MTG Cardsmith Community Forums
Create-a-Cycle Challenge!
Cycles contain some of the most iconic cards in Magic's history. The Titan cycle, the Core 2019 Mare cycle, the Urza land cycle, the flipwalker cycle from Origins, the check land/fast land/shock land/fetch land/etc. cycles, the Ravnica set cycles (all 100 billion of them)... yeah, cycles are awesome.
But! Designing cycles can be quite difficult. Finding an effect, then finding a way to translate that effect to five different colored cards... it is a tough thing to do.
So naturally, this is exactly the task I want you to undertake!
Rules
1. A "cycle" is defined in this contest as a set of five cards of different colors or color combinations that are linked somehow, whether it be by abilities or by something else (e.g. transforming into planeswalkers). It can be any card type.
2. You can submit up to two different cycles in this contest.
3. You must post all five cards in a single comment and say how they are linked. For example, "Frog Cycle: These cards are all Frogs with an activated ability for 2N, where N is an allied color of the Frog's color."
Rewards
Your cards will be judged on mechanics, flavor, balance, and cohesiveness of the cycle (Does it feel like a cycle? Or is it just five random cards?). I am a Melvin-Vorthos-Johnny, and I appreciate a good cycle, so impress me.
NOTE: I take misuse of watermarks VERY seriously. If you put a Rakdos watermark on a card named Olivia, Bloodlady of Innistrad, I will be far less likely to choose your cycle. Only use watermarks on the appropriate cards. It is a pet peeve of mine when people do this.
1st place - Follow and 5 faves, or 9 faves if I'm following you. Plus you get to select 1 Honorable Mention.
2nd place - Follow and 3 faves, or 7 faves if I'm following you.
3rd place - Follow and 1 fave, or 5 faves if I'm following you.
Honorable Mention (1 selected by 1st place, 1 selected by moi) - 3 faves.
I'm normally a very stingy favorite-giver, so count yourselves lucky! :P
The contest will end October 18th. Results will be posted October 21st, my birthday.
Good luck, happy smithing, and may your cycles be more balanced than the Urza lands!
But! Designing cycles can be quite difficult. Finding an effect, then finding a way to translate that effect to five different colored cards... it is a tough thing to do.
So naturally, this is exactly the task I want you to undertake!
Rules
1. A "cycle" is defined in this contest as a set of five cards of different colors or color combinations that are linked somehow, whether it be by abilities or by something else (e.g. transforming into planeswalkers). It can be any card type.
2. You can submit up to two different cycles in this contest.
3. You must post all five cards in a single comment and say how they are linked. For example, "Frog Cycle: These cards are all Frogs with an activated ability for 2N, where N is an allied color of the Frog's color."
Rewards
Your cards will be judged on mechanics, flavor, balance, and cohesiveness of the cycle (Does it feel like a cycle? Or is it just five random cards?). I am a Melvin-Vorthos-Johnny, and I appreciate a good cycle, so impress me.
NOTE: I take misuse of watermarks VERY seriously. If you put a Rakdos watermark on a card named Olivia, Bloodlady of Innistrad, I will be far less likely to choose your cycle. Only use watermarks on the appropriate cards. It is a pet peeve of mine when people do this.
1st place - Follow and 5 faves, or 9 faves if I'm following you. Plus you get to select 1 Honorable Mention.
2nd place - Follow and 3 faves, or 7 faves if I'm following you.
3rd place - Follow and 1 fave, or 5 faves if I'm following you.
Honorable Mention (1 selected by 1st place, 1 selected by moi) - 3 faves.
I'm normally a very stingy favorite-giver, so count yourselves lucky! :P
The contest will end October 18th. Results will be posted October 21st, my birthday.
Good luck, happy smithing, and may your cycles be more balanced than the Urza lands!
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Anyhow, could you create an example set of cycle cards please? I'm thinking of cycling when you discard, and I know that isn't the cycling you are talking about. I need a visual more to what you are going for it would help tremendously, it may help other cardsmiths out as well.
The cycle also has increasing mana costs, from one to five.
https://mtgcardsmith.com/user/MonkeyPirate2002/sets/22800
Ignore Hallownyx, Luna's Crossing unless you allow for a 6th card to be made that does something special with the rest of the set.
Because the cycle has to be five cards, the final card was made on Magic Set Editor in order to get the {2/B} symbol (alternatively, it could have a {C/B} symbol if someone wanted to get really creative.
Fate reforged war-mages from each of the clans (or as I like to call them, khanates, since each is led by a khan). Each is a three cmc 3/3 with each of the three colours and a powerful ETB effect.
Aside from that, really great, unique and flavourful.
Thanks a lot! Great catch on Ruthless Ultimatum. I edited my entry to fix it. I always intended it to cast the cards for free, but must have accidentally left it out when making the card.
Double Strike —> First Strike
2/2 for 3 with an owl (bird) at entrance and benefit if the one before them in WUBRG is with them.
Edit: Previous versions did not work, so i make some new designs
107.3f - If a card in any zone other than the stack has an {X} in its mana cost, the value of {X} is treated as 0, even if the value of X is defined somewhere within its text.
What does this mean? It means when permanents leave the stack and enter the battlefield, they "forget" what X was, so they treat it as 0. This means that your boros, izzet, dimir, and golgari cards will enter the battlefield, have X become 0, then do their ETB ability. Your selesnya card, though, enters the battlefield with counters, meaning that it considered X while on the stack, then left it. That's why all permanents with X casting cost currently in the game enters the battlefield with a certain amount of counters.
If you want it to work like you are intending, you need to word it so that the effect happens as you cast it. Check out these three examples.
Hope this helps people in their future card designs.
@ChainsawXIV, Yes that could work, I will have to do some drastic changes but still.
I will update my post with new designs