Congratulations to BrassMan!

[T00L]

Huzzah brassman!

[Dxfiler]

Hell yeah for new englanders (and people from rhode island too)!

Rhode Islanders don't deserve a shout-out.  We're the armpit of New England.


Anyway, here are the cards submitted by Brassman for the design test:

    Pristine Lake (common)
    Land
    [CARDNAME] comes into play tapped.
    WT: add UU to your mana pool.
    UT: add WW to your mana pool.

    Ceremonial Armor (common)
    G
    Enchantment – Aura
    Enchant Creature
    Enchanted Creature gains +1/+1
    G, Reveal [CARDNAME], discard a card: put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. Play this ability only if [CARDNAME] is in your hand, and only any time you could play a sorcery.

    Infernal Contest (rare)
    1B
    Sorcery
    Search your library for a card and remove it from the game face down. Target opponent chooses a card type. Reveal the removed card, if it is not of the chosen type, put that card into your hand.

    Unstable Essence (uncommon)
    2W
    Creature – Spirit
    4/5
    Whenever [CARDNAME] deals damage to a player, that player gains that much life.
    Whenever [CARDNAME] deals damage to a creature, that creature's controller gains that much life.

    Quetzal Headdress (rare)
    4
    Artifact
    3T: remove target card in an opponent's graveyard from the game. You may play that card this turn.

    Recommission (uncommon)
    3UR
    Instant
    Untap target creature and gain control of it until end of turn. That creature gains Haste until end of turn.
    At end of turn, return that creature to owner's hand.


My thoughts on each card:

Andy's land is meh.  Nothing really wrong with it, but very bland.  Not what I expected at all for a land submission from Teh Brassman.  I thought the best land by a mile was by Graeme Hopkins.  This is his:   

Guarded Grove (common)
Land - Forest
Guarded Grove comes into play tapped.
When Guarded Grove comes into play, you may pay 1G. If you do, put a 2/2 green bear creature token into play. 

Graham's is a little too good, but very clever and still extremely playable if toned down slightly.

Anyway, back to brassman. 

The enchantment is my second favorite submission of Andy's.  It's creative and fits in the flavor of green.  Still,I don't think it's suited as an aura, because it will probably never be better on the creature.  Seems always better to play it from hand, as already pointed out by Rosewater.

The Walking Wall is out of flavor for white and a complete mess in limited.  My least favorite of Andy's submissions.

The artifact is intriguing but potentially broken.  It comes off as one of those all or nothing cards that will suck in closed formats but would be probably ridiculous in a big, open format.  It's like it was almost designed specifically for eternal.  Why would Brassman ever design a card specifically for vintage? :p

Recommission appears to be Andy's safest card.  It is solid and could easily appear in a real set.  With that said, it's hands down his most uninspired submission, and comes off as moderately playable at best.

Saving the best for last, infernal contest is fantastic.  One of the best submissions from the entire group of finalists, period.  It got universal praise from all three judges and it's easy to see why.  The card relies greatly on playskill.  The better the player, the more powerful the card.  This looks like Andy's attempt at making a card with Gifts Ungiven-ish potential, and I think he succeded.  It's not blatantly overpowered like gifts (which is a good thing), but powerful enough to be used in any format to great effect when played correctly.

Brassman's batch of cards as a whole seemed good.  There wasn't any single finalist who stood out as having the best batch of submissions, with many of them being solid but nothing special. There were also a few finalists whose submissions just flat out stunk.  I'm not going to name them in case they find this and jump all over me like Sally Struthers on a birthday cake. 

In closing, Brassman's submissions were strong and are a good indicator that he will put up strong results in the future stages. 

Good luck again.

- Your friendly neighboorhood Feinstein

[Komatteru]

I'm also a fan of Infernal Contest.  At first, it seems it could be overpowered, as it can get any card for just 2 mana. However, you cannot be predictable with it.  If the only card in your deck that will save you is Pernicious Deed, and your opponent has figured this out (i.e., not a moron, and cards that take advantage of people for being bad players are ok within established design standards), then you can't very well get Pernicious Deed, making it balanced.  Furthermore, in Vintage, where there are numerous powerful cards in one's deck that one might tutor for, a lot of the cards you would tutor for all share the same type--
sorceries: Tinker, Tendrils of Agony, Mind's Desire and Yawgmoth's Will
instants: Brainstorm, Ancestral Recall, Dark Ritual, Mana Drain, Force of Will, Gifts Ungiven

The only two real exceptions are Black Lotus and Tolarian Academy, since tutoring for other artifacts or lands is uncommon outside of Stax.  However, an opponent will have to guess whether you needed one of the former or one of Tinker, Will, etc.  That's makes the card really interesting.  Both players have to access the situation and determine what would be the most obvious tutor targets.  Bravo!

