Collective Blessing, taken from MTG Art, by Svetlin Velinov and Wizards of the Coast
Welcome to the Card Creation League! Everyone is free to participate in either or both of the first two rounds. Come join us!
Theme
The winter holiday season is coming up! It's the most wonderful time of the year, etc. Every round will cover a different thematic aspect of the holidays.
Thanks to eating lots of rich food, lots of us put on weight during the holiday season...
Challenge
Design a card that can increase the power and/or toughness of a creature by 3 or more.
An effect that puts on three or more +1/+1 counters still counts.
Make sure to include a rarity.
Stay tuned for November's CCL Final Poll. Anyone who votes will receive 2 bonus points for December's CCL!
PLEASE NOTE: This month will continue the use of the "Mandatory Top 3 Rule." For this month, you must submit a Top 3 during a round's critique period in order to receive any points for the round. Submitting critiques as well will be worth 2 bonus points in the round.
Your submissions are due Saturday, December 9, 23:59 EST.
Schedule
Round 1 — Open to Everyone (November 29th-December 3)
Round 2 — Open to Everyone (December 4th–9th)
Rounds 1 and 2 Critiques (Due December 13th)
Top 8 — Open to top 8 finishers (December 14th–18th)
Top 8 Critiques (Due December 20th)
Top 4 — Open to top 4 finishers from last round (December 21st–24th)
Top 4 Critiques (Due December 26th)
Final (End of month, winner determined by public poll)
Devour Whole2G
Instant (Uncommon)
As an additional cost to cast Devour Whole, sacrifice a creature.
Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature, where X is the sacrificed creature's power. Newborn wurms are only small until they start preying on each other.
Gluttony1GB
Enchantment (Rare)
Whenever you cast a creature spell, you may counter it.
If you do, you may put X +1/+1 counters on target creature, where X is the countered creature's CMC.
Burning FuryR
Sorcery (U)
Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Return Burning Fury to its owner's hand. "A rage burns deep within that boy. I fear what might happen if ever it were fully unleashed."
—Chief Counsel Aldarr, speaking of Prince Galdorian
(22 Total) - October 2014; December 2014; January 2015; April 2015; June 2015; August 2015; September 2015; November 2015; December 2015(T); January 2016; March 2016(T); April 2016; June 2016; October 2016; December 2016(T); February 2017; April 2017; December 2017; November 2018(T); January 2019; April 2019; June 2019
(8 Total) - May 2015; May 2016; June 2016; August 2016; October 2016; December 2016; October 2017; May 2019
(7 Total) - September 2015; October 2015; January 2016; March 2016; April 2016; July 2016(T); March 2019(T)
Explosive Victuals4R
Instant (U)
Until end of turn, target creature gets +3/+0 and gains trample and "When this creature dies, it deals damage equal to its power to target creature an opponent controls." Cookies baked by this goblin matron make you feel all warm inside.
Our Powers CombinedWG
Instant (R)
Exile any number of creatures you control until end of turn. Target creature you control gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the total power of the exiled creatures, and attach all Equipment that were attached to the exiled creatures to that creature.
Unbridled Diversity2GG
Legendary Enchantment (R)
As long as each creature you control have different names, creatures you control get +3/+3. The strength of nature is not in it's greatest creature, but in the circle that connects them all.
Razia's Command WR
Instant (R)
Choose two -
• Target creature gets +0/+4 until the next end step.
• Switch target creature's power an toughness until the next end step.
• Target creature can block two additional creatures this turn.
• Attach target equipment to a creature of your choice.
Chant-Censor Sledge3
Artifact - Equipment {R}
Equipped creature gets +3/+3 and has vigilance, lifelink, and trample.
Spells that share a color with equipped creature cost 3 more to cast.
Equip 3
RaikouRider: Extremely powerful. In a multicolor environment, the second ability is much more of a pro than a drawback since its more likely to influence your opponent. With the base card on a similar power to Sword of Fire and Ice and crew, this seems like too much. If it was +2/+2, added 2 to the cost, and costed 2 to equip like those swords, maybe. Otherwise it needs a higher base cost.
