September CCL Round 1: The Mechanics that Time will Forget

[Aldrath]

September CCL

The Mechanics that Time will Forget

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

Theme


This month's theme is One-off Mechanics.

In my short time as an MTG player joining up in the "Hat set" era, I've seen a lot of mechanics introduced for sets basically as a one-off, stuff that really only fits in that set and nowhere else. And since I've got no other ideas for this month, lets go ahead and play with some of those mechanics, shall we?


Challenge

Create a card using one of the keywords introduced in either Tarkir: Dragonstorm or Avatar: the Last Airbender.

Important Clarifications

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- Make sure to include a rarity.

-You don't have to use the colors normally used for that keyword in order to use it, it just might help for synergy purposes.

Dragonstorm Keywords

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Endure N: (Put N +1/+1 counters on it or create a N/N white Spirit creature token.)

Typical Colors: Abzan

Flurry: Whenever you cast your second spell each turn, [effect]

Typical Colors: Jeskai

Renew: [Cost], Exile this card from your graveyard: [effect]. Activate only as a sorcery.

Typical Colors: Sultai

Mobilize N: (Whenever this creature attacks, create N tapped and attacking 1/1 red Warrior creature tokens. Sacrifice them at the beginning of the next end step.)

Typical Colors: Mardu

Harmonize [cost]: (You may cast this card from your graveyard by paying its harmonize cost. You may tap a creature you control to reduce that cost by , where X is its power. Then exile this spell.)

Typical Colors: Temur

Avatar Keywords

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Waterbend [cost] (While paying a waterbend cost, you can tap your artifacts and creatures to help. Each one pays for .)

Typical Colors

Earthbend [N]: (Target land you control becomes a 0/0 creature with haste that's still a land. Put N +1/+1 counters on it. When it dies or is exiled, return it to the battlefield tapped.)

Typical Colors

Firebend [N]: (Whenever this creature attacks, add N . This mana lasts until the end of combat.)

Typical Colors

Airbend [targets]: (Exile them. While each one is exiled, its owner may cast it for rather than its mana cost.)

Typical Colors

Players

Everybody can enter this round. Yes, even you.

Your submissions are due tuesday, September 8th, 23:59 EST.

Schedule

Round 1: September 1st - 8th [/i]

Round 1 Critiques due: September 11th (possible extension in case of low player count)

Round 2: September 9th - 15th

Round 2 Critiques due: September 18th

Round 3: September 19th-September 25th

Round 3 critiques due: September 28th

Round 4: September 29th -October 5th

Round 4 Critiques due: October 8th

Round 5: October 9th -13th

[SinisterSister]

Trailblazing Ritualist
Creature - Human Shaman (R)
Firebending 1
Whenever a creature you control firebends, you may add mana of any color instead of .
"Flame can take on many shapes and colors in the flow of its dance."
1/3

[EsperCormorant]

Return from Emeria
Enchantment (R)
Landfall - Whenever a land you control enters the battlefield, airbend target creature card in your graveyard. (Exile it. While it is exiled, its owner may cast it for rather than its mana cost)
While the Eldrazi ravaged the surface, the Sky Ruin served as a refuge for those lucky enough to reach it.

[BatBite]

Earthen Landshaper
Creature - Human Shaman (R)
When this creature deals combat damage to a player, earthbend X, where X is the damage dealt.
1/2

[Lord_Xenagos]

Assimilator Ooze 3BG
Creature — Mutant Ooze (R)
Trample
Renew — 1BG, Exile this card from your graveyard: Put two +1/+1 counters and a trample counter on target creature. That creature becomes an Ooze in addition to its other types and gains "When this creature dies, put a card named Assimilator Ooze you own in exile into your graveyard." Active only as a sorcery.
2/2

[Alchemist]

@Aldrath
"Create a card using one of the keywords introduced in either Tarkir: Dragonstorm or Avatar: the Last Airbender."

Question: Can we use multiple mechanics or will we be docked points for going beyond the prompt as it is worded?

[Aldrath]

@Aldrath
"Create a card using one of the keywords introduced in either Tarkir: Dragonstorm or Avatar: the Last Airbender."

