Weekend Art Challenge
Click through to see this weekend's art and the design requirements for your card submission, due Monday morning. Every submission warrants feedback, which I will try to provide, and which everyone is welcome to provide as well.
If you choose, you may use that feedback to revise your submission any number of times. I will post and review the most recent submission from each designer some time on Monday, life permitting. To help ensure I recreate your design accurately, please use CARDNAME instead of ~ in your submissions.
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| #1 (Click to zoom) |
Goblin Week starts Monday, and we're going to ring it in with some goblin designs. To show you how serious I am about these silly little buggers, there are three different pieces of art you can design for. (Note the art number in your submission.)
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| #2 (Click to zoom) |
Even better, we're going to give this challenge some goblin-y flair: Each design must one up the design preceding it in some identifiable way. We won't get very far just making more and more broken cards, but you can also trump a card based on flavor, randomness, emotional intensity,
whatever. Just make it clear how your design is
more than the previous one.
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| #3 (Click to zoom) |
Good luck and gob speed.
Art #2
ReplyDeleteGoblin Vanguard {R}
Creature - Goblin Scout
If a spell or ability an opponent controls would cause you to sacrifice a creature, sacrifice CARDNAME instead.
"Hey boss, we found the dragon's lair!"
1/1
Starting off with a softball, I guess.
DeleteA very nice design, though. Love the flavortext.
DeleteRarity?
DeleteHang on-- this ability is a lot more narrow than I thought. Wouldn't you usually choose to sacrifice Goblin Vanguard anyway? Isn't the ability strictly a downside when you get hit with, say, Devour Flesh? I get that it's nice against Celestial Flare, but is there much of anything else like that?
DeleteIt works against some of the killspells that say "target creature's controller sacrifices it," and some other oddities such as that. It is pretty narrow, though. Add Haste? Make the sac ability work even if you control the source? Dunno.
DeleteRare?
DeleteMake it playable without the super-niche ability?
Make the ability less niche? "If a spell or ability an opponent controls could target CARDNAME, it must."
Flagbearer tech could easily be red.
DeleteI'd be interested in removing the "opponent" part of the sacrifice, though, and seeing if you could do something neat with, like Doomed Necromancer; but that's possibly untemplatable or strictly broken.
Art #2
ReplyDeleteGoblin Survivalist 2RR
Creature- Goblin Warrior (Uncommon)
1/1
CARDNAME enters the battlefield with three +1/+1 counters on it.
Whenever you sacrifice CARDNAME, if it had any +1/+1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield with one less +1/+1 counter on it.
Based on an existing design of mine. One-upping the sacrifice craziness.
DeleteA 4/4 for 2RR in red with potentially triple-Persist seems very good. I might push for 1/0?
DeleteIt doesn't have any ETB abilities to abuse, and Ember Swallower says you can print a 4/5 for 2RR with substantial upside, so as far as I can tell the power level should be OK.
DeleteEmber Swallower is a rare.
DeleteFair enough. Let's make it a Hill Giant, then. 3R, 1/1, enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters.
DeleteSweet card. Assuming the template works, I'm not sure this is red. Probably black?
DeleteGoblin survivalist 1R (art #2)
ReplyDeleteCreature- Goblin Warrior (Uncommon)
1/1
CARDNAME must be blocked each turn if able.
Whenever CARDNAME becomes blocked, sacrifice it. It deals 4 damage to each creature blocking CARDNAME.
“Caution? I didn’t become a survivalist to be Cautious!”
I infer from the flavor text that the name is meant to be ironic, but it's not working as a joke for me. It's just confusing. The rest is cool.
Deletenames can come in abundance lets try some alliteration:
Deleteboggart bombardier?
perhaps
Halfheart's guard for a mechanical connection?
“Caution? I didn’t become a guard to be Cautious!”
Not sure why a guard is charging ahead and blowing up, so I'm using Boggart Bombardier (and removing the flavor text).
DeleteArt #3:
ReplyDeleteHated Overlord (rare)
1R
Creature - Goblin
Other Goblin creatures you control get +1/+1 and have haste. They attack each turn if able and must be blocked if able.
When a Goblin you control dies, all other Goblins you control deal damage equal to their power to CARDNAME.
