October MCC Round 2: Character Selection

[slimytrout]

(Waste Not by Matt Stewart)

October MCC Round 2

Character Selection

We're trying something a little unusual in the MCC this month, which I'm calling "You Make the MCC," after the You Make the Card promos Wizards ran where they solicited card designs from the public and turned them into an actual card.

The way this is going to work is that each round will have an optional prompt that you can complete. The player who has the highest score in the round will have their answer worked into the challenge for the following round (with ties going to the player who submitted their entry first -- a little added incentive to submit your entry on time).

Last round, we saw some lands from different planes across the multiverse, but only one could be our destination, and it was:

Artezia, a plane built entirely of metal, with no sightings of organic life for millennia.

Main Challenge - Design a legendary creature card who hails from Artezia.

Subchallenge 1 - Your card's power is greater than its toughness.

Subchallenge 2 - Your card is not both black and green.

Optional Prompt: Choose an existing mechanic and provide a brief (3 sentences or less) description of what its role on Artezia is (i.e., which colors/factions have it, what it represents flavorwise, etc.).

Clarifications

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Main Challenge: The fact that your card has to be from Artezia has two implications:

1) You can't make a card for a character who we've already met on a different plane -- if you turn in a card representing Teysa Karlov then you're headed for a DQ.

2) The flavor of the card has to make sense with the description of the plane. You can extent the flavor in whatever direction you want, but if you just turn in a normal-seeming Elf without flavor text justifying how she fits into an inorganic plane then expect substantial deductions.

Subchallenge 1: Seems pretty self-explanatory. I guess I should say that if it's a *+1/* then that counts, but if it's a */1 then it doesn't.

Subchallenge 2: It can be green, it can be black, it can be any additional colors you want, but it can't be Golgari or Abzan or Jund or... you get the idea.

Optional Prompt: Please be fairly clear about what mechanic you're choosing -- makes my life easier if I'm not trying to read your mind. Also, there is no need for your choice of mechanic to have anything to do with your entry for the round.

If you have any questions, post them in the MCC discussion thread.

DEADLINES

Design deadline: Wednesday, October 26th 23:59 EDT

Judging deadline: Saturday, October 29th 23:59 EDT


RUBRIC

MCC Rubric

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Design
(X/3) Appeal - Do the different player psychographics (Timmy/Johnny/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

slimytrout
void_nothing

PLAYERS
@Henlock
@CunningGabe
@MonoRedMage
@Ink-Treader
@Freyleyes
@Rithaniel
@kwanyeegor-ii
@netn10

[netn10]

High-Order Berzok 2RW
Legendary Artifact Creature - Cyborg Cleric (Mythic)
Ward - 3 and 3 life.
You may surveil any player's cards instead of just yours.
Crime - Trigger Punishment triggers of permanents you control whenever an opponent draws a card.
Punishment - Surveil 1.
4/2

The High-Order are a RW faction of zealot inquisitors, monitors and police army that uses the Surveil mechanic in order to keep the population in check, and ensure the citizens of Artezia stays blissfully ignorant, to any harm and to the true nature of the plane.

[Rithaniel]

Dzrak, the Crystal Tiller
Legendary Artifact Creature - Serpent M
Whenever a creature card is put into a graveyard from anywhere, you may pay . If you do, create a token that's a copy of that card, except it's 0/3, has defender, and it isn't legendary.
, Sacrifice a black creature: Transform Dzrak.
Mindless, the serpents of Artezia toiled endlessly to preserve souls in crystal . . .
4/2
//////////
Dzrak, the Cracked Reflection
(color indicator: blue/black)
Legendary Artifact Creature - Serpent M
: Target player sacrifices a creature. You create a token that's a copy of that creature, except it's 0/3, has defender, and it isn't legendary.
. . . until one serpent took a soul for itself.
6/4

Flavor Time

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Artezia is meant to exist as a single machine, operating in harmony, but it rarely actually achieves this. The pettiness of individual factions always causes disharmony in the system. For example, the Crystal Cities (the faction) have a goal of spreading their unchanging ideal of perfection, by creating more of what already exists, as is represented by their use of tokens to copy permanents and the keyword populate, to make more of those tokens.

