Project: Online-Capable Un-Set

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void_nothing
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Post by void_nothing » 2 years ago

Like many of you, I'm a tremendous fan of Un-sets. The silver bordered world keeps the rest of Magic from taking itself too, too seriously and especially as of late has been a testing ground for radical new ideas before they're mainstream-ready.

However, the one unfortunate thing about the existing Un-sets is that they're all incompatible with online play. The real world interaction of things like dexterity cards and ask-your-friends cards is an important part of the fun, of course, but I always have wished for a less than serious set that I could play via MTGO, Arena, or Cockatrice.

With that in mind I'd like to put out feelers for a custom Un-set which would be suitable for ways of playing Magic that aren't in person. If this project is completed I'd be happy to make it available for everyone to use on Cockatrice or similar clients.

Some important ground rules:
- Consistent silly/joke tone
- Suitability for drafting
- A real setting/lore (using Bablovia or another Un-plane)
- No effects that couldn't be done online
- Possibly some effects that would be best suited for online
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Post by Krishnath » 2 years ago

Semi-randomized (such as dice rolls, and multiple versions of the same card) seem very doable in an online Unset.

Another good source of inspiration (since it is online only, and thus would not work in physical copies) are things like the "astral" set from Microprose's MTG set: Aswan Jaguar (one of the cards in the set), chooses a random creature type from your opponents deck. Gem Bazaar (a land) chooses a random color when it enters the battlefield, then taps for that color (and when you do, it chooses a new random color to replace the former), and so on. You can find them here.

One note though, Call from the Grave (one of the unique cards from the game) does actually work in black border (pick a graveyard at random from among the players, then pick a creature at random from said graveyard and put it onto the battlefield under your control.)

If you are looking for card ideas (or cards) I have a figurative ton of them made. Here's a small smattering of card names to give you an idea:

Alpacalypse
Attack Baby
Beeserker
Candy Factory
Censorship
Crib Cage
Fellwar's Kidney Stone
Garden Gnome
Giant Giant ("He stands head and shoulders above the rest.")
Goblin Disco Dancer
Gnomaggeddon
Hall of Goblin Inventions (with deliberately tiny text thanks to excessive flavor text, and yes, that is part of the joke.)
Hemogoblin
Jump the Shark
Myr Hugging Sphere
Nut Shot
Paleorthodontist
"Rock" Elemental
Sturgeon General
Tae-Kwon-Duck
Trained Attack Hamster
Trashy Romance Novel #43
Tyrannosaurus Hex
Unleash the Baby!
Woolly Beaver
Yarwhal


And that is just the tip of the demented candy mountain of things that I come up with when I am in a silly mood.
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Post by Pygyzy » 2 years ago

I'd love to help with this. Count me in.

Edit: I'd like to contribute some ideas for the plane concepts. Just the first ideas I came up with.
Magic: Battlebond 1994
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Plane 1990: A plane trapped in a temporal loop that causes it to always be the 90s. Lot throwback reference, like time spiral but for the 90s. Old Fogey walker
Online world - like Tron but Magic style
Gamer world - Similar to Online world but more focused on gaming rather than just the concept of virtual reality. Think Ready Player One.
The lost plane- Similar to how Coldsnap was supposed to be a "lost" set, the theme would be something like, "This plane isn't supposed to exist." Obligatory Fblthp Walker. "Lost mechanics" etc.
Honestly all those together sounds kinda cool. I loved Microproses game, so the idea of a "Lost Retro Gamer World" sounds pretty neat. Aswan Jaguar was OP.

Imagine battlebond but a virtual plane where gamecasters from across the Multiverse come to prove themselves.
Magic: Into The Metaverse
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Alternatively, another idea is a sorta 4th wall breaking meta plane. Taking a Deadpool like spin, you could tap into existing Magic IP like Urza and Co., etc, but use them however you want. Sure, Bolas can invade planes, but can he escape a fantasy card game? Will Urza's head be able to face off against the head of R&D? Yawgmoth is alive but now he works at a Cinnabon and wants to be left alone. Crovax is on The Bachelor and meets a Serra Angel.

