Your idea has been gladly (well, mostly...) accepted by your Guildmaster and he granted you with a carte blanche to bring it to life. However, due to unlucky circumstances (slaughterhorns migration, sudden blackout, seasonal upheavals, invasion of an army from other world), your resources are limited. Keeping in mind that every guild uses two colors of mana, you have to fix your mana first. Please do!
Main Challenge: Design a card that produces exactly one or exactly two colors of mana.
Subchallenge 1: Your card is monocolored that produces mana of exactly one another color or colorless that produces exactly two colors of mana. Subchallenge 2: Your card has converted mana cost 3 or less.
Main Challenge: Cards producing "mana of any color" aren't allowed. Your card can be permanent or not. You have claimed your guild in Round 1.
Subchallenge 1: Monocolored means your card has mana symbols of only one color plus maybe generic mana symbols in the mana cost. Colorless means no colored mana symbols (keep in mind, lands are colorless). For this subchallenge, colored cards producing mana of the same color aren't allowed. But your card may add any amount of mana. Subchallenge 2: Your card costs 0, 1, 2 or 3 mana.
Please feel free to ask additional questions if you have any in the MCC Discussion thread.
Design Deadline: All submissions are to be final and submitted by September 15th 11:59 PM EST
Judging Deadline: All judgements are to be final and completed by September 19th 11:59 PM EST
Design - (X/3) Appeal: Do the different player psychographics (Timmy/Johhny/Spike) have a use for the card? (X/3) Elegance: Is the card easily understandable at a glance? Do all the flavor and mechanics combined as a whole make sense?
Development - (X/3) Viability: How well does the card fit into the color wheel? Does it break or bend the rules of the game? Is it the appropriate rarity? (X/3) Balance: Does the card have a power level appropriate for contemporary constructed/limited environments without breaking them? Does it play well in casual and multiplayer formats? Does it create or fit into a deck/archetype? Does it create an oppressive environment?
Creativity - (X/3) Uniqueness: Has a card like this ever been printed before? Does it use new mechanics, ideas, or design space? Does it combine old ideas in a new way? Overall, does it feel “fresh”? (X/3) Flavor: Does the name seem realistic for a card? Does the flavor text sound professional? Do all the flavor elements synch together to please Vorthos players?
Polish - (X/3) Quality: Points deducted for incorrect spelling, grammar, and templating. (X/2) *Main Challenge: Was the main challenge satisfied? Was it approached in a unique or interesting way? Does the card fit the intent of the challenge? (X/2) Subchallenges: One point awarded per satisfied subchallenge condition.
Total: X/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.
Judges:
Raptorchan
void_nothing
Antiantiserum
Contestants:
Subject16
Gerrard’s Mom
bravelion83
Rudyard
Jimmy Groove
Flatline
TotallyHaywire
netn10
egoblinsw
The_Hittite
Forestguy
PsyOp
Marco
A reminder to everyone: In the MCC, putting rarity on cards is mandatory! If you don't put a rarity on your card, expect huge deductions in both Viability AND Quality.
Also, you should format your text cards accordingly to the forum rules (see the "this formatting looks best" spoiler in the linked OP). Again, expect deductions in Quality otherwise.
Boros Warhorn3
Artifact (U) (R/W), T: Add RW. 2RW, T, Sacrifice Boros Warhorn: Create two 1/1 red and white Soldier creature tokens with haste. “An invader is coming. Generals, call the troops. It’s time to fight.”
—Aurelia
MCC - Winner (6): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019 || Host (15): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here) || Judge (34): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here) CCL - Winner (3): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last one here) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016 DCC - Winner (1): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar) || Host (3): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016
• The two public custom sets I've been part a part of the design team for: "Brotherhood of Ormos" - Blog post with all info - set thread - design skeleton / card list || "Extinctia: Homo Evanuit" - Blog post with all info - set thread - card list spreadsheet
• "The Lion's Lair", my article series about MTG and custom card design in particular. Latest article here. Here is the article index.Rather outdated by now, and based on the old MCC rubric, but I'm leaving this here for anybody that might be interested anyway.
• My only public attempt at being a writer: the story of my Leonin custom planeswalker Jeff Lionheart. (I have a very big one that I'm working on right now but that's private for now, and I don't know if I will ever actually publish it, and I also have ideas for multiple future ones, including one where I'm going to reprise Jeff.)
Seal of Izzet1
Artifact (U)
Seal of Izzet enters the battlefield tapped. t, Sacrifice Seal of Izzet: Add UR. Many assume that Niv Mizzet designed The League's seal in his own image because of his extreme vanity. While this is true, the members of The League also insisted upon it.
(22 Total) - October 2014; December 2014; January 2015; April 2015; June 2015; August 2015; September 2015; November 2015; December 2015(T); January 2016; March 2016(T); April 2016; June 2016; October 2016; December 2016(T); February 2017; April 2017; December 2017; November 2018(T); January 2019; April 2019; June 2019
(8 Total) - May 2015; May 2016; June 2016; August 2016; October 2016; December 2016; October 2017; May 2019
(7 Total) - September 2015; October 2015; January 2016; March 2016; April 2016; July 2016(T); March 2019(T)
Gonna stick to my guild because that's what proud guildmembers do!
