Friday, May 26, 2017

Weekend Art Challenge 052617—AlexKonstad

Click through to see the illustration and design requirements for your single  card submission, due Monday morning. Every submission warrants feedback, which you may use to revise your submission any number of times. I will aim to review the most recent submission from each designer.

http://alexkonstad.deviantart.com/art/Giant-Spiders-346511168

Design a card for this art.

52 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. Clickslither Ambush 6GR
      Instant (U)
      Clickslither Ambush costs {1} less to cast for each attacking creature.
      Create a 4/8 red green spider creature token with "This creature can block an additional seven creatures each combat."

      Delete
    2. This could probably be cheaper? 4RG? Art doesn't say reach to me

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    3. I think 8 total CMC seems about right - this is all but guaranteed to eat something and possibly several somethings, which seems brutal on turn 4 in limited.

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    4. I also would worry about this creating mega-stalemates in limited, though a bounce spell at common or similar in the same set could aid that problem.

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    5. Why is this red, and what's the connection to clickslither? It reminds me most of Stone Idol Trap so there's that, I guess.

      Otherwise, yeah. This will usually kill one or two creatures on turn 6 and maybe block another. That it's ridic against Goblin Rally is fine (and obvs great for the art). It's a whole lot better than Fog against an alpha attack, but an 8cc uncommon should be. Cool.

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  2. Startling Solifuge 2RG
    Creature - Scorpion (R)
    Trample, hexproof
    Morph RG
    6/1

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    1. Oh right, Sagu Mauler's a thing.
      Swapping morph for flash.

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    2. Hexproof instead of shroud, flash instead of haste, and two extra power on Giant Solifuge - have creatures come far enough that that's printable? I think the power upgrade from shroud->hexproof is the scariest part. Works well with the art and I love that it's a scorpion.

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    3. It is startling how much better this scorpion is than Giant Solifuge. Ball Lightning + hexproof + doesn't-auto-die is definitely very strong. Flash is worse than haste, though. I think this might still be printable, though it may just by mythic (for its ability to win games by itself).

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  3. Beneath the Sands
    2RR
    Enchantment - Mythic Rare
    R: Exile the top card of your library. If it is a creature card, you may cast it. Creatures cast this way gain haste and "at the beginning of your end step, sacrifice this creature."

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    1. Any help with the wording would be appreciated - the idea is that you still have to pay the mana cost to cast it, but it ignores normal timing restrictions so you can use this to generate blockers as well.

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    2. One way would be:

      Play with the top card of your library revealed.
      You may cast the top card of your library if it's a creature card. If you do, it gains haste and "at the beginning of your end step, sacrifice this creature.

      But that doesn't let you R: to exile a few in a row, and it doesn't let you block.

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    3. Wording looks correct, based on Chandra, Torch of Defiance.

      Why "your" instead of "the" next end step? Haste seems kind of irrelevant when you can block and then attack next turn anyway.

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    4. Jenesis - excellent point, I meant for it to be "the".

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    5. Sneak Attack gets an upgrade, giving you access to creatures you haven't drawn, and removing the card disadvantage. Seems too strong.

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    6. Think you misread it as "without paying its mana cost" - which might be the fault of the design being so close to Sneak Attack.

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    7. I did indeed misread that. Having to pay their mana cost should be more than a fair trade for the cardstock.

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  4. Surprise! 4G
    Instant - trap - UC
    Creatures you control get +1/+2, and reach until end of turn.
    If an opponent attacked with two or more creatures with flying this turn, you may cast this card without paying its mana cost.

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    1. For {4}{G} uncommon, I'd expect this to also untap my creatures.
      Otherwise, cool. I like this trap condition+effect.

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  5. Dune Recluse 3GG
    Creature - Spider (r)
    Reach
    When ~ enters the battlefield, create four 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens under target player’s control with “Creatures you control with flying can’t attack.”
    3/4

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    1. Are meant to be able to target yourself with this to get 7 power?

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    2. Yeah, for a five mana green creature it seemed okay-able. While mono-green decks aren't likely to be packing a lot of fliers, its a drawback that can absolutely come up.

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    3. Interesting top down effect, not sure if this effect is mono green in a vacuum (feels blue?) but certainly feels like a unique take on a Spider's antiflying tech

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    4. It's clever that you can choose to give +4 power to yourself, or to your opponent and hobble their flyers, but the fact that this is a 3/4 reach makes that option less important. I want this to be more focused, and if it remains modal, for the modes to be more comparable.

      Giving bodies to your opponent whose presence reduces their options seems like an interesting new vein of design, even if it's small.

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  6. I know you wanted spider cards, but the goblins in the art spoke to me...

    Goblin Stratagem 2RR
    Sorcery (Uncommon)
    Cast CARDNAME only during your precombat main phase.
    Create five 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens with haste. Those creatures attack this turn if able.

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    1. On second thought this probably belongs at 5 mana. Let's say 4R for the cost.

      Also, flavortext:
      "Follow me, I've got an idea!" --Grik, goblin scout, last words

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    2. Compares very favorably to Thatcher's Revolt, which I never really understood why it was so underpowered. Can't believe the "tokens with haste that must attack" angle hasn't been done before - simple way to make a token generator like this much more interesting to time/play around. Nice!

