revision: clash-support-v1.0-20260925 status: reviewed-art-freeze commander_manifest: cards/commanders.yaml source_revisions: zeus: zeus-design-v1-doc2 poseidon: poseidon-design-r2 hades: hades-design-v2 athena: athena-design-v1 review_dispositions: docs/reviews/design-disposition.md token_scope: Definitions required by the custom support cards and commanders; existing Magic cards retain their Oracle-defined tokens. No token images in this forty-card render scope. required_tokens: - id: T01 name: Giant colors: - R type_line: Creature — Giant power: '4' toughness: '4' rules_text: '' used_by: - Z02 - Z03 - id: T02 name: Construct colors: [] type_line: Artifact Creature — Construct power: '0' toughness: '1' rules_text: Defender used_by: - Z04 - id: T03 name: Treasure colors: [] type_line: Artifact — Treasure power: null toughness: null rules_text: '{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.' used_by: - Z05 - Z06 - Z08 - H00 - H05 - H06 - id: T04 name: Bird colors: - W type_line: Creature — Bird power: '3' toughness: '3' rules_text: Flying used_by: - Z08 - id: T05 name: Kraken colors: - U type_line: Creature — Kraken power: '4' toughness: '4' rules_text: '' used_by: - P10 note: Triton creates these tapped and attacking and supplies a delayed end-of-combat sacrifice; that is not a token ability. - id: T06 name: Soldier colors: - W type_line: Creature — Soldier power: '1' toughness: '1' rules_text: '' used_by: - A00 - A07 - A09 - A10 note: Athena modifies these while present; their intrinsic statistics remain 1/1. - id: T07 name: Kraken colors: - U type_line: Creature — Kraken power: '6' toughness: '6' rules_text: '' used_by: - P00 cards: - id: Z01 name: The Cyclopes' Thunderbolt mana_cost: '{R}{W}' colors: - R - W type_line: Instant rules_text: 'The Cyclopes'' Thunderbolt deals 10 damage to target creature or planeswalker. If that permanent would die this turn, exile it instead. Draw a card.' power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Fierce Guardianship primary_role: answer signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HesiodTheogony.html myth_connection: Hesiod 139–146 names the Cyclopes as the makers of Zeus's thunderbolt. A single enormous strike removes a monster; Zeus doubles it into a barrage. narrative_beat: The allies arm Zeus for the war. design_note: Replaces a free counter with an exceptionally efficient paid battlefield answer. Damage can fail against protection or indestructible; the exile replacement denies resurrection after lethal damage. signature_demo: null counterplay: Counter the spell, give the target protection or indestructible, or make its sole target illegal. A spell whose sole target is illegal does not draw a card. art_brief: A single white-hot thunderbolt taking shape between a Cyclops's tongs, against dark forge smoke. Emphasize the weapon, with no surrounding army. tokens: [] - id: Z02 name: The Titanomachy mana_cost: '{3}{W}{W}{R}' colors: - W - R type_line: Sorcery rules_text: 'Exile all creatures your opponents control with power 4 or greater. For each creature exiled this way, create a 4/4 red Giant creature token. Exile The Titanomachy.' power: null toughness: null rarity: mythic replaces: Winds of Abandon primary_role: answer signature: true myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HesiodTheogony.html myth_connection: Hesiod 617–735 makes Zeus's freed allies decisive in overthrowing the Titans. Exiling the great opposing powers and establishing a victorious Giant host is a gameplay adaptation of that reversal, not literal transformation of Titans into allies. narrative_beat: Allied force ends the stalemate and confines the old powers. design_note: A six-mana selective one-sided exile sweeper that converts the removed board into your army. Zeus's second resolution usually finds no qualifying creatures; the copy is not a second army multiplier. Self-exile blocks spell-recovery repetition. signature_demo: On your turn-six main phase, Athena and six enhanced tokens face Poseidon and two Krakens. Exile those ten qualifying creatures and receive ten 4/4 Giants. The board has changed sides in scale; in this main-phase example the Giants have no haste and opponents have a round to answer them. Elsha can instead cast this from the top of your library during the preceding end step, leaving only instant-speed response windows before your next attack. If the spell is copied, the copy makes the Giants and the original normally makes none. counterplay: Counter the spell and any Zeus copy, remove Zeus before its cast, reduce powers before resolution, or protect a board by phasing it out. For an Elsha end-step cast, answer Elsha beforehand or use instant-speed interaction against the spell or the Giants before attackers are declared; a full opposing turn is not guaranteed. Small creatures and most utility engines survive. Removing Athena first shrinks her ordinary tokens out of the effect's range. art_brief: One defeated Titan falling into a dark cleft beneath a towering Hundred-Handed ally, with a single lightning stroke above. Bold silhouettes and restrained background. tokens: - name: Giant colors: - R type_line: Creature — Giant power: '4' toughness: '4' abilities: [] - id: Z03 name: Break the Adamantine Bonds mana_cost: '{2}{W}{U}' colors: - W - U type_line: Instant rules_text: 'Exile up to two target artifacts or enchantments. For each permanent exiled this way, its controller creates a 4/4 red Giant creature token. Draw a card.' power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Austere Command primary_role: answer signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus1.html myth_connection: In Library 1.2.1 Zeus releases the prisoners whose aid will win the war. Removing a constructed or magical restraint releases a substantial body in its place; this can free your own allies or give an opponent a dangerous consolation. narrative_beat: The war is won by releasing strength that had been bound. design_note: Removes up to four engine permanents when copied, but leaves their controllers finite combat threats. Can sacrifice the value of your own spent rock for a Giant. All four Gods are enchantments and legal targets. signature_demo: null counterplay: Protect or sacrifice the targeted permanents; retain and use the resulting Giants. The spell cannot remove ordinary creatures. Counterplay must account for a Zeus copy separately. art_brief: A massive wrist emerging as one iron shackle bursts, Zeus's small luminous silhouette above it. Focus on the broken bond and the liberated hand. tokens: - name: Giant colors: - R type_line: Creature — Giant power: '4' toughness: '4' abilities: [] - id: Z04 name: Rhea's Swaddled Stone mana_cost: '{W}{U}' colors: - W - U type_line: Instant rules_text: 'Counter target spell that targets a permanent you control. Its controller creates a 0/1 colorless Construct artifact creature token with defender. Draw two cards.' power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Teferi's Protection primary_role: answer signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus1.html myth_connection: Library 1.1.7 describes Rhea giving Cronus a wrapped stone instead of the newborn Zeus. The threatened permanent is spared and the attacker receives a harmless-looking stone; drawing cards sustains the future the deception preserved. Other decks can use the Construct as material or a crew member; under Athena it is a 4/4 defender with vigilance and trample, a meaningful blocker. narrative_beat: The threatened child survives through a substitution rather than force. design_note: Very strong targeted-spell protection with a resource reward, but cannot stop untargeted sweepers, abilities, or uncounterable spells. A copied version aimed at the same spell resolves once, leaving the original without a legal target if the spell was countered; it does not automatically draw four. signature_demo: null counterplay: Use an ability, an untargeted sweeper, or an uncounterable spell. Counter this spell, or remove its target from the stack before resolution. A merely uncounterable target remains legal, so the Construct and card draw still happen. art_brief: Rhea's hands wrapping a smooth dark stone in a pale infant's cloth, against a plain shadowed background. The deceptive bundle is the entire focus. tokens: - name: Construct colors: [] type_line: Artifact Creature — Construct power: '0' toughness: '1' abilities: - Defender - id: Z05 name: Brontes, Steropes, and Arges mana_cost: '{1}{U}{R}' colors: - U - R type_line: Legendary Creature — Cyclops rules_text: 'The first instant or sorcery spell you cast each turn costs {2} less to cast. Whenever you cast your first instant or sorcery spell each turn, create a Treasure token.' power: '3' toughness: '4' rarity: rare replaces: Smothering Tithe primary_role: resource signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HesiodTheogony.html myth_connection: Hesiod 139–146 names Brontes, Steropes, and Arges and emphasizes their strength and craft. The three craftsmen supply one especially well-prepared intervention every turn; their work produces both a discount and the next reserve of power. narrative_beat: The coalition supplies Zeus with weapons. design_note: Powerful spell-specific acceleration replaces generic payment taxation. The discount cannot pay colored mana and does not reduce Zeus's creature spell. Treasures are made after casting and cannot pay for the triggering spell. No spell-replay or repeatable untap package is present. signature_demo: null counterplay: Remove the creature before a qualifying spell is cast, force a second exchange that turn, or attack the hand. Hades can steal it, but a stolen Cyclops still requires its controller to cast spells. art_brief: Three Cyclopes sharing the work on one brilliant thunderbolt at a low anvil. Keep the forge quiet and the composition centered on their hands. tokens: - name: Treasure colors: [] type_line: Artifact — Treasure power: null toughness: null abilities: - '{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.' - id: Z06 name: Nectar of the Deathless mana_cost: '{2}{U}{R}' colors: - U - R type_line: Enchantment rules_text: At the beginning of your end step, exile Nectar of the Deathless. When you do, draw X cards and create X Treasure tokens, where X is the greatest mana value among creatures you control. power: null toughness: null rarity: mythic replaces: Rhystic Study primary_role: resource signature: true myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HesiodTheogony.html myth_connection: Hesiod 639–653 has Zeus restore the imprisoned Hundred-Handed Ones with nectar and ambrosia before asking their aid. An established ally's strength becomes an astonishing reserve of knowledge and supplies, consumed in one feast. narrative_beat: The feast restores the coalition and makes the decisive intervention possible. design_note: One deliberately outrageous finite resource burst. Blue's Rush of Knowledge provides the precedent for drawing according to the highest permanent mana value; red contributes the Treasures. The enchantment gives every opponent a removal window and exiles itself, so it is neither copied by Zeus nor a repeatable engine. signature_demo: On turn five or six, cast this with Zeus and a token engine in play. If Zeus remains your creature with the greatest mana value when the reflexive trigger resolves, receive six cards and six Treasures for four mana. The Hundred-Handed Ones can instead supply five of each without the commander, immediately changing the scale of the next turn. There is no damage or free spell casting in the effect. counterplay: Counter or remove the enchantment before the end step. In response to its initial or reflexive trigger, exile or bounce your creatures with the greatest mana value; the amount is determined on resolution, not locked in. No creatures means zero. If the enchantment is removed before its initial trigger resolves, it cannot exile itself and no reward trigger is created. art_brief: A huge exhausted hand receiving a small luminous cup from Zeus, against a simple dark cavern wall. The golden nectar supplies the only warm light. tokens: - name: Treasure colors: [] type_line: Artifact — Treasure power: null toughness: null abilities: - '{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.' - id: Z07 name: Metis mana_cost: '{2}{W}{U}' colors: - W - U type_line: Legendary Creature — Nymph Advisor rules_text: Whenever you cast your first spell each turn, look at the top four cards of your library. Put two of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order. power: '2' toughness: '4' rarity: rare replaces: Archmage Emeritus primary_role: resource signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus1.html myth_connection: Library 1.2.1 places Metis's assistance before the war and credits her with the means to make Cronus release Zeus's siblings. Her counsel supplies both the next plan and the means to execute it, chosen rather than drawn blindly. narrative_beat: Counsel makes force possible, and allies are recovered through knowledge. design_note: Two selected cards per first cast replaces the unrestricted cast/copy draw engine. Works with all spells but never triggers from a copy alone. When cast as the first spell of a turn, Metis was not yet on the battlefield and does not reward her own casting. signature_demo: null counterplay: Remove Metis before the first cast of a turn, force repeated exchanges in one turn, or exploit her lack of a board-impact ability. Opponents may respond to the draw-selection trigger, though removing Metis does not remove an already triggered ability. art_brief: Metis holding a small cup of medicine while quietly addressing the young Zeus. Two figures, a plain stone setting, and a cool pool of light. tokens: [] - id: Z08 name: The Lots of the Cosmos mana_cost: '{1}{W}{U}{R}' colors: - W - U - R type_line: Sorcery rules_text: 'Choose three. You may choose the same mode more than once — • Draw two cards. • Create two Treasure tokens. • Create a 3/3 white Bird creature token with flying. Exile The Lots of the Cosmos.' power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Mystic Confluence primary_role: resource signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus1.html myth_connection: Library 1.2.1 ends the war with Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades dividing the cosmos by lot. Three allocations become a choice between knowledge, buried wealth, and creatures of the sky. These associations are creative mechanical interpretations, not a claim that the source awards cards or birds. narrative_beat: Victory's spoils become the resources of the next contested order. design_note: A very powerful finite flexible refill that can make six cards, six Treasures, three Birds, or a mixture. Zeus copies the chosen modes, not a new choice of allocations. Self-exile prevents a recurring mana/refill loop through spell recovery. signature_demo: null counterplay: Counter the original and any copy separately. A normal main-phase cast commits four colored mana and its Birds cannot attack that turn without haste. Elsha can cast the sorcery from the library at the preceding end step, allowing the Birds to attack next turn; answer Elsha beforehand or use instant-speed interaction. Remove resource-conversion creatures or pressure the pilot before the hand advantage becomes a battlefield. art_brief: Three marked lots resting in Zeus's open palm, with a sliver of pale sky beyond. No cosmic panorama or collage of three kingdoms. tokens: - name: Treasure colors: [] type_line: Artifact — Treasure power: null toughness: null abilities: - '{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.' - name: Bird colors: - W type_line: Creature — Bird power: '3' toughness: '3' abilities: - Flying - id: Z09 name: The Hundred-Handed Ones mana_cost: '{3}{R}{W}' colors: - R - W type_line: Legendary Creature — Giant rules_text: 'Vigilance, reach Whenever The Hundred-Handed Ones attacks, it deals 6 damage to each of up to three target creatures defending player controls.' power: '6' toughness: '6' rarity: rare replaces: Metallurgic Summonings primary_role: threat signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HesiodTheogony.html myth_connection: Hesiod 713–735 describes Cottus, Briareus, and Gyes overwhelming the Titans with volleys of stones. Three full-strength strikes enact their artillery while their vigilance and reach leave the coalition defended. narrative_beat: The freed allies take the front line and break the enemy formation. design_note: A formidable attack-triggered removal creature, with no haste or enter-the-battlefield removal. It must survive until combat and attack the controller of the creatures it targets; it cannot pick off the entire table from safety. signature_demo: