December MCC Round 2 - Another fork in time

[bravelion83]

(This month's banner is my own elaboration on the art of One with the Multiverse by Liiga Smilshkalne.)


December MCC

Another fork in time

As is tradition by now, this month we will celebrate the latest set, in this case The Brothers' War, by exploring its mechanics and themes, as usual in this kind of MCC months.

Sometimes you make life choices you might regret later, and taking a different path in just a single occasion might have lifelong ramifications. Just a thing to remember. No connections to what happened, what's happening, or what's about to happen here...

WAIT A MOMENT! HAVEN'T I ALREADY LIVED THIS? Maybe I just have to make a different choice now and I might get out of this loop...


Main Challenge - In Round 1 you chose either prototype or unearth. Design an artifact creature card that has the OTHER mechanic (the one you didn't use in Round 1), but not both.

Subchallenge 1 - The card is colorless AND the prototype/unearth cost is multicolored. (Hybrid counts.)

Subchallenge 2 - Your card's mana value is 6 or greater AND the prototype/unearth cost is at least 2 mana fewer than the card's mana value.

Clarification: it's not a mistake, this is willingly literally the same as Round 1, ALL of the challenges, only that you have to choose the other mechanic. This is perfectly intentional, and what I alluded to as the twist I had planned for this round.

Clarifications (copy/pasted from Round 1, they also apply to this round)

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Main Challenge
• The card has to be both an artifact AND a creature natively, that is the words "Artifact" and "Creature" are both in the printed type line. Gaining or granting one or both of those card types in any way to itself or other objects does NOT count.
• The card can have any additional supertypes, card types, and subtypes. Just make sure that the whole resulting type line fits in the frame.
• The card must have either prototype or unearth. The card also canNOT have those two keywords both printed in its text box at the same time. Again, your chosen keyword must be natively on the card. Gaining or granting one or both of those keywords in any way to itself or other objects does NOT count.
• Unearth is just a regular keyword, so we know how to format it properly, but prototype might raise some doubts. Here, you can format a text card with prototype in any way you see fit. I personally have two suggestions. One is what I did yesterday in the DCC, that is just writing out the prototype keyword with the relative mana cost and P/T right next to it. I'll just use my DCC submission as an example:

Mechanical Hydra XX
Artifact Creature — Hydra (R)
Prototype XGG 0/0 (You may cast this spell with different mana cost, color, and size. It keeps its abilities and types.)
Mechanical Hydra enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it.
Trample, haste
0/0

Or you could do what they did in Gatherer, that is treating it as a split card with the prototype part being its own separate half of the card. For example, consider Blitz Automaton (just the first French vanilla prototype creature I found) and check out its Gatherer entry. You will see it written out as:

Blitz Automaton 7
Artifact Creature — Construct (C)
Haste
//PRT-Prototype_Mech//
2R
Prototype (You may cast this spell with different mana cost, color, and size. It keeps its abilities and types.)
3/2
While Urza's machines favored defense, Mishra built his to end the war quickly.
6/4

Please don't ask me what that line of text separating the two halves of the card means ("PRT-Prototype_Mech") or why it's there, I don't know. As far as I'm concerned, you could just use a double slash there as you would do with a regular split card and rearrange the regular P/T and the flavor text and write it like this:

Blitz Automaton 7
Artifact Creature — Construct (C)
Haste
While Urza's machines favored defense, Mishra built his to end the war quickly.
6/4

//

2R
Prototype (You may cast this spell with different mana cost, color, and size. It keeps its abilities and types.)
3/2

Written this way, my DCC submission would look like this:

Mechanical Hydra XX
Artifact Creature — Hydra (R)
Mechanical Hydra enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters on it.
Trample, haste
0/0

//

XGG
Prototype (You may cast this spell with different mana cost, color, and size. It keeps its abilities and types.)
0/0

These are the ways I personally suggest, but you can do anything you want as long as it's clear and understandable. Also keep in mind the goal for the text card to resemble as closely as possible a real printed Magic card, at least here in the MCC. I think I also wrote that in the guidelines, which you can always check through the link in my signature.

Subchallenge 1
• The two conditions (the card being colorless and the prototype/unearth cost being multicolored) must be both met at the same time for this Subchallenge to count. If only one is met, this Subchallenge is failed.
• The card being colorless refers only to regular color, not color identity. Also because if it referred to color identity it would be pointless to also require the ability cost to be not only colored but multicolored...
• For the ability cost, any kind of multicolored costs count. Hybrid, traditional gold, twobrid, Phyrexian, you name it. As long as there are at least two colors in the ability cost, you're good to go.

