Strenuous Provisioner1GW
Creature - Human Soldier (R)
Echo GW (At the beginning of your upkeep, if this came under your control since the beginning of your last upkeep, sacrifice it unless you pay its echo cost.)
When Strenuous Provisioner enters the battlefield, bolster 3. (Choose a creature with the least toughness among creatures you control and put three +1/+1 counters on it.) T: Exile Strenuous Provisioner. Return it to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of the next end step. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
2/3
Just to reiterate, and seen all the posts asking for clarification in the first page, we judges and the host had a discussion and an agreement was reached with the following criteria:
• All kinds of supplemental sets do not count. This includes all Masters sets both online and on paper, all From the Vault, Duel Decks, Conspiracy, etc... in short, everything that is not a core set or a regular expansion set.
• Time Spiral block also does not count, as it just prevented too many mechanics from counting as pre-8ED only.
• Currently evergreen mechanics also do not count for either list.
• Keywords that are now unsupported also do not count (there are only two of them: landhome and substance, both pre-8ED).
Explanation
Recognizing the need for official lists to know exactly what's supposed to count and what not, yesterday night I did some research. I went to the set chronology wiki page and from there I checked the wiki page of every single set in the chronology, noting the keywords present in each set. Then I compiled the results into the following two lists, which doomfish put in the clarifications spoiler and I repeat here below. I'm also including the relevant part of the message I posted in the private judging thread where I further explain what I did. I see no problems in sharing that part publicly. It reads as follows (the rest of this spoiler).
Excluding supplemental sets lets us add fading (which I'm considering a different keyword than vanishing, because it technically is) and threshold to the list, both thanks to Vintage Masters, and also regular banding courtesy of Masters Edition. Cumulative upkeep stays out because of Coldsnap, which counts as a regular expansion set because it is now part of Ice Age block.
Excluding Time Spiral block lets us add buyback, echo, flanking, shadow and storm. All other mechanics in the block were either new (vanishing in Planar Chaos and a lot more in Future Sight) or came back again later still post-8ED (flashback and madness in the two Innistrad blocks, morph in Tarkir block, kicker in Zendikar block). I actually expected more mechanics getting added to the list with the exclusion of Time Spiral block, but that's what it is.
Multikicker is out because it's a variant of kicker in the CR, and kicker appears both before and after 8th Edition (in Invasion and Zendikar blocks). The same is true for megamorph (variant of morph that appears in Onslaught and Tarkir blocks). Scry and prowess are now evergreen.
Keywords that are appear in core sets and regular expansion sets both before and after 8th Edition (excluding Time Spiral block) do not appear in any of the lists. The submission must include one keyword from the first list and one from the second list.
The lists:
Keywords that have only appeared before 8th Edition counting only core sets and regular expansion sets and excluding Time Spiral block, current evergreen keywords and keywords that are now unsupported:
Keywords that have only appeared after 8th Edition counting only core sets and regular expansion sets and excluding current evergreen keywords and Time Spiral block:
To be extra clear, to meet the main challenge your submission must mention one keyword from the first list AND one keyword from the second list.
For the purposes of this challenge, what we are counting as a keyword is what is defined in the CR as either keyword, keyword action, or ability word. Please pay extra attention to the fact that you cannot reference ability words in rules text (for example "All creatures with landfall get +1/+1" doesn't work in the rules, while "All creatures with flying get +1/+1" does), so the only way to use an ability word would be for the card itself to have it, which satisfies the main challenge but fails subchallenge 2. Just one thing for you to consider while designing your submission.
I think this extra explanation was due and I hope it's helpful. Now go and design some great cards!
MCC - Winner (6): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019 || Host (15): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here) || Judge (34): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here) CCL - Winner (3): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last one here) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016 DCC - Winner (1): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar) || Host (3): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016
• The two public custom sets I've been part a part of the design team for: "Brotherhood of Ormos" - Blog post with all info - set thread - design skeleton / card list || "Extinctia: Homo Evanuit" - Blog post with all info - set thread - card list spreadsheet
• "The Lion's Lair", my article series about MTG and custom card design in particular. Latest article here. Here is the article index.Rather outdated by now, and based on the old MCC rubric, but I'm leaving this here for anybody that might be interested anyway.
• My only public attempt at being a writer: the story of my Leonin custom planeswalker Jeff Lionheart. (I have a very big one that I'm working on right now but that's private for now, and I don't know if I will ever actually publish it, and I also have ideas for multiple future ones, including one where I'm going to reprise Jeff.)
Fearless HeroismRG
Sorcery (U)
Target creature gains provoke until end of turn.
Creatures you control gain exalted until end of turn. Filled with the strength of his brothers, Kra'k sprinted towards the dragon.
Simic Accelerationist1GU
Creature — Elf Wizard (R)
Each creature card you own with converted mana cost greater than 1 has miracle X and gains
echo XX when it enters the battlefield under your control, where X is half of its converted mana cost, rounded up. Evolution, the goddess of avarice. To ignore her demands for risk and sacrifice is to snub her many gifts.
2/3
Inglorious Paladin2WB
Creature - Human Knight [Rare]
Creatures you control have skulk. (They can't be blocked by creatures with greater power.)
Whenever Inglorious Paladin attacks, creatures you control gain flanking until end of turn. (Whenever a creature without flanking blocks them, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.) "I fight for victory, not honor."
3/3
Sultai Sibisgier1BB
Creature - Naga Wizard (Rare)
When Sultai Sibsigier enters the battlefield, discard a card and create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token with "Echo 1B".
Pay 1 life, T: Populate. "The first sibsig I raised was haphazard and required additional bindings to keep it fresh. Shidiqi does not need to know the rest are likely the same."
1/3
Zutelyn, General of the Claw3UR
Legendary Creature - Viashino Ninja (R)
Ninjutsu 1UR
When Zutelyn, General of the Claw enters the battlefield or attacks, target creature you control gains provoke. (U/B): Until end of turn creature cards in your hand have ninjutsu, where their ninjutsu cost is their colored mana cost. Appointing a decoy ensures one's survival.
3/3
originaly had trigger when ~ attacked but i dont know if that would work with provoke. SO upped toughness and force attacks
Forgot Rarity
Changed it back and gave it Ninjutsu, A ninja needs Ninjutsu. I still dont know if giving provoke during attack works.
Yamahiro, Bound by Revenge2WB
Legendary Creature - Human Samurai (R)
Vigilance 1W: Creatures you control gain bushido 1 until end of turn (Whenever a creature with bushido blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn). Activate this ability only once each turn. 1B: Creatures you control gain flanking until end of turn (Whenever a creature without flanking blocks a creature with flanking, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn). Activate this ability only once each turn.
3/3
Raxis, Prince of Souls2UBR Legendary Creature - Zombie Demon [MYTHIC]
All other creatures have an Echo cost equal to their casting cost.
Creature cards in your graveyard have an Unearth cost equal to their casting cost. Under his rule, both death and life will be temporary conditions
4/3
Circular LogicU
Sorcery {U}
Buyback — R, Discard a card. (You may pay an additional R and discard a card in addition to any other costs as you cast this spell. If you do, put this card into your hand as it resolves.)
Draw a card. Delirium — If there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard, draw two cards instead.
Furnace Lore-Carver3R
Creature - Cleric (M) R, T: The next instant or sorcery spell you cast has affinity for artifacts. (It costs 1 less to cast for each artifact you control.) RRR, T: The next instant or sorcery spell you cast has storm. (When you cast that spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn. You may choose new targets for the copies.) At New Phyrexia's core, Memnarch's secrets showed them prophetic dreams of their own past - and Dominaria's.
3/3
Elemental BackwaterXXGW
Sorcery (M)
Create an X/X white and green elemental creature token. Threshold— You gain 5 life, as long as seven or more cards are in your graveyard.
Epic (For the rest of the game, you can’t cast spells. At the beginning of each of your upkeeps, copy this spell except for its epic ability.)
Art by
ATTACHMENTS
Elemental Backwater
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Over time, all trips end up in the same place, at home."
Ajani, Pride Unifier3W
Legendary Creature - Cat Soldier (R)
Amplify 1 (As this creature enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on it for each Cat and/or Soldier card you reveal in your hand.)
Forecast — 1W, Reveal Ajani, Pride Unifier from your hand: Put a +1/+1 counter on target Cat you control. (Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.) Ajani's call went forth to the cats of all planes.
