Last week, I started a new iteration of “Design Files,” the series where I look back at the cards from a set I led (in this case, Odyssey) as they were handed off at the end of design. The first section, which continues today, is about cards handed off that made it to print, albeit with some changes.
ABOSHAN, CEPHALID EMPEROR is a 1/1 Creature – Merfolk Wizard Legend with the ability to tap target artifact, creature, or land for 3UU. Originally a Merfolk, he was changed to a Cephalid during design.
TRAUMATIZE is a sorcery that allows a target player to mill X cards from their library. It was designed as a massive mill spell, inspired by Braingeyser, and underwent revisions to enhance its effectiveness.
CABAL PATRIARCH is a 3/3 Creature – Wizard Legend with abilities to give target creatures -1/-1 until end of turn. Development increased his power to 5/5 and adjusted his abilities to provide greater impact.
HAUNTING ECHOES is a sorcery that removes duplicates of cards in a player’s graveyard and library. Its design aimed to punish players for playing four copies of cards, but it proved complex in playtesting.
PARDIC FIRECAT is a 2/3 Creature – Minotaur with haste. It was designed as part of a cycle of cards that increase in power with copies in the graveyard.
DWARVEN RECRUITER is a 2/2 Creature – Dwarf that allows players to search their library for Dwarf cards. It was adjusted from a 1/1 to balance the mana curve.
FRENETIC OGRE is a 2/3 Creature – Ogre that allows players to discard a card for a power boost. Development aimed for random discard but found it less effective in playtesting.
KAMAHL, PIT FIGHTER is a 3/3 Creature – Hero Legend with Frenzy 4 and a damage-dealing effect. The frenzy mechanic was removed during development, altering his abilities.
MOLTEN INFLUENCE is an instant that counters a spell unless its controller pays life. This card was part of a punisher mechanic, changing its cost during development.
CALL OF THE HERD is a sorcery that originally created a 3/3 creature token but was adjusted to produce 1/1 tokens. Development later reversed this decision, leading to the creation of Chatter of the Squirrel.
STONE-TONGUE BASILISK is a 5/5 Creature – Basilisk with a threshold ability. It was initially designed with a Lure ability, which was later reinstated after discussions with Development.
STEAMCLAW is an artifact that allows players to remove cards from graveyards. The design concept changed during development, leading to a different visual representation.
BURIED ALIVE is a card that features a shovel in its art, despite initial design intentions. This discrepancy led to discussions about the consistency of the world’s design.
MIRARI is a 7 Legendary Artifact that copies instant or sorcery spells. It was designed as a marquee card for Odyssey, with adjustments made during development to balance its power.
Looking at the Past
This ends my section of cards that made it to print. Next week, I’ll start looking at cards handed off that didn’t make it into Odyssey. As always, I’m eager for any feedback you have about today’s article, the Odyssey set, or any of the individual cards I talked about.
Join me next week for part three.
Until then, may you enjoy looking back into your own past.