Question: Can we use multiple mechanics or will we be docked points for going beyond the prompt as it is worded?

I was hoping to limit it to one mechanic, or at the very least, only using mechanics from one set. Can I ask what you had in mind?

[Alchemist]

@Aldrath
"Create a card using one of the keywords introduced in either Tarkir: Dragonstorm or Avatar: the Last Airbender."

Question: Can we use multiple mechanics or will we be docked points for going beyond the prompt as it is worded?

I was hoping to limit it to one mechanic, or at the very least, only using mechanics from one set. Can I ask what you had in mind?

one from both tbh

[JessWill]

Explosive Rapture
Sorcery (R)
Airbend target creature you control, then this spell deals damage equal to that creature's power to each creature and planeswalker.
"We go into the eye in the sky, we dare not ask why."

[Aldrath]

@Alchemist I'll allow it, with the reminder that your fellow contestants are free to judge you how they see fit, so you better make sure your card design is on point.

[Alchemist]

Here goes nothing.

Master of Two Fires 2UR
Creature - Djinn Monk (U)
Firebending 1
Flurry - Whenever you cast your second spell each turn, return up to one target nonland permanent with lesser mana value to its owner's hand.
Some Jeskai monks spend a lifetime mastering just one of the six fires. Maybe one day she will master a third.
3/3

[bravelion83]

Energy Saving UR
Instant (U)
The next instant or sorcery spell you cast this turn can be cast as though it had flash and costs 1 less to cast.
Harmonize 4{U/R}{U/R} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its harmonize cost. You may tap a creature you control to reduce that cost by X, where X is its power. Then exile this spell.)
The Temur pay much care to the environment they live in. In return, their land intensifies the mana flux in the underlying leylines.

[marioguy3]

Investigate the Minds
Sorcery (Rare)
Exile target creature. Scry X, where X is that creature's toughness.
Harmonize , Exile two cards from your hand.

[Flatline]

Feel free to ignore this if I'm too late to join.

Selfless Seraph 2w
Creature - Angel (U)
Flying
Mobilize 2 (Whenever this creature attacks, create two tapped and attacking 1/1 red Warrior creature tokens. Sacrifice them at the beginning of the next end step.)
2w, Sacrifice this creature: Return target creature card with mana value X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield, where X is the number of creatures you control. Activate only as a sorcery.
1/1

[Aldrath]

@Flatline
I'll allow it since I was late closing this round. Speaking of-

CLOSING THE ROUND! Round 2 is now up! Make sure to get your critiques in by Friday September 11th.

[bravelion83]

@Aldrath I (gladly) see 9 submissions, so I expect we should only critique the 6 below ours, right?

[Aldrath]

@Aldrath I (gladly) see 9 submissions, so I expect we should only critique the 6 below ours, right?

Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me, everyone only needs to critique the 6 submissions below theirs, looping back around to the top if need be.

[Alchemist]

bravelion83

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Energy Saving UR
Instant (U)
The next instant or sorcery spell you cast this turn can be cast as though it had flash and costs 1 less to cast.
Harmonize 4{U/R}{U/R} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its harmonize cost. You may tap a creature you control to reduce that cost by X, where X is its power. Then exile this spell.)
The Temur pay much care to the environment they live in. In return, their land intensifies the mana flux in the underlying leylines.

-Good for combo decks, but doesn't add much on its own. Making it a cantrip with a draw card ability, including some form of cycling, or even adding a small amount of scry would give it some interest as a single card. Flavor is a bit stuffy for the Temur.

marioguy3

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Investigate the Minds
Sorcery (Rare)
Exile target creature. Scry X, where X is that creature's toughness.
Harmonize , Exile two cards from your hand.

-Good color bend for harmonize, but I just can't get behind that harmonize cost. The name would imply Investigate as a mechanic. Flavor of the name is fine, but with how simple the card is, I would hope for some flavor text.

Flatline

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Feel free to ignore this if I'm too late to join.

