Everybody do the Dinosaur!

Yururu

'sup ya'll? A good friend of mine is having his birthday today and he's a huuuge Magic Dinosaur fan, hoping to collect most if not all of those cards.

So here'd the challenge. Submit up to 3 Dinos or dino-synergy cards, of which 1 old card is fine. Contest ends February 3rd at 03:00 GMT+0 (two weeks from now). He'll judge the entries. On details, man's a big Gishash player, hates blue, and believes Black Dinos don't really work with other Dinos, so that may direct you a bit (if you think you can surprise him though, go for it!)

Rewards (possibly doubled if I get him to make an account):

1st place: 8 favorites and a follow

2nd place: 4 favorites and a follow

3rd place: 2 favorites and a follow

Honorable Mentions: 1 favorite each

Everyone: Feedback for all your entries (mostly from him, but I might butt in a bit too)

Edit: Two weeks seem like a better deadline.

LvB

Jadefire

Here's the old card:
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/sunderclaw-duo

Jadefire

https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/armored-stegoceratops

Mila

I got some dinosaurs for you. This one is brand new:

https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/terror-of-the-woods

This one is a little older, but I also like it:

https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/feathered-iratusaur

SpellPiper2213

Suleman

https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/gaping-catchermaw

https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/altisaur-caravan

https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/the-great-dino-games-1

StuffnSuch

  

Yururu

Heads-up: last day for the contest coming up.

Jadefire

https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/maned-ravager

Mila

I know, your friend doesn't like blue, but this card is meant to be a commander and I guess, he might like it:

https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/masitol-king-of-the-forest-1

Astrophibian

https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/ubashash-verdant-titan




https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/hyperhatched-eggs

Yururu

Alrighty ya'll, thank you for taking part in the Dino contest!

Entries are closed (given already being about a day overtime - don't worry @Mila & @Astrophibian , your final cards there will also be considered).

Due to a little predicament (day-long travel), I will contact him tomorrow for results.

Yururu

Sorry for the wait ya'll, Oten (my friend) has had a busy week. Results are in!

I've already favorited all entries, so make sure to choose others for favorites.

First and foremost, our Honorable Mentions! You may choose a favorite each.

@StuffnSuch with Swarming Mygeoraptors

Well-measured incremental growth on a low-cost Rare without haste. Better designed than other iterations at this low a cost like Pack Rat. The "downside" being a cap, or at least additional difficulty, for its potential of going infinite with few combo pieces is pretty well-thought here. According to Oten, "oh yeah, a lot of fun things to be done with this one, imagine if every player got one of those".

@SpellPiper2213 with Strutting Swiftclaw

A twist on Ahn-Crop Crasher/Clamor Shaman. I admire designing a playable common, a tad simpler in concept, that doesn't break the game. However, considering Limited (the actual game effect of rarity), I'd put it as an Uncommon - it'd otherwise be a big contributor to some format-warping aggro that makes for a repetitive draft experience. Oten was brief on it, but from what I remember drafting with him, he'd definitely love to shove this thing into my face for every spell of him I've countered over the years.

@LvB with Brontodactylus Rex

I'm a fan of the Flying counter use and relevant use of reminder text. The wording did get a little weird though (as far as I understand, removing its flying counter already makes it no longer able to fly). The ability also needs to specify where you're removing a flying counter from (in this case, I'm guessing "from Brontodactylus Rex"). Oten says: "I kind of wish Enrage could somehow get it a Flying counter back, but I understand it might be a bit much since the crash can go for any target."

*deafening roar followed by drum roll*

In 3rd place:

@Jadefire with Armored Stegoceratops. 2 favorites & a follow (of your choice, as I already follow you)

Albeit slightly reluctant as Oten was due to the opposing nature/incentive between all the Enrage synergies and shield counters, I was able to somewhat turn his mind around to it being a nice touch given the chosen dinosaur, not to mention its subtler Jurassic Park (set symbol, Mutant subtype) homage rather than the current jarring ones (e.g. "WELCOME TO JURASSIC PARK"). Oten also admitted: "I can see it on the 99 of other decks, a great dino and I feel its the entry that tried the most for something different." I, for one, can see it printed as a real card on a Commander product.

