September MCC, Round 1: Foul Devices

[void_nothing]

Banner based on Yawgmoth's Vile Offering by Noah Bradley and Wizards of the Coast. Thanks to bravelion83 for the "Core Set Style" MCC Logo

September MCC, Round 1 - Foul Devices

Welcome to the September MCC! It's Phyrexian Month here at the MCC and by the end of it compleation will fall over this website...

Main Challenge: Design an artifact card with the word "life" in its rules text.
Subchallenge 1: Your card is a noncreature artifact.
Subchallenge 2: Your card's rules text contains the phrase "Pay(s) N life" (N can be any number).

DEADLINES

Design deadline: Saturday, September 7th 23:59 EDT

Judging deadline: Tuesday, September 10th 23:59 EDT

Clarifications

Show

Hide

Main challenge - You may design a colored or colorless artifact.

Main challenge - Even though the challenge has Phyrexian flavor the card need not. Your entry can be as non-Phyrexian as "Jhessian Toothbrush" or as Phyrexian as "Yawgmoth's Toilet Seat", so to speak.

Subchallenge 2 - You may put "pay...life" in the middle of a sentence.

Subchallenge 2 - You may say "pay X life" or even phrase it as "pay life equal to".

MCC Rubric

Show

Hide

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
slimytrout

If you are not interested in playing, please sign up to judge the contest!

Players:
Anyone is welcome to enter this first round!

[Krishnath]

Gestation Chamber 1BB
Artifact (Rare)
Indestructible
Whenever a nontoken artifact or creature you control dies, put a Growth counter on Gestation Chamber.
Pay 3 life, T, Remove three Growth counters from Gestation Chamber: Create a 3/3 black Horror artifact creature token with Menace.
"Phyrexia is quite apt at recycling resources."

[slimytrout]

Tormented Idol B
Artifact (R)
Level Up – Pay 3 life and sacrifice a creature. (Pay 3 life and sacrifice a creature: Put a level counter on this. Level up only as a sorcery.)
LEVEL 1-3
2, Exile a creature card from your graveyard: Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.
LEVEL 4+
Tormented Idol is a Golem creature with power and toughness equal to your life total, indestructible, and "T: Destroy target creature with power less than Tormented Idol."

[The_Hittite]

Bloodfueled Harvester 6
Artifact — Vehicle (R)
Lifelink
Pay 6 life: Untap Bloodfueled Harvester and each creature that crewed it this turn.
Crew 6
It doesn't just reap grain anymore.
6/6

[StonerOfKruphix]

Torturing Device XB
Artifact (R)
Torturing Device enters the battlefield with X charge counters on it.
: Target creature's owner sacrifices it unless that player pays X life, where X is the number of charge counters on Torturing Device.
, pay 1 life: Put a charge counter on Torturing Device.

[Gateways7]

Box of Abominations 2BB
Artifact (mythic)
Horrors you control get +1/+1 and gain deathtouch.
XBB, Pay X life, Sacrifice Box of Abominations: Search your library for X Horror creature cards, reveal them, put them into your hand, and shuffle your library.

Is there any way to add attachments? Everytime I try to do it, it never works.

[Sagharri]

Abandoned Ossuary 2
Artifact (U)
Exile creature card from your graveyard: Abandoned Ossuary becomes 1/1 black Skeleton creature with "Pay 2 life: Regenerate this creature". It's still an artifact.
B, Discard a creature card: Put +1/+1 counter on target Skeleton. Activate this ability once each turn.

[Subject16]

Brainscourger 4UU
Artifact (Mythic)
Brainscourger enters the battlefield tapped and doesn't untap during your untap step.
Whenever you cast a spell during your turn, you may untap Brainscourger. If you do, counter that spell.
T, Discard a card, Pay X life: Counter target spell with converted mana cost X. If a spell countered this way would be put into a graveyard, exile it instead.
"I have no time for passing thougths. Progress is made with grand ideas."
- Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur

[RaikouRider]

Complaetion Engine 6
Artifact {R}
When Complaetion Engine enters the battlefield, you may pay X life. If you do, put X -1/-1 counters on each creature.
B, T, Pay X life: Put X -1/-1 counters on target creature.

