June CCL, Top 8: Abodes of Kami and Mortals

[void_nothing]

CCL June Top 8/Round 3

"Abodes of Kami and Mortals"


Miren, the Moaning Well, taken from EchoMTG, by Rob Alexander and Wizards of the Coast

Welcome to the Card Creation League! Everyone is free to participate in either or both of the first two rounds. Come join us!

Theme

It's Kamigawa Month here in the CCL! The Champions of Kamigawa block performed poorly in mechanical terms, but it's considered to have one of the best Magic storylines ever. So for that reason, this month will focus more on Kamigawa's legendaries and its story elements than mechanics.

Challenge

Design a legendary land card.

Clarifications

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• Make sure to include a rarity.

Your submissions are due Sunday, June 21st, 23:59 EST.

Contestants:
@slimytrout
@Subject16
@RaikouRider
@Pygyzy
@MonoRedMage
@Jimmy Groove
@Phyrexian Editor
@Lorn Asbord Schutta

Schedule

• Round 1 — Open to Everyone (June 1st–7th)
• Round 2 — Open to Everyone (June 8th–14th)
• Rounds 1 and 2 Critiques (Due June 17th)
• Top 8 — Open to top 8 finishers (June 18th–21st)
• Top 8 Critiques (Due June 23rd)
• Top 4 — Open to top 4 finishers (June 24th–27th)
• Top 4 Critiques (Due June 29th)
• Final (July, winner determined by public poll)

[Jimmy Groove]

The Citadel of Meditation
Legendary Land (MR)
Whenever the Citadel of Meditation uses an ability, it loses that ability.
T: Add U to your mana pool. Scry 1.
T: Add R to your mana pool. This permanent deals one damage to up to one target player.
T: Add 1 to your mana pool and draw a card. Return this permanent to your hand. Activate this ability only if this permanent has no other activated abilities.
"Integrate and Differentiate. Realize. Repeat."

[Subject16]

Orazca, the Golden City
Legendary Land (Rare)
Ascend (If you control ten or more permanents, you get the city's blessing for the rest of the game.)
T: Add C. If you have the city's blessing, add one mana of any color instead.
3, T: Until end of turn, target creature gains indestructible and has base power and toughness 5/5. Activate this ability only if you have the city's blessing.
The Immortal Sun shines on its chosen.

[RaikouRider]

The Sacellum
Legendary Land {R}
The Sacellum enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add G.
T: Add R or W. The Sacellum deals 1 damage to you.
3, T: Add X mana of any one color, where X is the greatest power among creatures you control.
Mayael's palace, honoring the mightiest of Naya's mighty.

[slimytrout]

The Demon's Vestibule
Legendary Land (R)
T: Add C.
T, Discard a card: Add B or R.
Hellbent — T: Add BB or RR. Activate this ability only if you have no cards in hand.
Only the mad travel down the road to Rix Maadi.

[Phyrexian Editor]

Coventina's Fountain
Legendary Land {R}
Coventina's Fountain enters the battlefield tapped with a luck counter on it for each legendary permanent you control.
t: Add u.
2, t, tap an untapped creature you control with power 2 or less: Move a luck counter from Coventina's Fountain to that creature. It gains lucky. (When this creature would die, if it has a luck counter on it, remove all luck counters from it instead.) Activate this ability as a sorcery.
Spare a coin for the Lady of Wellsprings and watch good fortune flow.

Background: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php ... fountains/

[Pygyzy]

The Kamihara
Legendary Enchantment Land — Shrine (R)
t: Add one mana of any color for each Shrine you control.

[Lorn Asbord Schutta]

Luvion's Citadel
Legendary Land - Island (R)
(: Add .)
Hexproof
When Luvion's Citadel enters the battlefield, return two Islands you own to your hand.
: Untap target creature attacking you and remove it from combat unless its controller pays . Scry 1.
Fortified sealight, weathering the storming assailants.

[MonoRedMage]

Zejab, Wellspring of Revenge
Legendary Land {R}
Zejab, Wellspring of Revenge enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add R.
R, T: Copy target spell that targets a spell you control. You may choose new targets for the copy.

[void_nothing]

Round's closed! Please critique and top 3 every other contestant.

[Jimmy Groove]

Crits

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slimytrout - The Demon's Vestibule: One of the most straightforward designs, but it works on all levels.

Subject16 - Orazca, the Golden City: Takes advantage of existing flavor well, seems strong but at least within the realm of printability.

RaikouRider - The Sacellum: Seems busy and it doesn't really convey it's flavor well, but seems printable.

