Mount Aran Honor Guard3RW
Creature — Angel Knight (R)
Flash, flying, kicker RW
When Mount Aran Honor Guard enters the battlefield, if it was cast any time you couldn't have cast a sorcery and was kicked, it deals 2 damage to target creature an opponent controls. Creatures dealt damage this way can't be regenerated this turn. Tap that creature.
4/4
I had to adjust the formatting of the card to better read it, sorry.
I honestly have a few doubts on the card itself. Flash is not in red and only tertiary in white, but any card can have it if that's needed for it to work as intended, and this is clearly the case here given the triggered ability, so that's not a problem, even if it still feels a little strange to read it on a card with no green or blue. At least, it still doesn't feel as strange as reading reach on monored cards, which is a new addition to the color pie that makes sense in my opinion but it's only been on two real cards ever so it does feel strange. Anyway, let's move on. All the rest is in color. The triggered ability works, but it reads way too complex. I'm not sure at all less experienced players would grok it (Maro's term to describe something you immediately and intuitively understand). The card is also very wordy, and that doesn't help either. Overall, a fine card that works but a little too complex for my taste.
Oakspring Shepherd3GG
Creature - Treefolk Shaman (R)
Kicker 2G
Saproling tokens you control have a base power and toughness of 4/4 and are Treefolk in addition to their other types.
When Oakspring Shepherd enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, put three 1/1 green Saproling tokens into play.
4/6
You chose the same direction I chose for the kicker ability, that is tokens. I ckeched on Gatherer before designing my submission and there are surprisingly few existing cards that make tokens when kicked, so it doesn't surprise me that you chose that direction too. The wording needs a little refining ("have base power and toughness 4/4"), but overall I like this card. It makes your mere Saproling grow into huge trees, which is very original both in flavor and mechanics. This is an ability that is primary blue, but has dipped its toe in green in the past, and it also makes a lot of sense philosopically in green with its growth theme. The costs also look appropriate to me. I guess the only bad thing I can say about this card is that it's a little on the wordy side. Good work!
Galvanic Discharge2RR
Sorcery (R)
Kicker 2(You may pay an additional 2 as you cast this spell.)
Galvanic Discharge deals X damage to target creature or player, where X is the number of instant or sorcery cards in your graveyard. If Galvanic Discharge was kicked, it deals X damage to target player and target creature instead.
Good, not too long, and clean. The only thing I wonder is if this really could not have been an instant for four base mana and two more to "double". Maybe not indeed in these bad (on my part) days of nerfed removal, but I don't think it would have been broken. Of course, it's hard to say without playtest. Anyway, this is really the only criticism I can make about this card. Good work overall!
Mirari's AppearanceGW
Sorcery (R)
Kicker XGW
Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature.
If Mirari's Appearance was kicked, put X +1/+1 counters on each creature you control instead. Even an ethereal vision of Kamahl and his Mirari Sword was enough to empower them.
I will not comment on the flavor because I only know vaguely the story from original Mirrodin, and definitely not enough to be sure about what I say. I'll just assume the flavor works, after all if I recall correctly the Mirari was (is?) an artifact that grants you any wish or something like that, and that flavor makes sense to me with +1/+1 counters. Mechanically, I love this card. It's very clean, perfectly in color, very simple to understand, and incarnates perfectly the design principle of restricting kicker to just be a bigger version of the spell. I can't really find anything bad to say about this card, it's like a home run in my opinion. Wonderful job!
You're very welcome! I hope to see you around here for a long time.
Angel of Redemption1WW
Creature - Angel (R)
Kicker 1W (You may pay an additional 1W as you cast this spell.)
Flying
When Angel of Redemption enters to the battlefield, if it was kicked, put a creature from your graveyard onto the battlefield under your control.
3/3
I had to adjust the formatting of the card to better read it, sorry. A comma was also missing after "kicked".
