I'd play it in Constructed. There's just something awesome about paying one mana for two 1/1s. It'd be a high pick in draft.
void_nothing
ALL OF THE GIANT GROWTHS! That's what your card screams. Hill Giants are fine for Limited, especially with the ability to shoot bursts of damage. I don't really see how it's Boros though. =/
Ninja Caterpie
I'd personally cost it at 2G + cantrip, but I'm really surprised something like this hasn't been printed. Great synergy with pretty much all of the green guilds, actually.
Rhand
LOVE your flavor text. This is such a fun-looking card, but it's definitely not common. These kinds of effects are typically printed at rare, and at rare you can push this card a lot more.
Koopa
Missing "until end of turn"? Other than that, elegant and simple. Maybe a little weak actually. 1G cantrip seems better.
Noatz
This kind of scalable effect is never printed at common. Not sure whether this should be uncommon or rare, but the rarity is definitely wrong. Nice concept, and fuses the two ideas well.
Moss_Elemental
Too close to Inaction Injunction for my tastes--oh wait this is an instant? Still too close to Inaction Injunction. Cost and rarity are right. No room for flavor text at all?
foointherain
There's something about this card that feels...off. I can't quite put my finger on it. I think this would actually work better as a hybrid U/R card. Rarity is right.
Top 3:
1: GregarFalzar
2: Ninja Caterpie
3: void_nothing
@Eskimo Rage: The card was meant to synergize with the convoke mechanic rather than the populate mechanic.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A mere ten days after the Mending, a young knight of Valeron and a young ranger of Eos made a discovery that would change Alara forever.
Jimmy Groove — Not see that coming. It's a odd trampler, but I guess it goes well with simic.
Random_Nation — I think the card "is encoded", but the action is not "encode". My point is that encoded should be used with "as long as X is encoded...". However, I don't know how to word it. It has potential to be really strong, but I don't like how the two mechanics are tied.
Big_Cal — Populate and evolve in a clever way. Well done. I wish the 3/1 had trample instead.
jwanders — The idea is good, but the conception not that much. You will gain 2/3 life in a turn, making this really mana intensive.
Socrates — This reminds me ofGoblin Trenches, a really good card back then. Not exiling the tokens was a big mistake imo.
herbert west — I like what you did here, as it works both directions. Not sure on the drawback.
Eskimo_Rage — I really wanted to like this, but why not cast for free? Makes me sad =\
1. Big_Cal
2. Eskimo_Rage
3. Jimmy Groove
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Trophyless guy.
Thought of the Month: I gave up from trying to require the 'i' on my name: SolesticIo
I'm calling it right now- worst rare in the set. Even good limited players will find better bombs at common and uncommon no sweat. Worst. Episode. Ever.
I really do predict this to be our worst rare in set award winner. I'd be happier opening a jar of eyeballs, so I think anything worse is highly unlikely. This card wont just have zero constructed potential, but not be significantly better than a mass of ghouls in a draft.
Greying Indrick looks simple, but it's a very clean, efficient answer to this challenge. I like it a lot.
I'm not a fan of Hybrid Infiltrator, either at common or as an answer to this challenge. I think it spends a few too many complexity points for a common, and I don't like how explicitly you've given it synergy. Also, having evolve isn't really synergy with evolve.
Garden Chittering has very nice synergy with evolve and populate. I like that. What I don't like is a common that produces two different tokens, which don't have even power and toughness. Tokens almost always have even power and toughness.
Oh, I like this one. It has very nice synergy with extort and populate, and even evolve. That's cute. Unfortunately, X/X tokens have so far occured only at uncommon and above, probably because of memory issues, and Soldier tokens are pretty firmly established as 1/1. I suggest the token be a Thrull, since that's the Orzhov form of artificial life, and that this be uncommon. I do like the idea behind it, though.
Warren Rioter should probably be at least uncommon, since it's potentially creating two hasty tokens per turn, if it doesn't die. Steady token creation like that is generally uncommon or above. It's also reminiscent of Goblin Assault, which is a rare. Despite all this, it does have nice synergy with both hellbent and battalion.
This one made me think for a bit. I see what you were going for here: the first ability works nicely if you want to be able to set off your second haunt trigger whenever you want, and intimidate is evasion for cipher. Unfortunately, there's tension between whether you should cipher this guy or haunt him, since he loses everything that's cipher onto him when you sacrifice him. Returning a creature doesn't have much to do with cipher or haunt, other than another target to encode or haunt, I guess. I'm not a fan.