null counterplay: Remove it before attacks, counter the attack trigger, protect intended targets, or block the 6/6 with surviving creatures. Hades can resurrect it but it must wait to attack and remains answerable by exile. art_brief: The three immense allies poised above the battlefield, one foreground hand releasing a single boulder. Suggest their many arms with a few readable silhouettes rather than hundreds of tiny limbs. tokens: [] - id: Z10 name: The Oath of Styx mana_cost: '{2}{R}{W}' colors: - R - W type_line: Enchantment rules_text: Whenever three or more creatures you control attack, put a +1/+1 counter on each of them. They gain double strike until end of turn. power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Akroma's Will primary_role: threat signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus1.html myth_connection: Library 1.2.5 explains that Styx and her children fought for Zeus, earning Styx her authority over divine oaths. The player commits a coalition to battle and receives enduring strength plus a decisive combat reward; the enchantment adapts collective allegiance, not the source's later punishments for perjury. narrative_beat: An alliance becomes binding action rather than passive preparation. design_note: Replaces a one-turn protection/finisher with repeatable combat pressure requiring three declared attackers. Does not grant haste, evasion, or protection. Tokens that enter attacking do not count toward its trigger, and it only enhances the creatures whose attack triggered it. signature_demo: null counterplay: Remove the enchantment before attackers are declared, remove creatures to leave fewer than three before combat, or block and remove the attackers. An already triggered ability survives removal of the enchantment. No bonus is granted to later token arrivals. art_brief: Styx extending her hand in pledge toward Zeus over still black water, with a restrained silver reflection. The oath gesture carries the scene. tokens: [] - id: P01 name: Nisyros Falls mana_cost: '{3}{G}{G}' colors: - G type_line: Sorcery rules_text: 'Search your library for up to two basic land cards, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. Target creature you control gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of lands you control. It deals damage equal to its power to each creature your opponents control.' power: null toughness: null rarity: mythic replaces: Cyclonic Rift primary_role: answer signature: true myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Gigante/GigantePolybotes.html myth_connection: Poseidon tears Nisyros from Kos and buries Polybotes beneath it. New ground becomes the force of a single enormous blow. narrative_beat: The map becomes a weapon. design_note: 'Signature answer: land development, an enormous temporary body, and a one-sided creature catastrophe. Green supplies both ramp and creature-based damage. One target makes the entire spell vulnerable to removal before resolution.' signature_demo: With seven lands, Poseidon and two Krakens already in play, five mana finds two basic lands. Poseidon becomes 15/15 and deals 15 damage to each opposing creature. The two landfall triggers later provide unused modes. An established trampling army can exploit the opening, but the spell creates no immediate attack and does not touch noncreature engines. counterplay: Remove its sole target or counter the spell before resolution. Indestructibility, protection, exile of the target, and sufficiently large opposing bodies matter. Lands and noncreature engines remain intact. art_brief: Poseidon hurls one immense limestone island fragment downward; a tiny giant silhouette below establishes scale. Open sea and a spare storm sky. No crowd of combatants. tokens: [] - id: P02 name: The Raft Breaks mana_cost: '{1}{G}{U}' colors: - G - U type_line: Instant rules_text: Return all attacking creatures to their owners’ hands. You may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield tapped. power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Aetherize primary_role: answer signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerOdyssey5.html myth_connection: 'Odyssey 5.365–387: Poseidon shatters the raft when land seems close. A committed advance collapses while another shore becomes accessible.' narrative_beat: The apparent arrival becomes another voyage. design_note: A cheap finite defensive reversal; its land entrance can access an unused Poseidon mode on the attacking turn. Tokens vanish, while creature cards can be recast. signature_demo: null counterplay: Counter it, pressure with noncombat effects, or send a smaller force before committing the rest. It does not remove creatures held back. art_brief: One wooden raft splits beneath a single curling wave, with a distant strip of shore. The stranded voyager is a small clear silhouette, not a crowded scene. tokens: [] - id: P03 name: Polyphemus's Prayer mana_cost: '{G}{U}' colors: - G - U type_line: Instant rules_text: Destroy target artifact or enchantment. If you lost life this turn, draw two cards. power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Force of Vigor primary_role: answer signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerOdyssey9.html myth_connection: 'Odyssey 9.528–535: the injured Polyphemus invokes his father against Odysseus. Suffering makes the answering act of vengeance more rewarding.' narrative_beat: Injury becomes a divine grudge. design_note: Cheap permanent removal remains useful without the god. Life lost from combat or a pain land can satisfy the rider; that broader gameplay condition is an adaptation, not a literal account of the injury. signature_demo: null counterplay: Protect the targeted permanent or counter the spell. With no legal target the spell does not resolve, including its draw clause. art_brief: Polyphemus kneels on a dark shore and raises one hand toward the sea; his wounded eye is covered. One pale line of surf answers him. tokens: [] - id: P04 name: The Ship Becomes a Stone mana_cost: '{1}{U}' colors: - U type_line: Enchantment — Aura rules_text: 'Enchant artifact, creature, or land Enchanted permanent is a colorless land with “{T}: Add {C}.” and loses all other card types and abilities.' power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Reality Shift primary_role: answer signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerOdyssey13.html myth_connection: 'Odyssey 13.153–164: Poseidon petrifies the Phaeacian ship and roots it by the shore. A mobile source of power becomes inert geography.' narrative_beat: The grudge reaches those who enabled safe passage. design_note: The efficient Imprisoned in the Moon family is an exact narrative fit. It disables a god without a death trigger but leaves its controller a mana source. The enchant ability includes land so the Aura stays attached after the change. signature_demo: null counterplay: Destroy or exile the Aura to restore the permanent. A commander remains on the battlefield, so its owner cannot simply move it to the command zone. The card does not destroy lands. art_brief: A single Greek ship has become pale stone, its oars and prow rooted beside a quiet coastline. Still water, one restrained god-shadow across the hull. tokens: [] - id: P05 name: The Sea Makes Way mana_cost: '{4}{G}{U}' colors: - G - U type_line: Sorcery rules_text: 'Reveal the top twelve cards of your library. Put up to four land cards from among them onto the battlefield tapped and the rest into your hand. Exile The Sea Makes Way.' power: null toughness: null rarity: mythic replaces: Rhystic Study primary_role: resource signature: true myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerIliad13.html myth_connection: 'Iliad 13.17–31: the sea opens before Poseidon and its creatures recognize their lord. What obstructs a mortal becomes an immense route for the god.' narrative_beat: Unimpeded passage displays divine authority. design_note: 'Signature resource event: twelve cards change the scale of a turn. At most four become tapped lands; the remainder supply the future hand. Six mana and self-exile keep this a finite pivotal event, not a recurring draw tax or immediately usable mana loop.' signature_demo: On turn six with six lands and no commander, reveal twelve cards containing four lands. Put those four lands in tapped and keep eight cards. A turn that began with an ordinary mana base ends poised