CCF Card Design Challenge: 2

[parallax]

For the second Card Design Challenge:

PM your submission to me, parallax. The deadline is Friday, December 15.

Design six cards to fill some holes created during development for a hypothetical set codenamed "YA RLY".
Card 1 (White common): "Creature removal"-style creature aura.
Card 2 (Black common): Instant or Sorcery. No discard or creature removal.
Card 3 (Blue uncommon): A "quirky" counterspell.
Card 4 (Artifact uncommon): Artifact Creature with an interesting form of evasion.
Card 5 (Red rare): Legendary Creature -- Dragon.
Card 6 (Green rare): Splashy instant for Timmy.

[dandan]

I want feedback on the first round first!!

[MishraTron]

Is "YA RLY" the second set in the "O RLY" "YA RLY" "NO WAI" block?

It makes a difference design-wise.

[Anusien]

Yeah, the original idea (though if we want to deviate, that's fine) was for the winner to come up with and judge the next round of the design challenge.

[Illissius]

So what's the plan? Do I submit to parallax? I like this Challenge, but if someone else wants to copy it verbatim and hold it instead, that's fine with me.

[SpencerForHire]

I would assume so unless it has been otherwise said.

[parallax]

The first Design Challenge thread wasn't very clear on the format for following weeks. I volunteered to run Round Two in that thread and I received no objections at that time. I'd like to suggest that everyone submit their entries for my challenge and use this thread to decide how future rounds will work.

I think the winner of Round One should post the Round Three challenge. That leads to a question: Who won round one? Or, more generally, how are we determining winners? I had assumed that whoever posted the challenge would pick a winner, but maybe we'd prefer to vote or something.

Also, do we want to run these weekly or bi-weekly?

[dandan]

Voting for a winner seems reasonable. Can we using the European system of voting where the person with the most votes wins?

[Anusien]

Voting for a winner seems reasonable. Can we using the European system of voting where the person with the most votes wins?

How about the American system?  Whoever sucks up to JOrlove the most wins.

<3 you Jacob

[Harlequin]

I didn't follow the wizards CDC so I have a question.

Can you use any and all keyword mechanics? or should they be core set material?

[Illissius]

Depends on the contest in question. In this case, it's asking you to fill holes for a specific set -- this means you can play it safe and avoid keywords, or you can imagine the new set complete with keywords, and use them, but either way it has to be cohesive. The cards shouldn't seem like they're from different blocks entirely. (Or like they're from a block which already exists -- you could get away with keyword mashing if it were Time Spiral block, but none of the sets in it have the codename YARLY.)

In other news, this challenge is great. I'm coming up with 2-3 or more ideas for many of the holes, most of which are worthy and interesting cards in their own right, and then forcing myself to come up with yet another one because I'm not satisfied with the previous cards .

[parallax]

I didn't follow the wizards CDC so I have a question.

Can you use any and all keyword mechanics? or should they be core set material?

If you use a keyword that's not in the set, it's not going to do a very good job of filling in the hole, so you should only use keywords that appear in every set.

[Marco]

Sadly, I don't think I will have time to design cards for this week's Card Design Challenge...

[parallax]

Submission from SpencerForHire

Card 1:
Segregate -
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant Creature.
Enchanted creature cannot attack or block if it does not share a color with the most common color of permanent in play.

Card 2:
Hateful Purpose -
Instant
As an additional cost to play <this> discard your hand.
Target creature gains +1/+0 for each card discarded in this way.

Card 3:
Strive Towards Uniqueness -
Instant
As an additional cost for <this> you may reveal a card in your hand.
Counter target noncreature spell.
If the revealed card is the same card type as the countered spell, you may put <this> on the top of your deck upon resolution. (Card types are Sorcery, Instant,

Enchantment, Artifact, etc..)

