MtG: YMTC challenge IV: Don't make functional reprints

[Ninjaman]

Rather than having a weekly contest with many entries and judging and a winner being declared who makes the next contest, instead everyone is a contestant, a judge, and the creator of the next contest all at once!

Each post should contain a short critique of the card made by the poster before them, a card that meets the challenge posted by the poster before them, and a new challenge for the next poster to take on.

Other contests:
You Make the Card
You Make the Mini-Set!


There is no time limit on when a challenge can be met, and no restriction on how often you can post other than that you can't fulfill your own challenges. If two people respond to the same challenge, the next poster simply picks which of those to judge and meet the challenge of, though if you're up to it you could also try fulfilling both challenges at the same time, assuming that's possible.

As with the other challenges, cards should be submitted in text format, like so:

Card Name Mana Cost
Type - Subtype Rarity
Card Text
Flavor Text
Power/Toughness

For example:

Giant Spider 3G
Creature - Spider C
Reach (This creature can block creatures with flying.)
"It has a quickness about it that seems unnatural for its large size, yet its hunger is about right."
—Endril, Kalonian naturalist
2/4

Spoiler: Purple and Idols FAQ, By Jorm

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Who are You and What did You do to Magic?

We're here to have fun, and having fun includes randomly making new subtypes and/or colours. The reason that this is here is that people keep on asking what they are and how they're supposed to work with them. Idols were designed originally by Fifth Column Games in their game War of Omens, and Purple was due to show up in Planar Chaos but never did. I grabbed both of these into Magic as it currently stands, and some people picked up on them.

This FAQ is to explain what exactly happens when someone's talking about "Purple" or something has the "Idol" subtype without you having a clue what that means.

Idols are probably something that Wizards can do - the idea is similar to Shrines, which happened - but purple is right up there with half-values on the Storm scale, and only half a point down from the eponymous defunct keyword. Challenges which require idols should be fine, but challenges shouldn't require purple, or at least should offer a let-out if you don't like it.

Idols and purple have their own sets and backstory which feature in some of the explanations below.

What's an Idol?


Styx Idol by Aisu Isme

An idol is one of many shrines, icons or holy objects (including weapons and animated constructs) that fell from the Otherworld due to the actions of Speaker Trianna, a planeswalker from Veldan. They are all spiritually interlinked, and a prayer to one would call out to all nearby.

Mechanically, an idol has the following characteristics (These are the defining characteristics, these are more mutable):

• It is an ARTIFACT with the IDOL subtype.
• It is COLOURLESS but uses COLORED mana for its ACTIVATED ABILTITY.
• It has "CCT: Energise each idol you control," where C are coloured mana. They may both be the same colours or different colours; they might be purple.
• It has "When you energise ~, do something."
• It might be a creature, equipment or fortification.

For example:

Idol of Life 1
Artifact - Idol C
WWT: Energise each idol you control.
When you energise idol of life, you gain 2 life.

What About purple?


Purple by Edux

There was, originally, going to be a set with purple in it, which represented a sort of otherworldly, unnatural force. This never actually ended up happening, but the idea stuck with me. The basic land for purple was either going to be cave or city; I chose city, as it fit with Purple's unnatural, and yet all too close to home, theme.

Purple is the third colour of mana, after blue but before black - the new order is WUPBRG. The basic land for purple is City. Cities are basic lands but city isn't a basic land type; purple is a colour but purple isn't one of The Colours Of Magic. This means the following (Coalition Victory and Transguild Courier are the more interesting ones, the others act the same way they would with white)

All is Dust: Destroys purple permanents.
Alloy Golem: When you're asked for a colour, "Purple" is a valid response and the golem can become purple.
Brave the Elements: When you're asked for a colour, "Purple" is a valid response. "Protection from purple" is a valid ability.
Coalition Victory: Checks to see if you control a plains, an island, a swamp, a mountain, a forest, a white creature, a blue creature, a black creature, a red creature and a green creature. It doesn't care whether or not you have a city or a purple creature. If you have a red and purple creature, Coalition Victory sees a red creature. If you have a swamp city, it registers as a swamp.
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn: Has protection from purple permanents.
Transguild Courier: Isn't purple. It would need to say "All colours, and purple." I know that doesn't sound as though it makes sense, but it does.

What is Purple as a Personality Type?