to cast two large spells next turn. With Poseidon already present the four entrances can also use each still-available mode once, never four Krakens. counterplay: Counter the six-mana sorcery, answer the landfall engines before it resolves, or attack the pilot who spent a turn on resources. Lands enter tapped. Hand-size limits still apply without an independent enabler. art_brief: Poseidon drives along one luminous channel opening through a dark calm sea. The route, rather than background ornament, conveys vast distance. tokens: [] - id: P06 name: Leucothea's Veil mana_cost: '{1}{U}' colors: - U type_line: Enchantment rules_text: 'Whenever one or more creatures deal combat damage to you, draw three cards. {U}, Sacrifice Leucothea''s Veil: Target creature you control gains hexproof until end of turn.' power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Mystic Remora primary_role: resource signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerOdyssey5.html myth_connection: 'Odyssey 5.333–353: Leucothea gives the endangered Odysseus her veil. Help arrives when the traveler suffers, and the gift can be spent to preserve a life.' narrative_beat: The victim still has a way to survive. design_note: An opponent may avoid feeding the engine by declining an attack, but winning through combat eventually tests that choice. Simultaneous damage from many creatures produces one trigger; separate combat-damage steps can produce separate triggers. This is cards after suffering, not life gain or a combat lock. signature_demo: null counterplay: Destroy the enchantment before damage, attack lethally, or attack another player. Hexproof does not stop sweepers and spending the veil ends its draw engine. art_brief: A white veil stretches from a sea-goddess’s hand toward one exhausted swimmer. Keep the scene intimate, with dark water and a single soft highlight. tokens: [] - id: P07 name: The River Receives the Suppliant mana_cost: '{3}{G}{U}' colors: - G - U type_line: Instant rules_text: Draw four cards. You may put up to two land cards from your hand onto the battlefield tapped. Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to you this turn. power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Rishkar's Expertise primary_role: resource signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerOdyssey5.html myth_connection: 'Odyssey 5.441–463: a river stills its current and receives Odysseus. Reaching shelter restores resources and creates one turn of safety.' narrative_beat: A refuge interrupts the god’s pursuit. design_note: Five mana purchases a finite refill, access to shore, and safety for the pilot. It protects neither creatures nor planeswalkers. Casting it outside combat sacrifices the defensive rider for development. signature_demo: null counterplay: Counter it, inflict noncombat damage, or attack the pilot on a later turn. The listed deck has only finite spell recovery, not a repeated-fog engine. art_brief: An exhausted voyager reaches a sheltered river mouth; rough sea ends at the boundary of smooth shallow water. No additional figures or architecture. tokens: [] - id: P08 name: Poseidon's Hippocamps mana_cost: '{1}{G}' colors: - G type_line: Creature — Horse Fish rules_text: 'You may play an additional land on each of your turns. Whenever a land you control enters during combat, draw two cards. This ability triggers only once each turn.' power: '2' toughness: '3' rarity: rare replaces: Exploration primary_role: resource signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerIliad13.html myth_connection: Iliad 13.17–38 gives Poseidon swift sea-crossing horses. This creature carries development forward and rewards choosing the moment of passage during a battle. narrative_beat: The sea carries its lord toward battle. design_note: An additional-land effect on a removable body, with an attack-phase reason to bank a fetchland. Horse-Fish anatomy is a conventional Greek-art adaptation; Homer’s quoted horses are not explicitly fish-tailed. This extra permission does not permit playing lands on opponents’ turns. signature_demo: null counterplay: Remove the 2/3, respond to a fetch activation by removing it, or force the pilot to spend fetchlands before combat. It has no land-untap or land-return ability. art_brief: One bronze-hoofed hippocamp surges through clear turquoise water; a gold mane and the curve of its fish tail define the silhouette. Empty sea behind it. tokens: [] - id: P09 name: The Trojan Ketos mana_cost: '{4}{U}{U}' colors: - U type_line: Legendary Creature — Kraken rules_text: 'Whenever The Trojan Ketos attacks, defending player returns two nonland permanents they control to their owners’ hands. Whenever a creature an opponent controls is returned to its owner’s hand, The Trojan Ketos can’t be blocked this turn.' power: '8' toughness: '8' rarity: mythic replaces: Kiora Bests the Sea God primary_role: threat signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Ther/KetosTroias.html myth_connection: Apollodorus 2.103 and the Laomedon tradition describe Poseidon’s sea-monster ravaging Troy after a broken obligation. A threatened city must give ground as the monster advances. narrative_beat: A grudge takes bodily form and advances on the shore. design_note: An 8/8 that makes its own attack relevant. The defender chooses the returned permanents and may preserve blockers by choosing noncreatures. Its opening is earned by attacking; no enter-the-battlefield bounce to abuse through resurrection. signature_demo: null counterplay: Remove it before attackers are declared, counter the attack trigger, or return two noncreatures and block normally. It has no hexproof, indestructibility, or protection. art_brief: A single long-jawed Greek ketos rises beside a plain stretch of Trojan sea wall. Its head and the small scale of the wall carry the image; no siege army. tokens: [] - id: P10 name: Triton, Poseidon's Herald mana_cost: '{2}{G}{U}' colors: - G - U type_line: Legendary Creature — Merfolk rules_text: 'Creatures you control have trample. Whenever Triton, Poseidon''s Herald attacks, you may tap up to three untapped lands you control. For each land tapped this way, create a tapped and attacking 4/4 blue Kraken creature token. Sacrifice those tokens at end of combat.' power: '4' toughness: '5' rarity: mythic replaces: Koma, World-Eater primary_role: threat signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/OvidMetamorphoses1.html myth_connection: 'Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.330–347: Triton’s conch signals the waters to withdraw at Poseidon’s command. The temporary host is a game adaptation of a wave summoned and then recalled.' narrative_beat: Divine command turns the sea into a timed advance. design_note: Pays in untapped land capacity rather than an extra combat or a permanent token-doubling engine. The created creatures attack but do not trigger abilities that look for an attacker being declared. The sea withdraws at end of combat. signature_demo: null counterplay: Remove Triton before combat or remove his trample effect before damage, block the 4/4s, or answer the attack trigger. Tapping three lands spends capacity that could have paid for interaction. art_brief: Triton blows a single pale conch above the water. One broad crest behind him suggests a host taking shape, with a clean horizon. tokens: - name: Kraken colors: - U types: - Creature - Kraken type_line: Creature — Kraken power: '4' toughness: '4' abilities: [] - id: H01 name: The Host's Welcome mana_cost: '{4}{W}{B}' colors: - W - B type_line: Sorcery rules_text: 'Each opponent chooses a creature they control, then sacrifices the rest. For each opponent, choose up to one creature card in that player''s graveyard. Return the chosen cards to the battlefield under your control with a finality counter on each of them. Exile The Host''s Welcome.' power: null toughness: null rarity: mythic replaces: Toxic Deluge primary_role: answer signature: true myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/HaidesPersephone1.html myth_connection: The Hymn to Demeter's Host of Many receives the dead from every earthly allegiance. The mass arrival and exceptional release of chosen guests are a game adaptation of that jurisdiction, not a claim that Hades commanded this battle in the source. narrative_beat: The host receives the casualties of the other gods' wars, then permits selected guests a