With a broad grin, Tezzeret announced to the entire arena, "And this concludes the Inventors' Fair, everyone. To the brilliant inventors of this world, I say sincerely—thank you." He gave a gracious little bow, and rose from the ground on a column of filigree steel.
(...)
Above them, Tezzeret rose and rose, the filigree unfolding to stretch him into the air. The Skysovereign welcomed him into its hull, and closed up again with him inside. The panharmonicon continued playing in empty celebration. The crowd was silent as Skysovereign slowly turned and moved away, and the sky turned bright again.
Why did I choose the Skysovereign for my majestic disappearance? Well, it's the most grandious skyship the Consulate has. Whatever you might design will never be even close to such magnificence. We already have your inventions, so we can safely inspect them. We'll let you know who the winner is. Now you will excuse me, but I have some planning to do... we'll see again very soon, do not worry.
Main challenge: design a Vehicle. No other Kaladesh mechanics, so no energy and no fabricate.
Subchallenge 1: CMC is 3 or less.
Subchallenge 2: The crew number is 3 or greater.
Your card has to be an "Artifact - Vehicle". If it uses or references energy or fabricate in any way, it will be automatically DQ'ed.
Feel free to ask any questions you might have in the discussion thread.
Your inventions are due within...
Design Deadline: Tuesday, November 1st 23:59 EDT
You can expect results within...
Judging Deadline: Sunday, November 6th 23:59 EDT (this deadline won't be strictly enforced, though judges are expected to give their judgments within the first week of November)
I remind you that this round all judges will judge all entries, and the contestant with the highest combined score will be recognized as the best inventor. After me, of course.
The Consulate also invites you to take note of the following points.
A reminder to everyone:
• In the MCC, putting rarity on cards is mandatory! If you don't put a rarity on your card, expect huge deductions in both Viability AND Quality.
• Also, you should format your text cards accordingly to the forum rules (see the "this formatting looks best" spoiler in the linked OP). Again, expect deductions in Quality otherwise.
On the use of "create" vs. "put onto the battlefield" for tokens: starting this month, you are expected to use only the "create" wording. If you use the old "put onto the battlefield" wording, you will receive Quality deductions. You have been warned! (especially in a round that heavily involves tokens...)
Your invention will be judged according to the following standard criteria, informally known as the "rubric". For your convenience, you can find it right here in the spoiler below.
Design -
(X/3) Appeal: Do the different player psychographics (Timmy/Johhny/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
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.
FAIR JUDGES
bravelion83 (roleplaying Head Judge Tezzeret this month)
Moss_Elemental
Blydden
Indighost
CONTESTANTS The Consulate reminds everyone that only the contestants who passed the third round can submit their new creation in this last round of exhibitions. For your convenience, the list of contestants admitted to this round is as follows:
Flatline
Necarg
Vertain
void_nothing
If your name is not on this list, the Consulate thanks you for having participated and invites you to next month's Contest.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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.)
Imposing Demolisher3
Artifact - Vehicle (M)
Creatures you control have menace as long as Imposing Demolisher is a creature.
Crew 3 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 3 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.) Misuse is a renegade's favorite pastime.
5/5
Automated Skycab
Artifact — Vehicle (R)
Flying
When Automated Skycab enters the battlefield, create a 3/3 colorless Construct Pilot artifact creature token.
Crew 3 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 3 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.) "Have you seen the new SC-3000 Deluxe Edition? It comes complete with its own pilot."
3/3
(22 Total) - October 2014; December 2014; January 2015; April 2015; June 2015; August 2015; September 2015; November 2015; December 2015(T); January 2016; March 2016(T); April 2016; June 2016; October 2016; December 2016(T); February 2017; April 2017; December 2017; November 2018(T); January 2019; April 2019; June 2019
(8 Total) - May 2015; May 2016; June 2016; August 2016; October 2016; December 2016; October 2017; May 2019
(7 Total) - September 2015; October 2015; January 2016; March 2016; April 2016; July 2016(T); March 2019(T)
Guratri, Troop-Burnish Chariot4
Legendary Artifact - Vehicle (R)
Whenever a Vehicle creature you control attacks, choose one -
• Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
• Create a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token.
At the beginning of your end step, if seven or more Vehicle creatures you control attacked this turn, you win the game.
Crew 4 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 4 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.) Any rabble would coalesce into a proper force by driving it.
6/6
Wispweaver's Chariot3
Artifact - Vehicle (R)
Flying
Whenever one or more creatures crew Wispweaver's Chariot, you may pay X, where X is three times the number of creatures crewing it. If you do, exile those creatures, then return them to the battlefield under their owners' control.
Crew 3 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 4 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.) "Only angels could create filigrees so beautiful."
4/4
My thoughts are with the friends and family of the Orlando Shooting victims and with the rest of the LGBTQA+ community.
Check out my Newborder Peasant Cube here! http://www.cubetutor.com/draft/37467
Necarg, please don't acknowledge this in any way whatsoever.
True Name Mafia (Win),Clan Contest IX Mafia (Win), Bravely Default Mafia (Loss), BOTAS (loss), BfV (Loss), Ace Attourney (loss)
Rules Advisor before they were eradicated
The round is closed. Judges, we may begin! Now excuse me, but I have a particular invention to analyse...
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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.)
(2/3) Appeal: Johnny sees combo potential. Spike might play with this.
(3/3) Elegance: No problems here.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: No problems here.
(2/3) Balance: I think this should cost more than three mana, since you're getting a Vehicle along with a creature that can make it a creature.
