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4 years ago ::
Apr 22, 2009 - 5:41AM
#1
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Date Joined:
Oct 14, 2007
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So apparently I'm opening a CardThread, like the many that infest this thread. I never thought that I would, but then Alara Reborn was spoiled.
Huh?
Well, I make cards at all times, and I have for the best part of two years now. Sometimes I invent new cards, other times I tinker with my creations, but in every case I keep them all locked in my head, following the "I Might Need It Later" principle. Just in case there's a contest, or the design team all suddenly fall ill and I'm called to invent "Prosper".
But now WotC have been beating me to the punch. A card and a mechanic set to appear in Alara Reborn bear striking resemblance to cards I made in my mental wanderings; if I used them now, I'd just be accused of copying. So I've decided to put down in writing my creations, so when the moment comes I'll be able to say: "WotC copied me lolololol!!!!1".
Comment on cards if you want, feedback will only make me stronger (Unless it kills me. You know what they say about that).
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4 years ago ::
Apr 22, 2009 - 5:54AM
#2
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Date Joined:
Oct 14, 2007
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I'll kick things off with the cards that prompted me to make this thread: Mechanic: Erratic
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I'm not gonna write down the mechanic it resembles, for those who wish not to see any spoilers. Everyone else, you should recognise it immediately.
Erratic (cost) - (number) (You may play this spell by its erratic cost. If you do, remove it from the game instead of resolving it, then play the (number) card fom the top of your library without paying its mana cost)
Sting 
Instant [COMMON]
CARDNAME deals 1 damage to target creature or player
Erratic  - 5
I made this mechanic for a randomness based set back in the day when I was a bit more of a n00b. Now I know slightly better, but I still like the idea. Erratic was meant to be a gamble. Get the effect from the card now, or maybe erratic into a Darksteel Colossus  ? Or maybe a land? Yea, I never exactly knew what would happen if you flipped a land. I guess I should add an extra line of reminder text. Card: Firm Denial
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Firm Denial 
Instant [UNCOMMON]
Counter two target spells.
A very simple design, probably already invented by someone in the boards. Perhaps it foolish of me to think that WotC would never make something like this. I like how it's strictly better than Counterspell  , but at the same time it's also worse. You don't stumble on something like this every day. Again, I won't say what Alara Reborn card ot parrots.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 22, 2009 - 10:19AM
#3
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- UnCon Prizewinner 2008
- Banner Banneret
- BCP5 Design & Development Lead
Date Joined:
Jul 24, 2008
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The erratic card is really powerful, even when some times can be useless (thinking Limited or in a deck with a counterspell -not likely). But most of the time it will be really good. Even if it hits a land and you can play it, it would be good accel. And in Constructed, it can be really good in aggro.
Also, it's the fifth card, right? Not the top 5 cards (that would be insane).
The idea is quite cool.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 22, 2009 - 10:44AM
#4
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Date Joined:
Apr 13, 2009
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Firm denial is *not* strictly better than Counterspell . If it said "Counter up to two target spells" it would be. For example, Hex  is not strictly better than a card which cost the same and said "Destroy two target creatures." I do like Firm Denial though. I'd never play it... but I like it. You could even make it cost , unless it was in a block where there's usually multiple spells on the stack (like storm, for example).
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4 years ago ::
Apr 22, 2009 - 11:02AM
#5
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Date Joined:
Oct 14, 2007
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Yes, the number indicates the 5th card from the top. It would be development's duty to fiddle with the numbers: I'm a designer. The whole point of the set was that the colours had different approaches to randomness. White punished your opponent for doing it, blue and black had a careful and studying approach to it while red and green had a high risk/high outcome strategy. The mechanic was to be mostly in red, with a cycle, of which Sting is part, at common in all colours. The greater the number, the less powerful the card was supposed to be, because there was a certain degree of top-of-your-library manipulation in blue, for its controlled gambling tactic. Cycle: Choose One
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Most of my designs are in cycles. Whenever I make card, I always try to channel its spirit and replicate it in all colours. So singular cards almost always end up at being cycles in my hands. I first created the blue card of this cycle, under the name of Dominate. When I saw that that was taken, I changed to Supremacy. Then I made the red one some time later and realized they used the same mechanic, so I fleshed it out in an entire cycle.
Supremacy
Instant
Choose target creature. Tap all other creatures.
"I built you. I mastered you. I mentored you. I shall not be bested by you"
Yurin, to Domo-do
Gangstabbing 
Instant
Choose target creature. All other creatures deal damage to it equal to their power.
