Forgotten Desert
Legendary Land - Desert {M}
Sacrifice Forgotten Desert: Exile the top two cards of your library. You may play them this turn and they cost 2 less. “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings; Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
— The broken pedestal.
Design - (2/3) Appeal: Powerful but a bit fiddly (3/3) Elegance: Pretty clean
Development - (3/3) Viability: As Elkin Bottle was the first pioneer of impulse draw, I don't see a problem with colorless getting the ability, and lands can reduce costs. (1/3) Balance: You give up your land drop, but gaining up to four mana is quite powerful. You have control over when to activate it so you can wait a turn, then at worst it replaces itself with another land. It's maybe not quite as great as I first thought, but many decks with higher generic mana costs (including artifacts) and proactive spells are going to be interested, and it's still good for decks like burn even if their spells were all bolts just to dig deeper. The Legendary type is sort of redundant here since there's not much reason to put out multiples.
Creativity - (3/3) Uniqueness:Hazoret's Undying Fury is about as close as we get with impulse and costing less, so it's new. (2/3) Flavor: The real world flavor and generic name on a Legendary Land makes this fit in like The Dark, but is weird today.
Polish - (2/3) Quality:Act on Impulse shows a slightly different template and you at least need "cost 2 less to cast". (2/2) Main Challenge: (2/2) Subchallenges:
Ghalma's Forge
Legendary Land (MR)
The first artifact spell you cast each turn costs 2 less to cast. Metalcraft — 7, T: Create a token that's a copy of target artifact. Activate this ability only if you control three or more artifacts. Deep within New Phyrexia, the resistance gets stronger with each hit of her hammer.
Design - (3/3) Appeal: Excitement for artifact people (3/3) Elegance: Make artifacts so you can make more artifacts
Development - (3/3) Viability: Those are things that lands can do, and it has good precedent for being mythic (1/3) Balance: While the Eye is mostly just ramping you a bit more into really large things, it shouldn't be hard for most artifact decks to wring the full 2 mana out of this every turn (or even other turns), which is the kind of thing that leads to bannings. On top of that we have a strong late game ability. Probably too much.
Creativity - (2/3) Uniqueness: It follows the Eye pretty closely, but the shift in types is well executed. (3/3) Flavor: Cool obscure reference
Polish - (3/3) Quality: (2/2) Main Challenge: (2/2) Subchallenges:
Panglacial Rift
Snow Land (Common)
While you’re searching your library, you may play Panglacial Rift from your library.
Panglacial Rift enters the battlefield tapped. T, Sacrifice Panglacial Rift: Search your library for a snow land card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library.
Design - (2/3) Appeal: Pretty niche but provides combos and incremental advantage (2/3) Elegance: Probably tough for newcomers but clear for those who know the reference.
Development - (2/3) Viability: I feel like the nearly unique ability pushes it to uncommon at least. (1/3) Balance: So I get set back one turn, but then I can chain out new snow lands untapped and use my land drop on each of the next three turns to add another Rift. Almost feels like Ripple in a double Coldsnap throwback. I'm afraid the power of making your land drops so consistent would push too many decks to snow.
Creativity - (3/3) Uniqueness: Obviously we have the precedent here but putting it on a land is a great idea. (3/3) Flavor: Cool as a throwback and I guess "Rift" is about as good as we can get at representing this effect.
Polish - (3/3) Quality: (2/2) Main Challenge: (1/2) Subchallenges: Doesn't play stuff on its own
Death Gardens(M)
Legendary Land
Whenever a creature your control dies add G or B to your mana pool. T: Sacrifice a creature. “To you, it was just picking flowers. To them, it was a massacre.”
-Vraska, the unseen
Design - (2/3) Appeal: There are many players who don't like losing their own things for profit, but others who do. (2/3) Elegance: Clearly has a plan but the second ability might throw people off.
Development - (2/3) Viability: It seems too utilitarian to be mythic. (2/3) Balance: There are some pretty easy infinite combos with the likes of Gravecrawler. That said, it requires a fairly specific deck to make it work. It's hard to use if you are just getting incidental mana off creature deaths, but any deck using this will probably take full advantage.
Creativity - (3/3) Uniqueness: There are shockingly few cards that trigger like this, Black Market and Pitiless Plunderer being the closest. Activation is weird but pretty new. (2/3) Flavor: Great art, the quote doesn't feel like Vraska to me though and the name is a bit too generic
Polish - (1/3) Quality: "Whenever a creature you control dies, add B or G." (typo, comma, -mana pool, also Vraska the Unseen) (2/2) Main Challenge: Technically not a mana ability (1/2) Subchallenges: I guess "with a creature" is not "by itself" by definition
Sealed Crypts of Thraben
Legendary Land (Rare)
When Sealed Crypts of Thraben enters the battlefield, put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard. 1B, T, Discard a card, Sacrifice Sealed Crypts of Thraben: You may cast Zombie cards from your graveyard this turn. There never was a Blessed Sleep.
Design - (1/3) Appeal: Narrow Zombie lands are probably not the most exciting rare. (2/3) Elegance: It feeds the Zombie plan well but has a lot of parts to do so.
Development - (3/3) Viability: Seems doable (1/3) Balance: Feels very close to a hideaway land in giving you a one-shot boost, but it's lacking a mana ability of its own compared to them. This was a tough challenge to balance and I think you're the only one in my bracket on the too weak side. This is taking three mana and a land drop to accomplish something that Zombies are already pretty good at doing on their own, so I'm not sure it would make it into any but the most dedicated or casual Zombie decks.
Creativity - (2/3) Uniqueness: We just saw the main payoff on Liliana, Untouched by Death. (3/3) Flavor: Sure, plays in the "Mikaeus was in on it all along" space
Polish - (3/3) Quality: (2/2) Main Challenge: (2/2) Subchallenges:
Zediyennon, Center of Worship
Legendary Land (M)
White creature spells you cast cost your choice of U, B, R, or G less to cast. This effect only reduces the amount of colored mana you pay. (You choose as you cast the spell. For example, you could pay RW or GW to cast a creature spell that cost RGW. 5W: Zediyennon, Center of Worship becomes a 3/5 white Archon creature with flying and first strike until end of turn. Blue creatures, black creatures, red creatures, and green creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn. Kolzag's sole real sacred thing.
