Damn it now I want to play with Cruel Ultimatum again!
General Custom Cards: The Lab
- Thread starter anotak
- Start date
Are you sure you want that? Let's break it down:
Combo (Reanimator and show and tell) are often decks that have A+B (+C), where A is the card you want to cheat, B is the one that cheats A, and C is the card that gets A or B. Those decks work because the power when one has both A and B trumps the other decks and when one has only A or B one loses (plus probability that one gets A+B in time more often than not, which depends on the meta). If we again break it down for cube we get:
* decks that are the bane of (A+B) combo decks do lose some power in cube (aggro, control).
* However, A+B decks lose a lot more power due to consistency issues.
* As cherry on the pie A+B decks have that both components are (often) parasitical, I.e., only good in the A+B deck.
Ergo: it is hard to get those decks working in cube. It is possible, when one makes adjustments like:
* the A cards (big-mana) need to be usable but sub-par to normal cards at lower mana cost, e.g., cycling (with a cycling trigger or not), transfigure, evoke, you name it.
* the B cards, the cheating cards need to be sub-par, but usable without the A cards, again cycling, or be a creature, or who knows.
Thing is, it is possible but hard. The third option which I did not mention is to have the creatures be low(er) power. This opens up the possibility of durdling a turn which negates part of the consistency issues (and is much more fun, but that is my preference).
Oh, and I love the big mana/creature spells due to the swings they can bring. But if reanimator is to strong it is boring. A thin but beautiful line.
Yes, I've tried it, and it's good in my cube. But probably once I list some good cards for the archetype I am going to warn you not to make it its own thing, and instead to use it to support a particular cheat target whose play pattern you want to encourage. Here are my top 3 targets:
Diabolical Salvation is new to me, it's one of those WotC internal corporate gift cards to various teams, but I think at 6 it's juuuuuust attainable enough that you don't have to Mizzix's it, but annoying enough to cast that you really want to. Time Spiral in particular is a great target because it means Mizzix's can even generate ritual mana while setting up the draw-7. Dragonstorm is my other favourite target because I want Dragonstorm to be good and so I use Mizzix's Mastery as a way to make Dragonstorm easier, rather than Dragonstorm as a target to make Mizzix's Mastery stronger. It helps a lot that Dragonstorm is still lethal at storm counts of, like, 3.
And if you expand this out to cheating out big artifacts and enchantments, too, at high power level there are still some great and really compelling 'fatties' that happen to also be legal targets for marquee cheat-deck card Show And Tell , and then you can layer in some Academy Rector or Replenish/etc stuff to also recur the noncreature cheat targets, and then it's a full and exciting avenue for the show and tell deck that isn't just 'and also, i have thoughtseize and reanimate'.
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"Force of Habit" is such a good name for a pitch spell I can't believe it doesn't already exist.
On the topic of big spells, I built a casual deck around these guys when Strixhaven came out:
It used expensive spells with cheap cycling costs (like Boon of the Wish-Giver or Treacherous Terrain) alongside stuff like Magma Opus in order to make those guys into big ol' fatties relatively early. Not terribly competitive, but I thought it was pretty fun.
It used expensive spells with cheap cycling costs (like Boon of the Wish-Giver or Treacherous Terrain) alongside stuff like Magma Opus in order to make those guys into big ol' fatties relatively early. Not terribly competitive, but I thought it was pretty fun.
Chris Taylor
Contributor
@safra Are we still looking for the other 3 to round out the cycle or nah?
Force of Will and Habit are the only two that REALLY fit well as an idiom imo
I've basically given up : (
I'm now on "Force of Death" in black if that tells anyone just how little I am trying to make the idiomatic phrasing work anymore
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Force of Nature would be cool, if it wasn’t already taken… There’s force of arms (white Soldier tokens or Swords variant?) and force of circumstance (that one feels like it could replace Force of Death with the right flavor) still up for grabs, though. I guess you could do Force of Friction for a green Naturalize-style force, but really, screw WotC, they’re doing cards with the same name themselves nowadays, and the real Force of Nature is nostalgic unplayable garbage anyway.
is really fun! Which is to say the focus is not on casting big spells for free per se, but instead being a normal control deck with some incidental doubling or other ways to make use of the one or two big spells in your deck. The planeswalker Forks are nice for this because they don't cost mana once you untap with the planewalker.
Thanks for all your comments!
I have these cards in my cube. I also want to have a dragon/storm archetype in my cube like @safra has. The big spell archetype doesn't have to be a complete archetype but can compliment the spells/storm archetype for a bit of extra variety. @Rusje the big spells and the cheat cards should be playable without coming together is the idea.