Purple Rain by Joe Maccer

My colour is purple. I value individuality and thought, I value justice and personal benefit, I value natural and mechanical. I take what I see as the best aspects of the world out of their context, and live it to the full, but also stand by my own way of thinking with utter disregard for the opinions of others. At my best, I am innovative and a maverick. At my worst, I am debased and an outcast. Nominally, my ally colours are blue and black, and my enemy colours are green and, to a lesser extent white and red, but in reality, I could be anyone's ally and my own worst enemy.

I am purple and white. I value personal discipline and excellence. I am a natural-born leader, and work to defeat tyrannical rulers and follow my dreams, helping others whenever I can. At my best, I am charitable and inspiring. At my worst, I am proselytising and over-zealous.

I am purple and blue. I enjoy escaping to my own company and thinking about the things of this world. I am so much better at considering things I can't see than other people that sometimes people ask whether or not I am real. At my best, I am intellectual and honest. At my worst, I am pedantic and unrealistic.

I am purple and black. I am an individualist to the extreme, believing my way of doing things to be objectively correct. I get things done at an alarming rate, ignoring anyone who thinks they know better than me. At my best, I am efficient and self-sufficient. At my worst I am over-proud and egocentric.

I am purple and red. I am loud and boisterous, and prepared to go with any scheme even without support. I am usually maniacal about something, and love being free from what the rest of the world things. At my best I am independent and confident. At my worst I am destructive and hot-headed.

I am purple and green. I can lose myself in the wilds easily, and much prefer the company of the outdoors to the company of humans, though I'm not averse to taking very close friends along with me. At my best I am carefree and impassive, at my worst I am reserved and distant.

What does Purple do Mechanically? What About the Colour Combinations?

Purple does quite a lot of things, actually!

The Cards are Made Up and the Rules Don't Matter


Keep Calm and Screw the Rules by Slamtackle

"This card has flying!" "No it doesn't." "You can't bring cards back from exile!" "Oh yes I can!" "Wait, it's a sorcery and a planeswalker at the same time?" "Well, no, not the same time. It's a flip card." "EXILE TARGET LIBRARY?" "Teehee~"

There are lots of things that don't happen in magic. Things don't move about between permanent and non-permanent. Things don't eat up people's abilities like cotton candy. You don't exile entire libraries. But then, whoever heard of "Protection from everything" or a spell that repeats itself each upkeep but nigh-on bans you from playing the game? Well, Progenitus and Epic would like to say hi. Strange corners of Magic which could be visited but aren't suddenly see the light. Be inspired!

Examples:

Quijuk Acolyte 1WP
Creature - Human wizard R
1WPT, exile Quijuk Acolyte: Revivify target card. (Return a card in exile to your hand)
1/2

Quijuk Tranquil W/P
Creature - Human Monk C
Silenced (Quijuk Tranquil loses all abilities except silenced, and its equipment and auras have no effect except granting Silenced).
People say they have no emotions. All we know is that they're the ones the Quijuk allow to leave, and they're the ones who've never wanted to return.
1/1

Card Wars: The Johnny Strikes Back


Throw Your Cards Down by Tempasta

"So then I play Crescendo, but because I cast another spell this turn, it does four damage instead of two but because I have a card with Flamestorm 1 that does another 1 damage, and it triggers Perpetual Motion so I draw a card, and then I cast Otherworld Lance, but I have a card with Accelerate so I only pay RP for it, and it does another point of damage, then I draw another card. I use Dust to Dust, draw another card with Perpetual Motion, and that exiles my graveyard, which means I use Otherworld Lance's Otherworlder cost to cast it again from exile, which does an extra point of damage from having Flamestorm, and Perpetual Motion draws another card. Okay, now it's your turn."

No-one does weenie instants or sorceries with much conviction, because they have to cantrip, and most of weenie effectiveness relies on synergy and anthems, which don't work as well with non-permanents. Solution: Have anthems which affect the spells that you cast, and have spells which synergise with other spell casts, in a sort of storm-esque way without bringing back Storm itself.

Examples:
Perpetual Motion 4UP
Enchantment - R
When you cast a spell, draw a card.

Waize Flameholder 2PR
Creature - Human Mage U
Flamestorm 1 (When a source you control would deal non-combat damage, it deals 1 more damage)
3/3

Crescendo 1PR
Sorcery U
Crescendo deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
Second Wind - Crescendo deals 4 damage to that creature or player instead if you've cast another spell this turn.

Exile!


