Hi, I'm working on a new set starting with cards that I recycled from some of my older posts. I want some help making this kind of set, so I made this thread.
Network of Iron is a set that would try to reference elements of many things in the modern world, from a high presence of tech in the military, politics, sociology, democracy, and grey morality. However, there's also mutants, dragons, extremely large amounts of natural disasters, evil and heroic resistance movements, supervillains, demons that aren't evil, angels that are, and religious cults that threaten to destroy this functional society.
Let's take a look at the story component of this expansion.
GRACEKIND CONCORD
The Gracekind Concord is a religious cult bent on bringing authority to the culture of the majority, resting its power on a pure, virtuous leadership created by those that sacrifice the most towards their cause. Those leaders are called the Gracekind. Most of the other governments, especially the MFDF, see these people as blatantly racist, as they seek to destroy "corrupt" groups based on how they originate such as demons, non-majority human races, non-human sentient species, and on top of that despise certain professions like bankers, scientists, and entertainers.
The gracekind tends to have a lot of cards that make a great midrange, stopwatch (aggro-control), or combo deck, but are lacking in sheer aggro firepower and don't have board clear. They have very simple minds and can't understand the concept of drawing cards, or organizing a lot of weak creatures like tokens.
There's also a darker side to the Gracekind... This faction was made by a group of wealthy entrepreneurs that wanted to enhance their financial standing compared to the rest of the world. They think little of people in poverty, but know that faith spreads rapidly among the disenfranchised. To exploit this, they made the Gracekind Concord, in order to enhance their gains from military investment and destroy governments that blocked the activities of its members.
The Gracekind is a caste-like system where the wealthy at the top tend to have affinity with colorless mana. Then there are two groups at the bottom, the ignorant cults that the Gracekind control, and the supervillain-like hideouts and bodyguards that protect and enshroud their activities. Entrance into the Gracekind is determined by birthright. Higher-up Gracekind members are forbidden from interacting with lower-level Gracekind unless their identities are concealed. They are forbidden from breeding with lower-level Gracekind but not with outsiders.
Gracekind also makes use of numerous tools. They hire mercenaries to do dirty work for them. They bring in scientists and spies to enhance their ability to commit terrorism. Finally, they use animals, specializing in magic that controls stupid beasts and use them to destroy major cities with little retaliation.
MULTIPLE FEDERATION DEFENSE FORCE (MFDF)
Almost all the countries in this world are highly developed and allied to support networks of trade and enhance the prosperity of its citizens. Elections are held in each of these countries at different times, and every 3 to 5 years depending on the country. All of these countries are democratic, but some of the older democracies have fallen to corrupt families and groups seeking to hold onto power at any cost.
However, there are people who seek to protect democracy and enhance the power the people have against these groups. This is going to be featured in a later segment.
The MFDF is able to access any color of mana but has a high tendency to either use hybrid mana, tricolor, or monocolor spells. There are multiple groups inside this coalition that want to make the world better. The MFDF would either use aggro, midrange, or control. They often use modern treatments, tactics, vehicles, and equipment.
The MFDF as a whole steers towards blue/red. Pure blue and pure red are capable of creating their own viable midrange decks. The MFDF can also use aggressive blue and controlling red.
The MFDF isn't just restricted to red and blue however. Their liberal state of mind allows them to accept many ideologies and tolerate white, black, and green. However, there are limits.
REGULATORY DEMOCRATIC UNION (RDU)
The MFDF have numerous political groups, each group representing certain elements that people want. There is a tendency for groups across countries to join together and create international coalitions. This coalition is about ensuring that every person doesn't get left behind. Yes, this is the socialist group.
The RDU operates using either an aggro deck, a combo deck, or a midrange deck.
Though the socialists aren't infallible like how history tells us, they do have a point. What kind of world would it be if you can't afford anything to eat, can't afford housing, moving to a place with cheaper housing, medicine, and risk death just because you don't have money? In a democracy, this political agenda is inevitable.