Subject16: The instant factor is what makes this card playable. It's a decent trick to get value out of a creature that would otherwise just die. +1/+1 counter synergies. Decent flavor. Not super exciting.
kjsharp: This card packs a lot of value in limited, but is costed appropriately. Solid flavor (and cookies!) Again, not a super exciting design. good, not great.
Hemlock: There are a lot of cool options in this card, but it does feel more white than red. If you're going to reference Razia, you should probably relate at least one of the effects Razia or her related cards as opposed to otherwise generic WR effects: Some kind of damage prevention/redirect, flying angel thing, purification reference, etc...
willows: The flavor and narrative concept here is great. The actual card? Tough sell. It's very niche, and like my card it wants you to go wide in a way that doesn't want you to use tokens. You still got some value out of tokens though and it can be a solid finisher. However, it requires a lot more setup to get any meaningful value. It feels very win more.
TheDrB: The flavor is generic. The self countering trigger is very old fashioned design wise that over complicates that card and doesn't look good. Having the option to turn your creature spells into pump spells isn't bad, but its not great either. Often a do nothing enchantment that is win more. I usually dont comment on wording/formatting errors in the CCL, but breaking up the ability on two lines here is a mistake that I find jarring.
Unbridled Fury
Instant (C)
Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature, that creature gets +4/+0 and gains haste until end of turn. Not all Falkenrath are known for their grace in the hunt amongst the humans, some give in to their base desires even though it pains them so.
EDIT: I am only adding this edit at the end because I forgot to add the mana cost to the card. It should be R. I will leave it as is in the post with just this here.
I always liked cards like immolation and Funeral Charm that coud serve both as a pump and as a removal. I think this is very good for a common without doing too much and the price you have to pay to use the pump is good for the flexibility. You may be having lots of things in your mind nowadays and it's easy for things to slip unnoticed, but give an extra checking to your cards, last round you also missed an X. you missed P/T in the MCC entry!
Alchemists' Test3UU
Instant (Rare)
Target creature becomes an Octopus with base power and toughness 8/8 until end of turn.
Flashback 3RG
Ok, this is weird, but a possible way of pumping for blue. I would have added "with no abilities" to keep it safe and more in color. The flashback cost is odd but it adds to the touch of humor this has. That said. I think it's probably rather cheap.
Slippery Blade1
Artifact - Equipment (U)
Equipped creature gets +3/-1.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, unattach Slippery Blade from it at the end of combat.
Equip - (2/R)
Very good stats to cost ratio. I like the colorless hybrid cost. Nice.
Explosive Victuals4R
Instant (U)
Until end of turn, target creature gets +3/+0 and gains trample and "When this creature dies, it deals damage equal to its power to target creature an opponent controls." Cookies baked by this goblin matron make you feel all warm inside.
I think that for the cost, it should be able to hit players too. Other than that, a fine card that's on the rather expensive side.
Burning FuryR
Sorcery (U)
Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Return Burning Fury to its owner's hand. "A rage burns deep within that boy. I fear what might happen if ever it were fully unleashed."
—Chief Counsel Aldarr, speaking of Prince Galdorian
A twist to firebreathing ability, I actually have a modern prowees pet deck and this waould be just too good for. At rr and giving +2/0 it could have worked better.
Devour Whole2G
Instant (Uncommon)
As an additional cost to cast Devour Whole, sacrifice a creature.
Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature, where X is the sacrificed creature's power. Newborn wurms are only small until they start preying on each other.
I'm quite sure that this can be involved on some powerful plays but when not, it's not very good. Being instant is nice, but the fact that you need to have something expendable to make this work well is a bit underwhelming for green that can easily get pumps for such cost. I think thios would have worked better and felt more in color with a Morbidwise theme.
Subject16: I really like this card. It's really important for limited environments to have cards like this that help the proactive decks react to removal, be it of the enchantment variety (white) or the kill variety (black, white, red). Putting it at uncommon makes it more niche and seen less frequently, which is important. Good flavor, solid submission. I wonder whether a 3G cost would be better due to being instant speed and versatile. Hard to say!
