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void_nothing
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Post by void_nothing » 1 year ago

And finished - June's round 2 will come tomorrow!
Psst, check the second page of Custom Card Contests & Games! Because of the daily contests, a lot of games fall down to there.

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Post by bravelion83 » 1 year ago

My own judgments for May Round 4 are finished, even though with a couple days of delay, I'm still sorry about that. @void_nothing What about yours?
Author of the MCC Guidelines and FAQ. | For my projects, including Jeff Lionheart, my murder mystery story "One pierced heart, two mindful horns", and republished articles from my series "The Lion's Lair", see Leo's content index (Last updated on March 24th 2024 - Added OPHTMH Episode 4).
After I'm done republishing my articles I want to reprise the series focusing it more on editing, wording, and templating. Suggest potential future article topics here.
My CCCG Resume (Updated on February 27th 2024)
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Blue = MTGSalvation Green = MTGNexus
MCC - Winner (9): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019, Jan Mar 2022, Apr 2023 || Host (30): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) Oct 2019, Jan Jun 2020 Apr Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2023, Mar 2024 || Judge (58): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), every month from Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) to Feb 2020, May Jun 2020, Mar Apr Sep Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar May Jun Sep Dec 2023, Jan Mar 2024
CCL - Winner (4): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Jun 2021 (tied with slimytrout) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (3): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar), Feb Apr 2022 || Host (12): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016, Jun Sep Dec 2021, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun 2023

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Post by void_nothing » 1 year ago

And my May final judgments are done!
Psst, check the second page of Custom Card Contests & Games! Because of the daily contests, a lot of games fall down to there.

The greatest (fake) pro wrestling on the internet - Collaborative Create-A-Booster - My random creations (updated regularly)

Important Facts: Colorless is not a color, Wastes is not a land type, Changeling is not a creature type

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Post by bravelion83 » 1 year ago

kwanyeegor-ii is the winner of the May MCC. Congratulations!
Author of the MCC Guidelines and FAQ. | For my projects, including Jeff Lionheart, my murder mystery story "One pierced heart, two mindful horns", and republished articles from my series "The Lion's Lair", see Leo's content index (Last updated on March 24th 2024 - Added OPHTMH Episode 4).
After I'm done republishing my articles I want to reprise the series focusing it more on editing, wording, and templating. Suggest potential future article topics here.
My CCCG Resume (Updated on February 27th 2024)
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Blue = MTGSalvation Green = MTGNexus
MCC - Winner (9): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019, Jan Mar 2022, Apr 2023 || Host (30): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) Oct 2019, Jan Jun 2020 Apr Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2023, Mar 2024 || Judge (58): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), every month from Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) to Feb 2020, May Jun 2020, Mar Apr Sep Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar May Jun Sep Dec 2023, Jan Mar 2024
CCL - Winner (4): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Jun 2021 (tied with slimytrout) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (3): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar), Feb Apr 2022 || Host (12): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016, Jun Sep Dec 2021, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun 2023

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Post by void_nothing » 1 year ago

Reaching out for a volunteer to organize the July MCC!
Psst, check the second page of Custom Card Contests & Games! Because of the daily contests, a lot of games fall down to there.

The greatest (fake) pro wrestling on the internet - Collaborative Create-A-Booster - My random creations (updated regularly)

Important Facts: Colorless is not a color, Wastes is not a land type, Changeling is not a creature type

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Post by bravelion83 » 1 year ago

@void_nothing I'm pretty confident that the answer is yes given the letter of the challenge, but I figured out I'd ask anyway because better safe than sorry. Clarification for July Round 1.
void_nothing wrote:
1 year ago
Main Challenge: Design an artifact card that is NOT a creature, an Equipment, or a Vehicle.
All of the following are fine, right?
• A card with only the word "Artifact" on its type line and no subtypes that can become a creature, Equipment or Vehicle either temporarily or permanently by using one of its own abilities (which can be of any kind, triggered, activated, or static).
• A card (not a token) with one of the following subtypes (and their associated abilites): Clue, Food, Treasure, Fortification, Contraption, and/or any artifact subtype which may or may not already exist (including custom ones such as my own Battery from an earlier MCC) as long as it's not natively a creature, Equipment, or Vehicle.
• A noncreature artifact card with more than one artifact subtypes that are not Equipment or Vehicle. (For example an "Artifact — Clue Food" or even an "Artifact — Clue Food Treasure".)

Excuse me for asking but I'm weighing my options about what I want to design. Thanks in advance.
Author of the MCC Guidelines and FAQ. | For my projects, including Jeff Lionheart, my murder mystery story "One pierced heart, two mindful horns", and republished articles from my series "The Lion's Lair", see Leo's content index (Last updated on March 24th 2024 - Added OPHTMH Episode 4).
After I'm done republishing my articles I want to reprise the series focusing it more on editing, wording, and templating. Suggest potential future article topics here.
My CCCG Resume (Updated on February 27th 2024)
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Blue = MTGSalvation Green = MTGNexus
MCC - Winner (9): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019, Jan Mar 2022, Apr 2023 || Host (30): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) Oct 2019, Jan Jun 2020 Apr Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2023, Mar 2024 || Judge (58): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), every month from Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) to Feb 2020, May Jun 2020, Mar Apr Sep Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar May Jun Sep Dec 2023, Jan Mar 2024
CCL - Winner (4): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Jun 2021 (tied with slimytrout) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (3): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar), Feb Apr 2022 || Host (12): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016, Jun Sep Dec 2021, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun 2023

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Post by void_nothing » 1 year ago

bravelion83 wrote:
1 year ago
• A card with only the word "Artifact" on its type line and no subtypes that can become a creature, Equipment or Vehicle either temporarily or permanently by using one of its own abilities (which can be of any kind, triggered, activated, or static).
That's fine, even if it skirts the spirit of the challenge a bit.
• A card (not a token) with one of the following subtypes (and their associated abilites): Clue, Food, Treasure, Fortification, Contraption, and/or any artifact subtype which may or may not already exist (including custom ones such as my own Battery from an earlier MCC) as long as it's not natively a creature, Equipment, or Vehicle.
This is of course fine and fits both the letter and the spirit. I didn't say "an artifact card with no subtypes".
• A noncreature artifact card with more than one artifact subtypes that are not Equipment or Vehicle. (For example an "Artifact — Clue Food" or even an "Artifact — Clue Food Treasure".)
Yes, also just fine.
Psst, check the second page of Custom Card Contests & Games! Because of the daily contests, a lot of games fall down to there.

