To escape the chopping block, your cards must be cohesive, interesting, and flavorful!
Each round will consist of a number of criteria and a lesser number of cards to made. Each contestant must use every criteria, but not necessarily in equal amounts on each card. Submissions are due at 4PM MST each Saturday, grades and the next round's criteria will be posted at that same time. At the end of each round, the bottom 1/4 of scoring contestants will be eliminated, rounded to the nearest number. The final round will be graded, then each surviving contestant's cumulative grades will be compared to choose a winner.
If you have questions about whether or not something fits the criteria during any round, merely write an explanation why you think what you made does. Provided the explanation is not too absurd and/or gaming the system, I'll allow it. That said, I will be available at least once a day to provide clarifications. In your submission, please indicate which criteria are fulfilled by which card. If you wish to accompany your cards with notes regarding them, that is welcome and in keeping with how the reality TV show operates. Don't feel pressured to do so, if you don't want to.
Now that all that is out of the way, let's get started.
Round 1
Make 2 cards that together satisfy these criteria:
* Is a nightmare (creature type or a bad dream) * Copies a spell * Is related to self-harm * Is white
Mirrorburst — Sorcery (R) Kicker Target instant or sorcery spell gains "This spell deals 1 damage to each creature and each player." If Mirrorburst was kicked, copy that spell X times, where X is its converted mana cost. You may choose new targets for the copies. As the glassflame spell shattered into a thousand pieces, Karina was sure this was the last pyroworks show she would ever see.
White nightmare
Chimes of the Innocent — Enchantment (R) Whenever a nontoken blocking creature you control dies, you may exile it haunting target attacking creature. Haunted creatures don't untap during their controllers' untap steps. Whether they return dead or alive, invaders of Ildania never open their eyes again.
Desolation Nightmare | Creature - Nightmare | {R} Flying Desolation Nightmare's power and toughness are each equal to the number of Plains you control, and creatures your opponents control get +1/+1. Players can't cast creature spells. [*/*]
Ingredients: Self-Harm, Copies
Viscount Bloodboiler | Creature - Vampire Shaman | {R} Flash When Viscount Bloodboiler enters the battlefield, you may copy target instant or sorcery spell. You may choose new targets for the copy. When you do, that spell deals damage to Viscount Bloodboiler equal to its converted mana cost. [4/4]
_________________
Quote:
"If you refuse to use rock, you will never beat scissors." — Galef, Dakka Dakka Forums
Muddled Dreams - Sorcery | R Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield, then create a token that's a copy of it except has “When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.” It's hard to distinguish nightmares from real world horrors.
Ingredients: White, Self-harm
Vow of Martyrdom - Enchantment | R Whenever a player activates an ability of a creature they control, counter that ability unless its controller sacrifices that creature. "Else above self." - Motto of the Purecrestian Few
I quite like the first design as is. Not quite happy with the wording of the second one - will take to the wording clinic.
Last edited by BelangiaJo on Wed Dec 19, 2018 12:13 am, edited 2 times in total.
Joined: Oct 10, 2015 Posts: 3421 Location: California
Identity: Male
Preferred Pronoun Set: he/him/his/his/himself
I've decided to pair self-harm with Nightmares. My concept: a Nightmare that causes you to
Smothering Pillow Artifact Creature-Nightmare Construct When ~ enters the battlefield, tap target creature. It doesn't untap during its controller's untap step. Put a nightmare counter on it. When ~ leaves the battlefield, you may destroy target creature with a nightmare counter on it. 1/3
Reverberating Metal Instant (R) Copy target instant or sorcery spell. You may choose new targets for that copy. If one of those targets is an artifact or an enchantment, create two 1/1 colorless Servo creature tokens
Mental Malignant Creature - Nightmare Illusion Hexproof , , Exile Mental Malignant: Copy target instant or sorcery spell. You may choose new targets for the copy. It gains "At the beginning of the next end step, return a creature card you control in exile named Mental Malignant to the battlefield" 2/4
Notes: Because the ability is granted to the copied spell, you only get malignant back if the copy resolves.