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    3. That first line is awkward, but I appreciate the "no, really, you must attack with these" sentiment. (But I honestly wouldn't use that line on more than one card _ever_ because it's fun and skill-rewarding to let players play must-attack+haste cards after combat sometimes.)

      Often better than Goblin Rally but I think not at all broken.

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  7. Spider Surpriser 2G
    Creature - Spider U
    Flash, reach
    When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, it gains "can block any number of creatures" until end of turn.
    1/3

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    1. Fog with 1 power for 2G seems like a cool mode for this. I like the stats being a little lower than usual rates to compensate. Feels very printable.

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  8. Sunpeak Spider 2RG
    Creature - Spider (C)
    Reach
    Sunpeak Spider attacks each combat if able unless an opponent controls a creature with flying.
    4/4

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    1. Very clever way to do a R/G spider & uses the art well.

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    2. Thanks! Only part I'm not happy with is the generic name.

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    3. It feels odd that what red brings to the party is a downside. I mean, what it really brings is +2/+0 in exchange for that downside, but players don't see that unless you write it out.

      The downside itself is kind of weird too. My spider loves to eat flying things, and is generally ravenous, but will show restraint and patience given the opportunity to block a flyer?

      I think we're real close to a very cool RG common spider, but I'd rather see something like "flyers must attack you each turn if able" or Gloomwidow.

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  9. Trap Door Spider 2GR
    Creature - Spider (U)
    First Strike, Reach
    Morph - 1RG
    2/4

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    1. Name's already been taken. I think the combo of first strike and reach is cool, but the blowout potential of this makes me think the morph cost should maybe be one higher. See also Sagu Archer (Obviously it can cost a little less when it's gold and a higher rarity).

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    2. There's a Giant Trap Door Spider, but no Trap Door Spider. I do think this is fine at 3 since thats a 6 mana investment in 2 colors. Maybe 2rg if it proves troublesome in testing.

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    3. Is it a problem that a Giant Trap Door Spider is smaller than a Trap Door Spider? (I kid, you're totally right! Sorry about my hazy memory. :D )

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    4. Awkwardly, it is a real flavor fail for Giant Trap Door Spider to be smaller than Trap Door Spider. But it's just a playtest name and Creative can sort that out.

      The only thing I don't like about this design is the pairing of first strike and +0/+2. I want to be all-in on my first strike spider. 3/2, even.

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    5. I mean, its a spider. While they've relaxed spiders in general, I think it should still be P<T. I think First Strike plays well with the ambush predator vibe the card is playing up. It might be superfluous text because of the extra toughness, but it does let the card transition into a good attacker after morphing if the enemy has a lot of small dudes.

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    6. I claim that spiders have gotten even more railroaded by a single Alpha card than black removal. Apart from going well with reach, high toughness is the exact opposite flavor spiders should get. They're way more dangerous than they are hearty.

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    7. Maybe having a big butt (or abdomen, in this case) makes you tougher?

      It's not just that spiders have big butts, they're pretty bad at attacking overall (only 1/3 have a printed power higher than 2). I could see this as an aggressively flavored, square 2/2 with a lower morph cost. Would also solve the "Giant" issue.

      Delete
  10. Break Ranks 1W
    Instant
    Remove up to two target attacking creatures from combat.

    Removing from combat can be confusing, but I think removing attacking creatures doesn't have most of the confusing edge cases. This effect is usually quite weak, but the flexibility of using it to save your own attackers, or to selectively blank your opponents, hopefully makes it worth a card. It could become a cantrip if needed.

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    1. I tried to think of a spider creature called Gob-Gobbler but I think I prefered the ideas people had already submitted.

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    2. Make it "remove any number of attacking creatures you control" and it's got enough promise to stand on its own. Yours is so much more elegant, though; I think I'd stick with that. Flavor-wise, being able to target attackers you don't control feels off, but that's certainly within white's color pie.

      Should this untap its targets?

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    3. It felt more natural, both from the name and the art, that this was something you were doing to your opponent than something you were doing to your own troops.

      I did consider, "target player removes two attacking creatures they control from combat".

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  11. I actually created a card for this exact art when I was trying to make a Spider EDH deck (before Ishkanah)

    Broodburst Ambusher 5GB
    Creature - Spider
    Flash, reach
    Whenever Broodburst Ambusher enters the battlefield, put four 1/2 green Spider creature tokens with reach onto the battlefield.
    3/6

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    1. Flavor Text
      "Gik, Squick and Blick all threw themselves at the problem. Unfortunately the problem had room in its web for a lot of goblins."

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    2. Seven mana for seven power and 12 toughness is quite a good deal, but not unreasonable for a two-color rare. Looks fun, value.

      I'm not sure why this art suggests extra spiders, but I haven't mentioned any other art disconnects today, so whatever.

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  12. Great work, Artisans!

    Inspired by these submissions (and not this art):

    Open the Hatch {3}{G}
    Instant (unc)
    Create a 1/2 green Spider creature token with reach for each creature attacking you.

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