Post by bronsbaard on Oct 25, 2018 11:33:41 GMT
Hi, I want to make a set based on the Zodiac and the 4 Classical Elements, with possible expansions later on for the Planets and another for the Tarot, and after that perhaps more sets based on occult knowledge, perhaps Norse Runes, Chinese I-Ching or Pythagorean Geometry.
First off, 4 elements mean 4 colours. Red is Fire, Blue is Water, White is Air, Green is Earth, there is no black mana in this set. I don't know if going from 5 to 4 colours is going to make the set boring, we'll have to see. There is of course the 5th element, Aether, which might be black, but philosophically Aether contains all the other elements and they come from Aether, so it doesn't really make sense to have it as a 5th element alongside the others. Colourless mana could be though of as Aether. I was thinking of adding black as a sort of corrupted/impure version of the 4 elements, so any element could become black if it becomes impure, and a purified black can become any other colour, but I'm not yet sure how to do that.
The first element is fire, it is active and aggressive, it creates and destroys. Keywords associated with fire are First Strike, Haste, Fight, Double Strike and Charge. Charge is my own mechanic, creature with Charge gain +x/+0 and haste when they enter the battlefield until end of turn. So a 1/1 creature with Charge 2 enters the battlefield as a 3/1 with Haste until end of turn, then becomes a 1/1 thereafter. The creature charges in and deals lots of damage, but once the charge is done, it is now in close range and can't charge anymore. Please let me know if such a mechanic already exists, it seems very intuitive so someone else must have thought of it before. The elementals associated with Fire are the Salamanders and the Djinn. Fire is very similar to vanilla magic red.
The second element is water, it is passive and nurturing, it protects and is emotional. Keywords associated with water are Lifelink (and other lifegain), Indestructible and Deathtouch, along with taking control of opponent creatures and preventing damage. Fire and Water also have reach, through clouds and lighting, something that earth lacks. Water also has some scry, along with lots of Defender. The elementals associated with Water are the Undines, or Merfolk. Water is somewhat like vanilla magic white and green.
The third element is air, it is intellectual and fast, it harmonizes and adapts. Keywords associated with air are Flying, Flash, Scry, Vigilance and some Double Strike. It also has a lot of control spells, and is where one will find negation and discard mechanics, as well as lots of card draw. The elementals of Air are Sylphs or Faeries. Air is somewhat like vanilla blue, with a focus on flying and control.
The last element is earth, which is solid and steadfast, it grows large but slow. Keywords associated with earth are Hexproof, Menace, Evolve and Trample, with mana ramping and defender, and some graveyard mechanics. Earth creatures can grow very large but are very slow and sometimes passive. The elementals associated with Earth are Gnomes, Dwarves and Elves. Earth is quite similar to vanilla green.
There are 12 signs of the Zodiac, each with an associated element.
Aries is Fire, starting hard and fast, but die down quickly. Charge mechanic was invented for Aries. Associated type is Sheep.
Taurus is Earth, it grows and creates, mana ramping and large creatures. Associated type is Minotaur.
Gemini is Air, it links and communicates, double strike and creatures come in pairs of two (create similar token when enter battlefield), also maybe Soulbond. Associated type is various, mostly birds, either in a twin pair or two headed.
Cancer is Water, it protects, fogs and hexproofs, very defensive. Associated type is Crab.
Leo is Fire, individualistic and selfish, heroic leader, creatures compete with each other to be the biggest and best, Heroic keyword fits here, also maybe small token generation when attacking. Associated type is Lion.
Virgo is Earth, all about life energy and secrets, lifegain and scry. This one is a bit tricky and I'm still figuring it out. Associated type?
Libra is Air, Libra is Balance. A flavour of law and justice, reminds of Azorius. Some detain mechanics. Lots of balancing aspects, sacrifice creature to kill creature, sacrifice land to destroy land, swap life totals. Associated type?
Scorpio is Water, poison and transformation, deathtouch and double faced cards, transformation is often triggered by taking damage or dying. Associated type is Scorpions.
Sagittarius is Fire, it is more subtle than Aries and Leo, more precise and focused. Cards which tap to deal damage rather than attacking and unblockable creatures. Associated type is Centaurs.
Capricorn is Earth, it is about sacrifice and death. Sacrificing smaller creatures to bring in larger creatures, sacrificing larger creatures to deal lots of damage or wipe the board. Associated type is Goat.
Aquarius is Air, it is about resurrection, bringing cards back from the graveyard. This one is a bit tricky. Associated type?
Pisces is Water, it is about finishing the cycle and going to sleep. This one needs some alternate win condition, with tapping all creatures on the battlefield (sleep) to give time for the alternate win condition. Associated type is Fish.
Attached are three cards so long, watermarks are for Ravnica until I can figure out custom watermarks for Zodiac signs, I don't know how to add images to the post itself without having them on a URL somewhere.
Thank you for reading