This is already kinda the point on Un-sets but more of, "This is a card game but it's also real!". So, I guess the plane would be Earth haha. Or Meta-Earth.

The Brother's War is a smash hit musical on Broadway. Squee guest stars on SNL to promote the new movie in The Weatherlight Saga. Will Ferrel plays a dual-role as Gerrard and Volrath. Nic Cage plays Bolas in the MCU (Magic Cinematic Universe.).
Bolas gets banned from Twitter after defending Mustache Twirling Villains.

I like this idea too because it's kinda a subtle poke at the whole Universes Beyond thing. Optimus Prime existing in the same universe as Emrakul, is rather silly, and this feels kinda like a tongue in check nod to that. What's next, Charlie Brown vs The Smurfs? I think you get what I mean.

My Chibi Gideon attacks your Liliana Cosplayer. In response, I cast Wizard's of the Coast Customer Support Help Line. He's on hold until you've named every Gideon card printed. Name one per turn.

I cast Retcon and name Liliana. She died instead of Gideon during War of the Spark. Ban all Liliana cards printed after that set. (They never existed.). Form of Nicol Bolas, discard a card unless you name a planeswalker I haven't defeated. Cackle villainously.
Magic: Director's Cut: Special Edition: Jace: Season 4: On Blu-Ray
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Another idea, Magic: The Untold Story. This is essentially magic retold, but as shown from a different point of view that you never heard about. Did you know there was a third brother in the Brothers War, Leeroy? Or that theres a 6th member of the Gatewatch, Skip the Wonderpuppy? Yawgmoth's Wife was the one who convinced him to follow his dreams but you never hear about her. Theres a few different ways you could take this.

One way, is have it sorta be about the characters just "off camera". They were there. No really. If you look closely in the art of Nissa, behind her head, that little spot, that's her brother, Hissa, he gave her that staff. Hes just as good, just not as popular.

Another approach is kinda focus on the underdogs. Think Teen Titans compared to The Justice League. While The Gatewatch is busy literally saving the Multiverse, a bunch of planewalkers calling themselves The Club of Really Important People, are also busy doing really important hero stuff too, you just don't hear them making a big deal about it, do you?

Last, for this one. Magic but it's The Office. Essentially, Magic: Behind The Scenes. In a sorta mockumentary reality show style, we get to see these heroes, as they really are, and all the people behind them that make them shine. Planeswalkers are just like us guys! Garruk wouldn't get outta bed without his personal trainer, Robert "Craw" Wurm keeping him motivated. Do you know how hard it is for Chandra to find a hair stylist? Like, sure Jace is important, but the guy that brings him coffee in the morning is the real hero. We only ever see the big climatic parts, but Vraska's personal assistant is the one that got her the job on Ixalan. If you're a fan of Lower Decks, it's like that.
Magic: The Gathering 2: Gleemax Day
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In the grim dark of the future, there is only Gleemax. The only person who can stop him, MaRo, is being hunted by a cybernetic bus from the future. To protect him, another bus was sent back, reprogrammed to know exactly how the color pie works, and prevent Gleemax Day. He is our last best hope for Magic.
That's it for now. I realize some of these are a little out there, but the concept process is probably my favorite part. Feel free to disregard them if they're not in line with what you had in mind. I wont be disappointed if they're not used. Just throwing ideas out.

@Krishnath Those are some great names and they give me some great ideas, a few in particular but theres one that clearly stands out.
SPOILER
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Nut Shot
Instant
Nut Shot deals 1 damage to any target. Add A.
"Ow!"-
MaRo

Also,

Tyrannosaurus Hex 4BG
Sorcery (R)
Destroy six target permanents. For each permanent put into a graveyard this way, its controller creates a token copy of Dreadmaw.
"It's too late."

