The MCC Discussion Thread

Dragonlover
Posts: 546
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him

Post by Dragonlover » 4 years ago

I may need an extension on the judging, I started a new job today and I'm bloody knackered. I'll let you guys know tomorrow.

Dragonlover
All my decks are here

slimytrout
Posts: 1861
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by slimytrout » 4 years ago

No worries! If it's going to take you more than 24 hours past the original deadline (i.e., you're not going to be able to submit judgements by midnight wednesday) please let me know soon and I will cover your bracket for this round.

User avatar
bravelion83
MKM MCC going on now
Posts: 4039
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Florence, Italy

Post by bravelion83 » 4 years ago

Instead I miscalculated time zones and I thought the deadline was four hours ago. Anyway, my judgments are up, with all the typos fixed. It took "only" 9 edits to do that. And I can say they are very probably the most particular I've ever written to say the least... If you like fictional Magic sketches, or even pieces of personal life story, my own real life, you should probably check them out even if you're not directly involved. And [mention]netn10[/mention], you should definitely check them out, especially you, and read my message to you at the end. I've already written there, and I'll repeat it here: that's totally serious. I really mean it.
Author of the MCC Guidelines and FAQ. | For my projects, including Jeff Lionheart, my murder mystery story "One pierced heart, two mindful horns", and republished articles from my series "The Lion's Lair", see Leo's content index (Last updated on March 24th 2024 - Added OPHTMH Episode 4).
After I'm done republishing my articles I want to reprise the series focusing it more on editing, wording, and templating. Suggest potential future article topics here.
My CCCG Resume (Updated on February 27th 2024)
Show
Hide
Blue = MTGSalvation Green = MTGNexus
MCC - Winner (9): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019, Jan Mar 2022, Apr 2023 || Host (30): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) Oct 2019, Jan Jun 2020 Apr Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2023, Mar 2024 || Judge (58): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), every month from Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) to Feb 2020, May Jun 2020, Mar Apr Sep Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar May Jun Sep Dec 2023, Jan Mar 2024
CCL - Winner (4): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Jun 2021 (tied with slimytrout) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (3): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar), Feb Apr 2022 || Host (12): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016, Jun Sep Dec 2021, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun 2023

netn10
Posts: 3933
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by netn10 » 4 years ago

bravelion83 wrote:
4 years ago
Instead I miscalculated time zones and I thought the deadline was four hours ago. Anyway, my judgments are up, with all the typos fixed. It took "only" 9 edits to do that. And I can say they are very probably the most particular I've ever written to say the least... If you like fictional Magic sketches, or even pieces of personal life story, my own real life, you should probably check them out even if you're not directly involved. And netn10, you should definitely check them out, especially you, and read my message to you at the end. I've already written there, and I'll repeat it here: that's totally serious. I really mean it.
Man, that was very interesting to read :) thank you so much for the detailed story and review of my card, it was way above and beyond my expectations! Also, you should write a book if you are not doing so now.

User avatar
bravelion83
MKM MCC going on now
Posts: 4039
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Florence, Italy

Post by bravelion83 » 4 years ago

netn10 wrote:
4 years ago
Man, that was very interesting to read thank you so much for the detailed story and review of my card, it was way above and beyond my expectations! Also, you should write a book if you are not doing so now.
No, thank you for having taken such a bad judgment in such a good way! That was exactly my intent. Mission accomplished, I'd say! More than anything I hope you appreciated my congratulations at the end, because, once more, those are totally real. And let me tell you, there are a few other hidden gems in the other judgments as well, if you feel like checking those. Another piece of my real life story and other small details here and there are included. I had told these are probably the most... particular? Strange? I don't even know which word to use... judgments I've ever written.