Pious Flagellant Creature - Human Cleric Whenever damage is dealt to Pious Flagellant, put that many faith counters on it. Remove two faith counters from Pious Flagellant: Choose one -
Pious Flagellant gets +2/+2 until end of turn
Pious Flagellant gains your choice of Vigilance, First Strike, or Hexproof until end of turn
Draw a card
: Pious Flagellant deals damage to itself equal to its power. 1/3
_________________
"Enjoy your screams, Sarpadia - they will soon be muffled beneath snow and ice."
* Is a nightmare (creature type or a bad dream) * Is white
Wanted to make a white nightmare to see if I can
Nightmares of Tranquility - Enchantment Tapped creatures can't untap during its controller's untap step unless its controller pays . "In deep slumber, I dreamt of a peace so real that even when survival and duty called me to wake, I could not." - Diary entry #2753
* Copies a spell * Is related to self-harm
Impulsive Experiments - Enchantment Whenever an opponent casts an instant or sorcery spell, copy it. If the copy could target you, the target of the copy becomes you. If it can't, you may choose new targets for the copy.
Last edited by Confused on Thu Dec 20, 2018 10:03 am, edited 4 times in total.
the only thing left is to start combining things in ways that dont make as much sense
Sacred Mantra Instant (U) Replicate (When you cast this spell, copy it for each time you paid its replicate cost.) For each creature you control, prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to that creature this turn. Many voices join in unison, their words forming a shield against the coming darkness.
Dreamscape Impostor Creature - Nightmare Shapeshifter (R) You may have Dreamscape Impostor enter the battlefield as a copy of any creature on the battlefield, except it has ": The next time damage would be dealt to this creature this turn, it is dealt to target creature that shares a name with it instead." The moon casts strange shadows in the room. You see yourself, gently caressing the blade of a knife. You awaken, to find yourself bleeding all over your bed. 0/0
Shepherd of Wayward Souls Legendary Creature ─ Angel Spirit (R) Flying Whenever you cast your first spell each turn that creates a token, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy. 3/5
* Is related to self-harm * Is a nightmare (creature type or a bad dream)
Desires Unspoken Creature ─ Nightmare Horror (U) Evoke (You may cast this spell for its evoke cost. If you do, it's sacrificed when it enters the battlefield.) When Desires Unspoken enters the battlefield, each player sacrifices a creature. 6/6 His nightmare had come true and he had never been more free.
Perfect originality is overrated and often ugly. The best and most beautiful cards I've ever seen were clearly inspired by something else. Cards are not entirely unlike living organisms in this regard. All the good ones are a result of long evolution; the 'original' ones are either mono-cellular or mutant aberrations.
Cato
A true warrior seeks out the greatest foe. Their heart cries out for glorious battle, heedless even to its own end.
Last edited by Dudibus on Wed Dec 19, 2018 7:07 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Confounding Caveat Instant (R) Create a token that is a copy of target creature spell and has "As long as this creature is on the battlefield, cards that share a name with it cannot be played." "I'm sorry, they were here first." - Azorius Functionary
Is a nightmare, is related to self harm.
Marred Malodian Creature - Nightmare Knight (MR) First strike At the beginning of your upkeep, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. Then, if there are thirteen -1/-1 counters among creatures you control, you win the game. 4/4
_________________
magicpablo666 wrote:
You fell victim to one of the classic blunders - The most famous of which is "never get involved in an thread with GM_Champion" - but only slightly less well-known is this: "Never go in against AzureShade when card design is on the line!"
Joined: Jan 05, 2016 Posts: 1613 Location: noe valley
Preferred Pronoun Set: he/they
self harm/copies a spell
Rix Maadi's Pyrotechnician Creature — Goblin Wizard Spectacle — Pay 5 life. (You may cast this spell for its spectacle cost rather than its mana cost if an opponent lose life this turn.) Flash When Rix Maadi's Pyrotechnician enters the battlefield, you may copy target spell. You may choose new targets for the copy. "They run out of fingers quickly enough. Ever see a goblin light fireworks with his feet?" —Hanz, proprietor of the Overhell Repertory 1/1
white/nightmare
Guilt Creature — Nightmare Incarnation When Guilt enters the battlefield, destroy target tapped creature. "Guilt went off immediately to her work. Somewhere, the unjust were sleeping peacefully." —Book of Middles 4/4
_________________
I am the sun-filled god of love. Or at least an optimistic under-secretary.
