General Custom Cards: The Lab

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Yeah the core issue is I'm still not comfortable not explaining what the spells rules text is on the card, and that's basically irreducible.
After seeing your lands @Chris Taylor I have a feeling I’ve asked this question before in this thread.

Anyone else feels this way?
It's entirely possible. I've got a folder of other halves of land cycles, it well could have been you who requested them.
 
It's entirely possible. I've got a folder of other halves of land cycles, it well could have been you who requested them.
Would you mind just...dumping the whole thing, please? I've seen bits and pieces but would love to know what other lands cycles are on other peoples' minds for completing. Which makes me think of the following:

@Velrun -- a question for you to post -- what cycles do you think NEEDS to get finished and why?
 
I honestly want them to finish this cycle of cycles:



Yes, I know that we got all of the filterlands... but we only have 6 of the canopy lands, and none of the others have gotten any attention.
 

Chris Taylor

Contributor
I honestly want them to finish this cycle of cycles:



Yes, I know that we got all of the filterlands... but we only have 6 of the canopy lands, and none of the others have gotten any attention.
There's a reason. River of tears only makes sense in UB, Grove caused a number of headaches for what is basically a worse designed painland, and Nimbus Maze is just truly awful power level wise. It essentially evolved into the buddy lands.

Would you mind just...dumping the whole thing, please? I've seen bits and pieces but would love to know what other lands cycles are on other peoples' minds for completing. Which makes me think of the following:
I don't have a ton, and since these aren't lands I run myself I think there's some doubling up of names/art
I've got The BFZ bicycle lands, the Time Spiral storage lands (for Mapi I think?) and as above, the tango lands.
This also predates me being told about Anthony Avon's work (link) and there's like, 200 pieces insanely high quality land art in there.
 
I think Nimbus maze would make a perfectly fine uncommon cycle or something. They are good in a format where decks are low color count (1.5ish), as they basically always act as your splash color at the very least, and if you already have a basic or whatever of your splash they add to your main color.

Why does River of Tears only make sense in UB? I don't see any flavor or mechanical connection that you cant have an entire cycle that does the landfall check.
 

Chris Taylor

Contributor
Oh, river of tears taps for B on your turn to cast thoughtseize and U on your opponent's turn to cast counterspell. No other color combo really cares like UB does specifically.

Like yes you could make a cycle of blue centric ones, but no other color combo specifically has "This half is all sorcery, this half is all instant"
 
that's not specifically how it works though, because there's also "before land drop" and "after land drop" inside a turn. And in a landfall themed set, either and/or both can happen on either turn, if there's some sort of land playing mechanic or theme. Seems a great thematic cycle for landfall-esque sets tbh. And most cycles have a peak color/color combo, so I don't personally see it as much of an argument against.
 
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I also want this cycle to be completed. Super good control and midrange lands, and they have a very unique combo...



:)
 

Chris Taylor

Contributor
that's not specifically how it works though, because there's also "before land drop" and "after land drop" inside a turn. And in a landfall themed set, either and/or both can happen on either turn, if there's some sort of land playing mechanic or theme. Seems a great thematic cycle for landfall-esque sets tbh. And most cycles have a peak color/color combo, so I don't personally see it as much of an argument against.
You're right, there is ADDITIONAL awkwardness in actually tapping this land for mana correctly that I forgot to mention. -_-

Look, landfall letting your lands actually do what you want them to is not the selling point it seems to be. "If I keep my fetchland up, I can tap this for B on my opponent's turn" is a downside, not an upside.

Just play with this land for like 3 games, it's a pain in the ass. Much like shadowblood ridge and it's ilk: Decent in theory, frustrating in practice.
I also want this cycle to be completed. Super good control and midrange lands, and they have a very unique combo...



:)
Do we really need 9 whole lands for exactly this and Kavu Predator, another extremely awkward time spiral design?
I get that this was a modern deck at one point, but are another 9 lands what's really holding this back?
Would this not be better left as a cool accident of magic, a combo ~10 years apart?

Let alone the UW land in this cycle is essentially Tundra
 
In what scenario do they finish the Burnwillow cycle and not build out cards that interact with them in some way besides Fire and Predator (and every other card your opponent might have that says "when you gain life")? Make zero sense to think of it like that. If they would put them in some hypothetical set, they would build the set around the fact those lands are there
 

Chris Taylor

Contributor
In what scenario do they finish the Burnwillow cycle and not build out cards that interact with them in some way besides Fire and Predator (and every other card your opponent might have that says "when you gain life")? Make zero sense to think of it like that. If they would put them in some hypothetical set, they would build the set around the fact those lands are there
The realistic one :p
Also I don't think that space is great to play around in. Very "we can, but should we"
 
How could you forgot about THE SNARLS!! :p The most iconic and memorable locations from Arcavios (kidding, nobody cared.. except me)
 
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