Top Down Design
As a design challenge, I set out to make a magic the gathering set using manga published in Shonen Jump. Currently this is a work in progress.
Goals:
Capture the fantasy of iconic manga characters, events, and settings
Must be from a manga published in Shonen Jump
A fully Draft-able set
Core set style design, targeting an introductory audience
Design cards that can slot into standard and commander formats
Splashy Mythics
Rare, mechanically exciting cards. Cards like this do something mechanically interesting and feel exciting to play at the table.
Signpost Uncommons for Draft/Limited Archetypes
These cards function as clear indicators of what each color pair’s strategy is within the set. They are mechanically powerful in limited formats, but require an investment in the synergies of the set to realize the power.
Artifacts
Control
Treasure
Kicker
+1/+1 Counters
Warriors
Lands
Spellslinger
Reanimation
Graveyard
Cards That Sell the Flavor
When developing a universes beyond style set, its crucial to capture the iconic characters and moments mechanically. Its not just enough to put a stat line on someones favorite character and expect them to get excited about it.