So Morbid Fascination has the Panglacial Wurm ability. That's cute. It has a nice synergy with transmute, which lets you search a bunch. Gaining life for the creatures in your graveyard is obvious synergy with dredge. Okay. I think my problem here is that I feel like "casting from your library" shouldn't appear at common unless it happens as a keyword mechanic, or possibly a cycle. It's just too weird. I also think that, if it appears again, it needs to be in some special context.
Link - I understand this is a common, but it still feels deeply under-the-curve. White should be able to get much better weenies than this no matter the Limited environment; even at the best of times this is a Balduvian Barbarians and if you've got the sorts of things - multiple first striking lifelinkers - you need to give this a big power boost you're probably on a winning trajectory already.
aurorasparrow - Cool name and flavor; reminds me weirdly of Drekavac. Evasion and power = CMC are good in Limited. I'd play this, especially if I had the kind of strategy that required me to fill up my graveyard. Clever way to connect the two keywords, too.
Arcel - One, in no universe should this - a potential 4/4 for four in red that pings for free - be a common. Two, this steals Guttersnipe's thunder, which makes me sad. Three, this links Izzet and Gruul in exactly the same way that Guttersnipe does, just less effectively.
Asrama - Toned-down battle cry? Nice and interesting on a one-drop 1/1. I like how this occupies a "2/1 for one mana and yet not" space. Feels rather similar to Akrasan Squire, except in reverse. Devils are one of my favorite creature types in Magic so you get a secret special bonus for that.
Solesticio - Can you say "deeply unsubtle"? Of course you can. Certainly transmute and scavenge are synergistic, but you lose a hell of a lot of points for just slapping two guild keywords on a Scathe Zombies. At least there's flavor text. Anyhow this is probably too efficient in the first place.
Maokun - This is sort of the obvious Boros + Azorius Interborn route to go, and the guilds fit together flavorfully in an overly obvious way as well. It's technically a well designed card, and I can see it Dragon's Maze, but just as Solesticio's was this is sort of a lazy design. Not really a fan.
KoolKoal - The funky thing here is, this is just as good with Selesnya as it is with Boros and Rakdos, but then again a lot of Boros strategies mesh well with Selesnya's swarm-the-board deal. This is both better and worse than Lightning Elemental, and hence is a good block-theme-advancing common. Two thumbs up to this design.
DeusofCalamity - Not gonna lie, this feels like a pure Orzhov card. I "get" that an evasive creature with extort works well with both Orzhov and Dimir, but to that end you have Basilica Screecher in the first place.
Gideon, Small Child, Koopa, Asrama, Maokun, Socrates, and herbert west are late, but will need to submit at least a Top 3 in order to qualify for the elimination rounds (Round 4 and later). If you edit a post prior to this one in order to do that, please make sure I know by either posting "Updated crits" or PMing me. If you post after this, I'll add the scores in.
Also, I am counting jwanders as 3rd under aurorasparrow's critique, not Rhand, since Rhand is not on the team he was critiquing and he wrote "rwand" next to jwanders's card in his critique. Confusing
Jimmy Groove: Why does Gruul want or need this? Also, I fully understand the need for vanilla and french vanilla cards in real Magic; in a design contest? Can't help but feel lazy.
Big_Cal: Good one. You fully understand the needs of both guilds.
jwanders: Good design but the card is perhaps too narrow to see play even in limited.
Socrates: This card shows way too much that it was created specifically to fulfil a challenge. Also, this would never ever be a common.
Herbert West: Good intentions but this creature is a bit too complex for a common. Also, I really don't like that I have to lose my sweet Cypher enable for the effect.
Eskimo_Rage: There's only one other card with this ability in Magic and it's a rare in spite of being just a french vanilla creature. This could never exist at common.
Random_Nation: Again, very complex for a common. And evolve seems way too tacked in.
I'm calling it right now- worst rare in the set. Even good limited players will find better bombs at common and uncommon no sweat. Worst. Episode. Ever.
I really do predict this to be our worst rare in set award winner. I'd be happier opening a jar of eyeballs, so I think anything worse is highly unlikely. This card wont just have zero constructed potential, but not be significantly better than a mass of ghouls in a draft.
