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The Lion's Lair #10
"Building from scratch" (or: "A card is born")
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I've known what this article's topic would have been for quite some time now. Doombringer gave me the idea for it in one of the past article threads, so credit for the input goes to him. If I'm only writing it now it's because I've been busy with some real life stuff, my April MCC, and data analysis for rancored_elf's master list (by the way, definitely check it out if you like more theoretical design projects). Each of my data analysis posts there is at least as long as an article and more difficult to prepare because of all the images and lists. But that is not today's topic, maybe it will be the seed for another future article about costing. Today we will talk about the card creation process itself. How is a card born? What does it take to create a card, and how to do it practically?
The blank page
Sometimes writers suffer from what can be called the "blank page problem": you're in front of a white page and you have to start writing. What do you do? Some people may stare for a long time at that blank page before starting to write. Other people may not even manage to do it and give up. Other people may not suffer from this problem and have no problem in starting to write (luckily this has been my case for me with all my articles so far). I think I might have already said this somewhere else, but for those that don't know I'm a big Linkin Park fan. They're by far my favorite band, and this reminds me of a verse in one of their songs:
"The hardest part of ending is starting again."
-Linkin Park, "Waiting for the end"
Why am I bringing all this up? Because in card design you may face that problem too: you want to design a card, open your preferred Magic card design program (in my case MSE, I've already talked about it in a previous article), stare at that empty colorless card frame, and not know what to do or where to start. You need something to get started. You need something to guide you. You need... an idea!
That's the first seed for a card: an idea. Whatever idea. An absurd idea, something never tried, a twist on something existing, something to fit in a particular environment, something that interacts with a specific card, set, or mechanic, or a card that represents a new race, a character, or a particular event, and so on...
There are many possible ideas for a card, and there's no hard rule on that. Any idea can be good, but it can also be bad, you'll see it later. Don't think that out-of-the-box ideas are inherently bad. After all, who thought double-faced cards could be possible before Innistrad block?
The possible territory for card ideas is huge and exploring it is a big part of the fun of custom card design. But in the end, all ideas can be grouped in two broad categories:
- Top-down: the idea is about flavor, and so you'll need to find mechanics to match the intended flavor.
- Bottom-up: the idea is about mechanics, and so you'll need to find a good flavor to match your mechanics.
Both approaches are valid both at the level of the whole set, and at that of single cards. Usually you'll find that in a top-down set you'll tend to make top-down cards, and vice versa. But that's an aspect that only you the designer should know about: the audience shouldn't be able to tell a top-down card from a bottom-up one. Also, top-down sets and bottom-up ones should be of the same quality, practically indistinguishable from that point of view. A top-down set or card is not necessarily better than a bottom-up one, and vice versa.
Recent examples of top-down sets include Innistrad and Theros. The former started design as "let's make a set based on gothic horror tropes", and the latter as "let's make a set based on Greek mythology". These are cases where the starting idea is about flavor. At the contrary, Return to Ravnica (and also original Ravnica) and Tarkir block are examples of bottom-up design: the former started as "let's make a block where all the two-color pairs are treated equally", and the latter as "let's build a block around this particular draft structure". Those are mechanical ideas.
Examples of ideas you can have are "I want to design a card that synergizes with this mechanic", or "Let's try to design a cards that represents King Midas". The first thing you should do is make your idea more concrete, that is turn it into something that can tangibly be turned into a Magic card. At this point your idea should be a bit more focused. For example, let's say you want to travel to a place you've never been, say... Italy! (Why have I thought of that? Who knows?) The first idea is like "What if I went to Italy?", and that idea made concrete is "Now I'm going to buy tickets to Italy!". So, in the end, the question you're asking yourself here is: "What do I want to do with this idea?"
(Don't) break the rules!
Once you have your idea and you know what you want to do with it, it's time to think about the rules text. This is true for both approaches, bottom-up (of course), but also top-down. In all cases, the rules text, that is the card mechanics, should be the first thing to think about to make your idea into a true card. That's because it is usually the less flexible. Think of how R&D does it: first there's design (which designs the set and cards mechanically) and only after that come development (which will finalize the design and make it work) and creative (which will give the cards their flavor). You want to do a similar process, so the first thing is the rules text.
So what does your card do? And if it's a creature, how big is it? That's the time to find out. In this phase, you can experiment anything you want, as strange and out-of-the-box it might be. Time will come later to finalize it. Just keep the color pie as a reference. If you see that you have to significantly bleed or even break the color pie to realize your idea, it's already time to stop and reevaluate it. Is it really worth it? And even if it is, you should really try another way to make it work. Sometimes you can tell it even from the start: for example "let's make a monogreen Vampire!" doesn't sound that good of an idea, even if now that I've mentioned it, I'm sure some people will try to do it anyway... but that doesn't change the fact that it isn't a good idea and should probably never be done. Ideas like "let's make a monored creature with vigilance!" won't produce anything good.