Arcane Bombardment is a new card I want to test. It is a modified Reenact the Crime that is one cheaper but just for instants and sorceries. Actual Mizzix's Mastery seems to slow to me actually and only for this deck. I hope this Arcane Bombardment is also playable in storm and burn.
Your cube @safra is a great inspiration for my cube! That Force of Habit is a cool one. I also saw that Diabolical Salvation in your cube and at first I was like, why have I never seen this card. But after researching I saw that card wasn't legal anywhere. But that seems like the type of card I am looking for. Something for 6 (maybe 7) that is playable in ramp decks. And that powerlevel is a reason to pick it. I don't think Magma Opus is a card anybody want to pick except as a late pick in draft.
@LadyMapi Living Lore or Torrent Sculptor are interesting. I could add one card of that effect into my cube. Possibly as a flying Dragon for the Dragon theme.
@MurphysHuman copy effects is indeed also something to have in the cube. I have Ral, Storm Conduit in my cube. I had this modified Pyromancer's Goggles and Chandra, Hope's Beacon in my cube but they aren't in it anymore.
It is difficult to find interesting and powerful 6 or 7 mana big spells that someone would like to pick early in draft and work towards. But also have utility for other ramp decks or with cycling or some other effect.
I have these cards in my cube. I also want to have a dragon/storm archetype in my cube like @safra has. The big spell archetype doesn't have to be a complete archetype but can compliment the spells/storm archetype for a bit of extra variety. @Rusje the big spells and the cheat cards should be playable without coming together is the idea.
Arcane Bombardment is a new card I want to test. It is a modified Reenact the Crime that is one cheaper but just for instants and sorceries. Actual Mizzix's Mastery seems to slow to me actually and only for this deck. I hope this Arcane Bombardment is also playable in storm and burn.
Your cube @safra is a great inspiration for my cube! That Force of Habit is a cool one. I also saw that Diabolical Salvation in your cube and at first I was like, why have I never seen this card. But after researching I saw that card wasn't legal anywhere. But that seems like the type of card I am looking for. Something for 6 (maybe 7) that is playable in ramp decks. And that powerlevel is a reason to pick it. I don't think Magma Opus is a card anybody want to pick except as a late pick in draft.
@LadyMapi Living Lore or Torrent Sculptor are interesting. I could add one card of that effect into my cube. Possibly as a flying Dragon for the Dragon theme.
@MurphysHuman copy effects is indeed also something to have in the cube. I have Ral, Storm Conduit in my cube. I had this modified Pyromancer's Goggles and Chandra, Hope's Beacon in my cube but they aren't in it anymore.
It is difficult to find interesting and powerful 6 or 7 mana big spells that someone would like to pick early in draft and work towards. But also have utility for other ramp decks or with cycling or some other effect.
That looks really cool! What website are you using and would you be willing to share your prompt? Maybe a thread on AI art know-how for generating MtG art would be an idea, or is there already a platform for that?
I just started to look into it myself in the last days and had the idea of finding an "art"style that I like, to make all my universes within cards in. That way they would be recognizable throughout the cube.
I just started to look into it myself in the last days and had the idea of finding an "art"style that I like, to make all my universes within cards in. That way they would be recognizable throughout the cube.
I was using Microsoft Copilot AI (which uses Dall-e 3 if I am not mistaken). As for the prompt, I am not very eloquent with words and used: “draw an enormous red dragon old school style”.
I am as surprised as you that it turned out this good. I tried making a demon and an angel as well that I can post if anyone wants.
I am as surprised as you that it turned out this good. I tried making a demon and an angel as well that I can post if anyone wants.
Is Platinum Dragon the name of the custom you are suggesting for the picture?
For the demon, I had the same stupid prompt as the dragon: draw an enormous demon old school style. I then asked it to make it a blood moon. For the angel, I don't recall the prompt. "Old school" gave me sort of renaissance angels which wasn't what I was going for. Not sure this is exactly what I was hoping for from the angel, but it has a certain charm.
For the demon, I had the same stupid prompt as the dragon: draw an enormous demon old school style. I then asked it to make it a blood moon. For the angel, I don't recall the prompt. "Old school" gave me sort of renaissance angels which wasn't what I was going for. Not sure this is exactly what I was hoping for from the angel, but it has a certain charm.
The demon and angel demonstrate some of the common problems with AI art. At first glance they look pretty cool, but closer inspection reveals a plethora of problems.
The demon’s wings seem oddly small; one hand has four digits, the other has six.
