Friday, June 17, 2016

Weekend Art Challenge 061716—Samuel Bak

Greetings, good morning, and good afternoon! Your friendly neighborhood Pasteur has arrived with a new Weekend Challenge. Click through to see this weekend's art and the design requirements for your single card submission.

Since this is an eventful weekend, your submission will be due Monday evening (6PM EST). Every submission warrants feedback, and everyone is encouraged to give feedback. You may use that feedback to revise your submission any number of times, though only the version rendered will be included in the review.

Samuel Bak
Design a card for this art.
Bonus: See what you can do using the number "3".

37 comments:

  1. Weird Sph3r3 Thingi3s [3]
    Artifact Cr3atur3 - Gol3m (Common)
    Flavor t3xt: "On3 day th3y just app3ar3d in the town squar3. No on3 kn3w how th3y got th3r3. No on3 kn3w what th3ir purpos3 was."
    3/3

    I replaced every "e" with a "3". For added confusion, some of the 3s on the card are supposed to be threes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very literal, but I do appreciate the interpretation. Not sure we've ever seen a common colorless creature this efficient before, however.

      Delete
    2. How about uncommon?

      Delete
    3. Still a little above grade in the average set, but not out of the question. I'd consider giving it a sometimes-defender ability like Gargoyle Sentinel, or some other hoop that's easy to jump?

      You could also hand-wave it by saying "being an artifact is a serious liability in this set", and trust that a 3 mana 3/3 won't be disruptive out of its native environment.

      Delete
  2. Omega Charm 5BBB
    Sorcery (M)
    Choose one -
    * Each opponent's life total becomes 3.
    * Each opponent exiles cards from the top of his or her library equal to the number of cards in that library minus three.
    * Each opponent chooses three cards in his or her hand and/or nonland permanents he or she controls, then sacrifices the rest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Would using "all but the bottom three" or "all but the top three" for the second ability help with clarity/save some words?

      Delete
    2. Good call.

      Second ability is now "Each opponent exiles all but the bottom three cards of his or her library."

      Delete
  3. Word of Erosion U
    Instant (UNC)
    Target opponent puts the top three cards of his or her library into the graveyard.
    If you control three other spells named CARDNAME, that player puts all cards from his or her library into the graveyard, instead. (Those spells must be on the stack.)
    "Words are wind." ~George R. R. Martin

    I can't decide if the first ability should mill 3 or 4 cards. It should key off of the second ability. The problem is that the second ability calls out "THREE other cards" but means that you have to cast all FOUR for it to work...

    Thoughts?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a really big hoop with a really big reward, and both of them could probably be lowered if it wanted to remain uncommon.

      To get out of referencing the stack (and "all four"), what about "If this is the third spell named CARDNAME cast this turn, [big effect]"?

      Delete
    2. Is there any harm in letting you mill yourself?

      Delete
  4. World Erosion 2R
    World Enchantment (R)
    At the beginning of your upkeep, put a depletion counter on World Erosion. Then each player sacrifices an artifact and/or land for each depletion counter on World Erosion.
    When World Erosion has three or more depletion counters on it, sacrifice it.

    I might love me some griefer cards a little too much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seems like a nerfed Smokestack is still a powerful Smokestack. Assuming this is for a non-Standard-legal supplemental set, I'm curious to hear your thoughts on resuscitating the World supertype.

      Delete
    2. The World supertype was in there for two reasons:
      1) I designed the card with "World" in its name and thought "Huh, this could be cool."
      2) Lets you "reset" your depletion counters by playing a second one, since unlike Smokestack you can't sac it to itself if it's hurting you more than the opponent.

      Delete
    3. Legendary would at least allow you to do the second, though if there are other World enchantments in the format it would give more decks an answer to this. Not sure if it's worth introducing an additional piece of vocabulary to players.

      Delete
  5. Eroded Strategy 1WR
    Sorcery
    Choose three. You may choose each mode more than once.
    *Tap target creature.
    *Target creature cannot block this turn.
    *Target creature must block this turn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Would you ever select the second ability over the first?

      Delete
    2. Indeed. Also the way it was it was not white. here we go again:

      Eroded Strategy WR
      Enchantment - Aura (uncommon / rare?)
      Enchant creature.
      You select if and how enchanted creature attacks or blocks.

