We move now to a newer plane...the plane of Alara, reborn! As the five shards join together, the five colors of mana flow freely once again, mixing together in new and unique ways. This round, we explore two-colored gold cards...Alara Reborn style.
Round 3. Make a two-colored gold card.
Bonus: Its mana cost contains more of one colored mana symbol than the other colored mana symbol.(e.g. :2mana::symr::symr::symr::symg: or :symw::symw::symb:).
Bonus: Contains one or more of the following in the name or flavor text: "Alara", "Bant", "Esper", "Grixis", "Jund", or "Naya".
Main requirement: Hybrid isn't gold. Don't use hybrid mana. Technically you could do something like UU(U/R)R, but I would be disappointed in you.
EDIT: Artifacts can be gold too. An artifact with cost UUR is just as gold as a sorcery with the same cost, despite the gray border. Bonus 1: The examples above should be clear enough. Again, something like UU(U/R)R would qualify, but I would die a little inside. If you go for this bonus point, make sure the lopsided mana cost is justified. Don't just tack it on for a free point. Bonus 2: Self-explanatory.
Design (/10): What goes into the initialization of the card. Suggested areas to judge:
Elegance - Does it say a lot in a few words? Does the design just 'click' with the flavor?
Creativity - Does it present an old mechanic with a wonderful new twist? Does it make you slam the table and shout "Damn! Why didn't I think of that?" Does it conform with the current color pie (not necessarily an uncreative thing)?
Potential - Would this card be well-received by Spikes? Would you want to see this card in the [insert rarity] slot of a booster pack? Does the name and flavor text bring the whole setting in front of you?
Development (/10): The connecting process between the concept and the final product. Suggested areas to judge:
Viability - Does it work at all? Would it bend any current rules? Would it make baby Gottlieb cry?
Balance - Would it break any format? Or a limited format of an imaginary block with that theme? Basically the Balance score from before, except decreased in importance.
Creative Writing - I'm lumping Creative development here as well. Flavor text and name go under here.
Polish (/5): Bonus points, render points, deductions for spelling/grammar mistakes.
Player Deadline: May 22nd at midnight EST (when Friday becomes Saturday).
Judge Deadline: May 25th at midnight EST (when Monday becomes Tuesday).
The winner of each pair (as determined by the sum of the judges' scores) will advance.
Judging Rubric (adapted from Cantripmancer, originally from PlanesJaywalker) Design (/10): This is the initialization step of the card creation process: finding an idea, weighing it against history and environment, and achieving a believable execution.
---Elegance (/2) - Does it say a lot in a few words? Does the design just 'click' with the flavor?
---Creativity (/4) - Does it present an old mechanic with a wonderful new twist? Does it make you slam the table and shout "Damn! Why didn't I think of that?" How does it fit into the current color pie?
---Potential (/4) - Would this card be well-received by Spikes? Would you be happy to see this card in a booster pack? Do the name and flavor text feel like they suggest a bigger picture of the overall set? Development (/10): This is the connecting process between the concept and the final product: Hammering out the rules and wording, fine-tuning the balancing elements, letting the full potential of the Vorthosian elements shine through.
---Viability (/2) - Does it work at all? Would it bend any current rules? Would it make baby Gottlieb cry? If you're not sure your card works, you can check with a rules judge.
---Balance (/6) - Would it break any format? Or a limited format of an imaginary block with that theme? Basically the Balance score from before, except decreased in importance.
---Creative Writing (/2) - I'm lumping Creative development here as well. Flavor text and name go under here. Polish (/5): Bonus and overall technical quality.
---Bonus (/2) - Straightforward.
---Quality (/3) – Mostly a measure of technical errors. Spelling, grammar, formatting, render, wording, etc. If you're any less than 100% sure your card's spelling/grammar is correct, and/or English is not your native language, please check with a native English speaker to help polish your card.
DESIGN: 9/10 :rate5::rate4:
Elegance: 2/2 Stunning.
Creativity: 4/4 Very neat. This is the kind of card that I love to see. It doesn't need to create new mechanics or explore uncharted territory to be beautiful. It's also a really neat way to connect the two colors.
Potential: 3/4 Doesn't need to be legendary or mythic, it holds it back unnecessarily. Otherwise it's similar to Battlegrace Angel – slightly more expensive, but you don't need to attack to gain life.
DEVELOPMENT: 8.5/10 :rate5::rate3.5:
Viability: 2/2 Works fine.
Balance: 5/6 At first I was worried this was a little overpowered, but now I think that it's actually very well balanced or even slightly underpowered. Compared to Battlegrace Angel, it seems slightly weaker, but there are definitely situations where you'd want this instead (like if you're facing a Giltspire Avenger). The fact that you made it legendary and mythic, though, pushes it under the curve. That's the only real problem.
Creative Writing: 1.5/2 For a legendary creature, it doesn't have a legendary name. The flavor text is solid, albeit simple.
DESIGN: 7/10 :rate5::rate2:
Elegance: 1/2 I don't really get the flavor. Is it like…etherium can't be eaten since it's not flesh, so if a Grixis dude tries to eat an Esper dude, he won't be able to, and therefore he will stop moving, which is stagnancy, which is like ending a phase? Seems like a pretty big stretch.
Creativity: 3/4 Time Stop variant. Much different applications, though, which makes it creative despite its simplicity.
Potential: 3/4 No way should this be mythic. Rare, yes. Mythic, absolutely not. However, it has enough applications to make it useful for sure. It's better than Punish Ignorance at least.
DEVELOPMENT: 6.5/10 :rate5::rate1.5:
Viability: 1/2 Well, which is it? Step or phase? Or do you get to choose? I'll treat it as though you get to choose, since there is some difference between ending the combat damage step and ending the combat phase.
Balance: 4/6 Well, let's consider the many many many applications of this card. Assuming you can choose to end either the current step or phase, what could you do?
-End your opponent's upkeep. This would only be used in emergencies, like if he has a Helix Pinnacle that you need to hold off for just one more turn.
-End your opponent's draw step. Might be useful, but seems kind of wasteful unless you have Font of Mythos.
-End your own draw step. This could stop you from decking, but if you need to play a spell to stop you from decking, you're probably screwed anyway.
-End your opponent's beginning phase. Pretty much just the two previous ones combined.
-End your opponent's first or second main phase. Not gonna do much except act as a Counterspell.
-End your opponent's beginning of combat step, declare attackers step, declare blockers step, or end of combat step. Any of these would only be useful to stop various triggered abilities.
-End your opponent's combat phase. This would basically be a preemptive Fog.
-End the combat damage step. This would basically be a Fog.
-End the end phase. I have no idea what would happen. Either it would do nothing, or it would stop damage from wearing off, or it would create some sort of infinite loop. Probably the universe would explode.
So basically…this is a counterspell with a few other applications. It can Fog, which is a great addition to a counterspell, and it can stop triggered abilities and some activated abilities. However, its mana cost is strange. What is black about this at all? Nothing. Time Stop is mono blue, and so should this be. If anything it should be blue-green, like Voidslime and Fog (or possibly blue-white). It seems you just threw in black for flavor reasons, which might have been all right if the flavor made any sense. However, color aside, it's a surprisingly useful card. It counters pretty much anything or fogs, which is worth the price.
Creative Writing: 1.5/2 Doesn't make sense with the flavor, but it's not bad.
POLISH: 5/5
Bonus: 2/2 Yep.
Quality: 3/3 Flavor text should have a comma, but it's not a big enough deal to take off points. Not sure how well it would work in every situation, but I already took off for that in Viability. Otherwise it's fine.
DESIGN: 8.5/10 :rate5::rate3.5:
Elegance: 2/2 The extortion theme is very well done. The flavor ties in well with the mechanics.
Creativity: 3.5/4 A neat "revenge!" card that is solid in duel and a lot of fun in multiplayer. It's basically just a token producer, though.
Potential: 3/4 Aside from the weird colors (see below), it's a strong card, and with a little work could be an excellent addition to any Esper deck.
DEVELOPMENT: 7.5/10 :rate5::rate2.5:
Viability: 2/2 Works fine.
Balance: 4/6 Why is this not an artifact creature? I saw your card early on in the round and specifically put the "artifacts are allowed" reminder just for you (and one other player). Also the Thopters should be artifacts. Thopters are always artifacts. Anyway, as for the actual balance…Let's first consider duel. Normally a token producer likes to make tokens during combat or at the end of your opponent's turn. The Extortionist has a very good token producing ability, with the drawback that you usually are going to be forced to use it at the beginning of your upkeep, a less advantageous time. However, you can still make a lot of Thopters, which is awesome. The mana cost is also weird. Why is it white at all, let alone two white? It seems like much more of a blue-black card. I could see it as costing 2UB but 1WWB doesn't make much sense. The tap cost could also be UB to account for the life loss element. I think 3/2 is better than 2/2 (and even 3/3 would be good, because it balances out the opponent's ability to tap it. They may not even care about tapping it if you're just going to use the ability anyway, but if you make it a threat on the battlefield, then it becomes a more important decision whether or not to tap it. So maybe a 3/3 for 1WUB or something).
Creative Writing: 1.5/2 Usually first-person flavor text is in quotes (cf. Baleful Stare). The flavor text isn't great (it's a little too obvious and straightforward) but the cardname is very good, and you only had one line of flavor text to work with anyway.
POLISH: 4.5/5
Bonus: 2/2 Yep.
Quality: 2.5/3 The text card says 3/2, the render says 2/2. I believe we are supposed to treat the text card as the official submission so I will consider it 3/2 in the balance section. -.5
DESIGN: 6/10
Elegance: 1/2 The design is a bit redundant. If you have 20 permanents with exalted, you should have already won the game.
Creativity: 3/4 Seems reasonably creative. It doesn't leap out, though.
Potential:2/4 This is really a Bant card, and it would make more sense with blue in its mana cost. It does have blue in the activated ability cost, but the only reason I can imagine for doing it that way is to meet the round requirement, which leads to poor design. This can gradually get you more exalted than just playing dudes with exalted, but at its high cost and slow grind, it seems more advantageous to just play more dudes. Yes it can double up exalted (or more if you have multiple copies), but you still need dudes to attack with; and if you're playing a token-based strategy anyway, you'll probably want to attack with more than one of them at a time. I can imagine some people liking this card, but it seems more likely that it would just get dismissed as jank.
