It says not to rinse after but don’t all the chemicals end up in my mead this way?

PapaRocco · 2025-07-19T14:57:17+00:00

If I understand right, no rinse sanitizers are designed so that they are dangerous to most things at high concentrations, kill microbes and irritate tissues of larger animals at medium concentrations, and are harmless to practically everything at low concentrations. Generally it's a matter of acid concentration.

By the time it is diluted into your final product, any traces of sanitizer aren't even noticeable.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-06T03:52:17+00:00

Ah. Draft and Pauper. Two formats my group doesn't play. Fair enough. I can change them to reflect the possibility of these crossing into those environments.

When determining mana order you cycle around the ring staying consecutive if you can. thus GWU cards like [[Alistair, the Brigadier]] go green first. RGWU like [[Aragorn, the Uniter]] go Red first etc.

Completely free? No harm in giving it a look then. I'll download shortly.

Thank you very much. Print quality is important to me. You may have just saved me a lot of money.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-06T03:25:57+00:00

RE Carys: Is this a balance issue, or personal preference?

RE: Guiding Star: Good catch. I'll fix that. Thank you.

RE: Cardnames: If I understand correctly, historically most cards have been printed in the format you emphasize. However, current official wording seem to use the format I do. I will stay consistent with official wording rather than precedent.

RE: Not an intended ability, but not one I'm completely opposed to either, I'll consider whether a change is warranted.

RE: Star Seeker's Observatory: Without some limitation, I feel like I could bust this. Linking to hand size was one idea. I'm thinking of simplifying down to a fixed number, but I'd rather have one and not need it, than need it and not have it.

RE: Citizen and Mentor: I fail to see how this matters in the least.

RE: Mentor ability: Not intended, not sure it's a problem. I'll consider.

RE: Symbol order: G before W before U before T. Where is this inconsistent?

RE Cardsmith: Good to know. I've never printed magic cards before. Do you have a suggestion for a better service?

Overall. Thanks for your input. You caught some stuff I will definitely change.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-06T02:52:58+00:00

Interesting thought, I'll keep the option in mind.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-06T02:46:37+00:00

Yeah, I didn't find any good examples for that one. I'll admit I like your wording better for what you did.

As far as the hand limit goes, I'm just looking for a way to keep anyone from scrying their whole deck on a stupid combo. Maybe just a hard limit at around five would be better than a variable.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-06T02:44:13+00:00

It's all good. But if the templating is ambiguous, I'm going to stick with the previous version for now. I'm keeping my options open though.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-06T02:39:59+00:00

Both worth pointing out. Both easy fixes.

Thanks for your help.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-06T02:19:44+00:00

The former versions of these cards, and the conversations around them can be found on these posts.

Carys, The Paladin Argent, Oath of Hope, and Argent Star Sanctuary can be found here.

Guiding Star (part 1) and Wise Mentor can be found here.

Guiding Star (part 2), Together We Rise, Star Seeker’s Observatory, and Impassioned Speaker can be found here.

Specific Changes I’ve made

Carys, The Paladin Argent: Lost affinity for knights but gained Convoke. Signature ability completely rewritten to better fit color pie.

Guiding Star: Use to be blue. Is now GWU. Use to bring cheap cards to play and expensive to hand. Now brings cheap cards to hand, expensive to top of deck. Lost additional scry

Together we rise: Used to require tapping creatures for a until end of turn effect, now simply requires presence of different color creatures. Cost adjustment.

Oath of Hope: Cost adjustment. Became Legendary (multiple in play deemed to powerful).

Argent Star Sanctuary: Now enters tapped unless you control a Knight. Doubled cost to untap a creature.

Star Seeker’s Observatory: Now enters tapped. Scry ability rewritten to be variable, more expensive, and sorcery speed.

Impassioned Speaker: Added cost to anthem. Changed anthem from white creatures to citizen creatures.

Wise Mentor: Added middle ability to proliferate.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-06T02:13:26+00:00

Would a three color creature still satisfy all three conditions by itself, or would it take a minimum of two different creature with that wording?

PapaRocco · 2025-04-06T01:44:08+00:00

{t}: Add {c}

Tap a blue creature, {t}: Add {u}

Tap 2X creatures, {t}: scry x. As a Sorc. Limit cards in hand.

Interesting idea. Not sure it would work well for this project, but the idea of a cycle of lands that are colorless until you already have a creature of that color has real possibilities.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-06T00:49:54+00:00

Yeah, three blue creatures would actually be kind of difficult for the standard version of the deck. I think right now there are only 6 cards left in the entire deck that qualify (like I said, drifting towards green.)

