NEXUS FLAMINGO ☆ Exclusively For Custom Card Connoisseurs and Gnomes

[lookingupanddown]

Trench Camarid U
Creature - Camarid (C)
When Trench Camarid enters the battlefield, each player mills a card.
The merfolk found that the giant fissure in the sea floor lead back to Sarpadia, explaining the sudden surge in homarid populations
0/2

IIW: Treefolk Hydra

[Megiddo]

i just had one of those "only person who shows up to the party in a costume" moments.

Cosmic Hatchling R
Creature — Beast {R}
Trample
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice Cosmic Hatchling unless you sacrifice a land.
4/3

IIW: don't make me think

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

Before we get to the judging, I just want to share that a full two rounds later, I suddenly realized that Moldgraf Millipede has a bit of Magic-specific wordplay; namely, it's a millipede that mills.

With that out of the way, let's go!

SPOILER

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Larval Gargomoth g
Creature - Beast Insect
Trample, Vigilance
Whenever this creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on it. Then, gain 1 life if it has 1 or more +1/+1 counter on it, create a 3/3 green beast creature token if it has 4 or more +1/+1 counters on it, and draw a card if it has 7 or more +1/+1 counters on it.
"I had no idea they pupated, this calls their entire lifespan and classification into question," - The Journal of Vivien Reid
0/1

IIW: Unfiled, an office work themed unset.

A relative of Timbermaw Larva, presumably. No rarity, but this feels like at least a rare, and more likely a mythic. I feel that this is the sort of thing to warp the metagame around it, since this thing will be both be growing and gaining life from turn 2 onwards.

Grist, Budding Hunger BG
Legendary Creature — Insect (M)
Menace
Whenever you mill a creature card, create a 1/1 black and green Insect creature token.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control six or more Insects, exile Grist, Budding Hunger and return it to the battlefield transformed under its owner's control.
2/2
//
Grist, Voracious Vermin
Legendary Planeswalker — Grist (M)
Grist, Voracious Vermin enters the battlefield with a loyalty counter on it for each other Insect you control.
[+1]: Mill two cards. Then, if there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard, put a loyalty counter on Grist, Voracious Vermin.
[-2]: Exile target non-Aura permanent card from your graveyard. Create a token that's a copy of it, except it's a 1/1 black and green Insect creature.
[-10]: You get an emblem with "At the beginning of your upkeep, for each Insect creature you control, create a token that's a copy of it, except it isn't legendary."
[0]

(omitting the "if that Insect is legendary" text has new precedent from Storm of Saruman)

IIW: Exert

Oh hey, an Origins flipwalker for Grist!

It is certainly flavorful to portray Grist as a larva before its sparks, and the condition for flipping sort of references the fact that Grist builds its body out of Insects.

For the front side though, the mill-token generation seems a bit crazy, since green and black get a lot of self-mill. The closest is Sidisi, Brood Tyrant, and she's a three-color four-drop, plus her mill limits it to one Zombie token per mill.

I can't help but this will be broken using the NarcoDredge strategy.

The backside is better, although the second ability might need playtesting to see how good it would be with planeswalkers.

Demonbud BB
Creature — Demon (U)
You can't gain life.
Whenever you lose life for the first time on each of your turns, draw a card.
, , Sacrifice Demonbud: Search your library for a Demon card with mana value less than or equal to the amount of life you've lost this turn, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Full of teeth and vice, and the shape of disasters to come.
1/1

IIW: she-ra and he-man and the kingdom of grayskull

Interesting little two drop! I can see the interesting tension, but might lead to situations where the players refuse to attack because this thing is on the field.

Plus, black's various "pay life" costs might make this too good.

Polywog 1U
Creature - Frog {R}
Flash
3U, Sacrifice Polywog and another creature: Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a non-Frog creature card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
2/1

IIW: ghosts and/or tricks

Ah yes, a tadpole, the larval frog. The non-Frog clause is strange; presumably this is the embodiment of the concept of "tadpole" but applied to other creatures.

