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Recent updates to Multiverse Design Challenge: (Generated at 2025-05-13 22:03:27)
This is actually probably too good as colourless burn. This is more damage than Moonglove Extract for only 1 more mana; see also Flamecast Wheel. I approve of the idea though. In another set I'd expect this to be part of a cycle, but presumably not here :)
Is this meant to be an artifact creature, rather than just colourless?
It's a strongly flavourful ability that's quite a hefty drawback; I suspect this can be at least 2/3 for 2 if not bigger.
Loyal Golem and Spitting Gargoyle, a pseudo-red artifact creature and spell for Rohn.
See Challenge # 112.
I loved the flavour of the Rohn, but I had to struggle to think of how to do burn spells in a culture themed around sculpting not fireblasts :) So I decided to embrace the golems even further, and imagine lesser golems as traditional face-only gargoyles.
I can't do all red common burn spells like this, but some it hopefully ok. I didn't want coloured artifacts, and felt it was cheating to have a red only activation but no red in the cost, so I gave it an alternative cost, but not a very attractive one. That's not a perfect compromise -- it's strong enough it will usually be snapped up in red decks, but hopefully it will find a useful niche somewhere.
See Challenge # 112.
I saw the Rohn as the creative impulsive passionate side of red, with the golems inevitably as colourless. That probably means pairing red with artifact creatures, but I think that's ok if unusual.
I wasn't quite sure how to do that, and then I remembered the servant-of-personal-creator aspect, and decided the "need a red creature" worked well. I'm not sure of the exact trade-off, should it maybe let you pay
instead, so it's usable but clunky without a red creature? Or just accept it's completely blank?
I envisaged a small number of creatures with this ability, say a 2/2, 5/5 and 2/1 flying (gargoyle rather than golem) at common, and maybe some at higher rarities. I think that's enough, without needing a keyword, or to make it be on ALL artifact creatures. Also see Spitting Gargoyle for a similar take on a red burn spell.
For the record, the "bat" pun was unintentional :)
Elite Recruitment, a Teruga Mind Control
See Challenge # 112.
Based on the Teruga idea of forcibly recruiting sufficiently fit outsiders into their culture.
I like the way I can marry a U effect to a W restriction.
I'm not sure of power level. It's a shame this is strictly worse than Control Magic but assuming Mind Control is the new standard, this is probably comparable. In fact, I'm not certain if it's ok, because it's quite swingy: it'll get used a lot less than Mind Control because it applies to fewer targets, but it's still as swingy as Mind Control gets.
Interesting take on Perfection! I wouldn't have thought of the Perfected as vampires, but that's part of why the challenge is so interesting to me.
Festival Acrobat, a Velorn who becomes a perfected (a vampire).
See Challenge # 112.
The Velorn perfected sounded a lot like vampires to me. I decided the concept deserved a mechanic, so here we have perfected, a tweak on undying.
Here you have to pay mana to get it back, but you can also get it back from mill, not just death.
I decided to make this a vampire even before transformation for simplicity. I couldn't decide on a class type, I wanted clerics to be other black creatures, not the vampires. I decided "rogue" was closest to "acrobat.
I wish I could make the reminder terser. I already left out a lot which would usually be necessary, and it's still quite long.
I assumed that most perfected cards would be vanilla or nearly-vanilla, that gained abilities when they became perfected. I used a +1/+1 counter primarily as a memory aid. Alternatively, I could assume they have abilities which become a lot more powerful when they get bigger (flying, lifelink, etc), and perfected usually grant two +1/+1 counters and no other abilities.
A very nice idea for a land. Potentially quite powerful, of course. I think control decks would like it. Then again, I'm not the best at gauging power level. This does have an advantage over Maze of Ith and friends in that it can shut down things like Royal Assassin.
Yes, I thought leaving out creature types was really interesting. I'm interested to see how other people's interpretations differ to mine.
I think the natural tendency for us, as humans, is to assume that all of the people of the Danaharian cultures are human, but I invite and encourage everyone to populate the world with different creature types. That's why I left out creature types from the description. I see it as part of the challenge that everyone discuss and defend creature type suggestions. I think elf, human, kithkin, and cat are all valid options, but I think as the creator I shouldn't support one over the other.
I like this card. It certainly seems a nice fit for the Roamer's flavor of the Roamers, and the ability is a nice take on ramp. Reminds me a bit of a mono-green Coiling Oracle.
Slight update to description: Added a single line about the Roamers ("Some travel according to their whims and desires, others out of a desire to see new places.); realized I was missing some capitals.
