Beacon of Creation

We've got two primo Alara experts on the podcast this week and we're designing cards! Mako, creator of the Alara custom set, puts Tim and Scribbl to the test with five design prompts. Bant redemption? Stealing houses in Unx?? Complicated block triggers??? Find more of Mako and Scribbl's work on these Discord servers: MSE Modern: https://discord.gg/PeUkAfDP9A Magic Set Editor: https://discord.gg/b6...

You have our permission to enjoy all these sweet "may" cards! All of them provide a choice within their rules text. Join Tim and Markus in considering all the different wrinkles to these choices. You may submit a card to our new Name Inverter challenge on Discord: https://discord.gg/t88Vpwh

Juliet and Kayiu continue their stay on a borrowed plane: ALARA by Mako! While there they debate who the most iconic planeswalker from Alara is, the logistics of how Grixis as a setting even works, limited bombs and constructed staples, and a broken card that's still fairer than Noble Hierarch. Check out the preview articles for ALARA at: https://magicseteditor.boards.net/thread/1360/alara-maelstr...

Juliet and Kayiu planeswalk into something borrowed: the inimitable ALARA by Mako! While there they check out some of the best documentation in all of custom set design, Encouraging combinations of flavor Tethered to mechanics, and how bottom-up sets can become top-down when they're returned to. Check out the preview articles for ALARA at: https://magicseteditor.boards.net/thread/1360/alara-maelst...

We challenged you all to give us your best "fool" cards. Check out the second half of the review where we get fully bamboozled. Cards from: Juliet,  Larcent,  Bradley Rose,  Wobbles,  Home Slice,  Redbay,  Craftedlavaistrue,  Iemcd,  Bracsonian,  jamesGover Submit your card to our May Powers challenge on Discord: https://discord.gg/t88Vpwh

It's fool or be fooled for Tim and Markus as they review your submissions to the April Fools challenge! This part covers these submissions: - kuyashiiPlays - BoofTroupe - Dillon - Tahanu - underFlorence - Thesixthroc - MonoWhiteBorder Future eps reviewing the rest of the challenge come soon! Submit your card to our May Powers challenge on Discord: https://discord.gg/t88Vpwh

Returning guest Larcent shares his progress developing a set about changing weather. Each kind of weather has a material effect on the game and picking the right weather is a challenge. The set's other mechanics also have some cool ties to that central theme. Check out the set here: https://www.planesculptors.net/set/storms-of-yerzivan Jump into the discussion on our Discord:  https://discord.gg/t...

Castmire, our community developed set, is resuming development and we've got a handy introduction to get you excited! This is a great chance to get involved in the set. Jump into the discussion on our Discord:  https://discord.gg/t88Vpwh

This week our guests are given a custom Commander and have to pick reprints and design new cards for that Commander's precon! Brewer MonoWhiteBorder and long-ago returning guest Gaby team up to crack "Roose, Waste Manager". Share your ideas for Roose on our Discord:  https://discord.gg/t88Vpwh

The second half of Wednesday's challenge review! We talk about your lion and lamb cards and pick our favorites! Get in on the next Design Challenge by heading to our Discord:  https://discord.gg/t88Vpwh

Celebrate volatile March weather with the review of your Lamb and Lion cards! Like the last few challenges, we got a lot of submissions! The second half of them will be reviewed in an ep released in a few days. Get in on the next Design Challenge by heading to our Discord:  https://discord.gg/t88Vpwh

In Eleventh Edition, we take an existing Magic card and make ten new versions of it. This time, Tim brings on 11E super-fan Christopher Lundgren, and they share and discuss their card designs that use Time Vault as a starting point. Share your versions of Time Vault on our Discord:  https://discord.gg/t88Vpwh

Looking to make your own Kamigawa cube? Tim and guest Dan Martin aka thesixthroc have both created and playtested Kamigawa block cubes. Together they discuss an overview of what's available in those sets, as well as individual cards and tips they've picked up. Discord:  https://discord.gg/t88Vpwh

The second half of our review session is here! We're covering cards from our It Takes Two challenge, where listeners designed cards based off of other designers' cards.  This ep was carved out of the recording session from Part 1, so some of the cards explained there aren't re-read here. Definitely listen in order! Get in on the next Design Challenge by heading to our Discord:  https://discord.gg/...

