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Self-Destruct **Circuit Challenge**
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Leaving the original in place so everyone can see how badly I screwed up.
OUTDATED (see updated version)
this one is also not an entry since I already made mine, but it is way too good and fitting not to send here haha
I'm going to give a feedback on each card! My English may be broken but here we go!
Yuriko’s Deception by Lastjustice
There are some wording/formatting mistakes in your entries, but I’m not going to mention them because I know you do that to make more room for texts lol
You can cast {x} mana 0/0 creatures for {0} from your graveyard many times, and get a bunch of etb/ltb triggers. But that’s not easy with the first ability that exiles your graveyard. So I’m ok with the possible broken synergies. My issue is, self-destruct ability looks unnecessary on this card. If you would want to activate the ability, that would be because you don’t want to lose life anymore. So you have very low life, no cards in hand. You probably lose the game no matter what.
God’s Tears by sanjaya666
This looks like a fair Moat. I can see this being played in defensive control decks with some mana rocks. Nice card.
Dead But Dreaming by TheWanderer
This seems like a very expensive Rise from the Grave. But the synergy with flicker effects would be fun! {b} feels more natural to me than {c}.
Astral Sphere by LastJustice
This doesn’t seem like a healthy card for any format. Creatures can attack you and deal damage, but you can draw cards and gain control of those creatures. That’s not a fair trade. I think this stops your opponent’s attack until you draw a win con or an opponent draws an enchantment removal. And most deck usually doesn’t have enchantment removal from main deck.
Shamanic Frenzy by LastJustice
I would make a deck with 4 copies of this and 56 lands, including as many utility lands as possible! XD
The effect is very powerful. The number of cards in your hand keeps increasing. I don’t think the last ability would be activated so often.
The Moonlight Harp by Sanjaya666
Interesting.. It seems like a good card for decks that put out creatures but still need some cards in hand.. That’s most of the decks lol. But since it has flash, it goes nicely into blue tempo decks or flash decks, I think.
I don’t think that activation cost is a good idea. To keep cards in hand, players would activate the self-destruct before the first ability(“At the beginning of..”) resolves. It requires the knowledge of the stack. That’s not very nice for beginner players.
Goblin Dentist by TommyNeko
For flavor reason, I don’t think a goblin should have indestructible and shroud, haha. But I can understand why you wanted to give those abilities to this card.
There are some wording mistakes, but the concept is fun!
The Tree of Eternity by Vert
I like the drawback part, and the cost of self-destruct ability. But I think other abilities are a little too good. In mono green, you can draw and ramp almost as much as you want. I really like the ideas, but I think the balance needs a little more work.
False Guardian by TenebrisNemo
I’m not a fan of control deck, but this is a little too good against control. If a 3 mana card dealt 4 damage, it’s already done enough job. But this card can deal 4 damage again unless the opponent pays {2}.
Prismatic Badlands by MEGAElixer
It’s an interesting idea. But I think this is a little OP. 5 color land that enters untapped is really good. Losing a land is painful, but opponent pays {4}, so I don’t think you’ll get that behind.
Soules Will by Credius
Probably a little too good.. It’s a 5 mana that mills 30 cards and let them pay {5}.
Wait for Retribution by TenebrisNemo
Drawing 2 cards is a bit too much for a 2 drop. You can regain card advantage too easily, and the activation cost of self-destruct is very cheap too. Life gain is also powerful. For an aggro deck, opponent gaining at least 2 life each turn is like losing a creature. The life gain part of this card is already 1-for-1. After they put out many creatures, you can destroy this enchantment and wipe the board.
Mirror Maze by DeepSky
-->1st Place
The Eye of The Storm by DeepSky
Very fun concept, but it seems a little weak. It costs 4 mana, and it doesn’t make impact to the board immediately, and it has a risk that opponents gain more benefit from it.
Lava Falls by DeepSky
I like what you did to prevent abusing it with top manipulation effect, but shuffling your library every time you tap it feels a little too busy. Land is the first permanent that is played, so I don’t think there should be such a complicated actions just to add mana. That being said, I think the idea is very fun. Another issue is, the self-destruct ability feels a little sad. You activate it because you don’t want to lose life. Your life is low, and you lose 2 lands. I don’t think you are going to win the game.
Cursed Henge Walker by Revan
That is OP. 2 mana 2/2 that doesn’t die in combat is already a good card. 2nd ability should make it cost at least 5. I don’t think players would want to sacrifice such a good creature for 4 mana.
Hex of Farendor by Mantis17
I don’t think it needs to have indestructible. And the self-destruct could just say “destroy”.
