Brave New World spoilers!

[FM]

Yeah, Hill Giant is an iconic creature... which sucks. But, it IS a guideline, so I know what you mean. However, "core set" cards tend to be "less flashy" than others, so for instance, take a look at Transguild Courier, from the Ravnica block. I was considering upping his cost, but I think I'd rather make him U so there's not so many of him lurking around. Yeah, I think I'll do that. And maybe switch Fieldbreaker to C.

[Thranduil]

I'm not sure Fieldbreaker is common material. I might make them both uncommon or perhaps make the Field Golem 3/2 or 2/3.

Thranduil

[FM]

For that much mana? Ewwww!

[FM]

Ok, switched their rarities. Also, made Fieldbreaker 4/3, making him more vulnerable, thus fitting for common. Time for some more spoilers!

Skittering Horror 2
Creature - Horror
Trample
3/2
C

Simple exaple of color-bleeding, having trample on a black creature. I was inspired by Moorish Cavalry, so I knew off-color trampling had been done and was alright, but I didn't want this card to be a mirror of it, and not to mention white IS better fit to having tougher creatures than black, so I gave this guy a steep cost (black is a splash color a LOT of times in limited, so double-black might be off-limits) and made him significantly weaker, since a 2-mana bear can trade with him.

Exploding Growth 2
Sorcery
Search your library for 2 non-forest basic land cards and put them into play tapped. Shuffle your library afterwards.
C

Nothing really new here, this is Kodama's Reach, with an added bonus of puting BOTH lands into play and a drawback of not letting you get forests. I think it's ncie since green is gonna have a lot of sacrificing to do with their lands, and any boost is welcome. Also, I like how it interacts with the "crazy" basics I made, since you CAN play this card to ramp in monogreen by fetching Overgrown Fields, which is a small interaction some might miss, and specially cool in limited if you drafted steep-costed green fatties.

Mental Shock
Instant
Mental Shock deals 2 damage to target creature or player. When you play Mental Shock, each opponent may discard a card from hand to copy it. If they do, they can choose new targets for the copies.
U

And yet another color-bleeding card. Sure, it's good. But then again, it'll often give opponents a "free" removal spell, since players tend to hold excess lands in hand anyway, actually translating in possible card advantage to THEM instead of you (an excess land for one of your guys while you trade away a spell for one of theirs? yes please!). I think it's balanced as it is, not showing around a lot in limited (uncommon in a larte set) and still being constructed-worthy.

[Thranduil]

They all seem fine to me, though I think Skittering Horror could have a little more (doesn't need it, though). I love Mental Shock, it's hilarious!

Thranduil

[leokula]

Hey FM are you aware of how crazy is Mental Shock? It can be copied and copied and copied and copied and copied... I've only just realized in the second time I read it!

[FM]

Actually, no. When you play it, its ability triggers, allowing each opponent (so it's more dangerous in multiplayer games, yes) to discard a card to make a copy of it. Sure, the copy will ALSO have this ability, so, in theory, it WOULD allow two players to sling lands at one another back an forth until one of them ran out. However, when you copy a spell (like with storm), the copy is put directly onto the stack, so it's not considered "played" (it won't trigger stuff like Manaplasm or Quirion Dryad, for instance), so even though the copy would have the ability, the ability wouldn't trigger.
So, basically, Mental Shock reads: "you get to do 2 damage to a target for a single blue mana, but each opponent that trades in a land gets to do the same for free."
Is it clearer?

[leokula]

Yeah, got it.

[FM]

I'd like to apologize for the absence lately, but I was posting mostly from work, and since I switched areas, I've been working A LOT lately, so time is a bit scarce. I'll try to update the list at least once 'till tuesday night, though.

[FM]

Ok, so, getting back! Yeah, I know, I didn't think I'd ever do that either. BUT, anyway, here goes nothing:

First off, a reprint. Yeah, I know, sucky, right? But hey, what can I do? All that power being discovered, gotta love powerful stuff, right? So, here goes nothing:

Loxodon Warhammer 3
Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature gets +3/+0, trample and lifelink.
Equip 3.
R

And, of course, if ALL we had was color-bleeding, then who would discover the color pie's best direction, right?
So, some "regular" and "in color" cards, although ALSO reprints:

Path to Exile
Instant
Exile target creature. Its controller may search his or her library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle his or her library.
U

Lightning Bolt
Instant
Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage to target creature or player.
C

Doom Blade 1(B)
Instant
Destroy target nonblack creature.
C

This card here is interesting. I had designed this card back then, and had named it Terrify, so, even though it IS a reprint now, it was not supposed to be. Funny world, huh?

Counterspell
Instant
Counter target spell
U

Yes, I went there. I love this card, and I think blue mages miss it tremendously. I DID bump it up to uncommon, so it's less usual to see it, but still, it's GOTTA come back.

And last, but not least:

Call of the Herd 2(G)
Sorcery.
Put a 3/3 green Elephant creature token onto the battlefield.
Flashback 3(G) (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
R

So... thoughts?

[Thranduil]

You would be printing some of the best removal spells in 4 different colours all in the same set, all common/uncommon. That's a bit crazy isn't it? You could have 1 or 2 of them, but all 4 seems mad.

If you want to make basic on-colour cards, there are lots of other directions and elements of the colour pie you could explore.

Thranduil

[FM]

That is, in fact, the idea. Imagine how wild to draft a set like this! Also, as I said, the first set is about color bleeding, so each color is trying their hand at pretty much everything, only later they'll discover what actually works for them, so removal is a great example of this. Each color is dealing with it as it can, so each color finds out HOW it deals with it best.

[FM]

But then again, as I went over the list for fixing the template to fit the new rules (cast, battlefield, etc), I saw what you mean. I decided to bump Doom Blade, Path to Exile and Counterspell forward, but kept Lightning Bolt and Call of the Herd.

[lem0nhead]

Wheres Duress? Gotta be 1 of the best 1 cost drops ever?

[FM]

Aaaaaaand, spoilers! Following my loose-cycle subtheme, here's the follow-up to reprinting Call of the Herd.

Reinforcements 2
Instant
Kicker 1
Put a 2/2 white human soldier creature token onto the battlefield.
If Reinforcements was kicked, put another 2/2 white human soldier creature token onto the battlefield.
C

Goblin Swarm
Sorcery
Replicate
Put 2 1/1 red goblin creature tokens with haste onto the battlefield.
R

Duplicate 2
Instant
Put a token onto the battlefield that is a copy of target creature. Exile it at the beggining of your next end step.
U

Recycle Flesh
Instant
Sacrifice a creature to put a token onto the battlefield that is a copy of it. You lose life equal to the sacrificed creature's power.
U

As for Duress, I'm still a bit torn on how I'll handle hand manipulation, if at all. Not sure it'll make it.
Btw, by now you can have a pretty good grasp on what creature types to expect from each color. Although not ALL of them are depicted yet, you can follow the general idea.