May MCC, Round 3: Animus and Animation

[void_nothing]

Banner based on Tarnished Citadel by David Martin and Wizards of the Coast. Thanks to bravelion83 for the "Core Set Style" MCC Logo

May MCC, Round 3 - Animus and Animation

Welcome to the May MCC! It's Land Month here at the MCC. Lands are critical to how Magic is played, and this month will mechanically be all about them.

Main Challenge: Design a land card with an ability that turns itself into a creature.
Subchallenge 1: Your card has mana symbols of two or more colors in its text.
Subchallenge 2: Your card has two or more creature types when it is a creature.

DEADLINES

Design deadline: Saturday, May 30th 23:59 EDT

Judging deadline: Tuesday, June 2nd 23:59 EDT

Clarifications

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Main Challenge: If your card has two or more abilities that each turn it into a creature, that's fine - you just must have at least one.

Turning into a creature can mean Nantuko Monastery-style adding temporarily to its own card types or Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince-style DFC/transform. These are both valid.

Subchallenge 1: One kind hybrid mana symbol is not mana symbols, plural, of two different colors. You need two different bicolor hybrid symbols to fulfill this subchallenge if you go this route.

MCC Rubric

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Design
(X/3) Appeal - Do the different player psychographics (Timmy/Johhny/Spike) have a use for the card?
(X/3) Elegance - Is the card easily understandable at a glance? Do all the flavor and mechanics combined as a whole make sense?

Development
(X/3) Viability - 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?
(X/3) Balance - 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?

Creativity
(X/3) Uniqueness - 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"?
(X/3) Flavor - 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?

Polish
(X/3) Quality - Points deducted for incorrect spelling, grammar, and templating.
(X/2) Main Challenge (*) - Was the main challenge satisfied? Was it approached in a unique or interesting way? Does the card fit the intent of the challenge?
(X/2) Subchallenges - One point awarded per satisfied subchallenge condition.

Total: X/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.

Judges:
void_nothing
bravelion83
Ryder

Players:
@Rithaniel
@Flatline
@netn10
@Sojourner Dusk
@haywire
@Subject16

[Sojourner Dusk]

Velis Vel Vale
Legendary Land (M)
Changeling (This card is every creature type.)
Velis Vel Vale enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add one mana of any type.
: Velis Vel Vale becomes an X/X Shapeshifter creature until end of turn, where X is twice the number of types of mana spent to pay this activation cost. It's still a land.

[netn10]

Zagoth Huntgrounds
Land (Rare)
Zagoth Huntgrounds enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add B, G or U.
2BGU: Zagoth Huntgrounds becomes a 5/5 Nightmare Beast creature with trample and "Whenever Zagoth Huntgrounds deals combat damage to a player, return target permanent to its owner's hand, then that player discards a card.

[Flatline]

Cavern of the Lost
Land (R)
Imprint — When Cavern of the Lost enters the battlefield, you may exile target creature card from a graveyard.
t: Add C.
1UB: Cavern of the Lost becomes a copy of the imprinted creature until end of turn, except it's land in addition to its other types.

[Subject16]

Everplume Aerie
Land — Mountain Plains (Rare)
(T: Add R or W.)
Everplume Aerie enters the battlefield tapped.
2RW: Untap Everplume Aerie. Until end of turn, it becomes a 3/3 red and white Elemental Phoenix creature with flying and "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control." It's still a land.
The mountain slumbers, but it never rests.

[Rithaniel]

Icy Bastille
Land R
Icy Bastille enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add or .
: Until end of turn, Icy Bastille becomes a 3/3 red Human Warrior creature and can't be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less this turn. It's still a land.
When the lawkeepers abandon themselves to rage, the world burns.

[void_nothing]

A bit more than 24 hours remain. Everyone you have that long to revise your entries of course; @haywire I'm just checking in.

[haywire]

Wispwillow Glade
Land (R)
Wispwillow Glade enters the battlefield tapped. As it does, choose a creature an opponent controls.
If the chosen creature would die, exile it instead.
: Add . If a creature died or was put into exile from the battlefield this turn, add , , or instead.
: Wispwillow Glade becomes a copy of a creature card exiled with it until end of turn, except it's an Illusion in addition to its other types and it has "When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it."
Those who follow the faerie lights never return. Those who go searching for the lost suffer a far worse fate.

