MTG Custom Cards

Hello, up and coming custom designer! It’s always awesome to see more designers coming out to share their ideas and build the community.

Here are a few useful suggestions for you to consider:

-Use Magic Set Editor. It’s a fantastic program, and makes cards come out much, much nicer than MTGCardsmith or similar online options. It’s also more complex, but that’s a good thing, since you can actually end up with far more in customization options as well!You can find MSE here.

-Also be sure to consult this thread on using MSE more effectively!

-When posting cards to Tumblr, be sure to use the tag “Custom Magic Card” Most of us track that.

-Learn to template correctly. Magic cards use a fairly specific linguistic format, learn it and follow it as much as possible. Shorthand isn’t really accepted, as we treat our designs as if they could show up in a booster pack (or supplemental product) tomorrow. Don’t fret too much about this, though. Just ask for advice on templating if you need it, or post the card and state that you aren’t sure how. I guarantee you that someone will help you out through reply or reblog!

-Don’t take feedback personally. We all grow as designers, and make our fair share of typos, balance mistakes, costing mistakes, impossible to implement effects, and just outright ludicrously dumb designs that don’t belong in the game. I’ve been there, the next guy’s been there, you’ll be there at least once. Just smile, thank the people who responded, and focus on improving going forward!

-Make lots of cards. Post frequently! The more you make and the more active you are, the more you’ll grow. Staying consistent with postings also makes people more likely to follow you and your content. Try to post at least one card every day, or five cards every week.

-Give feedback on other designers’ custom cards! This is another great place for learning on the ‘job’, as you can get ideas of your own. Collaborative work, as well as building off of someone else’s ideas is common, acceptable, and encouraged! Your own feedback also gives our work some meaning, which makes us feel appreciated and continues our interest in what we do.

-Follow some custom designers! This one is an extension of the previous points. What better way to find cards to give feedback on, find inspiration from, and in general participate in the community? Some good people to follow are @abelzumi, @imakethecard, @mtgdesignprompts, @inkubatorpl, @affinityforanime, @blackdeckwins, @mtgdailycard, and some others I’m sure I forgot to mention. For those of you I missed: Feel free to tag yourself in a reblog if that helps!

If you have any more questions, feel free to send me another ask, or through any other of Tumblr’s myriad methods of contact.

For everyone - My palette of vector symbols. Download link below.

A lot of these symbols are not mine, but rather collected from the internet. 

However, I coulndn’t find some, so I made them myself and compiled with the rest. So… here you go:

I’ve updated my vector pallete:

Download link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/uad9sx75s8orsj6/Vector%20Symbols%20MTG.svg?dl=0

Art by Kate-FoX

I like Ice. It’s one of my favorite types in Pokemon (probably behind Fighting and Dark), it makes a beautiful landscape, and it keeps my sweet tea cold. 

But I’m just about sick of this temperamental frozen weather in North Carolina this year. Like, seriously, it’s 60 degrees at noon and then 32 degrees by four. That’s not healthy.