Tournament of Champions 3 (The game has begun!)

edited July 2020 in Sagas
Ladies and gentlemen! Warriors and wizards! Beasts and summoners! Angels and demons!

I welcome you to the Tournament of Champions 3!


Choose your heroes that will enter the tournament where he, she, it or they shall fight to eliminate the chosen of others until only one is left standing, as the true champion or champions. 
The heroes of the tournament will fight in stages and for each stage won, the victorious shall continue to the next stage stronger than before. Those that lose shall leave the tournament, willingly or forced. 


This contest has been done and attempted before. 
Earlier tournament of champions: 
https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/3287/tournament-of-champions-the-game-has-begun/p1

https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/3556/tournament-of-champions-2-the-game-has-begun/p1

https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/4185/tournament-of-champions-2-rematch-the-game-has-begun/p1


But this time much is different and something in particular.   

Instructions:
- This is a contest of both card creation and a role-playing game. You will both make cards and write/play the role of the characters you make. 


- Each cardsmith creates one or multiple legendary creatures with converted mana cost 3 or less that will represent them as heroes in the tournament. (Heroes does not necessarily indicate that they are of good alignment)
- Each cardsmith creates a character with personality and background for the chosen heroes. 
- Each cardsmith may also create one signature card or a companion card with converted mana cost of 3 or less. (So the same mana limit as the hero card) 


- After each victorious match, the cardsmith can choose to improve their hero by making a new stronger card for them with new artwork.
 - Or the cardsmith can, if above is proven difficult, choose to add either an additional signature card or a companion card to emphasize growth. 


- Cards must at best ability be made balanced. This is also true for the story of the characters. 
- Cards can be changed or replaced before the deadline for the active stage. 
- Old cards and characters may be used as long as they have not appeared in any of the earlier Tournament of champions.  


[New] Signature and companion cards:
- Signature cards are cards that represents the heroes' abilities, spells, equipment or other utilities which they can use. This can also be memories, experiences and knowledge which the hero have achieved. 
They are sorcery, instants, artifacts and enchantments. 

- Companion cards are the companions which help the fighter outside or maybe even inside the arena. They are the assistants, healers, squires, mentors and so on. They are creatures, normal or legendary. 

- You can create multiple legendary creatures that will fight for you. You are no longer limited to a single hero.
An additional fighter will count as a companion card and follow the same restrictions. 

You can also bring multiple heroes within the same card. This will allow you to bring even more than two heroes. 
The limit of this is one of logic, so you can't bring an entire army just because it fits on a card. 
(It's a character contest after all) 


- The signature card and the companion card are limited to the same converted mana cost as the hero but they can be changed whenever you want while the hero card can only be changed if you choose that option. 
(The option of not making a new card for the hero is just so that you are not limited by too little available artwork)

I want to give one example of what you can use this for. 
At the start you can create a two-character card plus a mentor or servant as a companion card. 
Then if you win the first stage you make a new card for the fighter with only one of the characters while you change the companion card to become the other character. 

Your options are thus:
Hero + Hero(companion card) or Hero + signature or Hero + companion
You can choose to only make a Hero card but that won't give you any significant benefits. 



Procedure

Draft period
The first two (or maybe three weeks if the time is required) is the period within which you create and submit your characters and cards. When this time has reached its deadline, the draft elimination will reduce the number to a amount fit-for-tournament. With other words, the 8, 16 or 32 best teams will be chosen.  If the amount of teams is less and we are already at three weeks, there won't be a tournament at all. 
This is also the best time to ask questions. 

First stage
When the teams have been chosen, the positions will be randomized. Teams will then fight in an arena where the winners are determined through two main factors, card value and character value. 
Card value is based on the quality of the card(s): Balance, usage, flavor, creativity and so. 
Character value is all about the character: Background, actions, motivations, personality, reactions to events and so on. 

Post- First stage:
The winners will be given a minimum of one week to upgrade their hero and/or make or change their signature/companion cards. Extra time may be given if the need is justified. This will continue in a similar pattern until the last 2 heroes remain. Some special rules will occur then but more about that then.


Maximum converted mana cost at each stage: 

First stage: 3

Second stage: 5

Third stage: 7 (An additional signature/companion card will be allowed)

This limits are both for the fighter themselves and the signature/companion cards.
So signature cards and companion cards can be of higher converted mana cost than their hero. 
By the options above, you can, if you want, end up having a team of five different heroes if you choose not to upgrade your main hero. 