The Exile by Lostknightkg

The exile zone is meant to be a kind of super-graveyard for cards that never come back. AWOL highlights what happened to that idea. Now, purple capitalises on the exile zone, chucking entire graveyards in and pulling them back onto the battlefield with reckless abandon.

Examples:

Otherworldly Power 4PP
Sorcery - R
Otherworldly power deals X damage divided as you wish between any number of creatures and players and you gain X life, where X is the number of cards in exile.
They may be in a better place, but they are no worse magi for that.

Void Dance 1P
Sorcery - U
Exile any number of target permanents you own.
What was ours once will be ours forever.

Seek and Destroy P
Sorcery - C
Draw a card.
Search your library for a card and exile it. Then shuffle your library.
To the Otherworld! Go!

Guild Abilities

Purgators P
Mechanics: Judgement (When a creature fighting, blocking or blocked by this creature dies, exile it), Otherworlder {Cost} (If this card is in exile, you may cast it for {Cost})

House Quijuk WP
Mechanics: Silenced (This permanent loses all abilities except silenced, and its equipment and auras have no effect except granting Silenced), Revivify (Return target card from exile to your hand)

House Kasstar UP
Mechanics: Warpstrike {cost} (When ~ becomes blocked you may pay {cost}. If you do, exile ~ and return it to the battlefield under your control, tapped and attacking.), Shift (Whenever ~ is targeted you may return it to your hand and put another creature with the same or lower converted mana cost onto the battlefield which then becomes the target instead. That card cannot Shift this turn.)

House Zelb PB
Mechanics: Isolation (Spells and abilities which effect "all" or "each" do not effect this card),
Outcast (Permanents with outcast cannot be exiled)

House Waize PR
Mechanics: Flamestorm X (When a spell you control would deal noncombat damage, it deals X more instead), Second Wind - If you've cast another spell this turn, do X.

House Gidai PG
Mechanics: Lock In (Target a card and remember what card it is); Paragon If X has the highest power among creatures you control, [effect].

Clan Trostan WPR
Mechanics: Standalone - If you control no (other) creatures, [effect]; Substitute - If there are no valid targets/you can't/no Xs are Yed in this way, [effect].

Veldan UPB
Mechanics: Conversion {Cost} (Cost, reveal ~ from your hand: Target spell you control becomes a copy of ~. If applicable, X is equal to the CMC of that spell); One Eye Open - When you draw a card, do X.

What's the Story Behind These Anyway?

Until recently, nobody had ever heard of Purple mana. How could a city, a congregation of humans who utterly destroy the land on which they live without reverence or care, be a source of mana? And yet, it was this very same left-fieldness, the selfsame strangeness, that led Trianna, a planeswalker from Veldan, to be able to draw mana from it. She realised that the power of mana on Veldan was being channeled through the creations of the people themselves.

However, Trianna's meddling did not go without consequence. Transplanar Rifts, which allowed anyone or anything to travel through, came between any plane that Trianna had visited and the planes where purple mana was more easily accessible. These rifts appeared first around the places of power, the idols, which were sucked through into the realms she had visited.

And so idols began to appear in Innistrad, Ravinica, Tarkir and Veldan. Preachers stood at the strange structures, praying for a miracle that would deliver them from their enemies. Guilds harnessed the idols' powers to wage war on another front. Clans guarded the idols as though they were sacred. And Trianna put her head in her hands and moaned.

It got worse. The purple guilds wanted their idols back. The Quijuk, responsible for ensuring morals more than law, tried to steal back their idols with minimal loss of life. The quiet and reserved Kasstar, known for their eminent dishonour, took similar tactics, while the psychotic sociopaths of house Zelb killed anyone who got in their way, where as the enraged and flagrant house Waize burned entire buildings to get what they wanted. The Gidai, masters of the hunt, assassinated anyone and everyone to return the idols of the gods. Ravinica was under assault and half of them didn't even know it.

More obvious were the Trostan clan, who ravaged across the wastes of Tarkir defying any and all to oppose them. Purgators, strange mockeries of what it means to be a free being, fought with angel and demon alike across Innistrad. And then, Trianna decided to move in, just to add to the confusion. Nobody was quite sure who was fighting whom, but Trianna was determined to stop them.

Are There Going to be Sets for These?

Yes.

I have no idea what I'm actually calling these, but they get development codenames because they do. Yes, I might actually write them all up because I'm that crazy.

