Some cards had to be cut to make room for the Guide Fate mechanic. For that reason, I decided to cut all the common and uncommon colorshifted cards. Many did not recognize that Angelic Resolve is the colorshifted Favorable Winds and they wondered why it was printed in the Planar Chaos frame.
Now, there are only four colorshifted cards left and they are all rare. These cards are much more iconic, so players will recognize the original cards easily. Colorshifting is no longer a major theme of the set, instead the theme is that one or more cards make a reference to each of the previous expansion (colorshifted cards, a futureshifted card, a hybrid card, a colorless card, a colored artifact, manlands, a mox...). These are all rare so I can devote the common and uncommon slots to cards that are important for the limited environment instead of being cute.
I have not decided yet if I want to change Angelic Resolve or not, because this was one of the few colorshifts I implemented because I wanted it for limited.
Some cards had to be cut to make room for the Guide Fate mechanic. For that reason, I decided to cut all the common and uncommon colorshifted cards. Many did not recognize that Angelic Resolve is the colorshifted Favorable Winds and they wondered why it was printed in the Planar Chaos frame.
Now, there are only four colorshifted cards left and they are all rare. These cards are much more iconic, so players will recognize the original cards easily. Colorshifting is no longer a major theme of the set, instead the theme is that one or more cards make a reference to each of the previous expansion (colorshifted cards, a futureshifted card, a hybrid card, a colorless card, a colored artifact, manlands, a mox...). These are all rare so I can devote the common and uncommon slots to cards that are important for the limited environment instead of being cute.
I have not decided yet if I want to change Angelic Resolve or not, because this was one of the few colorshifts I implemented because I wanted it for limited.
If you are just going to have a few colorshifted cards that could normally be printed in those colors, it defeats the point. It leaves newer players confused by different card frames on cards that should make sense and it makes players that know about the Planar Chaos colorshifting confused as to why there are only a few colorshifted cards in the set. And if you are going to have a theme, you could at least follow that theme instead of saying "This could appear a lot in limited, so it shouldn't be colorshifted". And just having a few random cards that have random effects to reference past sets seems just like a halfhearted effort to imitate Time Spiral. If you have a theme, you have to follow it. You can't just say "This was done in the past, and this set is about time, so I will add weird borders to a few cards and make a couple of cards that really have no place being in this set like colored artifacts". It just seems pointless and haphazard.
I think you have to evaluate each card by itself. The overall approach has validity; while Time Spiral has some cards that don't make any sense if you don't understand the context, most of my cards are fine on their own. Having this only as a minor theme prevents the massive alienation of certain players that occured during Time Spiral, but still gives something to those who can appreciate these designs.
Again, there's probably a lot to improve with the implementation overall, but I can't agree that the approach itself is inherently flawed.
I think you have to evaluate each card by itself. The overall approach has validity; while Time Spiral has some cards that don't make any sense if you don't understand the context, most of my cards are fine on their own. Having this only as a minor theme prevents the massive alienation of certain players that occured during Time Spiral, but still gives something to those who can appreciate these designs.
Again, there's probably a lot to improve with the implementation overall, but I can't agree that the approach itself is inherently flawed.
I just don't think that you need to have the random themes. It serves no purpose other than "Because I can". I would keep the colorshifted cards, but remove the different border. That way, older players can still get the references and new players won't be confused about why there are different borders.
I actually really like the Storyteller card. Perhaps it could work upon entering the battlefield instead? Like, the storyteller enters, tells his story. Makes sense.
I actually really like the Storyteller card. Perhaps it could work upon entering the battlefield instead? Like, the storyteller enters, tells his story. Makes sense.
That probably makes more sense. I wanted another card with a death trigger to reinforce the WB-archetype, but I'll change some of the cards anyway.
Epitaph has been reworded. It now reads: Epitaph {cost}(When this is put into your graveyard from anywhere, you may pay {cost} and remember it. Otherwise, exile it.). The granted effect is now written seperately as "{ability} as long as ~ is remembered, respectively "{trigger event}, if ~ is remembered, {ability}.
I will delay changes to individual cards until I can get more playtesting and/or feedback in.
Love it! I haven't been around much for the past while, but I'd love to get a shot at playtesting this. You want me to put together a plugin for Cockatrice?
Oh hey, you're back :)! We have a lot to catch up on :old:.
Regarding the plugin, yes of course :thumbsup:! I just need to put together everything first.
You can always reach me by PM here or on the blog - I just haven't been actively around much, it's the busy part of the year for me.
I've got pretty much all of next week off, so I think I'll have time to put together a plugin then unless that's too soon - just send me an up-to-date MSE file when you've got the version you want the plugin made for (don't worry about the commas or apostrophes)
Wow, I am amazed by this set, its story, and the cards that it contains! I have so much to say and so many questions to ask, but I simply do not have the time or space to say everything that I wish to say. You clearly have put an enormous ampount of effort into making this set, and I must congratulae you for doing such an excellent job!