Also, this faction also thinks that law enforcement should be more effective than what the other groups allow it to be. They tend to be painted as either the hyper-regulatory party or the police state party, a designation which they constantly refuse.
FREE ECONOMICS ALLIANCE (FEA)
The MFDF obviously have a free economics political group! What do you think this is, Narnia? The Free Econoics Alliance is made up of businessmen that want to keep the Multiple Federations prosperous. They tend to get into power when people want to have lower taxes, better business opportunities, lower debt, or a larger nest egg.
This political group tends to operate using a midrange, stopwatch, or control plan of action.
Despite being a blatantly right-wing faction, this group is a major advocate of freedom of mobility and fair treatment of minorities. This makes them favored by demons, liches, goblins (even though they are persuaded by all of the major parties) and even the disabled, who tend to swing to this party when they want a direct military response to the Gracekind. Because of this politicians in this group can't stand the Gracekind's antics. When a disabled person is running for leadership in this group, Gracekind activists tend to bait them into causing trouble and making themselves look good.
SUSTAINABLE POLICY INTERNATIONAL (SPI)
The MFDF control some of the world's richest ecosystems. There's a political group that seeks to ensure these ecosystems are treated properly, without getting destroyed by overexploitation. This group also wants to improve contraception laws to prevent overpopulation. This political party has tools for aggressive, stopwatch (tempo), and control decks, to reflect its competence at creating policy that isn't just "**** the poor" or "**** the economy".
This group is mainly scientists, military personnel, and technical people though, which makes it difficult for them to convince the world to follow their advice. They also are disadvantaged when there is a diplomatic crisis, which makes them voted out quickly if force and hard skills will fail.
However, as soon as war starts up, politics can then return to their favor as they tend to give the best policies for wartime activity, such as energy security, espionage, lasting military victories, and wartime transparency.
LOCATIONS
This plane is extremely massive and rich in mana. Despite having a major metropolis-themed style, it's loaded with numerous wild locations, each with different resources and opportunities for Planeswalkers. After being conscious about overpopulation, the people on this plane tend to have small families.
Also, remember the supervillain-style lairs that the Gracekind have? I think that is something that should be kept in mind.
This expansion would move back and forth between multicolor, colorless, and monocolor lands. There would also be lands that encourage splashing a color instead of maining two colors.
The plane also suffers natural disasters, which SPI consistently sought to research, react against, and prevent. The best things that is known about natural disasters is how to create them.
WILDLIFE
The wildlife in this plane is common, and often used by either Gracekind to enhance their secret lairs and activities or by the MFDF as utility animals to see what an enemy force is doing.
Active arid ecosystems tend to have small animals that don't really do much. They tend to just be ignored by visiting Planeswalkers. However, those that do try to tame the small animals tend to come out a bit disoriented. Active marine ecosystems tend to be populated by large animals and fish. For example, drakes. The fish are unimportant and are just eaten as food, managed by fishing quotas that nobody but SPI cares to change, so it's sustainable. There are animals in cities, but they tend to be cleaned out while it's easy for wildlife to move around said cities. Active mountainous regions have dragons and docile animals. There's not a lot of food but the dragons are able to sustain themselves through feeding off woodland down below. Active forested ecosystems tend to have bears, cats, and other medium-sized animals. These can be easily domesticated and researched on but are also equally dangerous.
TECHNOLOGY
The MFDF has access to some of the strongest war machines of any plane. There is also an arms race between the MFDF and the Gracekind for making stronger WMDs or protecting themselves against those weapons.
There are vehicles. In contrast with Kaladesh's majestic creations, the MFDF sought to make effective equipment. This led to machines more in the style of Armored Transport.
From a game balance perspective, I don't know what to do in order to make equipment useful. I think equipment should be used with at least one MFDF deck, but I don't think it would fit in anything I produced so far. It would be a nice colorless deck option for the MFDF, showing that even colorless isn't bad in and of itself.