Yellow: In which idols are introduced - artifact themed set. Details the story of the idols appearing; limited purple in the form of mono-purple as Purgators invade Innistrad.
Magenta: In which purple people invade Ravinica. Lots of use of guild abilities.
Cyan: Where Trostan and Veldan lay their scene. Involves three-colour purple, and lots of things cantrip or cause each other to cantrip. (Might keyword cantrip?)

The idea of the set is "Playing Magic in a different way" - Artifact decks and Everything is Cantrips allow you to take a break from creatures and makes card advantage odd, Trostan's change-the-mana-cost abilities radically change the game dynamic, and purple is... well, purple!

Note that you do not have to, and in fact should not, make challenges with Purple. If you do decide to (or challenge with any other non-official mechanic), it is a good idea to make another option. For example, you could say "Make a purple card, or make a card that interacts with exile".

And to the challenge:

Master of Threads - 4UU
Creature - Avatar - R
When Master of Threads enters the battlefield or attacks, tap target creature, that creature doesn't untap during it's controllers untap step for as long as Master of Threads is on the battlefield.
4/4

Another big blue creature.

[r2d2go]

Wording seems weird at first, but after reading it again I think it's correct. It's pretty weak, due to relatively low toughness and no built-in out of combat ability - I mean, how is this thing going to damage another thing, and they both survive? 2/6 would be a better stat line, though even then it's mediocre. Interesting idea though - maybe if it could do something with the "threaded" creatures (maybe spellshape mind control on them, like a puppeteer).

Austere Cryptologist 3WWUUU
Creature - Sphinx R
Flash, Flying
When ~ is cast, choose one:

• Exile target spell or ability.
• Draw two cards and gain 7 life.
• Gain control of target creature. It can't attack or block.
• Destroy all creatures. ~ can't be countered.

3/4

Challenge: Another flier, or, another card based on two or more other cards (this one draws from five or six). Bonus points for figuring them out

[Ninjaman]

It's expensive, but I am still a bit afraid of those abilities, on a bouncable body, but at least it's not blinkable. All the abilities are triggered and therefore almost impossible to counter. I kind of like the design, but it seems too good for being so flexible, even being as expensive as it is. (For some reason I thought you could pick two) it's probably fair. Also it is definitely a mythic.
As for the abilities:
* No idea, kind of timestop?
*Divination+Angel's Mercy
*Mindcontrol+Pacifism
*Supreme Verdict

Spoiler: @Critique

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I'm not sure if you read my card properly, it doesn't need to do damage to anything, it triggers on ETB and attacking, like the titans. It's ETB is an out of combat ability.

Obliterator Hellkite - 3BBRR
Creature - Dragon - M
When you cast Obliterator Hellkite choose one:

• Creatures get +3/-3 until end of turn.
• Target player sacrifices a creature and a land.
• Target player discards two cards at random. Obliterator Hellkite deals 3 damage to that player
• You draw two cards and you lose 2 life. Put four 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens onto the battlefield.

5/4

Another modal Creature

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

After all that, you still forgot to give it flying!
My key gripe about this card is that none of its abilities seem to be related to each other. Each one of them would be interesting on its own or even in pairs, but putting it all on one card just makes it more busy and confusing than it has to be. This is a very indecisive dragon, not sure whether it wants to kill all weenies, or make more weenies, or make someone discard or make someone draw...


Spearsurfer 2W
Creature - Merfolk Soldier U
Whenever this creature attacks, choose one:
- This creature gains First Strike until end of turn
- This creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn
2/2

Challenge! A creature that does something when it blocks, or maybe an aura that you want to play on a blocking creature.

[r2d2go]

After all that, you still forgot to give it flying!
My key gripe about this card is that none of its abilities seem to be related to each other. Each one of them would be interesting on its own or even in pairs, but putting it all on one card just makes it more busy and confusing than it has to be. This is a very indecisive dragon, not sure whether it wants to kill all weenies, or make more weenies, or make someone discard or make someone draw...


Spearsurfer 2W
Creature - Merfolk Soldier U
Whenever this creature attacks, choose one:
- This creature gains First Strike until end of turn
- This creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn
2/2

Challenge! A creature that does something when it blocks, or maybe an aura that you want to play on a blocking creature.

Seems alright, but not good, maybe even common worthy. I can imagine it as a 2/1 for 1W, or maybe WW, to make it a strong uncommon rather than a weak one.