How long did it take for you to design this set? Was it difficult to design it? Did you design the entire set yourself, or did you and another person work together on it?
On another subject, I noticed that some of the artwork in this set is as amazing as are the cards themselves. I do not have the time to comment on every card, but I noticed that the placement of the orb in orb of prophecies makes the image rather suggestive; is that deliberate? I definitely find both Niusha and the new Liliana to be excellent planeswalker designs, veiled ascension and Ankhal, the Chthonic Crypt are excellent color-shifted versions of existing cards, and The Aeons Torn is a wonderful flavor reference, as well. I see that there are two versions of Telar in this set, so is it safe to presume that Telar, the Reckless is him as a young man and Telar, the Wearied is him in old age?
Currently, I do not have any major criticism of your effort, since I am at work (taking my lunch break) currently, but if I notice anything that I believe might benefit from being modified, I shall let you know about that.
Again, I am very impressed by the great detail that you have put into this set, and I definitely would play with these cards, if they were ever physically printed. Excellent work!
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“Those who would trade their freedoms for security will have neither.”-Benjamin Franklin
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
How long did it take for you to design this set? Was it difficult to design it? Did you design the entire set yourself, or did you and another person work together on it?
The first post I wrote about it dates back to May, so I worked on it for a bit more than 6 months. The difficult parts of designing a set for me is always getting started because I am never happy with any of my designs, and filling in the last cards. The midway part when you know what you want to do, but still have a lot of freedom, is very fun and not difficult. I have a few friends that I regularly ask for opinions or ideas on specific cards, but I designed the set mostly by myself.
On another subject, I noticed that some of the artwork in this set is as amazing as are the cards themselves. I do not have the time to comment on every card, but I noticed that the placement of the orb in orb of prophecies makes the image rather suggestive; is that deliberate?
I did not think of it as suggestive, other than that others might see it as suggestive :shrug:. This is the original artwork.
I definitely find both Niusha and the new Liliana to be excellent planeswalker designs, veiled ascension and Ankhal, the Chthonic Crypt are excellent color-shifted versions of existing cards, and The Aeons Torn is a wonderful flavor reference, as well. I see that there are two versions of Telar in this set, so is it safe to presume that Telar, the Reckless is him as a young man and Telar, the Wearied is him in old age?
Thanks! Yes, you assumed correctly about Telar. These are btw two cards I could see myself making some changes to, so feedback on Telar is appreciated.
Again, I am very impressed by the great detail that you have put into this set, and I definitely would play with these cards, if they were ever physically printed. Excellent work!
Since you probably live in the US, physical cards will be difficult, but I can invite you to play with us on Cockatrice next week or so :).
Since you probably live in the US, physical cards will be difficult, but I can invite you to play with us on Cockatrice next week or so :).
Yes, I do live in the United States; do you live elsewhere? And forgive me for not knowing, but what is Cockatrice?
I do have some minor criticism, as well: the steer fate and foreshadow mechanics are very nice, but the consign and epitaph abilities may be rather complex for newer players, similar to the haunt and cipher mechanics. I notice that twin flames deals a total of 4 damage, but costs 6 mana to cast, and is only a sorcery, which makes it very inefficiently-costed. Is there a rule that every M:tG set must have at least one inefficiently-costed card? WotC certainly seems to have such a rule in their sets.
Did you change the artwork for Telar, the Wearied? The new art is nice, but I shall admit that I preferred the first artwork over it, since it provides a full-body view of him. The new artwork for Niusha of the Spires does seem to work well for her, however. Is The Memory Remains a deliberate reference to the Metallica song of the same name, or is that merely a coincidence?
Finally, how does one best use the activated ability of It that Defies Logic? Would not making a copy of it cause one or both creatures to be put into their owner's graveyard (depending upon which version of the legend rule that one is using, since I still prefer the previous version of the legend rule, since it made the most sense out of all the versions)?
I do have some minor criticism, as well: the steef fate and foreshadow mechanics are very nice, but the consign and epitaph abilities may be rather complex for newer players, similar to the haunt and cipher mechanics.
They are complex, but I've spent many hours trying to make the wordings as clear as possible, and I hope they are now easy enough to understand.
I notice that twin flames deals a total of 4 damage, but costs 6 mana to cast, and is only a sorcery, which makes it veyr inefficiently-costed. Is there a rule that every M:tG set must have at least one inefficiently-costed card? WotC certainly seems to have such a rule in their sets.
Well, you don't want all cards in your set to be of the same power level, otherwise drafting wouldn't be very interesting. Red already has access to three very good burn spells in Channel the Storm, Flame of the Sands and Temporal Lightning, so giving it another very good burn spell would be unreasonable. At 6 mana, Twin Flames isn't great, but it's still playable if you didn't pick up any of the other burn spells.