Creativity -
(2/3) Uniqueness: There are other noncreature permanents that get you one or more creature tokens. Still, vehicles are new, so I wouldn't be surprised if this showed up in a future set.
(3/3) Flavor: No problems here.
Polish -
(3/3) Quality: Looks good.
(2/2) Main Challenge: Met
(2/2) Subchallenges: Both met
Total: 22/25
Design -
(2/3) Appeal: Timmy likes the body.Johnny would use creatures with EtB abilities to crew this.
(3/3) Elegance: No problems here.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: No problems here.
(2/3) Balance: I understand the need to keep it from being broken, but I think three per creature is a little high. Maybe two per creature is more reasonable.
Creativity -
(2/3) Uniqueness: We've seen flickering with Brago, King Eternal
(2/3) Flavor: Not too crazy about the name. “Chariot” sound too primitive a name compared to the other names.
Polish -
(2/3) Quality: Crew number is different in the reminder text.
(2/2) Main Challenge: Met
(2/2) Subchallenges: Both met.
Total: 20/25
Design -
(1/3) Appeal: Timmy like the p/t and the effect it gives all your creatures.
(3/3) Elegance: No problems here.
Development -
(2/3) Viability: I can see this as just rare.
(1/3) Balance: If I want my creatures to have menace, I'll play Goblin War Drums. Even better, I don't have to tap any creatures that could attack to get it.
Creativity -
(2/3) Uniqueness: This is a Goblin War Drums as long as it's a creature.
(3/3) Flavor: No problems here.
Polish -
(2/3) Quality: Crew reminder text should be in italics.
(2/2) Main Challenge: Met
(2/2) Subchallenges: Both met
Total: 18/25
Design -
(2/3) Appeal: Timmy likes the 6/6 body. Johnny sees combo potential.
(2/3) Elegance: I feel the win condition is just tacked on.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: No problems here.
(3/3) Balance: The win condition seems to be a longshot to me. Other than that, I don't see any real issues with balance here.
Creativity -
(3/3) Uniqueness: The win condition is unique.
(3/3) Flavor: No problems here.
Polish -
(2/3) Quality: It should read “Whenever a Vehicle you control attacks...”
(2/2) Main Challenge: Met.
(1/2) Subchallenges: CMC is 4.
Automated Skycab
Artifact — Vehicle (R)
Flying
When Automated Skycab enters the battlefield, create a 3/3 colorless Construct Pilot artifact creature token.
Crew 3 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 3 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.) "Have you seen the new SC-3000 Deluxe Edition? It comes complete with its own pilot."
3/3
Design (2.5/3) Appeal - Timmy likes getting a token immediately in addition to the Vehicle. Spike likes the overall efficiency of this. Johnny can use the token somehow, but he could really use any token generator for that purpose. (3/3) Elegance - Excellent in this regard! As a Melvin I really appreciate the detail that the token is just big enough to be able to crew this Vehicle by itself.
Development (3/3) Viability - No problems here. I agree that this doesn't feel mythic. (3/3) Balance - Must play in limited. I can easily see this in Standard, even if not as ubiquitous as Smuggler's Copter (and that might not be a bad thing): the difference between crew 3 and crew 1 is huge and this cost one mana more, exchanging the looting ability for a token. Overall this looks fairly balanced to me, and that token is a very nice immediate bonus. I see no problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity (2/3) Uniqueness - Construct Pilot tokens are new, but we see ETB token generation in literally almost every set. The idea of a Vehicle coming with its own pilot is also a nice twist even if nothing groundbreaking. (3/3) Flavor - Name, flavor text, and card concept all make sense only on Kaladesh, but boy, how well do they make sense on this plane! I appreciate even more the connection between flavor text and mechanics.
Polish (3/3) Quality - All good. (2/2) Main Challenge - Good. (2/2) Subchallenges - Both met.
Wispweaver's Chariot3
Artifact - Vehicle (R)
Flying
Whenever one or more creatures crew Wispweaver's Chariot, you may pay X, where X is three times the number of creatures crewing it. If you do, exile those creatures, then return them to the battlefield under their owners' control.
Crew 3 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 4 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.) "Only angels could create filigrees so beautiful."
4/4
Design (2.5/3) Appeal - Timmy likes this and mana isn't much of a problem to him. Johnny can definitely use the flickering somehow. Spike likes being able to give his creatures "crew-vigilance", but the cost to do that might look high to him and that does turn him down a little. (2/3) Elegance - This card is a bit wordy. Also, it can feel a little strange that crew counts the power and the triggered ability the number of creatures, though I wouldn't have any good suggestion on how to change this.
Development (2.5/3) Viability - Flickering is white and blue, but if you make a bend and allow all colors to access it at a high cost you're still not undermining any color's weakness. It's still a bend though. Rarity feels right. (2/3) Balance - The flickering cost looks too high to me, even if it's certainly better to be prudent than to make a broken card. Anyway, I can certainly see this in limited, but probably not in constructed unless specific implications are discovered that make the high cost worthwhile. An interesting thing is that this card could be one of the very few cases where you might actually want to "over-crew" the Vehicle. No problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity (3/3) Uniqueness - Having "X is three times the number of creatures crewing it" written on it makes this card feel like it has its own identity. Flickering alone would have not been enough to give it this feeling, as it's something we see often in different forms. (1/3) Flavor - The name is good. The flavor text is fine in a vacuum, even though a bit generic. It could go on everything that has filigree and that abounds on Kaladesh and even other planes (see Esper for example). But that's not the real problem, that is that here the flavor text does barely fit on the card. Yes, it's ten lines in MSE with it, which is still technically borderline acceptable, but you can see the card looks way better without flavor text.