Subchallenge 2
• Again, both condition (mana value 6 or greater and ability cost at least 2 mana fewer than the card's mana value) must be both met at the same time for this Subchallenge to count.
• The ability cost counts exactly like if it were the mana cost and you were to calculate the mana value. If I write "unearth {2/W}{2/U}", that's an unearth cost of 4 mana. The same goes for the prototype cost.


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

DEADLINES

Design deadline: Monday, December 19th 23:59 EDT

Judging deadline: Does it really matter if I do it all by myself? Anyway, I will have eight cards to judge. Let's say I'll try to do it within Friday, December 23rd 23:59 EST I will definitely try to make you all the gift of Round 3 for Christmas!


RUBRIC

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

bravelion83


PLAYERS

Your earlier choice has consequences now, as is always the case in life.

The following players have to design a card with prototype:
@marioguy3

The following players have to design a card with unearth:
@netn10
@Lorn Asbord Schutta
@Legend
@slimytrout
@Subject16
@haywire
@void_nothing

I didn't expect nor I had planned a 7/1 split, but here we are. I guess I could have just made Round 1 prototype and Round 2 unearth had I known beforehand it would have turned out like this... Well, it's nobody's fault. Not mine, not yours. It's just how things went. Here you all have made individual choices and this was the result, again, as in real life. How the world goes is the sum of many individual choices. Maybe I will try something similar in one of my future months and it will turn out better than this. Right now, this was my plan since the beginning and so we all have to deal with it...


A reminder to everyone:
In the MCC, putting rarity on cards is mandatory! If you don't put a rarity on your card, expect huge deductions in both Viability AND Quality.
Please check out the MCC Guidelines and FAQ if you have the will and time. Link in my signature. Among the many things you can find there are a detailed explanation of the rubric (section 6.2) and the recommended card formatting (section 4) that you should use to format your text cards. Expect deductions in Quality otherwise.

[Legend]

Mishra's Dreadnought 7
Artifact Creature — Vehicle (M)
Haste
Whenever Mishra's Dreadnaught attacks, defending player sacrifices a nonland, nontoken permanent.
Crew 5
Unearth 3BR
9/9

[slimytrout]

Cagemaw Catamount 6
Artifact Creature — Cat (R)
Lifelink
When Cagemaw Catamount enters the battlefield, exile target creature an opponent controls until Cagemaw Catamount leaves the battlefield.
Whenever Cagemaw Catamount attacks, it deals 1 damage to each creature that shares a creature type with the exiled card.
Unearth 2RW
4/4

[Subject16]

Frontline Dredger 6
Artifact Creature — Construct (R)
When Frontline Dredger enters the battlefield, you may exile another creature you control or a creature card from your graveyard.
When Frontline Dredger leaves the battlefield, return the exiled card to your hand.
Unearth 2WB (2WB: Return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield. It gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the end step or if it would leave the battlefield. Unearth only as a sorcery.)
5/5

[bravelion83]

24 hours left until the deadline and we're still missing submissions from the following players:
@marioguy3
@netn10
@Lorn Asbord Schutta
@haywire
@void_nothing

[marioguy3]

Lonesome Goblin Alchemist
Artifact Creature — Goblin Golem Wizard (Mythic Rare)
Haste
Lonesome Goblin Alchemist has indestructible as long as you own at least three artifact cards in exile.
Whenever Lonesome Goblin Alchemist enters the battlefield or attacks, exile the top three cards of your library.
, Exile an artifact card from your hand: Draw three cards.
7/7

//


Prototype (You may cast this spell with different mana cost, color, and size. It keeps its abilities and types.)
3/3

[haywire]

Dominance Engine
Artifact Creature — Construct {M}
When Dominance Engine enters the battlefield, put a domination counter on target creature an opponent controls with power 3 or less, then gain control of each creature with a domination counter on it for as long as you control Dominance Engine. Untap those creatures. They gain haste until end of turn.
: Put a domination counter on target creature with power X or less. If you activate this ability during your main phase, gain control of that creature for as long as you control Dominance Engine. Untap that creature. It gains haste until end of turn.
Unearth
3/3

[void_nothing]

Argivian Grid-Core 8
Artifact Creature - Construct (M)
Indestructible
Artifacts you control have "T: You may put an Aura card from your hand or graveyard onto the battlefield attached to this permanent."
Unearth 1WUB
Urza outwardly chastised Mishra for his reckless experiments, but himself secretly tested spell-grids to facilitate dark enchanting.
6/6

[bravelion83]

The deadline is here. Granting a 24-hour extension for @netn10 and @Lorn Asbord Schutta. Other players may still edit their submissions until the round is officially closed. The round will be closed tomorrow at this time regardless of the number of players who have submitted, so you don't want to be late. You've been (kindly) warned.

