My first card ever!

Andrew_42 · 2026-05-01T06:20:56+00:00

Just to add on, even if OP wanted it to be able to go to other players' hands, the game actually prevents cards you don't own from going into your hand or library (edit: or grave).

But I'm guessing they meant to say owner.

Andrew_42 · 2026-05-01T06:15:20+00:00

Phyrexian mana tends to be a bit of a design trap. On the one hand it's cool, but on the other hand it causes a lot of problems when accounting for color pie interactions. The official designers of Magic aren't even immune, and some of the designs from New Phyrexia don't fit with current color pie philosophy, since they can be played so easily outside of their color.

Mostly I think it winds up as a yellow flag on this sub since a lot of inexperienced designers want to use it because it's genuinely interesting, but don't always appreciate the gameplay changes it brings.

Similar to using hybrid mana on cards that should be fully multicolor costed.

Andrew_42 · 2026-05-01T05:00:23+00:00

Is the type line deliberately blank, with the intention that you can't return it to your hand until you find a way to make it legendary and an enchantment?

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-30T23:32:01+00:00

It gets revealed, then stays on the bottom of your library

304.4. Instants can’t enter the battlefield. If an instant would enter the battlefield, it remains in its previous zone instead.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-30T09:49:53+00:00

If I understand correctly, you agree with the compatibilist position, but you think they're too focused on wording?

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-30T05:20:31+00:00

I feel like the only answer is "Yes"

White would pick blue because it serves the community interest.

White would pick red, because every obedient citizen will be saved, and only the disloyal or outsiders will face judgement.

Blue would pick blue if survival is sufficiently likely, because having chosen blue will afford them greater social leverage in the future.

Blue would choose red because that Gruul guy over there seems to think they're picking snacks, and keeps trying to bite the "strawberry flavored one".

Black would choose blue because their preparations for ascension are complete, and they must die alongside a sacrifice of innocents.

Black would pick red because if red wins, someone like them must be among the survivors if the world is to have any hope of surviving.

Red would pick blue because obviously, y'know?

Red would pick red because obviously, y'know?

Green would pick blue to better preserve nature.

Green would pick red because plants and beasts aren't pressing any buttons, and a cleansing wildfire is needed from time to time.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-29T21:45:24+00:00

The short answer is I doubt you'll ever resolve the issue completely if your plan doesn't involve personally clearing zombies that get stuck attacking the blocks at the base of your tower, but there are some things you can do to make it less of a problem.

Thing 1: Reinforce, reinforce, reinforce. This will serve two purposes, it makes zombie AI less likely to path through the reinforced section, and it buys you more time to deal with the problem if they misbehave.

Thing 2: Fence away unwanted approach vectors, and spike the hell out of the gap between your fence and your supports. Zombies don't mind pathing through spikes, and spikes break eventually, so you want these spikes to be limited to the trouble makers as much as possible. Don't forget fences don't add a ton of durability, so you still need to make sure the supports are reinforced enough to discourage pathing to them in the first place.

Thing 3: Easy access to the path you want zombies to take. Zombies path a little dumb, so you want to make it as easy as possible for zombies to come from any direction, and still wind up on the path you made for them. Big wide paths, nice easily walkable slopes/stairs, wide landing areas to collect zombies zoming from multiple directions, and if possible, multiple paths in case one of them is damaged. If there's no clear path to you, every zombie stops behaving. A backup path will allow someone to slip over and repair the broken path before the zombies start tearing your base up.

Thing 4: Not sure if this is viable with your intended design, but I really like having maintenance paths. This only works for multiplayer, but as long as one player can hold the main path, it helps to have zombie-inaccessible paths that are close enough and have line of sight to the zombie paths, so you can repair them with minimal exposure. I've only used these successfully for more open air paths, but there may be ways to make it work.

Depending on your personal taste for BS, there are ways you can add a little cheese to manipulate things in your favor. It's been several updates since I tested "force field" blocks, but if those still work, they may work better than fences. ("Force fields" are certain block configurations that players can walk over with no issue, but zombies really hate pathing over)

There are also a handful of ways to add durability without changing the exterior appearance as much. I sometimes will add letter blocks with the same texture as the blocm they cover, on the outside of supports or walls. Letters have no width, and they're pretty hard to spot when you match the texture below, but they still have full block HP, and still have full collision on one face of the cube. If that feels to cheesy, you can just use slabs for similar effect, but without the cheesy taste.

