Well, guys, the unthinkable has happened... we have a TIE, between DBW of Team Order, and Teferi's Spatula of Team Chaos, with four votes apiece..
So I call on those two players to decide the round in a tiebreaking DUEL.
You each have 72 hours to submit your ideas for sudden death overtime, with the following stipulations:
Several players *hated* the requirement this round. DBW and Teferi's Spatula ONLY, Submit your idea for what would be a better "theme" for next round's contest, along with an example card that fits the suggested theme.
*EDIT* - PMs sent to both players to let them know of the situation.
Igmhorus - This looks to me mainly like a landbuilding spell. It's creative, but it's a bit complex, and I think I'd only ever play it in some of my Johnny decks.
Ananias - I like this card. I think Suspending things really reduces their power, but the free Tims along the way balance that out nicely.
Spreadingdark - This seems to me to be a realistic, balanced card, but a bit too expensive to be practical for a Spike. On the other hand, I really, really like the flavor text.
Genesys - Massively creative, and screaming to the Johnny in me. I like this card.
YuanTi - This is realistic, and balanced, and I daresay better than mine... but I also find it kind of bland, and I'm not sure why it needs to be blue rather than straight black.
Seryph - A realistic and balanced card; I could see playing this in sealed or booster draft, but the Spike in me wouldn't let me play it in any other format.
Moogie: I like this, it's like a cross between Genesys' card and a Power Conduit. I can't decide which of your cards I like better, but I think it's yours, because if there aren't any other suspended or time cards in play, the Rift Inhibitor just sits there suspended forever.
Koolkoal: I'm sorry, but this card doesn't do a lot for me. For all intents and purposes, what this reads as (to me) is "R, discard three cards: Draw seven cards at the beginning of your next turn." Compared to Ancestral Vision, how can this be considered even remotely balanced? You get a gain of four cards instead of three, gain a cheap Madness outlet as part of the bargain, *and* it pays off three turns faster! (Oh yeah - and how is it a red effect?)
Absolutionis - I'm sorry, but I kind of got lost in this card. It's complex, it uses Storm (one of my least favorite mechanics) and its suspend cost is very high (another thing I'm biased against). It also strikes me as the sort of card I'm going to run up against in an Izzet/Johnny deck, you know the kind, the one that controls you with counterspells and removal while setting up a "watch me go" engine that draws infinite cards, deals infinite damage, removes every card in your library from the game, takes infinite turns, and kicks your puppy in the teeth an infinite number of times.
It *is* creative, and it *is* balanced costwise. And I'm sure there are players who would LOVE to draw this card in a pack. I'm just not one of them.
Tinvision - sorry, when I did the initial judging, I forgot to include your card! Which sucks, because I like everything about it except for the split mana symbol. This is very nicely balanced and a good, creative concept. If I could have picked a fourth place winner, you would have been it.
Portal From Acheron3BB
Enchantment
When Portal From Acheron comes into play, put all creature cards in your graveyard into play with "Cumulative Upkeep: B ".
Threshold: you lose the game.
Jealous Demoness2BB
Creature - Demon
Flying
At the beginning of your upkeep, each opponent may Fateseal 2. "I'm not just the best thing that's ever happened to you. I'm the only thing that's ever going to."
5/4
Maskdancer 3U
Transfigure 1UU
When you Transfigure Maskdancer, the creature you put into play acquires this ability, the creature type Shapeshifter, and Transfigure 1UU.
Beseige 1WW
Enchantment
Your creatures gain +0/+2. reach, and defender.
During your upkeep, Beseige deals 1 damage to the player of your choice. Remove the top card of their library from the game.
Also, the issue I had with wayward's card is that while it does punish a player for playing nonbasics, it could just as easily be played in a blue-based deck with zero basic lands. I thought that would be an issue, but the judge this round says it isn't, so it's not.
Actually, I totally see your point, Seryph. I don't expect to win this round.
So I call on those two players to decide the round in a tiebreaking DUEL.
