Hello everybody, and welcome to another Fan Community Spotlight. It hasn't actually been that long since the last one, but it feels like forever, so I'm glad to finally be getting another one out. In this installment, we have LutriSpellcaster joining the 3-timers club. It wasn't that long ago when I showcased Portal to Méa, and now we have another set by them. This one is a 53-card mini set called Founding of Karatoa.

There are no new keywords in Founding of Karatoa, but there is a new mechanic in the form of spells with tribal tags on them. Check out Blood Tap. The set consists of 13 Neutral cards, and 4 cards for each class. Each class gets a Lifesteal card, as well as either a Poisonous card or a psuedo-Poisonous card.

Let's see how exactly this set came into fruition.

What exactly is this set about?

LutriSpellcaster: "This set is about an island off Tirisfal previously hidden by magic being revealed. The dinosaurs there, like Mother of Wildlife, seem of a higher intelligence than those on the mainland. This set has a heavy Lifesteal and Poisonous base, shown with Hypatia and Sri’skulk."

Of note here are spell cards with a tribal tag. What was the inspiration for this idea and how it's used?

LutriSpellcaster: "Recently tribal spells were referenced as a “when” rather than an “if” by Dean Ayala, so I wanted to add them to a set, and it made sense for this set. I decided to use the types already in Hearthstone, so they can exist easily without being too parasitic. Cards like Dominance and Sonic Blast use existing synergies to make them more than just slapping types onto spells."

Are there any other cards you wish to highlight for any particular reason?

LutriSpellcaster: "For no particular reason I’m very much a fan of Fungal Growth’s design. Also, Gem Thief is an popular idea I’ve done before and feel it fits well mechanically in the set."

Do you have anything behind the scenes that you wish to share?

LutriSpellcaster: "This set was finished very quickly and most cards are their first draft, so looking for feedback. The three spider based cards, Venomweb Egg, Krakatoan Spider and Sri’skulk are all cards repurposed from an expansion I abandoned based in Tirisfal itself."

Do you have anything else to share?

LutriSpellcaster: "I know a lot of the cards here are rather out there in terms of design (like Power Guardian being neutral), but if we’re not pushing the boundaries, then what’s the point?"

We've reached the end of the interview. If you like what you see here and want to see more, then you can look at the entire 53-card set by clicking the banner below. Hope you enjoyed reading, and I will see you in the next one.