The Way of Kings

The Way of Kings by Glamdring804

249 cards in Multiverse

101 commons, 72 uncommons, 60 rares, 16 mythics

39 white, 39 blue, 39 black, 38 red,
38 green, 32 multicolour, 16 artifact, 8 land

696 comments total

A set based on the novel by Brandon Sanderson. Set 1 of the Stormlight Arhcive block.

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Mechanics | Skeleton

Overview

Hello. This is the first of several card sets based off of Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere, in collaboration with Samuel. I plan to eventually make a set for each Cosmere book. That puts the current count at 10 sets, and that number will only grown in the future. Ambitious, to say the least. In any case, it will take several years for this project to be "complete." For now, we are making a block based on the two published novels of the Stormlight Archive. This is the first set, The Way of Kings, and the second set is Words of Radiance.

The planet Way of Kings is called Roshar, and it's a magical place indeed. Hurricane strength storms regularly sweep across the continent, forcing native life to adapt. The peoples of Roshar are hardy and determined. Spren, ethereal, faerie-like beings populate the land, rending feelings and emotions visible.

This set will use the new mechanic Invest, which I plan on using with all Cosmere sets, to reflect the underlying unification of magic systems across multiple worlds. It also introduces three new creature types, as well as a new artifact type.

Surgebinder: The magic wielders of Roshar. This represents Roshar's most prevalent "good guy" magic system, specifically, the Knights Radiant. For now, all Surgebinders are legendary mythics. This might change in future sets, as the Knights Radiant are refounded, and Surgebinders become more common.

Spren: The ethereal, faerie like creatures that populate Roshar. They are something of a combination of Faeries and Spirits. All Spren will be enchantment creatures.

Listener: The Listeners (Parshendi) are a group of humanoid creatures with red and black marbled skin. They will be largely Jund (BRG) in color.

Fabrial: A type artifact exclusive to Roshar. These devices use Stormlight-infused gemstones for various effects, including heating water and reducing pain.

Note: I was initially going to create a new creature type for Voidbringers, however, I decided to simply label them as horrors instead. This type will be used for all creatures directly related to Odium, including non-Voidbringers, such as the Midnight Essence.

Limited Archetypes

The archetypes we are shooting for are:

­{w}{u} Enchantments matter control. Spren would be a major component.

­{u}{b} Attrition style contro. Would use darker Spren, along with rogues.

­{b}{r} Parshendi and Voidbringer themed aggro. Possibly with a strong suicide component.

­{r}{g} Transform matters. Another Parshendi themed build.

­{g}{w} Enchantments aggro, powered by humans and spren.

­{w}{b} Lifegain.

­{b}{g} Ramp. Greatshells and other Rosharan nasties.

­{g}{u} Counters matter. Scholarly themed.

­{u}{r} Artifacts Matter. Based on the fabrials of Roshar.

­{r}{w} Soldier tribal aggro. The Alethi armies.

Notes on Surgebinding

You can read more about Surgebinding here. We have associated each surge with three colors.

Adhesion: {r}{w}{u}

Gravitation: {w}{u}{b}

Division: {b}{r}{g}

Abrasion: {u}{b}{r}

Progression: {w}{b}{g}

Illumination: {g}{w}{u}

Transformation: {u}{g}{b}

Transportation: {r}{g}{w}

Cohesion: {r}{u}{g}

Tension: {r}{w}{b}

Cardset comments (70) | Add a comment on this cardset

The set creator would like to draw your attention to these comments:

On The Way of Kings (reply):
on 02 Jun 2016 by Glamdring804:

If you want to completely change the flavor or operation of a card, please move it to the Miscellaneous set instead.

 On The Way of Kings (reply):
on 17 May 2016 by Samuel:

I'm going to start looking at common support for each limited archetype. I'll put results in this comment as I analyze.

{w}{u} Enchantments Matter Control: 21 total commons. It looks like we have a healthy balance of common enablers with a few common enabled cards here. Enabled cards should show up more at higher rarities, though, or the enablers may feel superfluous. Because of the heavy need for enablers in this archetype, {w}{u} drafters can expect to pick up Spren's Insight, Ardent of Purity, and Village Surgeon late, as well as Darkeyed Spearman mid-pack, as players in non-enchantments-matter archetypes won't want them very much (with the exception of Spearman being a crossover with Soldiers and {w}{b} enchantments aggro, so I guess it's pretty universal in white).

Commons that Are/Make Enchantments: 5 {w}, 6 {u}, 1 {w/u}, 12 total

Commons that Care About Enchantments: 3 {w}, 1 {u}, 1 {w/u}, 5 total

Common Control Spells: 1 {w}, 5 {u}, 6 total

{u}{b} Attrition Control: 19 total commons. For a pure control deck without much in the way of shenanigans, the trick is balancing midgame creatures that every limited deck needs with control spells and the occasional finisher. Here's what we've got at common. We don't have a finisher, but the midgame is strong enough at common that the finisher slot can be left to probably 2-4 uncommons and 2-3 rares and we'll be alright. Nice commons a {u}{b} control drafter can expect to pick up a bit later are Giggling Windspren, Stone of Hours, Bitter Revelation, and Death Rattle.

Common Early to Mid Game Controlling Creatures: 4 {u}, 3 {b}, 1 {u/b}, 8 total

Common Control Noncreature Spells: 5 {u}, 6 {b}, 11 total

Common 5-7 Mana Finishers: None

{b}{r} Antagonize Aggro: 16 total commons. There are enough aggressive creatures, but we need one or two more antagonizers and probably one more common that targets creatures in the grave as an enabler, maybe two. The antagonize deck can expect to pick up Enraged Spearmen and Narak Hate-Blades relatively late in a draft.

