The Zhakaxor Cluster
This is a project I had to abandon a while back because I got busy for a while, and now I want to continue it. I fixed the Bioleech mechanic, reworked some awkward cards, and added the Shim’Zar, Bloodbound, and Prophecy expansions. (That’s almost 100 cards!) Feedback and suggestions are welcome as usual, and bonus points to whoever spots the Evangelion reference.
Visuals
The Zhakaxor Cluster are descendants of an ancient alien race. Therefore, they will have a very strange and distorted aesthetic, reminiscent of the beings depicted in Lovecraftian lore. They will also have a mechanical feel to their design, as they are hybrids of organic life and machine. Their color scheme will follow a strict black/white palette, with accents of brighter colors such as pink and teal.
Generals
Malthazar Highbrain
Bloodbound Spell: Mutant Invasion
The enemy General summons a 0/1 Parasite on a random nearby space.
Parasite
0 mana 0/1 token
Deal 1 damage to your General at the end of turn this is summoned.
Design Explanation
Malthazar is a unique General who summons tokens for the enemy General. However, the Parasites live up to their name; they’re useless, malicious, and difficult to get rid of. As giving minions to the opponent can often be disadvantageous, especially against factions like Abyssian, many of the cards in this faction would be able to gain direct value from the Parasites your opponent controls.
Hyperia Mothership
Bloodbound Spell: Starflower
Teleport an enemy minion one space and turn its last space into a Vortex Hyperwrap.
Vortex Hyperwarp
Zhakaxor Tile
Friendly minions can move to this tile. Your General can summon minions on this tile.
Design Explanation
The Vortex Hyperwarp is essentially a teleportation gate in which friendly minions (but not the General) can move to, regardless of their current position. The General can also “airdrop” minions on the tile, again regardless of his/her position.
Core Mechanics
Bioleech: (X)
Bioleech is a faction a keyword ability. Minions with Bioleech are immediately treated as enemy minions once played and can only be summoned nearby enemy minions and Generals. The (X) indicates the number of turns the Bioleech minion will stay alive after it is summoned, and after that number of turns elapses, the minion will automatically kill itself. The card text of Bioleech minions is written from the opponent’s point of view.
Vortex Hyperwarp
Explained above, Vortex Hyperwarp is a faction tile. Minions can move to a Vortex Hyperwarp tile, and the General can summon minions on a Vortex Hyperwarp tile.
Interspace
Interspace is a faction keyword ability. As an antithesis to Zeal, minions with Interspace will gain additional effects when not nearby the General. Interspace do not act like Opening Gambits but are passive effects that are either active or inactive.
Core Set
Overview
The Core Set is very straightforward, with cards supporting the basic mechanics of this faction. It focuses on two board archetypes: the Parasite archetype that manipulates the opponent with swarms of Parasites and powerful Bioleech minions, and a Hyperwarp archetype that utilizes Airdrop and Interspace minions to take control of the entire board.
Basic Cards
Orbital Pathfinder
2 mana 2/1
Flying. Dying Wish: Create a Vortex Hyperwarp under this minion.
Satellite Operant
2 mana 2/3
Opening Gambit: Give all minions in your action bar Airdrop this turn.
Parasite Penumbra
3 mana 1/3
Interspace: Whenever this minion takes damage, deal damage to the enemy General equal to the number of Parasites they control.
Outer Anomaly
2 mana spell
Deal damage to an enemy minion equal to the number of Parasites your opponent controls.
Astral Infection
1 mana spell
The enemy general summons a 0/1 Parasite on a random nearby space. If the enemy General already controls a Parasite, draw a card.
Wormhole
1 mana spell
Choose a friendly minion. After it moves this turn, summon a random minion with Interspace that costs 2 or less from your deck on a space nearby it.
Space Oddity
2 mana spell
Give a friendly minion +2 Health and create a Vortex Hyperwarp under it.
Lunar Phaser
3 mana artifact
Your general has +1 attack. Whenever your general deals damage, the enemy General summons a 0/1 Parasite on a random nearby space.
Common Cards
Parasite Cerebellum
3 mana 2/3
Interspace: Whenever the enemy General summons a minion from their action bar, summon a 0/1 Parasite in the space in front of it.
Stargazer Beacon
3 mana 0/5
Airdrop. Friendly minions summoned nearby this minion gain +1 Health and Flying.
Binary Bloodsucker
3 mana 0/3
Bioleech (4). Whenever this minion takes damage, the enemy General steals Health from your General equal to the number of Parasites summoned that turn.
