Mega Man Magic - Spoiler 1

So, here we are, the first spoiler for my custom Magic set, based on Mega Man. What I'll do with all of these cards is post the picture, then give a little about the mentality that went into the card.

I'm going to do what every spoiler set does, and start with the landmark card from the set: Mega Man.

So here he is, the blue bomber. Why is he not blue, you ask? Well, despite the color of his outfit, Mega Man's characteristics are all white, all the time. He fights for order and justice, and attacks evil wherever he can find it. Straight white, all the way.

I had several iterations of this card before I settled on this one. Flavor-wise, here's what I was thinking. When Mega Man dies, he starts at the beginning of the level. Hence the "on top of the library" portion. The second part (which I call Smiting Hero, because of Smite and Intrepid Hero) is basically just to emphasize how strong Mega Man is. Any enemy who challenges him falls. Finally, the last part is the truest Mega Man flavor. He grows stronger as he defeats enemies. The +1/+1 counter effect could've been limited to just when Mega Man uses his ability, but that would take out the times when he simply defeats a creature in combat. While it might seem a little inelegant, I felt this was the best way to capture the situations I was looking for.

In my next spoiler, I'll highlight the two masterminds behind the set. My guess is you can bet who they are.

Mega Man Magic Set

As some of you may know, and probably more of you may not, I've been working on a custom Magic set for the past 18+ months. The original plan for the set was to make a for-fun Magic set using Mega Man 2 art and concepts. As time went on, though, I became more interested in what actually goes into crafting a full-size Magic set: the types of cards that are in every set, the distribution of rarities, colors, artifacts, and card types throughout the set became something my friends and I talked about at length. Many times I spent over an hour on one card, trying to get the name or art or effect right, only to scrap it and start anew when I came back to it a week later. It was at times informative, frustrating, and depressing.

And I loved it.

Make no mistake, I'm hooked on making Magic cards. I'm hooked on flavor text and color identities and what's "allowed" on various rarities of cards. I'm just hooked. And while I don't anticipate ever being able to manifest this newfound passion into something that, you know, makes money, I do hope to share it with those of you who find it interesting, and build my new hobby from there.

In the coming weeks (hopefully I'll be done in weeks, and not months), I'm going to "spoil" the set, just as real Magic sets get spoiled. I'll share a couple of premium cards, then more and more over time until the whole set is completely available to view online. Throughout the process I'll welcome your input and feedback, though I won't be changing any of these cards (other than to fix broken wordings). Even if the balance isn't right, or a card is well and truly busted, this is the set I'm finished with. I'll take any lessons and apply them to whatever next set I decide to make. This one is done.

Look for my first "spoiler" post Friday morning.

Gatecrash Draft Toss-Up: Kingpin's Pet vs. Skyknight Legionnaire

Gatecrash was an interesting set that played very differently from RTR-RTR-RTR and DGM-GTC-RTR. Mostly, it was considerably faster, so it was important to either set yourself up with a fast deck, or find a way to counter fast decks. Today, we'll look at two cards that do one or the other extremely well.

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The Numbers (courtesy of Bestiaire.org)

Kingpin's Pet - #2 common, #78 overall

Skyknight Legionnaire - #4 common, #80 overall

The Analysis

One thing that stands out to me right away is how these two commons rate so low overall, despite being a couple of the top-drafted commons in the set. It could be that the data is getting skewed because it's so late in the life of Gatecrash, but still, it doesn't feel like there are 75 cards you'd want to take over these two.

Anyways, on to the cards. They're both 1[C][C], fitting into their respective guilds' curves quite nicely. They also both exemplify their guilds. Kingpin's Pet boasts the new Orzhov mechanic Extort, and does so on an already useful 2/2 flyer. Skyknight Legionnaire helps you activate your Battalion mechanics by having both evasion and haste. A turn 3 Legionnaire is a sad thing for most of your opponents to see from you.

If you're already in either guild, the cards are, in my opinion, identically useful. So the only way to solve this decision is to figure out what you'd do in a vacuum, without other cards already in your deck. In that circumstance, I'd take Kingpin's Pet. The reason is, Kingpin's Pet can do plenty of work even if you're just splashing white or black into a Dimir or Boros deck (respectively). Skyknight Legionnaire, while still useful in an Orzhov deck, doesn't quite fit the mentality (it's great in a Gruul deck though, obviously). So, because of that limited possibility, I'd take the Pet just a sliver ahead of Skyknight. Very tough decision, though.

The Verdict

Kingpin's Pet