Pygyzy - The Kamihara: This starts out being a perfect mana fixer, and just gets better with the right deck. Too strong.

MonoRedMage - Zejab, Wellspring of Revenge: Likely too cheap for such a versitile ability, but still quite elegant.

Phyrexian Editor - Coventina's Fountain: Not removing damage as it resolves makes it not work some of the time, and it seems like it'd be easier to just make that ability an inherent part of the counter, like how poison has the "ten and dead" rule.

Lorn Asbord Schutta - Luvion's Citadel: Quite a bit too weak and too convoluted.

Top 3

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1. slimytrout

2. Subject16

3. MonoRedMage

[slimytrout]

Jimmy Groove

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This is definitely a fun and innovative one, even if it is almost certainly too good. Over the course of three turns, you get URC (not 1), a scry, 1 damage to their face, and a card -- and then at the end, you don't even sacrifice it, you return it to your hand to reset it, so the only penalty is one land drop. Would be much more balanced if it ETB tapped.

Subject16

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Another one that's too good -- compare to Arch of Orazca (which also costs you points for innovation), which never tapped for any color and cost 5 mana to just draw a card.

RaikouRider

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I like it! It's actually balanced (worse than Jungle Shrine without the last ability, which requires at least a 3-power creature to be useful and realistically a 4 or 5) and is a fun nod to a somewhat obscure bit of lore.

Phyrexian Editor

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Fun detail that it enters with at least one counter because it's legendary itself. Unfortunately, while Lucky seems like a fun variant on Undying/Persist, it probably wouldn't work as your reminder text indicates, since you'd need to remove marked damage or the creature would die anyway. Also would have preferred if the goddess's name wasn't a precise copy of the "existing" deity.

Pygyzy

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Least balanced of all of them. Starts out as a Mana Confluence without the life payment, plus it's an enchantment to trigger constellation, enchantresses, etc., and then gets even better if you're playing other Shrines. There's the beginning of a good idea here, but a lot of the difficulty in designing lands is getting the power level right, and this wasn't even close. Also, could have used flavor text.

Lorn Asbord Schutta

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Huh. This is the hardest one to evaluate so far. None of the ideas are truly new (elements of Lotus Field, Maze of Ith, and Crystal Shard), but they definitely make an interesting package. Ultimately, I think it's too weak to be playable, and it's also weird that it's a land that basically gives you negative mana (unless someone took one of your Islands, in which case it's awesome).

MonoRedMage

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Another more unusual one. Very good against counterspells, since you can just turn them back on themselves, and also usable in a Fork deck I suppose, but other than those two scenarios it's basically just an ETBT mountain.

T3

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Highest grade has to go to the most balanced card, but tough choices after that.
1. RaikouRider
2. Jimmy Groove
3. Phyrexian Editor

[Pygyzy]

I'm here. Sorry omg every time I try to do anything this week I get interrupted. Will have these up in a minute working on them right now

slimytrout -

SPOILER

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My only problem is that I don't have this card in my deck right now.

Subject16 -

SPOILER

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Haha definitely feels like orazca. I wish it had something to do with the Ixalan creature types tho. Who found the city first I can't recall was it Vraska? Anyways great card I just wish it called out to creature types in some way.

Raikourider-

SPOILER

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Very nice Naya card I'm just not a big Naya fan so this doesn't do a whole lot for me.

MonoRedMage-

SPOILER

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Phew. Monored mage no kidding. I might be sweating just a little because I'm thinking of everything I can do with this. I love it, I'm just a little worried it might be way too strong

Jimmy Groove-

SPOILER

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Good use of abilities. Feels legendary. And has great play value. I'd definitely have fun with this. Only thing is I'm not sure it's really MR but I could go either way.

Phyrexian Editor-

SPOILER

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Very cool card. I like luck counters. Real fun. I don't see a whole lot of potential for breakability so looks fair but I could see it doing busted things if someone tried to break it. That's a plus for me haha.

Lorn Asbord Schutta-

SPOILER

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Really like it. I like land bounce and all the abilities. It might be a little overburdened but I've honestly never complained about that lol.

T3

SPOILER

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1 Slimytrout
2. Lorn Asbord Schutta
3. Jimmy Groove

[Lorn Asbord Schutta]

Done

Jimmy Groove

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The Citadel of Meditation
Legendary Land (MR)
Whenever the Citadel of Meditation uses an ability, it loses that ability.
T: Add U to your mana pool. Scry 1.
T: Add R to your mana pool. This permanent deals one damage to up to one target player.
T: Add 1 to your mana pool and draw a card. Return this permanent to your hand. Activate this ability only if this permanent has no other activated abilities.
"Integrate and Differentiate. Realize. Repeat."

