Round 1: NB: First line should read "all other permanents".
Dichotoverse5RRW
Enchantment {R}
When Dichotoverse enters the battlefield, exile all permanents.
All creatures have haste.
At the beginning of your upkeep, return all permanents exiled by Dichotoverse to the battlefield, then exile all other permanents that didn't enter the battlefield this way.
Round 2: Prevailer's QuestRW
Enchantment {R}
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a quest counter on Prevailer's Quest.
As long as Prevailer's Quest has three or more quest counters on it, creatures you control have battle cry. "Our scouts have found a world that struggles as we do. Let us lend them our strength, in the hopes they will return the favor."
- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer
Round 3: Time Chisel3
Artifact {M} ,T: Put up to three cards in target opponent's graveyard on the bottom of his or her library. Search that player's library for that many cards, put them into his or her graveyard, then that player shuffles his or her library.
Circle of Waste2R
Enchantment {C}
When Circle of Waste enters the battlefield, exile target land.
When Circle of Waste leaves the battlefield, return the exiled land to the battlefield under its owner's control.
Bifurcid4
Artifact Creature - Construct {R}
When Bifurcid enters the battlefield, if Bifurcid isn't a token, copy it. If you do, target opponent gains control of the token.
Bifurcid can't attack its owner. It's a perfect spy - one reality serves faithfully, while the other silently observes.
4/4
Grotag Warcall1RR
Sorcery {U}
Choose one - Put two 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens onto the battlefield; or Goblins you control get +2/+0 and haste until end of turn. Although the Grotag tribes weren't as belligerent as the Kuldotha clans, they still knew how to attract attention.
Krethrix the Singularch5
Legendary Artifact Creature - Horror {M}
Krethix the Singularch's power and toughness are each equal to the number of cards in your graveyard.
Opponents can't cast spells with the same name as a card in their graveyard. "Phyrexia could not wait for a Father of Machines. Perfection must be made, not found."
- Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
*/*
Bifurcid: I like the flavour link to the first card, the two versions of the world leading to two versions of the spy. Seems a little weak in duels, although not useless, and really shines in multiplayer. All in all, I like it.
Grotag Warcall: The flavour text mentions two tribes of goblins, one from Mirrodin and one from Zendikar, but other than that it doesn't really feel like a card from the combined plane - it could just be a goblin tribal card in pretty much any set. The token ability feels a little underpowered, although the pump seems reasonable.
Krethrix the Singularch: While this definitely has cool mechanical interactions with Time Chisel, I don't see any flavour ties, which is what the challenge specified. The card seems reasonably balanced, and I like that it benefits from both your graveyard and the opponent's filling up, but in different ways.
The War that Never Was
Ferrin smiled as he leaned back in his chair. He had finally cracked the secret of the planes. For years, he had studied these external realities, desperately looking for proof they existed... and here it was; a device that would let him peer through the depths of the Blind Eternities into another plane.
Impossible Spyglass2
Artifact (R)
Players play with their hands revealed. "I can see everything both in this world and the next."
Everyone else in the modern world shunned the idea of "multiple worlds". It was, for all purposes, impossible. However, he knew better.
It was eleven years ago that an elven girl had fallen upon his doorstep. Ferrin had assumed she was from one of the island colonies and her appearance was the result of a teleportation spell gone wrong. How incorrect he would find he was! Once she had awoken, she spoke of forests, of living land and of her village in 'Bala Ged'. Immediately, Ferrin knew something was wrong; not even the most unexplored of the islands had lush forests the likes of what the elf was describing. As she was but a girl, she was not able to help him and she left, leaving Ferrin to brood. For many years he would work, asking wandering "plane-walkers" and reading into their appearances, until the day he found his evidence.
Ferrin looked down upon his invention proudly. The Impossible Spyglass. It looked much like a normal one, if a normal telescope had four different-sized dials along the length of it. These, he had quickly discovered in research, were required. All planes were aligned and overlayed upon each other. The barriers keeping them apart are heavy and unbreakable, but pure, volcanic obsidian had the odd ability to see through the barrier - the Blind Eternities.* The dials were there to 'tune' the obsidian to see different planes.
And many planes he did see. He'd seen the home of the first plane-walker he'd seen - the elf girl's 'Zendikar'. He'd seen a world of fairy tales and its equal cloaked in night. A plane made entirely of metal and one with only natural in sight. A billion worlds of possibilities lay out in front of him. So far, he was certain, he had only touched the brim.
He leaned forward and reached for the large device, ready for another interplanar visual expedition. The silver of the spyglass glistened as Ferrin picked it up, reflecting light from the fire flickering beside him. He turned it over and pulled it up to line up with his eye.
The other end of the planar telescope showed something completely different to the wall which he was pointing it at. He turned around and, as he did so, the view changed. He - well, in the other plane - was in a laboratory of some kind. All manner of strange tools were lined up along a bench and, inside test tubes, things were growing. They were mostly normal creatures but they had strange bubbles growing on them. As Ferrin watched, He'd heard of this place from a wandering plane-walker - Tes-something - he was in one of the laboratories of the Simic Combine in Ravnica, City of Guids.
He began to walk. The problem he found with his device was that he had to move in order to move in the world he was looking at. Problems most arose when there was a wall in his and nothing in the other; he could go no further. This time, he was saved from such a fate, and the laboratory seemed to follow the shape of his manor almost perfectly; the symmetry was almost frightening.
As Ferrin rounded the corner to what would be his bedroom in the manor, he came across a large enclosure. This seemed to be the only room which did not fit with his manor, as it stretched across an area far greater than his bedroom. When he looked inside the enclosure, though, his unease turned to dread. Something was wrong.
Phystric Cytoplasm3UG
Creature - Elemental Mutant (U)
Phystric Cytoplasm enters the battlefield with four -1/-1 counters on it. Whenever another creature enters the battlefield, you may move a -1/-1 counter from Phystric Cytoplasm onto that creature.
7/7 "Some of the ideas on this world are magnificent, but they require a bit of... changing."
- Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
From what he knew of the Simic Combine, they aimed to strengthen their creations using their 'cytospawn', the little bubble things, which could be transferred. This creature was quite clearly in agony from the cytospawn bubbling dangerously on its back. However, Ferrin was soon to know why they would do such a thing.
A Vedalken walked into the laboratory of the enclosure, beginning work silently and without comment. As he watched the Vedalken work, Ferrin realised the humanoid was familiar to him, even though he'd never been to Ravnica... he'd seen it before. He scoured his mind trying to recall where, when the Vedalken hissed in its strange language, calling for another. This was the Phyrexian language. Phyrexia... was it not long dead?
Suddenly, the creature made sense. It was a Phyrexian version of what the Simic made. While the cytospawn would weaken it now, they would be able to latch onto other creatures just as Simic cytospawn did - except these would weaken and kill its new host, rather than strengthen it. While that now made sense, the appearance of Phyrexia in Ravnica opened up a plethora of new questions. Ferrin shook his head and put down the telescope, noting down the dial settings for "Phyrexia-Ravnica". He could work on the mystery later. Right now, it was time for rest.
---
Almost a month had passed since he'd discovered the Phyrexian invasion of Ravnica and, although he'd learnt much about both worlds, Ferrin was still no closer to solving the mystery - what had caused this to occur?
However, he had managed to rebuild his telescope in a new form - he had implanted a giant screen in one of the rooms in his manor and was using that instead. Additionally, he had made the planar 'mirror', as he called it now, two-way; someone in the other plane could see into his world, if Ferrin wished it. The only drawback was it was limiting to move. It was hard enough to move it around any buildings, as it had to be done by hand. Teleportation spells were just too risky.
In the months that had passed, the Phyrexian grip on Ravnica had strengthened. However, their limited capacity for life manipulation meant they were at a deadlock. Although he preferred this to mindless bloodshed and domination by one side, Ferrin couldn't help but feel this was wrong. How was a single plane holding off a force which had threatened the entirety of the Multiverse at one point? It sounded bad, but he could have sworn Phyrexia should be somewhere it could win. A war of attrition could take more lives and sap more resources than one of sheer annihilation, and this war was turning out to be the former.
In the mean time, the scattered Ravnican guilds had been reunited by the Phyrexian invasion and were growing in strength. Now was the culmination of all that had occurred. As Ferrin watched from behind his mirror, the nine representative Guildmasters assembled - the Azorius' Grand Arbiter Leonos II; the Obzedat, Ghost Council of Orzhova; Feather, Boros Archangel; the entirety of Selesnya's Chorus of the Conclave; Ral Zarek, the Izzet's new Firemind; Dr Nebun, Simic Leader; Ferizolda, Blood Warlock; Jarad, King of the Golgari; and Borborygmos, Head of the Gruul Clans. The Dissension was over. A new Guildpact had been written.
Pact of the ParunsWUBRG
Enchantment (MR)
Multicolored creatures you control get +2/+2.
Whenever a multicolored permanent enters the battlefield under your control, choose two: Tap target permanent; or draw a card; or target creature gets -2/-2; or deal 3 damage to target player; or put two +1/+1 counters on target creature. 'Guildpact' in name only, this one was made not for peace, but for war.
---
However, even a Guildpact was not enough to stop the relentless Phyrexians, who, Ferrin discovered, were able to use the power of the Pact against the very Ravnicans who wrote them.
Mindleash Helmet2(P/U)
Artifact (R)
If a player would choose one or more modes, you may choose those modes for them (You choose all targets for those modes). "These Ravnicans may have hope, but that can be changed."
- Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
Their "Mind-leashing Helmet", name coined by the blue Praetor, could be used to control some of the will of their victims. The full horror of it dawned upon Ferrin when he watched as a Vedalken warrior equipped with the helmet called upon the destructive force of the Gruul Clans to demolish a support column, collapsing a chapel upon itself and those in the room around it. At that moment, Ferrin knew he had to intervene. From the other side of the planar mirror, he would guide history in the right direction. He had to.
Two months later, the war ended.
---
With forces both Phyrexian and Ravnican under his fingertips, Ferrin had the power of an entire plane. He could find the source of the amalgation and force it reversed from the very root. Immediately, Ferrin began using Azorius Senate and Jin-Gitaxias' spies, as well as the remnants of House Dimir. He needed to find out who - or at least where - this was coming from. Then he could plan the attack.
There was a knock at the door of his office - his own office! - in Sunhome, Fortress of the Boros Legion. Instead of a desk, he just had his mirror, which showed him at a desk in his manor.
This knock would be one of his spies. "Come in," he called. The door opened and a nondescript former member of House Dimir walked in.