Thanks for fixing that, Alex. I copied it over after typing it out elsewhere, which is probably where the tabs came from. Also thanks for clarifying the challenge card. I got a little muzzy when it came to making a short description for this one.
I'm glad you guys seem to like it. I was a bit nervous about this one, and it took a bit more work than usual to set up.
I debated between human or elf. Most of the communities defaulted to human in my mind, except the beasts of the open plain, the golems, and the perfected (undead, probably vampires). But I thought it was more interesting to have a greater diversity. I don't like to be too constrained, though, so maybe roamers include both humans and elves. Or maybe I should go wider, and choose a previously-unrepresented race (halflings? cats?)
Canyon Homesteader, a Roamer scout.
See Challenge # 112.
I saw the romaers as primarily green, for the "accept the world as it is" aspect, together with the connection to the beasts, and the exploring. And I imagined them as one of the few groups that would ever settle new land (maybe later turning into Sahala villages as the Roamers move on, and maybe one day another city...?).
I saw them as having some blue, for the curiosity and trade, even though G/U is an unusual combination outside Ravnica. I could also see maybe having some white, for the connection to the Salaha, and the pilgrim aspect, and the network of community, and the implicit non-violence.
That would almost make them an arc with the primary colour being G not W (like the wedges in khans with the primary colour not being the central colour). Except I don't think we need to impose that level of structure, it's fine to just say each community is in whichever colours it's in, as long as each colour has enough representation.
Hence this card, imagining a roamer breaking new ground in a previously unsettled canyon.
Mechanically, it's somewhere between Elvish Pioneer and Explore, I think?
My suggestion implicit in this submission would be that the Wastes could be associated with colourless mana. The Pale Ones could be in almost any colour, but I like the idea that coloured mana implies the verdant gorges, and colourless implies the barren surface wastes. This could be one of several lands that tap for
in the set, and all land cards that are flavoured to associate with any of the cities or civilisations would be coloured.
I went for the "salt flats" look, but this kind of bizarre snow shape is also rather tempting.
This is indeed an extremely cool challenge.
I love the description of the world. I've got several ideas, but I'll add them gradually to give other people a chance to post before I take too many of the low-hanging fruit. I'll start with Frozen Wasteland.
add art
Oh nice, fits very well, and seems like a sensible power level for a land to have.
Created for Challenge # 112.
A less efficient version of Maze of Ith / Mystifying Maze (you still get hit by the creature the first time). Nonetheless it's a rather powerful way to neutralise a single strong attacker.
That's awesome.
clarify challenge card
Fixed. Your paragraphs were starting with a tab character, which made Multiverse think the text was preformatted.
I'm not sure what I've done here, Alex, but the formatting is now super screwy. I have no idea how to fix it.
Also... sorry for the wall of text, everyone!
Welcome to Danahar.
The vast majority of Danahar’s surface is a cold, flat wasteland scarcely populated by mysterious creatures and bizarre vegetation, known to most of Danahar simple as The Waste. Most life finds the surface inhospitable. However, Danahar is rent by enormous ravines in which life thrives. The climate in the ravines is moist and jungle-like, with breathable air and warm temperatures. Plants, animals, and people crowd into these ravines, and few venture up to the wasteland above.
The people of Danahar are divided into several distinct cultures, listed below.
Teruga is a large city protected by an impenetrable force field of magic and ruled by an Overseer chosen by the Imperious College. The force field forms a bubble that stretches nearly to the top edge of the ravine’s walls, and forms a barrier both to those outside and the city’s inhabitants.
The Overseer, selected during a yearly election by the college to determine the most intelligent and physically fit individual in Teruga, rules the city. He or she decides all laws and holds nearly all the power, with only the Imperious College having the right to veto the Overseer’s actions. Though the Overseer may change, they all hold the ideals of Teruga close to heart, which is another factor in their elections.
Terugans believe in perfection and improvement of body and mind. Strict laws govern the reproduction of its citizens, whose mates are chosen for them by the Imperious College in order to produce the most intelligent, healthy offspring possible. Weaknesses are culled from Terugan breeding stock entirely, either by exiling individuals, sterilizing them, or outright killing them.
People rarely leave or enter Teruga. Expeditions led by members of the Imperious College constitute the only lawful excursions. The goal of these expeditions is to keep Terugan breeding stock fresh, so that the city does not become a place of inbreeding. Fit individuals are forcibly taken from the outside and brought back to Teruga, where they are tested to ensure they will make good additions to the city. The Imperious College realizes that nature has its own ways of improving and perfecting, and the kidnappings are a reflection of that belief.