2/2
Planewinder8GG
Creature - Wurm {M}
Convoke (Each creature you tap when you're done activating mana abilities pays for 1.)
Trample
Rampage 6 (Whenever this creature becomes blocked, it gets +6/+6 until end of turn for each creature blocking it beyond the first.) 2G: Target creature blocks Planewinder this turn if able.
6/6
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A mere ten days after the Mending, a young knight of Valeron and a young ranger of Eos made a discovery that would change Alara forever.
Discord ManifestWBB
Creature - Spirit (U)
Defender
Other creatures you control have Flanking and Haunt.
Haunted creatures you control get +1/+1 for each card haunting them and can attack as though they didn't have Defender. It clouds the mind with memory, then plucks it from dissolution.
0/3
( I made an account just to participate in this months card contest! I've been following it for so long! )
Pharis, Unified Wills
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard (M)
Instant and sorcery spells you cast have convoke and buyback .
Discard an instant or sorcery card: Pharis, Unified Wills gains hexproof until end of turn. It's amazing what you can accomplish with a legion of willpower behind you.
2/3
( I made an account just to participate in this months card contest! I've been following it for so long! )
I'm honored.
Design - (X/3) Appeal: Do the different player psychographics (Timmy/Johnny/Spike) have a use for the card? (X/3) Elegance: Is the card easily understandable at a glance? Do all the flavor and mechanics combined as a whole make sense?
Development - (X/3) Viability: How well does the card fit into the color wheel? Does it break or bend the rules of the game? Is it the appropriate rarity? (X/3) Balance: Does the card have a power level appropriate for contemporary constructed/limited environments without breaking them? Does it play well in casual and multiplayer formats? Does it create or fit into a deck/archetype? Does it create an oppressive environment?
Creativity - (X/3) Uniqueness: Has a card like this ever been printed before? Does it use new mechanics, ideas, or design space? Does it combine old ideas in a new way? Overall, does it feel “fresh”? (X/3) Flavor: Does the name seem realistic for a card? Does the flavor text sound professional? Do all the flavor elements synch together to please Vorthos players?
Polish - (X/3) Quality: Points deducted for incorrect spelling, grammar, and templating. (X/2) Main Challenge: Was the main challenge satisfied? Was it approached in a unique or interesting way? Does the card fit the intent of the challenge? (X/2) Subchallenges: One point awarded per satisfied subchallenge condition.
Multiple instances of lifelink on the same creature are redundant.
Multiple instances of lifelink on the same creature are redundant.
Multiple instances of lifelink on the same creature are redundant.
—Eli Shiffrin, Rules Manager, on a design stacking lifelink instances
Foreshadowing Evolution2UG
Enchantment - Aura (R)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has phasing and "When this creature phases in, if is untapped, support X, where X is the number of creatures you control minus one. (Put a +1/+1 counter on each of up to X target creatures.)"
As long as enchanted creature is phased in, it has "t: Put two +1/+1 counters on another target creature." Sometimes, you can predict the process of evolution a long time before it occurs.
Design (2/3) Appeal - Timmy likes putting +1/+1 counters on all his creatures (the tap ability lets him put them on the creature he didn't support too). Johnny could do something with the counters and the tap ability. I'm not sure how he could use phasing though, but maybe there's some way. The are a few things Spike can like here, but I don't think that the overall package is very exciting to him. Choosing the right creature not to support does require skill though. (1/3) Elegance - This round naturally lead you towards making complex cards, and this is no exception. If you know how phasing works, the single instructions are relatively easy to understand, but the board complexity is high. A lot of small details add up to generate a complex card: the "if it's untapped" to interact with the granted tap ability, the "minus one" (I get that it was meant to have you support all other creatures you control and then use the tap ability on enchanted creature, but was it really necessary? I'm not sure.), the "as long as enchanted creature is phased in" (which is necessary only for clarity, as the Aura phases out with enchanted creature and its ability doesn't work while it's phased out anyway), etc... Each of those details has its own reason to exist, but the result is very complex.
Development (3/3) Viability - Phasing is green and blue, support and +1/+1 counters are green. No problems with the color pie. Rarity is the least it can reasonably be. (2/3) Balance - I find this card very hard to judge here. Basically, you only control the enchanted creature half of the time but you get +1/+1 counters on all your creatures in exchange. I guess it's fine, and four mana looks enough of a cost to me. The tap ability can be used to give counters to the one creature you didn't support or to put three counters on one creature leaving the one you didn't support with no additional counters. That's addional flexibility and it's good. I guess this is playable in limited, where giving +1/+1 counters to all your creature can also help you breaks stalls. I don't think this is enough for constructed though. I think it could see some play in casual, especially with old timers that are more familiar with the logistics of phasing.
Creativity (3/3) Uniqueness - Unlike Elegance, the round naturally pushed you towards a high score here. The combination of keywords is new and gives the card its own identity, just like the beloved (at least by me) mix-and-match cards from Future Sight. (2/3) Flavor - While the name and flavor text are fine, the overall flavor feels a bit weak to me. I guess the +1/+1 counters are meant to represent the "evolution" part and phasing the "foreshadowing" part, but is "predicting the process of evolution" representing the fact that you will have to wait for enchanted creature to phase in before putting the counters? Overall, not exceptional but just fine in this regard.
Polish (1.5/3) Quality - It should be "if it's untapped" (-0.5). The reminder text should be outside the quotation marks (-0.5). Reminder text for phasing is missing (-0.5), and it does exist. It's (This phases in or out before you untap during each of your untap steps. While it's phased out, it's treated as though it doesn't exist.) courtesy of Gatherer. You should just readjust that to refer to "enchanted creature" or "that creature" instead of "this". You could also make a single reminder text including "To support X, put..." right afterwards. (2/2) Main Challenge - Good. (2/2) Subchallenges - Both met.
Etherium Psychokinetics2UR
Creature - Human Wizard (R)
Etherium Psychokinetics spell has cascade if B or W was spent to cast it.
When you cast Etherium Psychokinetics, if you have cast two or more other spell this turn, the next instant or sorcery spell you cast this turn gains storm.
: Etherium Psychokinetics gains +1/-1 until end of turn.
3/4
Design (2.5/3) Appeal - Cascade and storm are both abilities Timmy likes, they are both very exciting to him. The body is also big enough to be relevant on the battlefield. The storm-granting ability lets Johnny use it in many different ways. Spike can imagine strong plays involving this. For example, how about casting two zero-mana spells, then this, then a Lightning Bolt with storm count 4, dealing 12 damage distributed in chunks of 3, and you also get to cascade? He doesn't like the restrictions though. (1/3) Elegance - This round naturally lead you towards making complex cards, and this is no exception. Storm is an already complex ability, and adding cascade (which by itself is also already a quite complex ability), with an additional condition on top of all, and an apparently unrelated activated ability only makes the card even more complex as a result.
Development (3/3) Viability - Cascade is in all colors, as is storm even though it's primarily blue and red, that are conveniently this card's colors. Both blue and red can also give +N/-N to themselves. No problems with the color pie. Rarity looks fine to me. (2.5/3) Balance - This looks quite strong, and the restriction are probably needed. Cascade would be very good on a four-mana 3/4, but with the restriction it requires you to pay three different colors of mana. Giving storm to any instant or sorcery looks very strong too, and this case the restriction you chose is quite interesting: it's a drawback in that you have to cast three total spells to get it (two and then this) and you have to spend resources to cast them, but if you do get it than it turns into an upside as you already will have a storm count of at least 4. The last ability is fine. Overall, to me it looks like the restrictions should be enough to balance this card. I expect this to be somewhat playable in limited, but especially in constructed where you can build your whole deck around this. In multiplayer, the fact that each storm copy can affect a different player looks interesting.
Creativity (3/3) Uniqueness - Unlike Elegance, the round naturally pushed you towards a high score here. The combination of keywords is new and gives the card its own identity, just like the beloved (at least by me) mix-and-match cards from Future Sight. (1.5/3) Flavor - The name is fine and gives this card a sort of "Alara Reborn" feel, with etherium being mentioned on a card that contains both black and red in its color identity. No flavor text, even though MSE shows me that up to a couple lines could have fit with a small font. One line would have fit for sure.