Design - (2/3) Appeal: Seems niche but has a lot of potential for different directions (1/3) Elegance: Both the "mana ability" and the manland/pump need a few reads, but they line up in a cool way.
Development - (3/3) Viability: Seems good (2/3) Balance: Free Figure of Destiny? Reducing colored costs is always dangerous. I don't think it's too far off from Ancient Ziggurat or Pillar of the Paruns, though, neither of which see huge amounts of play, so the lategame bonus is probably fine.
Creativity - (3/3) Uniqueness: I have evidence of you liking white multicolor fixing, because I'm pretty sure nobody ever comes up with ideas independently (3/3) Flavor: You sure love weird Babylonian sounding stuff
Polish - (3/3) Quality: (2/2) Main Challenge: (2/2) Subchallenges:
Maw of Valakut R Land Creature - Dragon {R}
Flying
Maw of Valakut enters the battlefield tapped and doesn't untap during your untap step. Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, if three or more lands have entered the battlefield under your control this turn, untap Maw of Valakut. 5/5
Design - (2.5/3) Appeal: Timmy loves dragon and this is an interesting land. Johnny likes potential abuse that a creature land could have. Spike likes utility lands, though I think Spike would be less excited about a land that doesn't provide mana. (2/3) Elegance: So this makes sense as slumbering dragon that only wakes up when something happens, but nothing about this feels like a land and because of that, caused me to search the card a few times trying to figure out why this is a land.
Development - (1.5/3) Viability: This is basically a colorless 5/5 that needs a very specific condition to turn on. The fact that this would give green, the color most likely to abuse this, a "free" 5/5 flier certainly feels a little off, but so does the whole card. Also, while the challenge asked for you to design a land without a mana ability, it modern Magic design nearly all lands at least assist in casting spells, as contributing to casting spells is the marque mechanic that makes lands... lands. Rare is certainly correct here (3/3) Balance: This card feels quite balanced so long as the standard/limited environment doesn't abuse untapping it. In older formats this feels like too much set up to get blown out by a removal spell/land destruction.
Creativity - (3/3) Uniqueness: Dryad Arbor is the only example of something like this and this does feel significantly different enough from that. (2/3) Flavor: Flavor is solid. Art would really pull this card together..
Polish - (3/3) Quality: All good! (2/2) Main Challenge: Yup!! (0/2) Subchallenges: Nope!!
Total: 19/25
Darkheart Nexus
Legendary Land (Mythic)
Wheb Darkheart Nexus enters the battlefield, target opponent gains control of it.
Spells you cast cost 2 less and an additional 2 life. 5: Target player gains control of Darkheart Nexus.
Design - (1/3) Appeal: This is a Johnny card through and through. (3/3) Elegance: Makes cards cheaper at the cost of live. Fairly straightfroward.
Development - (2.5/3) Viability: Rarity is good, seems fine as colorless land. Should probably be "As ~ enters the battlefield, choose a player. ~ enters the battlefield under that players control.", while this is more wordy, it works casting spells at instant speed with the trigger on the stack. (2.5/3) Balance: This is a multiplayer only card but is quite cool in that kind of format. The second ability could have used an "any player can activate this ability" tag to really play into the multiplayer format. Seems quite balanced.
Creativity - (2.5/3) Uniqueness: While cost reduction is not a new mechanic, using it in such a way is quite cool! (2/3) Flavor: Flavor is fine. Feels very Phyrexian despite no real name/flavor reference.
Culstath's Academy
Legendary Land (R)
Instant and sorcery spells cost 1 less to cast. 1, t: Target Wizard gains prowess until end of turn. "Developing fine, young mages since 1143."
-Sign outside of Egrod's Hall
Design - (2/3) Appeal: Johnny and Spike are foaming at the mouth. Timmy isn't super impressed. (3/3) Elegance: Very straightforward effects.
Development - (1.5/3) Viability: Rare is good. This works on a land but probably shouldn't exist as efficient as you get here. (0/3) Balance: The card is simple but unbelievably busted. I cannot see how this would stay legal in Modern or Legacy.
Creativity - (1/3) Uniqueness:Goblin Electromancer and Baral have both done this before. Granting Prowess is newish. (1.5/3) Flavor: Flavor is fine. Not a homerun.
Nexus, Time's Laboratory
Legendary Land (M)
Spells you cast from your graveyard, library, or exile cost 1 less to cast.
You may look at and cast exiled cards you own if they are face down.
: Reveal the top card of your library, you may cast that card. Activate this ability only if you cast a spell from your graveyard, library or exile this turn. Past or future, it's got to be better than the present.
Design - (2/3) Appeal: Johnny loves this. Spike likes the potential card advantage. Timmy is meh. (2/3) Elegance: The card is a little clunky. The whole "you can look and cast facedown cards" while synergizing with the rest of the card, feels a little tacked on and unnecessary.
Development - (2/3) Viability: Cost reduction can be colorless, but this seems a little too accessable as a land. Mythic is fine but I think this could be a rare. (2/3) Balance: This seems a bit dangerous with graveyard cards, especially in older formats, but I think is just right not to be overpowered. Still, this card would be a developmental nightmare.
Creativity - (2/3) Uniqueness: Cost reduction isn't new but this is an interesting way to apply it. The whole "impulse draw" is also not new but is used differently here. (1.5/3) Flavor: Flavor is fine, though the flavor text doesn't really fit.
Polish - (3/3) Quality: Seems good (2/2) Main Challenge: Yup (2/2) Subchallenges: Yup!
Total: 18.5/25
Zhalfir the Desolate
Legendary Land {R}
When Zhalfir the Desolate enters the battlefield or at the beginning of your upkeep, exile the top 2 cards of your library face down. You may look at cards exiled this way. 0: You may play a noncreature card exiled with Zhalfir the Desolate. Zhalfir phases out. Activate this ability only once each turn. So many lifetimes spent, all to return a continent that had long since destroyed itself.
