December CCL, Top 8: Time in the Spotlight

[void_nothing]

CCL December Top 8/Round 3

"Time in the Spotlight"


Syr Alin, the Lion's Claw, taken from Artstation, by Paul Scott Canavan and Wizards of the Coast

Welcome to the Card Creation League! Everyone is free to participate in either or both of the first two rounds. Come join us!

Theme

It's Deep Magic Lore Month here in the CCL and we all know Magic has a bunch of characters, and there are even lots of storyline characters who have never been put on a card. Time to help chip away at that backlog!

Challenge

Design a card representing a character from the list of secondary characters.

Clarifications

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• Make sure to include a rarity.
• You can choose any character from the plane-specific pages accessible via the link in the challenge description, as well.
• Considering that the card represents a specific character, you're most likely going to wind up designing a legendary creature or planeswalker card, but it doesn't technically go against the challenge if you manage to make another card type as a card "for" that character.

Contestants:
[mention]Ryder[/mention]
[mention]Henlock[/mention]
[mention]Ink-Treader[/mention]
[mention]slimytrout[/mention]
[mention]netn10[/mention]
[mention]RaikouRider[/mention]
[mention]Icarii[/mention]
[mention]bravelion83[/mention]

Your submissions are due Thursday, December 26th, 23:59 EST.

Special note: Due to this being a busy month for many people in terms of traveling, seeing family, working overtime, school/university finals, et cetera, a lot of deadlines have been extended. In this case I am explicitly planning to not begin the final round until the beginning of January!

Schedule

• Round 1 — Open to Everyone (December 1st–8th)
• Round 2 — Open to Everyone (December 9th–16th)
• Rounds 1 and 2 Critiques (Due December 19th)
• Top 8 — Open to top 8 finishers (December 22nd–26th)
• Top 8 Critiques (Due December 28th)
• Top 4 — Open to top 4 finishers (December 29th–January 1st)
• Top 4 Critiques (Due January 3rd)
• Final (January, winner determined by public poll)

[bravelion83]

I'll do Lanathos from Theros.

Lanathos, the Storyteller 1GW
Legendary Creature — Human Advisor (R)
Whenever another historic permanent is put into your graveyard from the battlefield, you may reveal the top X cards of your library, where X is that permanent's converted mana cost. Put all historic cards revealed this way into your hand, and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. (Artifacts, legendaries, and Sagas are historic.)
"Tell us another story, Lanathos! The one of the day we'll reclaim Meletis!"
1/4

Note

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Yes, it fits. nine lines total plus one break. Animate Dead has one more line plus one more break.

[RaikouRider]

Tameron from Alara

Tameron of the Ethersworn 4WU
Legendary Artifact Creature - Sphinx {M}
Flying, vigilance
When Tameron of the Ethersworn enters the battlefield or at the beginning of your upkeep, put a filigree counter on up to one target nonartifact permanent. It's an artifact in addition to its other types for as long as it has a filigree counter on it.
Artifacts you control have "0: Regenerate this permanent. Activate this ability only once each turn."
4/4

[Icarii]

Gvar Barzeel from Takir's new timeline.

Gvar Barzeel, Kolaghan's Punisher 2BR
Legendary Creature - Orc Warrior (R)
Haste, first strike
Whenever Gvar Barzeel, Kolaghan's Punisher attacks, it deals 1 damage to each other creature you control without flying. Then put a +1/+1 counter on each creature damaged this way.
"For the glory of the Dragonlord you will take my lash or feed his tongue!"
4/2

[netn10]

The nameless sister of Bruna, Gisela and Sigarda

The Nameless Sister 1WWB
Legendary Creature - Angel (Mythic)
Flying
At the end of each turn, return from your graveyard to the battlefield all Humans died this turn.
A silent protector to those in need. A frighting figure to those who wish to cause harm.
4/4

[slimytrout]

Breeches, a member of Vraska's crew on Ixalan

Breeches, Goblin Gunner RR
Legendary Creature - Goblin Pirate (R)
Haste
Whenever Breeches, Goblin Gunner deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on it, then choose a player at random. That player creates a number of Treasure tokens equal to the number of +1/+1 counters on Breeches.
"GOLD AND VIOLENCE!"
2/1

(Note: accidentally changed the flavor text without realizing I was 10 minutes past the deadline, so I changed it back.)

[Ink-Treader]

I'll go with Zul Ashur, a lich lord of unknown origin, but quite a few flavor texts attributed.


