abelzumi

[abelzumi]

Guess who was a FUCKING IDIOT and went to pay a portion of their phone bill and accidentally paid Verizon almost $500 FUCKING DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[abelzumi]

It's my birthday today! I've been part of some custom card design communities for a while now, so in lieu of birthday trivia, I'd like to ask: if you could give any one piece of advice to amateur MTG designers who are making cards for the fun of it, what do you feel would be the most helpful?

Thank you so much! As a piece of semi-local trivia, EOE has been the most popular we've seen draft as a format at my LGS, and we're completely sold out. Players are loving this set immensely.

I think it helps to start making sets because the most relevant design skill, if you ever hope to get hired, is the ability to design to constraints. It’s a lot of what we do in design.

Happy Birthday!

I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying Edge of Eternities.

[abelzumi]

What's your favorite kind of pencil puzzle? (ie Sudoku, crosswords, etc)

I'm a huge cryptic crossword fan.

[abelzumi]

What do you think of the custom Magic community, and players playing with "fake" cards they design ?

I think it’s great that the community exists. I sadly can’t look at their designs.

[abelzumi]

Fascinating data! Check out this year's shenanigans so far, and thank you @bergdg once more for the compilation.

Analyzing Invention: January - June 2025

The first half of the year has passed, and that means a full 6 months of card designs submitted to the Inventor's Fair, a Magic: the Gathering card design contest blog here on Tumblr. Like all the past years, each week there have been awesome submissions, stunning designs, and marvelous interpretations.

For the uninitiated, each week, a design challenge is announced on the blog and members of the community create cards meeting the design specifications. At the end of the week, a few winners and runner-ups are selected from the submission.

So let’s take a look at the data – what was 2024 like for the Inventor’s Fair?

Art. Unite the Coalition. Illustrated by Néstor Ossandón Leal

The Contests

So far this year, there has been 25 contests spread over the 6 months. A special thanks to the judges @abelzumi and @spooky-bard, who have shared their expertise in 24 of the 25 contests, and @loreholdlesbian, who returned once as a guest judge.

Of the contests, most challenges fell into the Standard (In-Universe) bucket [23/25], with 2 challenges being "Anything Goes" (no format restrictions) - Asp-irations (Feb 2nd) and Breaking Point (June 15th).

Across the 25 contests, there were a total of 665 entries, which comes out to be an average of 26.60 entries per contest. This was spread out pretty evenly over the 6 months: January (28.00), February (26.50), March (25.20), April (27.75), May (26.75), June (25.75). The contests with the lowest participation (21 entries) were "Gotcha" Games (Feb 16th), Lap 2 (March 2nd), and Solid Ground (March 9th). The week with the highest participation (31 entries) was Brand Re-Ignition (Jan 19th).

Image. Number of Entries by Date. The blue dots represent the number of entries for the contest. The green line represents the 3-week Rolling Average.

The Entrants

Across the 25 contests, there have been 74 unique entrants. A special shout-out to the 7 who have submitted to each contest so far this year: @curiooftheheart, @nine-effing-hells, @izzet-always-r-versus-u, @deg99, @bread-into-toast, @xenobladexfan, and @hypexion. Y'all rock! There have been 15 total entrants who have submitted in 20+ contests, while 25 total who have submitted in at least 50%.

Also, a warm welcome to those who made their first submissions for the year during the month of June: @archivists-doll, @insane-bad-idea-person, and @taran-wanderer. It's good to have you here!

With this being a weekly contest, Winners and Runner-ups are picked for each challenge. It's interesting to look at these entrants by their "Batting Average", or number of times they were selected by the total number of submissions they've designed. As has been asked in the Discord, this does not include the times they were awarded "Judge's Pick" in Judge Commentary: this is primarily a notation given by @abelzumi, so I have omitted it as a data point for consistency's sake.

Top 5, by "Batting Average" (and selected at least 5 times)

@curiooftheheart: 0.52, with 25 entries

@grornt: .50, with 20 entries

@nine-effing-hells: 0.44, with 25 entries

@misterstingyjack: 0.43, with 23 entries

@corporalotherbear: 0 .42, with 12 entries

Art. Team Pennant. Illustrated by Anna Fehr

The Submissions

Here are some of the specifics of what has been submitted so far this year!

Types

These categories are if the Card Type was part of the Type Line, so an entry that had multiple card types (front and back) would be in placed in multiple buckets.