Did you change the artwork for Telar, the Wearied? The new art is nice, but I shall admit that I preferred the first artwork over it, since it provides a full-body view of him. The new artwork for Niusha of the Spires does seem to work well for her, however.
Then I shall return to the old artwork for Telar. The problem with Niusha's old artwork was that it was showing an elf, while she is supposed to be a human.
Finally, how does one best use the activated ability of It that Defies Logic? Would not making a copy of it cause one or both creatures to be put into their owner's graveyard (depending upon which version of the legend rule that one is using, since I still prefer the previous version of the legend rule, since it made the most sense out of all the versions)?
The ability only makes sense with the new legend rule. You can make a copy of him and sacrifice the original when it enters the battlefield. This makes the ability basically "Pay 6 life: Hexproof until EOT." The token then can make another copy again. Another use is the infinite damage combo with Warstorm Surge :tongue:. Have to still find a decent artwork btw. The current one is the... wrong type of weird.
I see; that sounds very interesting, but I am very busy with work, currently, so I am not certain if I shall be able to play on that platform.
To further discuss Niusha, how do you feel about having a planeswalker with no ability that increases their loyalty? That trait was already seen with Sarkhan the Mad, but his case makes sense from a flavor perspective, since it represents his descent into madness, so what is the flavor explanation for Niusha not having an ability that increases her loyalty?
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“Those who would trade their freedoms for security will have neither.”-Benjamin Franklin
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
To further discuss Niusha, how do you feel about having a planeswalker with no ability that increases their loyalty? That trait was already seen with Sarkhan the Mad, but his case makes sense from a flavor perspective, since it represents his descent into madness, so what is the flavor explanation for Niusha not having an ability that increases her loyalty?
For her, it is supposed to represent that her time is running out. The storm of time has decided that she has to die. Together with Telar, she is fleeing and hiding from the Beholder's minions. Her 0 ability represents her detaining her pursuers (see the card "Hand of the Beholder"), but it will ultimately only delay the inevitable. While they flee, they must find the original event that created the Beholder, to have him cease to exist. This is represented by her -1 ability, which is Opt. I chose this ability partly because of the flavor text on Opt. If they are caught in a dead-end situation, Niusha can exert her limited control over the storm of time to escape. However, this is playing with fire and severely exhausts her.
I can't give you a flavor explanation for why she has an X-cost, but the rest is very deliberate. Obviously, mechanics mattered as well, so the flavor is skewed to fit the mechanical requirements. On the other hand, if you ask me about Liliana, I can't tell you more than that I thought the abilities would make for an interesting planeswalker :tongue:.
How did you make the images of these cards? They look practically like actual cards; is there a program that can create properly-templated images of M:tG cards?
I have been considering making my own set of cards, recently, so do you have any advice for doing so? With the great amount of effort that you clearly have put into your set, I am hoping that you can offer some insight into the matter.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“Those who would trade their freedoms for security will have neither.”-Benjamin Franklin
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
I use Magic Set Editor. Surely you must have heard of that program before if you frequent this forum?
The most important step to starting your own set is coming up with a development codename :rolleyes:.
No, I would try to get used to MSE and learn how to probably word and template cards, and start collecting some artwork. I posted a list of artists I recommend checking out in my Iamur thread.
Other than that, I can give you more advice when you have a more specific question.
I've made significant changes to the set. Check out the .pdf to see the changes. Here is a summary:
Steer fate didn't work as well as I had hoped and it is replaced with Scry.
White has been found to be lacking when compared to the other colors. Some of the commons have been improved. White now has access to an even wider range of hate cards.
New artwork for some cards, including He Who Defies Logic.
Archangel of Ascendance :3mana::symw::symw::symw:
Creature — Angel (M)
Flying
Whenever Archangel of Ascendance deals combat damage to a player, return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. That creature is a white Angel in addition to its other colors and types and it gains flying.
5/5
Epoch Wanderer :5mana::symw::symw:
Creature — Elemental (R)
Vigilance
Foreshadow :2mana::symw::symw: (Pay :2mana::symw::symw: and play with this card revealed from your hand. You can’t cast it this turn. Foreshadow only as a sorcery.)
When Epoch Wanderer enters the battlefield, if it was foreshadowed, your life total becomes your starting life total and you shuffle your graveyard into your library.
4/7
Nullifier Giant :5mana::symw:
Creature — Giant Warrior (U)
As Nullifier Giant enters the battlefield, name an instant or sorcery card.
Spells with the chosen name can’t be cast. Telar’s constructs are tasked with protecting his sanctuaries from thieves and pillagers, but also his fellow magi.
4/6
Sculptured Seraph :2mana::symw:
Creature — Spirit Wall (C)
Defender
When Sculptured Seraph enters the battlefield, scry 2. (To scry 2, look at the top two cards of your library. Put any number of them on the bottom of your library in any order and the rest on top in any order.)