As for being a writer... I kinda am. In fact, I have started earlier this year to write a series of stories. For now I have seven stories planned, with something (or better, someone) connecting them all together. I've just finished writing the first story that I started in March. If you format it like it would be in an A4 book, it takes almost 1200 pages (1184 before revision to be precise). Yes, you read it right, more than a thousand pages. I expect it to be the longest one, also because it kinda sets the stage for the rest and introduces almost all the main characters, but let me tell you that if I compare my writing at the end of that story to Jeff's backstory that I wrote in 2015, I feel like I've gotten so much better as a writer, even though I still definitely have room to improve. And I've never studied anything about writing in my whole life! I've become essentially a self-taught writer! If you've noticed me and my writing style slowly getting better and better in my MCC intros, that's why. I've been exercizing! A lot!
All stories will have at least one custom Magic set going with them, set each on a custom plane of my own creation, with one story, the third one, that I already know will require two sets because of mechanical gameplay reasons (in fact, the story will be just one). Without going into too much detail, both because that would be a spoiler if I ever decide to make the series public (which I don't exclude, but I've also not decided yet) and because this is not the right forum for it, my current plan is something like this:
Leo's story plan
Show
Hide
• Story 1 (writing finished, now in editing phase) goes with custom set 1 (about halfway done, I have all the mechanics), set on plane 1 (the main plane in the series, a role similar to Ravnica or Dominaria in real MTG, whatever the current "center" of the Multiverse is).
• Story 2 (I know what I want the plot to be, I have a very detailed outline written for it, I just have a few details left to work out) goes with custom set 2, set on a new different custom plane (plane 2).
• Story 3 (I know some of the plot but not all, and I still have many details left, though I have a few already) needs two custom sets (set 3 and set 4), all set on another new different custom plane (plane 3).
• Story 4 (I know what I want the plot to be in full details, I have an outline even more detailed than set 2 already written for it, I just have a few very minor details left) goes with custom set 5, that's a return to plane 1.
• Story 5 (I know what I want the plot to be, I have a vague outline written for it, I still have major details left) goes with custom set 6, set on a new different custom plane (plane 4).
• Story 6 (I know what I want the beginning and the end to be, I still have no idea of what will go in-between) goes with custom set 7, set on a new different custom plane (plane 5).
• Story 7 (I know some of the plot points, especially at the beginning of the story, but I only have a vague idea of the rest) goes with custom set 8, which is a second return to plane 1.

Then I have an idea for one more custom set, with no story planned yet, and another idea for a new plane (plane 6), but those two don't really go together, so I will have to do:
• Story 8 (no idea of the plot yet) that goes with custom set 9, set on plane 6.
• Story 9 (no idea of the plot yet) that goes with custom set 10, that I know what I want to be (the set).

And then I also have a few preliminary notes, especially about one specific plot point, that I want to happen on the next return to plane 1 after all this is done.

So, to summarize:
Story 1 goes with custom set 1, both set on plane 1.
Story 2 goes with custom set 2, both set on plane 2.
Story 3 goes with custom set 3, both set on plane 3.
Story 3 also covers custom set 4, still set on plane 3.
Story 4 goes with custom set 5, first return to plane 1.
Story 5 goes with custom set 6, both set on plane 4.
Story 6 goes with custom set 7, both set on plane 5.
Story 7 goes with custom set 8, second return to plane 1.
Story 8 goes with custom set 9, both set on plane 6 (that I still have to create though I have the inspiration).
Story 9 goes with custom set 10, both set on... I don't want to say which plane here but I know.
Story ? goes with custom set ?, third return to plane 1.

Do you understand now why I always talk about this as a "very big project"? It will take me years to complete, I know.

I'll be the only author of all 9+ stories.
All 10+ custom sets will be exclusively my own design.
All 6 planes and whatever the setting for story 9 is are my own creation. They are all new planes, with no ties to any existing real Magic plane. All planes up to plane 5 already have their inspirations and their names. Plane 6 has its inspiration but not yet a name. About the setting of story 9, I'll only say this at the moment: it's not the Blind Eternities, it's not any existing Magic plane, and it's not silver-border but regular black-border.

