Abducted at knifepoint, you've been taken to a confusing realm of swirling colors and irregular shapes, then imprisoned in a tiny chamber.
Apparently you're to be tried for crimes against... someone or something, though that wasn't made very clear at all. What was made clear was that your presence at the trial would only be a distraction.
So... yeah, the outcome of the trial is probably obvious, and you're going to need to escape. Time to start shaping little spells...
Create a cycle of split cards representing the tools you've developed to escape back to the "real" world.
Rithaniel: Each of your cards has one side wedge-colored and the other side shard-colored, with the same central color to each (that is, BGW/BR,RWU/RG,GUB/GW,WBR/WU, and URG/UB).
aurorasparrow: Each of your cards has one side mono-colored and the other side either that color's allies or that color's enemies. It's your choice as to which one you use, but the entire cycle needs to be consistent.
SearchGWU
Instant R
Search your library for up to four cards with the same name and reveal them. Then shuffle your library and put those cards on top of your library in any order.
// DestroyWBR
Instant R
Destroy target untapped permanent.
AboveWUB
Sorcery R
You draw a card and gain 2 life. Target opponent discards a card and loses 2 life.
// BeyondURG
Sorcery R
You may cast a nonland card with converted mana cost 5 or less from your hand without paying it's mana cost.
LockUBR
Instant R
Until end of turn, if target player would draw a card, instead that player skips that draw. That player can't search libraries this turn.
// LoadBGW
Instant R
Put three 1/1 black rat creature tokens onto the battlefield.
PartBRG
Sorcery R
Separate all creatures on the battlefield into three piles. Target opponent chooses one of those piles. Destroy each creature in that pile.
// ParcelRWU
Sorcery R
Discard a card. Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a card that shares a type with the discarded card. Put that card into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
SwiftRGW
Instant R
Creatures you control gain double strike, hexproof, and haste until end of turn.
// SureGUB
Instant R
Exile target noncreature spell.
Trials :1mana::symw:
Sorcery [U]
For each creature target player controls, tap that creature unless its controller pays :2mana:.
// Tribulations :2mana::symb::symr:
Sorcery [U]
Tribulations deals 1 damage to target player. That player sacrifices a permanent, then discards a card at random.
Broken :3mana::symb::symb:
Sorcery [R]
Put three -1/-1 counters on all tapped creatures you don’t control.
// Restored :3mana::symg::symw:
Sorcery [R]
Untap all creatures you control. Put three +1/+1 counters on each creature untapped this way.
Now :xmana::symg:
Instant [MR]
Put a permanent card with converted mana cost X from your hand onto the battlefield.
// Never :2mana::symu::symb:
Sorcery [MR]
Name a card. Target player gets an emblem with “Whenever you cast a spell with the chosen name, you lose the game instead.”
Storm :symr::symr:
Instant [U]
Creatures you control get +1/+0 and gain “Whenever this creature attacks or blocks, you may deal 1 damage to target creature or player” until end of turn.
// Calm :symu::symw:
Instant [U]
Creatures can’t attack, block or activate abilities this turn. (Remove attacking and blocking creatures from combat.)
Surf
Sorcery [U]
Creatures you control gain islandwalk until end of turn.
// Turf :symr::symg:
Sorcery [U]
You may play an additional land this turn. Add :symr::symg: to your mana pool.
The Card Creation League is a monthly contest in which players compete over seven rounds. Each month has an overall theme and/or story, determined by that month's host.
Each round, the host will assign a card creation task to the players. This task may vary between teams or players.
The first three rounds are open to everyone who joined in the sign-up thread, which will be posted near the end of the previous month. After these rounds, the Top 8 players will move on to three elimination rounds to determine a winner.
Rounds usually last three to four days for submissions and about two days for critiques, but the host has final say in making the schedule.
For the first three rounds, players are divided into teams. Four teams is standard, but there may be more or less depending on the number of players. Each team will review another team's cards during the critique period of that round.
Each player must submit a Top 3 ranking for the team he or she critiques at the end of each round. Each 1st place is worth 3 points, 2nd place 2 points, and 3rd place 1 point.
Additionally, each player can receive 2 bonus points per round. One point is awarded for posting a Top 3, and one point for providing critiques for that team's cards.
Suggested areas to critique include creativity, balance, printability, and relation to the overall theme or that player's previous cards.
Players who do not post a card or a Top 3 will be put on "probation." Top 3 violations for a round can be removed by posting or PMing the host with your Top 3 before the end of the next round. Any player that would receive a second violation is disqualified from further competition that month.
At the end of the first three rounds, the Top 8 players will be selected by points (usually the top 2 from each team). In the case of ties, there may be more than 8 players advancing. The suggested scoring method is for each player to critique all remaining players in the same Top 3 style as the first three rounds, with the top half advancing each round, so Top 8, then Top 4, then Finals.
The final round is determined by public poll.