[void_nothing]

The round is closed. This is the versus round. Contestants have been paired at random, and the contestant from each pair with the higher total score will advance to the final round.

void_nothing:
netn10 vs. Rithaniel
Sojourner Dusk vs. haywire

bravelion83:
Sojourner Dusk vs. haywire
Flatline vs. Subject16

Ryder:
Flatline vs. Subject16
netn10 vs. Rithaniel

[Ryder]

Done

Flatline

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Cavern of the Lost
Land (R)
Imprint — When Cavern of the Lost enters the battlefield, you may exile target creature card from a graveyard.
t: Add C.
1UB: Cavern of the Lost becomes a copy of the imprinted creature until end of turn, except it's land in addition to its other types.

Design
Appeal 2/3 - Johnny would love to reanimate something with a land. Spike sees potentially the most powerful manland that ever existed. Timmy doesn't like the fact it doesn't tap for colored mana.
Elegance 3/3 - That's well grokkable.

Development
Viability 3/3 - UB is the right color combo for the effect. Rare is fine, could also be Mythic.
Balance 1/3 - This is an uncounterable (except for ability counters) reanimation effect on a land. ETBs untapped, producing C hardly offsets its power. It should cost at least 5 to activate and either ETBT or be Legendary. Otherwise, it's simply way too good.

Creativity
Uniqueness 3/3 - Very fresh.
Flavor 2.5/3 - Overall pleasing enough, but I wish it imprinted upon a creature's death.

Polish
Quality 2.5/3 - Modern templating for the last phrase is "It's still a land."
Main Challenge 2/2 - Met.
Subchallenges 1.5/2 - UB is there, but it only can have two creature types.

TOTAL 20.5/25

Subject16

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Everplume Aerie
Land — Mountain Plains (Rare)
(T: Add R or W.)
Everplume Aerie enters the battlefield tapped.
2RW: Untap Everplume Aerie. Until end of turn, it becomes a 3/3 red and white Elemental Phoenix creature with flying and "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control." It's still a land.
The mountain slumbers, but it never rests.

Design
Appeal 2/3 - Timmy might like the safety; mildly interesting for Johnny due to sheer volume of possible interactions; Spike does love a fetchable strong manland.
Elegance 1/3 - Quite cluttered with it having basic land types and a complicated animation ability. Untapping itself feels off, you shouldn't be able to pay the animation cost with itself. Elemental subtype is wrong, Phoenix is already a specific kind of Elemental Bird.

Development
Viability 2.5/3 - Definitely Rare, but the Phoenix form doesn't have enough Red in it except for the type. That revival ability is {w/b}
Balance 2/3 - This is much stronger than WWK dual manlands, which were perfectly balanced. Almost strictly better than Stirring Wildwood judging from multiple angles.

Creativity
Uniqueness 1/3 - Animated dual with basic subtypes. And it revives itself.
Flavor 1.5/3 - From the name I would expect the land to produce Phoenix tokens, not turn into one itself. Flavor text is uninspired, the card would be better off without it, especially since the animation ability is wordy.

Polish
Quality 3/3 - No problems here.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Met.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Both met.

TOTAL 17/25

netn10

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Zagoth Huntgrounds
Land (Rare)
Zagoth Huntgrounds enters the battlefield tapped.
T: Add B, G or U.
2BGU: Zagoth Huntgrounds becomes a 5/5 Nightmare Beast creature with trample and "Whenever Zagoth Huntgrounds deals combat damage to a player, return target permanent to its owner's hand, then that player discards a card.

Design
Appeal 3/3 - That's a big gun for Tammy; Jenny could work with the bounce; Spike sees a triland with a potent animation ability.
Elegance 2/3 - Multipart abilities aren't the easiest to grok.

Development
Viability 3/3 - Can't argue with anything here.
Balance 1/3 - But here I do. This is a) a tri-manland b) a stupidly big manland: Raging Ravine and Celestial Colonnade look silly compared to this and c) it generates BOTH tempo and card advantage on hit, which in practice is "on attack" as 5/5 trample is very hard to block completely. The only thing that moderately saves it is the 3-color activation cost.

Creativity
Uniqueness 1/3 - Just a package of in-color "goodstuff".
Flavor 2/3 - Doesn't feel off in any way, but nothing amazing either.

Polish
Quality 2/3 - Missing "It's still a land" clause at the end. When animated, the creature is missing colors.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Met.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Both met.

TOTAL 18/25

Rithaniel

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Icy Bastille
Land R
Icy Bastille enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add or .
: Until end of turn, Icy Bastille becomes a 3/3 red Human Warrior creature and can't be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less this turn. It's still a land.
When the lawkeepers abandon themselves to rage, the world burns.

