The leader of the Tannarian Society is the rakshasa Ataar. Ensuring that his true form is hidden behind several illusions, he uses his connections and the Society to wring out secrets hidden within books in order to gain more political power in Targai and the surrounding region. A master manipulator, he looks for intellect more than moral strength in possible members, doing his best to create the most persuasive invitation to the Society.
The library where the Society most frequents is large, and many of the books within its walls are either antiques or hidden away by the government. As such, the collection is watched closely, and accepts all newcomers as long as they give back to the library.
The Heroreapers are back at it again with a new bunch of cards to make white playable in commander once more. Rendal, the Scythebearer is the official leader of the Heroreaper, but he's a bit different from the peaceful priest-like wanderers. He is the second son of a wealthy noble, the first son being Darfel (mentioned on the card). Rendal originally wanted to help the common people who were being a bit opressed by the fellow nobles. But this love for the people soon shifted to a hatred against the other nobles, and the Scythe didn't help either. Speaking of the Scythe... Rendal's Scythe is a strange weapon of unknown origin. Rendal started using it soon after his departure from his family, but it is unknow as from where he'd gotten it. The Scythe serves as a symbol - as I've said, many of the Heroreapers use scythes and sickles, which are representant of their affinity for commoners. But this Scythe, while looking the same on the surface, is quite different in reality... (haha, let's build up some mystery) Heroreaper's Mount is here to tick of two of the bonus objectives - X cost and being a cow. This is the kind of mount that many of the wandering Heroreapers use instead of horses, who are expensive and associated with the obnoxious nobility. Celebration of Heores is the festival that takes place once each year and celebrates all of the new Heroes that were reaped that year. Other Heroes are remembered in this festival for sacrificing themselves for the people.
(Bonuses: Archenemy mentioned - Rendal; another color - The Scythe; non-human and X cost - Mount; celebration - Celebration of Heroes. I did everything rhis time!)
Additional challenges I'm checking off here are: Named Adversary (Night Mother Elise), Color Identity (Multiple uses of blue this week), Special Calendar event (depicted by Fullmoon Rite), X cost (Fullmoon Rite).
I'll probably update this later with some lore, too many distractions right now to write it out.
1. Taharqa, Dread Polymath - Officially the High-Scholarch of the House of the Two-Moons, Taharqa is a well known man across the Vale of Raqqad, and a prominent voice in the city of Vargshapat. As the curator, protector, and director of the vast Monastic Librariums available to The House, his decrees carry lasting weight in city, and region-wide policy. Few however know the extant of his role behind close doors. Taharqa is the direct hand of Vahimgar, the House’s secret benefactor/idol. As such, he is ever seeking to expand his control and influence in order to fulfill Vahimgar’s will. (First prompt)
2.The Chronicles of Arzhang - Deep within the recesses of shadowed corridors lies a chest. Within the chest, the most holy of all relics belonging to the House of the Two Moons. The Chronicles of Arzhang, an ancient scroll recounting the life and deeds of the House’s founder. Most importantly however, the document functions as a contract between the house, and its most reclusive member, Vahimgar. Through Vahimgar’s power, the document itself infuses all the deeds of the House with a most sinister prescience. (Second prompt, ‘X’ bonus)
3. Venerated Adjudicator - The mighty Lamassu have acted as high-judges within the city of Vargshapat since time immemorial. Reputedly they are an independent body of judiciary, but they have long been under the influence and under the employ of the House. (Non-Human Bonus)
4. Sinister Supplication - The Days of Yerval (flavor text) is a week long festival celebrating the harvest and the waning of the year. However the celebration has especial significance to Two-Mooners, as the festival also coincides with the height of Vahimgar’s power. Much of the week is spent in solemn prayer as offerings are made and spells are woven. Many, suspect there is something afoot when many of the cities most prominent dignitaries are conspicuously absent from the public festivities, but no speculation will reveal the true purpose of the Houses “holiday.” (Holiday bonus)
5. Yarmuq Mystic - The Yarmuq are a nomadic people who believe in utter simplicity. They have a decidedly anti-intellectual streak and shun any practice that is not utterly in alignment with nature. They particularly abhor divination as they see it as an affront to the will of the earth itself. For these reasons they have often actively sought to undermine the House’s research efforts in more remote ares of the Vale of Raqqad. A true thorn in the backside, these guys. (Enemy bonus, other color bonus)
This week, the Bitter Sisters display their love for chaos and gingerly sow discord at the court.
Meet Lady Melile of Paliano, the founder of the Bitter Sisters. She's often seen at parties with her pet snake, which is always a delightful conversation starter. "Why, yes, of course you can pet her! Her name is Earl Grey. Did you know snake venom is used both in the making of poisons AND antidotes ?"
This card is meant to satisfy prompt #1 (a legendary creature that leads the masses) and bonus objective #2 (dog person or sliver person).
The Bitter Sisters are the keeper of this priceless diadem made of tantalite. It's so beautiful everyone seems to lose their mind whenever Lady Melile wears it at the ball. Really, it's almost like magic was involved.
This card is meant to satisfy prompt #2 (a priceless relic).
Finally, here's a very important celebration day for the Bitter Sisters. Officially, it's called "the Grape Harvest Ball" but everyone is usually so drunk that it's the best single day of each year to spread some nasty rumours all around so they call it "the Gossip Ball".
This card is meant to satisfy bonus objective #1 (they're just jealous) as the flavour text references the evil book club of the Illumination Sorority, the sworn ennemies of the Bitter Sisters. It also satisfies bonus objectives #3 (What's a colour Identity), #4 (Mondays suck), and #5 (This club is rated XXX).
Hi all! We're coming into the last 24 hours for week 2's judging. Remember if you enter late you can still tick off the bonus points, you just won't be in the running for the week's top 3.
Tagging those from week 1 I haven't seen for week 2 yet: @MemoryHead, @Jadefire.
@TheRacingTurtle I guess I'm just going to do a quick comment to state that I'm aware, and thanks for the reminder of differing time zones. I'm actually just trying to hammer out the final card (and then also deal with Cardsmith variants, but that's besides the point) right now.
Since this is my late evening, chances are they'll be done and up by your later-today / my tomorrow.
