MY APOLOGIES! I WAS SHIPPED OFF TO MONTANA FOR A WEEK. TRAGIC IT WAS. BUT NOW I SHALT COMMENCE THE CREATIONS OF MY CARDS. Nvm sorry, wont be able to get this done in time. My apologies.
Team A's card Thought Currents by @AboveAndAbout with challenge "Create a card with Aura Swap":
ThePhantomJoker: Seven mana to search up an Aura into your hand is just far too much. With that mana investment, you should probably just be able to put it right onto the battlefield. I see the intent, that you first search for something, and then you Aura Swap it out with this, but you need to pay TWELVE mana total to do that, while this aura doesn't even provide an actual boost to the creature it's enchanting. Yes, the effect is repeatable, but again, it's TWELVE MANA. Aura Swap is a weird mechanic and it's definitely tough to design around it and there was a certain idea, but in the end this card is really weak.
mmm3creator: Thought Currents (Create a Card with Aura Swap) The art is high quality but seems to be at loggerheads with the effect. The mechanics imply fluidity and change of thought, whereas the art depicts a quad symmetry that shows duplication and rigidity. The Future Sight mechanics are hard to scale but this one did not go so well in a couple of ways. Breaks the color pie by having blue tutor up an enchantment, tries to fix it with a very high cost and mythic rarity. Having a two-color with Black or White could have made it fit in the color pie and made the cost more reasonable. Johnny may love to use it to set up his win combo or Get Celestial Mantle out, but the card is highly limited. In many games will be long over before you get to 7 mana. Formatting flaw here is that here is a mechanic that has been used on one other card and it lack reminder text.
Me: I do feel this is very underpowered. It is 7 mana to simply search your library and 5 more to actually make this card useful. If the enchanted creature got something more such as islandwalk or shroud, I would definitely use this. But at the moment, it seems kind of pointless.
Team A's card Gloomborn Sliver by @TheDukeOfPork with challenge "Create a card with Absorb":
ThePhantomJoker: I like that this isn't just the typical "y'all get this ability" Sliver, but not much else. It's a 2/2 for five mana that just sacrifices itself for a weak effect, that's not really worth it. Also Absorb is not really a black mechanic in my eyes.
mmm3creator: Very good art choice for a sliver but the bright light is sort of the opposite of gloom. Mechanically a little strange. A Sliver sacrificing itself for other slivers is not strange, but doing anything for single particular other sliver it certainly is. Its special ability being parasitic and requiring a creature and it to be a sliver is very limiting. Add to that, here is the oddity of permanently giving the other sliver the Absorb. This requires brain space as the players track where it is with nothing to remind them, something WoTC rightfully tries to avoid. It can be seen as attempted innovation but Absorb has only one card, lots of design space open to use it and not try to tack it onto another card. As a creature, a 2/2 for 5 mana seems overcosted to me. A formatting in is present. If you are going to use 5 lines of text don’t try to cream all the text into the first three lines. In this case they eyes get confused and tend to slide off the first 3 lines into the black border. If word “may” should have been moved to begin the second line and the others cleaned up a bit the visual confusion would be avoided. On a Vorthos level, it seems a cobble of disparate things. The name does not quite match the art, there seems no relationship between those and either the effect or the quote. Gloom neither brings anything back, nor seem to link to anything getting Absorb.
Me: Nice card! I feel that this might break the color pie just a tad. It makes more sense for it to be wb because absorb feels white. Also, instead of saying it has absorb 2, you should say return it to the battlefield with absorb 2 tapped.
Team C's card Come here by @Corwinnn with challenge "Create a card with the same art that you used on your first card that does not have the same type as your first card":
ThePhantomJoker: Again, not a big fan of the art, but the challange was uncompromising. The wording on this card could also have been better. There's a nice idea in the mechanic of the card, but it feels a bit complicated, it reminds me of some old Magic cards.
mmm3creator: Now the nature of the challenge locks your art, which means I must judge on how you used it this time, and you did well. In this case, the static appearance of Scorpions is just fine and the action of his weapon is emphasized. Mechanics are in color pie. The wording on this card is just well, a bit awkward seeming. It fails to capture the control essence of Scorpion’s signature attack. It both leaves the opponent with a choice and does not really force anything to happen. He can just not “come here.” Does Synergize with your first card but not as well as it could. Formatting failed to leave top line blank and had the space. The non-standard text of the quote is strange but appropriate.
