Monday, June 4, 2012

Design Challenge #5: I am Legend

Legends was a groundbreaking set in many ways, but its most innovative and seminal achievement was the use of multicolor cards.  Gold cards were explored more thoroughly and successfully in later blocks, but Legends deserves the credit for starting things off.  It used multicolor entirely on legendary creatures, which was a fine decision.  These iconic creatures felt appropriately exciting, and left the door open for multicolor spells in the future.

However, most of these creatures have not aged well.


I love the name, art, and flavor text of this card.  Everything else about it is utterly terrible.  That's where you come in.

Your challenge is to update a legendary creature from Legends using modern design sensibilities.  Your card must keep the same name, art, and flavor text (if any) from the original.  Everything else (color or colors, cost, P/T, rules text, creature type, rarity) is up to you.  If your card has lengthy flavor text, consider keeping the rules text short.  Don't worry about making a mockup; I'll take care of that.  Here's a helpful visual spoiler of the cards you may use.

E-mail your card to tweetforcealpha@gmail.com by midnight (Pacific Time) on Friday, June 8.  The winners will be posted on Monday,  June 11.  This challenge is open to everyone.  One entry per person.  Please specify your preferred name or pseudonym.  Entries may be edited slightly for consistent templating.
Posted by HavelockV at 12:00 PM
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20 comments:

  1. Nich GraysonJune 4, 2012 at 12:06 PM

    Now THIS is an exciting challenge! I can't wait to see what people come up with and hope to see many interesting designs.

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    1. Nich GraysonJune 6, 2012 at 12:12 PM

      I can't decide what to submit! Damned one entry per person restriction.

      Delete
    2. PasteurJune 6, 2012 at 10:02 PM

      I feel like we should do this two weeks running - we all submit one this week, then build off of someone else's submissions for next week, or something like that. There's just so much fascinating material to work with, even with the restrictions we have.

      Delete
    3. HavelockVJune 6, 2012 at 10:35 PM

      I may find some way to bring this challenge back, since it's been so popular.

      Delete
    4. Nich GraysonJune 6, 2012 at 10:39 PM

      I think I'm going to put up the 12 cards I am not submiting on Facebook as a photo album. I just have to decide which one HavelockV would like the most. "Play the man, not the game" ect...

      Delete
  2. Nich GraysonJune 4, 2012 at 11:13 PM

    Clarify a few things for me: You said we should design using modern sensibilities, but what about modern mechanics? Can we use ability words or keywords that originated after Legends, or should we design the cards to still fit in the Legends set (like with generic abilities or one of Legends’s keywords)? If I use Bushido or hybrid mana is it going to hurt my chances of winning? If I use Rampage or Banding will it help me?

    Also, will modern design philosophy for legendary creatures also be considered? These days WotC very much thinks about Commander or multiplayer when creating new legendary creatures. Will it help us to do so?

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    1. HavelockVJune 4, 2012 at 11:57 PM

      By modern design sensibilities, I mean that the card could hypothetically see print nowadays. (Ignore, for now, the fact that the fall set is Return to Ravnica.) So yes to bushido or hybrid, and no to rampage or banding. Bands with other will be grounds for a Dishonorable Mention.

      And yes, a legendary creature that's good for Commander would certainly be appreciated by players, and therefore by me.

      Delete
  3. BassJune 5, 2012 at 8:35 PM

    Two things: 1) Is there a place to find out what the flavour is behind these characters? 2) Must the updated legend remain a creature?

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    1. HavelockVJune 5, 2012 at 9:04 PM

      1) I have no idea where to find that information. For the purpose of judging, I really only care about the character as represented by their name, art, and flavor text.

      2) Yes. It should still be a Legendary Creature, in fact.

      Delete
    2. Alex SpaldingJune 6, 2012 at 9:54 AM

      I remember reading somewhere that a number of the Legends characters are based on Dungeons & Dragons characters of the set's R&D team. I have no idea which ones those would be, though.

      A fair number of them were incorporated after the fact into a pair of (unrelated) novel trilogies, the Legends Cycle and Legends II Cycle. The first trilogy focuses on Jedit Ojanen as its main protagonist, and the second trilogy revolves around Tetsuo Umezawa. Both include many other legends from Legends, to varying degrees (some are major characters, others only have minor roles).

      Delete
    3. BassJune 7, 2012 at 4:48 PM

      Nuts. There goes my idea to turn one of the Elder Dragons into a Planeswalker...

      Delete
    4. HavelockVJune 7, 2012 at 6:50 PM

      What a ridiculous idea! I can't imagine R&D ever doing something so absurd.

      Delete
    5. BassJune 8, 2012 at 4:33 PM

      Nicol Bolas needs a friend!

      Delete
    6. HavelockVJune 9, 2012 at 6:34 PM

      True, his behavior is a real cry for attention. Deep down, he just wants to be loved.

      Delete
  4. metaghostJune 5, 2012 at 11:24 PM

    Bass, a lot of the Legends seem to be arbitrarily named after Nordic myths of various sorts. (Even Lady of the Mountain!)

    I'm not sure more literal translations of those various myths into Magic cards is really a worthwhile goal. So I'd just take HV's advice and ignore it.

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    1. PasteurJune 6, 2012 at 7:42 AM

      Or could it be the *most* worthwhile goal?

      Delete
    2. metaghostJune 6, 2012 at 4:51 PM

      You've got me there.

      Delete
    3. DanielJune 6, 2012 at 5:09 PM

      Lady of the Mountain
      legendary enchantment
      As long as you control a mountain, you have a 1/1 Legendary lady token.

      Whee!

      Delete
    4. PasteurJune 6, 2012 at 10:01 PM

      My submission actually *is* Lady of the Mountain. For some forsaken reason, I love these characters.

      You should see my Lady of the Mountain EDH deck! (standard valakut doesn't improve much when ported to singleton)

      Delete
  5. AlexCJune 11, 2012 at 10:03 AM

    Ha. I happened to miss this one, but I'm not sure I could have entered; I've already seen thirty-one entries to this precise challenge last year on Multiverse :P

    Multiverse Design Challenge # 006 :)

    ReplyDelete

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