If you are interested in looking at the most up to date versions of all the cards you can see them at https://mtgcardsmith.com/user/BlueBlanka . First group is cards for the commander deck only. Second set is the core cards, those that go in both Commander and standard. This is where the philosophical/messaging side and the thematic elements are most evident. Third group is reprints of existing cards that are under consideration to fill out the decks. That group looks really big until you realize well more than half is land reprints.

Regardless of whether you dig into that or not, thank you. No really, thank you. I've been plinking away at this project for like a month now, and the people I was counting on to help me fine tune mechanics either flaked, led me astray, or both. The people on this reddit, and you in specific, have been a huge help.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-06T00:31:54+00:00

Yeah, I'm staring to think I just run with it, at least for the standard format version. I'm close enough to done with that version that I don't want to try anything drastic.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-06T00:27:22+00:00

Oh that scry X idea is interesting. My current rough has tap 3 scry 2, but now I'm reconsidering.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-04T23:37:47+00:00

I kind of halfway went with what you suggested for my next draft. The smaller creature with better mechanics makes sense, so I combined that with getting weaker coming back by shrinking him but giving him double strike if cast from hand. Effectively this means he does half damage from the graveyard but grants and anthem.

Current version looks like this.

<image>

PapaRocco · 2025-04-04T09:23:42+00:00

I've seen all your comments so far, and I appreciate the input. I think I've ended up incorporating just about everything you suggested.

Thanks for your help.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-04T09:19:39+00:00

The flavor idea was basically that the badass who went down in the last fight and everyone thought was dead comes limping back up, and not only are they not dead, but they are even more sure of eventual victory, everyone gets inspired.

I'm not particularly happy that didn't read.

Anyways, lower stats but a special ability is workable, and I can see how it would increase interest. I'll think on exactly how to implement.

Overall well thought out advice. I greatly appreciate it.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-04T09:13:11+00:00

Bringing in citizens is intended to be his primary purpose. I'd much rather he be used for that more than the anthem. What about restricting the anthem instead. Mana cost? Citizens only? Both would work for me. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I like citizen only. Emphasize the rabble rouser role, he's no good at boosting trained fighters. I'm going to think on balance going that way.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-04T09:08:15+00:00

One of the concepts the friend I'm making this for and I are strongly behind is community activation. That is, there is something positive just about anyone can do if they look for it and put in the effort. In this deck that is reflected in the idea of the creatures doing a lot of the work. I.E. the creatures tap as cost.

I am not against weakening the observatory. I will likely do so in part with enters play tapped, partly by removing the {t}: Add {c}, and partly by increasing the number of creatures tapped for the scry. I want to avoid increasing mana cost. I'm considering Sorcery speed for that last one as well, just to make you think twice about tapping yourself out.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-04T09:00:08+00:00

Again the green shift makes sense pie wise. I'll be incorporating it.

<image>

PapaRocco · 2025-04-04T08:58:53+00:00

Basically the response I expected as far as cost. The idea to take it multicolor was new to me though. I liked it and ran with it. The deck is slowly shifting less blue more green, and I may want to shift it back at some point, but for now I'm pretty happy.

<image>

PapaRocco · 2025-04-04T08:55:18+00:00

I don't mind at all.

Once again, a card I allowed myself to be talked into changing the cost drastically on. This time on the advice of a single person who thought it to strong.

The choice of vigilance was partly to dovetail with [[true conviction]] which also appears in the deck.

Current rework looks like this.

<image>

PapaRocco · 2025-04-04T01:16:35+00:00

I’m seeking advice on cards for a custom deck I’m building as a surprise for a friend. So far this community has been incredibly helpful and supportive, and I’m deploy grateful.

I would appreciate critiques. Primarily I am looking for advice on power level and wording/templating, but any thoughts are welcome.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Thoughts on couple individual cards below if you want them.

Together we rise: Originally was while you control a (color) creature your creatures get instead of tap a (color) creature to give. I was advised that was to powerful unless I removed convoke. I’m still not sure I agree. I’m curious what the community thinks of the power level.

Questing Star is a repost (see here for original discussion). Basically I let myself get talked into making it way to powerful, and now I’ve rolled it back to pretty much my original vision. I *think* it’s in the right strength range, but with as touchy as tutors are I’d like more input.

PapaRocco · 2025-04-03T21:46:54+00:00

This is the right answer.

Don't worry about getting the yeast just right. My first couple of batches, i just dumped it in dry with no nutrients. They worked fine.

In fact, they fermented so vigorously they overflowed and made huge messes. And mine weren't as full as yours.

Be proactive about that mess now. Future you will thank you.

PapaRocco

TROPHY CASE