DEVELOPMENT: 7/10 :rate5::rate2:
Viability: 2/2 Works fine except for a small error (see below).
Balance: 3/6 If you have multiples of this, the exalted doubles up. (However, it doesn't double up with multiple counters.) And if one dies, the counters stay, so you can play a second one and get the exalted back. However, as mentioned above, the activated ability seems like overkill. True, there are situations where it can come in handy (like if the opponent can prevent you from attacking), but only in horribly long and drawn-out games. (20 permanents is also a huge number. If you even have 20 permanents, you should already have won the game.) I guess you could build your strategy around stalling, but that's just not very fun. I get the feeling Timmies would be really excited to play this card, but then get frustrated when it doesn't really do anything for them. An enchantment with exalted really needs to do something else that's immediately useful in order for it to be worth playing (cf. Ardent Plea, Finest Hour, and Angelic Benediction).
Creative Writing: 2/2 Very good.
POLISH: 4.5/5
Bonus: 2/2 Yep.
Quality: 2.5/3 Please include some sort of copyright line. -.25
It should be "have exalted" rather than "gain exalted." -.25
Esper Lyrist XWWU
Artifact Creature {R}
As Esper Lyrist comes into play, put a bribery counter on each of X target creatures.
Creatures with bribery counters on them can’t attack or block.
At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a bribery counter any creature. If you do, draw a card.
2/3
Well, I revamped one of my old designs to create this little gem!
Virtue of the Amesha 2GWW
Enchantment
Rare
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put a sigil counter on target permanent.
Permanents with sigil counters on them gain exalted.
1GWU: If you control twenty or more permanents with exalted, you win the game.
The assembly of all the angels of Bant is a rare occasion, occurring only on holidays and during a time of immense crisis when the sanctity of Bant must be championed.
Etherium Coatl :symg::symu::symu:
Artifact Creature - Snake R
Flash (you may play this spell any time you could play an instant.)
Sacrifice Etherium Coatl: Counter all other spells, activated abilities, and triggered abilities unless any player pays :3mana:. From the magics of the coatl and the metals of Esper, a new weapon was born. 2/2
Its mana cost contains more of one colored mana symbol than the other colored mana symbol.(e.g. :2mana::symr::symr::symr::symg: or :symw::symw::symb:).
Contains one or more of the following in the name or flavor text: "Alara", "Bant", "Esper", "Grixis", "Jund", or "Naya".
Tainted Etherium 1UUB
Instant {M}
End the current step or phase. (Remove all spells and abilities on the stack from the game, including this card.) Where Esper’s etherium met Grixis’ consumption existence itself became stagnant.
Arcane Alteration 1UUB
Instant {Unc}
Counter target spell, then search your library for a card with converted mana cost less than or equal to that spell’s converted mana cost, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library. To defend their homeland, Esper transmuters learned to work with magic as well as metal.
Round 3. Make a two-colored gold card.
Bonus: Its mana cost contains more of one colored mana symbol than the other colored mana symbol.(e.g. :2mana::symr::symr::symr::symg: or :symw::symw::symb:).
Bonus: Contains one or more of the following in the name or flavor text: "Alara", "Bant", "Esper", "Grixis", "Jund", or "Naya".
Design - */10:
Elegance - */2 - How does the card look and read? Are there any awkwardly phrased sections? Does the flavour click with the mechanics? Does it feel clunky or wordy?
Creativity - */5 - Is this just the next logical step for an existing ability or archetype or is this something innovative? How well is the innovation executed as a playable card?
Potential - */3 - Who would play this card? Would it be good in draft or sealed? Does the rarity fit? Would the flavour geeks like it? Development - */10:
Viability - */2 - Does this bend or break any rules? Does the card even work? Is it phrased correctly?
Balance - */6 - How strong is the card? Will it break or warp a format? Is it utter garbage?
Creative Writing - */2 - How good/evocative are the name and flavour text? Do they match each other and what the card does? Polish - */5:
Bonus - */2 - See each round's bonus requirements.
Quality - */3 - Deductions for spelling/grammar/syntax and other mistakes. Does this read/look like something WotC would print? Total - */25
KrtZer0
Design - 4.5/10:
Elegance 2/2 - no problems here
Creativity 1/5 - using an existing ability in a completely wrong way. No more no less. A bribery counter means your actually giving your opponent something. What is it here?
Potential 1.5/3 - a possible yet not so exciting addition to control decks in constructed. Basically a total Pacifism effect and a card drawing engine. Also a good pick in limited to help stop your opponents early beaters. Development - 6/10:
Viability 1/2 - There's a major issue here. I'm not really sure what happens when one of the targets is not there anymore. Does the whole ability fizzle, or do you get to put the bribery counters on the rest of the targets? I think even the rules guru would have a tough time with this. I'm pretty sure you should remove the targeting from this ability.
Balance 4/6 - This card is weaker than Gwafa Hazid. for 4 mana you get a one turn pacifism, a 2/3 creature and you get to draw a card whenever you have what you need to stop the creature. I think this should actually be an uncommon. I don't see this card breaking any format. It's too expensive for constructed decks, and its effect on limited decks will be minimal.
Creative Writing 1/2 - I love how the lyrist is enchanting creatures and rendering them useless. Polish - 5/5:
Bonus 2/2 - all good.
Quality 3/3 - I'm gonna assume you just forgot to make the wording corrections to the text version of your card since it's ok on the render. Render is awesome by the way. Total Score: 16.5/25
Kenaron Design - 6/10:
Elegance 2/2 - This will catch my attention with its beautiful art. Definitely scary.
Creativity 1/5 - A big creature that grows bigger and deals damage selectively. Nothing we've never seen before. My reaction was "meh".
Potential 3/3 - An excellent addition to black/red decks in constructed and definitely a bomb in limited. Development - 8/10:
Viability 2/2 - No rules broken. Card phrased well.
Balance 6/6 - The mana cost fits. The rarity is deserved with both of its effects and power level. It won't break any formats as there are a lot of similar cards in the multiverse.
Creative Writing 0/2 - The name is really good, but it has nothing to do with the flavor of the card. The jund part does, but the hoardbreaker part is off. Polish - 5/5:
Bonus 2/2 - bonus ok.
Quality 3/3 - no issues. Total Score: 19/25
Vexhel
Design - 8/10:
Elegance 2/2 - Love the shiny art and good proportion of rules to flavor text.
Creativity 4/5 - Definitely seen this mechanic before but I don't think I've seen one that ties to your hand size.This card is definitely more green than blue, I would say a ratio of 10:1, but 3 G to 1 U is good enough. Definitely a build around card.
Potential 2/3 - This is a card I would not want to see on my opponents field especially against a blue deck with its card drawing engines. Could see a lot of play in constructed, but its heavy green requirement could be a turn off in limited. Development - 8.5/10:
Viability 2/2 - I don't see this card breaking any rules. There have been other ones like it.
Balance 5/6 - This is definitely a powerful card. And the "may add X mana" makes it immensely powerful. Getting to play a creature on your turn and then have all your land open to counter anything your opponent plays is definitely something scary. I'm glad you costed it at 1GGGU because it deserves this mana cost with a crown. And no questions this card is a rare. There might be a combo deck out there that abuses this card, but that's what the game is about after all.
Creative Writing 1.5/2 - Fitting name. Flavor text is bland but not off. Polish - 5/5:
Bonus 2/2 - bonus ok.
Quality 3/3 - No issues. Total Score: 21.5/25
krynthe Design - 8/10:
Elegance 2/2 - Fitting art and just enough flavor text to make this card worth a second look.
Creativity 3/5 - a group of existing abilities merged to form a very synergetic card. I just HATE the mana cost. 1UUBB would have been easier to digest.
Potential 3/3 - Definitely a very powerful card with its double-edged sword. If CRUElUltimatUm finds place in a constructed and limited decks, then I would definitely see this too as a 1-of or 2-of in those decks. Development - 5/10:
Viability 2/2 - Nothing new to warrant any issues, just some old mechanics merged together.
Balance 1/6 - Playing something from your opponent's hand is definitely an expensive operation. And I believe that UUUBBis not enough. And as if that wasn't enough, you let the player do it without paying its cost AND the opponent still loses life equal to the converted mana cost!! I personally think you should add another 3 mana to that cost to actually balance the effect to cost. As I said above, definitely a great addition to constructed control decks, and an atomic bomb in limited.
Creative Writing 2/2 - Name and flavor text very well done. The synergy with the flavor and mechanic is perfect. Polish - 4.5/5:
Bonus 2/2 - bonus ok.
Quality 2.5/3 - Should say "..choose a card from it. You may .." Total Score: 17.5/25
I had this great shard card going until I reread the rules. Reading is FUNdamental kids!
Text
Angel of Knowledge - 2WWU
Legendary Creature - Angel (Mythic Rare)
Flying
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may reveal any number of blue cards from your hand. Gain 1 life for each card revealed this way. Bant turned to the angels for knowledge of their new foes.
4/4
Art - Ernest F. Varner
Conscious Theft UUUBB
Sorcery - {R}
Look at target player’s hand and choose a card from it, you may play that card without paying its mana cost. That player loses life equal to the converted mana cost of the chosen card. “Little will she know, for her thoughts weren’t the only thing we removed from her head.”
—Nxlylx, Grixis battlemage
Esper Extortionist 1WWB
Creature - Human Artificer (U)
At the beginning of your upkeep, any player may tap a nonland permanent he or she controls. If a player does, tap Esper Extortionist. U,t: Put a 1/1 blue Thopter creature token with flying into play. Target opponent loses 1 life. It's up to you whether or not I shall aid your foe.
3/2
Asha, Light of New Alara2WWWU
Legendary Artifact Creature - Angel {M}
Flying, vigilance, protection from instants and sorceries
Each other creature you control has exalted for each of its colors As she rose from the etherium laced borders, the sigils of Bant lost their luster to the natural gleam of the reunited Alara.
3/4
Artist Credit: Julianna Kolakis
sorry for the lateish slight alterations... and the slightly shoddy Alara Reborn expansion symbol...
Jund Hoardbreaker3BRR
Creature - Giant Warrior {M}
Whenever another creature is put into a graveyard from play, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Jund Hoardbreaker.
