I Designed an MTG Set in (Just Over) 24 hours: Here's how it went!

edited December 2020 in Custom Card Sets
At 12:10(ish)pm EST on Wednesday, December 23rd, I went live on twitch doing a 24 hour stream where I attempted to desgin an entire custom MTG set in 24 hours. At 12:10(ish)pm on Thrusday, December 24th, my 24 hour timer ran out with 247 cards (of 249) in the set file (with one design that was cut after time was called). It took about 30 minutes following the timer running out to design the two (three, actually, due to the one card cut) remaining cards to fill out the set, making the final time for my first set sprint (in my books) 24 hours and 30 minutes!

Overall, I'm super happy with how everything went. The community support was awesome, and there was always someone hanging around stream with me when I was online. I had an absolutely blast pushing through a set like this, and I'm satisfied with the end result relative to the amount of time it took.

My time was running continuously, regardless of if I was designing or not, and here were the place I spent/lost the most unproductive time:
1. A 30ish minute pause to dogsit (my parents sprang it on me at the last minute, but I was happy to do it)
2. A 30ish minute evening break because I was hitting burnout
3. A 1 hour dinner break
4. A 1 hour break at around 2am because I was hitting burnout
5. A 2 hour, 30 minute nap from around 5am to 7:30am -- This ran longer than I had originally anticipated.
6. A 1 hour pause to walk my parents' dogs (I do so every morning, and was fully expecting this one)

If I hadn't taken so long on the nap, I likely would've finished the initial 249 card set with some time to spare so I could proofread and edit cards. At the moment I am aware of the following proofreading errors in the initial draft:
1. Rallier of Crowds is missing its creature type.
2. Bound in Silence is an existing card name.
3. Tide of Strength is missing the "When you cycle Tide of Strength," line in its second ability.
4. An incorrect pluralization (when the word should be singular) on Harness the Luxa, alongside some typography spacing issues caused by MSE itself rather than me. 
5. A minor error in the reminder text of The Hekma with it including an extra word.

We'll have to see if any more turn up over time. I'm feeling good-ish about the balance of most of the cards in the set, but without any playtesting I have zero clue how things are actually going to turn out.

Now then, you're all probably screaming "Arceus, show us the set already!" Well, without further ado, I am pleased to present:

Amonkhet of Old

Welcome to Amonkhet, but not the one you became familiar with from 2017. This is Amonkhet at its highest, its most alive, its most glorious. This is the Amonkhet before the Hours, before the eternals, before the God-Pharaoh himself. This is Amonkhet as it was before Nicol Bolas took over.

Nicol Bolas might have warped the plane significantly, but some things were left unchanged. Namely, most of the major civilizations have fallen, and the deserts are still plagued by Sandwurms, Horrors, and the Curse of Wandering. Amonkhet of Old follows the remaining survivors of these past civilizations, banding together to construct a new city, a safehaven for the plane's residents: Naktamun. The world is alive, people are thriving, and everyone is coming together to forge a new, better future for the world. Follow the founding decades of this great city, the establishment of the true, original trials, and the purposes of the Gods, all eight of them, as they originally were.

Details:
-Is a large, standalone set.
-Has 249 cards. (101 commons, 80 uncommons, 53 rares, 15 mythic rares)
-Features the following mechanics:
     o Embalm [cost] ([Cost], Exile this card from your graveyard: Create a token that's a copy of it, except it's a white Zombie [creature types] with no mana cost. Embalm only as a sorcery.)
     o Cycling [cost] ([Cost], Discard this card: Draw a card.)
     o Thrive N  (As you cast this spell, you may tap N untapped creatures you control. When you do, copy it and you may choose new targets for the copy.)
     o Labor -- Whenever this creature becomes tapped, [effect].
     o Buildings (2, Tap an untapped creature you control: Add a brick counter. This artifact has all abilities less or equal to its brick counters.)
-Features 5 story spotlight cards to depict key events in the set's lore.

Points of Interest:
-A distinct overarching tap-matters theme fills the set, flavored to working together to build up the city of Naktamun.
-Features all eight Amonkhet gods showcased as they originally were before Bolas' corruption, especially the three bug gods (Scorpion, Scarab, Locust)
-Brings back popular mechanics such as Embalm, Cycling, and Deserts
-Includes MTG's first ever horror lord
-Brings back popular cards from Amonkhet block like Anointed Procession.
-Features various "callbacks"/foreshadowing to cards and events from original Amonkhet block.