conditional return. design_note: A six-mana reversal keeps our established army, reduces each opposing army to its chosen survivor, and adds up to three creatures. Sacrifice gets through indestructibility; finality and self-exile prevent routine recycling. This is deliberately stronger than an ordinary six-mana sweeper. signature_demo: On turn six, three opponents have five, four, and seven creatures. They preserve one each and sacrifice thirteen. Choose the best eligible corpse in each opposing graveyard and return those three with finality. Hades draws one card and makes one Treasure for the simultaneous nontoken deaths, not thirteen. The new army normally waits to attack. Recruiting Surrak and Goreclaw can grant the other nontoken recruits haste, and a recruited Puppeteer Clique can give its own borrowed creature haste; these are earned exceptions with response windows before combat. counterplay: Counter the sorcery, phase out a threatened army, remove valuable old graveyard targets before resolution, or keep the best blocker or engine as the survivor. Graveyard removal before resolution does not stop recruitment of creatures newly sacrificed during this spell; there is no priority window between its sacrifice and return instructions. A sacrificed commander selected during this resolution stays under our control; it is already on the battlefield when state-based actions are next checked, so its owner has no automatic command-zone escape. A later eligible zone change can give its owner the normal command-zone choice. Exile and bounce answer the returned creatures. art_brief: Hades receives a single fallen warrior at the foot of his throne; two distant silhouettes imply the larger procession. Quiet black stone and one seam of gold, no crowded underworld panorama. tokens: [] - id: H02 name: The Helm of Darkness mana_cost: '{1}{W}{B}' colors: - W - B type_line: Legendary Artifact — Equipment rules_text: 'Flash When The Helm of Darkness enters, up to one target creature you control phases out. Equipped creature has menace and ward {2}. Equip {2}' power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Teferi's Protection primary_role: answer signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/HaidesTreasures.html myth_connection: Apollodorus describes the Cyclopes giving Hades a helmet, and the collected ancient accounts describe its invisibility. Phasing briefly conceals a creature without resetting its identity or finality counter; menace and ward represent the difficult-to-perceive wearer. narrative_beat: Conceal a vulnerable returned guest for one dangerous passage. design_note: Exchanges one-shot whole-board protection for a single immediate rescue and a reusable combat tool. Phasing retains finality. White supplies phasing and black supplies menace. signature_demo: null counterplay: Counter the Equipment or its enter trigger, remove its target in response, remove the Equipment before an attack, or pay ward. Phasing a creature also removes it from our current battle and from Hades's immediate presence if he is the target. art_brief: A dark Greek helmet held just above a warrior's head, with the face beneath fading from sight. Close framing, empty smoky background. tokens: [] - id: H03 name: Do Not Look Back mana_cost: '{W}{B}' colors: - W - B type_line: Instant rules_text: 'Exile target attacking creature. Creatures you control with finality counters on them gain hexproof and indestructible until end of turn.' power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Anguished Unmaking primary_role: answer signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus1.html myth_connection: Library 1.3.2 makes Orpheus's recovery of Eurydice depend on not looking back. This spell turns preservation of a conditional return into a decision during danger. The attacking-creature exile is a protective game abstraction, not an invented monster pursuing Eurydice in the myth. narrative_beat: Spend a finite answer to protect the second chance instead of treating the returned life as expendable. design_note: A cheap combat reversal protects all our marked creatures, but needs a legal attacking target. It does not protect unmarked Hades and cannot answer a stationary engine; the remaining removal covers that job. signature_demo: null counterplay: The target can be removed or phased out in response so the whole spell fails to resolve. Exile, bounce, and toughness reduction before resolution or after the protection ends still work. Force the defensive spell before deploying a second threat. art_brief: Orpheus walks toward a small wedge of daylight with his face resolutely forward; Eurydice follows one step behind. Two figures and the light are the whole composition. tokens: [] - id: H04 name: Judgment in the Underworld mana_cost: '{3}{W}{B}' colors: - W - B type_line: Sorcery rules_text: 'Destroy all creatures that don''t have finality counters on them. Exile up to one target artifact or enchantment.' power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Austere Command primary_role: answer signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/HaidesTreasures.html myth_connection: The underworld court includes Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Aeacus; the collected Statius passages describe judgment beside Hades. Dividing creatures by an existing mark of conditional release is a game adaptation of adjudicated status. It does not present Hades alone as the only judge. narrative_beat: A prior permission to return changes who survives the next judgment. design_note: A potentially asymmetric sweeper rewards preserving finality-marked creatures, while also removing one persistent engine. An unmarked Hades dies too. A finality counter on a stolen creature protects it regardless of its current controller. signature_demo: null counterplay: Counter the spell; protect unmarked creatures with indestructibility; remove the marked army before it becomes a surviving advantage. If a target was chosen and becomes illegal, the entire spell fails to resolve, including the creature destruction. Casting without a target avoids that exposure. art_brief: Three seated judges in a simple row, one lowering a small bronze voting stone. A pale standing shade is the only foreground figure. tokens: [] - id: H05 name: Charon mana_cost: '{W}{B}' colors: - W - B type_line: Legendary Creature — Spirit Pilot rules_text: 'Whenever one or more nontoken creatures die, create two Treasure tokens. This ability triggers only once each turn. {1}, {T}, Sacrifice a Treasure: Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.' power: '2' toughness: '3' rarity: rare replaces: Smothering Tithe primary_role: resource signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Kharon.html myth_connection: Ancient accounts identify Charon as the ferryman and Aristophanes' Frogs explicitly discusses the fare. Deaths produce passage money, then paying a coin recovers access to one named dead creature. Return to hand is an abstraction of passage, not a claim that Charon habitually resurrects his passengers. narrative_beat: Each arrival pays; a later crossing requires a deliberate payment. design_note: Replaces a generic tax with powerful event-driven Treasure production. Recovering a creature also spends mana, a Treasure, and a tap; it cannot sacrifice creatures or create a self-funding resurrection loop. Hades and Charon together can earn three Treasures on the first nontoken death each turn. signature_demo: null counterplay: Remove this fragile two-mana creature, exile creatures instead of destroying them, or exile the selected card in response to the paid return. No death means no automatic income. Returned finality creatures that are exiled do not trigger Charon. art_brief: Charon extends an open hand for a single coin beside the dark edge of his narrow boat. No queue of souls or elaborate river landscape. tokens: - name: Treasure colors: [] type_line: Token Artifact — Treasure power: null toughness: null abilities: '{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.' - id: H06 name: Plouton's Buried Riches mana_cost: '{3}{B}{B}' colors: - B type_line: Legendary Enchantment rules_text: At the beginning of your end step, you may exile up to three creature cards from your graveyard. For each card exiled this way, draw two cards and create two tapped Treasure tokens. power: null toughness: null rarity: mythic replaces: Necropotence primary_role: resource signature: true myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/HaidesGod.html myth_connection: Plato's Cratylus connects Plouton's name to wealth arising from below the earth. The game turns an underworld population into buried riches. Exiling the creature cards makes that wealth a choice against bringing those same people back, rather than pretending corpses are inexhaustible coins. narrative_beat: The host can extract astonishing wealth from his realm, but every extraction relinquishes a possible return. design_note: Up to six cards and six Treasures per own end step, deliberately dwarfing ordinary engines. It requires three real creature cards per payout, permanently spends them, and produces tapped Treasures. Finality creatures cannot refill the graveyard by dying. The payment competes with Hades and both reanimation spells. signature_demo: Cast this on turn five after an earlier Buried Alive. At the end step, exile all three buried creatures to draw six cards and create six tapped Treasures. The next turn begins with enough resources for Hades plus a major follow-up, but the three selected creatures can no longer be resurrected and opponents had a full turn cycle to attack the enchantment, hand, and artifacts. counterplay: Exile the graveyard in response to its trigger, remove the enchantment before an end step, or destroy Treasures before they untap. An empty graveyard produces nothing. Destroying the enchantment after its trigger is on the stack does not stop that payout. Keep pressure on life total rather than allowing the pilot to bank resources indefinitely. art_brief: A single pale hand opens a crack in black earth, revealing a concentrated vein of gold. No skeletal army, vast treasure room, or extra symbolic objects. tokens: - name: Treasure colors: [] type_line: Token Artifact — Treasure power: null toughness: null abilities: '{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.' - id: H07 name: Orpheus mana_cost: '{1}{W}{B}' colors: - W - B type_line: Legendary Creature — Human Bard rules_text: 'When Orpheus enters, return target creature card with mana value 4 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield with a finality counter on it. Whenever one or more creatures you control with finality counters on them attack, you draw two cards and you lose 1 life.' power: '3' toughness: '2' rarity: rare replaces: Black Market Connections primary_role: resource signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus1.html myth_connection: Library 1.3.2 describes the musician descending and persuading Hades to release Eurydice. An enter trigger petitions for a particular modest-sized creature; subsequent card draw requires taking returned people forward into danger. Combat is the game's metaphor for continuing the journey, not a claim that Orpheus led a military campaign. narrative_beat: Petition for one return, then lead the returned onward. design_note: Three mana can recover a real value creature, including Eurydice or Charon, with finality attached. The draw rewards risking that marked board in ordinary combat and costs 1 life per trigger, whether one marked creature or several attack; there are no extra-combat effects here. Orpheus does not return himself from his own enter trigger. signature_demo: null counterplay: Exile the graveyard target in response, remove Orpheus before attackers are declared, or block the marked creatures so drawing two and losing 1 life also costs irreplaceable bodies. The resurrection cap prevents returning Hades, major removal angels, or Cerberus. art_brief: Orpheus plays his lyre before a seated ruler mostly lost in shadow. Focus on the musician's hands and the ruler's listening posture. tokens: [] - id: H08 name: The Descent for Eurydice mana_cost: '{2}{W}{B}' colors: - W - B type_line: Enchantment — Saga rules_text: 'I — Mill six cards. II — Return up to two target creature cards from your graveyard to the battlefield with a finality counter on each of them. III — For each creature you control with a finality counter on it, you draw two cards and you lose 1 life.' power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Sepulchral Primordial primary_role: resource signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus1.html myth_connection: Library 1.3.2 supplies descent, petition, and a return endangered by a later choice. The chapters move from entering the realm of the dead to recovering people to rewarding their continued survival. The game permits two returned creatures so the relationship can occupy the battlefield together; this is an adaptation rather than a second Eurydice in the source. narrative_beat: Descend, retrieve, and preserve long enough to reach the light. design_note: Replaces immediate mass theft with a telegraphed but exceptionally large staged recovery. Each chapter offers a response window, and the final reward depends on marked creatures still being present. Two survivors mean four cards and 2 life lost; five mean ten cards and 5 life lost. This preserves the whole draw reward while giving its black card advantage a life price. No Saga reminder text is needed in the image; normal Saga rules apply. signature_demo: null counterplay: Remove the Saga before chapter II, exile the graveyard targets in response, or answer returned creatures before chapter III. Removing the Saga after a chapter has triggered does not counter that chapter. Creatures whose finality counters are removed no longer count toward chapter III. art_brief: 'A spare vertical Greek relief in three connected scenes: a lyre descending, two hands almost meeting, and a narrow opening of daylight. Keep the figures large and the surrounding stone plain.' tokens: [] - id: H09 name: Eurydice mana_cost: '{1}{W}' colors: - W type_line: Legendary Enchantment Creature — Nymph rules_text: 'Whenever Eurydice enters or attacks, if you control a creature with a finality counter on it, draw a card. As long as Eurydice has a finality counter on it, other creatures you control get +2/+2.' power: '2' toughness: '2' rarity: rare replaces: True Conviction primary_role: threat signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/OvidMetamorphoses10.html myth_connection: Ovid's account places Eurydice's death, retrieval, and second loss at the emotional center of Orpheus's descent. The anthem makes the returned person's continued presence matter to everyone around her. She is not merely a generic corpse to sacrifice; losing her immediately diminishes the host. The battle empowerment is a creative game adaptation. narrative_beat: The person recovered is the reason the whole journey matters. design_note: Cast normally, Eurydice is a modest body with conditional draw. Returned with finality, she supplies cards and a large army-wide bonus while remaining a vulnerable 2/2 herself. This replaces generic double strike with a visible individual whose preservation supplies closing power. signature_demo: null counterplay: Exile, bounce, or destroy Eurydice before combat damage. If she has finality, destruction loses her permanently; if bounced, she returns to her owner's hand and loses the anthem unless brought back with finality later. The anthem does not protect Eurydice herself. art_brief: Eurydice alone at the edge of morning light, looking toward a path outside the frame. Quiet, recognizably human emotion; no army or throne. tokens: [] - id: H10 name: Cerberus mana_cost: '{3}{B}{B}' colors: - B type_line: Legendary Creature — Dog rules_text: 'Menace Creatures you control with finality counters on them have menace. Whenever Cerberus attacks, exile up to three target creature cards from graveyards. Put two +1/+1 counters on Cerberus for each card exiled this way.' power: '5' toughness: '5' rarity: rare replaces: Grave Titan primary_role: threat signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Ther/KuonKerberos.html myth_connection: Hesiod's Theogony describes the underworld hound admitting arrivals but devouring those who try to leave. Exiling potential resurrection targets makes the guard close off escape; growing through this act makes the hound a tangible threat. The three-target limit echoes the familiar three-headed depiction. Granting menace to Hades's permitted returnees is a creative extension of his authority over the guard. narrative_beat: The same realm that grants an exceptional release still has a