Quite a weekend I got, but now onto judging. Thanks to all participants and for patientce
PanchoPonceN wrote: ↑3 years ago
Perfectible Predator 2G
Artifact Creature - Beast Construct
(U)
Modular 3
Whenever a creature dealt damage by Perfectible Predator this turn dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Perfectible Predator.
[0/0].
I have personal dislike of colored artifacts, with the Esper shard being the only one where I can stomach it - I would rather wish that Wizards gated color-specific abilities on artifacts via colored activation costs. But that is a subject for another debate.
I think this one is undercosted, after quick skimming across other modulars. Plain modular 3 - while on common, colorless and from diffrent era - costs
five. But on the other hand I guess this must have a chance against already limited only cards like
Hornbash Mentor or
Hyrax Tower Scout.
The second ability plays nicely with modular, since it pushes towards attacking and eventual trade with a blocker and modular provides reasonable back-up plan, while at the same time more interesting then a plain regeneration, indestructibility or other salf-contained protection mechanisms.
void_nothing wrote: ↑3 years ago
Vat Walker 3G
Creature - Elemental Mutant
(R)
Graft
(Whenever another creature enters the battlefield, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature onto it.)
Vat Walker enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it for each other creature you control.
5U,
T: Put a +1/+1 counter on Vat Walker for each artifact you control.
"Vig should have realized his evolution vats would themselves evolve." - Otrovac
0/0
I think it should be Graft 0, or Graft X with an explanation of X, just to stay with the template.
I was surprised to see that they have done straight +1/+1 counter for each other creature only once, in
M20, to say even more. I do not recall anything close to activated ability as well, but it is an elegant extension providing reasonable and neat mechanical justification of off-color mana in rules text.
You want to play this with artifact creatures or servo tokens, which are not really Simic - in flavour sense - brand to be honest. Eventually
artifact lands will suffice, but of that I am not sure.
I am not sure of this card. No evasion abilities means that it will be used mostly as a big pile of +1/+1 counters to graft onto something, like
Vigean Hydropon. It can block on the other hand, but due to its reliance on other creatures in first place I would hesitate to use it most of times.
chetoos wrote: ↑3 years ago
Omnivorous hydra
XXG
Creature - Hydra (Rare)
Omnivorous hydra enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it.
Whenever another creature dies, put a number of +1/+1 counters on Omnivorous hydra equal to that creature's power.
Whenever a planeswalker dies, put a number of +1/+1 counters on Omnivorous hydra equal to that planeswalker's starting loyalty.
When omnivorous hydra leaves the battlefield, you gain life equal to its power. If it died, create a 3/3 green beast creature token.
0/0
Finally, someone made a Hydra! I am not saying I wanted it - or I will scold for it - but I would be very surprised to not see any of Laernean brood.
The double X is restrictive, not appearing in any Hydra cost before - it appeared only in monstrosity cost of
Hydra Broodmaster and
Polukranos, World Eater. I see why it must be restrictive - the further abilities are powerful and based on power - but it really limits it to shaneningas.
Caring about planeswalkers is much more popular since the War of Spark and we even saw it on hydra with
Bioessence Hydra, but it was not done this way before. I have to say, that due to this differentation and the hydra's name it looks like planeswalkers were of diffrent food type then creatures. I found it just funny.
Sadly, this screams for abuse with infinite token sacrifice.
Blade of the Bloodchief,
Ghave, Guru of Spores and
Ashnod's Altar or
Phyrexian Altar for instance and I am sure that EDH brewers whould find even better options.
In the end, this is busted. The only limiting factor is the mana cost, but then it grows rather fast - both from removal of opponents creatures and from aforementioned sacrifice combos. And then, even if someone removes the Hydra, you still gain something - and in most situations it will be a token creature, so you come with card advantage. Moreover, what has the token with the flavour? It feels tacked.
If it would trigger only from oponent's targets it would be much more balanced and interesting.
TacticalCelebrant wrote: ↑3 years ago
Microbe Vat 4
Artifact (R)
Microbe Vat enters the battlefield with five charge counters on it.