The greatest (fake) pro wrestling on the internet - Collaborative Create-A-Booster - My random creations (updated regularly)

Important Facts: Colorless is not a color, Wastes is not a land type, Changeling is not a creature type

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Post by bravelion83 » 1 year ago

void_nothing wrote:
1 year ago
(2/3) Flavor - I do remember the character of Kentor. But good lord, this flavor text threw me. An exposition dump at the beginning of the sentence and what looks like a connection to the revised Eldrazi Titans at the end?
Thanks for the judgment. What happened is this: after designing Kentor as a one-of from an unknown plane I didn't know anything else about except that he was from it, one of, if not the most powerful wizard on the plane, I started thinking more and more about that plane. Things like:

• What do I want it to be based on? For that, I came up with an idea I really like for the source material but I don't feel like I'm ready to share it just yet as it's actually something I have to learn about much more myself before feeling confident enough to build a whole custom set about it. Maybe you'll see more cards from this plane in the future while I'm trying to flesh it out. And if anybody is wondering, no, this is NOT the plane the Spirit guides that I'm making in the DCC belong in. Those are from a different custom plane of mine that is part of the long-term plan for my writing series that some of you might remember from some time ago. That plan is still there, even if now I've taken a pause from writing those stories but I have all the intention to pick it back up someday. Kentor's plane is NOT part of that plan, or at least not yet. I've come up with it much more recently, actually specifically for that MCC when I posted the Hall of Statues, which is the obvious reference for this card. That was the whole hall, this is specifically the orb at its center.

• What is the conflict of the plane? I don't know yet. All I know at this moment is that Kentor is probably involved in it and he's definitely NOT a good guy. I have an idea of what might be his ultimate goal thinking back to that source material I mentioned earlier, but I still have to come up with an idea for whether he is successful or not in reaching that goal, how he is or is not able to do so, and why he might want to do that anyway. It's still a mystery to me. The flavor text was actually referencing that. The real reasons are a mystery because I, the designer, don't even know them yet. The "as incomprehensible as life itself" part comes from trying to convey that those statues that the orb generates were actual living beings before having their souls stored in statues thanks to the magical powers of this orb. One could ask: are those beings whose souls are stored away still alive? Another thing that I don't know yet. They might have straight-up died from having their souls stolen, have turned into undead, or there might still be some kind of connection between the stored soul and the being it belongs to so that they are actually still alive. All of those are still options on the table. Which will turn out to be the correct one is another thing that might be influenced by that source material that I have to learn about myself first.

• What is the set about mechanically? Again, I don't know yet. All I know is that this orb had to generate Sculptures for flavor, to fit with the Hall of Statues. I remembered there is already a card in Magic referencing Scuptures as a creature type but I didn't remember what it was and what it does, so I did my research and I found it. It's Doomed Artisan. This plane is NOT supposed to be the same as whatever the home plane of the Artisan is, but if I was making a card that mechanically cared about Sculptures, I had to take it into account anyway, as they could be played in the same deck. And here I had a problem. The first line of the Artisan says: "Sculptures you control can't attack or block." I understand that ability's purpose is to interact with the other ability of the Artisan, but if I was making copies of creatures that were Sculptures for flavor, that ability would have also made those Sculpture token copies unable to attack and block, which I actually wanted them to be able to do. So I had to figure out an in-color way to deal with the Artisan in case you were playing both in the same deck. The solution I came up with is the blinking ability of the orb, in fact it's the ONLY reason why that ability is there. It allows you to exile the Artisan temporarily before declaring attackers or blockers (making it stay in exile at least for the whole combat phase is what I wanted) so that your Sculpture token copies are actually able to attack and block at least for this turn. Then next turn you may do it again if you need it. That's the whole reason for it.

• Would people have rememberer Kentor from my previous MCC and recognized the connection? As I couldn't use design notes to point that out (I know the guidelines very well for a reason... yes, I might have written those myself... :) ), I had to use flavor text to try to get people to make the connection. That's what the exposition dump is for. As you said you did remember Kentor, it worked as intended. I understand it might not be the most exciting thing, but that was its purpose and apparently I did manage to make it do exactly what it was supposed to do.

Now with your notes you added one more question to the list:
• Are Eldrazi involved somehow with this plane? I had never considered that until this very moment. I guess I will have to check if my intended source material is compatible with that or not, and even if it is I will have to think about whether that is something I want for this plane or not. As of now, I have no answers to this other than Maro's classic "maybe". But I have to thank you anyway because you've just given me an idea that I had never even considered until now. As I mentioned earlier in this very post, that flavor text is NOT based on the Eldrazi, but now that you said that in your judgment I can definitely see why one could think a connection is there. I'll think more about it. I think you all will see more cards from this plane as I slowly develop it.