The angel has only one leg, a strange shaped sword, and one of its skirts is going straight into the cloud. It has a face that reminds me of clowns.
Once I spot these problems I find I can’t unsee them, and the more I am exposed to AI art the more I notice them.
The demon’s wings seem oddly small; one hand has four digits, the other has six.
The angel has only one leg, a strange shaped sword, and one of its skirts is going straight into the cloud. It has a face that reminds me of clowns.
Once I spot these problems I find I can’t unsee them, and the more I am exposed to AI art the more I notice them.
Crop and/or generate it again. The technology is advancing quickly. Stuff from a year ago looks so much worse. Nano also simply typed in "old school demon art" with no previous AI experience. That's pretty impressive. Someone with Photoshop skills or AI prompt knowledge can hugely improve on this.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Time to brew up some mana rocks for my mid-power cube. Some particulars of this cube are that I consciously put my mass removal at five mana to give aggro some breathing room, and that I want green to be the king of ramp, but using Nature’s Lore effects instead of Llanowar Elves variants. My control decks (that rely on mana rocks to power out a t4 wrath) are centered in 
, and my ramp decks (that occasionally might run mana rocks in addition to the green ramp spells) are centered in . This means I’m looking at the following requirements for my mana rocks.
And two customs, a red Everflowing Chalice for that deals X damage when it enters the battlefield, and a Pithing Needle for that taps for 
.
I’m happy with the red custom, and Phial I haven’t checked out yet, the rest I am not terribly attached to. I do like the play pattern of Heraldic Banner, and Pristine Talisman’s life gain can actually pull back control decks from the brink, but still, they feel a bit underwhelming. I’ll be pondering over some alternatives, but I’m the meantime, I would love to see any custom 3mv mana rocks that you really liked!
, and my ramp decks (that occasionally might run mana rocks in addition to the green ramp spells) are centered in . This means I’m looking at the following requirements for my mana rocks.- I need them to be mv 3.
- I need them to tap for one mana.
- I want them to not be 15th picks.
And two customs, a red Everflowing Chalice for
that deals X damage when it enters the battlefield, and a Pithing Needle for that taps for .Okay here’s my two in plain text form:
Expedition Relic
Artifact (Rare)
, : Note Cleric, Rogue, Warrior or Wizard.
: Add one mana of any color. If this mana is spend to cast a creature spell of a type noted on CARDNAME, that spell can’t be countered and it enters the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on it.
Inspiration: Cavern of Souls & Long List of the Ents.
Chimil, the Impending Sun
Legendary Artifact (Mythic rare)
: Add one mana of any color.
, : Destroy all nonland permanents.
Inspiration: Chimil, the Inner Sun.
Expedition Relic
Artifact (Rare)
, : Note Cleric, Rogue, Warrior or Wizard.: Add one mana of any color. If this mana is spend to cast a creature spell of a type noted on CARDNAME, that spell can’t be countered and it enters the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on it.Inspiration: Cavern of Souls & Long List of the Ents.
Chimil, the Impending Sun
Legendary Artifact (Mythic rare)
: Add one mana of any color., : Destroy all nonland permanents.Inspiration: Chimil, the Inner Sun.
Onderzeeboot
Ecstatic Orb
Heraldic Banner
When Heraldic Banner enters the battlefield, choose a creature type.
: Add one mana of any color. If that mana is spent on a creature spell of the chosen type, that spell can’t be countered and the creature enters the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on it.
Stone of Hope
When ~ , create a Wall of Hope token.
: Add .
Baleful Onyx
When ~ etb, target player discards a card.
: Add .
or
~ etb tapped.
: Add .
Whenever ~ becomes tapped, each opponent discards a card unless they pay 3 life.
Stone of Creation
Artifact - Clue Food
When ~ etb, create a Clue token, a Food token, and a 1/1 Servo artifact creature token.
: Add one mana of any color.
Tithe Stone
: Add .
Sacrifice ~: Mana Tithe
When Heraldic Banner enters the battlefield, choose a creature type.
: Add one mana of any color. If that mana is spent on a creature spell of the chosen type, that spell can’t be countered and the creature enters the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on it.Stone of Hope
When ~ , create a Wall of Hope token.
: Add .Baleful Onyx
When ~ etb, target player discards a card.
: Add .or
~ etb tapped.
: Add .Whenever ~ becomes tapped, each opponent discards a card unless they pay 3 life.
Stone of Creation
Artifact - Clue Food
When ~ etb, create a Clue token, a Food token, and a 1/1 Servo artifact creature token.
: Add one mana of any color.Tithe Stone
: Add .Sacrifice ~: Mana Tithe