the one time i dont post an explanation of the card...
Faithful Geyser
Land (R)
t: Add two mana of any color to your mana pool. Return Faithful Geyser to your hand.
Why this doesnt ETB tapped.
untapped you get: if you play:
turn 1 - 2 mana (Geyser)
turn 2 - 2 mana (Geyser)
turn 3 - 2 mana (Geyser)
turn 4 - 2 mana (Geyser)
turn 5 - 2 mana (Geyser)
turn 6 - 2 mana (Geyser)
ETB untapped w/ basic lands
turn 1 - 2 mana (Geyser)
turn 2 - 1 mana (basic)
turn 3 - 3 mana (Geyser)
turn 4 - 2 mana (basic)
turn 5 - 4 mana (Geyser)
turn 6 - 3 mana (basic)
ETB tapped w/ another geyser
turn 1 - 0 mana (Geyser1)
turn 2 - 2 mana (Geyser2)
turn 3 - 2 mana (Geyser1)
turn 4 - 2 mana (Geyser2)
turn 5 - 2 mana (Geyser1)
turn 6 - 2 mana (Geyser2)
ETB tapped w/ basic lands
turn 1 - 0 mana (Geyser)
turn 2 - 3 mana (basic)
turn 3 - 1 mana (Geyser)
turn 4 - 4 mana (basic)
turn 5 - 2 mana (Geyser)
turn 6 - 5 mana (basic)
This 2 mana source is NOT Sol Ring. Sol ring is deadly cus it is 2 mana every turn, get it out early enuf and you get a huge mana advantage over the course if a game.
Yes this will give you 2 mana turn one but it dooms you to basicslly 2 mana from your land untik you decuse to stop playing it.
ETB tapped only amounts to the difference of the 2 mana from turn one if alternated with another geyser.
When alternated with a basic land
ETB tapped amounts to the same amount of mana overall, just distributed differently. Yes you can get 2 mana turn 1 but youll only get 1 mana turn 2.
2 mana turn one is nice, but thats only one more than youd have if you played a basic. Whats more its not persistent, 2 mana turn 1 does not equate to 3 or 4 mana turn 2, 4 to 6 man on turn 3 etc.
ETB tapped when played with a single mana producing land actually begins to give you access to more mana, starting turn 4, than if you used the Geyser every turn.
Returning it to your hand is actually a nasty penalty for a land. Remember you usually only only play one per turn so this csrd csn trap you into destroying your own tempo.
If it ETB tapped i think it would actually have to tap for 3 mana. I think you might be able to do ETB untapped and tap for 3 colorless mana if the environment was designed to not have overly powerful 3 drop artifacts.
Enchanted creature has "At the beginning of your upkeep put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature. "
When enchanted creature dies return Virulent Plague to it's owner's hand.
repeatable removal restrained by intensive mono mana cost. Balanced by being slow.
Flavorwise i think this is very effective at comminicating sickness. Your creature gets weaker with time until it dies and then it becomes a vector to spread the illness to others.
Atogstorm (banging flavor text)
Ilgreven (i like how it synergizes with yesterdays card yet does something different, a parasitic mechanic but worth it.)
Nissa, One with Nature GGG
Planeswalker-Nissa (M)
+1 Put a land token with "t:add 1 to your mana pool" onto the battlefield tapped.
-2 Search your library for a creature card, reveal it and put it in your hand.
-X Return X cards from your graveyard to your hand. Exile Nissa, One with Nature. 3
Why are there no land tokens?
Originally i was making plainswalkers that gave out weaker emblems more often and for green my emblem was essentially a colorless (or sometimes green) mana rock. So i asked myself, why can't this just be a land token? ETB tapped and colorless mana keeps it subdued.
Her second ability is all she has for protection. Later in the game she can tutor an answer and cast the creature.
Her ultimate is different in that it is varaible, it can be used immediately, and it removes her regardless of how high her loyalty is.
i know shes weak protecting herself, hence 3 cmc. This enables an early game where she can live thru an attack by going +1 first turn, later she'll have to use her second ability.
GGG keeps abuse of her abilities lower, while makimg the 3 cmc a tad more constraining.
made this card a while ago (before BFZ) story wise it was her summoning extra wild mana from zendikar, using that mana to call forth elves and beasts to fight eldrazi and then sacrificing herself to save everyone and give them a second chance deus ex machina style.
When Shrubland enters the battlefield add C to your mana pool
t: Add W or G to your mana pool.
While trying to ponder how powerful a dual land could be without being a functional reprint i came up with this card except it had land subtypes and gave you one of the two colored manas (static, not your choice, W for this one) when it ETB'd.
