Core Resonance (CRSN) is how I would design a core set, consisting of resonant Magic cards that demonstrate the philosophies of each color. The goal is to create an environment suitable to teach and engage new players while still providing interest to experienced players.

This list can be used either as a 495 card cube costing only $50 in paper, or with independent rarities to generate packs. Both options are designed to feel similar to a retail set. Configuration details can be found at the bottom of this overview.

Design philosophies:

1. All cards should be baseline playable on their own merits and contribute to winning the game in common circumstances against a range of typical decks.
2. It should be possible to build a solid deck with any pair of colors. Synergies should be meaningfully powerful, but not necessary to succeed.
3. Games should be primarily centered around creature combat.
4. Both fast decks and slow decks should be viable, each taking advantage of cards that work better in that context. The commons in each color should have a sensible curve with both offensively and defensively oriented creatures.

Card selection:

• Cards are chosen from Standard-legal booster sets from M10 to the present.
• Printings from supplemental releases (e.g. masters sets, duel decks, planeswalker decks) are not used.
• Only evergreen named keywords/mechanics (flying, vigilance, menace, trample, haste, lifelink, deathtouch, first strike, double strike, reach, indestructible, defender, scry, fight, sacrifice, equip) are included.
• For ease of playing in paper, only limited addons to track the game state (+1/+1 counters, doesn't untap next turn, token creation) are required.
• No hexproof, landwalk, intimidate, protection, regenerate, vehicles, split cards, double-faced cards, or planeswalkers.
• Cards should read straightforwardly unless the complexity is meaningful, as trinket text can mislead new players evaluating the power level of the card.
• Templating should be kept consistent when possible (using "dies" and "their" but not using "mill" or "any target"; for practicality some go both ways such as "create", "activate only as a sorcery").
• On-board tricks should not add too many options during combat. Ideally an ability should require mana, affect only itself, activate only once, and/or be limited to sorcery speed.
• Cards are selected for their art as well as the mechanics. Standalone flavor is preferred; cards named after other characters are avoided (flavor text attributions are fine). Iconic cards are prioritized if power level permits.
• For ease of sorting and identification, cards are included only at the same rarity as printed.

Current configuration with separate rarities (digital set CRSN):

• Use the full list consisting of 117 commons, 84 uncommons, 58 rares, 22 mythics, and 11 common lands.
• Generate random packs each with 9 commons, 3 uncommons, 1 rare/mythic, and 1 common land.

Current configuration without segregated rarities (495 card paper cube):

• Do not include the 53 cards tagged "BonusRare".
• Shuffle together three copies of each common (including common lands) and one copy of each uncommon/rare/mythic.
• Total cost for assembling these cards in paper should be ~$50 or so. Only about a dozen cards cost more than $1.

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