You may divide Jund Hoardbreaker’s combat damage as you choose among any number of creatures defending player controls.
5/5
Esper Ghede WBB
Artifact Creature - Hag R
Flash
When Esper Ghede comes into play, you may put target creature in your graveyard on top of your library. U, Sacrifice Esper Ghede: The next spell you play this turn has Cascade.
Her call is to herald those souls who have not yet fulfilled their purpose.
2/3
art by banuandaru at deviantart.com
Design - X/10:
Elegance and Flavor - X/3 - How does the card look and read? Does the flavor click with the mechanics? Does it feel clunky or wordy? The card name, subtype, and flavor text are all looked at here.
Creativity - X/4 - How creative is your card? Is it completely new or is it an old idea with a new twist?
Viability - X/3 - Does the card fit into the color wheel? Does it break or bend rules of the game? Development - X/10:
Balance in Formants - X/3 - Will the card break or warp a format? Constructed, limited, and multiplayer formats will be judged here.
Power Level - X/3 - How powerful is the card alone or with other cards? Does the card's cost match its power?
Templating - X/3 - Is the card phrased right? Are the rules placed in their correct area?
Rarity - X/1 - Is the card the right rarity? Polish - X/5:
Bonus - X/2 - Does the card meet the round's bonus requirements.
Quality - X/3 - Deductions for spelling/grammar/syntax and other mistakes. Does the whole of the card fit together? This includes the art and flavor of the card. Total - X/25
MtgColorPie Design – 7.5/10: Elegance and Flavor – 2.5/3 – I like everything about your card except for the fluff. I understand what knowledge has to do with the angel but I don’t feel that she has anything to do with Bant’s enemy shards. She doesn’t look like a secret weapon against Bant’s foes. Creativity - 2/4 – Big angels for 5 mana have been done before. I like how you have an interesting twist with the life gaining. Viability - 3/3 – This fits perfect in white and blue. Development – 8.5/10: Balance in Formants - 3/3 – This will not break any formant. I can see it being played in all formants. Power Level – 2.5/3 – I’m comparing your card to Battlegrace Angel. Both have the same cost, power, and toughness. Battlegrace has to attack to gain life but can gain more life. With your angel you can gain life every turn at the price of showing information. I think what makes this card a little bit weaker is that is relies on blue cards and that it is legendary. I feel that your card shouldn’t be legendary because there are other angels priced for five mana with just as powerful effects. Templating - 3/3 – Everything is fine. Rarity - 0/1 – I feel this card does not merit mythic but gold. Polish - 5/5: Bonus - 2/2 - Perfect. Quality - 3/3 – Nothing wrong. Cool art. Total - 21/25
Emo Pinata Design – 5.5/10: Elegance and Flavor – 1.5/3 – I like the idea of where you are going at but I think the card’s name sound like an object or that you are tainting someone’s etherium. Creativity – 1.5/4 – This is just Time stop except that it costs less and is restricted. Viability – 2.5/3 – I can see blue and black but I feel it is more of a blue ability (ending turns or taking extra turns). Development – 7/10: Balance in Formants - 2/3 – I don’t think your card would break formants but I can see it being used with time stop to make an annoying deck. This will strengthen blue and black by a lot in standard (with or without faeries) especially if blue has strong control spells. Power Level - 2/3 – I’m comparing your card to Time Stop. Your card can stop these phases or their steps: beginning, precombat main, combat, postcombat main, and end. Your card isn’t as powerful as time spot because it can only pinpoint a part of a turn but it is cheaper. I think most of the time this card will be used to stop phases and not steps. Most of the time this card will be countering a spell or stoping attackers but everyonce and a while you’ll use it for something weird, like stopping multiple upkeep abilities. Templating – 2/3 –The reminder text should tell more about what happens to certain phases: if the end phase is stopped, damage wears off, hand sizes have to be discarded, and so on should be mentioned. Timestop had the bonus of always ending the turn. Rarity - 1/1 – Ending phases or steps is powerful. Polish - 5/5: Bonus – 2/2 - Check. Quality - 3/3 - Perfect. Total – 17.5/25
cannon Design - 6/10: Elegance and Flavor - 2/3 – I like how you came up with your own idea of Asha. I wonder why she is only part bant and esper and not of the other shards, if she would be the new alara Asha? I could see her the way she is but without being an artifact (making her just the old Asha from bant returning). Creativity - 2/4 – Big powerful flyers have been done before but I do like how yours is an interesting twist relying on creatures to max her out. Viability - 2/3 – This fits perfect with White and Blue. Although I feel like her being artifact is unnecessary. Development – 8/10: Balance in Formants - 2/3 – I can see decks using her in standard and multiplayer. In limited I can’t see her as a top pick. Because she has a hard casting cost and that to us her last ability you need multicolored creatures. In a draft you’d probably go into just white and blue. Power Level - 2/3 – I think this card was balanced pretty well. She can’t be killed by spells, unless they are mass removal. She can be chump blocked and you can hurt her by other creatures. She uses other multicolored creatures for the deathblow (which would be in one or two turns). Templating - 3/3 – Everything is fine. Rarity - 1/1 – This would be mythic. Polish - 5/5: Bonus - 2/2 - Does the card meet the round's bonus requirements. Quality - 3/3 – Nothing wrong. Cool symbol for the card and a good picture for her too. Total - 19/25
DanceofMany DanceofMany Design – 6.5/10: Elegance and Flavor - 2.5/3 – The name and fluff fit well together. I think your art is a little bit too digital. Creativity – 2/4 – This is just a mix between a counter spell and tutor. Viability - 3/3 – This fits perfectly into its color scheme. Development – 7/10: Balance in Formants – 2.5/3 – Your card will not reshape every formant or even break the game. This will be used in all formants. Power Level – 1.5/3 – This card has one major weakness and one major plus. The weakness is that the spell you counter will determine what card you can tutor. The pro is that you always get a free card. I think one part of your card that makes it very powerful is that you can tutor for another counter spell (even another copy of itself). Templating - 3/3 – Everything is fine. Rarity - 0/1 – This would be gold. Polish - 5/5: Bonus - 2/2 - Check. Quality - 3/3 - Fine. Total – 18.5/25
Citadel of Bant1WWU
Enchantment (U)
Exalted (Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Untapped creatures you control get +0/+2.
Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, you may untap it.
Primal Mana1GGGU
Enchantment {R}
At the beginning of your precombat main phase, you may add up to X mana of any color to your mana pool, where X is the number of cards in your hand. After the fusion of the Shards, people of Alara discovered new sources of power, but only the wisest found out how to exploit them.
Lahar Plowbeast (R)
:2mana::symr::symg::symg:
Creature - Beast
When Lahar Plowbeast comes into play, search your library for up to five basic land cards and put them into play tapped. Then shuffle your library.
Whenever Lahar Plowbeast is dealt damage, sacrifice that many lands.
5/5 “Farming in Jund? I might as well plant my crops on a stove!”
- Ruifen, Cylian farmer
Sounds great, i should have them done tonight, after the brackets or tommorow night.
One quick thing: I don't suppose there is a link or some sort of how-to-do for the proper templating of a card. Templating errors are the ones that I always seem to overlook, despite double and triple checking...
Design
Creativity /4
0: The card is a reprint or functional reprint of an existing card.
1: The card has heavy mechanical or flavorful similarities to existing cards.
2: The card is either unique to no particular purpose, or heavily familiar without pushing any boundaries.
3: The card has strong elements of any two of the three of uniqueness, familiarity, and satisfying a need.
4: The card has all three elements.
Elegance /3
0: The card has too much text, lacks purpose, and lacks function.
1: The card has two of the three qualities, or is a paroxysm of one of them.
2: The card is on the fair side of plain, or exactly as complex as it needs to be.
3: The card is a poem.
Identity /3
0: The card represents no imaginable setting, context, or role.
1: The only feasible place for the card is in a setting built around it, and even then it doesn't make as good use of that setting as other easily imaginable cards may.
2: The card has a healthy sense of what it is doing in a setting we've either seen before or could reasonably predict.
3: The card brings the setting to you in a meaningful way.
Development
Viability /4
0: The card reflects an idea that the game of Magic cannot contain or abide.
1: The card would alienate its intended player psychographic.
2: The card appeals weakly to each player psychographic, moderately to one, or has average appeal and reflects an idea that is somewhat misplaced in the game of Magic.
3: The card has strong appeal to one or more psychographics and pushes the boundaries of the color wheel, or vice versa.
4: The card is equally or more viable to existing, liked cards.
Balance /3
0: The card has an effect far too great for the cost, or a cost far too great for the effect.
1: The card has a questionable cost-to-effect balance, but fulfills a niche.
2: The card is just a little too powerful or a little too weak for what it is.
3: The card executes an effect that costs exactly what you pay for it in a realistic tournament or casual setting.
Execution /3
0: The idea of the card can be executed in some provably better way.
1: The card on the whole obscures its own intent.
2: The card as a whole feels reasonably complete and contained.
3: There does not exist a better way to express the idea of the card.
Polish /5
Bonus /2
0: Satisfies neither bonus condition.
1: Satisfies only one bonus condition.
2: Satisfies both bonus conditions.
Quality /3
Up to three points may be subtracted from this score for mismatches, typos, misspellings, missing or incomplete information, and general awfulness.
Card:Esper Extortionist
Do you have insurance for your etherium? You didn't know you needed it? Oh, well, all kinds of things could happen if you don't pay for insurance.
Design
Creativity 2.5/4
You've clearly marked out a space that doesn't quite exist yet. Wizards explored this space with rhystic magic before, but here's the reason it didn't come back: players don't like it when their abilities have a chance to fail. Most at least accept that anything can be countered or undone, but when it is so easily undone, no one wants to bother to take the chance. Esper Extortionist is unique, sure, but doesn't satisfy much of a need.
Elegance 1.5/3
For the ability to put people on a clock, his cost is alright. The unbalanced (round bonus) cost feels more like heavy black than heavy white, but that's too mincing to say for certain one way or another, so okay. What I'm really docking in the elegance department here is the departure smoothness. His first ability is...a way to stop his second one? That's the opposite of internal synergy, and rather grating against elegance.