The Innovation's members are led by (or are at least most likely to listen to) a small group known unofficially as the nicknamed. They're chosen by the group as a whole from among their own ranks, and given nicknames intended to really encompass who or what they are. One of them is Augusta "Ironfist" Torr, who asserts that nothing's so great that it shouldn't be melted down and reworked into something better.
On the subject of the nicknamed, the choosing of their names tends to be a major event. The decision to bestow a new nickname is rare, and the Innovation's members gather whenever it's made so that they can take part in choosing what the name should actually be.
The rule of nicknaming has one exception, though. The so-called Veska Noname almost always works anonymously, and doesn't bother to disguise their disinterest in the Innovation as anything more than a testing bed for concepts. Regardless, everything they make seems to be a groundbreaking new idea, and the Innovation's more than happy with being a test-bed so long as it gets them glimpses of Veska's creations.
And finally, pieces of work by of a few of the other nicknamed. Indigo "Mellow" Makai's place in the Innovation is something like a moral compass. She firmly believes in the idea that machines and progress should make the world a better place for everyone, and is a constant, calm reminder to the rest of the Innovation's members that life might be better if they believed it too.
Lirul “Symbiont” Lemar is best known for his work integrating complex machinery with living matter, and for keeping a vast sealed garden where the air is so thick with chemicals that it burns skin and visibly corrodes steel. He and his creations seem to thrive there, though, and he has a remarkable talent for collaboration.
Since some of the objectives might not be immediately obvious here, I'm going to list them. Augusta is a leader-figure. Mainframe Mimic, and pretty much any design by Veska, is the closest the Innovation get to a venerated relic. Mention of the Enforcers (an adversary group) and their beliefs in preserving the past exist on Adorable Stray // Adaptable Prowler, as does a representation of an animal in the Innovation. Copper Caretaker // Integrated Automaton is green, a color I haven't used so far. Naming Ceremony represents a special event and uses X in its cost.
I am awarding this week's top entries to: 1st . @Rayne-Lord and House of Two-Moons (7pts) 2nd. @Red_Tower and The Silverblade Order (5 pts) 3rd. @Spel@SpellPiper2213 and The Tannarian Society (3 pts)
Leaderboard
Rayne-Lord – House of the Two-Moons
19
MemoryHead – The Innovation
17
ningyounk – The Bitter Sisters
13
ThePhantomJoker – The Heroreapers
10
AboveAndAbout -Krelli
10
Red_Tower – The Silverblade Order
8
TheDukeOfPork – Unjay Cult
6
SpellPiper2213 – The Tannarian Society
6
If you have any questions or want me to clarify where your points have been awarded, please feel free to message me and I shall consult the mighty spreadsheet. Unfortunately our friend Jadefire has had to pull of the competition for now, The Oniko Clan shall be remembered as fearsome competitors!
Due Date: Sunday 21st February 2021 (I'll be judging it Monday morning here in good ol' Australia). The next week's challenges will be posted after that.
Prompt 1: Your enlightened plan/insidious scheme What grand and terrible things has your cult set in motion? Are you building towards summoning an eldritch horror? Planning to dissolve the senate to form the first galactic empire? Scheming to get all of the puppies adopted from the local shelter?
Prompt 2: A former cult member who was outcast, escaped, or otherwise left the organisation Did they come to their senses? Break a wicked enchantment? Disagree with the tea choice for the biscuit selection and lead a rebellious sect? Show me someone who got out, though whether they remain out for long remains to be seen...
Bonus Objectives (For each one you manage to tick among your cards, you score a point!) -Gotta count em' all! - One of your cards utilises a counter other than +1/+1, -1/-1, or loyalty counters.
-Third time's the charm. One of your cards has a choice of three or more modes/effects.
-A performance fit for a king! One of your cards includes a song name in the title, by either "The King" Elvis Presley, the band Queen, or the artist Prince. Definitely point this one out for me so I can hit up Google to check.
-I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids! One of your cards shows or references an encounter your cult has had with a real life Magic planeswalker (please pick one that has an actual MtG planeswalker card).
-An exercise in narcissism. One of your entries uses one of the below mechanics of my creation:
Beserk (Whenever this creature attacks, put a rage counter on it. At the beginning of your end step, if this creature did not attack this turn, remove all rage counters from it.) | https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/madblood-clan-cleaver
Enthrall (Whenever a creature an opponent controls would die, if it was dealt damage by a source you control with enthrall this turn, instead you may put a thrall counter on that creature and gain control of it. For as long as that creature has a thrall counter on it, it can't attack or block and it loses all abilities.) |https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/quickleash-thorns
Levy: COST (Place or remove a levy counter on/from this card. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery. As long as this card does not has a levy counter on it, it is a colourless BASIC LAND TYPE land with this ability) |https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/able-bodied-farmer
Pillage — Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to an opponent, if that player has a CARD TYPE in their graveyard, EFFECT. If they do not, they mill one card. | https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/rakgnor-ironteeth
I'm curious to know what you liked and didn't like about the entries. I know it's a lot of work to comment about every card of every entry but even if you just wrote a couple line about the top 3 I think it would really help everyone to know what are the things you value the highest. Everyone has a different style of judging and I can't really find a pattern when looking at your top 3 so I'd be interested to know a little bit
__
In the spirit of practicing what you preach, here's my own short personal feedback on everyone's cult so far, to bring some interaction within the contest and avoid having a cycle of "prompts > entries > scoreboard > repeat" that would feel a bit dry:
AboveAndAbout -Krelli
I like the mechanical idea of transforming your opponent's creatures into zombies, it's very flavourful. I find the Pact mechanic a bit confusing and the price to pay usually doesn't seem worth it (sacrificing creatures, discarding cards) past the first debt counter. I'd recommand using life in 99% of cases as it's a much more affordable ressource. For your future entries, I'm curious to see if you've got more cards that punish the opponent for having zombies and cards that can utilise/remove debt counters ^^
Rayne-Lord – House of the Two-Moons
I like that you planted multiple elements to define the cult. There's the middle-east flavour, the human tribal aspect, the ordain mechanic, the activated abilities tribal, the scry-matters aspect, etc. I think you've done a good job at keeping the mechanical feel cohesive despite the many mechanical themes you've introduced thanks to a decisively controlling focus in the rewards each theme offers. In your next entries, I'm looking forward the most to how you're going to give depths to the mechanical themes you've introduced so far, and how they're going to interact.