Selfless Seraph 2w
Creature - Angel (U)
Flying
Mobilize 2 (Whenever this creature attacks, create two tapped and attacking 1/1 red Warrior creature tokens. Sacrifice them at the beginning of the next end step.)
2w, Sacrifice this creature: Return target creature card with mana value X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield, where X is the number of creatures you control. Activate only as a sorcery.
1/1

-Underpowered for the casting cost. Mobilize doesn't seem to be in-line with the flavor. Swinging first, then being forced to wait until second main phase to activate the last ability is risky for a low payout: you go from three creatures to two if any of them survive combat. This card assumes that you have a wide field and creature supremacy to function correctly, irrespective of its mobilize.

SinisterSister

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Trailblazing Ritualist
Creature - Human Shaman (R)
Firebending 1
Whenever a creature you control firebends, you may add mana of any color instead of .
"Flame can take on many shapes and colors in the flow of its dance."
1/3

-Good green twist on firebending. Flavor is seriously lacking.

EsperCormorant

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Return from Emeria
Enchantment (R)
Landfall - Whenever a land you control enters the battlefield, airbend target creature card in your graveyard. (Exile it. While it is exiled, its owner may cast it for rather than its mana cost)
While the Eldrazi ravaged the surface, the Sky Ruin served as a refuge for those lucky enough to reach it.

-Interesting way to use airbending. Emrakul on turn 6 is OP. As such, great flavor.

BatBite

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Earthen Landshaper
Creature - Human Shaman (R)
When this creature deals combat damage to a player, earthbend X, where X is the damage dealt.
1/2

-Given that earthbend adds haste, this feels like it hits a little late, especially when it's half-red. Very underwhelming flavor. With that concise of an ability, this card could've really used some flavor text.

Top 3

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1. EsperCormorant
2. SinisterSister
3. bravelion83

[EsperCormorant]

Inputs

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Earthen Landshaper
Creature - Human Shaman (R)
When this creature deals combat damage to a player, earthbend X, where X is the damage dealt.
1/2

Flavor works fine. Definitely a card that needs setup, but probably just fine as a concept? Reminds me of Shroofus Sproutsire but without the potential to snowball.

Assimilator Ooze 3BG
Creature — Mutant Ooze (R)
Trample
Renew — 1BG, Exile this card from your graveyard: Put two +1/+1 counters and a trample counter on target creature. That creature becomes an Ooze in addition to its other types and gains "When this creature dies, put a card named Assimilator Ooze you own in exile into your graveyard." Active only as a sorcery.
2/2

The sort of card you always want to cheat into the yard if you can help it. +2/+2 and trample for 1MN mana is certainly pricey, but you get to reuse this over and over, so it's probably fine. I like the concept but I think the flavor is lacking: if anything, this is getting assimilated.

Explosive Rapture
Sorcery (R)
Airbend target creature you control, then this spell deals damage equal to that creature's power to each creature and planeswalker.
"We go into the eye in the sky, we dare not ask why."

Conceptually fun! Interesting way to blow up everything except your biggest thing and maybe your opponent's biggest things. Balance seems okay. I like how the pieces come together and how smoothly airbend is both a pseudo-drawback, a pseudo-bounce bonus, and a way to keep your creature safe from the initial blast.

Here goes nothing.

Master of Two Fires 2UR
Creature - Djinn Monk (U)
Firebending 1
Flurry - Whenever you cast your second spell each turn, return up to one target nonland permanent with lesser mana value to its owner's hand.
Some Jeskai monks spend a lifetime mastering just one of the six fires. Maybe one day she will master a third.
3/3

Confusingly worded. "Lesser mana value" than the spell? Than this creature? Firebending + Flurry is of course a nice combination and I think it works quite well in Jeskai. Flavor is great.

Energy Saving UR
Instant (U)
The next instant or sorcery spell you cast this turn can be cast as though it had flash and costs 1 less to cast.
Harmonize 4{U/R}{U/R} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its harmonize cost. You may tap a creature you control to reduce that cost by X, where X is its power. Then exile this spell.)
The Temur pay much care to the environment they live in. In return, their land intensifies the mana flux in the underlying leylines.

Another confusingly-worded spell: why would I care about giving an instant flash? Struggling to come up with a situation where you would ever want to use this for that purpose. Quicken doesn't bother allowing for instants. Harmonize is okay. All things considered this feels very expensive. Flavor is a bit lackluster for me.

