April MCC, Finals: Power of the Ur-Dragon

[void_nothing]

Banner based on Furyborn Hellkite by Brad Rigney and Wizards of the Coast. Thanks to bravelion83 for the "Core Set Style" MCC Logo

April MCC, Round 4/Finals - Power of the Ur-Dragon

Welcome to the April MCC! It's Dragon Month here at the MCC. By far Magic's most prominent "large creature" type is getting its due this month - and to hear the Dragons tell it, they're due quite a lot!

Main Challenge: Design a legendary Dragon creature card with a color identity of all five colors.
Subchallenge 1: Your card has 25 words or fewer of rules text.
Subchallenge 2: Your card has flavor text that quotes any character who is a Dragon.

DEADLINES

Design deadline: Saturday, May 9th 23:59 EDT

Judging deadline: Tuesday, May 12th 23:59 EDT

Clarifications

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Main challenge: The card's colors can be anything. Its color identity must be WUBRG though. For example, Fist of Suns has a color identity that is all colors despite being colorless.

Subchallenge 2: This means it can be an unattributed quote, which implies that the creature itself is speaking, or can quote Arcades Sabboth, Kokusho, Wasitora, etc.

MCC Rubric

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Design
(X/3) Appeal - Do the different player psychographics (Timmy/Johhny/Spike) have a use for the card?
(X/3) Elegance - Is the card easily understandable at a glance? Do all the flavor and mechanics combined as a whole make sense?

Development
(X/3) Viability - How well does the card fit into the color wheel? Does it break or bend the rules of the game? Is it the appropriate rarity?
(X/3) Balance - Does the card have a power level appropriate for contemporary constructed/limited environments without breaking them? Does it play well in casual and multiplayer formats? Does it create or fit into a deck/archetype? Does it create an oppressive environment?

Creativity
(X/3) Uniqueness - Has a card like this ever been printed before? Does it use new mechanics, ideas, or design space? Does it combine old ideas in a new way? Overall, does it feel "fresh"?
(X/3) Flavor - Does the name seem realistic for a card? Does the flavor text sound professional? Do all the flavor elements synch together to please Vorthos players?

Polish
(X/3) Quality - Points deducted for incorrect spelling, grammar, and templating.
(X/2) Main Challenge (*) - Was the main challenge satisfied? Was it approached in a unique or interesting way? Does the card fit the intent of the challenge?
(X/2) Subchallenges - One point awarded per satisfied subchallenge condition.

Total: X/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.

Judges:
void_nothing
Ink-Treader
StonerOfKruphix

Players:
@Ryder
@scarbo
@netn10
@RaikouRider

[netn10]

Embodiment of the Clans wubrg
Legendary Creature - Elder Dragon (Mythic)
Flying
Exploit
Dash wubrg
Formidable - Whenever you cast noncreature spell or exploits, bolster 2 if creatures you control have total power 8 or greater.
"The elder dragons agreed to meet only once. When they met, it rose up from the sun itself in thousand beautiful colors. I dream of the day the clans would be at peace."
- Sarkhan Vol
5/5

[Ryder]

Iopadi, Diamond Magistrate 4W
Legendary Creature — Dragon (R)
Flying
Whenever you spend WUBRG, you gain 5 life.
4W: Prevent the next 5 damage that would be dealt to any target this turn.
"Submit to me and find solace in my protection."
5/5

[scarbo]

Risten, the Dragonsoul wubrg
Legendary Creature - Human Dragon Incarnation (M)
Flying, first strike, trample
While searching your library, you may creature cast spells from your library.
"My folly was limiting myself to Jund when true power awaited elsewhere."
7/5

[void_nothing]

@RaikouRider About three hours remain in the round.

[RaikouRider]

Azala, Maw of the Maelstrom 3WUBRG
Legendary Creature - Dragon {M}
Flying, trample
When Azala, Maw of the Maelstrom dies or is put into exile from the battlefield, you may cast any number of colored cards from your hand without paying their mana costs if none of them share a color.
"Had she intellect to accompany her nigh-omnipotence, I might have called her a rival."
--Nicol Bolas
9/9

[void_nothing]

And round is closed. Judges do your thing.