Example hero (made by @TenebrisNemo)

«13456722

Comments

  • edited July 2020
    Point system: 
    The winners will be determined by the one that have received the most points. 
    You get points from both the card values and the character values plus an eventual bonus point. 
    Both of these are assigned a value from 1 to 5.
    The character value is based on the character as a whole while the card value is the average of each card (where the hero(es) have twice the impact of the value. (they counts as two averages)
    The bonus point is not related to the card or the character but you, the cardsmith. (So be nice) 


    Rules and important notes
    - Firstly the obvious. Don't break the rules of the forum. 

    don't spam messages. Don't write multiple comments that are basically background noise, that don't achieve anything to a discussion, a question or similar. This is comments like "Ah" "Haha" "Screw you" "I like ice cream" and the like in repetition. If you write like this a few times is no big deal but try to avoid it. I have to backtrack through all comments later on and I appreciate if the noise is at a minimum. 
    Remember that you can always edit comments to add text if you want. 

    Respect the larger story, the world and its rules or at least leave it alone. It is quite difficult and very time consuming to make a story for this kind of contest. So i would like you all to keep yourself within the box of the story. Don't try to take over the world or start a war. The story will be separated into three parts, individual, small story and grand story. 

    * The individual story is the characters' background and individual story. (That does not affect anyone else's character from the established story)
    * The small story is the tournament and your playground with schemes, fights, rivalries, friendships and the like. This is the  main story for your characters to show their alignments, motivations and such.  
    I will sometimes write your characters into my own story-chapters as they are good catalysts and mediums for the stories. 

    * The grand story is the world and national and international politics and events which will affect the tournament. This will be controlled by me and happens outside of the tournament.

    By joining this tournament, you agree to let me take control over your characters and do with them as I see fit. I will also control how the fights are played and how larger parts of the story take part. So it is important that you give me some instruction about your character. Personality, motivations, abilities and such. This makes it easier for me to keep your characters true to their intended image. 


    Don't be afraid to make mistakes. We are here to have fun after all. 


    The deadline for the draft is Monday 20th of July. 


    Since so much is being changed in this tournament, I might have to update the rules and instructions later on. If you see something that is confusing, please ask me about it so I can clarify. 
  • edited July 2020

    Welcome to Avelaide! 



    Avelaide is a world that I use for a book project of mine as I hope one day it might become a real work. It is also used as the setting for the tournament of champions, though not with the exact same details as some things are completely different. 

    Some things will have changed in the description of the world from the earlier tournament, mostly names have changed. Most of what is true for the old tournaments is also true here when it comes to people, characters, politics etc.

    Avelaide is a world with dragons, beasts, kingdoms, knights, wizards and godlike guides (caretakers), but there is also abyssal monsters and a godlike destroyer, Septhis.  
    The story of the world will get more described later, if I got the time for it. 


    Now, earlier I mentioned that something would be completely different from earlier tournaments, well. 

    Welcome to Dormania (earlier called Stelladora)


    This time we won't be in Lisakdonia, and instead we have moved across the ocean to Dormania. Thus the reason and backstory for the tournament will be completely different. The grand story itself is very different since it takes part from a Dormanian perspective. 
    Also in the timeline, this tournament will take place about 20 or so years before tournament of champions 1. 

    Welcome to Vosanova and Kiserova


    The tournament will take place in the capital of Vosanova, Kiserova. 

    Vosanova is a kingdom located just between the great kingdoms of Gwendolyn to the south and Medirna to the north. Vosanova also shares a border with Helmova over the Ostana river. 

    Vosanova and Helmova are the last countries in Dormania, and the world, of the Ovan culture.
    Both of these countries are used as buffer states by both Gwendolyn and Medirna, to act as speed-bumps in the case of war. This results in neither of them actually being independent since almost everything they do have to serve that purpose or they risk military actions from Medirna or Gwendolyn, something that would be devastating for them.

    "Hosa Nova, Esi Ovan" - "Two homes, one us" (Two lands, one people)


    Kiserova is the only connection which Vosanova have to the great southern lake, making it a vital location for what trade is possible. However, not even the city is completely under Vosanova's control as forces of both Gwendolyn and Medirna are stationed within the city. 

    Having two large powers within the same city makes the atmosphere very worrying for the inhabitants and soldiers of all three kingdoms. Thus we come to the tournament. To ease up
    the tension and to distract unwanted eyes, Medirna and Gwendolyn is holding a tournament in the city. Vosanova does not have much to say in the decision even though it's technically their city, neither will any of their representatives be hosting the tournament.  