Obviously all this needs planeswalkers 'walking from one plane to the other. There are. In fact, I have a table of all color combinations up to 3-colored (all mono plus all pairs plus all shards plus all wedges), each with at least one new custom planeswalker. All those planeswalkers are also my own exclusive creation, though not all of them have a name or a backstory yet. But they all have a race, a gender, and a color combination. Some already have their home plane, mostly among those 6 planes, and only exactly two (one of which is Jeff) come from real Magic planes. Others don't have a planned home plane yet. Some will have their origin story be a chapter in one of the stories, for others we won't know their origin story.
All those involved in stories up to story 6, and two for story 7, also already have a story to appear in (with the corresponding custom set having a card for them). The rest of those in the table will appear in stories 8+, but I know yet who and in which order. Some of the planeswalkers will be recurring characters while others will only appear once. I've got no plans to make a Gatewatch-like thing for now. There will be friends and enemies between them, of course, but for now I have no intention of making those that are friends with each other officially found a group like the Gatewatch.
Oh, and for those thinking (like me) that there are way too many Human planeswalkers currently in real Magic, I'm happy to announce that out of the 25 in my table, only 4 are Human! Yes, most are still humanoid, but not Humans.

And there's already another custom block that I've just started building privately with one other person that's also active here that's kind of a spin-off, set on the home plane of one of the planeswalkers that will appear in story 3 (not the main protagonist of that story but still a relevant character in it) and also telling his origin story as part of the plot (yes, that particular planeswaler is a male, that's because I'm saying "his").

I told you, this is big. Isn't it? Writing Jeff Lionheart's backstory for the July and August 2015 MCCs was a joke compared to this. And yes, Jeff will be back very soon in the series (story 2) and will become one of the recurring characters. He's the one in the "Naya" (RGW) row of the table, and he's from Theros. This is not a spoiler because his backstory will not change from those MCCs, and it's already public. Go check those MCCs on Salvation (if they are still there, I haven't visited that site not even once since August, since I've been here on Nexus) or the link in my signature to read it. In fact, all those short blurbs together (only revised for typos, grammar, and such) will form a single chapter in story 2 reestablishing his backstory before he becomes a recurring character in the series. That's already planned. What I will not tell you now obviously is what Jeff will go through, because yes, that would be a spoiler if I ever decide to make my stories public.
Is that enough? :)
Author of the MCC Guidelines and FAQ. | For my projects, including Jeff Lionheart, my murder mystery story "One pierced heart, two mindful horns", and republished articles from my series "The Lion's Lair", see Leo's content index (Last updated on March 24th 2024 - Added OPHTMH Episode 4).
After I'm done republishing my articles I want to reprise the series focusing it more on editing, wording, and templating. Suggest potential future article topics here.
My CCCG Resume (Updated on February 27th 2024)
Show
Hide
Blue = MTGSalvation Green = MTGNexus
MCC - Winner (9): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019, Jan Mar 2022, Apr 2023 || Host (30): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) Oct 2019, Jan Jun 2020 Apr Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2023, Mar 2024 || Judge (58): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), every month from Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) to Feb 2020, May Jun 2020, Mar Apr Sep Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar May Jun Sep Dec 2023, Jan Mar 2024
CCL - Winner (4): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Jun 2021 (tied with slimytrout) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (3): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar), Feb Apr 2022 || Host (12): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016, Jun Sep Dec 2021, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun 2023

slimytrout
Posts: 1861
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by slimytrout » 4 years ago

Round 3 is up.

User avatar
Blydden
Philosophical Crusader
Posts: 30
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him

Post by Blydden » 4 years ago

[mention]slimytrout[/mention]
Do we [this round's contestants] have until Saturday, November 23rd or Sunday, November 24th?

[Yes I am a quality fiend, and yes deadlines are important!]

slimytrout
Posts: 1861
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by slimytrout » 4 years ago

Ah, sorry, moved the deadline back a day to account for the delay in judging and forgot to change the day of the week as well. You have until Sunday the 24th. That's now corrected in the Round post as well -- thanks for alerting me!

User avatar
bravelion83
MKM MCC going on now
Posts: 4039
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Florence, Italy

Post by bravelion83 » 4 years ago

slimytrout wrote:
4 years ago
DragonLover is dealing with some stuff, so I stepped in and judged their bracket. Apologies if judgements are a bit brief, as I'm trying to get these done quickly so we can move on. Speaking of which, Round 3 will be up later this afternoon.