Also of note is the fact that emotion is seen as a weakness in Teruga. Those who have a tendency to feel strong emotions, particularly love and passion, struggle in Terugan society. Reproduction is never the result of love for Terugans, and love can make it difficult to cull an individual who doesn’t fit Teruga’s strict standards for quality. Terugans who are found guilty of possessing strong emotional urges are generally exiled from Teruga rather than killed, particularly if they possess other, more positive traits.
The Race takes place in Teruga.
Rohn is a city-state that delights in the creation of art and artifice. Rohn is ever-expanding as its citizens construct new monuments and buildings. Architecture and sculpting are seen as highly refined arts, but it is the creation of golems which Rohnians prize above all.
Nearly all Rohnian citizens are attended by at least one golem, generally of their own make, though some prefer to pay highly skilled artisans to craft their golems for them. Golems wait on their masters hand and foot, attending to their every need, and it is said that Rohnians can’t even function without their golem to help them through their day. Rohnians guard their golems closely and never lend their services to others, as it is seen as a sign of weakness if one’s own golem is not sufficient to a task.
Rohn’s police force and military are composed almost entirely of golems, with the only exceptions being the commanding officers. Though Rohn is generally peaceful, they do occasionally need to defend themselves. When a golem outlives its master or a master gets a new golem, the old golem joins either the army or the police force, ensuring that golems rarely need to be commissioned specifically for military use.
Rohnian golems and other artificial creations take on a wide variety of forms. Creativity and ingenuity is highly prized in Rohn, though it is constrained by the guidelines issued by the Aesthetic Senate. The Senate, the members of which are considered the best and most well-respected artists in Rohn, decide what is beautiful and acceptable in art and form. They are, however, rather fickle, issuing new decrees anywhere from every week to every few months. To be behind the times in following the Senate’s rules is to be a laughing stock.
As often as the Senate’s guidelines change, one thing remains true over time. Every individual, whether that person considers himself an artist or not, is expected to make a legacy of some form of art. Monuments to the self are expected, whether that be in the form of a grand, elaborate home, a majestic sculpture, or a golem cast precisely in one’s own form.
Velorn is a city-state ruled by priests and the undead gods they worship. Whenever a citizen of Velorn dies, the priests perform a complicated funereal rite known only to the priesthood. Sometimes, the individual rises from the dead, stronger and more vital even than before, thus becoming a member of the Velorn pantheon. These individuals become known as the Perfected, and their word is law.
The reasons why some people rise to be Perfected and others do not is not truly understood. The priests of Velorn claim that the worthy rise, and will explain no more. It is expected that the citizenry not question the priests’ explanation, just as it is expected for them to never question the commands of the Perfected. Velorn holds strongly to tradition. Its people believe that they way things are done is how they should be done, and that life in Velorn has always been the same way. The rise to Perfected is seen as a natural continuation of the Perfected’s life, despite the rituals the priests perform, as those rituals, too, are considered just another factor in every person’s life.
The addition of a new member to the pantheon is rare, and is accompanied by a month-long celebration throughout Velorn. Revelers dance in the streets, and the new Perfected is showered in gifts as the citizens request blessings from the ascended god. Whether or not the Perfected grants the requests depends on his or her own will.
Perfected have great powers of both healing and destruction, and their bodies do not age. They never tire, so they do not sleep unless, for whatever reason, they desire to do so. The personality of the Perfected varies greatly between individuals. When they rise, they often become embodiments to the extreme of what they represented in life. A person who was somewhat fickle may become a Perfected who allows her actions to be dictated entirely by her whims; a person who respected the laws may rule over his subjects with an iron fist. In the month of revel following a Perfected’s rise, their strongest aspect is ascertained, and the priesthood gives them a name and a domain within the pantheon. Throughout the Perfected’s long unlife, his or her personality never changes from what it was on the first day they rose. Perfected are firm and inflexible in their beliefs, acts, and opinions.
Sahala is not a city-state, but a collection of many villages, towns, and small cities all sharing the common theme of acceptance. They believe that all peoples and life-forms have a right to life, and they seek to make sure this is so. Sahala missionaries roam the ravines, seeking out people in need and often encouraging them to come back with them to Sahala territory after helping out in any way they can.
The Sahala believe that tradition, history, and the preservation of culture is important, even that which is not their own. The Grand Library at Sahalareth, Sahala’s closest parallel to a capital, holds thousands of books detailing the history of the world, as far as it is known. Sahalan scholars roam as wide as their missionaries, studying other cultures are recording them so that their traditions may be preserved for all history. They are accepted nearly everywhere, with only Teruga consistently shutting its doors to them.
