March MCC Round 1: Dredging Up The Past

[Venedrex]

_{Golgari Grave-Troll by Jakub Kasper and Wizards of the Coast. Thanks to Bravelion83 for the "core set style" MCC logo.}

March MCC Round 1: Dredging Up The Past.

Welcome to the March MCC! It's Ravnica Month here at the MCC, and we will be digging deep into the themes and mechanics of this city as well as its ancient secrets.

Main Challenge: Design a card with a guild mechanic from the first Ravnica block on it.
Subchallenge 1: Your card's mana value (formerly CMC) is 5 or greater.
Subchallenge 2: Your card doesn't use convoke or bloodthirst.

DEADLINES

Design deadline: Thursday, March 11th 23:59 EDT

Judging deadline: Saturday, March 13th 23:59 EDT

Clarifications

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Main Challenge: The mechanics of each guild in the first Ravnica block are as follows:

Golgari - , Dredge
Boros - , Radiance
Dimir - , Transmute
Selesnya - , Convoke
Gruul - , Bloodthirst
Izzet - , Replicate
Orzhov - , Haunt
Rakdos - , Hellbent
Azorius - , Forecast
Simic - , Graft

Subchallenge 2: Your card will still meet the main challenge if it has convoke or bloodthirst, you just won't get points for the subchallenge.

MCC Rubric

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MCC Rubric
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
bravelion83
venedrex

If you are not interested in playing, feel free to head on over to the judge signup thread here: http://nxs.wf/np127499

Players:
Anyone is welcome to enter this first round!

[RaikouRider]

Hopefully I can juggle all the stuff this month.

The Psychic Codex 5
Legendary Artifact {M}
Each nonland card in your hand has transmute 1UB. (1UB, Discard a nonland card: Search your library for a card with the same mana value as the discarded card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library. Transmute only as a sorcery.)
Players can't search libraries more than once each turn.
Transmute 1UB

[scarbo]

Rakdos, Leyline Torturer 3bbrr
Creature - Demon (M)
If Rakdos, Leyline Torturer is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it exiled.
Flying, trample
Whenever a player discards a card, if Rakdos is exiled or on the battlefield, add c.
Hellbent - You may cast Rakdos, Leyline Torturer from exile as long as you have no cards in hand.
6/6

[slimytrout]

Protective Spirit 3WW
Creature - Spirit (R)
Graft 4 (This creature enters the battlefield with four +1/+1 counters on it. Whenever another creature enters the battlefield, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature onto it.)
Flying
1W: Exile another target creature with a +1/+1 counter on it. Return it to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of the next end step.
0/0

[Freyleyes]

Volatile Cocktail 3RR
Sorcery {R}
Replicate R (When you cast this spell, copy it for each time you paid its replicate cost. You may choose new targets for the copies.)
Volatile Cocktail deals 5 damage to target creature.
Boom, boom, boom boom boom...

[netn10]

Plot With Blood 3BB
Sorcery (Mythic)
Dredge 2
Transmute 1BB
Madness 2BB
Until end of turn, spells you cast cost life instead of mana.

[Subject16]

Obzedat's Enforcer 1BB
Creature — Spirit (Rare)
Haunt (When this creature dies, exile it haunting target creature.)
Whenever Obzedat's Enforcer or the creature it haunts deals combat damage, its controller loses that much life.
When the creature Obzedat's Enforcer haunts dies, you may pay 2 life. If you do, put Obzedat's enforced from exile into your hand.
4/3

[MonoRedMage]

Demonfire Wave 3RR
Sorcery {M}
Hellbent - If you have no cards in hand, you and permanents you control gain protection from red until end of turn.
Demonfire Wave deals 4 damage to each creature, each player, and each planeswalker. If a permanent dealt damage this way would die this turn, exile it instead.