P.S. I'm not yet sure if DragonLover will be back as a judge for Rounds 3 and 4, so if you've been eliminated and would be willing to step in as judge, please be in touch with me.
void_nothing wrote:
4 years ago
I will step up and judge the final two rounds, as it is unnecessarily unpleasant to try to finish the MCC shorthanded.
[mention]slimytrout[/mention], don't worry about it, it happens. I've had to take care of other judges' brackets a lot of times on my months as host in my almost-6-year-long MCC career. Yes, it's not pleasant, and you will have to do a speedrun, so detail will obviously suffer, but when things like this happen, what else can you do as host? In fact, something very similar happened just a few months ago, when I hosted the first MCC here on Nexus in August. Again, it's really unfortunate but from time to time it happens.
void_nothing wrote:
4 years ago
Actually, this is convenient, as I was narrowly eliminated this round.
And I'm still sorry for that, but when 4 of the strongest designers we have around here happen to be all in the same bracket, some will have to get eliminated. It's math. You just happened to find yourself in such a bracket, and I assure you that until the last single score I gave I didn't know how it would have ended. Ok, one did a mistake, and that happens too, we're just human after all, but who would have advanced among the other three? I can guarantee you that I didn't know the answer myself until I went to calculate the total scores. I'm convinced that in another bracket, you could have totally advanced.
Author of the MCC Guidelines and FAQ. | For my projects, including Jeff Lionheart, my murder mystery story "One pierced heart, two mindful horns", and republished articles from my series "The Lion's Lair", see Leo's content index (Last updated on March 24th 2024 - Added OPHTMH Episode 4).
After I'm done republishing my articles I want to reprise the series focusing it more on editing, wording, and templating. Suggest potential future article topics here.
My CCCG Resume (Updated on February 27th 2024)
Show
Hide
Blue = MTGSalvation Green = MTGNexus
MCC - Winner (9): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019, Jan Mar 2022, Apr 2023 || Host (30): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) Oct 2019, Jan Jun 2020 Apr Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2023, Mar 2024 || Judge (58): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), every month from Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) to Feb 2020, May Jun 2020, Mar Apr Sep Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar May Jun Sep Dec 2023, Jan Mar 2024
CCL - Winner (4): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Jun 2021 (tied with slimytrout) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (3): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar), Feb Apr 2022 || Host (12): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016, Jun Sep Dec 2021, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun 2023

slimytrout
Posts: 1861
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by slimytrout » 4 years ago

Sojourner Dusk wrote:
4 years ago
I can't see WotC ever doing a "library-matters" set due to complexity. How many times can you reference the number of cards in your (or an opponent's) library, especially at Common?
I suspect that this is more of a rhetorical question, but I thought I should clarify that "library-matters" doesn't necessarily have to mean "number-of-cards-in-library-matters," although it certainly could. Obviously there are challenges with referencing a hidden zone, but I can think of multiple other themes that could be used for such a set. Anyway, fortunately you don't have to design the full set :)

User avatar
Ryder
Posts: 348
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him

Post by Ryder » 4 years ago

I'd like to bring something up for discussion.

Problem: Rares are the most common designs.
Reason: Cards of higher rarity are more exciting, choosing a lower rarity than required means handicapping yourself.

Proposed solution:
Make MCC challenges always require a particular rarity.
I'd personally go even further and make all first rounds about commons, second rounds about uncommons etc. That would actually help us grow as designers, since designing a set is mostly about the lower rarities. Sure, rares are more fun, but there's CCL for that.

Thoughts?
[mention]bravelion83[/mention] here we go

User avatar
void_nothing
Look On My Sash...
Posts: 14924
Joined: 4 years ago
Answers: 124
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Tal Terig, Zendikar

Post by void_nothing » 4 years ago

I would never, ever handicap the organizers in that way. Everyone should be free to design the challenges they want.
Psst, check the second page of Custom Card Contests & Games! Because of the daily contests, a lot of games fall down to there.

The greatest (fake) pro wrestling on the internet - Collaborative Create-A-Booster - My random creations (updated regularly)

Important Facts: Colorless is not a color, Wastes is not a land type, Changeling is not a creature type

The_Hittite
Posts: 55
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him

Post by The_Hittite » 4 years ago

I think it's more useful as a subchallenge. If every first round is forced to be common, that would get old pretty quick. Especially since the space for innovation at common is so limited.