ThePhantomJoker – The Heroreapers
There are a lot of very elegant mechanical ideas in your cards, I am fond of this idea of floating white mana from combat events into the second main phase. I also like the intense mechanical flavour through the use of the greater power theme, the food, the nobles, the scythes, etc. Overall, your cards feel quite realistic and you'd probably be in my personal top 3. In your next entries, I'm especially curious to see how you're going to deal with prompts that call for more expensive flashy cards as your cards have been mostly cheap and efficient so far.
TheDukeOfPork – Unjay Cult
I'm getting strong Jeskai vibes form Tarkir (you even used some existing Jeskai art) with this cult so it's a good thing you branched out into green, I think ^^ You went from some really out-of-the-box mechanics here with level up, Divergence, etc. It's a bit all over the place mechanically but it's quite fun to read x) My main advice for your future entries would be: look into Magic Set Editor to template your cards that require special card frames as a good presentation always reinforce the appeal of your concepts, and I would be interested to see a main mechanical theme emerge from the cult. Is it level up? Death triggers?
SpellPiper2213 – The Tannarian Society
I like the originality of the colour combination and scholar theme, it feels calm and secretive. You went for minimalistic cards that give space to more flavour text, which is quite original and makes sense in the context of this contest. While the cards on the first weeks felt a bit like functional reprints of core set cards, I like that the cards from the second week start to hint at a ressource management theme mechanically. The thing I'm looking forward the most with your cult is a hint at what kind of secrets they're holding, you've taken the time to establish a flavourful feel and I'm interesting to see if you have a pay-off in mind ^^
MemoryHead – The Innovation
The combination of an artifact theme and transform mechanic gives an immediate mad scientific flare to the cult, which is great. The mechanised illustrations on the verso of the cards are also particularly flavourful. The idea of the scrap tokens is quite bold but you've used it in a very elegant way so far ^^ You've got an interesting mechanical theme going on, and your cards are always realistic and templated impeccably so I'm mostly looking forward deeper variations of the same themes in your next entries. You'd probably have been in my personal top 3 for week 2 as well.
Red_Tower – The Silverblade Order
I like the idea of transposing the vampire hunter tropes into a cult that's mechanically defined by being the opposite of vampires. Those effects would be too niche for a Standard MTG set but it makes for very flavourful and unique designs. I like that you started to expand on the themes of the cult from a flavour perspective in the second week, so for your next entries I'm mostly waiting to see how you're going to expand the mechanical aspect of the cult in the same way ^^
@ningyounk Thank you so much! Not only for the feedback on my own cult (which was very motivating and heart-warming, I'm so greatful ^^), but for the time you took to go over each participant's cult and give such lovely feedback. It is super appreciated!
If you're ever interested in giving it a go, here's how to use MSE to make your level up frames (I think you can use modal double-faced cards or split cards for divergent, it's probably the easiest option):
1) Download Magic Set Editor 2 here: https://magicseteditor.boards.net/page/downloads 2) Download and install the Magic fonts (it takes 10 seconds once it's downloaded, just select all fonts, right-click, install) from the "Fonts for Magic Templates" link on this page (use ctrl+F in your browser to find it easily, it's almost at the top): http://msetemps.sourceforge.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=144 3) On the same page, search (ctrl+F) for the additional templates "Magic - Custom M15 Styles", which contains the "M15 Leveler" frame you'd be needing (you have to install the whole package it has a bunch of other frames in there). You need to download this zip file inside the Magic Set Editor 2 file in "data" and unzip it. There's an FAQ at the top of the thread. 4) Launch MSE2. New Set. Select your card style (I advise M15 as default but it doesn't matter). The level frame is in your "style" tab. You can add text, illustrations, etc. by clicking directly on the big card on your left in your "cards" tab. Mana symbols etc. can be added by using the corresponding letter (WUBRGC). The "set info" tab is where you choose your set symbol (you need a black and white version).
Thanks for the suggestion @ningyounk, and for your effort providing feedback to everyone as well. That's a totally fair request and something I will work to incorporate in future challenges from the outset.
It's bedtime for me right now, but I'll endeavour to go through my top three from week 1 and 2 tomorrow to provide specific reasons why I chose them for the spots, and provide some general feedback on each participant's cult so far like you have.
Let's reap some more Heroes! This is a heavy round.
Vision of a Better World showcases the Heroreapers' ultimate goal and also ticks off the bonus objectiv about counters (lore counters in this case, cheesy, isn't it?). The Heroreapers - and Rendal's close followers in particular - dream of a world where everyone is encouraged, not just people who can afford it financialy. That's what the Reapers do, they encourage the little acts of heroism in common people. The ways in which they are willing to achieve this dream world are... well, a bit questionable sometimes, especially when aristocracy-despising Rendal is in charge of an opperation. Aldrei, Persuaded by Riches is the notorious traitor of the Heroreapers and boy, is the flavor strong with this one - let me explain. Aldrei betrayed the Repaers after Darfel, Rendal's brother, promised him a title and a bit of wealth if he would turn against his comrades. So you get Treasures for each opponent's creature you help to get rid of. On top of that Aldrei can exile small creatures (usually the Reapers' cards) by himself, using WHITE mana to do so - showcasing his use of the knowledge gained while a Reaper himself against the cult. BUT Aldrei's card is also a Noble, being granted a lesser title by Darfel. So even though Aldrei could techincally target Rendal's card, he can't because the guy has protection from Nobles. This shows that Rendal is still the only one that Aldrei could do nothing against. Under Pressure is for one a song by Queen, and also the story of Aldrei's betrayal, being PRESSURED by the nobility to make his decision. Darfel and the other aristocrats naturally don't like the Reapers, because they undermine their power. So they wanted a tool to help them against this threat. The card itself shows your options when forced to do something by a group of plotting nobles. You either get destroyed (2 damage), tell them what they want to know (damage to your comrades) or you join them (act of treason effect). Enraged Heroreaper uses his scythe in all ways that it can be used and comes with one of the given custom mechanics. In Search of Heroes is just a good white card, that also refferences a certain planeswalker in the flavor text. Spoilers to the poor Heroreaper telling this story, but the girl kinda did die. Kinda. (Bonus objectives: counters - Vision; Queen song and several modes - Under Pressure; custom mechanic - Enraged Heroreaper; planeswalker refference - In Search of Heroes. I did everything once again ) Also @TheRacingTurtle should I remake all the cards on cardsmith? I really like the overall graphic of mtg.design better, so I mostly work with that one (and it's quite demanding to make the same cards two times), but I could do that if you insist.