I stripped subtypes cus they were unnecessary for its function.
And the colorless mana makes the ETB mana less arbitrary, an issue otherwise dealt with by requiring 10 duals for friendly color pairs and 10 more for enemy.
Another question, what do you guys use to determine your votes?
I first ask myself is this technically doable (ie color pie infractions, rules conflicts, etc. then i ask myself is it formated correctly or at least in a manner thats grokable if its a unique case. Then i look at power level, which generally speaking everyone seems to have a good grasp on, havet seem a OP fanboy card yet, but if someone is selling me a 55 angel with keywords and no drawbacks for 4 mana im gonna pass. And lastly i aks my self, "Would i play this?" Bonus points for clean and elegant design.
Essentially i eliminate anything i think wouldnt get made for technical reasons and then i screen out the OP stuff and then i pick my favorite of whats left, and i favor clean design. Not to say i wouldnt vote for a wordy card but the cards i think are the best, are the ones that make me say, "wait, they didnt make this already? I have to check gatherer... Huh, no $#!t."
Does anyone else find it hard to vote for cards that would never get made for a technical reasons? Like a color that is doing something it doesnt do in the actual game?
Im looking at you, people exiling creatures in black. Black occasionally exiles cards from hand, counter and even tokens on rare occasion, but the one thing it doesnt do is exile creatures for removal, at least not as any kind of normal thing. Its a philosophical thing, black is all about death. Ive seen a couple of great cards the past few days that woulda had my vote id they just destroyed a creature rather than exiling it, or if it had incorporated white mana in the cost.
Pestilent, the Gnawer 2BB
Legendary Creature-Rat (R)
Rats you control get +X/+X, where X is the number of rats you control.
Tap two rats you control: Search your library for a rat card, reveal it and put it in your hand.
2/2
Just a legendary rat lord doing legendary rat things. One sided coat of arms for rats. Really just meant as a fun casual card or commander.
Also something like this is my prediction for the tribe "we wont expect" in the upcoming tribal commander set. It'll be something like this, a dozen utility spells and rat creatures and 50 relentless rats
Llanowar Adolescent 0
Creature-Elf (U)
Llanowar Adolescent is green.
Sacrifice Llanowar Adolescent if you had another card named Llanowar Adolescent enter the battlefield this turn.
T: Add C to your mana pool.
Balanced by only being able yo play one per turn, only givea colorless mana and is on a creature which is easy to deal with.
post 3642
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/community-forums/creativity/custom-card-creation/custom-card-contests-and-games/375922-dcc-discussion-thread?page=143
Faithful Geyser
Land (R)
t: Add two mana of any color to your mana pool. Return Faithful Geyser to your hand.
Why this doesnt ETB tapped.
untapped you get: if you play:
turn 1 - 2 mana (Geyser)
turn 2 - 2 mana (Geyser)
turn 3 - 2 mana (Geyser)
turn 4 - 2 mana (Geyser)
turn 5 - 2 mana (Geyser)
turn 6 - 2 mana (Geyser)
ETB untapped w/ basic lands
turn 1 - 2 mana (Geyser)
turn 2 - 1 mana (basic)
turn 3 - 3 mana (Geyser)
turn 4 - 2 mana (basic)
turn 5 - 4 mana (Geyser)
turn 6 - 3 mana (basic)
ETB tapped w/ another geyser
turn 1 - 0 mana (Geyser1)
turn 2 - 2 mana (Geyser2)
turn 3 - 2 mana (Geyser1)
turn 4 - 2 mana (Geyser2)
turn 5 - 2 mana (Geyser1)
turn 6 - 2 mana (Geyser2)
ETB tapped w/ basic lands
turn 1 - 0 mana (Geyser)
turn 2 - 3 mana (basic)
turn 3 - 1 mana (Geyser)
turn 4 - 4 mana (basic)
turn 5 - 2 mana (Geyser)
turn 6 - 5 mana (basic)
This 2 mana source is NOT Sol Ring. Sol ring is deadly cus it is 2 mana every turn, get it out early enuf and you get a huge mana advantage over the course if a game.
Yes this will give you 2 mana turn one but it dooms you to basicslly 2 mana from your land untik you decuse to stop playing it.
ETB tapped only amounts to the difference of the 2 mana from turn one if alternated with another geyser.
When alternated with a basic land
ETB tapped amounts to the same amount of mana overall, just distributed differently. Yes you can get 2 mana turn 1 but youll only get 1 mana turn 2.
2 mana turn one is nice, but thats only one more than youd have if you played a basic. Whats more its not persistent, 2 mana turn 1 does not equate to 3 or 4 mana turn 2, 4 to 6 man on turn 3 etc.