Design - (1.5/3) Appeal: Spikes like the card advantage. Timmy says meh. Johnny might be able to find a use for it. (1.5/3) Elegance: This has phasing which, while flavorlicious, is one of the most confusing mechanics there is.
Development - (1.5/3) Viability: A consistent source of card advantage is very good for colorless source, especially for one this cheaply. I think the biggest ding against this is that it doesn't feel like a land at all. It doesn't help cast your spells in anyway (except giving you access to ones you exile). I know the challenge was to design a land without a mana ability, but this is a call back to the days of Arena and Sorrow's Path. (3/3) Balance: Being able to only do this once per turn and requiring basically skipping a land drop leads me to believe this is safe.
Creativity - (3/3) Uniqueness: Library lands have existed before but this is a fresh take. (3/3) Flavor: Flavor is excellent.
Polish - (3/3) Quality: Yup! (2/2) Main Challenge: Yup (1/2) Subchallenges: Doesn't help cast spells
Total: 19.5/25
Blood Peak
Land (R) R, T: Target land becomes a Mountain until your next turn. Untap up to two basic lands you control.
Design - (1/3) Appeal: Spike likes the ability to turn this on your opponents lands. Timmy and Johnny are pretty unimpressed. (1.5/3) Elegance: Straightforward effect though turning lands into other lands always carries some confusion with it. This is particularly evident here where I could see players making their Underground Sea a Mountain, then not being able to untap it. Also, while the challenge was to design a land without a mana ability, this feels like the card would be better designed with a simple "T: Add C." The work around of untapping two lands just makes the card feel clunky.
Development - (3/3) Viability: Certainly a red ability. Rare feels right. (2/3) Balance: The fact that this is a "free" color hoser concerns me. While I appreciate efficient color hosing, this might be too good.
Creativity - (1.5/3) Uniqueness:Blood Moon, Alpine Moon, and Blood Sun are all examples of this kind of effect. (2/3) Flavor: The whole "Blood" flavor is nice but you could have had some flavor text to be sure.
The Seedheart
Legendary Land (R)
When The Seedheart enters the battlefield, you may search you library for a basic Forest card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library. 3G: Return The Seedheart to your hand.
Design - (2/3) Appeal: Johnny likes the ability to ramp with flicker effects. Spike likes the card advantage. Timmy probably thinks this is just worse than a Forest. (3/3) Elegance: Very straightforward. Nothing to be confused about here.
Development - (3/3) Viability: Despite being a land, this card feels very green. Rare is good. (3/3) Balance: This is basically a Terramorphic Expanse that only fetches Forests but has potential abuse with flickering effects. It feels like it wouldn't see much play in Constructed unless you have a lot of flicker effects available. Multiplayer is probably where this card would see the most play.
Creativity - (2/3) Uniqueness: Fetching lands is not new by anymeans but this card does feel different. (2/3) Flavor: Flavor is fine. You could have probably fit a line of flavor text.
Polish - (3/3) Quality: All good. (2/2) Main Challenge: Yup (1/2) Subchallenges: Doesn't help cast spells.
Kitezh, the Disappearing Town
Legendary Land (M)
Kitezh, the Disappearing Town enters the battlefield tapped. t: Return target land you control to its owner's hand. Knyaz Itslav's people were surprised but understood that their motherland have protected itself from the Chud invasion by its own will.
Design .:. (1/3) Appeal: What Jxnny doesn't want all the landfall triggers?! (3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:. (3/3) Viability:Trade Routes is the only other card with that text. It's a blue card. Besides that there is a variety of other blue cards that return lands to your hand as part of the activation cost of their abilities, like moonfolk for example. Recently we've got a red-green card in Mina and Denn. Trade Routes is from 1999, so we have a single card as real reference and that card is >old<. I don't think that's enough to ascribe a certain effect to a specific color. All I want to say is, this effect on a land with no color identity is probably somewhat fine. Even more so as it's mythic. (3/3) Balance: It takes a land slot but also assures you to hit your land drop each turn, while not ramping you and not fixing your colors. Yet that's still very useful to trigger landfall effects and also lets you re-use ETB effects of your lands. Itself doesn't produce mana and can only really be used in a deck specifically built around the aforementioned effects. Off the top of my head nothing comes to mind that's too broken.
Creativity .:. (2,5/3) Uniqueness: Name and effect are a nice reference to Ghost Town . As said, this is the second card with this exact ability. (2,5/3) Flavor: As I understand it, name and flavor text suggest that this card should only be able to return itself to the hand. This way of course it would just be Ghost Town again.
Polish .:. (3/3) Quality: No flaws detected! (2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied! (1/2) Subchallenges: Subchallenge 2 satisfied!
Total: 21/25
Yavimaya
Legendary Land (m) x: Spend only green mana on X. Yavimaya becomes a X/X green Plant Avatar creature with "Whenever Yavimaya deals combat damage to a player, you may put a green creature card with converted mana cost X or less from your hand onto the battlefield." until end of turn.
Design .:. (3/3) Appeal: Txmmy wants to cheat creatures into play and Jxnny wants to cheat things into play in general. I also believe this card is Spike material. (3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:. (3/3) Viability: Caring about creatures is pretty green. That weird effect is definately mythic worthy. (2/3) Balance: Efficiency wise you have something like a repeatable Feral Hydra each turn. As itself is a land it'll always be a turn behind on the curve. In addition to that you need a strong commitment to green mana. Two color decks with only/mostly duals might get there, three and more color decks probably not so easily. The big deal here is that you'll get a creature that's slightly behind on curve, but if it deals damage, you get another creature that's slightly behind on curve. Minus and minus in this case is plus, somewhat. If this connects, you should be way ahead of curve. The effects gets better and better, the more mana you invest in one attack and even better, if you can attack with this turn after turn after turn. While it #diestoremoval and does not have evasion, the benefits of this card can get pretty absurd.
Creativity .:. (2/3) Uniqueness: Another one in the line of lands that turn into creatures. This time without a mana ability but with a scaleable Dramatic Entrance tacked on. (3/3) Flavor: The name seems realistic but probably would have some additional words on an actual card. Like Yavimaya, the Raging Forest or whatever. Something typical I mean. What I find nice is that we see for the first time really how the essence of the land actually incarnates to attack an enemy. Usually we get cards like Force of Nature that depict nature taking revenge on the reckless invaders.