Creature - 352 entries

Artifact - 108 entries

Enchantment - 105 entries

Sorcery - 83 entries

Instant - 60 entries

Land - 39 entries

Planeswalker - 6 entries

Battle - 4 entries

Kindred - 2 entries

As always, Creatures takes up a lion's share of the designs. What is interesting is that the designers already have made more Artifacts, Lands, and Planeswalkers than the entirety of 2024: Artifacts (107), Lands (12), and Planeswalkers (3).

And while it isn't a type, let's give the Legendary supertype a shout-out: so far there have been 99 designs submitted that show just what it means to be a one-of on the battlefield. And it just so happens that 78 of those could even find their way into the command zone.

Mana Value

I love a good bell-curve, and it continually surprises me to see one form in the mana value of these contests. There is a slight anomaly with there being a nice chunk of 0-mana costs, but that is easily explained by the number of lands designed thus far, thanks to the Solid Ground contest (Mar 9th).

MV 0: 41

MV 1: 38

MV 2: 172

MV 3: 184

MV 4: 121

MV 5: 57

MV 6: 34

MV 7: 13

MV 8+: 5

It's always interesting to see that a majority of designs hits at MV 3, with either MV 2 or MV 4 taking 2nd (and then 3rd) place. I wonder what that says about the designers enjoyed play-styles...

Rarity

Once again, most designs sit at either uncommon or rare. Together, they make up 81.4% of the total designs.

Image. Number of Entries by Rarity.

Color

And finally, the section in which I talk about how Green is the least designed color... EXCEPT FOR THIS TIME!!! Green has actually seen a huge surge, with it now placing in 3rd in both the Color Identity and Mono Color brackets. Blue continues to be dominant, because who doesn't like designing for that sneaky boy? So who's behind this time around? Green's neighbors, Red and White.

Color Identity

Blue - 224 entries

Black - 216 entries

Green - 203 entries

White - 188 entries

Red - 179 entries

Colorless - 39 entries

Mono-Color

Blue - 86 entries

Black - 76 entries

Green - 71 entries

Red - 70 entries

White - 62 entries

We also get decent showings for Guild (Two-Color) cards. For these, I'll share the top 3 and bottom 2 combinations for entries.

Top 3 Guilds

Simic (GU) - 35 entries

Orzhov (WB) - 27 entries

Rakdos (BR) - 23 entries

Bottom 3 Guilds

9. Selesnya (GW) - 21 entries 10. Gruul (RG) - 9 entries

It's good to see all 5 colors represented in the top 3.

Art. Heroes Podium. Illustrated by Willian Murai

Finale

Well, I think that sums up the first half of the year. As always, it's always fun participating in the @inventors-fair. If you've wanted to try your hand at designing cards for Magic, come join us! And if it's been a while, come on back :).

Oh, and if you want to see the hard data, here you go!

[abelzumi]

Aminatou, the fateshifter ✨

Commission for a full art commander card for James 

[abelzumi]

Learning Magic the Gathering from my partner has been kinda hilarious cuz I find a lot of the cards will be either:

Treznor, the Eternal Flame: *3 paragraphs of text* -> Widely maligned, considered basically useless

Grey Rock: adds 2 mana -> $14,000 per copy, outlawed in 12 countries

[abelzumi]

A stupid thought wormed its way back into my brain... A thought i had since Thunder junction set... Hear me out here. Cowboy Ajani Goldmane.

The gay furries would have exploded on sight. Ajani in chaps and a cowboy hat is lethal material. Many deaths were avoided by not letting [Tumblr Tag Redacted] onto the "cowboy plane".

[abelzumi]

Magic: the Crypticing

So I may have been turned on to Cryptic Crosswords by an old friend of mine. And I may or may not have gotten a bit obsessed with making them. It takes a certain angle of brainerating, but for those who are curious (or already initiated), here's a general rundown of how these things work.

I also love puzzle engagement which is why I've foisted this upon everyone I can at my LGS to little to no avail. Hopefully the internet fares better. Reminder that (X, Y) means two words, the first of which is X letters long and the second of which is Y letters long.

This puzzle requires both constructing and deconstructing MTG lingo, jargon, and card history, as well as a general knowledge of Cryptic clues, acronyms, abbreviations, etc. Enjoy!

