Unbridled Growth, taken from MTG Art, by Ryan Pancoast 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.
Around this time, a lot of people are decorating their houses, apartments, or yards with the traditional Christmas tree, menorah, or various other festive items.
Challenge
Design a Fortification or an Aura with enchant land.
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 Monday, December 18, 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)
Bestial DomainG
Enchantment - Aura (U)
Enchant Land
Enchanted land has " : add GG to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to cast Bear, Beast, Elk, and Wolf spells." 2G, Sacrifice Bestial Domain: Target Bear, Beast, Elk, or Wolf creature you control fights another target creature. Activate this ability only as a sorcery.
Halls of the Dead5
Artifact — Fortification (R)
When Halls of the Dead enters the battlefield, exile target creature card from your graveyard.
Fortified land is copy of the exiled creature. It's still a land.
Fortify 4
(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)
Lantern Festival1GW
Enchantment — Aura (R)
Enchant land
Whenever enchanted land becomes tapped, choose one—
• Search your library for an Aura card. Reveal it, put it into your hand, and shuffle your library.
• For each Aura you control, add to your mana pool one mana of a type enchanted land could produce.
Spatial Indifference2C Enchantment — Aura (Rare)
Enchant land you control
You may sacrifice other lands you control as though they where enchanted land when paying for activation costs of enchanted land.
Hall of Anthems3
Artifact - Fortification (R)
Whenever fortified land adds mana to your mana pool, creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn for each mana added this way.
Fortify 3
Fortified land has “at the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice this land”
If Illusory Glacier is fortifying a land, prevent all damage that would be dealt to you.
Cornerstone of Progress
Artifact - Fortification (r)
Nonmana activated abilities of fortified land cost less to play.
Forified land can't be sacrificed.
Fortify ( : Attach this Fortification to target land you control. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.)
Flatline: This is one of those cards that's semi-playable in Constructed (Standard) and an incredibly powerful bomb in a slow or grindy Limited format. It makes me groan a little (a lot less than God-Pharaoh's Gift), but I like it overall. I think it's fair since it requires a 9 mana investment to get going, and you keep the traditional mantra of artifacts having a higher mana cost for a particular color's effect. The only thing that rubs me the wrong way is that this card is not "fortifying" anything, per se, but it doesn't detract from the card too much (a similar instance is giving beasts and non-sentient creature "prowess"). Solid design.
Willows: It's just way too powerful mate. It's effortless to tap a land (literally the most effortless action one can do in Magic), and for that you get to go search up any aura you want and put it in your hand!? I think this effect is too powerful for Standard (and Modern) Magic in general, but should such an effect see print you'd want it to be on something that more decks can interact with - I'd rather it be on a creature than a land. It's really difficult to design fair cards that rely on tapping and untapping of lands (this is something I was thinking about in various designs to submit for this round), and a fair effect I came up with for my card was that "when enchanted land is untapped, [wilderness] creatures have trample."), and I think you just need a significantly weaker effect. One you could do: "When enchanted land becomes tapped, you may look at the top card of your library. If it is an aura card, you may reveal it and put it into your hand." That would be a lot more fair.
Antiantiserum: It took me several reads to understand it, but I think that's okay since once you understand it you understand it and don't have to read it ever again. The card is obviously very niche, but I like the design. It gives one reason to look at old cards with a new horizon of possibility. Currently 85 cards work with it, some of the more interesting ones being Grove of the Guardian, Buried Ruin, Throne of the High City, and Mirrorpool. Nothing too terribly broken or exciting, but still potentially fun and powerful. 3 CMC might be a tad high. I think I'd prefer it at 2 CMC, but 3 is acceptable. Very creative entry with good aesthetics.
"were", not "where".
Dr.B: Like Flatline's entry, this card doesn't feel like a "fortification" but it depends upon the ability's functionality to be clean and clear. I would change the name to better suit the ability, all callbacks (Glacial Chasm) aside. This is one of those cards, similar to Ensaring Bridge, that is not going to be played unless it is central to the functionality and viability of the deck it is in. In this case, playing it in a green ramp or loam strategy (or in a deck that wants lands to be in the graveyard, perhaps for Splendid Reclamation) is its natural home.