Polish (2.5/3) Quality - In the crew ability the crew number is 3 but it becomes 4 in the reminder text (-0.5). (2/2) Main Challenge - Good. (2/2) Subchallenges - Both met.
Imposing Demolisher3
Artifact - Vehicle (M)
Creatures you control have menace as long as Imposing Demolisher is a creature.
Crew 3 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 3 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.) Misuse is a renegade's favorite pastime.
5/5
Design (2.5/3) Appeal - Timmy likes giving all his creatures an ability that makes them hard to block. Spike likes the mana efficiency. I don't see much for Johnny here though. (2.5/3) Elegance - We know by now that "KEYWORD / Other creatures you control have KEYWORD" is easier to parse than "Creatures you control have KEYWORD". Less experienced players might not get that this gives itself menace until it's pointed out to them. This could have been:
Menace
As long as Imposing Demolisher is a creature, other creatures you control have menace.
Development (1.5/3) Viability - Menace is black and red, but colorless card with it or granting it already esist, for example Kozilek, the Great Distortion, Kozilek's Shrieker, Scrounged Scythe, and Chitinous Cloak. I don't feel this is so splashy or complex that it deserves mythic rarity. I would have put this at regular rare all life long, even though of course I might just be wrong. (2.5/3) Balance - This is certainly playable in limited. In constructed, I can only see it in a dedicated Vehicle deck, and even there probably only in a casual one. I see no problems in multiplayer.
C1reativity (1.5/3) Uniqueness - Honestly this doesn't feel very original to me. It's just a Vehicle granting an evergreen keyword to creatures, and one that is already on a Vehicle. Having the static ability turn on only when the Vehicle is a creature is indeed an innovation but it feels a small one to me. (3/3) Flavor - Name and flavor text are both good. The flavor text in particular makes me curious to know exactly what's the renegades' favorite use for this demolisher… I have some ideas, and they're all quite hilarious!
Polish (2/3) Quality - The reminder text is not in italics (serious mistake, -1). (2/2) Main Challenge - Good. (2/2) Subchallenges - Both met.
Guratri, Troop-Burnish Chariot4
Legendary Artifact - Vehicle (R)
Whenever a Vehicle creature you control attacks, choose one -
• Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
• Create a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token.
At the beginning of your end step, if seven or more Vehicle creatures you control attacked this turn, you win the game.
Crew 4 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 4 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.) Any rabble would coalesce into a proper force by driving it.
6/6
Design (2.5/3) Appeal - Timmy is the one who likes alternative win conditions the most, and I expect this to make no exception. Johnny can work with them too, and he can also use the tokens and counters for his own purposes. Spike likes fabricating potentially multiple times each turn and the skill of choosing the right mode for every board state. Crew 4 is still a very high cost for him though. (2.5/3) Elegance - Very wordy, but the triggered ability having the same exact effect as fabricate helps a lot: you can just say "whenever I attack with a Vehicle I get to fabricate" and your brain has already processed that first ability, and then the rest of the card is clear enough by itself.
Development (1.5/3) Viability - Fabricate is only in Abzan colors in Kaladesh, but I see no philosophical reasons why it couldn't just be in every color. I think that has more to do with the distribution of mechanics within the Kaladesh set, so no problem with essentially giving all colors access to it. As for rarity, I honestly can't see why this is not mythic. It should totally be in my opinion: it's both splashy and complex. Being an alternative win conditions would have already been enough to justify mythic rarity, and here we also have crew 4, that is quite splashy, and a card that is quite complex as a whole. (2/3) Balance - It's always hard to judge alternative win conditions in this area without playtest. Attacking with seven Vehicles is very hard in my experience with Kaladesh so far, I think the most I've seen for now are three Vehicles attacking at the same time. I think this has two consequences: the win condition is probably balanced, and I don't expect to see this in any format unless you build your whole deck around it and it doesn't look easy to do so. As a result, I think this has a better chance to show up in constructed than limited. You could certainly play it in limited as a 6/6 Vehicle that fabricates repeatedly, but I feel like that's not this card's selling point. In multiplayer, it's interesting that the seven Vehicles don't have to attack the same opponent for you to win the game regardless of the number of opponents.
Creativity (3/3) Uniqueness - Fabricate on attack is a nice twist, and the Servos you make help you having enough power to crew all seven Vehicles you need for the alternative win condition, which is original already on its own. As a full Melvin, these are the design intricacies I love and that help give a card like this its own identity. (1.5/3) Flavor - The name is good, and I actually had to look whether the word "Guratri" means something in the Indian language. It turns not, according to Google translator, even if that's certainly not the definitive source. The flavor text does barely fit on the card. Yes, it's ten lines in MSE with it, which is still technically borderline acceptable, but you can see the card looks way better without flavor text.
Polish (2.5/3) Quality - No need to say "Vehicle creatures", just "Vehicles" suffices, as it means "permanent with the subtype Vehicle". It's not technically wrong, it's just superfluous, so I'll only deduct 0.5 even though it's repeated twice on this card. (2/2) Main Challenge - Good. (1/2) Subchallenges - CMC is not 3 or less.
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.)