Duskholme Infiltrator3UB
Creature - Human Rogue (R) Forecast - (P/U), Reveal Duskholme Infiltrator from your hand: Look at target opponent's hand. (Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)
When Duskholme Infiltrator enters the battlefield, target opponent reveals his or her hand. You may cast an instant or sorcery card in it without paying its mana cost. While the Dimir guild has once again stopped existing, its scattered members are still around.
2/1
"Information for you, sir," he said. "We know where it's coming from."
Ferrin sat upright. "What?"
The spy nodded. "You know how them Phyrexian guys down in the Progress Engine told you about the warping of mana around Agyrem?" Ferrin nodded. He had indeed spotted a powerful drain of mana coming from the 'ghost quarter' of Ravnica, residence of the dead. "Yeah, well, we know the source of the mana drain now. It's Szadek's fortress. He's the one causing the mana imbalance."
Ferrin nodded. Szadek was one of the main people responsible for the last major calamity in Ravnica's history - the only one that was truly supposed to happen. Ten years ago, during the Decamillenial of the Guildpact, Szadek attempted to destroy it - per his role in the pact itself.. He was arrested by Agrus Kos, head of the Wojek and Guild Champion of Boros, ironically causing the Guildpact to be destroyed. After killing a number of high-ranking guild members - including the aforementioned Wojek veteran and the then Grand Arbiter Augustin IV - he was thrown in prison, where he died. Currently residing in the ghost quarter of Ravnica, Szadek had remained quiet for the past decade. Well, quite until now, it appeared.
"Thank you," Ferrin said, and the spy left.
This was curious. In order to infiltrate Szadek's base, Ferrin needed two things: a distraction of some kind to send Szadek's guards flailing around helplessly; and someone who knew Agyrem well enough to be able to guide him to and through Szadek's residence. Thankfully, he knew just the right person for both jobs.
---
"Ral Zarek! Agrus Kos!" Ferrin grinned as the wizard, soldier and giant beast entered the room. "You know what I need?"
The Guild Champion laughed. "We're the Izzet. We specialise in explosions."
Kos pulled out a rough map of Agyrem and it's surrounding areas. "There's an old run-down warehouse and a former Azorius guard spire next to the Wall of Agyrem here and here," Zarek explained. "They're fairly close to Szadek's place. We're going to blow both of them up and cause the tower to drop on the wall, crashing a hole through it. We're going to draw a lot of attention to ourselves, and I'm hoping it'll be enough."
"While they're busy knocking down the buildings," Agrus Kos continued. "you and I, along with some of my best men, will utilise a smaller explosion to break through another section of the Wall, closer to Szadek. Then we'll sneak through the back to his manor. Knowing him, he'll have traps set, but I can get something which will stop them."
Ferrin nodded. "Very nice. I see you've done most of the planning work for me."
Ral Zarek laughed again. "It wasn't the hardest thing to do, really. Still, I don't see why you must face him alone. If Urabrask will allow me use of his forge to power the explosions, we could split the ghost quarter from Ravnica again!"
"It's a matter of honour," Agrus Kos said. "And the fact that bombing his mansion might not actually kill him and stop him. We must confront him. I have a question for you though, Ferrin. You're going to need to be corporeal in order for this to work. The mirror will be far too bulky to carry into the mansion and, if it gets damage in a trap, it'll ruin everything."
"I'll have to work on that, then. Thanks for raising the point. You two are dismissed, get to work on those projects of yours."
The Boros soldier nodded and left the room, but Ral Zarek lingered. "I am allowed to use the forge of Urabrask, right? I'm not going to get turned into a Phyrexian whatever-it-is?"
"Not much of a difference though, is there? You're covered in metal and look horrific anyway," Ferrin joked.
The Izzet ceraunomancer recoiled in horror and looked down at his 'armour'. It was covered in all manner of strange pipes with two shades; the blue and red of Niv-Mizzet. He certainly looked like something he'd made himself.
"Don't worry, he'll help."
Zarek nodded. "He better," he muttered and, with that, he left as well.
Ferrin leaned back against his chair to his empty office. He'd acted confident before, but would it work? Would he actually be able to defeat Szadek, the so-called "Lord of Secrets"? That guy probably already knew about this plan and would, in fact, not be surprised by it. Would the plan work at all, even? Would the explosion be great enough, the ensuing chaos crazy enough and their attack squad strong enough? Would he be strong enough to face off against Szadek? He shook his head; too many conflicting thoughts and too much pessimism. He would be able to do it.
Now to just figure out how to actually get into Ravnica...
* Author's note: I'm well aware I've butchered some (all) parts of how the multiverse works. Consider it artistic license on my part. Better storytelling device.
Meet the Spy: Duskhome Infiltrator3UB
Creature - Human Rogue (R) Forecast - (P/U), Reveal Duskhome Infiltrator from your hand: Look at target opponent's hand. (Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)
When Duskhome Infiltrator enters the battlefield, target opponent reveals his or her hand. You may cast an instant or sorcery card in it without paying its mana cost. While House Dimir itself is now supposedly defunct, the remnants of its once-ubiquitous power still remain.
2/1
Look, a Distraction: Coruscating BlastXR
Sorcery (U)
Replicate 2R (When you cast this spell, copy it for each time you paid its replicate cost. You may choose new targets for the copies.)
Destroy target nonland permanent with converted mana cost X or less. Izzet ingenuity reacts violently when contacted with Phyrexia's forges.
FYI I'm the bad guy: Szadek, Keeper of Agyrem4UB
Planeswalker - Szadek (MR)
+1 Choose a nonland card any player owns from outside the game and exile it. You may cast it for as long as it is exiled. (You still pay the spell's costs.)
-2 Exile target creature. Its controller puts X 1/1 black Spirit creature tokens onto the battlefield, where X is that creature's toughness.
-8 Target player exiles his or her hand, then exiles the top half of his or her library, rounded down. Until the end of turn, you may cast nonland cards exiled by Szadek, Keeper of Agyrem without paying their mana costs.
5 Twisted by rage and empowered by the spirit world, he has return to finish what he started a decade ago.
Duskhome Infiltrator: Forecast for phyrexian mana is cool, since it doesn't have to take up mana you could use for casting spells. The forecast works well with the enter-the-battlefield effect, and there's a cool interaction in that after you've used it, the opponent knows it's coming and is encouraged to use spells rather than hold onto them to prevent you getting them. You have clear mechanical ties to your round one card, but I'm not really seeing the flavour ties required by the challenge.
Coruscating Blast: Definite ties to Ravnica, but nothing about this says new phyrexia to me. What is does say is "mono-red enchantment removal", and that's not a good thing. This is not something red can or should be able to do. Red rarely gets to destroy enchanments at all, and when it does it involves risk and randmoness or taking the entire world out at once - not pinpoint blowing up of enchantments, which is what this allows.
Szadek, Keeper of Agyrem: Clearly tied by flavour to the new guildpact - he did destroy the old one, after all. Don't like the first ability at all, it's horrible to use in casual and mostly useless in tournament play. At six mana and three turns before you can use the ultimate, it's allowed to be a bit crazy, and it certainly is that. I can sort of see where you're trying to go with the abilities in terms of linking to flavour, but they just don't feel enough like Szadek to me.
Round 1: Hapredd's Dromond5
Artifact Creature - Ship (R)
Ride 4 - 2
Flying (W/U)(W/U): Exile Hapredd's Dromond and all riding creatures. At the beginning of the end of turn step, return those cards to the battlefield and attach those creatures to Hapredd's Dromond.
3/3
Round 2: Careful Construction2W
Sorcery (R)
Search your library for an artifact card with converted mana cost equal to or less than the number of artifacts you control and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.
Forecast — , Reveal Careful Construction from your hand: Put a 1/1 colorless Myr artifact creature token onto the battlefield. (Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)
Round 3: Focused Recollection2UU
Enchantment (R) 1U, Exile X cards from your graveyard: You may cast target card in your graveyard with converted mana cost X or less without paying its mana cost.
Somnor Orb3
Artifact (R)
Whenever a player casts a spell, that player puts the top X cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard, where X is that spell's converted mana cost.
Blinking spy:
Silversuit Infiltrator1UU
Creature - Human Rogue (U)
When Silversuit Infiltrator enters the battlefield, look at the top card of each library.
Whenever Silversuit Infiltrator becomes blocked, exile it, then return it to the battlefield tapped and attacking.
2/1
Combining Replicate and Entwine for a distraction:
Mirror MazeXWU
Instant (U)
Choose X target creatures. For each of those creatures, you may tap or untap that creature. Ravnican wizards quickly found new uses for the abundant raw materials of the metallic world they found themselves thrust into.
Oh no, he's trying to erase our memories:
Hypnator Kargeron3UB
Creature - Vedalken Wizard (M) UB, Pay 2 life: Change the target or targets of target spell. X: You may cast target instant or sorcery card in an opponent's graveyard with converted mana cost X without paying its mana cost. Exile that spell when it resolves. Not even your memories are safe from his controlling gaze.
2/5
Silversuit Infiltrator: Clear mechanical tie to the first-round card, but doesn't feel like it was "based on the flavor of" that card. It's a pretty cool card, though. This is a very weird way to do unblockable, which has some cool interaction with other effects, and I like that. The library part honestly feels a little tacked-on to me, but does help it meet the challenge.
Mirror Maze: Simple and seems reasonably balanced, maybe a little bit underpowered. a very straightforward card.
Hypnator Kargeron: Dripping with flavour, cool abilities, and would make a wonderful Commander. Really good job. I love that he can get two uses out of your opponent's spells - by changing the targets when they cast them, and again when you do.
Round 1: Bag of Wishes6
Legendary Artifact (MR) ,T: You may choose a card you own from outside the game, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. When you reach into the bag, you never know what you are going to get! Or where you got it from.
Round 2:
Combining Domainaria (Cold Snap) and Zendikar
Avalanche Elemental5GG
Snow Creature - Elemental (MR)
Snow Landwalk
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Avalanche Titan gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is it's power. Even when frozen solid the land lashes out.
4/4
Round 3: Circle of Winter4W
Legendary Snow Enchantment (MR)
All permanents, spells, and cards that are not in play are snow. All colored mana in a card's mana cost is snow mana instead. There it was, a circle of pure chill. From it, cold air which flooded the landscape, turning all to frost.
Magma Cannon3
Artifact (U)
Magma Cannon enters the battlefield with three charge counters on it. 2, T, Remove a charge counter from Magma Cannon: Destroy target snow permanent. I don't know what brought the Ice Age here, but I will be sure to remove it.