This will not fly. Being non-fetchable is probably the only saving grace for its power level. The moment it enters the battlefield it is unconditional dual land with an additional ability tied to each of its mana abilities. You cannot respond to them, you cannot Stifle them, they are just going to resolve. The "balancing" factor of having to bounce it after the third activation is not doing it job. Most of times after the second or third land drop you will have a pause, which means no real setting back in the latter (as you get three mana total from your lands at this moment and you will just replay this in turn four) or even accelerating in former (as you tap both of your lands, bounce this one and replay it for the third mana out of two lands). In later turns the drawback is even more meaningless. And there is a card draw to boot? This is insane.

Subject16

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Orazca, the Golden City
Legendary Land (Rare)
Ascend (If you control ten or more permanents, you get the city's blessing for the rest of the game.)
T: Add C. If you have the city's blessing, add one mana of any color instead.
3, T: Until end of turn, target creature gains indestructible and has base power and toughness 5/5. Activate this ability only if you have the city's blessing.
The Immortal Sun shines on its chosen.

The comparison between this and Arch of Orazca is to be expected. Arch, due to high mana cost of its draw ability, is likely never to be used more then once per turn, so it is virtually "legendary". Yet in some control shells, especially those which focus on stalling, or in decks with Wilderness Reclamation, multiples might come in handy.
Mana of any color is stronger in most cases, but this is a legendary permanent. It is still earned by Ascend, so it is rarely instant fixing and you will not have multiples.
The other ability is build-yourself-Gideon, which instead could be granting keywords from Path of Mettle // Metzali, Tower of Triumph to accentuate Sun's Empire origins of Orazca. The way it is done right now, I want to play any Hydrae that are base 0/0 with tons of ramping, so I can get both ascend and big in the shortest possible time, then smash with +5/+5 and indestructibility from the land. Due to Orazca being legendary, you will need to find a way to untap it, otherwise it cannot be used both as offensive or defensive tool. And also, while hitting indesrtuctible threat might be a deterrent, it is not a straight evasion mechanic, so this Gideon boost might be in the end at par with a straight draw. Maybe it should cost more, but I have no real way to test it right now.
A good card, maybe not breathtaking, but solid.

RaikouRaider

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The Sacellum
Legendary Land {R}
The Sacellum enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add G.
T: Add R or W. The Sacellum deals 1 damage to you.
3, T: Add X mana of any one color, where X is the greatest power among creatures you control.
Mayael's palace, honoring the mightiest of Naya's mighty.

Instantly reminds me of Battlefield Forge, in a good sense. It enters the battlefield tapped, but in return it gives you green instead of colorless, which balance themselves out.
The last ability makes this legendary, that is for sure. I have to admit of not being used to Naya decks and curves in them, so it is hard for me to evaluate for me at which point in the game it stops being a fixer and becomes ramp. I guess it is reasonable to see at the turn 4 a Woolly Thoctar, but this is just guessing. While hidden, you need a +5 power creature to start ramping from Sacellum ( plus the tapping of Sacellum itself), so this is a favour point here, for sure.
It does not work in any exceptional way with Mayael the Anima, which is a sad part here. Moreover, Giant Growth becomes a rainbow ritual while still being a combat trick, but I guess some combos are ineventable. Otherwise a fine, reasonable card.

slimytrout

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The Demon's Vestibule
Legendary Land (R)
T: Add C.
T, Discard a card: Add B or R.
Hellbent — T: Add BB or RR. Activate this ability only if you have no cards in hand.
Only the mad travel down the road to Rix Maadi.

I am more of an admirer of pristine fountains, but this is a thing of beauty. Since activated abilities is not the thing where Rakdos shines, the Hellbent ability is both strong enough to please and not to opressive in use. The middle ability is weak by itself, but it all goes in grand scheme of things to enable the hellbent and it feels like a suicidal black-red. And the flavour text alluding to the madness synergy, amazing.

Phyrexian Editor

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Coventina's Fountain
Legendary Land {R}
Coventina's Fountain enters the battlefield tapped with a luck counter on it for each legendary permanent you control.
t: Add u.
2, t, tap an untapped creature you control with power 2 or less: Move a luck counter from Coventina's Fountain to that creature. It gains lucky. (When this creature would die, if it has a luck counter on it, remove all luck counters from it instead.) Activate this ability as a sorcery.
Spare a coin for the Lady of Wellsprings and watch good fortune flow.

