August CCL, Round 2- Extreme Speed

[void_nothing]

CCL August Round 2

"Extreme Speed"


Etherium Astrolabe, taken from EchoMTG, by Michael Bruinsma 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

So, here is the first CCL on MTGNexus - time to begin. What are the first creature abilities that new Magic players know about? That's right - it's Evergreen Abilities Month here in the CCL.

Challenge

Design a noncreature card with flash.

Clarifications

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• The card must have flash at all times, not just be able to be cast as though it had flash. Dictate of Heliod counts. Crashing Tide does not count.
• Make sure to include a rarity.

Anyone can enter this first round! Your submissions are due Monday, August 12th, 23:59 EST.

Schedule

• Round 1 — Open to Everyone (July 31st-August 6th)
• Round 2 — Open to Everyone (August 7th–12th)
• Rounds 1 and 2 Critiques (Due August 14th)
• Top 8 — Open to top 8 finishers (August 15th–18th)
• Top 8 Critiques (Due August 20th)
• Top 4 — Open to top 4 finishers (August 21st–24th)
• Top 4 Critiques (Due August 26th)
• Final (End of month, winner determined by public poll)

[Jimmy Groove]

Backbiter Blade 1
Artifact - Equipment (U)
Flash
Equipped creature has deathtouch.
Ensoul 2UB (If you cast this spell with its ensoul cost, create a 2/2 colorless Spirit creature token and attach Backbiter Blade to it.)
Equip 2

[Sojourner Dusk]

Frigid Monolith WWUU
Artifact (M)
Flash
At the beginning of each player's turn, if that player controls any untapped permanents, that player skips their untap step.
or : Tap target permanent. Any player may activate this ability.

[Krishnath]

Shake the Foundations
4RG
Enchantment (Rare)
Flash
When Shake the Foundations enters the battlefield, it deals 2 damage to each nonflying creature, each player, and each planeswalker.
Beast creatures, Dinosaur creatures, and Dragon creatures you control get +2/+1 and have trample and haste.

[user_938036]

Ninja's Guise

UUB

Enchantment — Aura

Flash

Enchant Creature

Reveal a creature card from your hand: Enchanted creature becomes a copy of the revealed creature. Activate this ability only if enchanted creature is unblocked.

Art by

000/000

[Legend]

Quicksilver Wings (Common)
{w/u}
Enchantment - Aura
Flash
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has flying.

[RaikouRider]

Interceptive Stance URW
Enchantment - Aura {R}
Flash
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has indestructible.
When Interceptive Stance enters the battlefield, change a target of target spell or ability to enchanted creature.

[bravelion83]

Merciless Imprisonment 1W
Enchantment (U)
Flash
When Merciless Imprisonment enters the battlefield, exile target attacking or blocking creature until Merciless Imprisonment leaves the battlefield. (That creature returns under its owner's control.)
"Such kind of violence is forbidden according to our laws. You're under arrest."
—Zakon, Azorius arrester

[Jae]

Weeping Wish
Sorcery (R)
As long as it is not your turn, this card has Flash.

Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield, then search your library for a creature card and put it into your graveyard. Shuffle your library.

Some dreams come true. Many die trying.

[kwanyeegor-ii]

Zurgo's Defiance 3RW
Enchantment--Aura (Rare)
Flash
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has double strike
Enchanted creature has indestructible as long as its your turn

[Cardz5000]

Aetherform

ur

Enchantment

Flash
When Aetherform enters the battlefield, it becomes an Aura with enchant creature. Manifest the top card of your library and attach Aetherform to it. (To manifest a card, put it onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature. Turn it face up any time for its mana cost if it's a creature card.)
If enchanted creature is a face down instant or sorcery card, you may cast it for its mana cost and as though it had flash.

[marioguy3]

Library of Magnificence 2U
Legendary Artifact - Rare
Flash
T: Each player draws a card.
1UU, T: Draw a card.
The library hosts an amazing collection of books, tapes, and tutorials on casting spells. But only the librarian has the potential to give guests such access to such information.

[barbecube]

Forbidding Strike 2WU
Enchantment (U)
Flash
When Forbidding Strike enters the battlefield, return target creature to its owner's hand.
Creature spells cost your opponents 1 more to cast.

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[Ink-Treader]

Words to Wards 2WU
Enchantment - Aura (R)
Flash
Enchant creature
When Words to Wards enters the battlefield, counter target spell. If that spell is countered this way, exile it instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard.
Enchanted creature gets +X/+X, where X is the converted mana cost of the card exiled by Words to Wards.

[netn10]

Thousand-Blades Technique 3R
Enchantment (Rare)
Flash
1R: Return an equipment you control to its owner's hand: You may put an equipment card from your hand onto the battlefield. If you do, you may attach it to target creature.

[spacemonaut]

Shock Barrier 1WW
Enchantment (Rare)
Flash
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to you.
When Shock Barrier prevents combat damage, sacrifice it.