In the meantime, I'll brainstorm these (Just for fun):

Alpacalypse xWR
Instant
Create X 1/1 white Alpaca creature tokens with, "T: This creature deals 1 damage to target attacker or blocker. (Players can be attackers or blockers.) If X is five or greater, you may activate their T abilities this turn.

Attack Baby
Beeserker
Candy Factory
Censorship
Crib Cage
Fellwar's Kidney Stone
Garden Gnome
Giant Giant ("He stands head and shoulders above the rest.")
Goblin Disco Dancer
Gnomaggeddon

Hall of Goblin Inventions
Legendary Artifact Land - Equipment Mountain
Equipped creature has ", 1, T, Sacrifice Hall of Goblin Inventions: This creature deals 2 damage to any target."
Equip 1
"Here we see Flirk the Great's masterpiece, which seems to be missing. Moving on, this fine piece is by Udd, dating back several days... hey, where'd it go? Oh well. Next, we have Zoz the Unkempt's latest addition to our collection, which was just right here a second ago. And over here, was one of Glop's signature work of art. Instead, is a scrap of paper, with three letters on it. IOU. No one knows what it means. It remains a mystery to this day. Come with me as we move onto the next room, which at one time contained..."-
Bluff, Goblin Archaeologist


Hemogoblin
Jump the Shark
Myr Hugging Sphere
Paleorthodontist
"Rock" Elemental
Sturgeon General
Tae-Kwon-Duck
Trained Attack Hamster
Trashy Romance Novel #43
Unleash the Baby!
Woolly Beaver G
Creature - Beaver
Protection from cards with at least one clearly visible tree in it's art.
Yarwhal U
Creature- Whale Pirate

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void_nothing
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Post by void_nothing » 2 years ago

A 90s/video games theme is something like what I was looking for with the world concept: Similar to Bablovia, which has a Rube Goldberg inventions theme, what I was thinking of was an actual Magic plane using a concept that would simply never be usable in black-border.
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Post by Pygyzy » 2 years ago

I kinda figured. That's the one that makes the most sense really, and is keeping with the online idea. Ok I will use that as a starting point then and see if I can come up with ideas for that.

I'm actually glad, because now I get keep my set about a pair of planesofficers, the by-the-book rookie, Detective J.C. and his unconventional partner, the grizzled veteran Gary Rook, taking down a mysterious lazotep smuggler, named Mr. B, to myself. :)

New concept: Mechanical Multiverse

The Multiverse is one big Rube Goldberg Machine. What looks like Magic, is actually just knowing what levers to push, where and when. You don't need to know how the machine works to operate it, as long as it works. But what if you wanted it to work differently? Could you change how it functions? Only if you knew the mechanics of it.
On the plane of Syncrocity you can. Dominaria is the center of the Multiverse, from the front. Synchrocity is the center of the Multiverse, if you flip it over, unscrew the case, and pull the back plate off. Now you're inside the actual machinery of The Multiverse. If Dominaria is the heart, Syncrocity is the brain.

Dont Take This Seriously
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The E-Novel
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Un-Wired: Magic for Dummies, First Edition

Finally!

For those that don't know how cards work. A New Phyrexia Best Seller!

If you like cards but don't actually like cards, travel the Multiwebiverse on a journey that will change you forever. Into a huge geek!

How? You got sucked into a computer or something totally not dumb and completely original. It doesn't matter, so why do you care? You read a magic book. There, happy?

Now, only you, or anyone with even slight interest, can do something really important, that everyone's counting on to do, because if you didn't bad things would happen. Think of something. It's that. Oh no!

Insert villain here, An Individual named TBD, will stop at nothing, to do that other thing, Not that other thing!

Together, you must begrudgingly tolerate, an exhausting line-up of Mary Sue's, like, Smart Guy #1, and other Smart Guy but with Attitude, to keep anyone that's still paying attention, occupied long enough so we can get through this.

