I'm not going to lie, this submission has room for improvement. I know these aren't the most exciting implementations of these concepts and mechanics. I unlocked my concept for the set very late and only was able to come up with a few cards before submissions were due. But I like the glimpse of what could be in this set concept.
-Nich
Which set are you pitching?
Ankh-Theb
What is the name of your pitch?
The Fertile Land
What are the major mechanical themes in the set according to your vision?
1.) Ankh is a supertype that is referenced in the set by spells and effects. Each color uses it differently. It’s most unique feature in this set is that effects count even in the graveyard. That should give it a sufficient afterlife feel.
2.) Eternal Servitude’s flavor is lesser souls of the Plane returning after death to serve the more powerful. It uses the rules created by Morph (minus the ability to flip face up).
3.) Retrace is the returning mechanic. It’ll have a fortune-telling hieroglyph flavor this go around. The twist is that it’ll also be on permanents.
4.) Enemy color theme. Dictated by the flavor of the setting, I see strong reasons to include multicolor enemy colors.
Present a booster pack (10 commons, 3 uncommons, and 1 rare or mythic rare) that shows off the set as well as possible. These cards need not be original designs; previous challenges and other people's ideas are fair game.
Afterlife Seer 3B (Common)
Creature — Human Cleric 3/2
Haste
When Afterlife Seer enters the battlefield, target creature gains eternal servitude until end of turn. (When it dies face up, return it to the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature.)
Court Servant 1W (Common)
Creature — Thrull 2/2
Eternal servitude (When this creature dies face up, return it to the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature.)
Foretold Victory 1R (Common)
Sorcery
Creatures you control get +1/+0 and gain haste until end of turn.
Retrace (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
Public Knowledge U (Common)
Instant
Each player draws a card.
Retrace (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
Addercoil Staff 2 (Common)
Artifact – Equipment
Equipped creature gets +0/+2.
1, Sacrifice Addercoil Staff: Equipped creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
Equip 2
Descendant from Greatness W (Common)
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +1/+1.
Retrace (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
Wheatfield Mummy 1WB (Common)
Ankh Creature — Zombie 2/3
Retrace (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
Reedbraid Cranes 1UU (Common)
Ankh Sorcery
Put a 2/2 blue Bird creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
Retrace (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
Shadowfeed B (Common)(Reprint)
Instant
Exile target card from a graveyard. You gain 3 life.
Taskmaster’s Tomb (Common)
Land
2, T, Sacrifice Taskmaster’s Tomb: Search your library for a basic land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped. Then shuffle your library.
Eternal servitude (When this permanent is put into a graveyard from the battlefield face up, return it the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature.)
Irrigation Arch (Uncommon)
Land
Irrigation Arch enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
Return Irrigation Arch to its owner’s hand: Add U or R to your mana pool.
Serpent God’s Prayer 5G (Uncommon)
Ankh Sorcery
Put a 1/1 green Snake creature token onto the battlefield for each ankh permanent you control and each ankh card in your graveyard.
Caravan Harrier 1RR (Uncommon)
Ankh Creature – Viashino Warrior 1/1
Haste
When Caravan Harrier enters the battlefield, target creature gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X equals the number of ankh permanents you control plus the number of ankh cards in your graveyard.
At the beginning of the end step, return Caravan Harrier to its owner’s hand.
Harvester Anubis 2GG (Rare)
Ankh Creature — Hound Shaman 3/3
Other creatures you control get +1/+1 and have eternal servitude.
(When a creature with eternal servitude dies face-up, return it to the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature.)
G, Tap an untapped face down creature you control: Harvester Anubis gets +3/+3 until end of turn.