Spoiler: @@critique

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You're right, sorry, I somehow thought it was on-damage. It's pretty good then

Spoiler: @sources:

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You got several of them!
Name/casting cost/style: Austere Command and Cryptic Command (which I assume is why you thought it was choose two
First option: You could say Mindbreak Trap, or just a counterspell plus exile to make it white.
Second option: Kiss of the Amesha
Third and fourth you got right - mind control+pacifism, and supreme verdict.

Mycenaean Watcher 2W
Enchantment Creature - Spirit Cyclops U
Bestow 4WW (If you cast this card for its bestow cost, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature. It becomes a creature again if it's not attached to a creature.)
Whenever ~ or enchanted creature blocks, it gains indestructible until end of turn.
Enchanted creature gets +2/+4.
2/4

Challenge: Another defensive card. Or, another creature with two or more subtypes.

[Jormengand]

Mm, it's pretty decent in either mode. I like it.

Dwarven Defender 2W
Creature - Dwarf Soldier U
Defender
2/6

Next: Another card with only a single word in its rules text, but this time at least twice.

[Tom the Mime]

The card seems okay. Fairly vanilla defender. As for the challenge, there's not much space basically requiring a keyword that has meaning on it's own and where multiple instances mean something. Only coming up with cascade, proliferate, sunburst and exalted here. Might be more but it's pretty narrow.

Avalanche pebble 4
Sorcery - R
Cascade, cascade

Make a mask

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

It does what it does, you just have to build your deck around it. As a sorcery, I can't help but feel that this would make much more sense as a red card. It's flavored as a natural disaster, it's fairly random, it's mountain-related, what's not to like? You could also argue that this would work as an artifact, like a literal rock that you could theoretically bounce and roll down again. What it isn't is an Eldrazi- or Ugin-themed spell, so leaving it as a colorless sorcery seems like a waste.

Mimetic Mask 2
Artifact - Equipment R
Equip 1
Equipped creature can't be the target of spells or abilities. (This includes your spells and abilities.)
UU: Choose target creature. Equipped creature becomes a copy of that creature for as long as Mimetic Mask is equipped to it.

Challenge! Moar headgear!

[Jormengand]

Might be more but it's pretty narrow.

Spoiler: For length

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If a creature has multiple instances of flanking, each triggers separately.
If a spell has multiple instances of storm, each triggers separately. (Not that that's helpful if it doesn't do anything... unless maybe it is)
If an object has multiple instances of bloodthirst, each applies separately. (You could have Bloodthirst 3, Bloodthirst X because 3 and X aren't words)
If a permanent has multiple instances of graft, each one works separately.
If a spell has multiple instances of gravestorm, each triggers separately.
You could have Reinforce 1 - 1W and Reinforce 10 - 7W as two different abilities on a card.
If a spell has multiple instances of conspire, each is paid separately and triggers based on its own payment, not any other instance of conspire.
If a creature has multiple instances of evolve, each triggers separately.
If a permanent has multiple instances of extort, each triggers separately.
If a creature has multiple instances of dethrone, each triggers separately.
If a creature has multiple instances of prowess, each triggers separately.
If a creature has multiple instances of ingest, each triggers separately.
If a creature has multiple instances of myriad, each triggers separately.

You could put multiple instances of monstrosity, scry, fateseal, investigate, or even planeswalk on your card, too.

The mask. It gives shroud, and also turns your creature into something huge with a neat ability. It's pretty powerful for a set-up cost of 5.

Crown of Fire 2RR
Enchantment - Aura U
Enchant Creature
Cumulative Upkeep - Crown of Fire deals 1 damage to enchanted creature.

Yeah, there are probably ways to abuse this. Stuffy doll, anyone?

Next: Another enchantment you want to put on something that you don't control.

[Ninjaman]

I see what you're doing, and I like the design, but it just feels incredibly weak. The card is probably too complex to be a common, but you could definitely make it cheaper as it is really slow removal and hard to abuse.

Dark Collar - 1B
Enchantment - Aura - C
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets -2/-2
When enchanted creature dies, its controller loses 2 life.

Another black common.

[Atomburster]

So it's essentially a Shock onto a player and a creature. It's okay, I guess.

Slow Decay 1B
Enchantment - Aura - C
Enchant Creature
At the start of each of your upkeep phases, enchanted creature gains a -1/-1 counter.

Blue-Green planeswalker. Bonus Points for not including guild/ravnica mechanics.