This also seems to have the potential to be broken. Flash this in on the end of the opponent's turn, then when you untap sacrifice this plus your turn 1 one-drop Changeling/Khalni Garden token, reveal your library for your single copy of Progenitus/Emrakul (the only non-Frog creature, naturally) and plop it into play.

Removing the non-Frog clause might be for the best.

Betaskull 2
Artifact- Equipment (U)
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has Lifelink and Vigilance.
Living Weapon (When this Equipment enters the battlefield, create a 0/0 black Phyrexian Germ creature token, then attach this to it.)
4: Return Betaskull to its owner's hand.
Equip 4

I did not realize Phyrexian Dreadnought's typeline read Phyrexian Dreadnought. Love It.

Phyrexian Dreadling 0
Artifact Creature- Phryrexian Dreadnought (R)
Flash, trample
When Phyrexian Dreadling enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you sacrifice any number of creatures with total power 4 or greater.
4/4



IIW: Red does that?

Betaskull: Interesting interpretation, implying the living weapon are vat-grown/cultured rather than assembled/built. The bounce is an interesting quirk; basically allows you to save it, even allows it to be a very slow Germ-token producer.

Phyrexian Dreadling: Unlike its mature form, this version with the lower power requirements might actually work as a one-time sacrifice outlet, say in response to removal. Works great with all those incidental decayed Zombie tokens, for example.

Thing in the Snow U
Creature — Horror (U)
Defender
Thing in the Snow enters the battlefield with three ice counters on it.
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, remove an ice counter from Thing in the Snow. Then if it has no ice counters on it, transform it.
0/2
//
Awoken Tadpole
Creature — Kraken Horror (U)
When this creature transforms into Awoken Tadpole, all non-Horror creatures phase out.
4/3

IIW: Artifacts with mana value 2

More tadpoles! I'm all for expanding the term "tadpole" to cover the larval forms of other aquatic beats like sea serpents and krakens. I'd like to see the art for this one.

The flip-side's trigger seems a little strong, might need playtesting. Maybe restrict it to just one? Although the symmetry helps.

Trench Camarid U
Creature - Camarid (C)
When Trench Camarid enters the battlefield, each player mills a card.
The merfolk found that the giant fissure in the sea floor lead back to Sarpadia, explaining the sudden surge in homarid populations
0/2

IIW: Treefolk Hydra

Clearly inspired by the Sarpadia reference in the previous round. Nice little one drop.

Cosmic Hatchling R
Creature — Beast {R}
Trample
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice Cosmic Hatchling unless you sacrifice a land.
4/3

IIW: don't make me think

Meggido digging deep and coming up with a Cosmic Larva larva. A bit more playable as a neonate.

Now I wonder what a Cosmic Imago looks like...

Results:

SPOILER

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HM: Meggido, for allowing the Frog deck to cheat out Emrakul.

Winner: Cythare, for a Kraken tadpole, plus for a good attempt at Grist while accidentally giving Dredge a powerful tool.

Next: Artifacts with mana value 2 or Exert

[void_nothing]

Djeru's Banner 1W
Artifact - Equipment (R)
Equipped creature has "You may exert this creature as it attacks."
Whenever you exert a creature, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.
Creatures you've exerted this turn have indestructible.
Equip 2

IIW: Krakens, Leviathans, Octopodes, and Serpents that don't live in the water

[Megiddo]

Steelworker 2
Artifact Creature - Construct {R}
T: Add C.
T, Exert Steelworker: Add CCC. This mana can't be spent to cast nonartifact spells.
0/1

IIW: Combine any two IIWs from among the last three challenges.

[chetoos]

Unit-01 2
Artifact - Vehicle
Unit-01 has trample as long as it has at least 2 +1/+1 counters on it.
Get in the robot, Shinji-Whenever Unit-01 becomes crewed, exert each creature that crewed it.
Unit-01 has gone feral!-Whenever a creature that blocked Unit-01 this turn dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Unit-01. Then, if it has 4 or more +1/+1 counters, it becomes an artifact creature until the end of your next turn.
AT Field penetration-Creatures blocking Unit-01 lose hexproof and indestructible, and can't gain hexproof or indestructible.
Crew 4
5/6

IIW: Unfiled, an office work themed unset.