The frames today are different as of necessity. Normally I create a kind of story and make the card matching, but this time it's different due to some of my entries. I will post each of the cards at the bottom, while I provide descriptions of the card and the prompt/objective that it satisfies.
Spiritual Harmony ************************ This card is, for a start, meant to satisfy prompt 1, the end goal or scheme of the cult. It also satisfies the bonus objective, "Gotta count them all." It includes Elusive counters.
Spiritual Harmony is the said gift Jaliau will give the Unjay. It provides insight into the future, never-ending peace and can only be granted when the house of wisdom are not there blocking the nexus. So...basically, that is their grand scheme: To destroy the House of Wisdom for the "Greater Good" and be granted spiritual harmony.
Horana, Harmonic Outcast ******************************* This card satisfies prompt 2, an outcast or a former monk/member in the cult. It also meets two more objectives, "Third time's the charm" and "An exercise in narcissism". Horana is an Unjay outcast with only one aim: "Stay Alive and use any means necessary." She abandoned the Unjay when she uncovers the tomb. In terror, she realised the monk's true aim and fled.
A Type of Magic ********************** This card satisfies the objective, "A performance fit for a king!" and "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!" The card name is named after the queen song, "A type of magic" and it encounters Tamiyo.
A magic library with immense powers kept hidden from most members. It was created by Tamiyo, a magic planeswalker, but the monks took over.
So that's it for week two! I completed all of those goddamn bonus objectives, and hopefully I'll get up this friggin' leaderboard!
Ok, providing some feedback on the judging so far as requested. Thanks for your patience everyone, I appreciate there's a lot going on in this challenge and I've been trying to improve on my clarity as I've received feedback.
For the 1st/2nd/3rd each week I am focusing solely on the two entries for the core prompts, to be fair to those who decide not to create the extra bonus cards. I have a spreadsheet going and am marking each cult out of 5 on three items. How well I feel the card embodies the prompt, how well the cards evoke a cohesive identity/flavour of the cult that they're building, and how the rules text of the card functions and is laid out. From there I've tallied points and awarded that way.
Week 1
1st . The Innovation - MemoryHead's cards demonstrate a strong theme immediately for their cult, turning artifacts/artifact creatures into improved versions of themselves, using Scrap tokens and transform as core mechanics. The cards are telling stories, look very well produced, and fit well in a theme. Blinded Experimenter is straightforward introduction as to the basic cult member, and Initiation Upgrades mesh mechanics and flavour quite well to demonstrate what's going on.
2nd. The Bitter Sisters - Another solid combination of flavour and mechanics playing off each other, I can immediately see power less than toughness and deathtouch matters being the core themes. Bitter Courtesan is another solid introduction to what this cult is about, and also establishes some wry humour I enjoyed that ningyounk has since continued in later entries for their cult. The Initiation Dance is an interesting dilemma for an opponent, with none of the effects being particularly powerful on their own, but as a whole has created a mini game of attrition, exactly how I would imagine sneaky black/white nobles operating.
3rd. House of the Two-Moons - My first impression on Rayne-Lord's entries was how amazingly the art all went together, something I'm not focusing too much on but dayum, cool. Two-Moon Disciple is another straightforward way to define what this cult is about, the ordain mechanic. I believe the balance is a bit off, as this ability seems strong at this cost, but not egregiously so. Seduced by Knowledge took me a moment to understand, once I re-read it and saw the creature's controller draws two cards it clicked. Knowledge is commonly represented by card draw in Magic, and I thought this was quite evocative of what this cult might be - seduction and power through knowledge.
Feedback on the other entries in general, there were certainly a lot of cool ideas and cards. Mostly it's that I found one of the prompted entries to be a little lacking compared to the other, or I didn't find it clear enough what the card was trying to convey with the "the recruitment process" card. Some others just didn't have as clearly a defined identity to their cult in those first two cards, so while mechanically fine didn't score as strongly on cohesive theme.
I shall write up my thoughts on week two tonight as well, and provide some thoughts on each person's cult as a whole as well. Hopefully that will help everyone feel the process is transparent and you have a fair shot at taking out the top spot. Again, thanks for your feedback, patience, and participation. It's been a lot of fun and a great learning experience on my end.
I found this much tighter this week, was a lot tougher to decide my top three.
1st . House of Two-Moons - The Chronicles of Arzhan was a powerful piece to support the cult identity, granting ordain to spells and also introducing scrying as a core mechanic to care about. Taharqa supports this direction into scrying, while also acting as an ordain lord - a human in three colours, that untaps creatures that were tapped to ordain spells. This felt the most unified entries to me along with the first week's established identity.
2nd. The Silverblade Order - Red_Tower has made some absolutely beautiful cards for The Silver Order, and I think this week fleshed out the background of their cult a great deal stronger in their cards (I appreciate everyone's lore in their writing alongside, but how much that shines through in the cards themselves is what I'm judging). I believe this relic would be truly priceless in the fight against vampires, love the subtle flavour of moonfolk being used, and the interesting concept of the wielder also becoming a horror as well - very gothic to worry about becoming the kind of monster you're fighting.
3rd. The Tannarian Society - Similarly I felt SpellPiper2213 brought a stronger showing in fleshing out their cult this week, and that combined with simple yet effective mechanics sold it to me. The head of this intellectual society being a Rakshasa felt like the insidious twist I was hoping for after week one, and their ability flavourfully felt like it was drawing power from history (cards that had been sacrificed before). It also plays to Sultai's colour identity quite strongly while carving out it's own niche. Sacrifice and recursion yes, but about non-creature permanents. Enchantments and artifacts feel like what this secret society would study in the shadows. The Eye of the Library also plays into this well, encouraging the pursuit of knowledge digging into your library, but at a cost - a black influenced blue card. I just think this card should probably be rare for it's effect.
