NEXUS FLAMINGO ☆ Exclusively For Custom Card Connoisseurs and Gnomes

[chetoos]

El Odio 4BR
Legendary Creature - Bull Incarnation
Trample, menace, this creature attacks each combat if able.
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to El Odio.
Hexproof from creatures.
If a permanent would enter the battlefield, and it wasn't cast, exile it instead.
6/6

[Mergatroid_Jones]

Desecration
Creature- Incarnation(U)
Desecration can't block.
3(b/r), Exile Desecration from your graveyard: destroy nonbasic land..
2/1

Envy
Creature- Incarnation (U)
When Envy blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, you may have its power and toughness become equal to that creature's power and toughness until end of turn.
2(u/b)(u/b), Exile Envy from your graveyard: Draw a card for each card target opponent has drawn this turn.
1/2


Calm
Creature- Incarnation (U)
Defender, Flying, Ward 2
A long as Calm is in your graveyard, creatures you control have Ward 2
0/5

IIW: Hybrid mana

[Megiddo]

judging tonight!

[Cythare]

Celerity 2GU
Creature — Incarnation (R)
Flash
As long as Celerity is in your graveyard and you control a Forest and an Island, you may cast creature spells as though they had flash.
4/3

IIW: Fish (merfolk)

[Megiddo]

Despair
2{U}{U}{B}{B}
Creature - Incarnation (M)
When Despair enters the battlefield, if you cast it, target player draws two cards, then discards four cards and mills eight cards.
{U}{U}{B}{B}, Exile Despair from your graveyard: Target player surveils 2, draws two cards, then discards two cards.
6/6

Heartbreak
2{B}{B}{R}{R}
Creature - Incarnation (M)
When Heartbreak enters the battlefield, if you cast it, gain control of up to one target creature or planeswalker you don't control until end of turn. Untap it. It gains haste until end of turn.
{B}{B}{R}{R}, Exile Heartbreak from your graveyard: Target creature or planeswalker deals damage to its owner equal to its mana value.
6/6

Disgust
2{B}{B}{G}{G}
Creature - Incarnation (M)
When Disgust enters the battlefield, if you cast it, destroy up to one target creature or planeswalker. Its controller loses life equal to its mana value and you gain that much life.
{B}{B}{G}{G}: Put Disgust from your graveyard on the bottom of your library.
6/6

IIW: Snail

...everything good with you??
This is a solid slate of negative emotion incarnations, and some multicolor cards to boot (I was hoping people would do multicolor cards like my entry; not a requirement but I'm happy to see it). These feel a little disjointed to me. The ETB and the graveyard abilities don't seem to line up in a way that I can parse, particularly Disgust. Maybe there's a favor/thematic thing there (please let me know), but the way I have to consume these cards doesn't sell the story and it leaves the mechanics feeling awkward as a result.

Magnanimity 2URW
Creature — Horse Incarnation (M)
Lifelink
Whenever Magnanimity enters the battlefield or attacks, target opponent gains control of a permanent you control.
At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, Magnanimity deals 1 damage to them for each permanent they control but don't own.
Whenever an opponent gains control of a permanent, return Magnanimity from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Don't look it in the mouth.
5/3

IIW: Fish (not merfolk)

Speaking of selling the story, the flavor text here does a lot of work as far as explaining why this is a Horse. And it puts me in the right mental space to evaluate the mechanics: I'm going to expect this is a card that gives your opponent things... but maybe not to their benefit. If we read the card, yes, that's pretty much exactly what it does. Fits directly into the Zedruu the Greathearted deck even. I might ask about the last part, but I can sort of infer that this is part of a cycle of recurring Incarnations (It's similar to mine but three colors or I might guess you were extending that cycle).

El Odio 4BR
Legendary Creature - Bull Incarnation
Trample, menace, this creature attacks each combat if able.
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to El Odio.
Hexproof from creatures.
If a permanent would enter the battlefield, and it wasn't cast, exile it instead.
6/6

No IIW here unfortunately, but we'll judge regardless. Thanks for the link; always helps with UB stuff (throwback to ten years ago when I would have made a crack about not making people do research/use outside IP for challenges; that's just a Thing Magic Does now). Even without that, a Bull makes a lot of sense here (should it be an Ox?) and the whole "seeing red" thing tracks. I'm apparently very stuck on flavor today. Anyway, I think the mechanics you have here make more sense in *white*, not these colors. Particularly the damage prevention and the final ability are white.