Rakdos Altar3
Artifact (Rare - Rakdos) 1, Sacrifice a creature: Add X mana in any combination of B and/or R, where X is that creature's power. You lose X life. A good Rakdos funeral doesn't end until another one begins.
Wojek Battle ChantR
Sorcery [C]
Add W. Warlike — Add WR instead if a creature you control dealt combat damage this turn.
Draw a card. Many voices, one purpose.
Blood Crypt Dark Dwellers1BR
Creature - Goblin Wizard (R)
Unbound (Whenever you play or discard the last card in your hand, if this creature isn't unbound, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes unbound.)
Discard a card: Add BR.
When Blood Crypt Dark Dwellers becomes unbound, you may cast target black or red spell from your graveyard until end of turn.
2/2
Whisper Stone3
Artifact (R)
When Whisper Stone enters the battlefield, put the two two cards of your library into your graveyard, then plot 2. (Exile the top two cards of your library face down. You may look at them at any time.)
Reveal a plotted card, 1, t: Add UB. If the revealed card shares a name with an creature or instant card in your graveyard, you may cast the revealed card this turn.
Sluice TrawlXU
Sorcery (R)
Reveal the top X cards of your library. Put all instant and/or sorcery cards from among them into your hand. For each of the rest, add B and put that card into your graveyard. The city's effluent is equal parts sewage and secrets.
Golgari GravediggerG
Creature - Elf (U) T, Put the top card of your library into your graveyard: Add C. T, Exile a card from your graveyard: Add B.
1/1
Guiding Lantern1
Artifact (Rare) T: Add U or B.
At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, that player surveil 1. The fact that the general populace now knows of the Dimir's existence required adopting a public face, so some of the lower ranking members serve as guiders.
Golgari GravediggerG
Creature - Elf (U) T, Put the top card of your library into your graveyard: Add C. T, Exile a card from your graveyard: Add B.
1/1
Design -
(2/3) Appeal: Timmy is not interested, Johnny and Spike can see it in their strategies.
(3/3) Elegance: Two abilities, both are very well understandable.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: This card is green and repeatable abilities are qnough to qualify as uncommon. Not a threat big enough to be rare, I guess.
(2/3) Balance: This is not a Deathrite Shaman for sure, but it can have some place here and there as a grave enabler and mana ramper at the same time. Nothing groundbreaking (pun intended) tho.
Creativity -
(2,5/3) Uniqueness: Mix of abilities, but surprisingly nothing similar even among Eldrazi Processors.
(3/3) Flavor: Yes, I can see it. The lack of a second creature type bothered me a bit but I don't think it's necessary since this guy is just a workhorse.
Polish -
(3/3) Quality: All clear.
(2/2) *Main Challenge: This card produces mana.
(2/2) Subchallenges: This card has CMC 3 and produces one color of mana while baing colored.
Total: 22,5/25
Seal of Izzet1
Artifact (U)
Seal of Izzet enters the battlefield tapped. t, Sacrifice Seal of Izzet: Add UR. Many assume that Niv Mizzet designed The League's seal in his own image because of his extreme vanity. While this is true, the members of The League also insisted upon it.
Design -
(2/3) Appeal: Timmy can be pleased by it because it allows him to cast bigger threats. Spike and Johnny are mildly interested.
(3/3) Elegance: As simple as possible.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: This is a colorless artifact that produces colored mana on uncommon rarity.
(2/3) Balance: I guess this is a... neat card, on the same level with Dark Ritual, somethimes worse but somethimes better - wasted first turn but delayed 2-mana ramp is nothing to be ashamed about.
Creativity -
(2,5/3) Uniqueness: Something from Worn Powerstone, something from Izzet Signet, something from Astrolabe, something from parts of Ramos, nothing exactly seen before.
(3/3) Flavor: Generic name but I can see it being a part of a cycle so it's not a big problem. Flavor text reminds me of Izzet Signet.
Polish -
(2,5/3) Quality: You made a sad mistake while typing the guildmaster's name, he is Niv-Mizzet.
(2/2) *Main Challenge: This card makes two colors of mana.
(2/2) Subchallenges: This card is colorless and produces two colors of mana with CMC 1.
Total: 22/25
Boros Warhorn3
Artifact (U) (R/W), T: Add RW. 2RW, T, Sacrifice Boros Warhorn: Create two 1/1 red and white Soldier creature tokens with haste. “An invader is coming. Generals, call the troops. It’s time to fight.”
—Aurelia
Design -
(2/3) Appeal: All players are mildly interested with Johnny being less interested than other two.
(3/3) Elegance: Everything about this card is clear.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: This is a mana ramp card that has an additional ability. Can be common or uncommon as well, probably uncommon fits better.
