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  • posted a message on GOD: Metaphysics (does god exist?)
    What if matter is God? God is the energy that created all things? All powerful, within the laws of physics, that we personify because we're human beings?


    I want to preface this by saying that your post was imaginative and intersting, because I'm about to tear it apart Smile

    If I ask "Does Mickey mouse exist?" and you say "Yes, Mickey Mouse exists, because when I say Mickey Mouse I mean Microsoft." Microsoft exists. But, you haven't answered my question; I didn't mean Microsoft when I said "Mickey Mouse."

    Your post similarly redefines "God" before answering the question of whether "God" exists. It doesn't even address the question everyone else is talking about; the existence of an all-powerful creator.

    It might be interesting, however, to ask whether Matter and The Sun might have other properties we associate with God and Jesus; sentience, omniscience, omnipotence, goodness, and having created everything-ness. In other words, maybe the earth and the sun fit some others' definitions of "God".
    Posted in: Philosophy
  • posted a message on GOD: Metaphysics (does god exist?)
    Quote from killerfox
    Pfffff! I was beginning to want to eat my words until you said that you would pass it out to your "commitee". If Im a cult leader, it doesnt necessarily make me a genius does it? No, it justs makes me crazy.


    Taylor is a physics PhD candidate at UNH. He's talking about professors and other grad students. Don't get me wrong; he's completely crazy, but he's also a genius.
    Posted in: Philosophy
  • posted a message on The DCC: December 10th, 2008
    Fleshy Abomination 2BB
    Creature - Thrull Giant 2/4
    Whenever damage is dealt to Fleshy Abomination, put that many 1/1 black Thrull creature tokens into play.
    Posted in: Custom Card Contests and Games
  • posted a message on December FCC: Round One
    reserved
    Posted in: Custom Card Contests and Games
  • posted a message on Presidential Vs: Victor von Doom Vs. Lex Luther
    Go Luther!

    From what i understand, Cthulhu is currently dreaming. We don't need four more years of a Prez that sleeps at the job all day. He'd be more electable when he wakes up.

    I feel like Doom could bring democracy to the middle east in a week. If he loses Luther can make him the Sec of State. Then he could order him to fight Putin. That's a real debate, who would win in a cage match? I like Putin.

    I'm going for Luther because he tough on crime, especially vigilantism. Its about time a Prez stood up for Cops and Judges and against Superman.
    Posted in: Talk and Entertainment
  • posted a message on December FCC: Player Signups
    I'll play
    Posted in: Custom Card Contests and Games
  • posted a message on The DCC: 08/01/08
    Hydrophilic Mage UU
    Creature- Merfok Wizard
    Islandwalk
    Spells you spend U to play have split second.
    "What greater substance is there? It gives all things life, and gives knowledgeable beings power."
    2/2
    Posted in: Custom Card Contests and Games
  • posted a message on Strict Moderation?
    Quote from fancy-free
    I advise you to give up on these forums, or start kissing ass. The mods here aren't anyone special, and at least some of them don't seem to attempt impartiality. Also, they take themselves and this site way too seriously.

    All of that may well be true in your opinion, but I'd appreciate if you could cool your tone a bit. Thanks.-AoK


    You edited my post in a "Speak Your Mind" forum about mods being too strict. Even I didn't think things were that bad. It's time for me to take my own advice.
    Posted in: Community Discussion
  • posted a message on Strict Moderation?
    I advise you to give up on these forums, or start kissing ass. The mods here aren't anyone special, and at least some of them don't seem to attempt impartiality. Also, they take themselves and this site way too seriously.

    All of that may well be true in your opinion, but I'd appreciate if you could cool your tone a bit. Thanks.-AoK
    Posted in: Community Discussion
  • posted a message on May FCC - Judge Signups
    I'd like to be a judge for next month
    Posted in: Custom Card Contests and Games
  • posted a message on FCC Rules/Discussion Thread
    Quote from Kraj
    Mega Judge Holder

    Make an incarnation.

    Bonus Points-
    Converted mana cost NOT six- 1 point
    Combined power and toughness greater than 4- 1 point


    7. elathel trom vs. Ghyrt
    Bonus: /5

    Balance: /10

    FCQ: /10
    Flavor: /4


    Creativity: /4

    Quality: /2
    Bonus: /5

    Balance: /10

    FCQ: /10
    Flavor: /4


    Creativity: /4

    Quality: /2
    TBD

    8. Vishara vs. muchsarcasm
    Bonus: /5

    Balance: /10

    FCQ: /10
    Flavor: /4


    Creativity: /4

    Quality: /2
    Bonus: /5

    Balance: /10

    FCQ: /10
    Flavor: /4


    Creativity: /4

    Quality: /2
    TBD

    9. fancy free vs. aim.viv
    For future referece, do not post a discussion of your card. Let the judges do their job; if you have points to bring up do it afterwards in the rules/discussion thread.

