Kayiu and Tim crack open platypeople’s pack for the “Lives and Lies of Tibalt and Tamiyo” Finals challenge for the Design League! We saw LudosGD’s entry earlier in the week, how will the two stack up? We’ve got bullies! Circles! Safes! and Triangles!
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Loyal Scouthawk (1:45)
Platypeople starts us off with quite the mystery. It’s going to be interesting to see what Chase a lead means. The hosts suspect it might be a dungeon like mechanic that you have to advance through but it’s still open ended.
Expedition Recruitment (5:00)
This card features Jump-start returning in a different color this time. The flavor of this card feels like it could fit anywhere, but mechanically this is a unique spin on the classic Raise the Alarm.
Beachhead Bully (6:55)
This is our first introduction into some new characters Hiroku and Rumiyo who seem to be following Tamiyo’s clues. The card itself is not that exciting without more information. You’re probably targeting yourself most of the time unless it gets to the extreme late game.
Planeswalking in Circles (8:38)
This is a strong tempo piece that has been seen in other custom environments. In practice, it’s a nice aggressive card that gives your opponent the chance to rebuy their tapped down creature. There isn’t a ton of flavor to derive from this card but you can see how it would be a good removal piece in a limited environment.
Voldaren Informant (10:48)
This card makes the hosts wonder how valuable a lead counter is. It’s hard to say at this point but the cost on this card’s activation makes them think a lead could be pretty important. This card also reinforces the idea this set might have a substantial graveyard theme.
Dead End (12:19)
Vexing Devil but it’s a mechanic! This card definitely helps tie in the Tibalt flavor. The host’s aren’t sure exactly how it will scale but find this mechanic pretty compelling especially on this classic style of black common. It reminds Kaiyu of a certain barbarian riddle.
Helvault Scourge (14:43)
Another castigate card that feels like it highlights the mechanic well. This one feels like a pseudo-haste that allows this to get in right away or give you a 4/4. It may be strong at common to potentially get 2 4/4s but its hard to be sure with this mechanic.
Library Mite (16:20)
The hosts are craving more answers about Secrets, but Platypeople doesn’t release them yet. From this card, it still feels like perhaps a lead counter is comparable to an energy counter.
Tamiyo’s Safekeeping (17:31)
This is a new spin on a reprint. Rather than being something Tamiyo is preforming it instead is a hidden room discovered by, as Kaiyu figured out, Tamiyo’s children — Hiroku and Rumiyo.
Multiversal Armillary (19:00)
A Manalith that also gives you a card could be “the Manalith for a new era” according to Kaiyu. It doesn’t provide a ton of information or flavor about the set but it is a nice baseline effect for the pack.
Information Triangulator (20:27)
More cards that care about Secrets, but still no answers about the mechanic. This card seems to encourage players to stack up a lot of lead counters to get some sort of big payoff. The closest thing I could fine to describe the shapes in the background would be Eulerian Circles.
Gaze Upon the Omenpaths (22:35)
This is a really solid design but Kaiyu is still looking for a bit more. Why is Jump-start in these two colors and why does it matter? It is hard to figure out the correct rate on this card. Six mana seems like a lot but because the lands enter untapped it feels more like four mana in total.
Tibalt’s Escalator (23:50)
Glad you’re here to know this isn’t a set of moving stairs. This card is a nice uncommon signpost for a castigate archetype. Both sides of the castigate cards are enhanced because you either gain life from the damage or buff the devils.
Torturous Performance (25:22)
At instant speed this is a lot less of a choice because the devils are going to be coming on your opponent’s turn. This is a huge source of card advantage and damage that could really put a game to an end.
Secrets (27:00)
This is reminiscent of the quests from Zendikar because you have to get to a certain amount of lead counters to get an effect. It does feel like Ashen Idol Ritual might be a bit strong because the devils you get at the end enable you to get more. The payoffs both feel a nicely color agnostic even if the way to get counters is more associated with colors. Both the secrets also feel more like an engine than a payoff. Overall there’s a lot still left to think about after discovering these secrets.
The Lies and Lives of Tibalt and Tamiyo by Platypeople
Each contestant was asked to provide a short synopsis of the set to accompany their cards. Here is what Platypeople wrote:
The story loosely focuses on a search party from Kamigawa including The Wanderer and Tamiyo’s children seeking to understand her legacy. We see snapshots and callouts from several planes as part of their far-flung search across the multiverse. The main mechanical representation of the set’s “scavenger hunt” are Secrets, new dungeon-like quests that are initiated when a card asks you to “chase a lead.” You can progress them either by chasing more leads or by fulfilling that Secret’s additional avenues towards completion. The traps and pitfalls left by Tibalt are represented by Castigate, a punisher mechanic that brings games to a close one way or another. Finally, returning from Guilds of Ravnica is Jump-Start, appearing in new colors for a fresh feel and looking to represent looking back on old paths for new inspiration.
And that’s the podcast for the week. If you’d like to check out the submission and the dramatic conclusion to the Design League you can follow along in our discord.