Polish (0.5/3) Quality - The word "spell" after the card name in the cascade-self-granting ability should not be there. The card name already means "this object, card, spell, permanent, or whatever it is" in rules text (-0.5). In the cast trigger, the verb to cast should be conjugated at the past simple instead of the present perfect: it should be "if you cast" rather than "if you have cast" (-0.5). In that same sentence, the word "spell" should be plural ("two or more other spells", -0.5). Reminder text for both cascade and storm would be advised and is missing (two times -0.5). (2/2) Main Challenge - Good. (1/2) Subchallenges - Subchallenge 1 met. Subchallenge 2 failed, as the card itself has cascade and only getting it conditionally doesn't change that.
Fearless HeroismRG
Sorcery (U)
Target creature gains provoke until end of turn.
Creatures you control gain exalted until end of turn. Filled with the strength of his brothers, Kra'k sprinted towards the dragon.
Design (2.5/3) Appeal - Timmy likes making one giant creature that has to be blocked by a creature of his choice. I don't see much for Johnny here, maybe using this with tokens, but it feels like a stretch. Spike also likes this as pseudo-removal. (3/3) Elegance - This round naturally lead you towards making complex cards, but this is the exception, at least in my bracket. The abilities are short, very easy to understand as long as you know what the keywords mean, and the interaction between them looks good and most of all intuitive. This card is the demonstration that it was possible to make an elegant card in this round after all, and I want to prize that.
Development (3/3) Viability - Provoke is in Naya colors and exalted in every color but red, and this card is also partly green. This card could probably just be monogreen, but there are no problems with the color pie anyway. Rarity looks fine to me. (3/3) Balance - This looks strong to me without being broken, and that's a very good place to be here. I'd play this in limited for sure if I am in its colors, and I could even consider to make a splash just because of this. I can also see constructed applications. I see no problem in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity (3/3) Uniqueness - Unlike Elegance, the round naturally pushed you towards a high score here. The combination of keywords is new and gives the card its own identity, just like the beloved (at least by me) mix-and-match cards from Future Sight. (3/3) Flavor - Both name and flavor text are very well written and I could see them both printed for real as is. "Fearless" = provoke and "Heroism" = exalted. "Filled with the strength of his brothers" = exalted and "sprinted towards the dragon" = provoke. Kra'k looks very good as a goblin name too, and the flavor has a kind of goblin feel to it even if goblins are not explicitly mentioned. Very good work!
Polish (2/3) Quality - On an uncommon, reminder text is required for both provoke and exalted (two times -0.5). (2/2) Main Challenge - Good. (2/2) Subchallenges - Both met.
Sultai Sibisgier1BB
Creature - Nage Wizard (Rare)
When Sultai Sibsigier enters the battlefield, discard a card and create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token with "Echo 1B".
Pay 1 life, T: Populate. "The fjrst sibsig I raised was haphazard and required additional bindings to keep it fresh. Shidiqi does not need to know the rest are likely the same."
1/3
Design (2.5/3) Appeal - Timmy likes tokens and populating them, especially when he populates other bigger tokens he could have made in some other way. He also doesn't mind the echo cost, though he doesn't like the life payment. Johnny can certainly use populate. Spike really doesn't like the echo cost on the tokens, but he can definitely appreciate the free populate, he will gladly pay life instead of mana. Johnny/Spikes can use the discard, for example discarding madness cards. (1.5/3) Elegance - This round naturally lead you towards making complex cards, and this is no exception. While the text is not too long and relatively easy to understand as long as you know what the keywords mean, it's just a complex way to say "1B, T, Pay 1 life: Create a 2/2 token". I know it not exactly the same functionally because you could copy other tokens and you pay the echo cost at a different time, but it comes really close, so close that it leaves you wondering whether it's really worth it. Also, the interaction between the two keywords is just due to how this particular card works, it's not inherent to the keywords themselves.
Development (2/3) Viability - The only problem with the color pie is populate, which is green and white as of now. Still, it's possible that it's expanded to other colors if and when it returns, just like it happened with exalted, that was originally in Bant but then was given to black as well when it returned. Honestly, if I had to pick a third color for populate it would be blue and not black, because what populate does is copying and Clones are blue. The life payment makes it feel a little better in black here but I still have my doubts about that. Rarity is fine. (1/3) Balance - I have no big problems with the first ability, but I'll admit I'm a bit scared by the populate ability being repeatable and costing you no mana but just a single point of life. It would be fine if you could use this ability only on the tokens with echo, as those do require mana, but the fact that you can make a huge token via other means, and there are plenty in Magic, and then keep populating that huge token each turn for free looks a bit too much to me. Let's see for example the three existing cards that let you populate repeatedly: Growing Ranks costs four mana and does nothing else, Trostani, Selesnya's Voice costs three mana of two different colors to activate and has a very restrictive mana cost (four colored mana in two different colors), and Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage costs four mana in two colors to activate. I'd say this is playable in any format where you have means to make big enough tokens, but I'm not sure that's in a good way.
Creativity (3/3) Uniqueness - Unlike Elegance, the round naturally pushed you towards a high score here. The combination of keywords is new and gives the card its own identity, just like the beloved (at least by me) mix-and-match cards from Future Sight. (3/3) Flavor - This has to come from the time when the Sultai still existed but Shidiqi is mentioned. This is a contradiction unless this card is set right before the Khanfall (from the wiki: "Former advisor of the last Sultai khan, the naga Shidiqi became the first Dragon's Mouth of Silumgar"). If it were set during the current dragons timeline, it would need to be "Silumgar Sibsigier", so that's the only way it works. Assuming that is true, the flavor works very well. I really like "the rest are likely the same" in the flavor text as a reference to the populate mechanic, as well as "haphazard and required additional bindings" to echo.
Polish (0/3) Quality - The name changes between the name line and the triggered ability: the second "i" and the second "s" in the word "Sibsigier" are exchanged. Knowing Tarkir I'm sure the intended name is the one that's used in the triggered ability (-0.5 for a typo). There are two more typos: "Nage" instead of "Naga" in the type line (-0.5) and "fjrst" instead of "first" in the flavor text (-0.5). The granted echo ability should not be between quotation marks (-0.5) and should not be capitalized (-0.5). The costs are exchanged in the activated ability: the tap symbol should come before "Pay 1 life" (-0.5). Reminder text for both echo and populate is missing, and that would normally be an additional -1 (two times -0.5) if we were not already at zero. (2/2) Main Challenge - Good. (1/2) Subchallenges - Subchallenge 1 met. Subchallenge 2 failed, as the card itself has populate. By the way, very clever way to not have the card itself have echo by giving it to the token instead, and yes, that is functionally different.
Ajani, Pride Unifier3W
Legendary Creature - Cat Soldier (R)
Amplify 1 (As this creature enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on it for each Cat and/or Soldier card you reveal in your hand.)
Forecast — 1W, Reveal Ajani, Pride Unifier from your hand: Put a +1/+1 counter on target Cat you control. (Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.) Ajani's call went forth to the cats of all planes.
2/2
Design (2/3) Appeal - Timmy likes tribal synergies and +1/+1 counters, so he should like this. Johnny could use the counters in some way, but there's not much more for him beside that. Spike likes this overall, but it's a bit turned down by the fact that this is essentially useless to him if you don't have at least a couple Cats or Soldiers in hand for amplify. He'd never cast this as a four-mana 2/2. (2/3) Elegance - This round naturally lead you towards making complex cards, and this is kind of in the middle of the road. The text is short and clean, and the chosen keywords are not too complex (and that's not a given in such a round, just look at most other cards in this bracket already, and that's an aspect I want to prize), but they really have no inherent synergy. What makes them feel closer on this card is that they both interact with +1/+1 counters, but that's just related on the execution on this particular card. There are also flavor problems, but I'll talk about them in the appropriate section of the rubric.
Development (3/3) Viability - Amplify and forecast (True fact: as I first wrote this I made a typo and I unwillingly wrote "forecat" without the "s". Unwanted but hilarious!) have both already been in white and the forecast effect is definitely something white can do, so no problems with the color pie. Rarity looks fine to me. (2/3) Balance - The card looks fine balance-wise, but I don't like that much the fact the the abilities push you in two different directions at the same time: amplify wants you to have as many Cats as possible in your hand, while forecast needs Cats on the battlefield to give the counters to. This tension is certainly manageable by experienced players, but I can see less experienced players playing a single Cat to put all the counters on while not playing the others they have in their hand even if they could so that when they finally cast this they have enough Cats to reveal to amplify. That doesn't look like a good game pattern to me. Beside this, I see no other problems here: this looks playable in limited even if not a first pick, maybe playable in constructed Cat tribal decks (but not anywhere else), and perfectly fine in casual and multiplayer.