Zul Ashur, Lich Lord 2BB
Legendary Creature - Zombie Wizard (M)
Other Zombies you control get +1/+1 and have menace.
T, Sacrifice another creature: Add B equal to the sacrificed creature's power. Spend this mana only to cast Zombie creature spells.
Whenever a Zombie enters the battlefield under your control, if only mana produced by Zul Ashur was spent to cast it, put two +1/+1 counters on that creature and it gains haste.
2/4

[Henlock]

Cassie An-Havva 1wg
Legandary Creature - Human Peasant (m)
Play with the top card of your library revealed.
You may cast the top card of your library if it's a creature card with converted mana cost 2 or less.
Cassie An-Havva has hexproof as long as you control another creature.
"She brings good brews, She wears her hair loose,
The Innkeeper's daughter, your heart will seduce" - An-Havva Inn drinking song.
2/2

[Ryder]

Khudal from Tarkir

Khudal, the Souleater 3GUB
Legendary Creature — Cat Demon (M)
Whenever a creature card is put into a graveyard from anywhere, exile it and put a +1/+1 counter on Khudal, the Souleater.
GUB: Khudal, the Souleater becomes a copy of target creature card in exile exiled with Khudal until end of turn.
4/4

[void_nothing]

And the round is closed - please critique and T3 everyone else.

[slimytrout]

bravelion83

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Lanathos, the Storyteller: Very synergistic with sagas, which makes sense. I think I'd have liked it better if it just worked with sagas instead of all historic permanents, but overall really good matchup between flavor and mechanics.

RaikouRider

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Tameron, of the Ethersworn: Definitely a very strong card – a flyer that makes itself and lots of your other cards hard to interact with. Overall a cool card, but a few minor notes: I think it would be more fun if it either gave "other artifacts" regeneration or if the regeneration cost wasn't zero; and I feel like the card, while it matches the description on the list ("a benevolent sphinx") doesn't fully capture the flavor text he's in, which specifically mentions his riddle.

Icarii

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Gvar Barzeel, Kolaghan's Punisher: The name is way too long – wouldn't fit on a card. I don't love that if the other creatures survive the damage, it's like it didn't happen at all – this way, he basically just snipes your 1-toughness guys, and everyone else quickly grows too big for it to matter. Both from a flavor and mechanics standpoint, I'd much prefer if the counter went on at the end of combat, so that the creature also has to survive the fight.

netn10

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The Nameless Sister: Unless I'm mistaken, I can't consider this because it doesn't actually follow the rules of the challenge: I don't see Avacyn's fourth sister on the list of secondary characters. But in case I'm wrong, I'll critique it anyway. If my memory serves, this angel was killed because she consorted with demons and dark forces (I can't check on this because she's not on the list), which isn't really represented on the card. Plus, it's not terribly new space (see Angel of Glory's Rise and Bruna, the Fading Light), and I'd expect a mysterious and oft-requested character like this one to receive a spicier card.

Ink-Treader

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Zul Ashur, Lich Lord: Interesting choice to go with a card we know almost nothing about other than that he's a lich. Makes it hard to have a "flavor fail," but also misses out on the possibility of the satisfying feeling of seeing a card that absolutely nails a character. As for the mechanics of the card, the first ability looks a lot like Lord of the Accursed, but the other two are quite new. Kind of a lot of text though, to the point that it barely fits in the text box – I think playing with it, especially in paper, would feel a little like playing with Questing Beast.

Henlock

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Cassie An-Havva: I'm going to be honest: this flavor text rubs me the wrong way. I'm certainly not the type of person who thinks that Magic can't have any cards that depict good-looking women, especially if the attractiveness/seductiveness of that woman is important for character reasons (e.g., LotV, who is largely motivated by her desire for eternal youth and beauty). But in this case I think it's playing into bad trope space -- I really don't think Magic needs a card representing a hot tavern wench with loose morals who is ogled by all the men at the bar. I apologize if this is a bit harsh: I really don't want to be mean (I definitely don't hold it against you, and I hope you won't hold it against me), but this is genuinely how I feel about this.

As for the card itself, I think it's basically fun, if not terribly innovative – Mentor of the Meek meets Courser of Kruphix. One note is that the new technology is to use "You may look at the top card of your library any time" for cards like this, so that opponents don't get to see every card you draw.

Ryder

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Khudal, the Souleater: Pretty unexciting for a 6-mana 3-color mythic: all it does is get bigger and then become a bigger version of other creatures. Also, doesn't really capture the character, who is a traitor and a powerful demon, but not (as far as I know) a shapeshifter.

T3

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1. bravelion83
2. RaikouRider
3. Ink-Treader

[bravelion83]

Done.