Thanks again for your judgment. Now it's time for me to get to a final version for July Round 1. I will definitely try to avoid the first point I brought up in my previous post. I know how it feels as host when a player exploits a loophole in your challenge that you didn't even realize was there... At least to me, that doesn't feel good at all. That's part of the reason why I tend to write extensive clarifications, to try to prevent you from using any loopholes that I can see and define the boundaries of the challenge as best I can. I don't think my submission for that round will come today, but definitely before the deadline.
Author of the MCC Guidelines and FAQ. | For my projects, including Jeff Lionheart, my murder mystery story "One pierced heart, two mindful horns", and republished articles from my series "The Lion's Lair", see Leo's content index (Last updated on March 24th 2024 - Added OPHTMH Episode 4).
After I'm done republishing my articles I want to reprise the series focusing it more on editing, wording, and templating. Suggest potential future article topics here.
My CCCG Resume (Updated on February 27th 2024)
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Blue = MTGSalvation Green = MTGNexus
MCC - Winner (9): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019, Jan Mar 2022, Apr 2023 || Host (30): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) Oct 2019, Jan Jun 2020 Apr Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2023, Mar 2024 || Judge (58): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), every month from Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) to Feb 2020, May Jun 2020, Mar Apr Sep Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar May Jun Sep Dec 2023, Jan Mar 2024
CCL - Winner (4): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Jun 2021 (tied with slimytrout) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (3): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar), Feb Apr 2022 || Host (12): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016, Jun Sep Dec 2021, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun 2023

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Post by slimytrout » 1 year ago

Clarification questions for round 3: Is our card allowed to reference multiple existing cards? And if so, how would that work with the subchallenges?

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Post by void_nothing » 1 year ago

slimytrout wrote:
1 year ago
Clarification questions for round 3: Is our card allowed to reference multiple existing cards? And if so, how would that work with the subchallenges?
1) Yes.
2) For each subchallenge, it'll only count if all of the card names in the rules text fit that subchallenge.
Psst, check the second page of Custom Card Contests & Games! Because of the daily contests, a lot of games fall down to there.

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Important Facts: Colorless is not a color, Wastes is not a land type, Changeling is not a creature type

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Post by bravelion83 » 1 year ago

@void_nothing Another clarification, I'm sorry.
void_nothing wrote:
1 year ago
Subchallenge 2: The mentioned card was originally printed in or before 2005
This includes the original "Ravnica: City of Guilds" set (fall 2005) and excludes everything from Guildpact (February 2006) onwards, right? In other words, if I mention a card that's in the original Ravnica SET (not "block", specifically that set), say, for example, Watchwolf (just the first thing that comes to mind), it does count for Subchallenge 2, right? At the contrary, a card originally from Guildpact, like for example Electrolyze (again, first that comes to mind) would NOT, correct? Thanks in advance.

EDIT I went ahead and designed my card assuming the answer is yes and that I did meet Subchallenge 2. If this isn't true please let me know asap.
Author of the MCC Guidelines and FAQ. | For my projects, including Jeff Lionheart, my murder mystery story "One pierced heart, two mindful horns", and republished articles from my series "The Lion's Lair", see Leo's content index (Last updated on March 24th 2024 - Added OPHTMH Episode 4).
After I'm done republishing my articles I want to reprise the series focusing it more on editing, wording, and templating. Suggest potential future article topics here.
My CCCG Resume (Updated on February 27th 2024)
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Blue = MTGSalvation Green = MTGNexus
MCC - Winner (9): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019, Jan Mar 2022, Apr 2023 || Host (30): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) Oct 2019, Jan Jun 2020 Apr Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2023, Mar 2024 || Judge (58): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), every month from Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) to Feb 2020, May Jun 2020, Mar Apr Sep Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar May Jun Sep Dec 2023, Jan Mar 2024
CCL - Winner (4): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Jun 2021 (tied with slimytrout) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (3): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar), Feb Apr 2022 || Host (12): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016, Jun Sep Dec 2021, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun 2023

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Post by void_nothing » 1 year ago

Working on two rounds' worth of MCC judgings.
Psst, check the second page of Custom Card Contests & Games! Because of the daily contests, a lot of games fall down to there.

The greatest (fake) pro wrestling on the internet - Collaborative Create-A-Booster - My random creations (updated regularly)

Important Facts: Colorless is not a color, Wastes is not a land type, Changeling is not a creature type

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Post by slimytrout » 1 year ago

void_nothing wrote:
1 year ago
(2.5/3) Quality
I just noticed another mistake on my entry, which is that targeting isn't allowed in a cost -- it should say "exile two cards from a single graveyard." Since I've definitely complained in the past about quality judgements that went against me, I thought it's only fair if I also admit when they've erred in my favor.

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Post by void_nothing » 1 year ago

That is correct - thanks for your honesty! Half a point off may or may not affect the final result, but I'm glad you caught that.
Psst, check the second page of Custom Card Contests & Games! Because of the daily contests, a lot of games fall down to there.

The greatest (fake) pro wrestling on the internet - Collaborative Create-A-Booster - My random creations (updated regularly)

Important Facts: Colorless is not a color, Wastes is not a land type, Changeling is not a creature type

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Post by void_nothing » 1 year ago

Reaching out to ask for a volunteer to organize the August MCC!
Psst, check the second page of Custom Card Contests & Games! Because of the daily contests, a lot of games fall down to there.

The greatest (fake) pro wrestling on the internet - Collaborative Create-A-Booster - My random creations (updated regularly)

Important Facts: Colorless is not a color, Wastes is not a land type, Changeling is not a creature type

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Post by OneAndOnly » 1 year ago

Given that it's three weeks into July and the June MCC is still running, I suggest switching to an alternating-month format. Or, each MCC runs for five weeks, with the next one beginning once the current one ends, regardless of calendar affiliation.

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Post by bravelion83 » 1 year ago

OneAndOnly wrote:
1 year ago
Given that it's three weeks into July and the June MCC is still running, I suggest switching to an alternating-month format. Or, each MCC runs for five weeks, with the next one beginning once the current one ends, regardless of calendar affiliation.
I have probably been the one who brought up this problem (because in my mind that's what it is, a problem) the most over the years, both here and back on Salvation. I'll give you my own opinion on the points you bring up and add a couple of my own.

• It might just be me, but I don't really understand what you mean by "alternating-month format". Do you mean having one MCC every two months? Like, there is the January-Feburary MCC followed by the March-April MCC, then the May-June MCC, and so on? If so, the contest would effectively get halved, and I don't think that's a good thing. You don't want a player who goes out in Round 1 to have to wait two months before having a chance to try again. One month is already long enough of a wait in my opinion.