Whispering Efreet3UU
Creature - Efreet (MR)
Flying
When Whispering Efreet enters the battlefield, choose a card target opponent owns from outside the game, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Your wishes are small and petty, let me show you a real wish.
3/3
SnapfrostU
Instant (C)
Tap target permanent.
Landfall - If you had a land enter the battlefield under your control this turn, that permanent doesn't untap during it's controller's next untap step. With the snap of his fingers the air grew cold and the water iced over.
Froxi, Winter Incarnate1GU
Legendary Snow Creature - Elemental (R)
Froxi, Winter Incarnate's power an and toughness is equal to the number of snow permanents on the battlefield. 1U: Target permanent becomes snow. This world needs to feel the peace of cold like my world has.
*/*
Whispering Efreet: It's ability simply doesn't work. The card goes to their hand instead. The rules don't let you put cards you don't own into your hand, and for good reason. Even if they did, why are you revealing the card? Either it was revealed beforehand (in which case there's no need to) or it wasn't (in which case how did you choose it - the ability never lets you look at any hidden cards). Wonderful flavour text isn't enough to save card that simply can't work.
Snapfrost: Simple and balanced, fits the combined place well, all good. Not sure how much of a 'distraction' tapping one thing down is, but no matter. A nice design.
Froxi, Winter Incarnate: This is a much, much cheaper Rimefeather Owl with memory issues (due to not using counters to track a permanent effect). Meets the challenge, but the card is just the owl but made both much better (in terms of power) and a little worse (in terms of design).
The main character (or me) in this plot is Zaun. Zaun is an infamous, but esteemed, Ravnican researcher that belongs to house Dimir. To say little of his character, Zaun is incredibly intelligent, but expectably, slightly mad and somewhat schizophrenic. At the same time, Zaun wants to acquire more knowledge and expand his understanding of the Multiverse. He seeks power, but power to be able to discover more - he does not want to rule. That does not interest him. Such is character.
Secretly, for years, Zaun performed various experiments involving the planeswalker spark. Unable to create an artificial spark within himself, he finally devoted himself to another tactic.Through numerous trials and errors, he developed a way to track the location of a spark. Through much hunting and much time, Zaun was able to gather children within whom the spark had recently developed. He attempted to remove the spark from the children so that he may acquire it for himself. His intial experiments failed, but he eventually created a device that allowed him to harness the power of the spark:
Spark Clamp3UB
Enchantment - Aura {R}
Enchant Planeswalker.
You control enchanted planeswalker. 3UB, Exile Spark Clamp: Move all loyalty counters from enchanted planeswalker to another planeswalker you control. "For years I tried to create an artificial spark within me. Having failed, I found it much easier to merely tap into the power of an existing walker. Regrettably, they rarely survive the process." - Zaun, Madman of Dimir
After some experimentation, Zaun is finally able to travel to another plane, though he doesn't quite understand how to control the location yet, nor does he have much knowledge of the multiverse in general. Regardless, he finds himself on a dark, demented plane with even odder ongoings.
New Phyrexia (Scars of Mirrodin) + Eventide/Shadowmoor
Phyretic Hold :2mana::symb:
Enchantment {UC} BB: Creatures you control gain persist until end of turn.
Creatures you control with -1/-1 counters on them are artifacts with infect in addition to their other types and abilities. "A creature that willingly accepts death is a creature that Phyrexia will willingly embrace. In that, this plane is much like its creatures."-Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite.
Another planeswalker, a much more ancient presence, noticed the sudden arrival. Almost instantaneously, a phantom Nicol Bolas appears in front of Zaun, and seizes him. Zaun, frantic, is unsure of what to do and is a panic state of mind. Bolas inspects Zaun's mind, and realizes Zaun's potential usefulness. Bolas could always use another servant. Bolas then takes Zaun into a self made aether plane, a hideout for Bolas and his servants.
Will of the Masterminds1UBR
Enchantment
Whenever you activate the ability of a planeswalker you control, you may pay 3. If you do, gain control of target non-land permanent until end of turn. "Destiny? Bah. The fate of the world is the path that I have set for it." - Nicol Bolas
Thus begins Zaun's education as a dark planeswalker, by the hand of Bolas. Bolas takes a unique liking to the Zaun. It was not a liking of affection, no, but the appreciation one has for a tool that has served him well, such as a beloved pen or a veteran's sword. Bolas also educates him in various methods of combat.
Spark Sabre 3R
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant Planeswalker 3R, :symtap:: Enchanted Planeswalker deals damage to target creature or player equal to the number of loyalty counters on it , then remove a loyalty counter from enchanted planeswalker. "Through the teachings of my elder Planeswalker, I learned that the spark's ability to manipulate space can not only be used for travel, but for attack as well." - Zaun, Mad Apprentice of Bolas
Months later, Bolas reveals the nature of the first plane that Zaun had traveled to, and the mission that they were set upon.
Bolas reveals that the (HERE ARE OUR MYSTERIOUS ANTAGONISTS!) Phyrexians have apparently rediscovered their Lord and Creator, the great Yawgmoth. Bolas has been unable to enter Mirrodin, or rather New Phyrexia, which now serves as the home base of the Phyrexians. Thus Bolas does not know whether or not Yawgmoth has indeed returned. But this presents a great problem to Bolas, as Yawgmoth and Bolas have very different views upon the destiny of the multiverse.
The Phyrexians plan on using Shadowmoor as a breeding/training ground for a new Army of phyretic soldiers. The plane's already twisted creatures are easy to control and take over, and the evolution of the plane was already quickly under progress.
Bolas wishes to thwart the Phyrexians so that they cannot interfere with his own plans. He creates a special infiltration squad with Zaun as it's commander in order to infiltrate Shadowmoor and investigate it's ongoings. Meanwhile, Bolas has other business elsewhere involving the Phyrexians.
Thus it is up to Zaun to organize the operation at Shadowmoor.
And now we begin.
Zaun's Mecha-Ouphe 1
Artifact Creature - Construct Ouphe {UC}
:symub:: Zaun's Mecha-Ouphe gains infect and is unblockable until end of turn.
1/1 "What better way to confuse the Phyrexians than by passing as one of their one?" - Zaun, Commander of Squad Shadow.
Fueled Fire4R
Sorcery {UC}
Fueled Fire deals 2 damage to target player. If that player controls a non-blue, non-red creature, you may destroy that creature and have Fueled Fire deal 4 damage to that player instead. Though the Phyrexians considered their Oil to be their greatest achievement, they failed to comprehend one of it's primary drawbacks - flammability.
Yawgmoth, Lord of Phyrexia, Rival of Bolas4BB
Planeswalker - Yawgmoth {MR}
[+2] Put two 1/1 colorless construct artifact creature tokens with infect onto the battlefield.
[-5] Proliferate, then proliferate again.
[-10] You get an emblem with "Creatures and Artifacts you control are 6/6 colorless artifact creatures with infect and trample"
5 "Your plans will go awry. There is but one possible course for the multiverse."
Zaun's Mecha-Ouphe: I guess the flavour connection is that they're both made by Zaun? This care is too powerful - Vector Asp is not such a bad card it needed to be this badly obsoleted. Way too good with any kind of pump spells/equipment.
Fueled Fire: Congratulations on finding a way to get straight creature destruction into red while making it still feel flavourfully right. Balance doesn't feel right as you'll never want to play this if they don't have a creature, and as worded it gets around shroud/hexproof because it doesn't target the creature. Flavour was perfect, but the mecanics needed a little more work to catch up to it.
Yawgmoth, Lord of Phyrexia, Rival of Bolas:: This guy needs to drop an epithet. The only way you're getting this name on a card is sideways. The -5 ability is interesting - can b used right away at the cost of the walker, but if he doesn't die from it it's really only -3. Very nicely done, it's cool, powerful, and requires a little thinking about, all of which are good in my book. +2 is kinda generic, but the emblem is interesting, other than it really shouldn't be giving trample - that's not a black ability, and it's good enough without it.
Round 1: Venser's Ambulator :1mana::symu::symw:
Legendary Artifact (R)
:2mana:, Exile Venser's Ambulator: Exile target creature you control.
:0mana:: Return Venser's Ambulator and all cards exiled with it to the battlefield under their owners' control. Use this ability only if Venser's Ambulator is exiled.
Round 2:
Dominaria[Otaria]/Mercadia
Rishadan Souvenir
Arifact (R)
Threshold — If seven or more cards are in your graveyard, rather than pay Rishadan Souvenir's mana cost, you may have an opponent draw a card.
:1mana:, :symtap:: Tap target land. "I got it for free, it just cost me an arm and a leg."
Imagine, instead of the Mirari, they fought over a snow globe?
Round 3: Heroic Soul :1mana::symg::symw::symu:
Tribal Enchantment - Aura Rebel (R)
Enchant Creature
Enchanted creature is a Rebel in addition to its other types and has Hexproof.
Whenever enchanted creature deals combat damage to an opponent, you may pay :symg::symw::symu:. If you do, tap two target permanents that player controls. They don't untap during that player's next untap step. Even the most timid of creatures can feel the calling and become the Cause's next champion.
Confusion Matrix
Artifact (R)
Each creature you control can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.
Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to an opponent, draw a card unless any player pays :1mana:.
Trusted Informant :1mana::symw::symu:
Creature - Human Rogue (R)
When Trusted Informant enters the battlefield, target opponent gains control of it.
Exile Trusted Informant, :symw::symu:: At the beginning of the next end step, return Trusted Informant to the battlefield under its owners control and draw a card. Only Trusted Informant's owner can activate this ability and only when they could cast a sorcery.
2/2
Instigated Riot :1mana::symr::symr:
Instant (U)
Madness :symr::symr:
All creatures attack this turn if able.
All creatures block this turn if able. A few silver here, a lie there, something about that guy's mother and soon that treasure will be mine!
Euler, Rebel Leader :2mana::symw::symw:
Legendary Creature - Human Rebel (M)
Hexproof
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may tap all your permanents and transform Euler, Rebel Leader.
:symw::symw:, :symtap:: Target Rebel becomes unblockable and gains Hexproof until until end of turn.
3/2
///// Kantor, Enemy of All
Legendary Creature - Demon (M)
{Black}
Flying, Hexproof
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice another creature and draw a card. If you can't, transform Kantor, Enemy of All.
Discard a card, :symb::symb:, :symtap:: Other creatures get -2/-2 until end of turn.
