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Mechanic Mix-Match Challenge [Challenge Over, Congrats @TenebrisNemo]
Mix-match cards are cards that match two or more different non-evergreen keyword mechanics (an evergreen mechanic is one, like flying or hexproof, that's in basically every set) such that they combine in an interesting way. Often they are confined to Future Sight-style sets, but they have been known to appear in Standard sets once in a while. The mechanics have to be from existing Magic cards. Examples:
Submit one. Exactly one. New or old is fine. Got it? Good. Go. Deadline is October 3rd.
Submit one. Exactly one. New or old is fine. Got it? Good. Go. Deadline is October 3rd.
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Comments
So here's some explanation before anyone goes berserk. Yes I know hexproof sort of made shroud obsolete, but I think it fits better flavor-wise. Second, yes I know there technically are no black cards with shroud, but somehow I find that odd given the fact how well it fits with the whole 'shrouded in darkness|mystery many of the black cards seem to portray. With that said, enjoy.
I'll drop an entry here asap.
might be a bit OP in hindsight, but not giving it any target-proof abilities might even it out a bit
EDIT: fixed a typo and the border, inplemented selesnya watermark for full ravnica feel
(These are real cards)
I made this card back when Wizards were experimenting with having black deal damage to its player instead of directly causing them to lose life.
I tried to combine all three guild mechanics. I think it turned up pretty fun. I could do the other guilds as well now that I think about it...
@Credius: Hob-gob Headhunter (threshold, madness) and Valari, Guardian of Fauna (support, proliferate, populate) - *please pick one* as you are limited to one submission
@TemurGideon: Magma Cascade (ferocious, formidable)
@Faiths_Guide: Diabolic Priest (affinity, devotion)
@sorinjace: With Wings We Rise (splice, storm, populate)
@stormbreath: Angel's Entreaty (radiance, fateful hour)
@Fallen_Lord_Vulganos: Wild Hunt (adamant, cascade)
@TenebrisNemo: Bloodbound Crusher (tribute, undying)
@Yesterday: Essence Gorger (delirium, threshold)
@Flameice2: Night Terror (afterlife, devour, undying)
@CnBCustoms: Peel Away (morph, buyback) - my policy with cards where I don't know if they work in the rules is, to be fair, that they do
@ThePhantomJoker: Boros Warlock (radiance, battallion, mentor), The Perfect Mutation (graft, evolve, adapt), Champion of a Dubious Pact (unleash, riot) - *please pick one* as you are limited to one submission
I am a bit disappointed no one submitted a card with 4+ mechanics. My own card Steamflogger Sliver was fun.
Credius: Hob-gob Headhunter (threshold, madness)
TemurGideon: Magma Cascade (ferocious, formidable)
Faiths_Guide: Diabolic Priest (affinity, devotion)
sorinjace: With Wings We Rise (splice, storm, populate)
stormbreath: Angel's Entreaty (radiance, fateful hour)
Fallen_Lord_Vulganos: Wild Hunt (adamant, cascade)
TenebrisNemo: Bloodbound Crusher (tribute, undying)
Yesterday: Essence Gorger (delirium, threshold)
Flameice2: Night Terror (afterlife, devour, undying)
CnBCustoms: Peel Away (morph, buyback)
ThePhantomJoker: Boros Warlock (radiance, battallion, mentor)
Quick note: in the instructions, I suggested that the mechanics should combine "in an interesting way." That means, they're more than just multiple mechanics thrown onto a card. The top 5 is essentially filled with the submissions that I thought fulfilled this criterion (the interesting-way test) best, the top 4 especially, but if you failed this criterion, doesn't mean your card is a bad design, just not exactly a mix-match design.
MDOHs (Mentions Dishonorable or Honorable) - *in no particular order*
MDOH. @Credius: Hob-gob Headhunter (threshold, madness)
I very much appreciate the use of shroud here. I think the flavorful ramifications make sense, and it doesn't undercut black's fatal weakness. (Probably if this was published now, it would write out shroud, which fits, though I like it keyworded fwiw.) The flavor package in general is nice. What I don't get is the interaction between the abilities - madnessing it doesn't help you hit threshold at all, so you've failed the interesting-way test.
MDOH. @TemurGideon: Magma Cascade (ferocious, formidable)
This sort of passes the interesting-way test, in that you're likely to get ferocious and formidable in the same sort of deck, so it creates two interesting mini-challenges - the feel in general is good, I would say. I would appreciate flavor text here, though. You've got room. Another criticism is that trample on noncreatures is a silver-bordered ability for a reason (trample requires combat damage to work). But fix those minor issues, and this is probably top-5 material.