    Bonus: 5/5

    Balance: 5/10 This is silly strong. For three mana it completely shuts your opponent down until s/he can deal 7 or more damage in one turn, which is a pretty high number. Slap a Heart of Light on this puppy and you're practically untouchable. It also means you can't deal any damage, but a control player usually won't be bothered by that at all. This card makes a Millfolk deck cream its jeans, but really any deck running white could gleefully build up a huge army and then Momentary Blink this fella away.

    If this had a drawback that made it harder to keep around, for example if it gave all sources of damage wither, it would be much better.

    FCQ: 6/10
    Flavor: 4/4
    Nicely translates love into a mechanic. It's very "can't we all just get along?" hippy-love, but love nonetheless.

    Creativity: 1/4 Nothing new here. Creatures that redirect damage to themselves have been done and this doesn't do anything new with the idea.

    Quality: 1/2 Making it legendary was an elegant way to preempt some rules issues, so good job there. However, you worded the effect wrong. Look at Pariah. The game needs to know what it is replacing, i.e., it needs to know "instead of what?"
    Bonus: 5/5 Cool art.

    Balance: 7/10 A hasty 5/5 with wither that gives your other creatures wither seems about on par with Demigod of Revenge. The graveyard ability is pretty damn nuts, though. It's essentially a reusable Incremental Blight, and Incremental Blight is quite often a 1-sided Wrath. The whole package is expensive enough that I'm not going to say it's broken, but this is still over the top.

    FCQ: 7.5/10
    Flavor: 4/4
    Pretty good. It certainly captures the feeling of plague pretty well. Flavor text is very nice.

    Creativity: 2/4 Not much really.

    Quality: 1.5/2 Should be "red creatures and black creatures" otherwise it looks like the creatures have to be red-black multicolor.
    aim.viv

    10. Asrama vs. Kenaron
    Bonus: 5/5 Love the art. I'm not sure it really fits the card, but I love it.

    Balance: 4/10 I see what you were going for here, but unfortunately it doesn't work. And if it did, it would be nuts: Dreamscape Artist, Extirpate, Korlash, Heir to Blackblade, Mystical Teachings (who needs Teferi?), Terramorphic Expanse, and so on. (BTW, Extirpate demonstrates exactly why this ability can't work.)

    FCQ: 8/10
    Flavor: 4/4
    The name choice is kinda lame (but no worse than my Procrastination, so...) and the mechanics connect to it well.

    Creativity: 2/4 Once again, a card that's creative in the wrong way. It hasn't been done before, but because it can't be done.

    Quality: 2/2 I hit ya in balance, I won't double up on deductions here.
    Bonus: 5/5 Cute pun.

    Balance: 6.5/10 This is kind of interesting. In play, it's rather weak; unless your board is all GW hybrids it's significantly worse than Scion of the Wild (which is only decent anyway). In your graveyard it's a Wilt-Leaf Liege that can't be killed or attack. The interesting twist here is the restriction that forces you to play it if you want it in your graveyard, which definitely makes it weaker. Normally I'd say it's a good idea, but I think this guy is already a bit on the weak side anyway so it didn't need something else to pull it down; it needs more oomph.

    FCQ: 7.5/10
    Flavor: 4/4
    Pretty good connection between mechanics and name. Nice choice of creature type for a GW hybrid.

    Creativity: 2/4 Some small twists but nothing too exciting here.

    Quality: 1.5/2 Ugh. ~'s. Razy American!
    Kenaron

    11. Charm Master3125 vs. Moss_Elemental
    Bonus: 4.5/5 Art doesn't not match at all.

    Balance: 5.5/10 I'm not seeing how the colors fit here. Green doesn't get lifelink or tutor for things other than lands and creatures. White doesn't tutor for things other than enchantments and on occasion Plains. Both colors have a history of skipping the draw step for a benefit, but neither have done so in years. This just looks completely out of place.

    Ignoring that, a 4/6 lifelink for five mana is pretty darn good - way better than Changeling Hero, normally a little worse than powerhouse Exalted Angel. Skipping your draw to trade a card in hand for any card in your deck once a turn is also pretty damn good. This card is a UW combo control player's wet dream (which makes it being a green hybrid rather amusing). Just way too powerful.