In the end, you'll most likely prevail cuz I mean c'mon, how else would it end? It was all a dream? Ridiculous. Now go play with digiital robot cats or whatever.
Chapter 1 The Troll Wars
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2 really cool and smart people remarkably similar to you, with way too much time on their hands, decided they were bored, and since they were super powerful, came up with a plan, that sounded really awesome, because it involved giant robot monsters.
Classic.

Of course, with incredibly little thought for ultra intelligent beings, they concluded, hey what good are all these huge monsters for if you don't do something with them? Thus began The Troll Wars. Innocent destruction soon spiralled out of control as it devastated everything, and also made them look like huge jerks. Chill guys.

With no more petty nonsense to blame others for, and since they were petulant, whiny babies using their power for no real reason at all, they abandoned their murder machines, disappearing forever, never to return,. The survivors, quick to not learn their lesson at all, started fiddling with all those murder-robots just sorta lying around. What's the worst that could happen? You can't destroy everything twice right?
Chapter 2 Chapter 1 Part 2
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Turns out, that just inspires even bigger jerks to say, watch what I can do. This time, a weird goth kid, that was somehow popular despite being super creepy, figured out the secret of the Troll Brothers power. I'll skip the details here, but basically he got so powerful, there was no other option but a convoluted nonsensical plan that had something to with like arm-wrestling a friendly robot. I think there was a dream sequence too, that sorta half explained why the evil god gave just gave up and left.
Doesn't matter because that's all just backstory anyways, tangentially related to the main story about you getting sucked into a computer world. I'm getting there.
Chapter 3 The Point, Finally
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Phyrexians are learning computer programming to hack into planes, and recreate Yawgmoth as a digital avatar. Something something Robo-Yawg vs Hacker Karn. Not-Urza and Not-Mishra show up, theres a cool montage and some techno, then laser battles or something. You save the day by being awesome. Then wake up back in your world, with a strange oil on your shoes, faintly recalling a weird dream....
Please disregard that story. That's not intended to be taken seriously. Just having a little fun. It helps me to think if I just sorta think idle thoughts
Last edited by Pygyzy 2 years ago, edited 5 times in total.

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Post by Krishnath » 2 years ago

@Pygyzy All of the card names I mentioned already have designs. But I like your takes on the names. :)
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Post by Pygyzy » 2 years ago

Thanks. Figured, I'd throw a couple ideas out while I thought of other plane ideas. Helps to focus on something else. That's how I'll come up with ideas. When I'm not thinking about em.

Right now as you can see I'm just sorta BSing my way into a story trying to figure out how a digital plane would fit into magic and what that would look like. Spoiler alert, in the third chapter, I figured I'd tie it in with the phyrexian or something, like a digital version of the oil. Or the phyrexians want to escape into our world. Something something Robo-Yawg vs Hacker Karn. Not-Urza and Not-Mishra show up, theres a cool montage and some techno, then laser battles or something. You save the day by being awesome. Then wake up back in your world, with a strange oil on your shoes, faintly recalling a weird dream....

Its tempting to basically do Magic: The Matrixing, but I wanted to tie it into actual magic lore before I just say eh whatever you're Digital Jesus.

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Post by Krishnath » 2 years ago

@Pygyzy I'm not 100% sold on the idea of a "digital world" as it is. Mixing sci-fi and fantasy is very, very hard to do, even if it is something retrofuturistic like basing it on the 90's. WotC has tried twice in the past, and failed miserably both times, first with Hecatomb, and then with Urban Arcana/D20 Modern. The only real success has been Shadowrun. Sci-Fi with magic doesn't really feel engaging, even as an un-set. (This is also why I am highly skeptical of the long rumored "Neo-Kamigawa" set, that according to the "leak" should have been released when Ikoria got released, lol.), and doing "Shadowrun the MTG set" doesn't seem like a fun idea (And Shadowrun is so cyberpunk 90's it almost hurts, lol.)