ETB tapped when played with a single mana producing land actually begins to give you access to more mana, starting turn 4, than if you used the Geyser every turn.
Returning it to your hand is actually a nasty penalty for a land. Remember you usually only only play one per turn so this csrd csn trap you into destroying your own tempo.
If it ETB tapped i think it would actually have to tap for 3 mana. I think you might be able to do ETB untapped and tap for 3 colorless mana if the environment was designed to not have overly powerful 3 drop artifacts.
Faithful Geyser
Land (R)
t: Add two mana of any color to your mana pool. Return Faithful Geyser to your hand.
Fertilize BG
Instant (U)
Discard 2 cards: Untap all lands you contol.
Virulent Plague BBB
Enchantment-Aura (R)
Enchant Creature
Enchanted creature has "At the beginning of your upkeep put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature. "
When enchanted creature dies return Virulent Plague to it's owner's hand.
Flavorwise i think this is very effective at comminicating sickness. Your creature gets weaker with time until it dies and then it becomes a vector to spread the illness to others.
Ilgreven (i like how it synergizes with yesterdays card yet does something different, a parasitic mechanic but worth it.)
Nissa, One with Nature GGG
Planeswalker-Nissa (M)
+1 Put a land token with "t:add 1 to your mana pool" onto the battlefield tapped.
-2 Search your library for a creature card, reveal it and put it in your hand.
-X Return X cards from your graveyard to your hand. Exile Nissa, One with Nature.
3
Originally i was making plainswalkers that gave out weaker emblems more often and for green my emblem was essentially a colorless (or sometimes green) mana rock. So i asked myself, why can't this just be a land token? ETB tapped and colorless mana keeps it subdued.
Her second ability is all she has for protection. Later in the game she can tutor an answer and cast the creature.
Her ultimate is different in that it is varaible, it can be used immediately, and it removes her regardless of how high her loyalty is.
i know shes weak protecting herself, hence 3 cmc. This enables an early game where she can live thru an attack by going +1 first turn, later she'll have to use her second ability.
GGG keeps abuse of her abilities lower, while makimg the 3 cmc a tad more constraining.
made this card a while ago (before BFZ) story wise it was her summoning extra wild mana from zendikar, using that mana to call forth elves and beasts to fight eldrazi and then sacrificing herself to save everyone and give them a second chance deus ex machina style.
Shrubland
Land (R)
Shrubland enters the battlefield tapped.
When Shrubland enters the battlefield add C to your mana pool
t: Add W or G to your mana pool.
I stripped subtypes cus they were unnecessary for its function.
And the colorless mana makes the ETB mana less arbitrary, an issue otherwise dealt with by requiring 10 duals for friendly color pairs and 10 more for enemy.
Goblin Savant 1R
Creature-Goblin Wizard (R)
If you would draw a card, scry 1 and draw a card instead.
2/1
I first ask myself is this technically doable (ie color pie infractions, rules conflicts, etc. then i ask myself is it formated correctly or at least in a manner thats grokable if its a unique case. Then i look at power level, which generally speaking everyone seems to have a good grasp on, havet seem a OP fanboy card yet, but if someone is selling me a 55 angel with keywords and no drawbacks for 4 mana im gonna pass. And lastly i aks my self, "Would i play this?" Bonus points for clean and elegant design.
Essentially i eliminate anything i think wouldnt get made for technical reasons and then i screen out the OP stuff and then i pick my favorite of whats left, and i favor clean design. Not to say i wouldnt vote for a wordy card but the cards i think are the best, are the ones that make me say, "wait, they didnt make this already? I have to check gatherer... Huh, no $#!t."
Im looking at you, people exiling creatures in black. Black occasionally exiles cards from hand, counter and even tokens on rare occasion, but the one thing it doesnt do is exile creatures for removal, at least not as any kind of normal thing. Its a philosophical thing, black is all about death. Ive seen a couple of great cards the past few days that woulda had my vote id they just destroyed a creature rather than exiling it, or if it had incorporated white mana in the cost.
Expendable Territory
Land (U)
T: Add C to your mana pool.
When a land you control is put into the graveyard, you may return that land to the battlefield and put Expendable Territory in the graveyard instead.
Added bonus: works great with fetchlands!
Pestilent, the Gnawer 2BB
Legendary Creature-Rat (R)
Rats you control get +X/+X, where X is the number of rats you control.
Tap two rats you control: Search your library for a rat card, reveal it and put it in your hand.
2/2
Also something like this is my prediction for the tribe "we wont expect" in the upcoming tribal commander set. It'll be something like this, a dozen utility spells and rat creatures and 50 relentless rats