netn10
This card is rather weak than fair. Keep in mind, the vehicle still has defender, so you have to spend 1 mana and tap one creature to get basically colorless Ogre Sentry for one turn.
Hemlock
A creature with defender that enters the battlefield tapped and attacking doesn't make much sense. It looks like another wacky Planar Chaos card that was made just to prove that the design team can do anything. Cards like this is the one of the main reasons why WotC established NWO and started to make things much more simple than before. I guess.
TotallyHaywire
Weird and annoying but almost fair card with some interesting design space but maybe too complex for my tastes.
RaikouRider
Fair card with understandable drawback. Nothing much to say here.
bravelion83
Fair killing spell on legs, but would hate to face him in any game. Can't be helped. Burn your house but kill this pesky little guy at any cost before he recovers from summoning sickness! Now!
Koopa
Not a big fan of indefinetely lasting effects, but the card is fair. Reminds me of Isamaru, Hound of Konda which I adore.
mirrodin71: It's a neat an interesting design and a fun callback to Fog Bank, but the flavor of the cards irks me a little. Nonwhite angels have been done in the past when flavour suits them, but there's not enough of that here to justify a Simic angel over, say an Azorius or Bant one. Likewise, I don't see why this card should be an angel instead of an Elemental or a Spirit. The second ability also has a wording issue, it should be "Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to or dealt by creatures with Fog counters on them."
Raptorchan: Encased in Stone is a bit on the nose for a title (better than Stuck in a Rock though). I like the design of this card because it shows us the story of Sorin's eventual freedom whilst also showcasing how vulnerable he is. I'm not sure how I feel about a millenia-old planeswalker that created Avacyn being portrayed as a 2 mana creature though.
netn10: This is a cool design, and it sort of reminds me of manlands but with Vehicles. I think a strictly better Steel Wall, while not the worst thing, is a shame because it's a very iconic defender in my opinion. It's a solid design and has potential for constructed play in the right meta.
Hemlock: A defender with Ninjutsu is the best stupid thing I've seen in a while. Ninja Wall as a type definitely seems odd to me, because art-style wise I imagine a long stretch of shurikens floating in the air, but I feel like this doesn't need to be a Wall and could be something like a Spirit instead. This is a very strong and strange design as defenders with high power in a color pairing not known for being aggressive is so odd and intriguing.
TotallyHaywire: This is a very strong design, but there's a wording issue here: Because the token copies the base card's stats, you'll end up with an endless stream of 0/3 walls which is obviously broken. Going off the design you're trying to present (of which I have no idea how to word without changing the design a little), being able to get four blockers and Scry 2 four times off of one card is a terrifying control card that would be ridiculously resilient, perhaps too much so. Even getting one token out of this card is a huge amount of value.
RaikouRider: It's a simple, elegant design that I really like. My only worry is that for a limited environment a 1/5 deathtouch might be a bit too good a board stopper. 1/4 or even 1/3 would be much stronger designs.
All cards have been adjusted to correct all those that I would call "Quality mistakes" in the MCC. As the CCL is a more relaxed contest, I felt I could do that. Critiques and top 3 have not been influenced by this.
Koopa
Guard HoundW
Creature - Hound (C)
Defender
Whenever you are dealt combat damage, Guard Hound loses defender. (This effect last indefinitely.)
2/2
This is good. I have nothing to say against it. I'm just not sure it would be common, but I could see it. I also like the reminder text being there very much.
Zemoo
Volcariax, the Hoarder4RR
Legendary Creature - Dragon (M)
As an additional cost to cast this spell, for each opponent, you may choose an artifact you control and have that player gain control of that artifact. This spell costs 2 less to cast for each artifact chosen this way.
Defender, flying
Volcariax, the Hoarder may attack players who control permanents you own as though it didn't have defender.
Whenever Volcariax deals combat damage to a player, gain control of target permanent that player controls but you own. Volcariax knows what belongs to him and guards it absolutely. The only thing more foolish than trying to steal his treasure would be to succeed.
5/5
I read it as Vorinclex at first. Anyway, way too long and complicated for modern Magic. I was already sure all that text would never fit in the text box, but for fun I tried it in MSE: eleven lines of microtext. That's just too much. This card just would never be printed for real.
Marco
Wizard's Bulwark1UU
Creature – Wall (Uncommon)
Defender, hexproof
Your opponents play with their hands revealed.