Polish .:. (2,5/3) Quality: When X appears in the mana cost of a card, the color restriction appears at the top of the card, e.g. Consume Spirit. For Xs appearing in the activation cost however, they chose to put that on the end of the ability, e.g. Atalya, Samite Master. (2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied! (2/2) Subchallenges: Both subchallenges satisfied!
Total: 22,5/25
Velis Vel, Mutable Cave
Legendary Land (R)
As Velis Vel, Mutable Cave enters the battlefield, choose a creature type.
Spells you cast of the chosen type cost 1 less to cast. T: Target creature gains all creature types until end of turn. Light in the changelings’ hideout is as fickle as its inhabitants.
Design .:. (2/3) Appeal: Jxnny would kill for such a card. I see spike potential. (3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:. (2,5/3) Viability: Colorless cost reducers are a thing. Cards that grant all creature types to a creature until end of turn have appeared in all colors but green. Rare is a good spot. (0/3) Balance: I think this card is bah-roken (that's the superlative of broken!). We have seen very similar effects on Herald's Horn and Urza's Incubator. While its not an ideal comparison - the horn has an additional effect and the incubator is a greater reducer - it should be clear that this card on a land is too cheap. This card does not generate mana, no, but it lets you cast as many 1-cost creatues as you want/have. Right now there are 30 different creatures you can play for free with this card. Construct and Myr seem like good creature types here. You need some additional payoff, yes, but hint, its artifacts, its so easy to make absurd artifact decks. And then there's still a number of creatures that cost two or more you can play pretty fast with this land. For a deck that's built around tis card, it should not be a problem to virtually generate tons of mana with this card in the first few turns.
Creativity .:. (2,5/3) Uniqueness: A nice cost reducer reminiscent of Cavern of Souls. (3/3) Flavor: Name and flavor text seem fitting for the effect.
Polish .:. (3/3) Quality: No flaws detected! (2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied! (2/2) Subchallenges: Both subchallenges satisfied!
Total: 20/25
Flooding Hurst
Land {R}
When Flooding Hurst enters the battlefield, add three mana in any combination of G and/or U. 3: Return Flooding Hurst to your hand. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Design .:. (3/3) Appeal: I feel like almost everyone would want to play this card, independent of deck and play style. (3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:. (2/3) Viability: I find it weird that this is not a mana ability, but by definition it really isn't. Color wise it's probably fine. Rarity wise I think we have to invent a new rarity above masterpieces for this. (0/3) Balance:Black Lotus is acclaimed as best card in the game as it makes any deck better that's able to play it. This land here obviously takes a land slot, compared to the zero cost artifacts of the power nine you can play in addition to your land. Also the mana this produces must be used the turn it's played. All in all, it's slightly less flexible and powerful as the infamous Black Lotus. But slighty less good than the best card in the game can still be considered absurdely good. This card is a no go. Oh and yes, of course you can re-use it later if you want to, why not. Coming from another perspective, this is "just" one mana more efficient than Ancient Tomb and even on par with Mishra's Workshop . . . okey, I tried, but still no. It just can't be.
Creativity .:. (2/3) Uniqueness:Crumbling Vestige is the only other land that adds mana through simply entering the battlefield. The self bounce effect has a similar use as the untap effect of cards like Basalt Monolith. (2/3) Flavor: Name and flavor are a little generic for a card of such epic power.
Polish .:. (3/3) Quality: No flaws detected! (2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied! (2/2) Subchallenges: Both subchallenges satisfied!
Total: 19/25
Chromatic Gardens
Land
Chromatic Gardens enters the battlefield tapped. W, tap: Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn. U, tap: Return a creature you control to its owner's hand. B, tap: Target opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. R, tap: Deal 1 damage to any target. G, tap: Target creature you control gains trample until end of turn.
Design .:. (2/3) Appeal: Jxnny and Spike want this for its utility. (3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:. (2/3) Viability: Five color cards by definition can do anything. We're missing a rarity here. (2/3) Balance: We here have a nice selection of small effects on the mother of all utility lands. It's certainly useful and is playable in a lot of decks. It's hard to find a good balance between the different effects, so that the black and red abilities seem to be ahead of the other colors, with probably blue and/or white coming after. The green one is not bad either, but not as good as the others. The effects are all small and everything, but probably need a bit more adjustment. Besides that a must have for Cromat!
Creativity .:. (2,5/3) Uniqueness: It reminds me of Obelisk of Alara, another all colors do anything card, that bypasses the huge gain in versatility by a bigger mana cost. (3/3) Flavor: Name and effect invoke some flavor in my brain.
Polish .:. (2/3) Quality: "Return a creature you control to its owner's hand." usually is written when returning a creature is part of the cost or the effect of a triggered ability. As a activated ability, this should target. Also, for the red ability, you need to specify what deals the damage, here probably the land itself. (2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied! (1/2) Subchallenges: Subchallenge 2 satisfied!
Total: 19,5/25
Harmonious Garden
Land [R] T: Add one mana of any color. Target opponent gains 2 life. Though few reap it's fruit, all benefit from its presence.
Design .:. (1/3) Appeal: 2 life?! Probably a Jxnny card. (3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:. (3/3) Viability: Kind of an inverted Mana Confluence, makes sense to me. Rare, yes. (3/3) Balance: Gaining two life, maybe even more than once, is pretty good for the opponent. You need to be able to deal lots of damages to thwart that. What seems like a semi-terrible land for most decks is perfect unconditional mana fixing for any deck with an alternative win plan, an alternative to dealing damage in some form I mean. Mill decks and weird combo decks would love such a card. The most janky ones probably involving False Cure and/or Tainted Remedy. I'm not absolutely sure on that one but I think it's okey.
Creativity .:. (2/3) Uniqueness: We have Grove of the Burnwillows which this card is very similar to. (3/3) Flavor: Name and flavor text make sense.
Polish .:. (3/3) Quality: No flaws detected! (2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied! (2/2) Subchallenges: Both subchallenges satisfied!
