Custom Cube
Custom Cards forum
Posted on Sept. 9, 2019, 2:01 p.m. by DwaginFodder
A while ago, inspired in no small part by the RoboRosewater Cube mailed into LoadingReadyRun, I began work on a 360-card cube of custom cards. Here it is (so far):
(https://mtg.design/u/DwaginFodder/CBE)
Archetypes are:
WU Artifact creatures UB Enters-the-battlefield effects BR Reanimator RG Ramp/Stompy GW Tokens WB Aristocrats BG Graveyard GU Insect tribal UR Spellslinger RW Go-wide aggro
Any and all suggestions are appreciated; while me and a group of friends will draft this when it's finalized, it hasn't been playtested at all yet and I'm still making changes.
DwaginFodder says... #3
I tried logging out and using the link, and it still worked for me. The loading time can be really long (presumably due to loading 360 HD images, which is why Gatherer and Scryfall only load 60-100 at once), so unless you're getting an error message or using the parenthesis I don't know what to tell you.
September 10, 2019 8:19 a.m.
Yes, indeed, I did not wait long enough. I will review and comment the cards :)
September 10, 2019 9:53 a.m.
A couple of quick questions on the cube:
- What is the estimated powerlevel of the cube?
- How do you intend to draft it - just make packs of 15 random cards or craft packs based on rarity (ie 1 rare or mythic, 3 uncommons, 10 commons, 1 land)?
- Is there an overall theme or goal to the cube? An overacrhing mechanic, completing cycles.
September 10, 2019 10:10 a.m.
DwaginFodder says... #6
1) Somewhere between MH1 and Commander, I think.
2) 15 random cards - I haven't marked rarities.
3) Not really, it's just a well of ideas that I brought together across the 10 above archetypes. There are a couple cycles (a cycle of 3-color legends, a cycle of 2-color legendary dragons, et al.) but they while they support themes, they aren't the cube's main gimmick or anything.
Another note: there are a few custom mechanics, all with reminder text. I am also making continual edits to the cube, and I'll try to keep a changelog handy here. Thanks for the help!
September 10, 2019 10:17 a.m.
Several notes on cards so far:
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Overload can only exist on instants and sorceries. It makes no sense on permanents. You should change echoing spirit to "When ~ etbs, you may pay 1W. If you do, tap each creature target player controls. Otherwise, tap target creature."
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Pious conqueror - nothing about this card is white, this is a mono-black card.
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Radiant beam is also not really mono-white, white does not get destroy target creature, especially at that rate.
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squire of the white orchid - super cute, love it!
That is white looked over. Overall, it feels a bit all over the place. Power level is a bit higher than a standard set (though only on a few cards) and there is a mix of tokens matter, artifacts matter, sacrifice fodder and a bunch of removal spells.
September 10, 2019 10:59 a.m.
I looked over all the cards - overall, the cube looks swingy - some cards are wildly more powerful than others, while a few are even more powerful than that. Genrally,you have a lot of payoffs and not a lot of enablers. There are no issues with the wording of the mechanics. I think this needs a lot more work to be polished.
September 10, 2019 11:45 a.m.
DwaginFodder says... #9
Thanks a bunch for the advice and help! If you notice any other blatant pie breaks, I'd appreciate it.
September 10, 2019 3:27 p.m.
DwaginFodder says... #10
Changelog 9/10/19
Added reminder text to stormland cycle. Explorer's Pendant cost ->
Homunculus Mold activated ability ->
Insane Lich: "If you do, return a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield." -> "When you do, return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield."
Knowledge Lash: "creature" -> "nonland permanent", "Draw a card." -> "Scry 2.", sorcery -> instant
Luring Growth's templating was fixed, added "When enchanted creature dies, you gain 2 life."
Spelleater Locust: "as if it were mana of any color" -> "as if it were mana of any type"
September 10, 2019 3:46 p.m.
Colorless:
All-Consuming Presence -> Why is it up to one on the abilities, instead of just one?
Ugin -> incredibly expensive for not all that useful abilities. It is basically a colorless Oblivion Ring that can then make a single creature textless each turn. The ultimate is decent, but not game-winning and not really ugin-related.