Speaking as Vorthos the pair of cards has an egregious flavor sin. I can understand you not using the more iconic quote in the first card. “Come here” did have wider distribution than “Get over here”. You may have only been exposed to one with the “Come here” version, but should have read up on the character and used both if you could. If the decision was intentional, well you must really be a fan of the less iconic phrase.
Me: This seems a little overpowered to me. For three mana, you can posibbly destroy your opponent of their biggest creature. Other than that, great card!
Team B's card Ancient Pact by @pstmdrn with challenge "Create a card that doesn’t have its color in its art":
ThePhantomJoker: This challange was tough, I give you that. It could have been executed better, I suppose, but it's not terrible. Text formating also could use some upgrading. The effect though is interesting. Green being able to counter spells that threaten your lands is innovative and still fits with the color pie. I would honestly just leave it at that, maybe just G for a spell that counters something which targets a land and give it cycling for some utility. When it can counter something targeting a creature, it already starts to feel blue.
mmm3creator: The art is high quality and passes the requirements of the challenge. There are problems. First the title, in MTG Pact means either you’re black and making a dal with the devil or you’re something where you have to do something your next upkeep or die, it upsets expectations to not have this be so. Then it steps into breaking the color pie by having it be a green instant that counters things. Except for ancient Lifeforce which was weird green’s ability to counter is purposefully non-extant. Formatting crowded into the top and all the way to the edge, then leave lots of space. Quote is off in that the card does not seem to depict spirits or connect to the guy with the staff. Swearing an oath is not making a pact, two parties must be exchanging things to make a pack. Lastly, makes no contextual sense because Ley Lines are enchantments, which it cannot protect. So, multiple stumbles.
Me: Nice card! One thing I think is it should be blue. I know your challenge prohibited it but the counter target spell really gives blue vibes. Other than that, nice job!
Team C's card Scorpion the Vengeful by @Corwinnn with challenge "Create a card with at art that is from or based on a video game": ThePhantomJoker: The card is nicely formated, but the art feels a little off - yes, it's supposed to be from or based on a video game, but backgroundless art doesn't work on magic cards and neither does cartoon-style one. Mechanically it's pretty much a kill spell, you'll most likely be casting it on your opponent's attack and ambushing one of their creatures, where the 2/3 is likely to die. If it doesn't, you get a creature as well, which is cool. Once it's in your graveyard, your opponent's will see it coming, so it's not too useful as a combat trick, but is still pretty good. All in all the card doesn't feel cool enough to be a mythic, but it's definitelly powerful and balanced. Oh, and it also misses a creature type, which is weird. mmm3creator: Good choice, a well-known is not particularly deep character many of us remember fondly. Art is an issue. Most boring face front pose with flip and paste symmetry. A pure black background adds nothing to that and the orange is rather undefined. Would look good form a promo card but not at the standard version. On formatting, rookie mistake of giving him no creature types at all (when we know he is usually a zombie ad always a ninja) Mechanically it fits the color pie. Adding Flash to Escape makes an interesting comeback, but BBBB seems excessively mono-black and reduces his playability in other decks. While “Come Here” was one of his phrases, the “Get over here” is more iconic, perhaps the most iconic taunt in PC games ever. And it would have fit in too. Overall middle of the road. Me: I think this captures Scorpion very well. When I askled videogame, I did not expect Mortal Kombat(although I should have). However, I do feel that the P/T should be higher because it is Scorpion after all.