[CunningGabe]

Thip-Thip the Curious 3
Legendary Artifact Creature - Thopter (R)
Flying
Whenever a nonartifact creature enters the battlefield under your control, Thip-Thip explores. This ability only triggers once each turn. (Reveal the top card of your library. Put that card into your hand if it's a land. Otherwise, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature, then put the card back or put it into your graveyard.)
Thip-Thip felt sure that an Organic must exist in some distant land.
2/1

[Freyleyes]

The Arbiter 2WU
Legendary Artifact Creature - Angel Construct {M}
Flying, first strike
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, if it was cast from hand, put a -1/-1 counter on it. Then if that creature's power is 1 or less, destroy it.
"Control at creation, if I find them to be subpar, I simply discard them."
3/2

Artezia has no factions, no councils, no parties. The plane is governed by The Arbiter, an ancient mechanical construct, hailing back from the times before records kept. It is speculated that The Arbiter might be one of the first constructs ever created. They rule the masses with modifications (+1/+1 or -1/-1 counters) on creation to ensure the perfect, obedient, society.

[Ink-Treader]

Zand, Artezia's Warden UW
Legendary Artifact Creature - Wizard (R)
Vigilance, ward 1
Other nonland permanents enter the battlefield phased out.
Planeswalkers can't phase in.
"Another outsider? Great Design be preserved, whatever am I to do with you?"
1/3

Flavor

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Artezia's inorganics expunged all organic life from the plane millennia ago, in the name of establishing greater order. A Warden was assigned to ensure that organic life doesn't return, mostly this entails rapid response and banishment of planeswalkers.

[slimytrout]

Just over 24 hours remain for entries from @Henlock, @MonoRedMage, and @kwanyeegor-ii.

Also, would like to encourage folks to answer the optional prompt if possible. There's no penalty for not doing so, but it's kind of part of the whole shtick of this month's MCC...

[kwanyeegor-ii]

Nolnyrta, the Unreal Storm 2GW
Legendary Creature - Angel (Rare)
Flying, lifelink, ward 2
When Nolnyrta, the Unreal Storm enters the battlefield, create a 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature token with flying and a 1/1 green and white Entity enchantment creature token with lifelink and ward 2.
Whenever one or more artifact or enchantment creatures you control attack, put that many +1/+1 counters on Nolnyrta.
Whenever Nolnyrta deals combat damage to a player, distribute that many +1/+1 counters among any number of artifact and enchantment creatures you control.
"Gears clank and dreams thrum equally loud."
2/2

Some artifact creatures on Artezia can add scraps onto their own bodies and self-improve, but in the process would become a monstrosity. All in all these monstrous artifact creatures tower above others and are a unique type of horrible hordes stalking the land

[MonoRedMage]

Xunmagg, Inorganic Impulse 2RRR
Legendary Creature - Elemental {M}
Haste
Whenever Xunmagg, Inorganic Impulse is dealt damage, exile that many cards from the top of your library. Until the end of your next turn, you may play those cards.
T: Xunmagg deals 2 damage to itself and 2 damage to you
5/4

Some beings resident to Artezia get uncontrollable flashbacks to a distant past that may or may not be what Artezia once was.

[slimytrout]

Bit of an extension here -- just waiting on @Henlock

[Henlock]

Elochran, Embracer of Symbiosis 1gw
Legendary Artifact Creature - Plant Construct (r)
White creature spells and green creature spells you cast cost 3 less to cast.
White creatures and green creatures you control have "Champion a Plant." (When that creature enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you exile another Plant you control. When this leaves the battlefield, that card returns to the battlefield.)
4/3

Champion- Artezia is being rapidly invaded by plant life, which is evolving fast and uncontrollably, causing tremendous trouble all throgh the plane. The Alibians seem to be an exception. as the plant liife has taken root on their bodies and imbued them with a new kind of seemingly neverending supply of energy drawn from light by the plants and mosses. The Alibians are promoting this symbiosis, that might mean the end of Artezia as we know it.

[slimytrout]

Ok, with all the entries in the round is now closed! Judging assignments are as follows:

slimytrout:
Rithaniel
kwanyeegor-ii
Freyleyes
Ink-Treader

@void_nothing:
Henlock
MonoRedMage
CunningGabe
netn10

[slimytrout]

Sorry I was traveling for the weekend but trying to get these done by tomorrow evening.

