MTGNexus Custom Card Creation Random Card of the Day

[spacemonaut]

Gargos is gorgeous, and so is fightproof. (Or is it hexfight?) This comes alongside a lot of other "don't target me or my son or my son's son ever again" experiments, like Terror of the Peaks, "frost armor", Warden of the Woods, Reality Smasher, Thorn Lieutenant, Thunderbreak Regent, and others. Cards like that aren't new (see e.g. Ashenmoor Liege) but they've been experimenting a lot in the past couple of years. Hexproof is problematically powerful and these are alternatives that still permit targeting, but put a severe cost on it.


Ground Rumbler 2RR
Creature — Elemental Turtle
Haste
Whenever a creature or spell you control becomes the target of a spell, Ground Rumbler deals 1 damage to each creature and each player.
4/4

[M00NSIDIAN]

A 4 cost reduction is a permanent +4/+4 buff indeed... ...mostly. But there's always that one or two weird exceptions.

I like this as a tribe buffer since it has a lot of flexibility. You can dump out a bunch of "tiny" hydras for cheap (every XG becomes a 4/4 for G -- efficient!) or throw down a really huge creature.

I guess my first thought is something like this:

Arcbound Commander 4
Artifact Creature - Construct (R)
Modular 1
Artifact creature spells you cast cost 1 less to cast for each +1/+1 counter on ~.
Whenever another modular creature enters the battlefield, you may pay X, where X is less than or equal to the number of +1/+1 counters on ~. If you do, put X +1/+1 counters on that creature.
0/0

A little packed text-wise, and I've completely forgotten how to balance anything, but...

[void_nothing]

Arcbound Commander looks like such a fun lord for a lesser "tribe" and my GOD does Ground Rumbler look great. Mass heroic/hexproof mini quake is such a genius idea if you have pump spells to go around.

[void_nothing]

The MTGNexus Custom Card Creation Random Card of the Day for 6/30/20 is Hurly-Burly.

This card has some interesting foreign names. The French Hurly-Burly is "Tohu-Bohu", not to be confused with the German card "Tohuwabohu", which is Scrambleverse, and these terms have a whole interesting derivation all on their own (and "bohu" is a biblical hapax). Sorry, that's only interesting if you're a word nerd, but...

[void_nothing]

The MTGNexus Custom Card Creation Random Card of the Day for 7/10/20 is Awakening.

Proto-Seedborn Muse with room for shenanigans... I'm shocked this card isn't Reserved.

[Lorn Asbord Schutta]

To be honest, I am more surprised that this card has diffrent translation conventions across languages.
In German, French and Japanese - and to some extension in Russian - both the meaning of "chaotic noise" and the fonetic part of having two very similiar, short words in succesion - which is a language attempt at reproducing the associated sound, just like "ringing" for instance - is preserved. But in Italian, Portugese and Spanish only the meaning is preserved. It would seem as those mediterranean languages do not have a required word for such feat, in contrast to germanic English and German or slavic Russian, but the French is also rooted in Latin and yet it has such combination. I would like to know from someone among those countries if there is a better way to translate this name.
As for the card itself, those "deal X damage to all creatures, where X is small" always felt to me as something of a hidden hate against the white (go -wide weenies), and this one, with the choice between fliers and no-fliers, in addition to fact that white tribes of Lorwyn are not suited to fly, feels like it tried to discriminate both white and blue combat strategies.
Why it was reprinted for CN2?

As for other card, that was posted in the time of writing the above, I am surprised that there are cards on reserved list from Stronghold.
How prevalent stax or tap-effects from blue were in that environment? Because it seems as card designed to combat such strategies and the symmetrical part stems from the old design of such cards. This symmetry may add to its value in multiplayer formats, and the fact it triggers also on your upkeep gives it potential edge against Seedborn Muse. The real problem is not a symmetry, but lack of untapping artifacts, which might hurt your opponents more, but also limit strongly the potential.
I wonder if there is a way to weaponize the symmetry. There is a few old cards that are meant not to be untapped (Coffin Queen or Tawnos's Coffin for instance), but this is very narrow and probably will never matter again.