    Kiserova


    Finally, the city which hosts the tournament. 
    Kiserova is cramped into a rather narrow space between Medirna occupied land and Gwendolyn occupied land. 
    There are four appropriate locations that can be used as arenas, these being the arena itself, the prison dungeon, Kisla island and Estina forest.  
    They will be better described upon their first use. 


    Demographic
    Kiserova has a population of about 80 000 people.
    Where:
    45 % are Vosonovani
    21 % are Helmovani
    <1% are other Ovani people
    17 % are Gwendolynian
    13 % are Medirnian
    3 %  are of other categories.

    Appearances
    The Ovani people are easiest described as southern Slavic or Georgian (the country) in appearance. They have mostly black or brown hair but there is also a small amount of light brown hair.

    Gwendolyn is too large of a land to give them a single appearance but the majority of the people are different kinds of Hispanic. Black and brown hair is dominant. 

    Medirnian are mostly Slavic of most types. All colors of hair are common except natural red with is almost non-existent. There is however quite common with red-dyed hair among the Medirnian for cultural reasons. 

  • edited July 2020
    Background: Hidden purpose

    The day was still young when the orders came to once again march towards Kiserova's castle. Milo had been forced to eat his breakfast with haste once again to ensure he even got anything to eat before dusk. Other soldiers in his company had not been as lucky. While the marched up the old streets, some hungry soldiers would break the line and take food directly nearby stalls of the farmers who were left without pay. They just had to accept it. Milo had to move aside as Romeo almost forced his way back into line.   

    "Why is there always so much fish here in these stalls? Don't they sell anything else but damn stinking fish!?" Romeo mumbled. 

    "Can you shut up for once, Romeo? All you do is complain and complain." Said the soldier who walked just behind them. 

    Romeo turned around with an angry expression, but he stopped as he met the eyes of Robert, a strong and much more experienced soldier than Romeo. Robert gave Romeo an apple as he nodded forward to indicate Romeo to continue marching. Romeo turned back and remained silent as he took a bite of the apple. 

    Milo remained silent as his mind was filled with thoughts. Romeo could be kind but when stressed, his company was all but desired. Milo looked over the heads of the soldiers dressed in yellow, at the purple banners of Gwendolyn that were swinging back and forth in the wind. They had brought more banners this time. What was that about? Maybe this would finally be the day. He tried not to think about it and instead imagined that it was just another showoff. It had to be. 


    The soldiers marched further up until they came into the plaza just before the gates to the castle. Milo took a deep breath as he saw that the Medirnian soldiers had already appeared and now stood in formation with their black banners on the other side of the plaza. 
    Milo and the other soldiers took their formation, facing the medirnians. Milo had hoped to be placed in the second or third row but he placed in the front one, with only his shield as protection. He closed his eyes as he tried to calm himself. This would not be the day. He opened his eyes and saw the medirnian army again. They must be at least seven hundred of them, if not more. They held over thirty banners illustrating their royal dragon wearing the iron crown. Milo looked towards their own ranks and banners. The Gwendolynian army was about the same with the same number of banners, illustrating the golden dragon. 

    They stood there for half an hour but what felt like an eternity. Milo kept thinking that at any moment, of the officers would appear and declare the attack. He imagined how he would run forward and be pierced upon a spear or blade and then left on the ground, slowly bleeding to death. No such order ever came. Then suddenly, a couple of horns sounded. Milo and the rest of the soldiers from both armies stood straight and kept their head faced forward. 

    Milo was not allowed to move his head but he could see in the far right of his eyesight the generals of both armies approaching on horses, followed by the their respective lifeguard. 
    They rode past the two armies and towards the castle where a small number of Vosanovan guards opened the gates and let them inside. 

    For hours they stood there, waiting for the generals to come back. For hours they had to stand almost completely still.

    "Don't show yourselves weak before the Merdinians, or they will laugh at us all." A captain said. Romeo mumbled something about the captain being a prick and dumb ass.  Milo did not listen. Milo barely listened at all. He was busy with his stomach pain. He was clearly not the only one as he heard other soldiers also groaning lightly. Then the horns finally sounded again and the gates soon thereafter opened. The generals came back out with their lifeguard behind them. As they passed they soldiers, the captains gave order and the soldiers followed after the generals, finally going back to the headquarters. 


    The next day

    "A tournament, why? The people does not need it, do they even want it?" Milo said. 