[slimytrout]

Rithaniel

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Dzrak, the Crystal Tiller
Legendary Artifact Creature - Serpent M
Whenever a creature card is put into a graveyard from anywhere, you may pay . If you do, create a token that's a copy of that card, except it's 0/3, has defender, and it isn't legendary.
, Sacrifice a black creature: Transform Dzrak.
Mindless, the serpents of Artezia toiled endlessly to preserve souls in crystal . . .
4/2
//////////
Dzrak, the Cracked Reflection
(color indicator: blue/black)
Legendary Artifact Creature - Serpent M
: Target player sacrifices a creature. You create a token that's a copy of that creature, except it's 0/3, has defender, and it isn't legendary.
. . . until one serpent took a soul for itself.
6/4

Flavor Time

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Artezia is meant to exist as a single machine, operating in harmony, but it rarely actually achieves this. The pettiness of individual factions always causes disharmony in the system. For example, the Crystal Cities (the faction) have a goal of spreading their unchanging ideal of perfection, by creating more of what already exists, as is represented by their use of tokens to copy permanents and the keyword populate, to make more of those tokens.

Design
(2.5/3) Appeal – Johnny loooves this – so many possible weird uses. Spike just wants to put this into a control/value shell and go to town. Timmy likes splashy double-faced mythic creatures, but is less interested in making 0/3 defenders.
(2.5/3) Elegance – A lot of text overall, but the symmetry between the backside and frontside makes it much more understandable.

Development
(3/3) Viability – Colors are right, and rarity makes sense – definitely splashy enough to be mythic.

(2.5/3) Balance – Basically looks good. A 4-mana 4/2 is nothing to write home about, but the ability to make token copies is solid (especially in a mill deck), and in the right deck it can easily become a 5-mana 6/4 with an even more powerful ability. The one thing I'm not sure about is why it needs to be a black creature if you already have the black mana in the activation? I guess it makes it less splashable in limited, but I'm not sure I see the need for that.

Creativity
(3/3) Uniqueness – I'll give full points here – there are some similarities with, say Lazav, Dimir Mastermind or Lorcan, Warlock Collector but overall it feels quite fresh.
(3/3) Flavor – Fun! I love it.

Polish
(2.5/3) Quality – I don't think the wording is quite right on the token ability – there should be either one fewer or one more "it's" on each side.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) – Yep!
(2/2) Subchallenges – Yep yep!

Total: 23/25

kwanyeegor-ii

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Nolnyrta, the Unreal Storm 2GW
Legendary Creature - Angel (Rare)
Flying, lifelink, ward 2
When Nolnyrta, the Unreal Storm enters the battlefield, create a 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature token with flying and a 1/1 green and white Entity enchantment creature token with lifelink and ward 2.
Whenever one or more artifact or enchantment creatures you control attack, put that many +1/+1 counters on Nolnyrta.
Whenever Nolnyrta deals combat damage to a player, distribute that many +1/+1 counters among any number of artifact and enchantment creatures you control.
"Gears clank and dreams thrum equally loud."
2/2

Design
(3/3) Appeal – I mean, yeah, this is an appealing card all around – lots of crazy uses for Johnny, lots of value for Spike, lots of damage for Timmy.
(1.5/3) Elegance – Microtext even before flavor text, and it's all very relevant abilities. My eyes kinda glazed over just looking at it.

Development
(2/3) Viability – Colors are right, but this would be wildly oppressive in draft at rare – absolutely ought to be mythic.

(1/3) Balance – Woooowww this would be one of the best 4-mana creatures of all time. Right off the bat you spend 4 mana to get three bodies adding up to 4-mana, 3 power of which has flying and 3 of which has lifelink. If you manage to untap with it and your opponent doesn't have fliers, then you attack with Nolnyrta and the thopter and Nolnyrta becomes a 3/3, turning the Entity into a 4/4 which can attack next turn, further buffing Nolnyrta. Even if your opponent has a removal spell on hand, this also has Ward 2, meaning that it has to be a 2-mana spell if you're on the play, and even after that you're left with two bodies. The only real answer to this is a wrath, which is way too powerful for a 4-drop.

