MTG Salvation

Collective Confusion 1RU
Enchantment (R)
At the beginning of your each player upkeep, that player may choose target opponent. His or her opponent look at the top card of your library and may put it at the bottom of your library. If that opponent does, that player draw two cards then discard a card.


iiw: nonwhite nonblack reanimation effect

Lucid Nightmare XUB
Sorcery (R)
Search target opponent’s library for X cards, half of which, rounded down, must be lands and the rest of which must be nonlands, and reveal them to that player. He or she shuffles his or her library, then puts those cards on top of his or her library in any order.

IIW: E

Recycling Station 2
Artifact (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a permanent.
At the beginning of your end step, you may return up to two cards that you sacrificed this turn from your graveyard to your hand. You lose 1 life for each card returned to your hand in this way.

IIW: a 1/1 that costs 3 or more.

Special Relativity 3WU
Instant {R}
Unless you control a Wizard, Confusing Whiff is a sorcery.
Name a card type, then reveal your library. If your library contains exactly three cards of that type, take an extra turn after this one. During that turn, you may cast sorceries as if they had flash. Creatures you control gain banding. Shuffle your library.

IIW: Cat rogues.

Special Relativity 3WU
Tribal Instant - Wizard {R}
Unless you control a wizard, Special Relativity is a sorcery.
Name a card type, then reveal your library. If your library contains exactly three cards of that type, take an extra turn after this one. During that turn, you may cast sorceries as if they had flash. Creatures you control gain banding. Shuffle your library.

IIW: Cat rogues.

So I'm looking for cards that are difficult without being overly complex. Here's your judgments!

iphanx: I've read your card three times and I'm still not sure what it does.
Ink-Treader: This isn't really difficult to play. Search target player's library for X cards that are not good given the current situation and X+1 lands.
Mergatroid_Jones: This is a combo card, not a card that's difficult to use correctly. It's also very powerful; at the very least, it's a Crucible of Worlds, with extreme potential for abuse (Mishra's Bauble turns this into a pseudo-Necropotence)
Phyrexian Editor: Why would you want to give cards flash on your own turn? I mean, nice meme I guess.

Winner: Mergatroid_Jones
Next: 1/1's that cost 3 or more.`

Appleseed Carrier 2G
Creature — Human Druid (U)
When Appleseed Carrier enters the battlefield, search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. You may play an additional land this turn.
1/1

IIW: American mythology (native and settler mythology included)

Winged Fanfarer 2W
Creature - Angel Soldier
Flying
Valor (Whenever this creature attacks or blocks, if you control one or more creature with greater power, put a +1/+1 counters on it.)
When a +1/+1 counter is put on Winged Avenger, put a +1/+1 counter on each non-Angel creatures you control.
1/1

iiw: nonblack nonwhite reanimation effect

Seclusionary Scribe 1WRU
Creature - Human Monk (R)
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, you may return another target noncreature card with converted mana cost less than the cast spell from your graveyard to your hand. If you don't, Seclusionary Scribe gains lifelink and first strike until end of turn.
1/1

IIW: Make Clue cards in black or red!

Initiate of the Evening Calm 2BB
Creature - Assassin (U)
Deathtouch
When Initiate of the Evening Calm enters the battlefield, you may have it deal 1 damage to target creature.
Legacy 1B (1B, Exile this card from your graveyard: Target creature you control gains this card's abilities. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.)
“The night is meant to be dark, but never restless.”
1/1

IIW: Legacy <cost> (<cost>, Exile this card from your graveyard: Target creature you control gains this card's abilities. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.)

Can we get a IIW?

Ah, thank you for catching that

Aetherlicker 2GU
Creature - Frog Wizard (U)
1U,t: Counter target spell unless its controller pays 1. If it's countered this way, put a +1/+1 counter on ~.
Its mana-charged tongue can pierce even the swiftest of spells.
1/1

IIW: "Choose a number."