    "It is not for the people. It is for something Gwendolyn and Miderna." Robert said. 

    "What else would that be? Why would they take fighters from around the world and beyond? What is so important?" Milo said.

    "Some think that it is just another power play, a conspiracy of some sort." said another soldier.

    "Yet another conspiracy rumor, because we don't have enough of those." Romeo said. 

    "I don't know about you but I think there could be something behind that. These are not just some ordinary fighters after all. Maybe they are to be used to put them or their back leg." Robert said.

    "Or us." Romeo said. 

    "I think it is quite nice, maybe we kind finally get a little calm if everyone is focusing on something else for once. Maybe this is the start of a true peace?" Milo said

    "You are dangerously naive, Milo." Said yet another soldier. 

    "I just want to hope for something. I want to believe that I'm not going to die in this good for nothing city." Milo said. 

    "None of us wants to die, Milo. We can only hope that this won't tournament won't lead us down to that end." Robert said. 



    As the weeks passed by, the city prepared itself to welcome those that will fight in the tournament of champions. 
  • edited July 2020
    Oh oh my gosh! I’m so happy! I still wish that Tournament of Champions 2 continued because I felt like Tai was doing pretty well. I’m totally ready :smile:.
  • Wait, can I join?
  • edited July 2020


    Introducing Lukaes Campbell! He's a normal human, but with this stone lodged in his head that has a very powerful person in it. Using this, he can teleport about 15 feet, and he can run for long times normally.
    (I'll pm you his full backstory, cause it does have some spoilers...)
  • @LordTachanka123 @Bowler218
    This tournament begins on Friday and the information will be given then. 
    Of course you can join but wait until then so you know the rules and restrictions. 


  • edited July 2020
    Oh, I was going off of last time's rules. Tenebris helped make sure the card fit into those rules when I was making it.
  • I'm in as well.
  • Hmm... Interesting. I'm not sure how well I will do with the art portion (finding similar art.) but I think I will enter.
  • The first time I failed miserably. But no matter.
    The second time I put up a good fight, but my opponent was yet better. But no matter.
    The third time was not the charm. But no matter.

    Now, I will throw my hat into the ring, and what a luxurious hat...
  • Let us avenge R5-T4.
  • YAYYYYYY!!! the second one just stopped... but at least there's another!
  • @Temurzoa I loved R5-T4’s story bits!
  • @shadow123, thanks a lot! I invested a lot into R5-T4. Wish I didn't have to drop the contest halfway through
  • Yeah. I was following the tournament of champions 1 all the way through! Yours and @KalamMekhar’s characters were my favorites.
  • edited July 2020
    Let the draft begin. 

    Also make sure to read the instructions and rules, everyone. They have changed since earlier tournaments. 

    If this is your first tournament, I recommend that you also go through earlier tournaments a little bit to get a hang of what it is all about. 
  • This sounds really FUN!  Thanks @Jonteman93 for doing this
  • edited July 2020
    @Jonteman93 when you say the signatures and companions "are limited to the same converted mana cost as the fighter", does that mean they have to cost the exact same, or do the signatures/companions just have to be equal to or less than 3 cmc?

    Also here's a guideline for create images with embedded links in the new system https://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/5083/posting-in-the-new-comment-box#latest
  • edited July 2020
    Hi, I never played RPG so I'm not very good at developing characters. I'm going to edit this post until the deadline, but I'm already going to advance the character (I've even separated the arts to evolve it XD)
    Inspirations: Monowhite Heroic Pauper (my favorite), Setessan Champion and a little bit Stoneforge Mystic.

    She easily masters ancient runes and masters a rune-forged sword by the elders. This combination allows you to invoke ancestral and nature powers.

    Edit 07/08: Since childhood, Aeryn has been a good handler in the art of runes. At that time she dreamed of becoming a cavalry knight, and trained a lot for that.
    The kingdom's cavalry has the greatest symbol as a magic sword, but it has not been handled for hundreds of years ... simply because it is not tamed. The sword rests beside an ancient throne in the center of the school of knights. This mysterious objective does not allow it to be embarrassed, expelling ancestral powers to ward off the brave few.
    Shortening the story, Aeryn once managed to own the sword, but that does not mean that the sword lets her make the decisions. Sometimes she rejects Aeryn by falling like stone on the floor. Many believe that something in Aeryn's powers made the sword less '' rebellious ''. These powers are common among children in the region, but not everyone can develop them.

    Aeryn was the first woman to join the kingdom's cavalry after years since the last woman took up any post.
      
