Friday, July 30, 2010

Stray Thoughts: Illusions and Aven

I love that the "sacrifice when it's targeted" ability has gotten flavored as illusions in blue. It's just so perfect that they seem real until something looks directly at them. Tragically, I don't think the ability is a fit for M99.

As much as I love both the gameplay and flavor, it just keeps warping the set around it. I keep going, "Oh, that's a cool design, but it would break too many ice cages at common." I hope the effect continues to show up on-and-off, but for now I won't be including Ice Cage or any illusions in the set.

On a completely unrelated note, I've decided to include Aven as a sub-theme. It allows me to get flyers into white that interact with the soldier tribe, and can even show up a little in other colors.

I've already got the Aven Strikeforce at uncommon, and Aven Cloudchaser seems like a good common inclusion. I love the principle of Aven Brigadier, but it certainly won't cut it as a reprint. He's symmetrical, overcosted, and not nearly flashy enough to fill the Mythic slot I'm looking at for an additional lord. So let's take a page out of Nocturnus's book and design ourselves an awesome mythic lord.

Aven Sky Commander - 1WWW
Creature - Bird Soldier (M)
Flying, First Strike
Other Bird creatures you control get +1/+1 and first strike.
Other Soldier creatures you control get +1/+1 and flying.
3/3

Finally, a quick take on something to fill out our generic black commons while adding some continuity to the set.

Rotting Aven - 2B
Creature - Bird Zombie (C)
Flying
2/1

DISCLAIMER: The fan-designed cards here are NOT produced or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Wizards of the Coast® and Magic: The Gathering® are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

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