Oh dear, H-Head Judge, where are you going? This isn't in the program schedule at all! What is all the commotion outside? Why are there so many guards all of the sudden, and why are they taking all the entries? Oohh I have a BAD feeling about, all this. Hm? The final judging round? What time is this to be doing that? There's panic in the streets, I must- Ah, that is a rather impressively modified stun baton you have there officer, what I was going to say was "I must get to the finalist's area" yes, that's exactly what I was going to say.
DESIGN
(2.5/3) APPEAL : Spike loves this for its efficiency. Johnny would certainly like the blinky shenanigans that can lead to a token army here. Timmy probably goes for the nifty token produced, but is less excited.
(3/3) ELEGANCE : Solid. Enters the battlefield, makes a dude, dude crews cab, apply liberally to opponent's dome. DEVELOPMENT
(3/3) VIABILITY : This brings up Smuggler's Copter as an easy comparison, and as I think that card's a little pushed this little joy seems at home as a colorless rare.
(3/3) BALANCE : The above comment also applies here. The parallels to the copter places this in the auto-pick category for limited, and a more reasonable amount of play in constructed rather than just being a four-of in EVERY DECK AVAILABLE. NO, I'M NOT BITTER THAT I LOST THREE SEPARATE GAMES TO THAT HORRID COPTER. CREATIVITY
(2/3) UNIQUENESS : An artifact that makes dudes isn't exactly novel, but the fact that the produced token interacts with the creator card without any fancy text is cool.
(3/3) FLAVOR : As a self professed Vorthos and flavor junkie I have to say, YEEESSS. I've seen other attempts at a self driving vehicle that muddle around with activated abilities, but this route is so much cleaner. You couldn't reprint this in any other setting but damn if it doesn't slot in perfectly on Kaladesh. POLISH
(3/3) QUALITY : No infractions.
(2/2) MAIN CHALLENGE : Met.
(2/2) SUB CHALLENGE : Both met.
FINAL FINAL SCORE - 23.5/25
DESIGN
(2/3) APPEAL : Timmy - big beefy menacing army. Johnny - outside animation effects? Spike - a solid efficient finisher or early push.
(2.5/3) ELEGANCE : The only real nitpick here, is that outside of slivers most anthem/lord cards read "KEYWORD", "ALL OTHER THINGS HAVE KEYWORD". DEVELOPMENT
(2/3) VIABILITY : As a colorless card, menace doesn't seem TOO out of place. There have been equipment that granted it, and I guess I can get behind the idea that this leads the charge on an attack. On rarity however, mythic seems too much. The straight-forwardness of it and the lack of "WOW" places this firmly in the rare slot for me.
(2.5/3) BALANCE : No qualms to be had here. A solid draft pick, but outside a deck focused on Vehicles there aren't a lot of homes for this one. CREATIVITY
(2/3) UNIQUENESS : A lord-esque vehicle is neat, but is really just stapling an older idea to the Aradara Express. That's neat in its own way though.
(3/3) FLAVOR : Spot on. It's a big bashy machine and of course renegades are going to use to plow through paper pusher offices and break everything. POLISH
(2/3) QUALITY : The reminder text should be italicized. A serious penalty.
(2/2) MAIN CHALLENGE : Met.
(2/2) SUB CHALLENGE : Both met.
FINAL FINAL SCORE - 20/25
DESIGN
(2/3) APPEAL : Timmy will just pump mana into this all day long to flicker everything he can fit into it. Johnny similarly adores the prospect of double ETB effects all day. The psuedo-vigilance seems like Spike's thing, but the mana intensiveness to that ability is really steep.
(1.5/3) ELEGANCE : This is a real wordy card, but I can't think of any better solutions. Maybe "pay xxx" and just have X be the number of creatures? or "pay 3 for each creature that crewed ~"? DEVELOPMENT
(2.5/3) VIABILITY : Conjurer's Closet on... wings? That seems ok with its pricing. At rare this seems fine.
(2.5/3) BALANCE : Certainly seems nonthreatening to standard. The aforementioned ability cost puts this well out of most tourney play. A good limited workhorse otherwise. CREATIVITY
(2/3) UNIQUENESS : A flying chariot that flickers things, is... neat, and it is one the few times you'd WANT to overcrew something.
(1.5/3) FLAVOR : The name is fine, linking to the angel of similar ability and name of the set. But the flavor text is so... bland. It works yes, but it feels stenciled on, rather than engraved and integral. It's maybe even unneeded. With all the text above it I'm not sure that it'd all fit. POLISH
(2.5/3) QUALITY : The reminder text says crew 4, the ability says 3.
(2/2) MAIN CHALLENGE : Met.
(2/2) SUB CHALLENGES : Both met.
FINAL FINAL SCORE - 18.5/25
DESIGN
(2/3) APPEAL : Alternative win conditions? Count Timmy in, probably Johnny too. I think this is bit on the cumbersome side for Spike though.
(2/3) ELEGANCE : The triggered ability seemed rather daunting at first, but now I see that it's just Fabricate 1 on a trigger. That should smooth things out comprehension wise. DEVELOPMENT
(2/3) VIABILITY : Why isn't this mythic? It certainly has meets the splash and complexity requirements. Other than that, as a legendary and an artifact the abilities seem in line. Things like Accomplished Automaton show artifacts can fabricate.
(2/3) BALANCE : Alternative win conditions are really a doozy to analyze. I mean seven vehicles seems like a lot of work, but Start Your Engines exists. Other than that this seems... okay? The repeated fabricate might be dangerous, but this card would really benefit from actual testing. CREATIVITY
(3/3) UNIQUENESS : Alt win conditions are always entertaining in and of themselves, so there's that. The nifty psuedo lord boost ability is quite clever too.
