Pokémon: the Gathering - A Custom Cube

[Chris Taylor]

I worry a bit about 3 mana 5/5 winter orb that taps your opponents lands, but that is an issue for playtesting.
I also don't have a convincing other thing Glaceon could do.

 

[Brad]

I worry a bit about 3 mana 5/5 winter orb that taps your opponents lands, but that is an issue for playtesting.
I also don't have a convincing other thing Glaceon could do.

Maybeeee
Cast trigger Exhaustion and static something else?
Or make the Winter Orb into an untap two lands per turn?

Chris, you run a conjuring custom, don't you? How does that work out in paper?

 

[ravnic]

I really like what you are doing here.

It is funny, while I had basically the same idea a few months ago, I approached thing very differently from you. For example, I sticked with the colors of magic and just put the types in the type line. And all Pokémon have the ability to evolve, similar to what you've done with the eeveelutions. That costs space of course. Not sure which approach is better if any, but I already got some inspiration from cool designs you did like the badges. Really cool. I also like the lands a lot, something I've been struggling with. Oh, would you mind sending me a link to the artworks you used for lands? I've find it tough to look thoe up, as you don't really need them to be Pokémon art, but they have to fit the tone of the other cards.

If there's one thing I found to be weird, it is the relatively high amount of (french) vanilla creatures. I feel like most of them have so many interesting abilities, that I have to restrain me to keep them simple.

Keep them coming!

 

[Brad]

I really like what you are doing here.

Thanks!

It is funny, while I had basically the same idea a few months ago, I approached thing very differently from you. For example, I sticked with the colors of magic and just put the types in the type line.

Yeah... They just don't really fit the MtG colors that well.

And all Pokémon have the ability to evolve, similar to what you've done with the eeveelutions. That costs space of course.

Yeah. The main issue with evolving is the density of lower tier creatures you need to make it happen. I don't want it to be entirely luck based to have drawn both the tier 1 and tier 2 Pokemon. Eevees at least all depend on the same tier 1.

Not sure which approach is better if any, but I already got some inspiration from cool designs you did like the badges. Really cool. I also like the lands a lot, something I've been struggling with. Oh, would you mind sending me a link to the artworks you used for lands? I've find it tough to look thoe up, as you don't really need them to be Pokémon art, but they have to fit the tone of the other cards.

Yeah, I can post that later. Remind me if I forget. A big part of the process was gathering any decent art that I could, then sorting it into folders of where I could use it. From there, I searched more specifically if a folder was short on images. Some of the color combinations were hard to find a land for, so I'd go to the wiki and look for locations that could make sense for the land.

If there's one thing I found to be weird, it is the relatively high amount of (french) vanilla creatures. I feel like most of them have so many interesting abilities, that I have to restrain me to keep them simple.

Yeah. I think that's a product of it being a first draft. Let me know what you would make them! Super open to any suggestions.

Keep them coming!

Definitely will. Missed last night due to work, but I'll have more later today.

 

[ravnic]

That would highly appreciated. So far I have only finalized Pokémon, no spells or lands, and for Pokémon it's easy to find art for.

Well, you're aiming for quite a high power level, so I felt insecure about commenting those, as I figured, it might just be what you want here. For example, a 1-mana 3/2 (Bulbasaur) seems odd to me. But if you want those to be really trog, there is nothing wrong with that. Also, Venusaur being a vanilla as well seems wasted. I know you wanted to keep it so each starter would be another, but maybe that's not worth restricting yourself by? After all, there are so many Pokémons in the cube, those battle won't come up all that often.

For inspiration, my Bulbasaurs are all 2-mana 2/2s with reach (not sure about the english attack names, but you kno, with it's vines it can probably block pidgeots?). One of them gains you 1 life each turn, one of them has basically unnamed outlast for (that growth move),and the third one has , : Target Pokémon is now poisoned (I have marker card for the status changes, poison gives you a-1/-1 counter every upkeep).

 

[Chris Taylor]

Maybeeee
Cast trigger Exhaustion and static something else?
Or make the Winter Orb into an untap two lands per turn?

Chris, you run a conjuring custom, don't you? How does that work out in paper?

Okay wait I've got it
Static is Ward 2 with Exhaustion

Conjure works fine, it's no different than any other token

 

[Brad]

That would highly appreciated. So far I have only finalized Pokémon, no spells or lands, and for Pokémon it's easy to find art for.