The card definitely has a vintage feel to it since the effect (and downside) are both very potent. I think it is too close to the original to feel fresh and novel. With that said, as a Lands player in Legacy, I would definitely like to see Life from the Loam style decks take off in Modern, but I hope that there are less "absolutist" cards that can take that style to tiered status. I like this card as a first draft of a card that uses fortify to explore ways to power up Lands decks in Modern, similar to how revolt was used to create Fatal Push.
IcariiFA: fairly costed and its flavor and function feel organic. The modest potential for abuse adds a little spice to the card. Good design!
picnic_bomber: I think you're trying to tackle too much with this card. It is filled with tiny little bonuses (mana fixing, upping enchantment count and ETB triggers, land indestructibility), but all of those are discrete and don't jive together. It feels like this is a card that is intended to shore up several of Bogles's vulnerabilities...otherwise I don't know how one arrive at this suite of abilities, and that makes it feel strained. To your credit, I believe you balanced it appropriately, and I like that you made the enchantment generation costly and somewhat cumbersome. I appreciate the thought behind the card, and asking the question "What sort of problem do I want my card to solve?" is an important question that we card designers don't ask often enough. This might have nabbed 3rd place for me had it not had the Totem Armor clause.
Hemlock: Good idea, good design, and good execution. My major qualm with the card is the restriction on sacrifice. See the list of 85 sacrifice lands I put a link to on antiantiserum's feedback, and you'll see that there are some powerful, but not too powerful, interactions there, and I think that that is part of the fun of your card! Overall I like your card and I find it innovative.
kjsharpI like this card. There should be more such cards in Magic, that incorporate creature types like this. Maybe it's a tad too pushed at G, but its also very restrictive in its usage so it could be fine.
FlatlineThis is a cool and powerful card, I like it a lot. Being able to turn your land into any creature is very appealing. However, I have a hard time imagening the artwork for this. How does a building turn your land into a creature?
willowsThis gives me a repeatable tutor and a weaker Serra's Sanctum, each already very powerful on its own. Together I fear this might be much too strong. I like the flavour, though and the render is a thing of beauty.
IcariiFAThat's a nice idea. You can probably drop the cost a little. Giving creatures +1/+1 normaly costs three mana. While you have the option to pump them more, with untap shenanigans or additional enchantments, you have to invest into its effect every turn you want to have it.
TheDrBI like throwback cards and this is no exception. The flavour might be off, though. A glacier is a thing that forms in nature, a illusory glacier sounds more like an enchantment to me, not like something people would actually build.
picnic_bomberIn a set with several land creatures or with a lot of playable land destruction I would understand this card. Either this or an enchantment matters set. Without context I don't see it, sadly. Right now I see a expensive rare way to fix my mana.
HemlockThe card is cool, but why can't I sacrifice my lands with it? There are several lands with a high activation cost that I would like to sacrifice with this. The blighted cycle from the Battle for Zendikar block comes to mind. As a Training Grounds for a single land I don't feel like this restriction is necessary.
Hemlock - This is a neat idea albeit a bit niche. I understand that adding the "can't be sacrificed" clause prevents some abuse, but it makes it more narrow. The flavor is solid. Overall there are some cool johnny abuses to the card, and it does feel new.
kjsharp - This is a solid tribal card that plays well in limited and could have potential in standard constructed. It's a good trick. I don't think its the most exciting card design wise, but it reasonable in a way that pushes some less common tribes along with beast and wolves which have a lot of tribal history.
Flatline - Mechanically this card is very cool. Flavor wise? Odd. I know their are cards like Svogthos, the Restless Tomb but this stretches the Vorthos in me. How does adding a tomb to a land make it transform into a creature? Eh. I'm probably over thinking this.
TheDrB - Making references to old, powerful cards is a staple of many good designs. However, you have to consider contemporary context and the lesssons learned about good and bad gameplay. Repeatably preventing all damage at a low mana cost threshold is dangerous, un-interactive, and just plan unfun. All while making this accessible to any color? This asked to be abused in all the wrong ways.
willows - This seems a hair strong. White aura's in particular are easy silver bullet cards, and being able to tutor every turn for one is a huge amount of card advantage for a three mana card. Idyllic Tutor is a one time use sorcery that lets you search for any enchantment, but only once. It's used in a ton of decks, and that's before you consider this can add mana. It should certainly cost at least 4, and wouldn't avoid casual play at 5. That said, the flavor and concept is argueable the most distinct here.