6/4
Trusted Informant: You've got definite mechanical ties to the first-round card, but not flavour ones that I can see.
Instigated Riot: Very cool in multiplayer, but has uses in duels as well. Madness feels tacked on rather than an natural part of the card, but I guess I can say that about several madness cards. Definitely a distraction.
Euler, Rebel Leader/Kantor, Enemy of All: Hexproof isn't particularly white, and unblockable doesn't feel white at all. This could have done with some flavour text so we had some idea why this guy transforms into what he does - this doesn't feel like a transform card so much as two different cards you happened to decide to glue together.
Round 1: Xabrin Rimeshade - 1UR Planeswalker - Xabrin
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell you may put a loyalty counter on Xabrin Rimeshade.
[+1]: Draw a card, then discard a card.
[-3]: Copy target instant or sorcery spell, you may choose new targets for the copy (you may discard a card to use this ablity as an instant).
[-8]: You gain an emblem with "instant and sorcery spells you control cost X less to cast where X is the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard".
[3]
Round 2: Replicator Field - 1UR Enchantment - R
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, clash with an opponent. If you win the clash you may pay :symur:, if you do copy that spell, you may choose new targets for the copy. "Two spells for the cost of one and that's severing my own common carotid artery." - Xazz Fixxicks, Izzet Spellflogger.
Round 3: Knowledge of the Faemind - 1:symur::symur: Legendary Enchantment
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell put a lore counter on Knowledge of the Faemind.
Sacrifice Knowledge of the Faemind: Put X random instant and sorcery cards from your graveyard on top of your library in any order where X is the number of lore counters on Knowledge of the Faemind.
Xelng, the Tinkerer - 1UR Planeswalker - Xelng
[+2]: Exile a random instant or sorcery card from a graveyard. Until the beginning of your next upkeep you may cast that spell as though it had flash.
[+1]: Clash with an opponent, if you win the clash return target Enchantment or Artefact card from a graveyard to the battlefield.
[-7]: Exile all instant and sorcery cards from target graveyard. You gain an emblem with "whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell you may choose a card exiled by Xelng, the Tinkerer at random and cast it without paying its mana cost as though it had flash".
[3]
Spy: Xabrin's Informant - UUR Creature - Human Wizard Rogue
Shroud
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, Xabrin's Informant becomes unblockable until end of turn.
Threshold - As long as seven or more cards are in your graveyard Xabrin's Informant has "Whenever Xabrin's Informent deals combat damage to a player fateseal 1 and scry 2".
2/1
Distraction: Clashing Cacophany - 1UR
Sorcery
Deal 2 damage divided as you choose among any number of target creatures then tap all creatures dealt damage in this way. Clash with an opponent. If you win the clash, copy this spell and you may choose new targets for the copy.
The Foe: The Faemind - 2UBR Legendary Creature - Horror
The Faemind's power and toughness are each equal to the number of cards in your hand.
The Faemind gets +X/+X where X is the number of instant and sorcery cards in all graveyards.
Whenever The Faemind deals combat damage to a player look at that player's hand, you may cast an instant or sorcery card in it without paying its mana cost.
*/*
Xabrin's Informant: Flavour link is obvious. Very colour intensive, but other than that a cool card. I like that playing instants and sorceries for the trigger fills the graveyard for the threshold ability.
Clashing Cacophany: Very cool. Seems balanced, potentially quite powerful if you win the clash. I like that it has synergy with your spy (scry sets up the clash).
The Faemind: Feels like you should have combined the first two abilities into one, similar to Soulless One rather than having a characteristic defining ability and then a static pump ability. Other than that, seems like a fun, powerful but balanced card. Not really treading hugely new ground, but has it's own twist on the maro formula. With a name like Faemind, I would have expected Faerie Horror on the type line.
Round1: Dreams of Other Worlds1UU
Enchantment (R)
Whenever an activated ability of a planeswalker is activated, you may draw a card. Whenever I sleep, I see through their eyes, these voyagers of the eternities. I know not why these visions come to me, but fear I must learn something from them to protect our world from the horrors I have seen on others.
Round 2:
The sixth member of the Eiganjo Castle cycle: Kelidoro, the Frozen Stronghold
Legendary Snow Land (R) T: Add 1 to your mana pool. S,T: Counter target spell or ability that targets a legendary permanent you control unless that spell or ability's controller pays 2. (S can be paid with one mana from a snow permanent.)
Round 3: History changer: Past's Prison5
Legendary Artifact (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put target card in your graveyard on the bottom of your library. If you do, search your library for a card with a different name that shares a type with that card and put that card in your graveyard. Then shuffle your library. "Within this cage the Kami of Times Past was bound deep within the Frozen Stronghold, and its power bent to the whims of Kelidoro's master."
- The History of Kamigawa
Note: Yeah, the wording's a bit weird, with "that card" used twice to refer to different things (first the target card you're putting back in the library, and secondly the card you searched for which is going to the graveyard). But I think the intent is fairly clear despite that.
Combo with above: Frozen Memories1UU
Snow Enchantment
Whenever a snow card would be put into your graveyard from your library, exile that card instead.
You may play cards exiled by Frozen Memories. The spirits could capture precious memories in cages of ice, to prevent them being forgotten.
Spy: Dreamborne Agent1UU
Creature - Illusion Scout (U)
Dreamborne Agent is unblockable as long as defending player has drawn a card this turn.
Whenever Dreamborne Agent deals combat damage to a player or planeswalker, draw a card. Within my dreams I can create the perfect spies with ease. The trick is to then get them into other people's dreams.
2/2
Distraction: Flames of RenewalXR
Sorcery - Arcane (C)
Flames of Renewal deals X damage to target creature or player.
Remove an age counter from each permanent with Cumulative Upkeep you control. As the world chilled, kami of heat and flame took to extravagant displays to show their determination to resist the encroaching ice age.
Ringleader: Night's Chill, Master of Kelidoro5BBB
Legendary Snow Creature - Spirit (M)
Night's Chill, Master of Kelidoro enters the battlefield with a divinity counter for each S spent to cast it.
Night's Chill is indestructible as long as it has a divinity counter on it.
Remove a divinity counter from Night's Chill: Nonsnow creatures get -1/-1 until end of turn. The being which was once the Myojin of Night's Reach used the imprisoned kami's power to bring the chill of night to all of Kamigawa.
5/2
Best cards ever. (Included only for ease of people copy-pasting this post to do their own crits).
1: Rimeshade
I think you did the best job of actually meeting the challenge, you had well balanced and interesting cards, for the most part, and they work together well, which is a cool bonus. 2: Oculus
You're kinda let down by your goblin card, but the other two are very cool. 3: Gerrad's Mom
Hypnator Kargeron was too cool to leave off the top three.
Since more than half of you are still missing Top 3/critiques, I'm officially extending the deadline until midnight tomorrow, when it becomes Thursday. I really can't push it further than that, though, because I'm getting married next month and I really won't have the time to run the final rounds of the CCL if we get too far into October. >_<
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Suffer the little creatures, for they may yet rise up and beat you senseless."
Since more than half of you are still missing Top 3/critiques, I'm officially extending the deadline until midnight tomorrow, when it becomes Thursday. I really can't push it further than that, though, because I'm getting married next month and I really won't have the time to run the final rounds of the CCL if we get too far into October. >_<
Okay, I might actually get this up in the next few hours. I guess you'll find out then.
Ninja Caterpie - The phyrexian mana in Duskhome Infiltrator feels wrong, and all in all the card doesn't feel like it needs black mana at all. I'd argue this is very blue-red and undercosted (Reversal of Fortune). Coruscating Blast is interesting (if inefficient), although mono-red shouldn't really deal with enchantments. Szadek giving you a super-wish every turn is nuts. His ultimate is devastating even when compared to the likes of Jace, the Mind Sculptor's, and the secondary ability feels very white both flavorfully and mechanically.
CodGod - Hmm, Dreamborne Agent is a delightfully narrow hoser. For something at the same rarity, and similar costing and size as Neurok Commando, it may be too good though. Flames of Renewal is a really cool Cumulative Upkeep enabler, but its impact may not be great seeing you'll have very little mana for X and few high-upkeep permanents. Also, Cumulative Upkeep is the only use of age counters, so why not just say "remove an age counter from each permanent you control" (like Jhoira's Timebug)? Night's Chill is amazing.
Gerrard's Mom - Silversuit Infiltrator is a sweet twist on entering the battlefield/being unblockable, but it brings up the question of why anyone would want to block it at all. Mirror Maze is a narrower but more flexible Reality Spasm, but does what it does well. I assume the Hypnator is suposed to be legendary - the first ability doesn't quite make sense to me (the only real precedent for this in black is Imp's Mischief, which is Planar Chaos), but the second one's fantastic, if a touch over the top.
Koopa - Congratulations, Whispering Efreet breaks one of the fundamental rules of the game. Something like Praetor's Grasp would work perfectly fine for this. Powerwise it's fine, but the flavor reads a little oddly. Snapfrost is dangerous - not letting a land untap can be a near Time Walk in the early turns of the game. Froxi is just Rimefeather Owl minus flying.
Brofaux - Zaun's Mecha-Ouphe is strictly better than Vector Asp, which is, sadly, already really good. Fueled Fire is interesting hate, but the asymmetric hate feels very odd. Yawgmoth is cool, although using infect on a walker might make him too parasitic. Other than that, it looks good.
Timothy, Mimeslayer - Flavorwise, Trusted Informant is dead-on. The only thing I don't like is that it's very fragile. Instigated Riot is a cool card, but the Madness cost just detracts from the design's simplicity. Euler///Kantor is a really big miss for me; a whole lot of color pie violations, a total flavor disconnect, and some other things make this totally meh.
Rimeshade - Although Zabrin's Informant feels like a lot of random elements forced together, I actually enjoy the final outcome. The only thing I think you could have dropped is red and/or shroud. Clashing Cacophany can be really devastating if you have something like an Emrakul on top of your library; also, for half a Sleep plus a better Pyroclasm, three is a very low cost. Finally, The Faemind - the stealing instants and sorceries was very heavily used this round it seems, but you've pulled it off nicely. Stapling together Maro with Magnivore/Cognivore is odd though, and the name suggests some form of Faerie with flying.
Oculus:
Hmm, are you sure you are still the owner of a token it makes for someone else? I thought that changed. Interesting, but don't they just block it with their own token? I like the modular thing, great in multiples. Legend is ok, kinda weird.
Ninja Caterpie:
I like the forecast look at hand, don't think the Coruscating Blast works very well for red, Szadek is ok.