Black cards usually kills small creatures, so maybe it should say “least” instead of “greatest”? But there’s no problem with how the card works, and I would be very interested in building a deck with this card.
Archon Enforcer by Xero0
I can see that you wanted to make a powerful creature, but this is a little too pushed. Protection is the most problematic thing in this design. Check out Shalai, Voice of Plenty.
Executive Privileges by Yururu
Interesting, but it’s a little hard to understand..So if there’s only one opponent, you always choose fraud, and the opponent chooses friction, you draw a card and no one loses life? I’m not sure if “other than the voter” works because each player is a voter.
I don’t know why there are so many clauses in the last ability.
I really like the idea though. It forces opponents difficult decisions.
Earthforged Excutioner by Xero0
The middle part should say -
Lands you control have hexproof, “This land doesn’t untap during your untap step”, and “Whenever this land becomes tapped, you lose 1 life and add one mana of any color.”
It’s a cool card but seems very complicated and a little OP. So I would remove two or three keywords to simplify it and nerf the card power.
Summon the Ghoul by Fantastickill7
The first ability is too good. It should be limited to only nontoken creatures you control. You wouldn’t want to sacrifice such a good draw engine to create a */* token that can be stopped by 1/1.
Mask of Sacrifice by Xero0
It’s a little too complicated, but seems useful. I don’t know if you are aware of this, but you lose mana as phase/step ends. So adding mana during upkeep doesn’t do so much.
Mask Decree by Faiths_Guide
-->Honorable mention
Prismatic Ascent by shadow123
-->Honorable mention
Downpour by Credius
I think the first ability itself should cost at least 5 mana. It slows down aggressive decks, and if you have a permanent that can tap opponent’s creatures, that’s an easy lock out combo. The 2nd ability is also very dangerous. There are many creatures with good {t} abilities. The last ability is activated when you have win con on board, so losing half your life wouldn’t be a problem.
“You and other permanents you control have hexproof” is too good for a 1 mana enchantment. That makes all opponent’s removals useless. And “Creatures you control can’t attack” isn’t a drawback at all if your win con is noncreature cards, such as planeswalker’s ultimate.
Endemic Orb by Faiths_Guide
It is cool, and balance seems fair. But that’s not a kind of design I wanted to see in this contest. If you only destroy that permanent for ltb trigger, it’s more simple if it said “{6}, Sacrifice Endemic Orb: Destroy all nonland permanents.” I wanted self-destruct ability to be a way to get rid of the permanent when you don’t want it. Not a way to get other effects.
Sworn-Pale Knight by TenebrisNemo
Another control deck slayer from you! XD Good, good, I can feel your hatred against control. I don’t think 2 mana 2/2 indestructible is that unfair. My issue with this card is; why would you exile it when you can simply choose not to attack/block with it.
The Ring of Power by Fantastickill7
That’s not a kind of design that I wanted to see. You didn’t use colon in the activated abilities, but it looks like Exiling that card is part of the cost. I wanted self-destruct ability to be a way to get rid of it when you don’t want it. Not a way to get other effects.
Bloodletting by Je_Suis_Oluwa
This looks like a card for an aggressive deck, but I think it’s a little slow. However, this would be a bane of existence for control deck players. Enchantment is not easy to deal with, and they don’t go for your life until they have everything under control.
Quaint Village by zamshala
I don’t think the last ability makes this card fair. It’s not easy for opponents to put out five creatures. If you play this card, your deck would probably have removal spells.
Spell-Dodger Initiate by zamshala
You didn’t read the rule lol.
The card is cool though. I feel like it should be blue and red.
Final Fiendish Favor by zamshala
I wasn’t looking for a card that self-destruct is a cost for other effect. But this card isn’t bad. You are good at wording too. Nice works.
Sword of Heroes by Fantastickill7
6 mana is a little too expensive for what it does. Cool idea though!
True Fear by Credius
So do you need to count the number of spells and abilities that target you or your permanents? That’s not a very realistic design. It could have use counters, but still I don’t think the idea worth that much effort. It could have been more simple with the keyword hexproof. For example, “You and permanents you control have hexproof. Any player may pay 5 life for that player to ignore this effect until end of turn.”
Watchful Eye by Mantis17
I think the first text can just say “Prevent all damage.”
Maybe eight counters are too few? It’s insta win if you have eight damage source.
Ichorous Lotus by theran_baggins
I think the updated version is way too good. It’s a one sided Heartbeat Spring. I know you lose 1 life for each additional mana, but you get mana to cast removals and blockers to save your life, or win the game quickly.
Genos City by Tommia
I don’t know why it needs to destroy itself. It doesn’t have any abilities that troubles you that makes you want to get rid of it.