Design
Appeal 1/3 - 3/3 is too small for Timmy, a bit too simple for Johnny, Spike likes it - it's a dual manland.
Elegance 3/3 - No problems here.

Development
Viability 2/3 - Rare is good, but "Daunt" is Green-only.
Balance 2/3 - Surprisingly, this is actually underpowered. It taps for 2 colors, but requires a third one to animate. Which means the animated land should be slightly stronger than Worldwake manlands. Celestial Colonnade is much better.

Creativity
Uniqueness 2.5/3 - While not ground-breaking, I very much enjoy the use of the third color here.
Flavor 3/3 - The story is there. I can feel the card. Good job

Polish
Quality 2.5/3 - You have until end of turn ... this turn. That's superfluous. The animation ability should read: "Until end of turn, Icy Bastille becomes a 3/3 red Human Warrior creature that can't be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less. It's still a land."
Main Challenge 2/2 - Met.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Both met.

TOTAL 20/25

Results

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Flatline (20.5) vs Subject16 (17)
netn10 (18) vs Rithaniel (20)

[bravelion83]

D'OH! I totally missed this. Real life things, just don't worry. But don't expect this today either, and probably also not tomorrow. I'm sorry, but again real life calls.

Judgments complete. No time for rereading now, so I apologize for any typos that might be there.

Sojourner Dusk

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Velis Vel Vale
Legendary Land (M)
Changeling (This card is every creature type.)
Velis Vel Vale enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add one mana of any type.
: Velis Vel Vale becomes an X/X Shapeshifter creature until end of turn, where X is twice the number of types of mana spent to pay this activation cost. It's still a land.

Design
Appeal 2.5/3 - Timmy already pictures this as a 12/12. Johnny might be able to do something with this, but I honestly can't see it. After all, I'm not a Johnny. I'm a Timmy/Spike. Speaking of Spike, she likes this, she only dislikes that this enters tapped but it's just needed obviously.
Elegance 3/3 - Everything on this card just feels right for anybody who knows Lorwyn as well as I do. It's among my favorite planes in MTG, and the absence of humans is a big part of it. I see humans every day in real life, I don't need to see even more of them in MTG. The other big reason is its more lighthearted tone. Not every plane in MTG must be dark. In fact, I don't like Shadowmoor. Lorwyn specifically.
Development
Viability 2.5/3 - If you solve the issues I raise in Quality, this is printable as is. I can see this at mythic.
Balance 2.5/3 - Any deck can play this, in all formats. I'm not sure I like that. We saw what colorless can do with Karn and Ugin's cards, here you even go around the opportunity cost by playing it as a land. Thankfully there is the legendary drawback. But even a single 12/12 is enough. As I said, this should be playable as is in most formats, maybe even older ones. I'm just not sure that's good.
Creativity
Uniqueness 3/3 - "Add one mana of any type." is new, as the definition of X. Hard to do better.
Flavor 3/3 - The alliteration in the name is very good. Technically up to two lines of flavor text could have fit, but the card looks much better in the frame without it, and the overall flavor is perfect. The Changelings' lair animating as a Shapeshifter, like its inhabitants, just feels right.
Polish
Quality 2/3 - The only precedent for "Add one mana of any type" is Reflecting Pool and similar card, never by itself. I understand you wanted to shorten the text using that template, but there is no real precedent. I think it needs to be two separate abilities: "T: Add C. / T: Add one mana of any color." (-0.5 for non-standard templating) Same goes for "number of types of mana". I understand you wanted to include colorless in a sunburst/converge-style ability, but it's again non-standard templating (-0.5).
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 1/2 - I usually write "both" there... Subchallenge 1 not met. For subchallenge 2, changeling makes this card have not just one or two, but every creature type at all times, even when not animated, and even more so when animated. Every creature type is way more than two, so I'm giving that point back to you. My bad. I missed this.
TOTAL 21.5/25

haywire

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Wispwillow Glade
Land (R)
Wispwillow Glade enters the battlefield tapped. As it does, choose a creature an opponent controls.
If the chosen creature would die, exile it instead.
: Add . If a creature died or was put into exile from the battlefield this turn, add , , or instead.
: Wispwillow Glade becomes a copy of a creature card exiled with it until end of turn, except it's an Illusion in addition to its other types and it has "When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it."
Those who follow the faerie lights never return. Those who go searching for the lost suffer a far worse fate.