[Flatline]

Malevolent Mindripper 3br
Creature — Skeleton Shaman (R)
Each card you discard while casting this spell pays for 1.
Menace, haste
Bloodthirst — Whenever Malevolent Mindripper deals combat damage to a player, if you have no cards in hand, that player discards a card and you draw a card.
"Your thoughts belongs to Rakdos."
3/2

[Daylit]

Carnarium Encorefiend 3BB
Creature - Demon Shaman (R)
Menace, Flying
Hellbent - Once per turn, if you have no cards in hand, you may cast a spell in your graveyard for its spectacle cost (You can do so only if an opponent lost life this turn)
It knows how to give the most self-destructive performances twice in one night.
4/3

[archemediesx]

Prying Griffin 3UU
Creature — Griffin (U)
Flying
Whenever Prying Griffin deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a card. If you do, discard a card.
Forecast — 1U, Reveal Prying Griffin from your hand: Whenever one or more creatures you control deal combat damage to a player this turn, draw a card, then discard a card. (Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)
4/3

[Legend]

Radiant Golem (Rare)
4
Artifact Creature — Golem
3/3
2: Radiant Golem becomes the color or colors of your choice until end of turn.
Radiance — Whenever Radiant Golem attacks, if it isn't colorless, put a +1/+1 counter on it and each other creature that shares a color with it.

[Riria]

Insensate Circus Rouser 3BR
Creature - Human Advisor (U)
Discard a card: Creatures you control get +1/+0 and gain trample and haste until end of turn.
Hellbent - Insensate Circus Rouser has base power and toughness 0/6 and its activated abilities cannot be activated if you have no cards in hand.
Under Rakdos' roof, there's burnout, and then there's burnout.
3/3

[Lorn Asbord Schutta]

Lyev Investigator
Creature — Human Soldier (R)
First strike
Your opponents can't cast spells with a name you noted for cards named Lyev Investigator.
Forecast — , Reveal Lyev Investigator from your hand: Target opponent reveals the top card of their library. Note the revealed card's name. (Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)
3/2

[kwanyeegor-ii]

Parhelion Percher 3WW
Creature - Angel (Mythic)
Flying
Parhelion Percher can't be exiled.
Radiance - Whenever Parhelion Percher attacks, exile target creature and each creature that shares a color with it. Return those creatures to the battlefield under their owners' control at end of combat.
4/3

[Henlock]

Artful Snare 2w
Instant (u)
Exile target tapped creature.
Forecast - 1w, Reveal Artful Snare from your hand: Tap target creature. (Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)

[stille_nacht]

Blighted Bloom 3GU
Creature - Plant (R)
Defender, Graft 4
Each creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it is a plant in addition to its other creature types.
Plants you control have infect.

The phyresis crept first into the summer bloom, and heedless of its danger the elves were subverted.
0/0

[Venedrex]

Last day to submit an entry!

[marioguy3]

Infestation of the Drakes
Sorcery (Rare)
Replicate (When you cast this spell, copy it for each time you paid its replicate cost. You may choose new targets for the copies.)
Create a 2/2 blue drake creature token with flying and haste. Then draw a card for each drake token you control.
The drakes are appearing in Ravnica at increasingly rapid levels. Scientists say that at this rate, Drakes will takeover the region.

[Venedrex]

Round is closed! Here are the judging assignments:

venedrex:
Flatline
Freyleyes
MonoRedMage
marioguy3
Riria
archemediesx

void_nothing:
stille_nacht
Daylit
RaikouRider
slimytrout
Henlock
netn10

bravelion83:
scarbo
kwanyeegor-ii
Subject16
Lorn Asbord Schutta
Legend

Top 4 from each bracket will advance.