White plus self harm Invoked Schorching Sorcery(R) Destroy all creatures you don't control then tap all creatures you control, they don't untap during your next untap step and they gain "when damage is dealt to this creature, destroy it", put a survival counter on them. "The faithful were promised to be spared from death had they invoked my wrath, and die they didn't."-heliod.
Nightmare plus copy
Distorted reliving Enchantment-aura(U) Enchant creature you don't control When you cast an instant or sorcery spell that targets only another permanent, if it could target the enchanted creature, you may tap enchanted creature and have it gain indestructible until end of turn, if you do copy that spell targeting that creature. "In my dream, I didn't make it to the door"
This would probably read and work way better if regenerate was still a supported keyword.
Mirrorburst - I'm just goign to assume this is an instant. I'm not sure what the unkicked version is supposed to represent, perhaps a refraction trick used to scatter light and heat, good for fireworks and lighting an area on fire. The kicked version is interesting, a good way of showing unintended consequences and limiting what sort of spells you would use this on. All in all, a very red card using subtler aspects of red. 10/10
Chimes of the Innocent - Haunting is always fun, and this is a very evocative use of it. I'd say the stasis effect is acceptable color bleed from blue, since white does tap and use tappedness as a indicator of guilt. The flavor is eerie, hinting at an otherwordly aspet of Ildania that makes me want to know more about the land and its people. 10/10
Total: 20/20
Yarium
Desolation Nightmare - Functionally a legend, and the boost to your opponent's creatures is a very white way of indicating something is very wrong with the creature. It hits the board as a crisis, and remains an immediate danger for as long as it is alive. In some ways, this feels very much like how it would be to be in Kamigawa during the spirit crisis, where some otherworldly horror manifests and wreaks havoc until it is dealt with in some way. 10/10
Viscount Bloodboiler - This is strong, just for being a 4/4 with flash for 4. The etb ability is strong, adding a lot of utility with a good drawback. I'm not sure if I'm just behind on what power level creatures are at, but this feels more pushed than I feel comfortable with. The flavor... Viscount is a middling nobleman, which goes along fine with being a vampire, they tend to accumulate titles. Bloodboiler and shaman go together, hinting at inciting rage or something. It's just the fusion of these two sets is disjointed and puzzling, especially since the card has almost no reason to be a vampire, and blood boiling does not tend to correspond to copying spells. 8/10
Total: 18/20
BelangiaJo
Muddled Dreams - Strong. I am reminded of the Gix spell in the recent pro tour, you would want a similar set of creatures for targets. The flavor is slightly disconnected, as the name has nothing to do with the reanimation effect. I wish the uncertainty as to which was real was played up a bit more in the flavor, or maybe indicating that one is the body and one is the soul. 8/10
Vow of Martyrdom - Frankly, I'm not certain how to word the ability there, but I know what you are trying to say. While white has rule setting, this really isn't how it would go about it. White bans or taxes. This is much more a blue/black effect, where magic is interfered with on a meta level in order to oppress/kill. Flavorfully, if you are using this, chances are really good you have no activated abilities on your creatures, meaning that the vow you make is purely to limit your opponents. I can see this being a sideboard option for some meta reason. 6.5/10
Total: 14.5/20
purplebackpack89
Smothering Pillow - So, it's like a cursed/possessed doll, but a pillow? Funky. Not sure why it smothers, but doesn't kill for an indefinite amount of time. This crosses from horror into comedy, where some creature can't do anything because they are trapped by a pillow, and just sort of lay there until someone kills the pillow and them. It's also weird that the pillow is smothering someone, but also attacking and blocking. Mechanically, I'm not sure what utility there is in stasising a creature instead of killing it outright. If you flicker this, it's merely a weird shriekmaw variant. 7/10
Reverberating Metal - What an oddly narrow trigger for tokens. Flavor is somewhat generic and doesn't really provide any useful or interesting details. 6/10
Total: 13/20
Tevish Szat
