We are currently 1/6 of the way through making the set. I think that so far we're doing excellently, with most of the mishaps along the way being managerial errors on my behalf rather than design or voting mistakes by you guys. This is the thread to tie Mechanics and Flavor together, to make sure we continue doing excellently going forward.

First, I want everyone to read Nuts & Bolts: Design Skeleton, one of MaRo's greatest articles. He explains how sets are given bones before they're given sinew and skin. Read this if you need a refresher on what exactly Set Structure is as a concept, why it's important, and what we can do about it.

While the criteria system is working out really well so far, I'd like us to start thinking about the set in a broader scheme, and ask ourselves: Where do the cards that have gotten in so far indicate that we're going?

So, post in this thread if you have any idea for a slot on the Set Map (i.e. a criterion), or think it would be cool to make a cycle out of a card already in the set, such as Seal of Churned Earth or Lightbearer, because I plan to have bonus rounds for cycles in the future. People can use this as inspiration for their own criteria, and in general talk about where we're going from here.

I think we should use the Future Sight card type symbols as watermarks in this set. As an exercise for myself, I gave each card in the set so far a watermark.



Apostle of Elori: Enchantment
Encapsulate: Artifact
Lightbearer: Enchantment
Shackles of Order: Enchantment
Sun Spirit: Enchantment
Sunchaser Elder: Creature
Voice of Unity: Creature

Frostblight Foresight: Artifact
Frostblight Scavenger: Artifact
Glacinorak, the Frozen Heart: None
Qualified Research: None
Spellbound Serpent: Sorcery
Turn Back: None
Wall of Clouds: None

Cheapshot Enthusiast: Instant
Icy Whisper: Instant
Mindshivers: None
Rattleskull Viashino: Creature
Scavenged Plans: None
Seal of Churned Earth: Creature
Wraith's Whisper: None

Crystalline Lasher: None
Gleam Collector: Sorcery
Ignite the Ashes: Instant
Rabid Fireweasel: None
Sparksigil Apprentice: Sorcery
Viashino Sandscout: None

Borderland Ranger: Land
Consult the Elder Trees: Multiple
Lurking Frostjaw: Creature
Restoration Spirit: None
Resurgence of Strength: Creature
Tarmogoyf: Multiple
Track to the Lair: Land

Coldmetal Coat: Artifact
Cutthroat Automaton: None
Druid's Keepsake: Land
Mox Amber: Multiple
Prismatic Wanderer: None
Scavenger's Sack: Artifact

Quiet Factory: Artifact

At the very least, we should decide on how much and at what rarities and in which colors we want each watermark in the set. In other words, we should decide which colors care about which card types, and how much, and how many cards that care about that type it would require to establish that.

I really think we need to do the same as the below example for the entire set.
CW01 – creature, small
CW02 – creature, small, flying, gravetwist
CW03 – creature, small, first strike
CW04 – creature, small, flash, ETB – life gain
CW05 – creature, medium, vigilance
CW06 – creature, medium, flying
CW07 – sorcery – token making, flying
CW08 – instant, power boost
CW09 – instant, enchantment removal
CW10 – enchantment, creature removal
CU01 – creature, small, flying,
CU02 – creature, small, shroud
CU03 – creature, medium, flying
CU04 – creature, large
CU05 – instant, hard counterspell, gravetwist
CU06 – instant, soft counterspell
CU07 – instant, "bounce"
CU08 – sorcery, card drawing
CU09 – sorcery
CU10 – enchantment, aura, creature removal
CB01 – creature, small
CB02 – creature, small, flying
CB03 – creature, small, deathtouch, gravetwist
CB04 – creature, medium, intimidate
CB05 – creature, medium, ETB – raise dead
CB06 – creature, medium
CB07 – instant, creature kill, gravetwist
CB08 – sorcery, discard
CB09 – sorcery, drain creature
CB10 – enchantment, aura, positive effect, gravetwist
CR01 – creature, small – ETB direct damage to player
CR02 – creature, small, first strike
CR03 – creature, small
CR04 – creature, medium, haste
CR05 – creature, medium, trample
CR06 – instant – direct damage to creatures
CR07 – instant – direct damage to either
CR08 – instant – power pump
CR09 – sorcery – panic, gravetwist
CR10 – enchantment, aura, positive effect
CG01 – creature, small, gravetiwst, ETB – artifact/enchantment removal
CG02 – creature, small, regeneration
CG03 – creature, small, deathtouch
CG04 – creature, medium, reach, gravetwist
CG05 – creature, medium
CG06 – creature, medium
CG07 – creature, large, trample
CG08 – instant, power/toughness boost
CG09 – sorcery, life gain
CG10 – enchantment, aura, positive effect
CA01 – creature, medium
CA02 – sac effect, mana related
CA03 – tap ability, mana related
CA04 – equipment, power/toughness pumping
CA05 – equipment, evasion
CL01 – produces W
CL02 – produces U
CL03 – produces B
CL04 – produces R
CL05 – produces G

11/39 White Cards

64% creatures,
27% enchantments,
9% instants.