[Ink-Treader]

Done

Ryder

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Design
(2.5/3) Appeal -Timmy likes it as one would expect of the challenge. Johnny likes that it's open ended on how to spend that WUBRG. Even Spike finds this potentially usable. It can protect you or itself, with the lifegain being pure gravy if it the colors can be fit in.
(2.5/3) Elegance - That second ability is very new, so there's potential for confusion regarding whether or not it has to be WUBRG all at once (which I suspect is the intent) or whenever that total combination is spent, not to mention if spending WWUUBBRRGG counts twice (which I suspect it would)

Development
(3/3) Viability - White dragons are rare, but there are settings that call for them, and the abilities are all white, so that's all good. Rare seems fine.
(2.5/3) Balance - Thankfully this can only protect itself from damage. The activated ability is costly, but also quite strong, especially if you can work in the WUBRG expenditures. Certainly a Limited bomb, maybe even good enough for Standard. Commander might find a use for it too.

Creativity
(2.5/3) Uniqueness - White cards that prevent damage and gain life are nothing new, but that ability that triggers off spending a certain combination of mana appears to be completely new.
(2.5/3) Flavor - Flavor text is a bit generic, but otherwise Vorthos finds it nice.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - I think that middle ability might need some clarity specifying "on a single cost" or some such, but I think player's can be taught what it means without much difficulty. No issues.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Is a legendary Dragon with a five color identity.
(2/2) Subchallenges - Has <25 words of rules text, and quotes a Dragon (itself).

Total: 22.5/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.

scarbo

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Design
(3/3) Appeal - I think everyone can appreciate this.
(2.5/3) Elegance - The last ability has potential to be confusing in execution, but Panglacial Wurm exists to handle all the rules questions at least.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Definitely a splashy 5 color mythic.
(2/3) Balance - This card actually isn't much more than a very nice bomb in Limited, but that last ability is very very powerful in Constructed. Every fetchland has the potential to bring in counterspell or removal EtB creatures. It'd also probably make waves in Commander with that ability to turn every fetch or tutor into yet more tutoring... onto the board. Having to pay the costs, have outside sources for library searching, and having no innate protection helps a bit here.

Creativity
(3/3) Uniqueness - It's like Panglacial Wurm, just not for itself at least. It's pretty fresh I'd say.
(1.5/3) Flavor - It's called the Dragonsoul, but it summons more than just Dragons? (I'd say just Dragons would be a neat limited on its power actually). The flavor text doesn't give us much to work with. We see he's a Human Dragon Incarnation, which suggests one hell of a tale, but we don't learn much about them from that flavor text. There is a lot of room for it, so something more to work with would have been nice.

Polish
(2.5/3) Quality - That typeline is smaller than Sen Triplets. Should be "While you're searching", not "While searching"
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Is a legendary Dragon with a five color identity.
(2/2) Subchallenges - Has <25 words of rules text, and quotes a Dragon (itself).

Total: 21.5/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.

netn10

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Design
(1.5/3) Appeal - Timmy likes it well enough. Johnny can get some mileage out of the repeated bolsters. Spike doesn't really see much of interest here. It's a 5/5 flier with a high color commitment, and the most interesting ability is too ungainly for Spike.
(2/3) Elegance - The last ability has a lot going on that makes it difficult to parse, but otherwise the card is straightforward.

Development
(3/3) Viability - 5 color seems fine due to the flavor concept, though it could technically fit into WUR or BRW. Mythic is probably fine.
(2/3) Balance - A 5/5 flier for WUBRG is a bit overcosted in terms of color weight. Dash is cute, but suffers from needing all those colors, as BR wouldn't quite cover the things this card can do, and a wedge would be a bit flavorfully unsightly. The last ability is overly complicated, and while potentially powerful thanks to the noncreature triggers, probably didn't need the power limitation, especially since that interacts poorly with Exploit.

Creativity
(2/3) Uniqueness - It's an ability soup of the Dragon clans, which is certainly different, though nothing super new otherwise.
(3/3) Flavor - It certainly does its best to embody the dragon clans. I think Vorthos could accept this.

Polish
(1.5/3) Quality - This gets microtexty thanks to the flavor text; it needs to be at least 1 line shorter, probably two. The last ability should be worded "Whenever you cast a noncreature spell or Embodiment of the Clans exploits a creature, if creatures you control have total power 8 or greater, bolster 2."
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Is a legendary Dragon with a five color identity.
(1/2) Subchallenges - Has <25 words of rules text, but does not quote a Dragon (even if Sarkhan can transform into one)

Total: 18/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.

