NEXUS FLAMINGO ☆ Exclusively For Custom Card Connoisseurs and Gnomes

[vishamon]

do cards that become vanilla count?

I would say no. There must be no text on the card other than reminder text or flavor text.

I wouldn't consider Dryad Arbor vanilla 🤔

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

do cards that become vanilla count?

I would say no. There must be no text on the card other than reminder text or flavor text.

I wouldn't consider Dryad Arbor vanilla 🤔

I literally typed out a whole paragraph in that post about how Dryad Arbor isn't vanilla because it has a mana ability, but then deleted it. Now you bring it up

It's a unique corner case because the mana ability on basic lands is not usually written out.

Indeed it is not. And neither is Transguild Courier.

[chetoos]

Biomancy Subject 2UU
Creature - Fish Lesson
When learning about different forms of magic, it's best to get a hands on example sometimes.
3/3

IIW: Interesting takes on Sagas.

[Megiddo]

Quixotic Nemesis 2C
Creature — Eldrazi {R}

4/-

IIW: Mindfulness

[avatarz]

Pale Crescent 1W
Creature — Spirit Arcane (C)
When the moon is hollow, they bring gifts from an unknown world — gifts of peace and gifts of destruction.
2/2

IIW: The rift is open

[Cythare]

Bontu's Harbinger 2BB
Enchantment Creature — Cartouche Horror (U)
9/1

IIW: A riding crop or a saddle

[NinjaCaterpie]

Living Blade 3
Artifact Creature - Equipment Construct
(Living Blade can't be attached to another creature)
3/2

IIW: French vanilla creatures

[wonderful]

Brightwood Treefolk GW
Creature - Treefolk (U)
The Treefolk of Brightwood are always alert - watching their groves and protecting the Kithkin who dwell there.
2/4

iiw: a current day Koth or phyrexian-reborn Venser

[void_nothing]

Brightwood Treefolk GW
Creature - Treefolk (U)
The Treefolk of Brightwood are always alert - watching their groves and protecting the Kithkin who dwell there.
2/4

iiw: a current day Koth or phyrexian-reborn Venser

always

[void_nothing]

Broken-Husk Qlippoth {W/B}
Creature - Demon Orb (U)
It should come as no surprise that the genesis of the qlippoth leaves many of them less than whole.
-7/7

IIW: Lore counters used outside of Sagas

[Pygyzy]

Archimedes, the Really Huge Bear 1g
Legendary Creature - Bear Scientist (U)
"Who's irrational now?"
-Noreen the Unaware
Pi/Pi

IIW: Modern Gothic Horror that feels distinct from Innistrad

[Togs]

Big Wall 5
Artifact Creature - Wall (U)
0/100000

IIW: Brushwaggs

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

24 hours have passed, but I really need to go to bed now. Judging in 8 hours, good night!

[void_nothing]

Wanderpost
Land Creature - Locus Eye (C)
Now they watch from everywhere.
1/2

IIW: Black rare creatures with high toughness

[void_nothing]

Tidal Kaijin 3神神
Creature - Spirit (C)
(神 can be paid with U or by having an opponent create a 1/1 colorless Spirit creature token.)
Before every great wave there are many smaller ones.
5/4

IIW: Abilities that work on the stack

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

Well. this was a great turnout.

Without abilities, designers had to rely heavily on base stats and flavor to make their submissions stand out, and in this you've all succeeded.

As a result, this round is going a lot more subjective than my previous judgements, but hey, Nexus Flamingo.

Snarlfang, hulking Behemoth 4GGGG
Legendary Creature - Beast
14/14

IIW: Mystic Sanctuary or Dwarven Mine like Variant

I'm always a fan of the big green vanilla fatty, and this is the logical conclusion of that.

My own preference would be to flavor this as a baloth!

Hybrid Devourer
Creature - Phyrexian Eldrazi (C)
5/1

IIW: hehe xD

A 5/1 for and 2 life seems actually fine ad printable, but I feel a Phyrexian Eldrazi should be much weirder. Maybe better off as a plain Phyrexian?

Force of Barbarism RG
Creature — Elemental (U)
"Life cannot be domesticated. It must be left to grow free so that its true power might bear fruit."
—Garruk Wildspeaker
6/0

Memknight 0
Artifact Creature — Construct Knight (U)
Remnants of Memnarch's reign still ride across New Phyrexia, reminiscent of his resolve if not his form.
2/1

IIW: Barnyard tribal

I think the flavor text is a little off for Force of Barbarism. You have Garruk exclaiming about freedom and being wild, but this thing dies unless you take care of it. Maybe a quote from a red planeswalker would have been better?

