[Assorted] Venedrex's Villa

[user_938036]

The rules would need clarification that if a card starts your turn in a state it has "become" that state at the beginning if your turn. I don't know if thay causes any problems. The only one they jumps out being Tapped cards start your turn Tapped but that

[Venedrex]

Some Universes Beyond talk:


I hope we get another round of Warhammer precons, and if so I have some ideas from my cursory knowledge of the lore as well as this article: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/featu ... 2022-09-19

Aeldari. I see this being a deck similar to the Painbow precon, with lot's of five color nonsense (in a good way) Thinking mechanics such as Domain, Converge, etc, etc.

The space elves would be fun to see, and hilariously enough it turns out that there are apparently five main factions, so that fits like a glove.

Orkz. You know you want to see it. The Orkz fit so well into gruul it is not even funny. They could have a theme focused around go wide aggro, with vehicles sprinkled as well as lots of token makers and aggression. Mechanics that I think would fit well: Bloodthirst, Blitz, Scavenge, Convoke maybe (to represent the pyskers feeding off the energy of their comrades) So much fun.

Tau Empire. This could be a fun bant deck with lot's of tricks and a very defensive playstyle to match the Tau's gameplan of staying back and taking out enemies from a distance. I'm thinking shield counters, vigilance, blinking to represent teleporting around the battlefield, reach and effects that mess with tapped/attacking creatures as white loves to do. Just a very tactical style of deck with a focus on quality rather than the Orks quantity.

After those three, I'm not sure what you do, maybe another round of Space Marines since there are so many options? Maybe two more precons, one for Loyalist and one for Chaos Space Marines?


----------------



Regular MTG ideas:

Going over my old files, posting things I had forgotten about.

Zeal: This is something I just saw a couple minutes ago, I believe it was an attempt to make a Mardu (or at least faction) mechanic.

Zeal 1. This creature enters the battlefield with NUMBER counters on it. At the beginning of your next turn's end step, remove a counter from CARDNAME.

Looking back on it, I suspect players might have disliked this because it feels bad to see your creature get weaker and weaker. I think that might be why it was buried in my old set files lol

Speaking of questionable mechanics:

Corrupt NUMBER. You may exile NUMBER of nontoken permanents you control as you cast this spell. Yeah, I don't like this lol.

Here is a mechanic that I like but I don't know if it makes much sense.

Valor — Creatures you control with mana value 3 or less, [effect]. Looking back on it, maybe this was meant to be a batching mechanic?

Something like, if you control a creature with power 1, 2, and 3, effect?

Destined. This was something that I feel always had issues, but I couldn't help but like the flavor of.

This permanent enters the battlefield with (some number) of time counters on it. At the beginning of each upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, transform it.

My issue with it was I love the idea that eventually your creature is destined to transform, but I feel like in reality you'd wait two turns for your creature to transform, and then your opponent would kill it at the last second for the mother of all feelsbads.



OK, now I think we are getting to some better stuff hopefully:

Renewal [cost]
You may cast this spell for its renewal cost if you gained life this turn.

It's like Spectacle but for Green White! Hooray.


Benevolent Centaur
Creature — Centaur (U)
Lifelink
Renewal (You may cast this spell for its renewal cost if you gained life this turn.)
When you cast Benevolent Centaur, if its renewal cost was paid, create a 1/1 green Saproling creature token.
2/2

Up, next, the hydra from Dominaria, the mana sink that sunk Tarkir, it's CHALLENGE!

Challenge — Choose a creature an opponent controls. That player may choose to have that creature fight this creature. If they don't, [effect].

The issue with this mechanic is combat tricks. I doubt anyone would ever take the bait because, realistically, you always have a trick open. So, this mechanic is basically just a distilled version of the age old question, DO THEY HAVE IT? The thing I like the most about it is, you don't have to fight. But if you're feeling lucky Now that I think about it, I intended the flavor to represent something like an Alpha beast challenging another creature, but maybe it could represent gunslinger duels too. I dunno,

[Venedrex]

Once again, I've been working on my UB WoW set, and I have hit a bit of a speedbump. Any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated.