Flatline: That's very powerful, yet strikes me as fundamentally balanced. I like that the effect is useful in many different situations (i.e. this feels like an open-ended tool so it tests skill and feels rewarding when used to good effect). Usually this effect is lazily put on dragons or some Red flyer just to give it a generic Red buff. Here it is fresh and forces you to think. Very well done!
picnic_bomber: A well-designed card. Requires careful deckbuilding to maximize its utility, and you've cut off some easy ways to make this OP (I still think it is OP in Limited but is balanced in Constructed. Hence it should probably be rare). It appears hyper-linear in application, but I like that it can be used offensively or defensively to good effect depending on your deck. I do believe that it should read "Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage, unattach it at the end of combat." Well-named card that I think a lot of people would like to play with.
Netn10: Fun card. This is one of those that is impossible to balance for both Constructed and Limited. I think, at Rare, this is a fair card for Limited. Unlikely to see Constructed play, but that's fine. The off-color Flashback cost adds to the card's weirdness. Usually mythics are the ones that are allowed to be more off-beat regarding color and flavor, generally for lore reasons, but presumably rares can too [I'm going to look up the last time something like this was done]. This card is a bit of a "Gotcha" card in that it can turn a 1/1 attacker into an 8-damage burn spell, so it can kind of feel like it's nullifying gameplay decisions your opponent makes (If there's one glaring problem I see with the card, it is precisely this). But with regard to native power level and flavor, I think the card has significant merit.
Psyops: A fair card. It can feel difficult to make new cheap combat tricks that feel unique, but you've succeeded here. +3/-1 and haste is fair for R, and the -1/-1 counter means that this card could be inserted for the sake of supporting a theme (the card is thus deeper than it otherwise would be). The flavor text has some grammatical issues and needs to be adjusted if you want to use this card in the future. Elegant and simple. Thanks for sharing
IcariiFA: Let me take care of a few minutiae. "it's" should be "its." "Each creature have" is bad English, so I'd recommend something like "As long as each creature you control does not share a name with any other" or "As long as creatures you control each have a different name". I think too that before hitting the printing presses we'd need to come up with a legendary name for the card or decide that the card is okay as a non-legendary card.
Ok, with all that small stuff out of the way, I like the card a great deal. A clear reward for off-the-beaten-path deckbuilding, which I like. Uncage the Menagerie and Bestial Menace definitely would like a reward for difference, and encouraging diversity rather than linearity/consistency in deckbuilding is something I can get behind because (hopefully) that leads to a more diverse and interactive play experience. I believe a card like this should exist, and if it's going to be in a Standard set I'd want it at Mythic because it would be absolutely miserable to play against (and boring to play with) in Limited. Rare feels appropriate for a Conspiracy or Commander product. I think the card is balanced - it might need to be +2/+2, but I'd have to test it. I have no suggestions for improvement other than that I'd be eager to test it. It is a card that would excite many players, the flavor text is fantastic and adds to the vibe of the card, and it is a potent reward that will definitely be alluring. Solid design.
Devour Whole2G
Instant (Uncommon)
As an additional cost to cast Devour Whole, sacrifice a creature.
Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature, where X is the sacrificed creature's power. Newborn wurms are only small until they start preying on each other.
This seems plausible. I'm not blown away by it, but it is a cool combat trick or way to dodge damage or shrink-based removal.
Burning FuryR
Sorcery (U)
Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Return Burning Fury to its owner's hand. "A rage burns deep within that boy. I fear what might happen if ever it were fully unleashed."
—Chief Counsel Aldarr, speaking of Prince Galdorian
This is quite funny. I feel like it's more than a little abusable, particularly given the horrendous interaction with prowess.
Explosive Victuals4R
Instant (U)
Until end of turn, target creature gets +3/+0 and gains trample and "When this creature dies, it deals damage equal to its power to target creature an opponent controls." Cookies baked by this goblin matron make you feel all warm inside.
This is very funny. Funniest one in the bunch so far.