Identity 1.5/3
He's a token maker, tap artist, recurring damage engine uncommon.
But.
He's not any of those things directly. He's all of them poorly. You get one point for having the correct rarity for any of those effects combined, and half a point for putting logical abilities for colors in those colors. As for setting, he oughta be an artifact creature himself. It wouldn't hurt much, and would help him be from esper.
Development
Viability 1/4
Card alienates its intended demographic. Allow things to be all upside and you'll see a wonder of greater approval from the audience. It just doesn't feel like he's the one doing the extorting here, it feels like your opponents have him on a chain and he's trying his best to steal their souls and make thopter tokens. I'm putting down that the first ability is nigh unprintable for being chafing.
Balance 3/3
For what it is, this is the right cost. Little more to say about that.
Execution 2/3
The card does feel complete, almost to a fault. I'm going to cite once more the sense that your opponents are the ones doing the extorting. The point you lose from here is for the fact that you could actually respond to the first ability by tapping the guy for his ability, thereby taking the choice away from them...taking away the choice that appears to be the point of the card.
Polish 4/5
Bonus 2/2
Has Esper in the name and more white mana symbols than black.
Quality 2/3
He's a 2/2 in the render and a 3/2 in the text card. Also he really should be an artifact creature and so should his thopters. You maybe should have left the word "artifact" in and scuttled the flavor text (which is mediocre here).
Card: Virtue of the Amesha
Hah, see, see, patience is a virtue! That's what this virtue is, I get it and agree with it and you should all be patient with me in return yeah? Okay, moving. (I'll take the time to think of an actual joke next time I promise).
Design
Creativity 4/4
Honestly, yes, all three elements. Familiar in a huge enchantment that can win the game. New in a thing that makes more exalted happen. Unique in overall effect. I just can't bust the creativity in this card.
Elegance 1.5/3
But a poem it ain't. Having 8 lines of text certainly doesn't help it feel concise, and it builds with all the sterility of a Darksteel Reactor. I can understand not wanting to have a trigger for the win condition as intervening ifs can ruin everyone's fun, but the ability feels wrong as an activated ability. They've paid and waited patiently already, don't make them pay more mana.
Identity 3/3
Bant oughta have a way to make the player feel like the one who is becoming exalted, which I presume is the big idea here. Assemble enough of an army and they promote _you_ to godhood. This enchantment is fully Bant in flavor, and fully Johnny in scope.
Development
Viability 3/4
Not pushing too much too far. It feels like it should be more white than green for the cost, and it is. It feels like a huge gradual win condition that you can help along with deck construction, and it is. What it shouldn't have is an activated ability, or, perhaps, swapping the role of the upkeep trigger and the activated ability. Otherwise perfectly printable as is at that rarity.
Balance 2.5/3
Twenty? Really 20? That seems like rather a lot. Considering what exalted does, I oughta be able to win by then with damage i.e. Mayael's Aria (which wouldn't get a 3 here in my book either, by the way), but at least the area was much cheaper. Five mana feels really hefty for either of the enchantment's effects, especially since more sigil counters on the same guy still only afford it one instance of exalted. Frowny face.
Execution 2/3
The big idea is there, but as I suggested before, some of the roles feel out of sequence or misplaced. Rather pretty on the whole. The flavor text makes me glad of the origin of the word "holiday," and is just a little obtuse for a Magic card. Now...as an excerpt from a Magic novel.
Polish 4/5
Bonus 2/2
Has Bant in the flavor text and has two white mana symbols to one green.
Quality 2/3
The static ability should probably claim those permanents "have exalted" rather than gain it, i.e. my favorite lord ever.
MagicProfessor28 20
KeeperofZion 15.5
Scupper me. I seem to have mere minutes left to do this in. Apologies. I'll do Keeperofzion and MagicProfessor28 now and Gifts later if that's okay. I figure two hurried movements will be less hurried than three. I also request a little extra time, maybe as much as an hour.
Apologies.
EDIT: Those are they. I admit, yes, I was rushed and did do all this in a short span of time. I do feel that even if I didn't get the numbers to my exact liking, I have passed on the overall intent the same way as if I had done these in an entire afternoon.
Also, for Gifts, I'll post my thoughts tomorrow once I have any left. I am frankly amazed at what has happened to me all this weekend to bring me here. Short answer is that I had to read poetry.
The difference between a good Aztec paint job and a bad one is how many coatls you apply.
Design
Creativity 1/4
Hoo boy. We begin by mentioning Mystic Snake. If you paint that snake artifact colors, change its triggered ability into an activated one, and shave a single colorless mana off the cost, you would end up with something damn close to Etherium Coatl already. Then we mention Voidslime, which if you gave it a body (even an ephemeral one), changed its ability from a hard counter to a mana leak, and made it repeat for everything on the stack, would be damn close to this card.
Now. There is plenty of room to explore the new while respecting the old; means of giving players something familiar, callbacks, shout outs to older cards. This just is not the way to go about that. This wants to be a reprint.
Elegance 1.5/3
This card could be much simpler. First and foremost by making it an honest spell rather than a snake. Let's see how it works as Voidslime 2.0 with the "counter everything" angle and Mana Leak nature. It by and large accomplishes the same thing, and doesn't muck about with being a snake, an artifact, having flash. And I assure you that ability has sufficient power, scope, and complexity to justify the rare status, as it is a complexity creep above Voidslime. I get that any player needs to be able to pay the leak because the effect doesn't target things, but that part feels a little uneasy and certainly offbeat. On the whole the card is crammed with too many features.
Identity 2.5/3
A rare level, somewhat complex sweeping counterspell would be some kindof nice in a format full of cascadechains. Perhaps even at home somewhere where spells went wild. Where this card lives, people will find ways to leave 3 open, or ways of not filling the stack with things like upkeep triggers. Furthermore it is right at home in Alara, for being multicolored, an artifact, and a coatl. The reason this isn't a perfect score is because Doug Beyer's squad made a flavor point of using the Coatl as an opposition to etherium. So really, we could ditch the artifact nature and be fine flavorwise. Probably better off.
Development
Viability 2/4
Spike. Spike spike spike spike. Spiketey spike. Yep, then he tapped his two islands and his forest and he countered all 50 of my spells and Kumano activations. And all of my Wee Dragonauts triggers, too.
What's wrong with this story? We'll get to that in a minute. The card clearly appeals to Spike and does so well by representing efficiency, versatility, and power. Although also the potential downside of being shut off or turned into a flashy Grey Ogre. Okay, this snake is never really going to be an ogre, so long as people still play anything that uses the stack.
It appeals well, but it may not be able to exist in the game of magic because...
Balance 0.5/3
Ta da! Mystic Snake was really good. Highly efficient, versatile, tutorable, and a rude surprise every single time. Etherium Coatl would be all that, more tutorable because he's an artfact, 1 cheaper and vastly more versatile thanks to also being a Stifle-leak. And the tradeoff for this increased power is the ability to pay 3? That's just not enough to balance this out. Cost him like an actual Mystic Snake and we can talk. Yes, Mystic Snake leaves his body behind when you get the counter, but that's barely relevant in the face of trading X-for-1 on the stack, where X is the number of things your opponents have put there. Heck, the self-sac part could even be an upsideover Mysty. Dial down the power level.
Execution 2/3
I'm a little astonished at how well the whole card comes together despite my assertions that it shouldn't be an artifact, probably shouldn't be a creature, shouldn't have an activated ability and shouldn't have flash and so on. The best "fix" for the idea behind this card is to either fully make it a Swift Silence-Mana Leak-Voidslime blend, or to simply leave it as is and tack 1 on to the cost. For what it is, the artwork, flavor text, power-toughness, the whole package is rather neat. Downright suspiciously fitting illustration.
Polish 5/5
Bonus 2/2
Has two blue to one green mana symbol, and the flavor text says "Esper" in.
Quality 3/3
I would note here that the reminder text for Flash on a rare probably wouldn't be there. It doesn't harm the card overall, so not worth a quality point docking.
Total: 14.5
I kinda want to go play Snake Man's stage in Mega Man 3 now.
Resistance? What do you mean?
Personally, I think you designed a great card this round and would likely have made it through anyway.
Hahaha, thanks.
I figured I'd have to put some more effort into this card, as the stakes are getting higher! This should be made into a reality TV show, with loads of suspense music, and the judges all being "cold exterior but it's all for the development of the contestants" stereotypes. Hehehe.
The reference to resistance is from Magic tournaments. If you get a bye, it can be bad for resistance. (It was a joke ^.^)
Discussion Thread
May Round 1
May Round 2
We move now to a newer plane...the plane of Alara, reborn! As the five shards join together, the five colors of mana flow freely once again, mixing together in new and unique ways. This round, we explore two-colored gold cards...Alara Reborn style.
Round 3. Make a two-colored gold card.
Bonus: Its mana cost contains more of one colored mana symbol than the other colored mana symbol.(e.g. :2mana::symr::symr::symr::symg: or :symw::symw::symb:).
Bonus: Contains one or more of the following in the name or flavor text: "Alara", "Bant", "Esper", "Grixis", "Jund", or "Naya".
Main requirement: Hybrid isn't gold. Don't use hybrid mana. Technically you could do something like UU(U/R)R, but I would be disappointed in you.
EDIT: Artifacts can be gold too. An artifact with cost UUR is just as gold as a sorcery with the same cost, despite the gray border.
Bonus 1: The examples above should be clear enough. Again, something like UU(U/R)R would qualify, but I would die a little inside. If you go for this bonus point, make sure the lopsided mana cost is justified. Don't just tack it on for a free point.
Bonus 2: Self-explanatory.
Design (/10): What goes into the initialization of the card. Suggested areas to judge:
Elegance - Does it say a lot in a few words? Does the design just 'click' with the flavor?
Creativity - Does it present an old mechanic with a wonderful new twist? Does it make you slam the table and shout "Damn! Why didn't I think of that?" Does it conform with the current color pie (not necessarily an uncreative thing)?
Potential - Would this card be well-received by Spikes? Would you want to see this card in the [insert rarity] slot of a booster pack? Does the name and flavor text bring the whole setting in front of you?
Development (/10): The connecting process between the concept and the final product. Suggested areas to judge:
Viability - Does it work at all? Would it bend any current rules? Would it make baby Gottlieb cry?