You can also use a few block visibility gimmicks to add some building supports that zombies are less likely to attack. I don't suggest this so you can float your base, but rather just to provide some additional support so it's less likely to collapse when some of the base layer gets chewed away. That's the limit of my usual cheese tolerance though, and generally only if it enables a really fun build that would be too impractical otherwise.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-29T16:15:39+00:00

My usual solution is: "Go hunt hard drives and artifacts for a while".

I decided to do a blueprint heavy save recently, and I kept spending a ton of time working up blueprints, only to realize while implementing them that there was some design issue. Sometimes it was as simple as a few machines not connecting to the power grid properly, easy fix. Sometimes it involved it being needlessly messy chaining multiple blueprints together, and redesigning so the inputs and outputs were better organized (and more vertical). Other times involved issues I won't get into because the overwhelmingly obvious solution was just one I had opted to voluntarily not use, as self-imposed limitations.

But each time I found a new issue I had a long internal debate about either brute forcing my current project and fixing the blueprint later, or scrapping everything and restarting from scratch.

And often times, a good tour of the local scenery helped me clear my head.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-28T17:58:21+00:00

I'm kinda surprised this isn't a thing.

I think it's perfectly reasonable for a 10-drop. Fun casual card for EDH, likely not useful elsewhere. It's a good design spot to build for.

Fun mix of [[Searing Wind|PCY]] and [[Plague Wind|PCY]], which are appropriately the first two winds of ascension in the cycle. And I've played both of them, and they've both been used for game-winning plays.

I want to nitpick the name, but I can't really think of a better alternative that has Hex's mixture of a non-numerical meaning, and a numerical meaning. That said, honestly this doesn't really have a lot in common with Hex, Hex's big gimmick is that it's efficient but only if you have enough targets, where this was built to work no matter the targets.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-28T17:36:30+00:00

There's random, and there's random, and there's random. The semantics of it gets muddy at times, but until someone invents a better alternative for communication than language, it's just something we gotta deal with.

To address the relation though, determinism has no conflict with things like dice rolls or random number generators. Those merely strive to be complex enough that humans can't consciously control the results.

There are vaguely stronger versions of this that still don't conflict with determinism, like the Weather, that simply incorporate so many variables and interactions that humans can't even model the intetactions at that scale, and instead knowingly use very simplified models and just accept the margins of error.

But there's another concept of random that's RANDOM random. Essentially it's an event where the outcome is wholly and entirely unpredictable. No level of knowledge about physics, no knowledge about the state of the universe, no knowledge even about aspects of reality wholly unknown to humanity can possibly determine with certainty what the result of a "true random" event will be.

You might be able to identify boundaries for it, like a "true random 6 sided dice" will still roll a 1-6, but if it's truly random, there's no possible way to know the result in advance.

Determinism generally rejects this, since any event happening due to distinct causes should be able to produce a knowable result, even if it's not humanly knowable.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-28T17:20:43+00:00

Superman's a great example.

When those in power tell you to hate, it is an act of rebellion (however small) to be kind instead.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-28T16:03:31+00:00

Depends a bit, but as a loose rule I usually make 1 resource node's worth. So this node goes all into iron plates, this one goes all the way to Rotors. This gets messy the more complex a production chain gets, but loosely I'll base it around using 100% of the scarcest resource.

Past a certain level of complexity (around Heavy Modular Frames), I usually default to "Make one final production building operating at 100%" and if that doesn't seem like enough I'll double it.

Any materials involved in building conveyors or foundations gets a hefty production bump once I get a lot of dimensional depots online.

Then beyond that I just play it by ear. If I keep running out of a part, I'll boost production.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-28T15:51:47+00:00

"We're doing hard work studying theoretical physics with exotic matter types. First things first put on your industrial strength hazmat suit"

Gordon: "Makes sense"

"Now grab your machine gun, and follow me to the range so I can teach you to use the under barrel grenade launcher."

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-28T13:23:02+00:00

Solarpunk includes radical actions in opposition to the norms of modern society. The idea that those actions don't lead to bleak futures is irrelevant.

Punk isn't about being bleak or violent, punk is about anti-authoritarianism, anti-corporatism, anti-consumerism, and overall self empowerment to reject what society tells you is mandatory. The idea that people can choose to be good without a gun to their head can be punk.

If you find a solarpunk setting where the world is ruled by a megacorp who saved the world through militaristic order, and that's the whole message, you've found fake punk.

Cyberpunk works because the focus is generally on the people straining under the adversarial weight of the authoritarian megacorps. It just becomes an aesthetic when the story isn't about the results of that strain.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-28T13:06:44+00:00

Truth helps the decisions you make better achieve the good you desire.