Sahalans see beauty in all things, from nature to artifice, and they seek to find a balance between both so that both can continue to grow and thrive. They believe that the creativity of sapient beings is just as important as the beauty created by nature, and wish neither to outweigh the other in importance.
The only things in which Sahalans do not see beauty are death and destruction. Sahalans believe death is a force that should be purged from the world, so that the beauty of a life can continue to exist in perpetuity. Sahalans mourn the death of anyone, saddened by the wisdom and knowledge lost by an individual who passes as much as by the loss of any personal connections they might have had to that person. They seek to preserve life, and physical objects as well. A broken object is a sad thing to a Sahalan, for no one else will ever see that object whole again.
As a result of their beliefs, Sahalan magic focuses on healing and preservation, as well as the prevention of death. Sahalans don’t believe in resurrecting the dead, for the beauty of their life has already been sullied, but they will do anything they can to make sure someone doesn’t die in the first place. When a life can’t be saved, Sahalans may attempt to transfer a person’s consciousness to a special type of crystal, where their knowledge and intelligence can be preserved for eternity.
The Roamers are the final major group of Danahar. They claim no specific place as their own, and in fact, they have little to no organization. They are spread out all across Danahar, roaming from place to place, exploring the world and often discovering parts of it previously unknown to anyone else. Some travel according to their whims and desires, others out of a desire to see new places. The Roamers rarely visit civilized places, preferring to keep to their small family groups, the wellbeing of which they see as far more important than the livelihood of anyone else. When the Roamers do seek civilization, they often bring maps and information to sell. They are more likely to visit Sahalan villages than any of the three great cities, and Sahalan villages are by far the most accepting of them, anyway.
The Roamers are the only ones who dare venture into the Wastes. All other groups of Danahar have given it up for lost, but the Roamer’s perseverance and curiosity drives them to explore the Wastes and discover its secrets. As such, they know more about the Pale Ones, the beasts of the Wastes, than any other group of people.
Once per year, the Roamers gather together at the Roamer’s Meet. There, they exchange information, compare and trade their maps of the world, and, often, marry. The location of the Meet is kept secret from non-Roamers. It is held in a valley separate from the main network of gorges, accessible only through a few small tunnels perilously close to the rim of the Wastes. Roamers reach it either through those tunnels or by traversing a small stretch of the wastes. The Meet is a time of trade, but also of revelry and joy. It is the one time per yet that Roamers let down their guarded personas and find happiness in the company of others.
The Pale Ones are the creatures of the Waste. Most people believe them to be monstrous animals, with little to no intelligence. While it is true that bestial creatures traverse the Wastes, and that many of them are violent, there do exist intelligent Pale Ones. From what little the Roamers have learned about their culture, they are incredibly primitive, but they have at least a semblance of a culture. They seem to fear the lush growth of the ravines as much as the rest of Danahar fears the emptiness of the Waste. The Pale Ones are frightening to behold. Their appearance is very alien when compared to the life from the ravines, and that in itself is part of why most Danaharians fear them.
Magic set are generally either top-down or bottom-up. In a top-down set, everything is conceived beginning with a certain flavor. In a bottom-up set, mechanics come first.
Today, I recalled how I had read that Maro likes the genesis of each magic set to come from a slightly different angle. This challenge was vaguely inspired by that thought.
The idea of this challenge is to approach top-down design from a slightly different angle. Previous top-down sets drew inspiration from tropes (Innistrad) or from real-world mythology (Theros). For this challenge, I've created a rough outline of an original plane, which I've taken to calling Danahar. It's rough on purpose: I've intentionally avoided using any color terms, and I've tried my best to avoid references to land types or creature types generally associated with specific colors. . In fact, I've avoided mentioning creature types almost entirely. I want you to decide what creature types belong on Danahar.
Although there are five "factions," I tried to conceive of them outside relations to Magic colors. If you perceive a faction as possessing certain colors, make that a part of your answer to the challenge.
The idea of this challenge is this: Read the description of Danahar below, then come up with a card that belongs in the setting. When you make your card, be sure to include an explanation for why you've included it, and why you think it fits on this world. Tell us why you've given your card the creature type it possesses. If you come up with a keyword, ability word, or general mechanical idea, explain why! This challenge is all about fleshing out Danahar through the cards.
I don't think we'll come up with a set out of this. The idea is just to have some fun. I hope you like it. :)