MTGNexus

this looks like a challenge for me

Frogs, Big and Small XUG
Instant (U)
X can't be 0.
Until end of turn, target creature becomes a Frog with base power and toughness X/X.
Draw a card.

IIW: a 4 mana 3/4

Frog Standard XGG
Enchantment (R)
Frog Standard enters the battlefield with X ribbit counters on it.
When Frog Standard enters the battlefield, create a 0/0 green Frog Mutant creature token with reach.
Frog creatures you control have base power and toughness each equal to the number of ribbit counters on Frog Standard.

IIW: Dubious tutors

Ramphibian 6U
Artifact Creature - Frog Juggernaut (U)
Ramphibian attacks each turn if able.
5, T: Another target creature can't be blocked this turn.
At the beginning of your postcombat main phase, if Ramphibian dealt combat damage to a player this turn, add one mana of any color.
5/5

IIW: Play Design has been tasked with developing options to combat Oko, Thief of Crowns in Standard! Design one of those cards.

Frog and Bog 3G
Creature — Frog {R}
When Frog and Bog enters the battlefield, search your library for a basic Swamp card and put it onto the battlefield tapped under the control of the player of your choice. Then shuffle your library.
B: Target Frog creature gains swampwalk until end of turn.
3/3

IIW: A card for a non-commander casual format

Bubbling Cauldron 3U
Artifact (R)
When Bubbling Cauldron enters the battlefield, create two 1/1 blue Frog creature tokens.
T, Sacrifice a Frog: Draw a card.

IIW: A colorshifted legendary

Lord a Leaping U
Creature - Frog Noble (C)
Hopsmanship (This creature can't be blocked except by creatures with Hopsmanship.)
A deck can have up to ten cards named Lord a Leaping.
1/2

IIW: More holiday-themed cards

Frogger 4GGG
Enchantment
When Frogger enters the battlefield, create a 1/1 green Frog creature token.
When a Frog you control deals combat damage to an opponent, you win the game.
When a Frog you control becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it.
When a Frog you control blocks or becomes blocked, sacrifice it.

IIW: Alliterative card names.

Toadally Lost 5U
Instant
The owner of target nonland permanent shuffles it into their library, then creates a 3/3 green Frog Lizard creature token.

IIW: Dubious victory conditions

Meg - Poisonskin Trapper
Solid uncommon. 4 Frogs out of 5.

Togs - Frogatog
Not actually any good, but I appreciate your commitment to name. 2 Frogs out of 5.

SecondBestFriend - Mass Frogify
A cheeky Humility with a froggy twist. Not really doing it for me though. 2 Frogs out of 5.

spacemonaut - Croak
I like this flavor. It's like if you have a Frog, it eats the creature. Plus, well named. 4 Frogs out of 5.

spacemonaut - Anurian Mentor
Strange mix of abilities. Never considered frogs to be especially supportive. The giving flying ability ain't bad, but it seems weird it can give flying to itself or another frog, but not both. Like how does it make the other frog fly if it isn't also flying itself? Plot holes = 3 Frogs out of 5.

Cythare - Frilled Dusksnapper
Interesting... the little known Snapping Frogs. It feels a bit odd being a 'vanilla 4/4' itself as a Mythic. I could easily see this also having Vigilance and Reach. Cool second ability, I appreciate you trying something different. 4(/4) Frogs out of 5.

cheetos - Leaping Experimentation
I've never been a fan of mixing +1/+1 counters and non-counter based pump on the same card. It leads to confused players and lots of counting and forgetfulness. I do like the idea of "the more frogs you play, the more they bleed into the other creatures." For that, I'll rate 3 Frogs out of 5.

mellifluoresce - Frog of War
Good pun. I like this having both nice offensive and defensive capabilities, truly a master of war. I give 3.5 Frogs out of 5.

NinjaCaterpie - Frogs, Big and Small
Cute ability - the options it gives you between making your opponent's thing 1/1 or pumping your own guy (for a sizeable mana cost) is good tension. The draw a card seems fitting for the cost. Only problem here is that the name gives me expectations that the card itself betrays - it should be Frog, Big OR Small. I'm only getting one frog here. Still, I can forgive that and give 4 Frogs out of 5.

Cythare - Frog Standard
I think this should be legendary, because multiple of these out will lead to plenty of judge calls. Not a big fan overall anyway. 2.5 Frogs out of 5.

melli - Ramphibian
What a strange strange mix of abilities. I would like to see this have vigilance tbh, so it could attack and activate the tap ability if you want. I give 3 slightly confused Frogs out of 5.

