Resurrecting this old thread. I created a Windows application to generate sealed decks a couple of years ago (around when Magic 2015 came out). I haven't updated it since Magic Origins came out, and I'm not sure whether it would play nicely with the more recent sets, as they've introduced some added complexity.
I'd ultimately like to rewrite it as a web application so that it doesn't need to be run on Windows, but I'm scared of having Hasbro's lawyers descend on me the moment I put it online. In the meantime, I'm happy to open source it if anyone is interested in tinkering with it. Here's a screenshot:
Well there was no entry in the Custom Keyword Encyclopedia for anything like this as far as I can see. Even so it's a little harsh to come at me like this for not knowing what you've seen in your many years. I'm newer at this than you. I won't apologise for that. Maybe with your extra maturity you can forgive me for posting these designs for a custom set I was making in a card design form and wasting your time.
I thought his comment was unduly scathing and pretentious. Don't sweat it, mate. If this creative process brings you joy, then who cares what anyone else says.
I don't mind the concept of this, but I feel like it's a difficult mechanic to express succinctly if you want to account for all the loose ends. The text provided doesn't speak to removal of the counters.
To that point, what if the creature with Paralyze leaves the battlefield on the same turn that creature inflicted combat damage? Does the counter stay and continue to have the stated effect? If not, how about a situation where the same player puts another creature with Paralyze onto the battlefield before the affected creature's controller's next untap step?
You could do away with counters and reduce this confusion, but then you'd just have to keep track of and remember which creatures were affected. In a duel, that's probably not a huge deal, but in a group game it might be a big pain in the backside.
Just as an exercise in boredom, I tried to come up with rules text that would cover the bases with a counter-based approach and, as you can see, it's not brief:
Creatures with paralysis counters don't untap during their controllers' untap steps.
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a creature, put a paralysis counter on that creature.
At the beginning of each other player's upkeep, that player removes all paralysis counters from each creature he or she controls.
When ~ leaves the battlefield, if you control no other creatures with Paralyze, each other player removes all paralysis counters from all creatures he or she controls.
Mindlobe HyrdaXUG
Creature - Hydra
Delve (You may exile any number of cards from your graveyard as you cast this spell. It costs 1 less to cast for each card exiled this way.)
~ comes into play with X +1/+1 counters on it.
At the beginning of your upkeep, target player draws X cards where X is the number of +1/+1 counters on ~.
0/0 The only thing you can do is try to be smarter than it
-Rukarumel, Field Journal
Cool card, but it's way too powerful. A potentially recurring targeted card draw advantage for as little as UG and one card from the graveyard just seems way too good. You can also get a massive stomper that feeds you a bevy of cards if the game goes past a few turns for a pittance. Find some way to up the cost and this idea might still be salvageable.
Here's mine:
Vengeance from Below B
Instant (C)
As an additional cost to play Vengeance from Below, exile a creature card from your graveyard.
Destroy target creature that dealt lethal damage to another creature this turn. It can’t be regenerated.
I don't feel that convoke helps here anyway, since you have a coming into play affect that is based on the number of untapped creatures you control. All of them would be better if their effects were based on the number of appropriate color creatures you control only.
This was entirely on purpose. My thought was that, particularly with green and white (for which I realize that Convoke is typically featured), the possibility of having many creatures is high enough that there needed to some sort of trade-off for leveraging the mechanic.
As for the effects themselves, I feel the white one's ability is better being the green member of the cycle, citing Stag Beetle.
I agree with you on this point. I created the white one first and, when I looked back at it later, I thought exactly the same thing but just didn't feel like taking the time to change it. Fie on me I suppose.
The blue effect is way stronger than the rest, and since it can return itself this can be a problem. I think you would be better with a lower cost and different ability.
I tried costing it high to mitigate that problem, but maybe I didn't cost it high enough. And I didn't think about it returning itself. Whoops!
Hi all. I tried to throw together a creature for each color using the Convoke mechanic.
Platoon Commander3WWW
Convoke
Platoon Commander enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it, where X is equal to the number of untapped nontoken white creatures you control.
2/2
Sahuagin Sorcerer 5UU
Convoke
When Sahuagin Sorcerer enters the battlefield, return X nonland permanents to their owners’ hands, where X is equal to the number of untapped nontoken blue creatures you control.
