March MCC, Round 1 - Spring Will Have Sprung

[void_nothing]

Banner based on Vivid Revival, by Yeong-Hao Han and Wizards of the Coast. Thanks to bravelion83 for the "Core Set Style" MCC Logo

March MCC, Round 1 - Spring Will Have Sprung

Welcome to the March MCC! It's Renewal Month here at the MCC.

Main Challenge: Design a card that puts land cards onto the battlefield from another zone.
Subchallenge 1: Your card has mana value between 3 and 6, inclusive
Subchallenge 2: Your card is a permanent

DEADLINES

Design deadline: Wednesday, March 9th 23:59 EDT

Judging deadline: Saturday, March 12th 23:59 EDT

Clarifications

Show

Hide

Main Challenge: "Play an additional land" effects don't count. Burgeoning fits the challenge but Exploration does not.

MCC Rubric

Show

Hide

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
slimytrout

If you are not interested in playing, please sign up to judge the contest!

Players:
Anyone is welcome to enter this first round!

[MonoRedMage]

Phyrexian Surveyor 3
Artifact Creature - Scout {C}
When Phyrexian Surveyor enters the battlefield, you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life.
Mycosynth appears where the mindless surveyors walk.
3/3

[Apellosine]

Humbled Farmhand 2G
Creature - Human Peasant {U}
T: Tap another peasant creature you control: Search your library or graveyard for a basic land, reveal it and put it onto the battlefield tapped. If you searched your library this way, shuffle.
2/2

[RaikouRider]

The Changing Seasons 1GG
Enchantment - Saga {U}
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)
I: Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
II: Return up to one target land card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
III: You may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.

[Ink-Treader]

Hungering Morass 2B
Creature - Elemental Horror (U)
Lifelink
When Hungering Morass enters the battlefield, return target Swamp card from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
When Hungering Morass dies, sacrifice a creature or Swamp.
2/3

[bravelion83]

Rogahk, Woodland Explorer GGG
Legendary Creature — Elf Scout (R)
When Rogahk, Woodland Explorer attacks, you may reveal the top three cards of your library. If you do, exile all land cards revealed this way and put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Once during each of your turns, you may put a land card you own from exile onto the battlefield tapped. Do this only as a sorcery. (This doesn't count as your land play for the turn.)
2/2

[netn10]

Grain for Grain 2W
Enchantment (Rare)
Whenever a land enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, if they control more lands than you, search your library for a basic Plains card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.

[kwanyeegor-ii]

Marid of Capsized Boats 3U
Creature - Djinn (Rare)
Flying
T: Choose another target nonland permanent. You may put an Island card from your hand onto the battlefield tapped under the control of that permanent's controller. If you do, return that permanent to its owner's hand. Activate only during your turn.
3/3

[Venedrex]

Gnarlsplinter
Creature — Elemental Horror (R)
Trample
, Sacrifice another creature: Search your library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
Gnarlsplinter's power and toughness are each equal to the number of lands you control.
It see no difference between the life that walks and the life that doesn't.
*/*

[Lorn Asbord Schutta]

Commended Conscript
Creature — Human Soldier (U)
When Commended Conscript dies, create a 1/1 white Human creature token. If an opponent attacked you with a two or more creatures this turn, search your library for a Plains card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
"My son, I should have been with you there when you grew up, but I can only hope to give you something to remeber me by."
3/3

[void_nothing]

A couple of days remain - enter while you have the opportunity!

[Freyleyes]

Lost Spirit 2G
Creature - Spirit {R}
Flash
When Lost Spirit enters the battlefield, you may reveal a land card you own from outside the game and put it onto the battlefield.
Lost Spirit gets +2/+2 if you control five or more lands with different names.
A lost forest spirit in search of a new home to love and protect.
3/3

[Henlock]

Minda, Planar Escort gwu
Legendary Creature - Moonfolk Knigjt (r)
x, : Put a permanent card with mana value X or less from your hand onto the battlefield.
Channel - xgwu, Discard Minda, Planar Escort: Search your library for a permanent card with mana value X or less, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
3/4
.

[void_nothing]

Alright, round is now closed. The following are the judging assignments:

void_nothing:
Apellosine
RaikouRider
netn10
Venedrex
Freyleyes
Henlock

slimytrout:
MonoRedMage
Ink-Treader
bravelion83
kwanyeegor-ii
Lorn Asbord Schutta

Top four scorers per judge will advance.