User avatar
Ryder
Posts: 348
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him

Post by Ryder » 4 years ago

I believe there's plenty of space for innovation at common, it just isn't as easy to use that space as it is with rares, where anything works.

User avatar
bravelion83
MKM MCC going on now
Posts: 4039
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Florence, Italy

Post by bravelion83 » 4 years ago

Ryder wrote:
4 years ago
I'd like to bring something up for discussion.

Problem: Rares are the most common designs.
Reason: Cards of higher rarity are more exciting, choosing a lower rarity than required means handicapping yourself.

Proposed solution:
Make MCC challenges always require a particular rarity.
I'd personally go even further and make all first rounds about commons, second rounds about uncommons etc. That would actually help us grow as designers, since designing a set is mostly about the lower rarities. Sure, rares are more fun, but there's CCL for that.

Thoughts?
bravelion83 here we go
Yeah, indeed. Ryder and I have been talking about this behind the scenes for some days now: he wrote to me bringing up what he saw as a problem with the contest, and we exchanged our thoughts, which, please, pay attention: it doesn't mean that I automatically agree to the proposed solution, in fact I think it's too harsh as written, it just means that I can see the problem he's talking about. It's true that we don't see many commons in this contest, and even when one of us, as host, puts "common or uncommon" as a subchallenge, trying to encourage players to design at lower rarities, the vast majority of players just goes for the uncommon. And let's remember that according to Maro, commons are indeed the most difficult cards to design, and I totally agree with that from my experience both as an MCC judge and a custom card designer that has designed many custom sets, most of which are still private except for the ones mentioned in my signature. In fact, what I actually think is that it could be a very interesting twist for a single month, and one I could be very interested to try in one of my months, but I also think that asking for it every month is just too much. All the things I've just written about in this post so far are what we were talking about. The reason I have been the one pushing Ryder to write about it here is exactly to hear what other people who care about the MCC think about that: their opinions, ideas, and potential solutions to the problem Ryder poses, or if someone just thinks that things are fine as they are and it's not really a problem at all. That's also a totally valid opinion. So, please, if you have any thoughts about this, don't hesitate to tell us here. What's the discussion thread for if not to discuss?
Author of the MCC Guidelines and FAQ. | For my projects, including Jeff Lionheart, my murder mystery story "One pierced heart, two mindful horns", and republished articles from my series "The Lion's Lair", see Leo's content index (Last updated on March 24th 2024 - Added OPHTMH Episode 4).
After I'm done republishing my articles I want to reprise the series focusing it more on editing, wording, and templating. Suggest potential future article topics here.
My CCCG Resume (Updated on February 27th 2024)
Show
Hide
Blue = MTGSalvation Green = MTGNexus
MCC - Winner (9): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019, Jan Mar 2022, Apr 2023 || Host (30): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) Oct 2019, Jan Jun 2020 Apr Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2023, Mar 2024 || Judge (58): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), every month from Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) to Feb 2020, May Jun 2020, Mar Apr Sep Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar May Jun Sep Dec 2023, Jan Mar 2024
CCL - Winner (4): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Jun 2021 (tied with slimytrout) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (3): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar), Feb Apr 2022 || Host (12): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016, Jun Sep Dec 2021, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun 2023

User avatar
Ryder
Posts: 348
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him

Post by Ryder » 4 years ago

Just to make it clear, having a hard setup is only what I'd do.
An enough of a solution would be just to include a rarity in each challenge, so we don't have Rares vs Commons to compare. I would love to design more commons, but then I'd likely lose Appeal points.

slimytrout
Posts: 1861
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by slimytrout » 4 years ago

I don't think the problem is so much with the Appeal category, but with Uniqueness. One of the things that defines being common is having an effect that's straightforward, and the vast majority of straightforward effects have already been done in a game that's older than I am. When you're designing an actual set you can use the mechanics of the set to make a card that feels "new," but it's not realistic that people are going to come up with custom mechanics for each month of the MCC. I think with the right challenge it could be fun to make people design commons (mostly if the challenge itself is pushing into new space) but I don't think it will often be the first round, which is in general supposed to be easier.

