General Custom Cards: The Lab

[GiftsForgiven]

You know what I wish Allies would have gotten? A good ally lord.

"Gatewatch Recruiter"
1w
creature- ally shapeshifter
2/2

Other ally creatures you control get +1/+1

When Gatewatch Recruiter enters the battlefield, you may put a recruitment counter on any number of non-ally creatures you control. Creatures with recruitment counters on them are ally creatures in addition to their other types.

"Threat-of-total-annihilation does wonders for curing petty squabbles."

Probably pretty broken. Still would've been nice.

 

[Chris Taylor]

I'm curious as to why you would want this? None of the four mentioned enchantments actually enchant a creature. This duder would be sweetness with Rancor, imo.

Because I misread him
Thought it was just sac an an enchantment, so you could go: trigger on the stack, sac, flip my 4/2 and permanently exile your guy

 

[whydirt]

I think recruitment counters are a bit clunky, so here's my take in weaker and stronger versions (numbers would likely need tweaking, but that's development's problem!):

Gatewatch Recruiter- 1w
Creature- Human Soldier Ally
1/1
Rally -- When ~ or another ally enters the battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
Creatures you control with +1/+1 counters on them are allies in addition to their other types.

Gatewatch Commander - 3W
2/1
Creature - Human Soldier Ally
Rally -- When ~ or another ally enters the battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
Creatures you control with +1/+1 counters on them are allies in addition to their other types.

---

(I still want to try a cube where rebels count as allies and vice versa)

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Gatewatch Recruiter is pretty baller!

 

[Aston]

Well, it kind of is, except the majority of allies trigger on ETB, so making something that's already in play an ally doesn't actually do much. It does work with Cohort, I guess, and a few of the existing allies like Veteran Warleader.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Well, it kind of is, except the majority of allies trigger on ETB, so making something that's already in play an ally doesn't actually do much. It does work with Cohort, I guess, and a few of the existing allies like Veteran Warleader.

The majority of BfZ allies, that is. Try original Zendikar allies and you've found a friend

 

[Aston]

Oh yes, I was thinking that those mostly triggered off ETB effects as well but I had forgotten that a lot of them count allies when they trigger.

 

[Ferritovore]

Some nifty prompts from a new tumblr I found:

• Make a balanced Bestow card with no mana cost. (presumably only for the Bestow portion?)

• A card that supports a tribe without referencing it by name.

• Create maximal player confusion with a minimum, appears-elegant-on-the-surface number of words. (X)

 

[Aston]

Some nifty prompts from a new tumblr I found:

• A card that supports a tribe without referencing it by name

Mystery Tribe Leader 1GG
Creature - Guess!
Whenever you tap a creature for mana, add one mana to your mana pool of any type that creature produced
2/2

• Make a balanced Bestow card with no mana cost. (presumably only for the Bestow portion?)

I interpreted this to mean something like Evermind or Hypergenesis:
Blind Leader (no mana cost)
Bestow
Blind Leader can't attack or block
Enchanted creature can't attack or block
1/3

 

[Alphez]

LOL, I should be studying but I'm bored, so...

• Make a balanced Bestow card with no mana cost. (presumably only for the Bestow portion?)

Empyrial Eidolon
Enchantment Creature - Spirit
Bestow - Exile a white card from your hand
Empyrial Eidolon and enchanted creature each get +1/+1 for each card in your hand.
0/0

• A card that supports a tribe without referencing it by name.

Tidal Manipulator
Creature - Moonfolk
Flying
Each land is an Island in addition to its other land types.
, return a land you control to its owner's hand: Tap or untap target nonland permanent.
1/1

(It supports another tribe in a number of ways, but maybe it's too tailor-made to be realistic?)

• Create maximal player confusion with a minimum, appears-elegant-on-the-surface number of words. (X)

Goblin Saboteur
Creature - Goblin Rogue
Riggers cannot assemble Contraptions.
1/2

...but this could be a Troll creature as well

 

[Onderzeeboot]

One of my drafters commented about a custom card in my cube that it came down too early, providing so much card advantage he couldn't deal with it. Now I don't necessarily agree, seeing that Vedalken Heretic is quite a bad card, but tell me which you like better. The old card on the left, or the more expensive alternative on the right? (see next posts)

 

[whydirt]

Your first card is better than Heretic in three ways - easier to cast/goes into more decks, deathtouch (which is psuedo-evasion/removal), and higher toughness. I think being a 1/2 is what pushes it over the edge for me, letting it trade with tokens adds some counter-play to it. The second one still seems like it can run away with a game if played on curve quite easily. I don't know your cube that well, but they both seem greedy to me, heh.

If you wanted me to patch together this card to my preferences, I'd make it a 3-drop but with the ETB effect swapped for deathtouch. Maybe as a 1/3 so it still keeps the rattlesnake quality.

 

[Alphez]

One of my drafters commented about a custom card in my cube that it came down too early, providing so much card advantage he couldn't deal with it. Now I don't necessarily agree, seeing that Vedalken Heretic is quite a bad card, but tell me which you like better. The old card on the left, or the more expensive alternative on the right?

I think you should use Ohran Viper as your baseline rather than Vedalken Heretic. Upping the old card's cost without changing the ability would be the most realistic option. You could give it +1 power or toughness, though!

I think the one on the right is way too strong. I would at least remove the "an opponent controls" part, so that it could occasionally backfire. Cards that are all upsides are boring!