Once you have a mechanic you like, word it properly if you haven't already, and decide the rarity of your card. If your card is a creature and has a tribal mechanic (that means a mechanic that cares about specific creature types, not the Tribal card type itself), now it's time to decide which creature types it will have. Otherwise, that's something that you can leave for later.
High costs for a little flavor
Then, or often while still defining the mechanics of the cards, you'll have to decide costs. This includes both the mana cost of your card and eventual mechanic costs. I won't talk in detail about costing here again, I've already written an article about it ("The price is right"). The master list project by rancored_elf I was talking about at the beginning of this article might also help with that.
Once you have the mechanical side of the card complete (rules text and costs), it's time to think about flavor. That mostly means the card name and flavor text. In these areas you can be as creative as you want, just remember that the game is a family friendly one and try to avoid the mistakes I talked about in my "Mark of quality" articles (that's true for mechanics too).
Now you're ready for the finishing touches. Decide which creature types your card has, if it is a creature without tribal mechanics (if it has tribal mechanics you should have done it before), and fill up all the empty spaces that still need to be filled. If you want to make a render, this is the time to go look for art, and if you do, remember to include the copyright! Et voila, you're done!
Examples
I'm only at little past half my word count, so what about some practical examples? Let's go!
Here's an idea to get started: I'm writing this part of the article on Friday, March 27th, which by coincidence is the release date of Dragons of Tarkir. So what about some DTK themed cards? I also happen to be a huge fan of the Future Sight mix-and-match cards, so let's try to make some for the dragon clans, even though I know that's not realistic in the story. But it's just for the sake of practicing, and I'm not attempting to be canon in any way. That said, let's make a cycle of five monocolored cards each with the mechanics of the two DTK clans that color belongs to. That's the idea.
Card 1
Let's go in WUBRG order. That means starting with white. This is easy: Dromoka bolsters and Ojutai rebounds. Since cards like Cached Defenses and Dromoka's Gift exist, it comes naturally:
Bolster N.
Rebound
Given the aforementioned cards, N can't be greater than 2. I think the bolster number will set rarity too: if N is 1 I can even see this at common, if N is 2 I guess this would have to be uncommon, as it is one card for four +1/+1 counters. Let's say I don't want this card to read too poorly, so I choose an uncommon with N = 2. Let's also say I don't want this to be used as a combat trick, so I make it a sorcery rather than an instant. So now we have:
Sorcery (U)
Bolster 2.
Rebound
This is like Cached Defenses that gives one less counter but rebounds, so in total it gives four counters. A cost like seems fine. With this, the mechanical side of the card is done. Now the flavor. I imagine this to be an Ojutai warrior that helps defend a Dromoka fortress. That sounds like a good name too: Defend the Fortress. it also goes nicely with the fact that I made this a sorcery so it can't be used offensively. Now, adding reminder text and trying to copy and paste the complete rules text in MSE, I see that the text box is already quite filled up, and flavor text doesn't really have room to fit. So in the end we have:
Defend the Fortress
Sorcery (U)
Bolster 2. (Choose a creature with the least toughness among creatures you control and put two +1/+1 counter on it.)
Rebound (If you cast this spell from your hand, exile it as it resolves. At the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast this card from exile without paying its mana cost.)
Card 2
Let's make the blue one! Ojutai rebounds and Silumgar exploits. This is hard, because rebound goes on noncreature spells, while exploit needs to be on a creature. A solution can be to make a creature that grants rebound to a spell of yours and also has exploit. Now that I think about it, why not join the two, in the sense that you need to exploit to give rebound to your spells? That seems a good idea:
Creature
Exploit
When CARDNAME exploits a creature, the next instant or sorcery spell you cast this turn gains rebound.
How big do I want this to be? I think this will need to be cheap, to leave you the mana to cast the spell that will gain rebound, so it could be a 1/1, but it looks quite weak that way to me. I see it better as a 2/1. Also, this looks a bit too complex to me to be a common, so let's put it at uncommon. With this, we have:
CARDNAME
Creature (U)
Exploit
When CARDNAME exploits a creature, the next instant or sorcery spell you cast this turn gains rebound.
2/1
Now let's think about the flavor. This could be a Silumgar human wizard who was once Ojutai, the analogous of what Taigam was in the old KTK timeline. So he's a traitor, which fits nice with Silumgar as a concept, but he betrayed Ojutai. So let's call it "Traitor of Ojutai". MSE tells me there is definitely no room for flavor text here if we want to include reminder text, as we should. So the end result is:
Traitor of Ojutai
Creature - Human Wizard (U)
Exploit (When this creature enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice a creature.)