Koopa
RaikouRider
netn10
TotallyHaywire
egoblinsw
Flatline
Jimmy Groove
Forestsguy
Gerrard's Mom
Freyleyes
StonerofKruphix
Marco
mirrodin71
Subject16
void_nothing
Antiantiserum
Raptorchan
Hemlock
bravelion83
Cardz5000
Neuroticneurok
The_Hittite
Top 4 Advance!
BGStandard Green AggroGB
UWRGModern Saheeli CobraGRWU
UBRGLegacy StormGRBU
Wizards Certified Rules Advisor
Design -
(2/3) Appeal: Powerful but a bit fiddly
(3/3) Elegance: Pretty clean
Development -
(3/3) Viability: As Elkin Bottle was the first pioneer of impulse draw, I don't see a problem with colorless getting the ability, and lands can reduce costs.
(1/3) Balance: You give up your land drop, but gaining up to four mana is quite powerful. You have control over when to activate it so you can wait a turn, then at worst it replaces itself with another land. It's maybe not quite as great as I first thought, but many decks with higher generic mana costs (including artifacts) and proactive spells are going to be interested, and it's still good for decks like burn even if their spells were all bolts just to dig deeper. The Legendary type is sort of redundant here since there's not much reason to put out multiples.
Creativity -
(3/3) Uniqueness: Hazoret's Undying Fury is about as close as we get with impulse and costing less, so it's new.
(2/3) Flavor: The real world flavor and generic name on a Legendary Land makes this fit in like The Dark, but is weird today.
Polish -
(2/3) Quality: Act on Impulse shows a slightly different template and you at least need "cost 2 less to cast".
(2/2) Main Challenge:
(2/2) Subchallenges:
Total: 20/25
Design -
(3/3) Appeal: Excitement for artifact people
(3/3) Elegance: Make artifacts so you can make more artifacts
Development -
(3/3) Viability: Those are things that lands can do, and it has good precedent for being mythic
(1/3) Balance: While the Eye is mostly just ramping you a bit more into really large things, it shouldn't be hard for most artifact decks to wring the full 2 mana out of this every turn (or even other turns), which is the kind of thing that leads to bannings. On top of that we have a strong late game ability. Probably too much.
Creativity -
(2/3) Uniqueness: It follows the Eye pretty closely, but the shift in types is well executed.
(3/3) Flavor: Cool obscure reference
Polish -
(3/3) Quality:
(2/2) Main Challenge:
(2/2) Subchallenges:
Total: 22/25
Design -
(2/3) Appeal: Pretty niche but provides combos and incremental advantage
(2/3) Elegance: Probably tough for newcomers but clear for those who know the reference.
Development -
(2/3) Viability: I feel like the nearly unique ability pushes it to uncommon at least.
(1/3) Balance: So I get set back one turn, but then I can chain out new snow lands untapped and use my land drop on each of the next three turns to add another Rift. Almost feels like Ripple in a double Coldsnap throwback. I'm afraid the power of making your land drops so consistent would push too many decks to snow.
Creativity -
(3/3) Uniqueness: Obviously we have the precedent here but putting it on a land is a great idea.
(3/3) Flavor: Cool as a throwback and I guess "Rift" is about as good as we can get at representing this effect.
Polish -
(3/3) Quality:
(2/2) Main Challenge:
(1/2) Subchallenges: Doesn't play stuff on its own
Total: 19/25
Design -
(2/3) Appeal: There are many players who don't like losing their own things for profit, but others who do.
(2/3) Elegance: Clearly has a plan but the second ability might throw people off.
Development -
(2/3) Viability: It seems too utilitarian to be mythic.
(2/3) Balance: There are some pretty easy infinite combos with the likes of Gravecrawler. That said, it requires a fairly specific deck to make it work. It's hard to use if you are just getting incidental mana off creature deaths, but any deck using this will probably take full advantage.
Creativity -
(3/3) Uniqueness: There are shockingly few cards that trigger like this, Black Market and Pitiless Plunderer being the closest. Activation is weird but pretty new.
(2/3) Flavor: Great art, the quote doesn't feel like Vraska to me though and the name is a bit too generic
Polish -
(1/3) Quality: "Whenever a creature you control dies, add B or G." (typo, comma, -mana pool, also Vraska the Unseen)
(2/2) Main Challenge: Technically not a mana ability
(1/2) Subchallenges: I guess "with a creature" is not "by itself" by definition
Total: 17/25
Design -
(1/3) Appeal: Narrow Zombie lands are probably not the most exciting rare.
(2/3) Elegance: It feeds the Zombie plan well but has a lot of parts to do so.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: Seems doable
(1/3) Balance: Feels very close to a hideaway land in giving you a one-shot boost, but it's lacking a mana ability of its own compared to them. This was a tough challenge to balance and I think you're the only one in my bracket on the too weak side. This is taking three mana and a land drop to accomplish something that Zombies are already pretty good at doing on their own, so I'm not sure it would make it into any but the most dedicated or casual Zombie decks.
Creativity -
(2/3) Uniqueness: We just saw the main payoff on Liliana, Untouched by Death.
(3/3) Flavor: Sure, plays in the "Mikaeus was in on it all along" space
Polish -
(3/3) Quality:
(2/2) Main Challenge:
(2/2) Subchallenges:
Total: 19/25
Design -
(2/3) Appeal: Seems niche but has a lot of potential for different directions
(1/3) Elegance: Both the "mana ability" and the manland/pump need a few reads, but they line up in a cool way.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: Seems good
(2/3) Balance: Free Figure of Destiny? Reducing colored costs is always dangerous. I don't think it's too far off from Ancient Ziggurat or Pillar of the Paruns, though, neither of which see huge amounts of play, so the lategame bonus is probably fine.
Creativity -
(3/3) Uniqueness: I have evidence of you liking white multicolor fixing, because I'm pretty sure nobody ever comes up with ideas independently
(3/3) Flavor: You sure love weird Babylonian sounding stuff
Polish -
(3/3) Quality:
(2/2) Main Challenge:
(2/2) Subchallenges:
Total: 21/25
StonerofKruphix 22
Marco 19
mirrodin71 17
Subject16 19
void_nothing 21
Maw of Valakut
R Land Creature - Dragon {R}
Flying
Maw of Valakut enters the battlefield tapped and doesn't untap during your untap step.
Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, if three or more lands have entered the battlefield under your control this turn, untap Maw of Valakut.
5/5
(2.5/3) Appeal: Timmy loves dragon and this is an interesting land. Johnny likes potential abuse that a creature land could have. Spike likes utility lands, though I think Spike would be less excited about a land that doesn't provide mana.
(2/3) Elegance: So this makes sense as slumbering dragon that only wakes up when something happens, but nothing about this feels like a land and because of that, caused me to search the card a few times trying to figure out why this is a land.
Development -
(1.5/3) Viability: This is basically a colorless 5/5 that needs a very specific condition to turn on. The fact that this would give green, the color most likely to abuse this, a "free" 5/5 flier certainly feels a little off, but so does the whole card. Also, while the challenge asked for you to design a land without a mana ability, it modern Magic design nearly all lands at least assist in casting spells, as contributing to casting spells is the marque mechanic that makes lands... lands. Rare is certainly correct here
(3/3) Balance: This card feels quite balanced so long as the standard/limited environment doesn't abuse untapping it. In older formats this feels like too much set up to get blown out by a removal spell/land destruction.
Creativity -
(3/3) Uniqueness: Dryad Arbor is the only example of something like this and this does feel significantly different enough from that.
(2/3) Flavor: Flavor is solid. Art would really pull this card together..
Polish -
(3/3) Quality: All good!
(2/2) Main Challenge: Yup!!
(0/2) Subchallenges: Nope!!
Total: 19/25
Darkheart Nexus
Legendary Land (Mythic)
Wheb Darkheart Nexus enters the battlefield, target opponent gains control of it.
Spells you cast cost 2 less and an additional 2 life.
5: Target player gains control of Darkheart Nexus.
Design -
(1/3) Appeal: This is a Johnny card through and through.
(3/3) Elegance: Makes cards cheaper at the cost of live. Fairly straightfroward.
Development -
(2.5/3) Viability: Rarity is good, seems fine as colorless land. Should probably be "As ~ enters the battlefield, choose a player. ~ enters the battlefield under that players control.", while this is more wordy, it works casting spells at instant speed with the trigger on the stack.
(2.5/3) Balance: This is a multiplayer only card but is quite cool in that kind of format. The second ability could have used an "any player can activate this ability" tag to really play into the multiplayer format. Seems quite balanced.
Creativity -
(2.5/3) Uniqueness: While cost reduction is not a new mechanic, using it in such a way is quite cool!
(2/3) Flavor: Flavor is fine. Feels very Phyrexian despite no real name/flavor reference.
Polish -
(2.5/3) Quality: "Wheb ~ enters the battlefield"
(2/2) *Main Challenge: Yup
(2/2) Subchallenges: Great!!
Total: 20/25
Culstath's Academy
Legendary Land (R)
Instant and sorcery spells cost 1 less to cast.
1, t: Target Wizard gains prowess until end of turn.
"Developing fine, young mages since 1143."
-Sign outside of Egrod's Hall
Design -
(2/3) Appeal: Johnny and Spike are foaming at the mouth. Timmy isn't super impressed.
(3/3) Elegance: Very straightforward effects.
Development -
(1.5/3) Viability: Rare is good. This works on a land but probably shouldn't exist as efficient as you get here.
(0/3) Balance: The card is simple but unbelievably busted. I cannot see how this would stay legal in Modern or Legacy.
Creativity -
(1/3) Uniqueness: Goblin Electromancer and Baral have both done this before. Granting Prowess is newish.
(1.5/3) Flavor: Flavor is fine. Not a homerun.
Polish -
(3/3) Quality: All good.
(2/2) *Main Challenge: Yup
(2/2) Subchallenges: Yup
Total: 16/25
Nexus, Time's Laboratory
Legendary Land (M)
Spells you cast from your graveyard, library, or exile cost 1 less to cast.
You may look at and cast exiled cards you own if they are face down.
: Reveal the top card of your library, you may cast that card. Activate this ability only if you cast a spell from your graveyard, library or exile this turn.
Past or future, it's got to be better than the present.
(2/3) Appeal: Johnny loves this. Spike likes the potential card advantage. Timmy is meh.
(2/3) Elegance: The card is a little clunky. The whole "you can look and cast facedown cards" while synergizing with the rest of the card, feels a little tacked on and unnecessary.
Development -
(2/3) Viability: Cost reduction can be colorless, but this seems a little too accessable as a land. Mythic is fine but I think this could be a rare.
(2/3) Balance: This seems a bit dangerous with graveyard cards, especially in older formats, but I think is just right not to be overpowered. Still, this card would be a developmental nightmare.
Creativity -
(2/3) Uniqueness: Cost reduction isn't new but this is an interesting way to apply it. The whole "impulse draw" is also not new but is used differently here.
(1.5/3) Flavor: Flavor is fine, though the flavor text doesn't really fit.
Polish -
(3/3) Quality: Seems good
(2/2) Main Challenge: Yup
(2/2) Subchallenges: Yup!
Total: 18.5/25
Zhalfir the Desolate
Legendary Land {R}
When Zhalfir the Desolate enters the battlefield or at the beginning of your upkeep, exile the top 2 cards of your library face down. You may look at cards exiled this way.
0: You may play a noncreature card exiled with Zhalfir the Desolate. Zhalfir phases out. Activate this ability only once each turn.
So many lifetimes spent, all to return a continent that had long since destroyed itself.
(1.5/3) Appeal: Spikes like the card advantage. Timmy says meh. Johnny might be able to find a use for it.
(1.5/3) Elegance: This has phasing which, while flavorlicious, is one of the most confusing mechanics there is.
Development -
(1.5/3) Viability: A consistent source of card advantage is very good for colorless source, especially for one this cheaply. I think the biggest ding against this is that it doesn't feel like a land at all. It doesn't help cast your spells in anyway (except giving you access to ones you exile). I know the challenge was to design a land without a mana ability, but this is a call back to the days of Arena and Sorrow's Path.
(3/3) Balance: Being able to only do this once per turn and requiring basically skipping a land drop leads me to believe this is safe.