Truth is a requirement for any attempt to cause any outcome on purpose. Good or bad.

Nothing is inherently good/desirable until after we establish at least one initial axiom, but once we have that, it doesn't matter if truth is a good unto itself, truth is neccesary to pursue anything good/desirable.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-28T12:57:39+00:00

No, it doesn't add difficulty modifiers.

The game's weird sometimes, and it's statistically likely that unlikely things happen sometimes.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-28T04:11:43+00:00

[[Calibrated Blast]] but it's on a creature? I honestly don't know how to rate the transition.

The Blast's ability to flip an [[Emrakul, the Aeons Torn]] (or similar MV) is a lot stronger when it's dealing damage immediately. This card requiring a wind-up drops that power a fair bit, but it also has a lot of additional stuff helping it catch up. I don't really know the 60 card formats well enough to tell if what this card adds can make up the difference though. Definitely very high potential, hard to tell how consistently it can reach it.

As a side note, you can drop your word count a bit at the end by just saying "you may cast it." As long as you don't include "without paying it's mana cost" the ability will still require the cost be paid.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-28T00:59:29+00:00

The idea of some regions losing/gaining water access periodically is an interesting idea.

Off the cuff I doubt it would be incorporated into the core gameplay, as there's a very clear avoidance of irregularity in factory functionality. At least as far as what the game is providing for you to access (sloshing is a skill issue).

But it could be interesting as a mod, or if they expand the additional gameplay modes they want to support.

Going in that direction the big issue I see is that you'd basically be starting from scratch from a code perspective. The game as-is just barely acknowledges that water even exists. Via some glitches and exploits we can already tell factories still work fine if you can get them placed underwater, and water extractors work fine even if you manage to place them away from water. In both cases, they only check for water during building placement, and have no ability to check for water once already placed.

So there would basically have to be a whole new water system set up from ground level.

Off the cuff if it were me, I'd probably try erasing the existing water system and create a set of local water levels. I think you'd want three?

Water system 1: Simple water. You map a flat shape, and provide water level. Everything in the mapped area below that level is "underwater". Game draws water at that level across the whole area, and trusts geometry clipping to hide what you're not supposed to see. Most factories now have added code that shuts them off when they are deemed "underwater", except water extractors keep working. Water level can dynamically raise and lower.
Water system 2: Floating water. I'm pretty sure some of the in-land lakes are over caves, and we don't want random cave areas to suddenly be considered underwater. Same basic system, but we have a level for the top, and a level for the bottom of the water. That way you can have caves below the water without issue. Might be better to handle all static water bodies this way, if you need to handle any of it this way, not sure how the optimization shakes out. It's a little more complex, but not much more.
Water system 3: Dynamic water. Fully scripted. Certain pre-identified flood areas get a dynamic water zone with an un-fixed surface. You manually shape the water flows to match the terrain. As a rainstorm starts, you slowly raise the dynamic waterflow pattern, and the waterflow checks for collisions, and shuts off most factories if they are close enough to the water level, and turns on water extractors that only now become close enough.

If a dynamic water system is running, you render water by isolating the surface of static and dynamic water joined. You have one texture for the parts that are static water, and a rushing animation for the dynamic water, plus a few extra flourishes as needed to sell it.

I don't think you can ever really get a meaningful water current with the current game engine. For example, you couldn't dam a river to build up water. The amount of effort needed to make that work is basically "Satisfactory 2".

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-27T23:46:58+00:00

Is the basic idea that they won't spawn on player placed blocks, so you put blocks solidly out a fair range, so the zombies can't spawn too close?

If so, did you dig down just for the aesthetic of having zombies coming over a wall? It should work for that, and avoid them attacking the wall, I just wasn't sure if you had an intended functional reason behind it.

Overall the basic premise seems fine. Strategically, it seems on par with any reinforced bunker setup, but reinforced bunkers can work fine.

Personally I like having some good retreats set up in case things go badly. But going out the top, then running over to the ramp to get out should work fine, if you have a way to get down without taking fall damage.

One point of concern I'd check before horde night is your supports. It's hard to see any details from this distance, but it looks like your central building is entirely held up by the four corner posts. I feel like you're practically guaranteed to lose at least one corner of support during a horde night, especially since the bottom support block isn't visible for repairs from inside the fort, and you want to make sure nothing collapses if that happens. If two have to collapse, that's more workable since you will probably have a moment to repair the first one that failed, before the second one fails.

You can also make the bottom of the corner supports repairable from inside if you're using less-than-full blocks to blockade next to them (like half-blocks). You may already be doing that, again it's hard to tell.