0/5
I like this in a vacuum, but I'm honestly not sure how fun it would be to play against this. I still remember Wall of Denial and I just hated to play against that card in limited. Letting you have perfect information might also imply this should be rare.
Cardz5000
Rhox Contemplative(G/W)
Creature - Rhino Monk (U)
Defender
Exalted (Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Rhox Contemplative's toughness is equal to the number of untapped creatures you control.
0/*
This is a very interesting design and I really like how the abilities synergize together. Sorry for the one-line critique, but I've really got nothing more to say except that I like it very much.
Jimmy Groove
The Gate of Nyx3WWW
Legendary Enchantment Creature - Wall (M)
Defender
You can't lose the game and your opponents can't win the game.
Other untapped creatures you control have indestructible.
0/8
I tried it in MSE and the type line barely fits in English. If this were to be printed for real, I think there might be some problems in translation for languages that have longer words than English (German immediately comes to mind). Other than that, I see no problems with this card and it looks like a fine mythic to me.
PsyOp
Wall of Desperation1W
Creature - Elemental Wall (U)
Defender
As long as you have 5 or less life, Wall of Desperation can block any number of creatures.
0/5
I don't like when a card uses a named mechanic without naming it. It happens all the time in real Magic, especially with ability words, and I'm not a fan of it. This is just fateful hour, and the ability word would also have made a lot of sense with the general flavor of the card. Other than that minor remark, I see nothing wrong with this card.
Except for one case (detailed in the spoiler), all other five cards were perfectly viable, so in the end I decided my top 3 just based on my own personal taste.
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.)
Cardz5000 – Solid card. I love Noble Hierarch and cards like Aven Trailblazer. Maybe should have been a different creature type? It’s hard for me to picture a 0/1 Rhox. The smallest printed has been a 1/4 or a 2/3.
Jimmy Groove – This is annoying, more so than Platinum Angel (“You can't lose the game and your opponents can't win the game.”) Very hard for red to remove.
PsyOp – Meh. This is okay. Palace Guard is better and common.
Gerrard's Mom – Interesting though it seems very wordy for what it does, which is basically the reminder text of blocking creatures that can’t be blocked? Why not just say that? Maybe there are scenarios where this would be good that I’m not seeing.
Subject16 – This is fine. I like it. Tidal Wave is better for the surprise factor, but Crumbling Barricade sticks around, but can be killed with artifact removal. Could be common?
mirrodin71 – Not a fan of Angels with power and toughness less than 3/3, but is okay. Not sure the wording on the second ability is correct.
Top 3:
1st: Cardz5000
2nd: Subject16
3rd: Jimmy Groove
This card is rather weak than fair. Keep in mind, the vehicle still has defender, so you have to spend 1 mana and tap one creature to get basically colorless Ogre Sentry for one turn.
Hemlock
A creature with defender that enters the battlefield tapped and attacking doesn't make much sense. It looks like another wacky Planar Chaos card that was made just to prove that the design team can do anything. Cards like this is the one of the main reasons why WotC established NWO and started to make things much more simple than before. I guess.
TotallyHaywire
Weird and annoying but almost fair card with some interesting design space but maybe too complex for my tastes.
RaikouRider
Fair card with understandable drawback. Nothing much to say here.
bravelion83
Fair killing spell on legs, but would hate to face him in any game. Can't be helped. Burn your house but kill this pesky little guy at any cost before he recovers from summoning sickness! Now!
Koopa
Not a big fan of indefinetely lasting effects, but the card is fair. Reminds me of Isamaru, Hound of Konda which I adore.
2) RaikouRider
3) bravelion83
Raptorchan: Encased in Stone is a bit on the nose for a title (better than Stuck in a Rock though). I like the design of this card because it shows us the story of Sorin's eventual freedom whilst also showcasing how vulnerable he is. I'm not sure how I feel about a millenia-old planeswalker that created Avacyn being portrayed as a 2 mana creature though.
netn10: This is a cool design, and it sort of reminds me of manlands but with Vehicles. I think a strictly better Steel Wall, while not the worst thing, is a shame because it's a very iconic defender in my opinion. It's a solid design and has potential for constructed play in the right meta.
Hemlock: A defender with Ninjutsu is the best stupid thing I've seen in a while. Ninja Wall as a type definitely seems odd to me, because art-style wise I imagine a long stretch of shurikens floating in the air, but I feel like this doesn't need to be a Wall and could be something like a Spirit instead. This is a very strong and strange design as defenders with high power in a color pairing not known for being aggressive is so odd and intriguing.