[Mergatroid_Jones]

Boom Cannon 2
Artifact (U)
Boom Cannon enters the battlefield tapped.
2,T, Exert Boom Cannon: Boom Cannon deals 2 damage to any target.
It took a lot of working, but all the goblins agreed it was a very good boom.

IIW: White does that?

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

Brachypterous Stick Insect
1{B}
Creature - Insect (C)
You may exert Brachypterous Stick Insect as it attacks. When you do, it gains flying until end of turn.
2/2
There are both long-winged and short-winged forms. The short-wing form is a poor flier and reluctant to take off.


Siren Harpist
2{U}{U}
Creature - Siren Bard {U}
Flying
T, Exert Siren Harpist: Gain control of target creature with mana value 4 or less for as long as you control Siren Harpist and Siren Harpist remains tapped.
2/3


IIW: Salamander

[lookingupanddown]

Lotus Fragment 2
Artifact (Rare)
Lotus Fragment enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add C.
2, , Exert Lotus Fragment: Add three mana of any one color.
Even the smallest shred can contain raw power. All it takes is focus and persistence to channel it.

IIW: characters compleated in March of the Machine

[spacemonaut]

Geothermal Power-Plant
Land — Power-Plant (R)
Geothermal Power-Plant enters the battlefield tapped unless you control another Power-Plant.
: Add or .
, Exert Geothermal Power-Plant: Add UR. (An exerted land won't untap during your next untap step.)


IIW: he-man, she-ra, and the kingdom of grayskull

Interesting little two drop! I can see the interesting tension, but might lead to situations where the players refuse to attack because this thing is on the field.

Plus, black's various "pay life" costs might make this too good.

FWIW, Demonbud only responds to you losing life during your own turn, so others attacking you won't draw you a card. Though definitely if you have easy access to a life payment on your own turn, Demonbud turns into a Phyrexian Arena.

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

FWIW, Demonbud only responds to you losing life during your own turn

Didn't notice the "during your turn" restriction, my bad, this does make it better.

Still worried about the ability to pay a punch of life then draw a card, then tutor up a potent demon.

[void_nothing]

Brachypterous Stick Insect
1{B}
Creature - Insect (C)
You may exert Brachypterous Stick Insect as it attacks. When you do, it gains flying until end of turn.
2/2
There are both long-winged and short-winged forms. The short-wing form is a poor flier and reluctant to take off.

Dolichopterous Stick Insect 3B
Creature - Insect (C)
Flying
Dolichopterous Stick Insect can't block creatures without flying.
There are both long-winged and short-winged forms. The long-winged form, though an excellent flier with a bigger body, is all but helpless on land.
3/3

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

Dolichopterous Stick Insect 3B

However, doesn't really fit the prompt, this is the Nexus Flamingo contest thread

[void_nothing]

It's Nexus Flamingo alright. But contest? Ehh. Spam and riffing? That's more like it.

[chetoos]

@Cythare judge!

[spacemonaut]

i think the judge got exerted

[Megiddo]

luckily there's another untap step tomorrow morning.

[Mergatroid_Jones]

Hung-Over Giant R
Creature- Giant (U)
Hung-Over Giant enters the battlefield tapped and exerted.
Nah, I'm good. Just gonna sit here a minute. Then I'm good.
3/3

Flowering Fen
Land (U)
Flowering Fen enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add B.
T, Exert Flowering Fen: Add one mana of any color. Gain 1 life.

(+ 4 flowering lands)

IIW: It ain't easy being a _____

[spacemonaut]

Titan of Karfell 3UB
Creature — Elemental Giant (U)
Menace
Whenever Titan of Karfell attacks, put a stun counter on it.
Whenever Titan of Karfell deals combat damage to a creature, tap that creature and put a stun counter on it. If you don't, draw a card. (You'll draw a card if it already died.)
6/6

this is like exert right?