Keywording such an ability is useful only to mitigate land destruction to be honest, unless there is whole set to explore it. Moreover, this is demi-Regeneration outside black and green, on a land tapping for blue. While it is worse due to not removing damage marked, therefore only saving against Murders and such, it still feels like a break.
Why not removing a single luck conter? The way it is done now no creature would ever get more then one luck counter on it and even in possible set with such a mechanic you would still have no reason to put a luck counter on a lucky creature already having one counter on itself. It isn't even detrimental to an opponent in any way, just pointless.
Due to blue affilation of this land I started to think of any way to combo Fleeting Distraction effects with the restriction, but instead the Hada Spy Patrol and Wall of Denial came to my mind. Due to no targeting involved it can pass through shroud and it can protect those cards against mass-destruction spells, which are the first way of dealing with of them. This one, while somewhat obnoxious in play, is fun in brewing at least.
It is not a terrible card in the end, on lower-power spectrum, but it does not excite me. Also the fact that the number of initial counters is based on legendary permanents, while you give the counters based on power feels disconnected, like if a part of flavour is escaping me.

Pygyzy

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The Kamihara
Legendary Enchantment Land — Shrine (R)
t: Add one mana of any color for each Shrine you control.

Another broken one, with the saving grace of being hit by Erase effects. A turn one rainbow land was done only once, with Tendo Ice Bridge, which depletes itself after the use. Others, such as Mirrodin's Core or vivid cycle from Lorwyn had restrictions preventing turn one use. And this grows instead. This, Sanctum of Tranquil Light, pass. Turn two another land, Sanctum of Fruitful Harvest, pass. Next turn Sanctum of All and you still have two mana or even three if you hit another land drop in between. While this whole cycle is unreliable, the Kamihara+Sanctum of Tranquil Light for having two mana of any color turn two is quite possible and broken. The drawback of being enchantment is interesting, but not enough to keep this in check.

MonoRedMage

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Zejab, Wellspring of Revenge
Legendary Land {R}
Zejab, Wellspring of Revenge enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add R.
R, T: Copy target spell that targets a spell you control. You may choose new targets for the copy.

A nice one. I do not like it on philosophical level - while copying Reverberate targetting your spell is also possible, it feels like it was screaming "turn those Counterspells against themselves!", which is strangely reactive to red's proactive gameplay. Other then this I am not sure if the mana cost is not a little bit pushed, as it is reverberate ( to activate and not getting mana from Zejab) on land with target restrictions. I know that the potential to double Banefire damage without doubling the mana needed is a great use for copying cards, but in more grindy red decks I would rather play this for being repeatable "counter" ability with no card cost to it. Maybe upping it to ? Yet, it is not a big complain.
Due to its counter-counter shaneningas the name speaks for itself, so big points for flavour.

Top 3

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1. slimytrout The Demon's Vestibule
2. MonoRedMage Zejab, Wellspring of Revenge
3. RaikouRaider The Sacellum

[MonoRedMage]

Jimmy Groove - Really innovative but hard to track, and the red mana ability looks like way too much for free.

Subject16 - This looks fun! Definitely reminds me of the other Ixalan lands.

RaikouRider - This could add a lot of mana but requires plenty of setup. Lots of flavor too. Balanced but explosive. I like this a lot.

slimytrout - Neat! Discarding cards for mana might be more dangerous than you think lmao. Madness decks definitely want this!

Phyrexian Editor - This is a really complicated card, and lucky doesn't seem like a blue mechanic at all. More like white, black, or green.

Pygyzy - I'm almost offended that you entered a card this broken lol. It's literally a free extra copy of Sanctum of Fruitful Harvest but better. And that card is three mana. The drawback of being destroyed by enchantment removal does nothing to make up for how OP this card is. It's free interaction with anything that gives bonuses for enchantments like constellation. It's ETB untapped mana of any color. It increases your shrine count. And it can easily give tons of mana, even in the early game if you play the cheaper shrines! Totally unacceptable, and if you think this is okay you should reevaluate how you look at cards at all.

Lorn Asbord Schutta - What a weird card. The drawback is super harsh but colored mana maze of ith is very strong. I guess hexproof is mostly for flavor.

Top 3
1. RaikouRider
2. slimytrout
3. Subject16

[void_nothing]

And your top 4 are:

slimytrout
RaikouRider
MonoRedMage
Jimmy Groove

Thanks everyone for playing. Next round to come shortly.