• Or maybe you meant having each MCC last two months but with overlapping months. Like, there is the January-February MCC, followed by the February-March MCC, then the March-April MCC, and so on. Each month two contests would be running, the last half of the previous month and the first half of the current one. That's much more reasonable to me, in fact it's how things are right now in practice, it would just be us acknowledging that officially. It would just be a way to rename things to set the right expectations given the way things are right now. It's better but still far from ideal from my own point of view.

• Switching to a five-week system completely detached from the calendar might be tempting, I can definitely see it, but there are two things to notice here. First, right now the average MCC month goes WELL beyond five weeks unfortunately. I have won the March MCC at the very end of May just a couple months ago. It was like seven weeks at the very least, and it's not an unusual trend if you go back to look at the recent history of the MCC in the archives. Again, unfortunately. And again, this is a problem, currently the biggest problem the MCC has by far, so thanks for backing me up on recognizing that as a problem at least.

• Second, I don't think completely detaching the contest from the calendar is not a good idea in my opinion, for two reasons. One is inertia, the same inertia that void_nothing just mentioned in the "should the DCC go back to polls" stickied thread, but even longer here. Don't let my join date on Salvation mislead you. I've been a lurker there observing everything since Time Spiral block, several years before finally deciding to take an active role and actually subscribing. Then, even more time would have passed before I started taking part in custom card contests there. Then, I transitioned here since the very beginning of Nexus without any kind of hiatus between Salvation and Nexus. All of this goes to say that I know this contest since it was still called the FCC on Salvation, and I've been following it EVERY month since Time Spiral, the year after when I started playing with original Ravnica. It was 2006, 16 years ago, and I've seen every month of this contest since then. The rubric is the only thing that changed (I had a part in that too), and that too has been the way it is now for several years. When void_nothing asked me to write the guidelines for the MCC for Nexus at the very beginning of this site, I essentially just reworded and updated a few little things, but the vast majority of that document is the exact same thing that was scattered in different places on Salvation. I just reunited all of that into a single document but I WILLINGLY kept everything unchanged in the transition from Salvation to Nexus, except the very few small things that needed updating. And that brings me to the second reason...

• I know very well the structure of this contest, and it has been built with a monthly schedule. I wasn't there on Salvation before 2006, not even as a lurker, so I don't know how things were before that time, but as far as I know the MCC hasn't just been built with this structure, but it has been BORN with it. And writing the guidelines for Nexus immediately made the reason clear to me: ideally, you want each round to last a week, so the fact that there are four rounds in a month of MCC is not by chance: 4 weeks in a month, so 4 rounds of one week each in an MCC. This is how the contest is built, it's part of its own very essence. Changing to a different number of rounds or weeks would make it into a different contest. Maybe still similar, but a different one.

• Why each round should last a week? Because player participation supported it back then, and THIS is the core of our current problem in my opinion. I still remember my first experiences as host on Salvation, when four days was enough to get enough entries in Round 1 to require FOUR judges to judge them all. Now I normally set the design deadline for my Round 1's nine days (more than double) after I post it and often that's not even enough to have sufficient entries for TWO judges to judge. Think about this: on July, void_nothing is judging SOLO because we've only got NINE entries including mine, at least three of which technically after the design deadline. An average of one submission a day or even less, depending on whether we count all the entries or just those that have been submitted within the deadline. And I can clearly remember that it's not even the first time that void_nothing judged solo, I think there was at least one other time last year. Maybe even more than that.

• And let's also talk about the judging phase. The average number of entries per judge has slightly decreased over the years but not in a substantial way. The most noticeable difference is that back then in Round 1 a judge could get about eight entries to judge while now if they get five it's already much and if they get six it's almost a miracle, but it's not actually that different. void_nothing is showing us this very month that nine entries for a single judge are still doable. Maybe there is one less matchup in Round 3 or one less finalist, but that's not the big point here in my opinion, and anyway that's related to the previous point about the steady decline in player participation. The big point is that it shouldn't take a week to judge four entries or even less. This is why you see me constanly asking about any news about judgments here in this very thread, and not only that. I also do it via pm sometimes, in fact in my own months I almost exclusively do it via pm, and trust me, I do it quite a lot these days. In the old days, a round managed to take a week because it was four days of design and three to four days of judging. Then the host had everything ready to move on, and max four or five days into the next month AT THE LATEST we had a winner. So...

• Can I dare to say it here? That's my ideal world. That's what the MCC was and still is supposed to be. That's what it should return to be. That's what I want it to be again. That's what I strive for in each of my own months, constantly failing it but usually not for my own faults. That's what once was reality but now has only become a dream to me. And I know it's possible. It was like that once, so why can't it be like that again? I want the current dream to become the reality of the past. Am I a dreamer? Maybe. Am I insane? I do have my own problems which I won't get into here, but I don't think so. Am I just nostalgic? Definitely, but again, I know it's doable. Am I able to just shut up? Apparently no. I'm sorry. But if you follow the MCC you probably know me by now, and you and everybody else probably expected a very long reply post from me. Well then, here you go.

• So what can we do to solve the problem? I see two things to do for the moment: get more players in, MANY more players in, and second, get the judges to be faster. How to do them? I don't know. I know everybody's real life must come first, and I'm always the first to say that and that it applies to myself too, but is it really just that people had MUCH more free time in the old days? I don't think so. There has got to be something more than just that, but I still have to identify it. Anyone who wants to help with that is more than welcome.