Slippery Blade1
Artifact - Equipment (U)
Equipped creature gets +3/-1.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, unattach Slippery Blade from it at the end of combat.
Equip - (2/R)
Hm. Curious. I'm not sure I like the weird monohybrid equip cost, that seems unmotivated.
Alchemists' Test3UU
Instant (Rare)
Target creature becomes an Octopus with base power and toughness 8/8 until end of turn.
Flashback 3RG
This is pretty delightful. I'm not on board with "becomes an Octopus" doesn't turn it blue, though, and RG flashback is v strange without a very convincing blue-primary Temur faction context.
Razia's Command WR
Instant (R)
Choose two -
• Target creature gets +0/+4 until the next end step.
• Switch target creature's power an toughness until the next end step.
• Target creature can block two additional creatures this turn.
• Attach target equipment to a creature of your choice.
I like all these modes except the third which feels comparatively weaksauce without mode 4 and good eq providing support.
Okay this was a much stronger showing than last time, cheers guys.
1. kjsharp
2. Hemlock
3. Subject16
picnic_bomber - I like the flavor a lot. Mechanically, it seems very nice. I'm not sure about the hybrid equip cost, I'm not quite sure I understand why you included it. Flatline - I play Captive Flame in my Poison EDH, so this puts a smile on my face. I get why you didn't make it an instant, but I SO want it to be one. Subject16 - This feels very 'production ready'. Only quibble is that it doesn't really feel mono-green to me. kjsharp - Love the 'Un' flavor-esque aspect. It feels a bit like too much is going on, and that it might cause some confusion. Hemlock - I think, to really feel more like a 'Command' card, this should have more variety. Everything is just revolving around combat enhancements, really. willows - This seems too variable to me. And the equipment clause definitely limits the value overall.
Sorry these are little bit late. I've been in a fever-induced haze for the last couple of days. Hopefully these crits make sense. I'm a little nervous this fever may have fried my brain.
picnic_bomber - This is pretty fun little aggro card. The unattach part is a bit inelegant, but nothing too bad. Decent card.
netn10 - I'm not sure why rg would make an Octopus, and usually blue doesn't get pump like that. It's more into decreasing a creature's P/T, like Turn to Frog. It would probably seem more blue if the creature lost all abilities. Also, does it lose its other creature types?
PsyOp - This card has no mana cost. I'm assuming it would cost r? If so, it's a neat little aggro card, although the permanent P decrease counteracts its aggressiveness a bit. It's not super exciting, but I could see this seeing print in a set in which red has wither or infect, or something along those lines.
IcariiFA - This is a pretty neat idea. I've been trying to come up with a diversity mechanic for one of my sets, but I want mine based on race, which requires a wholesale change in how MTG handles race/class. Basing the diversity on the card's name is a decent solution to my dilemma, although it's one that doesn't quite work as well for the flavor I'm going for. But enough about me. Your card seems like a pretty cool build around that is both flavorful and seemingly balanced (I think). The wording doesn't seem quite right to me, but I'm not sure I've got anything better.
RaikouRider - Interesting card, but it seems like it's probably too oppressive. In the right situation, it can potentially lock your opponent out of the game. Of course, in the wrong situation, it could potentially lock you out of game too. This definitely gets my Johnny juices flowing, but I'm afraid it's probably too good as is.
TheDrB - This ability should be all on one line. I like turning all of your creatures into pump spells, but this seems like an odd way to go about it, especially considering there is no blue in the card. I do like the card, but I would like it even more if you could activate the ability instantly, although that might warrant an increase in CMC. Why not just make it an activated ability? Something like: "X: Discard a card with converted mana cost X. If a creature card is discarded this way, put X +1/+1 counters on target creature." Or maybe make it cost bgu and have it read:
You may cast creature spells as though they had flash.
Whenever you cast a creature spell, you may counter it. If you do, put X +1/+1 counters on target creature, where X is equal to that spell's converted mana cost.