Proxima Juggernaut
3 mana 2/4
Interspace: This minion gains +1/+1 for each enemy Parasite.
Cosmic Origin
1 mana spell
Draw a random minion with Interspace from your deck and give it Airdrop.
Malfunction
2 mana spell
Destroy an enemy Parasite to deal 4 damage to an enemy minion.
Gravity Sphere
3 mana spell
Reduce the Attack of enemy minions nearby an enemy Parasite to 0 until the end of the turn.
Oort Cloud
6 mana spell
Create a Vortex Hyperwarp under all enemy Parasites.
Rare cards
Astrographer
2 mana 1/3
If this minion is summoned on a Vortex Hyperwarp, gain +1/+1 and Forcefield.
Parasite Broodmother
6 mana 0/6
Bioleech: (5). At the end of your turn, summon a 0/1 Parasite on a random space nearby this minion.
Epsilon Engineer
7 mana 3/6
Opening Gambit: Friendly minions on Vortex Hyperwarp gain +3 attack and Ranged this turn.
Umbilical Link
1 mana spell
Give a friendly minion, “Interspace: Whenever this minion deals damage, restore 2 health to your General.”
Planetary Hive
2 mana spell
Draw a card every time the enemy General summons a Parasite this turn.
Sentient Virus
4 mana spell
Transform an enemy Parasite into a 3/3 Pathogen.
Pathogen
Pathogen
0 mana 3/3 token
Whenever a minion is summoned, deal 1 damage to your General.
Epic cards
Hyperparasite
6 mana 0/6
Opening Gambit: Gain +1 Attack and a random keyword ability for each enemy Parasite.
Ganymede Observer
7 mana 5/6
Opening Gambit: Summon up to two copies of this minion on random Vortex Hyperwarp.
Interstellar Rift
3 mana spell
Destroy an enemy minion on a Vortex Hyperwarp and add a copy of it to your action bar.
Supernova
7 mana spell
Destroy all enemy Parasites to steal Health from the enemy General equal to the number of Parasites destroyed.
Galactic Enigma
1 mana spell
Teleport all enemy Parasites to random spaces. Draw a card.
Starfall Distruptor
6 mana artifact
Your general gains +3 Attack. When this artifact breaks, summon a 1/2 Autolaser with Ranged on every corner.
Legendary cards
Lightworm
4 mana 2/2
Opening Gambit: The next minion the opponent summons from their action bar transforms into a 0/1 Parasite.
Parasite Quasar
7 mana 7/7
At the end of your turn, transform a random enemy minion into a random minion with Bioleech.
Anthelion Alpha
8 mana 8/9
Whenever the opponent summons a minion, summon a random Planet nearby.
The Planets
Mercury
1 mana 1/1 token
Ranged. Gains +3 Attack when attacking the enemy General.
Venus
2 mana 2/2 token
Rush Whenever this minion attacks, restore 2 Health to all friendly minions.
Earth
3 mana 3/3 token
Forcefield. Whenever this minion attacks or is attacked, draw a card.
Mars
4 mana 4/4 token
Frenzy. Minions damaged by this minion take 2 damage at the end of turn.
Jupiter
5 mana 5/5 token
Provoke. Whenever this minion destroys an enemy minion, summon a copy of it nearby.
Saturn
6 mana 6/6 token
Dying Wish: Give all friendly minions +4 Health.
Uranus
7 mana 7/7 token
Flying. Your general gains the keywords of all friendly Planets.
Neptune
8 mana 8/8 token
Celerity. Every time a General moves, they take 2 damage and this minion loses 2 Attack.
Grandmaster Betelgeuse
8 mana 9/8
Opening Gambit: Give the enemy General, “Whenever you deal damage, shuffle 3 Parasites into your deck and Mutate a random friendly Parasite.”
Mutated Parasite
Mutated Parasite
0 mana 0/2 token
Parasites deal +2 damage. Summon a 0/1 Parasite on a random nearby space every end of your turn.
Parasite Universe
8 mana Spell
Take control of all enemy Parasites and give them +4/+4.
Primordial Spire
9 mana spell
Destroy 12 random friendly Vortex Hyperwarp to summon the Old God.
Old God
Old God
9 mana 10/10 token
Destroy your General when summoned. You cannot lose. Your BBS is now Forgotten Frontier This card cannot be dispelled or transformed.
Forgotten Frontier
Forgotten Frontier
Bloodbound Spell
Deal 8 damage to an enemy minion. If it dies, summon a 1/1 copy of it on a random nearby space.