Antiantiserum - This is a really cool, extremely niche card that only exist to be abused. It probably has a couple interactions that are close to unfair, but not in standard. Flavor text here would of been nice. Pure Johnny done well.
picnic_bomber - This shouldn't be a hybrid card, as mono white shouldn't have mana fixing like that. Totem armor works well here mechanically but the flavor is incredibly odd. Outside of the hybrid mana taboo, the card itself is well balanced.
Ick, i'm late for crits! Sorry all. If it's not too late, here's my top 3, and I'll edit in feedback.
1. Flatline
2. picnic_bomber
3. Hemlock
kjsharp — I guess, uh, I just don't find the flavor of this very compelling, but it seems all right functionally.
Flatline — The imprint mechanic here is pretty cool. I like what you've done. I'm a bit bummed about the extremely steep cost of getting that recurring copy of a creature, but it seems like it's a cool way to cheat out high-cost dudes repeatedly.
Antiantiserum — I can't think of a use case for this that is not abusive.
IcariiFA — I think you could have had a sweet thing here if you'd made it white and done something non-empty for flavor. I like it as an idea but you could have gone farther with the anthem metaphor.
TheDrB — I don't get the, if any exists, connection between flavor and mechanics here. This seems quite strong in the right builds but there is no story follow-through on the mechanics.
picnic_bomber — This is a really beautifully executed Selesnya aura. Totem armor feels unnecessary, although useful. The self-populate effect is good.
Hemlock — This feels like a marginal but like, cool, enabler for utility lands or creature lands.
I'm glad willows mentioned that he/she was late. For some reason, I had it in my head that these were due tonight. I slapped these together in a mad rush. Sorry about my lateness.....
kjsharp - This is a very flavorful card. It seems fair but powerful in the right deck. It reminds a little of Swarmyard, but just because it's a land that aids certain creature types.
willows - This card is pretty neat, but it's just gotta be too powerful. The ability to tutor up an aura every turn for free is strong enough, the second ability pushes its power level through the roof. Especially in EDH.
Antianitserum - This is pretty cool card that is potentially very powerful with the lands. It's very niche, but that's ok.
IcariiFA - This is a solid design, but it seems a lot like a beefed up version of the only existing fortification. You would need to jump through some hoops to make this better than Darksteel Garrison, but that's the fun part of the card. It would go nicely on a Karoo land. Some flavor text would've helped make this a bit more exciting.
TheDrB - Huh. This is a very difficult card to assess for power. The ability to prevent all damage that would be dealt to you is really strong, but it costs you a land per turn to do so, which is a very large price. This would be a fun card for Johnny to build around, but a really annoying card if he actually figures out a solid enough way for Spike to abuse it.
picnic_bomber - I'm not sure why white would get access to mana fixing like this. I get that it's an enchantment, but green can have enchantments too. There are certainly better ways to fix one's mana. The totem armor combined with the ability to copy itself is easily the most fun part of this card. I would love to get a few copies of this out in EDH, then drop an Armageddon.
Hemlock - Manlands, here I come! This seems like a fun build around card.
1st: Hemlock
2nd: Antantiserum
3rd: IcariiFA
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)
Ach, I'm right there with you. That was a quick turnaround.
picnic_bomber - This is interesting, and I love the value. The only question I have about it is that the game impact seems pretty low. Seems like an enchantress auto-include, but I'm not sure if I could see it anywhere else.
Hemlock - This seems like a strong build-around. Should this have the 'Costs can't be reduced below 1' disclaimer?
kjsharp - This seems okay, but I worry about the creature-type inclusions limiting usefulness.
Flatline - This is just awesome, both design and flavor-wise. Should this have 'Imprint' to prevent multiple exiles messing up functionality?
willows - This feels WAY too powerful for me on both sides without a way to balance it.
Antiantiserum - This is pretty bonkers once I stopped to think about it. This on a fetch seems very nice. This on a Myriad Landscape seems kind of silly. This on a Strip Mine might be too much..
IcariiFA - Very solid overall, and right in line with a lot of the thoughts I had for what a fortification could do.
Antiantiserum: very powerful. Land lock danger. But it's not like it can't be done already with two cards, so be it!
Flatline: This is rather ezpensive. I'm sure you can be up to some crazy shenanigans with this, but I fail to see where this would be played.
Willows: Repeatable tutoring is too powerful. i like the other ability.
TheDrB: I like the tension between having to spend mana and sacrificing your mana producers. i would switch the coats to make it more cumbersome.
