September MCC Round 2
Role
As is tradition by now, this month we will celebrate the latest set, in this case Wilds of Eldraine, by exploring its mechanics and themes, as usual in this kind of MCC months.
A thing you might not know about me, and only a few in real life know, is that I write songs. Music and lyrics, both of them. Some are in Italian, others in English. I have two paper folders full of the songs I've written since I was in high school more than 20 years ago, plus more in digital folders on my pc. Why am I telling you this? Because one of my songs is called "Role". It's essentially about trying to understand what is the purpose of things you live in your life. It has three verses and a chorus, always the same, that is repeated after each verse. In the first verse I wonder what's the role of my inner feelings and relationships with others in my life. In the second, I wonder what's the role of my life itself in the big picture of creation. In the third, I wonder what's the role of the monsters I have to fight against in my life, and a few of you might know what specific monsters I'm talking about. The first two verses have been written about 15 years ago and use quite explicit language, as does the last line of the chorus. The third verse has been added much more recently, something about three years ago, and it's safer to share as it has practically no bad language. Now I feel like doing something I've never done before: sharing a piece of lyrics that I wrote. The following spoiler contains the second half of the third verse of that song and the chorus. I will have to censor the last line of the chorus (a bad word is in there), but the rest is clean. Enjoy. Or don't. You don't know the music, so you wouldn't be able to sing it anyway.
A piece of Leo's lyrics
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From my own song "Role", second half of the third verse plus chorus.
No real truce, no real peace in my invisible fight,
no success, all I see is only darkness and no light,
all is gone, all is wrong, nothing left and nothing right,
seeing dawn every day in my soul's eternal night.
A warship getting wrecked and going adrift to shore,
an air balloon can't lift up, does nothing but hit the floor.
I am really a coward lion that can't fight or roar,
hate my monster within and I wonder what's it for.
What's its role? Why do I fall?
Why do I always lose control?
Why's my soul going down deep in a hole?
What's my goal? Why from me all this you stole?
Where's [censored for explicit language] and the other one?
No real truce, no real peace in my invisible fight,
no success, all I see is only darkness and no light,
all is gone, all is wrong, nothing left and nothing right,
seeing dawn every day in my soul's eternal night.
A warship getting wrecked and going adrift to shore,
an air balloon can't lift up, does nothing but hit the floor.
I am really a coward lion that can't fight or roar,
hate my monster within and I wonder what's it for.
What's its role? Why do I fall?
Why do I always lose control?
Why's my soul going down deep in a hole?
What's my goal? Why from me all this you stole?
Where's [censored for explicit language] and the other one?
"Hate my monster within and I wonder what's it for. What's its role?"
Main Challenge - Design a non-Saga card that creates one or more Role tokens attached to one or more creatures. (The creatures can have different controllers.)
Subchallenge 1 - Your card references at least two different kinds of Role tokens out of the existing seven.
Subchallenge 2 - Your card's rules text includes the exact phrase "enchanted creatures" (specifically plural, singular doesn't count).
Clarifications
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Main Challenge
• Your card can have any card types, subtypes, and supertypes except for the Saga subtype. All the other existing card types, subtypes, and supertypes are fair game. It just can't be a Saga, that's all.
• Technically, you're allowed to create a new custom card type, subtype, or supertype, but remember that if it has mechanical baggage, then it would require reminder text to explain how it works, and here reminder text DOES count towards microtext and we're working in the regular frame unless otherwise specified, so it would have to fit there together with your card's rules text. Technically you could do it, but honestly I don't know if it would be worth the effort. But if you want to try it anyway, go for it.
• If the creatures that are receiving the Role tokens are more than one, they can have the same or different controllers. Both options are valid.
Subchallenge 1
• The seven existing kinds of Role tokens with their respective reminder text are the following:
- Cursed Role token (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature is 1/1.)
- Monster Role token (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has trample.)
- Royal Role token (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has ward .)
- Sorcerer Role token (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has "Whenever this creature attacks, scry 1.")
- Wicked Role token (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1. When this Aura is put into a graveyard, each opponent loses 1 life.)
- Young Hero Role token (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature has "Whenever this creature attacks, if its toughness is 3 or less, put a +1/+1 counter on it.")
- Virtuous Role token (COMMANDER SET ONLY) (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each enchantment you control.)
On some cards, if the sentence "If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard." doesn't fit, it's cut from the reminder text, but only that one specific sentence.
Your card meets this Subchallenge if it mentions two or more different ones among those seven.
• The two or more different Roles can be given out as Role tokens, but to count for this Subchallenge a simple mention is enough. For example, an effect like: "Put a Monster Role token on target creature. If a creature you don't control has a Cursed Role attached to it, draw a card." would pass this Subchallenge, even though the Cursed Role is just mentioned and not given out as a token.
• Remember that at least one of the Roles must be explicitly given out as a Role token and not just mentioned to pass the Main Challenge. The others can be just referenced for them to count towards this Subchallenge.