Willows (Appleseed Carrier): I would play the crap out of this card. It's generally a better Wood Elves, which is dangerous, since Wood Elves is already a good card. It isn't strictly better, and it is bumped to an uncommon, so I think it's fine by standard of precedent. It's a value card, and may not be as splashy as some of the others, but it definitely earns its place. As an American, I got your Johnny Appleseed reference, but I feel like there was room on the card for flavor text. Balance: 1. Earning a place: 1. Flavor: .5. Fun/Splashiness: .5. Duende: .5. Final score: 3.5.

Necarg (Seclusionary Scribe): This is a powerful, but highly conditional card. I like that. The spell recycling can really get out of hand quickly, and makes this card a definite build-around. I kinda wish this dude was legendary, as it would make a fun commander. I can't think of any interactions that really break it too much, and I think it's fine on balance as a 1/1. Balance: 1. Earning a place: .5. Flavor: .5. Fun/Splashiness: 1. Duende: 1. Final score: 4.0.

StonerOfKruphix (Spirit of the Laboratory): This seems like a lot of fun, and it's almost never a whiff. More often then not, you are going to be able to choose exactly which cards you want back, simply because there won't be enough cards in your graveyard not to. This does point to a contradiction in the card: it wants you to fill your graveyard, but only a little bit, or it starts getting inconsistent. The fact that it chooses either or makes it work in pretty much any kind of limited deck, and this looks to be a strong candidate for the Temur slot in cubes. I certainly prefer it in Termur to Grixis, but mechanically, I will say that it leans more closely to black than green. I wanna like the flavor more than I do. For one thing, there probably isn't room for that much flavor text on a card that complicated. Balance: 1. Flavor: .5. Earning a place: .5. Fun/Splashiness: 1. Duende: 1. Final Score: 4.0.

Ink Treader (Initiate of the Evening Calm): Legacy is a pretty cool ability. It's weird, exciting, and palatable. I do feel that the reminder text should say "Target creature you control gains this card's abilities as long as it remains on the battlefield" or something to that effect, simply to clarify that you can't just make a chain (since the ability lasts indefinitely). The ETB deathtouch ability is pretty damn cool, and I like it a lot, but since Legacy can't utilize the ETB effect, it feels awkward. New players will especially be annoyed that the legacy ability doesn't blow something up immediately. I feel like these are two separate cards: one is a Nekrataal, and the other is a card with legacy and deathtouch. Also, you have a class, but no race. That may be explained with flavor, but it wasn't explained here. Balance: 1. Earning a place: .5. Flavor: 0. Fun/Splashiness: 1. Duende: .5. Final Score: 3.0.

Ragaxus (Aetherlicker): A weird name, and weird flavor. I'm not necessarily against that. I like this card. I always loved Disruptive Student, Disruptive Pitmage, and similar cards, and I think more deserve to exist. However, those cards were never all that powerful on those inefficient bodies, and this one has the most inefficient body of all. It costs 2 to activate, which is twice as much as it costs them, and your opponent is never going to willingly walk into it, since your guy ticks up if they do. I think the card is just fine, but I would cut the cost to UG. With the steep activation cost, and with consideration to precedent cards, I don't think that would be too much. Balance: .5. Earning a place: 1. Flavor: 1. Fun/Splashiness: 0. Duende: .5. Final Score: 3.0.

By the numbers it's a tie. I'm going go with Necarg, partly because I think the card would do a little more in the larger game, and partly because StonerOfKruphix went pretty recently.

Next: Make Clue cards in black or red!

Cthonic Researcher 4B
Creature - Human Wizard (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard, then investigate.
Sacrifice three Clues: Choose one-

• Destroy target creature
• Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

2/3

IIW: Fancy words

Bad Cop
Creature — Human Soldier (U)
First strike
Whenever Bad Cop deals combat damage to a creature, investigate.
"You get information your way, I'll get information my way."
2/1

IIW: Vegas baby, Vegas!

Unwelcome Truths 2BB
Sorcery (U)
Investigate, then target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn, where X is the number of Clues you control.

