Build Your Masterpiece
The apocalypse has been averted. A new Age of Enlightenment is beginning. Solphos needs alchemists, engineers, masons and philosophers to carry the torch of civilization: will you answer the call? Assemble the foundation of a new world order, and unveil your grand design to the world!
Set 3 of 3 in the Solphos Block
Number of Cards: 249
Set Completion Date: TBA
Lead Designer: Chin Kee Yong (a.k.a. CKY)
Lore
One year has passed since the Golden Reckoning.
The power of the Azoth halted the spread of the philosopher's gold across the plane and transmuted it into the miraculous building material orichalcum. Philosopher Cestus has founded the Esoteric Society of Fabers, a plane-spanning organization of masons and engineers, to reconstruct the Solphosian civilization stronger than before. But there are mysteries surrounding Philosopher Scepter's disappearance that remain unsolved. A strange new celestial body, a Luna, appeared after the end of the Golden Reckoning. Philosopher Haereticus and the Deists believe that this "moon" is an avatar of Philosopher Scepter, who transcended reality and became a God of Alchemy called the Lunar Trismegistus.
The new Questioning Philosopher is the planeswalker Lumina Revelaris, who follows in Scepter's footsteps out of a newfound respect for her predecessor. She strives to create a fair and open society with her newspaper the Libri Liberi. But even so, the upheaval of Solphos has taken its its toll, and divides are emerging between the rationalist Sophist and the spiritual Deist schools of thought. New questions are emerging that no one can answer. Just what happened to Philosopher Scepter at the last moment of her fateful mission? From whence did the Luna appear? Are there things in the world that even science cannot explain?
The time of apocalypse is over. The time to rebuild the world has begun.
For detailed information about the plane, see the Planeswalker's Guide to Solphos.
The power of the Azoth halted the spread of the philosopher's gold across the plane and transmuted it into the miraculous building material orichalcum. Philosopher Cestus has founded the Esoteric Society of Fabers, a plane-spanning organization of masons and engineers, to reconstruct the Solphosian civilization stronger than before. But there are mysteries surrounding Philosopher Scepter's disappearance that remain unsolved. A strange new celestial body, a Luna, appeared after the end of the Golden Reckoning. Philosopher Haereticus and the Deists believe that this "moon" is an avatar of Philosopher Scepter, who transcended reality and became a God of Alchemy called the Lunar Trismegistus.
The new Questioning Philosopher is the planeswalker Lumina Revelaris, who follows in Scepter's footsteps out of a newfound respect for her predecessor. She strives to create a fair and open society with her newspaper the Libri Liberi. But even so, the upheaval of Solphos has taken its its toll, and divides are emerging between the rationalist Sophist and the spiritual Deist schools of thought. New questions are emerging that no one can answer. Just what happened to Philosopher Scepter at the last moment of her fateful mission? From whence did the Luna appear? Are there things in the world that even science cannot explain?
The time of apocalypse is over. The time to rebuild the world has begun.
For detailed information about the plane, see the Planeswalker's Guide to Solphos.
Mechanics
Renaissance represents the dawn of a new age. It's a standalone large set drafted separately from Solphos and Fool's Gold. Like the two previous sets in the block, Renaissance is about combo - but instead of the tense race for combo pieces that was the hallmark of Solphos and Fool's Gold, Renaissance is about "building your masterpiece." This set encourages you to develop your board, create powerful synergies that feed into each other, and cruise to victory on the back of a well-oiled Rube Goldberg machine.
Transfigure
Transfigure is to Renaissance what transmute was to Solphos and Fool's Gold. First appearing on the Future Sight card Fleshwrither, transfigure lets you transform a creature into any other creature in your deck with the same converted mana cost. If you're in a tight spot, transfigure lets you fetch just the right creature for the situation - and if you need one last piece to complete your combo engine, transfigure lets you trade in a creature to do just that!
