The plane of Taramir has reached the end of its time. The struggles of the Waning Age have been forgotten, for the sun has set for the final time, leaving the world in darkness. Fires burn in the Evernight, a land of ash and volcanoes where mortals struggle to survive. And within that darkness also dwell the nightstalkers, many of which are creatures of primal rage and desire. It is not a world to be entered lightly, and the light cannot always be trusted, drawing the unwary as moths to the flame

☼Taramir Block☼
Taramir Block consists of three sets: Taramir, Waning Light, and finally Age of Darkness. All three sets feature the new mechanics Salvage and Decay as well as the returning mechanic Cumulative Upkeep. In addition, Waning Light brought Fateseal into the picture. To this, Age of Darkness adds the return of Vanishing.

Salvage: Salvage is an activated ability that can be activated only when the card with salvage is in its owner's graveyard, when he or she could cast a sorcery. Salvaging a card exiles it and has the listed effects. Taramir introduced Salvage while Waning Light added off-color salvage costs and Salvage spells with effects dissimilar to their initial effect from being cast. Age of Darkness introduces Colorless and Nonmana salvage costs.

Decay: Decay is an ability word that causes one or more depletion counters to be added to the permanent with Decay, and causes it to be sacrificed when too many depletion counters have been accumulated.

~Red Commons~
Red is a little lighter on Walls than other colors (though Black also has fewer than some). Its creatures, however, largely suffer from anemic toughness. It's highly aggressive, but burning brightly means risking guttering out. Its noncreatures are very strong, though, with Bathed In Flames (spot removal with a tremor salvage), Crumbling Terrain (Land destruction), and Coalsmoke (Both LD and Spot)

Blood-Destined Barricade

Creature – Wall [C]
Defender
When Blood-Destined Barricade dies, Fateseal X, where X is equal to the damage dealt to it this turn.
3/1

Essence of Desire

Creature – Spirit [C]
Essence of Desire attacks each turn if able
The impulse to have cannot be ignored
3/1

Nightstalker Furycutter

Creature – Nightstalker Berserker
Haste
Salvage : Nightstalker Furycutter deals 2 damage to target creature and 1 damage to another target creature.
2/1

Essence of Rage

Creature – Spirit [C]
Cumulative Upkeep
Essence of Rage gets +1/+0 for each age counter on it,
The impulse to destroy cannot be quelled.
1/3

Fortress Torch-Bearer

Creature – Human Soldier [C]
When Fortress Torch-Bearer dies, creatures you control get +2/+0 until end of turn.
“The lights must not fail!”
3/2

Nightstalker Rampager

Creature – Nightstalker [C]
Vanishing 3
Whenever a time counter is removed from Nightstalker Rampager, it deals 2 damage to you.
5/5

Crumbling Terrain

Enchantment – Aura [C]
Enchant Land
Vanishing 2
When Crumbling Terrain leaves the battlefield, enchanted land’s controller sacrifices it.

Bathed in Flames

Instant [C]
Bathed in Flames deals 4 damage to target creature
Salvage : Bathed in flames deals 1 damage to each creature without flying.

Coalsmoke

Sorcery [C]
Destroy target land. Coalsmoke deals 2 damage to up to one target creature that land’s controller controls.
In the darkness there are few who remember New Tolkas, even by name. But there are fewer who can forget the Plains of Despair.

Rust into Ruin

Enchantment [C]
Decay – At the beginning of your upkeep, destroy target artifact and put a depletion counter on Rust into Ruin. Then, if there are more depletion counters on Rust into Ruin than the number of lands you control, sacrifice it.

Total Panic

Instant [C]
Cast Total Panic only before combat.
Creatures can’t block this turn or next turn.
Townships usually fall not when the walls are overrun, but when their defenders abandon their posts in the fear that they soon will be.


EDIT: Did some basic fix-it-up edits such as to Crumbling Terrain's mana cost and Nightstalker Rampager's name agreement.

Holy Hell Tevish...you're a good designer. Every time I looked at one of these cards and felt the need to critique, I took the whole card into account and found it exceedingly reasonable.

Is Crumbling Terrains mana cost supposed to have the colon...I havent looked at the other posts to see if that means anything.

The only other comments I have is in regards to Coalsmoke and Rust into Ruin.