RaikouRider

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Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Timmy and Johnny definitely love this. Spike also likes it, but is worried about it doing nothing with an empty hand.
(2.5/3) Elegance - Last ability is quite wordy, but it can parsed without much difficulty.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Feels like a 5 color mythic.
(1.5/3) Balance - Could do some very degenerate things, especially since it triggers off of being exiled as well as dying, covering both ends of temporary reanimation... and also being incredibly powerful with blinks. The cost is high, but there's nothing stopping cheating it into play, and not much to stop it once it makes it there.

Creativity
(3/3) Uniqueness - Feels like Conflux (in fact its the perfect conclusion after that card is cast), but it's also quite different.
(3/3) Flavor - The flavor makes one wonder if this is what the Child of Alara became. It's certainly an interesting flavor direction, and a curious sort of inversion. That it calls to mind Conflux is also nice flavor.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - That last ability is apparently rather novel. I think that "if" should be "as long as", but I'm not certain.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Is a legendary Dragon with a five color identity.
(1/2) Subchallenges - Quotes a Dragon, but is well over 25 words of rules text.

Total: 21.5/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.

Results

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Ryder: 22.5
scarbo: 21.5
RaikouRider: 21.5
netn10: 18

[StonerOfKruphix]

Judging done. Also, in the "Balance" part of the cards I haven't talked about EDH or casual decks because these are big, dumb dragons, of course they'd find a home there.

netn10

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Embodiment of the Clans wubrg
Legendary Creature - Elder Dragon (Mythic)
Flying
Exploit
Dash wubrg
Formidable - Whenever you cast noncreature spell or exploits, bolster 2 if creatures you control have total power 8 or greater.
"The elder dragons agreed to meet only once. When they met, it rose up from the sun itself in thousand beautiful colors. I dream of the day the clans would be at peace."
- Sarkhan Vol
5/5

Design
(2/3) Appeal - Txmmy likes the size. Same goes for Spike but, apart from the "prowess" trigger there's not much there. Jxnny likes the possibilities of this.
(2.5/3) Elegance - While the card is not super-wordy, it definitely deserves more than one read, if only for the poorly-worded Formidable trigger.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Yep, it's a big, flashy Mythic. Color-wise, there's nothing wrong, but it could be argued that this could just be a Mardu or Jund card.
(2/3) Balance - While it's not definitely a first pick in draft due to the heavy color commitment (unless the format is chock-full of fixing), this card presents some problems for standard, as, on its own, this could be a 5/5 haster which is unkillable during opponents turn due to dash. Sure, it's kept in check by the color requirements, but we all know that older formats don't really care about those. Also, Exploit seems kind of tacked on here, and the Prowess trigger has some potential to get out of hand as soon as this thing hits formidable.

Creativity
(2/3) Uniqueness - Well, this is basically a hodgepodge of all the DTK abilities on one card.
(3/3) Flavor - An unified Tarkir? Sign me up!

Polish
(1.5/3) Quality - Not only this card would have to be read through a magnifying glass, the Formidable ability is strangely worded and missing some articles.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Check.
(1.5/2) Subchallenges - Has less than 25 words, but Sarkhan is just a part-time Dragon, hence the half point.

Total: 19.5/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.

Ryder

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Iopadi, Diamond Magistrate 4W
Legendary Creature — Dragon (R)
Flying
Whenever you spend WUBRG, you gain 5 life.
4W: Prevent the next 5 damage that would be dealt to any target this turn.
"Submit to me and find solace in my protection."
5/5

Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Both Txmmy and Spike appreciate the stat-to-cost ratio. The lifegain clause gives Jxnny some room to play with, but not much.
(2.5/3) Elegance - While the card is definitely elegant, the lifegain part will rouse some questions. For example, do I gain 10 if I cast Progenitus? Do I have to specify every time which type of mana am I paying or does the clause apply to just WUBRG spells (of course not, but some players might still ask this).

Development
(3/3) Viability - This is definitely a white card that makes good use of the WUBRG cost. This could be a rare per se, but I assume it's part of a cycle of legendary monocolored dragons that reward you for paying WUBRG, so the mythic rarity is well-deserved, as with many legendary creatures.
(2.5/3) Balance - A splashable 5/5 flyer for 5 is a windmill slam for limited, and if the other cards of the cycle are like that, then they're all basically first picks, regardless of the colors you're already in, which makes this a bit problematic for limited purposes. I see this posing no problems in standard or in other older formats, but it could be really oppressive against some aggro or burn strategies.

