Introduction

Welcome to Edition IX of the Pro Tour YMTC! Prou Tour YMTC is one of the most venerable YMTC contests, featuring open entry rounds and elimination finals for great glory. This year, our format will be a little different, consisting of six rounds of open entry followed by a double elimination final. Any contestant who has participated in at least five of the six rounds of Open Entry will be eligible for a wildcard round, joining the Top Seven in the finals.

The Blurb

When the first Kamigawa block rolled out, it was (not that we knew it) the dawn of something of a new age of Magic: the Gathering. Previous sets had largely been their own sort of fantastical kitchen sink, with a common story thread that stretched from Weatherlight at least (and argualby Antiquities) all the way to Fifth Dawn with little in the way of interruptions. However, after Mirrodin block, Magic decided to take a tour, doing uniquely Japanese fantasy in Kamigawa, presenting its (first) take on a world of fairy tales in Lorwyn and steadily growing more such archetypes as time went on. We've done Gothic Horror, Classical Mythology, Egyptian, Norse, Age of Exploration, and more, representing these resonant concepts as new planes, with cards that serve up familiar stories or genre tropes, often with Magic's own little spin on the effort.

Your job this time around is to tap into that resonance and create a new top-down design that shows your take on some genre, time period, or world mythology for Magic to take a swing at. It doesn't have to be something new, but you should bring something new to the table. If, for instance, you want to evoke Greek or Roman mythology, your version should be distinct from Theros as Eldraine is from Shadowmoor. Your one card should capture a familiar story or genre trope (like Rescue from the Underworld or Rooftop Storm) or else show a way you would choose to evoke the target subject matter (like a God card for Theros or a DFC in Innistrad) It can be out there and new, or it can be simple and use existing tech, but it needs to be resonant.

The Prompt

Create a card that evokes in a new way a world mythology, time period, or genre of fiction of your choice. The ideal entry communicates how the subject matter is to be represented in card form, either in the specific or the generic sense, while remaining an interesting card from a mechanical perspective.

I mean to be very loose with the definitions for potential subject matter, as long as the card you make is resonant with something outside M:tG that's broader than a single IP (this isn't meant to be "Universes Beyond Round"), I'm not going to split hairs about whether something is a genre, subgenre, or simply an aesthetic. Do whatever feels right to you, whether that's "Babylonian Mythology", "Tang Dynasty China" or "Cheesy 70's and 80's Fantasy movies" or anywhere in between

DEADLINE: Holidays are done for most of the world, so we'll call it a rough week from when I remembered to add this in -- Deadline is Jan 28, 2023 at 23:59 PST

Machine Assimilation -
Enchantment
At the beginning of your end step, exile target non-artifact creature. Then, its controller creates a copy of it, except it is an artifact in addition to its other card types.
: Gain control of target artifact. This ability costs less to activate for each artifact you control. Activate this ability only during your turn.


Edit: Yes, one might argue this is just Phyrexia but my defense is that it doesn't modify the creature in any way except turning it artifact. Can't be helped if the first thing I think of are things like Ghost in a Shell and Deus Ex where humanity gradually becomes less 'human' and the question of 'what is humanity' begins (which are subjects I like to see being explored).

Urban Financier
Creature - Human Noble (U)
: Create a tapped Treasure token. Activate this ability only once per turn.
Alter Ego - Whenever one or more other creatures you control die, ~ perpetually gains ": Transform ~ until the beginning of your next upkeep."
[2/2]
-/TDFC/-
Byron, Owl City Vigilante
Legendary Creature - Human Rogue (U)
Menace, Vigilance
Equip costs you pay cost less as long as they target ~.
Treasures you control have ", Sacrifice: Add . Spend this mana only to cast Equipment spells."
[2/2]

What HASN'T MtG done?

Welcome To Hell is a set based on the first book of Dante's Divine Comedy. It has 5 mechanics based in 5 shard color combinations, which represent the various regions of hell. Bant represents Limbo, the place where those who did not sin but also didn't practice Christianity go, such as unbaptized infants and virtuous pagans who never heard the word of Christ. In the center of Limbo, the light of reason shines down, a comfort to those who cannot reach Heaven. This is the basis of Limbo's ability word mechanic, Reason.

Reason - If you've cast an even number of spells this turn, X.

Like Morbid and Landfall, this ability word can appear both on spells and permanents. There are a couple ways to trigger it: you can either use it like Surge as a payoff for playing a cheap spell before it, or in the case of permanents with the trigger, you can opt to pass the turn, because zero is even. Your opponents can play around Reason to some extent (for example, if you've played a spell already, they know it's turned on), but it's also possible to surprise them with a cheap instant followed by your Reason spell, or bait them by playing something pre-combat when you don't actually have a Reason trick.

Self-Discipline
Instant (C)
Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
Reason - If you've cast an even number of spells this turn, put two +1/+1 counters on that creature instead.
"The Chariot of the body must be guided by the driver of the mind, not the horses of appetite."

Disprove
Instant (C)
Counter target spell unless its controller pays .
Reason - If you've cast an even number of spells this turn, counter that spell unless its controller pays instead.
The most important thing to know is what one does not know.

