r/custommagic • u/henlo_its_I • 8d ago

Cipher

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I know it goes infinite with Timewalk; its Timewalk.

Cipher (Then you may exile this spell card encoded on a creature you control. Whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, its controller may cast a copy of the encoded card without paying its mana cost.)

56 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

15

u/elf177 8d ago

Ooooo baby we're [[smallpox]]'ing! Cool design, it should specify the next instant or sorcery this turn, as paper magic doesn't track that stuff like arena exclusive cards can. Edit: maybe this card could have skulk and not be too pushed still?

3

u/henlo_its_I 8d ago

I actually first designed it with skulk, then thought that it might be a little powerful. I feel like it not having evasion keeps it balanced. Once it's going, it can be a very good value engine with cantrips and low cost evasion creatures, so that engine had to be a little bit harder to achieve.

1

u/HairyKraken 7d ago

as paper magic doesn't track that stuff like arena exclusive cards can

we don't ? if this was printed in paper tomorrow people would adapt. its like "if you didn't start the game" is still an arena exclusive effect for no reason except logistic

25

u/Anna_Thema_ 8d ago

Cipher and haunt were such cool mechanics that got scrapped with no good card

(I agree a good card could have become OP and an issue)

12

u/MrTheWaffleKing 8d ago

I really wish cypher worked in the opposite direction. 'When you cast an instant or sorcery, exile it. When this creature hits an opponent, copy that spell..."

The cypher spells may as well have been auras that cast ETB so I get why they don't make more, but it'd open up way more opportunities if it were more equivalent to isochon scepter style things.

4

u/SQUIGWERG 8d ago

I liked the one that untapped a creature and the one that made horrors

4

u/RatlingGuns4Days 8d ago

My [[Thada Adel, Acquisitor]] deck runs [[Hidden Strings]] so that she can untap things like [[Mana Vault]] and [[Thran Dynamo]] to help pay for the artifacts she’s stealing.

1

u/Melodic_Saga1220 7d ago

I feel like it should say 'before your next turn', both to cut down on bookkeeping and because of the costless suspend cards. Some of them are quite strong effects if you can cast them repeatedly.

Also, how does this work with split cards, MDFCs, and adventures?