The MFDF have a control option where there's this new artifact token called bullet tokens. They are produced by mostly red spells and have ", sacrifice this artifact: ~ deals 1 damage to target creature." There are certain breeds of mercenary that would hammer creatures hit by bullet wounds.
The MFDF and Gracekind also have numerous treatments, tactics, and methods that make their strategies stronger. This is represented in enchantment form via things like auras and global enchantments.
Both factions also are trying to make artificial Planeswalkers, and it would be a dangerous revelation to know that the Gracekind's ways are the norm in most planes due to the modernized nature of this place compared to the feudal nature of most other planes.
Because it would be a pain if I were to go back to edit my post, then get a wall of text I need to change, I'm creating a new post to hold all the spells and creatures for this expansion.
WHITE
Blatant Sentient Rights Violation Sorcery Name a nonland card. Search your library, graveyard, and hand for the named card and put them in exile. "What is freedom of speech? Is it the freedom that lets me control your speech?"
Gracekind Death Squad Creature - Human Assassin When ~ enters the battlefield, choose one:
Destroy target creature with CMC of 4 or greater.
Search your library for 4 cards and remove them from the game.
2/1
Coercive Charity Sorcery Search your library for up to five cards and exile them. Shuffle your library. You gain 5 life.
BLUE
Omega Crewman Prowess 2 1/1
Time Limit Enchantment - Aura At the beginning of your upkeep, put the top 2 cards of target player's library into their graveyard. Then, scry 1. Whenever your opponents deal combat damage to you they may pay . If they do, you and that player reveal the top card of your library. If your card has a higher CMC than theirs, draw a card. Otherwise, sacrifice ~.
Convoy Specialist Creature - Human Soldier Hexproof: ~ gains hexproof until end of turn. When ~ enters the battlefield, reveal the top three cards of your library. Put all Soldier cards revealed this way into your hand and the rest into your graveyard. 3/1
Illusory Infantry Creature - Illusion Soldier When ~ becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it. When ~ deals combat damage to a player, put a token onto the battlefield that is a copy of ~. 3/2
MIA Marine Creature - Spirit Soldier When ~ becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it. Whenever an opponent draws a card, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. 1/4 Lost to the field of war, he wanders, seeking to help his comrades despite not knowing he's perished. But when he realized he's dead, he thought falsely that there was nothing that he could do...
Marine Infantry Creature - Human Soldier Prowess 2 1/4
Non Maskable Error Instant Counter target instant or sorcery spell. That spell's controller shuffles their hand into their library, then draws cards equal to the number of cards shuffled into their library this way. "The only way to fix this problem is to restart the machine."
BLACK
Lich Broker Creature - Zombie Advisor Defender, deathtouch : Add 2 mana of any color to your mana pool. At the beginning of your next turn, pay or sacrifice a land. , pay 2 life: return ~ from your graveyard to your hand. 1/4 "I encourage lending gold, if it's for a good purpose. Good merchants are an asset to our city and it profits me to keep trade moving so that we be prosperous."
Savior of the Damned Creature - Demon Knight Lifelink Fateful Hour - if you are at 5 or less life, ~ may be cast without paying for its mana cost. 4/4 "Those who are determined to not merely live- but thrive, shall do so."
Outfit Executioner Creature - Human Assassin When ~ enters the battlefield, target player may discard a card. If he doesn't, put a 1/1 black Assassin creature token onto the battlefield with deathtouch. Discard a card: ~ gains first strike and deathtouch until end of turn. 1/4
RED
Fire Hazard Enchantment When an instant or sorcery you control would deal damage, it deals that much damage +1 instead. , Sacrifice Fire Hazard: Fire Hazard deals 2 damage to target creature.
Risk Management Enchantment Players may only attack with 3 or less creatures, and may only block with 2 or less creatures. If all blocking creatures die in any combat step, the attacking player may draw 2 cards, then discard a card.
Flare Up Enchantment If a permanent would deal noncombat damage to a creature or player, it deals that much damage plus 1 instead.