[netn10]

Timeless Masterpiece 8
Artifact Creature - Wizard (Mythic)
When Timeless Masterpiece enters the battlefield, if you cast it, take an extra turn after this one.
If Timeless Masterpiece would be put into exile from the battlefield, put three time counters on it and it gains suspend.
Unearth 2UR
4/4

[Lorn Asbord Schutta]

Derelict Thran Skyship
Artifact Creature — Construct Dreadnought (R)
Flying, vigilance, trample
Derelict Thran Skyship isn't a creature as long as it entered the battlefield and wasn't unearthed.
, : Create a number of 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature tokens with flying equal to Derelict Thran Skyship power. If you can't, surveil 2 and create a tapped Powerstone token instead. (Noncreature permanents don't have a power.)
Unearth — , Sacrifice seven Powerstones.
14/14

[bravelion83]

The round is closed. I'll start judging as soon as I can and I'll try to make it within Friday at latest.

Judgments (finally) complete. Sorry for the delay. Round 3 is coming later tonight.

EDIT - Fixed all typos I could find. If there are any I didn't find I apologize.

Microtext limits (for reference)

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@haywire I always and only use MSE (Magic Set Editor), which slimytrout linked a few posts above this one. I don't actually know what specific size the font is, but I have hard and fast limits for text length when I'm judging. I can only speak for myself though, and each judge is free to use whichever criteria they prefer, I don't remember setting a specific number of lines or anything like that in the guidelines that I wrote (you can check those out in my signature if you want, and I strongly encourage everybody with an interest in the MCC to do so). The limits that I'm personally using as a judge are as follows.

In the MSE M15 frame you can have at most:
• Eight lines or fewer with any number of paragraph breaks.
• Nine lines with at most four breaks.
• Ten lines with at most two breaks.
• Eleven lines with a single break.
• Everything that is twelve lines or more is microtext regardless of breaks.

You can find the reasoning behind these limits in an earlier post of mine in this same thread. You might have heard me mentioning the Eternal Masters printing of Animate Dead as my own microtext limit, but that has changed with the release of the 30th Anniversary Edition. Yes, they don't have a normal back, but the front face is the same exact frame of a regular card and those cards do exist, they have been actually printed at that font size, so they are clearly acceptable. If any of you know of any existing card that breaks any of those limits that I've just spelled out here, please let me know asap and I will adjust them accordingly.

Legend

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Mishra's Dreadnought 7
Artifact Creature — Vehicle (M)
Haste
Whenever Mishra's Dreadnaught attacks, defending player sacrifices a nonland, nontoken permanent.
Crew 5
Unearth 3BR
9/9

Design
Appeal 2.5/3 - Big hasty beater for Timmy. I don't see much for Johnny here but he can probably come up with something. Spike definitely likes the forced sacrifice but I can't see her casting this in any way other than unearth.
Elegance 2.5/3 - The text is very easy to understand. The only problem is: why is this a Vehicle if it's already a creature?
Development
Viability 1.5/3 - I see no problems with this in BR. The gameplay probably requires this to be a mythic. No problems with the rules technically, but as I just touched on, why would you ever animate it if it's already a creature? Why have it be a Vehicle at all if it's already a creature on its printed type line? It still works technically, but I don't see them doing it for real at all.
Balance 2/3 - Yet again, why would you ever crew this? Just play it as the creature it already is, and as a creature it's not bad. Remove the crew line and the Vehicle subtype and you have a card that's certainly playable in limited and probably in constructed too. I see no other problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 2/3 - I've been able to find only two relevant precedents for sacrificing nonland, nontoken permanents: Braids's Frightful Return and Doom Foretold. They are both very recent but it's true that they are the only two ones I've been able to find. Putting that ability as an attack trigger on a Vehicle is new. Technically having a Vehicle that's already a creature is new too, I guess, but it's design space that I don't think they would actually explore. (See Viability.)
Flavor 2/3 - No problems with the name or the concept, but some flavor text could have fit here.
Polish
Quality 2.5/3 - Unearth is a set keyword and definitely not evergreen. Crew is deciduous, better but still not evergreen. Both need reminder text even on a rare or mythic if there is room, and MSE shows me that there is actually room for one of them but not both. As crew is at least deciduous while unearth is not, and also because unearth is one of the set mechanics for BRO, I would have chosen to have reminder text for unearth rather than crew, but anyway, one of them has to be there. (-0.5)
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Both met.
TOTAL 19/25

slimytrout

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Cagemaw Catamount 6
Artifact Creature — Cat (R)
Lifelink
When Cagemaw Catamount enters the battlefield, exile target creature an opponent controls until Cagemaw Catamount leaves the battlefield.
Whenever Cagemaw Catamount attacks, it deals 1 damage to each creature that shares a creature type with the exiled card.
Unearth 2RW
4/4

