October CCL, Signups/Round 1: Tri-Element Compound

[void_nothing]

CCL October Signups/Round 1

"Tri-Element Compound"


Esper Charm, taken from EchoMtG, by Michael Bruinsma and Wizards of the Coast

Welcome to the Card Creation League! Everyone is free to participate in either or both of the first two rounds. Come join us!

Theme

It's Tricolor Month here at the CCL, which will be focused on the many times that three-color shards and wedges have been used in Magic's past.

Challenge

Design a card whose mana cost is exactly three regular colored mana of different colors.

Clarifications

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• Your card's cost may be any one of the following: GWU, WUB, UBR, BRG, RGW, RWB, GUR, WBG, URW, or BGU. No generic mana, hybrid mana, or special mana symbols are allowed.
• Make sure to include a rarity.

Anyone can enter this first round! Your submissions are due Monday, October 9th, 23:59 EST.

Schedule

• Round 1 — Open to Everyone (October 2nd-9th)
• Round 2 — Open to Everyone (October 10th-16th)
• Rounds 1 and 2 Critiques (Due October 18th)
• Top 4 — Open to top 4 finishers (October 19th-24th)
• Top 4 Critiques (Due October 26th)
• Final (November, winner determined by public poll)

Please note: For this month we will continue asking first and second round contestants to evaluate seven other contestants during the critique and top 3 period, in order to increase the total number of evaluations each contestant gets.

[netn10]

You Own Me, I Own You GWU
Instant (Common)
Until end of turn, target creature gains "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield under your control with a shield counter on it."
"This kind of loyalty cannot be bought. It must be experienced. A kind hand, if we need, or a manufactured tragedy, if we must."
- Tragana, Brokers Accountant

[kwanyeegor-ii]

Bloodroot Horror BRG
Creature - Treefolk Horror (Rare)
Trample
RG, T: Put a +1/+1 counter on Bloodroot Horror. It deals 1 damage to up to one target creature.
Whenever one or more creatures die, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control with one or more +1/+1 counters on it. This ability triggers only once per turn.
1/4

[CunningGabe]

Summon the Champions RWB
Instant (U)
Choose two --
* Create a 2/2 white and red Knight creature token with first strike.
* Create a 2/2 red and black Knight creature token with menace.
* Create a 2/2 black and white Knight creature token with lifelink.

[Caspernicus]

Automated Ember-Risen urw
Artifact Creature - Phoenix Construct (R)
Flying, first strike
Whenever you activate the ability of an artifact, except a mana ability, choose one that hasn't been chosen this turn -

• Scry 2.

• Create a 1/1 colorless Construct artifact creature token.

• Target creature you control gains +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is equal to the number of tapped artifacts you control.

Unearth 1rrw
2/2

[marioguy3]

Pawn of Eternal Life
Creature - Elemental (Mythic Rare)
Permanents can't be the target of spells or abilities.
Whenever you draw a card, you gain 1 life and put a +1/+1 counter on Pawn of Eternal Life.
3/3

[Komandon]

Affinity for Cruelty UBR
Instant (Rare)
Choose one — Counter target noncreature spell. That spell is exiled instead of being put into the graveyard; draw a card, target player exiles a card from his or her hand; or deal damage to target player equal to the number of cards they own in exile.
Weave UBR (Choose all three if you pay the weave cost.)

[void_nothing]

Okay, this round is closed! Please critique all other contestants and post a top 3. With only six first-round participants, we'll be cutting directly to a top 4 this month.

[CunningGabe]

Critiques:

SPOILER

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You Own Me, I Own You GWU
Instant (Common)
Until end of turn, target creature gains "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield under your control with a shield counter on it."
"This kind of loyalty cannot be bought. It must be experienced. A kind hand, if we need, or a manufactured tragedy, if we must."
- Tragana, Brokers Accountant

The flavor is a home-run, and it's a clean design that makes sense in those colors and for that faction. Love it.

Bloodroot Horror BRG
Creature - Treefolk Horror (Rare)
Trample
RG, T: Put a +1/+1 counter on Bloodroot Horror. It deals 1 damage to up to one target creature.
Whenever one or more creatures die, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control with one or more +1/+1 counters on it. This ability triggers only once per turn.
1/4

The asymmetry is interesting -- that the black ability is static while the red/green one is activated. This is a nice inevitability engine, and I appreciate your use of the "once per turn" limit. A solid card.

Automated Ember-Risen urw
Artifact Creature - Phoenix Construct (R)
Flying, first strike
Whenever you activate the ability of an artifact, except a mana ability, choose one that hasn't been chosen this turn -

• Scry 2.

• Create a 1/1 colorless Construct artifact creature token.

• Target creature you control gains +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is equal to the number of tapped artifacts you control.

Unearth 1rrw
2/2

I think this one is trying to do too much - it feels like a Phoenix stapled to an artifacts-matter Wizard. I'd like to see a version of this that just focuses on the second half. I really like the list of abilities you have to choose from.