Flatline: Lovely, plays awesome with big mana producing landsnsuch as gaeas cradle and the devotion lans. With some of the colorless producing lanfs this might be able to show up in strange places.
Kjsharp: Fun stuff. I like the tribal aspect and how lesser ones are supported. This stays in line with ramping auras and fight effect.
Picnicbomber: Mana fixing in white should be rather bad, and this might be slow enough to be fit, yet it still feels a bit off color.
“Decoration Distraction”
Unbridled Growth, taken from MTG Art, by Ryan Pancoast 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.
Around this time, a lot of people are decorating their houses, apartments, or yards with the traditional Christmas tree, menorah, or various other festive items.
Challenge
Contestants:
picnic_bomber
Hemlock
kjsharp
Flatline
TheDrB
willows
Antiantiserum
IcariiFA
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.͇̣̙̝
Enchantment - Aura (U)
Enchant Land
Enchanted land has " : add GG to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to cast Bear, Beast, Elk, and Wolf spells."
2G, Sacrifice Bestial Domain: Target Bear, Beast, Elk, or Wolf creature you control fights another target creature. Activate this ability only as a sorcery.
Artifact — Fortification (R)
When Halls of the Dead enters the battlefield, exile target creature card from your graveyard.
Fortified land is copy of the exiled creature. It's still a land.
Fortify 4
Enchantment — Aura (R)
Enchant land
Whenever enchanted land becomes tapped, choose one—
• Search your library for an Aura card. Reveal it, put it into your hand, and shuffle your library.
• For each Aura you control, add to your mana pool one mana of a type enchanted land could produce.
Enchantment — Aura (Rare)
Enchant land you control
You may sacrifice other lands you control as though they where enchanted land when paying for activation costs of enchanted land.
Artifact - Fortification (R)
Whenever fortified land adds mana to your mana pool, creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn for each mana added this way.
Fortify 3
Artifact - Fortification
Fortified land has “at the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice this land”
If Illusory Glacier is fortifying a land, prevent all damage that would be dealt to you.
Fortify 2
Artifact - Fortification (r)
Nonmana activated abilities of fortified land cost less to play.
Forified land can't be sacrificed.
Fortify ( : Attach this Fortification to target land you control. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.)
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Flatline: This is one of those cards that's semi-playable in Constructed (Standard) and an incredibly powerful bomb in a slow or grindy Limited format. It makes me groan a little (a lot less than God-Pharaoh's Gift), but I like it overall. I think it's fair since it requires a 9 mana investment to get going, and you keep the traditional mantra of artifacts having a higher mana cost for a particular color's effect. The only thing that rubs me the wrong way is that this card is not "fortifying" anything, per se, but it doesn't detract from the card too much (a similar instance is giving beasts and non-sentient creature "prowess"). Solid design.
Willows: It's just way too powerful mate. It's effortless to tap a land (literally the most effortless action one can do in Magic), and for that you get to go search up any aura you want and put it in your hand!? I think this effect is too powerful for Standard (and Modern) Magic in general, but should such an effect see print you'd want it to be on something that more decks can interact with - I'd rather it be on a creature than a land. It's really difficult to design fair cards that rely on tapping and untapping of lands (this is something I was thinking about in various designs to submit for this round), and a fair effect I came up with for my card was that "when enchanted land is untapped, [wilderness] creatures have trample."), and I think you just need a significantly weaker effect. One you could do: "When enchanted land becomes tapped, you may look at the top card of your library. If it is an aura card, you may reveal it and put it into your hand." That would be a lot more fair.
Antiantiserum: It took me several reads to understand it, but I think that's okay since once you understand it you understand it and don't have to read it ever again. The card is obviously very niche, but I like the design. It gives one reason to look at old cards with a new horizon of possibility. Currently 85 cards work with it, some of the more interesting ones being Grove of the Guardian, Buried Ruin, Throne of the High City, and Mirrorpool. Nothing too terribly broken or exciting, but still potentially fun and powerful. 3 CMC might be a tad high. I think I'd prefer it at 2 CMC, but 3 is acceptable. Very creative entry with good aesthetics.
"were", not "where".
Dr.B: Like Flatline's entry, this card doesn't feel like a "fortification" but it depends upon the ability's functionality to be clean and clear. I would change the name to better suit the ability, all callbacks (Glacial Chasm) aside. This is one of those cards, similar to Ensaring Bridge, that is not going to be played unless it is central to the functionality and viability of the deck it is in. In this case, playing it in a green ramp or loam strategy (or in a deck that wants lands to be in the graveyard, perhaps for Splendid Reclamation) is its natural home.
