The Great Cardsmith Design Search - Stage 3: The Mechanic Redux Challenge

Welcome to Stage 3 of The Great Cardsmith Designer Search (GCDS)...The Mechanic Redux Challenge!

Here are links GDS/color pie links:
Mechanical Color Pie: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/mechanical-color-pie-2017-2017-06-05
GDS1: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/great-designer-search-2006-08-21
GDS2: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/great-designer-search-2-2011-03-07-0
GDS3: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/great-designer-search-3-meet-top-8-2018-03-09

The Mechanic Redux Challenge
This challenge is designed to test your skills with new and creative design space for existing mechanics. Only the 6 Cardsmiths with the best overall submissions will move on.

Your task is to design 5 cards using a returning mechanic for a Ravnica guild..

I have selected 2-3 old mechanics for each guild. For some, the flavor and mechanics are a better match than others, but I wanted to provide as many viable options as possible.

Each of you must reply in this thread with your choice of a single guild/mechanic combination. Mechanics will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Multiple Cardsmiths may choose the same guild, but only one Cardsmith mis allowed per mechanic.

If there is a mechanic you are interested in that is not on the list, feel free to ask me. I reserve the right to accept or reject any non-listed mechanics.

Azorius - Investigate, Vote, Ascend
Dimir - Conspire, Hideaway, Prowl
Rakdos - Madness, Frenzy, Afflict
Gruul - Escalate, Evoke, Enrage
Selesnya - Renown, Bolster, Support
Orzhov - Exploit, Devotion, Offering, Tribute
Golgari - Unearth, Undying, Morbid
Simic - Emerge, Proliferate, Explore
Izzet - Rebound, Spell Mastery, Strive
Boros - Exalted, Battle Cry, Heroic

You are allowed to switch mechanics, but All mechanic choices are considered final after 11:59PM EST on Monday October 29th.

Entry Criteria
1) All 5 cards must be submitted as one post. Incomplete entries will not be judged. Entries can be edited until the judging deadline. If you edit an entry, please let me know by posting in the thread.
2) All cards must use the mechanic you choose and no other non-evergreen mechanics with the exception of hybrid mana, which you may use if you aren’t already tired of it.
3) RARITY: Among your five cards you must submit at least:
1 common
1 uncommon
1 rare or mythic rare
No more that two cards of a single rarity can be submitted.
4) COLOR: Among your five cards you must submit at least:
2 monocolor cards, one for each of the two guild colors
1 multicolor card using both the guild colors (traditional multicolor or hybrid)
No colors other than the colors of the guild you choose may be used.
5) CARD TYPE: Artifacts, Enchantments, Creatures, Lands, Instants, and Sorceries are allowed. My suggestion is if you choose a mechanic that can go on multiple card types, that you showcase a variety of them.
6) All cards must be made on or after October 27, 2018. No old cards will be accepted.
7) Cards should be appropriate for printing in a generic standard legal set according to modern design principles.
8) As some mechanics are older or more archaic than others, if you wish to make minor rules/reminder text changes to the mechanic, be sure to run them by me first but as long as they are sensible and small they should be ok.
9) No joke cards.

Mechanic Redux Notes
-I STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you research existing cards using your mechanic to gain a better understanding of what design space has been explored and the design problems that mechanic creates.
-Compared to the last two challenges, this one focuses more on creativity and innovation than technical skill and color pie usage. For this challenge I want to see you show me how you can take an existing mechanic and put a new spin on it.
-This does not necessarily mean you have to make extremely complex/nuanced designs. Rather, try to show me something fun, interesting, and creative with your mechanic that will play well and demonstrates your skills as a designer.
-NOTE: Some mechanics will be harder to design for than others. I will judge all submissions equally so no weight will be given to choosing a mechanic that is “easy” compared to one that is “hard”.
Judging Criteria
Each individual card will earn up to 16 points, and your entries as a whole will be graded out of 20 pts, so each submission will be out of 100 points. Every card will get feedback and be graded according to this holistic scale.

Rarity (2 points)
2 – The card is assigned an appropriate rarity.
1 – The card is borderline with respect to the assigned rarity.
0 - The card should be assigned a different rarity.

Flavor (1 point)
1 – Positive flavor connection between card name and mechanics
0 - Negative flavor connection between card name and mechanics.

Templating (1 points)
1 – Up to one very minor spelling, grammar, templating, or magic phrasing error.
0 - Two or more spelling, grammar, templating, or magic phrasing errors.

Color Pie (3 points)
3 - Card is in color pie for all colors.
2 - Card is a minor color pie bend.
1 - Card is a major color pie bend.
0 - Card is a color pie break.

Card Design (5 points)
This category is subjective but here are some things I will be looking at (including but not limited to):
-Does it show novelty/creativity?
-Does it innovate with the mechanic?
-Is the card different from similar cards made before it?
-Do each of the individual card elements come together to make a cohesive whole?
-Is the rate (Cost/power ratio) appropriate for this card and its abilities?

Playability (4 points)
This category is subjective but here are some things I will be looking at (including but not limited to):
-Is it an appropriate power level for limited, factoring in rarity?
-Would it cause problems in constructed formats?
-Would it be fun to play?
-Would it create repetitive or unfun play patterns?
-Does it create rules issues/paradoxes?

Overall Submission (20 pts)
- New Design Space (10 pts)
Does the overall submission explore new or innovative space for the mechanic? Is that space fun? Is that space worth exploring and would add value if it was printed?
- Creativity (5 pts)
Does the overall submission show creative ideas for the mechanic? Does it build on existing ideas or cards in unexpected ways? Does the mechanical execution impress from a design perspective?
- Guild Theme (5pts)
Does the overall submission play well with other cards for that guild? Does the flavor align with the guild? Is the overall guild strategy and philosophy reflected in the gameplay of the cards.

Prizes
The Top scoring 6 Cardsmiths will advance to the next stage of the GCDS.

The top 3 scoring Cardsmiths will receive:
1st: 3 faves of your choice.
2nd: 2 faves of your choice.
3rd: 1 fave of your choice.

The Cardsmith who is eliminated this round will receive 5 favorites of their choice.

Deadline
This contest will close for judging on Sunday November 4th at 11:59 PM EST. No late entries will be accepted.

Delay Time
Each Cardsmith will earn a total of 3 days “delay time” banked for the entirety of the GCDS. If you need more time for your submission, I will delay judging the amount of days you request. You can request 1 x 3 day extension, 3 x 1 - day extensions, or some other combo. In order to use your delay time, message me with the amount of days (1, 2, 3) you want BEFORE the judging deadline. Your delay will only apply to your entries for that stage, not to the others. You may use 1 instance of delay time each stage. When a delay occurs, I will announce it.

If you have any questions, feel free to post them.
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