I really like this card in a vacuum: it's simple, clean, and also looks quite powerful without being broken. I said "in a vacuum" though because this card's kicker ability really reminds me of Marshal's Anthem, which is already existing. Ok, it's a different implementation, but if a have to find a bad thing about this card is that, while very good, doesn't feel very original. That's the only bad thing I can say though. Very good job about all the rest. And it's even better keeping into account that it's your first participation. If this is your first attempt, I can only imagine you'll become a very worthy opponent in these contests! As an advice, just try to get better at formatting text cards. As an MCC judge, I would have deducted a lot of points in Quality here for your original text card, and that's a shame for such a promising card!
Fiery Ball1R
Creature - Elemental [U]
Kicker RRR
Trample
When Fiery Ball enters the batlefield, if it was kicked, it gets +5/+0 and gains haste until end of turn.
2/1
The word "battlefield" is missing a "t". Anyway, this card reads perfectly fine, it's certainly playable and designed well enough. It just feels a little too uninspired to me, I see it as just another Ball Lightning variant, and that's probably exactly what it's meant to be because of the "ball" and "soccer" theme. The costs look fine to me, as does everything mechanically. I repeat, this card makes perfect sense, it just lacks a bit in originality.
Top 3
1st place: void_nothing (the clear winner in my bracket in my opinion)
2nd place: drewdagreek (very interesting and original, and it also looks well balanced)
3rd place: mirrodin71 (I want to encourage a new player who only got formatting wrong)
I feel like I should at least give mentions to willows and Zervintz. Both of them did nothing wrong, it's just that there were cards I liked even better. I'm sorry!
MCC - Winner (6): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019 || Host (15): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here) || Judge (34): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here) CCL - Winner (3): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last one here) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016 DCC - Winner (1): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar) || Host (3): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016
• The two public custom sets I've been part a part of the design team for: "Brotherhood of Ormos" - Blog post with all info - set thread - design skeleton / card list || "Extinctia: Homo Evanuit" - Blog post with all info - set thread - card list spreadsheet
• "The Lion's Lair", my article series about MTG and custom card design in particular. Latest article here. Here is the article index.Rather outdated by now, and based on the old MCC rubric, but I'm leaving this here for anybody that might be interested anyway.
• My only public attempt at being a writer: the story of my Leonin custom planeswalker Jeff Lionheart. (I have a very big one that I'm working on right now but that's private for now, and I don't know if I will ever actually publish it, and I also have ideas for multiple future ones, including one where I'm going to reprise Jeff.)
mirrodin71
Welcome to the CCL! I hope you’re having a good time.
I think this is pretty solid as a card, if we factor in the ‘Angel discount’; it’s pretty pushed as a 3/3 flying for 1WW. The kicker feels a little off-color because usually white only reanimates small (CMC or power) creatures.
theazurespirit
This is really pleasingly clean.
netn10
I feel like the concept here is solid and it makes a good callback to the various mystical snakes of MTG but it feels very strong to have so much repeatable card draw in green. I’d have preferred it as an ETB effect or possibly a dies effect.
void_nothing
I think maybe the non-kicked mode of this card feels off. It works fine with the ‘go wide’ strategy that is common in GW, but it’s very strange! The kicked effect is fine.
AnonymousBadger
There are a few ways I’m not overly excited about this, one being that it seems too efficient. In a large multiplayer game the kicker mode allows you to clear the board and cast an Emrakul if you time it right, and it’s not substantially more expensive than a boardwipe with one or more colors. It’s a great Timmy moment but I think the development may be seriously off.
Zervintz
Hey! It’s a Ball Lightning variant!
I like everything about this except that trample on a 2/1 is super weird. Menace might have been a better choice even though it reduces the effectiveness of the reference.
netn10: I like the idea, but I feel like it would get a little too strong, especially in a color that can ramp very easily. I feel like casting it for 4 as early as turn 2 and getting even just 1 extra card every turn starting then as well as a 2/2 body is rather overpowered, as that constant card advantage very, very relevant.
theazurespirit: That's... actually fine. It's balanced and while the ability is simple, the simplicity helps the overall product.
