Help the newcomers! (Closed)

Hello! Tachanka here, still trying to find out how to start his articles!
`When I first started cardsmith, this was my first card:

Yeah, plenty of issues. And you know what? I wasn't that proud of it.  Why? Because it was crap. 
So my idea was that the cardsmiths who would consider themselves having some experience, to post here some helpful tips for one of two current categories:

  • Set Design
  • Card Design
So, this is where you guys can help those newer people on the site!
Thank you for taking the time to read this, stay safe, and have a good day!
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Comments

  • What is the approximate number of followers you are looking for here? Because I feel like I've been doing this long enough to try and contribute, but at the same time I feel a little insecure calling myself experienced.
  • Well @HeroKP, I would say that you know a good bit about card creation, but if you're looking for followers, I would say that as long as you have followers, you're in the clear. I know some people on the site(Namely DrillbossD) who have less than 5, but still make stunning cards.
  • @LordTachanka123 Thank you for the kind words. I will write some 'wisdom' up to post soon.
  • Hmm... Wisdom... Well here is some random stuff

    1. colourless mana, then coloured.

    2. Dont forget to put flavour text in italics

    3. And these, because I used to keep putting them in the wrong order.

    URG - Temur                          UBR - Grixis

    BRG - Jund                              RWB - Mardu

    GWU - Bant                             BGU - Sultai

    WBG - Abzan                           URW - Jeskai

    WUB - Esper                             RWG - Naya

    4. Don't run with scissors.


  • @LordTachanka123

    I would definitely not call myself experienced, but here is an article that talks about the color pie that was very useful to me:
    https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/mechanical-color-pie-2017-2017-06-05
  • @HeroKP You’re an awesome cardsmith!
  • edited May 2020
    @shadow123

    *proceeds to giggle from the euphoria of validation*

    I have to say the same about you!
  • The Golden Rule:

    The single biggest piece of advice I could give to any newcomer is DON'T GIVE UP. Mtg Cardsmith may be rustic compared to the big names in social media, but it is far from empty, so it will likely be months before anyone acknowledges your existence in any meaningful way. For me it was a year. This is normal. 
    It is, then, an inexplicable superpower of Mtg Cardsmith that unlike other social media, if you keep trying, YOU WILL SUCCEED.
    So keep on trying. Look at the popular cards. See how they are formatted. Do the same. Your cards have a higher chance of getting looked at if it is pleasant to do so. 
    Participate in the forums. First trying submitting to a few challenges, then try hosting. Be part of the community. Recognition will come in its own right.
  • On quotes:

    If you want it to seem like the character in the card is talking, just don't have a name. if you want a description, add no quotes. For examples, my cards.



    He is saying the quote.



    It is being explained.



    It is being explained by some one else.
  • Thank you so much everybody, this is all really good advice! This is making me feel like the newcomer!
  • @HeroKP I can’t tell you how much I agree with you! I used to feel like I got no recognition at all! It took me years to earn my first 1st place in a contest!
  • @LordTachanka123, you more or less still are, when considering how long some of the users here have been around.
  • Yeah, I realize that @Ranshi, that probably made me sound like I think I'm a veteran. By no means do I believe that, and as @shadow123 pointed out, I am yet to get 1st place in a contest. I do believe that I have advanced far from when I started. This is what I'm talking about:

    First card

    More recent card
  • I mean, I think I am "new" considering I have only been around for half a year here.
  • I joined mtgcardsmith in 2016, but it took me over a year to get onto the forums. After I joined, many users like @Faiths_Guide @Gelectrode (@Temurzoa, I think...) @Tomigon @modnation675 and @icyyou really helped me improve so much!
  • *Sigh
    "@Gelectrode..."
    Wish I had met him...his cards were quite great...
  • edited May 2020
    ...
  • Speaking of @Gelectrode @shadow123, what's his cardsmith username?
  • I have been called upon and i appreciate the shout out ^^ i tried my best to help whenever i could and i'm glad i left an impression. 

    If i have 1 tip to make card more "popular", it is to make the formatting feel genuine. My first step after i figured out what i want my card to do, is to try and figure out "similar-ish" ACTUAL magic card i can base my wording on.  

    Then i make sure all the text fit in the textbox and dont overlap the border (i feel even with the best card design ever a poor formatting will make it go under the radar for most)

    There is more to it then just that but those are my 2 cents on the subject. Also consider visiting other community for custom magic like the custom magic subreddit. 

    (i wanted to make a whole tutorial with examples and stuff but all my card design are gone from inactivity (i think)) 
  • Thank you so much @icyyou! A whole tutorial would be lovely, sorry...
  • Speaking of you @icyyou, do you still have an account?
  • Here's my suggestions for set design:
    Check out MaRo's "Nuts and bolts" articles. Those are really helpful for profesional set design, but can be overwhelming. 
    Read MaRo's Making Magic articles.
    PLAYTEST YOUR COMMONS. This is very important, and while you may say "But it's boring!", I say "Then your commons aren't good!". Commons should always be playtested before moving on to uncommons. If you can't playtest, try asking someone else to!
  • i still have one but all cards i made are gone after about 2 years of inactivity. im more on the custom magic subreddit nowadays but they don't make friendly contest like i liked to do on here. 

  • @LordTachanka123 why thank you! Your cards are very well-designed too.
  • @Gelectrode! You're back! 
  • @HeroKP, every now and then I let him out of his cage :)
  • RoFLMao!
  • Wow.
    @Gelectrode, no need to lie about my cards. They all suck.
  • I just noticed @Gelectrode, you were only 4 cards away from your max limit...
This discussion has been closed.