1st: picnic_bomber
2nd: IcariiFA
3rd: TheDrB
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
(22 Total) - October 2014; December 2014; January 2015; April 2015; June 2015; August 2015; September 2015; November 2015; December 2015(T); January 2016; March 2016(T); April 2016; June 2016; October 2016; December 2016(T); February 2017; April 2017; December 2017; November 2018(T); January 2019; April 2019; June 2019
(8 Total) - May 2015; May 2016; June 2016; August 2016; October 2016; December 2016; October 2017; May 2019
(7 Total) - September 2015; October 2015; January 2016; March 2016; April 2016; July 2016(T); March 2019(T)
“Expanding Waistline”
Collective Blessing, taken from MTG Art, by Svetlin Velinov and Wizards of the Coast
Theme
The winter holiday season is coming up! It's the most wonderful time of the year, etc. Every round will cover a different thematic aspect of the holidays.
Thanks to eating lots of rich food, lots of us put on weight during the holiday season...
Challenge
Stay tuned for November's CCL Final Poll. Anyone who votes will receive 2 bonus points for December's CCL!
PLEASE NOTE: This month will continue the use of the "Mandatory Top 3 Rule." For this month, you must submit a Top 3 during a round's critique period in order to receive any points for the round. Submitting critiques as well will be worth 2 bonus points in the round.
Schedule
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Instant (Uncommon)
As an additional cost to cast Devour Whole, sacrifice a creature.
Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature, where X is the sacrificed creature's power.
Newborn wurms are only small until they start preying on each other.
Enchantment (Rare)
Whenever you cast a creature spell, you may counter it.
If you do, you may put X +1/+1 counters on target creature, where X is the countered creature's CMC.
The truly ravenous will eat anything.
Sorcery (U)
Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Return Burning Fury to its owner's hand.
"A rage burns deep within that boy. I fear what might happen if ever it were fully unleashed."
—Chief Counsel Aldarr, speaking of Prince Galdorian
Instant (U)
Until end of turn, target creature gets +3/+0 and gains trample and "When this creature dies, it deals damage equal to its power to target creature an opponent controls."
Cookies baked by this goblin matron make you feel all warm inside.
Instant (Rare)
Target creature becomes an Octopus with base power and toughness 8/8 until end of turn.
Flashback 3RG
Instant (R)
Exile any number of creatures you control until end of turn. Target creature you control gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the total power of the exiled creatures, and attach all Equipment that were attached to the exiled creatures to that creature.
Legendary Enchantment (R)
As long as each creature you control have different names, creatures you control get +3/+3.
The strength of nature is not in it's greatest creature, but in the circle that connects them all.
Instant (R)
Choose two -
• Target creature gets +0/+4 until the next end step.
• Switch target creature's power an toughness until the next end step.
• Target creature can block two additional creatures this turn.
• Attach target equipment to a creature of your choice.
Artifact - Equipment {R}
Equipped creature gets +3/+3 and has vigilance, lifelink, and trample.
Spells that share a color with equipped creature cost 3 more to cast.
Equip 3
Emille, Seven-Sting Dancer Shalin Nariya
RaikouRider
IcariiFA
PsyOp
netn10
picnic_bomber
Flatline
Subject16
kjsharp
Hemlock
willows
TheDrB
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Subject16: The instant factor is what makes this card playable. It's a decent trick to get value out of a creature that would otherwise just die. +1/+1 counter synergies. Decent flavor. Not super exciting.
kjsharp: This card packs a lot of value in limited, but is costed appropriately. Solid flavor (and cookies!) Again, not a super exciting design. good, not great.
Hemlock: There are a lot of cool options in this card, but it does feel more white than red. If you're going to reference Razia, you should probably relate at least one of the effects Razia or her related cards as opposed to otherwise generic WR effects: Some kind of damage prevention/redirect, flying angel thing, purification reference, etc...
willows: The flavor and narrative concept here is great. The actual card? Tough sell. It's very niche, and like my card it wants you to go wide in a way that doesn't want you to use tokens. You still got some value out of tokens though and it can be a solid finisher. However, it requires a lot more setup to get any meaningful value. It feels very win more.