Balance - Would it break any format? Or a limited format of an imaginary block with that theme? Basically the Balance score from before, except decreased in importance.
Creative Writing - I'm lumping Creative development here as well. Flavor text and name go under here.
Polish (/5): Bonus points, render points, deductions for spelling/grammar mistakes.
Player Deadline: May 22nd at midnight EST (when Friday becomes Saturday).
Judge Deadline: May 25th at midnight EST (when Monday becomes Tuesday).
The winner of each pair (as determined by the sum of the judges' scores) will advance.
PAIRINGS:
Fa+blimp & JqlGirl:
CheeseStickLightsaber vs. PlanesJaywalker
JqlGirl & Asrama:
enLight vs. WhisperedThunder
Asrama & Nonconformist:
KrtZer0 vs. Kenaron
Nonconformist & Fa+blimp:
Vexhel vs. krynthe
Surge & Milldawg:
MtGColorPie vs. Emo_Pinata
Milldawg & Arzangremmel:
Keeperofzion vs. MagicProfessor28
Arzangremmel & The Ice King:
Gifts vs.
PseudofateThe Ice King & Surge:
cannon vs. DanceofMany
Hanna, Ship's Navigator - WU Enchantments Control
Wort, the Raidmother - RG Copy ALL the Spells!
Rakdos, Lord of Riots - BR Group Murder-Hug
Reaper King - WUBRG Token Copies
Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker - B Sacrifice Engine
Grenzo, Dungeon Warden - BR Randomized Toolbox
Karametra, God of Harvests - GW Ramp
Design (/10): This is the initialization step of the card creation process: finding an idea, weighing it against history and environment, and achieving a believable execution.
---Elegance (/2) - Does it say a lot in a few words? Does the design just 'click' with the flavor?
---Creativity (/4) - Does it present an old mechanic with a wonderful new twist? Does it make you slam the table and shout "Damn! Why didn't I think of that?" How does it fit into the current color pie?
---Potential (/4) - Would this card be well-received by Spikes? Would you be happy to see this card in a booster pack? Do the name and flavor text feel like they suggest a bigger picture of the overall set?
Development (/10): This is the connecting process between the concept and the final product: Hammering out the rules and wording, fine-tuning the balancing elements, letting the full potential of the Vorthosian elements shine through.
---Viability (/2) - Does it work at all? Would it bend any current rules? Would it make baby Gottlieb cry? If you're not sure your card works, you can check with a rules judge.
---Balance (/6) - Would it break any format? Or a limited format of an imaginary block with that theme? Basically the Balance score from before, except decreased in importance.
---Creative Writing (/2) - I'm lumping Creative development here as well. Flavor text and name go under here.
Polish (/5): Bonus and overall technical quality.
---Bonus (/2) - Straightforward.
---Quality (/3) – Mostly a measure of technical errors. Spelling, grammar, formatting, render, wording, etc. If you're any less than 100% sure your card's spelling/grammar is correct, and/or English is not your native language, please check with a native English speaker to help polish your card.
DESIGN: 9/10 :rate5::rate4:
Elegance: 2/2 Stunning.
Creativity: 4/4 Very neat. This is the kind of card that I love to see. It doesn't need to create new mechanics or explore uncharted territory to be beautiful. It's also a really neat way to connect the two colors.
Potential: 3/4 Doesn't need to be legendary or mythic, it holds it back unnecessarily. Otherwise it's similar to Battlegrace Angel – slightly more expensive, but you don't need to attack to gain life.
DEVELOPMENT: 8.5/10 :rate5::rate3.5:
Viability: 2/2 Works fine.
Balance: 5/6 At first I was worried this was a little overpowered, but now I think that it's actually very well balanced or even slightly underpowered. Compared to Battlegrace Angel, it seems slightly weaker, but there are definitely situations where you'd want this instead (like if you're facing a Giltspire Avenger). The fact that you made it legendary and mythic, though, pushes it under the curve. That's the only real problem.
Creative Writing: 1.5/2 For a legendary creature, it doesn't have a legendary name. The flavor text is solid, albeit simple.
POLISH: 5/5
Bonus: 2/2 Yep.
Quality: 3/3 Beautiful.
TOTAL: 22.5/25 :rate5::rate5::rate5::rate5::rate2.5:
DESIGN: 7/10 :rate5::rate2:
Elegance: 1/2 I don't really get the flavor. Is it like…etherium can't be eaten since it's not flesh, so if a Grixis dude tries to eat an Esper dude, he won't be able to, and therefore he will stop moving, which is stagnancy, which is like ending a phase? Seems like a pretty big stretch.
Creativity: 3/4 Time Stop variant. Much different applications, though, which makes it creative despite its simplicity.
Potential: 3/4 No way should this be mythic. Rare, yes. Mythic, absolutely not. However, it has enough applications to make it useful for sure. It's better than Punish Ignorance at least.
DEVELOPMENT: 6.5/10 :rate5::rate1.5:
Viability: 1/2 Well, which is it? Step or phase? Or do you get to choose? I'll treat it as though you get to choose, since there is some difference between ending the combat damage step and ending the combat phase.
Balance: 4/6 Well, let's consider the many many many applications of this card. Assuming you can choose to end either the current step or phase, what could you do?
-End your opponent's upkeep. This would only be used in emergencies, like if he has a Helix Pinnacle that you need to hold off for just one more turn.
-End your opponent's draw step. Might be useful, but seems kind of wasteful unless you have Font of Mythos.
-End your own draw step. This could stop you from decking, but if you need to play a spell to stop you from decking, you're probably screwed anyway.
-End your opponent's beginning phase. Pretty much just the two previous ones combined.
-End your opponent's first or second main phase. Not gonna do much except act as a Counterspell.
-End your opponent's beginning of combat step, declare attackers step, declare blockers step, or end of combat step. Any of these would only be useful to stop various triggered abilities.
-End your opponent's combat phase. This would basically be a preemptive Fog.
-End the combat damage step. This would basically be a Fog.
-End the end phase. I have no idea what would happen. Either it would do nothing, or it would stop damage from wearing off, or it would create some sort of infinite loop. Probably the universe would explode.
So basically…this is a counterspell with a few other applications. It can Fog, which is a great addition to a counterspell, and it can stop triggered abilities and some activated abilities. However, its mana cost is strange. What is black about this at all? Nothing. Time Stop is mono blue, and so should this be. If anything it should be blue-green, like Voidslime and Fog (or possibly blue-white). It seems you just threw in black for flavor reasons, which might have been all right if the flavor made any sense. However, color aside, it's a surprisingly useful card. It counters pretty much anything or fogs, which is worth the price.
Creative Writing: 1.5/2 Doesn't make sense with the flavor, but it's not bad.
POLISH: 5/5
Bonus: 2/2 Yep.
Quality: 3/3 Flavor text should have a comma, but it's not a big enough deal to take off points. Not sure how well it would work in every situation, but I already took off for that in Viability. Otherwise it's fine.
TOTAL: 18.5/25 :rate5::rate5::rate5::rate3.5::rate0:
:rate5::rate5::rate5::rate5::rate2.5: MtGColorPie 22.5
:rate5::rate5::rate5::rate3.5::rate0: Emo_Pinata 18.5
DESIGN: 8.5/10 :rate5::rate3.5:
Elegance: 2/2 The extortion theme is very well done. The flavor ties in well with the mechanics.
Creativity: 3.5/4 A neat "revenge!" card that is solid in duel and a lot of fun in multiplayer. It's basically just a token producer, though.
Potential: 3/4 Aside from the weird colors (see below), it's a strong card, and with a little work could be an excellent addition to any Esper deck.
DEVELOPMENT: 7.5/10 :rate5::rate2.5:
Viability: 2/2 Works fine.
Balance: 4/6 Why is this not an artifact creature? I saw your card early on in the round and specifically put the "artifacts are allowed" reminder just for you (and one other player). Also the Thopters should be artifacts. Thopters are always artifacts. Anyway, as for the actual balance…Let's first consider duel. Normally a token producer likes to make tokens during combat or at the end of your opponent's turn. The Extortionist has a very good token producing ability, with the drawback that you usually are going to be forced to use it at the beginning of your upkeep, a less advantageous time. However, you can still make a lot of Thopters, which is awesome. The mana cost is also weird. Why is it white at all, let alone two white? It seems like much more of a blue-black card. I could see it as costing 2UB but 1WWB doesn't make much sense. The tap cost could also be UB to account for the life loss element. I think 3/2 is better than 2/2 (and even 3/3 would be good, because it balances out the opponent's ability to tap it. They may not even care about tapping it if you're just going to use the ability anyway, but if you make it a threat on the battlefield, then it becomes a more important decision whether or not to tap it. So maybe a 3/3 for 1WUB or something).
Creative Writing: 1.5/2 Usually first-person flavor text is in quotes (cf. Baleful Stare). The flavor text isn't great (it's a little too obvious and straightforward) but the cardname is very good, and you only had one line of flavor text to work with anyway.
POLISH: 4.5/5
Bonus: 2/2 Yep.
Quality: 2.5/3 The text card says 3/2, the render says 2/2. I believe we are supposed to treat the text card as the official submission so I will consider it 3/2 in the balance section. -.5
TOTAL: 20.5/25 :rate5::rate5::rate5::rate5::rate0.5:
DESIGN: 6/10
Elegance: 1/2 The design is a bit redundant. If you have 20 permanents with exalted, you should have already won the game.
Creativity: 3/4 Seems reasonably creative. It doesn't leap out, though.
Potential:2/4 This is really a Bant card, and it would make more sense with blue in its mana cost. It does have blue in the activated ability cost, but the only reason I can imagine for doing it that way is to meet the round requirement, which leads to poor design. This can gradually get you more exalted than just playing dudes with exalted, but at its high cost and slow grind, it seems more advantageous to just play more dudes. Yes it can double up exalted (or more if you have multiple copies), but you still need dudes to attack with; and if you're playing a token-based strategy anyway, you'll probably want to attack with more than one of them at a time. I can imagine some people liking this card, but it seems more likely that it would just get dismissed as jank.
DEVELOPMENT: 7/10 :rate5::rate2:
Viability: 2/2 Works fine except for a small error (see below).