Card 4:
Prismatic Golem -
Artifact Creature - Golem
<This> power and toughness are equal to the number of basic land types among lands you control.
<This> cannot be blocked by creatures with power less than the number of basic land types among land that creatures controller has in play.
*/*

Card 5:
Marcot, Prismatic Dragon -
Legendary Creature - Dragon
All creatures you control that are white gain First Strike, are blue gain Flying, are black gain Fear, are red gain Haste, are green gain Trample.
5/5

Card 6:
Swarm of Bees -
Instant
can only be payed in green mana.
Put X 1/1 flying "Bee" tokens into play that have "At the end of turn sacrifice this creature if it dealt combat damage."


Submission from Anusien

Card 1 (White common): "Creature removal"-style creature aura.
Violent Injunction - W
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature cannot attack or block.
Enchanted creature gains Sacrifice a creature: Destroy all auras named Violent Injunction attached to this creature.

Card 2 (Black common):
Disrupted Cemetary- XBB
Sorcery
Remove X target creature cards in a single graveyard from the game.  Each player loses X life.

Card 3 (Blue uncommon): A "quirky" counterspell.
Disruptive Pulse - 2UU
Instant
Counter target spell.  You may return target creature you control to owner's hand.

Card 4 (Artifact uncommon): Artifact Creature with an interesting form of evasion.
Spiny Titan - 7
Artifact Creature
Whenever a creature blocks or is blocked by Spiny Titan, Spiny Titan deals two damage to that creature.
5/2

Card 5 (Red rare): Legendary Creature -- Dragon.
Ember Asmadi - 3RRR
Legendary Creature - Dragon
Flying
henever Ember Asmadi is dealt damage, put a +1/+0 counter on it.
5/5

Card 6 (Green rare): Splashy instant for Timmy.
Irresistable Force - 3GG
Instant
Play only during combat after attackers are declared.
All attacking creatures gain +3/+0, trample, and "whenever this creature deals combat damage to a creature, destroy that creature at the end of combat."


Submission from dandan

Card 1 (White common): "Creature removal"-style creature aura.
Enthralled
2W
Enchantment Aura
Enchant target creature
Enchanted creature becomes an enchantment and loses all abilities. Sacrifice ~this~ when you play a creature or artifact.

Card 2 (Black common): Instant or Sorcery. No discard or creature removal.
Essandem
B
Instant
Put a +1/+1 counter on all creatures that deal damage to you or themselves this turn

Card 3 (Blue uncommon): A "quirky" counterspell.
Number Crunch
XU
Instant
Change all numbers in target spell to X

Card 4 (Artifact uncommon): Artifact Creature with an interesting form of evasion.
Blinking Golum
4
Artifact Creature
Phasing
Creatures assigned to block ~this~ gain Phasing
3/3

Card 5 (Red rare): Legendary Creature -- Dragon.
Dragonnette
2RR
Creature - Dragon
Flying
R: ~this gains +1/+0 until end of turn
Instead of dealing damage to an opponent, you may choose to gain control of target artifact or creature that player controls with casting cost equal to ~this's~ power for

as long as you control ~this~
0/1
Property is theft

Card 6 (Green rare): Splashy instant for Timmy.
Pack attack
2GG
Instant
Until end of turn, all creatures' current power doubles and they gain trample. If a creature attacks, it is destroyed at end of turn. This spell cannot be cast after

current turn's attack is completed.


Submission from Harlequin

Card 1 (White common): "Creature removal"-style creature aura.
Whispers from Within
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant target Creature you do not control.
At the end of each turn, put a -1/-1 counter on enchanted creature, then the enchanted creature's controller may put a 1/1 white spirit token into play with flying.

Card 2 (Black common): Instant or Sorcery. No discard or creature removal.
Ominous Draw
Sorcery
Target creature you control gains +2/+1 and Fear until end of turn.
All other creatures you control get -1/-1 until end of turn.

Card 3 (Blue uncommon): A "quirky" counterspell.
Mindcrash
Instant
Counter target spell and reveal a card in your hand.  If the card you reveal has the same name as the target spell, then return Mindcrash to it's ower's hand and add

to your mana pool.