Flatline: Also very nice. I don't see any major issues. I love the flavor, too.
drewdagreek — Oakspring Shepherd
I think eight mana for a total of 16 power is too low — consider decreasing the number of Saprolings kicked onto the battlefield. “…into play.” should be “…onto the battlefield.”.
willows — Galvanic Discharge
CMC 4 may be a bit high, depending on the as-fan of instants and sorceries — I want to say that you want to be dealing four damage at CMC 4?
void_nothing — Mirari's Appearance
Hey, that name sounds familiar… The kicker is overpriced with X = 1 (see: Abzan Ascendancy and Titania's Boon). I like the flavor text.
Zervintz — Fiery Ball
I think both mana costs may be too low, but I'm not sure.
AnonymousBadger — Planar Devastation
I think the kicker may be underpriced??? The token clause should read ‘…put a 1/1 colorless Eldrazi Scion creature token onto the battlefield for each creature destroyed this way. It has “Sacrifice this creature: Add C to your mana pool.”’
1. Mirari's Appearance
2. Fiery Ball
3. Angel of Redemption
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Worldbuilding project of mine
Safir Alliance | Hoennverse
mirrodin71 - That text card formatting is unfortunately very hard to read, but hey, it's worth the effort: This is a fun rare that'd have a place in both Limited and Constructed. Angel of Redemption is a very simple but effective name, the design is clean and pushed but not overpowered, and frankly this seems at home in either a core set or an Avacyn Restored-type environment.
Zervintz - Miniature Elemental Appeal? Certainly not the most original design; there's some Skizzik in there too, not to mention Viashino Firstblade. But Ball Lightning-alikes that don't die at end of turn have always been interesting to me. Pity about the name.
AnonymousBadger - I'm not sure there should be such a thing as a five-mana colorless wrath effect. Of course, costing this any higher invites unfavorable comparisons to All Is Dust, and C in the cost is a little bit of a balancing agent, so I'm sure it's fine. Still, a card flavored around BFZ-era Ulamog destroying and not exiling is unpalatable; despite that, the kicker ability is clever and fun.
netn10 - I've seen this in the DCC before as a Naga, I think. And voted for it, even. Anyway, assessing this more soberly, this might be too good un-kicked, and not especially green, either. Let's not even get into playing this followed up by even something as innocuous as a Boar Umbra on it.
theazurespirit - This feels like a replacement for Sadistic Sacrament in the huge-effect rare kicker cycle from Zendikar. It's perfectly serviceable, but not exactly a compelling design. Single removal into mass removal on a kicker card is hardly an innovative idea.
Flatline - There's a certain cleanness to the modes here: Either they can get out of it by paying 2, or you make sure they can't get out of it by paying 2. I'm concerned the unkicked mode might be a bit too much, but hey, it only targets creature spells - could be a lot worse. The name is amusing in light of kicker.
Very close to Wolfir Avenger. Trading Regenerate for Reach is fair, considering the Wolfir was very strong.
What I dislike is the narrow application of kicker. The cases where this isn't just a spell for 1GG are very rare. The gain from not having to pay the G when it dies anyways is negligible.
Plants with power and without defender are always a weird sight. So, if this was in my set file I'd cut the Kicker and make it a 1GG spell.
A Llanowar Elite variant. It doesn't have that cute Trample as a 1/1 though. Thatfor it's more efficient at becoming big.
I wonder how a seed attacks. As a 1/1 no less. Stampeding Elk Herd comes close, I guess it's not overwhelmingly powerful.
Not sure when anyone would play this as a 1/1 for G. That kind of defeats the purpose of Kicker.
So, there's a bad part and a good part to your design.
Let's start on the bad part: when you turn a thing that's generally a drawback into something good, don't also include that thing, but make the player pay for it.
That spoils the fun. First it reduces the fun of building around it. Second, what's the point of paying to turn something cheap that's bad into something good, when it then becomes expensive?
So that kicker is lame.
Now, that fist effect is great. It plays well, both with discard outlets and with discard effects. That's a great design. It might be too dangerous when it comes for 0 cost, so maybe it needs some mana slapped onto it, but that's no big concern.