The card definitely has a vintage feel to it since the effect (and downside) are both very potent. I think it is too close to the original to feel fresh and novel. With that said, as a Lands player in Legacy, I would definitely like to see Life from the Loam style decks take off in Modern, but I hope that there are less "absolutist" cards that can take that style to tiered status. I like this card as a first draft of a card that uses fortify to explore ways to power up Lands decks in Modern, similar to how revolt was used to create Fatal Push.
IcariiFA: fairly costed and its flavor and function feel organic. The modest potential for abuse adds a little spice to the card. Good design!
picnic_bomber: I think you're trying to tackle too much with this card. It is filled with tiny little bonuses (mana fixing, upping enchantment count and ETB triggers, land indestructibility), but all of those are discrete and don't jive together. It feels like this is a card that is intended to shore up several of Bogles's vulnerabilities...otherwise I don't know how one arrive at this suite of abilities, and that makes it feel strained. To your credit, I believe you balanced it appropriately, and I like that you made the enchantment generation costly and somewhat cumbersome. I appreciate the thought behind the card, and asking the question "What sort of problem do I want my card to solve?" is an important question that we card designers don't ask often enough. This might have nabbed 3rd place for me had it not had the Totem Armor clause.
Hemlock: Good idea, good design, and good execution. My major qualm with the card is the restriction on sacrifice. See the list of 85 sacrifice lands I put a link to on antiantiserum's feedback, and you'll see that there are some powerful, but not too powerful, interactions there, and I think that that is part of the fun of your card! Overall I like your card and I find it innovative.
2) IcariiFA
3) Flatline
HM: Dr.B/Hemlock
Flatline This is a cool and powerful card, I like it a lot. Being able to turn your land into any creature is very appealing. However, I have a hard time imagening the artwork for this. How does a building turn your land into a creature?
willows This gives me a repeatable tutor and a weaker Serra's Sanctum, each already very powerful on its own. Together I fear this might be much too strong. I like the flavour, though and the render is a thing of beauty.
IcariiFA That's a nice idea. You can probably drop the cost a little. Giving creatures +1/+1 normaly costs three mana. While you have the option to pump them more, with untap shenanigans or additional enchantments, you have to invest into its effect every turn you want to have it.
TheDrB I like throwback cards and this is no exception. The flavour might be off, though. A glacier is a thing that forms in nature, a illusory glacier sounds more like an enchantment to me, not like something people would actually build.
picnic_bomber In a set with several land creatures or with a lot of playable land destruction I would understand this card. Either this or an enchantment matters set. Without context I don't see it, sadly. Right now I see a expensive rare way to fix my mana.
Hemlock The card is cool, but why can't I sacrifice my lands with it? There are several lands with a high activation cost that I would like to sacrifice with this. The blighted cycle from the Battle for Zendikar block comes to mind. As a Training Grounds for a single land I don't feel like this restriction is necessary.
Vote 2: kjsharp
Vote 3: Flatline
kjsharp - This is a solid tribal card that plays well in limited and could have potential in standard constructed. It's a good trick. I don't think its the most exciting card design wise, but it reasonable in a way that pushes some less common tribes along with beast and wolves which have a lot of tribal history.
Flatline - Mechanically this card is very cool. Flavor wise? Odd. I know their are cards like Svogthos, the Restless Tomb but this stretches the Vorthos in me. How does adding a tomb to a land make it transform into a creature? Eh. I'm probably over thinking this.
TheDrB - Making references to old, powerful cards is a staple of many good designs. However, you have to consider contemporary context and the lesssons learned about good and bad gameplay. Repeatably preventing all damage at a low mana cost threshold is dangerous, un-interactive, and just plan unfun. All while making this accessible to any color? This asked to be abused in all the wrong ways.
willows - This seems a hair strong. White aura's in particular are easy silver bullet cards, and being able to tutor every turn for one is a huge amount of card advantage for a three mana card. Idyllic Tutor is a one time use sorcery that lets you search for any enchantment, but only once. It's used in a ton of decks, and that's before you consider this can add mana. It should certainly cost at least 4, and wouldn't avoid casual play at 5. That said, the flavor and concept is argueable the most distinct here.