Ominous Presence  
Instant
Choose target creature. All other creatures get -X/-X until end of turn, where X is that creature's power.
Predator Champion 
Instant
Choose target creature. Move all counters from all other creatures onto it.
Chosen Martyr 
Instant
Choose target creature. Regenerate all other creatures.
The two original ones both have top-down flavour: the supremacy of a creature ensures it is the only one left standing, and in a gangstabbing all creatures ally to deal damage a single one. In the others, I chose the mechanic first and the name later, but generally I use the first approach to card-making.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 24, 2009 - 1:52AM
#6
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Date Joined:
Oct 14, 2007
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Cycle: Mistform Primus
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The first cycle you wouldn't be able to have all cards of in a deck at the same time!
Mistform Primus
Legendary Creature - Bird Soldier Shapeshifter
Flying, Vigilance
 : Search your library for a card named Mistform Primus, reveal it and put it into your hand. Shuffle your library.
Sacrifice CARDNAME: Reveal your hand. If there is a card named Mistform Primus in there, you may put that card into play.
As mistrusting as the aven are, they never suspected that their greatest enemy would come looking exactly like them.
2/5
Mistform Primus
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard Shapeshifter
, : Draw a card.
: Search your library for a card named Mistform Primus, reveal it and put it into your hand. Shuffle your library.
Sacrifice CARDNAME: Reveal your hand. If there is a card named Mistform Primus in there, you may put that card into play.
To their credit, humans are tolerant enough to newcomers if they bring knowledge, and the Primus has a wealth of information.
1/2
Mistform Primus
Legendary Creature - Zombie Shapeshifter
Fear
: Search your library for a card named Mistform Primus, reveal it and put it into your hand. Shuffle your library.
Sacrifice CARDNAME: Reveal your hand. If there is a card named Mistform Primus in there, you may put that card into play.
The zombies' mind is easily confused. If it shambles and groans and hungers, it's one of them.
3/2
Mistform Primus
Legendary Creature - Goblin Warrior Shapeshifter
Haste
: CARDNAME gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
: Search your library for a card named Mistform Primus, reveal it and put it into your hand. Shuffle your library.
Sacrifice CARDNAME: Reveal your hand. If there is a card named Mistform Primus in there, you may put that card into play.
The hardest part was to mimic the goblins' distinctive smell.
1/1
Mistform Primus 
Legendary Creature - Beast Shapeshifter
Trample
: Search your library for a card named Mistform Primus, reveal it and put it into your hand. Shuffle your library.
Sacrifice CARDNAME: Reveal your hand. If there is a card named Mistform Primus in there, you may put that card into play.
The herd never noticed a new beast arrived. It was the Primus' easiest infiltration.
7/6
They have all the same name, so you can only have four of these in your deck. They are legendary, so having two in play, even if they are different incarnations, will kill them both for the Legend rule. The flavour is clear: it's one creature, the Mistform Primus (Primus means first, as Ultimus means last) that can shapeshift at will between the different tribes of Onslaught. For the art, I imagined that there would be groups of the appropriate creatures, a flock of aven for the white one, a gathering of mages for the second one, and so on, where one of them would have bright red eyes that really made him stand out. That would be Mistform Primus, master shapeshifter.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 24, 2009 - 6:30AM
#7
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Date Joined:
Mar 30, 2004
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I like the idea, but revealing your hand seems a bit punishing. Why not just: "X, t, sac: Search your library for a card named ~ and put it into play."? It's what is going to happen anyway.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 24, 2009 - 9:37AM
#8
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Date Joined:
Oct 14, 2007
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I wanted to keep the two abilities separate, so you can use them at different times. Besides, if you already have one in hand, you don't need to tap.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 24, 2009 - 4:19PM
#9
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Date Joined:
Oct 14, 2007
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4 years ago ::
Apr 27, 2009 - 2:05PM
#10
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Date Joined:
Oct 14, 2007
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Artifact: Apprentice's Tome
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Apprentice's Tome
Artifact
 : Remove a card in your hand from the game face down. Play this ability only whenever you could play a sorcery.
Sacrifice CARDNAME: You may play a card removed from the game with CARDNAME. (You still have to pay any costs for it.)
Save a spell for later, and drop sorceries and creatures and planeswalkers at instant speed! The "Remove only as sorcery" clause is to avoid dumping your hand if someone plays Duress  or similar. Can make for interesting decisions. Creature: Goblin Masochists
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Goblin Masochists
Creature - Goblin Warrior
At the beginning of each upkeep, CARDNAME deals one damage to itself.
2/2
I wonder if this is better or worse than Goblin Piker  .
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