Kobolds

Kobolds are probably my favorite fantasy durdlebots. No matter what guise they take -- and they've taken a lot of guises across different fantasy games over the years -- they're always some of the funnest horde critters around. In real life, the kobold is from Germanic myth. It's a creature that probably stems from the same place as the Anglo boggarts, pixies and goblins; it's a mischevious household spirit. They've made the leap to modern Dungeons & Dragons as clever, if not particularly intelligent, reptilian creatures locked in eternal war with gnomes; in Everquest, they were shaggy, doglike creatures that armed themselves with bamboo armor and weapons.

In Magic, they're goofy, individually useless creatures that live in a disorganized, bully-led society; their main fortress, Kher Keep, is ran by a dimwitted mercenary king (Rohgahh of Kher Keep). This is perhaps the first "creature type matters" tribe produced by Wizards, and they've been an enduring part of the game's history. Players have always loved free creatures -- see Ornithopter and Memnite for proof -- and these guys have a charm because of how bad they are on a one-for-one basis.

I think it's valuable to keep these creatures around, but I'm not sure we need 12 0-drops. Here's what I'd do:

I know that the color indicator has replaced the CDA color text, but I'm not going to use it until I see a set that isn't Innistrad using it. I think it's too easy to miss to become a permanent shorthand for "this card is a color you wouldn't expect," and won't use it. (It has a lot of value when paired with proper-color borders for the card, as seen in Civilized Scholar // Homicidal Brute, but I'm still not sold.)

Then we'll add a curve:

None of those cards would see much play by itself, but they're not meant to. Other kobolds provide bonuses to them. The reason Kobolds of Kher Keep can't be blocked by flyers is tied into Kher Keep itself -- it's a fortress that is impenetrable by air, but wide open to ground pounders. That will be a recurring theme for kobolds, because it's a neat take on "sneaky red" that jives with red's lack of flyers.