Antiantiserum - This is a really cool, extremely niche card that only exist to be abused. It probably has a couple interactions that are close to unfair, but not in standard. Flavor text here would of been nice. Pure Johnny done well.
picnic_bomber - This shouldn't be a hybrid card, as mono white shouldn't have mana fixing like that. Totem armor works well here mechanically but the flavor is incredibly odd. Outside of the hybrid mana taboo, the card itself is well balanced.
2nd: Hemlock
3rd: Flatline
HM: kjsharp
1. Flatline
2. picnic_bomber
3. Hemlock
Flatline — The imprint mechanic here is pretty cool. I like what you've done. I'm a bit bummed about the extremely steep cost of getting that recurring copy of a creature, but it seems like it's a cool way to cheat out high-cost dudes repeatedly.
Antiantiserum — I can't think of a use case for this that is not abusive.
IcariiFA — I think you could have had a sweet thing here if you'd made it white and done something non-empty for flavor. I like it as an idea but you could have gone farther with the anthem metaphor.
TheDrB — I don't get the, if any exists, connection between flavor and mechanics here. This seems quite strong in the right builds but there is no story follow-through on the mechanics.
picnic_bomber — This is a really beautifully executed Selesnya aura. Totem armor feels unnecessary, although useful. The self-populate effect is good.
Hemlock — This feels like a marginal but like, cool, enabler for utility lands or creature lands.
willows - This card is pretty neat, but it's just gotta be too powerful. The ability to tutor up an aura every turn for free is strong enough, the second ability pushes its power level through the roof. Especially in EDH.
Antianitserum - This is pretty cool card that is potentially very powerful with the lands. It's very niche, but that's ok.
IcariiFA - This is a solid design, but it seems a lot like a beefed up version of the only existing fortification. You would need to jump through some hoops to make this better than Darksteel Garrison, but that's the fun part of the card. It would go nicely on a Karoo land. Some flavor text would've helped make this a bit more exciting.
TheDrB - Huh. This is a very difficult card to assess for power. The ability to prevent all damage that would be dealt to you is really strong, but it costs you a land per turn to do so, which is a very large price. This would be a fun card for Johnny to build around, but a really annoying card if he actually figures out a solid enough way for Spike to abuse it.
picnic_bomber - I'm not sure why white would get access to mana fixing like this. I get that it's an enchantment, but green can have enchantments too. There are certainly better ways to fix one's mana. The totem armor combined with the ability to copy itself is easily the most fun part of this card. I would love to get a few copies of this out in EDH, then drop an Armageddon.
Hemlock - Manlands, here I come! This seems like a fun build around card.
2nd: Antantiserum
3rd: IcariiFA
picnic_bomber - This is interesting, and I love the value. The only question I have about it is that the game impact seems pretty low. Seems like an enchantress auto-include, but I'm not sure if I could see it anywhere else.
Hemlock - This seems like a strong build-around. Should this have the 'Costs can't be reduced below 1' disclaimer?
kjsharp - This seems okay, but I worry about the creature-type inclusions limiting usefulness.
Flatline - This is just awesome, both design and flavor-wise. Should this have 'Imprint' to prevent multiple exiles messing up functionality?
willows - This feels WAY too powerful for me on both sides without a way to balance it.
Antiantiserum - This is pretty bonkers once I stopped to think about it. This on a fetch seems very nice. This on a Myriad Landscape seems kind of silly. This on a Strip Mine might be too much..
IcariiFA - Very solid overall, and right in line with a lot of the thoughts I had for what a fortification could do.
1. Flatline
2. Antiantiserum
3. IcariFA
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Flatline: This is rather ezpensive. I'm sure you can be up to some crazy shenanigans with this, but I fail to see where this would be played.
Willows: Repeatable tutoring is too powerful. i like the other ability.
TheDrB: I like the tension between having to spend mana and sacrificing your mana producers. i would switch the coats to make it more cumbersome.
Flatline: Lovely, plays awesome with big mana producing landsnsuch as gaeas cradle and the devotion lans. With some of the colorless producing lanfs this might be able to show up in strange places.
Kjsharp: Fun stuff. I like the tribal aspect and how lesser ones are supported. This stays in line with ramping auras and fight effect.
Picnicbomber: Mana fixing in white should be rather bad, and this might be slow enough to be fit, yet it still feels a bit off color.
1.IcariFa
2.ThedoctorB
3. Kjsharp
IcariiFA
Flatline
Antiantiserum
Hemlock
Next round will be up shortly.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