2/1
One-upping Tehwerr's "Must be blocked if able" theme.
DeleteLove that second ability.
DeleteI felt the need to steer away from the not particularly red or gobliny theme of sacrificing but not dying.
Delete"All other Goblins" is functionally identical to "that goblin" unless it's a Lobbercrew.
Delete(Also, "When another Goblin" prevents Overlord from damaging itself when it dies.)
Otherwise, neat. High risk, high reward.
"Whenever another Goblin" makes more sense; let's go with that. Also, the "must be blocked" clause doesn't fit the flavor (the overlord just forces his minions to attack; he frankly doesn't care about what happens during the attack.)
DeleteHated Overlord (rare)
1R
Creature - Goblin
Other Goblin creatures you control get +1/+1 and have haste. They attack each turn if able.
Whenever another Goblin you control dies, it deals damage equal to its power to CARDNAME.
2/1
The flesh pain... So temporary, so little to this little thing... But the memory... Oh I live for it. There's power in it...
ReplyDelete#1:
Goblin Hedonist RR
Creature - Goblin Berserker (u)
Whenever CARDNAME deals damage, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
Whenever CARDNAME is dealt damage, remove a +1/+1 counter from it. If you can't, sacrifice it.
2/2
"So much to savour... So much to suffer..."
Some weird timing things happening here. If my freshly cast Hedonist blocks a 1/1, it ends up as either a 3/3 or a 2/2 depending on the order in which the triggers stack. Suppose it's 3/3, and the Hedonist subsequently gets blocked by a 2/2. Then if the second ability triggers first, there's a window after it finishes resolving when the Hedonist is a 2/2 with 2 damage on it and gets sent to the graveyard. Is this intended?
DeleteAlso, I'm guessing this could stand to be somewhat more powerful. Give it haste maybe?
Correction: When a freshly cast Hedonist blocks, it either dies immediately or ends up back as a 2/2. That doesn't seem to be the intent of the design, so you should definitely consider modifying these effects.
DeleteOr give it first strike, make it 0/0 and enters with two +1/+1 counters to begin with.
DeleteClever design is awkward.
DeleteIt's neat that it gets bigger when it's unblocked, or if you give it double strike, but this template is confusing and will cause players to kill their creature when they mis-stack the triggers.
"When CARDNAME deals damage, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
DeleteAt end of turn, if CARDNAME was dealt damage, remove a +1/+1 counter from it. If you can't, sacrifice it."
Removes some of the issues, but still seems like it needs more of a reward for the hoop that is being gone through.
#1
ReplyDeleteGoblin Accountant R
Creature - Goblin (U)
Whenever a player puts a +1/+1 counter on a creature, that player puts it on a random creature instead.
1/1
"Well we definitely paid *someone* for the work."
My concern is whether this is worth executing. Similar effects have a fairly large impact based on the random result. This could require some serious work to figure out and just not matter at all.
DeleteIt could also happen A LOT.
DeleteIt would be printed in Commander supplemental products I guess.
DeleteArt #1
ReplyDeleteGoblin Swindler 1R
Creature - Goblin Rogue (Common)
When Goblin Swindler enters the battlefield, each player discards a card, then draws a card.
“You bought one too? He told me mine was the only one!”
2/1
Sure. Very nice and clean design, fun flavor text. Red looting usually uses a slightly different template to avoid giving players an extra card when they have no cards in hand:
Delete"Each player discards a card, then each player that discarded a card this way draws a card."
Not sure how this one-ups the previous design, but I love the card.
DeleteI want it to draw hellbent players cards.
#2
ReplyDeleteGoblin Tomb Raider 2R
Creature - Goblin Artificer (Uncommon)
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to an opponent, put a +1/+1 counter on a random creature you control.
1R, discard a card: Target creature with power 2 or less can't be blocked this turn.
1/3
One-upping the number of previous cards referenced, combining the last three submissions. Definitely not a NWO card though.
I like both abilities, but I'm not sure why we'd put both on a single card.
Delete#3
ReplyDeleteGoldbelly, the Tomb Plunderer [2RRB]
Legendary Creature – Goblin Rogue [Mythic rare]
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, exile all cards in all graveyards, then put that many gold counters on CARDNAME.
