Post by HonchkrowDavid on May 17, 2020 16:47:56 GMT
Today I bring you one last update to God of Nature: The set file. But that's not all! The map links you to a lore document about Yakizma where you can read all about the gods, the culture, and the characters you'll meet in GNT. It will also periodically update with short stories from the characters and setting, so check in often! Thanks all for taking this journey with me, hope you enjoyed!
This link will take you directly to maximum cardage
{Arcuns}
Archetypes of GNT
We're taking a break from the Lore today, so let's talk arcuns. Yakizma: God of Nature is a small set, at 190 cards total, with five supported archetypes. The five archetypes are found in enemy colors, and are meant to either transform or accent their respective Death of Yakzima archetypes. God of Nature also has devotion, which theoretically limits the amount of multicolored space in a given set. Because the set is both small and contains devotion, I decided that the arcuns for GNT are all mono colored with off-color activated abilities. But what are the archetypes? Well let's dive in and find out!
WB: Lifegain
Show how well you handle Yakizma's harsh terrain by picking up a few Desecration Raiders, snagging some survivalist cards, and finding ways to gain life each turn!
UR: Snowfall
The Aspects of Yakizma understand the cyclical nature of the seasons. Just because a card is in your graveyard doesn't mean the snow will never fall again. Pick up various snow cards, lands, and cards with snowfall to take control of Yakizma's seasons.
BG: -1/-1 Counters
The weakening effect of Yakizma's winter comes in the form of -1/-1 counters on creatures, but that doesn't mean your creatures can't adapt!
RW: Dwarves
The noble forge-masters from the mountains of Mjors are at your command when you draft Wandering Flamecaster and her friends! The snows quiver at the sight of fire.
GU: Snows
While snowfall wants snow cards in your hand and graveyard, they work just as well on the battlefield. When you pick up Mysticism of Frost, look for snow permanents with enters the battlefield abilities or cards that help you cast snow permanents!
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{Mechanics of GNT}
Devotion
Devotion is a returning mechanic, first seen in Theros and last seen in Theros Beyond Death, that counts the number of colored mana symbols in the costs of permanents you control. Fairly simple and straightforward, devotion is present in all colors and represents the people of Yakizma's reverence of the land and nature.
Survivalist
Survivalist is a new ability word introduced in God of Nature that represents the sturdy resolve of Yakizma's people. The mechanic checks whether or not you've gained life at certain points in a turn, and rewards you accordingly. It is present in both W and B.
Snowfall
Snowfall first appeared in the original Death of Yakizma block, wielded by the jealous god of winter and secrets, Nehel. In DYA the mechanic appeared heavily in black to reflect Nehel's selfish perversion of winter. Now freed from the god's malicious clutches, snowfall returns as a natural expression of nature in RUG
The Snow card frame makes a return alongside snowfall, and has received a few quality of life overhauls. Both the name and typeline bar are slightly more vibrant to make the card's original colors more apparent. The contrast between the bar and the text is now more stark as well. Frosted embellishments were also added to the text box. Original snow template was made by herziquerzi
Cycling
Cycling remains present as the UR evergreen keyword in all sets designed by yours truly. Prowess has been moved to deciduous to keep in line with WOTC precedent.
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Devotion
Devotion is a returning mechanic, first seen in Theros and last seen in Theros Beyond Death, that counts the number of colored mana symbols in the costs of permanents you control. Fairly simple and straightforward, devotion is present in all colors and represents the people of Yakizma's reverence of the land and nature.
Survivalist
Survivalist is a new ability word introduced in God of Nature that represents the sturdy resolve of Yakizma's people. The mechanic checks whether or not you've gained life at certain points in a turn, and rewards you accordingly. It is present in both W and B.
Snowfall
Snowfall first appeared in the original Death of Yakizma block, wielded by the jealous god of winter and secrets, Nehel. In DYA the mechanic appeared heavily in black to reflect Nehel's selfish perversion of winter. Now freed from the god's malicious clutches, snowfall returns as a natural expression of nature in RUG
The Snow card frame makes a return alongside snowfall, and has received a few quality of life overhauls. Both the name and typeline bar are slightly more vibrant to make the card's original colors more apparent. The contrast between the bar and the text is now more stark as well. Frosted embellishments were also added to the text box. Original snow template was made by herziquerzi
Cycling
Cycling remains present as the UR evergreen keyword in all sets designed by yours truly. Prowess has been moved to deciduous to keep in line with WOTC precedent.