Creativity (3/3) Uniqueness - Unlike Elegance, the round naturally pushed you towards a high score here. The combination of keywords is new and gives the card its own identity, just like the beloved (at least by me) mix-and-match cards from Future Sight. (0/3) Flavor - I'm sorry but no, just no. This card's flavor just doesn't work in my opinion. Ajani is a planeswalker, my favorite one actually so I know his story quite well, and there are several problems here. First, a planeswalker today is always represented as a planeswalker card, so the only way this can be Ajani and a creature at the same time is if this is meant to represent Ajani before his ignition. But then, how could his call go forth to other planes than Naya? He didn't even know of the existence of other planes before his spark ignited. Then there is the problem that if this is meant to represent pre-ascension Ajani, in his pride he was all but a unifier. He was an outcast, disregarded by everyone else but his brother. This could be him at the end of the Alara block, when he's offered the position of kha and declines, leaving the killer of his brother in charge instead, but even then when his pride finally accepts him (so he could unify them then), it's him who's not interested anymore. In short, this flavor doesn't work at any time in Ajani's life. And to be clear, Ajani, Caller of the Pride is after his ignition, when he's not an outcast anymore (so the "caller of the pride" part makes sense), and in fact it's a planeswalker card. Did it really have to be Ajani on this card? This should have been someone else, even a made up character, and anyway not a planeswalker (because this is a creature card and not a planeswalker one), so the reference to other planes in the flavor text should be removed or very well justified in some plausible way in any case. What saves this card overall is only the fact that it's quite solid from a mechanical point of view, but from a flavor perspective I really feel like it's a miss. I'm sorry.
Polish (3/3) Quality - All good. (2/2) Main Challenge - Good. (1/2) Subchallenges - Subchallenge 1 met. Subchallenge 2 failed, as the card itself has the keywords.
Simic Accelerationist1GU
Creature — Elf Wizard (R)
Each creature card you own with converted mana cost greater than 1 has miracle X and gains
echo XX when it enters the battlefield under your control, where X is half of its converted mana cost, rounded up. Evolution, the goddess of avarice. To ignore her demands for risk and sacrifice is to snub her many gifts.
2/3
Design (2/3) Appeal - Timmy definitely likes miracle, and he can get behind the echo cost. Spike, at the contrary, really doesn't like giving all his creatures an extra mana payment, but he likes the reduced miracle cost. Miracle is a keyword Spike has mixed feelings about: he doesn't like the inherent randomness (which is why he'd always try to pair it with top-of-library manipulation), but he likes the heavy mana discount. Johnny can also pair this with library manipulation, but I don't see anything specifically for him here. (0/3) Elegance - This round naturally lead you towards making complex cards, and not only this is no exception, but it even looks like additional complexity was added on purpose. The chosen keywords are already complex, but you could change them to the simplest keywords in the world and the text would be confusing anyway. I had to think for several minutes about how such a triggered ability within a static effect works in the rules and I haven't been able to reach a definitive conclusion despite consulting the CR, and I am a twelve-year experienced player who also happens to be a big rules fan even though I'm not an official judge (note to self: yet?). I can only imagine how confusing this card must be to a less experienced or more casual player, and add the math required to play this card correctly on top of all that. Having X and double X as costs already doesn't help, but then you realize that the double X is just the cmc because X is defined as half the cmc, so you have to calculate half the cmc and then double the half going back to the original value, and the result may also be different because of rounding. I could go on for quite some time. I honestly think this must be one of the most complex cards I've ever seen.
Development (2.5/3) Viability - Miracle has been in every color but black and there is no philosophical reason it can't be in black too if and when it returns (in AVR it was just a matter of flavor). Echo has been in every color too, so no problems with the color pie. I could see this at mythic too, and in my opinion it should be mythic, but rare should be fine too. The line between rare and mythic is already blurred enough anyway. (1/3) Balance - Essentially you pay half the cost if you cast the creature right when you're drawing it, but then you have to pay the full mana cost in addition to that on the following upkeep. That looks strong but maybe fine. But what if you cast the creature from your hand? From the (honestly confusing) wording it looks like it gains echo in that case too. So, you have to pay the mana cost for creatures you cast from your have twice, like old echo creatures. The difference is those creatures were designed with the double payment in mind and they somehow made up for that in some way, while this applies to regular creatures too, and in that case it's a strict disadvantage. Is that worth being able to cast your creatures for half the cost as you draw them? I'd say it would if echo only applied to those creatures instead of all. As is, I'm not sure about it. I honestly don't think I'd play this in limited, maybe in constructed in a deck built specifically to take advantage of it somehow. The confusing wording and the math required do not help in casual either.
Creativity (3/3) Uniqueness - Unlike Elegance, the round naturally pushed you towards a high score here. The combination of keywords is new and gives the card its own identity, just like the beloved (at least by me) mix-and-match cards from Future Sight. (2/3) Flavor - The name is a bit hard to pronounce, especially for non-native English speakers and Magic is a worldwide game, but it's fine for its meaning. The flavor text is good, but it really looks like a quote to me. I would have made it an attributed quote, and the attribution would have been a good place to reference an actual Simic character beside just name dropping the Simic in the card name. I like "demands for risk and sacrifice" as a way to represent the echo mechanic in flavor text, but I honestly can't see the link between evolution and avarice, and also between them and miracle, if that's meant to be a reference to the miracle mechanic.
Polish (0.5/3) Quality - The wording is very strange as it has a triggered ability templated in a non-standard way cointained within a static ability that generates a continuous effect. Rule 400.7g (CR AKH Edition) might apply and make this card work as intended, but that's not totally clear and it would certainly require some experienced judge to give a definitive answer. The best way to solve this while also making it clearer to the less experienced player would be to separate the miracle-granting ability from the echo-granting one. That also helps because there are "cards" in the library but not on the battlefield. In short, the rules text requires a complete reworking even if the intent is clear enough. Also, when you define X, X should not be a mana symbol but typed as a letter, and there is an unneeded line break between the words "gains" and "echo". At least the flavor text looks good as is from a grammar standpoint, and that's the only reason this is not a full zero. (2/2) Main Challenge - Good. (2/2) Subchallenges - Both met. It grants echo to itself but it's fine because it doesn't just affect itself and it grants it to other creatures too. See clarifications spoiler in the OP.
MCC - Winner (6): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019 || Host (15): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here) || Judge (34): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here) CCL - Winner (3): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last one here) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016 DCC - Winner (1): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar) || Host (3): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016
• The two public custom sets I've been part a part of the design team for: "Brotherhood of Ormos" - Blog post with all info - set thread - design skeleton / card list || "Extinctia: Homo Evanuit" - Blog post with all info - set thread - card list spreadsheet
• "The Lion's Lair", my article series about MTG and custom card design in particular. Latest article here. Here is the article index.Rather outdated by now, and based on the old MCC rubric, but I'm leaving this here for anybody that might be interested anyway.
• My only public attempt at being a writer: the story of my Leonin custom planeswalker Jeff Lionheart. (I have a very big one that I'm working on right now but that's private for now, and I don't know if I will ever actually publish it, and I also have ideas for multiple future ones, including one where I'm going to reprise Jeff.)
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Creature - Human Soldier (R)
Echo GW (At the beginning of your upkeep, if this came under your control since the beginning of your last upkeep, sacrifice it unless you pay its echo cost.)
When Strenuous Provisioner enters the battlefield, bolster 3. (Choose a creature with the least toughness among creatures you control and put three +1/+1 counters on it.)
T: Exile Strenuous Provisioner. Return it to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of the next end step. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
2/3
• All kinds of supplemental sets do not count. This includes all Masters sets both online and on paper, all From the Vault, Duel Decks, Conspiracy, etc... in short, everything that is not a core set or a regular expansion set.
• Time Spiral block also does not count, as it just prevented too many mechanics from counting as pre-8ED only.
• Currently evergreen mechanics also do not count for either list.
• Keywords that are now unsupported also do not count (there are only two of them: landhome and substance, both pre-8ED).
Explanation
Recognizing the need for official lists to know exactly what's supposed to count and what not, yesterday night I did some research. I went to the set chronology wiki page and from there I checked the wiki page of every single set in the chronology, noting the keywords present in each set. Then I compiled the results into the following two lists, which doomfish put in the clarifications spoiler and I repeat here below. I'm also including the relevant part of the message I posted in the private judging thread where I further explain what I did. I see no problems in sharing that part publicly. It reads as follows (the rest of this spoiler).