T: You may play a random card exiled by CARDNAME. You may spend gold counters on CARDNAME as though they were mana of any colour to play that card.
3/6
The one-upping is, of course, from a tomb raider to a TOMB RULER. ALL HAIL GOLDBELLY!
"You may play a random card" needs some fleshing out rules-wise, and the card's P/T and play style make me think that this wouldn't normally be a Goblin. Otherwise, I like the concept a lot (including the meaning of gold counters).
DeleteYou are quite right on the P/T. Probably 2/4 is fine. As for the random templating, hasn't it been used be for? Maybe I'm wrong, but I could've sworn I've seen it before. Hrm.
DeleteI think adding "until end of turn" is sufficient. Comparing to Psychic Intrusion, I'd suggest the following template:
DeleteT: Choose a card exiled by CARDNAME at random. Until end of turn, you may play that card from exile and you may remove gold counters from CARDNAME to reduce its mana cost by one mana of any color.
Can we play the random exiled card only while resolving the tap ability, any time this turn, or any time for the rest of the game?
DeleteYou both make very good template-y points.
DeleteMy intention was this, you tap him, as an instant, randomly choose one of the cards he exiled, and you can play it now, whether it's a land or spell, sorcery or instant. You can then use gold counters to get the right colours. If you don't play it now, then you don't play it until you tap him again and get it randomly selected.
So let's try this:
T: Choose a card exiled by CARDNAME at random. You may play that card now. If you do, you may remove gold counters from CARDNAME to reduce that card's mana cost by one mana of any color. (If you don't, it remains exiled.)
This is one of those things where templating may make something simple to understand too wordy to fit. But now, I think it's at least clear. It doesn't matter how often you choose an exiled card, the only time you're allowed to play it is when the tap ability picks it that time. It doesn't matter if it's been picked before.
Better.
DeleteIs it worth allowing you to play lands, given the confusion over whether you can play them at instant speed, or an opponent's turn?
Djinn of Wishes seems to think it's fine. The real confusion is that it doesn't give you an extra land play, so if you can't play a land and you get one, too bad.
Delete#1
ReplyDeleteGoblin Artisan 1R
Creature - Goblin (u)
1R, T: Destroy target artifact an opponent controls unless he or she lets you draw two cards.
Here, let me try!
This is a very clever design. And oddly appropriate for this site as well as the in-world "Goblin Artisan" concept.
DeletePower/toughness?
oddly appropriate that there is already a card in magic called Goblin Artisans of which this site is named for
DeleteRight, but I'd say this is actually a better design than that one.
DeleteA 2/1. And thanks!
DeleteNot that making better use of old names is an option for Wizards.
DeleteHow does this one up Goldbelly?
NONE CAN ONE-UP GOLDBELLY.
DeleteAn argument: having a card a hundred years ago named Goblin Artisans and one in the modern era named Goblin Artisan is less confusing than, say, having two cards named Peace and Pierce Strider in the same set.
DeleteAs for Goldbelly, it one-ups it in "hitting close to home"-ness.
#2
ReplyDeleteOpportunistic Tunneler 1R
Creature - Goblin (u)
When CARDNAME attacks, an opponent may choose to make it unblockable until end of turn.
2/1
He gets by with a little help from your friends.
Hooray, Goblin Week!
Since the new "can't be blocked" wording this requires a slightly clunkier template:
Delete"... an opponent may have it gain 'this creature can't be blocked' until end of turn."
This could have a saboteur ability to give it a little more oomph.
DeleteI like that this is predominantly useful for multiplayer, but also can come up in duels, as there, this can't be Lure'd.
Update:
Delete#2
Colluding Tunneler {1}{R}
Creature - Goblin (c)
When CARDNAME attacks, any opponent may collude with you. If an opponent colludes with you this way, CARDNAME can't be blocked this turn.
2/1
He gets by with a little help from your friends.
In trying to fix the templating, I added a keyword. Imagining the product this could be in, I moved the card up to common to emphasize the theme.
A saboteur ability would make this more exciting, but I kinda like it as a piker for the collude keyword. What saboteur ability would be best on an uncommon or rare? Something to introduce more politics?