[ben-zayb]

Not sure what you are trying here, because of bad templating. "At the beginning of each of your upkeep" is unusual wording: did you mean "of each player's upkeep" or "of your upkeep"? The effect itself is around the ballpark of common, but probably more on the bad side as it takes too long to work for when it matters.


Kruphix, the Fatekeeper 2BG
Planeswalker - Kruphix (M)
+2: Shuffle target card into its owner's library.
-4: Put target permanent on top of its owner's library. If it's a land, you may play an additional land this turn.
-7: You get an emblem with "Players play with all cards revealed to you" and "You may play land cards from anywhere".
4


EDIT: Whoops, it's pretty low on the G side of things. The 1st ability is kinda G if targetting cards in graveyards, but let's see what I can do.

Make another card related to gods/divinity.

[1pwny]

It's... very weird. And Black/Green? Did you mean Blue/Green?

Lesseee... the +2 is pretty epic. Pretty as in almost overwhelmingly. The -4 can wreck people. And the final... let's you play land cards from your deck, exile, outside the game, or even your opponent's hand? I dunno man, this card could probably use a once-over. I see what you were trying to do, but... work on it.

Iroas, God Ascended 3WR
Plainswalker - Iroas {MR}
+1: Creatures you control get +2/+0 until end of turn.
0: Creatures you control take no damage for the remainder of the turn.
0: Until end of turn, ~ becomes a creature with Power/Toughness equal to the number of loyalty counters on it. Additionally, if your devotion to white and red is at least 7, ~ gains Indestructible and Trample until end of turn.
[4]

Challenge: Something that deserves a mind blown gif.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

It suits the overall theme of Devotion+Weenies=Profit well, so my gripes mostly amount to minor pricing adjustments and the fact that this guy basically feels like a Gideon card with a different hat.

Cranial Bomb 2RB
Sorcery - R
Cranial Bomb deals 3 damage to target creature. When that creature dies this turn, its controller discards 2 cards.

Challenge! Staple two cards together in a subtle fashion. Which two effects do you think really belong together?

[r2d2go]

Seems very strong - A 3-for-1 for 4 mana. I think it deserves 5 (stapling the more modern searing spear instead of a lightning bolt to a mind rot).

Spoiler: Old version

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Izzet Brainstorm RRUU
Sorcery - R
Storm
Draw a card, then discard a card. Deal damage to target creature equal to the discard's converted mana cost.

I came upon the realization that then old version is bad, so I made another.

Collective Consideration RRUU
Sorcery - R
Storm
Draw two cards, target a creature, then discard a card at random. Deal damage to that creature equal to the discarded card's converted mana cost.

The hope is to add more drawback, making it hard to draw many without hitting your own guys, while better capturing the chaos of an Izzet brainstorm. It's intended as a risky mid-game clear with a relatively low storm count to draw into the tools to combo out next turn while dealing with enemy board.

Challenge: Another card that potentially digs deep.

[braveheart]

I like it, but mechanically it feels more RB than UR because you need to discard, but honestly to keep it Izzet themed, it would be fine as a mono red


Short Tunnel
Land - U
T: add C to your mana pool
At the beginning of your upkeep add a charge counter to ~, then if there are 4 or more charge counters on ~ remove them and transform ~


//

Long Tunnel
Land
When Long tunnel enters the battlefield, sacrifice it and another land you control at the end of turn
T: add C to your mana pool
1T: target creature you control becomes unblockable until end of turn

Transform lands can enter as either face, because they don't have an associated casting cost to force it to start on a particular face if you have a better idea for handling that is be happy to hear it.


Another transform card, or another land card bonus points for both

[ben-zayb]

Unusual templating, with barely any difference to "At the beginning of the end step". Also, double-cards always has a front face, only the characteristics of which is considered when outside the battlefield. The card itself is alright, although I don't get the need for removing the charge counters.


Olantin, Zenith of Civilization
Legendary Land (R)
T: Add C or one mana of any color to your mana pool.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have either more life, more cards in hand, or more permanents, than any opponent, transform ~.

//

Sunken Polis
Legendary Land (R)
T: Add C to your mana pool.
U,T: Tap target creature. It doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.



Make something about horrors, or madness, or anything that will fit right in for the upcoming Shadows expansion.

[Blue Ghost]

Legendary is not nearly a big enough downside for a land that can tap for any kind of mana with no drawback. Yes, when it's flipped it doesn't tap for colored mana anymore, but it becomes even more overpowered, allowing you to lock down two creatures permanently. This is way above the power level any land should be allowed.