[bravelion83]

How to spend a Saturday evening writing MCC judgments, and even making it within the technical deadline. It feels good to be back.

scarbo

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Rakdos, Leyline Torturer 3bbrr
Creature - Demon (M)
If Rakdos, Leyline Torturer is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it exiled.
Flying, trample
Whenever a player discards a card, if Rakdos is exiled or on the battlefield, add c.
Hellbent - You may cast Rakdos, Leyline Torturer from exile as long as you have no cards in hand.
6/6

Design
Appeal 2/3 - Timmy likes the size and keywords. He also likes to add mana to cast even more big things, and doing it while making his opponent discard. Not much for Johnny here. Spike wants a 7-mana creature to dominate the battlefield, and a 6/6 flying trample should do exactly that.
Elegance 2.5/3 - The text is long but easy to understand.
Development
Viability 2.5/3 - No problems with the color pie or rarity. It's interesting that this is like the famous Golgari 4/4 with vigilance, in that flying is the black keyword and trample the red one. I'm not a fan of things coming back from exile though, even if this card kinda requires it.
Balance 2.5/3 - If you're in Rakdos colors and you open this, there is no way you won't play it in limited. The mana cost is a bit high for competitive formats, but the sheer size is there if you can get to seven mana, of which four colored in a specific combination. I see no problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 2.5/3 - You're clearly piggybacking on leylines with the "begin the game in exile" ability. Having other abilities working from exile is fresh, but actually just a consequence of that.
Flavor 2.5/3 - The name is good. No flavor text, but the text box is already nicely filled by the rules text and there is actually no room for flavor text without making the font too small. I don't actually see Rakdos manipulating leylines, though if he ever does, torturing people with them would be something he'd be very likely to do.
Polish
Quality 3/3 - Two remarks, both unworthy of deduction. First, those are not em dashes but regular hyphens on the type line and after the word "Hellbent". Second, the first instance of the card name is rightly complete, the second acceptably shortened (only "Rakdos", what in MSE would be called LEGENDNAME), and then the third one is complete again. The third one too should be shortened (example: Alirios, Enraptured), but shortening a legend's cardname is technically optional. It's just use that the first instance is complete and the following ones shortened. For example, we've seen cases in real MTG where all the instances of the legend's name are shortened, including the first (example: Anax, Hardened in the Forge).
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Both met.
TOTAL 21.5/25

kwanyeegor-ii

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Parhelion Percher 3WW
Creature - Angel (Mythic)
Flying
Parhelion Percher can't be exiled.
Radiance - Whenever Parhelion Percher attacks, exile target creature and each creature that shares a color with it. Return those creatures to the battlefield under their owners' control at end of combat.
4/3

Design
Appeal 2.5/3 - Timmy wants to play with a 4-power flyer that's hard to remove. Johnny can probably use the flickering effect somehow, but I honestly don't see how. Well, I'm notoriously not a Johnny. Spike also likes a high-rate creature that's hard to remove.
Elegance 2.5/3 - It's a little strange to flicker until end of combat, usually it's until end of turn or one-shot. It's just a minor thing, but at very high scores I have to take every little thing into consideration. Consider this a sign that you're aiming to a very high score with this card.
Development
Viability 3/3 - No problems with the color pie, rarity, or the rules. If you flicker white creatures, this just doesn't do it. Not a problem.
Balance 3/3 - A 4-power 5-mana creature with flying is definitely limited playable, even though you won't see a mythic in limited too much. I can also see this in Standard, both original Ravnica one and contemporary one. In today's Standard format, in particular, circumventing exile removal is relevant. I'm not sure about older formats, but it's not a problem. I also see no problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 3/3 - Well, "can't be exiled" is definitely new, even if it does remember me of Assault Suit (the "can't be sacrificed" text). While searching Gatherer I've also discovered Everlasting Lich (I don't know why autocard isn't working here), but I can't say that cards from Mistery Booster are precedent for anything.
Flavor 3/3 - The name is good and fits the idea of a Boros angel very well. No flavor text, but the text box is already nicely filled by the rules text, even though one or two lines of flavor text could fit using a smaller font while still not being too small.
Polish
Quality 3/3 - I'm so glad that I can finally give you full points here. Congratulations! The hyphens should be em dashes but no deduction for that.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Both met.
TOTAL 24/25

