The challenge of designing simple cards

[jro]

Why is it that so many of the cards submitted here are so complicated they seem like they could only ever be rares?  And usually convoluted Johnny-type stuff instead of straightforward staples like Birds of Paradise, or Stifle, or even just decent fatties like Kokusho or Simic Sky Swallower.  Perhaps Johnnies are naturally drawn to card creation as another form of creative expression, but I'll steal one of MaRo's mantras and say that creativity can really only show itself when it's given limitations.  With that in mind, I was hoping that all would-be designers here spend some effort thinking of some simpler cards, like stuff that could be printed at common.  Even designing 1:1:1 C:U:R would be quite different than what goes on now, which seems to be more like 1:1:10.

Designing simple cards is more of challenge than you might expect.  It's easy to come up with something novel when you can put six lines of text on a card.  But I think some of the most impressive design that WotC has done lately is with very simple cards.  Who would have thought to make a 2/1 flier for 1W like Mistral Charger?  It's so obvious, and so completely fair, but I've never even seen someone suggest anything so straightforward.  Or how about Karplusan Strider?  A 3/4 for 3G with a marginal ability seems fair, and the ability even breaks some new ground.  Or how about rares like SSS, or Blazing Archon, or Isamaru, Hound of Konda?  All pretty straightforward, but all definitely deserving their rare status.

Let me add that I don't mean to begrudge anyone's happiness in making the kinds of cards they want to make.  I do hope, though, that everyone takes a minute to consider spending some effort at making some simpler cards.

[parallax]

I agree that a greater number of simpler, more elegant cards would be nice. The problem is, who wants to make Mistral Charger? It's not that interesting from a design standpoint. There isn't even much to discuss. Those types of cards are the type of cards a set needs to have to make limited work, but vanilla creatures aren't really all that exciting.

[Matt]

You're absolutely right, and we've had this discussion before, too. Beginning card makers almost always make their cards too complicated, it takes a long time for most people to stop that bad habit.

[Godder]

I think a major reason vanilla cards (and here I'm including cards like SSS that have no activated abilities) aren't looked at much here is that we always assumed Development would add them in later to balance any set we made. Likewise, Development would probably just reprint a few cards here and there as well, so no there's no real need to make stuff like BoP or Wrath either.

Granted, we've never actually done a lot of development work, but the thought is there .

[dandan]

I remember a few vanilla threads being drowned in a sea of indifference.

We tend to react more to wacky cards, throwing those threads to the top of the page.

[parallax]

Most people also seem to design with constructed in mind. Most cards on here look like they're trying to be constructed staples. They're all as efficiently costed as they can get away with. The average card in these forums tends to have a very high power level.