Design
Appeal 2/3 - Timmy likes the animation. Johnny can probably do something like an infinite mana engine with the mana ability. Spike really doesn't like that she has no control over which creature is exiled.
Elegance 0/3 - My first reaction was "Wow, what a wall of text! Do I really have to read all of this?" I have to because I'm a judge. No player will ever do, they will just move on to the next card. I wish I could do that too. I can't believe that all this text fits in the frame... *checks* Eleven lines with four breaks. Way beyond the limits of microtext. Very hard to read in the frame. No way this could be printed as is.
Development
Viability 1/3 - The animation ability is clearly monoblue. No white or black there. Also, creatures dying giving you blue mana just feels out of color. I can't remember any precedent in modern MTG. Don't quote me potential examples from before the color pie was even a thing. Early MTG is full of walls of text and color pie breaks. Rarity is right, and this is the only reason why this isn't a full zero. Microtext also counts here.
Balance 1/3 - So hard to animate, and then you risk to have to sacrifice it on top of that? I understand how the card works and what it's trying to do, but I just can't see it played in limited. Maybe in constructed you can build some deck around it. But I'm talking about competitive constructed only. Casual players will totally be turned down by the wall of text. All of this doesn't change in multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 1.5/3 - A very complicated way to have this land copy a creature by exiling it when it dies. The idea doesn't feel very original to me, even if I can't remember any real precedent. I feel like it has to exist though, probably in early MTG.
Flavor 1.5/3 - No problems with the name but the flavor text just doesn't fit, no way, so it doesn't matter whether it's good (it is). The flavor text is unprintable, not because it's bad but because it's microtext due to the text length of the card.
Polish
Quality 3/3 - All good.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 1.5/2 - Subchallenge 1 met. For subchallenge 2 if the exiled creature is a "Creature — Illusion", when animated this will only have one creature type. In all other cases adding a creature type will make sure the animated land will have two or more creature types, but only then. Ok, it's by far the most common case between the two, but it's not impossible for this to be animated with a single creature type. That's the reason for the 0.5 in subchallenge 2. It often the case, but not always.
TOTAL 13.5/25

Flatline

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Cavern of the Lost
Land (R)
Imprint — When Cavern of the Lost enters the battlefield, you may exile target creature card from a graveyard.
t: Add C.
1UB: Cavern of the Lost becomes a copy of the imprinted creature until end of turn, except it's land in addition to its other types.

Design
Appeal 2/3 - I can't see Timmy caring too much. Johnny could maybe do something with this. Spike is the one who likes this card the most.
Elegance 3/3 - No problems here.
Development
Viability 2/3 - I think the animation ability is more Simic than Dimir, but not a big problem. Rarity is right. Keeping the land type might give rules problem like Dryad Arbor.
Balance 3/3 - Having a colored mana cost for the animation ability is good, it prevents the "any deck can play this" problem. I see this card as more playable in constructed than in limited. I can easily see it getting Standard play. Not sure about older formats. No problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 1.5/3 - Too reminiscent of other imprint cards such as Mimic Vat, Panoptic Mirror, Prototype Portal, Soul Foundry. Still, a land with imprint is new.
Flavor 3/3 - While technically one line of flavor text could fit, the card looks indeed much better without it. The name is very good, as is the overall flavor and mostly the card concept.
Polish
Quality 2.5/3 - In "except it's land" the article "a" is missing (-0.5).
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 1.5/2 - Subchallenge 1 is met. For subchallenge 2, it's possible for the animated creature to have a single creature type, but it's also possible for it to have two or more creature types, so I'll give you a 0.5 there.
TOTAL 20.5/25

Subject16

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Everplume Aerie
Land — Mountain Plains (Rare)
(T: Add R or W.)
Everplume Aerie enters the battlefield tapped.
2RW: Untap Everplume Aerie. Until end of turn, it becomes a 3/3 red and white Elemental Phoenix creature with flying and "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control." It's still a land.
The mountain slumbers, but it never rests.

Design
Appeal 2.5/3 - Timmy likes this, having some kind of insurance when animated is very nice to both him and Spike. Maybe Johnny could do something with this, but I can't see what. After all, as I've already said, I'm not a Johnny.
Elegance 3/3 - I see no big problems here.
Development
Viability 2.5/3 - I also see no big problems here. Just a little remark, the animation ability feels much more red than white to me. Rarity is right.
Balance 2.5/3 - This turning into a rather efficient creature that can reanimate itself is in-flavor but worries me a little from a mechanical point of view. Very playable in most formats, especially because being a land there is no opportunity cost to play this. I'm glad for the colored mana restricting what decks can play this. Making a Boros land is also a little playing to the judge, but that's fine. No problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 1/3 - The land types are clearly reminiscent of shocklands, old dual lands, and other lands in recent sets. This also works a bit too similarly to the Worldwake creature lands.
Flavor 2/3 - The only problem I see is that the flavor text is a bit too bland. All the rest is good.
Polish
Quality 3/3 - All good.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Both met.
TOTAL 20.5/25

Results (TBD)

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Sojourner Dusk: 21.5
haywire: 13.5

Flatline: 20.5
Subject16: 20.5
The tie should be broken by the other judge.