    FCQ: 7/10
    Flavor: 2/4
    I don't really get the connection between the mechanics and the name at all.

    Creativity: 3/4 I see some creativity here. Nothing mind blowing, but there's an interesting tension here between hand size and card quality.

    Quality: 2/2
    Bonus: 5/5

    Balance: 6.5/10 I'm not a big fan of this one. The cost and abilities while in play are fine, but the graveyard ability too easily locks the game down. Especially if you combine it with Rites of Flourishing/Gauntlet of Power/Mana Reflection effects, your opponent will have to mount an insanely huge offense to get even a pittance of damage in against you. And if they try it via creatures, then you just Wrath. Graveyard hate takes care of him, but barring that it's a one-card Stop sign against any deck that's not running an infinite combo.

    FCQ: 8/10
    Flavor: 4/4
    Abilities connect well with the name and Incarnation type. 'Nuff said.

    Creativity: 2/4 Nothing too new here. Damage prevention hasn't been done this way before I don't think, but it probably shouldn't be.

    Quality: 1.5/2 There's a mismatch between the costs of the text card and render. Tsk tsk.
    Moss_Elemental

    14. SoronTheBeast vs. yasuragi
    Bonus: 5/5

    Balance: 6/10 Yes, it is possible to kill this card, just not under any reasonable circumstances. It's also a powerful combo engine: Nantuko Husk gets infinite pumping; Thermopod (yeah, it's Thermopod but still...) makes infinite mana. In Extended Phyrexian Altar will make infinite mana and Blasting Station will make infinite damage. The mana commitment helps, but this is pretty much busted.

    FCQ: 6/10
    Flavor: 3/4
    Frankly the flavor text hurts you. Real-world quotes are only for core sets; show me something new. While less people would have gotten it if you didn't spell it out, "Hope springs eternal" is well-known enough that the reference would have been a clever subtle nod to those who got it, which would have been a really nice touch. Putting it right on the card kinda slaps you in the face with "this is what I designed the card around".

    Overall it's still pretty good.

    Creativity: 1/4 It's Heartmender but juiced up to the point of being broken.

    Quality: 2/2
    Bonus: 5/5

    Balance: 8/10 I like this. 5 mana for a 3/4 deathtouch isn't particularly exciting but it's decent. Being able to get it back for free every time another of your creatures die is pretty potent. The RFG clause is is the key to this card's balance and stops it from being broken by recursion or two of them. The only problem here is black has the tools to abuse this pretty easily, and Smallpox in particular is pretty brutal. Turn 1, swamp, 1-drop. Turn 2, land Smallpox, leaving you with a 3/4 on the board and your opponent with 1 land and probably no creatures. That's most likely game right there. If it were a 3/3 I could see it being gotten away with because at least there are a reasonable number of 2-mana answers for a 3-toughness creature, but at four toughness it's just too much.

    FCQ: 7/10
    Flavor: 2.5/4
    Vengeance Do your homework. More bland Scroll of Beginnings references. Mechanical interpretation of vengenace is prety nice.

    Creativity: 2.5/4 Nothing too exciting here. I don't think this ability has been done exactly in this way before, but self-recurring creatures are nothing new for black.

    Quality: 2/2
    yasuragi

    15. Niv vs. Ace
    Bonus: 4.5/5 Not a fan of the art. Looks very low quality.

    Balance: 6/10 First of all, the control switching ability is pointless. Rarely will you want a 0/7 for four mana and even if you did you wouldn't play this because you're going to have to get in a mana war just to keep it around as a blocker. That considered, this card will never do anything other than get plunked into your own graveyard as quickly as possible. In which case, every time your opponent plays a land (or an artifact or enchantment but who cares?) for the rest of the game you get to use it for a turn before they get it. That's not completely ridiculous... until you consider cards like Edge of Autumn, Shard Volley, and such.

    Yeah, this card's effect is pretty nuts, rather difficult to deal with, and has no drawbacks whatsoever.

    FCQ: 7/10
    Flavor: 3/4
    You drove home the flavor pretty well as far as translating lust into a mechanic. Flavor text is more bland Scroll of Beginnings reference.

    Creativity: 2/4 This is what I call "bad creativity" in that it's creative because it hasn't been done before, but it hasn't been done before because it shouldn't be done. It's a really, really bad idea to put cards a player doesn't own into a zone they control other than in play. Granted, the graveyard is not hidden so that's a little better than putting it in another player's hand or library, but this is just a really bad idea.

