MTG Salvation

Custom Standard — A Full Constructed Format of Custom Sets

**Custom Standard** is a rotating constructed format comprised of sets designed by Magic players and fans. The format is organized through the Custom Magic Discord server and has had a total of 14 custom sets rotate into it over the past two years.

Our current season that rotated in introduces Vastuum, a bottom up post apocalyptic set with powerful artifacts and a dying world.



In addition to cool cards to brew and play with, a big plus of Custom Standard is that you can talk directly to the designers. Between each 4 month season, the format’s designers change cards in response to community feedback. These can be nerfs of cards that are overperforming, buffs for cards that aren't quite making it, or reworks or replacements of cards that just aren't playing as intended. We also get players involved by holding public nominations and voting for what sets to rotate into the format. Not to mention, because of the rotations and changes, new decks are always being discovered. You could be the next one to break the format!

Now’s a great time to get into the format, we are running frequent tournaments, which is a great way to get a feel for the sets and see if the format may interest you before making a deck. For information about that league and much more, check out “What is Custom Standard?”, which explains how to get started playing the format with Cockatrice, gives a preview of each of our current sets, and has a plethora of helpful links to things like format staples and past decklists.

TLDR: Come play a fan-made standard with us!

Are you both on the Custommagic Discord channel? There are tons of people willing to playtest and give feedback there if you export to cockatrice.

Oh wow is this set still alive?

I remember how Brainwash lead me eventually to one of the mechanics I've been using recently.

Wound (If this would deal damage to a creature, you may put a single -1/-1 counter on that creature instead.)

I now reside mostly on the custommagic Discord Channel and keep my sets updated on http://www.planesculptors.net/ if your interested in viewing or drafting the final version of the set.

Yay. Thanks for having me on the podcast!

Quote from xecel »

Quote from Doombringer »

Thanks for the suggestions.

What about this wording?

Target player reveals his or her hand. Choose a instant, sorcery or artifact card from it.
You may cast a copy of that card and may spend mana as though it were mana of any type to cast it.
If you cast a copy of an artifact card this way, put a token onto the battlefield as a copy of the chosen card when that spell resolves.

Making it a single action using Chandra, Torch of Defiance tech

Just pointing out that there is a difference between the original wording and the new one. With the new wording one can only cast the spell when your spell is resolving, so you couldn't use it with cards that say "cast only during the beginning of combat" for example. Just making sure you know what you are giving up with the wording

That is a small price to pay for the added clarity.

Thanks for the suggestions.

What about this wording?

Target player reveals his or her hand. Choose a instant, sorcery or artifact card from it.
You may cast a copy of that card and may spend mana as though it were mana of any type to cast it.
If you cast a copy of an artifact card this way, put a token onto the battlefield as a copy of the chosen card when that spell resolves.

Making it a single action using Chandra, Torch of Defiance tech

Looking for some wording help for this unusual card.

Plagarized Results 1U
Instant (R)
Until end of turn, target opponent plays with his or her hand revealed.
Once this turn you may cast a copy of any instant, sorcery or artifact card in that player’s hand,
and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any type to cast it.

Quote from silvercut »

Well, evoke could still do the effect twice like this, but it just take more text space.

Living Knowledge 6U
Creature - Elemental
Evoke 3U (You may cast this spell for its evoke cost. If you do, it's sacrificed when it enters the battlefield.)
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, draw two cards, then put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard.
When CARDNAME deals combat damage to a player, you may sacrifice it. If you do, draw two cards, then put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard.
3/3

Anyway, the reminder text might be a little ambiguous to a lot of players. The use of "whenever" makes it sound like you can cast the spell multiple times this way, thus after casting it this way, it must become a creature again. The alternate version might be a little better because of this. Maybe?

Incarnate 6U (You may cast this spell for its incarnate cost. If you do, it becomes an Elemental creature as it resolves. When the creature deals combat damage to a player, you may recast it as a sorcery without paying its mana cost.)

Good catch on the "Whenever" vs "when".
Thoughts on the reminder text in the spoiler, that sacrifices to avoid confusion?

Quote from Legend »

Quote from Doombringer »

Living Knowledge 3U
Sorcery (C)
Draw two cards. Then put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard.
Incarnate 6U (If you cast this spell for 6U, put it onto the battlefield as an Elemental creature as it resolves. Whenever this deals combat damage to a player, you may cast it without paying its mana cost)
3/3

When I first saw this, my first thought was "Eh, everyone's done this." (Edit: With the p/t in the reminder text.) BUT, then I read the second part of the reminder text and thought "Damn, I wish I had thought of that part." Because it gives it a reason for being rather than just bizarro Evoke. I'm pretty desperate for my last couple of enemy color guild mechanics (particularly for Izzet), so I might have to steal this if you don't mind. (Although, it's very splashy, so maybe not.) Have you considered making the creature type "Incarnation"? I mean the mechanic is literally called Incarnate!