(2/3) FLAVOR : I googled "Guratri" thinking maybe it meant something in some other language the name of which escapes me at the moment. It could still be, just with the letters mixed up, because things like this are supposed to be homages to real world mythology, rather than "THING FROM MYTHOLOGY X" verbatim. The one other thing, is that I booted up MSE, after significant difficulty, and found that with the flavor text, this card is really pushing how much text you're allowed to cram onto a card. POLISH
(2.5/3) QUALITY : Minor infraction, you only need say "Vehicles" versus "Vehicle creatures" as vehicles can't attack unless they're creatures. It sort of goes without saying.
(2/2) MAIN CHALLENGE : Met.
(1/2) SUB CHALLENGES : CMC is greater than 3.
So, Flatline is officially our MCC Champion for October. I make my congratulations to him on behalf of the Consulate. He's now officially the second best inventor on Kaladesh, after myself of course. Now you'll excuse me but I have to leave. Why? It doesn't matter. The Skysovereign is waiting for me. I'm sure you'll be fine in the hands of those other miserable planeswalkers who fell in my trap. Well, hands or paws. I didn't expect that huge leonin... I'll have to account for him too. But now another cat will take back possession of this account, a fakely courageous one. Oh, if only you knew him for real... then you'd see that courage is nothing more than a mere masquerade. As for me, I'm sure we'll see again soon.
—Head Judge Tezzeret
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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(This month's banner is my own elaboration on the art of the card Inventors' Fair, by Jonas De Ro)
October MCC - "The Card Inventors' Fair"
Round 4 - "Skyship Escape"
Why did I choose the Skysovereign for my majestic disappearance? Well, it's the most grandious skyship the Consulate has. Whatever you might design will never be even close to such magnificence. We already have your inventions, so we can safely inspect them. We'll let you know who the winner is. Now you will excuse me, but I have some planning to do... we'll see again very soon, do not worry.
Main challenge: design a Vehicle. No other Kaladesh mechanics, so no energy and no fabricate.
Subchallenge 1: CMC is 3 or less.
Subchallenge 2: The crew number is 3 or greater.
Your card has to be an "Artifact - Vehicle". If it uses or references energy or fabricate in any way, it will be automatically DQ'ed.
Feel free to ask any questions you might have in the discussion thread.
Your inventions are due within...
Design Deadline: Tuesday, November 1st 23:59 EDT
You can expect results within...
Judging Deadline: Sunday, November 6th 23:59 EDT (this deadline won't be strictly enforced, though judges are expected to give their judgments within the first week of November)
I remind you that this round all judges will judge all entries, and the contestant with the highest combined score will be recognized as the best inventor. After me, of course.
The Consulate also invites you to take note of the following points.
Your invention will be judged according to the following standard criteria, informally known as the "rubric". For your convenience, you can find it right here in the spoiler below.
(X/3) Appeal: Do the different player psychographics (Timmy/Johhny/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
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.
FAIR JUDGES
bravelion83 (roleplaying Head Judge Tezzeret this month)
Moss_Elemental
Blydden
Indighost
CONTESTANTS
The Consulate reminds everyone that only the contestants who passed the third round can submit their new creation in this last round of exhibitions. For your convenience, the list of contestants admitted to this round is as follows:
Flatline
Necarg
Vertain
void_nothing
If your name is not on this list, the Consulate thanks you for having participated and invites you to next month's Contest.
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.)
Artifact - Vehicle (M)
Creatures you control have menace as long as Imposing Demolisher is a creature.
Crew 3 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 3 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
Misuse is a renegade's favorite pastime.
5/5
Artifact — Vehicle (R)
Flying
When Automated Skycab enters the battlefield, create a 3/3 colorless Construct Pilot artifact creature token.
Crew 3 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 3 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
"Have you seen the new SC-3000 Deluxe Edition? It comes complete with its own pilot."
3/3
Legendary Artifact - Vehicle (R)
Whenever a Vehicle creature you control attacks, choose one -
• Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
• Create a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token.
At the beginning of your end step, if seven or more Vehicle creatures you control attacked this turn, you win the game.
Crew 4 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 4 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
Any rabble would coalesce into a proper force by driving it.
6/6
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Artifact - Vehicle (R)
Flying
Whenever one or more creatures crew Wispweaver's Chariot, you may pay X, where X is three times the number of creatures crewing it. If you do, exile those creatures, then return them to the battlefield under their owners' control.
Crew 3 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 4 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
"Only angels could create filigrees so beautiful."
4/4
Check out my Newborder Peasant Cube here! http://www.cubetutor.com/draft/37467
True Name Mafia (Win),Clan Contest IX Mafia (Win), Bravely Default Mafia (Loss), BOTAS (loss), BfV (Loss), Ace Attourney (loss)
Rules Advisor before they were eradicated
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.)
(2/3) Appeal: Johnny sees combo potential. Spike might play with this.
(3/3) Elegance: No problems here.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: No problems here.
(2/3) Balance: I think this should cost more than three mana, since you're getting a Vehicle along with a creature that can make it a creature.
Creativity -
(2/3) Uniqueness: There are other noncreature permanents that get you one or more creature tokens. Still, vehicles are new, so I wouldn't be surprised if this showed up in a future set.
(3/3) Flavor: No problems here.
Polish -
(3/3) Quality: Looks good.