• I have all the intention to host again the MCC (and also the DCC by the way) in September and make it the DMU month. By now, set-related MCCs have become my own specialty and I always like to do those. If anyone has any actual and reasonable advice about anything I've said here, we can discuss it right here and right now (there is still almost a month and a half before that, so we've got time for discussion) and if we reach somewhat of a consensus I can maybe try it in September. Maybe. Anyway, the way to change things is exactly this, and I've written that in the guidelines: propose a change in the discussion thread, discuss it for some time, reach a consensus, and try the proposed change for one or two months before officially adopting it. If we all want to do it, that's the way. I'm open to everything within reason. Thanks for bearing with me until here, if you managed to do it somehow, and thanks for being a part of the MCC. One thing I know for sure is that we all must be welcoming of new players... well, of everyone actually. Both here and in real life. May you all have a wonderful day.
Author of the MCC Guidelines and FAQ. | For my projects, including Jeff Lionheart, my murder mystery story "One pierced heart, two mindful horns", and republished articles from my series "The Lion's Lair", see Leo's content index (Last updated on March 24th 2024 - Added OPHTMH Episode 4).
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My CCCG Resume (Updated on February 27th 2024)
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MCC - Winner (9): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019, Jan Mar 2022, Apr 2023 || Host (30): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) Oct 2019, Jan Jun 2020 Apr Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2023, Mar 2024 || Judge (58): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), every month from Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) to Feb 2020, May Jun 2020, Mar Apr Sep Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar May Jun Sep Dec 2023, Jan Mar 2024
CCL - Winner (4): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Jun 2021 (tied with slimytrout) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (3): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar), Feb Apr 2022 || Host (12): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016, Jun Sep Dec 2021, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun 2023

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Post by OneAndOnly » 1 year ago

Maybe the contest formats are just broken, and need fixing.

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Post by bravelion83 » 1 year ago

OneAndOnly wrote:
1 year ago
Maybe the contest formats are just broken, and need fixing.
I personally don't see anything that's broken, and as the saying goes, "if it ain't broken, don't fix it", or however you want to word it. I don't see why what used to work (almost) perfectly would have suddenly stopped working now. Well, maybe not suddenly, but there is a very noticeable difference just comparing how things were at the birth of this site a couple years ago and now. You don't need to go back to the times of Salvation to see it, even though you can see it even better if you do. Maro (and probably other game designers too, but he's the one I can clearly remember) often talk about "player acquisition" and "player retention". I feel that's where the current problems with the MCC are, and I think we must work somehow on both fronts. Well, that and the speed of judgments. Speaking of which...

@void_nothing Any news about judgments for July Round 1? I've just checked and it's been ten days since your last post there. It's almost the end of July and we're still at Round 1... I'm really sorry but I just have to mention that this is one of the problems I'm talking about in this post and my previous one.
Author of the MCC Guidelines and FAQ. | For my projects, including Jeff Lionheart, my murder mystery story "One pierced heart, two mindful horns", and republished articles from my series "The Lion's Lair", see Leo's content index (Last updated on March 24th 2024 - Added OPHTMH Episode 4).
After I'm done republishing my articles I want to reprise the series focusing it more on editing, wording, and templating. Suggest potential future article topics here.
My CCCG Resume (Updated on February 27th 2024)
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Blue = MTGSalvation Green = MTGNexus
MCC - Winner (9): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019, Jan Mar 2022, Apr 2023 || Host (30): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) Oct 2019, Jan Jun 2020 Apr Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2023, Mar 2024 || Judge (58): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), every month from Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) to Feb 2020, May Jun 2020, Mar Apr Sep Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar May Jun Sep Dec 2023, Jan Mar 2024
CCL - Winner (4): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Jun 2021 (tied with slimytrout) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (3): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar), Feb Apr 2022 || Host (12): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016, Jun Sep Dec 2021, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun 2023

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Post by void_nothing » 1 year ago

bravelion83 wrote:
1 year ago
I don't see why what used to work (almost) perfectly would have suddenly stopped working now. Well, maybe not suddenly, but there is a very noticeable difference just comparing how things were at the birth of this site a couple years ago and now. You don't need to go back to the times of Salvation to see it, even though you can see it even better if you do.
There's a lot I could say on this front, but the one thing we'll never be able to change is that forums are not as viable of a form of socialization as they used to be - and no matter how good the things on offer are or how on-time the judgments are, we're never getting that audience back.

I also am not complaining or trying to shift blame - far from it - but it's possible I'd be able to judge faster if I weren't hosting the majority of the MCCs, the majority of the CCLs, a third of the DCCs, and every single month of the NCED. I have to balance my responsibilities as a forum admin against a full-time job and, generally, life.
Psst, check the second page of Custom Card Contests & Games! Because of the daily contests, a lot of games fall down to there.

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Post by slimytrout » 1 year ago

void_nothing wrote:
1 year ago
the majority of the MCCs, the majority of the CCLs, a third of the DCCs, and every single month of the NCED
I didn't want to speak for void, but I do want to echo him here, and it's potentially another reason to switch to running at least some of the contests bimonthly. In the last six months, only three people other than void have hosted a contest, and the result is that he's stretched very thin. If we're running low on interest to participate in the contests, and running low on interest to judge them, then it seems natural to me to decrease the frequency.

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Post by bravelion83 » 1 year ago

@void_nothing Please don't think my previous post was some kind of personal attack towards you. It's just that it's hard to convey tone in text and I'm really passionate about this. I know you do a lot of things here, way more than myself, and I already consider myself a pretty active member of this custom card community, coming here to check the forum every day, often multiple times a day, and posting as much as I can. Ok, you are a moderator and I am not, but that's nothing but yet another reason to appreciate that you're able to host and judge a lot of contests here in addition to your other duties. And that's not even taking into account real life. And speaking of that...

I've always said that real life must come first, that's not a new thing to me and one I definitely understand, but that was also true back then. What I admit I didn't think about was the overall changes in how people interact with each other on the internet, the fact that now social media are much more prevalent than in those old days I was talking about. That's definitely a factor I didn't consider at all, but now that you brought that up I can definitely see it, even though I don't use social media that much myself anymore, or a least much less than I once did, but I know that a lot a people do still use them and way more than before. I wonder how it would be like to try to run contests like this on some kind of social media sites, if they would get more interest... I'm not suggesting to actually do that in any way, but it's just a thing I found myself asking as I read your post.

I agree that we could find some kind of way to take some of that work overload away from you. Obviously, you are the best one to tell all of us how we could help you.