ACROSS

1. Promo for Kamigawa set: heretical sorcerer controls direction of plane. (3-4)

5. Change your mana after topping Wickerfolk's surveil. (7)

9. When mechanics first arrive, they appear to raise ethical question left unknown? (15)

10. Lands untapping cinches two points for Elves? (7)

11. Bottom-up sets anger rock singer. (5)

13. Belligerent takes arose? (6, 3)

16. Wildfire land sweep allows +2 from Chandra. (4)

17. Number after declaring Ascend could be zero? (2, 2)

18. Check legality of pitch sequence because fourth Force of Will could partner with Twin. (6, 4)

21. Landcycle Mardu finisher before Final Revels (5)

23. Toothed hunters sound doubly fishy? (7)

26. Only designer quality silver & diamonds top gown and royal handle. (7, 8)

27. Target changes east after red energy sweeper. (7)

28. Grounded still on a flyer? Victor wouldn't have... (4, 3)

DOWN

1. By the way, I'm piloting Rakdos Tokens. (4)

2. Auras make draw power sound mid; brew with one who shuffles. (3, 12)

3. Odd Commander goal after long set-up, say. (7)

4. Glimmerwasp heresy within the bounds of New Phyrexia. (7)

5. Shreds of Sanity doesn't use any P1P1 Wandering Mind effects. (4)

6. Large birds supposedly equip tokens. (5)

7. Where there's time to study erotica, many a lad exploded. (8, 7)

8. How to (historically) empower a deer/pony hybrid? (3, 3, 3)

12. Some of these indicators take a second—left stranded? (4)

13. Big rogue belly-up wearing some hat and risque clothing backwards. (9)

14. Powerless power for brewing black? (4)

15. Cut when head replaces knight. (3) 

19. Valakut makes this Eldraine legend from OTJ take the resolution. (7)

20. Elenda fears dance moves while firing. (7)

23. Salty beginner affirms combo with a second-turn Plains after initial misplay. (5)

24. "Gitaxian Probe, Putrid Leech...no attacks?" (4)

25. Even Hatebears beginner uses 3/2 Mindsparker to sideboard. (4)

[abelzumi]

Magic: the Crypticing

So I may have been turned on to Cryptic Crosswords by an old friend of mine. And I may or may not have gotten a bit obsessed with making them. It takes a certain angle of brainerating, but for those who are curious (or already initiated), here's a general rundown of how these things work.

I also love puzzle engagement which is why I've foisted this upon everyone I can at my LGS to little to no avail. Hopefully the internet fares better. Reminder that (X, Y) means two words, the first of which is X letters long and the second of which is Y letters long.

This puzzle requires both constructing and deconstructing MTG lingo, jargon, and card history, as well as a general knowledge of Cryptic clues, acronyms, abbreviations, etc. Enjoy!

ACROSS

1. Promo for Kamigawa set: heretical sorcerer controls direction of plane. (3-4)

5. Change your mana after topping Wickerfolk's surveil. (7)

9. When mechanics first arrive, they appear to raise ethical question left unknown? (15)

10. Lands untapping cinches two points for Elves? (7)

11. Bottom-up sets anger rock singer. (5)

13. Belligerent takes arose? (6, 3)

16. Wildfire land sweep allows +2 from Chandra. (4)

17. Number after declaring Ascend could be zero? (2, 2)

18. Check legality of pitch sequence because fourth Force of Will could partner with Twin. (6, 4)

21. Landcycle Mardu finisher before Final Revels (5)

23. Toothed hunters sound doubly fishy? (7)

26. Only designer quality silver & diamonds top gown and royal handle. (7, 8)

27. Target changes east after red energy sweeper. (7)

28. Grounded still on a flyer? Victor wouldn't have... (4, 3)

DOWN

1. By the way, I'm piloting Rakdos Tokens. (4)

2. Auras make draw power sound mid; brew with one who shuffles. (3, 12)

3. Odd Commander goal after long set-up, say. (7)

4. Glimmerwasp heresy within the bounds of New Phyrexia. (7)

5. Shreds of Sanity doesn't use any P1P1 Wandering Mind effects. (4)

6. Large birds supposedly equip tokens. (5)

7. Where there's time to study erotica, many a lad exploded. (8, 7)

8. How to (historically) empower a deer/pony hybrid? (3, 3, 3)

12. Some of these indicators take a second—left stranded? (4)

13. Big rogue belly-up wearing some hat and risque clothing backwards. (9)

14. Powerless power for brewing black? (4)

15. Cut when head replaces knight. (3) 

19. Valakut makes this Eldraine legend from OTJ take the resolution. (7)

20. Elenda fears dance moves while firing. (7)

23. Salty beginner affirms combo with a second-turn Plains after initial misplay. (5)

24. "Gitaxian Probe, Putrid Leech...no attacks?" (4)

25. Even Hatebears beginner uses 3/2 Mindsparker to sideboard. (4)

[abelzumi]

Here's some of my Magic the Gathering pieces that came out in 2024 for the Bloomburrow set. Noctural Hunger, Sazacap's Brew, and Portent of Calamity.