Creativity -
(3/3) Uniqueness: Library lands have existed before but this is a fresh take.
(3/3) Flavor: Flavor is excellent.
Polish -
(3/3) Quality: Yup!
(2/2) Main Challenge: Yup
(1/2) Subchallenges: Doesn't help cast spells
Total: 19.5/25
Blood Peak
Land (R)
R, T: Target land becomes a Mountain until your next turn. Untap up to two basic lands you control.
(1/3) Appeal: Spike likes the ability to turn this on your opponents lands. Timmy and Johnny are pretty unimpressed.
(1.5/3) Elegance: Straightforward effect though turning lands into other lands always carries some confusion with it. This is particularly evident here where I could see players making their Underground Sea a Mountain, then not being able to untap it. Also, while the challenge was to design a land without a mana ability, this feels like the card would be better designed with a simple "T: Add C." The work around of untapping two lands just makes the card feel clunky.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: Certainly a red ability. Rare feels right.
(2/3) Balance: The fact that this is a "free" color hoser concerns me. While I appreciate efficient color hosing, this might be too good.
Creativity -
(1.5/3) Uniqueness: Blood Moon, Alpine Moon, and Blood Sun are all examples of this kind of effect.
(2/3) Flavor: The whole "Blood" flavor is nice but you could have had some flavor text to be sure.
Polish -
(3/3) Quality: Yup
(2/2) *Main Challenge: Yup
(2/2) Subchallenges: Yup
Total: 18/25
The Seedheart
Legendary Land (R)
When The Seedheart enters the battlefield, you may search you library for a basic Forest card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle your library.
3G: Return The Seedheart to your hand.
(2/3) Appeal: Johnny likes the ability to ramp with flicker effects. Spike likes the card advantage. Timmy probably thinks this is just worse than a Forest.
(3/3) Elegance: Very straightforward. Nothing to be confused about here.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: Despite being a land, this card feels very green. Rare is good.
(3/3) Balance: This is basically a Terramorphic Expanse that only fetches Forests but has potential abuse with flickering effects. It feels like it wouldn't see much play in Constructed unless you have a lot of flicker effects available. Multiplayer is probably where this card would see the most play.
Creativity -
(2/3) Uniqueness: Fetching lands is not new by anymeans but this card does feel different.
(2/3) Flavor: Flavor is fine. You could have probably fit a line of flavor text.
Polish -
(3/3) Quality: All good.
(2/2) Main Challenge: Yup
(1/2) Subchallenges: Doesn't help cast spells.
Total: 21/25
Raikou: 19
netn10: 20
flatline: 16
egoblinsw: 18.5
TotallyHaywire: 19.5
Forestsguy: 18
Jimmy: 21
BGStandard Green AggroGB
UWRGModern Saheeli CobraGRWU
UBRGLegacy StormGRBU
Wizards Certified Rules Advisor
Legendary Land (M)
Kitezh, the Disappearing Town enters the battlefield tapped.
t: Return target land you control to its owner's hand.
Knyaz Itslav's people were surprised but understood that their motherland have protected itself from the Chud invasion by its own will.
Design .:.
(1/3) Appeal: What Jxnny doesn't want all the landfall triggers?!
(3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:.
(3/3) Viability: Trade Routes is the only other card with that text. It's a blue card. Besides that there is a variety of other blue cards that return lands to your hand as part of the activation cost of their abilities, like moonfolk for example. Recently we've got a red-green card in Mina and Denn. Trade Routes is from 1999, so we have a single card as real reference and that card is >old<. I don't think that's enough to ascribe a certain effect to a specific color. All I want to say is, this effect on a land with no color identity is probably somewhat fine. Even more so as it's mythic.
(3/3) Balance: It takes a land slot but also assures you to hit your land drop each turn, while not ramping you and not fixing your colors. Yet that's still very useful to trigger landfall effects and also lets you re-use ETB effects of your lands. Itself doesn't produce mana and can only really be used in a deck specifically built around the aforementioned effects. Off the top of my head nothing comes to mind that's too broken.
Creativity .:.
(2,5/3) Uniqueness: Name and effect are a nice reference to Ghost Town . As said, this is the second card with this exact ability.
(2,5/3) Flavor: As I understand it, name and flavor text suggest that this card should only be able to return itself to the hand. This way of course it would just be Ghost Town again.
Polish .:.
(3/3) Quality: No flaws detected!
(2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied!
(1/2) Subchallenges: Subchallenge 2 satisfied!
Total: 21/25
Legendary Land (m)
x: Spend only green mana on X. Yavimaya becomes a X/X green Plant Avatar creature with "Whenever Yavimaya deals combat damage to a player, you may put a green creature card with converted mana cost X or less from your hand onto the battlefield." until end of turn.
Design .:.
(3/3) Appeal: Txmmy wants to cheat creatures into play and Jxnny wants to cheat things into play in general. I also believe this card is Spike material.
(3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:.
(3/3) Viability: Caring about creatures is pretty green. That weird effect is definately mythic worthy.
(2/3) Balance: Efficiency wise you have something like a repeatable Feral Hydra each turn. As itself is a land it'll always be a turn behind on the curve. In addition to that you need a strong commitment to green mana. Two color decks with only/mostly duals might get there, three and more color decks probably not so easily. The big deal here is that you'll get a creature that's slightly behind on curve, but if it deals damage, you get another creature that's slightly behind on curve. Minus and minus in this case is plus, somewhat. If this connects, you should be way ahead of curve. The effects gets better and better, the more mana you invest in one attack and even better, if you can attack with this turn after turn after turn. While it #diestoremoval and does not have evasion, the benefits of this card can get pretty absurd.
Creativity .:.
(2/3) Uniqueness: Another one in the line of lands that turn into creatures. This time without a mana ability but with a scaleable Dramatic Entrance tacked on.
(3/3) Flavor: The name seems realistic but probably would have some additional words on an actual card. Like Yavimaya, the Raging Forest or whatever. Something typical I mean. What I find nice is that we see for the first time really how the essence of the land actually incarnates to attack an enemy. Usually we get cards like Force of Nature that depict nature taking revenge on the reckless invaders.