Token anthem in red? I guess it does have the third most tokens in the game...
It's the same concept I went for. Good card when you have what is asks for. If not, pay more and it supplies it.
The card would probably work great as an uncommon for limited. Might be worth a consideration.
So, flash flying 4/4 for 5 seems underwhelming. Paying another two and losing the flash for a better shock doesn't make it so much worth it either.
It's a neat card for limited I guess. But the two colors weight heavy there. I like the twist of having to pay for the kicker with the ability to flash it.
A bit on the complex side though. I mean, you have so many lines of text for a card that doesn't do a whole lot.
I made something very similar once. My dude had the ability to make tokens enter the battlefield as copies of other tokens though and then kicked for a 3/3 token.
Same concept. Needless to say I like it. The card works well with a saproling strategy, but can also do good on its own.
Getting three 4/4s for 3 mana seems brutal, but considering they turn into 1/1s once the Shepherd gets killed, that's fine.
Top3:
1. drewdagreek
2. bravelion83
3. Carl Miller
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Multiple instances of lifelink on the same creature are redundant.
Multiple instances of lifelink on the same creature are redundant.
Multiple instances of lifelink on the same creature are redundant.
—Eli Shiffrin, Rules Manager, on a design stacking lifelink instances
@mirrodin71.....None of the people in your top three are people that you should've been judging. You are supposed to judge the cards of the six people below you in the list from the original post. You should be judging cards for the following people...
BrainPo - I've seen the mana sources don't untap counterspell idea a few times before in these threads, and I'm not entirely sure it works within the rules. I'm wondering if it should be changed to "Counter target spell......If that spell is countered this way, up to X target lands that spell's controller controls don't untap during their controller's next untap step, where is X is equal to the countered spell's converted mana cost." But that seems really inelegant.
Groovelord - I like this. It would be a bomb in limited. I'm not sure how much I like the flavor text though.
micahmind - First, I'd like to point out that you've forgotten to give your card a rarity, which is a very important aspect of a Magic card. I assume this would be a rare? That said, the base card here is not black at all, and the mana cost and kicker cost seem rather odd together. I think this should probably cost with a kicker of .
doomfish - This is pretty cool. It's the Khans half of Palace Siege, with an Entomb kicker. It kinda seems like it should have some green in it since it can basically tutor for a creature, but I suppose mono-black is alright.
Teraparsec - Short, sweet, and simple. I like it. I would like it even more if it cost with a kicker cost of though. As it is now, it is much better for its kicker cost, considering the kicker is only 1 more mana.
ScuteMobster - This is pretty cool, although it has some memory issues. It would be better if it entered the battlefield with four +1/+1 counters on it and was named Sprout, and had trample as long as it has a +1/+1 counter on it. Although it would be less flavorful and elegant that way. Some flavor text would've been nice.
(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)
Kick to the Curb
Instant (C)
Kicker (You may pay an additional as you cast this spell.)
Counter target creature spell unless its controller pays .
If Kick to the Curb was kicked, counter target creature spell instead. "....and stay out!"
Might be too aggressively costed for a counterspell, but I quite like this design. If your opponent has 2 extra mana, you need 2 extra mana to counter the spell. The symmetry there is quite pleasing.
Energy DrainUU
Instant (R)
Kicker UU(You may pay an additional UU as you cast this spell.)
Counter target spell with converted mana cost 3 or less. If that spell is countered this way, exile it instead of putting it into its owners graveyard.
If Energy Drain was kicked, mana sources used to cast that spell don't untap during their controller's next untap step.
I don’t think this works within the rules. Spells don’t track what sources the mana spent on them came from. If it worked, it would be a decent, if annoying counterspell, though 4 blue mana is a really heavy restriction that would be really annoying for any deck that’s not monoblue.
Goblin Alarm2R
Sorcery (U)
Kicker 1R
Creatures can't block this turn. If Goblin Alarm was kicked, put three 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens with haste onto the battlefield. A shriek in goblin cliffs means someone should be scared. Best not to find out who.