Balance: 3/6 If you have multiples of this, the exalted doubles up. (However, it doesn't double up with multiple counters.) And if one dies, the counters stay, so you can play a second one and get the exalted back. However, as mentioned above, the activated ability seems like overkill. True, there are situations where it can come in handy (like if the opponent can prevent you from attacking), but only in horribly long and drawn-out games. (20 permanents is also a huge number. If you even have 20 permanents, you should already have won the game.) I guess you could build your strategy around stalling, but that's just not very fun. I get the feeling Timmies would be really excited to play this card, but then get frustrated when it doesn't really do anything for them. An enchantment with exalted really needs to do something else that's immediately useful in order for it to be worth playing (cf. Ardent Plea, Finest Hour, and Angelic Benediction).
Creative Writing: 2/2 Very good.
POLISH: 4.5/5
Bonus: 2/2 Yep.
Quality: 2.5/3 Please include some sort of copyright line. -.25
It should be "have exalted" rather than "gain exalted." -.25
TOTAL: 17.5/25 :rate5::rate5::rate5::rate2.5::rate0:
:rate5::rate5::rate5::rate5::rate0.5: Keeperofzion 20.5
:rate5::rate5::rate5::rate2.5::rate0: MagicProfessor28 17.5
Hanna, Ship's Navigator - WU Enchantments Control
Wort, the Raidmother - RG Copy ALL the Spells!
Rakdos, Lord of Riots - BR Group Murder-Hug
Reaper King - WUBRG Token Copies
Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker - B Sacrifice Engine
Grenzo, Dungeon Warden - BR Randomized Toolbox
Karametra, God of Harvests - GW Ramp
Artifact Creature {R}
As Esper Lyrist comes into play, put a bribery counter on each of X target creatures.
Creatures with bribery counters on them can’t attack or block.
At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a bribery counter any creature. If you do, draw a card.
2/3
Virtue of the Amesha
2GWW
Enchantment
Rare
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put a sigil counter on target permanent.
Permanents with sigil counters on them gain exalted.
1GWU: If you control twenty or more permanents with exalted, you win the game.
The assembly of all the angels of Bant is a rare occasion, occurring only on holidays and during a time of immense crisis when the sanctity of Bant must be championed.
Steve Roberts
http://www.epilogue.net/cgi/database/art/view.pl?id=74689
Etherium Coatl :symg::symu::symu:
Artifact Creature - Snake R
Flash (you may play this spell any time you could play an instant.)
Sacrifice Etherium Coatl: Counter all other spells, activated abilities, and triggered abilities unless any player pays :3mana:.
From the magics of the coatl and the metals of Esper, a new weapon was born.
2/2
Render: (snoopYah really is my hero)
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=504072
Bonus:
Instant {M}
End the current step or phase. (Remove all spells and abilities on the stack from the game, including this card.)
Where Esper’s etherium met Grixis’ consumption existence itself became stagnant.
Arcane Alteration 1UUB
Instant {Unc}
Counter target spell, then search your library for a card with converted mana cost less than or equal to that spell’s converted mana cost, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
To defend their homeland, Esper transmuters learned to work with magic as well as metal.
Render:
Artist link and credit: http://darkshadowmagus.deviantart.com/art/Casting-magic-19045555
Round 3. Make a two-colored gold card.
Bonus: Its mana cost contains more of one colored mana symbol than the other colored mana symbol.(e.g. :2mana::symr::symr::symr::symg: or :symw::symw::symb:).
Bonus: Contains one or more of the following in the name or flavor text: "Alara", "Bant", "Esper", "Grixis", "Jund", or "Naya".
Elegance - */2 - How does the card look and read? Are there any awkwardly phrased sections? Does the flavour click with the mechanics? Does it feel clunky or wordy?
Creativity - */5 - Is this just the next logical step for an existing ability or archetype or is this something innovative? How well is the innovation executed as a playable card?
Potential - */3 - Who would play this card? Would it be good in draft or sealed? Does the rarity fit? Would the flavour geeks like it?
Development - */10:
Viability - */2 - Does this bend or break any rules? Does the card even work? Is it phrased correctly?
Balance - */6 - How strong is the card? Will it break or warp a format? Is it utter garbage?
Creative Writing - */2 - How good/evocative are the name and flavour text? Do they match each other and what the card does?
Polish - */5:
Bonus - */2 - See each round's bonus requirements.
Quality - */3 - Deductions for spelling/grammar/syntax and other mistakes. Does this read/look like something WotC would print?
Total - */25
Design - 4.5/10:
Elegance 2/2 - no problems here
Creativity 1/5 - using an existing ability in a completely wrong way. No more no less. A bribery counter means your actually giving your opponent something. What is it here?
Potential 1.5/3 - a possible yet not so exciting addition to control decks in constructed. Basically a total Pacifism effect and a card drawing engine. Also a good pick in limited to help stop your opponents early beaters.
Development - 6/10:
Viability 1/2 - There's a major issue here. I'm not really sure what happens when one of the targets is not there anymore. Does the whole ability fizzle, or do you get to put the bribery counters on the rest of the targets? I think even the rules guru would have a tough time with this. I'm pretty sure you should remove the targeting from this ability.
Balance 4/6 - This card is weaker than Gwafa Hazid. for 4 mana you get a one turn pacifism, a 2/3 creature and you get to draw a card whenever you have what you need to stop the creature. I think this should actually be an uncommon. I don't see this card breaking any format. It's too expensive for constructed decks, and its effect on limited decks will be minimal.
Creative Writing 1/2 - I love how the lyrist is enchanting creatures and rendering them useless.
Polish - 5/5:
Bonus 2/2 - all good.
Quality 3/3 - I'm gonna assume you just forgot to make the wording corrections to the text version of your card since it's ok on the render. Render is awesome by the way.
Total Score: 16.5/25
Kenaron
Design - 6/10:
Elegance 2/2 - This will catch my attention with its beautiful art. Definitely scary.
Creativity 1/5 - A big creature that grows bigger and deals damage selectively. Nothing we've never seen before. My reaction was "meh".
Potential 3/3 - An excellent addition to black/red decks in constructed and definitely a bomb in limited.
Development - 8/10:
Viability 2/2 - No rules broken. Card phrased well.
Balance 6/6 - The mana cost fits. The rarity is deserved with both of its effects and power level. It won't break any formats as there are a lot of similar cards in the multiverse.
Creative Writing 0/2 - The name is really good, but it has nothing to do with the flavor of the card. The jund part does, but the hoardbreaker part is off.
Polish - 5/5:
Bonus 2/2 - bonus ok.
Quality 3/3 - no issues.
Total Score: 19/25
Winner: Kenaron
Design - 8/10:
Elegance 2/2 - Love the shiny art and good proportion of rules to flavor text.
Creativity 4/5 - Definitely seen this mechanic before but I don't think I've seen one that ties to your hand size.This card is definitely more green than blue, I would say a ratio of 10:1, but 3 G to 1 U is good enough. Definitely a build around card.
Potential 2/3 - This is a card I would not want to see on my opponents field especially against a blue deck with its card drawing engines. Could see a lot of play in constructed, but its heavy green requirement could be a turn off in limited.
Development - 8.5/10:
Viability 2/2 - I don't see this card breaking any rules. There have been other ones like it.
Balance 5/6 - This is definitely a powerful card. And the "may add X mana" makes it immensely powerful. Getting to play a creature on your turn and then have all your land open to counter anything your opponent plays is definitely something scary. I'm glad you costed it at 1GGGU because it deserves this mana cost with a crown. And no questions this card is a rare. There might be a combo deck out there that abuses this card, but that's what the game is about after all.
Creative Writing 1.5/2 - Fitting name. Flavor text is bland but not off.
Polish - 5/5:
Bonus 2/2 - bonus ok.
Quality 3/3 - No issues.
Total Score: 21.5/25
krynthe
Design - 8/10:
Elegance 2/2 - Fitting art and just enough flavor text to make this card worth a second look.
Creativity 3/5 - a group of existing abilities merged to form a very synergetic card. I just HATE the mana cost. 1UUBB would have been easier to digest.
Potential 3/3 - Definitely a very powerful card with its double-edged sword. If CRUElUltimatUm finds place in a constructed and limited decks, then I would definitely see this too as a 1-of or 2-of in those decks.
Development - 5/10:
Viability 2/2 - Nothing new to warrant any issues, just some old mechanics merged together.
Balance 1/6 - Playing something from your opponent's hand is definitely an expensive operation. And I believe that UUUBBis not enough. And as if that wasn't enough, you let the player do it without paying its cost AND the opponent still loses life equal to the converted mana cost!! I personally think you should add another 3 mana to that cost to actually balance the effect to cost. As I said above, definitely a great addition to constructed control decks, and an atomic bomb in limited.
Creative Writing 2/2 - Name and flavor text very well done. The synergy with the flavor and mechanic is perfect.
Polish - 4.5/5:
Bonus 2/2 - bonus ok.
Quality 2.5/3 - Should say "..choose a card from it. You may .."
Total Score: 17.5/25
Winner: Vexhel
Text
Legendary Creature - Angel (Mythic Rare)
Flying
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may reveal any number of blue cards from your hand. Gain 1 life for each card revealed this way.
Bant turned to the angels for knowledge of their new foes.
4/4
Art - Ernest F. Varner
Render
GatheringMagic.com Commander Writer
Twitter: @mtgcolorpie
One of the GDS2 Final 101
Recently Written Posts:
1-31 MTGCP The Complete Commander - Designing Commander
12-18 MTGCP The Day Kibler Shut Down the World
Conscious Theft UUUBB
Sorcery - {R}
Look at target player’s hand and choose a card from it, you may play that card without paying its mana cost. That player loses life equal to the converted mana cost of the chosen card.
“Little will she know, for her thoughts weren’t the only thing we removed from her head.”
—Nxlylx, Grixis battlemage
Brain Damaged, by Mearu.
http://mearu.deviantart.com/art/Brain-Damaged-111899749
1WWB
Creature - Human Artificer (U)
At the beginning of your upkeep, any player may tap a nonland permanent he or she controls. If a player does, tap Esper Extortionist.
U,t: Put a 1/1 blue Thopter creature token with flying into play. Target opponent loses 1 life.