MDOH. @Flameice2: Night Terror (afterlife, devour, undying)
If this is supposed to be a puzzle, I can't figure out the answer. I feel like you just took a card and threw enchantment and flying and deathtouch and afterlife and devour and undying and the exile hate clause on the card. If you were going for some sort of Akroma-type card, this could work, though I would remove enchantment creature and try to cull it down a bit. But this doesn't really pass the interesting-way test, though it looks balanced and well-developed, I think.
MDOH. @Fallen_Lord_Vulganos: Wild Hunt (adamant, cascade)
I applaud the templating you used, which makes the card crystal-clear and fits with existing Magic cards. However, adamant and cascade don't really synergize (interesting-way test), they're just two abilities that can go on spells. The damage ability also increases the randomness. I think if the first ability was simpler then this could be a cool card in a set with both adamant and cascade.
MDOH. @stormbreath: Angel's Entreaty (radiance, fateful hour)
The abilities combine neatly, though this is sort of your standard use of the relevant abilities, so partial credit on the interesting-way test. That said, it's a nice design, and a great fit in a set with both of these two abilities. I would put it in my deck. Two issues, though - if you have fateful hour and are playing with the same color as your opponent, you can end up destroying your own creatures. Also, the template is a bit off on the final ability, it's closer to "you gain 1 life for each of those creatures." I do like where it's going.
MDOH. @ThePhantomJoker: Boros Warlock (radiance, battalion, mentor)
Boros Warlock because it passes the interesting-way test with flying colors: you make battalion tokens, mentor them, and buff them up with radiance. The Boros feel also comes through clearly. I do think it needs a significant amount of tweaking, however. (Wizard is misspelled, templates are off with radiance primarily, and I'm not sure the rules allow you to mentor the battalioned tokens, though again, I assume the rules do work.) So it has big flaws, but big strengths.
The Top Five
5. @Yesterday: Essence Gorger (delirium, threshold)
Fifth place was super close, but eventually I did decide on Essence Gorger. This is a very interesting design, in a good way. There's a subchallenge here where you want four card types but only seven cards, so it would appeal to J[e/oh]nnies who enjoy fulfilling creative requirements. However, I'm not sure it would be fun for the rest of the audience, since the abilities have conflicting goals. So I'm totally not sure what to think, or if there's a concrete way to improve that, but it does radiate that feeling. Interesting-way test is a pass.
4. @CnBCustoms: Peel Away (morph, buyback)
This is a very interesting and spicy card. (Certainly interesting-way test.) I especially like how the buyback enables you to replay it as a morph, either because you don't have quadruple-black or because you want the creature. I do think this should be "target player" instead of "each opponent" for multiplayer, and that you probably don't need quadruple-black, but those are a bit technical and this is a fascinating combination of effects that would lead to unique gameplay.
3. @sorinjace: With Wings We Rise (splice, storm, populate)
This is the exact type of card I would love to play with. I enjoy those big moments when you all of the sudden have ten Angel tokens for a total of 40 power in one turn - and this looks to enable it. It doesn't seem overpowered to me as storm is banned in formats where it's problematic, and this would only be competitive in Commander where the six-mana price tag is affordable. Anyway, a great combination of mechanics that I certainly consider to be a pass on the interesting-way test.
2. @Faiths_Guide: Diabolic Priest (affinity, devotion)
Affinity for devotion seems like more than a cool one-off: while I'm not sure exactly how much design space it has, it seems like you could make it a set thing, though I do worry it might be a bit overpowered like normal affinity. Though as a cool one-off, it would certainly pass the interesting-way test. But anyway, at least this card doesn't seem too broken. It would be a fun card anyway, and fit perfectly in my K'rrik commander deck. Anything that feels like a foundation for a mechanic would get first place in my books, except...
1. @TenebrisNemo: Bloodbound Crusher (tribute, undying)
When I read Bloodbound Crusher, at first I didn't realize why anyone would pay tribute. Then I remembered what undying did. That "aha" moment is precisely what I was looking for when I created this challenge, the theoretical maximum on the interesting-way test. I wasn't sure such a card existed. But now I know it does. So thanks for showing this to us all, and I'm happy to award you first place.
Thanks to everyone who submitted!
Congrats other @Winners and @Mentionables.
@sorinjace The prize is happiness...