CodGod:
Creature is ok but hard to get unblockable, Flames of Renewal doesn't seem common these days and would be way awesomer if it removed X counters, new Myojin is ok.
Koopa:
I don't think this is worth changing the rules on having people's cards in your hand. Instant is ok, legend is a little too straightforward.
Brofaux:
Creature is ok, Fueled Fire doesn't make much sense to me, Yawgmoth is silly.
Timothy:
Like the informant, new stuff happening there. Riot is pretty good, wonder if it's a bit much for uncommon. The transform is a little disconnected in my opinion, I see some links but it's weird and most of the transform guys synergize fairly well with their other side.
Rimeshade:
Informant is pretty good. Rarities would be nice. Potential clash forever seems kind of nuts, but I guess at worse you kill all their guys for 3 mana and lots of luck/manipulation. The Faemind is weird, and I think it could have been worded more concisely, but it's interesting.
Top 3 (Sorry for the awful crits):
1. Oculus
2.Timothy, Mimeslayer
3. Rimeshade
Oculus:
Hmm, are you sure you are still the owner of a token it makes for someone else? I thought that changed. Interesting, but don't they just block it with their own token? I like the modular thing, great in multiples. Legend is ok, kinda weird.
I designed it with the intention of making a loose sixth member of the Vow cycle, but there's other combos involving it like Pandemonium (hit the token once, you have a free 4/4 and 4 damage for 4).
Oculus:
Hmm, are you sure you are still the owner of a token it makes for someone else? I thought that changed.
As worded his card first puts the token into play (under your control by default, so you own it), then gives it to the opponent, so by my understanding it works. If it said to put the token into play under the opponent's control they would own it.
NB: First line should read "all other permanents".
Dichotoverse 5RRW
Enchantment {R}
When Dichotoverse enters the battlefield, exile all permanents.
All creatures have haste.
At the beginning of your upkeep, return all permanents exiled by Dichotoverse to the battlefield, then exile all other permanents that didn't enter the battlefield this way.
Round 2:
Prevailer's Quest RW
Enchantment {R}
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a quest counter on Prevailer's Quest.
As long as Prevailer's Quest has three or more quest counters on it, creatures you control have battle cry.
"Our scouts have found a world that struggles as we do. Let us lend them our strength, in the hopes they will return the favor."
- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer
Round 3:
Time Chisel 3
Artifact {M}
,T: Put up to three cards in target opponent's graveyard on the bottom of his or her library. Search that player's library for that many cards, put them into his or her graveyard, then that player shuffles his or her library.
Circle of Waste 2R
Enchantment {C}
When Circle of Waste enters the battlefield, exile target land.
When Circle of Waste leaves the battlefield, return the exiled land to the battlefield under its owner's control.
Artifact Creature - Construct {R}
When Bifurcid enters the battlefield, if Bifurcid isn't a token, copy it. If you do, target opponent gains control of the token.
Bifurcid can't attack its owner.
It's a perfect spy - one reality serves faithfully, while the other silently observes.
4/4
Grotag Warcall 1RR
Sorcery {U}
Choose one - Put two 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens onto the battlefield; or Goblins you control get +2/+0 and haste until end of turn.
Although the Grotag tribes weren't as belligerent as the Kuldotha clans, they still knew how to attract attention.
Krethrix the Singularch 5
Legendary Artifact Creature - Horror {M}
Krethix the Singularch's power and toughness are each equal to the number of cards in your graveyard.
Opponents can't cast spells with the same name as a card in their graveyard.
"Phyrexia could not wait for a Father of Machines. Perfection must be made, not found."
- Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
*/*
Grotag Warcall: The flavour text mentions two tribes of goblins, one from Mirrodin and one from Zendikar, but other than that it doesn't really feel like a card from the combined plane - it could just be a goblin tribal card in pretty much any set. The token ability feels a little underpowered, although the pump seems reasonable.
Krethrix the Singularch: While this definitely has cool mechanical interactions with Time Chisel, I don't see any flavour ties, which is what the challenge specified. The card seems reasonably balanced, and I like that it benefits from both your graveyard and the opponent's filling up, but in different ways.
Ferrin smiled as he leaned back in his chair. He had finally cracked the secret of the planes. For years, he had studied these external realities, desperately looking for proof they existed... and here it was; a device that would let him peer through the depths of the Blind Eternities into another plane.
Artifact (R)
Players play with their hands revealed.
"I can see everything both in this world and the next."
It was eleven years ago that an elven girl had fallen upon his doorstep. Ferrin had assumed she was from one of the island colonies and her appearance was the result of a teleportation spell gone wrong. How incorrect he would find he was! Once she had awoken, she spoke of forests, of living land and of her village in 'Bala Ged'. Immediately, Ferrin knew something was wrong; not even the most unexplored of the islands had lush forests the likes of what the elf was describing. As she was but a girl, she was not able to help him and she left, leaving Ferrin to brood. For many years he would work, asking wandering "plane-walkers" and reading into their appearances, until the day he found his evidence.
Ferrin looked down upon his invention proudly. The Impossible Spyglass. It looked much like a normal one, if a normal telescope had four different-sized dials along the length of it. These, he had quickly discovered in research, were required. All planes were aligned and overlayed upon each other. The barriers keeping them apart are heavy and unbreakable, but pure, volcanic obsidian had the odd ability to see through the barrier - the Blind Eternities.* The dials were there to 'tune' the obsidian to see different planes.
And many planes he did see. He'd seen the home of the first plane-walker he'd seen - the elf girl's 'Zendikar'. He'd seen a world of fairy tales and its equal cloaked in night. A plane made entirely of metal and one with only natural in sight. A billion worlds of possibilities lay out in front of him. So far, he was certain, he had only touched the brim.
He leaned forward and reached for the large device, ready for another interplanar visual expedition. The silver of the spyglass glistened as Ferrin picked it up, reflecting light from the fire flickering beside him. He turned it over and pulled it up to line up with his eye.
The other end of the planar telescope showed something completely different to the wall which he was pointing it at. He turned around and, as he did so, the view changed. He - well, in the other plane - was in a laboratory of some kind. All manner of strange tools were lined up along a bench and, inside test tubes, things were growing. They were mostly normal creatures but they had strange bubbles growing on them. As Ferrin watched, He'd heard of this place from a wandering plane-walker - Tes-something - he was in one of the laboratories of the Simic Combine in Ravnica, City of Guids.
He began to walk. The problem he found with his device was that he had to move in order to move in the world he was looking at. Problems most arose when there was a wall in his and nothing in the other; he could go no further. This time, he was saved from such a fate, and the laboratory seemed to follow the shape of his manor almost perfectly; the symmetry was almost frightening.
As Ferrin rounded the corner to what would be his bedroom in the manor, he came across a large enclosure. This seemed to be the only room which did not fit with his manor, as it stretched across an area far greater than his bedroom. When he looked inside the enclosure, though, his unease turned to dread. Something was wrong.
Creature - Elemental Mutant (U)
Phystric Cytoplasm enters the battlefield with four -1/-1 counters on it. Whenever another creature enters the battlefield, you may move a -1/-1 counter from Phystric Cytoplasm onto that creature.
7/7
"Some of the ideas on this world are magnificent, but they require a bit of... changing."
- Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
A Vedalken walked into the laboratory of the enclosure, beginning work silently and without comment. As he watched the Vedalken work, Ferrin realised the humanoid was familiar to him, even though he'd never been to Ravnica... he'd seen it before. He scoured his mind trying to recall where, when the Vedalken hissed in its strange language, calling for another. This was the Phyrexian language. Phyrexia... was it not long dead?
Suddenly, the creature made sense. It was a Phyrexian version of what the Simic made. While the cytospawn would weaken it now, they would be able to latch onto other creatures just as Simic cytospawn did - except these would weaken and kill its new host, rather than strengthen it. While that now made sense, the appearance of Phyrexia in Ravnica opened up a plethora of new questions. Ferrin shook his head and put down the telescope, noting down the dial settings for "Phyrexia-Ravnica". He could work on the mystery later. Right now, it was time for rest.
---
Almost a month had passed since he'd discovered the Phyrexian invasion of Ravnica and, although he'd learnt much about both worlds, Ferrin was still no closer to solving the mystery - what had caused this to occur?
However, he had managed to rebuild his telescope in a new form - he had implanted a giant screen in one of the rooms in his manor and was using that instead. Additionally, he had made the planar 'mirror', as he called it now, two-way; someone in the other plane could see into his world, if Ferrin wished it. The only drawback was it was limiting to move. It was hard enough to move it around any buildings, as it had to be done by hand. Teleportation spells were just too risky.
In the months that had passed, the Phyrexian grip on Ravnica had strengthened. However, their limited capacity for life manipulation meant they were at a deadlock. Although he preferred this to mindless bloodshed and domination by one side, Ferrin couldn't help but feel this was wrong. How was a single plane holding off a force which had threatened the entirety of the Multiverse at one point? It sounded bad, but he could have sworn Phyrexia should be somewhere it could win. A war of attrition could take more lives and sap more resources than one of sheer annihilation, and this war was turning out to be the former.
In the mean time, the scattered Ravnican guilds had been reunited by the Phyrexian invasion and were growing in strength. Now was the culmination of all that had occurred. As Ferrin watched from behind his mirror, the nine representative Guildmasters assembled - the Azorius' Grand Arbiter Leonos II; the Obzedat, Ghost Council of Orzhova; Feather, Boros Archangel; the entirety of Selesnya's Chorus of the Conclave; Ral Zarek, the Izzet's new Firemind; Dr Nebun, Simic Leader; Ferizolda, Blood Warlock; Jarad, King of the Golgari; and Borborygmos, Head of the Gruul Clans. The Dissension was over. A new Guildpact had been written.
Enchantment (MR)
Multicolored creatures you control get +2/+2.
Whenever a multicolored permanent enters the battlefield under your control, choose two: Tap target permanent; or draw a card; or target creature gets -2/-2; or deal 3 damage to target player; or put two +1/+1 counters on target creature.
'Guildpact' in name only, this one was made not for peace, but for war.
However, even a Guildpact was not enough to stop the relentless Phyrexians, who, Ferrin discovered, were able to use the power of the Pact against the very Ravnicans who wrote them.
Artifact (R)
If a player would choose one or more modes, you may choose those modes for them (You choose all targets for those modes).
"These Ravnicans may have hope, but that can be changed."
- Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
Their "Mind-leashing Helmet", name coined by the blue Praetor, could be used to control some of the will of their victims. The full horror of it dawned upon Ferrin when he watched as a Vedalken warrior equipped with the helmet called upon the destructive force of the Gruul Clans to demolish a support column, collapsing a chapel upon itself and those in the room around it. At that moment, Ferrin knew he had to intervene. From the other side of the planar mirror, he would guide history in the right direction. He had to.
Two months later, the war ended.
---
With forces both Phyrexian and Ravnican under his fingertips, Ferrin had the power of an entire plane. He could find the source of the amalgation and force it reversed from the very root. Immediately, Ferrin began using Azorius Senate and Jin-Gitaxias' spies, as well as the remnants of House Dimir. He needed to find out who - or at least where - this was coming from. Then he could plan the attack.
There was a knock at the door of his office - his own office! - in Sunhome, Fortress of the Boros Legion. Instead of a desk, he just had his mirror, which showed him at a desk in his manor.
This knock would be one of his spies. "Come in," he called. The door opened and a nondescript former member of House Dimir walked in.
Creature - Human Rogue (R)
Forecast - (P/U), Reveal Duskholme Infiltrator from your hand: Look at target opponent's hand. (Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)
When Duskholme Infiltrator enters the battlefield, target opponent reveals his or her hand. You may cast an instant or sorcery card in it without paying its mana cost.
While the Dimir guild has once again stopped existing, its scattered members are still around.
2/1
Ferrin sat upright. "What?"
The spy nodded. "You know how them Phyrexian guys down in the Progress Engine told you about the warping of mana around Agyrem?" Ferrin nodded. He had indeed spotted a powerful drain of mana coming from the 'ghost quarter' of Ravnica, residence of the dead. "Yeah, well, we know the source of the mana drain now. It's Szadek's fortress. He's the one causing the mana imbalance."
Ferrin nodded. Szadek was one of the main people responsible for the last major calamity in Ravnica's history - the only one that was truly supposed to happen. Ten years ago, during the Decamillenial of the Guildpact, Szadek attempted to destroy it - per his role in the pact itself.. He was arrested by Agrus Kos, head of the Wojek and Guild Champion of Boros, ironically causing the Guildpact to be destroyed. After killing a number of high-ranking guild members - including the aforementioned Wojek veteran and the then Grand Arbiter Augustin IV - he was thrown in prison, where he died. Currently residing in the ghost quarter of Ravnica, Szadek had remained quiet for the past decade. Well, quite until now, it appeared.
"Thank you," Ferrin said, and the spy left.
This was curious. In order to infiltrate Szadek's base, Ferrin needed two things: a distraction of some kind to send Szadek's guards flailing around helplessly; and someone who knew Agyrem well enough to be able to guide him to and through Szadek's residence. Thankfully, he knew just the right person for both jobs.
---
"Ral Zarek! Agrus Kos!" Ferrin grinned as the wizard, soldier and giant beast entered the room. "You know what I need?"
The Guild Champion laughed. "We're the Izzet. We specialise in explosions."
Kos pulled out a rough map of Agyrem and it's surrounding areas. "There's an old run-down warehouse and a former Azorius guard spire next to the Wall of Agyrem here and here," Zarek explained. "They're fairly close to Szadek's place. We're going to blow both of them up and cause the tower to drop on the wall, crashing a hole through it. We're going to draw a lot of attention to ourselves, and I'm hoping it'll be enough."
"While they're busy knocking down the buildings," Agrus Kos continued. "you and I, along with some of my best men, will utilise a smaller explosion to break through another section of the Wall, closer to Szadek. Then we'll sneak through the back to his manor. Knowing him, he'll have traps set, but I can get something which will stop them."
Ferrin nodded. "Very nice. I see you've done most of the planning work for me."
Ral Zarek laughed again. "It wasn't the hardest thing to do, really. Still, I don't see why you must face him alone. If Urabrask will allow me use of his forge to power the explosions, we could split the ghost quarter from Ravnica again!"
"It's a matter of honour," Agrus Kos said. "And the fact that bombing his mansion might not actually kill him and stop him. We must confront him. I have a question for you though, Ferrin. You're going to need to be corporeal in order for this to work. The mirror will be far too bulky to carry into the mansion and, if it gets damage in a trap, it'll ruin everything."
"I'll have to work on that, then. Thanks for raising the point. You two are dismissed, get to work on those projects of yours."
The Boros soldier nodded and left the room, but Ral Zarek lingered. "I am allowed to use the forge of Urabrask, right? I'm not going to get turned into a Phyrexian whatever-it-is?"
"Not much of a difference though, is there? You're covered in metal and look horrific anyway," Ferrin joked.
The Izzet ceraunomancer recoiled in horror and looked down at his 'armour'. It was covered in all manner of strange pipes with two shades; the blue and red of Niv-Mizzet. He certainly looked like something he'd made himself.
"Don't worry, he'll help."
Zarek nodded. "He better," he muttered and, with that, he left as well.
Ferrin leaned back against his chair to his empty office. He'd acted confident before, but would it work? Would he actually be able to defeat Szadek, the so-called "Lord of Secrets"? That guy probably already knew about this plan and would, in fact, not be surprised by it. Would the plan work at all, even? Would the explosion be great enough, the ensuing chaos crazy enough and their attack squad strong enough? Would he be strong enough to face off against Szadek? He shook his head; too many conflicting thoughts and too much pessimism. He would be able to do it.
Now to just figure out how to actually get into Ravnica...
* Author's note: I'm well aware I've butchered some (all) parts of how the multiverse works. Consider it artistic license on my part. Better storytelling device.
Duskhome Infiltrator 3UB
Creature - Human Rogue (R)
Forecast - (P/U), Reveal Duskhome Infiltrator from your hand: Look at target opponent's hand. (Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)
When Duskhome Infiltrator enters the battlefield, target opponent reveals his or her hand. You may cast an instant or sorcery card in it without paying its mana cost.
While House Dimir itself is now supposedly defunct, the remnants of its once-ubiquitous power still remain.
2/1
Look, a Distraction:
Coruscating Blast XR
Sorcery (U)
Replicate 2R (When you cast this spell, copy it for each time you paid its replicate cost. You may choose new targets for the copies.)
Destroy target nonland permanent with converted mana cost X or less.
Izzet ingenuity reacts violently when contacted with Phyrexia's forges.
FYI I'm the bad guy:
Szadek, Keeper of Agyrem 4UB
Planeswalker - Szadek (MR)
+1 Choose a nonland card any player owns from outside the game and exile it. You may cast it for as long as it is exiled. (You still pay the spell's costs.)
-2 Exile target creature. Its controller puts X 1/1 black Spirit creature tokens onto the battlefield, where X is that creature's toughness.
-8 Target player exiles his or her hand, then exiles the top half of his or her library, rounded down. Until the end of turn, you may cast nonland cards exiled by Szadek, Keeper of Agyrem without paying their mana costs.
5
Twisted by rage and empowered by the spirit world, he has return to finish what he started a decade ago.
Coruscating Blast: Definite ties to Ravnica, but nothing about this says new phyrexia to me. What is does say is "mono-red enchantment removal", and that's not a good thing. This is not something red can or should be able to do. Red rarely gets to destroy enchanments at all, and when it does it involves risk and randmoness or taking the entire world out at once - not pinpoint blowing up of enchantments, which is what this allows.
Szadek, Keeper of Agyrem: Clearly tied by flavour to the new guildpact - he did destroy the old one, after all. Don't like the first ability at all, it's horrible to use in casual and mostly useless in tournament play. At six mana and three turns before you can use the ultimate, it's allowed to be a bit crazy, and it certainly is that. I can sort of see where you're trying to go with the abilities in terms of linking to flavour, but they just don't feel enough like Szadek to me.
Hapredd's Dromond 5
Artifact Creature - Ship (R)
Ride 4 - 2
Flying
(W/U)(W/U): Exile Hapredd's Dromond and all riding creatures. At the beginning of the end of turn step, return those cards to the battlefield and attach those creatures to Hapredd's Dromond.
3/3
Round 2:
Careful Construction 2W
Sorcery (R)
Search your library for an artifact card with converted mana cost equal to or less than the number of artifacts you control and put it onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.
Forecast — , Reveal Careful Construction from your hand: Put a 1/1 colorless Myr artifact creature token onto the battlefield. (Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)
Round 3:
Focused Recollection 2UU
Enchantment (R)
1U, Exile X cards from your graveyard: You may cast target card in your graveyard with converted mana cost X or less without paying its mana cost.
Somnor Orb 3
Artifact (R)
Whenever a player casts a spell, that player puts the top X cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard, where X is that spell's converted mana cost.
Silversuit Infiltrator 1UU
Creature - Human Rogue (U)
When Silversuit Infiltrator enters the battlefield, look at the top card of each library.
Whenever Silversuit Infiltrator becomes blocked, exile it, then return it to the battlefield tapped and attacking.
2/1
Combining Replicate and Entwine for a distraction:
Mirror Maze XWU
Instant (U)
Choose X target creatures. For each of those creatures, you may tap or untap that creature.
Ravnican wizards quickly found new uses for the abundant raw materials of the metallic world they found themselves thrust into.
Oh no, he's trying to erase our memories:
Hypnator Kargeron 3UB
Creature - Vedalken Wizard (M)
UB, Pay 2 life: Change the target or targets of target spell.
X: You may cast target instant or sorcery card in an opponent's graveyard with converted mana cost X without paying its mana cost. Exile that spell when it resolves.
Not even your memories are safe from his controlling gaze.
2/5
Mirror Maze: Simple and seems reasonably balanced, maybe a little bit underpowered. a very straightforward card.
Hypnator Kargeron: Dripping with flavour, cool abilities, and would make a wonderful Commander. Really good job. I love that he can get two uses out of your opponent's spells - by changing the targets when they cast them, and again when you do.
Bag of Wishes 6
Legendary Artifact (MR)
,T: You may choose a card you own from outside the game, reveal that card, and put it into your hand.
When you reach into the bag, you never know what you are going to get! Or where you got it from.
Round 2:
Combining Domainaria (Cold Snap) and Zendikar
Avalanche Elemental 5GG
Snow Creature - Elemental (MR)
Snow Landwalk
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Avalanche Titan gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is it's power.
Even when frozen solid the land lashes out.
4/4
Round 3:
Circle of Winter 4W
Legendary Snow Enchantment (MR)
All permanents, spells, and cards that are not in play are snow. All colored mana in a card's mana cost is snow mana instead.
There it was, a circle of pure chill. From it, cold air which flooded the landscape, turning all to frost.