Team B's card Dreamscape Wood by @pstmdrn with challenge "Create a card with impressionistic art": ThePhantomJoker: Cool choice of art for the challange, tied nicely to the name of the card. Text formating could be improved, but the idea is very nice - a land that can provide mana of any color, but only if a land has entered the battlefield this turn. There's not much flavor in this card, but there's function. mmm3creator: The artwork is for the most part in an impressionist style in brushstroke and exploration of lighting. Yet the scene depicted is unlike the style because it depicts colors that are extraordinary and unnatural, blue trees. Now while such things exist in the multiverse they would be a real oddity anywhere. Slight thematic clash in that it is a WUBRG capable land with no green in the art. I know, it is a “wood” but still. Choice of a land is good and Dreamscape explains the look of impressionist very well by giving it some content. Mechanically it mana fixes for any color but only on about 1/3 of the time after the first handful of rounds. It is the sort of things for a deck where mana fixing early on is very important, but entering play tapped hits the mana curve in a bad way. Format has a small flaw in that it is best to leave the top line blank if you have the space to, and you did. A pretty card, which I can see as part of an art challenge, just slightly meh overall. Me: Now, I do believe, there is supposed to be a blank line after that mana ability and a has in land has entered. But other than that, I do feel this card is quite balanced.
Team C's card Feed the Nests by @Corwinnn with challenge "Create a card with Gravestorm": ThePhantomJoker: This card feels very powerful, yet I like the flavor. Two 1/1s for two mana are the base for these kinds of summon spells (see Raise the Alarm for example), but with gravestorm, this can get out of hand quickly. In a sacrifice themed deck or after a Damnation, this can give you well around eight or ten Rats for just for two mana , which if you are a sacrifice themed deck is super beneficial, not to mention chump blocking potential etc. Also since it copies itself, it works well with Magecraft abilities like Onyx or Sedgemoor Witch. All in all, I like the flavor and overall design, but it feels pushed. mmm3creator: This art is high quality, gets everything essential right. I assume the backlight is moonlight, which looks a little weird. The sacrifice your feature flavor is strong, the only thing odd is it does not quite look like they are throwing him into a nest, more like a pit. Balance is good, which is hard to do with a one off Future-Sight mechanic, fits color pie. Sharp to require BB this time, otherwise you’d have a color shifted but strictly better Dragon Fodder. Would be good add to many a black sacrifice deck, devastating in a multiplayer game post Damnation. Very Clever to make it a Sorcery as it would otherwise be perhaps too likely to be abused. Me: Great card! First of all, I love the flavor text. I also think that this card falls together well except, since it is called feed the nests, maybe you should deal some damage. Other than that, great job!
Awesome work from everyone! Wasn't expecting such amazing feedback. Art was difficult on this one for sure. I spent a lot of time looking for better artwork for Feed the Nests, but this was as good as I could find. I'm also glad that last entry by @pstmdrn was late!
Comments
Nvm sorry, wont be able to get this done in time. My apologies.
https://mtgcardsmith.com/view/panorama-charm
Team A's card Thought Currents by @AboveAndAbout with challenge "Create a card with Aura Swap":
ThePhantomJoker: Seven mana to search up an Aura into your hand is just far too much. With that mana investment, you should probably just be able to put it right onto the battlefield. I see the intent, that you first search for something, and then you Aura Swap it out with this, but you need to pay TWELVE mana total to do that, while this aura doesn't even provide an actual boost to the creature it's enchanting. Yes, the effect is repeatable, but again, it's TWELVE MANA. Aura Swap is a weird mechanic and it's definitely tough to design around it and there was a certain idea, but in the end this card is really weak.
mmm3creator: Thought Currents (Create a Card with Aura Swap) The art is high quality but seems to be at loggerheads with the effect. The mechanics imply fluidity and change of thought, whereas the art depicts a quad symmetry that shows duplication and rigidity. The Future Sight mechanics are hard to scale but this one did not go so well in a couple of ways. Breaks the color pie by having blue tutor up an enchantment, tries to fix it with a very high cost and mythic rarity. Having a two-color with Black or White could have made it fit in the color pie and made the cost more reasonable. Johnny may love to use it to set up his win combo or Get Celestial Mantle out, but the card is highly limited. In many games will be long over before you get to 7 mana. Formatting flaw here is that here is a mechanic that has been used on one other card and it lack reminder text.
Me: I do feel this is very underpowered. It is 7 mana to simply search your library and 5 more to actually make this card useful. If the enchanted creature got something more such as islandwalk or shroud, I would definitely use this. But at the moment, it seems kind of pointless.