Subject16

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Obzedat's Enforcer 1BB
Creature — Spirit (Rare)
Haunt (When this creature dies, exile it haunting target creature.)
Whenever Obzedat's Enforcer or the creature it haunts deals combat damage, its controller loses that much life.
When the creature Obzedat's Enforcer haunts dies, you may pay 2 life. If you do, put Obzedat's enforced from exile into your hand.
4/3

Design
Appeal 3/3 - Timmy likes the size of this creature. Johnny could probably find something to do with this (Aristocrats decks come to mind). Spike likes a self-recurring creature with a high mana value to P/T ratio.
Elegance 2/3 - Not bad, but there is a potential ambiguity that hurts here (see Quality).
Development
Viability 2/3 - No problems with the color pie or rarity. The CR are fine with this, but as for the unwritten design rules, I don't like a card that can return from exile. Luckily it can only return if you use haunt and not just if you happen to exile this with normal removal.
Balance 2.5/3 - We know that self-recurring cards tend to lead to repetitive gameplay, a thing I personally have no big problems with, but that it's a concern to the real R&D. This is playable in limited for sure, maybe in constructed too thanks to the high rate and the recurrance. No additional problems in casual and multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 2.5/3 - Having a way to return haunting cards to your hand to be played again is something I can't remember the Orzhov doing in Guildpact, but there is not a lot of innovation in the use of haunt itself.
Flavor 3/3 - The name is good. No flavor text, but the text box is already nicely filled by the rules text and there is actually no room for flavor text without making the font too small.
Polish
Quality 2/3 - "put Obzedat's enforced from exile into your hand": Enforcer has become "enforced", with a final "d" instead of an "r" (-0.5), completely changing the meaning by the way, and not capitalized (-0.5). Also, there is an ambiguity in "its controller loses that much life": is that the controller of this card or of the creature it haunts? It's obviously the latter, because a card in exile has no controller, but I could see some player being confused by this.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 1/2 - No convoke or bloodthirst, but the mana value is not 5 or greater.
TOTAL 20/25

Lorn Asbord Schutta

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Lyev Investigator
Creature — Human Soldier (R)
First strike
Your opponents can't cast spells with a name you noted for cards named Lyev Investigator.
Forecast — , Reveal Lyev Investigator from your hand: Target opponent reveals the top card of their library. Note the revealed card's name. (Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)
3/2

Design
Appeal 1.5/3 - This is clearly a card for Spike, and she loves that. Timmy might like a 3/2 first strike, and also the thrill of seeing what the top card of his opponent's library is, but he will hate having this card played against him. Not much for Johnny here.
Elegance 2/3 - Easy enough to understand, but the logistics of noting things are not the best. What do you do if you don't have pen and paper, or a smartphone?
Development
Viability 3/3 - No problems with the color pie, rarity, or the rules.
Balance 1.5/3 - The play pattern this implies doesn't look that fun to me from the opponent's point of view: you forecast this multiple times, seeing my top cards and then denying me to play them. At least I will still be able to play lands. And I'm not even thinking about already having in my hand another copy of the top card and this forbidding me from playing the other copy too. Thankfully it's rare, this is not a card I would like to see too much of in limited. In constructed you can have the full four copies and having the unfun experience I was talking about. I wouldn't want to see this played against me in any competitive constructed format, but you know that good cards will get played in competitive formats regardless of being actually fun. The challenge of Magic desing is putting the power where the fun is, and this card is maybe an example of the contrary. Unfun cards are not the best in casual too. This hitting all opponents is obviously relevant in multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 3/3 - We see rarely cards that require you to note things nowadays. Actually, if we exclude Conspiracy and Un-sets, there are only four cards ever: Ice Cauldron and Jeweled Amulet from Ice Age, Tawnos's Coffin from Antiquities, and Bell Borca, Spectral Sergeant from Commander Legends.
Flavor 3/3 - The name is good and fits the Azorius very well. No flavor text, but the text box is already nicely filled by the rules text, even though one or two lines of flavor text could fit using a smaller font while still not being too small. The mechanics also match very well the name and the guild, the mechanical flavor is very good here.
Polish
Quality 3/3 - All good.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 1/2 - No convoke or bloodthirst, but the mana value is not 5 or greater.
TOTAL 20/25