Card 4 (Artifact uncommon): Artifact Creature with an interesting form of evasion.
Magnetic Simulacrum
Artifact Creature
Creatures with power equal to or greater than the number of cards in their controller’s hand may not block artifact creatures.
: Target creature controlled by an opponent gains +2/+0 until end of turn.
2/2

Card 5 (Red rare): Legendary Creature -- Dragon.
Ashendarix Flamebelcher
Legendary Creature -- Dragon
Flying, First Strike
: Ashendarix Flamebelcher gains +1/+0 until end of turn.
Whenever Ashendarix Flamebelcher deals combat damage, add one red mana to your mana pool for each damage dealt.  This mana may only be used to pay for activated abilities

of other dragons you control.
4/4

Card 6 (Green rare): Splashy instant for Timmy.
Tears of Gaea
Instant
Whenever a land you control is destroyed, you may return Tears of Gaea from your graveyard to your hand.
Choose one - Search your library for two basic forests reveal them and put them into your hand shuffle your library after words; or return up to two target forest cards

from your graveyard to your hand; Put two Land cards from your hand into play tapped.


Submission by Illissius

Card 1 (White common): "Creature removal"-style creature aura.
Intestinator (Common)

Enchantment -- Aura
Enchant creature
: Tap enchanted creature.

Card 2 (Black common): Instant or Sorcery. No discard or creature removal.
Unbury (Common)

Return target creature card with converted mana X from your graveyard to your hand.
Draw a card.

Card 3 (Blue uncommon): A "quirky" counterspell.
Exploit

Instant
Counter target spell unless its controller skips his or her next untap step.

Card 4 (Artifact uncommon): Artifact Creature with an interesting form of evasion.
Tossing Engine (Uncommon)

Artifact Creature -- Juggernaut
4/4
: Target creature blocking Tossing Engine blocks another target attacking creature instead. If it was the only creature blocking Tossing Engine, Tossing Engine is

considered unblocked.

Card 5 (Red rare): Legendary Creature -- Dragon.
Setheris, Claw of the Three (Rare)

Legendary Creature -- Dragon
2/7
Flying, trample, double strike
Whenever Setheris, Claw of the Three blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, it deals damage equal to its power to that creature.
Whenever Setheris attacks and isn't blocked, it deals damage equal to its power to defending player.

Card 6 (Green rare): Splashy instant for Timmy.
Upland

Instant
Lands you control become 7/7 creatures with trample until end of turn.

[SpencerForHire]

A few things...
#1 On my Green Timmy card I'm not sure if the tokens could have creaturetype Bees or Insects.  Eitherway they are Bees damnit..

#2 Does anyone notice any eastereggs in my stuff?

#3 I hope I don't get dq'd for making my dragon other colors on top of red.

[Illissius]

Hatred, Invoke Prejudice, Cromat, Killer Bees?

Also, my black common is a Sorcery, though I suppose that's obvious.

[ghostchild]

Hey, I realize that I missed the deadline for this challenge due to not having seen it in time, but I wanted to show what I came up with, since I got a real kick out of this. It's true, restrictions do breed creativity! I'll definitely get in on the next one.

Card 1 (White common): "Creature removal"-style creature aura.

Luminous Binding
[2]W
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
If enchanted creature would deal damage, you may gain that much life instead.
[1]W: Tap or untap enchanted creature.
[2]W: Return Luminous Binding to its owner's hand.

Card 2 (Black common): Instant or Sorcery. No discard or creature removal.

Putrid Seism
[1]BB
Sorcery
Destroy target land. You may pay 3 life. If you don't, that land's controller loses 3 life and may search his or her library for a land card, reveal it, and put it into their hand. If that player does, he or she shuffles their library.

Card 3 (Blue uncommon): A "quirky" counterspell.