Creativity
(2.5/3) Uniqueness - While the individual parts of the card are something that we've seen already, the way they're mixed up and used makes this feel fresh and innovative.
(3/3) Flavor - This is a perfect representation of a white dragonlord. Now I want to know more about the other Magistrates!

Polish
(3/3) Quality - Everything all right here.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Check.
(2/2) Subchallenges - Double check.

Total: 23/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.

scarbo

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Risten, the Dragonsoul wubrg
Legendary Creature - Human Dragon Incarnation (M)
Flying, first strike, trample
While searching your library, you may creature cast spells from your library.
"My folly was limiting myself to Jund when true power awaited elsewhere."
7/5

Design
(2/3) Appeal - It's big enough for Txmmy. Spike appreciates the size but the hoop of searching the library might be a bit too much. Jxnny appreciates that hoop, but apart from that, it doesn't give them too much wiggle room.
(2.5/3) Elegance - It's very elegant, but every spell that say "you may cast etc." will inevitably incur in the newbie's question: "can I cast it for free?"

Development
(2.5/3) Viability - It's definitely a mythic, but this could easily be a 4-color card (probably UBRG or WUBG), since not every color is represented in its abilities.
(2.5/3) Balance - This is one of the mythics players will actively avoid in draft, since the strain of having a 5-color deck is not enough if you can't reliably get some card advantage through the deck-casting ability, even though you at least get a massive monster. In constructed, though, this is a whole other beast, as it has a lot of potential. Sure, you do need to get through some hoops, but there's not an eternal format that doesn't use fetchlands and cheap creatures, and the potential to get a couple creatures out of your deck (together with a land) on your opponent's end step is very real.

Creativity
(2.5/3) Uniqueness - This is a very nice spin on the Panglacial Wurm ability.
(2/3) Flavor - Well, the flavor in itself is not bad, but it's a bit disjointed. Like, why does a dragonsoul evoke creatures other than dragons? Is it a dragon that turned into a human or viceversa? So many questions!

Polish
(1.5/3) Quality - The types would not fit on the typeline unless in microtext (-0.5). It should be "while you're searching" (0.5) and "you may cast creature spells" (-0.5).
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Check.
(2/2) Subchallenges - Double check.

Total: 19.5/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.

RaikouRider

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Azala, Maw of the Maelstrom 3WUBRG
Legendary Creature - Dragon {M}
Flying, trample
When Azala, Maw of the Maelstrom dies or is put into exile from the battlefield, you may cast any number of colored cards from your hand without paying their mana costs if none of them share a color.
"Had she intellect to accompany her nigh-omnipotence, I might have called her a rival."
--Nicol Bolas
9/9

Design
(2/3) Appeal - Txmmy and Jxnny are gushing over this card. Spike is not interested because of its high mana cost and the fact that it doesn't immediately impact the board.
(2.5/3) Elegance - The death/exile trigger is by itself worth of more of a re-read.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Big and mythic? Sure. The death/exile trigger is very WUBRG, so everything all right color-wise.
(1.5/3) Balance - I can assure you that this mythic is sadly going to be passed around most of the time in draft, as 8 mana is already high as a cost, plus at that stage of the game your hand is probably going to be basically empty, and all of this is not worth the hassle for a big, dumb dragon. Kind of the same goes for standard (unless you pair it with Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded, but this could be super broken in older formats where it's easier to cheat things in. Just imagine how dirty this would be when paired with a Sneak Attack. And that's without even considering that the trigger goes of with blink effects, which push this over the edge.

Creativity
(2.5/3) Uniqueness - The death/exile trigger is something pretty new.
(3/3) Flavor - Just adorable.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - Everything's ok here.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Check.
(2/2) Subchallenges - Double check.

Total: 21.5/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.

Scores

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Ryder 23
RaikouRider 21.5
netn10 19.5
scarbo 19.5

[void_nothing]

netn10

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Design
(1.5/3) Appeal - Mostly a Jxnny thing. Txmmy does like to put on +1/+1 counters repeatedly but this is a lot of hoops to jump through to get to that. Spike is indifferent.
(1.5/3) Elegance - Using all those named mechanics does not for an elegant card make, and the formidable-exploit-bolster ability would be extremely wordy even if it were templated better. Also, this uses four mechanics out of five, and Ojutai gets stuck with just using the "noncreature spell" theme that was more associated with Jeskai? Awkward.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Kind of has to be WUBRG and mythic if only for lore reasons.
(3/3) Balance - Again, repeated +1/+1 counters are powerful, but there's a lot of work to do in order to get them.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - Despite including all those mechanics the outcome is pretty close to being Dromoka, the Eternal.
(1.5/3) Flavor - Not really sure how this fits in with the greater Tarkir flavor - doesn't really seem like an "Elder Dragon" itself so much as an Avatar, and even then I'm not sure how the dragonlords simply meeting would produce a godlike being.

