Common Challenge

For this challenge, please design a common card. It's that simple. You can use cards you've already designed. The card should be
- interesting/new
- flavorful
- balanced (not overpowered, not unplayable)
- simple (easy to understand at first glance)
- most importantly, common (https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/common-knowledge-2011-04-18, https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/common-courtesy-2002-06-10)

Deadline: Friday, April 19, but that's flexible.

Examples:
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I'm interested to see what you guys come up with.
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Comments

  • Some hand picked commons from my more recent publications:
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  • The most "recent" commons I've created:

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  • Here's a brand new common, and it's a double-faced card:

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  • I'm happy with how many people have been submitting entries to my contest, and all cards are very cool, and I imagine they would lead to interesting play patterns. So thank you all. This is my first contest, and I don't want to make anyone feel bad, because many of these are well-thought out, flavorful, and innovative. I've already learned an important lesson: limit how many cards someone can submit.

    My only criticism is that the vast majority of these cards are too complex to be common. Commons teach new players, and you riffle through 10 in a draft. If I cannot determine what your card does on the first read, it won't win. I just wanted all of you to keep that in mind, no offense to anyone.

    Later when I judge this I will give some more specific feedback and give out faves, but here are my favorite cards in each submission so far:
    @Corwinnn: Fight with Courage
    @Faiths_Guide: Bramble Druid
    @ArmisJoe: Scruple
    @ElMagici: Swinging Tendrils
    @TenebrisNemo: Tiger Stallion
  • Here are my best 6:

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  • @bnew07
    Did you ever read my comment on the Deputy?
  • @Faiths_Guide

    I hadn’t until now, but I think you are absolutely right
  • @Je_Suis_Oluwa, this is my 1st time interacting with you and participating in a contest you are hosting, so hello, and Idk if you are a previous cardsmith here or just new to the site, but whichever it is, welcome to mtgcardsmith if you haven't gotten enough welcomes yet lol. Anyways, I will be creating some cards for you that hopefully will be acceptable as common cards you may be searching for via your requests. How many are we allowed to submit that are old, and how many that are new?
  • edited April 2019
    New Card:

    This card was inspired by the Ixalan set in magic the gathering, which came out in 2017.

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    I'm hoping it's basic enough for your common cards request, but with enough gusto to be a card worth putting in a deck!
  • edited April 2019
    @sorinjace, thanks for the welcome and entry. I've used Cardsmith on and off for a few years now but I haven't used the forums until now.
    There is no limit on cards old and new, since I don't want to be unfair to anyone that submits later, but please don't waste my time. (And when I get around to judging this, each person will be judged by their best submission IMHO (in my humble opinion, get it right.))
    @bnew07, thanks for submitting as well. Your commons seem very interesting while still being fairly simple, so good job.
  • edited April 2019
    This is my first challenge, so if there's anything I need to know, please comment on one of my cards. Thanks. Here we go:
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  • edited April 2019
    @Frostbvrn love Tortle Wonderer wish you added some sweet flavor text to add some back story to it!
  • I'm happy with the direction this contest is going. The new commons are a lot more of what I was looking for.
  • edited April 2019
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  • A couple more:
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  • edited April 2019
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  • edited April 2019
    Updated "best card per submission":

    (Note: I'm primarily doing this as a cheat sheet for when I judge later, if you didn't all realize that)

    @Corwinnn: Fight with Courage
    @Faiths_Guide: Bramble Druid
    @ArmisJoe: Undip [previously: Scruple]
    @ElMagici: Swinging Tendrils
    @TenebrisNemo: Tiger Stallion
    @bnew07: Rix Maadi Hellhound
    @sorinjace: Cataract Navigator
    @Ilmarinen: Unicorn of Forgotten Dreams [EDIT: Story Retold, I just realized that the bargain effect is literally a drawback]
    @Mila: Provoke the Beasts
    @Ranshi922: Boaring Creature Card
    @EternalWolf88: Spirit of Animosity

    Thanks and congrats to all competitors!
  • edited April 2019
    another one:

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  • Oh, I'm happy I updated it then :)
  • @ArmisJoe, Thank you very much! :D
  • Edited Caught in Sacred-Flames (it was too versatile for a common):

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  • Thanks for participating, everyone! Everyone will be judged by their best card, but I will try to give every card some feedback. I thought everyone had at least one card that I think is interesting. I've ranked the top five here, but I really think the honorable mentions were interesting too. (I didn't playtest your cards so this is based on my guesses, of course.) I'm talking about every submission because I want to give you guys some feedback to make your cards better in the future. After I talk about everyone's best card, I will quickly go through all of their other cards and explain why they didn't make the cut.

    The most important thing to remember is I have no direct impact on your life, and the same with the rest of the Cardsmith community. So you don't have to agree with me or listen to me or care about what I say.

    Honorable Mention: @Frostbvrn: Tortle Wanderer
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    Why It's Snazzy: All you need to do is scroll up - @ArmisJoe said "love Tortle Wonderer wish you added some sweet flavor text to add some back story to it!"
    Some Feedback: Green isn't big on flying, but this card actually works perfectly in white. Also, making a token every turn is not common - Emeria Angel is rare. So to summarize, this is a well-designed interesting mono-white rare.

    The Rest:
    Aim True: first strike isn't really green
    Absorbing Shadow: counterspells aren't really black, no matter the flavor, and this also raises the question, do all lands only tap for black mana now?

    Somehow I missed you when doing my best card per submission thing by accident. Not sure how that happened.

    HM. @ElMagici: Swinging Tendrils
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    Why It's Snazzy: It's certainly common, and it's costed correctly, which were the main criteria for this contest.
    Some Feedback: I think the card could have been a little more interesting. This is a great card to put in one of your sets, but it doesn't really excite me.

    The Rest:
    Light Faerie: same issue, except the times when flash is relevant on a 1/1 are not numerous, so you just end up playing this end of turn every time
    Gorgon's Presence: I don't know what color this effect is but I'm pretty sure it's not both green and blue. Also it's a bit hard to comprehend

    HM. @sorinjace: Cataract Navigator
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    Why It's Snazzy: Definitely simple enough to be a common, and costed correctly, just like the previous card.
    Some Feedback: Like the last card still, could use some more innovation. Just because a card is common doesn't mean it has to be boring, just scroll down for why that is.

    HM. @Mila: Spark Golem
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    Why It's Snazzy: This can lead to some interesting play patterns, I think. It would fit right into War of the Spark and is an interesting design space that hasn't really been explored in Magic. I mean, you have Heart of Kiran I guess, but not much has really been done with converting loyalty into other resources.
    Some Feedback: It should probably have a subtype. Also, it seems like it could be abused. I'm not sure though. It might be like Kin-Tree Invocation, which I love but is not overpowered because you have to wait until the late game to cheat on mana.

    The Rest:
    Provoke the Beasts: these effects feel like they could be more connected for me. Maybe that's just me though


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This discussion has been closed.