RaikouRider

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Tameron from Alara

Tameron of the Ethersworn 4WU
Legendary Artifact Creature - Sphinx {M}
Flying, vigilance
When Tameron of the Ethersworn enters the battlefield or at the beginning of your upkeep, put a filigree counter on up to one target nonartifact permanent. It's an artifact in addition to its other types for as long as it has a filigree counter on it.
Artifacts you control have "0: Regenerate this permanent. Activate this ability only once each turn."
4/4

Quality: "each creature dealt damage this way"
Certainy mythic. I don't remember Tameron so allow me a moment to check it... Ok. So, the filigree counter represents drinking from the chalice I guess. But it turns the permanent into an artifact, that doesn't prolong life... but regenerate does. Overall, a good idea, but I feel the execution could have been a little better.

Icarii

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Gvar Barzeel from Takir's new timeline.

Gvar Barzeel, Kolaghan's Punisher 2BR
Legendary Creature - Orc Warrior (R)
Haste, first strike
Whenever Gvar Barzeel, Kolaghan's Punisher attacks, it deals 1 damage to each other creature you control without flying. Then put a +1/+1 counter on each creature damaged this way.
"For the glory of the Dragonlord you will take my lash or feed his tongue!"
4/2

Quality: "each creature dealt damage this way"
I remember him. I'm not a big fan of this kind of cards: I have to damage my creatures to get something. I guess my Timmy part is showing, Marauding Raptor is my least favorite card in all M20 despite enrage. Another card I don't like is Cinderella's stepmother in ELD that I can't remember the name of now, the 4/2 that needs to deal damage to another one of your creatures to let you... draw a card? Do I remember that well? Anyway, that kind of cards is not for me. I'm sure there will be players who will love this, but I'm not one of them. Just my taste, nothing wrong with the card.

netn10

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The nameless sister of Bruna, Gisela and Sigarda

The Nameless Sister 1WWB
Legendary Creature - Angel (Mythic)
Flying
At the end of each turn, return from your graveyard to the battlefield all Humans died this turn.
A silent protector to those in need. A frighting figure to those who wish to cause harm.
4/4

Quality: "all Humans that died this turn"
Not much to say about the card. It's fine, flavorful, it works just fine, and fits the character very well. Very good work.

slimytrout

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Breeches, a member of Vraska's crew on Ixalan

Oh, yeah! One of my favorite characters from that story, and probably among the best ones ever to me! Alison Luhrs did an amazing job with him! This is an example of the kind of things you can really do with inner writers in my opinion. They had a perfect story model, one that worked perfectly, and they destroyed it by removing people from the story team and let other authors, external ones who have shown they don't really care about continuity (maybe it's actually Wizards not caring, or even better, Wizards' new upper management). I hope they go back to the model of free webstories written in-house as soon as possible. Wouldn't it have been better for THB then the little blurbs that are all we're going to get? THB not having an book, either a paper one or a digital one, would have been the perfect occasion to try it again, and I'm convinced they would have seen people's interest raise again. As the saying goes, "it if ain't broke, don't fix it"!
That said, let's see the card you made for him.

Breeches, Goblin Gunner RR
Legendary Creature - Goblin Pirate (R)
Haste
Whenever Breeches, Goblin Gunner deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on it, then choose a player at random. That player creates a number of Treasure tokens equal to the number of +1/+1 counters on Breeches.
"GOLD AND VIOLENCE!"
2/1

There is something I don't quite get here. He gets bigger and the opponent finds treasures? I must be missing something here. Gold and violence are certainly there... I think I wouldn't have made him grow, but I would have given you the treasures. Too bad, because I had very high expectations for this character. I need to learn to not have expectations, that way you won't ever be disappointed. And I also need to learn to be much less emotional... but what can I do? This is just I am, and there are reasons for that, and you know them. Ok, let's move on.

(Note: accidentally changed the flavor text without realizing I was 10 minutes past the deadline, so I changed it back.)

I admire your honesty. I've already said it both publicly and privately multiple times but you are a wonderful person. I'm so proud to know you. The world needs way more people like me and you. At least, I hoped you had changed it to a four-concepts one like Breeches tends to speak. Actually, now I'm curious what you had changed it to. What was the real flavor text that this card was supposed to have.

Ink-Treader

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I'll go with Zul Ashur, a lich lord of unknown origin, but quite a few flavor texts attributed.