Design
Appeal 2.5/3 - Timmy likes everything here. Johnny could maybe manipulate creature types somehow. Spike likes removal and burn, but the cost might be a little too high for her, especially in constructed.
Elegance 3/3 - Not the shortest text ever, but still very easy to understand.
Development
Viability 3/3 - Both colors are represented, rarity is appropriate, no problems with the rules.
Balance 3/3 - In its big version it's a big Fiend Hunter that everyone can play but with additional upside in the form of lifelink and burn. Six mana for the full version feels like the bare minimum for the mana cost, I could see it costing even more. At six mana I think this is quite strong but still not broken, which is a very good spot to be. Unearthed, it feels more like a burn spell. I think this is playable in both limited and constructed and I see no problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 2.5/3 - A new twist on a known effect (Banishing Light).
Flavor 3/3 - I feel like "Catamount" must be a pun that I'm missing, but it's fine, I still like this as a card name. Technically, one line of flavor text could have fit here but the card looks indeed much better without it as MSE shows me so no problems there.
Polish
Quality 3/3 - You are correct that putting in reminder text for unearth would break microtext limits, so the correct choice is not to have it, which you can do on a rare. No deduction for that. All the rest looks good.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Both met.
TOTAL 24/25

Subject16

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Frontline Dredger 6
Artifact Creature — Construct (R)
When Frontline Dredger enters the battlefield, you may exile another creature you control or a creature card from your graveyard.
When Frontline Dredger leaves the battlefield, return the exiled card to your hand.
Unearth 2WB (2WB: Return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield. It gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of the end step or if it would leave the battlefield. Unearth only as a sorcery.)
5/5

Design
Appeal 3/3 - Timmy likes both recursion and reanimation. I can definitely see Johnny having fun doing some of his tricks with this card. Spike also likes recursion and reanimation, especially when she gets the flexibility of choosing between either option. Reanimation for four mana always feels good to her.
Elegance 3/3 - Not the shortest text ever, but still very easy to understand.
Development
Viability 3/3 - Self-bounce is W, reanimation is B, no problems there. Rarity is appropriate. No problems with the rules.
Balance 3/3 - Costs look fine to me. Using it as a four-mana reanimation spell via unearth looks quite strong to me, and that's what makes me think that this card could also see constructed play besides just limited one. Nowadays, reanimation tends to cost more than four mana, even if I personally think four mana is where it was always supposed to belong. I don't think there were any real problems with things like Zombify, Vigor Mortis, etc... I see no problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 2.5/3 - Oblivion Ring meets self-bounce and reanimation. A new twist on known effects.
Flavor 3/3 - No problems with the name or concept and MSE shows me flavor text doesn't fit here so its absence is not a problem.
Polish
Quality 2/3 - A functional mistake (so -1) in the reminder text of unearth: the word "next" is missing right before "end step", so the exile ability would trigger at EVERY end step, including both yours and your opponents' by the way. Instead, in the CR definition of unearth that trigger only triggers once, only in the very next end step following the moment when unearth resolves. If you manage somehow to avoid having to exile the unearthed permanent that one time, you will keep it forever. Without that word, you will be asked again to exile the permanent on the following end step anyway, and each single end step of every single turn from then on. This fact is the source of several interesting applications, which would all change with that "next" not being there, so this is a very relevant functional mistake indeed.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Both met.
TOTAL 23.5/25

marioguy3

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Lonesome Goblin Alchemist
Artifact Creature — Goblin Golem Wizard (Mythic Rare)
Haste
Lonesome Goblin Alchemist has indestructible as long as you own at least three artifact cards in exile.
Whenever Lonesome Goblin Alchemist enters the battlefield or attacks, exile the top three cards of your library.
, Exile an artifact card from your hand: Draw three cards.
7/7

//


Prototype (You may cast this spell with different mana cost, color, and size. It keeps its abilities and types.)
3/3