1/5
Sphere of Denial :2mana::symw:
Enchantment (U)
Flash
When Sphere of Denial enters the battlefield, exile target noncreature spell.
When Sphere of Denial leaves the battlefield, the owner of the exiled card may cast it without paying its mana cost.
Dissolve :1mana::symu::symu:
Instant (C)
Counter target spell. Scry 1. (To scry 1, look at the top card of your library, then you may put that card on the bottom of your library.) The magi of the spires are often seen as killjoys for their excessive use of countermagic.
Fiddle with Fate :2mana::symu:
Instant (U)
Return target creature to its owner’s hand. Scry 2. (To scry 2, look at the top two cards of your library. Put any number of them on the bottom of your library in any order and the rest on top in any order.) “Stop existing!”
—Nousha, obsidian cleric
Niusha of the SpiresXU
Planeswalker — Niusha (M)
0: Tap target creature with power equal to or less than Niusha of the Spires’ loyalty. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
-1: Scry 1, then draw a card. (To scry 1, look at the top card of your library, then you may put that card on the bottom of your library.)
-6: Take an extra turn after this one.
{X}
Embermane Fiend :2mana::symr::symr:
Creature — Elemental Beast (R)
Trample, haste
When Embermane Fiend dies, each player sacrifices a land. “One day the entire desert will be aflame, and this will herald the end of time.”
—Deh Moosa, Gul-Shad sage
4/3
Empyreal Sword
Artifact — Equipment (C)
Equipped creature gets +2/+1.
When Empyreal Sword enters the battlefield, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.)
Equip
Walking Boneyard
Land (R)
Walking Boneyard enters the battlefield tapped.
:symtap:: Add or to your mana pool.
:6mana::symb::symg:: Until end of turn, Walking Boneyard becomes a 5/5 black and green Elemental creature. It’s still a land. This ability costs less to activate for each creature card in your graveyard.
I am sorry that the steer fate mechanic did not work out as you had hoped for it to, but the scry mechanic does seem to fit with the theme of time that your set has (that mechanic certainly seems to be popular recently, does it not?), and since white is my favorite color, I certainly am glad that you have revised several white cards in your set.
As for Magic Set Editor, I have heard of it, and I definitely shall use it for my own set, since it is clearly a very useful program to have, especially since it tracks the number of cards in a set, as well as their colors and rarity, a feature that I definitely find to be helpful.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“Those who would trade their freedoms for security will have neither.”-Benjamin Franklin
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
I am totally amazed with your work (I'm a fanatic of your blog ).
My opinion on Steer Fate is that it was a fun mechanic to have. Yes, it's not as good as scry but it is super flavored and AWESOME!
It means a lot to me that more and more people are interested in my projects. I've had several playgroups messaging me over the last months that they want to draft with my sets. I guess it's true — you do what you're good at and if you're persistent, people will eventually notice.
I am sorry that the steer fate mechanic did not work out as you had hoped for it to, but the scry mechanic does seem to fit with the theme of time that your set has (that mechanic certainly seems to be popular recently, does it not?)
Well, everyone likes consistent Magic, or not? And scry is the simplest and cleanest smoothing mechanic.
Flavorful cards, great setting and no cards that stick out as broken.
Well, you haven't been looking close enough. There's a card that gets broken with almost everything ever, and I'm quite embarrassed that I missed it :Psyduck:.
Storyteller moved to rare and redesigned. New card: Ankhal Embalmer.
Ankhal Embalmer :1mana::symw:
Creature — Human Cleric (U)
When Ankhal Embalmer enters the battlefield, you may exile target creature card from a graveyard. If you do, it’s owner puts a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying onto the battlefield. The funerary goods serve as a beacon for the spirits lost in the vortex of time.
2/1
StorytellerX1W
Creature — Human Advisor (R)
When Storyteller enters the battlefield, choose X or less — Shuffle up to three target cards from your graveyard into your library; or you gain 3 life; and/or scry 3. “Lay down and let me tell you of fabulous tales, some that happened, and some that will happen.”
2/2
Portal of Souls removed.
Knight of the Barrens: Cost increased from 3 to 4, P/T from 1/3 to 3/3.
Knight of the Barrens :3mana::symw:
Creature — Human Knight (C)
Vigilance
Epitaph :1mana::symw: (When this is put into your graveyard from anywhere, you may pay :1mana::symw: and remember it. Otherwise, exile it.)
White creatures you control have vigilance as long as Knight of the Barrens is remembered.
3/3
Paradox Caverns removed.
New card: Time Dilation Field
Time Dilation Field :3mana::symu::symu:
Enchantment (R)
Whenever a creature attacks you, tap that creature and remove it from combat. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step. At the beginning of that creature’s controller’s next declare attacker’s step, it becomes attacking you if able.