Coalsmoke: Without context this may be overpowered. Destroy a land and a creature for four is a lot, especially at common. I'd up the cost to 6 or make it uncommon.

Rust into Ruin: I think its safe to lower the CMC. Outside of affinity (and assuming you dont have a strong artifact theme) this is really really weak. I'd rather just use a one shot instant. I think 3 CMC may be perfect, but you might be able to get away with 2.

Bathed in Flames and Nightstalker Furycutter are awesome.

shouldn't Salvage be an ability word? I know the third set is probably not a great place to point this out, but I didn't really follow Taramir.

Salvage-, exile ~ from your graveyard: effect. activate this ability only any time you could case a sorcery.

as a keyword you get to eliminate some text but it's a lot harder to read. I can't think of anything besides Forecast that has an entire activated ability with cost and effect inside a keyword wording, and Forecast has to because otherwise the once-per-turn thing is really hard to enforce.

Blood-Destined Barricade

Creature – Wall [C]
Defender
When Blood-Destined Barricade dies, Fateseal X, where X is equal to the damage dealt to it this turn.
3/1

Good card that does a nice job of utilizing scry in red.

Essence of Desire

Creature – Spirit [C]
Essence of Desire attacks each turn if able
The impulse to have cannot be ignored
3/1

Is this not an already printed card? If not, how could this card not have already been printed.

Nightstalker Furycutter

Creature – Nightstalker Berserker
Haste
Salvage : Nightstalker Furycutter deals 2 damage to target creature and 1 damage to another target creature.
2/1

Uncommon for sure. Too good for common.

Essence of Rage

Creature – Spirit [C]
Cumulative Upkeep
Essence of Rage gets +1/+0 for each age counter on it,
The impulse to destroy cannot be quelled.
1/3

Other than changing the cost to this card is fine the way it is. I don't see why it needs to be .

Fortress Torch-Bearer

Creature – Human Soldier [C]
When Fortress Torch-Bearer dies, creatures you control get +2/+0 until end of turn.
“The lights must not fail!”
3/2

Good common effect on a good common body.

Nightstalker Rampager

Creature – Nightstalker [C]
Vanishing 3
Whenever a time counter is removed from Nightstalker Rampager, it deals 2 damage to you.
5/5

I think for that effect you could maybe even drop the cost to 2RR? or at least 4R. I find it is best to try and avoid double colored costs at common where possible to give people more freedom when creating decks.

Crumbling Terrain

Enchantment – Aura [C]
Enchant Land
Vanishing 2
When Crumbling Terrain leaves the battlefield, enchanted land’s controller sacrifices it.

And after saying that I see why this card needs to be and it should definitely stay at common.

Bathed in Flames

Instant [C]
Bathed in Flames deals 4 damage to target creature
Salvage : Bathed in flames deals 1 damage to each creature without flying.

I think you could and should cost this at .

Coalsmoke

Sorcery [C]
Destroy target land. Coalsmoke deals 2 damage to up to one target creature that land’s controller controls.
In the darkness there are few who remember New Tolkas, even by name. But there are fewer who can forget the Plains of Despair.

Very strong common. It seems maybe uncommon to me. Killing a land and likely killing a creature as well is a very big tempo swing.

Rust into Ruin

Enchantment [C]
Decay – At the beginning of your upkeep, destroy target artifact and put a depletion counter on Rust into Ruin. Then, if there are more depletion counters on Rust into Ruin than the number of lands you control, sacrifice it.

This is uncommon to me. Unless you want to make sure no one play artifacts against red. I understand you have to wait for it, so it doesn't have a strong appeal. Maybe add "Whenever this enters the battlefield destroy target artifact."? It just doesn't seem common as it is to me. I want to make it common and a half.

Total Panic

Instant [C]
Cast Total Panic only before combat.
Creatures can’t block this turn or next turn.
Townships usually fall not when the walls are overrun, but when their defenders abandon their posts in the fear that they soon will be.

Game winner in limited. Nothing wrong with that though. Fun effect that is very red and I like the idea of panic that lasts longer than one turn.

Overall, I think you need to reduce the double mana costs at common and really consider how much LD sucks to play against. There is a very good reason Wizards backed off LD being a viable archetype.