Again, general feedback on other entries. Funnily enough similar to the first week I felt the second prompt was the big deciding factor for this round. Everyone's legends felt solid in their identity so far, though I think the above three were just that touch better leading characters for their cults so far as mechanical supports (the cult's tribal commander, if you will). Relics felt more varied with how much their rules or flavour pushed the concept of this being a revered piece among the cult.
@TheRacingTurtle Just for the record, I can't win this friggin competition and I don't care what you think about my cult. I did this to be more controlled with what I'm creating. (sometimes I have to hold myself back from crazy designs)
The Krelli have one goal...and none of them know about it. Their deity plans to create an eternal night, forever chaining Innistrad to darkness. If the Krelli carry out their master's wishes, the corrupted lands will never heal.
What happens when a zombie leaves a zombie cult? Some zombies, even after the initiation ritual, retain a fragment of their subconscious. Some zombies keep more than others, and those become the Returned. (Not the Theros kind.)
Their bodies transform, their sentience returns, and they become normal humans; other than the giant hole in the back of there heads from when their brains were scooped out. Most Returned leave to small Kessig villages, often wearing simple straw hats to cover the grisly bits. (Suspicious Minds is a song by Elvis Presley.) Every year of course, the zombies lose a great number of their followers when Davriel shows up and takes them to an unknown hideout. Or carves their bones for spells.
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The leader of the Tannarian Society is the rakshasa Ataar. Ensuring that his true form is hidden behind several illusions, he uses his connections and the Society to wring out secrets hidden within books in order to gain more political power in Targai and the surrounding region. A master manipulator, he looks for intellect more than moral strength in possible members, doing his best to create the most persuasive invitation to the Society.
The library where the Society most frequents is large, and many of the books within its walls are either antiques or hidden away by the government. As such, the collection is watched closely, and accepts all newcomers as long as they give back to the library.
Rendal, the Scythebearer is the official leader of the Heroreaper, but he's a bit different from the peaceful priest-like wanderers. He is the second son of a wealthy noble, the first son being Darfel (mentioned on the card). Rendal originally wanted to help the common people who were being a bit opressed by the fellow nobles. But this love for the people soon shifted to a hatred against the other nobles, and the Scythe didn't help either. Speaking of the Scythe...
Rendal's Scythe is a strange weapon of unknown origin. Rendal started using it soon after his departure from his family, but it is unknow as from where he'd gotten it. The Scythe serves as a symbol - as I've said, many of the Heroreapers use scythes and sickles, which are representant of their affinity for commoners. But this Scythe, while looking the same on the surface, is quite different in reality... (haha, let's build up some mystery)
Heroreaper's Mount is here to tick of two of the bonus objectives - X cost and being a cow. This is the kind of mount that many of the wandering Heroreapers use instead of horses, who are expensive and associated with the obnoxious nobility.
Celebration of Heores is the festival that takes place once each year and celebrates all of the new Heroes that were reaped that year. Other Heroes are remembered in this festival for sacrificing themselves for the people.
(Bonuses: Archenemy mentioned - Rendal; another color - The Scythe; non-human and X cost - Mount; celebration - Celebration of Heroes. I did everything rhis time!)
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/annabelle-crystallia
Prompt 2, a priceless relic:
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/moonlight-blade-1
Additional card:
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/fullmoon-rite
Additional challenges I'm checking off here are: Named Adversary (Night Mother Elise), Color Identity (Multiple uses of blue this week), Special Calendar event (depicted by Fullmoon Rite), X cost (Fullmoon Rite).
I'll probably update this later with some lore, too many distractions right now to write it out.
1. Taharqa, Dread Polymath - Officially the High-Scholarch of the House of the Two-Moons, Taharqa is a well known man across the Vale of Raqqad, and a prominent voice in the city of Vargshapat. As the curator, protector, and director of the vast Monastic Librariums available to The House, his decrees carry lasting weight in city, and region-wide policy. Few however know the extant of his role behind close doors. Taharqa is the direct hand of Vahimgar, the House’s secret benefactor/idol. As such, he is ever seeking to expand his control and influence in order to fulfill Vahimgar’s will. (First prompt)
2. The Chronicles of Arzhang - Deep within the recesses of shadowed corridors lies a chest. Within the chest, the most holy of all relics belonging to the House of the Two Moons. The Chronicles of Arzhang, an ancient scroll recounting the life and deeds of the House’s founder. Most importantly however, the document functions as a contract between the house, and its most reclusive member, Vahimgar. Through Vahimgar’s power, the document itself infuses all the deeds of the House with a most sinister prescience. (Second prompt, ‘X’ bonus)
3. Venerated Adjudicator - The mighty Lamassu have acted as high-judges within the city of Vargshapat since time immemorial. Reputedly they are an independent body of judiciary, but they have long been under the influence and under the employ of the House. (Non-Human Bonus)
4. Sinister Supplication - The Days of Yerval (flavor text) is a week long festival celebrating the harvest and the waning of the year. However the celebration has especial significance to Two-Mooners, as the festival also coincides with the height of Vahimgar’s power. Much of the week is spent in solemn prayer as offerings are made and spells are woven. Many, suspect there is something afoot when many of the cities most prominent dignitaries are conspicuously absent from the public festivities, but no speculation will reveal the true purpose of the Houses “holiday.”
(Holiday bonus)
5. Yarmuq Mystic - The Yarmuq are a nomadic people who believe in utter simplicity. They have a decidedly anti-intellectual streak and shun any practice that is not utterly in alignment with nature. They particularly abhor divination as they see it as an affront to the will of the earth itself. For these reasons they have often actively sought to undermine the House’s research efforts in more remote ares of the Vale of Raqqad. A true thorn in the backside, these guys. (Enemy bonus, other color bonus)
Meet Lady Melile of Paliano, the founder of the Bitter Sisters. She's often seen at parties with her pet snake, which is always a delightful conversation starter. "Why, yes, of course you can pet her! Her name is Earl Grey. Did you know snake venom is used both in the making of poisons AND antidotes ?"
This card is meant to satisfy prompt #1 (a legendary creature that leads the masses) and bonus objective #2 (dog person or sliver person).