The Memknight concerns me with its power (hah!). I mean, we are no longer in an era where Jackal Pup is too good, but giving every color a Savannah Lions?

bleedsky horror
creature - cephalid shark crab
"attempts to resummon the inkstone's keepers resulted in horrific, mangled abominations."
5/-1

edit: I got sniped.

No IIW technically means disqualification, but I won't have any of that.

Here's that unique negative toughness, and together with the flavor text they emphasize that this is something that should not be alive.

Urza's Re-Replicator

Artifact Creature -- Assembly-Worker

The brilliance of Urza's design was the temporal aspect. The Re-Replicator could only be assembled into the past - providing the materials in the factory that would later be used to create itself.

3/3

IIW: Unusual type lines. (IE: Enchantment Land. Instant - Arcane Trap, etc.)

Now this one is impressive.

If you had just submitted a 3/3 with no mana cost, I would have skimmed over it. But the addition of that flavor text is what sells it. It's typical classic MtG gobbledygook that is absolute nonsense but makes you nod your head and pretend it makes sense.

Excellent use of flavor.

Feisty Crawsnapper 1R
Creature - Crab (U)
Crawsnappers that can't find a suitable shell for their home are quick to anger and first to throw claws.
3/1
////
Crawsnapper Hermit 3U
Creature - Crab (U)
Content to while a way its days in the safety of its abode, it patiently awaits it next victim.
2/5

IIW: SHARK

I'm a fan of both biology and DFCs, so I like this a lot. Presumably this is the same hermit crab before and after it finds a shell.

Biomancy Subject 2UU
Creature - Fish Lesson
When learning about different forms of magic, it's best to get a hands on example sometimes.
3/3

IIW: Interesting takes on Sagas.

Again, I love me some biology, and the flavor is nice, but the typing really doesn't work within the rules as they are now. You really need a new card type, like tribal, to allow Lesson and Fish to be on the same type-line.

Quixotic Nemesis 2C
Creature — Eldrazi {R}

4/-

IIW: Mindfulness

Now this is though-provoking. I see no toughness, just a minus/negative sign. Does this mean that, no matter what, this thing will always have negative toughness and can't actually exist on the battlefield?

That in itself is an incredible story, and fits with being an otherworldly entity from the Blind Eternities, which are described as being the "nothing" between planes and thus are literally the lack of reality. This thing can't exist in our conventional reality.

Impressive what you can do with a single symbol. In a way, it's a counterpart to vishamon's entry above.

Pale Crescent 1W
Creature — Spirit Arcane (C)
When the moon is hollow, they bring gifts from an unknown world — gifts of peace and gifts of destruction.
2/2

IIW: The rift is open

Not much to say here, same issue with the Biomancy Lesson above, also flavor is a little redundant because Arcane is already the magic of the kami.

Bontu's Harbinger 2BB
Enchantment Creature — Cartouche Horror (U)
9/1

IIW: A riding crop or a saddle

It's remarkable that this is one of the more plausible creatures so far, presumably made from the cartouches of the fallen. I think I'd like to see it more in red, though.

Living Blade 3
Artifact Creature - Equipment Construct
(Living Blade can't be attached to another creature)
3/2

IIW: French vanilla creatures

Interesting! Benefits from many equipment-matters support.

Brightwood Treefolk GW
Creature - Treefolk (U)
The Treefolk of Brightwood are always alert - watching their groves and protecting the Kithkin who dwell there.
2/4

iiw: a current day Koth or phyrexian-reborn Venser

This is a Mel card, a designer's gimmick! Watchwolf exists, and so does Grizzled Leotau, each with a combined p/t of 6.

Both seem to justify this card, which slots right in the middle.

Broken-Husk Qlippoth {W/B}
Creature - Demon Orb (U)
It should come as no surprise that the genesis of the qlippoth leaves many of them less than whole.
-7/7

IIW: Lore counters used outside of Sagas

Qlippoth is basically the go-to for quasi-demonic eldritch horror now, huh, and this is a good attempt of an MtG version, presumably on a plane where these run rampant.