IIW: Ravnica guild paruns

Phantom of Music 1BR
Creature - Specter Horror [R]

When Phantom of Music enters the battlefield, a random opponent discards a card at random and you investigate.
Those that have been visited by the Angel of Music have their sanity taken and replaced with unmatched genius of the arts. Their outlandish voices and paintings herald a secret older than time.
3/1

IIW: Undercosted flying fatties with downsides

Sower of Confusion 2R
Creature - Devil (R)
Menace
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, that player may sacrifice a Clue. If that player doesn't, ~ deals 2 damage to that player.
3/2

IIW: Cards whose text boxes care what colors of mana were used to cast them.

Path of Sacrifice BBB
Enchantment {M}
B, Pay 1 life: Investigate. (Create a colorless Clue artifact token with "2, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.")
1BB, Pay 5 life: Destroy target demon creature. Search your library for a demon creature card and put that card onto the battlefield. Then shuffle your library.
Lilliana's hunger for ultimate freedom ironically enslaved her to a new path of blood and death.

IIW: Cat rogues.

Mysterious Drought R
Sorcery [U]
Tap target land. It doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step. Investigate.

IIW: Tiny yet free effects

Melrin Family History RB
Enchantment (R)
At the beginning of your end step, investigate.
When you sacrifice a clue, you lose 2 life unless you discard a card.
"The deeper I read, the more strange horrors I'm consumed with, though some compulsion drives me on. I fear the cruel curse of my family hasn't died with my hated father as I'd hoped to my soul." -Diary of Evelyn Melrin, 5th of Drinuary

IIW: A tragic story

Sudden Amnesia BB
Sorcery (U)
Target player discard two cards. That player investigate twice.
Finding lost memory is simply more frustrating than losing other things.

iiw: nonblack nonwhite reanimation effect

Okay, let's do some judgeamajigs!

Ink-Treader: I feel this card could be a wee bit too powerful, considering that this is a reanimate and its fuel in 3 turns. The fact that it doesn't even need to tap, and has way too much potential is a bit dangerous. 6/10 for balance issues, but nice concept!
Flatline: I don't know, but this doesn't really seem red to me. It's powerful, for sure, but I'm not sure that red should have just a straight up Bearer of Overwhelming Truths. 5/10 for not hitting the color pie.
willows: This is what I want to see from investigate in black and red! Removal tying to it. However, I feel that in Black's vein of card draw, this should have some punishment for the caster, too. 7/10 for not quite nailing the color pie, but having a nice concept.
Forestguy: If this wasn't meant to be a Phantom of the Opera reference, it should have been. And if it was, then it wasn't done too well. 6/10 for bad pop culture reference quality.
Ragaxus: Turns out a 3/2 with menace for 3 that is almost always a 5/2 when unblocked is a bit broken. They make 5/2's without menace at 4 mana right now. Also, being just a mechanic hoser isn't always the best thing to do. 4/10 for balance and mechanic issues.
Phyrexian Editor: This card just seems way too situational, and the investigate really doesn't make sense, flavorfully. 5/10 for a weirdly weak flavor fail.
admirableadmiral: I'm not sure quite how investigate fits here, but the card is costed well and it seems like a card that red could do. However, there's no real reason to necessarily give it investigate. 8/10 for a solid card.
Megatroid_Jones: This is perfect for Red and black, and for clues. It perfectly fits in the color pie, and is also a good card without being too busted which makes me love it. 9/10 for a really lit card.
iphanx: I'm not sure black wants to give a player back their cards willy nilly. That seems more along Green and Blue's slices of the pie. Nice job with the uniqueness, though! 6/10 for the pie break and original concept.

So, Megatroid_Jones wins, and the next challenge is A Tragic Story

Chaotic AetherburstR
Sorcery (U)
Chaotic Aetherburst deals 1 damage to random target creature or opponent. Repeat this process two more times.
To his sorrow, the experiment meant to save the life of his daughter ends up killing the rest of his family.

iiw: nonblack nonwhite reanimation effect