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{Character Profiles}
{Dufren}
Today was the day, Dufren thought. He grabbed the letter from his desk and ran his thumb across the wax seal. Jorundar's seal. Two days ago a courier dropped off the letter and a small pouch of gold with no explanation. Some rich Jarl wants a trophy sword Dufren figured, so he let the thing sit while he caught up on other work. This morning he was feeling particularly productive, however, so he peeled back the wax seal and unfolded the page.
After reading it twice, Dufren sunk into his chair and let out a deep, contemplative sigh. He read the letter again just to be sure. A thick cloud was swirling inside his head, and he felt like he had been hit in the gut with a hammer. Dufren picked the bag of coin up and dropped it back on his desk.
"Hela! Come in here!" He called out. His wife appeared in the doorway moments later, confused. "Hela go downstairs, put out the sign, and lock up for the rest of the morning. I'll need a day."
"What's wrong?" She asked. Dufren handed over the letter. There was a pause while Hela read it followed by a comforting pat to her husband's shoulders. "I'll put on some tea while I'm at it. You come down when you're ready."
Dufren waited until she left the room before untying the pouch and dumping out its contents. Among the pile of coins was a small bronze figurine. Puzzled, Dufren picked up the figurine and turned it over. It looked like an effigy of sorts- it had the body of a man carved with vines and leaves but a large set of antlers protruded from the head. "Virida," Dufren mumbled. He paused. Where had he heard that name?
{Sirged}
Screams. That was Sirged's favorite part. They were elated by the terror as what was a clear day only an hour ago had erupted into a massive blizzard. The first plague of Everwinter. There would be many. Sirged watched Nehel's looming shadow blow cold winds into the world through the god's cupped hands. They floated down to the ground, to the town of Frostreath, to get a closer look at their god's work. Blizzards never struck the coast this far north, and the town was delightfully unprepared. A mother grabbed her young child by the hand and ran for cover. They passed by Sirged in slow motion, unaware of the prophet's presence. Their voices were distant and echoing, drifting through Sirged's ears from all angles. The chaos was delightful. Sirged placed a hand against the mother's face, and it burst into smoke at the touch. The child fell apart into a thick cloud of smoke too, and the pair drifted into the storm. The world around Sirged dissipated into fog, until only a distant light remained. They followed it.
Another memory, another blizzard. This time Sirged floated high above a young woman, hair long and fiery as the dawn. She was struggling against the wind, trudging on through waist high snow. Sirged looked to their god, who watched the scene from higher above. Nehel silently extended a shadowy arm and pointed down at the woman. Sirged followed it and found a warrior, brutish and unsubtle, striding up to meet the woman. He smiled, and she trusted him. How foolish. Sirged swatted at the woman and the memory burst into black smoke.
The smoke reformed again around the woman, but everything was different. She was lying face up in red-stained snow. She was... Crying. Hurt? Betrayal? Pleading shouts escaped her as her eyes darted around. Sirged smiled. Trust is for fools. They locked eyes with the assailant, the same man from before, but now with an unquenchable blood-lust in his eye. The ceremonial axe he carried since youth was dripping with blood. Forsaken traditions in favor of a higher power? Maybe Sirged had misjudged him. They glanced back down at the woman. She was shouting something. A word Sirged had never heard before. Or had they? A... Person? There was no one around to save her. Her screams would die here.
A loud, sundering knocking erupted across the sky. Sirged gasped as the world fell away from them at dizzying speed. Color, feeling, and sight all returned to normal as Sirged collapsed to the cold stone of their pulpit. Sirged used their font to pull themself off the ground. The swirling memory inside had dissolved into black smoke. Sirged opened the door before the prophet on the other side could knock again.
"Brother Hemming, how can Nehel help you today?" Sirged asked, with a beaming smile.
"Prophet Sirged! You must come quick. Brother Ebbe unearthed a statue in the ruins of Old Odelia! We think its an Aspect's shrine, but we've never seen anything like it."
"A shrine devoted to an unknown Aspect?" Sirged was puzzled. The idea of secrets not yet heard intrigued Sirged. It was something about knowing what no one else could. They followed Brother Hemming into the cathedral's hall, where Brother Ebbe was dusting snow off the statue. It depicted two figures, a man and an elk, standing side-by-side. Vines wrapped around the man's outstretched arms while flowers bloomed beneath the elk's hooves. A single Aspect bound to two beings? Sirged pondered. Their mind raced.