(2,5/3) Balance: Fair card that filters your mana (just a bit more narrow than Boros Signet) and rewards you with a second ability mid/late-game.
Creativity -
(2,5/3) Uniqueness: Part of guild signets with nice tweak to be more similar to filter lands from Lorwyn block, the most similar card to second ability is probably Memorial of Glory which makes sense. Overall combination is fine.
(2,5/3) Flavor: The flavor overall is fine but the flavor text is extremely generic.
Polish -
(3/3) Quality: Perfect.
(2/2) *Main Challenge: This card makes two colors of mana, sure.
(2/2) Subchallenges: 3 CMC colorless card that makes two colors of mana.
Sluice TrawlXU
Sorcery (R)
Reveal the top X cards of your library. Put all instant and/or sorcery cards from among them into your hand. For each of the rest, add B and put that card into your graveyard. The city's effluent is equal parts sewage and secrets.
Design .:. (1/3) Appeal: A card that's diffcult to evaluate but funny to break, nice for Jxnny. (3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:. (3/3) Viability: Doing things with instants fits into blue, doing stuff depending on things in the yard fits into black. A fine rare overall. (3/3) Balance: If it wasn't for the mana ability you'd say this is strictly worse than a draw X spell. Being able to add some mana gives this thing a nice twist that's also a very random. I wonder if it would be too strong to choose the number of instants/sorceries you want to add to your hand to have more control over the mana you net. The card itself is blue and the mana you gain is black what generates an interesting tension as you probably want to draw black spells with it.
Creativity .:. (3/3) Uniqueness: A card like this we have not seen so far. (3/3) Flavor: The flavor text is clever and in the vain of the current set.
Polish .:. (2,5/3) Quality: "For each of the rest" reads really strange. I could not find a single card that determines a number by "the rest". The usual way of wording this would probably be something like "Put the rest of the revealed cards into your graveyard, then add B for each card put into your graveyard this way." or "Add B for each revealed card that was not put into your hand this way, then put them into your graveyard." (2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied! (2/2) Subchallenges: Subchallenges satisfied!
Total: 22,5/25
Rakdos Altar3
Artifact (Rare - Rakdos) 1, Sacrifice a creature: Add X mana in any combination of B and/or R, where X is that creature's power. You lose X life. A good Rakdos funeral doesn't end until another one begins.
Design .:. (1/3) Appeal: The seems to be meant to build some combo or value engine around it, hi Jxnny. (3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:. (3/3) Viability: Brutaly sacrificing creatures for anything definately feels rakods. (3/3) Balance: You'll need a few pieces to build a legit combo around this. Besides this it is a nice sac outlet that generated good value. Strong but not too strong. Losing X life each time puts some restraints on it.
Creativity .:. (2/3) Uniqueness: A nice callback to Phyrexian Altar. (3/3) Flavor: The flavor text is on point, I feel the carnage.
Polish .:. (3/3) Quality: No flaws detected! (2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied! (2/2) Subchallenges: Subchallenges satisfied!
Total: 22/25
Blood Crypt Dark Dwellers1BR
Creature - Goblin Wizard (R)
Unbound (Whenever you play or discard the last card in your hand, if this creature isn't unbound, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes unbound.)
Discard a card: Add BR.
When Blood Crypt Dark Dwellers becomes unbound, you may cast target black or red spell from your graveyard until end of turn.
2/2
Design .:. (2,5/3) Appeal: Fueling the yard in itself is good enough for Jxnny and Spike. The absurd amounts of mana this card generates might even interest Txmmy. (3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:. (3/3) Viability: Discarding cards for a benefit is black and red. Casting cards from the graveyard with some restrictions has appeared in both black and red. Rare seems fine. (1/3) Balance: While unbound is a cool mechanic, this card in particular easily makes 6 to 10 additional mana in a single turn and then helps you casting the biggest and badest spell you have available. Discarding is meant as a cost for one ability but is also a way to ensure that the other ability is getting useful. This is simply broken. For contrast, Skirge Familiar only has one of those abilities and is also not as efficient and is still an interesting card to build around. I'd restrict the number of times you can add mana per turn here.
Creativity .:. (2/3) Uniqueness: A nice reference to Goblin Dark-Dwellers and callback to Skirge Familiar. A new mechanic with the sweet taste of being hellbent. (3/3) Flavor: Having a whole name of another card in this card's name is slightly weird but also flavorful.
Polish .:. (2,5/3) Quality: It's ". . . you may cast target red or black card from your graveyard . . ." or did you mean instant/sorcery? That's not clear. (2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied! (1/2) Subchallenges: Subchallenge 2 satisfied!
Total: 20/25
Wojek Battle ChantR
Sorcery [C]
Add W. Warlike — Add WR instead if a creature you control dealt combat damage this turn.
Draw a card. Many voices, one purpose.
Design .:. (2/3) Appeal: Filtering mana might be for Jxnny, adding mana might be for Spike. (3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:. (3/3) Viability: Both mana filtering and mana hymning appear in red. Originally Manamorphose was printed at common. A slightly tweaked version at sorcery speed is probably fine at common, too. (3/3) Balance: The base line is filtering plus drawing a card. At best this adds some additional mana. A good card for creature based aggressive decks.