The kicker effect is much more than a player should get for 2 mana on its own, but as an additional cost to an already fairly expensive spell, I think it’s fair. The base ability and the kicker synergize quite well together. I’d usually not want to play this unkicked, but there are situations in which I could see it happening. The dynamic is quite different from other kicker cards, and I think worth exploring.
Came over from r/custommagic, looks like a fun time.
Corrupt LawmageWB
Creature - Human Cleric
Kicker BB (You may pay an additional BB as you cast this spell.)
When Corrupt Lawmage enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, each opponent sacrifices a creature.
Spells and abilities your opponents control can't cause you to sacrifice creatures. There's no need to bribe a judge and an executioner when you have a friend that does both.
2/2
WB in the casting cost and BB in the kicker cost makes this quite aesthetically imbalanced. There’s nothing black about the base card, so making it monowhite would have solved the color problem. The base ability and the kicker ability have a flavor connection, if a somewhat tenuous one, but mechanically speaking, the package isn’t tight enough to sell it as a unified whole.
"Make a card with kicker." must be only second to "Make a card." in terms of broadness.
Tomb Pillaging2BB
Enchantment (R)
Kicker 1B
At the beginning of your upkeep, return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
When ~ enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, search your library for a creature card and put it into your graveyard. Shuffle your library afterwards.
The base effect is quite elegant and fairly costed, and the kicker cost synergizes with it in a great way. I like it.
Vine Ambush 1G
Instant (U)
Kicker G
Put a green 3/3 Plant creature token with reach onto the battlefield. At end of turn, sacrifice it unless Vine Ambush was kicked. Nature protects her own.
A 3/3 with flash for 1GG is really strong, and killing a mid-sized attacker for 1G is quite powerful as well. Might be a bit too strong at the current cost. But it’s quite an elegant use of kicker, and I approve of it.
1. Doomfish
2. Flatline
3. Teraparsec
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WU
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I had to adjust the formatting of the card to better read it, sorry.
I honestly have a few doubts on the card itself. Flash is not in red and only tertiary in white, but any card can have it if that's needed for it to work as intended, and this is clearly the case here given the triggered ability, so that's not a problem, even if it still feels a little strange to read it on a card with no green or blue. At least, it still doesn't feel as strange as reading reach on monored cards, which is a new addition to the color pie that makes sense in my opinion but it's only been on two real cards ever so it does feel strange. Anyway, let's move on. All the rest is in color. The triggered ability works, but it reads way too complex. I'm not sure at all less experienced players would grok it (Maro's term to describe something you immediately and intuitively understand). The card is also very wordy, and that doesn't help either. Overall, a fine card that works but a little too complex for my taste.
You chose the same direction I chose for the kicker ability, that is tokens. I ckeched on Gatherer before designing my submission and there are surprisingly few existing cards that make tokens when kicked, so it doesn't surprise me that you chose that direction too. The wording needs a little refining ("have base power and toughness 4/4"), but overall I like this card. It makes your mere Saproling grow into huge trees, which is very original both in flavor and mechanics. This is an ability that is primary blue, but has dipped its toe in green in the past, and it also makes a lot of sense philosopically in green with its growth theme. The costs also look appropriate to me. I guess the only bad thing I can say about this card is that it's a little on the wordy side. Good work!
Good, not too long, and clean. The only thing I wonder is if this really could not have been an instant for four base mana and two more to "double". Maybe not indeed in these bad (on my part) days of nerfed removal, but I don't think it would have been broken. Of course, it's hard to say without playtest. Anyway, this is really the only criticism I can make about this card. Good work overall!
I will not comment on the flavor because I only know vaguely the story from original Mirrodin, and definitely not enough to be sure about what I say. I'll just assume the flavor works, after all if I recall correctly the Mirari was (is?) an artifact that grants you any wish or something like that, and that flavor makes sense to me with +1/+1 counters. Mechanically, I love this card. It's very clean, perfectly in color, very simple to understand, and incarnates perfectly the design principle of restricting kicker to just be a bigger version of the spell. I can't really find anything bad to say about this card, it's like a home run in my opinion. Wonderful job!