[slimytrout]

MonoRedMage

Show

Hide

Phyrexian Surveyor 3
Artifact Creature - Scout {C}
When Phyrexian Surveyor enters the battlefield, you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life.
Mycosynth appears where the mindless surveyors walk.
3/3 [/quote]
Design
(1/3) Appeal – Timmy likes ramping, but doesn't otherwise care for a 3-mana 3/3 with downside. Spike doesn't want to play this in limited but would consider doing so if they had a high curve or were low on playables. Johnny has no interest.
(3/3) Elegance – Sure, simple enough.

Development
(3/3) Viability – Yep, this seems appropriate for a common colorless creature – they can't get a 3-mana 3/3 without downside, and the life loss likely outweighs the land drop in most decks.
(1.5/3) Balance – Even if they're not awful, these sorts of common artifact creatures rarely see much play unless they fit into a set's themes well, and this one seems pretty mediocre (Graf Reaver was not a high pick in VOW and it was a full mana cheaper) so I think it's very unlikely to be played, but I'm sure some people would sleeve it up as twenty-third card.

Creativity
(1/3) Uniqueness – We've never seen this exact combination on a card, but it's definitely all been done before.
(2.5/3) Flavor – A little weird to have a mindless surveyor (the whole point of a surveyor is to see and examine things), but I guess the Phyrexians are pretty weird sometimes.

Polish
(3/3) Quality – Looks good.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) – Yep.
(2/2) Subchallenges – Yep yep.

Total: 19/25

Ink-Treader

Show

Hide

Hungering Morass 2B
Creature - Elemental Horror (U)
Lifelink
When Hungering Morass enters the battlefield, return target Swamp card from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
When Hungering Morass dies, sacrifice a creature or Swamp.
2/3

Design
(1/3) Appeal – Spike can see some value in temporary ramping, but not much. The card is maybe unusual enough for Johnny, but it still doesn't have much oomph. Timmy likes ramp, but is much too turned off by the last clause to go for it.
(2.5/3) Elegance – A little inelegant to have the creature sacrifice added to the second ability when creatures don't feature in the first.

Development
(2/3) Viability – Returning lands from the graveyard to the battlefield isn't really in black's slice of the color pie (even if they're swamps). That's pretty firmly a green thing, with white able to do it if it's a general "return target permanent." But uncommon seems right.
(1/3) Balance – Typically quite weak – unless you're heavy black and self-milling, the first ability is unlikely to do anything, meaning that those two abilities together will often be downside. Yes, it could work in a sacrifice deck, but usually those want to have control over when they sacrifice things and not be forced to do it. And since black can get 3-mana 2/3's with lifelink and another upside at uncommon (looking at you Vampire Nighthawk), this is quite mediocre.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness – This exact thing has never been done before, but the overall structure is familiar and both returning and sacrificing lands are relatively common abilities.
(2.5/3) Flavor – Could fit some flavor but mostly seems fine.

Polish
(3/3) Quality – Looks good.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) –Yep.
(2/2) Subchallenges – Yep yep.

Total: 17.5/25

bravelion83

Show

Hide

Rogahk, Woodland Explorer GGG
Legendary Creature — Elf Scout (R)
When Rogahk, Woodland Explorer attacks, you may reveal the top three cards of your library. If you do, exile all land cards revealed this way and put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Once during each of your turns, you may put a land card you own from exile onto the battlefield tapped. Do this only as a sorcery. (This doesn't count as your land play for the turn.)
2/2

Design
(2/3) Appeal – Timmy is the most excited about repeatable ramp. Spike sees potential value, but is worried about playing a difficult-to-cast creature with no ETB effect and a fragile body that needs to attack and survive. Johnny sees an unusual final ability, but the limitations are annoying.
(2.5/3) Elegance – The last ability would definitely have been cleaner (and mostly functionally identical) as "You may play an additional land from exile on each of your turns. It enters the battlefield tapped," although obviously you avoided that wording to satisfy the challenge.
Development
(3/3) Viability – Sure, all seems good.
(2/3) Balance – A lot of aspects of this seem a bit conservative – triple-green cost, 2/2 body with no keywords, lands ETB tapped – which adds up to a not very playable card, especially since it has to attack and survive to get value. Still, if this did get rolling for several turns it would give you quite an advantage.

Creativity
(2.5/3) Uniqueness – Has some vauge Oblivion Sower vibes but mostly pretty new.
(2/3) Flavor – Given that Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh is already a card name, and I'm pretty sure this isn't a reference, it's definitely too close for comfort. Otherwise seems fine.

Polish
(2.5/3) Quality – "Whenever" not "when."
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) – Yep.
(2/2) Subchallenges – Yep yep.