I had an idea about something I, for one, could do. In practice, I already host and judge the MCC every three months, which is convenient to me because I like to do set-themed MCCs, but I would have no problems in hosting and judging every other month. I and you could do alternating months, judging only in the months we are hosting. For example, I planned to host September, but I could actually host August (if you want me to do it I obviously should know that right now or at maximum in a few days, as it's already the 27th of July), then you do September, I do October, you do November, I do December, and so on, with me judging every month I host (not a problem to me) and you judging only on your months and not on mine. If we need a second judge, someone will hopefully volunteer in the judge signup thread, and in my own months you can play if you want or just not care about the MCC at all besides your moderation duties.

Or, if we find a third person, we could do the same kind of rotation we do in the DCC, still with no obligation for any of us to judge in the others' months, but obviously still able to do so if needed.

As for the DCC, I will keep hosting that every three months, for now I have no intention to give that up, I might just have to find the right solution for the thread posting time, but I promise you I will find one, and in fact I already have something in mind. Maybe I won't need to change the posting time of the DCC at all now (because of some changes in real life that I don't want to talk about here, but it's nothing bad, you all can just freely ignore that I've even said this). I could probably keep it as it normally is, what for me (Italy) is 6 am. But yes, I should have posted this section in the DCC discussion thread and not here, but it's kinda part of the context here so I feel like it can belong here as well, and yes, now it's too early for me to officially say that, let's see how those real life things will be for me in September, which is still more than a month away. See? I know that real life matters and should always come first, I told you.

As for the CCL and NCED, I was more involved in those once and now, like, not at all... But I have hosted the CCL in the past and I could do it again if needed. I've never hosted NCED, but I've played in it for several months and it doesn't look too different from the DCC if I imagine what it could be like as a host, so I could be open to hosting that too. Obviously, not everything at once, but I could definitely host two different contests in the same month and I've also done that multiple times before. I can do it again.

This is what I personally could do to help you if you want, you just have to tell me. Maybe others feel like they would be able to help too. As I've said before, you are the best person to tell us all how we can help you in the best way.

As for running the contest bimonthly, as @slimytrout suggested, I personally would not like it. I feel like decreasing the frequence would lower the interest even more, and I think that's the last thing we want. It could be the first step towards the contest dying altogether, and that's the very last thing that I want. I don't want to take active steps that could potentially kill it, I want to save it. Actually, I want to save all of the four main contests we have. If I need to personally do more, as I've said above, I will definitely make my own part.
Author of the MCC Guidelines and FAQ. | For my projects, including Jeff Lionheart, my murder mystery story "One pierced heart, two mindful horns", and republished articles from my series "The Lion's Lair", see Leo's content index (Last updated on March 24th 2024 - Added OPHTMH Episode 4).
After I'm done republishing my articles I want to reprise the series focusing it more on editing, wording, and templating. Suggest potential future article topics here.
My CCCG Resume (Updated on February 27th 2024)
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Blue = MTGSalvation Green = MTGNexus
MCC - Winner (9): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019, Jan Mar 2022, Apr 2023 || Host (30): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) Oct 2019, Jan Jun 2020 Apr Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2023, Mar 2024 || Judge (58): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), every month from Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) to Feb 2020, May Jun 2020, Mar Apr Sep Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar May Jun Sep Dec 2023, Jan Mar 2024
CCL - Winner (4): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Jun 2021 (tied with slimytrout) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (3): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar), Feb Apr 2022 || Host (12): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016, Jun Sep Dec 2021, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun 2023

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Post by OneAndOnly » 1 year ago

I can only speak out of my own experience. I don't so much like games for games' sake; I like the continued provocation, the incentive to think and re-think how I design cards, to push me out of comfort zone and generally try and be a better designer.

So when a round that looks like it's supposed to run a week takes a month to complete, that's a disincentive to participate. When (sigh) forgetting to put a vote in a post removes me from a game for three whole weeks -- meaning, I'm unliklely to in either that month or the next one -- it's a disincentive to participate. I like talking about cards, rather than receiving judgments, which is yet another disincentive.

I started on the WotC boards, back when they actually hosted their own forums. Ephemeron, Noddegamra, tyranno6 and others were a big part of it. I migrated over to MTGS when it became apparent that Hasbro/Wizards were happy to screw up their own board. Now Sally's a ghost town, with only one or two people creating custom cards. I still find it does better on providing spoilers and, oddly, answering rules questions. And MTG Nexus is ... well, I don't know what. I left a while ago, came back earlier this year when I had Covid and time on my hands. There's not a lot of conversation. I think it's slightly hilarious to have ten or so threads on the main page that all have me as the latest one to post, but it's a little sad when a day goes by and I'm still seeing my own name up there, y'know?

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Post by bravelion83 » 1 year ago