A keyword that requires more space than the thing being described isn't a very good keyword. This is especially true when the thing being described is rarely relevant in two-player games. Why not just "any opponent may have CARDNAME gain 'this creature can't be blocked' until end of turn"?
DeleteAwesome flavor text, though.
DeleteThanks :)
Delete#2
Colluding Tunneler {1}{R}
Creature - Goblin (c)
Collusion — When CARDNAME attacks, any opponent may have CARDNAME gain "this creature can't be blocked" until end of turn.
2/1
He gets by with a little help from your friends.
This design pisses off an hilarious subsection of players. Players too casual to appreciate that this is still a serviceable Goblin Piker, but who also hate multiplayer. Heh.
Delete#1
ReplyDeleteSlums Swill-Dealer 1RR
Creature - Goblin (r)
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield your creatures get +1/+0 until end of turn unless target opponent flips a coin. if he or she loses the flip, creatures you control get +2/+0 and must be blocked by two of more creatures until end of turn. If he or she loses the flip, creatures you control get -1/-0 until end of turn.
2/2
"I got what you need, probably."
of course one-upping the opponent choice from the last guy.
DeleteWelcome, mikko.
DeleteI'm assuming the second "loses the flip" should be "wins the flip."
This is 9 lines currentlyt. I recommend ditching the flavor text.
This would be cleaner if it were just +1 / +2 / -1 without the two-headed ability, BUT then it would usually be correct to flip because the difference between +1 and -1 is greater than between +1 and +2.
#2
ReplyDeleteGoblin Visionary RR
Creature - Goblin (r)
Target land an opponent controls gains "Goblins get +1/+1, Sacrifice this land: deal 2 damage to Goblin visionary (only controller of the land may activate this ability)"
1/1
"I see a future with dirt under our feet, and gold up to our ankles."
trying to one-up my own opponent interaction.
DeleteYou get an award for one-upping your own one-up-ness.
DeleteERRAWR FIX
Delete#2
Goblin Visionary RR
Creature - Goblin (r)
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield target land an opponent controls gains "Goblins get +1/+1, Sacrifice this land: deal 2 damage to Goblin visionary (only controller of the land may activate this ability)"
1/1
"I see a future with dirt under our feet, and gold up to our ankles."
template:
DeleteWhen CARDNAME enters the battlefield target land an opponent controls gains "Goblins get +1/+1." and "Sacrifice this land: this land deals 2 damage to Goblin visionary"
I'm not sure what the flavor is for the mtn-sac-burn-this-one-guy effect, but I get this is meant to be a 2cc punisher Stone Rain. If the opponent doesn't sacrifice immediately, I'm concerned there could be memory issues behind which land was targeted.
DeleteAnd now I realize the challenge text has lost the explicit "one submission per person" direction.
Goblin Excavator 1R
ReplyDeleteCreature - Goblin (R)
When ~ enters the battlefield each opponent may sacrifice a land. For each opponent who does not, goblins you control get +2/+0 and gain "this creature can't be blocked except by two or more creatures" until the end of turn.
2/1
Art 2?
DeleteMy concern with this is that it's better than Goblin Piker early but not late, which is the opposite of the kind of help Piker needs.
I like what Mikko was doing with the goblin sabotaging the land.
ReplyDeleteMana Miner 1R
Creature- Goblin (U)
When Mana Miner enters the battlefield, target land produces colorless mana when it is tapped for mana instead of any other type until Mana Miner leaves the battlefield.
/He wasn't sure what it was, but it was shiny./
2/1
Template change:
DeleteMana Miner 1R
Creature- Goblin (U)
When Mana Miner enters the battlefield, target land loses all abilities and gains "t: Add 1 to your mana pool" until Mana Miner leaves the battlefield.
/He wasn't sure what it was, but it was shiny./
2/1
Art 2?
DeleteThis is smoother than Goblin Visionary. I wonder if it's enough to make remembering which land was neutered sufficiently easy. Spreading Seas really wants to touch the land it enchants.
Art two.
DeleteMaybe:
Goblin Mine 1R
Enchantment- Aura (C)
Enchant Land
When Goblin Mine enters the battlefield put a 1/1 red goblin token onto the battlefield.
Enchanted land loses all abilities and gains "t: Add 1 to your mana pool"
"Goblin mines aren't know for what they produce, but rather for what they leave behind"
Heh. Well played.
