests out of thin air. The next few cards will refer to the progression of Vinanber's introduction to Neobha on the Bhavator delta.)

[Occo]

So, anything new happening here, [mention]folding_music[/mention]?

[folding_music]

So, anything new happening here, folding_music?

haven't thought about it for a while, most of the other card designy folks on here seemed to be at odds with my methods and priorities :3