[abelzumi]

Hey there

Been scrolling back and seeing a lot of negativity about the UB standard stuff. I know you know all this from your data anyway, but just wanted to pipe up personally with the comment that: I'm one of the folks who got into magic because of Universes Beyond. I play Commander, because the Doctor Who decks were for commander. If they'd been for standard, or any of the other formats (which I won't claim to fully understand), I would have got into those instead.

I'm also a full convert. I looked back, found Ixalan, and adored it (and was very sad I was too late to find Veloci-Ramp-Tor at anything other than reseller rates). Read the lore, and got real sad at how they massacred my boi Etali. Saw bloomburrow coming out, and adored the new sets, and now I'm hooked on in-universe Magic stuff too.

Negativity there may be, but also me and I'm sure so many like me who found magic and leapt in like a baby seal's first swim, it genuinely is a fantastic pipeline and I'm glad I discovered this game through it!

Thanks for sharing.

[abelzumi]

I would like to nominate my (mechanically) problematic robot husband: KARN, THE GREAT CREATOR

Karn, the Great Creator

[abelzumi]

Blog Shoutout: @favoritemtgcard

What's your favorite MTG card?

Well, there isn't a poll with over 25,000 options available, but you can check out @favoritemtgcard for an upcoming bracket/nominations starting soon! Everyone loves a contest of contests, and the more data we have the better. Check it out, follow along, and let's see who comes out on top.

[abelzumi]

Maro’s Foundations Teaser

Before previews for Foundations officially begin, I thought it would be fun to do another of my Duelist-style teasers where I give tiny hints of things to come. Note that I’m only giving you partial information.  

First up, here are some things you can expect:  

• The five iconic creatures each show up on multiple cards

• Two monocolor reprints, each of a different color, that together win you the game.

• Some creature tokens in this set: 1/1 white Rabbit, 2/1 blue Ninja, 3/3 Green Raccoon, 4/4 red Dragon, and a copy that’s a Nightmare

• A character from one of our most popular online Magic stories returns

• An 8/12 creature with ward 4

• A creature with seven evergreen keywords

• A Magic Invitational winner’s card gets reprinted (and no, not the most powerful one)

• Counters in the set: +1/+1, bait, fellowship, incubation, loyalty, revival, soul, stash, and stun

• A card that’s in the top 10 cards I sign gets reprinted

• More deciduous mechanics get used in this set than any previous (non-Time Spiral block) premier set

Next, here are some rules text that will be showing up on cards:  

• “This spell costs {1} less to cast for each Cat you control.”

• “You can’t lose the game and your opponents can’t win the game.”

• “target instant or sorcery card in your graveyard gains flashback until end of turn.”

• “Creatures you control get +10/+10”

• “A deck can have any number of cards named”

• “Then exile all other Nightmare tokens you control.”

• “Whenever you draw your second card each turn, create a token that’s a copy of this creature.”

• “Double the number of each kind of counter”

• “You may pay {B} rather than pay this spell’s mana cost if there are thirteen or more creatures on the battlefield.”

• “Draw a card for each different mana value among nonland permanents you control.”

Here are some creature type lines from the set: 

• Creature – Rabbit Noble

• Creature – Demon Warlock

• Creature – Shark Pirate

• Creature – Eldrazi

• Creature – Hyena Rogue

• Creature – Spider Spirit

• Creature – Elemental Hydra

• Creature – Bear Demon

• Artifact Creature – Phyrexian Construct

• Legendary Creature – Zombie Warlock

Finally, here are some names in the set: 

• Boltwave

• Electroduplicate

• Fishing Pole

• Goblin Negotiation

• Hare Apparent

• Homunculus Horde

• Midnight Snack

• Perforating Artist

• Refute

• Stab

The Foundations debut will be live at MagicCon Vegas on October 25th at 2:30 PM Pacific, right after our “The Foundations of Magic’s Next Era” panel, where you’ll get a sneak peek at the 2025 sets. You can follow along on social media or watch the full VOD of the debut panel on our official YouTube channel after it airs.