terrifying boundary. design_note: A combat finisher and graveyard answer that grows only through attacks and finite targets. Five mana buys no immediate removal or haste. Menace lets the marked army turn its accumulated strength into damage instead of sitting behind a wall of small blockers. signature_demo: null counterplay: Remove Cerberus before combat, exile targeted graveyard cards in response, supply two blockers, or bounce it to erase accumulated counters. The attack trigger can resolve after Cerberus is removed, but cannot put counters on the absent creature. art_brief: A single massive three-headed hound stands across a narrow doorway, one head growling and the other two watching. Plain stone, clear anatomy, no field of tiny skeletons. tokens: [] - id: A01 name: Lift the Mist mana_cost: '{1}{W}' colors: - W type_line: Instant rules_text: 'Exile target enchantment. Scry 2, then draw a card.' power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Krosan Grip primary_role: answer signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerIliad5.html myth_connection: 'Iliad 5.121–132: Athena removes the mist from Diomedes''s eyes so he can distinguish gods from mortals. The spell identifies and expels an enchantment, then turns revelation into selection and a card. Exile is a game adaptation of exposing a god, not a claim that Athena banishes every god she reveals.' narrative_beat: The mist lifts. design_note: A clean, efficient answer to every enchantment god, replacing split-second reliability with exile and substantial selection. It does not bypass hexproof. signature_demo: null counterplay: Counter it, protect the targeted enchantment with hexproof, or remove that target before resolution; with its only target illegal the entire spell fails to resolve. art_brief: A close view of Diomedes as a thin veil of gray mist parts before his eyes; one distant divine silhouette, no army panorama. tokens: [] - id: A02 name: Wound the Deathless mana_cost: '{R}{W}' colors: - R - W type_line: Instant rules_text: Target creature you control deals damage equal to twice its power to target creature or planeswalker you don't control. If a permanent dealt damage this way would die this turn, exile it instead. power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Force of Vigor primary_role: answer signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerIliad5.html myth_connection: 'Iliad 5.846–863: Athena helps Diomedes drive his spear into Ares. A mortal body must actually deliver the blow; divine empowerment can make an ordinary Soldier capable of removing a god. The exile replacement represents the wounded immortal leaving the battle.' narrative_beat: A mortal wounds Ares. design_note: Converts an established creature into a powerful two-mana exile answer. Athena makes a token deal eight; the effect remains useful with a normal three-power champion. Replaces an alternate-cost answer with a conditional, paid one. signature_demo: null counterplay: Remove or shrink the friendly target in response; hexproof, indestructible, or damage prevention can save the opposing target. No damage is dealt if the friendly target is illegal on resolution. art_brief: One bronze spear piercing Ares's armor at the waist, Diomedes's hand on the shaft and Athena's hand guiding it; tight action composition. tokens: [] - id: A03 name: Athena Turns the Spear mana_cost: '{3}{R}{W}' colors: - R - W type_line: Instant rules_text: 'Prevent all damage that would be dealt to creatures you control this turn. Athena Turns the Spear deals damage equal to the total power of creatures you control to each creature your opponents control.' power: null toughness: null rarity: mythic replaces: Austere Command primary_role: answer signature: true myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerIliad5.html myth_connection: 'Iliad 5.846–863: Athena deflects Ares''s spear and immediately guides Diomedes''s answering blow. The spell reverses the direction of battle: the defending formation survives damage, and its combined strength strikes the enemy host. Extending the one duel across an army is the set''s deliberate adaptation.' narrative_beat: The chariot becomes the turning point. design_note: A realistically castable, one-sided creature catastrophe whose scale comes from creatures already on the battlefield. The spell itself deals the damage, avoiding multiplicative lifelink or deathtouch from individual creatures. It neither damages players nor clears lands or noncreature engines. signature_demo: With Athena and four Soldier tokens, five mana prevents damage to your creatures and deals 20 damage to every opposing creature. An enemy attack can become the destruction of three developed armies while yours survives. Without Athena, four 1/1s still clear small creatures but do not flatten monsters. counterplay: Counter the spell; remove or shrink the army in response to reduce its total power; use protection, indestructible, or damage prevention on threatened creatures. Noncreature engines and lands survive to rebuild. Exile, bounce, and toughness reduction still answer your protected creatures. art_brief: Athena catches a descending spear above a chariot, her calm hand stopping the impact; a single bright counterstroke across the lower frame, minimal background. tokens: [] - id: A04 name: The Aegis mana_cost: '{1}{W}' colors: - W type_line: Legendary Artifact — Equipment rules_text: 'Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has vigilance. Whenever equipped creature attacks, another target attacking creature gains hexproof and indestructible until end of turn. Equip {1}' power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Clever Concealment primary_role: answer signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerIliad5.html myth_connection: Iliad 5.733–747 describes Athena putting on the aegis with its terrifying Gorgon image before entering battle. Here a bearer advances under its protection and shelters a companion. The effect is a combat interpretation of the armor, not an invented property claimed for the ancient object. narrative_beat: An ally must survive the advance. design_note: Strong offensive protection and a credible creature bonus, exchanging broad phasing for a specific companion's safe attack. It cannot protect its own bearer or shelter an army during opponents' turns. signature_demo: null counterplay: Remove the Equipment or its bearer before attacks, answer the companion in response to the trigger, or use a sweeper on a later turn. The protected attacker can still be blocked and does not automatically gain evasion. art_brief: Athena's dark aegis with a single severe Gorgon face over one advancing warrior's shield arm; quiet smoky backdrop. tokens: [] - id: A05 name: Counsel Before the Charge mana_cost: '{1}{G}{W}' colors: - G - W type_line: Enchantment rules_text: Whenever you attack with one or more creatures, look at the top four cards of your library. Put two of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Sylvan Library primary_role: resource signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerIliad5.html myth_connection: 'Iliad 5.121–132 and 814–834: Athena''s instructions determine which divine enemies Diomedes may confront, and he remembers them when Ares appears. Choosing two of four cards while committing an attack makes information a tactical resource that requires action.' narrative_beat: The mist lifts, and courage becomes informed. design_note: An intentionally excellent selection engine replacing a generic library staple. It requires a creature that can attack and supplies no mana, protection, or board by itself; it functions without Athena. signature_demo: null counterplay: Remove the enchantment, deny profitable attacks, or sweep its creatures. It cannot draw on the turn it is cast into an empty battlefield. Existing enchantment answers all interact cleanly. art_brief: Athena leaning beside Diomedes to point toward one distant opponent, with the chariot rail and a pale sky as the only supporting details. tokens: [] - id: A06 name: Sthenelus, Son of Capaneus mana_cost: '{1}{W}' colors: - W type_line: Legendary Creature — Human Soldier rules_text: Whenever one or more other creatures you control die, draw a card. Then return up to one target creature card with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard to your hand. This ability triggers only once