Well, you're aiming for quite a high power level, so I felt insecure about commenting those, as I figured, it might just be what you want here.

Even if yours are lower powered, the ideas can spark inspiration.

For example, a 1-mana 3/2 (Bulbasaur) seems odd to me. But if you want those to be really trog, there is nothing wrong with that.

Yeah, I kind of want the starters to be the premier one drops, as they're you're premier Pokemon when you start the game.

Also, Venusaur being a vanilla as well seems wasted.

He's like a bad Noxious Gearhulk, which is a strong card.

I know you wanted to keep it so each starter would be another, but maybe that's not worth restricting yourself by? After all, there are so many Pokémons in the cube, those battle won't come up all that often.

Yeah. It's totally fair to think that it's a silly design restraint. You shoulda chipped in on the first page lol. That could get re-evaluated later.

For inspiration, my Bulbasaurs are all 2-mana 2/2s with reach (not sure about the english attack names, but you kno, with it's vines it can probably block pidgeots?). One of them gains you 1 life each turn, one of them has basically unnamed outlast for (that growth move),and the third one has , : Target Pokémon is now poisoned (I have marker card for the status changes, poison gives you a-1/-1 counter every upkeep).

They're all 2/2 for 2? Bulba, Ivy, and Venusaur?

I like the idea of Poison as a status effect.

 

[Brad]

Some Water

 

[Brad]

Artifacts

These might look familiar if you're @Chris Taylor, @Onderzeeboot, @Thran Dynamo. or @Gaea's Cradle.

Probably won't be a ton of artifacts, as there's the rather large, colorless section of Normal Pokemon, but I want to have some around, for sure. This is all at the moment. I tried to make more based on in-game items, but the only art available for a lot of them were small, pixelated in-game images.

 

[ravnic]

Again, cool designs. Maybe you could let escape rope have flash? Doesn't seem broken to me still.

Even if yours are lower powered, the ideas can spark inspiration.

...

I like the idea of Poison as a status effect.

Yeah, you know what, I'll open a thread as well. I'll have to type the translations there, since I'm doing the cards in german, but I think that'll work. Maybe this way we can both help each other improving our Pokemon-Cubes.

He's like a bad Noxious Gearhulk, which is a strong card.

Yeah. It's totally fair to think that it's a silly design restraint. You shoulda chipped in on the first page lol. That could get re-evaluated later.

They're all 2/2 for 2? Bulba, Ivy, and Venusaur?

Oh, I meant it's weird that Ivysaur is still vanilla. See, I'm really bad with english Pokémon names

And no, I have three different bulbasaurs (different names, e.g. "energetic bulbasaur" or "vertania bulbasaur"), than two Ivysaurs and one Venusaurs. I'm hoping to make evolution happening more often this way, even if it means that I won't be including more than ~90 different Pokémon in the 360 cards.

 

[Chris Taylor]

Escape Rope is fine. Benevolent Bodyguard is a solid card and this can't be pre-killed.

 

[sigh]

Thunder Stone probably means to say "energy" instead of mana, right?

 

[Brad]

Again, cool designs. Maybe you could let escape rope have flash? Doesn't seem broken to me still

I kind of like cards that sit there and let you know exactly what they're gonna do and you have to figure out how to bait it, you know?

Yeah, you know what, I'll open a thread as well. I'll have to type the translations there, since I'm doing the cards in german, but I think that'll work. Maybe this way we can both help each other improving our Pokemon-Cubes

Saw some of your coin flip status effects. I'm gonna Google later and see what to do for each effect. Confusion, for example, is better as a Justice Strike than as a status effect, in my opinion.

Oh, I meant it's weird that Ivysaur is still vanilla. See, I'm really bad with english Pokémon names

Fair. Ok. I miiight abandon the rock-paper-scissors war between the base starter chains.

And no, I have three different bulbasaurs (different names, e.g. "energetic bulbasaur" or "vertania bulbasaur"), than two Ivysaurs and one Venusaurs. I'm hoping to make evolution happening more often this way, even if it means that I won't be including more than ~90 different Pokémon in the 360 cards.

Yeah. This is kind of cool and what I'm hoping to do with just the Eeveelutions. Maybe 10-15 Eevee kind of cards.