WUGPhelddagrif GGGOmnath, Locus of Mana BBBXiahou Dun, the One-Eyed RRRAshling, the Pilgrim BBWTeysa, Scion of Orzhov UUUTalrand, Sky Summoner UUBVela the Night-Clad GGBVhati il-Dal RUWRuhan of the Fomori
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1. Link
2. aurorasperrow
3. Asrama
Avalon: The Legend Begins :: Pirate Set :: Babel: The Æther Wars
Favorite Magic Card: Fowl Play
[Primer] [Barrin's Tome]: A Master Wizard's Spellbook.
I'd play it in Constructed. There's just something awesome about paying one mana for two 1/1s. It'd be a high pick in draft.
void_nothing
ALL OF THE GIANT GROWTHS! That's what your card screams. Hill Giants are fine for Limited, especially with the ability to shoot bursts of damage. I don't really see how it's Boros though. =/
Ninja Caterpie
I'd personally cost it at 2G + cantrip, but I'm really surprised something like this hasn't been printed. Great synergy with pretty much all of the green guilds, actually.
Rhand
LOVE your flavor text. This is such a fun-looking card, but it's definitely not common. These kinds of effects are typically printed at rare, and at rare you can push this card a lot more.
Koopa
Missing "until end of turn"? Other than that, elegant and simple. Maybe a little weak actually. 1G cantrip seems better.
Noatz
This kind of scalable effect is never printed at common. Not sure whether this should be uncommon or rare, but the rarity is definitely wrong. Nice concept, and fuses the two ideas well.
Moss_Elemental
Too close to Inaction Injunction for my tastes--oh wait this is an instant? Still too close to Inaction Injunction. Cost and rarity are right. No room for flavor text at all?
foointherain
There's something about this card that feels...off. I can't quite put my finger on it. I think this would actually work better as a hybrid U/R card. Rarity is right.
2: Ninja Caterpie
3: void_nothing
@Eskimo Rage: The card was meant to synergize with the convoke mechanic rather than the populate mechanic.
Emille, Seven-Sting Dancer Shalin Nariya
Jimmy Groove — Not see that coming. It's a odd trampler, but I guess it goes well with simic.
Random_Nation — I think the card "is encoded", but the action is not "encode". My point is that encoded should be used with "as long as X is encoded...". However, I don't know how to word it. It has potential to be really strong, but I don't like how the two mechanics are tied.
Big_Cal — Populate and evolve in a clever way. Well done. I wish the 3/1 had trample instead.
jwanders — The idea is good, but the conception not that much. You will gain 2/3 life in a turn, making this really mana intensive.
Socrates — This reminds me ofGoblin Trenches, a really good card back then. Not exiling the tokens was a big mistake imo.
herbert west — I like what you did here, as it works both directions. Not sure on the drawback.
Eskimo_Rage — I really wanted to like this, but why not cast for free? Makes me sad =\
1. Big_Cal
2. Eskimo_Rage
3. Jimmy Groove
Thought of the Month:
I gave up from trying to require the 'i' on my name: SolesticIo
Critholder
I'm not a fan of Hybrid Infiltrator, either at common or as an answer to this challenge. I think it spends a few too many complexity points for a common, and I don't like how explicitly you've given it synergy. Also, having evolve isn't really synergy with evolve.
Garden Chittering has very nice synergy with evolve and populate. I like that. What I don't like is a common that produces two different tokens, which don't have even power and toughness. Tokens almost always have even power and toughness.
Oh, I like this one. It has very nice synergy with extort and populate, and even evolve. That's cute. Unfortunately, X/X tokens have so far occured only at uncommon and above, probably because of memory issues, and Soldier tokens are pretty firmly established as 1/1. I suggest the token be a Thrull, since that's the Orzhov form of artificial life, and that this be uncommon. I do like the idea behind it, though.
Warren Rioter should probably be at least uncommon, since it's potentially creating two hasty tokens per turn, if it doesn't die. Steady token creation like that is generally uncommon or above. It's also reminiscent of Goblin Assault, which is a rare. Despite all this, it does have nice synergy with both hellbent and battalion.
This one made me think for a bit. I see what you were going for here: the first ability works nicely if you want to be able to set off your second haunt trigger whenever you want, and intimidate is evasion for cipher. Unfortunately, there's tension between whether you should cipher this guy or haunt him, since he loses everything that's cipher onto him when you sacrifice him. Returning a creature doesn't have much to do with cipher or haunt, other than another target to encode or haunt, I guess. I'm not a fan.