[Rithaniel]

Primal Incubator
Artifact R
, Pay 2 life: Put three charge counters on Primal Incubator.
, Sacrifice Primal Incubator: Create an X/X green Elemental creature token with trample and vigilance, where X is the number of charge counters on Primal Incubator.
"We are often willing to sacrifice quite a bit for our children."
—Pala Cossea, crafter of titans

[Jimmy Groove]

Essence Redistributor 4
Artifact (U)
If you would gain life, instead put that many +1/+1 counters on target creature.
2, pay 2 life: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
For three thousand years, the farmers held no real power. And then suddenly things changed so that a warrior could eat themselves into greatness. And then, the farmers were the only ones that mattered.

[Dragonlover]

Thoughtleech Blade 3
Artifact - Equipment (R)
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player or planeswalker, you may pay 1 life. If do you, draw a card.
Equip 2
Knowledge is pain.

[zdtsd]

Lifedrinker
Artifact - Equipment (R)
Equipped creature gets +2/+0 and has lifelink.
Pay 2 life: Equipped creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Equip

[Flatline]

Rebirthing Pod 2b
Artifact (R)
b, t, Pay 2 life, Sacrifice a creature: Return target creature creature card with converted mana cost less than or equal to 2 plus the sacrificed creature's converted mana cost from your graveyard to the battlefield. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.

[netn10]

Adanto Oath Mantle 1W
Artifact - Equipment (Rare)
Pay 2 life: Equipped creature gains flying or vigilance until end of turn.
Pay 4 life: Equipped creature gains indestructible until end of turn.
The price of the Immortal Sun is paid through this priceless relic.
Equip 2

[SecretInfiltrator]

Inkmoth Ingot {1}
Artifact (U)
Pay 2 life: becomes a 1/1 Blinkmoth artifact creature with flying and infect until end of turn.
The furnace eats every scrap of metal that doesn't just get up and fly away.

[BeneTleilax]

Norn's Processor 5
Artifact [R]
When Norn's Processor enters the battlefield, you may pay X life. If you do, Norn's Processor enters the battlefield with X charge counters.
3, T: Create a 0/0 colorless Minion artifact creature token with "This creature gets +1/+1 for each charge counter on Norn's Processor."
Pay 2 life: Put a charge counter on Norn's Processor. Activate this ability only any time you could cast a sorcery.

[ForestsCarl]

Urn of Eternity 4
Artifact (R)
T, Pay 2 life: Add WB. Create a 1/1 white Spirit token with flying.
Whenever Urn of Eternity untaps, put a soul counter on it. Then if it has six or more counters, sacrifice it and create a 4/4 white Angel creature token with flying and a 5/5 black Demon creature token with flying.

[archemediesx]

Blightsteel Enervator 3
Artifact - (U)
Indestructible
T: Add C.
Whenever an artifact enters the battlefield under your control you may pay 3 life. If you do, target opponent gets a poison counter.

[barbecube]

Vitae Pump 3
Artifact (R)
Whenever you gain life, put a charge counter on Vitae Pump.
T, Pay 1 life, remove X charge counters from Vitae Pump: Add X plus 1 mana of any one color to your mana pool.

[Freyleyes]

Sword of Rot and Ruin 3
Artifact - Equipment {M}
Living weapon (When this Equipment enters the battlefield, put a 0/0 black Germ creature token onto the battlefield, then attach this to it.)
Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has protection from blue and from black.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, that player gets 2 poison counters and you draw a card.
Equip — Pay 2 life.
We learn from them to conquer them.

[marioguy3]

Phrexian Mana Orb 4
Legendary Artifact (R)
: Add
, Pay 2 life: Add one mana of any color. If that mana is spent on a noncreature spell with converted mana cost 4 or less, that spell can't be countered.
"For the low price of a piece of your skin, we can eliminate your worries with the flip of a switch."
—Yawgmoth

[Ink-Treader]

Blood Engine 2
Artifact (U)
T, Remove a counter from a permanent you control: You gain 2 life.
T, Pay 2 life: Choose a kind of counter on target permanent and put another counter of that type on it.
The catalyst for stagnant immortality or for wasteful progress.

[Henlock]

Embloodied Vessel
Artifact (r)
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may pay 2 life. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.
, remove a +1/+1 counter from a creature you control: Add one mana of any color.

[kwanyeegor-ii]

Mishra's Hourglass 3
Artifact (Rare)
Whenever Mishra's Hourglass or another artifact enters or leaves the battlefield, you may pay 2 life. If you do, draw a card.
3, T, Sacrifice Mishra's Hourglass: Return target artifact card from your graveyard to your hand.
The qadir idly wished to reverse the results of a battle one day.