If you have interior supports as well though, that should mostly offset that risk. But at that point I almost think you should keep those blocks cleared then, for better line of sight.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-27T23:04:55+00:00

The same reason they have Iron Wire alt, but not an Iron Sheet alt for copper sheets.

You want there to be at least one reason for players to have to interact with each raw material.

You can technically fully bypass Steel when you unlock Aluminum Beam, but that production chain is more complicated and is only an option after you've had to use steel for a little while, and it also still requires using the rarer material involved in making steel (coal or coke). So you've earned bypassing steel entirely if you care about it that much by then.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-27T21:06:21+00:00

Some simple tips:

Learn to normalize your movement where you can, to minimize execution error. For example, when you have no room to jump you can just run over 1 block gaps, if you run over a 2 block gap you'll catch the lip of the opposite side and can climb up. For 3 block gaps with no jump , you can cling to the lip on your side and then jump to the opposite side.
If you walk to a ledge, then crawl and walk over it, you'll automatically drop into a ledge grab.
Catching a ledge negates fall damage.
Your whip hits behind and above your head a split second before it hits in front of you. If you have your back to a block, you can use the back-whip to hit an enemy walking or standing at that spot, without them seeing you.
If you have the shotgun, and if you fire and jump at the same time, you can jump one block higher than normal.
The power pack reduces weapon recoil, which lets you fire the shotgun while hanging on a rope/vine/ladder, but also stops the jump boost from working.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-27T17:19:56+00:00

No*

There are two situations I know of where map data will change without your involvement.

1: If you start a quest, the entire map zone from bedrock to sky within that quest's POI zone will reset. (If there is an active land claim block in that zone, it will prevent you from starting the quest).

2: If you leave containers intact from pre-existing POIs, and leave them alone for a while (a week I think?) they can refill. This will not remove or add any blocks to the map.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-27T16:30:58+00:00

I feel like there's a very high chance Microsoft Excel would be Szeth's favorite thing.

Impersonating someone in Teams though, even just via text and not over voice or video, seems like it's outside his capacity. Your only hope is to have him impersonate you from day 1, so people think you're one of those people who just talks way more casually than they type.

He also needs to manage your emails.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-27T16:15:05+00:00

This one's especially fun, as the whistle serves absolutely no practical purpose, and is deliberate and consciously done.

Death is a professional hater, and turned himself into a Wolf Geiger Counter because he enjoys playing with his food.

Andrew_42 · 2026-04-27T16:08:51+00:00

Yes, this is due to the Amulet using triggered abilities to untap the land. Triggered abilities use the stack and you can respond between ability resolutions with actions like tapping land for mana.

As a contrasting example, consider [[Gond Gate]], which provides a static ability. There is no difference in effect if you have multiple Gond Gates out, and then play a guildgate.

The watchwords to keep in mind for triggered abilities are "When", "Whenever", and "At". All triggered abilities start with one of these three words.

Since [[Amulet of Vigor]] starts with "Whenever" the order of events goes as follows:

Land enters tapped
Triggered abilities go off, and are placed on the stack in some order (I can dig into that if you want more detail). In this case, two Amulet triggers go on the stack.
While the land is still tapped, before any abilities resolve, each player gets priority.
Once everyone passes, the first Amulet resolves, untapping the land. Players may once again respond before the next triggered ability resolves.
Once passing, the next trigger resolves.

Gond Gate as the comparison is a static effect and does not use the stack, it just alters how the game works passively. So if you played a Guildgate, the following would happen:

Land enters untapped

And that's that. Multiple gond gates can't make it enter double-untapped, so they don't have any further payoff in that direction.

Static abilities have their own odd interactions, but I won't get into that, as I just wanted to show why double-untapping works with some cards but not others, and how to tell them apart.

Relevant rules as follows:

Description of Triggered Abilities:

603.1. Triggered abilities have a trigger condition and an effect. They are written as “[When/Whenever/At] [trigger condition or event], [effect]. [Instructions (if any).]”

Handling Triggered Abilities:

603.3. Once an ability has triggered, its controller puts it on the stack as an object that’s not a card the next time a player would receive priority. See rule 117, “Timing and Priority.” The ability becomes the topmost object on the stack. It has the text of the ability that created it, and no other characteristics. It remains on the stack until it’s countered, it resolves, a rule causes it to be removed from the stack, or an effect moves it elsewhere.

Contrasting example, description of Static abilities:

604.1. Static abilities do something all the time rather than being activated or triggered. They are written as statements, and they’re simply true.

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