Base Set + MSE-ADV + MSE-ADV2, for easy consumption.
Hello, and welcome to Adversary. Adversary is a custom MTG format specifically designed to allow players to create and play with their own custom cards. It is largely based on the official Vanguard format of old, but Adversary imposes less restrictions on card concepts and somewhat more restrictions on deckbuilding to offset the obvious balance issues when playing with custom cards. We currently have over 75 playable Adversaries in the Main Set alone, and more are being added constantly. Our community is small but growing at an equal pace, and the vast majority of the people you see in our Discord are active players who will be happy to play against you as soon as you've finished your first Adversary deck.
- How is it played?
In Adversary, players select an Adversary card from our existing selection, or create their own. These Adversaries are in play from turn one, and possess abilities that change the way the game is played. If you've ever tried out Vanguard, you'll feel right at home.
- How are Adversaries balanced?
Each Adversary is assigned three values: a life total, a starting hand size, and a level. The life total and starting hand size are used to balance Adversaries based on the power of their abilities. In the event that they cannot be effectively balanced this way, Adversaries are also assigned a level, indicating that they are best suited for play against Adversaries of a similar level.
- How can I make my own Adversary?
Post your desired rules text, color identity, illustration and artist-to-credit in this thread and I might make it for you! Alternatively, make it yourself in Photoshop or an MTG card creation program and I may add it to the core .xml file. If you'd like to go one step further, you can host your own complete .xml file which will require absolutely no moderation from me, which I will be happy to add to future OPs.
- Where can I find other players?
Just pop into our Discord server, which is currently the central hub for all things Adversary and where all the active players congregate.
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Download the latest release here. They're marked as source code, but don't worry about that -- no code involved at all.
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On Windows, move the downloaded .zip into
C:\Users\YOURNAME\AppData\Local\Cockatrice. For other platforms (or if you happen to have installed it elsewhere), move it to wherever Cockatrice is installed. -
Right click the .zip and press 'Extract Here.' Overwrite all when prompted.
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You're done!
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4a. If you want to make sure it worked or are having issues, open Cockatrice, or restart it if was already open.
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4b. Click 'Card Database' at the top and then click 'Open Custom Sets Folder' or 'Open Custom Images Folder'.
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4c. If you see the downloaded .xmls and images inside, then it worked. If not, simply move the .xmls and images into those folders.
Besides searching for their names, you can also use a Filtered search in Cockatrice. Search for the 'Adversary' card type, or the set name of your chosen packs.
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RULE ONE: Adversaries are not permanents, but they can still tap for convenience.
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RULE TWO: An Adversary's starting hand size is also considered their maximum hand size.
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RULE THREE: All players have one free mulligan (a free mulligan means drawing a new starting hand without reducing your starting hand size).
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RULE FOUR: Decks must contain exactly 61 cards, including your Adversary, and may have up to 15 cards in the sideboard.
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RULE FIVE: The format is Modern Singleton.
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COMPREHENSIVE RULES http://pastebin.com/bJq3e8kS
Q. Isn't this just a rip-off of Vanguard?
A. Yes, although it's less of an attempt to plagiarize it and more of an attempt to revive it with the addition of custom cards and more finely tuned balancing.
Q. Is there an easy way to check if my Cockatrice deck is Modern legal?
A. Yes. In the deck builder, click Deck Editor > Analyze deck on deckstats.net, then scroll to the bottom. It will tell you if your deck is Modern legal or Legacy legal. If it's Legacy legal, you can then scroll through your decklist to find all the cards that are listed as Legacy legal.
Q. Does Velan gain life when her creatures damage an opponent?
A. Yes. Damage counts as life loss (although life loss does not count as damage).
Q. Where does Deus summon his other Adversaries from?
A. They are placed in the sideboard.
http://magic.wizards.com/en/gameinfo/gameplay/formats/bannedrestricted
##ADVERSARY SPECIFIC(It is very rare that a card would be banned for a specific Adversary, but some combos are just too broken.)
- Falgore, Risen Necrolord:
- Sigvalt, Relentless Khan
- Velan, Cursed Empress:
This is a guide detailing what it means for an Adversary to be at a certain Level. The Playable VS. Range indicates which Adversary levels it is 'safe' to play with, in that the matchup isn't so imbalanced as to be unplayable. Bear in mind that this isn't always correct; some Adversaries can be direct counters to others. A Level 1 Adversary may be able to destroy a Level 5 Adversary with the right ability.
Level 1: The most balanced Adversaries. Gameplay is nearly unaltered. Playable VS. Range: 1-2
Level 2: Provide a noticeable advantage, while still being fair. Playable VS. Range: 1-3
Level 3: Gameplay is significantly altered. Non-Adversary decks no longer stand a chance. Playable VS. Range: 2-4 or multiple 1's.
Level 4: Incredibly powerful. Gameplay is no longer recognizable. Playable VS. Range: 3-4 or multiple 2's.
Level 5: Don't even try. Playable VS. Range: 5 or multiple 3-4's.