Excluding supplemental sets lets us add fading (which I'm considering a different keyword than vanishing, because it technically is) and threshold to the list, both thanks to Vintage Masters, and also regular banding courtesy of Masters Edition. Cumulative upkeep stays out because of Coldsnap, which counts as a regular expansion set because it is now part of Ice Age block.
Excluding Time Spiral block lets us add buyback, echo, flanking, shadow and storm. All other mechanics in the block were either new (vanishing in Planar Chaos and a lot more in Future Sight) or came back again later still post-8ED (flashback and madness in the two Innistrad blocks, morph in Tarkir block, kicker in Zendikar block). I actually expected more mechanics getting added to the list with the exclusion of Time Spiral block, but that's what it is.
Multikicker is out because it's a variant of kicker in the CR, and kicker appears both before and after 8th Edition (in Invasion and Zendikar blocks). The same is true for megamorph (variant of morph that appears in Onslaught and Tarkir blocks). Scry and prowess are now evergreen.
Keywords that are appear in core sets and regular expansion sets both before and after 8th Edition (excluding Time Spiral block) do not appear in any of the lists. The submission must include one keyword from the first list and one from the second list.
Keywords that have only appeared before 8th Edition counting only core sets and regular expansion sets and excluding Time Spiral block, current evergreen keywords and keywords that are now unsupported:
• Amplify
• Banding
• Bands with other
• Buyback
• Echo
• Fading
• Flanking
• Phasing
• Provoke
• Rampage
• Shadow
• Storm
• Threshold
Keywords that have only appeared after 8th Edition counting only core sets and regular expansion sets and excluding current evergreen keywords and Time Spiral block:
• Affinity
• Aftermath
• Annihilator
• Awaken
• Battalion
• Battle cry
• Bestow
• Bloodrush
• Bloodthirst
• Bolster
• Bushido
• Cascade
• Champion
• Changeling
• Channel
• Chroma
• Cipher
• Clash
• Cohort
• Conspire
• Constellation
• Converge
• Convoke
• Crew
• Dash
• Delirium
• Delve (stays in despite Time Spiral because of Tarkir)
• Detain
• Devoid
• Devotion
• Devour
• Dredge
• Embalm
• Emerge
• Entwine
• Epic
• Escalate
• Evoke
• Evolve
• Exalted
• Exert
• Exploit
• Extort
• Fabricate
• Fateful hour
• Ferocious
• Flip (Kamigawa flip cards)
• Forecast
• Formidable
• Fuse
• Graft
• Haunt
• Hellbent
• Heroic
• Hideaway
• Imprint
• Improvise
• Infect
• Ingest
• Inspired
• Investigate
• Kinship
• Landfall
• Level up
• Living weapon
• Manifest
• Meld
• Metalcraft
• Miracle
• Modular
• Monstrosity
• Morbid
• Ninjutsu
• Offering
• Outlast
• Overload
• Persist
• Populate
• Proliferate
• Prowl
• Radiance
• Raid
• Rally
• Rebound
• Recover
• Reinforce
• Renown
• Replicate
• Retrace
• Revolt
• Ripple
• Scavenge
• Skulk
• Soulbond
• Soulshift
• Spell mastery
• Splice
• Strive
• Sunburst
• Support
• Surge
• Sweep
• Totem armor
• Transform (Innistrad/Origin DFCs)
• Transmute
• Tribute
• Undying
• Unearth
• Unleash
• Wither
For the purposes of this challenge, what we are counting as a keyword is what is defined in the CR as either keyword, keyword action, or ability word. Please pay extra attention to the fact that you cannot reference ability words in rules text (for example "All creatures with landfall get +1/+1" doesn't work in the rules, while "All creatures with flying get +1/+1" does), so the only way to use an ability word would be for the card itself to have it, which satisfies the main challenge but fails subchallenge 2. Just one thing for you to consider while designing your submission.
I think this extra explanation was due and I hope it's helpful. Now go and design some great cards!
MCC - Winner (6): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019 || Host (15): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here) || Judge (34): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here)
CCL - Winner (3): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last one here) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (1): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar) || Host (3): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016
• The two public custom sets I've been part a part of the design team for:
"Brotherhood of Ormos" - Blog post with all info - set thread - design skeleton / card list || "Extinctia: Homo Evanuit" - Blog post with all info - set thread - card list spreadsheet
• "The Lion's Lair", my article series about MTG and custom card design in particular. Latest article here. Here is the article index. Rather outdated by now, and based on the old MCC rubric, but I'm leaving this here for anybody that might be interested anyway.
• My only public attempt at being a writer: the story of my Leonin custom planeswalker Jeff Lionheart. (I have a very big one that I'm working on right now but that's private for now, and I don't know if I will ever actually publish it, and I also have ideas for multiple future ones, including one where I'm going to reprise Jeff.)
Sorcery (U)
Target creature gains provoke until end of turn.
Creatures you control gain exalted until end of turn.
Filled with the strength of his brothers, Kra'k sprinted towards the dragon.
BGStandard Green AggroGB
UWRGModern Saheeli CobraGRWU
UBRGLegacy StormGRBU
Wizards Certified Rules Advisor
Creature — Elf Wizard (R)
Each creature card you own with converted mana cost greater than 1 has miracle X and gains
echo XX when it enters the battlefield under your control, where X is half of its converted mana cost, rounded up.
Evolution, the goddess of avarice. To ignore her demands for risk and sacrifice is to snub her many gifts.
2/3
Creature - Human Knight [Rare]
Creatures you control have skulk. (They can't be blocked by creatures with greater power.)
Whenever Inglorious Paladin attacks, creatures you control gain flanking until end of turn. (Whenever a creature without flanking blocks them, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.)
"I fight for victory, not honor."
3/3
Creature - Naga Wizard (Rare)
When Sultai Sibsigier enters the battlefield, discard a card and create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token with "Echo 1B".
Pay 1 life, T: Populate.
"The first sibsig I raised was haphazard and required additional bindings to keep it fresh. Shidiqi does not need to know the rest are likely the same."
1/3
Legendary Creature - Viashino Ninja (R)
Ninjutsu 1UR
When Zutelyn, General of the Claw enters the battlefield or attacks, target creature you control gains provoke.
(U/B): Until end of turn creature cards in your hand have ninjutsu, where their ninjutsu cost is their colored mana cost.
Appointing a decoy ensures one's survival.
3/3
Forgot Rarity
Changed it back and gave it Ninjutsu, A ninja needs Ninjutsu. I still dont know if giving provoke during attack works.
Sorcery {U}
Buyback—Sacrifice a land.
Each creature card in your graveyard has scavenge 2 until end of turn.
Art is from the card Skeleton Scavengers
Legendary Creature - Human Samurai (R)
Vigilance
1W: Creatures you control gain bushido 1 until end of turn (Whenever a creature with bushido blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn). Activate this ability only once each turn.
1B: Creatures you control gain flanking until end of turn (Whenever a creature without flanking blocks a creature with flanking, the blocking creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn). Activate this ability only once each turn.
3/3
Legendary Creature - Zombie Demon [MYTHIC]
All other creatures have an Echo cost equal to their casting cost.
Creature cards in your graveyard have an Unearth cost equal to their casting cost.
Under his rule, both death and life will be temporary conditions
4/3
Sorcery {U}
Buyback — R, Discard a card. (You may pay an additional R and discard a card in addition to any other costs as you cast this spell. If you do, put this card into your hand as it resolves.)
Draw a card.
Delirium — If there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard, draw two cards instead.
Creature - Cleric (M)
R, T: The next instant or sorcery spell you cast has affinity for artifacts. (It costs 1 less to cast for each artifact you control.)
RRR, T: The next instant or sorcery spell you cast has storm. (When you cast that spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn. You may choose new targets for the copies.)
At New Phyrexia's core, Memnarch's secrets showed them prophetic dreams of their own past - and Dominaria's.
3/3
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Sorcery (M)
Create an X/X white and green elemental creature token.
Threshold— You gain 5 life, as long as seven or more cards are in your graveyard.
Epic (For the rest of the game, you can’t cast spells. At the beginning of each of your upkeeps, copy this spell except for its epic ability.)
Art by
Legendary Creature - Cat Soldier (R)
Amplify 1 (As this creature enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on it for each Cat and/or Soldier card you reveal in your hand.)