Investigate the Minds
Sorcery (Rare)
Exile target creature. Scry X, where X is that creature's toughness.
Harmonize , Exile two cards from your hand.

Profoundly bland flavor that doesn't show me at all how the parts link together. Huge scry amounts are generally a headache. Pretty good removal with a second mode that's probably too expensive to bother with.

Outputs

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1. JessWill
2. BatBite
3. Alchemist

[BatBite]

A Song of Stories Past

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Trailblazing Ritualist
Creature - Human Shaman (R)
Firebending 1
Whenever a creature you control firebends, you may add mana of any color instead of .
"Flame can take on many shapes and colors in the flow of its dance."
1/3

Interesting concept, but in practice I don't know how useful this would be.

Return from Emeria
Enchantment (R)
Landfall - Whenever a land you control enters the battlefield, airbend target creature card in your graveyard. (Exile it. While it is exiled, its owner may cast it for rather than its mana cost)
While the Eldrazi ravaged the surface, the Sky Ruin served as a refuge for those lucky enough to reach it.

Very interesting idea, turning it into reanimation. Could be too powerful for white though.

Assimilator Ooze 3BG
Creature — Mutant Ooze (R)
Trample
Renew — 1BG, Exile this card from your graveyard: Put two +1/+1 counters and a trample counter on target creature. That creature becomes an Ooze in addition to its other types and gains "When this creature dies, put a card named Assimilator Ooze you own in exile into your graveyard." Active only as a sorcery.
2/2

Neat, but probably way overpriced.

Explosive Rapture
Sorcery (R)
Airbend target creature you control, then this spell deals damage equal to that creature's power to each creature and planeswalker.
"We go into the eye in the sky, we dare not ask why."

Pretty potent if it hits something expensive, and sort of acts as protection from its own board wipe.

Here goes nothing.

Master of Two Fires 2UR
Creature - Djinn Monk (U)
Firebending 1
Flurry - Whenever you cast your second spell each turn, return up to one target nonland permanent with lesser mana value to its owner's hand.
Some Jeskai monks spend a lifetime mastering just one of the six fires. Maybe one day she will master a third.
3/3

Firebending could've been removed and the core of this card would've stayed intact.

Energy Saving UR
Instant (U)
The next instant or sorcery spell you cast this turn can be cast as though it had flash and costs 1 less to cast.
Harmonize 4{U/R}{U/R} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its harmonize cost. You may tap a creature you control to reduce that cost by X, where X is its power. Then exile this spell.)
The Temur pay much care to the environment they live in. In return, their land intensifies the mana flux in the underlying leylines.

Interesting effect, probaby more balanced than Flash. Don't know why the Harmonize had to by hybrid mana though.

Investigate the Minds
Sorcery (Rare)
Exile target creature. Scry X, where X is that creature's toughness.
Harmonize , Exile two cards from your hand.

What does the exiling part add to this? Pretty generic card.

Feel free to ignore this if I'm too late to join.

Selfless Seraph 2w
Creature - Angel (U)
Flying
Mobilize 2 (Whenever this creature attacks, create two tapped and attacking 1/1 red Warrior creature tokens. Sacrifice them at the beginning of the next end step.)
2w, Sacrifice this creature: Return target creature card with mana value X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield, where X is the number of creatures you control. Activate only as a sorcery.
1/1

Powerful, very powerful, but good design.

Top 3

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1. JessWill
2. Flatline
3. EsperCormorant

[SinisterSister]

Critiques

SPOILER

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Return from Emeria
Enchantment (R)
Landfall - Whenever a land you control enters the battlefield, airbend target creature card in your graveyard. (Exile it. While it is exiled, its owner may cast it for rather than its mana cost)
While the Eldrazi ravaged the surface, the Sky Ruin served as a refuge for those lucky enough to reach it.

Airbending is one of my favorite of these mechanics. Airbending from the graveyard gives this a cool angle. The flavor or the relationship between the land theme and returning from your graveyard here might be a little forced, but it still works.