As long as Microbe Vat has a charge counter on it, Germ creatures you control get +1/+1.
Whenever a Germ enters the battlefield under your control, remove a charge counter from Microbe Vat.
t: Create a 0/0 black Germ creature token.
This one is fun! And I have to disagree abou elegance - the only thing that might be mildly unsuspected is the bonus being +1/+1 no matter the number of counters on Vat.
Although it is somewhat antisynergistic with Living Weapon, due to how Germs created by it will likely die faster by losing the boost, it still a nice anthem effect for Germs that is not broken in any way. Moreover, if for some reason you do not have other creatures in deck, you can easily reset you living weapon equipment after to original Germ was killed.
It is turn-four any color chumpblocker machine running - without additional
tricks - for four turns. Even the last activation, in decks caring about death triggers, might provide useful.
While on low power spectrum, I am sure that shard or clan control-ish decks would greet such an addition due to its colorlessnes and the instant speed token for blocking.
If there is anything I find lacking then it is a flavour, since Germ are consider malicious even in our world and they have strong flavour connection to Phyrexia, while this thing could as well produce mutants or oozes since there is no connection to Phyrexia in it other then charge counters, used across difffrent
worlds.
spacemonaut wrote: ↑3 years ago
Wave of Wills 2UU
Creature — Merfolk Elemental (R)
Flash
Wave of Wills enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it for each other Merfolk you control.
, Remove a +1/+1 counter from Wave of Wills: Counter target spell that targets you or a creature you control.
0/0
Soft counterspell for
is not the best deal, but being repeatable and providing a body is much more interesting.
It is again not self contained, similiar to void_nothing submission, which I find disheartning. The similiar
Siren Stormtamer is a one drop and with flying and I think it wouldn't hurt for this card to see itself, so it wouldn't be three mana more and requiring you to have other critters. While possible multiple activations are good, even more considering that any +1/+1 counter will suffice, at 4-5 CMC you will see first board wipes, which are essential against go-wide strategies this card promotes. Not only you might be locked out of playing - since the board was emptied - but there are few wrath cards targeting specific player, so this does not help against them.
I understand that the main draw to this card is the subtype and flash - merfolks being a legacy level tribe with high count of possible bodies and flash allowing you to sneak it at the end step, which would limit opponents chances to wipe you other merfolks to stop this card cold. Yet I do not know legacy metagame enough to say whether this would be of any help for those decks and flashing creature with variable power and toughness is hard to evaluate as well. This card is mostly a meta call in terms of power-level.
I wish there was some flavour-text, as I am sure that there is some story behind Elemental Merfolk.
Flatline wrote: ↑3 years ago
Master of Illusion 1uu
Creature — Human Wizard (R)
Illusions you control get +1/+1 and have hexproof.
When Master of Illusions enters the battlefield, create two 0/0 blue Illusion creature tokens.
0/3
Simple, yet elegant. The first line is
Lord of the Unreal, which equals to colored mana. The other reminds of
Aquatic Incursion, althrough I am hestitant to say that two hexproof 1/1 creatures should cost only additional
.
The three bodies for three in blue feel little overwhelming, yet two of them are very conditional. However, the illusions here without lord are as much useless as elementals from costing just
more
Master of Waves and in most devotion deck there would be more elementals, so maybe it not that much of a strech.
On the other hand, this is more durable then both aforementioned wizards by having three toughness. You don't want to really attack with those Wizards, so greater thoughness is better then 2 power in most of situations.
Finally, you still want to combo this one with
Phantasmal Image as fast as possible and in this regard Lord of the Unreal is much better.
Overall, a fine card indeed, even if not terribly original.
HM: Spacemonaut, for something that is possibly a great addition to at least few cubes, even if I disagree with some mechanical descisions,
PanchoPonceN, for making a card with nice mechanical interaction, even if it was on something I generally dislike.
Winner: TacticalCelebrant, for making a clean and both reasonable and useful card that might have its uses beyond what is obvious.
Next: The Circle of Life
