Art by Lindsey Look
Desert Rose is a condensed, thematic cube intended to be played by 2-4 people with a variant designed to accommodate a fifth (see "Playtest" tab for more info). Players will find themselves in a sparsely populated land of dunes full of scrap and automata; the hostile junkyards hide priceless treasures and where there is risk, there is reward -- will you take your chances in the Blasted Landscape of Desert Rose?
To draft Desert Rose, each player starts with 1 each of Urza's Mine, Urza's Power Plant, and Urza's Tower. All other lands must be drafted. Resources are limited and should be respected as such. Housman draft is recommended for 2-3 players while four players will draft 4 packs of 13 cards.
This cube is intends to tell a story through drafting, the resulting decks, and gameplay. Players will gather spells and artifacts on their journey across the desert. Will you become a master of the sands or an excavating prodigy? Perhaps you will be a beast tamer or a factory foreman. Synergies and themes are littered across colors. Players should treat this draft environment like a sandbox, mixing and matching synergistic pieces alongside bits and bobs that fill in the gaps.
Desert Rose is about what is lost and what can be saved. It is about knowing what to let go, and when to let go of it. It is about remembering history and learning to live in the present while preparing for the future. It is also about being resourceful and working through challenges. To represent these themes, Desert Rose employs the use of Cycling, Madness, Flashback, and Unearth mechanics as well as lands that must be sacrificed for powerful abilities.
Before the current age of industry and excavation, these lands were more diverse and bountiful. A burgeoning of factories and mines have lead to Cataclysmic Prospecting. The desiccation has proven to be too hostile for cephalids and now, the Cephalid Coliseum stands empty. Dwindling resources have led to a migration of the dwarves; Dwarven Ruins, once vibrant halls of merrymaking, now lie eerily still and the last desert dwarf has become a Digsite Engineer to escape the deafening silence. The once mighty centaurs have moved on as well, with only the Loaming Shaman left to tend the Centaur Garden.
Throughout the lands, explorers will find remnants of formerly thriving cultures.
Two young artificers were drawn to the dunes in search of ancient artifacts.
Throughout their journeys, they have met other legends of the desert.
In their quest for power, Urza and Mishra have opened factories and mines, leading to the acceleration of desertification.
The lands, drained of nutrients, have become hostile dunes. Excessive extraction has led to near Armageddon.
Littered amongst the ruins and deep in the mines, intrepid wanderers will find powerful tools to aid them on their expeditions.
The world does not sit idly by as her inhabitants wreak havoc. In the Llanowar Wastes the earth itself is becoming imbued with vigorous spirits to strike back at those who would defile it.
Navigation is key if you don't want to lose yourself in the shifting sands. Make sure to think ahead and pack accordingly.
Artificers and soldiers roam the scrapyards. Various constructs scour the slag heaps and junkyards for spare parts.
Adventureres are not alone; dangerous creatures have flourished in the absence of dense humanoid populations. The crags, canyons, and highlands are home to various cats, lizards, beasts and hounds.
Some have even integrated themselves with artificial components they've found littered across the landscape.
However, there are far greater dangers hidden in the sands. The Angel and Giant roam the vast plains, the Sphinx presides over the river delta and a Demon stalks the nights.
The dunes and highlands are home to subterranean Wurms and a slinking Hydra; the skies are dominated by a fire-breathing Dragon -- these terrors instill fear in those who walk the Desert.
Thank you for reading my overview. Hopefully you can see and enjoy the vision with me. Special thanks to @ChillMTG for the banner and don't forget, hydrate or die-drate.
Aesthetic Swaps:
Executioner's Capsule is getting swapped to the original printing from Alara. I actually really like the colored artifact frame and the BRC frame doesn't do it justice. Bolas's Citadel still looks like an artifact, EC didn't.
The Dan Frazier art for Talisman of Curiosity is amazing. However, the MH1 printing has really great flavor text that really fits for my theme. I get to keep the retro frame with the H1R version which is nice.
Mechanical stuff:
Digsite Conservator - in my last small update I mentioned that I wanted to have more, limited, interaction with graveyards. This card fits the bill in multiple ways, limited targets, limited opportunities to activate. It also has an on theme name & relevant type (artifact). Discover is a new mechanic to the environment but at least it has reminder text.
Planar Nexus - this card might be too powerful. It represents a significant boost to the Urza-Tron lands which every player has access to while also being a filter & desert. Excited to try it out though.
For now, I'm not making any cuts to accommodate these additions. I'll get around to it.