I warn you in advance, I know very little about any constructed meta game, but I tried my best.
1 — Design a card for Legacy. It cannot be mono-White. Mimic Mage1R
Creature - Goblin Wizard (R)
Whenever an opponent casts an instant or sorcery with converted mana cost 1 or less, you may copy that spell. If you do, you may choose new targets for the copy. "She may not be the strongest, or the smartest, but I've never seen anyone learn so fast." - Jakrav, Boros Embermage
2/2
2 — Design a two-colored commander of the type and color chosen in Round 1. It will be a headline commander for Commander 2018. Cthane, the Cavern Queen3UB
Creature - Gorgon Horror (M)
Flash
When Cthane enters the battlefield, destroy all creatures with power 0 or less. For each creature destroyed this way, create a 1/1 black Zombie artifact creature token unless its controller pays 1 life. 2U: Creatures target player controls get -1/-0 until end of turn. Activate this ability only while Cthane is in the command zone. “They invade my home, hunt my sisters and I, don’t they have families of their own to hunt?”
4/4
3 — Design a card for Modern. Study the Signs1U
Instant (U)
Convoke
Scry 2, then draw a card. The future belongs to those who've already seen it.
4 — Design a new card, or choose a card to downshift, for Pauper. Flickerwisp
I'm not feeling a "Form of the" card here, apart from setting your life total there's no mechanical link between the abilities, it's purely thematic to the point that it feels a little ham-fisted.
An interesting punisher design, my mind immediately starts thinking of ways to break it but I think most of its play would be in Commander. Biggest criticism is that 4 cards seems like too many, but it seems like too many both as a draw back and an upside, so it's probably just right.
I love this card from a flavor perspective, although I would've changed the name when I changed the colors, as a purely BW card being themed after Karona is a little jarring. I worry that it would lead to unfun gameplay as it demands an immediate removal spell from the opponent for them to not just lose while also encouraging the person who cast it to stop playing the game and do nothing but tap their clerics.
This is way too much work for a 7 mana sorcery, even if it wins you the game, I can't imagine any game where I manage to sculpt the perfect hand while also not just dying.
I like Form of the Sprite, it creates such a delicate balance of gameplay where you could die at any moment. My only complaint is that it only sets your life total once when it enters and if you can gain a bit of life you're suddenly miles ahead.
Five-Finger Discount is interesting, it encourages you to warp your draft if you get it early but I think that I'd probably pass it even if I opened it in pack 1 as there's too much chance of it just being a dead card. Even if you do manage to draft 5 copies of the same card, getting all 5 of them in play at once will almost never happen.
Form of the Octopus3UUU
Enchantment (R)
When Form of the Octopus enters the battlefield, your life total becomes 8.
At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, tap up to X target permanents that player controls, where X is your life total.
Soul-Link Mirror6
Artifact (M)
At the beginning of your end step, if you have the same number of cards in your hand as a teammate has in their graveyard and the same number of cards in your graveyard as a teammate has in their hand, you win the game. T: Exile target card from a graveyard. T: Target player puts the top card of their library into their graveyard. Opposites attract.
EDIT: Minor edit to fix a wording mix-up with kjsharp's permission
Yvarez, Eternal Seeker2RW
Legendary Creature - Spirit Warrior (R)
Creatures you control have haste.
Whenever a creature you control attacks, exile target creature you control. Return those cards to the battlefield under their owners' control at the beginning of the next end step.
3/2 In life he fought, for the love of a woman he could not have. In death he chases, for her touch that eludes him forever.
I had a couple of comments on the petrification counters, I used them because they already exist on Xathrid Gorgon and I wanted the minor tribal synergy taken into account.
I like the design of your common quite a bit but interacting with spells on the stack might be a little complex for a common. It also feels slightly underpowered, though having said that it would probably be too good if it were any stronger. The rare feels feels like a card that could see print today, good combination of red and blue effects creating an interesting decision tension.
Very strong uncommon, possibly too strong, a slightly below average body but a huge effect and one that makes a board state much more complex. The rare is very much in the vein of traditional lords, nothing too exciting, I could see it getting printed as part of a larger Dryad themed Commander pre-con.