Polish .:.
(2,5/3) Quality: When X appears in the mana cost of a card, the color restriction appears at the top of the card, e.g. Consume Spirit. For Xs appearing in the activation cost however, they chose to put that on the end of the ability, e.g. Atalya, Samite Master.
(2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied!
(2/2) Subchallenges: Both subchallenges satisfied!
Total: 22,5/25
Legendary Land (R)
As Velis Vel, Mutable Cave enters the battlefield, choose a creature type.
Spells you cast of the chosen type cost 1 less to cast.
T: Target creature gains all creature types until end of turn.
Light in the changelings’ hideout is as fickle as its inhabitants.
Design .:.
(2/3) Appeal: Jxnny would kill for such a card. I see spike potential.
(3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:.
(2,5/3) Viability: Colorless cost reducers are a thing. Cards that grant all creature types to a creature until end of turn have appeared in all colors but green. Rare is a good spot.
(0/3) Balance: I think this card is bah-roken (that's the superlative of broken!). We have seen very similar effects on Herald's Horn and Urza's Incubator. While its not an ideal comparison - the horn has an additional effect and the incubator is a greater reducer - it should be clear that this card on a land is too cheap. This card does not generate mana, no, but it lets you cast as many 1-cost creatues as you want/have. Right now there are 30 different creatures you can play for free with this card. Construct and Myr seem like good creature types here. You need some additional payoff, yes, but hint, its artifacts, its so easy to make absurd artifact decks. And then there's still a number of creatures that cost two or more you can play pretty fast with this land. For a deck that's built around tis card, it should not be a problem to virtually generate tons of mana with this card in the first few turns.
Creativity .:.
(2,5/3) Uniqueness: A nice cost reducer reminiscent of Cavern of Souls.
(3/3) Flavor: Name and flavor text seem fitting for the effect.
Polish .:.
(3/3) Quality: No flaws detected!
(2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied!
(2/2) Subchallenges: Both subchallenges satisfied!
Total: 20/25
Land {R}
When Flooding Hurst enters the battlefield, add three mana in any combination of G and/or U.
3: Return Flooding Hurst to your hand. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.
Design .:.
(3/3) Appeal: I feel like almost everyone would want to play this card, independent of deck and play style.
(3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:.
(2/3) Viability: I find it weird that this is not a mana ability, but by definition it really isn't. Color wise it's probably fine. Rarity wise I think we have to invent a new rarity above masterpieces for this.
(0/3) Balance: Black Lotus is acclaimed as best card in the game as it makes any deck better that's able to play it. This land here obviously takes a land slot, compared to the zero cost artifacts of the power nine you can play in addition to your land. Also the mana this produces must be used the turn it's played. All in all, it's slightly less flexible and powerful as the infamous Black Lotus. But slighty less good than the best card in the game can still be considered absurdely good. This card is a no go. Oh and yes, of course you can re-use it later if you want to, why not. Coming from another perspective, this is "just" one mana more efficient than Ancient Tomb and even on par with Mishra's Workshop . . . okey, I tried, but still no. It just can't be.
Creativity .:.
(2/3) Uniqueness: Crumbling Vestige is the only other land that adds mana through simply entering the battlefield. The self bounce effect has a similar use as the untap effect of cards like Basalt Monolith.
(2/3) Flavor: Name and flavor are a little generic for a card of such epic power.
Polish .:.
(3/3) Quality: No flaws detected!
(2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied!
(2/2) Subchallenges: Both subchallenges satisfied!
Total: 19/25
Land
Chromatic Gardens enters the battlefield tapped.
W, tap: Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
U, tap: Return a creature you control to its owner's hand.
B, tap: Target opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
R, tap: Deal 1 damage to any target.
G, tap: Target creature you control gains trample until end of turn.
Design .:.
(2/3) Appeal: Jxnny and Spike want this for its utility.
(3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:.
(2/3) Viability: Five color cards by definition can do anything. We're missing a rarity here.
(2/3) Balance: We here have a nice selection of small effects on the mother of all utility lands. It's certainly useful and is playable in a lot of decks. It's hard to find a good balance between the different effects, so that the black and red abilities seem to be ahead of the other colors, with probably blue and/or white coming after. The green one is not bad either, but not as good as the others. The effects are all small and everything, but probably need a bit more adjustment. Besides that a must have for Cromat!
Creativity .:.
(2,5/3) Uniqueness: It reminds me of Obelisk of Alara, another all colors do anything card, that bypasses the huge gain in versatility by a bigger mana cost.
(3/3) Flavor: Name and effect invoke some flavor in my brain.
Polish .:.
(2/3) Quality: "Return a creature you control to its owner's hand." usually is written when returning a creature is part of the cost or the effect of a triggered ability. As a activated ability, this should target. Also, for the red ability, you need to specify what deals the damage, here probably the land itself.
(2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied!
(1/2) Subchallenges: Subchallenge 2 satisfied!
Total: 19,5/25
Land [R]
T: Add one mana of any color. Target opponent gains 2 life.
Though few reap it's fruit, all benefit from its presence.
Design .:.
(1/3) Appeal: 2 life?! Probably a Jxnny card.
(3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:.
(3/3) Viability: Kind of an inverted Mana Confluence, makes sense to me. Rare, yes.
(3/3) Balance: Gaining two life, maybe even more than once, is pretty good for the opponent. You need to be able to deal lots of damages to thwart that. What seems like a semi-terrible land for most decks is perfect unconditional mana fixing for any deck with an alternative win plan, an alternative to dealing damage in some form I mean. Mill decks and weird combo decks would love such a card. The most janky ones probably involving False Cure and/or Tainted Remedy. I'm not absolutely sure on that one but I think it's okey.
Creativity .:.
(2/3) Uniqueness: We have Grove of the Burnwillows which this card is very similar to.
(3/3) Flavor: Name and flavor text make sense.
Polish .:.
(3/3) Quality: No flaws detected!
(2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied!
(2/2) Subchallenges: Both subchallenges satisfied!
Total: 22/25
The_Hittite 22,0
Raptorchan 21,0
bravelion83 20,0
Neuroticneurok 19,5
Cardz5000 19,0