You're very welcome! I hope to see you around here for a long time.
I had to adjust the formatting of the card to better read it, sorry. A comma was also missing after "kicked".
I really like this card in a vacuum: it's simple, clean, and also looks quite powerful without being broken. I said "in a vacuum" though because this card's kicker ability really reminds me of Marshal's Anthem, which is already existing. Ok, it's a different implementation, but if a have to find a bad thing about this card is that, while very good, doesn't feel very original. That's the only bad thing I can say though. Very good job about all the rest. And it's even better keeping into account that it's your first participation. If this is your first attempt, I can only imagine you'll become a very worthy opponent in these contests! As an advice, just try to get better at formatting text cards. As an MCC judge, I would have deducted a lot of points in Quality here for your original text card, and that's a shame for such a promising card!
The word "battlefield" is missing a "t". Anyway, this card reads perfectly fine, it's certainly playable and designed well enough. It just feels a little too uninspired to me, I see it as just another Ball Lightning variant, and that's probably exactly what it's meant to be because of the "ball" and "soccer" theme. The costs look fine to me, as does everything mechanically. I repeat, this card makes perfect sense, it just lacks a bit in originality.
Top 3
1st place: void_nothing (the clear winner in my bracket in my opinion)
2nd place: drewdagreek (very interesting and original, and it also looks well balanced)
3rd place: mirrodin71 (I want to encourage a new player who only got formatting wrong)
I feel like I should at least give mentions to willows and Zervintz. Both of them did nothing wrong, it's just that there were cards I liked even better. I'm sorry!
MCC - Winner (6): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019 || Host (15): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here) || Judge (34): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here)
CCL - Winner (3): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last one here) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (1): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar) || Host (3): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016
• The two public custom sets I've been part a part of the design team for:
"Brotherhood of Ormos" - Blog post with all info - set thread - design skeleton / card list || "Extinctia: Homo Evanuit" - Blog post with all info - set thread - card list spreadsheet
• "The Lion's Lair", my article series about MTG and custom card design in particular. Latest article here. Here is the article index. Rather outdated by now, and based on the old MCC rubric, but I'm leaving this here for anybody that might be interested anyway.
• My only public attempt at being a writer: the story of my Leonin custom planeswalker Jeff Lionheart. (I have a very big one that I'm working on right now but that's private for now, and I don't know if I will ever actually publish it, and I also have ideas for multiple future ones, including one where I'm going to reprise Jeff.)
Welcome to the CCL! I hope you’re having a good time.
I think this is pretty solid as a card, if we factor in the ‘Angel discount’; it’s pretty pushed as a 3/3 flying for 1WW. The kicker feels a little off-color because usually white only reanimates small (CMC or power) creatures.
theazurespirit
This is really pleasingly clean.
netn10
I feel like the concept here is solid and it makes a good callback to the various mystical snakes of MTG but it feels very strong to have so much repeatable card draw in green. I’d have preferred it as an ETB effect or possibly a dies effect.
void_nothing
I think maybe the non-kicked mode of this card feels off. It works fine with the ‘go wide’ strategy that is common in GW, but it’s very strange! The kicked effect is fine.
AnonymousBadger
There are a few ways I’m not overly excited about this, one being that it seems too efficient. In a large multiplayer game the kicker mode allows you to clear the board and cast an Emrakul if you time it right, and it’s not substantially more expensive than a boardwipe with one or more colors. It’s a great Timmy moment but I think the development may be seriously off.
Zervintz
Hey! It’s a Ball Lightning variant!
I like everything about this except that trample on a 2/1 is super weird. Menace might have been a better choice even though it reduces the effectiveness of the reference.
2. theazurespirit
3. void_nothing
netn10: I like the idea, but I feel like it would get a little too strong, especially in a color that can ramp very easily. I feel like casting it for 4 as early as turn 2 and getting even just 1 extra card every turn starting then as well as a 2/2 body is rather overpowered, as that constant card advantage very, very relevant.
theazurespirit: That's... actually fine. It's balanced and while the ability is simple, the simplicity helps the overall product.