Megs - Frog and Bog
This is actually super cute okay. Like, man. I do feel like you could push the stats a little and this would actually be a very cool and fun standard playable card. Definitely something that would be invaluable for a Frog Tribal EDH deck, which is kind of what I was looking for with this challenge. I rate 5 Frogs (and Bogs) out of 5.

Togs - Bubbling Cauldron
This is also very cute! Two great entries in a row. I actually feel like this could be uncommon, and potentially a sweet build-around for limited in an environment with a small-medium amount of frogs - being able to use the Tap ability even after going through the two froggers it makes itself. Well done. 5 Frogs out of 5.

Togs - Lord a Leaping
1 Frog out of 10.

SecondBestFriend - Frogger
Seems rather unfair in a frog deck. Frogs are a fair kind, and for that i give you 0 Frogs out of 5.

Cythare - Toadally Lost
Chaos Wart(?). I dunno, I'm trying. I give it 2 Frogs out of 5 because you made me stop and judge this after I pressed submit.


very close HM: Togs for Bubbling Cauldron
Winner: Megs for Frog and Bog because it was exactly what I wanted without me even knowing it.

next: A card for a non-commander casual format

a thing I like about this frog challenge we just had (and why I gave Anurian Mentor its ability):

R&D calls an ability that gives a creature flying until end of turn a "jumping" ability, because of Jump|LEA :D

which makes me appreciate Leapfrog a lot.

From Archenemy: Grip of Etherium
Assistant to Tezzeret 4
Artifact creature - Construct (Rare)
Whenever you set a scheme in motion, put a +1/+1 counter on target artifact creature. If you control a tezzeret planeswalker, put 2 +1/+1 counters on that creature instead.
3/3

Clockwork Plans3U
Sorcery (rare)
Set a scheme in motion. (If you have an ongoing scheme currently active, it stays active)

From Explorers of Ikoria, a successor to explorers of ixalan.
Denizen of the crust RG
Creature - elemental beast (rare)
Whenever you uncover a game tile, put a +1/+1 counter on ~.
Whenever you uncover a game tile of 3 mana or more, create a 2/2 red and green elemental creature token.
Whenever you uncover a 6 mana game tile, elementals you control gain trample until end of turn. Put 2 +1/+1 counters on each of up to 3 target elementals you control.
1/1

IIW: Uncommon walkers from war of the spark upshifted to rare.

Pyromantic Vassal 1RW
Creature - Human Shaman (R)
Finesse (Whenever you or a teammate casts a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Whenever you or your emperor casts an instant or sorcery spell, create a 1/1 red and white Elemental creature token with finesse.
2/2

IIW: Dubious win conditions

fun fact: frog and bog was named after a dish at a local restaurant (it's a toad in the hole variant)

Any other entries?

Apothecary Legion 1W
Creature - Human Cleric Soldier (U)
Whenever a creature named Apothecary Legion enters the battlefield, you gain 1 life.
A deck can have any number of cards named Apothecary Legion.
1/1

IIW: Cards that are bad for the environment

Sloshed Barbarian 3R
Creature- Orc Barbarian (U)
Last strike, Trample
When Sloshed Barbarian is dealt damage, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn for each point of damage dealt to it.
4/4

Charming Rogue 1U
Creature- Halfling Rogue (U)
You have +2 charisma (when you roll a charisma check, you get +2.)
T: Roll a charisma check DC 9. If you pass, target creature gets -9/-0 until end of turn. On a natural 20, gain control of that creature for as long as you control Charming Rogue. (Roll a 20 sided die. You pass with a 9 or higher after your charisma bounus.)
1/3

Alchemist's Tools 1
Artifact (U)
1,T: Roll an intelligence check DC 13. If you pass, create a colorless artifct token called "Alchemist's Fire" with "T, Sacrifice this artifact: It deals 2 damage to any target." On a natural 1, Alchemist's Tools deals 4 damage to you. (Roll a 20 sided die. You pass with a 13 or higher after your intelligence bounus.)

Kaltazaar's Ring 2
Artifact (C)
When Kaltazaar's Ring enters the battlefield, draw a card.
You have +2 strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma.

IIW: Castles (not necessarily Throne of Eldraine style castles)

Second Helping
Conspiracy (R)
Hidden agenda
You may cast instant and sorcery cards with the chosen name in your graveyard. If a card would be put into your graveyard after being cast this way, exile it instead.


Cogwork Caravan 3
Artifact - Vehicle (U)
As you draft Cogwork Caravan, you may draft an additional card from that booster pack if that card is a creature with power 3 or more. If you do, reveal both cards as you draft them.
Crew 3
5/4

IIW: Investigate, but not in Innistrad

iiw planechase

Judge???