Making a more general fantasy set, but with some sci-fi elements (with a fantasy spin on them) seems a lot more doable. After all, sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, and the same is true the other way around, any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.

But hey, I am not the one holding in this project, and the ultimate decision should be up to @void_nothing, I am just voicing my thoughts on the matter.
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Post by Pygyzy » 2 years ago

It's all good. I feel you on that. Its good to get feedback, especially when I'm just sorta throwing ideas at the wall.

As you can see, I don't think it was really going anywhere anyways, but I like to explore an avenue before i give up and move onto something else. At least I'll have a little fun, maybe figure out a few things, and use them for something else.

And yes, totally up to Void on this, but I thought I'd borrow the idea and take it for a spin. Phyrexians learning computer programming to hack planes was the rough idea. Just thought it was funny.

More general fantasy is better you're right. Hmmm

So rather than digital, and going with Rube Goldberg World, more mechanical or steampunk would be the way to go. Something like Mirrodin I guess is what you're aiming for but how would you do that without just doing mirrodin?

How about this. So imagine the Multiverse is one big Rube Goldberg Machine. What looks like magic is actually you just knowing what levers to push at the right time. So expanding on that, dominaria is the center of the multiverse, but you've been looking at the front face. If you flip it around, and unscrew the case, you're now at the access panel that shows all the levers, strings etc. What if this plane is the center of the inner workings, sorta like the back door for The Blind Eterneties. Essentially, you're looking at the architecture now, instead of the interface. That actually makes a lot more sense, and is a way better idea than that stupid phyrexian stuff. Also it relates to the computer aspect. You're like Tech Support for the Multiverse.

See, I told you just thinking of other things will actually lead me where I want to go.
Hack the Multiverse.

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Post by Sporegorger_Dragon » 2 years ago

Rather than an explicitly digital plane, why not something more abstract like video game world?

Five factions/worlds on the same plane; Platformers, Adventure/RPGs, First-Person, Fighting Game, and Puzzles.

Each convinced that their way of adventuring/entertainment is the best, with a sort of quasi-acknowledgement that they are aware that they are in a game.

Fantasy easily features heavily into all five factions, and other aspects can easily be translated into fantasy.
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Post by TheAmericanSpirit » 2 years ago

Sporegorger_Dragon wrote:
2 years ago
Rather than an explicitly digital plane, why not something more abstract like video game world?

Five factions/worlds on the same plane; Platformers, Adventure/RPGs, First-Person, Fighting Game, and Puzzles.

Each convinced that their way of adventuring/entertainment is the best, with a sort of quasi-acknowledgement that they are aware that they are in a game.

Fantasy easily features heavily into all five factions, and other aspects can easily be translated into fantasy.
I actually like this idea a lot from a bystander's perspective. The aforementioned factions easily split into color pairings/wedges/shards (e.g. fighting games could be boros, gruul, naya, etc, etc) and each can have a cool mechanic tied to it (again, e.g. Fighting games could have something like "K.O. - whenever this creature deals lethal damage to another creature, do X"). I also like that the video game theme is a pretty nice nod to the online intent of the set in general.

Just my 2 cents, I dunno squat about actually making a custom set.
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Post by Krishnath » 2 years ago

Sporegorger_Dragon wrote:
2 years ago
Rather than an explicitly digital plane, why not something more abstract like video game world?

Five factions/worlds on the same plane; Platformers, Adventure/RPGs, First-Person, Fighting Game, and Puzzles.

Each convinced that their way of adventuring/entertainment is the best, with a sort of quasi-acknowledgement that they are aware that they are in a game.

Fantasy easily features heavily into all five factions, and other aspects can easily be translated into fantasy.
Eh, that could easily end up as "Super Mario the Gathering". >.<

Edit: Don't get me wrong, it's not that it is a bad idea, it's just A, it's been done (and done well), and B, it's not really a silver border idea, but more of a Universes Beyond idea. Silver Border means silliness galore. It means stupid puns and jokes. It means things that do not work in black border or belong in black border. And it means references to memes. Things of that nature.
Last edited by Krishnath 2 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Legend » 2 years ago

A mechanic idea:

Since sleeves aren't necessary in digital, and shuffling can't be cheated, how about DFCs that can be cast from the top of your library as long as it's face up?

