General Custom Cards: The Lab

[Onderzeeboot]

View attachment 10191

Nitpick: it’s “an artifact or creature”, see Makeshift Munitions.

I like this in theory, but I think removing three counters is quite a big ask. Comparing it to Experiment One, I wonder if the cost couldn’t be reduced to removing two counters (or maybe one counter and mana). I mean, removing three counters is losing an investment of three sacrificed permanents and mana. You would almost never pay that to make something indestructible while shrinking it considerably as well. I think this critter needs a little more love to feel rewarding!

 

[Suicufnoc]

Can I just make it a [[Carrion Feeder]] that can block and get rid of the other stuff? Kind of like the idea of adding something so make it more interesting but not totally necessary

 

[Chris Taylor]

I think that's fine in 2024
Edit: ah shoot I guess you can't then rip

 

[Velrun]

My predictions for 2025 is that you can also do it now

 

[Suicufnoc]

Still chasing this mono-colored fetch idea. Not looking for printable, but want something that you might conceivably pick over/under an original fetch depending on the deck.

As is, this may just be too high of a pick for mono-colored decks

Probably it should just always enter tapped. Kinda hate that, though.

Orrrrrr...:


Oops, should be "it’s"... and "an"

 

[Velrun]

In my cubes I try to avoid shuffling as much as possible.

 

[anotak]

i wanna say it should be "if that land is basic"

seems functional though

 

[Chris Taylor]

If you've found that Staff of the Storyteller was a bit too much for your cube, consider swapping to my less free version:

Also I made this tokenshifted version of Sanguine Evangelist, apparently that card is sweet but I don't want bats

 

[Velrun]

For reference



@Chris Taylor
I like your Folk Tales. I like that it triggers on all kinds of tokens. I think your token should be a Bird. Look at the excellent picture. Flavor text suggestion:

“Chirp, chirp, chirp.”
“Chirp, twootle chirp, chirpie.”

 

[Suicufnoc]

 

[Velrun]

Unplayable

But I see no issue. You can print is safely. I just don’t think it will be played.

Cards needs another frame and a set logo but you probably know this.

Fun idea though

 

[Suicufnoc]

You don't think a colorless 2 mana [[consider]] that can be split up, surveiland trigger prowess for free, and has minor sac/artifact synergies is playable!? Should I make it surveil 2?

I suspect that the card is actually unprintable due to the free aspect, but not broken or anything.

Not sure, I'm gonna try it. If it fails I'm gonna just try 1 mana colorless sorcery speed [[consider]].

MSEs selection of colorless frames is crap unfortunately. Probably need to use something else to make this one.

 

[Velrun]

You don't think a colorless 2 mana [[consider]] that can be split up, surveiland trigger prowess for free, and has minor sac/artifact synergies is playable!? Should I make it surveil 2?

I suspect that the card is actually unprintable due to the free aspect, but not broken or anything.

To answer your question, no I don’t think so. The mana can not be split up. It’s 0 mana and lose a card to surveil 1. And it’s 2 mana to draw the card back. I cannot really imagine a deck that would want that.

What other 2 mana cards have such a low output as “Surveil 1 then draw a card.” ?

It does some interesting things: It is colorless instant. It has 0 cost in the upper right corner. Those details that interests the eye. But I cannot see it being played.

It is not comparable to a surveil land because the most important part of that card is that it is a land with Basic land types that can tap for 2 different colors of mana.

It is a prowess trigger but I do not really see any deck with prowess run this card because they need aggressive creatures. They cannot afford to spend 2 mana to replace the card.

Maybe there are some artifact synergies that can be exploited here but I doubt it.

 

[Suicufnoc]

Interesting. I think you're severely underestimating it, but you've convinced me to try it with surveil 2 first at least.

Being able to surveil for "free" in the early game to hit land drops/curve out, then get the card back later when you have extra mana just seems really good to me.

At surveil 2 I suspect it will be better than [impulse], at least in an environment that cares about the graveyard.