I'm a little confused about your uncommon, am I exhausting one of the lands I used to cast it or an additional land, bumping the effective CMC up to 5.5(ish)? I'm not big on the rare, for a 5 mana flier 2/3 is quite small and I don't like creating effectively blank tokens that serve only to fuel Moonfolk abilities. The 2nd ability would also lead to uninteresting board states, incentivizing the Moonfolk player to sit back and activate abilities without attacking.
The uncommon is decent, if a little uninteresting, could probably be a common (maybe with a dash cost of 2R instead). I have a few issues with the rare, the 2nd ability is a little clunky, not a huge issue, but in addition the 1st ability is extremely powerful, reminiscent of both Meloku and Goblin Trenches, both cards that quickly take over games. While it does technically fill the requirements of the challenge, it doesn't feel like a lord to me personally.
Not a particularly interesting common but functionally fine. I don't fully understand the flavour of flying gorgons, though. No major issues with the rare other than the power level might be slightly pushed and that I'm not sure where the black is in this card.
Strong uncommon but not too strong, I like it a lot. The rare has a lot going on, it probably didn't need 3 different effects and arguably this could be a mono black card, the only red effect there is granting menace but black can do that too.
I'm not sure how to feel about your uncommon, it's very expensive but with an undersized body and an effect that, while being very big on paper, will often be a complete blank. The rare is very powerful and swingy, but I'm not sure why revealing a noncreature both exiles the revealed card then draws you another card on top of that.
Serpentine Gorgon2U
Creature - Gorgon Rogue (U)
Whenever Serpentine Gorgon attacks and isn't blocked, switch its power and toughness until end of turn.
2/4 "Which of us will blink first? I must warn you, I've never lost a staring contest."
Matriarch Hag3UB
Creature - Gorgon Wizard (R)
Gorgons you control can't be blocked by creatures with petrification counters on them.
Whenever a Gorgon you control deals combat damage to an opponent, choose one -
* Put a petrification counter on target creature that player controls.
* That player discards a card.
3/5
Just out of curiosity do basic lands count as naming a card? As far as I can tell it's within the rules of the challenge but it doesn't feel like it's in the spirit.
It would surely break one of the subchallenges. However, a "card named Forest" is already too much same as "basic Forest" which has been done before (Nissa's Pilgrimage). Then agains ther is Wastes and that does bot have a land type.
Just out of curiosity do basic lands count as naming a card? As far as I can tell it's within the rules of the challenge but it doesn't feel like it's in the spirit.
Guardian of Renewal1GG
Creature - Elf Druid (R)
When Guardian of Renewal enters the battlefield, you may exile up to one target creature card from your graveyard. If you do, create a colorless Forest land token with " : Add to your mana pool." If the exiled card was named Llanowar Elves or Elvish Mystic, create two of those tokens instead.
2/2
The card is fine if a little pushed, but I don't really feel the flavour of pegasi in red and making it an "elemental pegasus" feels like bending the challenge, since you're not really putting the tribe in another colour, you're making a one-off card which is both a red tribe and a white tribe.
The card isn't particularly exciting (though I'd slam this in just about any draft format) but I do enjoy efreets in black, there's definitely a trope of trickster genies that's coming through.
A fine card, though I wonder how much depth there is to BW gorgons as a lot of black and whites mechanical overlap doesn't really fit in with the flavour of gorgons.
Invalid entry due to rarity
Invalid entry due to rarity
I like Moonfolk in UW but I'm not the biggest fan of the card itself, it's hard to tell how powerful exhaust is as I've never played it but exert was quite good and this is a very strong ability, it makes blocking almost impossible and can be activated multiple times without having to dedicate this creature to the ability.
I'm not sure that this really follows the spirit of the challenge, even though it doesn't have an ultimate it does still follow the traditional plus and minus structure of other planeswalkers. Vanishing isn't a particularly fun mechanic and to create 2 permanents with vanishing every turn, which then all have to be kept track of, sounds like a massive headache.
This card hurts my brain, it might be fun to play on Magic Online or something that does all the work for you but anywhere else it seems like a nightmare.
I'm not the biggest fan of this card, the first ability is awkward and would lead to memory issues, I assume it's supposed to be until your next turn? None of the 3 abilities seem to justify the 5 mana cost or have any synergy with each other.
An interesting design, has a similar feel to Parallax Wave. I have some concerns about the power level of the middle ability but I like it overall.