Out (Common)
1u
Instant
Return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand.
Obvious (You can cast this card from the top of your library.)
/ / /
Pasture (Common)
1G
Sorcery
Search your library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
Obvious (You can cast this card from the top of your library.)
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Post by Pygyzy » 2 years ago

I like where were heading with this. I think we're on the right track, cuz after I finished writing my bootleg Brothers War fanfic but with computers this time, I broke it all down to the key components.

Games
Machines
Retro is good but I think a better word would be extemporaneous.
Fantasy>Scifi

I like the idea of a plane that connects all the other planes in an unconventional way, but it felt like it was missing something. Is there someway I can tie all that in together, that is coherent and not stupid like Jin-Gitaxias learning C+ to code a interplanar portal?

I'll throw this last idea out then step back from it so others can have a chance at concept too but I think this one might have legs.

Working Title: The Arcade At The End Of The Multiverse

A vast, seemingly endless, evershifting astral plane, that's simultaneously pitch black and glaringly bright, filled with rows of strange, ancient, arcade cabinets and pinball machines, brought here by a unseen entity known only as Doug. Welcome to Doug's Pinball Arcade and Interplanar Nexus. An inescapable fate... of fun!

Designed using real non-eudclidian geometry, Doug's is both in the Multiverse, contains the Multiverse, and somehow also not in the Multiverse at all. How? You'll see!

But first let's check out the selection of games, both past, present, and existing only in a collapsing dimensional bubble. You'll wanna play those before they wink out of existence, never having existed at all. Exciting.

Here's Homelands. Yes the homelands. That's really Ulgrotha in there. Pretty neat huh. You're probably asking yourself am I in a pinball machine? The answer is yes and no, kinda but also not really.

Next, the only Mirrodin Pure arcade cabinet ever created. Apparently no one wants to play a plane that's just a reskin of a better plane, so theres only one. And it sucks.

You have literally all the time in eternity to play. Because you are trapped here forever and time is no longer relevant. So go try one of our collection of over an infinite number of titles. You'll get sucked in and never be able to leave! Just kidding. Kinda.

Doug's holds no responsibity for loss of sanity or annihilation of the Multiverse. In case, of dissolution of existence, please wait for a Doug's Certified Multiverse Technician to assist you. They're there, we promise.

Good Luck!
-Doug

So ya, an arcade that basically contains all of the Multiverse and you can goto different planes by playing them. So you can borrow whatever you like from wherever, and it'll still kinda make sense I hope.

If that seems overly complex, think Jumanji, but using Magic sets. That's kinda how I was thinking about it at least. A game within a game more or less.

@Sporegorger_Dragon I like where you're going, but rather than go by game archetype, I'd go by personality archetype. For example, there are other players you'll encounter at Doug's, so imagine the type of people you'll find at a transplanar arcade. The broody tough guy with a heart and a tragic back story, in your face geek that always has an answer to everything, quiet observer with useful skills. Something like that. Those types of personalities would end up being split in their game preferences anyways, so it'll be functionally similar, without boxing you in. If that makes sense.

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Post by Krishnath » 2 years ago

@Pygyzy That's just Ralph Breaks the Internet with an MTG skin. >.<
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Post by Pygyzy » 2 years ago

Well dang. I give up then haha.

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Post by Krishnath » 2 years ago

Pygyzy wrote:
2 years ago
Well dang. I give up then haha.
Lol. Don't give up. Just manage your expectations, while cyberpunk (or digipunk in your suggestions case, lol.) is cool, it isn't really silver border. It's more of a universes beyond kinda deal.