Spoiler: Nightmare Walker

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Next: A common dragon.

[r2d2go]

It seems pretty okay for an uncommon - 4/4 for 5 that has instant-speed (and potentially huge) boosts. In constructed, madness synergy makes it almost playable, too. I might make it 2B madness to make it more playable in constructed while not pumping the limited power too much.

Forgotten Crusher 4G
Creature - Dragon C
Flying, Trample
He dreams of a great strength, the power to fling armies aside and scales that blocked the horns of the legendary beasts he fought. Now he has nothing.
3/4

Spoiler: the cycle

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Forgotten Scorcher 4R
Creature - Dragon C
Flying, Menace
He dreams of a great fire, a breath that scoured the land and left awe, death, and rebirth in its wake. Now he has nothing.
5/2

Forgotten Corrupter 4B
Creature - Dragon C
Flying, Deathtouch
He dreams of a great corruption, a slowly spreading reach for power that left many under his claw. Now he has nothing.
1/6

Forgotten Thinker 4U
Creature - Dragon C
Flying, Hexproof
He dreams of great knowledge, libraries beyond compare and mental acuity to best the most powerful of wizards. Now he has nothing.
4/3

Forgotten Watcher 4W
Creature - Dragon C
Flying, Vigilance
He dreams of great following, keeping watchful eye over thousands under his protection, the adoration of the many. Now he has nothing.
2/5

Challenge: Another creature that's lopsided, or another creature with less words in the text than power + toughness.

[Re'ozul]

That cycle reminds me very much of the uncommon cycle in DTk. I guess I could see them as common in, but they would still be really strong. Mostly I would be concerned about Forgotten Corrupter, because there are few things that would get by it at all. Overall I'd therefore say black is the strongest (by far) with white being disappointingly weak, but I can't really see any way to make the white one substantially better with any of that color's evergreens. Though indestructible may be a nice option to replace vigilance. That way you'd have balanced main uses between Defense (white, black), offense (green, red) and uncomitted (blue), which could fit.

Lopsided Creature you say...

Crab Recluse 3U
Creature - Crab C
Tap: Switch Crab Recluse's power and toughness until end of turn.
Usually docile, their territorial instincts are not to be underestimated.
1/5

I want this to cost 2U but then I remember Hermit crab that was just in Oath.

Challenge: An artifact that flavorfully cares for enchantments.

[Ninjaman]

I was never a big fan of hermit crab, it was always only kind of playeable. You could make this cost 1UU since it's upside ain't that big.

Spoiler: The dragons

Show

The red and blue ones are by FAR the best, both insane commons, we are talking first pick worthy.

Enchanted Talisman - 1
Artifact - Equipment - U
When Enchanted Talisman enters the battlefield, you may exile an Aura you control.
Equipped creature counts as being equipped with Auras exiled by Enchanted Talisman.
Equip 1

Another small equipment.

[1pwny]

So... does that mean it gets the +4/+4, flying and first strike, or does it mean that I just get to say my thing has Angelic Blessing on it? Also, if the card gets destroyed and then I play another, does my creature get the effects of both exiled enchantments?

All in all... it seems like it would have some utility, but most cards that destroy enchantments destroy "artifacts or enchantments", and you also lose enchantment tribal. All in all, a pretty fair 1-mana uncommon.

Weenie Equipment 1
Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature gets +1/+1
~ can only be equipped to creatures with base power and toughness under 3.
Equip 0

Challenge: Make something that is accidentally an innuendo.

[ben-zayb]

No rarity? It's virtually a better Leonin Scimitar (an uncommon) for those that would need the +1/+1 the most, but still not enough to be rare.


Robilari Outboxer 3RR
Creature - Human Warrior (U)
First Strike, Provoke
Tap ~: ~ deals damage equal to its power to you. Any player may activate this ability.
3/3


Make another card related to brawling or boxing, but without Fight.

[r2d2go]

Seems okay. The second ability partially removes the advantage of Provoke - either they don't want to block and just take the damage, or they do want to block and Provoke is significantly less useful. It's a bit like "if your opponent chooses to block this creature ,you choose one of the blockers" - still better than a 3/3 first strike for 5, and that's not awful.

Brawl 1RG
Sorcery - R
Storm
Target creature you control fights target creature you don't control.

Challenge: Another card that's got storm but isn't a storm, or another card that's related to storms but doesn't have a storm.

