Archive: Arterion, Child of a Dying Light

Arterion, Child of a Dying Light
"We must forge forth together, or we will be pushed back alone."

Growing up in Ravnica, Arterion was always exposed to both the good and the evil of society. She was never satisfied with the balance of destructive nature with the virtues of magic, and she found her spark shortly after her father tragically perished in the same fire that took both her legs. After some biomancers helped recontruct her body she took to exploring new worlds and was devastated when she realized that black and red magic existed everywhere. Arterion spent years without purpose, but eventually she realized she had the power to join with magic's ruining capacity. Finally at peace with herself, she vowed to travel the lands and help bring hope to struggling people like she once was.

Arterion uses blue, white, and red magic, one with inner flow, light and rage.

"Okay." Arterion pauses.

"Ravnica was a harsh environment to grow up in, but I can't help thinking of it fondly. Their society was built around a wealth of new trade opportunity—a planar boom town, if you will. The center of the ever-expanding city was on a well of a mana foreign to every place I've seen since." She quickly conjures up a bench and sits on it, inviting Sevalios to do the same. "You could hear the biopumps working all day, and you could see vials of the stuff everywhere; it was our currency, and mages outside of our plane found it infinitely useful. I, um... I still..."

She pulls out a small glass tube filled with a glowing purple dust. "This," she says quietly, "is purple mana. A generation before my parents found this leaking out of the ground while searching for a place to settle. Figuring they'd struck it rich, they put down their gear and started drilling. Not much lay on the ground, but there were worlds beneath—the stuff of legends. They were so lucky to have found it, and they didn't even know that they were disturbing the peace of the life below." She coughs into her sleeve.

"Of course, they knew none of this back then. All they knew is this: A normal plot of land will produce a modest amount of mana a day—about enough to conjure a small creature, or to fuel a machine for a while. But this plot—and there was just the one, or so they'd thought—shot out the stuff like nobody's business. It was a deep and powerful vein that we'd struck. Those who heard about it immediately rushed to this plane and set up shop. In only ten years the plane was filled to the brim with bustling shops and eager customers.

"But there was a price to all their hasty trade. I was about seventeen when the seemingly unstoppable flow slowed to a drip. Still, it was enough for us, but the nearby planes demanded our elixir. A year passed, with the local economy holding its breath. We didn't know what was to happen to the vein, or to our plane, or for that matter to the inhabitants of it. One day, the pumps stopped. They just couldn't run anymore. Some people fled, fearing a planar explosion. Many took their homes and their lives and fled. We were poor, and we just didn't have anywhere to go. My friends Davian and Aluui stayed, along with many other poor families. It really was a test of friendship—surely they could have left, but to this day I'm grateful for them staying by our side.

"Then came the fire. The unstable atmosphere gave rise to anarchy. It was a terrible force... it could make you do awful things. There—there was a fire—we didn't know who did it—it took my father, and... and my legs. Aluui was a biomancer, and Davian and I were researchers. These"—she holds up her right leg—"are the work of Aluui. How great she was... well, anyway, we began to be worried that the same anarchy that took my father would consume the plane. So my mother, Davian, Aluui and I packed our things and planned to leave for a more pleasant environment within the week."

Arterion realizes she's crying a little, and wipes away a tear. "Anyway, we had a week left. We decided that we had to find out exactly what happened so that we could tell everybody. Our boom town was to become a ghost town, and there was nothing we could do about it. But we could inform others so that the same thing wouldn't happen to them. We rigged a containment capsule to fit the central drill to that we could venture into the vein of mana. The three of us carefully went down into the vein with flashlights, but found soon that we didn't need them. Purple bioluminescence was abound in these strange caves, and we could see creatures... things that vaguely reminded us of beings we'd seen elsewhere. But the mana, Sev—the strong magic in the mana—it changed them, in the most magnificent ways. And we were going to spread the word, and tell people what could be done with this now-missing mana source.

"We continued down the dank hallway, greeted with these peaceful, beautiful creatures, until we found the place where the drill had stopped. It had forced its way into the ground in a painful way. No wonder it had ended so harshly. We inspected the divot, and we—we—" she begins to cry. "It was a bone, Sevalios, we'd been drilling into a—a living thing. All those years—so much pain... We couldn't believe it. We were so—so intensely disgusted with the terrible inhumaneness of it all. We made our way out as quickly as we could. It was so awful, Sev. We halfheartedly tested the fresh mana we'd found, and we discovered something that consoled us." Arterion closes her eyes.