EDIT: The first five of these are more like Ikoria triomes than Khans wedges, i.e the focus color for humans would be . This allows for Gnomes to make more sense as their three color pair will be blue focused rather than green focused, allowing more reason to care about artifacts.

Humans:
Dwarves:
Gnomes:
Night Elves:
Trolls:

So this is where I am right now.

The plan is to have the enemy colors as the other five draft archetypes so:

Orzhov Clerics (Priests)
Izzet Wizards (Mages)
Boros Warriors
Golgari Druids
Simic Rangers (Hunters)

I'm just not sure if I should try and make the Night Elves green because that is literally there whole mentality, or if they could be primary B. My concern is, if I make the Night Elves green, it would seem Trolls have to be primary blue which is... strange to me.

[void_nothing]

Some Universes Beyond talk:


I hope we get another round of Warhammer precons, and if so I have some ideas from my cursory knowledge of the lore as well as this article: https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/featu ... 2022-09-19

Aeldari. I see this being a deck similar to the Painbow precon, with lot's of five color nonsense (in a good way) Thinking mechanics such as Domain, Converge, etc, etc.

The space elves would be fun to see, and hilariously enough it turns out that there are apparently five main factions, so that fits like a glove.

Orkz. You know you want to see it. The Orkz fit so well into gruul it is not even funny. They could have a theme focused around go wide aggro, with vehicles sprinkled as well as lots of token makers and aggression. Mechanics that I think would fit well: Bloodthirst, Blitz, Scavenge, Convoke maybe (to represent the pyskers feeding off the energy of their comrades) So much fun.

Tau Empire. This could be a fun bant deck with lot's of tricks and a very defensive playstyle to match the Tau's gameplan of staying back and taking out enemies from a distance. I'm thinking shield counters, vigilance, blinking to represent teleporting around the battlefield, reach and effects that mess with tapped/attacking creatures as white loves to do. Just a very tactical style of deck with a focus on quality rather than the Orks quantity.

After those three, I'm not sure what you do, maybe another round of Space Marines since there are so many options? Maybe two more precons, one for Loyalist and one for Chaos Space Marines?

Yes, it struck me as odd when we had various R&D representative saying that a draftable booster set on the order of LotR:ToME would be unfeasible for the WH40000 license because they'd be unable to design enough green cards. Besides the 'nids, DA BOYZ, the T'au, and yes, even the Aeldari would have a lot of green in them. WUBRG "good guy" Eldar was not something I would have thought of myself but it's kinda brilliant - I was thinking of RGW Asuryani and Exodites vs. UBR Drukhari.

[Venedrex]

Just saw a Good Morning Magic video that floated an idea about Land tokens.

Personally I think land tokens are a fascinating idea as a replacement for ramp effects that would cut down on one of the worst parts of Magic, the shuffling.

For example:

Revolving Wilds
Land — (C)
, Sacrifice Revolving Wilds, create your choice of a tapped basic Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain or Forest land token.


Unbounded Flora
Sorcery — (U)
Create your choice of a tapped basic Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain or Forest land token.
Scry 1.

The big concern people seem to have about this is that bounce effects could remove these lands, and players might shuffle them into the deck accidentally. But I suspect you could just make the art distinct to show that this is a token. Or just put a giant "TOKEN" word on the card somewhere. Also, most bounce nowadays says, return target nonland permanent... so that works.

One of the biggest reasons I tore apart my second ever Commander deck, and the first Commander deck I built myself was simply because the excessive shuffling made a chore to play with and against. My turns took so long because almost every spell I played had me shuffle my library.