The Bitter Sisters are the keeper of this priceless diadem made of tantalite. It's so beautiful everyone seems to lose their mind whenever Lady Melile wears it at the ball. Really, it's almost like magic was involved.
This card is meant to satisfy prompt #2 (a priceless relic).
Finally, here's a very important celebration day for the Bitter Sisters. Officially, it's called "the Grape Harvest Ball" but everyone is usually so drunk that it's the best single day of each year to spread some nasty rumours all around so they call it "the Gossip Ball".
This card is meant to satisfy bonus objective #1 (they're just jealous) as the flavour text references the evil book club of the Illumination Sorority, the sworn ennemies of the Bitter Sisters. It also satisfies bonus objectives #3 (What's a colour Identity), #4 (Mondays suck), and #5 (This club is rated XXX).
Tagging those from week 1 I haven't seen for week 2 yet: @MemoryHead, @Jadefire.
Since this is my late evening, chances are they'll be done and up by your later-today / my tomorrow.
On the subject of the nicknamed, the choosing of their names tends to be a major event. The decision to bestow a new nickname is rare, and the Innovation's members gather whenever it's made so that they can take part in choosing what the name should actually be.
The rule of nicknaming has one exception, though. The so-called Veska Noname almost always works anonymously, and doesn't bother to disguise their disinterest in the Innovation as anything more than a testing bed for concepts. Regardless, everything they make seems to be a groundbreaking new idea, and the Innovation's more than happy with being a test-bed so long as it gets them glimpses of Veska's creations.
And finally, pieces of work by of a few of the other nicknamed. Indigo "Mellow" Makai's place in the Innovation is something like a moral compass. She firmly believes in the idea that machines and progress should make the world a better place for everyone, and is a constant, calm reminder to the rest of the Innovation's members that life might be better if they believed it too.
Lirul “Symbiont” Lemar is best known for his work integrating complex machinery with living matter, and for keeping a vast sealed garden where the air is so thick with chemicals that it burns skin and visibly corrodes steel. He and his creations seem to thrive there, though, and he has a remarkable talent for collaboration.
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Since some of the objectives might not be immediately obvious here, I'm going to list them. Augusta is a leader-figure. Mainframe Mimic, and pretty much any design by Veska, is the closest the Innovation get to a venerated relic. Mention of the Enforcers (an adversary group) and their beliefs in preserving the past exist on Adorable Stray // Adaptable Prowler, as does a representation of an animal in the Innovation. Copper Caretaker // Integrated Automaton is green, a color I haven't used so far. Naming Ceremony represents a special event and uses X in its cost.
I am awarding this week's top entries to:
1st . @Rayne-Lord and House of Two-Moons (7pts)
2nd. @Red_Tower and The Silverblade Order (5 pts)
3rd. @Spel@SpellPiper2213 and The Tannarian Society (3 pts)
Leaderboard
If you have any questions or want me to clarify where your points have been awarded, please feel free to message me and I shall consult the mighty spreadsheet. Unfortunately our friend Jadefire has had to pull of the competition for now, The Oniko Clan shall be remembered as fearsome competitors!
Third week's prompts coming shortly.
Due Date: Sunday 21st February 2021 (I'll be judging it Monday morning here in good ol' Australia). The next week's challenges will be posted after that.
Prompt 1: Your enlightened plan/insidious scheme
What grand and terrible things has your cult set in motion? Are you building towards summoning an eldritch horror? Planning to dissolve the senate to form the first galactic empire? Scheming to get all of the puppies adopted from the local shelter?
Prompt 2: A former cult member who was outcast, escaped, or otherwise left the organisation
Did they come to their senses? Break a wicked enchantment? Disagree with the tea choice for the biscuit selection and lead a rebellious sect? Show me someone who got out, though whether they remain out for long remains to be seen...
Bonus Objectives (For each one you manage to tick among your cards, you score a point!)
-Gotta count em' all! - One of your cards utilises a counter other than +1/+1, -1/-1, or loyalty counters.
-Third time's the charm. One of your cards has a choice of three or more modes/effects.
-A performance fit for a king! One of your cards includes a song name in the title, by either "The King" Elvis Presley, the band Queen, or the artist Prince. Definitely point this one out for me so I can hit up Google to check.
-I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids! One of your cards shows or references an encounter your cult has had with a real life Magic planeswalker (please pick one that has an actual MtG planeswalker card).