[void_nothing]

Yes, in a Lorwyn context Hurly-Burly feels like "Choose one - Destroy all Kithkin; or destroy all Faeries."

Oh here's your fun fact about Awakening|STH: Primal Rage|STH takes place right after this card. Check the flavor text!

[spacemonaut]

I was about to write up one that untaps artifacts, then I looked up and saw Unwinding Clock.

There's also Ivorytusk Fortress which is a card I love to bits but haven't yet used.

That plus Gingerbrute makes me think:

Charge-Gang Tactician 1RR
Creature — Goblin Rogue
Haste
Untap each creature you control with haste during each other player's untap step.
"Back on your feet! No rest while there's shanking to be done!"
3/2

[Lorn Asbord Schutta]

Charge-Gang Tactician 1RR
Creature — Goblin Rogue
Haste
Untap each creature you control with haste during each other player's untap step.
"Back on your feet! No rest while there's shanking to be done!"
3/2

I am not sure about pseudo-vigilance in mono red, but in Boros or Jeskai (somewhat less in Izzet), why not?
Something as this:

Wojek's Colonel
Creature - Minotaur Soldier
Creatures with vigilance you control can attack the turn they enter the battlefield.
Untap each creature you control with haste during each other player's untap step.
4/4

This way we give both of the keywords the other one, in dilluted manner. And I have to say, that I hope there would be one day offensive vigilance-lord, seeing WOTC making keyword tribals more prominent.

[void_nothing]

The MTGNexus Custom Card Creation Random Card of the Day for 7/16/20 is Shackles.

"Doesn't untap" has moved back and forth between white and blue - and I think blue is where it belongs considering white gets Pacifism. Like black can't block vs. red attacks if able.

[spacemonaut]

Lockdown has definitely spent the majority of its life in blue. In fact, we've only seen this kind of ability five times in monowhite and the last time was in Kamigawa. (Also in Ravnica on Plumes of Peace).

The design space I really like in Shackles is self-recursive auras. For example, auras you can bounce to your hand, the perpetual auras that do that automatically as they fall off, and things like Smoke Shroud.


Atarka's Claws RG
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has menace and trample.
Whenever a non-Dragon creature enters the battlefield, if you control a Dragon, you may return Atarka's Claws from your graveyard to the battlefield attached to that creature.

[void_nothing]

The MTGNexus Custom Card Creation Random Card of the Day for 6/20/20 is Viscerid Drone.

...huh. I'll give the Viscerids this, they were kinda scary lore-wise.

[Lorn Asbord Schutta]

Wall of Kelp and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth for mono-blue EDH destruction!
The idea behind this was probably that it enabled the blue killing via removing swamps they controlled (which is significant), but since the swamps allows the kill spells by themselves... The only real diffrence I could see is that there is no "nonblack" (or in enhanced version, "nonartifact") rider of Terror. I am not versed enough in other black removals of those times, but I still think it was more of a gimmick for Johnnys then anything worth consideration.

Actually, if there is a possibility of doing such design? Giving any color an option requiring sacrifice of a land type producing mana color of diffrent color to allow an off-color ability, associated with mana of sacrificed land, yet done in such a way that it does not pose a question: "why would I use this off-color ability, instead of using the exact same effect in color, when I already can produce mana required for this effect?".

[void_nothing]

Weirdly, this card's abilities suggest a cycle of creatures with off-color activated abilities that get better if you use specifically snow lands. But none exists.

[void_nothing]

The MTGNexus Custom Card Creation Random Card of the Day for 7/22/20 is Ashes of the Abhorrent.

Behold, the glory of the Two-Mana White Rare Hosing Enchantment.

[void_nothing]

The MTGNexus Custom Card Creation Random Card of the Day for 7/23/20 is Niv-Mizzet Reborn.

I love Rainbow Niv and will defend him always

[Lorn Asbord Schutta]

Nah, while Niv is a fine character, his return came at the cost of removing Guildpact from Jace. I have always wanted Jace to move into Azorius - not because I like him or hate him, but to change his identity from "generic blue mage" - by embracing hieromancy from Guildpact, especially after end of Ixalan storyline. It seemed like a foreshadowing to War of Spark, but instead the plot point was dropped as fast as possible.