Legend

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Radiant Golem (Rare)
4
Artifact Creature — Golem
3/3
2: Radiant Golem becomes the color or colors of your choice until end of turn.
Radiance — Whenever Radiant Golem attacks, if it isn't colorless, put a +1/+1 counter on it and each other creature that shares a color with it.

Design
Appeal 2/3 - Timmy likes a creature that can grow all his creatures, but doesn't want his opponents' creatures to grow too. Johnny has the challenge of choosing the right colors at the right time, but it's probably a little too straightforward to him. Spike also likes that challenge, she always likes cards that require skill to be played perfectly in every situation and she doesn't mind too much her opponents getting the bonus too.
Elegance 2.5/3 - Easy enough to understand and definitely short enough. Some players could not notice the lack of "you control" in the radiance ability and be disappointed when their opponents' creatures also get the bonus.
Development
Viability 3/3 - No problems with the color pie, rarity, or the rules.
Balance 2/3 - At first, I was like "why wouldn't you just always choose all five colors for this to buff all of your creatures?" then I noticed a very important detail: as I've already mentioned, radiance doesn't say "you control" (rightly, as it was this way in original Ravnica, my own first set, and the Boros preconstructed deck was also the very first deck I owned, so I should have remembered that), so you want to choose colors that you play and your opponent doesn't. You almost got me with this, but it's fine. Now I wonder what do you do in a mirror match, and I still have no answer to that. Playable in limited though not exciting. I can't see this card in constructed, maybe a few specific Standard decks might want it, and playing this is made easier by it being colorless, but nothing more than that in my opinion. I see no problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 2.5/3 - Wojek Siren exists, and this is somewhat close to a creature version of it, but also different enough to be its own thing. Also, this would be the first technically colorless card with radiance. Nothing groundbreaking, but it's worth mentioning.
Flavor 1/3 - Very basic flavor: put the main mechanic and the creature type in the card's name and call it a day. Also, no flavor text when MSE shows me that up to four lines would definitely fit, maybe even five.
Polish
Quality 2/3 - We have talked much about the card formatting you use on Salvation, here it's no different, except I have now written a guidelines document that, let's say, strongly suggests a specific card formatting that is not this one. If this were the GDS and not the MCC, then I would give full points for this formatting. I would also be not a judge there, but that doesn't change anything here.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 1/2 - No convoke or bloodthirst, but the mana value is not 5 or greater.
TOTAL 18/25

Results (bold advance)

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kwanyeegor-ii: 24
scarbo: 21.5
Subject16: 20
Lorn Asbord Schutta: 20
Legend: 18

[Venedrex]

Flatline

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Design
(2/3) Appeall - Spike is somewhat interested in this as the card is worth about four to three mana but requires at least one card to be discarded to get there. Jxnny sees little room for strange combos or clever interactions outside of madness cards, and Txmmy probably finds this card somewhat unexciting, as the power of the card largely comes from the bloodthirst trigger, which only happens when you're out of cards.
(2.5/3) Elegance - This card mostly makes sense, but the flavor might be better suited if it was a horror that stole thoughts for the Dimir or itself instead of Rakdos.

Development
(2.5/3) Viability -
The effect of causing an opponent to discard a card, and you to draw feels like more of a blue black effect than a red black effect to me, as seen on cards like Psychic Symbiont Rarity seems alright.

(2/3) Balance - Although this card can cost a minimum of two mana, that would involve discarding three cards, so the balance on this is alright, but discarding cards is an expensive cost to pay for reducing the casting cost by even though it does enable the triggered effect of the card.