OneAndOnly wrote:
1 year ago
I can only speak out of my own experience. I don't so much like games for games' sake; I like the continued provocation, the incentive to think and re-think how I design cards, to push me out of comfort zone and generally try and be a better designer.
I think I can see now where our different points of view come from, all thanks to your first paragraph. We are different people wanting to approach a similar goal (becoming better designers) in almost opposite ways. You say you want to be pushed out of your comfort zone. I want to stay as much within my comfort zone as I can, not only in custom card design but generally in real life too, because, well, it's comforting to stay in your comfort zone and honestly it doesn't come to me naturally to ever want to go out of it. And in fact, when I try to do that I most often fail, again, here in custom card contests and in real life too. So in response I go back to my comfort zone and stay there even longer and even more firmly, convinced that's where I belong. It may look like I'm going around in circles, I know. But the point is I naturally want to keep things as they are if there is no reason for them to change. I don't want to take risks, and when I do I ponder them a lot beforehand, some would say even too much and they might not be wrong. That's where my own thinking and re-thinking lies. And I don't think I would ever say that I like "continued provocation". Instead, it looks like you're the opposite kind of character, and don't misunderstand me, that's not a bad thing. In fact, it's good that no two people on Earth are equal. Diversity is a thing to celebrate not just in gender, but generally in life. Being different from each other actually makes each of us better. So I am actually happy that we look like two different people having two different characters and different opinions about things. That's a good thing.
So when a round that looks like it's supposed to run a week takes a month to complete, that's a disincentive to participate.
That's kinda my whole point. We totally agree on this. Slowness is a disincentive to everybody. People that used to don't participate anymore and new people aren't interested to join at all. We lose all players and then finally we lose the whole contest altogether. That's my fear, and that's exactly what I'm trying to fight against here. In this we are 100% together. You've touched the heart of the problem in my opinion.
When (sigh) forgetting to put a vote in a post removes me from a game for three whole weeks -- meaning, I'm unliklely to in either that month or the next one -- it's a disincentive to participate.
I've been the one that (regretfully, don't think I've liked that) had to put you on probation in the DCC and I think you're referring to that here. If so, there is a fundamental misunderstanding here. Maybe I should address this in the DCC discussion thread, and I can if you want, so I'll just get straight to the point here: being in probation does NOT mean you've been removed from voting. I did notice you hadn't posted anymore and I thought that you might have thought that, but read the rules in each day's DCC OP. It says that repeated violations might cause bad things to happen to you (in game of course). Forgetting to vote once is NOT a repeated violation and you could have continued to vote and post cards without any problems, you just had to be more careful to remember to not do it again during your probation period, that's all. Your votes and cards count in the same way whether you are in probation or not. But again, this is the MCC discussion thread, so if you have any other further doubts, opinions, comments, clarification requests, or whatever else about the DCC or your own experience in it, let's discuss it in its own thread if you want to go deeper than this.
I like talking about cards, rather than receiving judgments, which is yet another disincentive.
More than a disincentive, this is the exact reason why different contests with different rules exist. Different people want different things. If you don't like having your card judged (note: your card, not you personally) against a detailed and formal rubric, then maybe the MCC isn't for you, but the other contests will welcome you. If you like something more like a peer-voting system, then the CCL might be the right one for you. If you like a quick everyday more casual thing without much requirements in terms of time and strictness, then the DCC might be for you. And finally, if you like something like the DCC but you prefer to have some direction instead of complete freedom to post any card you want, then NCED might be for you. Or if you don't like anything in any of the main four, you can check out any other contests going around here. Given what you've said in this post, I totally get why I've never seen you in the MCC as far as I remember but always in the DCC. That's perfectly fine. What might be a disincentive to you might be an incentive to other people. Well, except for the slowness problem here. That's just a disincentive to everybody, as I've already said in this very post.
I started on the WotC boards, back when they actually hosted their own forums. Ephemeron, Noddegamra, tyranno6 and others were a big part of it. I migrated over to MTGS when it became apparent that Hasbro/Wizards were happy to screw up their own board.
If you don't know my own story I'm more than happy to share it again here. Before 2005 I didn't even know this game called Magic existed. In October 2005, a (now former) friend of mine introduced me to it using mainly cards he owned from original Kamigawa block. I immediately fell in love with this game, and very soon we went to a local game store. There, the store owner was very nice to me and asked me what style of play felt more natural to me, and I said something akin to what now, as an experienced player, I know are called aggro decks, but at the time I didn't even know how to call that style of play. Despite my inability to explain myself very well back then, the store owner understood me, took a preconstructed deck from the shelves behind him and handed it to me. It was the Boros preconstructed deck from original Ravnica, that had just come out. That, with a few slight modifications, would become my own first Standard deck ever in the Kamigawa-Ravnica Standard. Than one day I thought to search the internet to see if and what resources were out there. It was still late 2005 and I found the official site and those same WotC boards you're talking about here, so I know what you are referring to. I've been there. As a lurker, just reading what other people posted, but I've been there, even if I honestly can't remember those usernames now. Then a few months or maybe about a year later, now 2006, right after Time Spiral came out, I found Salvation and I started reading that as a lurker as well, including the custom cards section. That's why I've said in my previous posts that I know well what what was called the FCC back then was like. I read that. Like, every round of it. And not just that, but the other contests too, and most other sections of the forum as well. Years later, 2010 if I recall correctly, I finally signed up on Salvation, but mainly to read those sections of the forum that were only accessible to signed up members. I was still a lurker, even though with a username now, the same I have here now and that I've had all over the internet for like 20 years by now. Then after a few more years, about 2014-2015 I believe, I finally gathered the courage to become an active member and I started posting things myself, mostly cards in custom card contests but not only that. In a span of four months in the now MCC I went from player to judge to host. Then after a few years of that, I saw Salvation's spiral downwards over time, which quickly became apparent to me after I saw that site kept getting sold from one owner to the next getting worse each time. The same thought you had about WotC not caring about their boards years before, I had then about Salvation. So as soon as the opportunity presented itself, I chose to sadly abandon that ship and board this new one which is Nexus, and I've been here (proudly to be honest) since the very beginning of this site, and my "career" as host of not just the MCC, but other contests too, and MCC judge went on here. I'm not one who likes to boast, but I think I'm probably one of the most experienced hosts/judges still active at least in the MCC. And now I'm here telling my story to you, just like I would tell it to my best friend, whoever it might be. That's all.
Now Sally's a ghost town, with only one or two people creating custom cards.
Thanks for confirming that. I haven't been there since the beginning of Nexus so sometimes I did find myself wondering in nostalgia what had become of that site. I suspected it would have only gotten even worse over time, and you kinda just confirmed to me that in fact it did and that I was right in thinking that.
I still find it does better on providing spoilers and, oddly, answering rules questions.
I just trust you with that as I'm no longer there and I don't know how that site is now. I just know what is going on here now.
And MTG Nexus is ... well, I don't know what.
As for me, it's my new home. Actually not that new anymore, it's been that for a few years by now. At least two for sure, maybe even three? Anyhow, as far as custom Magic card design goes, this is home to me now. That's why I care so much about it.
I left a while ago, came back earlier this year when I had Covid and time on my hands.
I feel sorry for that, I really hope you got better now. I've been very lucky to have avoided it so far. I've had other problems, but not that one. And don't worry, I'm still using all precautions to avoid getting it right now.
There's not a lot of conversation. I think it's slightly hilarious to have ten or so threads on the main page that all have me as the latest one to post, but it's a little sad when a day goes by and I'm still seeing my own name up there, y'know?
I feel you. It does feel sad to me too and it happens to me all the time here. I also feel sad when the latest contest round gets buried to the second page. That also happens all the time now, and yes, it gets especially sad when you are the host of the month, I can assure that to you. It's yet one more symptom of the overall problem that originated this exchange between us.