Polish
(1.5/3) Quality - Some serious grammar issues in the triggered ability. "Whenever Embodiment of the Clans exploits a creature or you cast a noncreature spell..."
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(1.5/2) Subchallenges - Few enough words, but Sarkhan's not "really" a Dragon, just a big Dragon fanboy who can turn into one, so half points on that one.

Total: 16/25

Ryder

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Design
(2/3) Appeal - Looks to be a Txmmy/Jxnny thing. Neither available effect, the activated nor the triggered ability, compels Spike all that much, but Txmmy likes lifegain better than most other player types. And the card is odd enough for Jxnny.
(2.5/3) Elegance - Can make combat math, well, kinda funky, but the ability is expensive and everyone can grok what "spend WUBRG" means.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Very much a white card that should very much only have one white mana in the mana cost. Fits comfortably at rare.
(3/3) Balance - Damage prevention is a relatively weak ability, but being able to do it repeatedly to save your creatures is fairly good, and that free life is a nice thing for sure.

Creativity
(2.5/3) Uniqueness - Lots of damage preventers that also have you gain life out there, but caring about what mana you spend on any cost is a very new idea.
(3/3) Flavor - I like this a lot. Feels like a cycle member (which, well, I know it is) and yet the imperious and demanding flavor makes this feel draconic despite being monowhite/WUBRG.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - Looks good.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges - And done.

Total: 23/25

scarbo

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Design
(3/3) Appeal - When a card has both powerful combat abilities and a powerful static ability that powers creatures out and enables combos... everyone can get behind it.
(1.5/3) Elegance - Panglacial Wurm is a notorious Rulings-forum-headache-causer; making a version that would easily be a popular commander and that affects all creature cards in your library would probably be even worse in that respect imho.

Development
(3/3) Viability - You could argue this card down to GW if you were a miserable enough person but this absolutely feels like a five-color mythic.
(1.5/3) Balance - Sheezus, this card is pushed. Those stats with those abilities would be strong enough even at WUBRG, but the static ability may as well read "Crack a fetchland: Impulse draw any number of creature cards": It's positively game-ending. Definitely feels appropriate for a five-color card though!

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - The marquee ability here is just a universal Panglacial Wurm ability, as mentioned above.
(3/3) Flavor - Jundite who used the powers of the Maelstrom to make himself a draco-deity, I imagine? I can dig this, and the flavor text is pretty nice.

Polish
(2/3) Quality - Should be "while YOU'RE searching" based on our only precedent, and "cast" and "creature" got reversed here.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges - And done.

Total: 19.5/25

RaikouRider

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Design
(3/3) Appeal - Txmmy wants to use the 9/9 flying trampling body. Jxnny and Spike want to use the triggered ability.
(2/3) Elegance - The triggered ability is a bit of a mouthful. Also, "dies or is put into exile" feels like a kludge that maybe shouldn't even be there; all huge OP creatures need weaknesses and exile removal probably should be able to stop the triggered ability here.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Oh yeah, that's a five-color mythic alright.
(2/3) Balance - When played fairly (meaning in a deck that intends to use this creature as a creature) I am fine with this card. Ramping up to 3WUBRG can win you the game outright anyway, and even reanimating this card seems alright to me. However, she's pure combo bait for a Flash autowin. I'd expect this card to be banned outright in some formats but considered fine in others.

Creativity
(2/3) Uniqueness - A unique triggered ability that feels at least heavily inspired by Niv-Mizzet Reborn.
(2.5/3) Flavor - Nice flavor text, but I feel like the typeline needs a little more - Dragon Avatar? Elemental Dragon? She doesn't quite feel like just a mundane Dragon.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - Looks fine.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges - And done.

Total: 21.5/25

[void_nothing]

Ryder 22.5 + 23 + 23 = 68.5
RaikouRider 21.5 + 21.5 + 21.5 = 64.5
scarbo 21.5 + 19.5 + 19.5 = 60.5
netn10 18 + 19.5 + 16 = 53.5

Congratulations to @Ryder for winning April's MCC!