Design
Appeal 3/3 - Big beater for Timmy, tricks to do for Johnny, and card advantage for Spike.
Elegance 1/3 - MSE shows me this is microtext regardless of whether you consider the prototype sub-text box as an additional break or not. Even if you don't, when you format prototype's reminder text as seen on real prototype cards from BRO, it's ten lines with four breaks, which is microtext (see reference spoiler above). If you do consider it as an additional break it gets even worse. Notably, looking at BRO prototype cards, the non-prototype rules text is at most six lines with no breaks. Examples: Arcane Proxy, Hulking Metamorph, Woodcaller Automaton, then there is a single 5 lines 1 break which is Steel Seraph. In that case too, this is microtext as it's seven lines plus several breaks. On the good side, this is due mainly to the sheer number of abilities, not to them being too complex. The text is still easy to understand, it's just too long.
Development
Viability 2/3 - Haste is R and the "exile cards from top" ability is U, no problems there. I see no R in the activated ability though, pure card drawing is U and not R. One could argue that you're giving up a card from your hand to draw three and that makes it closer to what R would do, but you're still gaining card advantage, you're going up two cards. When R draws, it's usually at card parity, for example Cathartic Reunion and Tormenting Voice. In both cases you're giving up a number of cards (remember the card you spend to cast the spell in the first place) and you draw that same number. Also, indestructible is neither in U nor in R. It happens to be in the exact other three colors (in B as a substitute for the obsolete regenerate keyword). I honestly don't see why this has to be a mythic and not a regular rare, but I have no problems with it as a mythic anyway. No problems with the rules as far as I can see.
Balance 2.5/3 - It would see play in limited, no problems with that. It might at least be tried in Standard even if I don't know if it would make the cut. Rate looks fine to me, but I could honestly see this as a regular card without prototype, I see no real reason why this is a prototype card. Notice how most existing prototype cards reference "this creature's power" or something like that, something that changes whether you cast it as a prototype or normally. No problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 3/3 - I can't remember nor find any existing cards that work similarly to this one.
Flavor 1.5/3 - Flavor text can't possibly fit here, I don't even need to check MSE for that. While I'd have no problems with "Lonesome Goblin" or "Goblin Alchemist" as card names, when you put them together like this it suddenly feels wrong to me and I can't even understand why. Maybe it's that it's three words? Maybe it's the structure? Maybe it's that I don't feel it's realistic as a Magic card name? There is something here that bugs me but I can't honestly identify what exactly it is, I'm sorry. As for the type line, I don't really see the flavorful need for this to be either an artifact or a Golem. Yes, I know you love Golems, I still remember your Cat Golems from the DCC (or at least I think it was you), so it doesn't surprise me, but I could just see this as a regular Goblin.
Polish
Quality 2.5/3 - This is microtext (see Elegance) and that impacts here too. (-0.5) I've also checked the length of the type line because it looked a bit too long to me, but it's less than The Reality Chip and that's a real card. Yes, we know they had to break their own internal rules to print that card but it does exist, so no problems with this. The font on the type line would get a little shrunk but not as much as the Chip.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Both met.
TOTAL 19.5/25

haywire

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Dominance Engine
Artifact Creature — Construct {M}
When Dominance Engine enters the battlefield, put a domination counter on target creature an opponent controls with power 3 or less, then gain control of each creature with a domination counter on it for as long as you control Dominance Engine. Untap those creatures. They gain haste until end of turn.
: Put a domination counter on target creature with power X or less. If you activate this ability during your main phase, gain control of that creature for as long as you control Dominance Engine. Untap that creature. It gains haste until end of turn.
Unearth
3/3