TheDrB: The flavor is generic. The self countering trigger is very old fashioned design wise that over complicates that card and doesn't look good. Having the option to turn your creature spells into pump spells isn't bad, but its not great either. Often a do nothing enchantment that is win more. I usually dont comment on wording/formatting errors in the CCL, but breaking up the ability on two lines here is a mistake that I find jarring.
Sorry I forgot my top three:
1st: raikourider
2nd: kjsharp
3rd: hemlock
I always liked cards like immolation and Funeral Charm that coud serve both as a pump and as a removal. I think this is very good for a common without doing too much and the price you have to pay to use the pump is good for the flexibility. You may be having lots of things in your mind nowadays and it's easy for things to slip unnoticed, but give an extra checking to your cards,
last round you also missed an X.you missed P/T in the MCC entry!Ok, this is weird, but a possible way of pumping for blue. I would have added "with no abilities" to keep it safe and more in color. The flashback cost is odd but it adds to the touch of humor this has. That said. I think it's probably rather cheap.
Very good stats to cost ratio. I like the colorless hybrid cost. Nice.
I think that for the cost, it should be able to hit players too. Other than that, a fine card that's on the rather expensive side.
A twist to firebreathing ability, I actually have a modern prowees pet deck and this waould be just too good for. At rr and giving +2/0 it could have worked better.
I'm quite sure that this can be involved on some powerful plays but when not, it's not very good. Being instant is nice, but the fact that you need to have something expendable to make this work well is a bit underwhelming for green that can easily get pumps for such cost. I think thios would have worked better and felt more in color with a Morbidwise theme.
Top
1. Psyop
2. picnic bomber
3. kjsharp
Flatline: That's very powerful, yet strikes me as fundamentally balanced. I like that the effect is useful in many different situations (i.e. this feels like an open-ended tool so it tests skill and feels rewarding when used to good effect). Usually this effect is lazily put on dragons or some Red flyer just to give it a generic Red buff. Here it is fresh and forces you to think. Very well done!
picnic_bomber: A well-designed card. Requires careful deckbuilding to maximize its utility, and you've cut off some easy ways to make this OP (I still think it is OP in Limited but is balanced in Constructed. Hence it should probably be rare). It appears hyper-linear in application, but I like that it can be used offensively or defensively to good effect depending on your deck. I do believe that it should read "Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage, unattach it at the end of combat." Well-named card that I think a lot of people would like to play with.
Netn10: Fun card. This is one of those that is impossible to balance for both Constructed and Limited. I think, at Rare, this is a fair card for Limited. Unlikely to see Constructed play, but that's fine. The off-color Flashback cost adds to the card's weirdness. Usually mythics are the ones that are allowed to be more off-beat regarding color and flavor, generally for lore reasons, but presumably rares can too [I'm going to look up the last time something like this was done]. This card is a bit of a "Gotcha" card in that it can turn a 1/1 attacker into an 8-damage burn spell, so it can kind of feel like it's nullifying gameplay decisions your opponent makes (If there's one glaring problem I see with the card, it is precisely this). But with regard to native power level and flavor, I think the card has significant merit.
Psyops: A fair card. It can feel difficult to make new cheap combat tricks that feel unique, but you've succeeded here. +3/-1 and haste is fair for R, and the -1/-1 counter means that this card could be inserted for the sake of supporting a theme (the card is thus deeper than it otherwise would be). The flavor text has some grammatical issues and needs to be adjusted if you want to use this card in the future. Elegant and simple. Thanks for sharing
IcariiFA: Let me take care of a few minutiae. "it's" should be "its." "Each creature have" is bad English, so I'd recommend something like "As long as each creature you control does not share a name with any other" or "As long as creatures you control each have a different name". I think too that before hitting the printing presses we'd need to come up with a legendary name for the card or decide that the card is okay as a non-legendary card.