Desecration
Creature- Incarnation(U)
Desecration can't block.
3(b/r), Exile Desecration from your graveyard: destroy nonbasic land..
2/1

Envy
Creature- Incarnation (U)
When Envy blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, you may have its power and toughness become equal to that creature's power and toughness until end of turn.
2(u/b)(u/b), Exile Envy from your graveyard: Draw a card for each card target opponent has drawn this turn.
1/2

Calm
Creature- Incarnation (U)
Defender, Flying, Ward 2
A long as Calm is in your graveyard, creatures you control have Ward 2
0/5

IIW: Hybrid mana

I feel like the name Desecration doesn't fit with these other two. Anyway, these are nice and simple. Going for uncommon cards was a good approach. Not really all part of the same cycle I guess since they work differently, but that's OK; i'll just go individually. Desecration is the kind of card that feels too good at first blush: Savannah lions with LD on the back end seems maybe too efficient, and those two effects line up well. I don't know that we would get such uncompensated LD anymore, either. Envy made me think of Serene Master, though this is different obviously. I'm doing these distracted (football) so my scryfall-fu isn't at its peak right now, so I can't immediately find a card that already does this. See my above comments on Sporgegorger Dragon's cards for how I am generally thinking about this one. I do like how both effects line up with the name/flavor though. Calm, yeah. Keep it chill. My only point is a gameplay issue: Having something like Ward granted by a card in a graveyard is risky, since it's hard to keep track of for opponents. Similar to putting abilities on lands, it's a lot to ask in a complex game. Ward in particular is tricky because it's a triggered ability—if you make the mistake and try to target something when you can't pay, it isn't an illegal action that gets reversed; you're just screwed.

Celerity 2GU
Creature — Incarnation (R)
Flash
As long as Celerity is in your graveyard and you control a Forest and an Island, you may cast creature spells as though they had flash.
4/3

IIW: Fish (merfolk)

I was expecting Haste here, not flash. (If anybody does not know, "celerity" was apparently the internal nickname for haste before that keyword existed). This all checks out; back to the OG cycle, but make it multicolored. Needing two lands is a bigger cost obviously but the main purpose of that is to make sure you can't play these in off-color decks, so I think it's fun. Just play Tropical Island.

Winner: Mergatroid_Jones
Next: Hybrid mana

[Cythare]

Ride the Prismatic Bridge {W/U}{U/B}{B/R}{R/G}{G/W}
Enchantment (M)
Artifact cascade, creature cascade, enchantment cascade, instant cascade, sorcery cascade (When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a card of the specified type that costs less. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order. Multiple instances of cascade each trigger separately.)
The first spell you cast each turn has type cascade, where the type is the type of spell you cast.

IIW: Type cascade

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

Experienced Mage

Creature - Human Wizard (U)
Prowess
The first instant or sorcery spell you cast each turn cost {1} less
3/2


Scopolia Bell

Creature - Plant (R)
Deathtouch
All lands you control are 1/1 green Saproling creatures that are still lands.
2/2
[Art resembles that of Kormus Bell but in a lush swamp.]


IIW: Snail

[Megiddo]

Lurrus's Charm 1{W/B}{W/B}
Instant {R}
Choose one —
• Create a 3/2 white and black Cat Nightmare creature token.
• Return target permanent card with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
• You gain 3 life.

IIW: Split cards.

[Ulka]

Amazement 2WU
Creature - Elemental Incarnation
Flash
When Amazement blocks a creature, draw a card.
As long as Amazement is in your graveyard, creatures you control have "When this creature deals combat damage, draw a card."
Evoke
1/1

IIW: Tombstone cards

[chetoos]

Elenda's Confluence
Instant
Choose 3, you can choose the same mode more than once.

• Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. You gain life equal to half that card's mana value, rounded up.
• Create a 1/1 white vampire creature token with lifelink
• Destroy target tapped creature if its toughness is less than the life you gained this turn.

IIW: Battle of the bands.

[Cythare]

Cosmium Dust Bomb 2{G/W}{G/W}
Instant (U)
Choose one—
• Target permanent you control gains hexproof until end of turn. If it's a creature, it also gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
• Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
• Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to you this turn.