      Or

      Eroded Strategy RRW
      Instant - Uncommon
      Choose three. You may choose each mode more than once.
      *Target blocked creature gets first strike until end of turn.
      *Target blocked creature gets trample until end of turn.
      *Target blocked creature is indestructible until end of turn.

      Delete
    3. I do not know with which one to go for the submission.

      I also came with another interpretation

      Petrified Battlefield 3BW
      Sorcery Rare
      Put a petrification counter on each creature. They gain defender and become a colorless artifacts in addition to its other types. Their activated abilities can't be activated.

      Delete
    4. The WR version has some trouble within the rules. For the RRW version, on a blocked creature indestructible is always as good or better than first strike.

      I love defenders — so Petrified Battlefield as a unique wrath definitely appeals to me as a player. However, as a designer, it is much more likely to contribute to stalled games than other types of board-wipe. I'd probably leave activated abilities available, and try to make sure there are common ways to finish the game through one or more Petrified Battlefields.

      Delete
    5. The WR version is indeed a bit difficult to parse within the rules but I was trying to get the master warcraft feel.

      Yes, it is true that indestructable is always stronger than first strike. Probably should be +1/+1. Or just needs to marinate in my head until I find a better solution.

      Fort the petrified battlefield I wanted to be cute, and reference Xanthrid Gorgon, but I guess I could change it to:

      Petrified Battlefield 3BW
      Sorcery Rare
      Put a stone counter on each creature. They cannot attack or defend and become a colorless artifacts in addition to its other types. Their activated abilities can't be activated.

      Delete
    6. I will probably go with that one.

      Delete
  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chromatic Ruins 3
      Artifact (U)
      Chromatic Ruins enters the battlefield with three charge counters.
      {1}, {T}, Remove a charge counter from Chromatic Ruins: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Draw a card.

      Delete
    2. My only concern with this would be that you would use it for your next three turns, whether you need the fixing or not, just to get the card advantage, and then end up unfixed when you draw your big spell that needs exact colors. But the very act of drawing three cards should help towards drawing the right mana configuration, so that's less of an issue.

      I'd consider testing it with "3, T: Add three", or ETBT, to pace out the card drawing just a little bit more.

      Delete
    3. Or just "When the last charge counter is removed, sacrifice CARDNAME and draw (however many) cards"

      Delete
  7. Time Erosion 2UU
    Sorcery (Rare)
    Each player skips his or her next three untap steps. Exile CARDNAME.

    I have absolutely no idea how to cost this. Help?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Everyone gets to draw three cards, play up to three lands, maybe cast some spells. Activating your planeswalkers on a stalled board three times is probably the dream synergy here, but I think 2UU is probably a fine place to start given that (before you build around it) the effect is symmetrical.

      Delete
    2. This remind me of All Hallows' Eve. Would it work better as an enchantment with a static effect and some version of vanishing or fading?

      Delete
    3. Weird card, but love the flavor for this art!

      Delete
  8. Pawn Remnants (unc)
    2W
    Sorcery
    Put three 0/1 construct artifact creatures with promote 3 called Pawn onto the battlefield. (When it deals combat damage to an opponent, if it's not promoted, you may pay {3}. If you do, promote it by putting three +1/+1 counters on it)

    I don't want to make many trick cards like this with a trigger that doesn't work until you find a boost effect, but I think the occasional uncommon is ok. Especially if there's done battle cry or something in the set.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I imagine these could just have renown, since they need help to trigger in the first place?

      With either renown or promote, I do definitely like a card that gives you a goal and spells out the payout if you accomplish it.

      Delete
    2. I kind of like the "halfway between renown and monstrosity" mechanic. And the symmetry of the current card. But I agree, it could probably be stronger.

      Hm. Could I change it so the counters go on before the damage? The wording would have to be weird ("If this would deal combat damage to an opponent, you may first pay 3 and put three +3/+3 counters on it"...)

      Delete
  9. Reality is Perception {2}{R}
    Enchantment (rare)
    If another card would enter the battlefield, exile 3 cards from the top of its owner’s library. If you exile any cards that share a type with it this way, instead put them onto the battlefield under that player’s control and exile the original card.

    ReplyDelete