It's up to you whether or not I shall aid your foe.
3/2
How you should approach every game of Magic.
Mod Helpdesk (defunct)
My Flawless Score MCC Card | My Other One | # Three!
Legendary Artifact Creature - Angel {M}
Flying, vigilance, protection from instants and sorceries
Each other creature you control has exalted for each of its colors
As she rose from the etherium laced borders, the sigils of Bant lost their luster to the natural gleam of the reunited Alara.
3/4
Artist Credit: Julianna Kolakis
sorry for the lateish slight alterations... and the slightly shoddy Alara Reborn expansion symbol...
Creature - Giant Warrior {M}
Whenever another creature is put into a graveyard from play, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Jund Hoardbreaker.
You may divide Jund Hoardbreaker’s combat damage as you choose among any number of creatures defending player controls.
5/5
Artifact Creature - Hag R
Flash
When Esper Ghede comes into play, you may put target creature in your graveyard on top of your library.
U, Sacrifice Esper Ghede: The next spell you play this turn has Cascade.
Her call is to herald those souls who have not yet fulfilled their purpose.
2/3
art by banuandaru at deviantart.com
Render attached!
Elegance and Flavor - X/3 - How does the card look and read? Does the flavor click with the mechanics? Does it feel clunky or wordy? The card name, subtype, and flavor text are all looked at here.
Creativity - X/4 - How creative is your card? Is it completely new or is it an old idea with a new twist?
Viability - X/3 - Does the card fit into the color wheel? Does it break or bend rules of the game?
Development - X/10:
Balance in Formants - X/3 - Will the card break or warp a format? Constructed, limited, and multiplayer formats will be judged here.
Power Level - X/3 - How powerful is the card alone or with other cards? Does the card's cost match its power?
Templating - X/3 - Is the card phrased right? Are the rules placed in their correct area?
Rarity - X/1 - Is the card the right rarity?
Polish - X/5:
Bonus - X/2 - Does the card meet the round's bonus requirements.
Quality - X/3 - Deductions for spelling/grammar/syntax and other mistakes. Does the whole of the card fit together? This includes the art and flavor of the card.
Total - X/25
MtgColorPie
Design – 7.5/10:
Elegance and Flavor – 2.5/3 – I like everything about your card except for the fluff. I understand what knowledge has to do with the angel but I don’t feel that she has anything to do with Bant’s enemy shards. She doesn’t look like a secret weapon against Bant’s foes.
Creativity - 2/4 – Big angels for 5 mana have been done before. I like how you have an interesting twist with the life gaining.
Viability - 3/3 – This fits perfect in white and blue.
Development – 8.5/10:
Balance in Formants - 3/3 – This will not break any formant. I can see it being played in all formants.
Power Level – 2.5/3 – I’m comparing your card to Battlegrace Angel. Both have the same cost, power, and toughness. Battlegrace has to attack to gain life but can gain more life. With your angel you can gain life every turn at the price of showing information. I think what makes this card a little bit weaker is that is relies on blue cards and that it is legendary. I feel that your card shouldn’t be legendary because there are other angels priced for five mana with just as powerful effects.
Templating - 3/3 – Everything is fine.
Rarity - 0/1 – I feel this card does not merit mythic but gold.
Polish - 5/5:
Bonus - 2/2 - Perfect.
Quality - 3/3 – Nothing wrong. Cool art.
Total - 21/25
Emo Pinata
Design – 5.5/10:
Elegance and Flavor – 1.5/3 – I like the idea of where you are going at but I think the card’s name sound like an object or that you are tainting someone’s etherium.
Creativity – 1.5/4 – This is just Time stop except that it costs less and is restricted.
Viability – 2.5/3 – I can see blue and black but I feel it is more of a blue ability (ending turns or taking extra turns).
Development – 7/10:
Balance in Formants - 2/3 – I don’t think your card would break formants but I can see it being used with time stop to make an annoying deck. This will strengthen blue and black by a lot in standard (with or without faeries) especially if blue has strong control spells.
Power Level - 2/3 – I’m comparing your card to Time Stop. Your card can stop these phases or their steps: beginning, precombat main, combat, postcombat main, and end. Your card isn’t as powerful as time spot because it can only pinpoint a part of a turn but it is cheaper. I think most of the time this card will be used to stop phases and not steps. Most of the time this card will be countering a spell or stoping attackers but everyonce and a while you’ll use it for something weird, like stopping multiple upkeep abilities.
Templating – 2/3 –The reminder text should tell more about what happens to certain phases: if the end phase is stopped, damage wears off, hand sizes have to be discarded, and so on should be mentioned. Timestop had the bonus of always ending the turn.
Rarity - 1/1 – Ending phases or steps is powerful.
Polish - 5/5:
Bonus – 2/2 - Check.
Quality - 3/3 - Perfect.
Total – 17.5/25
cannon
Design - 6/10:
Elegance and Flavor - 2/3 – I like how you came up with your own idea of Asha. I wonder why she is only part bant and esper and not of the other shards, if she would be the new alara Asha? I could see her the way she is but without being an artifact (making her just the old Asha from bant returning).
Creativity - 2/4 – Big powerful flyers have been done before but I do like how yours is an interesting twist relying on creatures to max her out.
Viability - 2/3 – This fits perfect with White and Blue. Although I feel like her being artifact is unnecessary.
Development – 8/10:
Balance in Formants - 2/3 – I can see decks using her in standard and multiplayer. In limited I can’t see her as a top pick. Because she has a hard casting cost and that to us her last ability you need multicolored creatures. In a draft you’d probably go into just white and blue.
Power Level - 2/3 – I think this card was balanced pretty well. She can’t be killed by spells, unless they are mass removal. She can be chump blocked and you can hurt her by other creatures. She uses other multicolored creatures for the deathblow (which would be in one or two turns).
Templating - 3/3 – Everything is fine.
Rarity - 1/1 – This would be mythic.
Polish - 5/5:
Bonus - 2/2 - Does the card meet the round's bonus requirements.
Quality - 3/3 – Nothing wrong. Cool symbol for the card and a good picture for her too.
Total - 19/25
DanceofMany
DanceofMany
Design – 6.5/10:
Elegance and Flavor - 2.5/3 – The name and fluff fit well together. I think your art is a little bit too digital.
Creativity – 2/4 – This is just a mix between a counter spell and tutor.
Viability - 3/3 – This fits perfectly into its color scheme.
Development – 7/10:
Balance in Formants – 2.5/3 – Your card will not reshape every formant or even break the game. This will be used in all formants.
Power Level – 1.5/3 – This card has one major weakness and one major plus. The weakness is that the spell you counter will determine what card you can tutor. The pro is that you always get a free card. I think one part of your card that makes it very powerful is that you can tutor for another counter spell (even another copy of itself).
Templating - 3/3 – Everything is fine.
Rarity - 0/1 – This would be gold.
Polish - 5/5:
Bonus - 2/2 - Check.
Quality - 3/3 - Fine.
Total – 18.5/25
Commander: *Five Color Fun-Stuff *Grixis Artifacts *Beast Tribal
Brawl: To Be Decided At Eldraine Release!
Enchantment (U)
Exalted (Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Untapped creatures you control get +0/+2.
Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, you may untap it.
Artist: Raphael Lacoste
Commander: Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer WU
Enchantment {R}
At the beginning of your precombat main phase, you may add up to X mana of any color to your mana pool, where X is the number of cards in your hand.
After the fusion of the Shards, people of Alara discovered new sources of power, but only the wisest found out how to exploit them.
Lahar Plowbeast (R)
:2mana::symr::symg::symg:
Creature - Beast
When Lahar Plowbeast comes into play, search your library for up to five basic land cards and put them into play tapped. Then shuffle your library.
Whenever Lahar Plowbeast is dealt damage, sacrifice that many lands.
5/5
“Farming in Jund? I might as well plant my crops on a stove!”
- Ruifen, Cylian farmer
art source
Level 2 Judge
Token and Playmat Store
Beyond the Guildpact
Sorry, I was at FNM. Brackets will be up tomorrow afternoon, I promise!
Hanna, Ship's Navigator - WU Enchantments Control
Wort, the Raidmother - RG Copy ALL the Spells!
Rakdos, Lord of Riots - BR Group Murder-Hug
Reaper King - WUBRG Token Copies
Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker - B Sacrifice Engine
Grenzo, Dungeon Warden - BR Randomized Toolbox
Karametra, God of Harvests - GW Ramp
One quick thing: I don't suppose there is a link or some sort of how-to-do for the proper templating of a card. Templating errors are the ones that I always seem to overlook, despite double and triple checking...
The GJ way path to no lynching:
Design
Creativity /4
0: The card is a reprint or functional reprint of an existing card.
1: The card has heavy mechanical or flavorful similarities to existing cards.
2: The card is either unique to no particular purpose, or heavily familiar without pushing any boundaries.
3: The card has strong elements of any two of the three of uniqueness, familiarity, and satisfying a need.
4: The card has all three elements.
Elegance /3
0: The card has too much text, lacks purpose, and lacks function.
1: The card has two of the three qualities, or is a paroxysm of one of them.
2: The card is on the fair side of plain, or exactly as complex as it needs to be.
3: The card is a poem.
Identity /3
0: The card represents no imaginable setting, context, or role.
1: The only feasible place for the card is in a setting built around it, and even then it doesn't make as good use of that setting as other easily imaginable cards may.
2: The card has a healthy sense of what it is doing in a setting we've either seen before or could reasonably predict.
3: The card brings the setting to you in a meaningful way.
Development
Viability /4
0: The card reflects an idea that the game of Magic cannot contain or abide.
1: The card would alienate its intended player psychographic.
2: The card appeals weakly to each player psychographic, moderately to one, or has average appeal and reflects an idea that is somewhat misplaced in the game of Magic.
3: The card has strong appeal to one or more psychographics and pushes the boundaries of the color wheel, or vice versa.
4: The card is equally or more viable to existing, liked cards.
Balance /3
0: The card has an effect far too great for the cost, or a cost far too great for the effect.
1: The card has a questionable cost-to-effect balance, but fulfills a niche.
2: The card is just a little too powerful or a little too weak for what it is.
3: The card executes an effect that costs exactly what you pay for it in a realistic tournament or casual setting.