IIW: Craft

[Ulka]

Bloodrage Brutalizer {b/r}
Creature - Minotaur Berserker (u)
Haste
Whenever Bloodrage Brutalizer deals damage, you lose 1 life.
2/1

IIW: Aggro 1 drops for a cube setting

[chetoos]

Festival Grand Finale
Art: As many stages as you can fit in frame, each one housing a different band from the set (See notes in provided information). Some band members might be on different stages, at your discretion. The mood should be a powerful finale to the battle of the bands, with each band providing their best show.
Sorcery - Performance
Create a 2/2 blue and red elemental creature token. Creatures you control get +1/+0 and indestructible and haste until end of turn. Until end of turn, whenever you gain life, each opponent loses that much life. Draw 2 cards if you control a creature with power 5 or greater. You gain 1 life for each creature you control.


Plan the show
Art: The blue-red band (See provided notes) sitting around a table. Their costumes are strewn about, and on the table between them are papers that are supposed to be about a performance they are going to put on. The mood should be contemplative, trying to figure out what to do.
Sorcery
If you control a stage, copy this spell as you cast it.
Search your library for a performance card, reveal it, and put it into your hand, then shuffle.


Beauty in the rotten 4
Art: A stage decorated for the Black-Green band (See provided notes), but without any performers. The primary decoration items should be clearly artificial, but evoke lush foliage. These decorations should come together to form the shape of a skull, if possible, on the back wall of the stage. The mood should be of something gross lurking behind the fresh on the surface
Artifact - Stage
Whenever you cast a creature spell, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
, : Reveal the top 4 cards of your library. You may put a creature card from among the revealed cards into your hand. Put the rest into your graveyard.

Edit: I don't want to have reset the timer with this entry. @Mergatroid_Jones should still judge today.

IIW: Battle of the bands.

[Megiddo]

if @Mergatroid_Jones doesn't get to it by eod i'll keep us moving over coffee tomorrow morning.

[Megiddo]

Ride the Prismatic Bridge {W/U}{U/B}{B/R}{R/G}{G/W}
Enchantment (M)
Artifact cascade, creature cascade, enchantment cascade, instant cascade, sorcery cascade (When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a card of the specified type that costs less. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom of your library in a random order. Multiple instances of cascade each trigger separately.)
The first spell you cast each turn has type cascade, where the type is the type of spell you cast.

IIW: Type cascade

The problem with pinch judging is that something I end up with something that truly offends my aesthetic sensibilities. This particular mana cost is up there for me, if we're being honest. Cute spell though, it's like a combo of Maelstrom Nexus and Maelstrom Wanderer. This card probably ends the game on the spot most of the time you cast it, since you're going to get, what 10 mana's worth of value on average out of it (plus further residual value)? I do appreciate the restraint of NOT saying "the first spell of each card type you cast," which would have been way funnier. Omitting Planeswalker is the right choice, as well.

Experienced Mage

Creature - Human Wizard (U)
Prowess
The first instant or sorcery spell you cast each turn cost {1} less
3/2

Scopolia Bell

Creature - Plant (R)
Deathtouch
All lands you control are 1/1 green Saproling creatures that are still lands.
2/2
[Art resembles that of Kormus Bell but in a lush swamp.]

IIW: Snail

Here are some good old fashioned normal hybrid card costs, thank you. I like Experienced Mage! I think you can probably go nuts and just let it discount all instants and sorceries at three mana, even with prowess. Maybe the base stats have to come down a bit, but I do like the once per turn rider on principle. Scopolia is a known effect as well, with Life // Death and such as reference points. Having it be permanent and tied to a creature is interesting, since it leaves your lands as vulnerable for longer. Of note, this means that any future lands you play on later turns will not be able to tap for mana right away. I think that's a major drawback that should be noted in reminder text or addressed with rules text.

Lurrus's Charm 1{W/B}{W/B}
Instant {R}
Choose one —
• Create a 3/2 white and black Cat Nightmare creature token.
• Return target permanent card with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
• You gain 3 life.

IIW: Split cards.

This is kind of fun actually, though three mana seems high. Can it just be two mana?

Amazement 2WU
Creature - Elemental Incarnation
Flash
When Amazement blocks a creature, draw a card.
As long as Amazement is in your graveyard, creatures you control have "When this creature deals combat damage, draw a card."
Evoke
1/1

IIW: Tombstone cards

Hey, a card that hits multiple challenges at once. Fun. Why Evoke? This seems to just want to be cycling, which I think is fine on this kind of card (The three mana cost for it tracks with the ability). I do think that this card is a bit of a break for white though, and this could exist in a mono-white deck. Is evoke just so that there's a brief interaction point for opponents who might have bounce or exile-based removal? I'm not sure if that's compelling enough.