27% care about artifacts,
27% care about enchantments,
18% care about creatures,
18% don't specifically care about anything.

White Commons

1 – Consortium Customs – medium creature, artifacts
2 – Encapsulate – instant, enchantment removal, artifacts
3 – Indomitable Will – enchantment, aura, positive effect
4 – Lightbearer – small creature, enchantments
5 – Shackles of Order – enchantment, aura, negative effect
6 – Sunchaser Elder – small creature, creatures

White Uncommons

1 – Ethereal Armor – enchantment, aura, positive effect, enchantments
2 – Soulsteel Saint – small creature, artifacts
3 – Sun Spirit – small creature, enchantments

White Rares

1 – Apostle of Elori – small creature, enchantments
2 – Voice of Unity – medium creature, flying, creatures

9/39 Blue Cards

56% instants,
11% enchantments,
33% creatures.

22% care about spells,
22% care about artifacts,
56% don't specifically care about anything.

Blue Commons

1 – Dehydration – enchantment, aura, negative effect
2 – Subterranean Scrawlings – instant, card draw, spells
3 – Turn Back – instant, creature removal

Blue Uncommons

1 – Frostblight Foresight – instant, digger, artifacts
2 – Frostblight Scavenger – instant, looter, artifacts
3 – Qualified Research – instant, card draw
4 – Spellbound Serpent – large creature, spells
5 – Wall of Clouds – small creature, flash, defender, flying

Blue Mythics

1 – Glacinorak, the Frozen Heart – large creature, flying

9/39 Black Cards

33% creatures
45% instants
11% sorceries
11% enchantments

22% care about instants,
22% care about creatures,
56% don't specifically care about anything.

Black Commons

1 – Cheapshot Enthusiast – small creature, instants
2 – Cremate – instant cantrip
3 – Mindshivers – instant, digger
4 – Rattleskull Viashino – medium creature, creatures
5 – Seal of Churned Earth – enchantment, creatures
6 – Shamebearer – small enchantment creature, enchantments
7 – Wraith's Whisper – instant, card draw

Black Uncommons

1 – Scavenged Plans – sorcery, discard, tutor
2 – Icy Whisper – instant, instant recursion

9/39 Red Cards

78% creatures
11% instants
11% sorceries

22% care about spells,
11% care about sorceries,
11% care about artifacts,
56% don't specifically care about anything.

Red Commons

1 – Crystalline Lasher – small creature
2 – Ignite the Ashes – instant, burn, spells
3 – Knifetail Waylay – small creature
4 – Living Bonfire – large creature, artifacts
5 – Viashino Sandscout – small creature

Red Uncommons

1 – Rabid Fireweasel – small creature

Red Rares

1 – Gleam Collector – small creature, spells
2 – Sandquake – sorcery, sweeper
3 – Sparksigil Apprentice – small creature, sorceries

9/39 Green Cards

78% creatures,
11% instants,
11% sorceries.

17% care about lands,
28% care about creatures,
11% care about enchantments,
22% count the card types,
11% care about permanents,
11% don't specifically care about anything.

Green Commons

1 – Borderland Ranger – small creature, lands
2 – Lurking Frostjaw – large creature, creatures
3 – Oathbreaker – small creature
4 – Resurgence of Strength – instant, creatures

Green Uncommons

1 – Track to the Lair – sorcery, land/creature tutor
2 – Wanderlust Wendigo – medium creature, enchantments

Green Rares

1 – Consult the Elder Trees – sorcery, all types
2 – Restoration Spirit – small creature, permanents

Green Mythics

1 – Tarmogoyf – medium creature, all types

9/28 Colorless Cards

33% creatures
22% equipment
45% non-creatures, non-equipment

33% care about artifacts,
11% care about lands,
11% care about permanents,
45% don't specifically care about anything.

Colorless Commons

1 – Antique Guardian – small creature, artifacts
2 – Desert Totem – artifact removal / enchantment removal
3 – Druid's Relic – accelerant, lands
4 – Prismatic Wanderer – color fixer

Colorless Uncommons

1 – Coldmetal Coat – equipment, artifacts

Colorless Rares

1 – Cloud Key – cost reducer
2 – Cutthroat Automaton – clone
3 – Scavenger's Sack – equipment, removal, artifacts

Colorless Mythic

1 – Mox Amber – accelerant, permanents

1/12 Lands

Land Uncommons

1 – Quiet Factory – artifact manland

Basically, what I take from that is that Black needs more creatures and Red and Green need more spells, especially Red. Nothing else jumped out at me.

Oh thank you! I was thinking of maybe putting everything so far into an MSE file and examining the statistics page, but this lets me skip right to the bit where I get to enjoy the results!