When Traitor of Ojutai exploits a creature, the next instant or sorcery spell you cast this turn gains rebound. (If you cast that spell from your hand, exile it as it resolves. At the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast that card from exile without paying its mana cost.)
2/1
Card 3
Time for the black one! Silumgar exploits, and Kolaghan dashes. The first thing that comes to mind is a creature that has both. But what effect can I associate with exploit that is worth on a creature that might stay on the battlefield not even a whole turn? I can have a creature get -N/-N until end of turn! It's also quite useful with dash, as I can exploit, remove an annoying blocker, and attack away! This gives:
Creature
Exploit
When CARDNAME exploits a creature, target creature gets -3/-3 until end of turn.
Dash COST
I want this creature to be quite aggressive, so I can remove a blocker and punish you if you don't have another one. Melvin detail: if I choose to give -3/-3, I want to give this power 3 for aesthetics. A typical aggressive creature with power 3 is a 3/1. Last Gasp costs two mana and a card (the Gasp itself), this also leaves behind a body. Also, if you dash this, you'll be able to repeatedly exploit and give -3/-3, so this may need to cost more to dash than to play normally. So let's try to cost this at two mana (to get the -3/-3 it also costs you the exploited card, so it's the same as Last Gasp), and three to dash. With these stats, this just has to be at least uncommon. Now we have:
CARDNAME
Creature (U)
Exploit
When CARDNAME exploits a creature, target creature gets -3/-3 until end of turn.
Dash
3/1
What can this be? It looks like an assassin that is quite fast. "Swift Assassin" sounds good as a name. With the reminder text, there's definitely no room for flavor text. So we finally have:
Swift Assassin
Creature - Human Assassin (U)
Exploit (When this creature enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice a creature.)
When Swift Assassin exploits a creature, target creature gets -3/-3 until end of turn.
Dash (You may cast this spell for its dash cost. If you do, it gains haste, and it's returned from the battlefield to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next end step.)
3/1
Card 4
Time for the red one! Kolaghan dashes and Atarka is formidable. This needs to be a creature to have dash, and it counts toward formidable itself even if dashed. So what if it had an ETB formidable ability and a high power/low toughness to help turn it on and also make the creature feel red? And what's the thing you want the most if you have 8 power of creatures on the battlefield ready to attack? You want not to be blocked! So what about:
Creature
Formidable - When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, if creatures you control have total power 8 or more, creatures your opponents controls can't block this turn.
Dash COST
4/2
This is obviously rare, as it has a huge effect on the battlefield. But it doesn't feel right that this can't join the attack, especially as a rare. So let's give it haste. This will probably need to cost at least four or five mana. Let's try four to cast and five to dash, as the potential of repeated dashing is huge here too. There is no room for flavor text here either. Finally, what can this creature be? It feels kind of an Elemental to me, some kind of embodiment of speed: I'm so fast that I can dash, I have haste and you can't block me and my mates. What if "Embodiment of Speed" was also the name of the card?
Embodiment of Speed
Creature - Elemental (R)
Haste
Formidable - When Embodiment of Speed enters the battlefield, if creatures you control have total power 8 or more, creatures your opponents controls can't block this turn.
Dash (You may cast this spell for its dash cost. If you do, it gains haste, and it's returned from the battlefield to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next end step.)
4/2
Card 5
The last one of this cycle: the green one. Atarka is formidable, and Dromoka bolsters. Being green, the first thing that comes to mind is some kind of interaction with +1/+1 counters. Bolster can help turn formidable on, so it feels like this card wants to bolster first, then use the formidable ability. Let's say it bolsters as an ETB ability, and has a formidable ability when it attacks. What is another thing you might want when you have 8 power of creatures ready to attack? Maybe some kind of Overrun. So what about:
Creature
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, bolster 2.
Formidable - When CARDNAME attacks, if creatures you control have total power 8 or more, creatures you control get +2/+2 and trample until end of turn.
4/4
I chose the numbers for aesthetics: 2s everywhere on the card and power and toughness are a multiple of 2, because this just feels like it wants to be bigger than 2/2. What if this had the same mana cost as Overrun, to do some anchoring to it. (Reuben and Dan, can you see what your podcast does?) For those that don't know what anchoring is, check out episode 5 of Remaking Magic. The short version is a card that reminds you of an old card you already know. This creature really gives me the feeling of an unleashed beast. Good name, by the way: "Unleashed Beast". No room for flavor text because of reminder text. Let's put it all together:
Unleashed Beast
Creature - Beast (R)
When Unleashed Beast enters the battlefield, bolster 2. (Choose a creature with the least toughness among creatures you control and put two +1/+1 counter on it.)
Formidable - When Unleashed Beast attacks, if creatures you control have total power 8 or more, creatures you control get +2/+2 and gain trample until end of turn.
4/4
Card 6
I've practically reached the word count I'm aiming for with this articles, but you know what? I'm having fun designing these cards and I'll do a couple more examples anyway, also to have something more than just a cycle of cards.