Creativity .:. (2,5/3) Uniqueness: A tweaked version of Manamorphose . . . (3/3) Flavor: . . . with nice Boros flavor!
Polish .:. (3/3) Quality: No flaws detected! (2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied! (1/2) Subchallenges: Subchallenge 2 satisfied!
Design - (2.5/3) Appeal: Timmy likes cheap accel but is wary of the drawback. Johnny sees something that can be played around or even manipulated, and something that easily accels out his combos. Spike likes any one-mana ETBuntapped mana rock. (2.5/3) Elegance: Opponents surveilling all the time seems like a bit of busywork but overall an elegant card.
Development - (3/3) Viability: Fits the guild; rare is necessary. (1.5/3) Balance: Really, really hard to evaluate. Giving your opponents constant card selection is a pretty big drawback if the game goes long; but early mana like this is so explosive that it might never matter. Not sure this card would fully pass Development muster.
Creativity - (2/3) Uniqueness: Neither mana rocks nor surveil is unique, obviously, but letting opponents surveil as a drawback is. (3/3) Flavor: Love this aspect.
Polish - (2.5/3) Quality: "That player surveils", presumably; surveil, being a keyword action, is a verb, and conjugates like one. (2/2) *Main Challenge: Good. (2/2) Subchallenges: And done.
Total: 21/25
Design - (3/3) Appeal: Who doesn't like pseudo-free burn? Timmy likes that it converts into any one of many great WW-cost beaters, Johnny likes the idea of copying it and getting more free mana, Spike likes the sheer flexibility and yes, the "freeness." (2.5/3) Elegance: "One or both" modal is possibly the most elegant way to word this, but while I can think of times when you'd not want to use the damage prevention-prevention mode (such as if you have creatures with protection), it's hard to imagine when you wouldn't use the burn mode.
Development - (3/3) Viability: Feels very Boros, pretty clever mechanics, uncommon is right on the money and it'd definitely be a very high pick. (2.5/3) Balance: Highly efficient in Limited; I don't see that much potential for abuse in Constructed but if it were abused then it would be scary.
Creativity - (1.5/3) Uniqueness: Old parts put together into a somewhat unique package. (1.5/3) Flavor: Name makes sense but puts me in mind of Gideon. Could have used (short) flavor text.
Design - (3/3) Appeal: Timmy likes potential multiple mana in a turn. Johnny doesn't usually like reactive cards but this one protects his combos. Spike DOES like reactive cards - and abuseable ones. (2.5/3) Elegance: Abilities on a land that produce mana but aren't "mana abilities" (the only triggered abilities that are mana abilities are the ones that are triggered BY activated mana abilities), and thus use the stack, is a definite design oddity.
Development - (2/3) Viability: Lands that don't tap for mana but add mana reactively feel really old school, to the point where I don't think they could be done today, at least not in a Standard-level expansion. (1/3) Balance: This card is incredibly swingy. When it's bad, it does nothing; it's usually never going to give you mana to cast anything at sorcery speed, anyhow. And when it's overpowered, it takes over games and doesn't let your opponents play anything. A card like this would be way better served as an artifact (or an enchantment, but mana accel would be out of color in white-blue); effects like this just shouldn't be had for free.
Creativity - (3/3) Uniqueness: Definitely a unique effect on a land. (2/3) Flavor: Who the heck is speaking here? The Azorius are hardly about "ire", as well.
Polish - (2/3) Quality: No quotation marks around a flavor text that's clearly a quotation. Also no attribution, but that's not wrong per se, just not done except on cards that directly depict the speaker, which would be highly unusual on a land (if you showed the faces of the jurors in question people would think it were a creature or possibly instant/sorcery card). Also, random line break before the flavor text. (2/2) *Main Challenge: Done. (2/2) Subchallenges: Done.
Total: 19.5/25
Design - (3/3) Appeal: Timmy would like playing at being an evil genius and casting his big spells out of nowhere. Johnny definitely likes all the exile and graveyard manipulation. Spike likes a mana rock that can serve other functions. (2/3) Elegance: A pretty wordy card with a lot of moving parts but overall a nice self-synergistic design.
Development - (3/3) Viability: Feels super Dimir (and old-school Ravnica, like the old cycle of guild artifacts, which I love). Rare is obviously necessary. (3/3) Balance: Can technically draw you two cards, but slowly and conditionally, so I think it's fine, if rather strong.
Creativity - (2.5/3) Uniqueness: Reminds me of the hideaway lands, but otherwise fairly unique. (2/3) Flavor: Fairly generic name; no flavor text (although possibly no room).
Polish - (2.5/3) Quality: The order of costs in activated abilities goes mana, tap, nonmana nontap. (2/2) *Main Challenge: Done. (2/2) Subchallenges: Done.