Bloodhorn Warcaller's foreshadow cost increased from 5 to 6.
Bloodhorn Warcaller :2mana::symr:
Creature — Minotaur Warrior (U)
Foreshadow :5mana::symw: (Pay :5mana::symw: and play with this card revealed from your hand. You can’t cast it this turn. Foreshadow only as a sorcery.)
Haste
When Bloodhorn Warcaller enters the battlefield, if it was foreshadowed, creatures you control get +2/+2 until end of turn.
2/2
Pocket Portal moved from common to uncommon. Timewalker's Suit moved from uncommon to rare. New card at common: Prophetic Prism.
Now, there are only four colorshifted cards left and they are all rare. These cards are much more iconic, so players will recognize the original cards easily. Colorshifting is no longer a major theme of the set, instead the theme is that one or more cards make a reference to each of the previous expansion (colorshifted cards, a futureshifted card, a hybrid card, a colorless card, a colored artifact, manlands, a mox...). These are all rare so I can devote the common and uncommon slots to cards that are important for the limited environment instead of being cute.
I have not decided yet if I want to change Angelic Resolve or not, because this was one of the few colorshifts I implemented because I wanted it for limited.
Completed sets:
Iamur — The Underwater Set
Overworld — Pirates vs. Octopuses
Esparand — The Sands of Time
Unfinished Sets:
Siege of Ravnica — Eldrazi in Ravnica
Shandalar — The Mana Set
Iamur Reimagined — Iamur v2
You can find more creative projects on my page Antaresdesigns!
If you are just going to have a few colorshifted cards that could normally be printed in those colors, it defeats the point. It leaves newer players confused by different card frames on cards that should make sense and it makes players that know about the Planar Chaos colorshifting confused as to why there are only a few colorshifted cards in the set. And if you are going to have a theme, you could at least follow that theme instead of saying "This could appear a lot in limited, so it shouldn't be colorshifted". And just having a few random cards that have random effects to reference past sets seems just like a halfhearted effort to imitate Time Spiral. If you have a theme, you have to follow it. You can't just say "This was done in the past, and this set is about time, so I will add weird borders to a few cards and make a couple of cards that really have no place being in this set like colored artifacts". It just seems pointless and haphazard.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
Again, there's probably a lot to improve with the implementation overall, but I can't agree that the approach itself is inherently flawed.
Completed sets:
Iamur — The Underwater Set
Overworld — Pirates vs. Octopuses
Esparand — The Sands of Time
Unfinished Sets:
Siege of Ravnica — Eldrazi in Ravnica
Shandalar — The Mana Set
Iamur Reimagined — Iamur v2
You can find more creative projects on my page Antaresdesigns!
I just don't think that you need to have the random themes. It serves no purpose other than "Because I can". I would keep the colorshifted cards, but remove the different border. That way, older players can still get the references and new players won't be confused about why there are different borders.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.
Dunes of Zairo
SHANDALAR
Innistrad - The Darkest Night
~THE RAVNICAN CONSORTIUM~
A Community Set
Commander: Allies & Adversaries
That probably makes more sense. I wanted another card with a death trigger to reinforce the WB-archetype, but I'll change some of the cards anyway.
A new blog post about Esparand:
Completed sets:
Iamur — The Underwater Set
Overworld — Pirates vs. Octopuses
Esparand — The Sands of Time
Unfinished Sets:
Siege of Ravnica — Eldrazi in Ravnica
Shandalar — The Mana Set
Iamur Reimagined — Iamur v2
You can find more creative projects on my page Antaresdesigns!
I will delay changes to individual cards until I can get more playtesting and/or feedback in.
Completed sets:
Iamur — The Underwater Set
Overworld — Pirates vs. Octopuses
Esparand — The Sands of Time
Unfinished Sets:
Siege of Ravnica — Eldrazi in Ravnica
Shandalar — The Mana Set
Iamur Reimagined — Iamur v2
You can find more creative projects on my page Antaresdesigns!
My custom sets:
Caeia Block (Released - Beta)
Generals of Dareth (In Design)
Regarding the plugin, yes of course :thumbsup:! I just need to put together everything first.
Completed sets:
Iamur — The Underwater Set
Overworld — Pirates vs. Octopuses
Esparand — The Sands of Time
Unfinished Sets:
Siege of Ravnica — Eldrazi in Ravnica
Shandalar — The Mana Set
Iamur Reimagined — Iamur v2
You can find more creative projects on my page Antaresdesigns!
You can always reach me by PM here or on the blog - I just haven't been actively around much, it's the busy part of the year for me.
I've got pretty much all of next week off, so I think I'll have time to put together a plugin then unless that's too soon - just send me an up-to-date MSE file when you've got the version you want the plugin made for (don't worry about the commas or apostrophes)
My custom sets:
Caeia Block (Released - Beta)
Generals of Dareth (In Design)
How long did it take for you to design this set? Was it difficult to design it? Did you design the entire set yourself, or did you and another person work together on it?