Mental Malignant - The drawback there is almost inconsequential to the sheer power this card offers. I really wish it untap in the cost rather than tap, that would make it much more viable in slippery combat shenanigans while also preventing untap abuse. Sadly, the hexproof makes the protection the spell-flicker grants redundant. There is greater tension and strategy if it didn't have hexproof. I love the flavor of a nightmare slipping into and out of spellcaster minds through their spells. 8/10
Pious Flagellant - This is really cool, as you try very hard not to kill this creature while also building up faith for some strong miraculous action. Solid mechanics/flavor integration. 10/10
Total: 18/20
Confused
Nightmares of Tranquility - In the anime "Planet With", aliens try to limit the destructive potential of humanity by fulfiling their desires in a sort of dream, rendering the dreamer content and docile. This card is a good representation of that sort of dream, a subtle sort of nightmare. 10/10
Impulsive Experiments - A flawed sort of imitation, brought on by a surge of curiousity and admiration. The decisions are weird, because most of the time the card is safe or too dangerous to use on the current spell. The cases where you would get hurt by the copy, but want to copy anyways are too few. Put simply, it feels too calculated to be impulsive. 8.5/10
Total: 18.5/20
Silly
Sacred Mantra - Feels like a card designed for limited, which is kinda neat to see. Perfect flavor for white replicate, makes me want to see a Hindu-inspired set. Solid effect, if not that exciting. 9/10
Dreamscape Impostor - Creepy, and a really cool use of shapeshifing and redirection. The use of second person in the flavor text is unusual, but I think it works as a sort of lovecraftian attempt at understanding what this creature is. 10/10
Total: 19/20
Dudibus
Shepherd of Wayward Souls - Neat. A limited doubling season of a sort with wings. Serviceable flavor. 8/10
Desires Unspoken - What a dark desire. I really like how if it comes true only in essence, it kills one of your own, but if it fully manifests, it may kill one of your own, or merely itself. There are degrees and flavors of freedom here, and I enjoy the nuance and ambiguity in the flavor text. 10/10
Total: 18/20
AzureShade
Confounding Caveat - I feel like this was meant to counter the original spell, but the creature spell was already played. The hybrid mana seems a little unnecessary, though I can appreciate wanting to keep the color density high with this sort of effect. Given a proper wording, this is a cool and esoteric abuse of bureaucracy. 8.5/10
Marred Malodian - I can only assume Malodian is some original term, but without greater context, I have no idea if it means a powerful dream creature, a citizen of Malodia, a psychonaut, or what. Cool alt win, looks pretty difficult to survive the set up. 8/10
Total: 16.5/20
Johnny Valdez
Rix Maadi's Pyrotechnician - Spectacle has an odd condition that doesn't really fit flavorfully. Worse, being able to copy a spell in any color is not good, even with the conditions and life cost. It's weird that you are the one who pays the cost for the spectacle, and not the creature with a history of workplace accidents. 5.5/10
Guilt - I wish this was more interesting than mere flickerbait with strong stats. The creature typing is very evocative, but a single target etb effect doesn't live up to either incarnation cycle. I like the idea of the book of middles, as opposed to beginings or endings, but this exert doesn't really add anything of interest. 6.5/10
Total: 12/20
Hello World
Invoked Scorching - Minor nitpick: I think the counter should be put on the creatures before the static ability. The flavor feels weird. Are the faithful being punished? Why is Heliod trying to be technically correct? I think the flavor would have been more sensical if it was told from the point of view of the faithful. 7.5/10
Distorted reliving - Funky, but I can see how you would build around this card. I can tell what the flavor is getting at, but it does so clumsily. 8/10
Total: 15.5/20
Standings: 1) Q is 564453 2) Silly 3) Confused 4) Yarium 4) Tevish Szat 4) Dudibus 7) AzureShade 8) Hello World 9) BelangiaJo 10) purplebackpack89 11) Johnny Valdez
11/4 = 2.75, nearest number = 3
BelangiaJo, purplebackpack89, and Johnny Valdez are eliminated. Thank you for playing. _________________________________________________________________
Round 2:
Make 2 cards that together satisfy these criteria:
* Is a "Greater <creature>" where <creature> is a non-sapient creature card without a larger variant * Is related to reincarnation * Is a double-faced card * Has a drawback mechanic and some way of benefiting from the mechanic.