As usual to me, this is a lot of conversation on my part instead, but it's just who I am. A very loquacious person who was the opposite in his childhood and now can't keep anything within himself anymore as an adult. It clearly shows here too. I'm very happy that you've opened up at least a little bit of yourself here. It was only fair for me to try to do the same. I can't wait to see you back in any contest you might prefer. May you have a wonderful day.
Author of the MCC Guidelines and FAQ. | For my projects, including Jeff Lionheart, my murder mystery story "One pierced heart, two mindful horns", and republished articles from my series "The Lion's Lair", see Leo's content index (Last updated on March 24th 2024 - Added OPHTMH Episode 4).
After I'm done republishing my articles I want to reprise the series focusing it more on editing, wording, and templating. Suggest potential future article topics here.
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MCC - Winner (9): Oct 2014, Apr Nov 2017, Jan 2018, Apr Jun 2019, Jan Mar 2022, Apr 2023 || Host (30): Dec 2014, Apr Jul Aug Dec 2015, Mar Jul Aug Oct 2016, Feb Jul 2017, Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) Oct 2019, Jan Jun 2020 Apr Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2023, Mar 2024 || Judge (58): every month from Nov 2014 to Nov 2016 except Oct 2015, every month from Feb to Jul 2017 except Apr 2017, then Oct 2017, May Jun Nov 2018, Feb Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), every month from Aug 2019 (first on MTGN) to Feb 2020, May Jun 2020, Mar Apr Sep Oct 2021, Feb May Sep Dec 2022, Mar May Jun Sep Dec 2023, Jan Mar 2024
CCL - Winner (4): Jul 2016 (tied with Flatline), May 2017, Jul 2019 (last on MTGS), Jun 2021 (tied with slimytrout) || Host (5): Feb 2015, Mar Apr May Jun 2016
DCC - Winner (3): Mar 2015 (tied with Piar), Feb Apr 2022 || Host (12): May Oct 2015, Jan 2016, Jun Sep Dec 2021, Mar Jun Sep Dec 2022, Mar Jun 2023

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void_nothing
Look On My Sash...
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Post by void_nothing » 1 year ago

So, first, thank you everyone, for listening, and being here. Anyone who's likely to read this is already a participating member of the CCC&G community, which is kind of all I can ask for.

Let me first say that I enjoy hosting the monthly contests. It's not a chore I do out of a sense of obligation, I'm here because this is the most fun part of Magic for me. Always has been, confident that it always will be. It's sometimes hard, tiring, and overwhelming. It has the potential to take a lot out of me. I worry about it, and sometimes I'm simply incapable due to my real-world obligations and existence. But if I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't be.

I would love more people to step up and take on contests, but I don't want it to be because anyone feels guilty or bad for me, because that's not a sustainable motivation. There's no point in a couple of months of lots of help that quickly dries up because nobody's heart is in it. I would really like to have a pool of hosts, or even people who did one month once in a while for a lark. That doesn't only make things easier for me, it makes the contests better - it means more variety of challenges, different judging perspectives, differences in presentation. I'm immensely thankful to anyone who HAS hosted ANYTHING recently, and especially to bravelion83 and Rithaniel, the other two rotating DCC hosts. It's just that help like that has been hard to come by for a long time, even since the launch of this site, even before that - witness the workload I had on Salvation, which wasn't as heavy as often as this, but still required me to host a LOT of MCCs and CCLs.

There was some talk about player acquisition and retention - that would solve a lot of problems at once. Heck, it'd motivate me a lot more and make me feel a lot more optimistic about this board and its future if we had new blood regularly entering the contests. If you click over to the custom card creator, it's clear the tool is excellent - plenty of people are using it. The problem is that almost none of them are posting here, or indeed anywhere on the forums themselves. How do we tap into this potential audience, and get some of those people to share their ideas and make valuable contributions here? Not a clue. Are there any other avenues for player acquisition - players these contests can hopefully retain? I certainly hope so.

What is the point of having these four monthly contests - three hoary old ones and a younger sibling? There are a lot. I loathe the idea that tradition in and of itself is a reason to keep doing things, but in this case the Monthly Four are a tradition I can be proud of, and I hope you all can as well. I fondly remember iconic designs and moments from the various monthly iterations of all of these contests stretching back to the mid-2000s. Some of those I participated in - some I just observed. I think it's good to let people be a part of that legacy. As Leo said pretty cogently, having four different contest types allows contestants to have some variety - having the freedom to enter whatever you want in the DCC is fun, having daily IIWs in the NCED is clearly fun (in a peak-Club Flamingo but without the absurdist/anarchic elements kind of way), the CCL is collegial and involves interaction with your peers, and the MCC is like a little low-stakes thesis defense that gives you the "make the judges happy" rush. They're all just - great. It's hard to keep them all around, but I want to keep them all around, and on a monthly basis.

What would be lost, changing the monthly format or (may I and we be protected from this outcome) letting any of the contests come to an end? Nothing tangible, I suppose - we would all go on with our lives. Even I would reconcile myself to that fact at some point, no matter how grieved I was. But at the moment such a thing happened, a basically unbroken connection spanning some 17 years (longer if you count MTGNews contests) would be snapped, and that would be a shame.

I suppose that's all I have to say on this matter for now. I'll continue to listen. Thanks once again.
Psst, check the second page of Custom Card Contests & Games! Because of the daily contests, a lot of games fall down to there.

The greatest (fake) pro wrestling on the internet - Collaborative Create-A-Booster - My random creations (updated regularly)

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