Flatline: Also very nice. I don't see any major issues. I love the flavor, too.
BrainPo:
I think eight mana for a total of 16 power is too low — consider decreasing the number of Saprolings kicked onto the battlefield. “…into play.” should be “…onto the battlefield.”.
willows — Galvanic Discharge
CMC 4 may be a bit high, depending on the as-fan of instants and sorceries — I want to say that you want to be dealing four damage at CMC 4?
void_nothing — Mirari's Appearance
Hey, that name sounds familiar… The kicker is overpriced with X = 1 (see: Abzan Ascendancy and Titania's Boon). I like the flavor text.
mirrodin71 — Angel of Redemption
I think it's underpriced with flying. So is the kicker; direct reanimation in white costs four mana (Breath of Life, False Defeat, Resurrection). Should be “…enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, return target creature…”. Wrong name/typeline/P/T and OCR area fonts; you should download the font pack from msetemps on SourceForge. Missing set and language codes, as well as the copyright notice (™ & © 2016 Wizards of the Coast). You are also missing an artist credit link in your post. Please rectify this immediately.
Zervintz — Fiery Ball
I think both mana costs may be too low, but I'm not sure.
AnonymousBadger — Planar Devastation
I think the kicker may be underpriced??? The token clause should read ‘…put a 1/1 colorless Eldrazi Scion creature token onto the battlefield for each creature destroyed this way. It has “Sacrifice this creature: Add C to your mana pool.”’
2. Fiery Ball
3. Angel of Redemption
Safir Alliance | Hoennverse
Custom Sets
“Mind”: Preliminary Design | “Body”: Preliminary Design | “Spirit”: Preliminary Design
mirrodin71 - That text card formatting is unfortunately very hard to read, but hey, it's worth the effort: This is a fun rare that'd have a place in both Limited and Constructed. Angel of Redemption is a very simple but effective name, the design is clean and pushed but not overpowered, and frankly this seems at home in either a core set or an Avacyn Restored-type environment.
Zervintz - Miniature Elemental Appeal? Certainly not the most original design; there's some Skizzik in there too, not to mention Viashino Firstblade. But Ball Lightning-alikes that don't die at end of turn have always been interesting to me. Pity about the name.
AnonymousBadger - I'm not sure there should be such a thing as a five-mana colorless wrath effect. Of course, costing this any higher invites unfavorable comparisons to All Is Dust, and C in the cost is a little bit of a balancing agent, so I'm sure it's fine. Still, a card flavored around BFZ-era Ulamog destroying and not exiling is unpalatable; despite that, the kicker ability is clever and fun.
netn10 - I've seen this in the DCC before as a Naga, I think. And voted for it, even. Anyway, assessing this more soberly, this might be too good un-kicked, and not especially green, either. Let's not even get into playing this followed up by even something as innocuous as a Boar Umbra on it.
theazurespirit - This feels like a replacement for Sadistic Sacrament in the huge-effect rare kicker cycle from Zendikar. It's perfectly serviceable, but not exactly a compelling design. Single removal into mass removal on a kicker card is hardly an innovative idea.
Flatline - There's a certain cleanness to the modes here: Either they can get out of it by paying 2, or you make sure they can't get out of it by paying 2. I'm concerned the unkicked mode might be a bit too much, but hey, it only targets creature spells - could be a lot worse. The name is amusing in light of kicker.
1. mirrodin71
2. AnonymousBadger
3. Flatline
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
What I dislike is the narrow application of kicker. The cases where this isn't just a spell for 1GG are very rare. The gain from not having to pay the G when it dies anyways is negligible.
Plants with power and without defender are always a weird sight. So, if this was in my set file I'd cut the Kicker and make it a 1GG spell.
I wonder how a seed attacks. As a 1/1 no less. Stampeding Elk Herd comes close, I guess it's not overwhelmingly powerful.
Not sure when anyone would play this as a 1/1 for G. That kind of defeats the purpose of Kicker.