Creativity
(2.5/3) Uniqueness - There have been cards with similar effects, but the combination seems new to me, and the card shows some unique aspects.
(2.5/3) Flavor - Overall pretty solid, but it does feel like this card could have been a specter or other such horror to represent the mental attack. Yet, literally ripping people's thoughts out from them is acceptable substitute for flavor purposes.

Polish
(2/3) Quality - Used a form of Hellbent, but labelled as bloodthirst.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done
(2/2) Subchallenges - Technically met.

Total: 20/25

Freyleyes

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Design
(2/3) Appeal - Txmmy likes the idea of blowing up all their opponent's creatures with one spell, Jxnny is mostly uninterested, and Spike sees some potential for limited.
(2.5/3) Elegance - The flavor and wording of the card is clean and gets the point across, but I could have done with one less "boom."

Development
(3/3) Viability - This effect is definitely in the right colors, and it is the right rarity.
(2/3) Balance - In limited, this feels like a nice card to draft as a solid removal spell, but it might not see much or any play elsewhere.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - At the end of the day, this card is not exactly groundbreaking, since similar effects exist, although the specifics are somewhat new.
(1.5/3) Flavor - OK, but not the most detailed.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - Looks good.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done
(2/2) Subchallenges - Both met.
Total: 19.5/25

MonoRedMage

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Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Txmmy has already bought 4 copies. Spike is wondering if this brings back the red variant of a two color or three color control deck. Jxnny is debating how quickly they can dump their hand to have a one sided board wipe, and is thinking about combining this with flashback style effects.
(3/3) Elegance - Everything here fits together really well, the flavor of the name and the mechanic, the visual of a massive wave of flame that you and your minions are immune to because you are you know what on destroying the enemy, and the damage that hits and consumes everything on the board and even the players themselves.

Development
(3/3) Viability - This card might be the reddest card ever made, so the color is on point. Rarity feels spot on to me. Protection is most often found in white, but all colors can get it so this is totally fine.
(3/3) Balance - Closest comparison I have for this card is Storm's Wrath. Thinking about it, I think this card is very powerful in the right situations, but costing five mana and requiring you to be empty handed for the full power of the card to be unlocked should keep it in check. Additionally, the effect wants you to play a deck without creatures and planeswalkers on one hand, but on other, you want those permanents so you can have a one sided board wipe.

Because of this, I think the card balances itself out by being a sizable risk to run in a creature/planeswalker focused deck, and in a deck without those permanents, you don't get the benefit of a one sided wipe. Overall it feels like it would be a strong contender in Standard and Limited, but theoretically not oppressive.
Dealing damage to each player is interesting from a balance standpoint, but I suspect it would end up being mostly a check on this card preventing control decks from casting this when they get too low on life if they still have other cards in their hand, rather than making this a burn spell in an aggressive deck.

Creativity
(2.5/3) Uniqueness - I have not seen protection used this way before, but earthquake style effects do exist, and this card has a lot in common with the aforementioned Storm's Wrath.
(3/3) Flavor - I can clearly grasp the scene presented by the card, and it gels well with the mechanics.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - Looks good.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done
(2/2) Subchallenges - Both met.
Total: 24/25

marioguy3

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Design
(2/3) Appeal - Spike is interested in a 2/2 with flying and haste that draws on etb. Txmmy likes the idea of a swarm of drakes that can get as big as your mana allows. Jxnny is a little less curious, but may want to play around with this in conjunction with synergistic cards.
(2.5/3) Elegance - The card is fairly easy to understand, but might require a second look for players.

Development
(3/3) Viability - The effect fits into blue red nicely, and it doesn't raise any red flags for me. Rarity feels right.
(0.5/3) Balance - I think this card is better than it may look on the surface. A two mana 2/2 with flying and haste that draws a card, and has the potential to be a late game finisher or mid game value play seems quite strong. I have strong concerns that in limited and standard this could be far too powerful.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - It's not revolutionary, but there are some new aspects to this combination of effects.
(3/3) Flavor - Flavor text and general flavor of the card work for me, the idea of a takeover lines up well with what the card could easily do.