Have you playtested it yet? If so, I'm curious as to how it's played. Edit: Is this for Dreamscape, the followup set (it certainly fits the theme), or something altogether new?

I'm no rules guru, but it's highly grockable and seems completely sensible in light of Vehicle's (noncreature) p/t tek. The only thing I had to think about was "does it leave the battlefield and go to the stack?" The answer is "yes" because it's being cast not copied. Edit: The alternate sacrifice wording would ruin the novelty. It would just become roundabout "when you cast this or it dies."

I have not yet playtested this and it was developed for no particular project. I was simply thinking about how Awaken is awesome and that flashback is awesome. Could they be combined into a Living Lore style mechanic.

Ok so I currently have this mechanic i've been tinkering with.

Living Knowledge 3U
Sorcery (C)
Draw two cards. Then put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard.
Incarnate 6U (If you cast this spell for 6U, put it onto the battlefield as an Elemental creature as it resolves. Whenever this deals combat damage to a player, you may cast it without paying its mana cost)
3/3


So the gameplay I want is this:

• You may cast the sorcery like a normal card from your hand for 3U
• You may cast it for 6U from your hand to get a 3/3 in addition to the other effect, similar to Awaken
• This 3/3 if it deals damage to a player may, be used to cast the sorcery effect a 2nd time, but you would no longer have the 3/3

Is this clear?
What wording improvements can be made?
Does this break the rules? And if so how can they be rewritten to handle this?
Is this alternate wording better?

I've updated the main page with new images and links to the Planesculptors set link which is the main place I update the set.

This set has undergone heavy limited playtesting and is now 99% complete.
Things left to do are more story/flavor text, replace a few names, do additional constructed testing and finally make a new dreamwalk frame for better visual representation.

Quote from Reality_Glitch »

Ever thought about tweeking Dreams Unbound to include colorless mana. (i.e. costs CWUBRG and reduces costs by CWUBRG.)

Considering the lack of use of C in the set it seems to just be distracting and make the card less elegant.

Dreamscape has now been updated and is available to draft on Planesculptor!

http://www.planesculptors.net/set/dreamscape#cards

The main page of this thread etc however still requires a rework in the next few days.

Quote from Phthalo_U »

Made an account just to post this.

This set looks fun, the dreamwalk ability especially. Its cool simple mechanic that still manages to turn games on their head.

Do you do online playtests at all? If so, I would be very interested in playtesting this with your group.

Yes we do! In fact you can find a video playlist of our latest test on my youtube channel

Ral Zarek has a typo, the first ability should read one, not on.

Good eye! I'll fix that.

Unless I'm missing something, Reev's ability doesn't do anything besides give your opponent an infinite hand size that you can see.

When Reev dies the cards are no longer playable, thus making him super awkward for control decks and subtly hosing Premonition.

Mindi feels more like a blue/green card too me then a blue/red.

Why? Due to the trample?

Lifedusk veil could possibly be busted in constructed, and feels more white/black then black/green.

I've received that comment before but it doesn't fit the themes or archetypes of that color pair in the set, while still being perfectly acceptable in BG.

Possibility agent feels black/blue rather then just blue, could possible change the triggered ability to an activated one
with a cost of {u}{u} or {1}{u}.

The current version plays well and death triggers are well within Blue's color pie. What is it to you that makes it feel black?

Reev's realignment could possible cost less. Not too sure on that one.

Its been pretty powerful in the small amount of standard constructed playtesting we have done. But i'll note that.

Equinox Reaper seems VERY powerful. Would recommend changing the triggered ability to an activated ability like {w}{b}: Target opponent loses x life, where x is the amount of life you've gained this turn. Activate this only when you could cast a sorcery, and only once each turn.

What makes you think this is so powerful? Yeh is it a bomb in limited but its a gold 6cmc rare so thats fine. It has no evasion, protection or ETB effect either.

Ikelious’s Mandate seems very powerful too me. Would recommend changing the mana cost to {3}{b}{b}, and the flashback cost to {5}{b}{b}.

This card is currently on the watch list to have the flashback cost be increased by 1. However more testing is required.

Guardian of Lucidity may have incorrect text, I've never seen a reference to a spell resolving on a card before.

The wording is designed to be extra inclusive, mainly to stop effects like storm where just countering the spell doesn't necessarily work.

Sparkweaver Kirin could possibly be busted in constructed. I would recommend changing its activated ability to sorcery speed.

Saytr Hedonist makes me pretty sure the card is safe.

Thanks for the feedback!