So Morbid Fascination has the Panglacial Wurm ability. That's cute. It has a nice synergy with transmute, which lets you search a bunch. Gaining life for the creatures in your graveyard is obvious synergy with dredge. Okay. I think my problem here is that I feel like "casting from your library" shouldn't appear at common unless it happens as a keyword mechanic, or possibly a cycle. It's just too weird. I also think that, if it appears again, it needs to be in some special context.
1. Jimmy Groove
2. Big_Cal
3. Jwanders
Link - I understand this is a common, but it still feels deeply under-the-curve. White should be able to get much better weenies than this no matter the Limited environment; even at the best of times this is a Balduvian Barbarians and if you've got the sorts of things - multiple first striking lifelinkers - you need to give this a big power boost you're probably on a winning trajectory already.
aurorasparrow - Cool name and flavor; reminds me weirdly of Drekavac. Evasion and power = CMC are good in Limited. I'd play this, especially if I had the kind of strategy that required me to fill up my graveyard. Clever way to connect the two keywords, too.
Arcel - One, in no universe should this - a potential 4/4 for four in red that pings for free - be a common. Two, this steals Guttersnipe's thunder, which makes me sad. Three, this links Izzet and Gruul in exactly the same way that Guttersnipe does, just less effectively.
Asrama - Toned-down battle cry? Nice and interesting on a one-drop 1/1. I like how this occupies a "2/1 for one mana and yet not" space. Feels rather similar to Akrasan Squire, except in reverse. Devils are one of my favorite creature types in Magic so you get a secret special bonus for that.
Solesticio - Can you say "deeply unsubtle"? Of course you can. Certainly transmute and scavenge are synergistic, but you lose a hell of a lot of points for just slapping two guild keywords on a Scathe Zombies. At least there's flavor text. Anyhow this is probably too efficient in the first place.
Maokun - This is sort of the obvious Boros + Azorius Interborn route to go, and the guilds fit together flavorfully in an overly obvious way as well. It's technically a well designed card, and I can see it Dragon's Maze, but just as Solesticio's was this is sort of a lazy design. Not really a fan.
KoolKoal - The funky thing here is, this is just as good with Selesnya as it is with Boros and Rakdos, but then again a lot of Boros strategies mesh well with Selesnya's swarm-the-board deal. This is both better and worse than Lightning Elemental, and hence is a good block-theme-advancing common. Two thumbs up to this design.
DeusofCalamity - Not gonna lie, this feels like a pure Orzhov card. I "get" that an evasive creature with extort works well with both Orzhov and Dimir, but to that end you have Basilica Screecher in the first place.
3. aurorasparrow
2. KoolKoal
1. Asrama
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
Also, I am counting jwanders as 3rd under aurorasparrow's critique, not Rhand, since Rhand is not on the team he was critiquing and he wrote "rwand" next to jwanders's card in his critique. Confusing
Round 2 under development, coming soon.
Jimmy Groove: Why does Gruul want or need this? Also, I fully understand the need for vanilla and french vanilla cards in real Magic; in a design contest? Can't help but feel lazy.
Big_Cal: Good one. You fully understand the needs of both guilds.
jwanders: Good design but the card is perhaps too narrow to see play even in limited.
Socrates: This card shows way too much that it was created specifically to fulfil a challenge. Also, this would never ever be a common.
Herbert West: Good intentions but this creature is a bit too complex for a common. Also, I really don't like that I have to lose my sweet Cypher enable for the effect.
Eskimo_Rage: There's only one other card with this ability in Magic and it's a rare in spite of being just a french vanilla creature. This could never exist at common.
Random_Nation: Again, very complex for a common. And evolve seems way too tacked in.
Top 3
1: Big Cal
2. jwanders
3. Herbert West
aurorasparrow
Maoken
Asrama
BGStandard Green AggroGB
UWRGModern Saheeli CobraGRWU
UBRGLegacy StormGRBU
Wizards Certified Rules Advisor
TOP 3
1. willows
2. VikingIrishman
3. arbitraryarmor
B Infect
BW Death & Taxes
UBR Affinity
R Burn
UBR Sac Land Tendrils
UBRG Oops, All Spells
WUG Phelddagrif
GGG Omnath, Locus of Mana
BBB Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed
RRR Ashling, the Pilgrim
BBW Teysa, Scion of Orzhov
UUU Talrand, Sky Summoner
UUB Vela the Night-Clad
GGB Vhati il-Dal
RUW Ruhan of the Fomori