IIW: he-man and she-ra and the kingdom of grayskull

[Cythare]

Sorry for the delay!

Entries

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Djeru's Banner 1W
Artifact - Equipment (R)
Equipped creature has "You may exert this creature as it attacks."
Whenever you exert a creature, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.
Creatures you've exerted this turn have indestructible.
Equip 2

IIW: Krakens, Leviathans, Octopodes, and Serpents that don't live in the water

Neat! I really like what this has going on. I just wish that more of its abilities required it to be attached to a creature. As-is, there's no incentive to attach it if all of your creatures can already exert themselves.

Steelworker 2
Artifact Creature - Construct {R}
T: Add C.
T, Exert Steelworker: Add CCC. This mana can't be spent to cast nonartifact spells.
0/1

IIW: Combine any two IIWs from among the last three challenges.

A fixed Metalworker! This is v cute, and I like that the restriction allows you to use it for any kind of ability/non-spell cost.

Unit-01 2
Artifact - Vehicle
Unit-01 has trample as long as it has at least 2 +1/+1 counters on it.
Get in the robot, Shinji-Whenever Unit-01 becomes crewed, exert each creature that crewed it.
Unit-01 has gone feral!-Whenever a creature that blocked Unit-01 this turn dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Unit-01. Then, if it has 4 or more +1/+1 counters, it becomes an artifact creature until the end of your next turn.
AT Field penetration-Creatures blocking Unit-01 lose hexproof and indestructible, and can't gain hexproof or indestructible.
Crew 4
5/6

IIW: Unfiled, an office work themed unset.

This feels like a lot, and I'm not sure if it's too strong or not. I really dislike like the permanent loss of hexproof/indestructible, though. The feral line is a neat way of offsetting exert, but I think this has too much going on.

Boom Cannon 2
Artifact (U)
Boom Cannon enters the battlefield tapped.
2,T, Exert Boom Cannon: Boom Cannon deals 2 damage to any target.
It took a lot of working, but all the goblins agreed it was a very good boom.

IIW: White does that?

Simple and fun. I think this is a fine rate.

Brachypterous Stick Insect
1{B}
Creature - Insect (C)
You may exert Brachypterous Stick Insect as it attacks. When you do, it gains flying until end of turn.
2/2
There are both long-winged and short-winged forms. The short-wing form is a poor flier and reluctant to take off.


Siren Harpist
2{U}{U}
Creature - Siren Bard {U}
Flying
T, Exert Siren Harpist: Gain control of target creature with mana value 4 or less for as long as you control Siren Harpist and Siren Harpist remains tapped.
2/3


IIW: Salamander

A nice straightforward exert common. That said, it's basically a worse Gust Walker in black?

Siren Harpist being a temporary control change effect feels more red than blue, but I really like the effect here.

Lotus Fragment 2
Artifact (Rare)
Lotus Fragment enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add C.
2, , Exert Lotus Fragment: Add three mana of any one color.
Even the smallest shred can contain raw power. All it takes is focus and persistence to channel it.

IIW: characters compleated in March of the Machine

This feels pretty strong. Is it too strong? Maybe, but I'd at least want to test it.

Geothermal Power-Plant
Land — Power-Plant (R)
Geothermal Power-Plant enters the battlefield tapped unless you control another Power-Plant.
: Add or .
, Exert Geothermal Power-Plant: Add UR. (An exerted land won't untap during your next untap step.)


IIW: he-man, she-ra, and the kingdom of grayskull

Interesting little two drop! I can see the interesting tension, but might lead to situations where the players refuse to attack because this thing is on the field.

Plus, black's various "pay life" costs might make this too good.

FWIW, Demonbud only responds to you losing life during your own turn, so others attacking you won't draw you a card. Though definitely if you have easy access to a life payment on your own turn, Demonbud turns into a Phyrexian Arena.

This is a straightforward way to make exert work on dual lands, and I'm here for it.