On another subject, I noticed that some of the artwork in this set is as amazing as are the cards themselves. I do not have the time to comment on every card, but I noticed that the placement of the orb in orb of prophecies makes the image rather suggestive; is that deliberate? I definitely find both Niusha and the new Liliana to be excellent planeswalker designs, veiled ascension and Ankhal, the Chthonic Crypt are excellent color-shifted versions of existing cards, and The Aeons Torn is a wonderful flavor reference, as well. I see that there are two versions of Telar in this set, so is it safe to presume that Telar, the Reckless is him as a young man and Telar, the Wearied is him in old age?
Currently, I do not have any major criticism of your effort, since I am at work (taking my lunch break) currently, but if I notice anything that I believe might benefit from being modified, I shall let you know about that.
Again, I am very impressed by the great detail that you have put into this set, and I definitely would play with these cards, if they were ever physically printed. Excellent work!
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
thank you for your kind words! Makes me very proud :).
Well, a lot of questions to answer:
The first post I wrote about it dates back to May, so I worked on it for a bit more than 6 months. The difficult parts of designing a set for me is always getting started because I am never happy with any of my designs, and filling in the last cards. The midway part when you know what you want to do, but still have a lot of freedom, is very fun and not difficult. I have a few friends that I regularly ask for opinions or ideas on specific cards, but I designed the set mostly by myself.
I did not think of it as suggestive, other than that others might see it as suggestive :shrug:. This is the original artwork.
Thanks! Yes, you assumed correctly about Telar. These are btw two cards I could see myself making some changes to, so feedback on Telar is appreciated.
Since you probably live in the US, physical cards will be difficult, but I can invite you to play with us on Cockatrice next week or so :).
Completed sets:
Iamur — The Underwater Set
Overworld — Pirates vs. Octopuses
Esparand — The Sands of Time
Unfinished Sets:
Siege of Ravnica — Eldrazi in Ravnica
Shandalar — The Mana Set
Iamur Reimagined — Iamur v2
You can find more creative projects on my page Antaresdesigns!
Yes, I do live in the United States; do you live elsewhere? And forgive me for not knowing, but what is Cockatrice?
I do have some minor criticism, as well: the steer fate and foreshadow mechanics are very nice, but the consign and epitaph abilities may be rather complex for newer players, similar to the haunt and cipher mechanics. I notice that twin flames deals a total of 4 damage, but costs 6 mana to cast, and is only a sorcery, which makes it very inefficiently-costed. Is there a rule that every M:tG set must have at least one inefficiently-costed card? WotC certainly seems to have such a rule in their sets.
Did you change the artwork for Telar, the Wearied? The new art is nice, but I shall admit that I preferred the first artwork over it, since it provides a full-body view of him. The new artwork for Niusha of the Spires does seem to work well for her, however. Is The Memory Remains a deliberate reference to the Metallica song of the same name, or is that merely a coincidence?
Finally, how does one best use the activated ability of It that Defies Logic? Would not making a copy of it cause one or both creatures to be put into their owner's graveyard (depending upon which version of the legend rule that one is using, since I still prefer the previous version of the legend rule, since it made the most sense out of all the versions)?
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
Cockatrice is a free-to-play magic platform.
They are complex, but I've spent many hours trying to make the wordings as clear as possible, and I hope they are now easy enough to understand.
Well, you don't want all cards in your set to be of the same power level, otherwise drafting wouldn't be very interesting. Red already has access to three very good burn spells in Channel the Storm, Flame of the Sands and Temporal Lightning, so giving it another very good burn spell would be unreasonable. At 6 mana, Twin Flames isn't great, but it's still playable if you didn't pick up any of the other burn spells.
Then I shall return to the old artwork for Telar. The problem with Niusha's old artwork was that it was showing an elf, while she is supposed to be a human.
I came up with that name from the metallica song, yes.
The ability only makes sense with the new legend rule. You can make a copy of him and sacrifice the original when it enters the battlefield. This makes the ability basically "Pay 6 life: Hexproof until EOT." The token then can make another copy again. Another use is the infinite damage combo with Warstorm Surge :tongue:. Have to still find a decent artwork btw. The current one is the... wrong type of weird.
Completed sets:
Iamur — The Underwater Set
Overworld — Pirates vs. Octopuses
Esparand — The Sands of Time
Unfinished Sets:
Siege of Ravnica — Eldrazi in Ravnica
Shandalar — The Mana Set
Iamur Reimagined — Iamur v2
You can find more creative projects on my page Antaresdesigns!
I see; that sounds very interesting, but I am very busy with work, currently, so I am not certain if I shall be able to play on that platform.