Team A's card Gloomborn Sliver by @TheDukeOfPork with challenge "Create a card with Absorb":
ThePhantomJoker: I like that this isn't just the typical "y'all get this ability" Sliver, but not much else. It's a 2/2 for five mana that just sacrifices itself for a weak effect, that's not really worth it. Also Absorb is not really a black mechanic in my eyes.
mmm3creator: Very good art choice for a sliver but the bright light is sort of the opposite of gloom. Mechanically a little strange. A Sliver sacrificing itself for other slivers is not strange, but doing anything for single particular other sliver it certainly is. Its special ability being parasitic and requiring a creature and it to be a sliver is very limiting. Add to that, here is the oddity of permanently giving the other sliver the Absorb. This requires brain space as the players track where it is with nothing to remind them, something WoTC rightfully tries to avoid. It can be seen as attempted innovation but Absorb has only one card, lots of design space open to use it and not try to tack it onto another card. As a creature, a 2/2 for 5 mana seems overcosted to me. A formatting in is present. If you are going to use 5 lines of text don’t try to cream all the text into the first three lines. In this case they eyes get confused and tend to slide off the first 3 lines into the black border. If word “may” should have been moved to begin the second line and the others cleaned up a bit the visual confusion would be avoided. On a Vorthos level, it seems a cobble of disparate things. The name does not quite match the art, there seems no relationship between those and either the effect or the quote. Gloom neither brings anything back, nor seem to link to anything getting Absorb.
Me: Nice card! I feel that this might break the color pie just a tad. It makes more sense for it to be wb because absorb feels white. Also, instead of saying it has absorb 2, you should say return it to the battlefield with absorb 2 tapped.
Team C's card Come here by @Corwinnn with challenge "Create a card with the same art that you used on your first card that does not have the same type as your first card":
ThePhantomJoker: Again, not a big fan of the art, but the challange was uncompromising. The wording on this card could also have been better. There's a nice idea in the mechanic of the card, but it feels a bit complicated, it reminds me of some old Magic cards.
mmm3creator: Now the nature of the challenge locks your art, which means I must judge on how you used it this time, and you did well. In this case, the static appearance of Scorpions is just fine and the action of his weapon is emphasized. Mechanics are in color pie. The wording on this card is just well, a bit awkward seeming. It fails to capture the control essence of Scorpion’s signature attack. It both leaves the opponent with a choice and does not really force anything to happen. He can just not “come here.” Does Synergize with your first card but not as well as it could. Formatting failed to leave top line blank and had the space. The non-standard text of the quote is strange but appropriate.
Speaking as Vorthos the pair of cards has an egregious flavor sin. I can understand you not using the more iconic quote in the first card. “Come here” did have wider distribution than “Get over here”. You may have only been exposed to one with the “Come here” version, but should have read up on the character and used both if you could. If the decision was intentional, well you must really be a fan of the less iconic phrase.
Me: This seems a little overpowered to me. For three mana, you can posibbly destroy your opponent of their biggest creature. Other than that, great card!
Team B's card Ancient Pact by @pstmdrn with challenge "Create a card that doesn’t have its color in its art":
ThePhantomJoker: This challange was tough, I give you that. It could have been executed better, I suppose, but it's not terrible. Text formating also could use some upgrading. The effect though is interesting. Green being able to counter spells that threaten your lands is innovative and still fits with the color pie. I would honestly just leave it at that, maybe just G for a spell that counters something which targets a land and give it cycling for some utility. When it can counter something targeting a creature, it already starts to feel blue.
mmm3creator: The art is high quality and passes the requirements of the challenge. There are problems. First the title, in MTG Pact means either you’re black and making a dal with the devil or you’re something where you have to do something your next upkeep or die, it upsets expectations to not have this be so. Then it steps into breaking the color pie by having it be a green instant that counters things. Except for ancient Lifeforce which was weird green’s ability to counter is purposefully non-extant. Formatting crowded into the top and all the way to the edge, then leave lots of space. Quote is off in that the card does not seem to depict spirits or connect to the guy with the staff. Swearing an oath is not making a pact, two parties must be exchanging things to make a pack. Lastly, makes no contextual sense because Ley Lines are enchantments, which it cannot protect. So, multiple stumbles.
Me: Nice card! One thing I think is it should be blue. I know your challenge prohibited it but the counter target spell really gives blue vibes. Other than that, nice job!