Execution /3
0: The idea of the card can be executed in some provably better way.
1: The card on the whole obscures its own intent.
2: The card as a whole feels reasonably complete and contained.
3: There does not exist a better way to express the idea of the card.
Polish /5
Bonus /2
0: Satisfies neither bonus condition.
1: Satisfies only one bonus condition.
2: Satisfies both bonus conditions.
Quality /3
Up to three points may be subtracted from this score for mismatches, typos, misspellings, missing or incomplete information, and general awfulness.
Card:Esper Extortionist
Do you have insurance for your etherium? You didn't know you needed it? Oh, well, all kinds of things could happen if you don't pay for insurance.
Design
Creativity 2.5/4
You've clearly marked out a space that doesn't quite exist yet. Wizards explored this space with rhystic magic before, but here's the reason it didn't come back: players don't like it when their abilities have a chance to fail. Most at least accept that anything can be countered or undone, but when it is so easily undone, no one wants to bother to take the chance. Esper Extortionist is unique, sure, but doesn't satisfy much of a need.
Elegance 1.5/3
For the ability to put people on a clock, his cost is alright. The unbalanced (round bonus) cost feels more like heavy black than heavy white, but that's too mincing to say for certain one way or another, so okay. What I'm really docking in the elegance department here is the departure smoothness. His first ability is...a way to stop his second one? That's the opposite of internal synergy, and rather grating against elegance.
Identity 1.5/3
He's a token maker, tap artist, recurring damage engine uncommon.
But.
He's not any of those things directly. He's all of them poorly. You get one point for having the correct rarity for any of those effects combined, and half a point for putting logical abilities for colors in those colors. As for setting, he oughta be an artifact creature himself. It wouldn't hurt much, and would help him be from esper.
Development
Viability 1/4
Card alienates its intended demographic. Allow things to be all upside and you'll see a wonder of greater approval from the audience. It just doesn't feel like he's the one doing the extorting here, it feels like your opponents have him on a chain and he's trying his best to steal their souls and make thopter tokens. I'm putting down that the first ability is nigh unprintable for being chafing.
Balance 3/3
For what it is, this is the right cost. Little more to say about that.
Execution 2/3
The card does feel complete, almost to a fault. I'm going to cite once more the sense that your opponents are the ones doing the extorting. The point you lose from here is for the fact that you could actually respond to the first ability by tapping the guy for his ability, thereby taking the choice away from them...taking away the choice that appears to be the point of the card.
Polish 4/5
Bonus 2/2
Has Esper in the name and more white mana symbols than black.
Quality 2/3
He's a 2/2 in the render and a 3/2 in the text card. Also he really should be an artifact creature and so should his thopters. You maybe should have left the word "artifact" in and scuttled the flavor text (which is mediocre here).
Card: Virtue of the Amesha
Hah, see, see, patience is a virtue! That's what this virtue is, I get it and agree with it and you should all be patient with me in return yeah? Okay, moving. (I'll take the time to think of an actual joke next time I promise).
Design
Creativity 4/4
Honestly, yes, all three elements. Familiar in a huge enchantment that can win the game. New in a thing that makes more exalted happen. Unique in overall effect. I just can't bust the creativity in this card.
Elegance 1.5/3
But a poem it ain't. Having 8 lines of text certainly doesn't help it feel concise, and it builds with all the sterility of a Darksteel Reactor. I can understand not wanting to have a trigger for the win condition as intervening ifs can ruin everyone's fun, but the ability feels wrong as an activated ability. They've paid and waited patiently already, don't make them pay more mana.
Identity 3/3
Bant oughta have a way to make the player feel like the one who is becoming exalted, which I presume is the big idea here. Assemble enough of an army and they promote _you_ to godhood. This enchantment is fully Bant in flavor, and fully Johnny in scope.
Development
Viability 3/4
Not pushing too much too far. It feels like it should be more white than green for the cost, and it is. It feels like a huge gradual win condition that you can help along with deck construction, and it is. What it shouldn't have is an activated ability, or, perhaps, swapping the role of the upkeep trigger and the activated ability. Otherwise perfectly printable as is at that rarity.
Balance 2.5/3
Twenty? Really 20? That seems like rather a lot. Considering what exalted does, I oughta be able to win by then with damage i.e. Mayael's Aria (which wouldn't get a 3 here in my book either, by the way), but at least the area was much cheaper. Five mana feels really hefty for either of the enchantment's effects, especially since more sigil counters on the same guy still only afford it one instance of exalted. Frowny face.
Execution 2/3
The big idea is there, but as I suggested before, some of the roles feel out of sequence or misplaced. Rather pretty on the whole. The flavor text makes me glad of the origin of the word "holiday," and is just a little obtuse for a Magic card. Now...as an excerpt from a Magic novel.
Polish 4/5
Bonus 2/2
Has Bant in the flavor text and has two white mana symbols to one green.
Quality 2/3
The static ability should probably claim those permanents "have exalted" rather than gain it, i.e. my favorite lord ever.
MagicProfessor28 20
KeeperofZion 15.5
Scupper me. I seem to have mere minutes left to do this in. Apologies. I'll do Keeperofzion and MagicProfessor28 now and Gifts later if that's okay. I figure two hurried movements will be less hurried than three. I also request a little extra time, maybe as much as an hour.
Apologies.
EDIT: Those are they. I admit, yes, I was rushed and did do all this in a short span of time. I do feel that even if I didn't get the numbers to my exact liking, I have passed on the overall intent the same way as if I had done these in an entire afternoon.
Also, for Gifts, I'll post my thoughts tomorrow once I have any left. I am frankly amazed at what has happened to me all this weekend to bring me here. Short answer is that I had to read poetry.
The difference between a good Aztec paint job and a bad one is how many coatls you apply.
Design
Creativity 1/4
Hoo boy. We begin by mentioning Mystic Snake. If you paint that snake artifact colors, change its triggered ability into an activated one, and shave a single colorless mana off the cost, you would end up with something damn close to Etherium Coatl already. Then we mention Voidslime, which if you gave it a body (even an ephemeral one), changed its ability from a hard counter to a mana leak, and made it repeat for everything on the stack, would be damn close to this card.
Now. There is plenty of room to explore the new while respecting the old; means of giving players something familiar, callbacks, shout outs to older cards. This just is not the way to go about that. This wants to be a reprint.
Elegance 1.5/3
This card could be much simpler. First and foremost by making it an honest spell rather than a snake. Let's see how it works as Voidslime 2.0 with the "counter everything" angle and Mana Leak nature. It by and large accomplishes the same thing, and doesn't muck about with being a snake, an artifact, having flash. And I assure you that ability has sufficient power, scope, and complexity to justify the rare status, as it is a complexity creep above Voidslime. I get that any player needs to be able to pay the leak because the effect doesn't target things, but that part feels a little uneasy and certainly offbeat. On the whole the card is crammed with too many features.
Identity 2.5/3
A rare level, somewhat complex sweeping counterspell would be some kindof nice in a format full of cascade chains. Perhaps even at home somewhere where spells went wild. Where this card lives, people will find ways to leave 3 open, or ways of not filling the stack with things like upkeep triggers. Furthermore it is right at home in Alara, for being multicolored, an artifact, and a coatl. The reason this isn't a perfect score is because Doug Beyer's squad made a flavor point of using the Coatl as an opposition to etherium. So really, we could ditch the artifact nature and be fine flavorwise. Probably better off.
Development
Viability 2/4
Spike. Spike spike spike spike. Spiketey spike. Yep, then he tapped his two islands and his forest and he countered all 50 of my spells and Kumano activations. And all of my Wee Dragonauts triggers, too.
What's wrong with this story? We'll get to that in a minute. The card clearly appeals to Spike and does so well by representing efficiency, versatility, and power. Although also the potential downside of being shut off or turned into a flashy Grey Ogre. Okay, this snake is never really going to be an ogre, so long as people still play anything that uses the stack.
It appeals well, but it may not be able to exist in the game of magic because...
Balance 0.5/3
Ta da! Mystic Snake was really good. Highly efficient, versatile, tutorable, and a rude surprise every single time. Etherium Coatl would be all that, more tutorable because he's an artfact, 1 cheaper and vastly more versatile thanks to also being a Stifle-leak. And the tradeoff for this increased power is the ability to pay 3? That's just not enough to balance this out. Cost him like an actual Mystic Snake and we can talk. Yes, Mystic Snake leaves his body behind when you get the counter, but that's barely relevant in the face of trading X-for-1 on the stack, where X is the number of things your opponents have put there. Heck, the self-sac part could even be an upside over Mysty. Dial down the power level.
Execution 2/3
I'm a little astonished at how well the whole card comes together despite my assertions that it shouldn't be an artifact, probably shouldn't be a creature, shouldn't have an activated ability and shouldn't have flash and so on. The best "fix" for the idea behind this card is to either fully make it a Swift Silence-Mana Leak-Voidslime blend, or to simply leave it as is and tack 1 on to the cost. For what it is, the artwork, flavor text, power-toughness, the whole package is rather neat. Downright suspiciously fitting illustration.
Polish 5/5
Bonus 2/2
Has two blue to one green mana symbol, and the flavor text says "Esper" in.
Quality 3/3
I would note here that the reminder text for Flash on a rare probably wouldn't be there. It doesn't harm the card overall, so not worth a quality point docking.
Total: 14.5
I kinda want to go play Snake Man's stage in Mega Man 3 now.
Hanna, Ship's Navigator - WU Enchantments Control
Wort, the Raidmother - RG Copy ALL the Spells!
Rakdos, Lord of Riots - BR Group Murder-Hug
Reaper King - WUBRG Token Copies
Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker - B Sacrifice Engine
Grenzo, Dungeon Warden - BR Randomized Toolbox
Karametra, God of Harvests - GW Ramp
It seems there are byes in design comps, too.
Will this affect my resistance?
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=504072
Hahaha, thanks.
I figured I'd have to put some more effort into this card, as the stakes are getting higher! This should be made into a reality TV show, with loads of suspense music, and the judges all being "cold exterior but it's all for the development of the contestants" stereotypes. Hehehe.
The reference to resistance is from Magic tournaments. If you get a bye, it can be bad for resistance. (It was a joke ^.^)
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=504072