However, "color pair" opened few places in further development, like "color trios". For instance something akin to:

Center of New Alara
Enchantment (M)
When Center of New Alara enters the battlefield, search you library for up to five cards with diffrent color trio each, then shuffle you library. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. Put one pile into your hand and the other into your graveyard.
Whenever you cast a spell with exactly three colors, if it is the first one you cast this turn of that color trio, draw a card.

[void_nothing]

I really like that design, but I'm not sure "color trios" is the term that'd be used. Yet I can't think of another word for groups of three!

Storyline wise I liked Jace as the LG because of - as you said - the possibility of him getting the growth of character that would come from learning a new school of magic from scratch. Then he saw a good friend of his who happened to BE a hieromancer sacrifice his life. Adding law magic could have been his tribute to Gideon.

However, I don't like the Living Guildpact being a planeswalker - we were kinda expected to cheer on Jace as he derelicted his duty to billions of people. Narratively, Niv was perfect for the role if Jace had to give it up, as a parun, as someone tied to the Implicit Maze, and as the greatest mage on his plane, and also someone who after his own death and return gained a certain amount of wisdom and humility that makes him better than his past vain self.

[SecretInfiltrator]

I always hoped Jace would grow into a person who wouldn't derelict his duty and, at least for a while, pull a (partial) Nissa and pull out of field work for the Gatewatch instead. That said, he has been well used in off-plane storylines, so maybe the lesson "a scavenger hunt through the city is no basis for a system of government" is just the adequate lesson to learn.

I really like that design, but I'm not sure "color trios" is the term that'd be used. Yet I can't think of another word for groups of three!

The equivalent to a pair/couple is a triple/triplet. I'd go with triplet.

The design space seems shallow, but we could see the odd card with it. If we ever get a return to Ravnica without ten guild mechanics a single color pair mechanic might just be the thing to go with.

[void_nothing]

The MTGNexus Custom Card Creation Random Card of the Day for 8/31/20 is Mirri, Cat Warrior.

In the long years since this card was printed vigilance was given to green. First strike not so much.

[spacemonaut]

Fun trivia: Mirri, Cat Warrior is one of only twelve french vanilla legendary cards.

All three of her abilities would be on-pie in black (replacing the forestwalk with swampwalk, perhaps), although when they did shift her to black they only kept first strike: Mirri the Cursed.

[Lorn Asbord Schutta]

Vigilance being in-pie for black? Only a Homelands' card has straight mono black vigilance, Innistrad has black vigilante only in techincal sense and another two are Cairn Wanderer type of cards..
But speaking of colors and vigilance - what is the flavour of mono green vigilance?
For white it is a representation of spirit's fortitude and discipline, as being vigilant means being always focused and alert or keeping one's post despite bad conditions. Those with enough discipiline can attack and yet stay alert to any danger, therefore being able to block.
Yet in green there are both fighters and beasts that have vigilance and from what I understand it is about "survival instincts". But those institicts - especially among the beasts - are either an inherit knowledge of how to strike to kill (more of a first strike) or how to flee form the predators (which while does not have a good keyword to represent, I guess the hexproof will be the closest).
I personally would place vigilance in blue, just like it was initially planned after Time Spiral (I cannot find the article where Maro says it, so if anybody has a link, then please share it) where it would represent having keen mind or tactical prowess.
Or even make vigilance secondary in red - which has problems of making white and red too similiar in terms of combat options - to represent combat skills allowing one to strike and yet still have time for defending.

[void_nothing]

Imo green vigilance is pure stamina while white vigilance is mental fortitude.

[void_nothing]

The MTGNexus Custom Card Creation Random Card of the Day for 9/2/20 is Dragonstalker.

Are you making a Tarkir set? Well THIS is reprint bait for Limited if I ever saw it.

[void_nothing]

The MTGNexus Custom Card Creation Random Card of the Day for 9/10/20 is Valduk, Keeper of the Flame.

I really liked the Keldons' tiny theme of Auras and Equipments matter in DOM red. It was actually the RW draft archetype with Tiana, Ship's Caretaker as the signpost.