Prior to Top 8, players have a chance of getting a total of 100 points toward their score each Scoring Round. Scores for each Round are determined by the following equation:
Total points of Player A in round N = 100 * X/Y, where:
X = Total number of Scoring Points (Judge Points + Additional Points from Top 3 & Critiques)
Y = Total number of Possible Points (3 * Number of Judges + Additional Points)
3 points are given for a First Place Top 3 finish, 2 points for a Second Place, and 1 point for a Third Place. 1 additional point is awarded if a Top 3 is submitted. 1 additional point is awarded if Critiques are given for all entries to be judged.
This way the grading is more streamlined in the fact that all rounds prior to Top 8 are graded equally, and there is no handicap for any team that has fewer judges.
Each player accumulates points from each Scoring Round until the end of Round 3.
Rith:
Destroy will basically never work on lands, why is it a way worse Vindicate. Beyond is cool. Lock/Load both seem a little expensive, and why does Load make rats...a load of rats? Part is interesting but Parcel seems very bad, it should maybe get you two cards that match the type?
aurorasparrow:
Most of the effects are tamer. Trials, Never, and Storm are the most interesting ones. Broken/Restored is undercosted on both sides I think. The reminder text on Calm is not actually right, it wouldn't remove creatures from combat if they were already attacking/blocking. Now looks interesting, but I don't know if it's any good, just granting flash to permanents.
Rith:
Destroy will basically never work on lands, why is it a way worse Vindicate. Beyond is cool. Lock/Load both seem a little expensive, and why does Load make rats...a load of rats? Part is interesting but Parcel seems very bad, it should maybe get you two cards that match the type?
Well, WotC has said they want to avoid making cmc 3 land destruction spells, so I specifically avoided that. Also, a half of a split card is always less powerful than a normal card trying to do the same thing at the same mana cost (Glimpse the Unthinkable against Breaking). Not to mention Destroy is an instant, while Vindicate is a sorcery. Also, it will still hit Dark Depths.
As for Load, I pose a question as an answer: Why does Call make birds?
I was a little concerned about Parcel, but it's pretty close to microtext as is.
Courtesy Critiques
Trials: Nice card. Tribulations: Also nice. These two being two halfs of the same card makes for interesting choices.
Broken: Nice card. However, it breaks the cycle, being a rare, and we were supposed to make a cycle. Of course, I like your use of -1/-1 counters instead of just destroying everything. Restored: Though, you never use both +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters in the same set. Much less on the same card. Restored seems undercosted.
Now: I read this as "G: The next permanent spell you cast this turn can be cast as though it had flash, and it skips the stack." Which is cool, but isn't quite mythic, in my opinion. Also, this further breaks up the cycle. Never: This is more mythic feeling, but the wording is largely pointless. Why doesn't it just say "Target player can't cast spells with that name for the rest of the game"? As is, it achieves the same goal, but uses a triggered ability that suddenly forgets it's a triggered ability halfway through and starts reading like a replacement effect. Also, using an emblem isn't necessary in this situation.
Storm: That creature would be dealing the damage, not "you". "You" can't deal damage. Calm: I have nothing to say on this that GM hasn't already.
Surf: I find this card to be the most pointless of the "cycle". Turf: This is my favorite card out of the "cycle".
Courtesy Critiques. In my opinion, you had the more difficult challenge to fulfill.
Search: really cool.
Above: well designed.
Beyond: also good.
Lock: Doesn't feel all that red, although I guess there is stranglehold.
Load: somewhat uninspired, every color besides blue can make 1/1 tokens.
Part: Much, much worse than Do or Die in most situations.
Parcel: Missing an "If you do," also very bad. Even if you got two cards it wouldn't be card advantage.
Sure: Very, very underpowered, even on a split card.
Round 6 [Finals] - The Product
Abducted at knifepoint, you've been taken to a confusing realm of swirling colors and irregular shapes, then imprisoned in a tiny chamber.
Apparently you're to be tried for crimes against... someone or something, though that wasn't made very clear at all. What was made clear was that your presence at the trial would only be a distraction.
So... yeah, the outcome of the trial is probably obvious, and you're going to need to escape. Time to start shaping little spells...
Create a cycle of split cards representing the tools you've developed to escape back to the "real" world.
Rithaniel: Each of your cards has one side wedge-colored and the other side shard-colored, with the same central color to each (that is, BGW/BR,RWU/RG,GUB/GW,WBR/WU, and URG/UB).
aurorasparrow: Each of your cards has one side mono-colored and the other side either that color's allies or that color's enemies. It's your choice as to which one you use, but the entire cycle needs to be consistent.
Instant R
Search your library for up to four cards with the same name and reveal them. Then shuffle your library and put those cards on top of your library in any order.
//
Destroy WBR
Instant R
Destroy target untapped permanent.
Above WUB
Sorcery R
You draw a card and gain 2 life. Target opponent discards a card and loses 2 life.
//
Beyond URG
Sorcery R
You may cast a nonland card with converted mana cost 5 or less from your hand without paying it's mana cost.