    Quality: 2/2
    Bonus: 5/5

    Balance: 8.5/10 Essentially a Hill Giant with flash. Not particularly red, but the rest of the abilities don't make sense without it so no big whoop. The mana discount isn't going to make a difference often, but it could do fun things with a suspended Rift Bolt or an eot Shock or whatnot. I'd say it's best against blue as an attempt to squeeze a cheap spell out right after they've just countered another spell. Overall I'd say it's generally on the weak side but has some potential for explosiveness, so I'm happy with it.

    The problem with this guy is he's absolutely nuts with storm. Happily, storm doesn't normally discard easily and usually wouldn't want to anyway because it would waste time and resources. Would it be worth it to get the added combo power this provides? I dunno for sure, but the potential for scary is certainly there. Without having some concrete evidence to call broken I'd say this one is pretty well balanced.

    FCQ: 8/10
    Flavor: 3/4
    Pretty nice. Interpreting desire as wanting lots of things as once and translating that into spells on the stack is fairly evocative. The flavor text is decent, but just plays off the established Scroll of Beginnings. Blah. There's not much I can specifically point to that I didn't like, but the overall feeling I get from it is kinda meh.

    Creativity: 3/4 Well it hasn't been done before by WotC but we've seen this kind of thing a million times in custom cards. It's new, but not really fresh.

    Quality: 2/2
    Ace

    I made that card because I thought Kokusho would be judging me. I know that Kraj thinks differently, and it would have been a different card if I'd known he was the judge (also, you might not be surprised to learn that I don't think very much of his judging, at least in this case.) Shenanigans.

    However, since this is the third time I've been shenanigann'd in this contest. First I wasn't added to the list of contestants after signing up. Second, in round one my judge forgot to judge my card. At this point, I'm giving up.

    Edit: SoronTheBeast told me that I should explain why I disagree with Kraj's judging of my card. I don't have time to frequent this thread to engage in a long discussion, I don't care _why_ Kraj disagrees with what I'm about to post, I don't expect anyone to care what I think, and my opinion has no bearing on the contest anyway. However, it is only fair to be candid about why I disagree, so here goes:


    Balance: 5/10 This is silly strong. For three mana it completely shuts your opponent down until s/he can deal 7 or more damage in one turn, which is a pretty high number.
    In limited, it's not that high of a number, and the fact that it's shutting down the controller as well is a huge deal. It's like a sorcery speed three-mana fog. I could see it making the game take longer.

    In constructed, against a weenie deck, they will be set back one or possibly two turns, and may have to burn a pump / burn spell to get past Love. In this case, it is a three-mana fog that the opponent also has to spend a pump spell to get past. Against another control deck or an aggro-control deck it's a three mana non-surprising fog or a dead card.

    Slap a Heart of Light on this puppy and you're practically untouchable. It also means you can't deal any damage, but a control player usually won't be bothered by that at all.
    Yes, you can put creature enchantments on this card to make you invulnerable. That is not new, and it has never broken an environment. The creature would still be vulnerable to non-damage creature removal. For example, nobody ever won a tournament by putting Pariah on Cho-Manno, Revolutionary, and that wouldn't even shut down your own sources of damage.

    If you try to put heart of light on one of these, you are either doing it in the early game or in the late game. In the early game, you don't have six mana, so you have to leave love around for a turn. The opponent will see it coming, and has a turn to kill the creature at sorcery speed and a moment to kill it at instant speed while the heart of light is on the stack, and two-for-one you. If you do it in late game, then what the heck are you spending six mana and two cards on in a control deck that isn't winning the game right there?

    This card makes a Millfolk deck cream its jeans, but really any deck running white could gleefully build up a huge army and then Momentary Blink this fella away.
    While the intended point of this argument is marginally valid, it rubs me strongly in the wrong way that I am being judged by someone who doesn't know what Momentary Blink does.

    I say marginally valid because the combo you've constructed is, again, vulnerable to creature and enchantment removal and now costs three cards, at least one of which is dead without the others.

    If this had a drawback that made it harder to keep around, for example if it gave all sources of damage wither, it would be much better.
    Imagine this card:
    Much Better1WW
    Sorcery
    Prevent the next seven damage that would be dealt. If more than seven damage would be dealt at the same time before this card's prevention effect is used up, prevent all that damage instead.