Let's start on the bad part: when you turn a thing that's generally a drawback into something good, don't also include that thing, but make the player pay for it.
That spoils the fun. First it reduces the fun of building around it. Second, what's the point of paying to turn something cheap that's bad into something good, when it then becomes expensive?
So that kicker is lame.
Now, that fist effect is great. It plays well, both with discard outlets and with discard effects. That's a great design. It might be too dangerous when it comes for 0 cost, so maybe it needs some mana slapped onto it, but that's no big concern.
It's the same concept I went for. Good card when you have what is asks for. If not, pay more and it supplies it.
The card would probably work great as an uncommon for limited. Might be worth a consideration.
It's a neat card for limited I guess. But the two colors weight heavy there. I like the twist of having to pay for the kicker with the ability to flash it.
A bit on the complex side though. I mean, you have so many lines of text for a card that doesn't do a whole lot.
Same concept. Needless to say I like it. The card works well with a saproling strategy, but can also do good on its own.
Getting three 4/4s for 3 mana seems brutal, but considering they turn into 1/1s once the Shepherd gets killed, that's fine.
Top3:
1. drewdagreek
2. bravelion83
3. Carl Miller
Multiple instances of lifelink on the same creature are redundant.
Multiple instances of lifelink on the same creature are redundant.
—Eli Shiffrin, Rules Manager, on a design stacking lifelink instances
2. willows Galvanic Discharge
3. Teraparsec Vine Ambush
Zervintz
AnonymousBadger
netn10
theazurespirit
Flatline
BrainPo
Groovelord - I like this. It would be a bomb in limited. I'm not sure how much I like the flavor text though.
micahmind - First, I'd like to point out that you've forgotten to give your card a rarity, which is a very important aspect of a Magic card. I assume this would be a rare? That said, the base card here is not black at all, and the mana cost and kicker cost seem rather odd together. I think this should probably cost with a kicker of .
doomfish - This is pretty cool. It's the Khans half of Palace Siege, with an Entomb kicker. It kinda seems like it should have some green in it since it can basically tutor for a creature, but I suppose mono-black is alright.
Teraparsec - Short, sweet, and simple. I like it. I would like it even more if it cost with a kicker cost of though. As it is now, it is much better for its kicker cost, considering the kicker is only 1 more mana.
ScuteMobster - This is pretty cool, although it has some memory issues. It would be better if it entered the battlefield with four +1/+1 counters on it and was named Sprout, and had trample as long as it has a +1/+1 counter on it. Although it would be less flavorful and elegant that way. Some flavor text would've been nice.
2nd: Teraparsec
3rd: doomfish
Might be too aggressively costed for a counterspell, but I quite like this design. If your opponent has 2 extra mana, you need 2 extra mana to counter the spell. The symmetry there is quite pleasing.
I don’t think this works within the rules. Spells don’t track what sources the mana spent on them came from. If it worked, it would be a decent, if annoying counterspell, though 4 blue mana is a really heavy restriction that would be really annoying for any deck that’s not monoblue.
The kicker effect is much more than a player should get for 2 mana on its own, but as an additional cost to an already fairly expensive spell, I think it’s fair. The base ability and the kicker synergize quite well together. I’d usually not want to play this unkicked, but there are situations in which I could see it happening. The dynamic is quite different from other kicker cards, and I think worth exploring.
WB in the casting cost and BB in the kicker cost makes this quite aesthetically imbalanced. There’s nothing black about the base card, so making it monowhite would have solved the color problem. The base ability and the kicker ability have a flavor connection, if a somewhat tenuous one, but mechanically speaking, the package isn’t tight enough to sell it as a unified whole.
The base effect is quite elegant and fairly costed, and the kicker cost synergizes with it in a great way. I like it.
A 3/3 with flash for 1GG is really strong, and killing a mid-sized attacker for 1G is quite powerful as well. Might be a bit too strong at the current cost. But it’s quite an elegant use of kicker, and I approve of it.
1. Doomfish
2. Flatline
3. Teraparsec