"The mana—it wasn't the blood of the creature. Or if it was, it wasn't like any blood from any being we'd seen before. The mana—when it was fresh, we could see it clearly—it wasn't taken directly from the thing, Sev. Or—it was, but—it originated in our frayed edges of the Æther, not in the beast itself. Sevalios, what that meant was that though the creature might be dead, purple mana might still be alive. And that thought stayed with us. We planeswalked away from what was once Ravnica, and my mother, Davian and Aluui now reside in Alara. I went back to visit Ravnica two years ago, and there was"—she begins to cry again—"nothing left but scattered, ruined shops and a barren scape of land. The mana vein was gone, and... and so was our home."

She gulps down her tears. "There you have it, Sevalios. The sad story of my Ravnica as it is and was." She looks at him. "Your turn."

Colors: + purple, see below (3 points)
CMC level: 4 (4 points)
Type Masteries: Creature, Instant, Sorcery, Planeswalker (4 points)
Multicolor level: 1 (1 point)
Advanced Keywords: None

Perks:
Rarity Upgrader (unlocks and ) (1 point)
Magus of the Forgotten (allows creation and use of a new color — see below) (2 points)



Can Call Aid From M10-M15
Points Available/Total: 0/15
Valor: 26.5
Total Score: 526.5

Copyshift Mage 9/10
Creature - Human Wizard
At the beginning of your upkeep, pay an amount of blue mana equal to the number of tokens you control or sacrifice Copyshift Mage.
Whenever a token is created, you gain control of it.
"Mirror spirit, no more of this!"
1/1

Crackling Elemental 9/10
Creature - Elemental
Haste
Whenever Crackling Elemental attacks, damage can't be prevented and life can't be gained until end of combat.
1/1

Gilder of the Grand 8/10
Creature - Human
Whenever a creature attacks you, put a colorless Gold artifact token onto the battlefield with "Sacrifice this: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool."
"I make light from darkness... I make hope when there is none."
1/3

Trained Firewolf 8.5/10
Creature - Wolf
First strike
When Trained Firewolf enters the battlefield, put two 1/1 Wolf creature tokens onto the battlefield.
: Target Wolf becomes a 3/3 Wolf with first strike.
3/3

Fateblocker 1/10
Creature - Human Wizard
When Fateblocker enters the battlefield, put a colorless instant token on top of target player's library with a mana cost of and "Discard your hand."
1/1

Whipdancers 7/10
Creature - Human
Haste, first strike
At the beginning of your end step, Whipdancers deals 1 damage to itself.
"Well, what's battle without a little fun?"
1/2

Citywatcher 7/10
Creature - Elemental
Flying
Citywatcher gets +1/+1 for each creature you don't control in excess of the number you do. (For example, if you have one creatures and your opponents control four, Citywatcher gets +3/+3.)
0/0

Critical Error 9/10
Instant
Target creature loses all abilities. Draw a card.
"Systems.... fai... ling... blarrghll..."

Child of the War 9/10
Creature - Incarnation
Flash
Whenever a creature takes damage, put a +1/+1 counter on Child of War.
"What a scene to be born into. I pity the girl." - Aluui the Second
0/0

Elements' Accord 7/10
Instant
Choose one -
• Elements' Accord deals 3 damage to each creature with flying.
• Elements' Accord deals 3 damage to each creature without flying.
• Choose a creature type. Elements' Accord deals 3 damage to each creature with that type.

Fateclogger Assailant 3/10
Creature - Human
Fateclogger Assailant is unblockable.
Whenever Fateclogger Assailant deals combat damage to a player, put a colorless instant token on top of their library with a mana cost of and "Draw a card. Exile this card."
1/1

Dawnward Strike 8/10
Instant
Put three 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens onto the battlefield tapped and attacking.
"Excuse the name of this meeting, it's misleading. We strike... at midafternoon!"

Flaring Brawler 7/10
Creature - Demon
Haste
Flaring Brawler deals combat damage after creatures it blocks or becomes blocked by.
Flaring Brawler can't be given abilities.
"Never doubt yourself. If you do, you won't get such a delightful surprise when you die!"
7/3

Prismajolt 9/10
Instant
Choose a color.
Each mana in target player's mana pool becomes that color.
Each basic land that player controls becomes that color until end of turn.

Forceful Gesture 5/10
Instant
Target player sets aside all cards in his or her hand that didn't go into their hand this turn. Of the cards remaining, choose one at random, and then that player chooses one -
• They cast that spell without paying its mana cost. You may choose targets for the spell.
• Forceful Gesture deals damage to that player equal to that card's converted mana cost.

Battle-Scarred Elder 6/10
Creature - Human
Whenever Battle-Scarred Elder is assigned as an attacker or blocker in combat and doesn't die, choose one:
• Draw a card.
• Put a +1/+1 counter on Battle-Scarred Elder and you gain life equal to its toughness.
1/3

Image of Home 10/10
Instant
Each player gains 7 life.
If you spent Green mana symbol to cast Image of Home, each player may search their library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, and shuffle their library.
If you spent Blue mana symbol to cast Image of Home, each player may draw two cards.