 

[Velrun]

Just for the record I haven’t formed an opinion on the surveil 2 variant. It might be bad. It might be good. I haven’t thought about this.

My comment was strictly to the surveil 1 variant.

Do you run cube sessions?

 

[Suicufnoc]

My cube only got drafted once last year, fingers crossed for more this year!

 

[Nanonox]

View attachment 10223

Card would be a slam dunk in my cube. Free draw smoothing with a ton of synergistic hooks. Trigger Young Pyromancer the turn you play him. Get an artifact for Tinker. Draw your second card for Mischievous Mystic. Get Threshold for Kiora, the Rising Tide. Fuel Delve for free. And so on…

Like it a lot!

 

[Velrun]

Card would be a slam dunk in my cube. Free draw smoothing with a ton of synergistic hooks. Trigger Young Pyromancer the turn you play him. Get an artifact for Tinker. Draw your second card for Mischievous Mystic. Get Threshold for Kiora, the Rising Tide. Fuel Delve for free. And so on…

Like it a lot!

You could do all that for 0 mana. Why spend 2 to get the same?

 

[Schafkurai]

Card would be a slam dunk in my cube. Free draw smoothing with a ton of synergistic hooks. Trigger Young Pyromancer the turn you play him. Get an artifact for Tinker. Draw your second card for Mischievous Mystic. Get Threshold for Kiora, the Rising Tide. Fuel Delve for free. And so on…

Like it a lot!

I'm with you, the card would be at least decent in my cube for alle the reasons you mentioned now and that @Suicufnoc mentioned earlier!

I was begrudgingly playing Ransack the Lab for a lack of better options, but this card I would play happily. Being colorless is a bit strange, but the effect is minor enough that I would be happy for every color to have it. A bit like an Environmental Studies of sorts.

 

[Nanonox]

You could do all that for 0 mana. Why spend 2 to get the same?

I am not sure I understand. I was trying to say that all these scenarios are relevant because the card costs 0 mana. When/if you have free mana, you can crack the clue and get your card back.

 

[Suicufnoc]

You could do all that for 0 mana. Why spend 2 to get the same?

What else does all that for 0 mana???

(Except the 2nd card draw for [[mischievous mystic]], that costs 2 of course)

 

[Velrun]

What else does all that for 0 mana???

To answer your question we need to be sure exactly what we’re looking for.

All the things we are looking for are the listed things from @Nanonox and they are here:

- Trigger Young Pyromancer the turn it is played.

- Get an artifact for Tinker.

- Draw your second card for Mischievous Mystic.

- Get threshold for Kiora, the Rising Tide.

- Fuel delve for free.

And it needs to cost a total of 0 mana as per my claim.

I nominate

 

[Suicufnoc]

Almost! Young Pyro needs an instant or sorcery, though I'm about to fix that in my cube.

Those also only give 1 card for delve/Delirium/threshold,where mine could give 2(3 for the surveil 2 version.)

And they don't let you decide the timing of the draw separately from the other abilities. Or give any card filtering obviously.

Interesting, though. I've seen those played in the MTGO powered cube. Seemed kinda silly to me, though. I understand the power and utility in constructed, but hard to imagine they're worth a pick in limited.

 

[Nanonox]

I nominate

These are fantastic cards and the reason I know I would run the 0 mana instant. For spell velocity decks, you want a critical mass of cheap/free cantrips/spells and I'll play all the ones I can get.

 

[safra]

Five spells that explain - as interpellated through gameplay! - what happened to the Antepassion clans. For more on this please see my notes in my cube thread or the RipLab discord server. The idea is that these are solid roleplayers that are, situationally and in the early game, evocative role-playing pieces that tell my greater 'passion of tarkir' story, so they have to make it into decks; so that they make compelling early plays and stories.

thoughts?

PS the Temur one is just Legolas's Quick Reflexes but counterable and with Sharzad flavour text, but it's still evocative, right?