[Subject16]

Cloak of Mist 2G
Enchantment - Aura (Uncommon)
Flash
Enchant Creature
When Cloak of Mist enters the battlefield, prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn.
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to or dealt by enchanted creature.
"In an instant we were in deep fog, our quarry lost to us."
-Beyro, Lantan Tracker

[Icarii]

Lone Champion's Blades 1WB
Artifact - Equipment (U)
Flash
When Lone Champion's Blades enters the battlefield, you may attach it to target creature you don't control.
Equipped creature gets -1/-1 for each other attacking creature it's controller controls and has double strike.
Equip 2

[Henlock]

Mother's Caress 2w
Enchantment - Aura (u)
Flash
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has +2/+2.
When Mother's Caress enters the battlefield, choose a color. Enchanted creature has protection from the chosen color until end of turn. This effect doesn:t remove Mother's Caress.

[void_nothing]

Round is closed. Please critique and provide a top 3 for the six contestants ABOVE you on this list, looping to the BOTTOM as necessary.

Jimmy Groove
Sojourner Dusk
Krishnath
user_938036
Legend
RaikouRider
bravelion83
Jae
kwanyeegor-ii
Cardz5000
marioguy3
barbecube
Ink-Treader
netn10
spacemonaut
Subject16
Icarii
Henlock

[Sojourner Dusk]

More words.

netn10: Master Transmuter for Equipment? Suddenly that Colossus Hammer is a lot easier to use since this allows you to attach it for free. Red also isn't known for many cards with flash.
spacemonaut: This should be an Instant. Also, this is very bad against opponents that have creatures with first/double strike.
Subject16: Turn a creature into a Fog Bank while Fogging. This has potential, but it feels like you're just playing it safe.
Icarii: I can't stand equipment being attached to an opponent's creature.
Henlock: That wording brings back memories of White Ward. Old, crappy cycles... Your card is par for the course Limited fodder.
Jimmy Groove: I think the ensoul ability would have been better in BG than UB.

Top 3
3. Jimmy Groove
2. Henlock
1. Subject16

Response to bravelion83

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I don't think the trigger works as is. It's true that you can't say "at the beginning of the upkeep" because the untap step has already passed by the time the upkeep comes, but you can't also say "at the beginning of the turn" because there is no time between the beginning of the turn and the beginning of the untap step. The beginning of the turn is the beginning of the untap step. When this triggers, we're already in the untap step anyway. I get the intent, but I don't know how you could word it to work, I think it might actually be impossible.
This card doesn't need flash to work. You can just cast it during your main phase, you don't need to cast it at end of turn or something like that for it to work. And if your opponents want to use the last ability the turn you cast this, they will be able to do it regardless of whether you cast this during your second main phase or at the end of your turn.

I probably should have cribbed from Time Vault a little more exactly, as it is the only card I could find that has a triggered ability that occurs before the untap step.
Also, I play a lot of multiplayer (mostly EDH), where the flash is relevant for political and/or strategical reasons. I may not want to freeze out the player to my immediate left, but I may just want to hang the person on my right and cast it during the end step of the player before them.
The last ability matters because people need to tap all of their Planeswalkers and Auras and lands that don't tap if they want to not skip their untap step.

[Jae]

Sojourner Dusk - Interesting design. It should only be able to tap nonland permanents, though. Still, nicely done.
Krishnath - Overwhelming before adding flash.
user_938036 - Nice design from a fine idea, but needs an activation cost in addition to 'reveal'.
Legend - Straightforward design in the right space. Like it.
RaikouRider - Another fine idea, with a nice added touch of 'a target'.
bravelion83 - Straightforward design, nicely done.

1: bravelion83
2: RaikouRider
3: Legend

[bravelion83]

Done.

Note (written before even reading the cards):
Bonus points if flash is needed for the card to work properly, or, in other words, if the card wouldn't work at all without flash. That's what gave me the idea of caring about attacking or blocking creatures for my card. Attacking and blocking creatures only exist in combat, so the card needs to be able to be cast during combat, which requires instant "speed".

Jimmy Groove

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Backbiter Blade 1
Artifact - Equipment (U)
Flash
Equipped creature has deathtouch.
Ensoul 2UB (If you cast this spell with its ensoul cost, create a 2/2 colorless Spirit creature token and attach Backbiter Blade to it.)
Equip 2

"If you cast this spell for its ensoul cost..."
Ensoul is essentialy a variant of living weapon that gives you a bigger token. The colors are clearly right: flash is the blue part and deathtouch the black one, but you can just use this normally, at sorcery speed, to give a creature deathtouch in any color, even ones that aren't supposed to get it. I know colorless artifacts that do it probably already exist, but I felt like it was something to mention. I would have probably made this a colored artifact costing B.
This card works without flash, with a slightly different functionality, but it does.

Sojourner Dusk

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Frigid Monolith WWUU
Artifact (M)
Flash
At the beginning of each player's turn, if that player controls any untapped permanents, that player skips their untap step.
or : Tap target permanent. Any player may activate this ability.