Arbiter of Gentle Passage 5/10
Creature - Human
Flash
If a non-Spirit creature would die, instead it loses all abilities and becomes a 0/0 Spirit.
2/2

Master of Sanity 10/10
Creature - Vedalken
Flying
: Each creature becomes 0/1 until end of turn.
: Spells and abilities can't cause creatures' powers, toughnesses, or abilities to change this turn.
4/4

Unscrewed Conflict 7/10
Instant
Counter target spell with the word "attack", "attacks", "attacker", or "attacking" in its text.
"Play fair!"

Gravemimic Sentinel 8/10
Creature - Human
Whenever a permanent card leaves an opponent's graveyard, put a token onto the battlefield that's a copy of it.
Whenever an instant or sorcery card leaves an opponent's graveyard, you may copy it and cast the copy without paying its converted mana cost.
"You ain't getting out that easily, kid. Er, uh, old... dead... person."
2/2

Frequency Bender 7/10
Creature - Goblin
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may tap target artifact you control. If you do, copy that spell and you may cast it without paying its mana cost. (You may choose new targets for the copies.)
2/2

Shepherd of the Planes 6/10
Creature - Eldrazi
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, you may pay . If you do, target land becomes a 2/2 Eldrazi Hatchling until end of turn. It's still a land.
"First I thought there was no such thing as a small Eldrazi. Then I thought there were far too many...."
3/3

Magus of the Aeons Lost 9/10
Creature - Mage
Cards, spells and permanents lose their colors and can't have or gain colors. (This doesn't affect mana costs.)
2/2

Festive Healer 8/10
Creature - Human
: Remove all counters from target creature you control, then put a +1/+1 counter on it.
"I'm a firm believer that nothing can't be cured by the sweetest of elixirs—and the sweetest of healers, if I do say so myself."
1/2

Arcane Slash 10/10
Instant
If it's your turn, choose both. Otherwise, choose one—
• Arcane Slash deals 2 damage to target creature.
• Draw a card.

Trick Nix 9/10
Target creature with the word "attacks," "attacking," "attacked," or "attack" loses all abilities until end of turn.
"How about no."

Conjunct Ignition 7.5/10
Instant
Put X 1/1 creature tokens onto the battlefield with all colors and all creature types, where X is the power of target creature attacking you.

Communoblast 7/10
Instant
When you cast Communoblast, if it isn't a copy, copy it for each color you spent to cast it beyond the first and cast the copies without paying their mana costs.
Each creature you control deals 1 damage to target creature. Destroy all permanents attached to that creature.

Artificer of the Unknown 9/10
Creature - Human
Whenever an artifact enters or leaves the battlefield, draw a card and you gain 4 life.
1/1

Boonshaker 8/10
Creature - Human
Boonshaker can block any number of creatures.
Whenever Boonshaker blocks a creature with indestructible, put it on the bottom of its owner's library.
1/3

Constitutive Reinmage 8/10
Creature - Vedalken Wizard
Flying
Whenever a spell is played, if it wasn't cast from a player's hand, you gain control of it.
3/2

Internal Blunder 8/10
Instant
Choose target permanent. If it's an artifact, it loses all abilities. If it's a creature, it fights itself.

Lax Lapsemage  9/10
Creature - Human
Creatures can't have or gain haste.
: Choose a creature. That creature's triggered abilities can't be triggered this turn. (A triggered ability uses the words "when," "whenever," or "at.")
"Life... deserves to be waited for..."
2/2

Rhox Gatekeeper 10/10
Creature - Rhino
Flash
If a card would leave your hand and it wasn't played, you may put that card on top of your library.
"Doesn't look like you have a charter. I'll be taking that."
3/3

Wispitect 7/10
Creature - Vedalken
If an instant or sorcery spell would be played and it wasn't cast from a hand, instead it enters the battlefield as a 1/1 blue Wisp creature token with flying.
To him, it's a matter of perspective.
1/1

Adelphi Prohibitioneer 5/10
Creature - Aven
Flying
Whenever Adelphi Prohibitioneer blocks a creature, that creature gets -1/-0 for each of its abilities.
1/2

Listener of Mixolia 10/10
Creature - Merfolk
Whenever a spell is put into your hand from a zone other than your library, you may reveal it for as long as it's in your hand.
Revealed cards in your hand cost less to cast.
"The time always has been ripe."
1/1

Commune's Coven 10/10
Creature - Wall
Defender
Commune's Coven has +1/+1 and can block an additional creature each combat for each colored mana symbol in other creatures you control.
And she smiled a radiant smile as she said, "To be cold is to be alone. To be together... the deepest warmth you can achieve."
0/0


Righteous Blast 9/10
Instant
When you cast Righteous Blast, if you cast it with , it enters the battlefield as a creature with base power and toughness 3/3 except its second ability gains "At the beginning of each upkeep..."
Righteous Blast deals 1 damage to target creature for each of its abilities.