Instantaneous Vengeance Instant Whenever a creature would deal damage to you this turn, ~ deals that much damage to that creature. Whenever a noncreature permanent would deal damage to you this turn, ~ deals that much damage to that permanent's controller. If a spell or ability would target you this turn, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.
Supply Drop Sorcery Put 5 Bullet artifact tokens onto the battlefield with ", , sacrifice ~: ~ deals 1 damage to target permanent." Draw a card.
Abort Instant Discard your hand. Draw three cards.
Draconian Vanguard Creature - Dragon Knight Flying, trample : ~ deals 3 damage to target creature or player. Activate this ability once per turn. Whenever a creature an opponent control blocks or gets blocked, ~ fights that creature. 3/6
GREEN
Power of History Enchantment Whenever a legendary permanent is destroyed, put X +1/+1 counters onto target creature you control, X being the number of legendary permanents in your graveyard.
Ecological Succession Enchantment Uncounterable (This spell cannot be countered.) Whenever you play a land from your hand, scry 1. Then, you may reveal the top card of your library and pay . If it's a land card, you may put it onto the battlefield and draw a card.
Ambush the Coy Enchantment Whenever a creature your opponent controls attacks, if your creatures can't block it, you may have target creature you control fight that creature at the end of their combat phase.
Grizzly Alpha Creature - Bear (C) Bears without abilities get +2/+2. 2/2
Hatching Season Instant Put X 1/1 green Snake token creatures onto the battlefield with deathtouch, where X is the amount of life you gained last turn.
Mentor's Boon Enchantment - Aura When you cast ~, put a +1/+1 counter onto target creature if you have more than 45 cards in your library. Enchanted creature gets +2/+1.
Pack Bear Creature - Bear When ~ enters the battlefield, if you control two Auras, put a 2/2 Bear creature token onto the battlefield. "No, not the bears!" -A guy who wasn't in the wilderness for more than 24 hours. 2/2
Childhood Pet Creature - Hound Cast ~ only if you have 45 or more cards in your library. When ~ etb, target opponent gets a 1/1 Hound creature token. Cycling 4/4
Cloaked Jaguar Creature - Cat Hexproof 2/2
Heavy Intrusion Instant Choose a creature you control. Repeat the following X times:
You may choose a new target attacking or blocking creature.
Those two creatures fight.
Remove all damage from creatures that didn't take lethal damage this turn. "Hiding won't help you."
MULTICOLOR
Static Flash Instant ~ deals 2 damage, divided as you choose, among up to 2 target creatures and/or players. ~ deals 2 damage to all creatures damaged this way and taps them. Scry X, where X is the amount of damage dealt to players this way.
Unfortunate Coincidence Instant Destroy target tapped creature and up to two target lands.
Police Militarization Sorcery ~'s mana cost may also be paid using Put two 1/1 blue, red, and white Soldier creature tokens onto the battlefield with haste and prowess.
Mystic Chains Enchantment — Aura(U) Enchant creature Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and can't be sacrificed. When enchanted creature dies, draw two cards.
Military Finesse Sorcery Untap all creatures you control. This main phase is followed by an additional combat phase followed by an additional main phase.
Grass Ring Beta Creature - Cat Druid When ~ is dealt damage, put that many 1/1 Druid creature tokens onto the battlefield. 2/3
Dragoncaller's Experiment Sorcery Put 2 2/2 blue and red Drake creature tokens onto the battlefield with flying.
LAND
Office Suite Land : Add to your mana pool. , , Sacrifice ~: Draw a card.
Doomed Academy Land ~ enters the battlefield tapped. : Add to your mana pool. Whenever you cast a or spell, sacrifice ~ and draw a card.
Maritime Church Eroded Cliffside Doomed Academy Shoreline Park Firewater Bank Slum Elementary Smallpine Resort Tropical Epicenter Endangered Woodland Marshland Vault
Reasons for a land's destruction: : Desertification or Gracekind attack. : Ocean levels risen and flooded the place. : Mercenary attack or gentrification. Or, a flood. : Fire or volcanic eruption. : Overridden by the other colors.