So what to do now? All previous cards have been built with a bottom-up approach. Why don't we try something top-down? Everyone by now should know that the intended cycle was that of former khans, including Narset as a planeswalker. Many people, myself included, thought they were also going to make a card for Taigam as they saw the cycle as monocolored legendary creatures. Why don't we try to make a card for Taigam? This is what the wiki says about him in the new DTK timeline:
In the new timeline, however, Taigam never left his original clan. He became Narset's peer as the best human pupil of Ojutai. When Narset discovered the truth of the past of Tarkir and Ugin she was eventually discovered, confronted and ousted by Taigam who hoped to use her downfall to further his own stature.
Keeper of the Lens gives us a good name for his card: Taigam, Ojutai Master. So what can he do? He's the best student of Ojutai now that Narset transcended, so an ability involving card drawing or library manipulation feels right. He seems also quite arrogant, wanting to be the best and to "use [Narset's] downfall to further his own stature". What if his desire to be the best meant he sends away those that are better than him (have higher power)? It also needs to be rare, to fit the pattern of Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit, Sidisi, Undead Vizier, Zurgo Bellstriker, and Surrak, the Hunt Caller. Something like:
Taigam, Ojutai Master COST
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card.
When Taigam, Ojutai Master attacks, return all creatures your opponents control with power greater than Taigam's power to their owner's hand.
I want him to be big enough so that his attack ability isn't a complete blowout. Let's say 3/3. I didn't include "or equal to", so creatures with 3 power are safe. Also, not locking it to a specific power means you have to choose between pumping him and bouncing less creature, or keeping him with base stats but bounce more creatures, and it may be an interesting choice. Keeping all of this into account, and also that he draws you one additional card each turn (he always studies each day after all), I think he will need to cost at least five mana. Finally, MSE tells me there is room for a couple lines of flavor text (finally indeed!). So he will be:
Taigam, Ojutai Master
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card.
When Taigam, Ojutai Master attacks, return all creatures your opponents control with power greater than Taigam's power to their owner's hand.
The best student is often also the most arrogant one.
3/3
Card 7
As last example (I've quite surpassed the word count), I want to try another top-down design, this time not from Tarkir, but more generic. I'd also like to avoid a creature, as I've already done 5 out of 6. Inspired by a TV program I just watched, I want to make a card representing a volcanic eruption. That's not a very original idea, but as an example it will do. Shame that the name Volcanic Eruption is already taken, and by a blue card nonetheless! Let's call it then "Magma Eruption".
There is immediately a very important thing to notice: while we could try to stay true to the source, we should really stay true to the popular perception of the source, even when that is not exact with the original source, otherwise we might have the Kamigawa problem: Kamigawa block was very close to real Japanese mythology, but it resulted too alien to most of the players. At the contrary, Theros block is an example of a block that was well executed in this regard: it was inspired by ancient Greek mythology, but it still has Krakens for example, and Kiora's ultimate even makes one, even thought they were not present in the real source at all.
So let's try a different approach, one R&D uses for real in top-down designs at least since Innistrad, but maybe even before. We'll write a short list of words or concepts usually associated with what we are trying to represent, and then see what designs that list could suggest to us.
So what ideas, concepts, or words are commonly associated with the idea of a volcano erupting?
- magma, lava
- hot
- pressure
- rocks forming or destroying, earth changing
- earthquakes
- smoke
etc...
This definitely leads us towards a card design involving damage, possibly to all creatures at the same time, and/or land destruction. We could have easily imagined that before, but I wanted to highlight the process here, not the result. We could try to put those two together, keeping in mind that land destruction must cost high amounts of mana nowadays, using an X spell to convey the idea of the malleability of still fluid, not yet solidified lava. Something like:
Magma Eruption
Sorcery (R)
Magma Eruption deals X damage to each creature. Each player sacrifices X lands.
This is reminiscent of a card from Torment (Devastating Dreams), with the difference that here you pay mana rather than cards, but I don't see this as a problem. I can see another problem though: while I put triple red in the mana cost to have a restricting enough mana cost for the land destruction, I don't think that's enough. You can have each player sacrifice three lands for six mana. For four mana, you get a Stone Rain for each player. That looks very unfun. Maybe we could try double X in the mana cost, which is also probably enough to only put a double red in the mana cost. About rarity, this definitely doesn't look mythic and can't certainly be less than a rare, so it's a rare. We also have space for some flavor text. All of that brings the end result to the following:
Magma Eruption
Sorcery (R)
Magma Eruption deals X damage to each creature. Each player sacrifices X lands.
The birth of earth itself right in front of your eyes.
Signing out
No word count left, so no long paragraph, also no idea what the next article will be about, and no idea when it will come either.
Until next time (whenever it will be),
bravelion83