September MCC 2018 Round 2 - Fix Me
Your idea has been gladly (well, mostly...) accepted by your Guildmaster and he granted you with a carte blanche to bring it to life. However, due to unlucky circumstances (slaughterhorns migration, sudden blackout, seasonal upheavals, invasion of an army from other world), your resources are limited. Keeping in mind that every guild uses two colors of mana, you have to fix your mana first. Please do!
Main Challenge: Design a card that produces exactly one or exactly two colors of mana.
Subchallenge 1: Your card is monocolored that produces mana of exactly one another color or colorless that produces exactly two colors of mana.
Subchallenge 2: Your card has converted mana cost 3 or less.
Subchallenge 1: Monocolored means your card has mana symbols of only one color plus maybe generic mana symbols in the mana cost. Colorless means no colored mana symbols (keep in mind, lands are colorless). For this subchallenge, colored cards producing mana of the same color aren't allowed. But your card may add any amount of mana.
Subchallenge 2: Your card costs 0, 1, 2 or 3 mana.
Please feel free to ask additional questions if you have any in the MCC Discussion thread.
Design Deadline: All submissions are to be final and submitted by September 15th 11:59 PM EST
Judging Deadline: All judgements are to be final and completed by September 19th 11:59 PM EST
(X/3) Appeal: Do the different player psychographics (Timmy/Johhny/Spike) have a use for the card?
(X/3) Elegance: Is the card easily understandable at a glance? Do all the flavor and mechanics combined as a whole make sense?
Development -
(X/3) Viability: How well does the card fit into the color wheel? Does it break or bend the rules of the game? Is it the appropriate rarity?
(X/3) Balance: Does the card have a power level appropriate for contemporary constructed/limited environments without breaking them? Does it play well in casual and multiplayer formats? Does it create or fit into a deck/archetype? Does it create an oppressive environment?
Creativity -
(X/3) Uniqueness: Has a card like this ever been printed before? Does it use new mechanics, ideas, or design space? Does it combine old ideas in a new way? Overall, does it feel “fresh”?
(X/3) Flavor: Does the name seem realistic for a card? Does the flavor text sound professional? Do all the flavor elements synch together to please Vorthos players?
Polish -
(X/3) Quality: Points deducted for incorrect spelling, grammar, and templating.
(X/2) *Main Challenge: Was the main challenge satisfied? Was it approached in a unique or interesting way? Does the card fit the intent of the challenge?
(X/2) Subchallenges: One point awarded per satisfied subchallenge condition.
Total: X/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.
Judges:
Raptorchan
void_nothing
Antiantiserum
Contestants:
Subject16
Gerrard’s Mom
bravelion83
Rudyard
Jimmy Groove
Flatline
TotallyHaywire
netn10
egoblinsw
The_Hittite
Forestguy
PsyOp
Marco
Brackets:
void_nothing
netn10
Marco
egoblinsw
Jimmy Groove
Raptorchan
Rudyard
Flatline
bravelion83
Antiantiserum
Gerrard's Mom
Subject16
Forestguy
The_Hittite
Two players from each bracket advance.
A helpful tip for those formatting their cards:
Artifact (U)
(R/W), T: Add RW.
2RW, T, Sacrifice Boros Warhorn: Create two 1/1 red and white Soldier creature tokens with haste.
“An invader is coming. Generals, call the troops. It’s time to fight.”
—Aurelia
MCC - Winner (6): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019 || Host (15): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here) || Judge (34): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last one here)
CCL - Winner (3): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last one here) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (1): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar) || Host (3): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016
• The two public custom sets I've been part a part of the design team for:
"Brotherhood of Ormos" - Blog post with all info - set thread - design skeleton / card list || "Extinctia: Homo Evanuit" - Blog post with all info - set thread - card list spreadsheet
• "The Lion's Lair", my article series about MTG and custom card design in particular. Latest article here. Here is the article index. Rather outdated by now, and based on the old MCC rubric, but I'm leaving this here for anybody that might be interested anyway.
• My only public attempt at being a writer: the story of my Leonin custom planeswalker Jeff Lionheart. (I have a very big one that I'm working on right now but that's private for now, and I don't know if I will ever actually publish it, and I also have ideas for multiple future ones, including one where I'm going to reprise Jeff.)
Artifact (U)
Seal of Izzet enters the battlefield tapped.
t, Sacrifice Seal of Izzet: Add UR.
Many assume that Niv Mizzet designed The League's seal in his own image because of his extreme vanity. While this is true, the members of The League also insisted upon it.
You have. See the main challenge clarification.
Rakdos Altar 3
Artifact (Rare - Rakdos)
1, Sacrifice a creature: Add X mana in any combination of B and/or R, where X is that creature's power. You lose X life.
A good Rakdos funeral doesn't end until another one begins.
Sorcery [C]
Add W.
Warlike — Add WR instead if a creature you control dealt combat damage this turn.
Draw a card.
Many voices, one purpose.
000
Blood Crypt Dark Dwellers 1BR
Creature - Goblin Wizard (R)
Unbound (Whenever you play or discard the last card in your hand, if this creature isn't unbound, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes unbound.)