Forecast — 1W, Reveal Ajani, Pride Unifier from your hand: Put a +1/+1 counter on target Cat you control. (Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)
Ajani's call went forth to the cats of all planes.
2/2
Creature - Wurm {M}
Convoke (Each creature you tap when you're done activating mana abilities pays for 1.)
Trample
Rampage 6 (Whenever this creature becomes blocked, it gets +6/+6 until end of turn for each creature blocking it beyond the first.)
2G: Target creature blocks Planewinder this turn if able.
6/6
Emille, Seven-Sting Dancer Shalin Nariya
Creature - Spirit (U)
Defender
Other creatures you control have Flanking and Haunt.
Haunted creatures you control get +1/+1 for each card haunting them and can attack as though they didn't have Defender.
It clouds the mind with memory, then plucks it from dissolution.
0/3
Legendary Creature — Sliver (M)
All Sliver spells have Amplify — Sunburst.
6/6
Pharis, Unified Wills
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard (M)
Instant and sorcery spells you cast have convoke and buyback .
Discard an instant or sorcery card: Pharis, Unified Wills gains hexproof until end of turn.
It's amazing what you can accomplish with a legion of willpower behind you.
2/3
Brackets are
coming right uphere.I'm honored.
(X/3) Appeal: Do the different player psychographics (Timmy/Johnny/Spike) have a use for the card?
(X/3) Elegance: Is the card easily understandable at a glance? Do all the flavor and mechanics combined as a whole make sense?
Development -
(X/3) Viability: How well does the card fit into the color wheel? Does it break or bend the rules of the game? Is it the appropriate rarity?
(X/3) Balance: Does the card have a power level appropriate for contemporary constructed/limited environments without breaking them? Does it play well in casual and multiplayer formats? Does it create or fit into a deck/archetype? Does it create an oppressive environment?
Creativity -
(X/3) Uniqueness: Has a card like this ever been printed before? Does it use new mechanics, ideas, or design space? Does it combine old ideas in a new way? Overall, does it feel “fresh”?
(X/3) Flavor: Does the name seem realistic for a card? Does the flavor text sound professional? Do all the flavor elements synch together to please Vorthos players?
Polish -
(X/3) Quality: Points deducted for incorrect spelling, grammar, and templating.
(X/2) Main Challenge: Was the main challenge satisfied? Was it approached in a unique or interesting way? Does the card fit the intent of the challenge?
(X/2) Subchallenges: One point awarded per satisfied subchallenge condition.
Total: X/25
Brackets (determined randomly): Top 4 Players advance!
doomfish
Tesco(black)lotus
Vertain
Figurative
Turbler
RaikouRider
void_nothing
Sagharri
bravelion83
Aetherblade
iphanx
Koopa
Forestsguy
Theelkspeaks
Roccovsky
Folza
StonerOfKruphix
netn10
Freyleyes
BlackTempleGaurdian
ShatterKim
Amuzet
Tilwin
Ruggley
Jimmy Groove
TheRealStinkyJoeTerry
PsyOp
Bexexexe
IcariiFA
admirableadmiral
Necarg
Flatline
Raptorchan
mirrodin71
glurman
The_Hittite
Multiple instances of lifelink on the same creature are redundant.
Multiple instances of lifelink on the same creature are redundant.
—Eli Shiffrin, Rules Manager, on a design stacking lifelink instances
Aetherblade
Foreshadowing Evolution 2UG
Enchantment - Aura (R)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has phasing and "When this creature phases in, if is untapped, support X, where X is the number of creatures you control minus one. (Put a +1/+1 counter on each of up to X target creatures.)"
As long as enchanted creature is phased in, it has "t: Put two +1/+1 counters on another target creature."
Sometimes, you can predict the process of evolution a long time before it occurs.
Design
(2/3) Appeal - Timmy likes putting +1/+1 counters on all his creatures (the tap ability lets him put them on the creature he didn't support too). Johnny could do something with the counters and the tap ability. I'm not sure how he could use phasing though, but maybe there's some way. The are a few things Spike can like here, but I don't think that the overall package is very exciting to him. Choosing the right creature not to support does require skill though.
(1/3) Elegance - This round naturally lead you towards making complex cards, and this is no exception. If you know how phasing works, the single instructions are relatively easy to understand, but the board complexity is high. A lot of small details add up to generate a complex card: the "if it's untapped" to interact with the granted tap ability, the "minus one" (I get that it was meant to have you support all other creatures you control and then use the tap ability on enchanted creature, but was it really necessary? I'm not sure.), the "as long as enchanted creature is phased in" (which is necessary only for clarity, as the Aura phases out with enchanted creature and its ability doesn't work while it's phased out anyway), etc... Each of those details has its own reason to exist, but the result is very complex.
Development
(3/3) Viability - Phasing is green and blue, support and +1/+1 counters are green. No problems with the color pie. Rarity is the least it can reasonably be.
(2/3) Balance - I find this card very hard to judge here. Basically, you only control the enchanted creature half of the time but you get +1/+1 counters on all your creatures in exchange. I guess it's fine, and four mana looks enough of a cost to me. The tap ability can be used to give counters to the one creature you didn't support or to put three counters on one creature leaving the one you didn't support with no additional counters. That's addional flexibility and it's good. I guess this is playable in limited, where giving +1/+1 counters to all your creature can also help you breaks stalls. I don't think this is enough for constructed though. I think it could see some play in casual, especially with old timers that are more familiar with the logistics of phasing.
Creativity
(3/3) Uniqueness - Unlike Elegance, the round naturally pushed you towards a high score here. The combination of keywords is new and gives the card its own identity, just like the beloved (at least by me) mix-and-match cards from Future Sight.
(2/3) Flavor - While the name and flavor text are fine, the overall flavor feels a bit weak to me. I guess the +1/+1 counters are meant to represent the "evolution" part and phasing the "foreshadowing" part, but is "predicting the process of evolution" representing the fact that you will have to wait for enchanted creature to phase in before putting the counters? Overall, not exceptional but just fine in this regard.
Polish
(1.5/3) Quality - It should be "if it's untapped" (-0.5). The reminder text should be outside the quotation marks (-0.5). Reminder text for phasing is missing (-0.5), and it does exist. It's (This phases in or out before you untap during each of your untap steps. While it's phased out, it's treated as though it doesn't exist.) courtesy of Gatherer. You should just readjust that to refer to "enchanted creature" or "that creature" instead of "this". You could also make a single reminder text including "To support X, put..." right afterwards.
(2/2) Main Challenge - Good.
(2/2) Subchallenges - Both met.
Total: 18.5/25
iphanx
Etherium Psychokinetics 2UR
Creature - Human Wizard (R)
Etherium Psychokinetics spell has cascade if B or W was spent to cast it.
When you cast Etherium Psychokinetics, if you have cast two or more other spell this turn, the next instant or sorcery spell you cast this turn gains storm.
: Etherium Psychokinetics gains +1/-1 until end of turn.
3/4
Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Cascade and storm are both abilities Timmy likes, they are both very exciting to him. The body is also big enough to be relevant on the battlefield. The storm-granting ability lets Johnny use it in many different ways. Spike can imagine strong plays involving this. For example, how about casting two zero-mana spells, then this, then a Lightning Bolt with storm count 4, dealing 12 damage distributed in chunks of 3, and you also get to cascade? He doesn't like the restrictions though.
(1/3) Elegance - This round naturally lead you towards making complex cards, and this is no exception. Storm is an already complex ability, and adding cascade (which by itself is also already a quite complex ability), with an additional condition on top of all, and an apparently unrelated activated ability only makes the card even more complex as a result.
Development
(3/3) Viability - Cascade is in all colors, as is storm even though it's primarily blue and red, that are conveniently this card's colors. Both blue and red can also give +N/-N to themselves. No problems with the color pie. Rarity looks fine to me.
(2.5/3) Balance - This looks quite strong, and the restriction are probably needed. Cascade would be very good on a four-mana 3/4, but with the restriction it requires you to pay three different colors of mana. Giving storm to any instant or sorcery looks very strong too, and this case the restriction you chose is quite interesting: it's a drawback in that you have to cast three total spells to get it (two and then this) and you have to spend resources to cast them, but if you do get it than it turns into an upside as you already will have a storm count of at least 4. The last ability is fine. Overall, to me it looks like the restrictions should be enough to balance this card. I expect this to be somewhat playable in limited, but especially in constructed where you can build your whole deck around this. In multiplayer, the fact that each storm copy can affect a different player looks interesting.