Creativity
(2.5/3) Uniqueness – Pretty fresh – obviously cards like Company Commander exist that make tokens and then want to attack with them, but this is a new take.
(2.5/3) Flavor – I like the idea of putting enchantments on Artezia as well because they're non-organic. A little odd that this is not an artifact or enchantment itself, but I guess angels aren't really organic since they don't really "live" as such.

Polish
(2/3) Quality – The order of the attack creature is not quite right, it should be "attack with one or more…" And I assume you didn't mean to distribute counters among "artifact and enchantment creatures" but rather "artifact or enchantment creatures."
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) – Yep!
(1/2) Subchallenges – Power equal to toughness.

Total: 17.5/25

Freyleyes

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The Arbiter 2WU
Legendary Artifact Creature - Angel Construct {M}
Flying, first strike
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, if it was cast from hand, put a -1/-1 counter on it. Then if that creature's power is 1 or less, destroy it.
"Control at creation, if I find them to be subpar, I simply discard them."
3/2

Artezia has no factions, no councils, no parties. The plane is governed by The Arbiter, an ancient mechanical construct, hailing back from the times before records kept. It is speculated that The Arbiter might be one of the first constructs ever created. They rule the masses with modifications (+1/+1 or -1/-1 counters) on creation to ensure the perfect, obedient, society.

Design
(2/3) Appeal – Johnny is the most interested, since this is definitely unusual. Spike likes that this shrinks everything that comes after it and has some ideas for how to make this one-sided using blink effects. Timmy doesn't have much interest in shrinking things, although doesn't mind that this makes it harder to play chump blockers (although tokens still work).
(2.5/3) Elegance – Doesn't have too much text, but there's one slight ambiguity with whether the "Then" would trigger if, say, you were trying to make a 0-power token. I believe the if clause means that anything afterward doesn't happen, but that might confuse some players.

Development
(1.5/3) Viability – Colors do not feel right for putting -1/-1 counters on creatures – neither blue nor white have more than half a dozen cards that put -1/-1 counters on, and there are 0 U/W cards that do it. Rarity also feels a little off – this seems more like a rare than a mythic to me.

(3/3) Balance – Base rate is not quite as good as a color-shifted Mirri, the Cursed, and I don't think the ability pushes it too far above that unfortunate feline, so seems balanced enough.

Creativity
(3/3) Uniqueness – I don't think we've ever seen a card punish players for playing creatures from hand, so full points.
(2/3) Flavor – We've seen a number of legendary arbiters, so the name feels a little stale without any descriptive qualities. Also I'm not sure the flavor text quite makes sense.

Polish
(3/3) Quality – Looks good.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) – Yep!
(2/2) Subchallenges – Yep yep!

Total: 21/25

Ink-Treader

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Zand, Artezia's Warden UW
Legendary Artifact Creature - Wizard (R)
Vigilance, ward 1
Other nonland permanents enter the battlefield phased out.
Planeswalkers can't phase in.
"Another outsider? Great Design be preserved, whatever am I to do with you?"
1/3

Flavor

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Artezia's inorganics expunged all organic life from the plane millennia ago, in the name of establishing greater order. A Warden was assigned to ensure that organic life doesn't return, mostly this entails rapid response and banishment of planeswalkers.

Design
(2/3) Appeal – Johnny is the most interested, since they're also the one most interested in Tocatli Honor Guard. Spike sees some appeal in sideboarding this in. Timmy's not that interested in missing out on all their fun triggers.
(2.5/3) Elegance – Seems understandable on its face, which is why I think a lot of players would miss that (as far as I know) this turns off enters the battlefield triggers – after all, the creature is never actually "there" to trigger its ability.

Development
(3/3) Viability – I think this works within the rules? Rarity and colors seem right.

(2/3) Balance – I think this is doing too much – if we compare it to Tocatli Honor Guard, we can see that it has the advantage of vigilance and ward, plus the advantage of being a super-duper Imposing Sovereign, plus the advantage of completely locking out planeswalkers. All of it is symmetric, but there are many ways to break this symmetry.

Creativity
(2.5/3) Uniqueness – I mean, most of the abilities listed in balance had been done somehow before, but this is certainly a new approach.
(3/3) Flavor – I like it a lot.

Polish
(3/3) Quality – Looks good.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) – Yep!
(1/2) Subchallenges – Power less than toughness.