Discard a card: Add BR.
When Blood Crypt Dark Dwellers becomes unbound, you may cast target black or red spell from your graveyard until end of turn.
2/2
Whisper Stone 3
Artifact (R)
When Whisper Stone enters the battlefield, put the two two cards of your library into your graveyard, then plot 2. (Exile the top two cards of your library face down. You may look at them at any time.)
Reveal a plotted card, 1, t: Add UB. If the revealed card shares a name with an creature or instant card in your graveyard, you may cast the revealed card this turn.
Sorcery (R)
Reveal the top X cards of your library. Put all instant and/or sorcery cards from among them into your hand. For each of the rest, add B and put that card into your graveyard.
The city's effluent is equal parts sewage and secrets.
Land - (R)
Whenever an opponent casts a creature spell, add W.
Whenever an opponent casts a noncreature spell, add U.
Each transgression heightens your sentence. Cease, before you draw our true ire.
Creature - Elf (U)
T, Put the top card of your library into your graveyard: Add C.
T, Exile a card from your graveyard: Add B.
1/1
Artifact (Rare)
T: Add U or B.
At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, that player surveil 1.
The fact that the general populace now knows of the Dimir's existence required adopting a public face, so some of the lower ranking members serve as guiders.
Instant (Uncommon)
Choose one or both —
• Purifying Fire deals 3 damage to any target.
• Damage can't be prevented this turn.
Add WW.
void_nothing
netn10
Marco
egoblinsw
Jimmy Groove
Raptorchan
Rudyard
Flatline
bravelion83
Antiantiserum
Gerrard's Mom
Subject16
Forestguy
The_Hittite
Two players from each bracket advance.
Creature - Elf (U)
T, Put the top card of your library into your graveyard: Add C.
T, Exile a card from your graveyard: Add B.
1/1
Design -
(2/3) Appeal: Timmy is not interested, Johnny and Spike can see it in their strategies.
(3/3) Elegance: Two abilities, both are very well understandable.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: This card is green and repeatable abilities are qnough to qualify as uncommon. Not a threat big enough to be rare, I guess.
(2/3) Balance: This is not a Deathrite Shaman for sure, but it can have some place here and there as a grave enabler and mana ramper at the same time. Nothing groundbreaking (pun intended) tho.
Creativity -
(2,5/3) Uniqueness: Mix of abilities, but surprisingly nothing similar even among Eldrazi Processors.
(3/3) Flavor: Yes, I can see it. The lack of a second creature type bothered me a bit but I don't think it's necessary since this guy is just a workhorse.
Polish -
(3/3) Quality: All clear.
(2/2) *Main Challenge: This card produces mana.
(2/2) Subchallenges: This card has CMC 3 and produces one color of mana while baing colored.
Total: 22,5/25
Artifact (U)
Seal of Izzet enters the battlefield tapped.
t, Sacrifice Seal of Izzet: Add UR.
Many assume that Niv Mizzet designed The League's seal in his own image because of his extreme vanity. While this is true, the members of The League also insisted upon it.
Design -
(2/3) Appeal: Timmy can be pleased by it because it allows him to cast bigger threats. Spike and Johnny are mildly interested.
(3/3) Elegance: As simple as possible.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: This is a colorless artifact that produces colored mana on uncommon rarity.
(2/3) Balance: I guess this is a... neat card, on the same level with Dark Ritual, somethimes worse but somethimes better - wasted first turn but delayed 2-mana ramp is nothing to be ashamed about.
Creativity -
(2,5/3) Uniqueness: Something from Worn Powerstone, something from Izzet Signet, something from Astrolabe, something from parts of Ramos, nothing exactly seen before.
(3/3) Flavor: Generic name but I can see it being a part of a cycle so it's not a big problem. Flavor text reminds me of Izzet Signet.
Polish -
(2,5/3) Quality: You made a sad mistake while typing the guildmaster's name, he is Niv-Mizzet.
(2/2) *Main Challenge: This card makes two colors of mana.
(2/2) Subchallenges: This card is colorless and produces two colors of mana with CMC 1.
Total: 22/25
Artifact (U)
(R/W), T: Add RW.
2RW, T, Sacrifice Boros Warhorn: Create two 1/1 red and white Soldier creature tokens with haste.
“An invader is coming. Generals, call the troops. It’s time to fight.”
—Aurelia
Design -
(2/3) Appeal: All players are mildly interested with Johnny being less interested than other two.
(3/3) Elegance: Everything about this card is clear.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: This is a mana ramp card that has an additional ability. Can be common or uncommon as well, probably uncommon fits better.
(2,5/3) Balance: Fair card that filters your mana (just a bit more narrow than Boros Signet) and rewards you with a second ability mid/late-game.
Creativity -
(2,5/3) Uniqueness: Part of guild signets with nice tweak to be more similar to filter lands from Lorwyn block, the most similar card to second ability is probably Memorial of Glory which makes sense. Overall combination is fine.