[MishraTron]

Quote
Hell yeah for new englanders (and people from rhode island too)!

Rhode Islanders don't deserve a shout-out.  We're the armpit of New England.

Quit being such a negative Nancy.

Grats Brass.

[freakish777]

It's interesting to me that the next guy on the list also submitted a tutor at the same cost with a similar (though extremely different) ability.  The problem with that tutor however is that it allows the opponent to decide "Hey now is a great time to play my bounce spell in response" or "I think I'll play Peek and look at your hand in response, what's this you're sitting on 2 LED's?" (in Legacy for the second example).

The Headdress would be somewhat ridiculous is Standard at the moment as it is.  I play turn 3 Stone Rain/Mwalvoni Acid (spelling?), and the first thing I do is steal your land with the Headdress.  Next I start stealling your spells that are in the bin (that I made you discard with Stupor, etc).  If this had a non-land clause and perhaps were a little higher of a casting cost I don't think there'd be a problem with it.  It is a very cool card though.



Ok, now I have a question for those that read the rest of the article.  Which cards were completely overpowered in your opinions?

My picks for completely over-powered:

Tenuous Grasp (Hey thanks for letting me pay only B to get Magus of the Jar back and combo out in Extended as well as Eternal formats.  Also the rest of this guys cards, specifically the card names make me want to strangle him for some reason)

Land of Enchantment (Cool, I'm going to play turn 1 Exploration, followed by an Enchantress or two on turn 2, and then this thing on turn 3, my thats a lot of cards in my hand, I think I'll turn them into more cards and more mana, gg?)

Spellscribing (are you freaking kidding me?  This thing could be on the same power level as Yawgmoth's Will.... you play instants and sorceries cool, your opponent plays instants and sorceries also, cool, you sacrifice this to something or Disenchant it?  You win right?)



My picks for somewhat over-powered:

Crypt Echoes (Nice creature n00b, I entomb Akroma/SSS/Sundering)

Yavimaya Protector (Cool, I play this bad boy with 2 mana, let Pandemonium trigger, and with the CIPT on the stack I sac it to Greater Good digging my 6 deep with +3 CA to find the next one, nothing outrageous in Eternal formats as it'd suck there, but in Extended this needs a Phyrexian Dreadnaught if this would come into play clause).

Abandonded Mine (weee!  Another Gemstone Mine for Vintage)

Brassy's Headdress (as outlined above)

Nature//Nurture (the Nature side of this seems really strong in Limited/Constructed, the Nurture half could be really good in Constructed)




Some of these cards were just completely awful (from a design standpoint), some are too good (from a power level standpoint) and some were really cool, for instance I had the same idea for the Creature land except mine was:

Llanowar Undergrowth (or some such)
Uncommon
Land Creature - Forest Elf
CARDNAME is green.
(forests have tap: add G to your mana pool)
1/1

I think that makes so much more sense (especially from a flavor aspect) than how manlands have been done before.

Guarded Grove was my second favorite land.

[49 Cents]

Excuse me, but could I get a link?

[LKG]

The only two real exceptions are Black Lotus and Tolarian Academy,

What about Necropotence/Yawgmoth's Bargain?

But I also agree, the card has great potential, and seems like it could make a good contribution to the vintage arsenal.

[Komatteru]

What I meant was that Black Lotus is about the only artifact you would want to tutor for, and Tolarian Academy is about the only land you would want to tutor for, outside of Stax, obviously.  Tutoring for Strip Mine, Bazaar, or Workshop are pretty plausible, and I think there's a few artifacts in Stax that might be worth getting.

For any other deck, naming "artifact" with Infernal Contest would be roughly equivalent to saying "You tutored for Black Lotus, didn't you?"  If Lotus had already been used, for instance, naming "artifact" with Infernal Contest would end up being pretty silly most of the time.  Bargain and Necro are both enchantments, and if one is in the graveyard already, and there's some sort of disruption cutting off the Will victory plan (Leyline, Tormod's Crypt, etc.), it is plausible that someone would tutor for the other ridiculous enchantment, and naming "enchantment" for Infernal Contest would be much better than naming "artifact" when Lotus is sitting in the bin or in play.

The mere fact that we can write an analysis like this makes the card extremely interesting.

[Evenpence]

Andy, if you can tell us about the question they asked you after Sunday, please do.  Check with them first to see if this an infringement on the rules though, we do NOT want you getting disqualified because you gave out information you weren't supposed to when you weren't supposed to.

My itching eyes want to read questions, and your answers!  I'm sure others are in the same boat as me.

IF YOU WIN I WILL GRANT YOU ONE WISH.