I don't think the trigger works as is. It's true that you can't say "at the beginning of the upkeep" because the untap step has already passed by the time the upkeep comes, but you can't also say "at the beginning of the turn" because there is no time between the beginning of the turn and the beginning of the untap step. The beginning of the turn is the beginning of the untap step. When this triggers, we're already in the untap step anyway. I get the intent, but I don't know how you could word it to work, I think it might actually be impossible.
This card doesn't need flash to work. You can just cast it during your main phase, you don't need to cast it at end of turn or something like that for it to work. And if your opponents want to use the last ability the turn you cast this, they will be able to do it regardless of whether you cast this during your second main phase or at the end of your turn.

Krishnath

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Shake the Foundations
4RG
Enchantment (Rare)
Flash
When Shake the Foundations enters the battlefield, it deals 2 damage to each nonflying creature, each player, and each planeswalker.
Beast creatures, Dinosaur creatures, and Dragon creatures you control get +2/+1 and have trample and haste.

"...each creature without flying..."
The problem I have with this card is ambiguity: does it affect all Beasts, all Dinosaurs, and only my Dragons, or only my Beasts, my Dinosaurs, and my Dragons? As is, the wording seems to actually imply the former, while I'm sure you meant the latter. It would have been better to say "Beast, Dinosaur, and Dragon creatures you control..." or just to repeat "you control" every time: "Beast creatures you control, Dinosaur creatures you control, and Dragon creatures you control..."
This card works just fine without flash.

user_938036

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Ninja's Guise

UUB

Enchantment — Aura

Flash

Enchant Creature

Reveal a creature card from your hand: Enchanted creature becomes a copy of the revealed creature. Activate this ability only if enchanted creature is unblocked.

Art by

000/000

"Enchant creature", with the word "creature" not capitalized.
"...a copy of the revealed card", "creatures" only exist on the battlefield. In zones other than the battlefield and the stack there are just "cards", or "creature cards" if you care about them being creatures.
Essentially a variant of ninjutsu. It probably plays better than it reads. Not the kind of card I like the most, but that's just personal preference.
If you remove flash, you'll be able to cast the Aura anyway, but you will have to wait for your combat phase to activate the ability. No big problem though, just cast the Aura in your precombat main phase. So the functionality of the card would be almost identical.

Legend

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Quicksilver Wings (Common)
{w/u}
Enchantment - Aura
Flash
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has flying.

I won't mention formatting, we both know that we just agree to disagree on that.
I love the elegance and simplicity of this card. It does only one thing, but it does it perfectly and at the cheapest cost possible.
The card functions just fine without flash. It gets worse technically, sure, but it works. Flash allows you to cast this at the end of your opponent's turn so that you have more mana available during yours, but that's just a strategic difference, it's not like the card needs flash to work in the rules.

RaikouRider

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Interceptive Stance URW
Enchantment - Aura {R}
Flash
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has indestructible.
When Interceptive Stance enters the battlefield, change a target of target spell or ability to enchanted creature.

Finally, a card that doesn't work without flash! This is the kind of card that I expected to see a lot more of this round. The wording and functionality are just perfect. I honestly can't find a single defect on this card.

Top 3
1st place: RaikouRider (the only card in my bracket that needs flash to work)
2nd place: Legend
3rd place: Jimmy Groove

[Legend]

Jimmy Groove - nice riff of living weapon. Could've been monoblack since black has flash now
Sojourner Dusk - feels very oldschool.
Krishnath - seems like its buffing already big-bodied tribes that often have trample and haste anyways
user_938036 - cool but should be monoblue or (preferably) discard the card.
Icarii - flavorful, sure. I just can't get past my distaste for equipping creatures you don't control.
Henlock - it's fine.

1. User
2. Jimmy
3. Henlock

[user_938036]

Jimmy Groove

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Jimmy Groove: My gut says deathtouch equipment needs to cost more somewhere but a quick search proves me wrong. However, because this functions as a removal spell for an attacker then a normal deathtouch equipment I would put it at rare like the other deathtouch+ equipment. It also feels a little like cheating to hide a creature on a design a noncreature challenge.

Sojourner Dusk

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Sojourner Dusk: This can't be a trigger, it needs to be a static ability "Players skip their untap step if they control any untapped permanents." This is such a cruel griefer card that I can't imagine it would ever be printed.

Krishnath

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Krishnath: Lovisa shows us how to give multiple types the same buff. I just don't like hitting myself with this spell.

Subject16

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Subject16: This is a very unfortunate pie violation. While green gets fogs it does not get Sandskin. That said it's undercosted due to two additional effects on top of the normal cost for this aura.

Icarii

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Icarii: Just like Jimmy Groove's I would have sworn equipment granting doublestrike would cost more. And again a quick search proves me wrong. However, just like Jimmy' Groove's yours is also a removal spell tacked onto the normal equipment meaning it should be pushed up to rare.

Henlock

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Henlock: It took me a while to get the reference and that left me very confused as to why it gets +2/+2. Continuing the flavor note, there are 7 cards with a name including Caress. 6 of them black and having negative effects. Caressing just isn't very nice in magic, while you can fight this trend it's ill-advised to fight such things.

Top 3
1. Krishnath
2. Icarii
3. Sojourner Dusk