Total: 20.5/25

kwanyeegor-ii

Show

Hide

Marid of Capsized Boats 3U
Creature - Djinn (Rare)
Flying
T: Choose another target nonland permanent. You may put an Island card from your hand onto the battlefield tapped under the control of that permanent's controller. If you do, return that permanent to its owner's hand. Activate only during your turn.
3/3

Design
(2.5/3) Appeal – Spike loves cards like this – tricky resource exchange and lots of opportunities for shenanigans. Johnny also is very interested in doing weird/broken things with this. Timmy is the least interested in giving their opponents lands, but even they see some appeal from being able to get into the red zone with a well-timed bounce.
(2.5/3) Elegance – That's a long ability with some subtle timing distinctions (for example, if your opponent sacrifices in response to the trigger, you can decide not to give them an island, but they can't decide to sacrifice in response to you giving an island), but mostly it should play how people think.
Development
(3/3) Viability – Definitely rare, and seems right in blue if any color is going to get it.
(2.5/3) Balance – Repeated bounce is quite strong, but you're quite limited by how many islands you have in hand, and how many you're willing to give your opponents. If there's a mono-blue deck in standard this would definitely see play, otherwise harder to picture a home.

Creativity
(3/3) Uniqueness – Very novel. I like it a lot.
(2.5/3) Flavor – Could definitely fit flavor text (and honestly looks a bit weird without it), but the concept is also quite fun.

Polish
(3/3) Quality – Looks good.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) – Yep.
(2/2) Subchallenges – Yep yep.

Total: 23/25

Lorn Asbord Schutta

Show

Hide

Commended Conscript
Creature — Human Soldier (U)
When Commended Conscript dies, create a 1/1 white Human creature token. If an opponent attacked you with a two or more creatures this turn, search your library for a Plains card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
"My son, I should have been with you there when you grew up, but I can only hope to give you something to remeber me by."
3/3

Design
(2.5/3) Appeal – Definitely enough value for Spike and enough beef and ramp for Timmy. Johnny mostly sees a blunt instrument, but maybe could engineer something cool with the last ability.
(3/3) Elegance – A long ability, but a pretty clean one.
Development
(2.5/3) Viability – White has gotten some 3-mana 3/3's with upside at uncommon recently, so that seems fine, but the last ability is definitely flirting with being rare-appropriate – we haven't really seen ramp in white outside of rare.
(3/3) Balance – Strong, but requires your opponent to play into it for full value. Would absolutely see play in standard white decks, both midrange and aggro.

Creativity
(2/3) Uniqueness – The last ability is the only new part, but it's fairly new – the only real inspiration is Mangara, the Diplomat.
(2.5/3) Flavor – A little odd to have flavor text from him to his son without any other indication that he's a father (at first I thought it was his father talking to him), but the art could probably tie it together.

Polish
(2.5/3) Quality – A few minor typos (extra "a", "remeber") but otherwise fine.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) – Yep.
(2/2) Subchallenges – Yep yep.

Total: 22/25

Results

Show

Hide

kwanyeegor-ii: 23
Lorn Asbord Schutta: 22
bravelion83: 20.5
MonoRedMage: 19
Ink-Treader: 17.5

[slimytrout]

@void_nothing bumping this for judging in case you'd forgotten. And if you hadn't forgotten and your plate is just full, I will offer to fill in and judge the other side of the bracket as well for this round.

[void_nothing]

Apellosine

Show

Hide

Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Txmmy likes repeatable ramp. Jxnny likes the odd little tribal bonus. Spike also wants to ramp multiple times, but this is all a bit slow and fragile for their liking, besides requiring the second Peasant.
(2.5/3) Elegance - Potentially a lot of searching and shuffling, but the functionality of the card is clear.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Color and rarity are where they should be.
(3/3) Balance - While this card can, yes, tutor multiple lands out onto the battlefield, it alo does so on a relatively conditional basis given that it needs Peasant tribal to function.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - It's "just" ramp but one with a couple of unusual elements.
(3/3) Flavor - Sure - very up-front and pleasing mechanical flavor.

Polish
(1/3) Quality - There's an extra colon in the ability cost instead of a comma. Peasant, being a creature type, is always capitalized. You search your library "and/or" graveyard and search for a basic land "card."
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges - And done.