(2/2) Main Challenge: Met
(2/2) Subchallenges: Both met
Total: 22/25
(2/3) Appeal: Timmy likes the body.Johnny would use creatures with EtB abilities to crew this.
(3/3) Elegance: No problems here.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: No problems here.
(2/3) Balance: I understand the need to keep it from being broken, but I think three per creature is a little high. Maybe two per creature is more reasonable.
Creativity -
(2/3) Uniqueness: We've seen flickering with Brago, King Eternal
(2/3) Flavor: Not too crazy about the name. “Chariot” sound too primitive a name compared to the other names.
Polish -
(2/3) Quality: Crew number is different in the reminder text.
(2/2) Main Challenge: Met
(2/2) Subchallenges: Both met.
Total: 20/25
(1/3) Appeal: Timmy like the p/t and the effect it gives all your creatures.
(3/3) Elegance: No problems here.
Development -
(2/3) Viability: I can see this as just rare.
(1/3) Balance: If I want my creatures to have menace, I'll play Goblin War Drums. Even better, I don't have to tap any creatures that could attack to get it.
Creativity -
(2/3) Uniqueness: This is a Goblin War Drums as long as it's a creature.
(3/3) Flavor: No problems here.
Polish -
(2/3) Quality: Crew reminder text should be in italics.
(2/2) Main Challenge: Met
(2/2) Subchallenges: Both met
Total: 18/25
(2/3) Appeal: Timmy likes the 6/6 body. Johnny sees combo potential.
(2/3) Elegance: I feel the win condition is just tacked on.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: No problems here.
(3/3) Balance: The win condition seems to be a longshot to me. Other than that, I don't see any real issues with balance here.
Creativity -
(3/3) Uniqueness: The win condition is unique.
(3/3) Flavor: No problems here.
Polish -
(2/3) Quality: It should read “Whenever a Vehicle you control attacks...”
(2/2) Main Challenge: Met.
(1/2) Subchallenges: CMC is 4.
Total: 21/25
Hold.
Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Timmy likes getting a token immediately in addition to the Vehicle. Spike likes the overall efficiency of this. Johnny can use the token somehow, but he could really use any token generator for that purpose.
(3/3) Elegance - Excellent in this regard! As a Melvin I really appreciate the detail that the token is just big enough to be able to crew this Vehicle by itself.
Development
(3/3) Viability - No problems here. I agree that this doesn't feel mythic.
(3/3) Balance - Must play in limited. I can easily see this in Standard, even if not as ubiquitous as Smuggler's Copter (and that might not be a bad thing): the difference between crew 3 and crew 1 is huge and this cost one mana more, exchanging the looting ability for a token. Overall this looks fairly balanced to me, and that token is a very nice immediate bonus. I see no problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
(2/3) Uniqueness - Construct Pilot tokens are new, but we see ETB token generation in literally almost every set. The idea of a Vehicle coming with its own pilot is also a nice twist even if nothing groundbreaking.
(3/3) Flavor - Name, flavor text, and card concept all make sense only on Kaladesh, but boy, how well do they make sense on this plane! I appreciate even more the connection between flavor text and mechanics.
Polish
(3/3) Quality - All good.
(2/2) Main Challenge - Good.
(2/2) Subchallenges - Both met.
Total: 23.5/25
Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Timmy likes this and mana isn't much of a problem to him. Johnny can definitely use the flickering somehow. Spike likes being able to give his creatures "crew-vigilance", but the cost to do that might look high to him and that does turn him down a little.
(2/3) Elegance - This card is a bit wordy. Also, it can feel a little strange that crew counts the power and the triggered ability the number of creatures, though I wouldn't have any good suggestion on how to change this.
Development
(2.5/3) Viability - Flickering is white and blue, but if you make a bend and allow all colors to access it at a high cost you're still not undermining any color's weakness. It's still a bend though. Rarity feels right.
(2/3) Balance - The flickering cost looks too high to me, even if it's certainly better to be prudent than to make a broken card. Anyway, I can certainly see this in limited, but probably not in constructed unless specific implications are discovered that make the high cost worthwhile. An interesting thing is that this card could be one of the very few cases where you might actually want to "over-crew" the Vehicle. No problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
(3/3) Uniqueness - Having "X is three times the number of creatures crewing it" written on it makes this card feel like it has its own identity. Flickering alone would have not been enough to give it this feeling, as it's something we see often in different forms.
(1/3) Flavor - The name is good. The flavor text is fine in a vacuum, even though a bit generic. It could go on everything that has filigree and that abounds on Kaladesh and even other planes (see Esper for example). But that's not the real problem, that is that here the flavor text does barely fit on the card. Yes, it's ten lines in MSE with it, which is still technically borderline acceptable, but you can see the card looks way better without flavor text.
Polish
(2.5/3) Quality - In the crew ability the crew number is 3 but it becomes 4 in the reminder text (-0.5).
(2/2) Main Challenge - Good.
(2/2) Subchallenges - Both met.
Total: 19.5/25
Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Timmy likes giving all his creatures an ability that makes them hard to block. Spike likes the mana efficiency. I don't see much for Johnny here though.
(2.5/3) Elegance - We know by now that "KEYWORD / Other creatures you control have KEYWORD" is easier to parse than "Creatures you control have KEYWORD". Less experienced players might not get that this gives itself menace until it's pointed out to them. This could have been:
Development
(1.5/3) Viability - Menace is black and red, but colorless card with it or granting it already esist, for example Kozilek, the Great Distortion, Kozilek's Shrieker, Scrounged Scythe, and Chitinous Cloak. I don't feel this is so splashy or complex that it deserves mythic rarity. I would have put this at regular rare all life long, even though of course I might just be wrong.
