Jammin' out a not-Kamigawa MtG block

[OgreBattle]

Reading MtG articles got me thinking about how I liked parts of Kamigawa but most of it was pretty flat. So this is more about theme than mechanics, but some ideas on mechanics

So a fantasy Chopsticks-users plane with a focus on samurai not-Japan should have...

Red
Kitsune go here because foxes are red, Inari shrines are filled with red and the biggest ones are on mountains.
Ironsmiths in the mountains, mountain monks with naginata.
Martial Arts schools, becoming wrathful multi armed ashura for tournament winning power

Blue
Serpents and most dragons go here. "Read a mysterious scroll for power" mystics.
Pirates and merchants like floating cities themed after Zheng He's treasure fleet.
Gambling dens

White
Most 'normal' human armies go here, storied heroic samurai types. Dudes with massive hand cannons also go here.
Ancestor spirits, animate statues, celestial dragons, calling down national gods
Tea ceremony

Black
Lots of ghosts, undead, yokai go here. A gigantic skeleton is iconic of Ukyo-e art. Other National gods
Cats that walk on two legs
Death Cult Bushido

Green
Princess Mononoke-esque giant animals and gods. The "mundane animal becomes sapient and huge". Forest hermits, aesetic monks. Ainu type civilizations. Tengu could also go here, though Tengu can go anywhere that needs it.




Artifacts
Must have more named legendary weapons than other sets. Japan's got tons of sword catalog books, so this set also has a strong Legendary Equipment theme. I think mundane equipment like "this is a nodachi" can be skipped and instead featured on "Nodachi trooper" creature card, but cool ninja tools can be a set of equipment.

5 Color Cycle
"Language of Flowers" a powerful flower themed sorcery based off of flower arrangement metaphors. Black definitely gets a Spider Lily

Ninjas
Every color gets ninjas because ninjas are a broad concept like 'wizard'
Red Ninja: Fireball shooting with giant fire frogs, exploding ninja
Blue Ninja: Water walking and shadow clones
White Ninja: soldier ninja scouts, ninja doctors making ninja power pills
Black Ninja: Spy ninja, ninja's pretending to be corpses, skeleton ninja
Green ninja: Ninjas with hawk and wolf animal companions, forest ranger ninja

[JonSetanta]

Looks good. If only Wizards would listen to fan suggestions, though.