Hello everybody and welcome to the 50th Fan Community Spotlight! Yep, 50. This is an extremely exciting milestone for me and I love writing these. But this segment isn't about me. Today, we've got DeadlyTCG here to talk about a custom Runeterra set of theirs based on the region of Shurima. I found this set on our Discord server and if you haven't joined our server yet, then be sure to do that!

With Shurima added to the game in Empires of the Ascended which was just recently released, it'll be pretty neat to look at a fan-made interpretation of the region and see how their design compares to the real one. This set consists of 88 Shurima cards (7 of which are champions) and 6 new keywords. This is actually a two-parter as well. This part focuses on the main 88-card set. Part 2 will focus on some "extras" sets that go along with this set.

What exactly is this set about?

DeadlyTCG: "Shurima!

Unearth the power of ancient Relics, become an Ascended being of incredible power, and control the flow of time itself!"

What inspired you to make this set theme?

DeadlyTCG: "It started as a simple brainstorming of different ideas and mechanics for future regions in LOR, which evolved into a full-fledged set."

How long have you been making your own cards?

DeadlyTCG: "Since LOR's closed beta back in late 2019. Although the amount of creations has really ramped up in the last few months, peaking with this Shuriman set."

A lot of new keywords come about in this set. What was the inspiration behind each of them and how you wanted to use them?

Ascend

DeadlyTCG: "One of the most iconic aspects of Shurima's lore is Ascension. A process through which an individual becomes an empowered and heightened version of themselves. The Ascended have made a huge impact in Runeterra's lore and multiple Shuriman champions are Ascended themselves, such as Azir and Renekton.

 

Mechanically, Ascend units have two different modes at which they can be played. A cheaper version in the character's mortal form, and a more expensive, more powerful version in which the character is Ascended.

This mechanic makes units very versatile since they can be used at different speeds and at different parts of the game. Furthermore, you can choose which one is better for the game you're in and the deck you're playing against.

 

For example, you may play Eager Aspirant early in the game to push aggression against a deck that is weak to aggro, or alternatively play it as a 4-drop in a value-oriented matchup."

Ancient

DeadlyTCG: "Spell Mana is a unique fundamental mechanic of LOR, and this keyword is aimed at making use of that mechanic. Ancient spells are much more efficient to play when you use spell mana for them, as they will virtually cost 1 less mana for each spell mana used to cast it.

It also fits the flavor of Shurima very well, especially with the next mechanic: Excavate."

Excavate

DeadlyTCG: "Ancient Shurima was one of the greatest Empires in all of Runeterra, and when it fell, many of its powerful magical items were buried in the sands or trapped in deadly tombs.

Excavate is all about getting those items back into your hand. But doing so isn't an easy task, and you need to excavate 3 times before you get a relic.

In compensation, those Relics are very powerful cards, such as Naganeka's Puffball, which can clear the entire enemy board."

Stasis

DeadlyTCG: "One of Shurima's themes is Chronomancy and time-related effects, with Stasis as a keyword that taps into that concept.

 

Stasis is a versatile keyword that can be used in a lot of different ways depending on what you target and when, such as protecting a combo piece from removal or stopping an enemy unit from attacking you.

The champion Zilean is at the head of the archetype and can be used both as a win condition by disabling enemies from blocking, or as a defensive tool to keep an aggressive enemy at bay.

 

The Stasis crew is a pillar of the Stasis keyword, with cards like Hourglass Adept and Chronoteacher, which come into play in Stasis and only leave it after 2 rounds. To compensate for this drawback, these units also have a payoff for when they come out of Stasis.

And by using cards like Zhonya's Hourglass to put your units into Stasis, you can trigger their out-of-Stasis effect once again.

On top of that, Thawer of Time can speed up their payoff."

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

DeadlyTCG: "Yeah! The Stone Watcher & Opportunistic Raid

 

The Stone Watcher is a very flavorful card. A statue that comes to life as the tomb/place it's protecting is invaded. Mechanically, the concept of Landmarks transforming into units is also an interesting one.

And the Opportunistic Raid is a unique (and flavorful) fast removal spell that only affects backrow enemies and can only be played during combat. When the fighters go to battle, you can use the opportunity to attack the defenseless units on the backrow.

It's a card that makes both players think and play around it and can lead to very distinct plays and moments."

Do you have anything behind the scenes you want to share?

DeadlyTCG: "Here's an exclusive look at a card that didn't make it into the set: The Sacred Poro!

 

Ended up going with the Poisonous version, but this is a fun take on Shurima's 1-cost Poro too."

What design philosophies do you have? What do you wish to spread to future creators?

DeadlyTCG: "Well, that's a loaded question!

I could spend an eternity talking about design philosophy, but I'll keep it brief and go over just 3 important aspects for custom set design:

 

  • Adapt & Mimic: The game has pre-established pillars of design and flavor. As a custom creator, it's important to have a good notion of what these pillars are and how to apply them to your own designs.

    Some examples of this in LOR include understanding what types of effects can be at different effect speeds (Slow, Fast, Burst), making Champions have a reachable "dream" scenario, and cross-region synergy for different archetypes and champions.

    But it's not just mechanics that you have to be mindful of. Fantasy and flavor are also very important. In the case of Shurima, there already is a mountain of lore out there to both tap into and adhere to.

 

  • Make Fun Cards: Creating cards that people want to play and get excited about is a crucial element of card design. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you have the most intricate or complex design, cards and gameplay need to be fun.

 

  • Utilize effects that make use of the game's unique fundamentals: A type of design that particularly attracts me are cards and effects that make use of the game's unique or differentiating mechanics. In the case of LOR, some of these mechanics include spell mana and the attack token.

In this set, the most obvious example of this is the Ancient mechanic, which makes use of spell mana."

Do you have anything else you wish to share?

DeadlyTCG: "Thanks to everyone who liked, supported, and commented on this set!

Creating it was a fun experience, and seeing people enjoying and being excited about it is great!

And thank you for your content and community spotlights! This series is a great addition to the community and a ton of fun to read."

Here we are as we've reached the end of this Runeterra FCS. If you enjoy what you see here, then you can click the banner below to look at the full 88-card set and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments. I'll see you all in the next one.

And if you're interested in other Custom Runeterra projects, then visit our Custom Runeterra forums section. It's a little bit bare at the moment, but it doesn't have to be if you're interested in making your own Custom Runeterra project.