Creativity
(3/3) Uniqueness - Unlike Elegance, the round naturally pushed you towards a high score here. The combination of keywords is new and gives the card its own identity, just like the beloved (at least by me) mix-and-match cards from Future Sight.
(1.5/3) Flavor - The name is fine and gives this card a sort of "Alara Reborn" feel, with etherium being mentioned on a card that contains both black and red in its color identity. No flavor text, even though MSE shows me that up to a couple lines could have fit with a small font. One line would have fit for sure.
Polish
(0.5/3) Quality - The word "spell" after the card name in the cascade-self-granting ability should not be there. The card name already means "this object, card, spell, permanent, or whatever it is" in rules text (-0.5). In the cast trigger, the verb to cast should be conjugated at the past simple instead of the present perfect: it should be "if you cast" rather than "if you have cast" (-0.5). In that same sentence, the word "spell" should be plural ("two or more other spells", -0.5). Reminder text for both cascade and storm would be advised and is missing (two times -0.5).
(2/2) Main Challenge - Good.
(1/2) Subchallenges - Subchallenge 1 met. Subchallenge 2 failed, as the card itself has cascade and only getting it conditionally doesn't change that.
Total: 17/25
Koopa
Fearless Heroism RG
Sorcery (U)
Target creature gains provoke until end of turn.
Creatures you control gain exalted until end of turn.
Filled with the strength of his brothers, Kra'k sprinted towards the dragon.
Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Timmy likes making one giant creature that has to be blocked by a creature of his choice. I don't see much for Johnny here, maybe using this with tokens, but it feels like a stretch. Spike also likes this as pseudo-removal.
(3/3) Elegance - This round naturally lead you towards making complex cards, but this is the exception, at least in my bracket. The abilities are short, very easy to understand as long as you know what the keywords mean, and the interaction between them looks good and most of all intuitive. This card is the demonstration that it was possible to make an elegant card in this round after all, and I want to prize that.
Development
(3/3) Viability - Provoke is in Naya colors and exalted in every color but red, and this card is also partly green. This card could probably just be monogreen, but there are no problems with the color pie anyway. Rarity looks fine to me.
(3/3) Balance - This looks strong to me without being broken, and that's a very good place to be here. I'd play this in limited for sure if I am in its colors, and I could even consider to make a splash just because of this. I can also see constructed applications. I see no problem in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
(3/3) Uniqueness - Unlike Elegance, the round naturally pushed you towards a high score here. The combination of keywords is new and gives the card its own identity, just like the beloved (at least by me) mix-and-match cards from Future Sight.
(3/3) Flavor - Both name and flavor text are very well written and I could see them both printed for real as is. "Fearless" = provoke and "Heroism" = exalted. "Filled with the strength of his brothers" = exalted and "sprinted towards the dragon" = provoke. Kra'k looks very good as a goblin name too, and the flavor has a kind of goblin feel to it even if goblins are not explicitly mentioned. Very good work!
Polish
(2/3) Quality - On an uncommon, reminder text is required for both provoke and exalted (two times -0.5).
(2/2) Main Challenge - Good.
(2/2) Subchallenges - Both met.
Total: 23.5/25
Forestsguy
Sultai Sibisgier 1BB
Creature - Nage Wizard (Rare)
When Sultai Sibsigier enters the battlefield, discard a card and create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token with "Echo 1B".
Pay 1 life, T: Populate.
"The fjrst sibsig I raised was haphazard and required additional bindings to keep it fresh. Shidiqi does not need to know the rest are likely the same."
1/3
Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Timmy likes tokens and populating them, especially when he populates other bigger tokens he could have made in some other way. He also doesn't mind the echo cost, though he doesn't like the life payment. Johnny can certainly use populate. Spike really doesn't like the echo cost on the tokens, but he can definitely appreciate the free populate, he will gladly pay life instead of mana. Johnny/Spikes can use the discard, for example discarding madness cards.
(1.5/3) Elegance - This round naturally lead you towards making complex cards, and this is no exception. While the text is not too long and relatively easy to understand as long as you know what the keywords mean, it's just a complex way to say "1B, T, Pay 1 life: Create a 2/2 token". I know it not exactly the same functionally because you could copy other tokens and you pay the echo cost at a different time, but it comes really close, so close that it leaves you wondering whether it's really worth it. Also, the interaction between the two keywords is just due to how this particular card works, it's not inherent to the keywords themselves.
Development
(2/3) Viability - The only problem with the color pie is populate, which is green and white as of now. Still, it's possible that it's expanded to other colors if and when it returns, just like it happened with exalted, that was originally in Bant but then was given to black as well when it returned. Honestly, if I had to pick a third color for populate it would be blue and not black, because what populate does is copying and Clones are blue. The life payment makes it feel a little better in black here but I still have my doubts about that. Rarity is fine.
(1/3) Balance - I have no big problems with the first ability, but I'll admit I'm a bit scared by the populate ability being repeatable and costing you no mana but just a single point of life. It would be fine if you could use this ability only on the tokens with echo, as those do require mana, but the fact that you can make a huge token via other means, and there are plenty in Magic, and then keep populating that huge token each turn for free looks a bit too much to me. Let's see for example the three existing cards that let you populate repeatedly: Growing Ranks costs four mana and does nothing else, Trostani, Selesnya's Voice costs three mana of two different colors to activate and has a very restrictive mana cost (four colored mana in two different colors), and Vitu-Ghazi Guildmage costs four mana in two colors to activate. I'd say this is playable in any format where you have means to make big enough tokens, but I'm not sure that's in a good way.
Creativity
(3/3) Uniqueness - Unlike Elegance, the round naturally pushed you towards a high score here. The combination of keywords is new and gives the card its own identity, just like the beloved (at least by me) mix-and-match cards from Future Sight.
(3/3) Flavor - This has to come from the time when the Sultai still existed but Shidiqi is mentioned. This is a contradiction unless this card is set right before the Khanfall (from the wiki: "Former advisor of the last Sultai khan, the naga Shidiqi became the first Dragon's Mouth of Silumgar"). If it were set during the current dragons timeline, it would need to be "Silumgar Sibsigier", so that's the only way it works. Assuming that is true, the flavor works very well. I really like "the rest are likely the same" in the flavor text as a reference to the populate mechanic, as well as "haphazard and required additional bindings" to echo.
Polish
(0/3) Quality - The name changes between the name line and the triggered ability: the second "i" and the second "s" in the word "Sibsigier" are exchanged. Knowing Tarkir I'm sure the intended name is the one that's used in the triggered ability (-0.5 for a typo). There are two more typos: "Nage" instead of "Naga" in the type line (-0.5) and "fjrst" instead of "first" in the flavor text (-0.5). The granted echo ability should not be between quotation marks (-0.5) and should not be capitalized (-0.5). The costs are exchanged in the activated ability: the tap symbol should come before "Pay 1 life" (-0.5). Reminder text for both echo and populate is missing, and that would normally be an additional -1 (two times -0.5) if we were not already at zero.
(2/2) Main Challenge - Good.
(1/2) Subchallenges - Subchallenge 1 met. Subchallenge 2 failed, as the card itself has populate. By the way, very clever way to not have the card itself have echo by giving it to the token instead, and yes, that is functionally different.
Total: 16/25
Theelkspeaks
Ajani, Pride Unifier 3W
Legendary Creature - Cat Soldier (R)
Amplify 1 (As this creature enters the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on it for each Cat and/or Soldier card you reveal in your hand.)
Forecast — 1W, Reveal Ajani, Pride Unifier from your hand: Put a +1/+1 counter on target Cat you control. (Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)
Ajani's call went forth to the cats of all planes.
2/2
Design
(2/3) Appeal - Timmy likes tribal synergies and +1/+1 counters, so he should like this. Johnny could use the counters in some way, but there's not much more for him beside that. Spike likes this overall, but it's a bit turned down by the fact that this is essentially useless to him if you don't have at least a couple Cats or Soldiers in hand for amplify. He'd never cast this as a four-mana 2/2.
(2/3) Elegance - This round naturally lead you towards making complex cards, and this is kind of in the middle of the road. The text is short and clean, and the chosen keywords are not too complex (and that's not a given in such a round, just look at most other cards in this bracket already, and that's an aspect I want to prize), but they really have no inherent synergy. What makes them feel closer on this card is that they both interact with +1/+1 counters, but that's just related on the execution on this particular card. There are also flavor problems, but I'll talk about them in the appropriate section of the rubric.