Silver border is silly, stupid, full of jokes and puns and memes, and things that does not work in black border magic. Magic + Cyberpunk is pretty much the opposite of that. Cyberpunk is dystopian and dark and everything that silver border is not. Silver Border is a place where you can make an army of children, arm them with cardboard weapons and armor, and use them to beat the snot out of your opponent. It is over the top and doesn't take itself seriously at all.
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Post by folding_music » 2 years ago

make the cyberpunk thing imo <3 god I adore shadowrun and it allows itself a grim sense of humour and satire

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Post by Pygyzy » 2 years ago

Hmm ok let's see. Silly, technological, but not cyberpunk or directly tying into any particular genre or culture, but drawing from them to create a unique feeling world, that somehow involves Rube Goldberg machines. Sounds a lot like Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, but how do I not make a straight rip off? Maybe something Black Mirror style. Games playing people for fun? Or something like humans battling living video games. Not characters from the games but maximum overdrive style, machines come alive. Theres a computer whisperer that talks to computer ghosts?

Aliens that are arcade consoles that invade and infect people minds? Eldritch Computers? A plane that's alive and a video game you can play? That's all I got for now.

Edit: Ok got one more. This is what I was thinking. It sounds like were going for essentially silver-bordered mirrodin, but I'm focusing on the wrong type of games. So instead of digital games, it would be more like haunted ouija board or monopoly board. So maybe Mirrodin + Innistrad, kinda spooky silly games. If there was a machine plane and like a ghost that takes over machines and uses them to play games with, that would be pretty scary for them. I dunno Ghosts vs Robots?

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Post by Krishnath » 2 years ago

Look, I am not onboard with the whole sci-fi theme, at all, and until @void_nothing says it's a lock I'll assume it isn't the theme. But that said, if we *are* going with such a theme, I think it would be best to look at various sci-fi comedies for inspiration. That means things like "Spaceballs", "The Ice Pirates", and of course "Futurama".

But I still maintain that a sci-fi theme is best suited for Universes Beyond, and *not* an Un-set.
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Post by Legend » 2 years ago

I'm down for all the world flavor ideas. Whatever the flavor, perhaps it could be a Commander themed silver set? So maybe things like:

Look At Me, I'm the RC (Mythic)
3uu
Instant
This spell can't be countered.
Counter target spell. If a spell card is countered this way, it's banned for the rest of the match. (All cards with that name in any zone or sideboard are removed from the match.)

And stuff.

We could also make fun of ourselves. Like the set was made by some try-hard amateurs.

Blackest Lotus (Mythic)
0
Restricted Artifact
When Blackest Lotus is sacrificed, add three mana of any one color.
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“Making a deck that other people want to play against – that’s Commander.” – Gavin Duggan

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Post by Legend » 2 years ago

Krishnath wrote:
2 years ago
Look, I am not onboard with the whole sci-fi theme, at all,
I wouldn't be either. I'm literally about to alpha test my custom pulp, sci-fan set.

viewtopic.php?f=76&t=22372

search.php?author=Legend&sr=threads&sf=titleonly

And remember, we're about to get a Warhammer 40K set, which is also sci-fan.
“Comboing in Commander is like dunking on a seven foot hoop.” – Dana Roach

“Making a deck that other people want to play against – that’s Commander.” – Gavin Duggan

"I want my brain to win games, not my cards." – Sheldon Menery

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Krishnath
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Post by Krishnath » 2 years ago

Legend wrote:
2 years ago
I'm down for all the world flavor ideas. Whatever the flavor, perhaps it could be a Commander themed silver set? So maybe things like:

Look At Me, I'm the RC (Mythic)
3uu
Instant
This spell can't be countered.
Counter target spell. If a spell card is countered this way, it's banned for the rest of the match. (All cards with that name in any zone or sideboard are removed from the match.)

And stuff.

We could also make fun of ourselves. Like the set was made by some try-hard amateurs.