    Promo Arts: :) (Promos have grammatical errors that I couldn't edit)
      
  • Man, do the cards have to be new?  I have a character who I still haven't been able to use in any rp because of issues with the thing not starting, and I don't want to waste them.  They are one of my overall favorite characters that I have made.
  • edited July 2020
    My entry into the tournament is this little guy, Graagord the Imperilling. His companion is his goblin girlfriend "Torchy Gorchi."

       

    Some background into Graagdord: he is the leader of a small tribe of very brave goblins, originally from Medirna.  This goblin tribe split off from most of their clan because they were tired of being treated as expendable, worthless, and dumb.  Graagdord is very clever (for a goblin) and he is actually a really good strategist and quite the charismatic leader.  His rise to power through the ranks of that clan (before ultimately he decided to leave them) was fueled by his fiery companion, Gorchi.  She is fiercely loyal (and madly in love with) Graagdord, and she is also quite a pyromaniac.  If Graagdord was unable to inspire someone with his words, Gorchi always seemed to be right behind him with a menacing look and a lit torch to punctuate Graagdord's sentences for him.  Graagdord even calls his girlfriend "Torchy Gorchi" as a term of endearment.

    Many people underestimate Graagdord and Gorchi, which is why his "Coward" ability extends to his other tribe members.  

    In MTG play, Graagdord makes a great Commander in EDH because he can turn all your Warriors in your Warrior tribal deck into unblockable powerhouses, even if he's the one attacking and then returning to the command zone, especially when Gorchi is on the board.

    Graagdord hates being called "Little" or "Cute" or "Dumb", but the reason he got the name "Graagdord, the Imperilling" is because when people call him "scared" or "coward" or "chicken", it enrages him, and sometimes makes him put himself and his tribe in peril.  Luckily, Torchy Gorchi is always there to kick-butt-and-take-names when this happens, and so far, Graagdord has had a great deal of success because of her (even when he gets a little angry).

  • 'This is comments like "Ah" "Haha" "Screw you" "I like ice cream"'

    "I like ice cream"

    *PTSD FLASHBACK ENSUES*
  • @SpellPiper2213

    Signature/companion cards are limited to the same maximum cmc, not the cmc of the fighter. So they can have a higher mana cost than the fighter has. 

    Thanks for the guide. 

    @DrakeGladis
    The cards can be old as long as they haven't appeared in any of the earlier tournament of champions. 

  • Could I, potentially, make a Legendary Vehicle as one of my fighters?
  • Backstory coming soon, but for now, meet Cranket.



    I mean, it's definitely broken, but it's a work in progress. Just really wanted to get the idea out.
  • Gustav Saintly Protector
    Gustav is the priest of his local church. his home city has been peaceful for hundreds of years, but recently many armies have been attempting to raid and take over his hometown. He has been able to assists the city's soldiers with his healing powers, and has been able to prevent many smaller invasions. But the attacking armies grow stronger, he and his city's strength has been slowly dwindling. Desperate to save his city, he has gone on a search for ancient power that can give him strength to ward off their enemies. No matter how dark the magic, he will do anything to save his city. But perhaps he may find more than he bargained for...
  • edited July 2020
    Brynn Protector Angel Protectors Blessing

    If she wasn't as empathetic as she is, the angel Brynn could have been just another face in an angelic order overlooking Teurona. However, she's begun to distance herself from the order's overarching schemes and protecting the inhabitants of a small region on the border between Gael and Medirna. Some of the other members of her order believe her focus on the smaller picture is compromising her, but Brynn disagrees. However, her participation in the tournament could be seen as a way to prove to her sisters that she isn't compromised.

    Brynn is mostly calm, serious, and focused, which makes her occasional dry quip surprising to those who don't know her well. She makes sure that no innocents are placed in harm's way if at all possible, which a few of her order have pointed out is one of her flaws. She keeps opinions about the other contestants, both on her team and off it, mostly to herself.

    Thanks to the circumstances surrounding the tournament and her two centuries of activity, Brynn is suspicious about the true nature of the contest. Because of that, she keeps on guard, making sure her suspicions aren't voiced too early. Still, she intends to win, or make sure a champion she favors makes it to the top. 
  • Ydoplus_of_Forduuath 
    Yes you can make a legendary vehicle since it will count as a signature card or a companion card. Veichles are a weird group but I don't see why they would not be allowed.
    They can however not be the main fighter since they are not legendary creatures as ordinary type.
This discussion has been closed.