![ ](https://i.postimg.cc/2jq6CxFp/Desert-Rose-Banner.png) >>>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? >>><<[[!Ravaged Highlands]] [[!Desert Nomads]] [[!desert]]>> >>> ### Welcome to the Sandbox <<< 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. >>><<[[!Urza's Mine]] [[!Urza's Power Plant]] [[!Urza's Tower]]>> 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. >>> ### Thematic Expressions <<< 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. >>> ### The Prosperous Past <<< >>>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. >>><<[[!City of Brass]] [[!Irrigated Farmland]] [[!Tolaria West]] [[!Ravaged Highlands]] [[!Vine Trellis]] [[!timberland Ruins]] [[!abandoned outpost]]>> >>> ### Urza’s Saga <<< >>>Two young artificers were drawn to the dunes in search of ancient artifacts. >>><<[[! Urza, Powerstone Prodigy]] [[!Mishra, Excavation Prodigy]]>> Throughout their journeys, they have met other legends of the desert. >>><<[[!Pianna, Nomad Captain]] [[!Tocasia, Dig Site Mentor]] [[!Golos, Tireless Pilgrim]] [[!Farid, Enterprising Salvager]] [[!Hazezon, Shaper of Sand]] [[!Ashnod the Uncaring]] [[!meria, scholar of antiquity]] [[!queen kayla bin-kroog]]>> In their quest for power, Urza and Mishra have opened factories and mines, leading to the acceleration of desertification. >>><<[[!Howling Mine]] [[!Conduit Pylons]] [[!Urza's Mine]] [[!Mishra's Factory]] [[!Spire of Industry]] [[!Smokestack]] [[!Lazotep Quarry]]>> The lands, drained of nutrients, have become hostile dunes. Excessive extraction has led to near [[Armageddon]]. >>><<[[!Ash Barrens]] [[!Wasteland]] [[! Petrified Field]] [[!Arid Archway]]>> Littered amongst the ruins and deep in the mines, intrepid wanderers will find powerful tools to aid them on their expeditions. >>><<[[!goldvein pick]] [[!bonesplitter]] [[!engineered explosives]] [[!aether spellbomb]] [[!executioner's capsule]] [[!grafted wargear]]>> Will the world be able to survive this [[Collective Brutality]]? >>> ### The Land Fights Back <<< 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. >>><<[[!Titania, Protector of Argoth]] [[!Llanowar Loamspeaker]] [[!hostile desert]] [[!desert twister]]>><<< >>> ### A Perilous Journey, an Undefined Destination <<< >>>Navigation is key if you don't want to lose yourself in the shifting sands. Make sure to think ahead and pack accordingly. >>><<[[!expedition map]] [[!Fellwar Stone]] [[!coalition relic]] [[!terrarion]]>> Don't succumb to madness in your [[Thirst for Knowledge]]. >>> ### Scrapmasters of the Sands <<< >>>Artificers and soldiers roam the scrapyards. Various constructs scour the slag heaps and junkyards for spare parts. >>><<[[!Reckless Fireweaver]] [[!Cathar Commando]] [[!Goblin Welder]] [[!trinket mage]] [[!scrapheap scrounger]] [[!scrap trawler]] [[!scrapwork cohort]] [[!thought monitor]]>> >>> ### Local Fauna <<< >>>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. >>><<[[!Whitemane lion]] [[!blazing rootwalla]] [[!ancient spider]] [[!flametongue kavu]] [[!basking rootwalla]] [[!wild mongrel]] [[!battle screech]]>> Some have even integrated themselves with artificial components they've found littered across the landscape. <<[[!arcbound mouser]] [[!scrapwork mutt]] [[!haywire mite]]>> 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. <<[[!Serra Angel]] [[!Sun Titan]] [[!curator of mysteries]] [[!Nightmare Shepherd]]>> 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. <<[[!reckless wurm]] [[!shivan dragon]] [[!ramunap hydra]] [[!roar of the wurm]]>> >>> ### Stay Hydrated <<< 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. >>>![ ](https://i.redd.it/xa5xa0hkmff71.jpg)