COLORLESS
Distract Sorcery Target opponent puts a card from their hand on top of their library.
Effective Mobilization Instant Untap all creatures you control. Scry 1.
Crude Counterspell Instant Counter target spell. If a spell is countered this way, put it on top of its owner's library.
Repeater Crossbow Artifact - Equipment Equip Equipped creature gains double strike if it blocks or is blocked by a creature with less toughness than it. "One bolt staggers your prey, the next finishes them off. Just be careful not to lose your balance when using it."
Agent's Bicycle Artifact - Vehicle Crew 2 All effects of equipment attached to creatures also apply to Agent's Bicycle. 2/2
Basil II Artifact - Vehicle Crew 6 ~'s crew cost is instead paid with toughness instead of power. 6/6
Marine's Hovercraft Artifact - Vehicle Crew 4 When ~ deals combat damage to a player, you may untap each creature crewing ~. If you do, you get an additional combat phase, with the untapped creatures tapped and attacking that player. 4/4
Bicycle Fleet Artifact - Vehicle Crew 2 When ~ becomes a creature...
Put a token onto the battlefield that is a copy of it for each creature crewing ~. Those tokens are creatures in addition to their other types. Exile those tokens at the end of the turn.
Mechanical 1. Hybrid 2. Vehicles / Equipment / Auras 3. New lands that don't produce multiple colors of mana. 4. Toughness instead of power for crewing vehicles. 5. Deck speed archetypes outside of their normal colors.
a. White midrange, combo b. Blue aggro, midrange c. Black midrange, control d. Red midrange, control e. Green aggro, aggro-control, control f. Colorless aggro, midrange, aggro-control
Cruise X - Tap any number of creatures with total toughness X or more: This artifact becomes an artifact creature in addition to its other types.
Flavor Complex, but emphasis on supervillains. If I can boil it down, I'd put more stuff here, but my first post would explain a bit more important stuff than what I put here.
Joined: May 18, 2015 Posts: 4748
Preferred Pronoun Set: he/him
Cruise also goes directly against how Wizards has already defined Vehicles. That's my biggest qualm. Players who are familiar with Kaladesh block may look at a Vehicle and play based on intuition, tapping based on power because that's how it was done before. If a new mechanic goes against a player's intuition, it probably shouldn't be a mechanic.
I have further ideas for what kind of style I want this set.
There are multiple types of lands around that give the plane the feeling of a resort, somewhere you want to go on vacation. Like, in the modern day. It's reminding me of the Far Cry series quite a bit.
Maybe I should put in the Aetherborn into this set. Like, the MFDF or the Gracekind figured out how to make Aetherborn when seeking to create Planeswalkers. Or have them be a piece of making the Planeswalker Spark.
Okay, I'm trying to think of how the block structure would work out.
The block starts with three expansions on an entirely different plane, using the following color combinations: -
Oasis of Death "Nomads vs the navy vs smugglers, lots of chaos"
-
Veins of Amber "foxes, trolls, high elves and dwarves
-
Empire of Flesh "vampire knights vs insect ninja, soldiers, some enchantments"
The story would be focused on some nobody discovering this plane, and travelling through the continents, with its spark unstable. It can't get out. It explores the continent trying to find out what's going on, going through territories of eight different factions, each of them seeking to kill it for its trespass. Eventually, it comes across a planar portal, which it tries going through.
It ends up in an entirely different world, but its abilities are now even less effective, unpredictable, and it's now running from an enormous, dangerous threat to his existence. He comes here, and has to make a choice: surrender, or fight. He chooses to fight, which causes him to harm himself dearly. He then surrenders, with his fate unknown.
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, sacrifice this artifact: ~ deals 1 damage to target creature." There are certain breeds of mercenary that would hammer creatures hit by bullet wounds.
: Add 2 mana of any color to your mana pool. At the beginning of your next turn, pay 
or sacrifice a land.
to your mana pool.
