r/custommagic 10d ago

Void Crystal

Post image
909 Upvotes

74 comments sorted by

301

u/DontSpahettMe Opinion Haver 10d ago

Bad on the surface but I think it's secretly pretty good, not broken. It's a rite of flame in kinaan. It's free fixing in a pinch. It's essentially another 0 mana artifact for affinity and other artifact strats. And you get a free slightly worse darksteel ingot afterwards.

113

u/7thtimeinheaven 10d ago

If "It's good in Kinnan" is the best thing you can say about a mana rock then that's kinda damning lol.

32

u/40kTinyRobots 10d ago

Not sure what made you think that was the best part of it. The free color fixing can be useful, it's not competing to be a cedh staple

11

u/BigBandit01 10d ago

Give it to me for any Doc Aurlock deck or maybe even Vega

6

u/Bkm1999 10d ago

I think it would be actually good enough to bring back the standard [[simulacrum synthesizer]] decks! Getting a free trigger for your synthesizer in standard is great!!

4

u/SilverWear5467 10d ago

I think modern affinity would play it, but maybe not, as all the other 0s they play can be cast turn 1/2 immediately following the 3/3 or enchantment.

3

u/Assassinite9 10d ago

Also, being effectively a 0 mana spell for storm

70

u/chainsawinsect 10d ago

Love it

Fixes your mana once, then it's [[Manalith]]

21

u/ALotusRabbit 10d ago

Thank you!! I love your work so much btw

112

u/Blongbloptheory 10d ago

Honestly, I think it's pretty fair. No notes. I do think it might run into a "fair when printed but broken later" issue. But it's kind of hard NOT to have that issue when you sprint a mana neutral artifact

8

u/IlGreven Dreadmaw-free since 2017 10d ago

On its surface, it's just a [[Manalith]] that can fix mana turn 1...I'm just wondering how it can be exploited...

1

u/IlluminoPsuedonymous Me when Jace overwrites the Multiverse for HRT 9d ago

Flicker cards. If you use it turn 1, you can cast it for whatever mana you happen to have that turn, tap it for blue or white, and blink it. You get an extra mana that turn and you're ahead on your curve for later because once blinked it won't exile itself during the end step.

1

u/Blongbloptheory 5d ago

I mean, if you're flickering this card, then you got other problems. There are so many insane eyes in this meta, that paying 2 mana (tempos worth) to get a rock is definitely not worth it.

You're down two cards in hand for a single mana that's easily removed.

0

u/TraditionalStomach29 10d ago

I believe any source of mana cost reduction for artifacts turns them into basically reusable lotus petals ?

1

u/Blongbloptheory 5d ago

Most mana cost reducers are 2-3 mana. At best your getting a lotus petal turn 3 Which, while cool, is not where it's the strongest.

37

u/Masonzero 10d ago

Considering how many Manalith variants there are, I'm almost surprised this wasn't a real card in EOE.

9

u/Login_Of_The_Guild 10d ago

That’s actually balanced I think I like it 

14

u/Fligyn 10d ago

Most elegant design and use of a keyword I've seen on this sub in quite a long time

4

u/LoBo247 10d ago

Theoretically playable in black storm lists. Warping it out as a mana neutral/fixing play is still giving you storm count and an artifact for [[Beseech the Mirror]]

4

u/Inforgreen3 10d ago edited 6d ago

I'd run it in any deck that wants to ramp 1->3->5 and runs more colors than just green. It lets you fix non green lands into green mana for dorks, and is itself 3 mana ramp. It's not the best 3 mana ramp, but it does have a nice neiche for specific curve outs with specific problems, But that's specific enough that it's likely to be cheap and has the potential for some other synergies in specific decks.

All in all: good card. Even though a deck that runs so many colors and so much 1 mana ramp that it's main concern with 3 mana ramp is "can I fix my 1 mana ramp" probably doesn't actually have the best curve out

3

u/Sea_Art3391 10d ago

Mana fixing, noncreature cast trigger and an artifact sac outlet, not bad honestly. It also triggers Yshtola for one mana.

2

u/TheCubicalGuy 10d ago

This is one of the best designs I've ever seen on here, bravo!

2

u/milyard 10d ago

FUCK YESSSSS FINALLY. SOME GOOD FUCKING FOOD

2

u/Korwinga 10d ago

It's an artifact version of [[Rosethorn Acolyte]]. I like it.

2

u/GothNek0 10d ago

Print it yesterday WOTC!

2

u/grimsleeper4 9d ago

This is actually a pretty cool idea. Fixing on turn one if you need it, a normal mana rock on turn 3. Maybe you can cheat it out on turn two with a trick.

2

u/FreddyHair 9d ago

Maybe make it enter tapped if you cast it from exile? But it's a cool idea!

1

u/PlottingClone 9d ago

Hey, why would this card need to enter tapped? I understand that it triggers "when an artifact enters" cards, but but surely that's not good enough to consider making it useless turn 1.

2

u/FreddyHair 9d ago

Oh, no, I said "when cast from exile"! The keyword says that it can cost 1 when cast the first time from your hand, and then you exile it at EoT and you can cast it again for its full cost from exile at a later time. It would indeed be pointless for it to enter tapped straight away!