Lock UBR
Instant R
Until end of turn, if target player would draw a card, instead that player skips that draw. That player can't search libraries this turn.
//
Load BGW
Instant R
Put three 1/1 black rat creature tokens onto the battlefield.
Part BRG
Sorcery R
Separate all creatures on the battlefield into three piles. Target opponent chooses one of those piles. Destroy each creature in that pile.
//
Parcel RWU
Sorcery R
Discard a card. Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a card that shares a type with the discarded card. Put that card into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Swift RGW
Instant R
Creatures you control gain double strike, hexproof, and haste until end of turn.
//
Sure GUB
Instant R
Exile target noncreature spell.
Sorcery [U]
For each creature target player controls, tap that creature unless its controller pays :2mana:.
//
Tribulations :2mana::symb::symr:
Sorcery [U]
Tribulations deals 1 damage to target player. That player sacrifices a permanent, then discards a card at random.
Broken :3mana::symb::symb:
Sorcery [R]
Put three -1/-1 counters on all tapped creatures you don’t control.
//
Restored :3mana::symg::symw:
Sorcery [R]
Untap all creatures you control. Put three +1/+1 counters on each creature untapped this way.
Now :xmana::symg:
Instant [MR]
Put a permanent card with converted mana cost X from your hand onto the battlefield.
//
Never :2mana::symu::symb:
Sorcery [MR]
Name a card. Target player gets an emblem with “Whenever you cast a spell with the chosen name, you lose the game instead.”
Storm :symr::symr:
Instant [U]
Creatures you control get +1/+0 and gain “Whenever this creature attacks or blocks, you may deal 1 damage to target creature or player” until end of turn.
//
Calm :symu::symw:
Instant [U]
Creatures can’t attack, block or activate abilities this turn. (Remove attacking and blocking creatures from combat.)
Surf
Sorcery [U]
Creatures you control gain islandwalk until end of turn.
//
Turf :symr::symg:
Sorcery [U]
You may play an additional land this turn. Add :symr::symg: to your mana pool.
Y = Total number of Possible Points (3 * Number of Judges + Additional Points)
(Probably NSFW) So you may have heard I'm trying to write a TV series...
Rith:
Destroy will basically never work on lands, why is it a way worse Vindicate. Beyond is cool. Lock/Load both seem a little expensive, and why does Load make rats...a load of rats? Part is interesting but Parcel seems very bad, it should maybe get you two cards that match the type?
aurorasparrow:
Most of the effects are tamer. Trials, Never, and Storm are the most interesting ones. Broken/Restored is undercosted on both sides I think. The reminder text on Calm is not actually right, it wouldn't remove creatures from combat if they were already attacking/blocking. Now looks interesting, but I don't know if it's any good, just granting flash to permanents.
Well, WotC has said they want to avoid making cmc 3 land destruction spells, so I specifically avoided that. Also, a half of a split card is always less powerful than a normal card trying to do the same thing at the same mana cost (Glimpse the Unthinkable against Breaking). Not to mention Destroy is an instant, while Vindicate is a sorcery. Also, it will still hit Dark Depths.
As for Load, I pose a question as an answer: Why does Call make birds?
I was a little concerned about Parcel, but it's pretty close to microtext as is.
Courtesy Critiques
Trials: Nice card.
Tribulations: Also nice. These two being two halfs of the same card makes for interesting choices.
Broken: Nice card. However, it breaks the cycle, being a rare, and we were supposed to make a cycle. Of course, I like your use of -1/-1 counters instead of just destroying everything.
Restored: Though, you never use both +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters in the same set. Much less on the same card. Restored seems undercosted.
Now: I read this as "G: The next permanent spell you cast this turn can be cast as though it had flash, and it skips the stack." Which is cool, but isn't quite mythic, in my opinion. Also, this further breaks up the cycle.
Never: This is more mythic feeling, but the wording is largely pointless. Why doesn't it just say "Target player can't cast spells with that name for the rest of the game"? As is, it achieves the same goal, but uses a triggered ability that suddenly forgets it's a triggered ability halfway through and starts reading like a replacement effect. Also, using an emblem isn't necessary in this situation.
Storm: That creature would be dealing the damage, not "you". "You" can't deal damage.
Calm: I have nothing to say on this that GM hasn't already.
Surf: I find this card to be the most pointless of the "cycle".
Turf: This is my favorite card out of the "cycle".
Search: really cool.
Above: well designed.
Beyond: also good.
Lock: Doesn't feel all that red, although I guess there is stranglehold.
Load: somewhat uninspired, every color besides blue can make 1/1 tokens.
Part: Much, much worse than Do or Die in most situations.
Parcel: Missing an "If you do," also very bad. Even if you got two cards it wouldn't be card advantage.
Sure: Very, very underpowered, even on a split card.
4th place at CCC&G Pro Tour
Chances of bad hands (<2 or >4 land):
21: 28.9%
22: 27.5%
23: 26.3%
24: 25.5%
25: 25.1%
26: 25.3%