TotallyHaywire: This is a very strong design, but there's a wording issue here: Because the token copies the base card's stats, you'll end up with an endless stream of 0/3 walls which is obviously broken. Going off the design you're trying to present (of which I have no idea how to word without changing the design a little), being able to get four blockers and Scry 2 four times off of one card is a terrifying control card that would be ridiculously resilient, perhaps too much so. Even getting one token out of this card is a huge amount of value.
RaikouRider: It's a simple, elegant design that I really like. My only worry is that for a limited environment a 1/5 deathtouch might be a bit too good a board stopper. 1/4 or even 1/3 would be much stronger designs.
2: netn10
3: Hemlock
All cards have been adjusted to correct all those that I would call "Quality mistakes" in the MCC. As the CCL is a more relaxed contest, I felt I could do that. Critiques and top 3 have not been influenced by this.
Koopa
Creature - Hound (C)
Defender
Whenever you are dealt combat damage, Guard Hound loses defender. (This effect last indefinitely.)
2/2
This is good. I have nothing to say against it. I'm just not sure it would be common, but I could see it. I also like the reminder text being there very much.
Zemoo
Legendary Creature - Dragon (M)
As an additional cost to cast this spell, for each opponent, you may choose an artifact you control and have that player gain control of that artifact. This spell costs 2 less to cast for each artifact chosen this way.
Defender, flying
Volcariax, the Hoarder may attack players who control permanents you own as though it didn't have defender.
Whenever Volcariax deals combat damage to a player, gain control of target permanent that player controls but you own.
Volcariax knows what belongs to him and guards it absolutely. The only thing more foolish than trying to steal his treasure would be to succeed.
5/5
I read it as Vorinclex at first. Anyway, way too long and complicated for modern Magic. I was already sure all that text would never fit in the text box, but for fun I tried it in MSE: eleven lines of microtext. That's just too much. This card just would never be printed for real.
Marco
Creature – Wall (Uncommon)
Defender, hexproof
Your opponents play with their hands revealed.
0/5
I like this in a vacuum, but I'm honestly not sure how fun it would be to play against this. I still remember Wall of Denial and I just hated to play against that card in limited. Letting you have perfect information might also imply this should be rare.
Cardz5000
Creature - Rhino Monk (U)
Defender
Exalted (Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Rhox Contemplative's toughness is equal to the number of untapped creatures you control.
0/*
This is a very interesting design and I really like how the abilities synergize together. Sorry for the one-line critique, but I've really got nothing more to say except that I like it very much.
Jimmy Groove
Legendary Enchantment Creature - Wall (M)
Defender
You can't lose the game and your opponents can't win the game.
Other untapped creatures you control have indestructible.
0/8
I tried it in MSE and the type line barely fits in English. If this were to be printed for real, I think there might be some problems in translation for languages that have longer words than English (German immediately comes to mind). Other than that, I see no problems with this card and it looks like a fine mythic to me.
PsyOp
Creature - Elemental Wall (U)
Defender
As long as you have 5 or less life, Wall of Desperation can block any number of creatures.
0/5
I don't like when a card uses a named mechanic without naming it. It happens all the time in real Magic, especially with ability words, and I'm not a fan of it. This is just fateful hour, and the ability word would also have made a lot of sense with the general flavor of the card. Other than that minor remark, I see nothing wrong with this card.
Except for one case (detailed in the spoiler), all other five cards were perfectly viable, so in the end I decided my top 3 just based on my own personal taste.
Top 3
1st: Cardz5000
2nd: Koopa
3rd: Marco
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.)
Jimmy Groove – This is annoying, more so than Platinum Angel (“You can't lose the game and your opponents can't win the game.”) Very hard for red to remove.
PsyOp – Meh. This is okay. Palace Guard is better and common.
Gerrard's Mom – Interesting though it seems very wordy for what it does, which is basically the reminder text of blocking creatures that can’t be blocked? Why not just say that? Maybe there are scenarios where this would be good that I’m not seeing.
Subject16 – This is fine. I like it. Tidal Wave is better for the surprise factor, but Crumbling Barricade sticks around, but can be killed with artifact removal. Could be common?
mirrodin71 – Not a fan of Angels with power and toughness less than 3/3, but is okay. Not sure the wording on the second ability is correct.
Top 3:
1st: Cardz5000
2nd: Subject16
3rd: Jimmy Groove
3) Jimmy Groove
2) Koopa
1) Marco
Emille, Seven-Sting Dancer Shalin Nariya