1/2
Shadow Rider 4BB
Convoke
When Shadow Rider enters the battlefield, you may Fateseal X, where X is equal to the number of untapped nontoken black creatures you control.
2/1
Goblin Firemaster 3RRR
Convoke
When Goblin Firemaster enters the battlefield, it deals X damage to target creature or player, where X is equal to the number of untapped nontoken red creatures you control.
3/1
Earthen Magistrate 4GG
Convoke
When Earthen Magistrate enters the battlefield, add G to your mana pool for each untapped nontoken green creature you control.
2/3
It looks a bit too good. Since it can sacrifice itself, you're basically saying "Gain control of target creature and draw two cards" for UUBB. Up both the cost of the card and the ability to 1UB.
Next:
Manipulate the Stars 1UB
Instant
Scry 3.
Fateseal 3.
Fateseal is a tough mechanic to determine what the appropriate cost should be. I'd be interested as to why you chose to include black. Fateseal seems to be an exclusively blue mechanic and scry, while it has appeared on a black card, seems more native to blue than anything else. Therefore, I might recommend a casting cost of UUU or 1UU.
That aside, I really like the idea and I'd like to use this card if it existed.
Here's mine:
Imminent Doom 1UB
Enchantment
Skip your draw step.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may pay 4 life. If you do, reveal the top two cards of your library. Put all nonland cards revealed this way into your hand and exile the rest.
Phantasmal Elf - 1GU
Creature -- Elf
GU, Sacrifice Phantasmal Elf: Target Elf gains nonbasic landwalk until end of turn.
1G: Target Elf gains forestwalk until end of turn.
1U: Target Elf gains islandwalk until end of turn.
I first played Magic about 12 years ago. My brother had been playing with his friends for a while and recommended it to me, so I went to the local hobby shop and picked up a Revised Starter Deck and gave it a try. I've been playing on and off ever since. I've always been a casual player, even though I've had slightly stronger passion for the game than most of the friends with whom I've played (a couple of which have parted with their card collections and sadly no longer play the game).
I'm back into the game after being away from it for about a year.
Selective Torrent reminds me of Icy Manipulator a little, but I like the card. I'd be interested to see what era of the game that card would function best in. Churning Sandstorm is also interesting, but I feel like something similar exists (can't put my finger on it though). The other two render useful services but I think I'd want a little more payoff for the mana cost they require.
I think the whole "tapping enchantments" controversy comes down to semantics. For purists and old schoolers, I can see how it would seem objectionable, purely for semantic reasons if nothing else. There have been enchantments with activated abilities for almost the duration of the game, so adding a tap symbol to the activation cost doesn't really break any barriers so far as I can see. If enchantments had heretofore contained only static, state-based, and/or triggered abilities, then we'd have a different debate on our hands, but such has not been the case.
On a side note, I agree with the posters who've objected to colored artifacts. No place in the game whatsoever.
1. The first is hardly legendary. Or interesting, IMO. Why not make it be a triggered ability - whenever you play a creature spell, put a counter on it. Then have an activation cost such that you can remove the counters to give a creature +1,+1 until end of turn. And it should be green, and have a name that can make it legendary.
2. The RR ability should hit non-basic lands. Allowing you to play 4 more stone rains seems like a bad idea... even if they cost you a land drop...
I'd like to point out that this ability isn't tantamount to what Stone Rain does in that you can only target basic land which, in the modern metagame, is a substantial caveat. As for the ability being uncounterable, there are cards such as Stifle that can see to that end.
As always, thanks for all the feedback. I'll change Mirrored Zenith to be "RR, T, Remove ~ from the game:" but I'm not sold on scrapping the ability just yet.
I'd ultimately like to rewrite it as a web application so that it doesn't need to be run on Windows, but I'm scared of having Hasbro's lawyers descend on me the moment I put it online. In the meantime, I'm happy to open source it if anyone is interested in tinkering with it. Here's a screenshot:
I thought his comment was unduly scathing and pretentious. Don't sweat it, mate. If this creative process brings you joy, then who cares what anyone else says.
To that point, what if the creature with Paralyze leaves the battlefield on the same turn that creature inflicted combat damage? Does the counter stay and continue to have the stated effect? If not, how about a situation where the same player puts another creature with Paralyze onto the battlefield before the affected creature's controller's next untap step?
You could do away with counters and reduce this confusion, but then you'd just have to keep track of and remember which creatures were affected. In a duel, that's probably not a huge deal, but in a group game it might be a big pain in the backside.