 

[Onderzeeboot]

Hey, thanks for the quick feedback!

Your first card is better than Heretic in three ways

Heh, I know, but Vedalken Heretic is like really bad. Anyway, I like the 1/2 stats because it means it can't be dealt with by tokens (but easily by almost all the two-drops in my cube). The deathtouch makes it a nice rattlesnake. The card advantage is of course cool together with the deathtouch. I'm quite enamored with the combination of abilities really, but with Shadowmage Infiltrator already in the cube, I don't really fancy making it a three drop, though maybe that is the solution.

Cards that are all upsides are boring!

This is a myth though.

What if I make it Tasigur's ability, so it occasionally whifs (if you mill two lands) and gives your opponent choices? Or I guess a mana cost attached to the ability would also do it? Damn it, now I'm getting attached to Tasiphidian!

 

[Alphez]

These are definitely much fairer.
"Tasiphidian" is very cool, if you ask me. I think it is the most interesting card of the lot.
It is not too strong early on, because you will not have a lot of stuff in your graveyard. Later in the game it could actually get worse, because your opponent could have more options to give you useless cards (since you don't have a built-in way to exile chaff, which Tasigur has). I think this is an upside, draft-wise, because this might encourage your players to look for ways to control their graveyard in order to take full advantage of this bear. I also like that this is a great enabler for graveyard-centred strategies!

 

[anotak]

i like the original one the best by far. i don't like the 3 mana variants, just clunky and slow.
the tasigur variant is very clunky and is more boring because it takes more time to resolve on a low drop card that activates every turn and it also reveals too much information (hurting surprise emotion).
spending mana every turn feels real bad
both of the more recent ones just add more decision complexity in a not-particularly-interesting-way, focus decision complexity on things that matters.

what about just adding "~ can't block" to the original

edit: probably bad idea, thinking about it

 

[anotak]

dude idk some cards are just absurd and that's okay

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I also like that this is a great enabler for graveyard-centred strategies!

i like the original one the best by far. i don't like the 3 mana variants, just clunky and slow.
the tasigur variant is very clunky and is more boring because it takes more time to resolve on a low drop card that activates every turn and it also reveals too much information (hurting surprise emotion).
spending mana every turn feels real bad
both of the more recent ones just add more decision complexity in a not-particularly-interesting-way, focus decision complexity on things that matters.

I got it! I got it!

Deathtouch
When ~ deals combat damage to an opponent, draw a card, then discard a card.
Threshold - If you have seven or more cards in your graveyard, draw a card instead.

Sure, this is break in the color pie a little, because green doesn't usually get to loot, but since it upgrades into full ophidian mode I don't mind as much! What do you think? Card quality in the early game, card advantage in the late game! Plus it gets some cards in your graveyard for the self-mill theme!

 

[anotak]

yeah i dont know i dont like a gb card looting or even a ub card looting feels weird.
also did you mean "to an opponent"

how about
when ~ deals combat damage to an opponent you draw a card and lose 1 life
after all compare phyrexian arena?

 

[Ferritovore]

Nu-metal version of Homelands!?

http://www.magicmultiverse.net/cardsets/674/visualspoiler

 

[Onderzeeboot]

yeah i dont know i dont like a gb card looting or even a ub card looting feels weird.
also did you mean "to an opponent"

how about
when ~ deals combat damage to an opponent you draw a card and lose 1 life
after all compare phyrexian arena?

Yeah, that's what I meant. And wow, that's an excellent suggestion as well! I think I might just go with that! Perfect blend of black greed and Simic ophidian ability!

 

[whydirt]

Worldly Hunt -
Sorcery
Domain — Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each basic land type among lands you control. It fights target creature you don't control. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)

 

[Ferritovore]

Thopter-Splicers!

http://www.magicmultiverse.net/cards/52296#comment_63469

http://www.magicmultiverse.net/search?utf8=✓&card[name]=&card[types]=&card[rulestext]=thopter&card[flavourtext]=&card[power]=&card[toughness]=&card[frame]=&restrict_cardset_check_card=yes&card[cardset_id]=1012&search_type=card&commit=Search Cards

I like the placeholder name for this one:
CardName: Potential Subtheme
Cost:
Type: Creature - Gremlin Artificer Pow/Tgh: 1/1
Rules Text: Exploit (When this creature enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice a creature.)
When Potential Subtheme exploits a creature, put a 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature token with flying onto the battlefield. If Potential Subtheme exploited an artifact creature, put two of those tokens onto the battlefield instead. Flavour Text: Set/Rarity: Archester Revival Common

Edit: doesn't seem like they're planning to keep/use Potential Subtheme, but the first one, the first strike thopter splicer, seems like a pretty-close-to-final design based on their comments!

 

[Chris Taylor]

Interesting thought. I think I'd go with "Artifact creatures you control have first strike" instead, since theres very few thopters outside mutavault

 

[Ferritovore]

fun with vigilance?


Loxodon Cleaver
Creature - Loxodon Soldier
Vigilance
: Deal 1 damage to each creature that is blocking ~.
2 / 3
"Get out the way!"

Masterer of the Way
Creature - (race) Monk
Prowess, vigilance
Whenever ~ attacks or blocks, add to your mana pool. (Mana empties from a player's pool at the end of each combat step.)
2 / 2