• The fact that in the printed reminder cards the art for the Wicked and Cursed Roles are unintentionally swapped doesn't matter here. We care about those Roles as defined mechanically by the rules, and that misprint doesn't change the mechanics of those tokens, just the flavor.
Subchallenge 2
• As stated in the Subchallenge, the phrase "enchanted creatures" only counts if it's plural. The singular form "enchanted creature" does NOT count for this Subchallenge.
• For example, "each enchanted creature" does NOT count while "all enchanted creatures" DOES count. The meaning is the same, but in the former the word "creature" is singular while in the latter "creatures" is plural. Yes, it's a small difference that doesn't change the meaning of the sentence but it being a very small detail is intended to be one of the difficulties of this Subchallenge.
• Similarly, if you invert the words, "creatures enchanted" does NOT count as it's a different variation. It has to be literally the sequence of characters "enchanted creatures". Anything that differs from that specific sequence of characters in any way does NOT count.
If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the MCC discussion thread.
• Your card can have any card types, subtypes, and supertypes except for the Saga subtype. All the other existing card types, subtypes, and supertypes are fair game. It just can't be a Saga, that's all.
• Technically, you're allowed to create a new custom card type, subtype, or supertype, but remember that if it has mechanical baggage, then it would require reminder text to explain how it works, and here reminder text DOES count towards microtext and we're working in the regular frame unless otherwise specified, so it would have to fit there together with your card's rules text. Technically you could do it, but honestly I don't know if it would be worth the effort. But if you want to try it anyway, go for it.
• If the creatures that are receiving the Role tokens are more than one, they can have the same or different controllers. Both options are valid.
Subchallenge 1
• The seven existing kinds of Role tokens with their respective reminder text are the following:
- Cursed Role token (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature is 1/1.)
- Monster Role token (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has trample.)
- Royal Role token (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has ward .)
- Sorcerer Role token (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 and has "Whenever this creature attacks, scry 1.")
- Wicked Role token (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1. When this Aura is put into a graveyard, each opponent loses 1 life.)
- Young Hero Role token (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature has "Whenever this creature attacks, if its toughness is 3 or less, put a +1/+1 counter on it.")
- Virtuous Role token (COMMANDER SET ONLY) (If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard. Enchanted creature gets +1/+1 for each enchantment you control.)
On some cards, if the sentence "If you control another Role on it, put that one into the graveyard." doesn't fit, it's cut from the reminder text, but only that one specific sentence.
Your card meets this Subchallenge if it mentions two or more different ones among those seven.
• The two or more different Roles can be given out as Role tokens, but to count for this Subchallenge a simple mention is enough. For example, an effect like: "Put a Monster Role token on target creature. If a creature you don't control has a Cursed Role attached to it, draw a card." would pass this Subchallenge, even though the Cursed Role is just mentioned and not given out as a token.
• Remember that at least one of the Roles must be explicitly given out as a Role token and not just mentioned to pass the Main Challenge. The others can be just referenced for them to count towards this Subchallenge.
• The fact that in the printed reminder cards the art for the Wicked and Cursed Roles are unintentionally swapped doesn't matter here. We care about those Roles as defined mechanically by the rules, and that misprint doesn't change the mechanics of those tokens, just the flavor.
Subchallenge 2
• As stated in the Subchallenge, the phrase "enchanted creatures" only counts if it's plural. The singular form "enchanted creature" does NOT count for this Subchallenge.
• For example, "each enchanted creature" does NOT count while "all enchanted creatures" DOES count. The meaning is the same, but in the former the word "creature" is singular while in the latter "creatures" is plural. Yes, it's a small difference that doesn't change the meaning of the sentence but it being a very small detail is intended to be one of the difficulties of this Subchallenge.
• Similarly, if you invert the words, "creatures enchanted" does NOT count as it's a different variation. It has to be literally the sequence of characters "enchanted creatures". Anything that differs from that specific sequence of characters in any way does NOT count.
If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the MCC discussion thread.
DEADLINES
Design deadline: Monday, September 18th 2023 at 23:59 Eastern Time
Judging deadline: Thursday, September 21st 2023 at 23:59 Eastern Time
RUBRIC
MCC Rubric
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The MCC Rubric is given below, in an easily "copy and pasted" form. (Courtesy of Rithaniel.)
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
bravelion83
void_nothing
We might or might not need more judges. If you're interested, sign up in the judge signup thread.
PLAYERS
@AnotherAlias
@haywire
@kwanyeegor-ii
@marioguy3
@netn10
@Raptorchan
@Rithaniel
@slimytrout
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.
BRACKETS
Top 3 from each bracket advance to the next round.
Judge: bravelion83
AnotherAlias
kwanyeegor-ii
netn10
Rithaniel
Judge: void_nothing
haywire
marioguy3
Raptorchan
slimytrout