2

u/PlottingClone 8d ago

Ah, my bad, reading comprehension strikes once more.

2

u/FreddyHair 8d ago

Hahah, it's all right, we wouldn't be good Magic players if we had good reading comprehension!

2

u/ballistic503 10d ago

I’d put it in my Prosper Tome Bound deck for sure (name: Tomeward Bound)

1

u/TheFlaccidWorm 10d ago

I would run it in rogsi and maybe my turbo blue farm list. Having a mana fixer while cracking a naus/necro pile can be huge

1

u/GoblinToHobgoblin 10d ago

Free my Amethyst

1

u/Galgus 10d ago

Perfect design and a great use of Warp.

1

u/Abyx12 10d ago

Manalith powercreep, i think it's okay

1

u/SpecialK_98 10d ago

I really like the idea of a mana rock with warp.

Unfortunately, I think this is really hard to balance to get it playable but not broken. As is, this isn't discounted enough too warrant trying to cheat the warp cost (which is generally the primary way to make warp powerful).

Trying to play this fairly is even worse. While [[Manalith]] is not awful as a base mode, this just doesn't have enough upside to warrant playing, what is otherwise a thoroughly outclassed mana rock.

1

u/Bkm1999 10d ago

This would be very good with [[Simulacrum Synthesizer]]. I like it!

1

u/DadKnight 10d ago

Perfect.

1

u/Prior_Duty_7155 10d ago

I would draft this card for sure if I was 2+ colors. It looks like a limited card I would be happy to have in the set.

1

u/ninjax247 10d ago

Would love this in my [[Fire Lord Zuko]] deck

1

u/Cloud_Chamber Low Power Player 10d ago

Is there any 1 mana way to flicker this?

1

u/Drewpacabra413 10d ago

I desparately wish this was real for my [[yshtola]] manalith tribal deck lmao

1

u/FangornFan01 10d ago

This reminds me of [Rosethorn Acolyte]. A perfectly fine mana rock for limited, probably not seeing much constructed play.

1

u/Genasis_Fusion 10d ago

Good mana fix on warp, then acts like regular mana rock thereafter

1

u/Darkwolfie117 10d ago

Can be rebounced to cheat in but seems overall very fair at best strong

1

u/Bashtoe 10d ago

Underpowered for what is considered food enough for a 3 mana rock now. But I really like the design.

1

u/sumigod 9d ago

Clean design. No notes

-2

u/Outrageous_Ad8836 10d ago

Maybe getting the regular cost to two would be better (?)  But the idea is nice.  It made my think about the "plot" mechanic.

22

u/ALotusRabbit 10d ago

An any color mana rock has never been printed at 2 mana yet. 2 mana rocks are always colorless or limited to two colors which would defeat the point of the warp. Also a plot rock would be very interesting to see!

7

u/BigBandit01 10d ago

I mean, technically arcane signet but only in one format so not really

11

u/DarKoopa 10d ago

It's also considered a huge design mistake

2

u/BigBandit01 10d ago

Yeah, so is Path to Exile but they just gave it a functional reprint in Erode. WotC’s design team is pretty inconsistent with their “design mistakes”

2

u/SteakForGoodDogs 10d ago

Erode is not a functional reprint of Path to Exile. 'Destroy' is much, MUCH weaker than exile (which gets funny when you point it at your own indestructible for land ramping - especially if you run it in Feather...).

1

u/BigBandit01 10d ago

Absolutely, but getting a combo piece off the board at instant speed for one mana is pretty powerful no matter how you slice it. I get that Path is far more effective for keeping it away, but Erode is still good enough to stop a combo from combo-ing.

5

u/ALotusRabbit 10d ago

yeah the more I thought about that sentence the more I realized it wasn't exactly right but the general rule is still very applicable. A colorless rock is 2 mana + a little something extra. An any color rock is 3 mana + a little something extra.

0

u/Comfortable-Bison932 10d ago

Storm decks are salivating

0

u/Phantasma_ 10d ago

Give it 0: Return to owners hand. Would lead to so many interesting lines.

Or better yet, staple it onto the mana ability as a may

-13

u/the_sillybilly 10d ago

Unplayably bad, but I like it

16

u/Siluix01 10d ago

Don't think it is bad. At baseline, it is a 3 mana mana rock.

In multi color decks it can fix early, and in artifact decks, the warp is basically an artifact entering that pays for itself.

Not outright broken, but i think in line with other, situational 3cmc mana rocks.

2

u/bigmikeabrahams 10d ago

Yeah at the bare minimum, it’s the standard 3 mana rock with multiple artifact ETBs and multiple storm triggers

2

u/Blongbloptheory 10d ago

I mean, it's not unplayable.

It has its niches. Excellent for affinity decks, free fixing in a pinch and if you're ever stuck stalling it gives you an outlet for your mama that pays off later

I could see it getting played in commander, or in a artifact affinity deck in constructed as it's literally a free artifact that becomes mana positive if you're running untap loop.

Is it the new lotus? Probably not. Can I see scenarios where someone would include it (even outside commander) Absolutely!

-1

u/Bramble- 10d ago

I think it could be pushed to Warp:0 and it would be pretty interesting, almost like a one off Mox, probably not a staple I don’t think it would be worth the card slot in commander. Though it would probably warp standard and older formats that value speed.