In 2nd place:

@Suleman with Altisaur Caravan. 4 favorites and a follow!

I'm a huge fan of the concept and art. As the journey goes on and trades are performed, something becomes more accessible in cost. I would happily add this to a Limited set's design, even if it were a {3}{r} Common. But that's just overspecific nonsense. Also, DINOSAUR CITIZEN. Hell yeah. Oten commented on it as: "I don't even care that it's not that powerful, love this shit. Tough choice between it and 1st, they're both perfect"

AND IN 1st:

@Mila with Feathered Iratusaur. 8 favorites and a follow (of your choice, as I already follow you)

Really enjoy the use of Enrage and the spreading feathers concept. Also dying for this art! I do see the drive to incorporate feathers to rules text, but I believe it could've been just on name/image/flavor text, as just "flying counter" would lessen rules bloat. Oten put it up as a tough call with 2nd, stating: "they're both perfect, yet this one encapsulates the use of the colors on dinos super well; white as support and red oh-so-happy to get beaten up. This card's on a roll, I'd slot it in my deck in the blink of an eye."

Yururu

And as promised, feedback on all entries:

Please don't take anything to heart. I'm just a rando on the internet. Any validation to be taken from here is lofty at best. As long as you're making cards and having fun, that's what matters.

@Jadefire

Sunderclaw Duo is a pretty interesting design space for fight cards, turning them into "deal damage equal to your creature's attack". I also find the limitation on the activated ability being having a +1/+1 quite elegant. Flavor did get a bit unclear - can they not "fight back" because they're outflanked?

Maned Ravager is unfortunately way too strong, even for an Eternal format. Its Forecast alone is wild, not to mention being a 5/5 haste-trampler that, on a 1v1 average, grows to a 7/7 to a 10/10 instantly after its no-mana-cost Forecast. The mechanic's usually used for smaller, situational effects, as it's uninteractive and highly repeatable. I don't believe its limitations here are quite as relevant as first thought. Sure, the card does not fit into a creatureless control deck. Yet it's any midrange's dream. Running no creatures with power 0 or 1 in your colors isn't hard, and it'd hopelessly swath any aggro nearly every turn and still have all its mana for other plays. Every creature drawn's a free Pyroclasm, even if mono-green.

@StuffnSuch

Boneyard Scavenger follows a design philosophy from earlier days of Magic; one I'm not quite fond of (stats equal to cost + any ability warrants big drawbacks). The ratio and cost don't seem to warrant the "sacrifice itself" clause in case it has nothing to scavenge. Even as an Uncommon, this seems to require quite the setup just to remain on the battlefield for some very small, if any, benefit. I don't think I'd want to play this in Limited.

@Astrophibian

Ubashash, Verdant Titan is surprising to see. A 4/8 with trample with its cost, slow incremental growth (creating many small dinosaur tokens' usually not a thing) and (possible) lifegain, I believe it as-is could feasibly be non-legendary and an Uncommon, given its proximity to the infamous Colossal Dreadmaw. Usual wording could use some polish, but I can see how it works.

Hyperhatched Eggs, oh, a sorcery making tokens! I'm a fan. The rate by cost seems fine, if slightly below usual (Imperial Oath, Stir the Sands, Assure/Assemble), but I don't see that as an issue. Whether intentional or not, you do seem to be using older wording friend: take Crashing Footfalls as an example ("Create" rather than "put... into play under your control").

@Suleman

Gaping Catchermaw seems like balanced card for Limited and multiplayer formats (statline at first lower than expected for CMC, possible incremental growth more relevant with more players, decent Vigilance). Most of all, I'm a fan of the concept being represented as its method of "fishing"/eating; flavor text unecessary, as name-art-mechanic already tell what it's there to tell.