Markus AKA Mark Confidant AKA Master of Challenges is back to help Tim review your submissions to the It Takes Two challenge! This challenge was extra cool because the entries we are reviewing all combo with cards from other designers! We were so packed with submissions that we'll have a second ep, releasing Saturday. Get in on the next Design Challenge by heading to our Discord:  https://discord....

Juliet and Kayiu check out a set from custom Magic's golden age: the brand-new Nangjiao in Bloom by CanterburyEgg! Along the way they study activated abilities mattering in an elegant way, recent returns to the same plane, constructed collaboration to make a vanilla creature matter, and what the deal is with all these foxes. https://www.planesculptors.net/set/nangjiao-in-bloom https://discord.gg/t...

Our first book review episode! Perry K hops on the pod to discuss Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. This book takes place in a sprawling house, mostly empty of life but full of unusual statues and other phenomena. We give an overview of the setting and relate that to our work on custom set Castmire. In the back half of the ep, we go spoiler mode and discuss other parallels and inspirations with Magic lo...

Juliet and Kayiu investigate the classic custom set Aenyr by Zervintz and its place in custom design history, whether art by definition requires audience, some of the great things Aenyr does to avoid common pitfalls of multicolor design, and the potential moral hazard of errata. https://www.planesculptors.net/set/aenyr#cards https://discord.gg/custommagic https://discord.gg/t88Vpwh

Markus aka Mark Confidant aka Blonde Bob aka the Colorado Rocket Launcher joins up to help review your submissions for Design Challenge: New Year's Resolutions. This ep goes HEAVY, not just on the card ideas but also the potential of all these Alchemy mechanics! Get in on the next Design Challenge by heading to our Discord:  https://discord.gg/t88Vpwh

The Scholar of Segue joins the pod this week to talk through game design goals for 2022. We talk about all phases of making games, from testing to layout to printing! Follow the show @magicdesigncast

New Year, new stuff!! Adam and Tim make some guesses on the 2022 Magic release slate, then choose sides on a bunch of predictions! Check our twitter and vote for who you agree with:  @magicdesigncast

Our wave of Build a Guild content crests with a big discussion with "the Guildmaster" Kayiu! We promise we will eventually release non-Guild content in the new year! :) See you then!!! Discord:  https://discord.gg/t88Vpwh

Our Build a Guild challenge got so big we filled almost a month! We review the last crop of submissions. I hope you enjoy! MonoWhiteBorder  - GW - Exile Matters James Gover  - UG - untap ramp and syncs Perryk  - BG - 5 Color Ramp Brad  - UR - "Put Cards on the Bottom of your Library" Wobbles  - RW - Lands Fall Apart Kayiu  - UG - Enchantments & +1/+1 Counters Discord:  https://discord.gg/t88Vpwh T...

The dark middle chapter of our Build a Guild challenge! We got so many we made three eps of it. This ep has: Justnigel - RW Nostalgic Hero Leem - RG - Green Red Dragons. Romacchino13 - UB - Return to Hand And Discard Craftedlavaistrue - UB - saboteur matters C2H6 - RB - Cheap (Low MV) Reanimation Bonus Kayiu - BR - Multiple Activated Abilities Discord:  https://discord.gg/t88Vpwh Twitter: @magicde...

Our Build a Guild challenge, full of your super sweet archetype ideas, gets reviewed! We got so many we're splitting it into three eps. This ep has: MBTree - BG - Deathtouch + Morbid Juliet - RW - "1 Damage" Matters Larcent - UB - Artifact Scavengers Ian - WU - Aura Value Dillon  BW  "not quite there" legend buff Bonus Kayiu   UW Untaps-Outside-Of-Untap-Step! Discord:  https://discord.gg/t88Vpwh T...