You can check out what I managed to do in 24 hours and 30 minutes here: http://www.planesculptors.net/set/set-sprint-1-amonkhet-of-old#details

Comments

  • You did it!! This is honestly super impressive. I love all the flavor and mechanics you were able to pack in here. You may now take as much time off as you need :smile: 
  • Cool! Obviously, some cards need fixing, but really outstanding for the time you got to do it.
  • HELLLLLLL YESSSSSSS. I'd really love to see this cleaned up and with art I want to draft it so badddddd
  • Thanks for doing an Old Ahmonket set, I always wanted that.
  • Congratulations!
  • edited December 2020
    Um... no offense, but I made the exact same card as Vizier of Secrets on mtgcardsmith five months ago, but mine costs 1 less. It used to cost the exact same, but Shadow123 and people on discord said it was way too weak, so I dropped the cost.

    Here it is: https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/scroll-griever

    Check the comments for shadow's feedback.
  • Great job, the set looks really cool!
  • One more thing, The Hekma has a mistake in it's reminder text. Hint: it's the word before "bricks".
  • so it does. hehehe
  • @joemamajoe

    Whoops! I thought I fixed all the buildings reminder texts. Must’ve missed the Hekma since it’s colored and isn’t grouped with the other artifacts.
  • Oh...that's a wording mistake alright haha

    Aside from that little thing- WOW! It's really cool how you managed to do this so quickly and made the product really nicely designed. Well done :)
  • Absolutely incredible! Nice job, man! Most of those cards are better than all of mine. One tiny thing that I don’t even know how I noticed, card #15 is missing.
  • @RandomFandom

    It's not missing. MSE and PS handle image ordering different, namely in that MSE correctly excludes the word "The" in names when numbering cards, while PS doesn't. #15 is The First Trials.
  • Hi there, I haven't read the whole set.  But I made a whole post-Ahmonket set and am about to start on the second.  So having this to mull over is great inspiration.

    Labor is great for the old set. 

    One problem with the gods though.   I assume you didn't know, it was only included in the fiction that came out with the set's release.   Someone comes across something from Amohnket of old depicting the eight gods and sees  "Above the carvings of people were etchings of the Amonkhet pantheon. Eight animal-headed gods, all gentle and benevolent mammals, birds and reptiles—eight? "

    Nissa saw a vision of three gods being killed and five corrupted.  The three beca,me in insect gods of course.    Bolus either lopped the other god's heads off and replaced or sealed them in gold masks and changed their nature to something more violent.

    And no, we don't know what they were or what their portfolios.  But none had insect heads, or the heads of predators.  So to be accurate those 8 cards would need to be redone.    
  • edited February 2021
    @mmm3creator

    I'm not seeing the issue in that passage? Is there anything saying the eight gods didn't keep their original animal depictions? The insect gods perhaps not since the animals they're depicting aren't exactly "gentle" or "benevolent," but the other five all seem like they more or less match the description. If I'm not mistaken the big revelation from that passage is that Amonkhet had eight gods, not five.

    Also, I'd love to see your post-Amonkhet set! Do you have a link for it?
  • Sorry, didn't see this had a mailbox.
      
    The three dead gods are neither mammals, birds and reptiles.  So no their herds have to be something else.

    For the other 5, all of them a predatory; not gentle and not benevolent. 
    Think about it - Jackal - no, Cobra definitely not.  Cat - Famously out to kill you,   Ibis a carnivore and territorial,  Only Bontu refrains some aspect of her original head- because she cooperated, I think she must have been a lizard and considered a crocodile an necessary upgrade.

    I considered briefly that one might be a Hippo.  Yet it can't be because hippos are extremely territorial and kill lots and lots of people.  Now would the famous haws of House work - predator.

    It means your set has the cnage to get creative and re-head and re-define 8 gods.


    Post Ahmonket set if Cartaracts of Amhonket.  Hazoret has called out and alien gods, member of other Pantheons have answered.  So four new faiths are born.   Hazoret and the new gods lead the survivors of Bolas's (the unreaped crop) upriver along the edge of the edge of the Luxa's bounty.  encountering new peoples and fighting the desert's undead.  Eventually reaching the second cataract at the end of their migration.

     I have recently conceived the climax - Hazor, the outer Gods, and warriors and priests fight and bind, Ahmonket's would soul and break its cures.  Nissa returns with Viven, who's Arkenbow containni the last seed of her dead homeworld's Worldsoul.  The spiritually  crippled and bodiless Woudldsouls ae united under the guidance of the new GB goddess.

    Please Enjoy  Amonkhet Cataracts: 
    https://mtgcardsmith.com/user/mmm3creator/sets/39516?page=1

    I have not yet seriosuly started on another.  There, they settle on the abandoned shores of the Great Lake, home to all life.  Which is going to take some heroic doings.  I haven;t even started to put it together but a pair of great kards for others for the ball rolling just a little but,  Best seen here: https://www.deviantart.com/mmm3says/gallery/77239128/amonket-2-lifespring
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