Zul Ashur, Lich Lord 2BB
Legendary Creature - Zombie Wizard (M)
Other Zombies you control get +1/+1 and have menace.
T, Sacrifice another creature: Add B equal to the sacrificed creature's power. Spend this mana only to cast Zombie creature spells.
Whenever a Zombie enters the battlefield under your control, if only mana produced by Zul Ashur was spent to cast it, put two +1/+1 counters on that creature and it gains haste.
2/4

Quality: "add an amount of B equal..."
I don't know him, so I will have to check all the links and also the blurb from the wiki page. *checks* Ok, so the most generic lich lord we know of essentially. It doesn't even have a blurb! So yes, the card could practically do anything as long as it made sense in monoblack. You made the challenge easier for youself. I can't blame you, but it's not really a merit for your card. At least what it does is very original, and that's good. I think it works in the rules, but I'm not sure. The problematic part might be "if only mana produced by Zul Ashur was spent to cast it". That's what I'm not sure whether it works or not. Again, if you were going for originality and splash value, mission accomplished. If you were going for a good representation of the specific character, I would have just chosen a different character.

Henlock

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Cassie An-Havva 1wg
Legandary Creature - Human Peasant (m)
Play with the top card of your library revealed.
You may cast the top card of your library if it's a creature card with converted mana cost 2 or less.
Cassie An-Havva has hexproof as long as you control another creature.
"She brings good brews, She wears her hair loose,
The Innkeeper's daughter, your heart will seduce" - An-Havva Inn drinking song.
2/2

Quality mistakes: "legandary", in the flavor text the attribution should be on its own line, with an em dash at the beginning and no spaces right after it. Also, no period at the end of the attribution.
Wow, talk about going deep. I have no idea who this is. Yes, I've read the blurb in the wiki page, but it doesn't really tell me much about her. I honestly have no idea whether this is a good representation of the character. It could also just be monogreen for its mechanics. I don't see any white there.

Ryder

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Khudal from Tarkir

Khudal, the Souleater 3GUB
Legendary Creature — Cat Demon (M)
Whenever a creature card is put into a graveyard from anywhere, exile it and put a +1/+1 counter on Khudal, the Souleater.
GUB: Khudal, the Souleater becomes a copy of target creature card in exile exiled with Khudal until end of turn.
4/4

Quality mistakes: wrong order or the mana symbols (should be BUG, now that the Tarkir order has been officially adopted), "in exile exiled with" is at the very least redundant, I think it should just be "exiled with" removing the words "in exile".
I don't remember who this is, I guess a Rakshasa, so I will have to check again. *checks* Ok, I've read all the Tarkir story but didn't remember this particular bit. From what I've read on the Wiki, I do feel this can be a good representation of the character: "A powerful rakshasa who tricked Tasigur into killing Yala." = graveyard mechanic. Ok. "tricked Tasigur": now I don't remember how they did it, but magically disguising as a different creature would certainly trick people. Overall, a few Quality mistakes, but a good representation of the character if you know it.

Top 3

1st place: netn10
2nd place: Ryder
3rd place: RaikouRider

[Ink-Treader]

Done

Ryder

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Intriguing. Can get big fast, and has a neat ability.

Henlock

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Seems fair. Could probably just be rare, though a mythic Peasant is amusing.

slimytrout

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Never been a big fan of at random effects that can help opponents, but this makes an odd amount of sense. I'd like it more if the treasure amount was static.

netn10

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This feels really strong. Not very effective vs. board wipes at least, but it lets you be an implacable wall if you so desire.

RaikouRider

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The flavor connection seems to be there, so that's nice. Regenerate is a bit outdated, but it does have functional differences from temporary indestructibility.

Icarii

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I quite like this. The flavor connection is very strong.

bravelion83

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That's a lot of potential card advantage, though not counting itself helps restrain it. Wonder if some kind of silly combo deck could come out of this.

Top 3

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1. Icarii
2. Henlock
3. bravelion83

[Ryder]

1. bravelion83 - great flavor and an interesting balanced effect
2. Icari - same as above, maybe the first strike wasn't needed
3. netn10 - simple, flavorfull, mostly balanced (4/4 flying for 4 is already good, and the effect is very strong)

HM slimytrout - the random effect is way too swingy for a 2 drop, other than that - great

Others

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RaikouRider - ETB AND upkeep trigger is too much. Regenerate is a retired mechanic now.
Ink-Treader - The Lich does too much. It's a Zombie lord, it sacs them for mana (you should stop there) and it boosts the new zombies coming from that mana.
Henlock - The hexproof seems slightly too much with such an easy requirement.

[Icarii]

Top 3:
1: bravelion83
2: Ryder
3: slimytrout

Will try to add proper crits later. Family visiting.

[void_nothing]

And our top 4 -

bravelion83
Icarii
Ryder
netn10

Round to come soon!