Total: 20.5/25

RaikouRider

Show

Hide

Design
(3/3) Appeal - On the surface this card doesn't do a lot, but three extra lands is a lot of temptation for Txmmy. Jxnny has plenty of moving parts, Spike also likes this level of ramp for three mana.
(2/3) Elegance - Involves a fair amount of fiddling, and it could be easy to forget that one chapter specifies basic lands and the other two do not.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Color and rarity are both pretty obviously correct.
(2.5/3) Balance - Lots of ramp, but it sure is slow enough.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - There have been quite a few Sagas that did land ramp before, and all of these effects are familiar and in fact variations on the same theme.
(1.5/3) Flavor - The name makes sense for the chapter abilities but is really boilerplate-sounding. I'd hope for a more evocative name on a Saga.

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

Total: 20.5/25

netn10

Show

Hide

Design
(2/3) Appeal - Txmmy wants to ramp but doesn't necessarily like the catchup aspect. Jxnny and Spike both salivate for different reasons.
(2.5/3) Elegance - A very comprehensible card that involves a lot of searching and shuffling, potentially.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Effect is in a very grand white tradition. Rare for sure.
(2/3) Balance - This looks very very strong in certain highly specific contexts, although those are more in high-powered Eternal formats rather than Standard, and this is not much of a Limited card.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - Similar general ideas have been done many times before but this particular execution is new.
(2.5/3) Flavor - Name rolls off the tongue really well. Short flavor text would have been excellent.

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

Total: 20.5/25

Venedrex

Show

Hide

Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Something for everyone, although Jxnny has other similar options, so it is for them the least.
(2.5/3) Elegance - A bit wordy and allows for repeatable tutoring lands to battlefield, but otherwise fine.

Development
(3/3) Viability - A bomb rare. Colors fit in a combination-platter multicolor type of way, although you could argue in a context like Innistrad this could/should be monogreen.
(2/3) Balance - That mana cost is really quite low for what the p/t setting ability is - this can grow fast and hard and is a windmill slam first-pick bomb in Limited. Still, while I'm sure this would have a presence in Standard if there were any other viable cards for a Rock or Jund type of deck, it wouldn't warp the format.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - Definitely a mashup card, but these effects have not been combined in this way before.
(3/3) Flavor - Perfect, no notes. Very Innistrad.

Polish
(2.5/3) Quality - Since the static ability is characteristic-defining, it most likely would go above the activated ability.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges - And done.

Total: 21/25

Freyleyes

Show

Hide

Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Txmmy loves this for the size AND the land-out-of-nowhere. Jxnny finds this a bit more blunt, but could definitely use a land wish for something interesting. Spike loves the pure efficiency.
(2.5/3) Elegance - Wish-like cards always add complication, but overall this is straightforward.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Proper color and rarity.
(0.5/3) Balance - Way too strong. Flashing out a land from your sideboard would already be strong, even if this weren't potentially a 5/5 for three mana. Even with the mana cost raised by 1 this would still be really good.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - No one thing here is all that unique, but wishing lands onto the battlefield is a new twist.
(2.5/3) Flavor - Sort of generic, but the name and flavor text are just utterly pleasing, and they do explain the abilities well.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - Looks good.
(1/2) Main Challenge (*) - Sticks to the spirit of the main challenge while technically violating the letter - outside the game is not a game zone. That's a bit of a quibble and I didn't clarify so I won't DQ.
(2/2) Subchallenges - And done.

Total: 18.5/25

Henlock

Show

Hide

Design
(3/3) Appeal - Everyone's into this one, really - Txmmy wants to pay {10} to get Progenitus out in the opponent's end step, Jxnny has plenty to play with, and Spike likes the versatility and solid body.
(2/3) Elegance - Somewhat wordy, and all that flashing-in could create complicated combat situations/board states.

Development
(3/3) Viability - No color or rarity issues.
(1/3) Balance - The creature "mode" is fairly strong, being a midsize creature with a pretty good activated ability. The channel ability, though, is Wargate, already a strong card in some contexts, only instant speed and close to uncounterable.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - Definitely some precedent, but the activated ability is an interesting blend of granting flash, land ramp, and ignoring color in mana costs.
(2.5/3) Flavor - I like the name, and the typeline is quite fun. Don't really fully have a handle on the character - flavor text may have helped.

Polish
(2.5/3) Quality - "Knight" is misspelled.
(1.5/2) Main Challenge (*) - This, meanwhile, somewhat skirts the spirit of the challenge while being totally in line with the letter. Cleverness does not give extra credit though.
(2/2) Subchallenges - Good.

Total: 19/25

Totals (Bold advance)

Show

Hide

Venedrex 21
Apellosine 20.5
RaikouRider 20.5
netn10 20.5
Henlock 19
Freyleyes 18.5