Design
Appeal 2/3 - Timmy probably likes playing this but not playing against this. Johnny can manipulate the counters somehow at the very least. Spike likes a Sower of Temptation-like card but she would like it more with evasion.
Elegance 2.5/3 - Very long and you have to pause for a moment to fully grasp it, but the symmetry of the abilities helps a lot with that.
Development
Viability 1.5/3 - Easy part first: I see no problems with rarity or the rules. The abilities feel much more R than U and especially B to me. It's essentially Sower of Temptation meets Act of Treason. I would have liked to see some R in the activation cost too. I would also have made the unearth cost UR if not mono-R given that it's essentially "gain control of those creatures until end of turn", which makes it even closer to a stronger Act of Treason.
Balance 1.5/3 - I'm not sure how I feel about any deck being able to play creature stealing. Especially in casual, it's not the most fun ability to play against. Also, I don't really understand what's supposed to be the purpose of activating the second ability outside of your main phase, you just put a domination counter on a creature and that's it? The only thing that happens is that you set yourself up to steal that creature with the ETB of a future copy of the Engine? Or if you blink it, or something like that? I would have probably either made it a tap ability or get rid of the "if in your main phase" part changing it to an "Activate this ability only as a sorcery" restriction. It's still very close and it both reads and feels much better, at least to me. I have no problems with the very strange activation cost other than the presence of twobrid mana instead of regular U further exacerbating the problem of everyone being able to play an effect like this. In multiplayer, being able to steal creatures from different opponents might be relevant.
Creativity
Uniqueness 2.5/3 - A new twist on known effects.
Flavor 3/3 - The domination part is clear, no problems there. You dominate on a creature by taking control of it, and your dominion over it ends when you don't have the engine (aka "artifact") that lets you do it. The unearth part is a little less clear, but that's fine. It can just rise up from wherever artifact creatures are put... are they still put in tombs and graveyards when they die? I mean flavorfully obviously, in gameplay term they absolutely do, of course...
Polish
Quality 2.5/3 - No reminder text for unearth was the right call. There is no room for it as MSE shows me it would be twelve lines and two breaks with it, definitely beyond microtext limits. This is a rare or mythic so you can and should just leave it out. No deduction for that. I think that the "if you activate this ability" part should be conjugated at the past tense though ("if you activated..."). (-0.5) The reasoning here is a comparison with addendum, which is the same thing but for casting spells. That's worded "If you cast this spell during your main phase...", but is that present or past tense? In English they are the same even in spelling, not just in pronunciation: "I cast a stone in the water right now", "Yesterday I cast a stone in the water." This is where my Italian half came to the rescue. I took the first card with addendum that I found (it was Arrester's Admonition) and I took a look at its Italian printing: https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card ... eid=458211. There I read "Se hai lanciato...", which is in a past tense (present perfect if you care, Italian has many past conjugations for verbs and this is one of them, in English this would literally be "If you have cast..."), not "Se lanci", which would be present tense. So thanks to the Italian translation of addendum I feel confident enough in saying that this should be conjugated in the past tense too.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Both met.
TOTAL 19.5/25

void_nothing

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Argivian Grid-Core 8
Artifact Creature - Construct (M)
Indestructible
Artifacts you control have "T: You may put an Aura card from your hand or graveyard onto the battlefield attached to this permanent."
Unearth 1WUB
Urza outwardly chastised Mishra for his reckless experiments, but himself secretly tested spell-grids to facilitate dark enchanting.
6/6

Design
Appeal 2.5/3 - Timmy and Johnny have no problems with this. Spike just isn't that much likely to play enough Auras in her decks to really take full advantage of this.
Elegance 3/3 - No problems here.
Development
Viability 2.5/3 - Maybe W could have done this by itself, but I also see where the U and B come from. This might need to be mythic for gameplay reasons. No problems with the rules.
Balance 2.5/3 - Everything looks good enough to me: costs, rate, really, anything I can think of. You just want to have enough Auras in your deck for the effect to be relevant, so you will have to keep it in mind in limited, essentially hoping to get lucky with your sealed pool or remembering to pick enough Auras in draft, and in constructed too, where Auras tend not to see too much play due to their inherent card disadvantage. Under that condition, this card has no problems here. The play of unearthing this, tapping all your artifacts (including this one, which has haste thanks to unearth), and putting a bunch of relevant and possibly powerful Auras onto the battlefield all at once for just four mana feels very strong in the right deck but probably not broken. No problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 2.5/3 - A new twist on known effects.
Flavor 3/3 - No problems here.
Polish
Quality 3/3 - One of just two cards in this bracket that uses a hyphen instead of an em dash in the type line. No deduction, but I wanted to point it out. With reminder text for unearth it would be ten lines and three breaks, which is indeed beyond microtext limits even by just a single break, so leaving it out is the right call and no deduction for this either. The rest is all good.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Both met.
TOTAL 23/25

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Timeless Masterpiece 8
Artifact Creature - Wizard (Mythic)
When Timeless Masterpiece enters the battlefield, if you cast it, take an extra turn after this one.
If Timeless Masterpiece would be put into exile from the battlefield, put three time counters on it and it gains suspend.
Unearth 2UR
4/4