[void_nothing]

netn10

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Design
(2/3) Appeal - Txmmy and Spike both love a manland that can produce multiple colors (three in this case!) and then turn into a very strong creature.
(2.5/3) Elegance - Mostly alright, but the resultant creature has a slightly long-winded triggered ability; usually manlands prize conciseness in their creature forms.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Definitely a BGU creature form (combination-platter multicolor even); would have to be rare.
(1.5/3) Balance - Almost absurdly strong: not only is this an unprecedented tri-manland, but the creature form has a triggered ability that can be devastating in addition to the good stats and trample.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - It's a Triome, trading cycling and land types for an animation ability. The resultant creature is somewhat unique, especially for having a saboteur ability.
(2.5/3) Flavor - Something's off - easy to imagine a cycle with names in this card's exact vein, but Nightmare Beast feels off as the types because Nightmares are a signature type of Indatha. I'm almost certain this'd be a plain Beast if not for the subchallenge.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - Looks fine.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges - And done.

Total: 20/25

Rithaniel

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Design
(1/3) Appeal - Primarily a Spike card: The resultant creature isn't really a Txmmy thing and Jxnny doesn't see a lot of appeal.
(3/3) Elegance - No problems here.

Development
(2/3) Viability - "Can't be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less" is a green ability, not a red one. Of 15 cards with that ability, 11 are monogreen, 3 are colorless artifacts, and one is RG multicolor.
(3/3) Balance - This looks fine to me.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - The resultant creature is not all that unique but off-color manlands are new.
(3/3) Flavor - All checks out. I had to look up that "Bastille" can be a common noun and not just a proper noun for a specific fortress in France that was stormed on July 14. Turns out, it's an archaic word for castle keep! Just like how "Kremlin" means any Russian fortified complex within a larger city and not just the big one in Moscow where Putin lives. The more you know!

Polish
(3/3) Quality - I think this is okay.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(2/2) Subchallenges - And done.

Total: 20.5/25

Sojourner Dusk

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Design
(3/3) Appeal - All-rounder. Txmmy and Spike want that 12/12 and Jxnny wants to find the easiest way to get it.
(1.5/3) Elegance - Bit of a wordy card, not to mention the confusion over whether changeling makes this card every creature type while it's not a creature (no tribal there in the typeline, so naturally not, but it's not intuitive).

Development
(3/3) Viability - All looks good - this is a mythic for sure.
(2.5/3) Balance - The mana ability is strong on its own and if you can somehow pump out CWUBRG you have the biggest manland ever, but legendary and ETBTapped are both relatively significant drawbacks.

Creativity
(2.5/3) Uniqueness - A lot of neat stuff about this card.
(3/3) Flavor - Love it - perfectly on-brand for Velis Vel.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - Done.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - And done.
(1/2) Subchallenges - Changeling makes this definitely multiple creature types; but there are no colored mana symbols here.

Total: 21.5/25

haywire

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Design
(2/3) Appeal - Something in there for both Jxnny and Spike but it's far too fiddly and convoluted for Txmmy.
(0.5/3) Elegance - Good lord but is this card a mess. No one element is that inelegant but there's so, so much going on here that you'd have microtext and a struggle to remember what this card does. At least you have a vague exile theme.

Development
(2/3) Viability - I really don't see what white has to do with this. Maybe the death-to-exile replacement? But that can be black too... sheesh, it feels like this card wanted to be just a UB land so badly.
(2/3) Balance - Hard to evaluate, but I feel like the flexibility of this card combined with just how damn much it does makes it too strong.

Creativity
(3/3) Uniqueness - Definitely a one-of-a-kind idea.
(2.5/3) Flavor - I mostly get the flavor here, no big issues with this aspect. It's just muddied by how busy the card is.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - Seems fine.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Done.
(1/2) Subchallenges - Adding the Illusion type doesn't always make something two creature types; what if it's an Illusion itself, or a Nameless Race?

Total: 18/25

[void_nothing]

And the finalists are Rithaniel, Flatline, and Sojourner Dusk!