Antimatter Railgun
7 mana artifact
Your general gains +2 attack and Ranged. Your General may select up to three attack targets at once.
Denizens of Shim’Zar
Overview
The Shim’Zar set most notable brings to us the Battle Pets. Battle Pets at their essence has anti-synergy with the Parasite mechanic as they can potentially kill Parasites and Bioleech minions, but it was quite fun trying to design them to be of some use nonetheless.
Common Cards
Xex
0 mana 2/1 Battle Pet
Dying Wish: All friendly minions on friendly Vortex Hyperwarp gain +2/+2.
Proxynaut
2 mana 3/2
Opening Gambit: Teleport your General to a friendly Vortex Hyperwarp.
Tesseract Shift
3 mana spell
Shuffle 3 Parasites into your opponent’s deck. Draw a card.
Celestial Expansion
4 mana spell
Turn each corner into a Vortex Hyperwarp. Summon a random Battle Pet in one of those spaces.
Rare Cards
Parasite Bellatrix
4 mana 0/4
Bioleech: (2). Your minions lose 1 attack for every Parasite nearby your General. If their Attack reduces to 0, transform it into a Parasite token.
Uro
3 mana 4/3 Battle Pet
Whenever this minion destroys a Parasite, deal 4 damage to the enemy General.
Dichromic Prism
3 mana spell
Select an enemy minion. The enemy General summons a copy of that minion on a random nearby space.
Epic cards
Andromeda
5 mana 5/7
At the end of your turn, teleport this minion to a random friendly Vortex Hyperwarp and deal 3 damage to all enemies nearby it.
Emperor Worm
8 mana 0/12
Flying, Rush. Gain +1 Attack and lose 1 Health for every Parasite your opponent controls.
Quantum Colony
4 mana spell
Summon two 0/1 Parasites on random spaces nearby the enemy General. Add a random minion with Bioleech into your action bar.
Legendary cards
Constellation Rider
4 mana 3/4
Interspace. Whenever you summon a minion on a Vortex Hyperwarp, fully heal and reactivate this minion.
Photon Disintegrator
5 mana artifact
Whenever your General attacks, deal 2 damage to all non-token enemies nearby an enemy Parasite.
Dimensional Matrix
6 mana spell
This turn, you may move enemy minions with 4 or less Attack as if they are your own.
Bloodbound Ancients
Overview
The Bloodbound set introduces the Blood Surge mechanic, as well as the Tribes. I decided the Golems would be the better fit for the Zhakaxor Cluster, as the idea of artificial biomechanical entities from a distant alien race sounds extremely exciting.
Common Cards
Meteorite Shard
2 mana 4/1 Golem
Bond: If the opponent controls the minion with the lowest Attack, give this minion +Attack equal to the difference of this minion’s and the enemy minion’s Attack.
Helix Cannoneer
3 mana 3/2
Blood Surge: Gain Ranged this turn and deal 1 damage to 3 random enemies. If any Parasite tokens were killed, re-summon 2 copies on random spaces.
Darkening Eclipse
3 mana spell
Dispel an enemy minion. Give its keyword abilities to a random friendly minion with less than 4 Attack.
Paradigm Prison
5 mana spell
Destroy an enemy minion. The enemy General summons a 0/1 Parasite on the space.
Rare Cards
Lilliputian Hitcher
4 mana 3/1
Dying Wish: The enemy General equips a Neurotoxin.
Neurotoxin
Neurotoxin
0 mana artifact
The first non-token minion you summon each turn moves and attacks automatically next turn. Whenever you take damage, shuffle 3 Parasites into your deck.
Omniscience
6 mana spell
Whenever you create a Vortex Hyperwarp this turn, draw a card and decrease the costs of all cards in your action bar by 1.
Ergosphere Probe
3 mana artifact
All friendly minions in your action bar gain, “Opening Gambit: Turn a nearby space into Vortex Hyperwarp.”
Epic cards
Halo Automaton
5 mana 2/8 Golem
Provoke. Whenever the enemy General takes damage add a random Golem into your action bar.
Telepathic Gateway
4 mana spell
Turn 2 random spaces into Vortex Hyperwarp. Restore Health to your General equal to the number friendly Vortex Hyperwarp at the end of turn.
Legendary cards
Platinum Avalon
7 mana 8/9
Opening Gambit: Gain the combined Attack and Health of all other friendly minions on friendly Vortex Hyperwarp.
Deus Ex Machina
9 mana 12/12 Golem
Blood Surge: Summon a Stardust Golem. Costs 1 less for every friendly Golem that died this game.