(2,5/3) Flavor: The flavor overall is fine but the flavor text is extremely generic.
Polish -
(3/3) Quality: Perfect.
(2/2) *Main Challenge: This card makes two colors of mana, sure.
(2/2) Subchallenges: 3 CMC colorless card that makes two colors of mana.
Total: 22,5/25
Flatline 22
bravelion83 22,5
Sorcery (R)
Reveal the top X cards of your library. Put all instant and/or sorcery cards from among them into your hand. For each of the rest, add B and put that card into your graveyard.
The city's effluent is equal parts sewage and secrets.
Design .:.
(1/3) Appeal: A card that's diffcult to evaluate but funny to break, nice for Jxnny.
(3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:.
(3/3) Viability: Doing things with instants fits into blue, doing stuff depending on things in the yard fits into black. A fine rare overall.
(3/3) Balance: If it wasn't for the mana ability you'd say this is strictly worse than a draw X spell. Being able to add some mana gives this thing a nice twist that's also a very random. I wonder if it would be too strong to choose the number of instants/sorceries you want to add to your hand to have more control over the mana you net. The card itself is blue and the mana you gain is black what generates an interesting tension as you probably want to draw black spells with it.
Creativity .:.
(3/3) Uniqueness: A card like this we have not seen so far.
(3/3) Flavor: The flavor text is clever and in the vain of the current set.
Polish .:.
(2,5/3) Quality: "For each of the rest" reads really strange. I could not find a single card that determines a number by "the rest". The usual way of wording this would probably be something like "Put the rest of the revealed cards into your graveyard, then add B for each card put into your graveyard this way." or "Add B for each revealed card that was not put into your hand this way, then put them into your graveyard."
(2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied!
(2/2) Subchallenges: Subchallenges satisfied!
Total: 22,5/25
Rakdos Altar 3
Artifact (Rare - Rakdos)
1, Sacrifice a creature: Add X mana in any combination of B and/or R, where X is that creature's power. You lose X life.
A good Rakdos funeral doesn't end until another one begins.
Design .:.
(1/3) Appeal: The seems to be meant to build some combo or value engine around it, hi Jxnny.
(3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:.
(3/3) Viability: Brutaly sacrificing creatures for anything definately feels rakods.
(3/3) Balance: You'll need a few pieces to build a legit combo around this. Besides this it is a nice sac outlet that generated good value. Strong but not too strong. Losing X life each time puts some restraints on it.
Creativity .:.
(2/3) Uniqueness: A nice callback to Phyrexian Altar.
(3/3) Flavor: The flavor text is on point, I feel the carnage.
Polish .:.
(3/3) Quality: No flaws detected!
(2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied!
(2/2) Subchallenges: Subchallenges satisfied!
Total: 22/25
Creature - Goblin Wizard (R)
Unbound (Whenever you play or discard the last card in your hand, if this creature isn't unbound, put a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes unbound.)
Discard a card: Add BR.
When Blood Crypt Dark Dwellers becomes unbound, you may cast target black or red spell from your graveyard until end of turn.
2/2
Design .:.
(2,5/3) Appeal: Fueling the yard in itself is good enough for Jxnny and Spike. The absurd amounts of mana this card generates might even interest Txmmy.
(3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:.
(3/3) Viability: Discarding cards for a benefit is black and red. Casting cards from the graveyard with some restrictions has appeared in both black and red. Rare seems fine.
(1/3) Balance: While unbound is a cool mechanic, this card in particular easily makes 6 to 10 additional mana in a single turn and then helps you casting the biggest and badest spell you have available. Discarding is meant as a cost for one ability but is also a way to ensure that the other ability is getting useful. This is simply broken. For contrast, Skirge Familiar only has one of those abilities and is also not as efficient and is still an interesting card to build around. I'd restrict the number of times you can add mana per turn here.
Creativity .:.
(2/3) Uniqueness: A nice reference to Goblin Dark-Dwellers and callback to Skirge Familiar. A new mechanic with the sweet taste of being hellbent.
(3/3) Flavor: Having a whole name of another card in this card's name is slightly weird but also flavorful.
Polish .:.
(2,5/3) Quality: It's ". . . you may cast target red or black card from your graveyard . . ." or did you mean instant/sorcery? That's not clear.
(2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied!
(1/2) Subchallenges: Subchallenge 2 satisfied!
Total: 20/25
Sorcery [C]
Add W.
Warlike — Add WR instead if a creature you control dealt combat damage this turn.
Draw a card.
Many voices, one purpose.
Design .:.
(2/3) Appeal: Filtering mana might be for Jxnny, adding mana might be for Spike.
(3/3) Elegance: The card is easy to understand and makes sense.
Development .:.
(3/3) Viability: Both mana filtering and mana hymning appear in red. Originally Manamorphose was printed at common. A slightly tweaked version at sorcery speed is probably fine at common, too.
(3/3) Balance: The base line is filtering plus drawing a card. At best this adds some additional mana. A good card for creature based aggressive decks.
Creativity .:.