Quicksilver Viashino 8/10
Creature - Viashino
Haste
When Quicksilver Viashino enters the battlefield, target creature gains double strike until end of turn.
1/1

Mixolian Vanguard 10/10
Creature - Merfolk Rare
Whenever Mixolian Vanguard would be dealt damage, reveal the top card of target player's deck. It loses all text and card types and becomes an instant that costs and has "Draw a card."
2/2

Tranquil Beacon 9/10
Creature - Wall
Flash, defender
Creatures lose and can't have or gain haste, hexproof, or shroud.
0/6

Fyjora's Acceptance WP 5/10
Instant
If target instant or sorcery spell would cause you to take damage, draw cards, or put tokens onto the battlefield, each opponent does the same.
"In order to understand that which makes [us] possible, then [we] must first... realize that everyone is and should be equal."
--The Cauteroblastica, canto 556, verse 3

Powerjack 1RP 7/10
Creature - Weird Uncommon
Haste
: Subtract 2 mana symbol from your opponent's mana pool.
3/2

Pressure Swipe UP 7/10
Instant
Counter target spell. If that spell is countered this way, exile it with two time counters and it gains suspend.

Violent Reclamation RP 10/10
Instant
Exile all cards from target player's graveyard. Violent Reclamation deals 1 damage to each creature that player controls.

Ataraxia One P 9/10
Instant
As long as Ataraxia One is in your graveyard, it gains every type and subtype.
"I don't know what you just did, but please never do it again."

Ephemeral Coatl PP 9/10
Creature — Bird
Flying
If you would discard Ephemeral Coatl, instead exile it with two time counters and it gains suspend.
2/2

Tempo Acclimatization UP 10/10
Instant
Choose target number word on a spell you don't control. Decrease it by three (but not below zero).
"This may feel chilly. Only at first."


Strafe Ambush 2P 9/10
Instant
For each attacking creature target opponent controls, exile it with one time counter, it gains suspend, and Strafe Ambush deals 1 damage to its controller.

Chronaxic Anguish RP 8.5/10
Instant
Choose a creature. For each card in exile, shuffle it into its owner's library and Chronaxic Anguish deals 1 damage to that creature.
"The suffering before was nothing." — Davian Daleur

Warm Welcome 9/10
Instant
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield this turn, you gain 2 life.
"I was unaccustomed to the gratitude and acceptance I found within the Conclave."

Errand Crow UP 8/10
Creature - Bird
Flying
When Errand Crow dies, exile the top five cards of your library face down, search those cards for an instant, sorcery, or planeswalker card. If you did, reveal it in put it in your hand.
1/2

Repetitive Denial 2RP 10/10
Instant
Choose two —
• Repetitive Denial deals 3 damage to target player.
• Counter target spell.
• Return Repetitive Denial to your hand.

Shimmering Flare 7/10
Instant
You gain 4 life. Scry 3.

Tentative Assault 2WP 8/10
Instant
Put two 1/1 Soldier creature tokens onto the battlefield with haste. If a Soldier token would die this turn while Tentative Assault is in your graveyard, return it from your graveyard to your hand.

Sphere of Light 5/10
Enchantment
When Sphere of Light enters the battlefield, creatures can't attack you this turn.
Sacrifice Sphere of Light: Destroy target attacking creature with power 6 or greater.
"It arrived, like an angel's touch..."
—the Cauteroblastica, canto 54:13

Plasterize
Instant
The next time a player would draw cards this turn, reveal them. They enter the battlefield as 0/1 blue Plaster creatures.
"It makes a fantastic squelch sound. It's really the best." —Phile, former Magus of Allya

Reinforce the Needy 7/10
Instant
Creatures with hexproof and creatures with no abilities get +2/+5 until end of turn.
Players with hexproof and players with no abilities gain 5 life.
"It's a cinch. Don't thank me."

Sweaterwhip 8/10
Instant
Counter target spell with the words "opponent" or "opponents" and the words "control," "controls," or "controlling" on its text.
"Her garment protected herself. It was rather genius."

Twisted Trade RP 8/10
Sorcery
Twisted Trade deals 3 damage to target creature. That creature's controller discards a card at random and draws a card.

Throw Down 8/10
Sorcery
Throw Down deals 7 damage to a creature with flying. That creature loses flying this turn.

Sir Real 2P 10/10
Creature - Knight
Flash
Whenever a token is created by a card other than Sir Real, you may create a copy of it and put it in your hand. If it doesn't have a mana cost, its mana cost becomes P.
1/3