Earthen Landshaper
Creature - Human Shaman (R)
When this creature deals combat damage to a player, earthbend X, where X is the damage dealt.
1/2

I like what it does. Though I wish there was something else that made it more likely to actually deal combat damage to a player.

Assimilator Ooze 3BG
Creature — Mutant Ooze (R)
Trample
Renew — 1BG, Exile this card from your graveyard: Put two +1/+1 counters and a trample counter on target creature. That creature becomes an Ooze in addition to its other types and gains "When this creature dies, put a card named Assimilator Ooze you own in exile into your graveyard." Active only as a sorcery.
2/2

This is a clever spin on things.

Explosive Rapture
Sorcery (R)
Airbend target creature you control, then this spell deals damage equal to that creature's power to each creature and planeswalker.
"We go into the eye in the sky, we dare not ask why."

Yea this seems just about perfectly balanced.

Here goes nothing.

Master of Two Fires 2UR
Creature - Djinn Monk (U)
Firebending 1
Flurry - Whenever you cast your second spell each turn, return up to one target nonland permanent with lesser mana value to its owner's hand.
Some Jeskai monks spend a lifetime mastering just one of the six fires. Maybe one day she will master a third.
3/3

The flurry part is the most interesting thing here for sure. The firebending is less relevant really.

Energy Saving UR
Instant (U)
The next instant or sorcery spell you cast this turn can be cast as though it had flash and costs 1 less to cast.
Harmonize 4{U/R}{U/R} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its harmonize cost. You may tap a creature you control to reduce that cost by X, where X is its power. Then exile this spell.)
The Temur pay much care to the environment they live in. In return, their land intensifies the mana flux in the underlying leylines.

I like harmonize but I don't like what this card does by itself. It seems to do very little of practical use.

Investigate the Minds
Sorcery (Rare)
Exile target creature. Scry X, where X is that creature's toughness.
Harmonize , Exile two cards from your hand.

A little better than the last one that uses harmonize.

Feel free to ignore this if I'm too late to join.

Selfless Seraph 2w
Creature - Angel (U)
Flying
Mobilize 2 (Whenever this creature attacks, create two tapped and attacking 1/1 red Warrior creature tokens. Sacrifice them at the beginning of the next end step.)
2w, Sacrifice this creature: Return target creature card with mana value X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield, where X is the number of creatures you control. Activate only as a sorcery.
1/1

I like this, including the flavor. Though part of me wants it to be something other than an angel if it's going to just be a 1/1 flier.

Votes:

SPOILER

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1. EsperCormorant
2. JessWill
3. Lord Xenagos

[Aldrath]

Looks like we got less than half the players' critiques in. I'm going to extend the deadline to Monday, September 14th, 11:59pm to give everyone a chance to submit their critiques (and to give myself less weekend homework, senior year college student here.)

[JessWill]

SPOILER

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Trailblazing Ritualist
Creature - Human Shaman (R)
Firebending 1
Whenever a creature you control firebends, you may add mana of any color instead of .
"Flame can take on many shapes and colors in the flow of its dance."
1/3

I dig this because it makes firebending more flexible.

Return from Emeria
Enchantment (R)
Landfall - Whenever a land you control enters the battlefield, airbend target creature card in your graveyard. (Exile it. While it is exiled, its owner may cast it for rather than its mana cost)
While the Eldrazi ravaged the surface, the Sky Ruin served as a refuge for those lucky enough to reach it.

Interesting. I would maybe reduce mana cost by 1 for this.

Earthen Landshaper
Creature - Human Shaman (R)
When this creature deals combat damage to a player, earthbend X, where X is the damage dealt.
1/2

Earthbending per damage dealt is cool.

Assimilator Ooze 3BG
Creature — Mutant Ooze (R)
Trample
Renew — 1BG, Exile this card from your graveyard: Put two +1/+1 counters and a trample counter on target creature. That creature becomes an Ooze in addition to its other types and gains "When this creature dies, put a card named Assimilator Ooze you own in exile into your graveyard." Active only as a sorcery.
2/2

The combo of both mutant and ooze here is nice. Renew is interesting though a bit counter intuitive, exiling repeatedly from graveyard.