Magma Cannon 3
Artifact (U)
Magma Cannon enters the battlefield with three charge counters on it.
2, T, Remove a charge counter from Magma Cannon: Destroy target snow permanent.
I don't know what brought the Ice Age here, but I will be sure to remove it.
Creature - Efreet (MR)
Flying
When Whispering Efreet enters the battlefield, choose a card target opponent owns from outside the game, reveal that card, and put it into your hand.
Your wishes are small and petty, let me show you a real wish.
3/3
Snapfrost U
Instant (C)
Tap target permanent.
Landfall - If you had a land enter the battlefield under your control this turn, that permanent doesn't untap during it's controller's next untap step.
With the snap of his fingers the air grew cold and the water iced over.
Froxi, Winter Incarnate 1GU
Legendary Snow Creature - Elemental (R)
Froxi, Winter Incarnate's power an and toughness is equal to the number of snow permanents on the battlefield.
1U: Target permanent becomes snow.
This world needs to feel the peace of cold like my world has.
*/*
Snapfrost: Simple and balanced, fits the combined place well, all good. Not sure how much of a 'distraction' tapping one thing down is, but no matter. A nice design.
Froxi, Winter Incarnate: This is a much, much cheaper Rimefeather Owl with memory issues (due to not using counters to track a permanent effect). Meets the challenge, but the card is just the owl but made both much better (in terms of power) and a little worse (in terms of design).
Secretly, for years, Zaun performed various experiments involving the planeswalker spark. Unable to create an artificial spark within himself, he finally devoted himself to another tactic.Through numerous trials and errors, he developed a way to track the location of a spark. Through much hunting and much time, Zaun was able to gather children within whom the spark had recently developed. He attempted to remove the spark from the children so that he may acquire it for himself. His intial experiments failed, but he eventually created a device that allowed him to harness the power of the spark:
Enchantment - Aura {R}
Enchant Planeswalker.
You control enchanted planeswalker.
3UB, Exile Spark Clamp: Move all loyalty counters from enchanted planeswalker to another planeswalker you control.
"For years I tried to create an artificial spark within me. Having failed, I found it much easier to merely tap into the power of an existing walker. Regrettably, they rarely survive the process." - Zaun, Madman of Dimir
Phyretic Hold :2mana::symb:
Enchantment {UC}
BB: Creatures you control gain persist until end of turn.
Creatures you control with -1/-1 counters on them are artifacts with infect in addition to their other types and abilities.
"A creature that willingly accepts death is a creature that Phyrexia will willingly embrace. In that, this plane is much like its creatures." -Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite.
Enchantment
Whenever you activate the ability of a planeswalker you control, you may pay 3. If you do, gain control of target non-land permanent until end of turn.
"Destiny? Bah. The fate of the world is the path that I have set for it." - Nicol Bolas
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant Planeswalker
3R, :symtap:: Enchanted Planeswalker deals damage to target creature or player equal to the number of loyalty counters on it , then remove a loyalty counter from enchanted planeswalker.
"Through the teachings of my elder Planeswalker, I learned that the spark's ability to manipulate space can not only be used for travel, but for attack as well." - Zaun, Mad Apprentice of Bolas
Bolas reveals that the (HERE ARE OUR MYSTERIOUS ANTAGONISTS!) Phyrexians have apparently rediscovered their Lord and Creator, the great Yawgmoth. Bolas has been unable to enter Mirrodin, or rather New Phyrexia, which now serves as the home base of the Phyrexians. Thus Bolas does not know whether or not Yawgmoth has indeed returned. But this presents a great problem to Bolas, as Yawgmoth and Bolas have very different views upon the destiny of the multiverse.
The Phyrexians plan on using Shadowmoor as a breeding/training ground for a new Army of phyretic soldiers. The plane's already twisted creatures are easy to control and take over, and the evolution of the plane was already quickly under progress.
Bolas wishes to thwart the Phyrexians so that they cannot interfere with his own plans. He creates a special infiltration squad with Zaun as it's commander in order to infiltrate Shadowmoor and investigate it's ongoings. Meanwhile, Bolas has other business elsewhere involving the Phyrexians.
Thus it is up to Zaun to organize the operation at Shadowmoor.
And now we begin.
Artifact Creature - Construct Ouphe {UC}
:symub:: Zaun's Mecha-Ouphe gains infect and is unblockable until end of turn.
1/1
"What better way to confuse the Phyrexians than by passing as one of their one?" - Zaun, Commander of Squad Shadow.
Fueled Fire 4R
Sorcery {UC}
Fueled Fire deals 2 damage to target player. If that player controls a non-blue, non-red creature, you may destroy that creature and have Fueled Fire deal 4 damage to that player instead.
Though the Phyrexians considered their Oil to be their greatest achievement, they failed to comprehend one of it's primary drawbacks - flammability.
Yawgmoth, Lord of Phyrexia, Rival of Bolas 4BB
Planeswalker - Yawgmoth {MR}
[+2] Put two 1/1 colorless construct artifact creature tokens with infect onto the battlefield.
[-5] Proliferate, then proliferate again.
[-10] You get an emblem with "Creatures and Artifacts you control are 6/6 colorless artifact creatures with infect and trample"
5
"Your plans will go awry. There is but one possible course for the multiverse."
Fueled Fire: Congratulations on finding a way to get straight creature destruction into red while making it still feel flavourfully right. Balance doesn't feel right as you'll never want to play this if they don't have a creature, and as worded it gets around shroud/hexproof because it doesn't target the creature. Flavour was perfect, but the mecanics needed a little more work to catch up to it.
Yawgmoth, Lord of Phyrexia, Rival of Bolas:: This guy needs to drop an epithet. The only way you're getting this name on a card is sideways. The -5 ability is interesting - can b used right away at the cost of the walker, but if he doesn't die from it it's really only -3. Very nicely done, it's cool, powerful, and requires a little thinking about, all of which are good in my book. +2 is kinda generic, but the emblem is interesting, other than it really shouldn't be giving trample - that's not a black ability, and it's good enough without it.
Venser's Ambulator :1mana::symu::symw:
Legendary Artifact (R)
:2mana:, Exile Venser's Ambulator: Exile target creature you control.
:0mana:: Return Venser's Ambulator and all cards exiled with it to the battlefield under their owners' control. Use this ability only if Venser's Ambulator is exiled.
Round 2:
Dominaria[Otaria]/Mercadia
Rishadan Souvenir
Arifact (R)
Threshold — If seven or more cards are in your graveyard, rather than pay Rishadan Souvenir's mana cost, you may have an opponent draw a card.
:1mana:, :symtap:: Tap target land.
"I got it for free, it just cost me an arm and a leg."
Imagine, instead of the Mirari, they fought over a snow globe?
Round 3:
Heroic Soul :1mana::symg::symw::symu:
Tribal Enchantment - Aura Rebel (R)
Enchant Creature
Enchanted creature is a Rebel in addition to its other types and has Hexproof.
Whenever enchanted creature deals combat damage to an opponent, you may pay :symg::symw::symu:. If you do, tap two target permanents that player controls. They don't untap during that player's next untap step.
Even the most timid of creatures can feel the calling and become the Cause's next champion.
Confusion Matrix
Artifact (R)
Each creature you control can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.
Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to an opponent, draw a card unless any player pays :1mana:.
Creature - Human Rogue (R)
When Trusted Informant enters the battlefield, target opponent gains control of it.
Exile Trusted Informant, :symw::symu:: At the beginning of the next end step, return Trusted Informant to the battlefield under its owners control and draw a card. Only Trusted Informant's owner can activate this ability and only when they could cast a sorcery.
2/2
Instigated Riot :1mana::symr::symr:
Instant (U)
Madness :symr::symr:
All creatures attack this turn if able.
All creatures block this turn if able.
A few silver here, a lie there, something about that guy's mother and soon that treasure will be mine!
Euler, Rebel Leader :2mana::symw::symw:
Legendary Creature - Human Rebel (M)
Hexproof
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may tap all your permanents and transform Euler, Rebel Leader.
:symw::symw:, :symtap:: Target Rebel becomes unblockable and gains Hexproof until until end of turn.
3/2
/////
Kantor, Enemy of All
Legendary Creature - Demon (M)
{Black}
Flying, Hexproof
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice another creature and draw a card. If you can't, transform Kantor, Enemy of All.
Discard a card, :symb::symb:, :symtap:: Other creatures get -2/-2 until end of turn.
6/4
Instigated Riot: Very cool in multiplayer, but has uses in duels as well. Madness feels tacked on rather than an natural part of the card, but I guess I can say that about several madness cards. Definitely a distraction.
Euler, Rebel Leader/Kantor, Enemy of All: Hexproof isn't particularly white, and unblockable doesn't feel white at all. This could have done with some flavour text so we had some idea why this guy transforms into what he does - this doesn't feel like a transform card so much as two different cards you happened to decide to glue together.
Xabrin Rimeshade - 1UR
Planeswalker - Xabrin
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell you may put a loyalty counter on Xabrin Rimeshade.
[+1]: Draw a card, then discard a card.
[-3]: Copy target instant or sorcery spell, you may choose new targets for the copy (you may discard a card to use this ablity as an instant).
[-8]: You gain an emblem with "instant and sorcery spells you control cost X less to cast where X is the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard".
[3]
Round 2:
Replicator Field - 1UR
Enchantment - R
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, clash with an opponent. If you win the clash you may pay :symur:, if you do copy that spell, you may choose new targets for the copy.
"Two spells for the cost of one and that's severing my own common carotid artery." - Xazz Fixxicks, Izzet Spellflogger.
Round 3:
Knowledge of the Faemind - 1:symur::symur:
Legendary Enchantment
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell put a lore counter on Knowledge of the Faemind.
Sacrifice Knowledge of the Faemind: Put X random instant and sorcery cards from your graveyard on top of your library in any order where X is the number of lore counters on Knowledge of the Faemind.
Xelng, the Tinkerer - 1UR
Planeswalker - Xelng
[+2]: Exile a random instant or sorcery card from a graveyard. Until the beginning of your next upkeep you may cast that spell as though it had flash.
[+1]: Clash with an opponent, if you win the clash return target Enchantment or Artefact card from a graveyard to the battlefield.
[-7]: Exile all instant and sorcery cards from target graveyard. You gain an emblem with "whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell you may choose a card exiled by Xelng, the Tinkerer at random and cast it without paying its mana cost as though it had flash".
[3]
Xabrin's Informant - UUR
Creature - Human Wizard Rogue
Shroud
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, Xabrin's Informant becomes unblockable until end of turn.