Fabers
The Fabers are Artificer creatures with
abilities that get more powerful the more Artificers you have. For example, Faber Welder is a very unappealing card for most Limited decks, but accumulate a critical mass of Fabers and suddenly all of them become very threatening indeed! The Fabers help to push the engine-building theme in Limited and provide a strong linear strategy for new players to follow.
Innovate
Innovate is a new keyword that simply means "When this spell resolves, each player draws a card." Innovate is a rider on many instants and sorceries that encourages players to keep doing things and moving the game along. It speeds up a relatively slow and grindy Limited format, meaning that both players will never run out of things to do. And it's a flavorful way to represent the new Age of Enlightenment that Solphos is going through!
Renaissance is my first serious attempt at a balanced Limited format that adheres to New World Order while maintaining lots of strategic complexity. I'm challenging myself to make a "combo matters" set that's approachable and easy to understand for new players. How will it go? Let's find out!
Transfigure
Icebox Halitus
Creature - Elemental (C)
2/1
When Icebox Halitus enters the battlefield, tap target creature. It doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.
Transfigure
(, Sacrifice this creature: Search your library for a creature card with converted mana cost 3 and put that card onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library. Transfigure only as a sorcery.)
"Refreshments have arrived."
-Portaris, appliance-faber
Creature - Elemental (C)
2/1
When Icebox Halitus enters the battlefield, tap target creature. It doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.
Transfigure
(, Sacrifice this creature: Search your library for a creature card with converted mana cost 3 and put that card onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library. Transfigure only as a sorcery.)"Refreshments have arrived."
-Portaris, appliance-faber
Transfigure is to Renaissance what transmute was to Solphos and Fool's Gold. First appearing on the Future Sight card Fleshwrither, transfigure lets you transform a creature into any other creature in your deck with the same converted mana cost. If you're in a tight spot, transfigure lets you fetch just the right creature for the situation - and if you need one last piece to complete your combo engine, transfigure lets you trade in a creature to do just that!
Fabers
Faber Welder
Creature - Mutant Artificer (C)
2/3
: Faber Welder deals X damage to target player, where X is the number of Artificers you control.
"Lay thine hands on ferric Brazier, Noble Fellow, and so thine being calcine."
-Lodge initiation rite
Creature - Mutant Artificer (C)
2/3
: Faber Welder deals X damage to target player, where X is the number of Artificers you control."Lay thine hands on ferric Brazier, Noble Fellow, and so thine being calcine."
-Lodge initiation rite
The Fabers are Artificer creatures with
abilities that get more powerful the more Artificers you have. For example, Faber Welder is a very unappealing card for most Limited decks, but accumulate a critical mass of Fabers and suddenly all of them become very threatening indeed! The Fabers help to push the engine-building theme in Limited and provide a strong linear strategy for new players to follow.Innovate
Unfamiliar Stars
Instant (C)
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn.
Innovate (Each player draws a card.)
"We had charted every motion of the sun and the stars. We had learned their orbits, their quadrants, their secret signs. What does this new Luna - this 'moon' portend for our profession?"
-Visum, astronomer
Instant (C)
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn.
Innovate (Each player draws a card.)
"We had charted every motion of the sun and the stars. We had learned their orbits, their quadrants, their secret signs. What does this new Luna - this 'moon' portend for our profession?"
-Visum, astronomer
Innovate is a new keyword that simply means "When this spell resolves, each player draws a card." Innovate is a rider on many instants and sorceries that encourages players to keep doing things and moving the game along. It speeds up a relatively slow and grindy Limited format, meaning that both players will never run out of things to do. And it's a flavorful way to represent the new Age of Enlightenment that Solphos is going through!
Renaissance is my first serious attempt at a balanced Limited format that adheres to New World Order while maintaining lots of strategic complexity. I'm challenging myself to make a "combo matters" set that's approachable and easy to understand for new players. How will it go? Let's find out!
Put a 1/1 colorless Construct artifact creature token with defender onto the battlefield.
Exile the top X cards of your library. Cast each nonland card with converted mana cost X or less exiled this way without paying its mana cost if able.