DeleteFYI, the flavor text pushes this common to 8 lines.
"Mine!"
DeleteArt #2
ReplyDeleteUnk, Spelunker Extraordinaire 4RR
Planeswalker - Unk
+2: Put a 2/1 red goblin creature token into play with "When this creature dies, destroy target land"
-1: Deal 1 damage to target creature. That creature gains haste, and must attack this turn if able.
-7: Target player gets an emblem with "Creatures attacking you have plainswalk, islandwalk, swampwalk, mountainwalk, and forestwalk."
(The last one is supposed to be that Unk digs out tunnels under all your stuff, leaving you open to attack.)
starting loyalty: 2 or 3?
DeleteVery cool. I'd suggest starting with 3 loyalty, getting a 1/1 Goblin from the first ability (which is pretty oppressive as is), and having the emblem say either "creatures attacking you can't be blocked" or "creatures attacking you have nonbasic landwalk".
DeleteI agree with Ipaulsen, and would change the emblem to: creatures with power 2 or less you control cannot be blocked.
Delete"Creatures you control with flying can't block creatures without"?
DeleteOr just mountainwalk?
Why does a spelunking planeswalker whip creatures?
3 Loyalty sounds good lets try that.
DeleteThe goblin tokens are 2/1 because the token is exactly one goblin gardener, and also the 2 power is more threatening, causing the opponent to make a a tougher decision. (Do i block and kill this and sac a land in the process?)
How about this for the ultimate:
Target player gets an emblem with "Creatures attacking you have basiclandwalk (cant be blocked if you control a basic land)
Jay: I thought of this guy as the head spelunker, ordering his other minions around, and it also plays really well with his first ability. (he can order one of your guys to attack into one of his tokens, or he can just kill one of his own tokens for the land destruction effect)
Art #3, 1ups the planswalkerity
ReplyDeleteRukkuruk, Goblin Emperor 3RRR (mythic)
Plansewalker - Rukkuruk
Starting Loyalty: 5
-1: put a 1/1 red goblin creature token with haste on the battleground, for each loyalty counter on Rukkuruk, Goblin Emperor
-3: put a loyalty counter on Rukkuruk, Goblin Emperor for each goblin you control
-9: sacrifice all goblins you control. Rukkuruk, Goblin Emperor deals 3 damage to target opponent for each goblin sacrificed this way.
Clever use of loyalty-- I approve. Assemble the Goblins!
DeleteMy only concern is that Rukkuruk can win the game on his second turn in a lot of goblin decks. Probably only in Modern? Quite possibly just fine.
DeleteYes, but he is a 6 CMC planswalker and requires your goblins to survive.
DeleteAgarast, Goblimancer {2}{B}{R}
ReplyDeleteArt #3
Legendary Creature-Goblin Wizard (mythic rare)
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player sacrifices a creature and puts X 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens with haste OTB equal to that creature's CMC.
At the beginning of each player's end step, each Goblin that player controls deals 1 damage to him or her.
3/3
Aside from this exercise, I would love to see a card like this that mills instead of pinging. Might be URB? UR, or UB? Probably making artifact creature tokens with "At the beginning of your upkeep, put the top card of your library into your graveyard", to really hit the Sorcerer's Apprentice sort of flavor.
DeleteThinking I'll simplify to:
DeleteGoblins have haste and must attack each turn if able.
At the beginning of each player’s upkeep, that player sacrifices a creature and puts X 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens onto the battlefield equal to that creature’s converted mana cost.
If somehow I'm not too late:
ReplyDeleteArt #3
Flarko, Goblin Ambassador
4RR
Legendary Creature - Goblin (R)
All other creatures have haste and attack each combat if able.
Whenever a Goblin creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
4/4
One-upping attacking. Everyone attacks, for better or worse!
I love it, except for one word: "other".
DeleteWhy? Flarko sends everyone else to find shinies for him.
DeleteKing of Chaos 3RR
ReplyDeleteArt #3
Creature-Goblin (R)
Haste
At the beginning of each player's combat step, untap a random creature that player doesn't control. That player gains control of it until end of turn. That creature gains haste until end of turn and must attack this turn if able.
3/3