Threshold - As long as seven or more cards are in your graveyard Xabrin's Informant has "Whenever Xabrin's Informent deals combat damage to a player fateseal 1 and scry 2".
2/1
Distraction:
Clashing Cacophany - 1UR
Sorcery
Deal 2 damage divided as you choose among any number of target creatures then tap all creatures dealt damage in this way. Clash with an opponent. If you win the clash, copy this spell and you may choose new targets for the copy.
The Foe:
The Faemind - 2UBR
Legendary Creature - Horror
The Faemind's power and toughness are each equal to the number of cards in your hand.
The Faemind gets +X/+X where X is the number of instant and sorcery cards in all graveyards.
Whenever The Faemind deals combat damage to a player look at that player's hand, you may cast an instant or sorcery card in it without paying its mana cost.
*/*
Clashing Cacophany: Very cool. Seems balanced, potentially quite powerful if you win the clash. I like that it has synergy with your spy (scry sets up the clash).
The Faemind: Feels like you should have combined the first two abilities into one, similar to Soulless One rather than having a characteristic defining ability and then a static pump ability. Other than that, seems like a fun, powerful but balanced card. Not really treading hugely new ground, but has it's own twist on the maro formula. With a name like Faemind, I would have expected Faerie Horror on the type line.
Dreams of Other Worlds 1UU
Enchantment (R)
Whenever an activated ability of a planeswalker is activated, you may draw a card.
Whenever I sleep, I see through their eyes, these voyagers of the eternities. I know not why these visions come to me, but fear I must learn something from them to protect our world from the horrors I have seen on others.
Round 2:
The sixth member of the Eiganjo Castle cycle:
Kelidoro, the Frozen Stronghold
Legendary Snow Land (R)
T: Add 1 to your mana pool.
S,T: Counter target spell or ability that targets a legendary permanent you control unless that spell or ability's controller pays 2. (S can be paid with one mana from a snow permanent.)
Round 3:
History changer:
Past's Prison 5
Legendary Artifact (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put target card in your graveyard on the bottom of your library. If you do, search your library for a card with a different name that shares a type with that card and put that card in your graveyard. Then shuffle your library.
"Within this cage the Kami of Times Past was bound deep within the Frozen Stronghold, and its power bent to the whims of Kelidoro's master."
- The History of Kamigawa
Note: Yeah, the wording's a bit weird, with "that card" used twice to refer to different things (first the target card you're putting back in the library, and secondly the card you searched for which is going to the graveyard). But I think the intent is fairly clear despite that.
Combo with above:
Frozen Memories 1UU
Snow Enchantment
Whenever a snow card would be put into your graveyard from your library, exile that card instead.
You may play cards exiled by Frozen Memories.
The spirits could capture precious memories in cages of ice, to prevent them being forgotten.
Dreamborne Agent 1UU
Creature - Illusion Scout (U)
Dreamborne Agent is unblockable as long as defending player has drawn a card this turn.
Whenever Dreamborne Agent deals combat damage to a player or planeswalker, draw a card.
Within my dreams I can create the perfect spies with ease. The trick is to then get them into other people's dreams.
2/2
Distraction:
Flames of Renewal XR
Sorcery - Arcane (C)
Flames of Renewal deals X damage to target creature or player.
Remove an age counter from each permanent with Cumulative Upkeep you control.
As the world chilled, kami of heat and flame took to extravagant displays to show their determination to resist the encroaching ice age.
Ringleader:
Night's Chill, Master of Kelidoro 5BBB
Legendary Snow Creature - Spirit (M)
Night's Chill, Master of Kelidoro enters the battlefield with a divinity counter for each S spent to cast it.
Night's Chill is indestructible as long as it has a divinity counter on it.
Remove a divinity counter from Night's Chill: Nonsnow creatures get -1/-1 until end of turn.
The being which was once the Myojin of Night's Reach used the imprisoned kami's power to bring the chill of night to all of Kamigawa.
5/2
I think you did the best job of actually meeting the challenge, you had well balanced and interesting cards, for the most part, and they work together well, which is a cool bonus.
2: Oculus
You're kinda let down by your goblin card, but the other two are very cool.
3: Gerrad's Mom
Hypnator Kargeron was too cool to leave off the top three.
Yeah, I dug myself into some pretty unpleasant corners this month.
Earliest I can get my crits up is probably Friday.
[Clan Flamingo] Tier Archivist
[15:21] <@CC> Remember, if you argue, you are an idiot.
Untrophied Wins:
Perfect MCC Scores: 2
---------------------------------------------------------------
My First (And Probably Only) MCC Perfect Score: December 09 (Round One)
No, sorry, it was hard enough getting an entry finished on time (and it showed). If it's a problem, just move on without me, I don't mind.
[Clan Flamingo] Tier Archivist
[15:21] <@CC> Remember, if you argue, you are an idiot.
Untrophied Wins:
Perfect MCC Scores: 2
---------------------------------------------------------------
2. Koopa
3. CodGod
Multicolored millcards in something other than dimir.
My First (And Probably Only) MCC Perfect Score: December 09 (Round One)
Congratulations!
[Clan Flamingo] Tier Archivist
[15:21] <@CC> Remember, if you argue, you are an idiot.
Untrophied Wins:
Perfect MCC Scores: 2
---------------------------------------------------------------
1. CodGod
2. Rimeshade
3. Oculus
BGStandard Green AggroGB
UWRGModern Saheeli CobraGRWU
UBRGLegacy StormGRBU
Wizards Certified Rules Advisor
2. CodGod
1. Oculus
Ninja Caterpie - The phyrexian mana in Duskhome Infiltrator feels wrong, and all in all the card doesn't feel like it needs black mana at all. I'd argue this is very blue-red and undercosted (Reversal of Fortune). Coruscating Blast is interesting (if inefficient), although mono-red shouldn't really deal with enchantments. Szadek giving you a super-wish every turn is nuts. His ultimate is devastating even when compared to the likes of Jace, the Mind Sculptor's, and the secondary ability feels very white both flavorfully and mechanically.
CodGod - Hmm, Dreamborne Agent is a delightfully narrow hoser. For something at the same rarity, and similar costing and size as Neurok Commando, it may be too good though. Flames of Renewal is a really cool Cumulative Upkeep enabler, but its impact may not be great seeing you'll have very little mana for X and few high-upkeep permanents. Also, Cumulative Upkeep is the only use of age counters, so why not just say "remove an age counter from each permanent you control" (like Jhoira's Timebug)? Night's Chill is amazing.
Gerrard's Mom - Silversuit Infiltrator is a sweet twist on entering the battlefield/being unblockable, but it brings up the question of why anyone would want to block it at all. Mirror Maze is a narrower but more flexible Reality Spasm, but does what it does well. I assume the Hypnator is suposed to be legendary - the first ability doesn't quite make sense to me (the only real precedent for this in black is Imp's Mischief, which is Planar Chaos), but the second one's fantastic, if a touch over the top.
Koopa - Congratulations, Whispering Efreet breaks one of the fundamental rules of the game. Something like Praetor's Grasp would work perfectly fine for this. Powerwise it's fine, but the flavor reads a little oddly. Snapfrost is dangerous - not letting a land untap can be a near Time Walk in the early turns of the game. Froxi is just Rimefeather Owl minus flying.
Brofaux - Zaun's Mecha-Ouphe is strictly better than Vector Asp, which is, sadly, already really good. Fueled Fire is interesting hate, but the asymmetric hate feels very odd. Yawgmoth is cool, although using infect on a walker might make him too parasitic. Other than that, it looks good.
Timothy, Mimeslayer - Flavorwise, Trusted Informant is dead-on. The only thing I don't like is that it's very fragile. Instigated Riot is a cool card, but the Madness cost just detracts from the design's simplicity. Euler///Kantor is a really big miss for me; a whole lot of color pie violations, a total flavor disconnect, and some other things make this totally meh.
Rimeshade - Although Zabrin's Informant feels like a lot of random elements forced together, I actually enjoy the final outcome. The only thing I think you could have dropped is red and/or shroud. Clashing Cacophany can be really devastating if you have something like an Emrakul on top of your library; also, for half a Sleep plus a better Pyroclasm, three is a very low cost. Finally, The Faemind - the stealing instants and sorceries was very heavily used this round it seems, but you've pulled it off nicely. Stapling together Maro with Magnivore/Cognivore is odd though, and the name suggests some form of Faerie with flying.
TOP 3:
1 - Gerrard's Mom
2 - CodGod
3 - Rimeshade
[Clan Flamingo] Tier Archivist
[15:21] <@CC> Remember, if you argue, you are an idiot.
Untrophied Wins:
Perfect MCC Scores: 2
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Hmm, are you sure you are still the owner of a token it makes for someone else? I thought that changed. Interesting, but don't they just block it with their own token? I like the modular thing, great in multiples. Legend is ok, kinda weird.
Ninja Caterpie:
I like the forecast look at hand, don't think the Coruscating Blast works very well for red, Szadek is ok.
CodGod:
Creature is ok but hard to get unblockable, Flames of Renewal doesn't seem common these days and would be way awesomer if it removed X counters, new Myojin is ok.
Koopa:
I don't think this is worth changing the rules on having people's cards in your hand. Instant is ok, legend is a little too straightforward.
Brofaux:
Creature is ok, Fueled Fire doesn't make much sense to me, Yawgmoth is silly.
Timothy:
Like the informant, new stuff happening there. Riot is pretty good, wonder if it's a bit much for uncommon. The transform is a little disconnected in my opinion, I see some links but it's weird and most of the transform guys synergize fairly well with their other side.
Rimeshade:
Informant is pretty good. Rarities would be nice. Potential clash forever seems kind of nuts, but I guess at worse you kill all their guys for 3 mana and lots of luck/manipulation. The Faemind is weird, and I think it could have been worded more concisely, but it's interesting.
Top 3 (Sorry for the awful crits):
1. Oculus
2.Timothy, Mimeslayer
3. Rimeshade
My First (And Probably Only) MCC Perfect Score: December 09 (Round One)
I designed it with the intention of making a loose sixth member of the Vow cycle, but there's other combos involving it like Pandemonium (hit the token once, you have a free 4/4 and 4 damage for 4).
[Clan Flamingo] Tier Archivist
[15:21] <@CC> Remember, if you argue, you are an idiot.
Untrophied Wins:
Perfect MCC Scores: 2
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My First (And Probably Only) MCC Perfect Score: December 09 (Round One)