Here goes nothing.

Master of Two Fires 2UR
Creature - Djinn Monk (U)
Firebending 1
Flurry - Whenever you cast your second spell each turn, return up to one target nonland permanent with lesser mana value to its owner's hand.
Some Jeskai monks spend a lifetime mastering just one of the six fires. Maybe one day she will master a third.
3/3

Seems like a pretty fair and balanced card.

Energy Saving UR
Instant (U)
The next instant or sorcery spell you cast this turn can be cast as though it had flash and costs 1 less to cast.
Harmonize 4{U/R}{U/R} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its harmonize cost. You may tap a creature you control to reduce that cost by X, where X is its power. Then exile this spell.)
The Temur pay much care to the environment they live in. In return, their land intensifies the mana flux in the underlying leylines.

If this costs 1 less it would feel more useful.

Investigate the Minds
Sorcery (Rare)
Exile target creature. Scry X, where X is that creature's toughness.
Harmonize , Exile two cards from your hand.

Both exiling and scrying is an interesting combo. Kind of a powerful card in a way.

Feel free to ignore this if I'm too late to join.

Selfless Seraph 2w
Creature - Angel (U)
Flying
Mobilize 2 (Whenever this creature attacks, create two tapped and attacking 1/1 red Warrior creature tokens. Sacrifice them at the beginning of the next end step.)
2w, Sacrifice this creature: Return target creature card with mana value X or less from your graveyard to the battlefield, where X is the number of creatures you control. Activate only as a sorcery.
1/1

This covers multiple bases. Not sure about the creatures you control restriction being that useful in practise though.

Top 3:

SPOILER

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1. BatBite
2. SinisterSister
3. Alchemist

[Flatline]

Sorry for the delay. It's been a crazy last couple of days.

Ramblings

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SinsisterSister - Nice, straight-forward card that does something relevant. I like it. The flavor and design are good, although I think this could be an uncommon. It's just filtering firebending mana, which is cool, but doesn't seem all that powerful.

EsperCormorant - I'm surprised there isn't anything that already airbends a creature card in the graveyard. I quite like the card, but I'm not sure how I feel about white having such powerful, unlimited, recurring reanimation. It would seem more at home in black. White would more likely be a sorcery that airbends some number of or all creature cards in the graveyard with mana value 2 or 3 or less. As a matter of fact, I'm going to make that card when I'm done with these reviews. The flavor and power level are good.

BatBite - I like this card. I don't think it needs to be red though. I think it could have menace at the current cost. The card could really use some flavor text. It really hurts this card since there's so many other good cards to choose from.

Lord-Xenagos - I can't see anyone ever actually casting this card, since it's just a 2/2 trample for 5. The whole renew part is pretty cool though. I think I might like this better if the casting cost and activation costs were swapped. As it is, this card seems like it's strictly mill/discard fodder.

JessWill - Cool. Save a creature, kill everything else. It's similar to Avatar's Wrath, but certainly different enough to warrant its existence and feel unique. I like the name, but I feel like I might be missing something in the flavor text. Power level seems good.

Alchemist - Seems cool. Maybe it should just return a creature? It's probably ok as is though. The flavor is good.

Results

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1st: JessWill
2nd: EsperCormorant
3rd: SinisterSister

[marioguy3]

Flatline: A selflessly good Angel design. The synergy between token creation and reanimation is perfect.

SinisterSister: This is a flavorfully cool design idea. The low power is a tougher sell if printed in standard.

EsperCormorant: This is either a fantastic card that consistently allows you to cheat costs to reanimate or a five mana do-little. It's appropriately costed, however, making this a positive point in its favor.

BatBite: This power level is shaped by the build of your deck's land powers. Play this with Badgermole Cub and it's all the good land vibes throughout.

LordXenagos: The renew is clearly the most interesting part of the card. Five mana for a base 2/2 isn't cutting it, so the renew has to be fantastic. I think it's pretty cool at least.

JessWill: There are lots of fun targets. Powerful design I think.

Top 3
3rd place:SinisterSister
2nd place: JessWill
1st place: Flatline