Wastefeeder -> the debuff is much more than the buff. Being unable to cast colored spells is a severe downside for simply an 8/8 trample.
Arcane trinket -> insanely powerful ramp and fixing in one card.
Cartographer's companion -> colorless Yavimaya Elder is still quite good at 3 mana. You should probably buff/debuff this card.
Surveyor -> this is a strictly better Pilgrim's Eye
Mana pebble -> the best cards are colorless really.
Ramos -> lantern on a stick is a good place for Ramos.
Scales of fate -> as it is worded, it makes no sense.
Warded amulet -> Probably one of the worst cards in the cube in terms of how oppresive it is.
Lands:
If you have cast a spell lands -> While a decent design the lands that rely on something that happened during the turn are very prone to memory issues.
CIPT sac lands for an effect -> While decent, the effects are wildly different in terms of power level.
Nexus land -> An interesting design, but ultimately, there are a handful of eldrazi or even large cards in the set, I really do not see how being down 2 mana forever(the land you sac and nexus does not tap for mana), paying 6 mana, just to start getting an extra mana every turn from your other lands is useful.
Gliterring palace -> Incredibly powerful fixing land.
Maleable landscape -> Some memory issues and it is a slightly better basic land.
NIghtmarish marsh -> should probably be "activate only as a sorcery"
ominous manshion -> incredibly powerful effect, even at 5 mana.
Stone sanctuary -> a wastes that can gain a single life point? Compare this one with the manshion above or glittering palace.
September 11, 2019 3:50 a.m.
Blue:
- aetherstatic collector -> interesting design.
- counterfly -> incredibly powerful. Hard counters on a stick should be more difficult to cast.
- flash of prescience -> while a good card, this is a bit too fiddly with the library.
- fluctuating stasis -> is flipping a coin worth it for 1 card?
- frosty countenance -> this an effect entirely reliant on your opponent.
-glyph drake -> hexproof is an incredibly dangerous word. And getting a counter for any spell? - innovation -> 4 mana instant is quite powerful
- kasmina -> powerful walker indeed, all options are good.
- knowledge lash -> blue has a lot of bounce effects and does not untap next turn effects, white has a lot of destroy effects - all these effects will lead to painfully slow gameplay.
- masterful replicator -> good thing you caught that infinite combo with itself.
- memory of ancient logics -> on your team? is this 2HG draft?
- predicted strike -> is this a JoJo reference?
- shelve -> surprinsingly difficult to evaluate if stronger than Counterspell
- telepathic trawling -> re-read this card again, it is incredibly good.
- time halt -> see, this is quite a lot of disruptive effects. As a player, I would get frustrated by this.
- timetender -> sure, and the extra turn effect, with multiple blink spells in the same color. Great idea.
- transformative manifestation -> perhaps the most oppresive card so far, and that is saying something.
September 11, 2019 6:42 a.m.
Oh one more color pie breaking thing - white cards that do more than a cantrip. Like that dude that draws a card whenever a creature with power 3 or less deals damage. That is breaking the pie quite a lot.
September 11, 2019 6:43 a.m.
Black:
- blackblade's bite -> this might as well read B:Exile target creature.
- dark draining -> powerful at that mana cost, and any target to boot.
- davriel -> looks to be incredibly weak. It is graveyard hate, but wants to cast non-creature spells with its second ability, but the only thing you want to hate is creatures, since those come back easily...
- defiled anthem -> sure, but this is incredibly hard to actually trigger and will create memory issues.
- duskmantle shade -> shades usually have the black firebreathing effect, eg Liliana's Shade
- eliminate - white has the exact same card, except the lose two life clause. Why?
- festerspawn - better than existing options by a mile. Phyrexian Rager feels shame.
- hired hit - why does this one destroy the creature, while the previous ones exiled it?
- hungering shadow -> ninjutsu and devour is an interesting combo, but this is a very weak card.
- memory -> why do these cost 5 mana? these are so limited in application.
- mind scourer -> this can end games on turn 3.