    Do you think anyone would play that? Here, let me make it more obvious:

    Much Better 1WW
    Sorcery
    You gain 7 life

    Creativity: 1/4 Nothing new here. Creatures that redirect damage to themselves have been done and this doesn't do anything new with the idea.
    There has never been anything that redirects _all_ damage to itself. Most creatures that redirect damage to themselves do it with an activated ability, except for a few bodyguards that have a continuous ability that only redirects damage that would be dealt to their controller. This card forces you to consider the tradeoff between redirecting enemy damage to it and redirecting your own damage to it. In particular, there has never been a card that explicitly redirects damage that would be dealt to opponents or creatures they control. The fact that this drawback is part of a simple one-line ability which is also partly a benefit is elegant.

    Quality: 1/2 Making it legendary was an elegant way to preempt some rules issues, so good job there. However, you worded the effect wrong. Look at Pariah. The game needs to know what it is replacing, i.e., it needs to know "instead of what?"
    As a matter of fact, I based this card's wording explicitly on pariah. The only difference between it and pariah is that pariah only redirects some damage, and specifies which damage with the "that would be dealt to you" clause, and the only difference between the two wordings is the removal of that clause. It's possible that you need the key word "would" to make a replacement ability, so I might have agreed with you if that's what you'd said.
    Posted in: Custom Card Contests and Games
  • posted a message on Rav: City of guilds II sign ups!

    [dice=2]12[/dice]
    [dice=4]6[/dice]
    [dice=4]6[/dice]
    [dice=4]6[/dice]
    [dice=4]6[/dice]
    [dice=4]6[/dice]
    [dice=4]6[/dice]
    [dice=1]20[/dice]

    So: 22, 13, 10, 7, 14, 7, 11, 20
    So: 22, 20, 14, 13, 11, 10

    As per Soron's suggestion, I will play a goblin with halfling stats. I'm the izzet one, and chaotic good works for me.
    Posted in: Past Adventures
  • posted a message on Rav: City of guilds II sign ups!
    I call izzet


    [dice=2]12[/dice]
    [dice=4]6[/dice]
    [dice=4]6[/dice]
    [dice=4]6[/dice]
    [dice=4]6[/dice]
    [dice=4]6[/dice]
    [dice=4]6[/dice]
    [dice=1]20[/dice]
    Posted in: Past Adventures
  • posted a message on speed of "reinforce"
    Reinforce is an activated ability. Activated abilities can be played whenever an instant could be played.

    Sudden Spoiling has split second. Split Second prevents activated abilities and spells while it's on the stack. As such, Reinforce can't be played while Sudden Spoiling is on the stack.

    Unmorphing a creature is not an activated ability. Also, it does not use the stack. The fact that it is not an activated ability is what lets it get played while there's a split second spell on the stack. The fact that it does not use the stack is the reason it can't be responded to.

    Willbender has an ability which triggers when it is unmorphed. Triggered abilities do use the stack, but split second does not stop triggered abilities, only activated ones.

    Scenario 1: Sudden Spoiling is on the stack. I want to play a Reinforce ability. Reinforce is an activated ability, and Sudden Spoiling says I can't do that, so I have to wait for Sudden Spoiling to resolve.

    Scenario 2: Sudden Spoiling is on the stack. I want to unmorph my willbender. Unmorphing is not an activated ability and it's not a spell, so sudden spoiling lets me do it. So, I pay my 1U and my willbender is unmorphed. Willbender notices that its trigger condition was met, so now I have to play put its triggered ability on the stack. Triggered abilities are not activated abilities or spells, so sudden spoiling lets me do that, too.


    Edit: fixed to reflect useless_kodama's comment, which is correct. Thanks, useless_kodama! You are quite usefull after all.
    Posted in: Magic Rulings Archives
  • posted a message on April FCC: Round 2
    I could easily have made any creature and given it type "incarnation," but I don't think that's what is really wanted. Instead, I'll try to stay true to the general flavor of incarnations as they've been printed. Here's what I'm trying to achieve:

    Incarnations are creatures named after abstract concepts. The judgement ones have abilities that are active while they're in a graveyard, and the Lorwyn ones stay out of the graveyard. What they have in common is that they have simple abilities that have a large effect on the game and have never been done before.



    Love 1WW
    Legendary Creature - Incarnation 0/7
    All damage is dealt to Love instead (Even damage dealt by sources you control.)
    “To give and not expect return, that is what lies at the heart of love.” — Oscar Wilde


    edits: balance and templating. Template is taken from Pariah, without the clause that restricts where the damage comes from. Still not sure if this card is broken or unplayable! It's very hard to get the toughness right.
    Posted in: Custom Card Contests and Games
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