-An exercise in narcissism. One of your entries uses one of the below mechanics of my creation:
not, they mill one card. | https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/rakgnor-ironteeth
Hey! ^^
I'm curious to know what you liked and didn't like about the entries. I know it's a lot of work to comment about every card of every entry but even if you just wrote a couple line about the top 3 I think it would really help everyone to know what are the things you value the highest. Everyone has a different style of judging and I can't really find a pattern when looking at your top 3 so I'd be interested to know a little bit
__
In the spirit of practicing what you preach, here's my own short personal feedback on everyone's cult so far, to bring some interaction within the contest and avoid having a cycle of "prompts > entries > scoreboard > repeat" that would feel a bit dry:
- AboveAndAbout -Krelli
I like the mechanical idea of transforming your opponent's creatures into zombies, it's very flavourful. I find the Pact mechanic a bit confusing and the price to pay usually doesn't seem worth it (sacrificing creatures, discarding cards) past the first debt counter. I'd recommand using life in 99% of cases as it's a much more affordable ressource. For your future entries, I'm curious to see if you've got more cards that punish the opponent for having zombies and cards that can utilise/remove debt counters ^^- Rayne-Lord – House of the Two-Moons
I like that you planted multiple elements to define the cult. There's the middle-east flavour, the human tribal aspect, the ordain mechanic, the activated abilities tribal, the scry-matters aspect, etc. I think you've done a good job at keeping the mechanical feel cohesive despite the many mechanical themes you've introduced thanks to a decisively controlling focus in the rewards each theme offers. In your next entries, I'm looking forward the most to how you're going to give depths to the mechanical themes you've introduced so far, and how they're going to interact.- ThePhantomJoker – The Heroreapers
There are a lot of very elegant mechanical ideas in your cards, I am fond of this idea of floating white mana from combat events into the second main phase. I also like the intense mechanical flavour through the use of the greater power theme, the food, the nobles, the scythes, etc. Overall, your cards feel quite realistic and you'd probably be in my personal top 3. In your next entries, I'm especially curious to see how you're going to deal with prompts that call for more expensive flashy cards as your cards have been mostly cheap and efficient so far.- TheDukeOfPork – Unjay Cult
I'm getting strong Jeskai vibes form Tarkir (you even used some existing Jeskai art) with this cult so it's a good thing you branched out into green, I think ^^ You went from some really out-of-the-box mechanics here with level up, Divergence, etc. It's a bit all over the place mechanically but it's quite fun to read x) My main advice for your future entries would be: look into Magic Set Editor to template your cards that require special card frames as a good presentation always reinforce the appeal of your concepts, and I would be interested to see a main mechanical theme emerge from the cult. Is it level up? Death triggers?- SpellPiper2213 – The Tannarian Society
I like the originality of the colour combination and scholar theme, it feels calm and secretive. You went for minimalistic cards that give space to more flavour text, which is quite original and makes sense in the context of this contest. While the cards on the first weeks felt a bit like functional reprints of core set cards, I like that the cards from the second week start to hint at a ressource management theme mechanically. The thing I'm looking forward the most with your cult is a hint at what kind of secrets they're holding, you've taken the time to establish a flavourful feel and I'm interesting to see if you have a pay-off in mind ^^- MemoryHead – The Innovation
The combination of an artifact theme and transform mechanic gives an immediate mad scientific flare to the cult, which is great. The mechanised illustrations on the verso of the cards are also particularly flavourful. The idea of the scrap tokens is quite bold but you've used it in a very elegant way so far ^^ You've got an interesting mechanical theme going on, and your cards are always realistic and templated impeccably so I'm mostly looking forward deeper variations of the same themes in your next entries. You'd probably have been in my personal top 3 for week 2 as well.- Red_Tower – The Silverblade Order
I like the idea of transposing the vampire hunter tropes into a cult that's mechanically defined by being the opposite of vampires. Those effects would be too niche for a Standard MTG set but it makes for very flavourful and unique designs. I like that you started to expand on the themes of the cult from a flavour perspective in the second week, so for your next entries I'm mostly waiting to see how you're going to expand the mechanical aspect of the cult in the same way ^^Also a question. Do we have to include the bonus objectives in the prompt cards or as extra cards?
If you're ever interested in giving it a go, here's how to use MSE to make your level up frames (I think you can use modal double-faced cards or split cards for divergent, it's probably the easiest option):
1) Download Magic Set Editor 2 here: https://magicseteditor.boards.net/page/downloads
2) Download and install the Magic fonts (it takes 10 seconds once it's downloaded, just select all fonts, right-click, install) from the "Fonts for Magic Templates" link on this page (use ctrl+F in your browser to find it easily, it's almost at the top): http://msetemps.sourceforge.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=144
3) On the same page, search (ctrl+F) for the additional templates "Magic - Custom M15 Styles", which contains the "M15 Leveler" frame you'd be needing (you have to install the whole package it has a bunch of other frames in there). You need to download this zip file inside the Magic Set Editor 2 file in "data" and unzip it. There's an FAQ at the top of the thread.
4) Launch MSE2. New Set. Select your card style (I advise M15 as default but it doesn't matter). The level frame is in your "style" tab. You can add text, illustrations, etc. by clicking directly on the big card on your left in your "cards" tab. Mana symbols etc. can be added by using the corresponding letter (WUBRGC). The "set info" tab is where you choose your set symbol (you need a black and white version).
It's bedtime for me right now, but I'll endeavour to go through my top three from week 1 and 2 tomorrow to provide specific reasons why I chose them for the spots, and provide some general feedback on each participant's cult so far like you have.
Vision of a Better World showcases the Heroreapers' ultimate goal and also ticks off the bonus objectiv about counters (lore counters in this case, cheesy, isn't it?). The Heroreapers - and Rendal's close followers in particular - dream of a world where everyone is encouraged, not just people who can afford it financialy. That's what the Reapers do, they encourage the little acts of heroism in common people. The ways in which they are willing to achieve this dream world are... well, a bit questionable sometimes, especially when aristocracy-despising Rendal is in charge of an opperation.
Aldrei, Persuaded by Riches is the notorious traitor of the Heroreapers and boy, is the flavor strong with this one - let me explain. Aldrei betrayed the Repaers after Darfel, Rendal's brother, promised him a title and a bit of wealth if he would turn against his comrades. So you get Treasures for each opponent's creature you help to get rid of. On top of that Aldrei can exile small creatures (usually the Reapers' cards) by himself, using WHITE mana to do so - showcasing his use of the knowledge gained while a Reaper himself against the cult. BUT Aldrei's card is also a Noble, being granted a lesser title by Darfel. So even though Aldrei could techincally target Rendal's card, he can't because the guy has protection from Nobles. This shows that Rendal is still the only one that Aldrei could do nothing against.
Under Pressure is for one a song by Queen, and also the story of Aldrei's betrayal, being PRESSURED by the nobility to make his decision. Darfel and the other aristocrats naturally don't like the Reapers, because they undermine their power. So they wanted a tool to help them against this threat. The card itself shows your options when forced to do something by a group of plotting nobles. You either get destroyed (2 damage), tell them what they want to know (damage to your comrades) or you join them (act of treason effect).
Enraged Heroreaper uses his scythe in all ways that it can be used and comes with one of the given custom mechanics.
In Search of Heroes is just a good white card, that also refferences a certain planeswalker in the flavor text. Spoilers to the poor Heroreaper telling this story, but the girl kinda did die. Kinda.
(Bonus objectives: counters - Vision; Queen song and several modes - Under Pressure; custom mechanic - Enraged Heroreaper; planeswalker refference - In Search of Heroes. I did everything once again
Also @TheRacingTurtle should I remake all the cards on cardsmith? I really like the overall graphic of mtg.design better, so I mostly work with that one (and it's quite demanding to make the same cards two times), but I could do that if you insist.
Spiritual Harmony
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This card is, for a start, meant to satisfy prompt 1, the end goal or scheme of the cult. It also satisfies the bonus objective, "Gotta count them all." It includes Elusive counters.
