January MCC, Round 3 - Equivalent Exchange

[void_nothing]

Banner based on Aeon Chronicler by Dan Dos Santos and Wizards of the Coast. Thanks to bravelion83 for the "Core Set Style" MCC Logo

January MCC, Round 3 - Equivalent Exchange

Welcome to the January MCC! It's Hand Month here at the MCC.

Main Challenge: Design a card that has cycling, landcycling, or reinforce.
Subchallenge 1: Your card is multicolored
Subchallenge 2: Your card is uncommon

DEADLINES

Design deadline: Tuesday, February 2nd 23:59 EDT

Judging deadline: Thursday, February 4th 23:59 EDT

Clarifications

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None yet!

MCC Rubric

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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

Players:
@Pygyzy
@slimytrout
@netn10
@Subject16

[netn10]

Superior Tactics RW
Instant (Uncommon)
Madness R
Reinforce 3 — 1WW
Creatures you control gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

[slimytrout]

Recalibrate UR
Instant (U)
Draw a card for each card you've discarded this turn. Recalibrate deals that much damage to any target.
Cycling 2 (, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
Jump-start (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a card in addition to paying its other costs. Then exile this card.)

[Subject16]

Pilgrim of Azusa GW
Creature — Human Monk (U)
Whenever Pilgrim of Azusa attacks, it gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of lands you control with different names.
Legendary landcycling 2 (2, Discard this card: Search your library for a legendary land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.)
2/2

[void_nothing]

Waiting on @Pygyzy only, now,

[void_nothing]

In the interest of time I'll give @Pygyzy another 18 hours before I close the round at 10 AM Eastern tomorrow.

[void_nothing]

Okay, round is now closed. This is technically the versus round - but in practice it is one block of three. The top two contestants will move on to the finals.

[void_nothing]

netn10

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Design
(2/3) Appeal - Mostly a Txmmy card. Partial points for Jxnny - it's kind of blunt but Jxnny just likes madness and multitools, and Spike is into the versatility.
(2.5/3) Elegance - There is a lot going on here mechanically for such a non-wordy card and a couple of things to track, but it's nothing nobody's actually never seen before.

Development
(2.5/3) Viability - Red being the second color here is at least questionable: All colors get madness after all, it's not a specifically red mechanic. I'd put this at GW, reinforce 1GG, and madness W. This is uncommon, however.
(3/3) Balance - Could be a Limited star? Nothing objectionable about a pretty basic combat trick though.

Creativity
(1/3) Uniqueness - This is a Future Sight mashup - one using mechanics that haven't been put together before, to be sure, but it's the same idea as Ichor Slick. The end result (with the biggest "mode") is oddly like a Sigil Blessing plus-plus. I always like seeing new thinking with reinforce, a pet mechanic of mine, though.
(2/3) Flavor - The name is pithy but also a bit bland. Nothing in the flavor really suggests the madness, although the reinforce makes sense.

Polish
(2.5/3) Quality - "Get," not "gets".
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges - And done.

Total: 19.5/25

slimytrout

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Design
(3/3) Appeal - Total all-rounder. Who doesn't love drawing and pinging like this? All three psychographics are pitching in money for a Nekusar, the Mindrazer EDH deck.
(2.5/3) Elegance - A bit tracking-y but not too complex.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Colors look on point. This would be a signpost uncommon no doubt.
(2.5/3) Balance - As a combo piece it's very very powerful and certain EDH decks would love this, but it does require setup, mostly in the form of wheels. By itself it's flexible and relatively efficient but it's not gonna knock anyone's socks off.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - Draw and burn have almost always been put together but oddly, cards that care about discard in this fashion are few and far between.
(3/3) Flavor - God, what a perfect use of a one-word name. I'd give extra points here if I could. This is such Izzet flavor.

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

Total: 22.5/25

Subject16

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Design
(3/3) Appeal - Txmmy likes the potential size, Jxnny likes the minigame introduced (all the while wishing it were "different names among" so they could Spy Kit a Dryad Arbor), and Spike likes the utility and efficient, if rather vanilla, body.
(2.5/3) Elegance - Counting names isn't quite as fast as counting lands.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Nothing wrong with the colors or rarity. The white could technically be a different color but white likes to pump attackers so that's alright.
(2/3) Balance - Sure - My concern is how easily this attacks as a 4/4 from out the gate, or higher in a deck with more colors, but it's still a virtual vanilla. 1GW would be the more comfortable mana cost.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - Legendary landcycling is a new idea and "lands with different names" only recently came about, but otherwise this card is a variant of some quite old beater tropes.
(2/3) Flavor - Makes decent sense to reference Azusa I suppose but I REALLY wish this had something to do with Ayumi, the Last Visitor instead, or were RG and referenced Livonya Silone.

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

Total: 21/25

[void_nothing]

And @slimytrout and @Subject16 are on to the finals!