(2,5/3) Uniqueness: A tweaked version of Manamorphose . . .
(3/3) Flavor: . . . with nice Boros flavor!
Polish .:.
(3/3) Quality: No flaws detected!
(2/2) Main Challenge: Main challenge satisfied!
(1/2) Subchallenges: Subchallenge 2 satisfied!
Total: 22,5/25
The_Hittite 22,5
Subject16 22,0
Forestguy 20,0
(2.5/3) Appeal: Timmy likes cheap accel but is wary of the drawback. Johnny sees something that can be played around or even manipulated, and something that easily accels out his combos. Spike likes any one-mana ETBuntapped mana rock.
(2.5/3) Elegance: Opponents surveilling all the time seems like a bit of busywork but overall an elegant card.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: Fits the guild; rare is necessary.
(1.5/3) Balance: Really, really hard to evaluate. Giving your opponents constant card selection is a pretty big drawback if the game goes long; but early mana like this is so explosive that it might never matter. Not sure this card would fully pass Development muster.
Creativity -
(2/3) Uniqueness: Neither mana rocks nor surveil is unique, obviously, but letting opponents surveil as a drawback is.
(3/3) Flavor: Love this aspect.
Polish -
(2.5/3) Quality: "That player surveils", presumably; surveil, being a keyword action, is a verb, and conjugates like one.
(2/2) *Main Challenge: Good.
(2/2) Subchallenges: And done.
Total: 21/25
(3/3) Appeal: Who doesn't like pseudo-free burn? Timmy likes that it converts into any one of many great WW-cost beaters, Johnny likes the idea of copying it and getting more free mana, Spike likes the sheer flexibility and yes, the "freeness."
(2.5/3) Elegance: "One or both" modal is possibly the most elegant way to word this, but while I can think of times when you'd not want to use the damage prevention-prevention mode (such as if you have creatures with protection), it's hard to imagine when you wouldn't use the burn mode.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: Feels very Boros, pretty clever mechanics, uncommon is right on the money and it'd definitely be a very high pick.
(2.5/3) Balance: Highly efficient in Limited; I don't see that much potential for abuse in Constructed but if it were abused then it would be scary.
Creativity -
(1.5/3) Uniqueness: Old parts put together into a somewhat unique package.
(1.5/3) Flavor: Name makes sense but puts me in mind of Gideon. Could have used (short) flavor text.
Polish -
(3/3) Quality: Good.
(2/2) *Main Challenge: Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges: And done.
Total: 21/25
(3/3) Appeal: Timmy likes potential multiple mana in a turn. Johnny doesn't usually like reactive cards but this one protects his combos. Spike DOES like reactive cards - and abuseable ones.
(2.5/3) Elegance: Abilities on a land that produce mana but aren't "mana abilities" (the only triggered abilities that are mana abilities are the ones that are triggered BY activated mana abilities), and thus use the stack, is a definite design oddity.
Development -
(2/3) Viability: Lands that don't tap for mana but add mana reactively feel really old school, to the point where I don't think they could be done today, at least not in a Standard-level expansion.
(1/3) Balance: This card is incredibly swingy. When it's bad, it does nothing; it's usually never going to give you mana to cast anything at sorcery speed, anyhow. And when it's overpowered, it takes over games and doesn't let your opponents play anything. A card like this would be way better served as an artifact (or an enchantment, but mana accel would be out of color in white-blue); effects like this just shouldn't be had for free.
Creativity -
(3/3) Uniqueness: Definitely a unique effect on a land.
(2/3) Flavor: Who the heck is speaking here? The Azorius are hardly about "ire", as well.
Polish -
(2/3) Quality: No quotation marks around a flavor text that's clearly a quotation. Also no attribution, but that's not wrong per se, just not done except on cards that directly depict the speaker, which would be highly unusual on a land (if you showed the faces of the jurors in question people would think it were a creature or possibly instant/sorcery card). Also, random line break before the flavor text.
(2/2) *Main Challenge: Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges: Done.
Total: 19.5/25
(3/3) Appeal: Timmy would like playing at being an evil genius and casting his big spells out of nowhere. Johnny definitely likes all the exile and graveyard manipulation. Spike likes a mana rock that can serve other functions.
(2/3) Elegance: A pretty wordy card with a lot of moving parts but overall a nice self-synergistic design.
Development -
(3/3) Viability: Feels super Dimir (and old-school Ravnica, like the old cycle of guild artifacts, which I love). Rare is obviously necessary.
(3/3) Balance: Can technically draw you two cards, but slowly and conditionally, so I think it's fine, if rather strong.
Creativity -
(2.5/3) Uniqueness: Reminds me of the hideaway lands, but otherwise fairly unique.
(2/3) Flavor: Fairly generic name; no flavor text (although possibly no room).
Polish -
(2.5/3) Quality: The order of costs in activated abilities goes mana, tap, nonmana nontap.
(2/2) *Main Challenge: Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges: Done.
Total: 22/25
Marco 21
netn10 21
egoblinsw 19.5
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