Spell Schism
[1]UU
Instant
Kicker [2]U
Counter target spell unless its controller pays [3]. If it's countered this way and you paid the kicker cost, choose one -- search its controller's library for up to three cards with the same converted mana cost as that spell and remove them from the game; or search your library for a card with the same converted mana cost as that spell, reveal it, and put it into your hand. If you search a library this way, its owner shuffles it.

Card 4 (Artifact uncommon): Artifact Creature with an interesting form of evasion.

Tsabo's Automaton
[3]
Artifact Creature - Construct
Tsabo's Automaton gets +1/+1, can block two additional creatures each combat, and can't be blocked except by three or more creatures as long as an opponent controls an artifact or land with an activated ability that isn't a mana ability.
Sacrifice three lands: Regenerate Tsabo's Automaton.
2/2

Card 5 (Red rare): Legendary Creature -- Dragon.

Ugunnaz, Vainglorious Tyrant
[4]RRR
Legendary Creature - Dragon Lord
Flying
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control no lands and no other creatures, you may have Ugunnaz, Vainglorious Tyrant deal 5 damage to target creature.
Sacrifice a mountain or a red creature: Ugunnaz deals 1 damage to target creature and 1 damage to you.
Sacrifice a mountain or a red creature: Ugunnaz gains Haste or First Strike until end of turn and deals 5 damage to you.
Sacrifice seven mountains and/or red creatures: Return Ugunnaz from your graveyard to play.
5/5

Card 6 (Green rare): Splashy instant for Timmy.

Primeval Awakening
[4]GGG
Instant
Primeval Awakening can't be countered.
If it's not your turn, you may sacrifice three forests rather than pay Primeval Awakening's mana cost.
Untap up to three creatures you control. Until end of turn, those creatures get +3/+3, have trample, and can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.

[SpencerForHire]

So when does the voting begin?

[parallax]

I don't know. We never really decided how this is going to work.

In my opinion, Illisius's submission is clearly the best.

[Marco]

#2 Does anyone notice any eastereggs in my stuff?

The name of your Legendary Dragon is my first name and the first initial of my last name (Marco T)!

[Darkenslight]

I know this is a little late, but here are the cards I designed:

Card 1 (White common): "Creature removal"-style creature aura.

Arrested Development
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
When ~ comes into play, remove a creature you control from the game or sacrifice ~.
Enchanted creature can't attack or block.
When ~ leaves play, remove target creature you control from the game.

Card 2 (Black common): Instant or Sorcery. No discard or creature removal.

Failings
Instant
Seclude 1 (Whenever a creature with converted mana cost is put into a graveyard from play, you may play this without paying its mana cost.  Remove it from the game.)
Target opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
"That was the last time he did not do something I ask immediately." -Maxens the Foolish.

Card 3 (Blue uncommon): A "quirky" counterspell.

Recurring Thoughts 
Instant
As an additional cost to play ~, add to your opponent's mana pool.
Countar target spell.  If you do, put it into it's controller's hand instead of to the graveyard.
If only he stopped having Deja vu, he'd be spelling it out.

Card 4 (Artifact uncommon): Artifact Creature with an interesting form of evasion.

Arcbound Stalker

Modular 6
At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a counter from ~.  If you do, until end of turn this gains your choice of Fear, Flying or Nonbasic landwalk
0/0

Card 5 (Red rare): Legendary Creature -- Dragon.

Maxens the Foolish
Legendary Creature - Dragon Shaman

Whenever Maxens the Wise is dealt damage, it deals that much damage to each creature and player.
: Each player draws a card. Maxens deals 1 damage to target creature you control.
He wished for immortality.  All he got was flames
2/5

Card 6 (Green rare): Splashy instant for Timmy.

Wondrous Growth
Instant
Creatures you control become Oozes with "This creature's power and toughness are equal to the combined converted mana cost of creatures you control" and Trample.  (This effect doesn't end at end of turn.)

[Anusien]

My thoughts:
Hole #1 (White common: "Creature removal"-style creature aura): Illisius's definitely seems the best.  I think almost all of ours were way too complicated to be a common.  Mine seemed like a really good idea, but it's not templated easily.