Joined: Oct 10, 2015 Posts: 3421 Location: California
Identity: Male
Preferred Pronoun Set: he/him/his/his/himself
FWIW, my flavor was that tapping the creature represented sleep. The pillow smothers/kills you in your sleep. If you're not sleeping, you're not in contact with the pillow and it can't kill you.
I can sort of see the sleep thing, it's just weird that lightning bolting the pillow causes it to smother its victim. Honestly, it would work better as an aura.
* Is a "Greater <creature>" where <creature> is a non-sapient creature card without a larger variant * Has a drawback mechanic and some way of benefiting from the mechanic.
Greater is kind of hard, lots of creatures that already have a gigantic version of themselves. Hope none for camel.
Maarduke, Who Carries the Desert - Legendary Creature - Camel Vigilance Camels you control have desertwalk. At the beginning of each end step, put a desertification counter on a land that player controls. It has ": Choose one - This land deals 1 damage to target creature attacking you." and is a desert in addition to its other land types as long as it has a desertification counter on it. 3/8
* Is a double-faced card * Is related to reincarnation
Serpent of Woe - Creature - Snake Deathtouch : ~ gains menace until end of turn. When ~ dies, exile it with three Season counters. Whenever you cast a spell, remove a Season counter from ~, if the last Season counter is removed, put ~ onto the battlefield transformed. 2/1 ///////// Serpent of Purity Creature - Snake () Lifelink : You gain 1 life. Cleanse (Choose any number of permanents and/or players with counters on them, then remove a counter of any kind from them.) When ~ dies, exile it with three Season counters with this side faced-up. Whenever you cast a spell, remove a Season counter from ~, if the last Season counter is removed, put ~ onto the battlefield transformed. 2/1
Last edited by Confused on Wed Dec 26, 2018 10:16 am, edited 7 times in total.
* Is a "Greater <creature>" where <creature> is a non-sapient creature card without a larger variant * Is related to reincarnation
Greater Brushhopper Creature ─ Frog Beast (R) When Greater Brushhopper dies, exile it. Discard two cards: Return Greater Brushhopper from exile to the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters. 4/4 Death is just a door way to a new life.
* Is a double-faced card * Has a drawback mechanic and some way of benefiting from the mechanic.
Lab Automaton Creature ─ Construct (U) : Add a mana of any color. When an artifact is destroyed, transform Lab Automaton. 1/1 It learned lab mishaps were an excellent source of self improvement... \\\\\\ Lab Amalgamaton Creature ─ Construct (U) Trample, makeshift (Any amount of damage is enough to destroy this creature.) When Lab Amalgamaton dies, return it to the battlefield transformed. 7/7 ...and the trash heap was more of an afterlife.
Perfect originality is overrated and often ugly. The best and most beautiful cards I've ever seen were clearly inspired by something else. Cards are not entirely unlike living organisms in this regard. All the good ones are a result of long evolution; the 'original' ones are either mono-cellular or mutant aberrations.
Cato
A true warrior seeks out the greatest foe. Their heart cries out for glorious battle, heedless even to its own end.
Last edited by Dudibus on Sun Dec 23, 2018 2:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Greater creature thay has a drawback mechanic and some way of benefiting from the mechanic. Giant armored Rhino Creature-Rhino(R) Hexproof. When damage is dealt to you, deal that much damage to cardname. Enrage-When damage is dealt to cardname, you may have it fight target creature you don't control. "A semovent, armored moving fortress, what better hiding spot for dromoka's most trusted liutenant?" 8/8
I kinda hate the name tbh.
Transform plus reincarnation
Oathsword Artifact-Equipment Equip Equipped creature has +1/+0 When equipped creature dies, exile it, then you may transform cardname.
\\\\ oathstone of proof Artifact-Equipment Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may attach cardname to it. If a creature exiled by cardname has flying, the equipped creature has flying. The same is true for first strike, double strike, deathtouch, haste, hexproof, indestructible, lifelink, menace, reach, trample, and vigilance.
Last edited by Hello World on Sat Dec 29, 2018 4:24 pm, edited 9 times in total.
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, Exile Mental Malignant: Copy target instant or sorcery spell. You may choose new targets for the copy. It gains "At the beginning of the next end step, return a creature card you control in exile named Mental Malignant to the battlefield"