(2.5/3) Balance - This is certainly playable in limited. In constructed, I can only see it in a dedicated Vehicle deck, and even there probably only in a casual one. I see no problems in multiplayer.
C1reativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - Honestly this doesn't feel very original to me. It's just a Vehicle granting an evergreen keyword to creatures, and one that is already on a Vehicle. Having the static ability turn on only when the Vehicle is a creature is indeed an innovation but it feels a small one to me.
(3/3) Flavor - Name and flavor text are both good. The flavor text in particular makes me curious to know exactly what's the renegades' favorite use for this demolisher… I have some ideas, and they're all quite hilarious!
Polish
(2/3) Quality - The reminder text is not in italics (serious mistake, -1).
(2/2) Main Challenge - Good.
(2/2) Subchallenges - Both met.
Total: 19.5/25
Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Timmy is the one who likes alternative win conditions the most, and I expect this to make no exception. Johnny can work with them too, and he can also use the tokens and counters for his own purposes. Spike likes fabricating potentially multiple times each turn and the skill of choosing the right mode for every board state. Crew 4 is still a very high cost for him though.
(2.5/3) Elegance - Very wordy, but the triggered ability having the same exact effect as fabricate helps a lot: you can just say "whenever I attack with a Vehicle I get to fabricate" and your brain has already processed that first ability, and then the rest of the card is clear enough by itself.
Development
(1.5/3) Viability - Fabricate is only in Abzan colors in Kaladesh, but I see no philosophical reasons why it couldn't just be in every color. I think that has more to do with the distribution of mechanics within the Kaladesh set, so no problem with essentially giving all colors access to it. As for rarity, I honestly can't see why this is not mythic. It should totally be in my opinion: it's both splashy and complex. Being an alternative win conditions would have already been enough to justify mythic rarity, and here we also have crew 4, that is quite splashy, and a card that is quite complex as a whole.
(2/3) Balance - It's always hard to judge alternative win conditions in this area without playtest. Attacking with seven Vehicles is very hard in my experience with Kaladesh so far, I think the most I've seen for now are three Vehicles attacking at the same time. I think this has two consequences: the win condition is probably balanced, and I don't expect to see this in any format unless you build your whole deck around it and it doesn't look easy to do so. As a result, I think this has a better chance to show up in constructed than limited. You could certainly play it in limited as a 6/6 Vehicle that fabricates repeatedly, but I feel like that's not this card's selling point. In multiplayer, it's interesting that the seven Vehicles don't have to attack the same opponent for you to win the game regardless of the number of opponents.
Creativity
(3/3) Uniqueness - Fabricate on attack is a nice twist, and the Servos you make help you having enough power to crew all seven Vehicles you need for the alternative win condition, which is original already on its own. As a full Melvin, these are the design intricacies I love and that help give a card like this its own identity.
(1.5/3) Flavor - The name is good, and I actually had to look whether the word "Guratri" means something in the Indian language. It turns not, according to Google translator, even if that's certainly not the definitive source. The flavor text does barely fit on the card. Yes, it's ten lines in MSE with it, which is still technically borderline acceptable, but you can see the card looks way better without flavor text.
Polish
(2.5/3) Quality - No need to say "Vehicle creatures", just "Vehicles" suffices, as it means "permanent with the subtype Vehicle". It's not technically wrong, it's just superfluous, so I'll only deduct 0.5 even though it's repeated twice on this card.
(2/2) Main Challenge - Good.
(1/2) Subchallenges - CMC is not 3 or less.
Total: 18.5/25
Flatline: 23.5
Necarg: 19.5
Vertain: 19.5
void_nothing: 18.5
(The tie was not intentional, it just came up. I don't think that's a problem because there are still the other judges' scores to add. We'll see.)
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.)
DESIGN
(2.5/3) APPEAL : Spike loves this for its efficiency. Johnny would certainly like the blinky shenanigans that can lead to a token army here. Timmy probably goes for the nifty token produced, but is less excited.
(3/3) ELEGANCE : Solid. Enters the battlefield, makes a dude, dude crews cab, apply liberally to opponent's dome.
DEVELOPMENT
(3/3) VIABILITY : This brings up Smuggler's Copter as an easy comparison, and as I think that card's a little pushed this little joy seems at home as a colorless rare.
(3/3) BALANCE : The above comment also applies here. The parallels to the copter places this in the auto-pick category for limited, and a more reasonable amount of play in constructed rather than just being a four-of in EVERY DECK AVAILABLE. NO, I'M NOT BITTER THAT I LOST THREE SEPARATE GAMES TO THAT HORRID COPTER.
CREATIVITY
(2/3) UNIQUENESS : An artifact that makes dudes isn't exactly novel, but the fact that the produced token interacts with the creator card without any fancy text is cool.
(3/3) FLAVOR : As a self professed Vorthos and flavor junkie I have to say, YEEESSS. I've seen other attempts at a self driving vehicle that muddle around with activated abilities, but this route is so much cleaner. You couldn't reprint this in any other setting but damn if it doesn't slot in perfectly on Kaladesh.
POLISH
(3/3) QUALITY : No infractions.
(2/2) MAIN CHALLENGE : Met.
(2/2) SUB CHALLENGE : Both met.