Hole #2 ((Black common): Instant or Sorcery. No discard or creature removal): I like mine, but life loss, even global life loss, probably shouldn't be common.  This was really a problem all of us shared except for Illisius.

Hole #3 ((Blue uncommon): A "quirky" counterspell): Two of them risk being ridiculous because they return to hand or the top of your library.  I had an idea like that, but I purposely avoided that trap.  Dandan's is very quirky, but it's not really a counterspell.  It also feels rare.  Personally I like mine here, but illisius's is also solid.

Hole #4 ((Artifact uncommon): Artifact Creature with an interesting form of evasion): Mine is powerful but not interesting.  I like Spencer's here.  Illisius's is very confusing, dandan's has phasing, and while I like what Harlequin does, no one is ever going to want to give something else increased power, especially since it doesn't give total unblockability, just to artifact creatures.

Hole #5 ((Red rare): Legendary Creature -- Dragon): The flavor I was going for was an enraged dragon; what I really wanted to do was duplicated the Elder Land Wurm ability, but no one wants to pay mana for a dragon and not get to beat down.  I also wanted to appeal to Johnnies and Timmies by making it a reanimation target.  In the end, it's powerful, but the flavor doesn't come across well, and it's not interesting.  Still, the standard I held for myself was that it had to be interesting to beat down.  The problem with Harlequin's is that it can only power the damage dealing dragons like Hellkite, so I give it to Illisius.

Hole #6 ((Green rare): Splashy instant for Timmy): This is basically a combat spell.  I had some interesting ideas, but I wanted them to work well when you were blocked or unblocked.  Timmy wouldn't really like a spell that only worked if they were blocked, or unblocked.  Spencer's isn't interesting in that respect since it only works on defense.  Mine works but the flavor got lost along the way.  I like dandan's; I think Harlequin missed out here by avoiding combat.  This would have worked if we were going for sorceries, but Instant screams combat.  I like illisius's as well.

So in other words, I agree, I think illisius wins this round.  Thoughts from anyone else?

[Illissius]

I'll recuse myself from considering my own submission, but out of the rest I think I like Anusien's the best. Many of the holes had simplicity as an implicit requirement -- two commons, a card for Timmy, and to a degree Legendary Creature -- Dragon -- and many of the submissions, well, weren't. Oddly, I thought Spencer's artifact critter was pretty confusing, and mine only minorly so, but maybe that's because I made it. I also really liked Harlequin's Dragon -- it does work, thanks to first strike. (Maybe it should be templated with First strike at the end, like that white Talon card with Provoke, to make it clearer -- if it's at the beginning, you skip over it as just another keyword, while at the end, it makes you realize how the card works). In any case, I thought this was an example of a card which takes a moment to figure out, but is worth the reward once you do.

[OfficeShredder]

I don't like harlequin's because it's just screaming mana burn

[Illissius]

You can pump the mana back into its own ability if you have no other use for it. It's also simple to add the word "may". (Though admittedly, Harlequin didn't).

[Anusien]

I'll recuse myself from considering my own submission, but out of the rest I think I like Anusien's the best. Many of the holes had simplicity as an implicit requirement -- two commons, a card for Timmy, and to a degree Legendary Creature -- Dragon -- and many of the submissions, well, weren't. Oddly, I thought Spencer's artifact critter was pretty confusing, and mine only minorly so, but maybe that's because I made it. I also really liked Harlequin's Dragon -- it does work, thanks to first strike. (Maybe it should be templated with First strike at the end, like that white Talon card with Provoke, to make it clearer -- if it's at the beginning, you skip over it as just another keyword, while at the end, it makes you realize how the card works). In any case, I thought this was an example of a card which takes a moment to figure out, but is worth the reward once you do.

Oh, I see.  Whoops.

[parallax]

I'm not a big fan of Harlequin's dragon, because it's only useful if you also have another dragon in play. Any time you have two large flying creatures in play, you're probably winning regardless of its ability.