What does everyone else think about land tokens for ramp spells and "fetch" lands? (well, weaker fetches like evolving wilds)

[Venedrex]

Darth Vader
Legendary Artifact Creature — Sith Warrior (M)
Menace
Ward—Pay 3 life.
Whenever Darth Vader enters the battlefield or attacks, you may sacrifice a creature. If you do, draw a card.
4/4

Stormtrooper
Creature — Human Soldier (U)
Squad (As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may pay any number of times. When this creature enters the battlefield, create that many tokens that are copies of it.)
Menace, vigilance
Stormtrooper can't attack or block unless each creature you control named Stormtrooper also attacks or blocks.
2/2

Rebellion Commando
Creature — Human Rebel Soldier (U)
Squad (As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may pay any number of times. When this creature enters the battlefield, create that many tokens that are copies of it.)
Haste, vigilance
Rebellion Commando can't attack or block unless each creature you control named Rebellion Commando also attacks or blocks.
2/2

The Death Star
Legendary Artifact — Vehicle (M)
Flying, menace, vigilance
Ward
Crew 6 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 4 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
Whenever the Death Star attacks, you may pay . If you do, destroy target permanent an opponent controls.
8/8
"Witness the full power of this fully operational battlestation" -- Emperor Palpatine

X-Wing
Artifact — Vehicle (R)
First strike, trample, haste
X-Wing enters the battlefield with a charge counter on it.
Whenever X-Wing deals combat damage to an opponent, you may remove a charge counter from it. If you do, destroy target artifact that player controls.
Crew 2
4/4

Probe Droid
Artifact Creature — Droid (U)
Flying
When Probe Droid enters the battlefield or dies, surveil 1.
(Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card into your graveyard.)
2/1

Ben Kenobi
Legendary Creature — Human Jedi Knight (M)
Ward—Skip your next turn.
Vigilance
When Ben Kenobi enters the battlefield or attacks, use the force, then draw a card.
(To use the force... do something.)
4/5

[Venedrex]

Some ideas for a custom Commander set.


Ulspen, Venerable Guardian
Legendary Creature — Treefolk Druid (M)
Vigilance
Cumulative upkeep—Mill a card.
, , Remove any number of age counters from among permanents you control: Create an X/X green Treefolk creature token, where X is equal the number of counters removed this way.
1/4

[Venedrex]

Playing around with batching: WIP

Jalkrom, Legion Officer
Legendary Creature — Minotaur Soldier (M)
Whenever a disciplined creature you control attacks, exile the top card of your library. Until the end of your next turn, you may play that card. (Creatures with Mentor, Training, or Enlist are disciplined.)
: Target creature you control gets +X/+X and gains vigilance until end of turn.
4/4


Traxis, Cunning Statesman
Legendary Creature — Human Advisor (M)
Ward
Whenever a player negotiates, you may have that player create a 2/2 white Knight creature token with vigilance.
(Voting, becoming the Monarch, or casting a spell that another player helped cast is negotiating.)
2/3

[Venedrex]

Some Halo UB because I like Halo.


The Master Chief
Legendary Creature — Spartan Soldier (M)
The Master Chief enters the battlefield with a shield counter on it.
At the beginning of each end step, if The Master Chief doesn't have a shield counter on it, put a shield counter on it.
Whenever the Master Chief or another Soldier you control attacks, exile the top card of your library. Until end of turn, you may play that card.
4/4

ODST Commando
Creature — Human Soldier (R)
Flash
Squad
(As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may pay any number of times. When this creature enters the battlefield, create that many tokens that are copies of it.)
Whenever a Soldier you control dies, ODST Commando deals 1 damage to each opponent.
3/2

Tartarus, Brute Chieftain
Legendary Creature — Brute Warrior (M)
Menace
When Tartarus, Brute Chieftain enters the battlefield. gain control of up to one target artifact or creature an opponent controls until end of turn. Untap it. It gains haste until end of turn.
Whenever a Brute you control deals combat damage to an opponent, you may pay and sacrifice an artifact or creature. If you do, draw a card.
5/5

Reprints:
Foundry Inspector
Art depicting some sort of Forerunner sentinel examining the Foundry/the Forge.
Flavor text: Something the forerunners made plans to ensure their works would live long after their departure yadda yadda classic halo lore.