 

[Brad]

More Water Stuff

Ok, I need to edit that black bar off of the bottom, but I'm going to go with Pokemon-yellow borders. It's an idea I had a long time ago and lost track of, but it's here thanks to @ravnic and @blacksmithy.

I like these two designs. Reminds me a bit of Knight of the Holy Nimbus, who was just the right amount of annoying, if I remember it right.

I basically don't like the rest of these water designs to some degree:

 

[ravnic]

I like Kinglers design. Maybe you could make Krabby work similar?

What were your thoughts behind the poliwag evolution abilities?

 

[ravnic]

Saw some of your coin flip status effects. I'm gonna Google later and see what to do for each effect. Confusion, for example, is better as a Justice Strike than as a status effect, in my opinion.

That was my first design as well. It is simple, but it's also just "destroy target creature with power >= toughness"

 

[Brad]

I like Kinglers design. Maybe you could make Krabby work similar?

Krabby doesn't have a heavy ass claw :\

What were your thoughts behind the poliwag evolution abilities?

My thoughts were "These are fucking weird. I don't know what to do."

 

[Brad]

Dig

Oh ya. The black bar. I'll have more time tomorrow. These dig back out the ground.


Defense curling big bodies.


Is this too strong? I don't have nearly the quantity of MtG yard payoffs.


Kind of a boring beater. Could maybe be more interesting, but he's just a rock snake thing.


Reckless dumbasses can't remember to block.


Surveil variant. Had some fun with the names Sandslash and Sand Slash.

 

[Brad]

I had the idea to make quantities of each Pokemon similar to their rarity in the games when I first started this, because I knew I needed more creatures to fill out the numbers. Maybe 6 Pidgeys, 4 Weedles, 2 Bulbasaur, 1 Mewtwo. Something like that.

I initially dismissed this idea because the second cube I ever built had a lot of multiples, leading to it feeling repetitive much faster.

Enter @ravnic's designs where he is using adjectives to differentiate Pokemon of the same name. Clever/Raging/Flaring Charmanders, for example.

I'm giving some thought to merging the two ideas for better world building. Basic Pidgey as it is. Tireless Pidgey as a 1/1 vigilant flyer for 1, maybe. And then somehow I'd design more 1/1 flyers that aren't boring. Somehow.

The problem is finding good art, which has taken a surprisingly enormous amount of time, but ravnic and I are sharing art behind the scenes. Once he sends his over, this might be something I move forward on.

Thoughts?

 

[Brad]

I'm doing a ton of behind the scenes stuff today. Like the post above if it's a good idea. Comment if not. Pretty sure I'm going to do it.

Here's a card with a fun name.

 

[Zoss]

That name is also what happens when you realize that Gone With The Blastwave is going to be old enough to vote next year.

 

[Brad]

It's Grapple with the Past lmao. I don't even know what that is. Ok, I googled and now I barely know.

What you guys think about the variety of names and ratios of Pokemon based on in-game rarities? Helppp.

 

[Brad]

Secret Lair Pidgey

Maybe 6 Pidgeys, 4 Weedles, 2 Bulbasaur, 1 Mewtwo. Something like that.

6 proved too many. The rarities are as follows:
4: Very common in the games.
3: Somewhat common in the games.
2: Not uncommon in the games.
1: Uncommon, rare, or unique in the games.
My initial count used 8 Pidgeys and 6 of some others and it bloated the list really badly, so there's only a bit of variation.

Here's the four Pidgeys for consideration. I started with them because they're necessarily weak Pokemon and will likely set the bottom of the power band alongside Ratata.







I'm considering expanding the size of the art out to the edges and up closer to the title as well as down nearer to the type line. Might as well, right?

 

[Brad]

Legendary Birdrazi
If you've seen my posts, I often circle back to a love of Eldrazi. I'm probably going to rework the Legendaries and maybe the top-end starters into high mana, super powerful monsters.


The Eldrazi are awesome because they're colorless, so any deck can cast them. I kept these near-colorless so that almost any deck can cast them by turn 8.

 

[ravnic]

I like pidgey being more common then mew
I like that you're expanding the artworks (are you? Do it!)
I like as well that you're now using full artworks instead of cut out silhouettes on the pokémon

Keep going