What does this all mean?

What does this all mean?

I'm guessing punch out cards to assemble contraptions.

People just don't like UN sets I suppose?

Dogsnail Engine?

looks like contraptions are going to work like schemes

Old

ughhhh...tell me they aren't actually going to be torn up into hideous scraps

No, these are giant size puzzle bits they mailed to a bunch of mtg news sites.
they'll be actual cards

I don't get how it's meant to work. The sprockets are on one side, while the contraption is on the other.
Are they going to be two seperate cards that they just sent doublesided for the promotion?

i assume the sprocket card is separate from the contraptions. each contraption has a number (dogsnail engine looks like a 2 to me) and so if you play dogsnail engine first it won't get activated until two turns later. if you play a 1 sprocket contraption it would get activated on the very next turn.

Alright, let me see if I can make it less confusing. When you assemble a contraption, you decide to put it on sprocket one, two, or three. During each upkeep, the counter moves from one sprocket to the next sprocket. If it is on One it goes to Two. If it is on Two it goes to Three. If it is on Three it goes to One.
Whenever the counter goes on the sprocket the contraption is on, you activate the contraptions effect. You activate each contraptions effect once every three turns. You choose the order when you play the contraptions.

I think the two-headed flask symbol is more likely to be a faction symbol just for flavor; if it had game significance then it would be spelled out on the card somewhere. My guess is that it's shaped the way it is (with a point at the bottom) so you can point to the specific sprocket that it's assembled on. When you have multiple contraptions they might overlap the rules text, but seeing the symbol tucked underneath will remind you which is which. (Unless you have multiple contraptions from the same faction, I guess, but that may not be a huge issue.)