- Moonglove-Blade Assassin -> a 4/3 for 5 mana with basically super Murder attached to it?
- Ominous Form -> if it wasn't for the OP removal to deal with this, it would be too powerful. It probably still is.
- Pain -> blue and white did not have something similar, so it is not a cycle. This is quite powerful and warps the game around it.
- psionic lashing -> do not do this. suprise "I win" cards are not a good idea. Though, if you target yourself, you kill yourself, which is a different application.
- return journey -> very cool design!
- rotgrub swarm -> 1/1 for 1 mana that you will never play on turn 1. Probably not a good idea.
- rotplague -> too powerful for a one-sided card.
- something wicked -> when would you ever choose the first option on this overcosted Raise Dead ?
- soul pillage -> when would you ever choose the first option on the above when this card exists?
- will rot -> not a black effect.
- zulaport alley-watcher -> where is there a city with alleys on Zendikar?
September 11, 2019 8:15 a.m.
Red general comments:
- A whole bunch of the red creatures have haste. All of the removal can also do damage to the face.
- geomancer's blessing - not a thing red can do.
- Gruul Ragestoker - I am pretty sure viashino (Dominaria) and Gruul (Ravnica) are not on the same plane.
- Love -> without a doubt, the most broken card in the whole cube, especially with red's rummaging.
- raze the ruins - this is either the worst card in your deck, or the best.
- sandspine monitor - so, at the very least this is 3R: This dude gets +4/+4? Sure, ok.
- sarkhan - might as well be a 5/5 dragon, without all the planeswalker stuff.
Overall, red is basically having the theme of "add a damage onto or shave a mana off of existing cards, and see where this goes".
Green:
- bull ceratops -> there is no difference between "your attacking creatures have trample" and "you creatures have trample".
- glade of plenty -> needs rewording, as it makes no sense.
- growth - weak sause, compared to his red or black siblings.
- jiang yanngu -> classic design, weak second ability, overall unexciting.
- pillar of autumn -> spells getting hexproof is a bit confusing, perhaps "spells you control cannot be countered"?
- Spider Eggs - talk about stalling the game out.
- streghtened bond - no idea why it has the enchant a creature mode. Surely, it is always better to enchant a land?
- venom spray - you have this exact card in black! This is not a very green effect...
- warden of segovia - read it again and reword it.
September 11, 2019 8:43 a.m.
Multicolor quick hits:
- Most of these are quite underpowered - Atarka is an 8 mana for 8/6 flample, which goads for 5 mana and gets 2 counters upon dealing damage? You will never ever have use for her beyond 8/6 flample.
- barrier of vengenance - does not work at all and I have no idea what it is trying to do.
- box jellyfish - probably should not target itself.
- chitin shaper - stop it with the hexproof, it is way too much!
- devil's deal - compare this card to the blue one with spell mastery that draws 3 cards.
- Dleymov - in a usually 40 card deck, how would you achieve 35 cards in the graveyard?
- ilharg's vanguard - this is a haste, vigilance, trample 8/7 for 6 mana?
- Kaarthus - given this is 8 mana flample haste, with that ability it can literally deal 20 damage.
- kassara - has severe memory issues with cards that are not instants or sorceries.
- mayael - given that the original cared about creatures with power 5 or greater, bump the the token to 5/5.
- otorase - this is good enough with 0 insects in your deck, and insane with any number of them.
- plasmoclasm - nothing blue about this card.
- retreat into the aether - really, 5 mana and 2 life to bounce your own creature only after it delat damage?
- rhiis - really some of those dragons are very weak, others, like this one, are too strong.
- xamaya - a well-designed creature that goes in the token deck and the insect deck equally well.
September 11, 2019 9:12 a.m.
I think I am spent on commenting on this. Overall, this is a good start, but you need to look at most of those cards and balance them together better. Most cards need extra costs, or to do less damage, but some need a buff.
September 11, 2019 9:14 a.m.
DwaginFodder says... #18
Thank you so much regardless; this is exactly what I needed!
Boza says... #2
I cannot access this link at all. Do i have to be logged into that site?
September 10, 2019 3:47 a.m.