Underhanded Deal BBB
Sorcery (M)
If you have two or more opponents, choose one. You combine lifetotals with that player, then lose 10 life, then play the game as a two-headed giant team. (If you are already on a team, you leave your current team, taking your equal portion of the life total, rounded down, then join that player and/or their team.)

--yes this templating is horrendous but you get the idea--

iiw: it could even be a boat!

time to judge

chetoos: The most interesting thing about this to me is that you're teasing a Tezzeret-themed Archenemeny, which I like. The specific cards presented for it don't really tickle me that much (a non-scheme that allows you to scheme seems like good if dangerous space). I had to look up Explorers, but it seems ok. The card here seems fine, if probably too much text for a card. Broader topic--it feels like, in general, the trend is to avoid format-specific text in these kinds of variant formats (Planechase has a single exception). This makes sense to me, since having a card with completely incomprehensible text on it that, when deciphered, turns out to be completely unusable outside of a variant format published during the financial crisis seems like a recipe for new player frustration. So, good effort but I think the reasons to NOT do what you did outweigh the reasons TO do it.

Cythare: While "team" appears to be the exception to the thing I noted above (clarifying point: all "team" cards function perfectly fine when your team is just one person), "emperor" is not. Read prior entry for more information.

melli: I'm... not sure what this is supposed to be for. Though, if you're trying to be clever with the relentless rats text to indicate it's for a non-singleton format... I appreciate the joke.

SBF: If these are meant to be un-cards injecting D&D mechanics into Magic I'm game. If not, I'm not. Just me.

Tog: So far the only person to make a special card for your format, which is good. Also, this is reminding me about the draft bots in conspiracy, so maybe I have to apologize to everybody else. Anyway, and this is just naked favoritism, I love the conspiracy draft stuff for cube purposes, so if you end up winning this is probably why. I like the caravan's design space of letting you draft two cards with specific characteristics. Good.

barbecube: See above regarding Fractured Powerstone being the lone exception to variant format rules text appearing on cards.

wonderful: oh boy, a card that turns the game INTO a variant format. If i'm already in a 2v2 this turns into a 3v1? in a 4-player game can I play multiples of these to go 2v1v1 to 3v1? I don't want to think about it.

Winner: Tog. Naked favoritism.

Next: Investigate, but not in Innistrad

Conspiracy draft is a casual format??

I had it filed away as a noncasual format. 'cause drafts are a standard tournament play thing.

Investigate card on its way...

Vertical Cycle!

Dimir Sleuth 1(u/b)(u/b)
Creature - Human Rogue (Common)
When this creature enters the battlefield, investigate.
"You think you know everything? You don't even know the right questions to ask." - Danika, Dimir Sleuth.
2/2

Read between the lines 1UB
Enchantment (Uncommon)
When this card enters the battlefield, investigate.
At the beginning of each end step, if you sacrificed two or more clues this turn, return this card to your hand, then target player discards a card.
To understand each issue, the Dimir read both sides publications, and figure out where each side is lying.

Duskmantle Infiltrator 2UB
Creature - Vampire Rogue (Rare)
Flying
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, investigate.
Whenever a player sacrifices a clue, scry 1.
"They never notice me, they only see what they want to see."
2/3

Lazav, The Hidden Eye UUBB
Legendary Creature - Shapeshifter (Mythic)
Lazav gets +1/+0 for each clue you control.
Whenever you sacrifice a clue, you may have Lazav become a copy of target creature, except it's name is still Lazav, the hidden eye, it's still legendary, and it has "this creature gets +1/+0 for each clue you control." and it still has this ability.
0/4

IIW: Uncommon legendaries from war of the spark upshifted to rare.

Following Aether Revolt, crime has dominated the city of Ghirapur, giving Kaladesh 2 a steampunk noir vibe. Baral is now a Rorschach style antihero ex-cop on the wrong side of the law with a mission.

Baral's Patsy 1B
Creature- Human Rogue (U)
3, Pay 1 life: Baral's Patsy gets -1/-1 until end of turn. Investigate.
"Alright, I'll squeal!" - Rahul Threethumbs
2/2

Shady Scrapper 2R
Creature- Human Mercenary (C)
T, Sacrifice an artifact: Shady Scrapper deals 1 damage to any target. If the sacrificed artifact was a clue, draw a card.
"What evidence?"
2/3

Baral, Public Enemy 1U
Legendary Creature- Human Wizard (R)
Flash
When you cast another spell during an opponent's turn, investigate.
Whenever you draw one or more cards during an opponent's turn, you may return target artifact or creature to its owner's hand.
"There is no law. Only me."
1/3

IIW: Enchantment creatures