The Great Dino Games has an amazing name and art. The concept of competition/race got a little lost though; we were somehow expecting some multiplayer interaction or effect, yet it's by and large a 3/3 for 4 that slowly grows and may give your dinos haste. A bit of a rare to avoid in Limited, and it doesn't seem quite made with a Commander set in mind. "Goad" isn't just "must attack this turn", so for the sake of clarity for players in a game with everexpanding keywords, I'd suggest "they must attack this turn"; even if spacing's a matter, it's pretty manageable here.

@LvB

Corrosive Slimosaurus lives to its concept, alas in play it seems quite unlikely for its namesake abilities to trigger. It is a great uncommon for its cost in Limited regardless, to make Honorable if not for Brontodactylus. It could use some better flavor text, or none.

Explodosaurus is really on the nose with its name. I'm unsure of this as an uncommon for drafting purposes. Triple red cost'd make it a late pick or a massive push to mono-red (which more often than not doesn't turn out well in draft, yet this'd be an incentive trap). Also some small wording things ("to increase that damage by one for each mountain sacrificed this way)".

@Mila

Masitol, King of the Forest clearly reads as an EDH-intended card; it's quite reminiscent of Kalamax, the Stormsire. Its mechanical link to Blue seems pretty faint tho, given Red is also prone to caring about instants and/or sorceries by its own. It also seems to imply mechanically to be linked to magic, but its concept/art doesn't seem to indicate it. A bit unsure of it as a Commander given its split incentives between instants & Dinos. I do still applaud you still for going out of the box into Oten's no-no colors.

Terror of the Woods is a bit of a doozy. It's green ability seems a bit counterintuitive for multiple colors/itself/the prompt, while its first ability's fine, if a bit uninspired - dinos, damage - and slightly unsupported: cards creating many small dinos is usually not a thing (most Dino tokens are 3/3s).

Thanks all for participating and showing Oten a good time. I hadn't seen him in a bit and you contributed to making the start of his year a bit more special. Cheers.

Astrophibian

Cool

Mila

Cool, thank you so much! I totally feel your feedback. And I am glad, you liked the Feathered Irantusaur. That really was one of my better designs.

StuffnSuch

Thanks for your feedback.  I agree, Boneyard Scavenger isn't a card that's easily playable, but I mostly designed it from a flavor perspective, a scavenging dino that gets bigger as long as there are dead bodies lying around, otherwise, it starves.  But, hey, got an honorable mention for the other card, so, I'm happy.  I never want to have anyone favorite a card they don't personally like, so, if you want to give me a favorite, any card will do, and if you don't like any of my cards, I was still glad to play and get recognized.

Jadefire

Thanks @Yururu for hosting this contest and for all your time generating feedback on all the entries.  Congratulations to @Mila and @Suleman!

Good question about Sunderclaw Duo.  The outflanking explanation is quite reasonable, as two creatures working in tandem could bait an opposing creature's attention and pincer them with alternating attacks and retreat.  As far as causing other creatures you control to fight, the Duo would provide the distraction to the opposing creature (like in Jurassic Park) while the other creature does its thing.  In honesty, I hadn't given flavour too much thought on this card as I started with the concept of making all fights one-sided in your favour and then finding the art of two dinosaurs and shaping the name of the card around it.  I realized I neglected to consider something for this card as it should've been worded "Prevent all damage that would be dealt by fighting creatures your opponents control to creatures you control."  As it stands, Sundercalw Duo completely shuts off fighting amongst your opponents.

Excellent points about Maned Ravager.  I hadn't considered monogreen running the card purely as a sweeper.  A reusable, manaless Pyroclasm for monogreen that can't be interacted with outside of hand destruction is definitely too powerful.  Even other Forecast cards that generate value only give you one creature/token/draw and require much more planning around to generate more value than that (E.g., Proclamation of Rebirth => Martyr of Ashes).  Even with a cost that involves a discard, you only need to kill two creatures on the other side to come out on top, and a Pyroclasm is highly likely to kill many more.  The manaless cost is probably the first thing that needs to be fixed.  Thanks for the cogent feedback.