each turn. power: '2' toughness: '3' rarity: rare replaces: Skullclamp primary_role: resource signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerIliad5.html myth_connection: 'Iliad 5.105–121: Sthenelus leaps down and draws the arrow out of Diomedes''s shoulder. He represents mortal aid preceding divine intervention. Losing members of the formation earns information and can restore a small companion to hand for another paid deployment.' narrative_beat: A companion draws out the arrow. design_note: A strong once-per-turn recovery engine that works with tokens dying, including when Athena is removed midcombat. It returns cards to hand, does not recur spells, and does not return tokens. The small-creature limit excludes Eternal Witness. signature_demo: null counterplay: Exile Sthenelus before killing other creatures or use bounce/exile sweepers. If its controller chooses a graveyard target and that sole target becomes illegal, the entire ability fails to resolve, including the card draw; its once-per-turn trigger is still used. Choosing zero targets initially preserves the draw against graveyard removal. Returned bodies cost mana to redeploy; the list has no self-sustaining sacrifice loop. art_brief: Sthenelus kneels beside the chariot and pulls a broken arrow from Diomedes's shoulder; two figures and one bloodied shaft, intimate rather than panoramic. tokens: [] - id: A07 name: Athena Among the Argives mana_cost: '{3}{G}{W}' colors: - G - W type_line: Sorcery rules_text: 'Create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token for each creature you control, then draw a card for each creature token you control. Exile Athena Among the Argives.' power: null toughness: null rarity: mythic replaces: Shamanic Revelation primary_role: resource signature: true myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerIliad5.html myth_connection: 'Iliad 5.778–834: Hera and Athena reach the faltering Argive formation, rallying courage before Athena goes to Diomedes. The army already present becomes the basis of reinforcements and overwhelming new confidence. The number of surviving bodies determines the size of the restoration.' narrative_beat: The line gives ground, then divine aid changes the scale of the battle. design_note: 'The signature resource event is far beyond an ordinary draw spell: it doubles creature count and refills according to the resulting token count. The new troops have no haste, an empty board yields nothing, and self-exile makes this a single surge rather than a recurring Witness engine.' signature_demo: 'On turn six, Athena, a token maker, and five tokens become fourteen creatures: seven new Soldiers, twelve tokens total, and twelve cards drawn for five mana. With Athena those twelve tokens represent 48 power, but the seven new Soldiers must survive to a later attack. Even without the god, six existing creatures produce six fresh bodies and at least six cards.' counterplay: Counter the sorcery or remove creatures before it resolves to reduce both halves. The new army is exposed to sweepers, bounce, and Athena removal. No priority occurs between creating tokens and drawing, and normal maximum hand size applies at cleanup. art_brief: Athena arrives beside a shaken Argive standard-bearer who straightens his spear; a restrained row of three silhouettes conveys the formation behind them. tokens: - name: Soldier colors: - W type_line: Token Creature — Soldier power: '1' toughness: '1' abilities: [] - id: A08 name: Diomedes's Chariot mana_cost: '{2}{G}{W}' colors: - G - W type_line: Legendary Artifact — Vehicle rules_text: 'Vigilance, trample Whenever Diomedes''s Chariot attacks, draw a card for each creature that crewed it this turn. Crew 2' power: '6' toughness: '6' rarity: rare replaces: Ohran Frostfang primary_role: resource signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerIliad5.html myth_connection: 'Iliad 5.835–845: Athena steps into Diomedes''s chariot, whose axle groans beneath goddess and warrior, then takes the reins. Crewing makes the participants matter; adding companions increases the insight earned on the charge.' narrative_beat: Mortal and immortal ride together. design_note: A substantial independent combat body and scalable attack-earned cards. Each distinct creature that crewed it counts once, even if crew is activated repeatedly. Extra crew trades available bodies for information; the Vehicle retains its printed 6/6 because it is not a token. signature_demo: null counterplay: Remove the Vehicle before attackers are declared, counter its attack trigger, or exploit the tapped crew to attack back. After declaring it as an attacker, vigilant creatures can crew it before the draw trigger resolves to increase the count, but those creatures become tapped and stop being available as untapped defenders. It grants no untap or extra combat. art_brief: A low close view of a bronze-bound chariot axle bowing under Athena and Diomedes; two reins arc into an otherwise simple pale background. tokens: [] - id: A09 name: Diomedes, Son of Tydeus mana_cost: '{1}{R}{W}' colors: - R - W type_line: Legendary Creature — Human Soldier rules_text: 'First strike Whenever Diomedes attacks, create two 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens that are tapped and attacking. If you control a God, Diomedes gains double strike until end of turn.' power: '3' toughness: '3' rarity: rare replaces: Rabble Rousing primary_role: threat signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerIliad5.html myth_connection: 'Iliad 5.121–132 and 825–863: Athena gives Diomedes his father''s courage and later aids the blow against Ares. He is already a capable mortal leader; a god beside him gives his attack a second, extraordinary impact.' narrative_beat: A mortal wounds Ares. design_note: A finite attack engine and commander-independent combat threat. The new Soldiers enter combat immediately, but only Diomedes receives double strike; the deck has no global extra-combat or double-strike package. Any God, including a stolen one, can provide aid. signature_demo: null counterplay: Kill or bounce Diomedes before attackers; remove the God before the attack trigger resolves to deny double strike; remove Athena later to shrink the attacking tokens. Blocking Diomedes still works, and his new tokens do not trigger Athena's player-attack draw by themselves. art_brief: Diomedes advances with a lowered spear, two ordinary spearmen following; a narrow reflection of Athena in his bronze shield suggests divine aid. tokens: - name: Soldier colors: - W type_line: Token Creature — Soldier power: '1' toughness: '1' abilities: [] - id: A10 name: The Argives Hold mana_cost: '{2}{G}{W}' colors: - G - W type_line: Enchantment rules_text: 'Creature tokens you control get +1/+1 and have reach. At the beginning of your end step, if you control fewer than six creatures, create three 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens.' power: null toughness: null rarity: rare replaces: Angel of Invention primary_role: threat signature: false myth_source: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerIliad5.html myth_connection: 'Iliad 5.699–824 and 907–909: the Argives give ground under Ares''s assault before the goddesses intervene and end his slaughter. A thinning formation receives reinforcements, then holds with improved strength and defensive coverage. Reach is a game adaptation of a braced spear line, not an assertion of a particular aerial battle in the poem.' narrative_beat: The line gives ground without ceasing to be an army. design_note: An independent anthem and rebuilding engine replaces a creature anthem. The six-creature threshold limits free accumulation; the extra power remains if Athena leaves. It provides a useful answer to flying attackers through blocking rather than another removal spell. signature_demo: null counterplay: Remove the enchantment, sweep after its end-step trigger, or leave its controller above the threshold while attacking elsewhere. The condition is checked both when the ability would trigger and when it resolves; new tokens cannot attack immediately and can be removed normally. art_brief: Three exhausted Argive soldiers brace their long spears together as the front soldier takes one step forward; plain dusty ground and generous empty sky. tokens: - name: Soldier colors: - W type_line: Token Creature — Soldier power: '1' toughness: '1' abilities: []