[Jormengand]

So I guess you just decided to ignore the challenge, then?

I mean, it's otherwise an okay card, given the amount of setup you need to make it kill loads of things.

Erupting Birth 4RR
Sorcery - MR
Storm
Put a mountain land token onto the battlefield under your control.
Fueled by volcanic fire, the pyromancer raised his arms, and pillars of magma formed, solidified, were ready to use. Power, endless power.

Next: Another card which creates nonartifact noncreature tokens.

[Blue Ghost]

Land tokens cause some logistical issues in the paper game, but I can see them being used in digital, and I would approve of them. Storm is inherently broken and highly unlikely to be revisited, but this seems like a fairly innocuous use of it. High mana cost does not combo well with storm; I'd recommend lowering the cost.

Leech the Land 2C
Sorcery (U)
Exile target nonbasic land. Its controller puts a land token named Wastes on the battlefield with "T: Add C to your mana pool."

Next: A new variant on a common effect.

[r2d2go]

So I guess you just decided to ignore the challenge, then?

Shoot

It was originally something like Brawl from Hearthstone, but I guess in the editing process I forgot the challenge...

Land tokens cause some logistical issues in the paper game, but I can see them being used in digital, and I would approve of them. Storm is inherently broken and highly unlikely to be revisited, but this seems like a fairly innocuous use of it. High mana cost does not combo well with storm; I'd recommend lowering the cost.

Leech the Land 2C
Sorcery (U)
Exile target nonbasic land. Its controller puts a land token named Wastes on the battlefield with "T: Add C to your mana pool."

Next: A new variant on a common effect.

Seems somewhat weak - I might make it cantrip so it's not 2-for-1ing yourself with additional mana loss.

Pull From Oblivion 1U
Sorcery - U
Up to two target cards in exile can be play by you this turn.

Challenge: Another card that interacts with exile.

[ben-zayb]

It's a nifty sideboard, pretty good in (and very reliant on) a deck built around exiling cards/permanents. Although, even then, you get the most benefit of it from self-exile, as it would barely affect your opponent's non-land, non-artifact cards.



Ethereal Doppelganger 4UB
Creature - Shapeshifter (R)
Changeling, Ethereal (You may cast this card from exile, but not from anywhere else.)
Exile a creature you control: ~ gains the abilities of target exiled creature card until your next turn. You may activate this ability even while ~ is exiled or in your hand.
4/4



Make another card with Ethereal, or any permanent with Flash. Bonus points for both, as usual!

[Blue Ghost]

I strongly disapprove of messing with the exile zone to such a degree. Things are not supposed to come back from exile; the more exceptions you make to that, the less coherent the concept of exile becomes, and the game is weaker for it. Yes, they have made cards that can come back from exile, but I believe (along with Mark Rosewater) that those were mistakes.
If we accept casting from exile, ethereal would still be too narrow an ability to be a keyword. It could possibly be a one-off on a rare, but no more.
Exiling creatures to steal their abilities is a neat idea. Being able to do it from your hand doesn't make sense, and adds a lot of confusion for little gain.
Yes, the challenge asked for a card that interacts with exile, but in my opinion, as well as MaRo's, that is very dangerous design space. It needs serious limitations, like they did with the Eldrazi processors (only opponent's exile, consistent flavor identity, returning cards from exile to graveyard only).

Saint Thalia, the Protector 3WW
Legendary Creature - Human Soldier (M)
Flash, first strike
When Saint Thalia, the Protector enters the battlefield, put three 4/4 white Angel creature tokens with flying onto the battlefield. Exile them at the beginning of your next upkeep.
3/2

Next: Another Innistrad legend.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

The Comeback Queen is in, I see. Turning around the big attack that your opponent was sure would win them the game certainly feels right for the flavor theme, though I'm not sure how much that potential blowout should cost. It's interesting N+1-for-1 removal in a controlly style, and can turn into a potent aggro combo if a Boros haste-anthem effect happens to be around. I quite enjoy it!

I also know next to nothing about Innistrad! Even after looking over the set, I feel like I've made a huge mistake. Here's a character that could believably be from Innistrad, maybe?

Leshrac, Lord of Winter 4BBR
Legendary Creature - Demon MR
Flying
Nonbasic lands your opponents control are basic lands named Wastes with, "T: add C to your mana pool."
Creatures you control have Wasteswalk.
6/6

Challenge! Make a 1-mana aura for the Bruna deck I'm now thinking of making.