Draft archetypes, mechanics and themes:

The Forerunners, or at least the technology that they left behind. Artifacts. (Also coincides with the covenant forces because they adapted so much forerunner tech,)
Lots of different things at play, a bit of ONI stuff, Lots of Covenant fall here, maybe some Flood.
Could it be any other archetype? SACRIFICE. That or just plain aggro I suppose. Also lots of Brutes. LOTS of Brutes.
Maybe some elements of the UNSC, and or the Insurgents, but likely just a tried and true 4 power matters deck focused on the Fauna of the Halo universe.
A good chunk of the UNSC, lands here, as well as any of the Covenant that supported humanity. Gameplay wise, maybe +1/+1 counters or tokens. (Perhaps Training returns as a mechanic?
The other big piece of the Covenant falls here. Mostly just everything regarding the religion of the covenant as well as their forces in general.
Help. Maybe this ends up being the rebel/pirate deck with some sort of draw 2 thing? Hmm, or perhaps this contains advanced technology like AI and also has an artifact focus. (Reconfigure?)
Oh, you know who is filling out THIS color pair. No, not the Golgari. worse.
I have no clue. Research, uh, lands matter? I'll have to think about this one. Maybe the flood? Evolve anyone?


Major factions rough color distribution and themes.

: Humans (and maybe some friendly covenant) Mostly RW but a little green, mechanics that spring to mind:
Training, Mentor, Squad (which will probably be for all factions) Shield counters (but very rare, pretty much only on Spartans.) OORAH!
Maybe a little reconfigure for AI as a treat.


Forerunners: ARTIFACTS. They love to build metal things. So, yeah. They could also just be colorless, but I think their love of knowledge and order fits UW, and the little teensy fact that they betrayed their masters in a revolution lends me to think they have red in them too. Especially when you look at how they fought, and members of the faction such as the Diadact. (anger management issues).

Metalcraft, Improvise, Reconfigure, Fabricate oh yeah they love to build things.

The Flood. Yeah, I'm thinking Infect, Toxic, Escape, Persist, Undying, Delve, Exploit, Unearth, you get the picture.


The Covenant. They might actually be five-color (when you factor in all the myriad sub-factions, like brutes in red), but I think they are core Esper. Blue for forerunner tech/general smarts, and WB because of the whole Great Journey thing and other reasons.

Surveil?, Cipher?, Sagas? Foretell, Addendum, Shield Counters LOTS of Shield counters.

[Venedrex]

Some more ideas that have me laughing.

Star Wars UB

Reprint: Emergency Powers

Chancellor Palpatine
Legendary Creature — Human Noble (M)
Ward
Vigilance
At the beginning of your end step, if you both own and control Chancellor Palpatine and a land named the Galactic Senate, exile them, then meld them into Emperor Palpatine.
Tap an untapped creature you control: You draw a card and lose 1 life.
4/6

The Galactic Senate
Legendary Land — (M)
: Add .
, : Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast a legendary creature.
, : Untap up to X target creatures you control.
(Melds with Chancellor Palpatine.)

Emperor Palpatine
Legendary Creature — Human Noble
Whenever Emperor Palpatine enters the battlefield or attacks, choose four —
Draw two cards.
Each opponent loses 3 life and you gain 3 life.
Destroy target creature an opponent controls.
Exile target artifact or enchantment.
Return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand.
Each opponent discards two cards.
6/6

[Venedrex]

Shower of Blades
Instant (R)
Choose one —
Shower of Blades deals 3 damage to target attacking creature.
Shower of Blades deals 3 damage to target blocking creature.
Overload
(You may cast this spell for its overload cost. If you do, change "target" in its text to "each.")

