Custom Magic Pageant Highlights

Written by Tracker007

Intrepid readers of the magazine will remember that the Custom Magic Project Channel Pageant was slated to kick off this month. And kick off it did! We are currently in the third week of the Pageant, and there's been a remarkable number of participants, so I'll do my best to give you the highlights from the last two weeks.

Week 1

The event kicked off with an Art Attack: a challenge where project owners had to construct a monocolor jumpstart pack that showcases the best art in their entire set. Without further ado, here are the top six sets of week 1, and afterwards will be the top 3 packs for you to see yourself!

First place was awarded to Outpost Zero, a sci-fi horror set styled after movies such as the Alien franchise and The Thing. The art they've presented in their pack this week is genuinely stunning, also drawing from cyberpunk horror aesthetics to blend itself into a completely unique and rich world.

Second place went to A Better Yesterday, another sci-fi set, but this time one in a vibrant and more chaotic atmosphere, and takes a unique angle by playing with the theme of nonlinear time. You'll notice that the art in this pack is brighter than the first, lending to a vision that's more fantastical and wondrous rather than dark and gritty.

Third went to Elegies of Vaquer, a set that incorporates beautiful Gothic themes into a horror setting. Noticeable in this pack is a haunting melancholy, and a sense that a lot of the art was painted by hand, lending an elegant feel.

Week 2

This week turned it on its head with Mechanical Mayhem, a challenge for project owners to showcase their best mechanic instead. And this time, they could make them multicolor! The results are as follows:

A Better Yesterday clinched the top spot this week, riding high off of their second place win last week, with their mind-bending chrono counter mechanic. As mentioned before, this set toys with the idea of nonlinear time, and members of the server loved how chrono counters let them directly control time themselves. The possibilities with this mechanic run deep, try to come up with a few extra use cases yourself!

Second was Stirrings in Goldport, a Lovecraftian and steampunk set that has flavors of cosmic and psychological horror. Their mechanic, fragment, represents the fracturing minds and bodies of the inhabitants of Goldport as they are invaded, literally splitting them into two pieces. Notice how the pack constructed here allows for situations where you may even want to fragment your own creatures!

And third, Kallatree: Voyage to Infinity debuted on the Pageant circuit this week with orbit, a mechanic that allows you to put the affected card within orbit of the battlefield and allows you to slowly start invading from there. Complex play patterns and established color pie synergies exist, but also interesting is how this mono-green pack subverted expectations with synergies that aren't often found in the same color pie.

The Leaderboard

After all this is said and done, this is how our slate of amazing projects are doing in the overall competition so far!

Week 3 is underway at this moment with Universes Within, a challenge for project owners to tell a single story in one jumpstart pack, and will be finishing on Saturday night! If you would like to see all of our other wonderful submissions, the full sets for projects you've seen here, or would even like to participate in voting yourself, join the Discord server. We'll be in the ⁠#project-pageant-lobby channel, and we welcome any and all to come and hang out!