Ninjutsu Approach by shadow123
Losing 1 life isn’t painful at all if you can draw a card. The card you draw may be a creature. Then it can block a creature. It saves your life. Or it may be a removal. It can kill an attacker. It saves your life. Or it may be a life gain card. It saves your life. You never pay 5 life to destroy that draw engine. Cool art btw.
Burning Memories by shadow123
I’m beginning to think you are either underestimating the power of card draw, or having too many land cards in your deck lol. Exchanging a card draw for only 1 damage is a bad idea. Imagine this card was Lightning Strike. This card takes three turns to deal 3 damage. Lightning Strike does it instantly.
It could be interesting if you have a draw engine like Ninjutsu Approach, but still you are likely to exchange Shock with 1 damage.
Well of Bones by Teacup
-->2nd Place
Voracious Fiend by Faiths_Guide
Simple and flavorful card. It would have been more useful if you could activate that ability as well. But the card looks fine as it is.
Soul of Etherium by WickedShadow196
It will be killed immediately. It’s a value generator, so opponent wouldn’t hesitate to pay 2 or 4 life. Also if you use hybrid mana, you need to be careful about the color pie. There’s no “return creature cards from GY” effect in blue, so this is a color pie break.
Sun-Bright Plains by WickedShadow196
This card will be also immediately destroyed most of the time.
Kalmia the Survivor by WickedShadow196
Balance and wording need a little more work, but the first ability is interesting.
Mambu, Primal Recluse by sorinjace
-->Honorable mention
Tendrils of Annihilation by Fallen_Lord_Vulganos
Decisions you must make are agonizing. I love it! I think it should say “sacrifice another permanent” though. Otherwise you can choose to sacrifice it, without paying half your life.
Bind with Silk by bnew07
-->3rd Place
Goblin Time Bomb by bnew07
Good sideboard card for against control, because control decks don’t run enough creatures to dismantle this bomb.
Swordbound Stone by bnew07
This is one of the cards that was formatted this way because of the rules, but could have been “[Cost], Sacrifice ___: (Effect..)”. This is a cool card, but self-destruct as a way to trigger ltb effect is not a kind of design I was looking for.
High City by sorinjace
Sacrificing in the cost doesn’t meet the rule, but nice card. I would make the activation cost a little more expensive. And change {1} to {c}.
Blood of the Sun’s Zenith by sorinjace
The wording is unclear. So you want the token to be a noncreature artifact? Or “create a token that’s a copy of target creature, except it’s an artifact in addition to its other types.”?
Bookish Animation by theran_baggins
Very fun idea! But I think this is a bit too powerful. I think it should manifest only one card.
Prismatic Ascent by @shadow123
I feel like there are some ways to break this. Such as Cavalcade of Calamity. But unique idea!
Mambu, Primal Recluse by @sorinjace
I remember that I explained to you the importance of cast trigger, etb or ltb trigger on big creatures several times.. and look! This big monkey has death trigger! Hooray! Deathtouch on 9/9 is pointless and self-destruct on this guy is just a way to get the death trigger. But it feels fine because that death trigger is there not only because the card must have self-destruct, but also because it’s a 12 drop.
(Edit)
Deathtouch matters if it has trample.
Mask Decree by @Faiths_Guide
It makes me want to build a morph deck, but it also good when you play a slow deck against an aggro deck. Simple and strategic! My only concern is the potential lock out combo(This+Winter Orb, etc). But I think WotC will no longer print such a powerful prison card. This would be a fun idea for a set with morph mechanic!
3rd Place!
Bind with Silk by @bnew07
Simple and nice idea for 1 drop Arrest!
2nd Place!!
Well of Bones by @Teacup
Very fun multiplayer card. I like that it doesn’t say “target creature card” so that no one can exile that card from the graveyard in response. It feels a bit color weighted, but that may be a good idea because it's difficult to play this in early game with blue mill cards.
1st Place!!!
Mirror Maze by @DeepSky
Such a flavorful and fun card! I like that it says “exile a spell”, not “counter a spell”, so that you can’t abuse Banefire. I agree with every number you chose on this card to make things fair. Considering the number of coins, there’s a risk that all of your spells are poofed. But you might be able to kill three birds with one stone too. And if there’s a target that you must not miss, you destroy this permanent. Beautifully done!
Congrats to other winners and mentionables!
Thanks for participating! I really enjoyed your cards!
Looking back on it now, black probably would have made more sense than colorless... I was trying a more top-down approach to designing a card, which may not have been the best idea for a contest like this. It was a fun card to make, regardless, so thanks for creating the contest!