Total: 21/25

Results

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Rithaniel: 23
Freyleyes: 21
Ink-Treader: 21
kwanyeegor-ii: 17.5

Tie for second means three players moving on.

[void_nothing]

Henlock

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Design
(3/3) Appeal - Txmmy likes ramping big creatures out. Jxnny can go either Plant tribal or pseudo-blink. Spike likes the potential plays this sets up.
(2.5/3) Elegance - The champion deal is a bit funky but once you figure this card out, it works intuitively.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Colors and rarity look pretty alright.
(2.5/3) Balance - The combos this can enable are very limited by the champion clause. Nice use of a drawback that can also be turned into an advantage.

Creativity
(2.5/3) Uniqueness - Interesting variation on a cost reducer.
(3/3) Flavor - Very neat out-of-the-box flavor, starting with that typeline.

Polish
(1.5/3) Quality - I feel like that second ability should say... "White creatures and green creatures you control have champion a Plant", since champion is just a regular keyword? (I assume you also mean for it to have an "other" in there unless you want it to require having other Plants in order to use.)
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges - And done.

Total: 22/25

MonoRedMage

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Design
(3/3) Appeal - Txmmy likes a big body that can get them lots of impulse draw. Jxnny likes Stuffy Doll-type designs. Spike likes the card advantage this can generate while being a beater.
(2.5/3) Elegance - A bit wordy, but gets its point across. I would have liked if that activated ability could hit any target, Orcish Artillery-style, for a little extra lenticularity.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Definitely a red mythic.
(1/3) Balance - And definitely pushed - 2RRR is a color-intensive cost, but not THAT steep of one, and this card can easily take over games quite quickly.

Creativity
(2/3) Uniqueness - Draws on existing tropes - I can't fault you for this resembling Feldon, Ronom Excavator but larger since this round happened before that card was previewed - but executes on them uniquely.
(1.5/3) Flavor - Something's not really clicking here for me. I think maybe short flavor text could have helped.

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

Total: 20/25

CunningGabe

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Design
(2/3) Appeal - Txmmy likes something that grows and Spike likes the value it generates, but it's a bit generically-good for Jxnny, plus the "once per turn" restriction is not something they ever like to see.
(3/3) Elegance - Sure, this is easy to understand.

Development
(3/3) Viability - This is powerful enough that I'd put it as a rare, and yes, it feels like a colorless artifact.
(2.5/3) Balance - Lightly pushed - it's a flyer that explores probably every turn in the decks it's relevant for - but nothing too crazy.

Creativity
(1/3) Uniqueness - This design is very much on the safe side. It's new stats and a new trigger condition, but also not breaking any ground. A couple of repeat-explore creatures already exist and this fits in fine with that group.
(3/3) Flavor - Adorable. Love the name "Thip-Thip" for a thopter.

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

Total: 21.5/25

netn10

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Design
(2/3) Appeal - Txmmy's not that into this - it's basically a library manipulation card despite the somewhat beaterish body. Jxnny likes the "surveil anyone" line and Spike appreciates a difficult to target card that, minimum, can make your draws better and your opp's worse at a constant rate.
(2/3) Elegance - This is a bit wordy and the crime/punishment thing is an inherently complex A/B type mechanic. It's also, incidentally, VERY old in the custom card world, going all the way back to the great Pharmalade on MTGSalvation in about 2006 at least.

Development
(2.5/3) Viability - Surveil in RW is justified by the setting and the fact that it's now a deciduous mechanic, but it's still kind of borderline in color pie terms. Mythic is appropriate.
(2.5/3) Balance - A bit hard to tell what this card would actually wind up doing without seeing other crime and punishment cards (from the same faction?), but the fact is that trigger condition is VERY easy and guaranteed.

Creativity
(3/3) Uniqueness - Yup, definitely some unique ideas going on, especially modifying what surveil can actually do.
(2/3) Flavor - Name comes off kind of odd - shouldn't that be "Berzok of the High Order" or whatever?

Polish
(2.5/3) Quality - Crime and punishment are worded a little loosely, to say the least, especially because italicized text has no rules meaning. This will sound odd, but it can be fixed simply by making it "not" an ability word and deitalicizing it.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges - And done.

Total: 20.5/25

Totals (Bold advance)

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Henlock 22
CunningGabe 21.5
netn10 20.5
MonoRedMage 20