Blackest Lotus (Mythic)
0
Restricted Artifact
When Blackest Lotus is sacrificed, add three mana of any one color.
Blackest Lotus would be funnier if it made three different colors of mana (and none of them white, blue, black, red, or green.)

I'd probably also define the "Restricted" type as "A deck can only have one copy of any one Restricted card". Basically, something that won't actually do anything in a commander set.

Also, speaking of Un-Commander:

Moon Moon, Eccentric Wolf 2GG
Legendary Creature - Wolf
Bands with wolves
Moon Moon, Eccentric Wolf enters the battlefield tapped.
Moon Moon is all colors at all times, except white.
When Moon Moon enters the battlefield, or becomes tapped, choose a color at random. Moon Moon has protection from that color until a new color is chosen.
"Dammit Moon Moon"
4/4
Legend wrote:
2 years ago
Krishnath wrote:
2 years ago
Look, I am not onboard with the whole sci-fi theme, at all,
I wouldn't be either. I'm literally about to alpha test my custom pulp, sci-fan set.

viewtopic.php?f=76&t=22372

search.php?author=Legend&sr=threads&sf=titleonly

And remember, we're about to get a Warhammer 40K set, which is also sci-fan.
It is also Universes Beyond, which is where Sci-fan and Sci-fi belongs. Silver Border is for silly things.
Last edited by Krishnath 2 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Pygyzy » 2 years ago

I agree @Krishnath that sci-fi doesn't belong once you explained why, it doesn't connect flavorfully. Hard to have a silly plane when it has lot of not silly implications.

I just wanna give us as many options to choose from so we come up with what's most broadly appealing. Restriction breeds creativity after all, and haunted toy land sounds pretty funny to me but probably not to everyone. As you said though until Void nails it down, our options are still open. I will probably lay off the plane concepts and flesh out some ideas for various themes instead.

Since you're not a fan of the sci fi, what do you think of my personal Un-Set theme, which is anthropomorphic farm animal plane?

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Post by Sporegorger_Dragon » 2 years ago

Krishnath wrote:
2 years ago
Also, speaking of Un-Commander:

Moon Moon, "Special" Wolf 2GG
I don't think the "special" qualifier here is appropriate. I think it's offensive to imply that it's okay to laugh at a special needs person.

Just change to something else:

Moon Moon, Klutzy Lupine
Moon Moon, Who Must Not Be Invited
Moon Moon, Who Smells Others Inappropriately
Moon Moon, Socially Inept


Anyway:

I should elaborate that my idea of video game world isn't about being literally in a video game; rather, on a plane where everyone's needs are mostly met, the most common career path is entertainer, and there are five factions who each believe their implementation is the highest and most superior form of art. Sort of like Battlebond/Valeron's Reach, but instead of 2 on 2 battles it's whole sprawling adventures, like reality shows extreme version.

So it wouldn't be like Wreck-It-Ralph, but instead it would delve deeper into exploring and deconstructing common video game tropes.

Examples:

Levoroth, Final Boss
Villain's Monologue
My First Sword
Skills Unlocked
Health Pack
Kidnapped Princess
Low-Level Mob
Item Shop
Game Over
Continue?
Save Point
Cheat Code
Spawn Camping
Headshot
Game-Breaking Glitch

And like I said, they would not be inside a digital world; everything is real to them, but there would be metatextual awareness that they are in fact video games, like how Order of the Stick is an in-world comic about an adventuring party, but the characters are aware they are also in a DnD campaign.

Silver-bordered already has the class type Gamer, so an interesting idea would be to tie in the factions with the gamer profiles.

There are conveniently five demographics, Timmy, Johnny, Spike, Vorthos and Mel, each tied to a color, and we can tie one or two to each faction.

Puzzle Game: Mel/Johnny wu
FPS: Johnny/Spike ub
Fighting Game: Spike/Vorthos br
Adventure/RPG: Vorthos/Timmy rg
Platformer: Timmy/Mel gw
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