ThePhantomJoker: The card is nicely formated, but the art feels a little off - yes, it's supposed to be from or based on a video game, but backgroundless art doesn't work on magic cards and neither does cartoon-style one. Mechanically it's pretty much a kill spell, you'll most likely be casting it on your opponent's attack and ambushing one of their creatures, where the 2/3 is likely to die. If it doesn't, you get a creature as well, which is cool. Once it's in your graveyard, your opponent's will see it coming, so it's not too useful as a combat trick, but is still pretty good. All in all the card doesn't feel cool enough to be a mythic, but it's definitelly powerful and balanced. Oh, and it also misses a creature type, which is weird.
mmm3creator: Good choice, a well-known is not particularly deep character many of us remember fondly. Art is an issue. Most boring face front pose with flip and paste symmetry. A pure black background adds nothing to that and the orange is rather undefined. Would look good form a promo card but not at the standard version. On formatting, rookie mistake of giving him no creature types at all (when we know he is usually a zombie ad always a ninja) Mechanically it fits the color pie. Adding Flash to Escape makes an interesting comeback, but BBBB seems excessively mono-black and reduces his playability in other decks. While “Come Here” was one of his phrases, the “Get over here” is more iconic, perhaps the most iconic taunt in PC games ever. And it would have fit in too. Overall middle of the road.
Me: I think this captures Scorpion very well. When I askled videogame, I did not expect Mortal Kombat(although I should have). However, I do feel that the P/T should be higher because it is Scorpion after all.
ThePhantomJoker: Cool choice of art for the challange, tied nicely to the name of the card. Text formating could be improved, but the idea is very nice - a land that can provide mana of any color, but only if a land has entered the battlefield this turn. There's not much flavor in this card, but there's function.
mmm3creator: The artwork is for the most part in an impressionist style in brushstroke and exploration of lighting. Yet the scene depicted is unlike the style because it depicts colors that are extraordinary and unnatural, blue trees. Now while such things exist in the multiverse they would be a real oddity anywhere. Slight thematic clash in that it is a WUBRG capable land with no green in the art. I know, it is a “wood” but still. Choice of a land is good and Dreamscape explains the look of impressionist very well by giving it some content. Mechanically it mana fixes for any color but only on about 1/3 of the time after the first handful of rounds. It is the sort of things for a deck where mana fixing early on is very important, but entering play tapped hits the mana curve in a bad way. Format has a small flaw in that it is best to leave the top line blank if you have the space to, and you did. A pretty card, which I can see as part of an art challenge, just slightly meh overall.
Me: Now, I do believe, there is supposed to be a blank line after that mana ability and a has in land has entered. But other than that, I do feel this card is quite balanced.
ThePhantomJoker: This card feels very powerful, yet I like the flavor. Two 1/1s for two mana are the base for these kinds of summon spells (see Raise the Alarm for example), but with gravestorm, this can get out of hand quickly. In a sacrifice themed deck or after a Damnation, this can give you well around eight or ten Rats for just for two mana , which if you are a sacrifice themed deck is super beneficial, not to mention chump blocking potential etc. Also since it copies itself, it works well with Magecraft abilities like Onyx or Sedgemoor Witch. All in all, I like the flavor and overall design, but it feels pushed.
mmm3creator: This art is high quality, gets everything essential right. I assume the backlight is moonlight, which looks a little weird. The sacrifice your feature flavor is strong, the only thing odd is it does not quite look like they are throwing him into a nest, more like a pit. Balance is good, which is hard to do with a one off Future-Sight mechanic, fits color pie. Sharp to require BB this time, otherwise you’d have a color shifted but strictly better Dragon Fodder. Would be good add to many a black sacrifice deck, devastating in a multiplayer game post Damnation. Very Clever to make it a Sorcery as it would otherwise be perhaps too likely to be abused.
Me: Great card! First of all, I love the flavor text. I also think that this card falls together well except, since it is called feed the nests, maybe you should deal some damage. Other than that, great job!
Team A has 7
Team B has 16
Team C has 24
Team D has 0
Unfortunately, @TheDukeOfPork, @AboveAndAbout, @LordTachanka123, and @Void_Retainer, you did not make it to the next round. I will PM you for prizes.
However, @Corwinnn, @OhWyrm, @WarriorCatInAhat, and @pstmdrn, you have made it to the next round!