Design
Appeal 3/3 - Timmy likes extra turns. Johnny can have fun with the suspend ability or trying to take ALL the extra turns somehow. If he ever manages to do that, Spike will be very interested.
Elegance 1/3 - Some less experienced players might wonder why the "if you cast" clause is there ("How could I even play this without casting it?"). As for the second ability, the non-functional wording (see Viability) does also cause problems here as well in the form of ambiguity: is the card put into exile or not? The idea of suspending it seems to imply so, but the "would" implies that what follows right afterwards ("be put into exile") hasn't actually happened.
Development
Viability 1/3 - Is this supposed to be a replacement effect or a triggered ability? The word "instead" is missing, so it can't be a replacement effect, but there is no "when", "whenever", or "at", so it's not a triggered ability either. So what is it? Currently undefined. Magic rules are a logical system and have a hard time dealing with the undefined and the unknown. Most of all though, the fact is that it's a functional difference. In one case (triggered ability, "When CARDNAME is put into exile from the battlefield..."), the card gets the time counters and gains suspend after being already in exile from some other effect. In the other (replacement effect, "If CARDNAME would be put into exile from the battlefield, instead put...") it doesn't hit the exile zone at all, the event of it being exiled by whatever was about to exile it is fully replaced and never happens, so the card, which is still on the battlefield, gets the time counters and the suspend keyword while still being on the battlefield, and suspend does nothing when it's on a permanent on the battlefield and not on a card in the exile zone. Huge difference and huge rules problem. As far as the color pie is concerned, this is much more U than R. Taking extra turns and suspending things are both primary in U. R could be considered at best secondary in extra turns, but when it does it there is always a big drawback attached, something like "At the end of that extra turn, you lose the game" or something like that. I believe extra turns have already been on colorless artifact cards. Extra turn cards are always at mythic nowadays, so no problems with that.
Balance 2.5/3 - I will treat the second ability as a triggered one: "When CARDNAME is put into exile from the battlefield...". It doesn't make that much sense to replace the exile event with another exile event, just let the card go where it was already going. That said, I find the gameplay very interesting: cast this, get your extra turn, then try to find a way to get rid of it as the card doesn't provide you with one (and that's the most interesting part, that you want to get rid of it but you have to use external help), then unearth it. You didn't cast it, so you won't get the extra turn, but no problem! It's exiled at end of turn (or even earlier than that if it would leave the battlefield) anyway thanks to unearth, which means you get to suspend it. After three turns, suspend lets you CAST it again (key word there is "cast") so you will indeed get another extra turn this time and you're back to square one trying to get rid of it again. A loop of extra turns, but one that's hopefully not broken, unlike other past ones we've seen in real Magic... The mana cost is appropriately very high and the unearth cost is as pushed as it can probably be. Some players, especially more casual ones, might not find extra turn cards that fun to play against. In multiplayer I think extra turn cards get more powerful as you normally have to wait longer to get your next turn compared to regular duel. You have to wait for several opponents to take their own turn before you getting your next one instead of just one. The turn cycle is longer, and that makes extra turns cards even more relevant there.
Creativity
Uniqueness 2/3 - The extra turn part also reminds me of Ugin's Nexus, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, etc... but that's more because of the concept of extra turns itself rather than its implementation here. The suspend part is also reminiscent of things we've already seen, like for example Delay.
Flavor 1.5/3 - What race is this? The Nameless Race? In modern Magic, creatures always have a race, what they sometimes do not have is a class. Also, the card name sounds like a noncreature artifact and a bit too generic to me.
Polish
Quality 2/3 - One of just two cards in this bracket that uses a hyphen instead of an em dash in the type line. No deduction, but I wanted to point it out. With no flavor text, there is room for unearth's reminder text so it should be there (-0.5). MSE says it would be nine lines and two breaks, while with nine lines you're allowed up to four breaks so it would be acceptable. And look! The eternal "Am I supposed to be a replacement effect or a triggered ability?" dilemma strikes again! See Viability. -1 here too for that because it's a functional mistake.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Both met.
TOTAL 17/25

Lorn Asbord Schutta

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Derelict Thran Skyship
Artifact Creature — Construct Dreadnought (R)
Flying, vigilance, trample
Derelict Thran Skyship isn't a creature as long as it entered the battlefield and wasn't unearthed.
, : Create a number of 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature tokens with flying equal to Derelict Thran Skyship power. If you can't, surveil 2 and create a tapped Powerstone token instead. (Noncreature permanents don't have a power.)
Unearth — , Sacrifice seven Powerstones.
14/14