Just as an exercise in boredom, I tried to come up with rules text that would cover the bases with a counter-based approach and, as you can see, it's not brief:
Put target creature on top of its owner's library. That player shuffles his or her library.
Draw a card.
Cool card, but it's way too powerful. A potentially recurring targeted card draw advantage for as little as UG and one card from the graveyard just seems way too good. You can also get a massive stomper that feeds you a bevy of cards if the game goes past a few turns for a pittance. Find some way to up the cost and this idea might still be salvageable.
Here's mine:
Vengeance from Below B
Instant (C)
As an additional cost to play Vengeance from Below, exile a creature card from your graveyard.
Destroy target creature that dealt lethal damage to another creature this turn. It can’t be regenerated.
This was entirely on purpose. My thought was that, particularly with green and white (for which I realize that Convoke is typically featured), the possibility of having many creatures is high enough that there needed to some sort of trade-off for leveraging the mechanic.
I agree with you on this point. I created the white one first and, when I looked back at it later, I thought exactly the same thing but just didn't feel like taking the time to change it. Fie on me I suppose.
I tried costing it high to mitigate that problem, but maybe I didn't cost it high enough. And I didn't think about it returning itself. Whoops!
Thanks for your feedback.
Platoon Commander 3WWW
Convoke
Platoon Commander enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it, where X is equal to the number of untapped nontoken white creatures you control.
2/2
Sahuagin Sorcerer 5UU
Convoke
When Sahuagin Sorcerer enters the battlefield, return X nonland permanents to their owners’ hands, where X is equal to the number of untapped nontoken blue creatures you control.
1/2
Shadow Rider 4BB
Convoke
When Shadow Rider enters the battlefield, you may Fateseal X, where X is equal to the number of untapped nontoken black creatures you control.
2/1
Goblin Firemaster 3RRR
Convoke
When Goblin Firemaster enters the battlefield, it deals X damage to target creature or player, where X is equal to the number of untapped nontoken red creatures you control.
3/1
Earthen Magistrate 4GG
Convoke
When Earthen Magistrate enters the battlefield, add G to your mana pool for each untapped nontoken green creature you control.
2/3
All feedback is welcomed!
Thanks!
Fateseal is a tough mechanic to determine what the appropriate cost should be. I'd be interested as to why you chose to include black. Fateseal seems to be an exclusively blue mechanic and scry, while it has appeared on a black card, seems more native to blue than anything else. Therefore, I might recommend a casting cost of UUU or 1UU.
That aside, I really like the idea and I'd like to use this card if it existed.
Here's mine:
Imminent Doom 1UB
Enchantment
Skip your draw step.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may pay 4 life. If you do, reveal the top two cards of your library. Put all nonland cards revealed this way into your hand and exile the rest.
Creature -- Elf
GU, Sacrifice Phantasmal Elf: Target Elf gains nonbasic landwalk until end of turn.
1G: Target Elf gains forestwalk until end of turn.
1U: Target Elf gains islandwalk until end of turn.
I'm back into the game after being away from it for about a year.
The name's Patrick and I'm from Maryland, USA.
Pwning Gamer
W
Creature - Human Geek
1/1
LANWalk (If defending player is connection to a LAN, ~ is unblockable.)
I think the whole "tapping enchantments" controversy comes down to semantics. For purists and old schoolers, I can see how it would seem objectionable, purely for semantic reasons if nothing else. There have been enchantments with activated abilities for almost the duration of the game, so adding a tap symbol to the activation cost doesn't really break any barriers so far as I can see. If enchantments had heretofore contained only static, state-based, and/or triggered abilities, then we'd have a different debate on our hands, but such has not been the case.
On a side note, I agree with the posters who've objected to colored artifacts. No place in the game whatsoever.
I was thinking of changing the +3/+3 to all creatures for Flourishing Grove to Overrun's ability (+5/+5 and trample). What do you guys think of that?
Thanks for the feedback.
I'd like to point out that this ability isn't tantamount to what Stone Rain does in that you can only target basic land which, in the modern metagame, is a substantial caveat. As for the ability being uncounterable, there are cards such as Stifle that can see to that end.
As always, thanks for all the feedback. I'll change Mirrored Zenith to be "RR, T, Remove ~ from the game:" but I'm not sold on scrapping the ability just yet.