To further discuss Niusha, how do you feel about having a planeswalker with no ability that increases their loyalty? That trait was already seen with Sarkhan the Mad, but his case makes sense from a flavor perspective, since it represents his descent into madness, so what is the flavor explanation for Niusha not having an ability that increases her loyalty?
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
For her, it is supposed to represent that her time is running out. The storm of time has decided that she has to die. Together with Telar, she is fleeing and hiding from the Beholder's minions. Her 0 ability represents her detaining her pursuers (see the card "Hand of the Beholder"), but it will ultimately only delay the inevitable. While they flee, they must find the original event that created the Beholder, to have him cease to exist. This is represented by her -1 ability, which is Opt. I chose this ability partly because of the flavor text on Opt. If they are caught in a dead-end situation, Niusha can exert her limited control over the storm of time to escape. However, this is playing with fire and severely exhausts her.
I can't give you a flavor explanation for why she has an X-cost, but the rest is very deliberate. Obviously, mechanics mattered as well, so the flavor is skewed to fit the mechanical requirements. On the other hand, if you ask me about Liliana, I can't tell you more than that I thought the abilities would make for an interesting planeswalker :tongue:.
Completed sets:
Iamur — The Underwater Set
Overworld — Pirates vs. Octopuses
Esparand — The Sands of Time
Unfinished Sets:
Siege of Ravnica — Eldrazi in Ravnica
Shandalar — The Mana Set
Iamur Reimagined — Iamur v2
You can find more creative projects on my page Antaresdesigns!
I have been considering making my own set of cards, recently, so do you have any advice for doing so? With the great amount of effort that you clearly have put into your set, I am hoping that you can offer some insight into the matter.
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
The most important step to starting your own set is coming up with a development codename :rolleyes:.
No, I would try to get used to MSE and learn how to probably word and template cards, and start collecting some artwork. I posted a list of artists I recommend checking out in my Iamur thread.
Other than that, I can give you more advice when you have a more specific question.
Completed sets:
Iamur — The Underwater Set
Overworld — Pirates vs. Octopuses
Esparand — The Sands of Time
Unfinished Sets:
Siege of Ravnica — Eldrazi in Ravnica
Shandalar — The Mana Set
Iamur Reimagined — Iamur v2
You can find more creative projects on my page Antaresdesigns!
Archangel of Ascendance :3mana::symw::symw::symw:
Creature — Angel (M)
Flying
Whenever Archangel of Ascendance deals combat damage to a player, return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. That creature is a white Angel in addition to its other colors and types and it gains flying.
5/5
Epoch Wanderer :5mana::symw::symw:
Creature — Elemental (R)
Vigilance
Foreshadow :2mana::symw::symw: (Pay :2mana::symw::symw: and play with this card revealed from your hand. You can’t cast it this turn. Foreshadow only as a sorcery.)
When Epoch Wanderer enters the battlefield, if it was foreshadowed, your life total becomes your starting life total and you shuffle your graveyard into your library.
4/7
Nullifier Giant :5mana::symw:
Creature — Giant Warrior (U)
As Nullifier Giant enters the battlefield, name an instant or sorcery card.
Spells with the chosen name can’t be cast.
Telar’s constructs are tasked with protecting his sanctuaries from thieves and pillagers, but also his fellow magi.
4/6
Sculptured Seraph :2mana::symw:
Creature — Spirit Wall (C)
Defender
When Sculptured Seraph enters the battlefield, scry 2. (To scry 2, look at the top two cards of your library. Put any number of them on the bottom of your library in any order and the rest on top in any order.)
1/5
Sphere of Denial :2mana::symw:
Enchantment (U)
Flash
When Sphere of Denial enters the battlefield, exile target noncreature spell.
When Sphere of Denial leaves the battlefield, the owner of the exiled card may cast it without paying its mana cost.
Dissolve :1mana::symu::symu:
Instant (C)
Counter target spell. Scry 1. (To scry 1, look at the top card of your library, then you may put that card on the bottom of your library.)
The magi of the spires are often seen as killjoys for their excessive use of countermagic.
Fiddle with Fate :2mana::symu:
Instant (U)
Return target creature to its owner’s hand. Scry 2. (To scry 2, look at the top two cards of your library. Put any number of them on the bottom of your library in any order and the rest on top in any order.)
“Stop existing!”
—Nousha, obsidian cleric
Niusha of the Spires XU
Planeswalker — Niusha (M)
0: Tap target creature with power equal to or less than Niusha of the Spires’ loyalty. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
-1: Scry 1, then draw a card. (To scry 1, look at the top card of your library, then you may put that card on the bottom of your library.)
-6: Take an extra turn after this one.
{X}
Embermane Fiend :2mana::symr::symr:
Creature — Elemental Beast (R)
Trample, haste
When Embermane Fiend dies, each player sacrifices a land.
“One day the entire desert will be aflame, and this will herald the end of time.”