Unblessed Infant
Creature - Human (U)
Reason - At the beginning of your end step, if you've cast an even number of spells this turn, put a +1/+1 counter on Unblessed Infant.
1/1

For my card to be judged, I'll choose Disprove.

Similar to how New Capenna was a unique Magic take on mobster films, SETNAME is a world that melds together the Magic the Gathering fantasy with the classic Superhero comic book vibe.



The main set mechanic is Morality. Morality is a trackable resource in game, similar to energy. Unlike other resources, morality's main gimmick is that it can be both positive and negative. If a card causes you to lose two morality and you have none, you go to -2 morality! You may use your morality to pay morality costs. Costs in blue require a payment of positive morality. For example, to pay the cost (3), you would need at least +3 morality, and if you had +5 morality before paying the cost you would end up with +2 morality. Likewise, costs in red require a negative morality to pay. To pay the cost (2), you would need at least -2 morality, and if you had -3 morality before paying the cost you would end up with -1 morality.

Like energy, most cards will both generate and use morality on the same card. The cards that generate and use positive morality will be heroic in theme, whereas the cards that generate and use negative morality will be villainous in theme. All colors will have both heroic and villainous cards, though certain colors may be skewed more towards on than the other. Obviously, heroes and villains don't mix very well. You can build a deck with both heroes and villains in them, but you will have to constantly juggle your morality in order to have the right effects at the right time, which requires much more forethought than a deck with mostly heroes or mostly villains.

Espadia is an “age of exploration” set that focuses on trade. Artifacts and non-humanoid creatures may have the trade mechanic featured below. Some sign-post humanoid creatures and/or enchantments may have triggered abilities that care about trading. Cards may also care about spending mana generated by treasure to cast or activate certain abilities.

Trade – When [card name] enters the battlefield, you may have target opponent gain control of it. If you do, do X. (X does not have to be creating treasure like the example below.)

Regal Drakoline
Creature – Drake Cat
Trade – When Regal Drakoline enters the battlefield, you may have target opponent gain control of it. If you do, create a treasure token.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you do not own Regal Drakoline, its owner creates a treasure token.
3/3

So for years I've tossed around the idea of a music set, with the setting being a classical europe inspired plane. Like innistrad crossed with ravnica. Ballroom dances and pianos and fun stuff. Music fills the streets and every room and the sky itself. Perhaps even the plane itself is just a song. Annnyway. Luckily we have yet to see that from magic so. (Also I can make use of the nee performer type)

Harmonize - whenever you cast a spell with even/odd (will match the permanent's) mana value stuff

Fiendish Fiddler
Creature - Devil Performer
Protection from red
Harmonize - Whenever you cast a spell with odd mana value, ~ deals 1 damage to any target and 1 damage to any target of an opponent's choice
"Careful, this one may be harsh to untrained ears"
1/1

Correct me if I'm wrong: despite Shakespeare being one of the most widely-known authors in the HISTORY OF THE WORLD, his works haven't anchored a whole set?

Shakespearean books are full of characters who go mad, often for seemingly inexplicable reasons. So one anchor of the set would be madness counters (At the beginning of your upkeep, put a -1/-1 counter on this creature if it has a madness counter on it. When you put a madness counter on a creature, it is said to "go mad". If it has a madness counter on it, effects that reference being mad apply to it.)

And there's faeries, and poisons and everything takes place in Italy though written by an Englishman.

Mantuan Draught
Enchantment
Enchanted creature doesn't untap during its untap step.
At the beginning of their upkeep, enchanted creature's owner may put a madness counter on enchanted creature. If they do, sacrifice Mantuan Draught

Lady McIlvane, Crazed Thaness
Legendary Creature-Human Noble (R)
Whenever a creature dealt damage by Lady McIlvane this turn dies, Lady McIlvane goes mad.
6/6

Balvermore Dagger
Artifact-Equipment (R)
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has deathtouch
When Balvermore Dagger becomes attached to a creature, put a madness counter on that creature.
Equip
Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?

Ahoy, folks! Time's a-passing and deadline approaching.

This is still a rough idea that I'd like to flesh out more, but my idea is a world where dreams manifest in the waking world, but can only do so while people are asleep. This idea deserves more time than the time I have left, so I may work on this concept more later.

Adevinne, Prophecy Manifest —
Legendary Creature — Dream God (M)
3/5
Dreambound 5 (This permanent is phased out as long as there are fewer than five tapped non-Dream creatures on the battlefield.)
Indestructible, ward
At the beginning of your end step, scry X, where X is the number of tapped creatures you control.

White: Daydream
Blue: Prophecy
Black: Nightmare
Red: Fever Dream
Green: Lucid Dream

Marie-Guillamette, the Last Queen —
Legendary Creature — Vampire Noble (R)
At the beginning of your end step, draw a card unless an opponent sacrifices a Food token.
At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, he or she may pay . If they do, they create a Food token.
"The red-cheeked have no wheat? Let them eat bloodcake!"
1/3

I apologize for my sudden absence from the forums and especially this contest - I was in the hospital for quite a while, and am not quite fit yer.

get well

I guess we'll go with urban fantasy, primarily characterized by supernatural elements hidden from the common folk.


some credit to Eurus for the keyword

This round is officially closed

Hope you're on the mend, Otu!