Design
Appeal 3/3 - A bunch of keywords for Timmy, multiple different tokens and a very strange card (a 14/14 for just 1) to have fun with for Johnny, card selection, mana ramp, and a big finisher when unearthed for Spike.
Elegance 1/3 - The "isn't a creature" ability might seem to lack a "this turn" in it (it doesn't actually, but you're so used to that template that you might expect it to be there) and the interaction between that ability and the activated one doesn't look like the most intuitive to me. It might not even work. (See Viability.) Also, this card is very complex in both comprehension and gameplay.
Development
Viability 1/3 - No problems with the color pie or rarity. The term "unearthed" would need to be defined in the CR but that would be very easy to do and not a real problem. The problem with the CR is in the activated ability, specifically that it might ask for the power of this permanent while it's not a creature, and a permanent that's not a creature doesn't have that characteristic at all. This is also a common misunderstanding about Vehicles: they have a printed power and toughness but the object doesn't have those at all unless it's animated, it's not that they are "undefined", it just doesn't have them. An object that's not a creature doesn't even have a power and toughness even if they are printed right there on the card. That's the problem here too. If that ability asks for the Skyship's power while it's not a creature, the game returns "nonexistent" and treats it as zero, so you would create zero tokens, but that part still counts, so the "if you can't" part never actually happens. Usual disclaimer: I'm not a judge even if I would probably have the knowledge to become an L1 if I could (real life reasons I won't get into here), I did try some L1 test simulations and I've passed all those that I've tried. As things are right now, I'm just a fan that's very passionate about the rules and likes to have too much fun reading the CR and learning about rules interactions from numerous sources. I don't think I'm wrong, but I'm absolutely open to the possibility that I might be. If an actual judge demonstrates me that I'm wrong with a detailed explanation and possibly direct quotes from the CR, I'm ready to retrace my steps. On my part, the CR quotes I have to offer to prove my point are the following (all taken from the latest CR as of BRO):

302.4. Power and toughness are characteristics only creatures have.
208.3. A noncreature permanent has no power or toughness, even if it's a card with a power and toughness printed on it (such as a Vehicle).
107.2. If anything needs to use a number that can't be determined, either as a result or in a calculation, it uses 0 instead.
301.7a Each Vehicle has a printed power and toughness, but it has these characteristics only if it's also a creature. See rule 208.3.

Balance 1.5/3 - Talk about a strange card! Phyrexian Dreadnought obviously comes to mind but it's not really a proper comparison, they work in a totally different way. This is still a 14/14 for one mana, and that already feels like playing with fire to me. Yes, you've put a huge restriction there, but let's just hope it's enough to keep it in check. You have to get this in your graveyard first (U could easily use milling for this) and then you must have a lot of Powerstones to be able to unearth it, but are these hoops to jump through enough? I get that the penultimate ability was meant to help you to get the seven Powerstones to unearth it later, but as I've already said, I don't think that part actually works as intended as written, and ironically exactly for the reason you point out yourself in the reminder text: they don't have a power and so the game just uses zero and you get zero tokens and that's it. Might I suggest changing "If you can't" to "If CARDNAME is not a creature"? The intent would be respected and it would suddenly become fully functional. I have a hard time seeing this getting played in limited because of all those hoops to jump through that I was just talking about. In constructed you can just build your deck around it to make that jump as easy as it can be. The high complexity in comprehension and gameplay might be an obstacle in casual. I see no problems in multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 2.5/3 - The "isn't a creature" part vaguely reminds me of the Theros gods. The rest is new though.
Flavor 3/3 - No way flavor text fits here, I don't even need MSE to know that. A Thran machine being reconstructed (aka "unearthed") by using Powerstones is very flavorful.
Polish
Quality 2.5/3 - I've checked the length of the type line because it looked a bit too long to me, but it's less than The Reality Chip and that's a real card. Yes, we know they had to break their own internal rules to print that card but it does exist, so no problems with this. The font on the type line would get a little shrunk but not as much as the Chip. The "isn't a creature" ability's wording is very strange but also plausible enough to me and there is no real precedent to compare it with. A genitive "'s" is missing in the tap ability: "...Skyship's power. If you can't,..." (-0.5, I've always been taught of it as "Saxon genitive" here in Italy, but past interactions on these boards have made me doubt that it's actually called that outside of my own country, so I'm not calling it that explicitly here, but that's it). MSE shows me this is already nine lines and three breaks as is, so there is no room for reminder text for either surveil (which now is deciduous anyway), Powerstone tokens, or unearth. This is a rare, so no deduction for that.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 1/2 - Subchallenge 2 is NOT met for two reasons: the card's mana value (1) is not 6 or greater, and the unearth cost, or at least its mana component, is ever bigger than the card's mana value, let alone being at least two mana fewer.
TOTAL 17.5/25

Results (bold advance)

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slimytrout: 24
Subject16: 23.5
void_nothing: 23
marioguy3: 19.5
haywire: 19.5
Legend: 19
Lorn Asbord Schutta: 17.5
netn10: 17

[Legend]

Woops, wasn't supposed to be a creature.