Spiritual Harmony is the said gift Jaliau will give the Unjay. It provides insight into the future, never-ending peace and can only be granted when the house of wisdom are not there blocking the nexus. So...basically, that is their grand scheme: To destroy the House of Wisdom for the "Greater Good" and be granted spiritual harmony.
Horana, Harmonic Outcast
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This card satisfies prompt 2, an outcast or a former monk/member in the cult. It also meets two more objectives, "Third time's the charm" and "An exercise in narcissism".
Horana is an Unjay outcast with only one aim: "Stay Alive and use any means necessary." She abandoned the Unjay when she uncovers the tomb. In terror, she realised the monk's true aim and fled.
A Type of Magic
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This card satisfies the objective, "A performance fit for a king!" and "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!" The card name is named after the queen song, "A type of magic" and it encounters Tamiyo.
A magic library with immense powers kept hidden from most members. It was created by Tamiyo, a magic planeswalker, but the monks took over.
So that's it for week two! I completed all of those goddamn bonus objectives, and hopefully I'll get up this friggin' leaderboard!
For the 1st/2nd/3rd each week I am focusing solely on the two entries for the core prompts, to be fair to those who decide not to create the extra bonus cards. I have a spreadsheet going and am marking each cult out of 5 on three items. How well I feel the card embodies the prompt, how well the cards evoke a cohesive identity/flavour of the cult that they're building, and how the rules text of the card functions and is laid out. From there I've tallied points and awarded that way.
Week 1
1st . The Innovation - MemoryHead's cards demonstrate a strong theme immediately for their cult, turning artifacts/artifact creatures into improved versions of themselves, using Scrap tokens and transform as core mechanics. The cards are telling stories, look very well produced, and fit well in a theme. Blinded Experimenter is straightforward introduction as to the basic cult member, and Initiation Upgrades mesh mechanics and flavour quite well to demonstrate what's going on.
2nd. The Bitter Sisters - Another solid combination of flavour and mechanics playing off each other, I can immediately see power less than toughness and deathtouch matters being the core themes. Bitter Courtesan is another solid introduction to what this cult is about, and also establishes some wry humour I enjoyed that ningyounk has since continued in later entries for their cult. The Initiation Dance is an interesting dilemma for an opponent, with none of the effects being particularly powerful on their own, but as a whole has created a mini game of attrition, exactly how I would imagine sneaky black/white nobles operating.
3rd. House of the Two-Moons - My first impression on Rayne-Lord's entries was how amazingly the art all went together, something I'm not focusing too much on but dayum, cool. Two-Moon Disciple is another straightforward way to define what this cult is about, the ordain mechanic. I believe the balance is a bit off, as this ability seems strong at this cost, but not egregiously so. Seduced by Knowledge took me a moment to understand, once I re-read it and saw the creature's controller draws two cards it clicked. Knowledge is commonly represented by card draw in Magic, and I thought this was quite evocative of what this cult might be - seduction and power through knowledge.
Feedback on the other entries in general, there were certainly a lot of cool ideas and cards. Mostly it's that I found one of the prompted entries to be a little lacking compared to the other, or I didn't find it clear enough what the card was trying to convey with the "the recruitment process" card. Some others just didn't have as clearly a defined identity to their cult in those first two cards, so while mechanically fine didn't score as strongly on cohesive theme.
I shall write up my thoughts on week two tonight as well, and provide some thoughts on each person's cult as a whole as well. Hopefully that will help everyone feel the process is transparent and you have a fair shot at taking out the top spot. Again, thanks for your feedback, patience, and participation. It's been a lot of fun and a great learning experience on my end.
I found this much tighter this week, was a lot tougher to decide my top three.
1st . House of Two-Moons - The Chronicles of Arzhan was a powerful piece to support the cult identity, granting ordain to spells and also introducing scrying as a core mechanic to care about. Taharqa supports this direction into scrying, while also acting as an ordain lord - a human in three colours, that untaps creatures that were tapped to ordain spells. This felt the most unified entries to me along with the first week's established identity.
2nd. The Silverblade Order - Red_Tower has made some absolutely beautiful cards for The Silver Order, and I think this week fleshed out the background of their cult a great deal stronger in their cards (I appreciate everyone's lore in their writing alongside, but how much that shines through in the cards themselves is what I'm judging). I believe this relic would be truly priceless in the fight against vampires, love the subtle flavour of moonfolk being used, and the interesting concept of the wielder also becoming a horror as well - very gothic to worry about becoming the kind of monster you're fighting.
3rd. The Tannarian Society - Similarly I felt SpellPiper2213 brought a stronger showing in fleshing out their cult this week, and that combined with simple yet effective mechanics sold it to me. The head of this intellectual society being a Rakshasa felt like the insidious twist I was hoping for after week one, and their ability flavourfully felt like it was drawing power from history (cards that had been sacrificed before). It also plays to Sultai's colour identity quite strongly while carving out it's own niche. Sacrifice and recursion yes, but about non-creature permanents. Enchantments and artifacts feel like what this secret society would study in the shadows. The Eye of the Library also plays into this well, encouraging the pursuit of knowledge digging into your library, but at a cost - a black influenced blue card. I just think this card should probably be rare for it's effect.
Again, general feedback on other entries. Funnily enough similar to the first week I felt the second prompt was the big deciding factor for this round. Everyone's legends felt solid in their identity so far, though I think the above three were just that touch better leading characters for their cults so far as mechanical supports (the cult's tribal commander, if you will). Relics felt more varied with how much their rules or flavour pushed the concept of this being a revered piece among the cult.
If the Krelli carry out their master's wishes, the corrupted lands will never heal.
What happens when a zombie leaves a zombie cult? Some zombies, even after the initiation ritual, retain a fragment of their subconscious. Some zombies keep more than others, and those become the Returned. (Not the Theros kind.)
Their bodies transform, their sentience returns, and they become normal humans; other than the giant hole in the back of there heads from when their brains were scooped out. Most Returned leave to small Kessig villages, often wearing simple straw hats to cover the grisly bits. (Suspicious Minds is a song by Elvis Presley.)
Every year of course, the zombies lose a great number of their followers when Davriel shows up and takes them to an unknown hideout. Or carves their bones for spells.