[void_nothing]

Oh wow, it strikes me that modal and overload would play very nicely together. Clean Modern Horizons-y design that would play well.

[Venedrex]

My idea for WoW universes beyond:

EDIT: The first five of these are more like Ikoria triomes than Khans wedges, i.e the focus color for humans would be . This allows for Gnomes to make more sense as their three color pair will be blue focused rather than green focused, allowing more reason to care about artifacts.

The idea is to do two sets, one with Wedges, the next with shards.

Humans: Mechanic: Prowess?
Dwarves: Mechanic: Raid?
Gnomes: Mechanic: Improvise?
Night Elves: Mechanic: ???
Trolls: Mechanic: ???



Orcs: Mechanic: Bloodthirst
Tauren: Mechanic: Landfall?
Forsaken: Mechanic: Unearth?
Blood Elves: Mechanic: Magecraft?
Draenei: Mechanic: Exalted?

Classes:

T: Tertiary

Warriors: T
Mages: T
Rouges: T
Priests: T

As established in Zendikar Rising.

Shamans: T
Druids: T
Hunters: T
Monks: T
Paladins: T
Warlocks: T

OR

Paladins:
Hunters:
Monks

[Venedrex]

Some new ideas for Halo UB, specifically Chief and Cortana:

The Master Chief
Legendary Creature — Spartan Soldier (M)
Partner with Cortana (When this creature enters the battlefield, target player may put Cortana into their hand from their library, then shuffle.)
The Master Chief enters the battlefield with a shield counter on it.
At the beginning of each end step, if the Master Chief doesn't have a shield counter on it, put a shield counter on it.
4/4

Cortana
Legendary Artifact Creature — Equipment AI
Partner with The Master Chief (When this creature enters the battlefield, target player may put the Master Chief into their hand from their library, then shuffle.)
Whenever Cortana or equipped creature deals combat damage to an opponent, draw that many cards.
Reconfigure (: Attach to target creature you control; or unattach from a creature. Reconfigure only as a sorcery. While attached, this isn't a creature.)

Not sure what the mana costs should be for Cortana so still WIP, but I really really like the idea of Cortana being an artifact creature and having reconfigure and partner with Chief, kind of amazed it took me so long to think of honestly. Chief might need one more ability, maybe a keyword like menace or first strike.. but I don't want to make him too op hehe.

Hmm, maybe he can't be countered lol. It would seem fitting that the one man army who the entire covenant can't stop is uncounterable.

Cortana's mana costs are up in the air, I'll be tinkering with them for a while, and maybe the ability. Maybe she has vigilance and gives vigilance cause she's aware of so many things at once?

[Venedrex]

Looming Disaster
Sorcery — (R)
Destroy all nonland permanents.
Set In Motion—,(Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay and exile it facedown with X time counters on it, where X is equal to this card's mana value minus the amount of mana paid this way. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, you may cast it for its second mana cost.

Basically you can cast a spell for however much mana you want, but depending on the mana you pay you will have to wait a varying amount of time before it can resolve. It also goes facedown so opponents don't know, and you have to pay at least 1 color of mana when you actually cast it so you can't just cheat the color pie. You can also cast these spells right away but you will pay at least 1 extra mana for your impatience lol. Although I suppose you would pay extra even if you wait for it, in a sense.

[Venedrex]

Rite of Harvesting
Enchantment — Ceremony (Ritual?)
: Perform 3 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 3 or greater.)
Whenever Rite of Harvesting is performed, create a Food token. (It's an artifact with ", , Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 3 life.")

Enchantments, but with effects that require you to tap creatures to activate them. Not super original but I think they could be interesting as a way of letting enchantments still provide long term value but not be so "free" in doing so.

[Venedrex]

Gradual Restoration
Instant (R)
This spell can't be countered.
Return target nonland permanent with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Cheeky riff on Abrupt Decay lol.

[void_nothing]

Cheeky riff on Abrupt Decay lol.

Making this feel amazingly Modern Horizons-like.