Long time Cuber and Card designer here. I've decided to try and tackle a custom cube yet again, but this time I'm going to give it a shot in more manageable 3 card bursts. I'll be keeping the set skeleton and all designs I post (or their fixed versions that you critique) in the Set Creation subforum: Altaurus321's Custom Cube. This will allow me to stay organized and focused.
Deep MeditationWU
Enchantment {R}
Cumulative Upkeep WU
Prevent all damage dealt to you by sources you don't control.
When Deep Meditation is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, scry X, where X is the number of age counters on it. Then, draw a card.
[Artifact, Utility]
Illusory Rod 2
Artifact {R}
Tap an untapped creature you control: Put a charge counter on Illusory Rod. Activate this ability only during your turn. 1, Remove two charge counters from Illusory Rod: Tap target permanent.
Please evaluate these based on the following Design constraint:
"[...]
3. Creature card power levels should be around the current design standards, and noncreature card power levels should be around Urza's block design standards. Planeswalker's will be measured on a case by case basis.
[...]"
I appreciate any feedback, thanks!
Frontline Elemental 1RW
Creature - Elemental {U}
3/1
Haste
When Frontline Elemental dies, it deals 3 damage to target player and you gain 3 life.
Deep Meditation WU
Enchantment {R}
Cumulative Upkeep WU
Prevent all damage dealt to you by sources you don't control.
When Deep Meditation is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, draw a card for each age counter on it.
Stasis Bloom GU
Enchantment
Cumulative Upkeep GU
Prevent all damage dealt to you by sources you don't control.
When Stasis Bloom is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, draw a card for each age counter on it.
Frontline Elemental is probably acceptable under current design standards considering it only hits players; as it is it basically is a Lightning Helix to the face that also requires the sacrifice of a blocker.
Stasis Bloom feels like an Urza block card, alright, specifically Energy Field. But I'd put this in one of the white/blue control slots, actually, rather than in green/blue.
Illusory Rod seems fine given the constraints on charging it up.
You could re-green it by changing the effect to "Prevent all damage dealt to players." That's kind of a bummer effect though. I tend to agree that, as written, it's WU.
Nothing against the bloom, but I feel like it should be replaced by Perpetual Blooming, a custom card made by Kraj which is arguably one of the best designs this forum has ever seen.
Perpetual Blooming :symg::symg:
Enchantment
Cumulative upkeep :1mana::symg:
At the beginning of your draw step, end the turn. Take an extra turn after this one.
Sphinx is really good. Control will play it and be able to protect him just fine, hes a much better finisher then Jwar Isle and thats saying a lot considering how good he alone is. Bazzar Trader.dec now has 16 threaten effects. Thats really, really, really,really good. Really good.
Frontline Elemental is probably acceptable under current design standards considering it only hits players; as it is it basically is a Lightning Helix to the face that also requires the sacrifice of a blocker.
Stasis Bloom feels like an Urza block card, alright, specifically Energy Field. But I'd put this in one of the white/blue control slots, actually, rather than in green/blue.
Illusory Rod seems fine given the constraints on charging it up.
You could re-green it by changing the effect to "Prevent all damage dealt to players." That's kind of a bummer effect though. I tend to agree that, as written, it's WU.
Yah, now that you mention it, it does seem more WU than anything. Thanks for that catch. Fixed.
I'm not sure if the Rod is good enough or not, but it might be one of those cards you have to playtest before you know.
Nothing against the bloom, but I feel like it should be replaced by Perpetual Blooming, a custom card made by Kraj which is arguably one of the best designs this forum has ever seen.
Obviously an amazing design. I just don't think it's strong enough.
Frontline Elemental - This seems really strong. It is likely to kill any early game blockers but still guarantees 3 damage to the opponent. It might be worth trying with just lifelink and haste.
Stasis Bloom/Deep Meditation - It is a self-contained turbofog enchantment. The mass card draw at the end takes an already incredibly strong anti-aggro card and pushes it way over the top. It would still be a good anti-aggro card without the card draw.
If damage would be dealt to you, put that many age counters on CARDNAME instead.
Cumulative upkeep 1
or maybe without the additional counter each turn from cumulative upkeep.
If damage would be dealt to you, put that many depletion counters on CARDNAME instead.
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice CARDNAME unless you pay 1 for each depletion counter on it.
It still acts as a preemptive Fog that can stick around for multiple turns, but it becomes increasingly harder to keep, especially during the early game.
Illusory Rod - The only thing allowing this be okay is the restriction to your turn for the first ability. It still might be a little too good with being able to tap down lands, but test it and see.
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Long time Cuber and Card designer here. I've decided to try and tackle a custom cube yet again, but this time I'm going to give it a shot in more manageable 3 card bursts. I'll be keeping the set skeleton and all designs I post (or their fixed versions that you critique) in the Set Creation subforum: Altaurus321's Custom Cube. This will allow me to stay organized and focused.
First Up:
[RW_AggroCreature]
Creature - Elemental {U}
3/1
Haste, lifelink
Enchantment {R}
Cumulative Upkeep WU
Prevent all damage dealt to you by sources you don't control.
When Deep Meditation is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, scry X, where X is the number of age counters on it. Then, draw a card.
Artifact {R}
Tap an untapped creature you control: Put a charge counter on Illusory Rod. Activate this ability only during your turn.
1, Remove two charge counters from Illusory Rod: Tap target permanent.
Please evaluate these based on the following Design constraint:
3. Creature card power levels should be around the current design standards, and noncreature card power levels should be around Urza's block design standards. Planeswalker's will be measured on a case by case basis.
[...]"
Creature - Elemental {U}
3/1
Haste
When Frontline Elemental dies, it deals 3 damage to target player and you gain 3 life.
Deep Meditation WU
Enchantment {R}
Cumulative Upkeep WU
Prevent all damage dealt to you by sources you don't control.
When Deep Meditation is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, draw a card for each age counter on it.
Stasis Bloom GU
Enchantment
Cumulative Upkeep GU
Prevent all damage dealt to you by sources you don't control.
When Stasis Bloom is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, draw a card for each age counter on it.
(CubeTutor & MTGS)
360 Peasant Cube!
Custom Cube
RWU Miracles RWU
Stasis Bloom feels like an Urza block card, alright, specifically Energy Field. But I'd put this in one of the white/blue control slots, actually, rather than in green/blue.
Illusory Rod seems fine given the constraints on charging it up.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Yah, now that you mention it, it does seem more WU than anything. Thanks for that catch. Fixed.
I'm not sure if the Rod is good enough or not, but it might be one of those cards you have to playtest before you know.
Obviously an amazing design. I just don't think it's strong enough.
(CubeTutor & MTGS)
360 Peasant Cube!
Custom Cube
RWU Miracles RWU
Stasis Bloom/Deep Meditation - It is a self-contained turbofog enchantment. The mass card draw at the end takes an already incredibly strong anti-aggro card and pushes it way over the top. It would still be a good anti-aggro card without the card draw.
A similar design might be to use it as Delaying Shield/Force Bubble variant.
Cumulative upkeep 1
or maybe without the additional counter each turn from cumulative upkeep.
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice CARDNAME unless you pay 1 for each depletion counter on it.
It still acts as a preemptive Fog that can stick around for multiple turns, but it becomes increasingly harder to keep, especially during the early game.
Illusory Rod - The only thing allowing this be okay is the restriction to your turn for the first ability. It still might be a little too good with being able to tap down lands, but test it and see.