Elenda's Confluence
Instant
Choose 3, you can choose the same mode more than once.

• Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. You gain life equal to half that card's mana value, rounded up.
• Create a 1/1 white vampire creature token with lifelink
• Destroy target tapped creature if its toughness is less than the life you gained this turn.

IIW: Battle of the bands.

This tracks for me as a Cruel Revival kind of card with a floor of making three dudes if there's nothing else to do with it. Powerful and flexible, mega blowout potential in combat or whatever but it does cost 5.

Cosmium Dust Bomb 2{G/W}{G/W}
Instant (U)
Choose one—
• Target permanent you control gains hexproof until end of turn. If it's a creature, it also gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
• Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
• Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to you this turn.

IIW: Craft

Somebody has been following the card spoilers I see. Why does this cost four mana? Maybe I'm missing something but these are all one or maybe two mana effects at most.

Bloodrage Brutalizer {b/r}
Creature - Minotaur Berserker (u)
Haste
Whenever Bloodrage Brutalizer deals damage, you lose 1 life.
2/1

IIW: Aggro 1 drops for a cube setting

Nice. I like this. I don't really have a ton to say honestly.

Festival Grand Finale
Sorcery - Performance
Create a 2/2 blue and red elemental creature token. Creatures you control get +1/+0 and indestructible and haste until end of turn. Until end of turn, whenever you gain life, each opponent loses that much life. Draw 2 cards if you control a creature with power 5 or greater. You gain 1 life for each creature you control.

Plan the show
Sorcery
If you control a stage, copy this spell as you cast it.
Search your library for a performance card, reveal it, and put it into your hand, then shuffle.

Beauty in the rotten 4
Artifact - Stage
Whenever you cast a creature spell, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
, : Reveal the top 4 cards of your library. You may put a creature card from among the revealed cards into your hand. Put the rest into your graveyard.

IIW: Battle of the bands.

Yes, a new mechanic to evaluate. Performances and Stages. I cleared your art descriptions to help me wrap my head around the mechanic, sorry. I did read them. It's definitely for the best that stages aren't *required* to put on performances, though I was hoping for a little more interconnectedness. As far as I can tell, they are artifacts and instants/sorceries that... well, actually the spell you submitted that cares about stages *isn't* a performance. So, I'm not sure. My mind went to something like Learn/Lessons from Strixhaven (probably because of the hybrid challenge, to be honest). I like the flavor space here a lot though, and I'd want to see some more stuff exploring this flavor space.

We actually may get the opportunity for just that... since I like your other card to win this round.

Winner: chetoos
Next: Battle of the bands.

[chetoos]

Yes, a new mechanic to evaluate. Performances and Stages. I cleared your art descriptions to help me wrap my head around the mechanic, sorry. I did read them. It's definitely for the best that stages aren't *required* to put on performances, though I was hoping for a little more interconnectedness. As far as I can tell, they are artifacts and instants/sorceries that... well, actually the spell you submitted that cares about stages *isn't* a performance. So, I'm not sure. My mind went to something like Learn/Lessons from Strixhaven (probably because of the hybrid challenge, to be honest). I like the flavor space here a lot though, and I'd want to see some more stuff exploring this flavor space.

Yeah, it's like learn/lessons, in that it's a subtype that has cards that care about it. The idea behind the tutor is that, if you already have a stage set up, you can plan your shows better. Beyond that, it's just markers for spells that care about them.

Also, should go without saying, but you guys don't need to worry about actually using one or both of my subtypes here. I just wanted a mechanical throughline for my second entry.

[chetoos]

Alternate challenge, since no one has submitted anything for a full day: Babies. Kind of on my mind right now, since my second kid was just born this morning.

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

Congratulations on your 0/1 creature token.

Drake Egg
1{U}
Creature - Drake Egg (C)
Defender
When Drake Egg dies, create a 1/1 blue Drake creature token with flying and evolve.
0/1


Rakdos Rock-Band
3{B}{R}
Creature - Human Bard Performer (U)
Menace
Whenever Rakdos Rock-Band deals combat damage to a player or planeswalker, it deals 1 damage to any target, you draw a card and you lose 1 life.
Encore 4{B}{R}, Pay 4 life
4/3
Igneous mostly, but also sedimentary and metamorphic.