Pawn of Eternal Life
Creature - Elemental (Mythic Rare)
Permanents can't be the target of spells or abilities.
Whenever you draw a card, you gain 1 life and put a +1/+1 counter on Pawn of Eternal Life.
3/3

This seems too oppressive to me -- it makes the game very non-interactive, and on a 3-drop creature I think it would just lead to many frustrating games. Definitely a mythic rare, but I think I wouldn't want to see that rules text on anything costing less than 5 or 6.

Affinity for Cruelty UBR
Instant (Rare)
Choose one — Counter target noncreature spell. That spell is exiled instead of being put into the graveyard; draw a card, target player exiles a card from his or her hand; or deal damage to target player equal to the number of cards they own in exile.
Weave UBR (Choose all three if you pay the weave cost.)

First, Entwine already does what you want, though almost nothing uses it this way; see Kaya's Guile. I like all three modes on this, and the way they synergize when you get them all is nice.

Top 3:

SPOILER

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1. netn10
2. Komandon
3. kwanyeegor-ii

[marioguy3]

netn10: This is an interesting design that enables steal shenanigans. Flavorful with the shield counter on the returned creature.

kwanyeegor-ii: Solid creature design that encourages +1/+1 counter things.

CunningGabe: I enjoy the modal design factor of the card. The tokens are versatile.

Caspernicus: Equipment with cheap activation costs syngergize very well. The unearth feels odd though mechanically, but the name makes sense.

Komandon: Other than the awkward formatting, Weave is an interesting ability akin to Entwine.

Top 3:
3rd place: kwanyeegor-ii
2nd place: Caspernicus
1st place: CunningGabe

[kwanyeegor-ii]

Only top 3

1 cunninggabe
2 netn10
3 caspernicus

[Komandon]

SPOILER

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You Own Me, I Own You GWU
Instant (Common)
Until end of turn, target creature gains "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield under your control with a shield counter on it."
"This kind of loyalty cannot be bought. It must be experienced. A kind hand, if we need, or a manufactured tragedy, if we must."
- Tragana, Brokers Accountant

Good take on the black feint cards but makes sense for nonblack.

Bloodroot Horror BRG
Creature - Treefolk Horror (Rare)
Trample
RG, T: Put a +1/+1 counter on Bloodroot Horror. It deals 1 damage to up to one target creature.
Whenever one or more creatures die, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control with one or more +1/+1 counters on it. This ability triggers only once per turn.
1/4

Pinging, trample and +1/+1S on it and other creatures. I don't know. Seems too powerful for that cost.

Summon the Champions RWB
Instant (U)
Choose two --
* Create a 2/2 white and red Knight creature token with first strike.
* Create a 2/2 red and black Knight creature token with menace.
* Create a 2/2 black and white Knight creature token with lifelink.

Token only charm like card. Nice.

Automated Ember-Risen urw
Artifact Creature - Phoenix Construct (R)
Flying, first strike
Whenever you activate the ability of an artifact, except a mana ability, choose one that hasn't been chosen this turn -

• Scry 2.

• Create a 1/1 colorless Construct artifact creature token.

• Target creature you control gains +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is equal to the number of tapped artifacts you control.

Unearth 1rrw
2/2

Sorry. Seems over powered for the cost. Maybe if it was "you may pay to" or it's only one per turn and then after no modes sac it. IDK.

Pawn of Eternal Life
Creature - Elemental (Mythic Rare)
Permanents can't be the target of spells or abilities.
Whenever you draw a card, you gain 1 life and put a +1/+1 counter on Pawn of Eternal Life.
3/3

Simple and a stax. Nice.

Okay, this round is closed! Please critique all other contestants and post a top 3. With only six first-round participants, we'll be cutting directly to a top 4 this month.

Top 3 :
1st: netn10
2nd : Marioguy3
3rd : CunningGabe

[Caspernicus]

Critiques

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You Own Me, I Own You

I love the New Capenna vibe. Unfortunately, it might be a little overpriced for the effect; look at Undying Malice, Feign Death, or even the recent Not Dead After All, all which functionally do the same thing (and are also commons).
Edit: Totally missed that you could use this on other creatures. Very interesting, and much more powerful than I initially thought.

Bloodroot Horror

I like it. I do wish the activated ability could target any creature you control so you could get more out of its triggered ability, but overall very nice.

Summon the Champions

It provides bodies ahead of curve, and even though it doesn't do much else it would do wonderfully in limited (except for being three colors). I love the design.

Pawn of Eternal Life

Gosh, the ability that gives everything shroud is so incredibly powerful. I could see this getting played in standard's Beanstalk control. Very powerful, very mythic level.

Affinity for Cruelty

Very interesting design. I love the Weave, but I feel like at six mana that weaved ability isn't affecting the game state enough to warrant it being a rare. Love the idea, but it doesn't do enough for me to want it as my rare slot.

Top 3

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1. kwanyeegor-ii
2. netn10
3. marioguy3