I do appreciate the flavor justification for the bizarre stats

Archimedes, the Really Huge Bear 1g
Legendary Creature - Bear Scientist (U)
"Who's irrational now?"
-Noreen the Unaware
Pi/Pi

IIW: Modern Gothic Horror that feels distinct from Innistrad

Hah! I was going to post a creature with Pi power (a Fractal, maybe?) in my own thread, but was still trying to figure how to put a Pi symbol.

Big Wall 5
Artifact Creature - Wall (U)
0/100000

IIW: Brushwaggs

Honestly? This is something I would have submitted for this prompt. Also?

*laughs in Doran, the Siege Tower*

Wanderpost
Land Creature - Locus Eye (C)
Now they watch from everywhere.
1/2

IIW: Black rare creatures with high toughness

This is you being cute on the Dryad Arbor thing, huh?

A smart design, since the Locus subtype still allows it to contribute mana indirectly, basically acting as 4 more copies of the posts.

Clever reference to the Post's unsettling art, too.

Tidal Kaijin 3神神
Creature - Spirit (C)
(神 can be paid with U or by having an opponent create a 1/1 colorless Spirit creature token.)
Before every great wave there are many smaller ones.
5/4

IIW: Abilities that work on the stack

Hmm, interesting design space, and a unique submission, but would it justify a new mana symbol?


All your submissions were great, but I feel the two that stood out the most were vishamon and Meggido.

Vishamon made me think more, but Megiddo conveyed so much with a single symbol.

I'm gonna give the win to vishamon, because their entry was unique, while there were a couple of other entries that had negative p/t.

Winner: vishamon
HM: Megiddo


Next prompt: Unusual type lines. (IE: Enchantment Land. Instant - Arcane Trap, etc.)
For some of you, there will be a strange sense of deja vu.

[Megiddo]

good round + good judging

[stille_nacht]

Sudden Blossom
Land - Arcane

You may play Sudden Blossom as at instant speed. Play Sudden Blossom only during your opponent's turn.
t: Add G to your mana pool

Splice onto Arcane 1RG When you splice Sudden Blossom, put a copy of Sudden Blossom onto the battlefield.

Wherever they bloom, the Hana Kami always inspire surprise.

IIW: Fantasy Post-Apocalypse

[Cythare]

Bristling Beeble
⬤ Enchantment Land Creature — Beeble Island (R)
(T: Add U to your mana pool.)
Bristling Beeble can't be blocked.
Mindcraft — Bristling Beeble can't attack or block unless you control three or more enchantments.
3/3

IIW: Barnyard Tribal

[NinjaCaterpie]

Clue, Strange Hound of Urza
Legendary Artifact Creature Land - Urza's Weird Dog Clue (M)
T: Add C. Activate this ability only if you control another Urza's land.
2, Sacrifice Clue: Draw a card.
2/2

IIW: French vanilla creatures

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

Nicol Bolas, Enfeebled Post-Mending
4ubr
Tribal Planeswalker - Elder Dragon Bolas (M)
+2: Until your next turn, Nicol Bolas becomes a 7/7 creature with flying, haste, and "If damage would be dealt to Nicol Bolas, he deals that much damage to you instead" that's still a tribal planeswalker.
+1: Draw a card. Nicol Bolas deals 1 damage to each player.
-5: Return target permanent to its owner's hand. Its controller discards a card.
-9: Target player discards their hand.
Loyalty: 6


IIW: Exotic pet

[mellifluoresce]

Rumbling Monument
Enchantment Creature - Shrine Elemental (U)
Trample
Rumbling Monument's power is equal to the number of Shrines you control.
*/3

IIW: Adventures

[spacemonaut]

Shrine of the Hidden One 1R
Enchantment Artifact — Shrine (U)
When Shrine of the Hidden One enters the battlefield, it deals X damage to target creature, where X is the number of shrines you control.
Creatures you control have haste and get +1/+0.
1R, Sacrifice two artifacts: Return Shrine of the Hidden One from your graveyard to the battlefield.



IIW: Blaseball and other surreal splorts

[Ulka]

Cloud Castle 2WW
Artifact - Fortification Vehicle
Flying, Vigilance
Fortified land has "2W, T: Create a 4/4 white Giant creature token with Flying."
Fortify WW (WW: Attach to target land you control. Fortify only as a sorcery. This card enters the battlefield unattached and stays on the battlefield if the land leaves.)
Crew 3 (Tap any number of creatures you control with total power 3 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
5/5


IIW: Instant Combat Tricks at Uncommon

[vishamon]

Plan to judge in ~9 hours