IIW: Snail

[Ulka]

Rockdos: Infant's First Guild Fest {b/r}{b/r}
Legendary Enchantment
At the beginning of each upkeep or whenever a creature with power 1 or less enter the battlefield, put a music counter on Rockdos: Infant's First Guild Fest.
At the beginning of combat on your turn, target creature you control with power 1 or less gains haste and gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of Music counters on Rockdos: Infant's First Guild Fest.
"Due to the fact Infants never sleep through the night, the show was bound to keep on playing through the night.'"

IIW: Tombstone cards

[void_nothing]

Contentious Skalds 2RW
Creature - Dwarf Bard (R)
Haste, protection from Bards
When Contentious Skalds enters the battlefield, if it's not a token, target opponent creates a token that's a copy of it.
Whenever Contentious Skalds attacks, each player who controls a permanent named Contentious Skalds draws a card and creates a Treasure token. If it attacked a permanent or player that another creature named Contentious Skalds attacked since your last turn, each of those players draws two cards and creates two Treasure tokens instead.
2/2

IIW: Multiplayer-focused rares and mythics.

[chetoos]

judging tomorrow

[chetoos]

You know, I was kind of expecting more entries here. Oh well. Let's get to judging, and hope that those bands don't wake up the babies.

Congratulations on your 0/1 creature token.

Drake Egg
1{U}
Creature - Drake Egg (C)
Defender
When Drake Egg dies, create a 1/1 blue Drake creature token with flying and evolve.
0/1


Rakdos Rock-Band
3{B}{R}
Creature - Human Bard Performer (U)
Menace
Whenever Rakdos Rock-Band deals combat damage to a player or planeswalker, it deals 1 damage to any target, you draw a card and you lose 1 life.
Encore 4{B}{R}, Pay 4 life
4/3
Igneous mostly, but also sedimentary and metamorphic.


IIW: Snail

The first card here is a pretty basic "baby" card, honestly. I also like that the card hatched from the egg starts out as a baby, and grows. Honestly, you probably could have just had "1/1 flying, evolve" as your entry, but this works very well.
The second one is nice, and I like the use of the encore keyword here. Pretty good attack trigger, combat keyword is always nice, and the flavor text is a good pun.

Rockdos: Infant's First Guild Fest {b/r}{b/r}
Legendary Enchantment
At the beginning of each upkeep or whenever a creature with power 1 or less enter the battlefield, put a music counter on Rockdos: Infant's First Guild Fest.
At the beginning of combat on your turn, target creature you control with power 1 or less gains haste and gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of Music counters on Rockdos: Infant's First Guild Fest.
"Due to the fact Infants never sleep through the night, the show was bound to keep on playing through the night.'"

IIW: Tombstone cards

Combining both prompts for a cheeky double entry? I like it. I feel like it should be either one of the triggers to put a music counter on here, not both, but I like the package as a whole.

Contentious Skalds 2RW
Creature - Dwarf Bard (R)
Haste, protection from Bards
When Contentious Skalds enters the battlefield, if it's not a token, target opponent creates a token that's a copy of it.
Whenever Contentious Skalds attacks, each player who controls a permanent named Contentious Skalds draws a card and creates a Treasure token. If it attacked a permanent or player that another creature named Contentious Skalds attacked since your last turn, each of those players draws two cards and creates two Treasure tokens instead.
2/2

IIW: Multiplayer-focused rares and mythics.

I do also like that they can fight against each other, but if they team up, they get better rewards.

Winner: @void_nothing. I don't really have a good reason, I'm bad at judging these, and all 3 cards were sweet.
Next: Multiplayer focused rares and mythics.

[chetoos]

Ghoul Swarm 2BB
Creature - Zombie Mutant (Or whatever type fallout ghouls end up being)
Myriad, menace
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player gets that many rad counters.
Whenever a creature dealt damage by Ghoul Swarm this turn dies, its controller gets a rad counter.
3/3

IIW: Universes Beyond: Avatar: the last airbender

[void_nothing]

Hoping for a few more entries, judging tomorrow no matter what.

[Ulka]

Gnawing Swarm 1B
Creature - Rat Horror (R)
Reveal Gnawing Swarm as you draft it and note how many cards you've drafted this draft round, including Gnawing Swarm.
Gnawing Swarm gains all abilities of an equal to or lower number then the highest number you noted for cards named Gnawing Swarm.
1—5 | Whenever Gnawing Swarm attacks, defending player discards a card.
6—10 | Gnawing Swarm has Myriad.
11-14 | Gnawing Swarm has Menace and Haste.
15 | Gnawing Swarm gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each card discarded this turn.
2/2


IIW: Multiplayer Draft matters cards