Stardust Golem
Stardust Golem
5 mana 5/2 Golem
Bond: Gain 2 random keyword abilities.
Unearthed Prophecy
Overview
Sentinels are the latest addition to the Zhakaxor Cluster’s hive of astral oddities. This is also the expansion where the Parasite archetype gains access to a truly disruptive tool, where some cards are able to create direct value from Parasites planted within the opponent’s deck.
Common Cards
Oscillating Sirius
3 mana 5/2
Sentinel: Minion summoned. Replace all copies of the minion that transformed this in the enemy’s deck and action bar into 0/1 Parasites.
Paradox Jammer
2 mana 0/2
Bioleech: (1). Whenever you summon a minion, give all enemy minions +1 Attack.
Superposition
3 mana spell
Choose a friendly minion. Whenever it moves to a Vortex Hyperwarp this turn, summon a copy of it on its last space.
Asteroid Belt
4 mana spell
Your General gains +1 Attack for every Vortex Hyperwarp until the end of the turn.
Rare Cards
Void Descendant
3 mana 2/3
Sentinel: Spell Cast. The first spell the opponent casts each turn becomes, “Summon a 0/1 Parasite on a random nearby space.”
Luminary Strider
3 mana 3/4
Sentinel: General Attacks. Whenever a friendly minion or General takes damage, teleport this minion one space forward and give it +1/+1.
Metaphysical Limbo
4 mana spell
Give a friendly minion, “Dying Wish: Summon a 0/0 Coherence on this space.”
Coherence
Coherence
2 mana 0/0 token
Invulnerable. Gain the effect of the most recently destroyed friendly minion. Lose Invulnerable and gain +2/+2 next turn.
Epic cards
Hologram Vanquisher
6 mana 9/4
Interspace: Whenever this minion destroys an enemy minion, summon a 4/4 Hologram on a random Vortex Hyperwarp.
Hologram
Hologram
2 mana 4/4 token
Transform into a 4/4 copy of the next minion you summon from your action bar.
Microscopic Predator
2 mana spell
Whenever your enemy draws a Parasite this game, summon 3 copies of it on random spaces.
Synaptic Symbiosis
3 mana spell
Give a friendly minion +2/+2 for every Parasite in your opponent’s deck and action bar.
Legendary cards
Chromatic Revenant
7 mana 6/8
Interspace: Gain +1/+1 for every Vortex Hyperwarp. Dying Wish: Put 4 Spectrums into your action bar.
The Spectrums
Red Nebula
4 mana 3/5 token
If you have a Blue moon on the battlefield, gain Rush.
Blue Moon
3 mana 3/2 token
If you have a Red Nebula on the battlefield, restore 3 health to your General.
White Stratus
1 mana spell
Destroy a friendly Red Nebula and Blue Moon to put a Chromatic Revenant into your action bar.
Black Hole
2 mana artifact
At the start of your turn, teleport a random non-token enemy minion to a space nearby your General and turn its last space into a Vortex Hyperwarp.
Event Horizon
8 mana spell
Destroy all enemy minions with 2 or less Attack and summon a Singularity Parasite nearby the enemy General.
Singularity Parasite
Singularity Parasite
5 mana 0/5 token
Bioleech: (3). The enemy General gains +1 Attack for every Parasite that died this game. At the end of your turn, summon two 0/1 Parasites nearby this minion.
Ophiuchus Telescope
6 mana artifact
Your General gains Flying. For every friendly minion with Interspace not nearby the General, gain +2 Attack.
Random card ideas
Apogee Mistress
3 mana 2/4
Opening Gambit: Give a friendly minion +1 Health for each friendly Vortex Hyperwarp.
Parasite Amygdala
2 mana 1/2
Opening Gambit: Return an enemy Bioleech minion to your action bar. It costs 0.
Mindbreak Opera
4 mana spell
If the enemy General is on a Vortex Hyperwarp, draw cards from the opponent’s deck to fill your action bar.
Psychic Alienation
0 mana spell
Teleport a friendly minion nearby your General to a random space not nearby your General. Draw a card.
Living Malformation
1 mana spell
Intensify: Target an enemy minion with 2 or less Health. The enemy General summons 1 copy of it nearby.
Plasma Vortex
3 mana spell
Intensify: The enemy General summons a Parasite on a random nearby space.
Time Dilation
8 mana spell
Give all enemy Parasites, “Dying Wish: Deal 1 damage to your General.” Re-summon all Parasites that were killed this turn on empty spaces at the start of the opponent’s next turn.