User avatar
Flatline
The Heartbeat of America
Posts: 451
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Someplace Special

Post by Flatline » 4 years ago

I think the MCC is fine how it is, although I do agree that the contest generally discourages commons and uncommons. Is it possible that the solution lies in how judges approach things? Perhaps it's not realistic in a contest such as this, but maybe common vs rare isn't the right way to look at it? What I'm trying to say is, would it be possible to judge a common as a common, and a rare as a rare? Instead of asking if a card is unique, maybe the right question would be, "Is the card unique for its rarity?" The same idea can be applied to appeal. A card that might be scoffed at by Spike in constructed could be one of their favorite cards in limited. When people judge cards in the MCC right now, they expect the card to be all things to all people. Shouldn't Johnny's favorite card in a set be worth as many appeal points as card that is relatively appealing to all three player types? Again, what I'm talking about here may be easier said than done, but when a scout is judging a 16 year old high school athlete, they aren't judging them against a 26 year old pro, they're judging them against other 16 year old athletes. Of course a card that is all things to all people should still be given the most points, which may render my whole idea somewhat moot.
Card Contest Victories
Show
Hide
DCC
Show
Hide
(25 Total) - October 2014; December 2014; January 2015; April 2015; June 2015; August 2015; September 2015; November 2015; December 2015(T); January 2016; March 2016(T); April 2016; June 2016; October 2016; December 2016(T); February 2017; April 2017; December 2017; November 2018(T); January 2019; April 2019; June 2019; August 2019; October 2019; March 2020
MCC
Show
Hide
(8 Total) - May 2015; May 2016; June 2016; August 2016; October 2016; December 2016; October 2017; May 2019
CCL
Show
Hide
(7 Total) - September 2015; October 2015; January 2016; March 2016; April 2016; July 2016(T); March 2019(T)

slimytrout
Posts: 1861
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by slimytrout » 4 years ago

Final Round of November is up, but please continue the discussion of rarity around this post.

User avatar
bravelion83
MKM MCC going on now
Posts: 4039
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Florence, Italy

Post by bravelion83 » 4 years ago

slimytrout wrote:
4 years ago
The other zones are hand, library, graveyard, command zone, exile, stack, ante, and absolutely-removed-from-the-freaking-game-forever zone.
[mention]slimytrout[/mention], if we're talking currently and black border, the last two should not be there. Ante is no longer officially supported (see rule 407 in the CR), and the absolutely-etc... (I hate that name, it's so long) is, luckily, only in silver border, and unless specified it should be assumed that you're designing black border cards in the MCC.

Also yes, keep giving us opinions about the rarity discussion. The more opinions we get, the better it is.
Author of the MCC Guidelines and FAQ. | For my projects, including Jeff Lionheart, my murder mystery story "One pierced heart, two mindful horns", and republished articles from my series "The Lion's Lair", see Leo's content index (Last updated on March 24th 2024 - Added OPHTMH Episode 4).
After I'm done republishing my articles I want to reprise the series focusing it more on editing, wording, and templating. Suggest potential future article topics here.
My CCCG Resume (Updated on February 27th 2024)
Show
Hide
Blue = MTGSalvation Green = MTGNexus
MCC - Winner (9): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019, Jan Mar 2022, Apr 2023 || Host (30): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) Oct 2019, Jan Jun 2020 Apr Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2023, Mar 2024 || Judge (58): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), every month from Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) to Feb 2020, May Jun 2020, Mar Apr Sep Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar May Jun Sep Dec 2023, Jan Mar 2024
CCL - Winner (4): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Jun 2021 (tied with slimytrout) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (3): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar), Feb Apr 2022 || Host (12): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016, Jun Sep Dec 2021, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun 2023

slimytrout
Posts: 1861
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted

Post by slimytrout » 4 years ago

Fair enough. Because it was a list of things you couldn't include, I threw the last two on there mostly as a joke. But you're right that they don't actually belong :)

User avatar
void_nothing
Look On My Sash...
Posts: 14924
Joined: 4 years ago
Answers: 124
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Tal Terig, Zendikar

Post by void_nothing » 4 years ago

December round 1 plus judge signups will be up sometime in the afternoon (Eastern).
Psst, check the second page of Custom Card Contests & Games! Because of the daily contests, a lot of games fall down to there.