You each have 72 hours to submit your ideas for sudden death overtime, with the following stipulations:
Several players *hated* the requirement this round. DBW and Teferi's Spatula ONLY, Submit your idea for what would be a better "theme" for next round's contest, along with an example card that fits the suggested theme.
*EDIT* - PMs sent to both players to let them know of the situation.
2nd - 2 pts: Genesys
3rd - 1 pt: Ananias
Igmhorus - This looks to me mainly like a landbuilding spell. It's creative, but it's a bit complex, and I think I'd only ever play it in some of my Johnny decks.
Ananias - I like this card. I think Suspending things really reduces their power, but the free Tims along the way balance that out nicely.
Spreadingdark - This seems to me to be a realistic, balanced card, but a bit too expensive to be practical for a Spike. On the other hand, I really, really like the flavor text.
Genesys - Massively creative, and screaming to the Johnny in me. I like this card.
YuanTi - This is realistic, and balanced, and I daresay better than mine... but I also find it kind of bland, and I'm not sure why it needs to be blue rather than straight black.
Seryph - A realistic and balanced card; I could see playing this in sealed or booster draft, but the Spike in me wouldn't let me play it in any other format.
Moogie: I like this, it's like a cross between Genesys' card and a Power Conduit. I can't decide which of your cards I like better, but I think it's yours, because if there aren't any other suspended or time cards in play, the Rift Inhibitor just sits there suspended forever.
Koolkoal: I'm sorry, but this card doesn't do a lot for me. For all intents and purposes, what this reads as (to me) is "R, discard three cards: Draw seven cards at the beginning of your next turn." Compared to Ancestral Vision, how can this be considered even remotely balanced? You get a gain of four cards instead of three, gain a cheap Madness outlet as part of the bargain, *and* it pays off three turns faster! (Oh yeah - and how is it a red effect?)
Absolutionis - I'm sorry, but I kind of got lost in this card. It's complex, it uses Storm (one of my least favorite mechanics) and its suspend cost is very high (another thing I'm biased against). It also strikes me as the sort of card I'm going to run up against in an Izzet/Johnny deck, you know the kind, the one that controls you with counterspells and removal while setting up a "watch me go" engine that draws infinite cards, deals infinite damage, removes every card in your library from the game, takes infinite turns, and kicks your puppy in the teeth an infinite number of times.
It *is* creative, and it *is* balanced costwise. And I'm sure there are players who would LOVE to draw this card in a pack. I'm just not one of them.
Tinvision - sorry, when I did the initial judging, I forgot to include your card! Which sucks, because I like everything about it except for the split mana symbol. This is very nicely balanced and a good, creative concept. If I could have picked a fourth place winner, you would have been it.
Portal From Acheron 3BB
Enchantment
When Portal From Acheron comes into play, put all creature cards in your graveyard into play with "Cumulative Upkeep: B ".
Threshold: you lose the game.
(Mechanics: Cumulative Upkeep and Threshold)
Creature - Demon
Flying
At the beginning of your upkeep, each opponent may Fateseal 2.
"I'm not just the best thing that's ever happened to you. I'm the only thing that's ever going to."
5/4
Sorcery
Fateseal 4, then Scry 4.
"That's ridiculous. Order isn't something you can steal... is it?" -Teryon, apprentice wizard
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant Creature
Enchanted creature gains lifelink. If it is black or an artifact, you control it.
Suspend B - X, where X is the number of creatures in play.
Destroy all creatures.
Judge: PlanesJaywalker
Referenced card: Fleshwrither
Maskdancer 3U
Transfigure 1UU
When you Transfigure Maskdancer, the creature you put into play acquires this ability, the creature type Shapeshifter, and Transfigure 1UU.
Only problem of course with that, is that there are people involved in BOTH games...
Enchantment
Your creatures gain +0/+2. reach, and defender.
During your upkeep, Beseige deals 1 damage to the player of your choice. Remove the top card of their library from the game.
Kiwi, that sounds like a great idea, why don't you take the initiative and run the second league?
Actually, I totally see your point, Seryph. I don't expect to win this round.