Polish
(2.5/3) Quality - Reminder text should be italicized.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done
(1/2) Subchallenges - Both met.
Total: 18/25

Riria

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Design
(1.5/3) Appeal - Txmmy likes giving their creatures a big buff, but the cost of discarding a card, combined with the eventual shutoff of the effect makes them a little less interested in this. Spike appreciates the power of the anthem, but balks at the high mana cost and downside mechanic. Jxnny might see this as a good discard outlet for a reanimator or madness deck.
(2/3) Elegance - The card is easy to understand, but the flavor of using advisor for a member of the Rakdos seems a little off to me, and upon searching I couldn't find a single advisor creature that was black and red, and no other colors.

Development
(2/3) Viability - No issues for me in terms of what colors this card is in, self discarding is as black red as it gets, and the pump is solidly in pie as well. The main concerns are the fact that the hellbent effect is a downside, which is neat from a uniqueness standpoint, but not something Wotc usually does because it feels bad to have a named effect that is meant to weaken the card, rather than strengthen it. Another issue that stands out to me is the redundancy of this creature not being able to activate its abilities when you have no cards in hand, as the only ability the creature has requires it to discard cards, which makes this seem unnecessary.
(2/3) Balance - On first glance, I would say this card is underpowered. However, the ability to pump all your team, as well as give them trample and haste, is quite powerful. Yet, the high mana cost of this card and the requirement of discarding a card to activate the effect keeps it check, so I would conclude that this card strays towards the weaker side of power level in formats such as Standard and Limited.

Creativity
(2/3) Uniqueness - Variants of this effect exist, although the discard and downside mechanic are somewhat unique.
(2.5/3) Flavor - Aside from being an Advisor, the flavor of this seems fine.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - Seems good
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done
(2/2) Subchallenges - Both met.
Total: 19/25

archemediesx

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Design
(1.5/3) Appeal - Txmmy is somewhat unimpressed by the card's lack of exiting effects. Spike sees some potential in looting every turn for two mana, but recognizes that the creature is five mana and doesn't do anything upon entering the battlefield. Jxnny doesn't see much potential for this card in terms of clever synergies or combos.
(3/3) Elegance - Everything feels clean and easy to grasp, no problems understanding what this does.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Fits well into what blue can and does do most sets. Rarity is just right.
(3/3) Balance - Plays well in limited I would imagine, and feels specifically designed to fill a role in a draft environment without being oppressive in Limited.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - One very commonly seen blue effect broken up into two parts.
(3/3) Flavor - No issues for me.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - Seems good.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done
(2/2) Subchallenges - Both met.
Total: 22/25

Results (bold advance)

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MonoRedMage: 24
archemediesx: 22
Flatline: 20
Freyleyes: 19.5
Riria: 19
marioguy3: 18

[void_nothing]

stille_nacht

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Design
(1.5/3) Appeal - Primarily a Jxnny card. Although Txmmy likes winning by poison they don't like that this card has defender. Spike has much faster cards to use in an infect deck.
(1/3) Elegance - This card inherently mixes +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters in one design. It also makes the keyword granting more complicated than other similar cards by using the double-layered gate kind of design that also makes this a Plant tribal card.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Can't argue with the colors or rarity.
(3/3) Balance - Infect is powerful but this is a five-mana defender; the best use of this card would usually be with a board full of +1/+1 counters in the first place.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - Composed of old elements but a design with some unique elements, such as the aforementioned Plant tribal.
(3/3) Flavor - Ravnica vs. Phyrexia is one of the most popular custom card ideas at this time but the flavor of this card is very well done.