Hung-Over Giant R
Creature- Giant (U)
Hung-Over Giant enters the battlefield tapped and exerted.
Nah, I'm good. Just gonna sit here a minute. Then I'm good.
3/3

Flowering Fen
Land (U)
Flowering Fen enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add B.
T, Exert Flowering Fen: Add one mana of any color. Gain 1 life.

(+ 4 flowering lands)

IIW: It ain't easy being a _____

Neat one-drop! I'm happy with these various simple exert cards. Flowering Fen is a cool land too!

Titan of Karfell 3UB
Creature — Elemental Giant (U)
Menace
Whenever Titan of Karfell attacks, put a stun counter on it.
Whenever Titan of Karfell deals combat damage to a creature, tap that creature and put a stun counter on it. If you don't, draw a card. (You'll draw a card if it already died.)
6/6

this is like exert right?

IIW: he-man and she-ra and the kingdom of grayskull

Stun counters aren't technically exerting, but I'll allow it flavorfully. This seems pretty strong, but also it's a 6/6, so this feels like it has the Grave Titan problem (the deathtouch part).

Winner & Next

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HMs: mergatroid_jones for Boom Cannon, spacemonaut's dual land cycle
Winner: Megiddo for Steelworker
Next: Combine any two IIWs from among the last three challenges.

For reference, that means "Exert"/"MV 2 artifacts", "Larva of another creature", and "Battles from Magic's past"

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

HMs: sporegorger_dragon for Boom Cannon

Mergatroid_Jones submitted the Boom Cannon.

That said, it's basically a worse Gust Walker in black?

Yes! Tertiary in flying.

[Cythare]

HMs: sporegorger_dragon for Boom Cannon

Mergatroid_Jones submitted the Boom Cannon.

That said, it's basically a worse Gust Walker in black?

Yes! Tertiary in flying.

Thank you for correcting me on the first, and makes sense on the second. Just wanted to check!

[Megiddo]

doesn't just have to be a winner! anything that anybody put as an IIW in the last 3 counts. Just tell me what they are.

[chetoos]

Red does that? and Unfiled: an office work themed unset

Caffeinated Goblin 2R
Creature - Goblin Worker
Haste
Whenever Caffeinated goblin deals combat damage to a player, it deals 1 damage to that player for each card they own in exile.
"COMEONJERRY,YOURENEVERGOINGTOGETAPROMOTIONIFYOULETYOUREMAILSPILEUPLIKETHAT!"
3/2

Krakens et al that don't live in water and Unfiled: an office work themed unset:

Ink-Reservoir Kraken UU
Art: An Ink Reservoir, with lots of tentacles, all covered in ink, emerging from it. On the paper nearby, they seem to form some kind of shape, maybe similar to one of the characters in the set?
Creature - Kraken
Trample
At the beginning of each combat, if Ink-reservoir Kraken is untapped, any opponent may tap an untapped artifact they control. If they do, tap Ink-Reservoir Kraken and create a clue token
2/3

Copier Octopus 2wu
Art: An office copier, with 8 tentacles emerging from it. Someone is approaching the flailing tentacles with trepidation, brandishing a piece of paper to be copied.
Creature - Octopus
WU, : Populate
3WU, : Create a token that's a copy of target nonland permanent you control, except the copy isn't legendary. Activate only if you control 8 or more tokens.
3/3


IIW: Unfiled, an office work themed unset.

[Mergatroid_Jones]

Megiddo's Command

Choose Two:

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he-man and she-ra and the kingdom of grayskull
It ain't easy being a _____
characters compleated in March of the Machine
Salamander
White does that?
Unfiled, an office work themed unset.
Krakens, Leviathans, Octopodes, and Serpents that don't live in the water
don't make me think
Treefolk Hydra
*Artifacts with mana value 2
Red does that?
ghosts and/or tricks
*Exert
building blocks
Spooky ghosts and ghost stories (not necessarily as creatures)
*Larva of another creature

*: Victorious
(Sorry if I missed any, and feel free to correct me)