The greatest (fake) pro wrestling on the internet - Collaborative Create-A-Booster - My random creations (updated regularly)

Important Facts: Colorless is not a color, Wastes is not a land type, Changeling is not a creature type

User avatar
void_nothing
Look On My Sash...
Posts: 14924
Joined: 4 years ago
Answers: 124
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Tal Terig, Zendikar

Post by void_nothing » 4 years ago

Now, to be absolutely clear: While I would never condone imposing absolute rarity requirements on entries for MCC rounds (1 as common, 2 as uncommon, 3 as rare, and 4 as mythic, or anything similar), I encourage using rarity as a limiter for challenges! In that light I've decided to make December "Commons Month." Round 1 is up, and so is the Judge Signup thread.
Psst, check the second page of Custom Card Contests & Games! Because of the daily contests, a lot of games fall down to there.

The greatest (fake) pro wrestling on the internet - Collaborative Create-A-Booster - My random creations (updated regularly)

Important Facts: Colorless is not a color, Wastes is not a land type, Changeling is not a creature type

User avatar
bravelion83
MKM MCC going on now
Posts: 4039
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Florence, Italy

Post by bravelion83 » 4 years ago

void_nothing wrote:
4 years ago
I encourage using rarity as a limiter for challenges!
To be extra clear and fully explicit as a potential future host (interested in hosting the THB month on either January or February, depending on how much we officially know about it by the end of the year) who was thinking about his next month's challenges...
I imagine that the Main Challenge is included here, just like you did now in Round 1, where you included a rarity as part of the Main Challenge. Subchallenges are no problem, rarity has already been used a lot for those historically.

Essentially what you are contrary to is including mandatory rarities in the guidelines, but a host can do Main Challenges like:

Round 1 "design a common with these requirements"
Round 2 "design an uncommon with these requirements"
Round 3 "design a regular rare with these requirements"
Round 4 "design a mythic with these requirements"

as the twist for one month. What you don't want is every month looking like that. You don't want to make it mandatory for the host, but it's still possible for the host to do it from time to time, in Main Challenges too. Have I understood well? Is this correct?
Author of the MCC Guidelines and FAQ. | For my projects, including Jeff Lionheart, my murder mystery story "One pierced heart, two mindful horns", and republished articles from my series "The Lion's Lair", see Leo's content index (Last updated on March 24th 2024 - Added OPHTMH Episode 4).
After I'm done republishing my articles I want to reprise the series focusing it more on editing, wording, and templating. Suggest potential future article topics here.
My CCCG Resume (Updated on February 27th 2024)
Show
Hide
Blue = MTGSalvation Green = MTGNexus
MCC - Winner (9): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019, Jan Mar 2022, Apr 2023 || Host (30): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) Oct 2019, Jan Jun 2020 Apr Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2023, Mar 2024 || Judge (58): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), every month from Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) to Feb 2020, May Jun 2020, Mar Apr Sep Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar May Jun Sep Dec 2023, Jan Mar 2024
CCL - Winner (4): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Jun 2021 (tied with slimytrout) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (3): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar), Feb Apr 2022 || Host (12): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016, Jun Sep Dec 2021, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun 2023

User avatar
void_nothing
Look On My Sash...
Posts: 14924
Joined: 4 years ago
Answers: 124
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Tal Terig, Zendikar

Post by void_nothing » 4 years ago

Of course. What I'm for is absolute latitude for hosts to design creative challenges. Rarity is an important element of design so if a host wishes to specify rarity for a main challenge or subchallenge I'd welcome that.

However, I'd never want to force anyone to make all challenges include a rarity any more than you'd want to say "All first round cards must be white, all second round cards must be blue..."
Psst, check the second page of Custom Card Contests & Games! Because of the daily contests, a lot of games fall down to there.

The greatest (fake) pro wrestling on the internet - Collaborative Create-A-Booster - My random creations (updated regularly)

Important Facts: Colorless is not a color, Wastes is not a land type, Changeling is not a creature type

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic

Return to “Contests & Games”