Development
(3/3) Viability - Amplify and forecast (True fact: as I first wrote this I made a typo and I unwillingly wrote "forecat" without the "s". Unwanted but hilarious!) have both already been in white and the forecast effect is definitely something white can do, so no problems with the color pie. Rarity looks fine to me.
(2/3) Balance - The card looks fine balance-wise, but I don't like that much the fact the the abilities push you in two different directions at the same time: amplify wants you to have as many Cats as possible in your hand, while forecast needs Cats on the battlefield to give the counters to. This tension is certainly manageable by experienced players, but I can see less experienced players playing a single Cat to put all the counters on while not playing the others they have in their hand even if they could so that when they finally cast this they have enough Cats to reveal to amplify. That doesn't look like a good game pattern to me. Beside this, I see no other problems here: this looks playable in limited even if not a first pick, maybe playable in constructed Cat tribal decks (but not anywhere else), and perfectly fine in casual and multiplayer.
Creativity
(3/3) Uniqueness - Unlike Elegance, the round naturally pushed you towards a high score here. The combination of keywords is new and gives the card its own identity, just like the beloved (at least by me) mix-and-match cards from Future Sight.
(0/3) Flavor - I'm sorry but no, just no. This card's flavor just doesn't work in my opinion. Ajani is a planeswalker, my favorite one actually so I know his story quite well, and there are several problems here. First, a planeswalker today is always represented as a planeswalker card, so the only way this can be Ajani and a creature at the same time is if this is meant to represent Ajani before his ignition. But then, how could his call go forth to other planes than Naya? He didn't even know of the existence of other planes before his spark ignited. Then there is the problem that if this is meant to represent pre-ascension Ajani, in his pride he was all but a unifier. He was an outcast, disregarded by everyone else but his brother. This could be him at the end of the Alara block, when he's offered the position of kha and declines, leaving the killer of his brother in charge instead, but even then when his pride finally accepts him (so he could unify them then), it's him who's not interested anymore. In short, this flavor doesn't work at any time in Ajani's life. And to be clear, Ajani, Caller of the Pride is after his ignition, when he's not an outcast anymore (so the "caller of the pride" part makes sense), and in fact it's a planeswalker card. Did it really have to be Ajani on this card? This should have been someone else, even a made up character, and anyway not a planeswalker (because this is a creature card and not a planeswalker one), so the reference to other planes in the flavor text should be removed or very well justified in some plausible way in any case. What saves this card overall is only the fact that it's quite solid from a mechanical point of view, but from a flavor perspective I really feel like it's a miss. I'm sorry.
Polish
(3/3) Quality - All good.
(2/2) Main Challenge - Good.
(1/2) Subchallenges - Subchallenge 1 met. Subchallenge 2 failed, as the card itself has the keywords.
Total: 18/25
Roccovsky
Simic Accelerationist 1GU
Creature — Elf Wizard (R)
Each creature card you own with converted mana cost greater than 1 has miracle X and gains
echo XX when it enters the battlefield under your control, where X is half of its converted mana cost, rounded up.
Evolution, the goddess of avarice. To ignore her demands for risk and sacrifice is to snub her many gifts.
2/3
Design
(2/3) Appeal - Timmy definitely likes miracle, and he can get behind the echo cost. Spike, at the contrary, really doesn't like giving all his creatures an extra mana payment, but he likes the reduced miracle cost. Miracle is a keyword Spike has mixed feelings about: he doesn't like the inherent randomness (which is why he'd always try to pair it with top-of-library manipulation), but he likes the heavy mana discount. Johnny can also pair this with library manipulation, but I don't see anything specifically for him here.
(0/3) Elegance - This round naturally lead you towards making complex cards, and not only this is no exception, but it even looks like additional complexity was added on purpose. The chosen keywords are already complex, but you could change them to the simplest keywords in the world and the text would be confusing anyway. I had to think for several minutes about how such a triggered ability within a static effect works in the rules and I haven't been able to reach a definitive conclusion despite consulting the CR, and I am a twelve-year experienced player who also happens to be a big rules fan even though I'm not an official judge (note to self: yet?). I can only imagine how confusing this card must be to a less experienced or more casual player, and add the math required to play this card correctly on top of all that. Having X and double X as costs already doesn't help, but then you realize that the double X is just the cmc because X is defined as half the cmc, so you have to calculate half the cmc and then double the half going back to the original value, and the result may also be different because of rounding. I could go on for quite some time. I honestly think this must be one of the most complex cards I've ever seen.
Development
(2.5/3) Viability - Miracle has been in every color but black and there is no philosophical reason it can't be in black too if and when it returns (in AVR it was just a matter of flavor). Echo has been in every color too, so no problems with the color pie. I could see this at mythic too, and in my opinion it should be mythic, but rare should be fine too. The line between rare and mythic is already blurred enough anyway.
(1/3) Balance - Essentially you pay half the cost if you cast the creature right when you're drawing it, but then you have to pay the full mana cost in addition to that on the following upkeep. That looks strong but maybe fine. But what if you cast the creature from your hand? From the (honestly confusing) wording it looks like it gains echo in that case too. So, you have to pay the mana cost for creatures you cast from your have twice, like old echo creatures. The difference is those creatures were designed with the double payment in mind and they somehow made up for that in some way, while this applies to regular creatures too, and in that case it's a strict disadvantage. Is that worth being able to cast your creatures for half the cost as you draw them? I'd say it would if echo only applied to those creatures instead of all. As is, I'm not sure about it. I honestly don't think I'd play this in limited, maybe in constructed in a deck built specifically to take advantage of it somehow. The confusing wording and the math required do not help in casual either.
Creativity
(3/3) Uniqueness - Unlike Elegance, the round naturally pushed you towards a high score here. The combination of keywords is new and gives the card its own identity, just like the beloved (at least by me) mix-and-match cards from Future Sight.
(2/3) Flavor - The name is a bit hard to pronounce, especially for non-native English speakers and Magic is a worldwide game, but it's fine for its meaning. The flavor text is good, but it really looks like a quote to me. I would have made it an attributed quote, and the attribution would have been a good place to reference an actual Simic character beside just name dropping the Simic in the card name. I like "demands for risk and sacrifice" as a way to represent the echo mechanic in flavor text, but I honestly can't see the link between evolution and avarice, and also between them and miracle, if that's meant to be a reference to the miracle mechanic.
Polish
(0.5/3) Quality - The wording is very strange as it has a triggered ability templated in a non-standard way cointained within a static ability that generates a continuous effect. Rule 400.7g (CR AKH Edition) might apply and make this card work as intended, but that's not totally clear and it would certainly require some experienced judge to give a definitive answer. The best way to solve this while also making it clearer to the less experienced player would be to separate the miracle-granting ability from the echo-granting one. That also helps because there are "cards" in the library but not on the battlefield. In short, the rules text requires a complete reworking even if the intent is clear enough. Also, when you define X, X should not be a mana symbol but typed as a letter, and there is an unneeded line break between the words "gains" and "echo". At least the flavor text looks good as is from a grammar standpoint, and that's the only reason this is not a full zero.
(2/2) Main Challenge - Good.
(2/2) Subchallenges - Both met. It grants echo to itself but it's fine because it doesn't just affect itself and it grants it to other creatures too. See clarifications spoiler in the OP.
Total: 15/25
Koopa: 23.5
Aetherblade: 18.5
Theelkspeaks: 18
iphanx: 17
Forestsguy: 16
Roccovsky: 15
MCC - Winner (6): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019 || Host (15): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here) || Judge (34): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here)
CCL - Winner (3): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last one here) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (1): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar) || Host (3): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016
• The two public custom sets I've been part a part of the design team for:
"Brotherhood of Ormos" - Blog post with all info - set thread - design skeleton / card list || "Extinctia: Homo Evanuit" - Blog post with all info - set thread - card list spreadsheet
• "The Lion's Lair", my article series about MTG and custom card design in particular. Latest article here. Here is the article index. Rather outdated by now, and based on the old MCC rubric, but I'm leaving this here for anybody that might be interested anyway.
• My only public attempt at being a writer: the story of my Leonin custom planeswalker Jeff Lionheart. (I have a very big one that I'm working on right now but that's private for now, and I don't know if I will ever actually publish it, and I also have ideas for multiple future ones, including one where I'm going to reprise Jeff.)