—Deh Moosa, Gul-Shad sage
4/3
Empyreal Sword
Artifact — Equipment (C)
Equipped creature gets +2/+1.
When Empyreal Sword enters the battlefield, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.)
Equip
Walking Boneyard
Land (R)
Walking Boneyard enters the battlefield tapped.
:symtap:: Add or to your mana pool.
:6mana::symb::symg:: Until end of turn, Walking Boneyard becomes a 5/5 black and green Elemental creature. It’s still a land. This ability costs less to activate for each creature card in your graveyard.
Completed sets:
Iamur — The Underwater Set
Overworld — Pirates vs. Octopuses
Esparand — The Sands of Time
Unfinished Sets:
Siege of Ravnica — Eldrazi in Ravnica
Shandalar — The Mana Set
Iamur Reimagined — Iamur v2
You can find more creative projects on my page Antaresdesigns!
Completed sets:
Iamur — The Underwater Set
Overworld — Pirates vs. Octopuses
Esparand — The Sands of Time
Unfinished Sets:
Siege of Ravnica — Eldrazi in Ravnica
Shandalar — The Mana Set
Iamur Reimagined — Iamur v2
You can find more creative projects on my page Antaresdesigns!
As for Magic Set Editor, I have heard of it, and I definitely shall use it for my own set, since it is clearly a very useful program to have, especially since it tracks the number of cards in a set, as well as their colors and rarity, a feature that I definitely find to be helpful.
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”-Thomas Jefferson
“A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of its user.”-Theodore Roosevelt
“Patriotism means to stand by one's country; it does not mean to stand by one's president.”-Theodore Roosevelt
Are you designing commons? Check out my primer on NWO.
Interested in making a custom set? Check out my Set skeleton and archetype primer.
I also write articles about getting started with custom card creation.
Go and PLAYTEST your designs, you will learn more in a single playtests than a dozen discussions.
My custom sets:
Dreamscape
Coins of Mercalis [COMPLETE]
Exodus of Zendikar - ON HOLD
It means a lot to me that more and more people are interested in my projects. I've had several playgroups messaging me over the last months that they want to draft with my sets. I guess it's true — you do what you're good at and if you're persistent, people will eventually notice.
Thank you for your encouragement!
Well, everyone likes consistent Magic, or not? And scry is the simplest and cleanest smoothing mechanic.
And one that doesn't have three other complicated mechanics already :).
Completed sets:
Iamur — The Underwater Set
Overworld — Pirates vs. Octopuses
Esparand — The Sands of Time
Unfinished Sets:
Siege of Ravnica — Eldrazi in Ravnica
Shandalar — The Mana Set
Iamur Reimagined — Iamur v2
You can find more creative projects on my page Antaresdesigns!
Well, you haven't been looking close enough. There's a card that gets broken with almost everything ever, and I'm quite embarrassed that I missed it :Psyduck:.
Completed sets:
Iamur — The Underwater Set
Overworld — Pirates vs. Octopuses
Esparand — The Sands of Time
Unfinished Sets:
Siege of Ravnica — Eldrazi in Ravnica
Shandalar — The Mana Set
Iamur Reimagined — Iamur v2
You can find more creative projects on my page Antaresdesigns!
Creature — Human Cleric (U)
When Ankhal Embalmer enters the battlefield, you may exile target creature card from a graveyard. If you do, it’s owner puts a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
The funerary goods serve as a beacon for the spirits lost in the vortex of time.
2/1
Storyteller X1W
Creature — Human Advisor (R)
When Storyteller enters the battlefield, choose X or less — Shuffle up to three target cards from your graveyard into your library; or you gain 3 life; and/or scry 3.
“Lay down and let me tell you of fabulous tales, some that happened, and some that will happen.”
2/2
Creature — Human Knight (C)
Vigilance
Epitaph :1mana::symw: (When this is put into your graveyard from anywhere, you may pay :1mana::symw: and remember it. Otherwise, exile it.)
White creatures you control have vigilance as long as Knight of the Barrens is remembered.
3/3
Enchantment (R)
Whenever a creature attacks you, tap that creature and remove it from combat. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step. At the beginning of that creature’s controller’s next declare attacker’s step, it becomes attacking you if able.
Creature — Minotaur Warrior (U)
Foreshadow :5mana::symw: (Pay :5mana::symw: and play with this card revealed from your hand. You can’t cast it this turn. Foreshadow only as a sorcery.)
Haste
When Bloodhorn Warcaller enters the battlefield, if it was foreshadowed, creatures you control get +2/+2 until end of turn.
2/2
Completed sets:
Iamur — The Underwater Set
Overworld — Pirates vs. Octopuses
Esparand — The Sands of Time
Unfinished Sets:
Siege of Ravnica — Eldrazi in Ravnica
Shandalar — The Mana Set
Iamur Reimagined — Iamur v2
You can find more creative projects on my page Antaresdesigns!