At first I read this as number of creatures rather than total power and I think I like that version better, this one just seems a little too good. Most of the time you're going to be getting at least 1 extra combat out of her and then she just headbutts a few things on her way out which feels too efficient for 4 mana.
Very reminiscent of Marath, Will of the Wild, this doesn't have to remove counters from himself but has a built-in cap, I can't figure out if he's a little too strong or a little too weak which probably means he's just right.
1 — Design a card for Legacy. It cannot be mono-White.
Mimic Mage 1R
Creature - Goblin Wizard (R)
Whenever an opponent casts an instant or sorcery with converted mana cost 1 or less, you may copy that spell. If you do, you may choose new targets for the copy.
"She may not be the strongest, or the smartest, but I've never seen anyone learn so fast." - Jakrav, Boros Embermage
2/2
2 — Design a two-colored commander of the type and color chosen in Round 1. It will be a headline commander for Commander 2018.
Cthane, the Cavern Queen 3UB
Creature - Gorgon Horror (M)
Flash
When Cthane enters the battlefield, destroy all creatures with power 0 or less. For each creature destroyed this way, create a 1/1 black Zombie artifact creature token unless its controller pays 1 life.
2U: Creatures target player controls get -1/-0 until end of turn. Activate this ability only while Cthane is in the command zone.
“They invade my home, hunt my sisters and I, don’t they have families of their own to hunt?”
4/4
3 — Design a card for Modern.
Study the Signs 1U
Instant (U)
Convoke
Scry 2, then draw a card.
The future belongs to those who've already seen it.
4 — Design a new card, or choose a card to downshift, for Pauper.
Flickerwisp
An interesting punisher design, my mind immediately starts thinking of ways to break it but I think most of its play would be in Commander. Biggest criticism is that 4 cards seems like too many, but it seems like too many both as a draw back and an upside, so it's probably just right.
This is way too much work for a 7 mana sorcery, even if it wins you the game, I can't imagine any game where I manage to sculpt the perfect hand while also not just dying.
Five-Finger Discount is interesting, it encourages you to warp your draft if you get it early but I think that I'd probably pass it even if I opened it in pack 1 as there's too much chance of it just being a dead card. Even if you do manage to draft 5 copies of the same card, getting all 5 of them in play at once will almost never happen.
2. IcariiFA
3. netn10
Enchantment (R)
When Form of the Octopus enters the battlefield, your life total becomes 8.
At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, tap up to X target permanents that player controls, where X is your life total.
Soul-Link Mirror 6
Artifact (M)
At the beginning of your end step, if you have the same number of cards in your hand as a teammate has in their graveyard and the same number of cards in your graveyard as a teammate has in their hand, you win the game.
T: Exile target card from a graveyard.
T: Target player puts the top card of their library into their graveyard.
Opposites attract.
EDIT: Minor edit to fix a wording mix-up with kjsharp's permission
Legendary Creature - Spirit Warrior (R)
Creatures you control have haste.
Whenever a creature you control attacks, exile target creature you control. Return those cards to the battlefield under their owners' control at the beginning of the next end step.
3/2
In life he fought, for the love of a woman he could not have. In death he chases, for her touch that eludes him forever.
I didn't mean to create such a sad card, but it's infinite turns with Forerunner of the Coalition and Timestream Navigator nevertheless
2. IcariiFA
3. MahBoiiii
Creature - Gorgon Rogue (U)
Whenever Serpentine Gorgon attacks and isn't blocked, switch its power and toughness until end of turn.
2/4
"Which of us will blink first? I must warn you, I've never lost a staring contest."
Matriarch Hag 3UB
Creature - Gorgon Wizard (R)
Gorgons you control can't be blocked by creatures with petrification counters on them.
Whenever a Gorgon you control deals combat damage to an opponent, choose one -
* Put a petrification counter on target creature that player controls.
* That player discards a card.
3/5
Wow I totally spaced on the "not a land" part, I read the nonlegendary and then my brain just glazed over the rest.
Creature - Elf Druid (R)
When Guardian of Renewal enters the battlefield, you may exile up to one target creature card from your graveyard. If you do, create a colorless Forest land token with "
2/2
2. MahBoiii
3. Hemlock
1. void_nothing
2. Jimmy Groove
3. RaikouRider