FINAL FINAL SCORE - 23.5/25
DESIGN
(2/3) APPEAL : Timmy - big beefy menacing army. Johnny - outside animation effects? Spike - a solid efficient finisher or early push.
(2.5/3) ELEGANCE : The only real nitpick here, is that outside of slivers most anthem/lord cards read "KEYWORD", "ALL OTHER THINGS HAVE KEYWORD".
DEVELOPMENT
(2/3) VIABILITY : As a colorless card, menace doesn't seem TOO out of place. There have been equipment that granted it, and I guess I can get behind the idea that this leads the charge on an attack. On rarity however, mythic seems too much. The straight-forwardness of it and the lack of "WOW" places this firmly in the rare slot for me.
(2.5/3) BALANCE : No qualms to be had here. A solid draft pick, but outside a deck focused on Vehicles there aren't a lot of homes for this one.
CREATIVITY
(2/3) UNIQUENESS : A lord-esque vehicle is neat, but is really just stapling an older idea to the Aradara Express. That's neat in its own way though.
(3/3) FLAVOR : Spot on. It's a big bashy machine and of course renegades are going to use to plow through paper pusher offices and break everything.
POLISH
(2/3) QUALITY : The reminder text should be italicized. A serious penalty.
(2/2) MAIN CHALLENGE : Met.
(2/2) SUB CHALLENGE : Both met.
FINAL FINAL SCORE - 20/25
DESIGN
(2/3) APPEAL : Timmy will just pump mana into this all day long to flicker everything he can fit into it. Johnny similarly adores the prospect of double ETB effects all day. The psuedo-vigilance seems like Spike's thing, but the mana intensiveness to that ability is really steep.
(1.5/3) ELEGANCE : This is a real wordy card, but I can't think of any better solutions. Maybe "pay xxx" and just have X be the number of creatures? or "pay 3 for each creature that crewed ~"?
DEVELOPMENT
(2.5/3) VIABILITY : Conjurer's Closet on... wings? That seems ok with its pricing. At rare this seems fine.
(2.5/3) BALANCE : Certainly seems nonthreatening to standard. The aforementioned ability cost puts this well out of most tourney play. A good limited workhorse otherwise.
CREATIVITY
(2/3) UNIQUENESS : A flying chariot that flickers things, is... neat, and it is one the few times you'd WANT to overcrew something.
(1.5/3) FLAVOR : The name is fine, linking to the angel of similar ability and name of the set. But the flavor text is so... bland. It works yes, but it feels stenciled on, rather than engraved and integral. It's maybe even unneeded. With all the text above it I'm not sure that it'd all fit.
POLISH
(2.5/3) QUALITY : The reminder text says crew 4, the ability says 3.
(2/2) MAIN CHALLENGE : Met.
(2/2) SUB CHALLENGES : Both met.
FINAL FINAL SCORE - 18.5/25
DESIGN
(2/3) APPEAL : Alternative win conditions? Count Timmy in, probably Johnny too. I think this is bit on the cumbersome side for Spike though.
(2/3) ELEGANCE : The triggered ability seemed rather daunting at first, but now I see that it's just Fabricate 1 on a trigger. That should smooth things out comprehension wise.
DEVELOPMENT
(2/3) VIABILITY : Why isn't this mythic? It certainly has meets the splash and complexity requirements. Other than that, as a legendary and an artifact the abilities seem in line. Things like Accomplished Automaton show artifacts can fabricate.
(2/3) BALANCE : Alternative win conditions are really a doozy to analyze. I mean seven vehicles seems like a lot of work, but Start Your Engines exists. Other than that this seems... okay? The repeated fabricate might be dangerous, but this card would really benefit from actual testing.
CREATIVITY
(3/3) UNIQUENESS : Alt win conditions are always entertaining in and of themselves, so there's that. The nifty psuedo lord boost ability is quite clever too.
(2/3) FLAVOR : I googled "Guratri" thinking maybe it meant something in some other language the name of which escapes me at the moment. It could still be, just with the letters mixed up, because things like this are supposed to be homages to real world mythology, rather than "THING FROM MYTHOLOGY X" verbatim. The one other thing, is that I booted up MSE, after significant difficulty, and found that with the flavor text, this card is really pushing how much text you're allowed to cram onto a card.
POLISH
(2.5/3) QUALITY : Minor infraction, you only need say "Vehicles" versus "Vehicle creatures" as vehicles can't attack unless they're creatures. It sort of goes without saying.
(2/2) MAIN CHALLENGE : Met.
(1/2) SUB CHALLENGES : CMC is greater than 3.
FINAL FINAL SCORE - 18.5/25
Flatline: 23.5 + 22 + 23.5 = 69
Necarg: 19.5 + 20 + 18.5 = 58
void_nothing: 18.5 + 21 + 18.5 = 58
Vertain: 19.5 + 18 + 20 = 57.5
So, Flatline is officially our MCC Champion for October. I make my congratulations to him on behalf of the Consulate. He's now officially the second best inventor on Kaladesh, after myself of course. Now you'll excuse me but I have to leave. Why? It doesn't matter. The Skysovereign is waiting for me. I'm sure you'll be fine in the hands of those other miserable planeswalkers who fell in my trap. Well, hands or paws. I didn't expect that huge leonin... I'll have to account for him too. But now another cat will take back possession of this account, a fakely courageous one. Oh, if only you knew him for real... then you'd see that courage is nothing more than a mere masquerade. As for me, I'm sure we'll see again soon.
—Head Judge Tezzeret
(Tezzeret's Ambition art by Cynthia Sheppard)
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.)