Common Aggro Creatures: 3 {b}, 5 {r}, 1 {b/r}, 9 total

Common Antagonize Creatures: 2 {b}, 2 {r}, 4 total

Common Cards that Target Creatures in Grave: 3 {b}, 1 {r}, 1 {b/r}, 5 total

{r}{g} Transform Aggro: 16 total commons, needs a bit of help. We forgot to care about transformation. I'll work on adding to this archetype.

Common Aggro/Early Midrange Creatures: 5 {r}, 4 {g}, 9 total

Common Transforming Cards: 2 {r}, 2 {g}, 1 {r/g}, 5 total

Commons That Care About Transformation: 2 {g}, 2 {r}, 1 {c}, 5 total.

{g}{w} Enchantments Aggro: 22 commons total. This archetype has plenty of cards in every category it needs, and it can expect to pick up Ardent of Sincerity, Sprenwarden, and Village Surgeon pretty late in a draft.

Common Enchantments: 5 {w}, 5 {g}, 10 total

Common Cards that Care About Enchantments: 4 {w}, 2 {g}, 1 {g/w}, 7 total

Common Aggro Creatures: 4 {w}, 3 {g}, 7 total

{w}{b} Lifegain Midrange/Control: 17 total commons, should be fine.

Common Cards That Gain Life: 5 {w}, 3 {b}

Common Cards That Pay Life or Care About Gaining Life: 2 {w}, 3 {b}

Common Control/Midrange Creatures: 4 {w}, 3 {b}

 On The Way of Kings (reply):
on 20 Apr 2016 by Samuel:

Those ideas work. Let's do 7 here and 6 in WoR, but can we only have one set of plate and split the blade cycle between the sets? Something like this:

WoK:

3 Blades

2 Fortifications

1 Other Equipment

1 Fabrial (Soulcaster)

WoR:

2 Blades

1 Plate

1 Fortification

1 Fabrial

1 Other Artifact, nonequipment

Recently active cards: (all recent activity)

Honor's Presence
{3}{w}{w}
 
 M 
Legendary Enchantment
Honor's Presence enters the battlefield with ten charge counters on it.
If a source would deal damage to a creature you control, you may move a charge counter from Honor's Presence to that creature. If you do, prevent that damage. Then, if Honor's Presence has no charge counters on it, transform it.
Stormfather's Presence
 
 M 
Legendary Enchantment
Whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, invest up to one target creature, then if that creature has two or more charge counters on it, create a 2/2 blue Spren enchantment creature token with flying and draw a card.
8 comments
last 2024-03-01 00:50:29 by Ashenstern
Shinovar Cultivator
{2}{g}{g}
 
 U 
Creature – Human Nomad
{t}: Add {g} to your mana pool. You gain 1 life.
2/4
1 comment
2017-05-25 12:27:16 by Tahazzar
Midnight Essence
{1}{b}
 
 C 
Creature – Nightmare Horror
Lifelink, skulk
The creature's smooth, dark-as-midnight skin reflected the light like a pool of tar.
1/2
9 comments
last 2017-05-25 12:21:09 by Tahazzar
Wandering Horneater
{1}{g}
 
 C 
Creature – Human Nomad
When Wandering Horneater enters the battlefield, you gain 2 life.
1/2
1 comment
2017-05-25 12:28:26 by Tahazzar
Warbling Songling
{g}
 
 C 
Creature – Elemental
When Warbling Songling enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
0/1
6 comments
last 2017-05-25 12:25:19 by Tahazzar

Recent comments: (all recent activity)
On Honor's Presence :
on 2024-03-01 00:50:29 by Ashenstern:

Because the tokens are enchantments themselves, the back goes infinite with itself. Perhaps "Whenever a nontoken enchantment enters the battlefield"?

On Wandering Horneater:
on 2017-05-25 12:28:26 by Tahazzar:

Super bad. Compare to Lone Missionary. Make it a 2/2?

EDIT: Better comparison is likely Arashin Cleric.

On Shinovar Cultivator:
on 2017-05-25 12:27:16 by Tahazzar:

This looks like it could easily be a common IMO. Pristine Talisman was a common for example.

On Warbling Songling:
on 2017-05-25 12:25:19 by Tahazzar:

Currently a functional reprint of Bond Beetle, FYI (excluding creature type).

On Pattern, Crypticspren:
on 2017-05-25 12:22:41 by Tahazzar:

Is it not counterproductive to give "+2/+2 and skulk"?

On Midnight Essence:
on 2017-05-25 12:21:09 by Tahazzar:

You could always just state outright the skulk ability rather than "call it" by name. There's currently just 2 common cards and 1 uncommon card with skulk in this set. In the 1 mythic card it doesn't seem necessary.

Also, this does indeed seem very pushed -> compare to Farbog Revenant (common) and Vampire Cutthroat (uncommon). I would say this is uncommon caliber.

On Fatal Accident:
on 2017-05-25 12:13:42 by Tahazzar:

"Fatal Incident" would sound better in my ear.

Also, Disfigure exists though having strictly worse cards is not a crime despite what some may tell you.

On Surreptitious Plans:
on 2016-08-20 14:23:46 by Samuel:

Balance Notes: If fateseal 1 plus a card is worth {u} (similar to Peek), then this should be alright.

On Swift Escape:
on 2016-08-20 14:22:01 by Samuel:

Balance Notes: This is strictly better than Drag Under in two ways.

On Ethereal Appearance:
on 2016-08-20 14:20:43 by Samuel:

Balance Notes: This seems comparable to Cloaked Siren, losing 1 power for scry and enchantment synergy.

(All recent activity)
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