Polish
(1.5/3) Quality - Graft should be on a separate line from defender. Plant, being a subtype, should always be capitalized. Extraneous line break before the flavor text.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges - And done.

Total: 18.5/25

Daylit

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Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - While everybody wants to loop Skewer the Critics, Spike is least interested in this particular card because of the costs involved.
(2/3) Elegance - Static ability is a bit complicated (and parasitic).

Development
(3/3) Viability - Correct color and rarity.
(3/3) Balance - Unlimited casts from graveyard is theoretically very powerful but this has three restrictions: hellbent, spectacle, and once per turn.

Creativity
(2/3) Uniqueness - Yawgmoth's Will style effects are an old chestnut but this is a new take for multiple reasons.
(3/3) Flavor - Definitely into it!

Polish
(1.5/3) Quality - That keywords line should say "Flying, menace" and there are enough missing periods here to start a pregnancy scare.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges - And done.

Total: 21/25

RaikouRider

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Design
(2/3) Appeal - Not much of a Txmmy card but Jxnny and Spike are all for it.
(2.5/3) Elegance - A bit wordy, but the search hosing ability is absolutely ingenious in how it prevents the card itself from being abused.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Definitely a Dimir themed mythic.
(2.5/3) Balance - There's potential for abuse here even with, again, the once-per-turn restriction, but I think you've balanced this well.

Creativity
(2/3) Uniqueness - There have been cards that prevented searching before but granting transmute is quite a new idea.
(3/3) Flavor - Can't complain about a lack of flavor text with that rules text length. Good name.

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

Total: 22/25

slimytrout

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Design
(3/3) Appeal - All-rounder - everyone has something in mind for this card.
(2.5/3) Elegance - A bit wordy, but ultimately quite understandable.

Development
(3/3) Viability - This feels like a card from a core set that used graft in all colors. The mechanic works very well in white and the card feels 100% rare.
(3/3) Balance - Limited bomb, but probably not anything too crazy for Constructed.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - Combines the very old notions of graft and blink in a new way. I like how graft works with the blink so that you can decide to give the creatures that you exile a counter back when they come back.
(2.5/3) Flavor - A slightly generic name but I oddly like "Adjective Spirit" names just because they tend to have a good ring to them.

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

Total: 22.5/25

Henlock

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Design
(1/3) Appeal - Not much for Txmmy or Jxnny considering this is a spot removal blunt instrument. Spike would especially find this useful in Limited of course.
(3/3) Elegance - Quite simple.

Development
(3/3) Viability - White and uncommon is where I'd put this, no argument.
(3/3) Balance - Looks fine to me.

Creativity
(1/3) Uniqueness - Very much going for the same thing as Plumes of Peace - I'd argue that this is the better execution of the idea however.
(2/3) Flavor - Name works well. Flavor text would seriously have been appreciated.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - Looks good.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(1/2) Subchallenges - CMC lower than 3.

Total: 19/25

netn10

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Design
(3/3) Appeal - Serious all-rounder. Who doesn't like filling their hand with CMC 5 stuff and then getting to play it all for huge amounts of life?
(2.5/3) Elegance - A lot of keywords

Development
(3/3) Viability - DEFINITELY a black mythic. Feels very Modern Horizons!
(2.5/3) Balance - Abuseable but slow and risky.

Creativity
(2/3) Uniqueness - Bolas's Citadel is the closest precedent. Or is Channel? The absolute Time Spiral craziness of the keywords is another unique element.
(2/3) Flavor - Name is a bit too on the nose, and I wish this had short flavor text, especially without using the keyword reminder text.

Polish
(2/3) Quality - The aforementioned Citadel also provides what the wording should be: "Until end of turn, pay life equal to the converted mana cost of each spell you cast instead of its mana cost."
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges - And done.

Total: 21/25

Totals (Bold advance)

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slimytrout 22.5
RaikouRider 22
Daylit 21
netn10 21
Henlock 19
stille_nacht 18.4