(This month's banner is made from an image found on Wikimedia Commons, and ran through Blender for a little extra style.)
July MCC
Fourth: Catharsis
So, one of the challenges of telling a story with a card game is that players will often see the events of a story out-of-order, and the individual beats often need to be boiled down to the tiniest snapshot so that they can fit on a single card. For an example, I wasn't even really aware than Jace/Vraska were a couple until I read the flavor text of the reprint of Phyrexian Arena.
This makes storytelling very difficult, in particular because someone might never see the start of a story, or never see the end. So, to help with this, it's good to have multiple views of events. An example of this is Mirrodin Avenged and Elspeth's Smite. Both depict the defeat of that Norn thing.
In this month of the MCC, we've been building up stories and lore. However, the issues that plagues storytelling in a card game have reared their head here as well. Each new installment in the lore comes in the form of a single card, and that single card can't always convey all the details and context that it's creator had in mind. You need multiple cards to do that.
Main Challenge -- Make three instant or sorcery cards focused on ending the story you have been assigned in the clarifications below.
Subchallenge 1 -- No two of your cards share either a rarity or a color.
Subchallenge 2 -- At least one card represents characters that weren't present in the previous cards, but who were affected by the story.
Clarifications
Show
Hide
Main Challenge -- First, a disclaimer: The lore in these stories are underdefined. Part of the challenge to you is to try to build up the rest of the world around whatever context you've been given. You need to try to wrap the isolated story you've been given in a larger world, and to give some degree of closure and completeness to the previous story.
You have each been assigned cards from the previous three rounds. Refer to the list below to find your assigned world. You are free to discuss ideas involved in the setting with the original creators of the cards, but, ultimately, the reigns are in your hands, and you can take the lore in whatever direction you would like.
slimytrout - Genesis, Pernicious Tyrant, by netn10, Ynara, the Last Fabricator, by slimytrout, and Technological Reclamation, by Riria
Riria - Her Cruel Intent Upon Them, by Freyleyes, Cesia, the Caregiver, by Henlock, and Fall of the Heavens, by slimytrout
Subchallenge 1 -- So, if one of your cards is a blue rare, neither of the other cards can be blue or rare.
This challenge only counts the colors of the cards, not the color identity. So, a card that costs but which has rules text that makes it green, is a green card. Alternatively, a card with a flashback cost, but which costs , is a green card.
Colorless is not a color. If a player makes three colorless cards, none of them will share a color with any of the others.
Subchallenge 2 -- This challenge can be subjective. The judges will need to evaluate whether your card effectively introduces new characters and their relationship to the story.
DEADLINES
Design deadline: Saturday, August 21st 2023 at 6:59 Eastern Time
Judging deadline: Wednesday, August 23rd 2023 at 23:59 Eastern Time
RUBRIC
MCC Rubric
Show
Hide
The MCC Rubric is given below, in an easily "copy and pasted" form.
Code: Select all
[b]Design[/b]
[b](X/3) Appeal[/b] - Do the different player psychographics (Timmy/Johhny/Spike) have a use for the card?
[b](X/3) Elegance[/b] - Is the card easily understandable at a glance? Do all the flavor and mechanics combined as a whole make sense?
[b]Development[/b]
[b](X/3) Viability[/b] - 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?
[b](X/3) Balance[/b] - 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?
[b]Creativity[/b]
[b](X/3) Uniqueness[/b] - 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"?
[b](X/3) Flavor[/b] - 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?
[b]Polish[/b]
[b](X/3) Quality[/b] - Points deducted for incorrect spelling, grammar, and templating.
[b](X/2) Main Challenge (*)[/b] - Was the main challenge satisfied? Was it approached in a unique or interesting way? Does the card fit the intent of the challenge?
[b](X/2) Subchallenges[/b] - One point awarded per satisfied subchallenge condition.
[b]Total: X/25[/b]
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.JUDGES
Rithaniel
void_nothing
PLAYERS
@Riria
@slimytrout