Ok, with all that small stuff out of the way, I like the card a great deal. A clear reward for off-the-beaten-path deckbuilding, which I like. Uncage the Menagerie and Bestial Menace definitely would like a reward for difference, and encouraging diversity rather than linearity/consistency in deckbuilding is something I can get behind because (hopefully) that leads to a more diverse and interactive play experience. I believe a card like this should exist, and if it's going to be in a Standard set I'd want it at Mythic because it would be absolutely miserable to play against (and boring to play with) in Limited. Rare feels appropriate for a Conspiracy or Commander product. I think the card is balanced - it might need to be +2/+2, but I'd have to test it. I have no suggestions for improvement other than that I'd be eager to test it. It is a card that would excite many players, the flavor text is fantastic and adds to the vibe of the card, and it is a potent reward that will definitely be alluring. Solid design.
2) IcariiFA
3) Subject16
HM: PsyOps
This is quite funny. I feel like it's more than a little abusable, particularly given the horrendous interaction with prowess.
This is very funny. Funniest one in the bunch so far.
Hm. Curious. I'm not sure I like the weird monohybrid equip cost, that seems unmotivated.
This is pretty delightful. I'm not on board with "becomes an Octopus" doesn't turn it blue, though, and RG flashback is v strange without a very convincing blue-primary Temur faction context.
I like all these modes except the third which feels comparatively weaksauce without mode 4 and good eq providing support.
1. kjsharp
2. Hemlock
3. Subject16
Flatline - I play Captive Flame in my Poison EDH, so this puts a smile on my face. I get why you didn't make it an instant, but I SO want it to be one.
Subject16 - This feels very 'production ready'. Only quibble is that it doesn't really feel mono-green to me.
kjsharp - Love the 'Un' flavor-esque aspect. It feels a bit like too much is going on, and that it might cause some confusion.
Hemlock - I think, to really feel more like a 'Command' card, this should have more variety. Everything is just revolving around combat enhancements, really.
willows - This seems too variable to me. And the equipment clause definitely limits the value overall.
1. Flatline
2. picnic_bomber
3. Subject16
netn10 - I'm not sure why rg would make an Octopus, and usually blue doesn't get pump like that. It's more into decreasing a creature's P/T, like Turn to Frog. It would probably seem more blue if the creature lost all abilities. Also, does it lose its other creature types?
PsyOp - This card has no mana cost. I'm assuming it would cost r? If so, it's a neat little aggro card, although the permanent P decrease counteracts its aggressiveness a bit. It's not super exciting, but I could see this seeing print in a set in which red has wither or infect, or something along those lines.
IcariiFA - This is a pretty neat idea. I've been trying to come up with a diversity mechanic for one of my sets, but I want mine based on race, which requires a wholesale change in how MTG handles race/class. Basing the diversity on the card's name is a decent solution to my dilemma, although it's one that doesn't quite work as well for the flavor I'm going for. But enough about me. Your card seems like a pretty cool build around that is both flavorful and seemingly balanced (I think). The wording doesn't seem quite right to me, but I'm not sure I've got anything better.
RaikouRider - Interesting card, but it seems like it's probably too oppressive. In the right situation, it can potentially lock your opponent out of the game. Of course, in the wrong situation, it could potentially lock you out of game too. This definitely gets my Johnny juices flowing, but I'm afraid it's probably too good as is.
TheDrB - This ability should be all on one line. I like turning all of your creatures into pump spells, but this seems like an odd way to go about it, especially considering there is no blue in the card. I do like the card, but I would like it even more if you could activate the ability instantly, although that might warrant an increase in CMC. Why not just make it an activated ability? Something like: "X: Discard a card with converted mana cost X. If a creature card is discarded this way, put X +1/+1 counters on target creature." Or maybe make it cost bgu and have it read:
You may cast creature spells as though they had flash.
Whenever you cast a creature spell, you may counter it. If you do, put X +1/+1 counters on target creature, where X is equal to that spell's converted mana cost.
2nd: IcariiFA
3rd: TheDrB
picnic_bomber
Hemlock
kjsharp
Flatline
TheDrB
willows
Antiantiserum
IcariiFA
Also - at least one contestant lost out on a sure-thing top 8 berth for not putting in a top 3. Please always get your top 3s in!
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