Ink-Treader wrote: ↑4 years ago
Expeditious Travails 2W
Enchantment (R)
Whenever a Kor you control attacks, it explores.
Whenever a creature you control reveals a basic Plains while exploring, you may create a 1/1 white Kor Soldier creature token.
For the kor, home is always on the move.
Design
Appeal 2.5/3 - Timmy is ready to play this in a Kor deck in any formats that allow it. Johnny can maybe come up with some kind of Kor engine, also exploiting the fact that the token is a Kor too, but it's not a given that he manages. Spike likes getting additional value from explore.
Elegance 2.5/3 - No big problems here, but why is the token creation optional? That "you may" leaves me perplex. No problems in the rest of the card.
Development
Viability 3/3 - In color and at the proper rarity. No problems here.
Balance 1/3 - Limited: in Zendikar set, this is playable, especially because it gives you value even when you get a land from explore. And it happens that we're about to return to Zendikar soon... In non-Zendikar sets, this is just unplayable. There are no Kor there. All of that holds true in constructed, Standard for sure. Pioneer does have some Kor in Zendikar sets, as does Modern. Legacy and Vintage even have the options of the Kor from Tempest block (Stronghold and Exodus) and Nemesis, but I don't think this is enough to see play in those formats, where only the best of the best sees play. The trigger also makes this just straight up unplayable in everything but an explore deck, and I'll be honest: I can't remember any of those from the sets it was in. No problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 3/3 - Ok, caring about what card you reveal while exploring is new and deserves full points here.
Flavor 3/3 - Is the name supposed to be "Travels"? What I know is that the work "travail" means "work, job" in French. I've studied French for six years and I consider it to be my third language after Italian, my mother tongue, and English, my mother's tongue. (See the earlier note about the tricks you learn by writing a 1200-pages long story.) I have no big problems understanding French, much more speaking it. But that doesn't matter here, as this is an English-speaking forum, not a French one. Let me go check if the word "travail" has a meaning in English too... *checks* Oh look, it does! And a pretty important one too. That's what I've learned today, so thank you for that. Google gives two meanings: "painful or laborious effort" as a noun, and "engage in painful or laborious effort" as a verb. You could tell me: "but Leo, those are the same meaning in different forms, where's the other one?" In the Italian translation that Google translate makes. In fact, it translates "travail" in English (suggesting French by the way, as I said) to "le doglie del parto" in Italian, which is how we Italians call the pain that a woman feels while giving birth to a child, generating a new human life. That's the important meaning I was talking about. And the "painful or laborious effort" meaning perfectly fits this card, so it's not a mistake. It doesn't happen everyday that you discover that a 7-letter word in your third language also has a meaning in your second language and also a third meaning in your first language. See the same note about literary tricks from before. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my fondness for Duff beer... Wait, no, that was the Simpsons (The episode "Duffless" for those that might want to know or go to see it again, which I highly advise, it's very good and from the period back when the Simpsons were still good). I mean the flavor text. That's what I'm expressing my fondness for here. Again, see that same note. And you, enjoy your full points here.
Polish
Quality 1.5/3 - It should be "Whenever a Kor
creature you control..." Noncreatures can't explore (-0.5). It's not the creature to reveal the card for explore, you do. So the last trigger should be "Whenever you reveal a basic Plains while a creature you control explores, ..." (-0.5). I don't understand why the token creation is optional, but it's not a mistake. Reminder text for explore is missing, and that is a mistake, because explore is not an evergreen mechanic and there is certainly room for the reminder text here, so it should be there. (the tricks you learn after writing a 1200-pages long story... anyway, -0.5).
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Both met.
TOTAL 20.5/25