[Anusien]

IF YOU WIN I WILL GRANT YOU ONE WISH.

[18:18] <Smmenen> except that
[18:18] <Smmenen> and heroin
[18:18] <Smmenen> i wn't do that
[18:18] <Smmenen> or crack
[18:18] <Smmenen> i won't do that
[18:19] <Smmenen> or anything entering my ass

[EnialisLiadon]

The amount of praise they had for you is very encouraging!  Again--great job, Brassy!

[TopSecret]

     Good luck, and pwn face!

[Bram]

Mad props!

Did I mention how jealous I am of you? Stupid friggin' green card requirement...

[freakish777]

Ouch.  From the feedback, it looks like you, and Aaron Weiner are gone along with one other person this coming week.

[Glix]

Mad props on getting this far, and I really hope you keep going on, but from this week's feedback it doesn't look good for you =/.

Did I mention how jealous I am of you? Stupid friggin' age requirement...

[forests failed you]

Congrats Andy!  I didn't even realize that you were doing this thing until just recently.  I'm pulling for you!  Good Luck!

Cheers,
FFY

[Moxlotus]

Just to be clear, your green Lich is insanely cool.  I hope they print that and the Tutor.

[freakish777]

Just to be clear, your green Lich is insanely cool.  I hope they print that and the Tutor.

I agree.  I hope you make it to the next round, and the round after that.  Personally thought, it sounds like they've already made their minds up of deciding Ryan Sutherland is who they're going to hire (which I think is a mistake, to already make your mind up and give no one else a chance, I like Janson's best this week, and thought Globus's was atleast as good as Sutherland's this week).

[Vegeta2711]

Just to be clear, your green Lich is insanely cool.  I hope they print that and the Tutor.

I agree.  I hope you make it to the next round, and the round after that.  Personally thought, it sounds like they've already made their minds up of deciding Ryan Sutherland is who they're going to hire (which I think is a mistake, to already make your mind up and give no one else a chance, I like Janson's best this week, and thought Globus's was atleast as good as Sutherland's this week).

Honestly unless there's a major turnaround; the frontrunner's are pretty much Jansen and Sutherland, with Weil having a shot if he injects some real inspiration into his sets of solid card designs.

[Bram]

But Brassy just HAS to win this

[freakish777]

the frontrunner's are pretty much Jansen and Sutherland, with Weil having a shot if he injects some real inspiration into his sets of solid card designs.

I wholeheartedly agree with that.  I was just saying I didn't agree with the judges comments that he once again made the best cards this week (I felt Janson made the best cards this week, and Globus had as equally good cards as Sutherland).  Therefore I'm going to have to wonder if MaRo, Forsythe and Devin (is it Devin... Low?  I could have names mixed up for the last judge) aren't pre-empetively making up their minds (which would make following along for the rest of the contest unfun for everyone reading it as they'd already know who's going to win even if they have an "off-week" and unfair to the candidates that aren't Janson and Sutherland (as they're just cruising along knowing they aren't getting picked and submitting ideas for Wizards to use, cause hey, they love the game).

[freakish777]

 

[Twaun007]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Well there is no need to pay any attention to Wizard's sight any more....

[Dxfiler]

 

Ditto.

It's a shame he didn't get the job, but he has nothing to be ashamed of.  In my opinion, he did very well, he just wasn't what they were looking for.  Even though he didn't go all the way, I'm sure the experience had a positive effect on him, and will hopefully lead to good things in the future for
Teh Brassman.

- Dave Feinstein

[The Atog Lord]

Brassman made Top Fifteen out of a ton of entries. Congrats, Brassman, for doing so well.

[ELD]

To Brassman!

[netherspirit]

Good show!!! 

[Shock Wave]

Great run Andy, way to represent the community.

[Ephraim]

My regrets to BrassMan.  Congratulations, however, on making it that far!  That's a big accomplishment.  And now, some additional commentary:

Just to be clear, your green Lich is insanely cool.  I hope they print that and the Tutor.

I agree.  I hope you make it to the next round, and the round after that.  Personally thought, it sounds like they've already made their minds up of deciding Ryan Sutherland is who they're going to hire (which I think is a mistake, to already make your mind up and give no one else a chance, I like Janson's best this week, and thought Globus's was atleast as good as Sutherland's this week).

To follow up on this comment, look at the results from this week.  Ryan got roasted.  MaRo told him outright that his was the weakest submission this week.  I was happy to see that Alexis Janson scored high marks.  I think she's been the most consistently good designer so far and this week she hit a home run.  (Up until now, I felt that she had nothing terrible to her name but also nothing to make her stand out.)

[TopSecret]

      Congratulations, Brassman!