Weekend Art ChallengeGreetings, artisans! Click through to see this weekend's art and the design requirements for your single card submission, due Monday morning. 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, if someone volunteers to render the cards.
Design a card with this art that features exactly two lines of text that are very similar to each other. Bonus points for poetic design.
Narcissus' Lament [3UU]
ReplyDeleteSorcery [rare]
Put a creature token onto the battlefield that's a copy of target creature.
Another target creature becomes a copy of another target creature. (This effect lasts indefinitely.)
Can't template so I hope this is "two lines of text". (I'm presuming reminder text doesn't count.)
Repeated use of "Another" is confusing. How I'm reading it: the token is a copy of Creature A, then Creature B becomes a copy of Creature C. Assuming you control all creatures, you'll be left with two Creature A's, two Creature C's, and net zero card advantage.
DeleteDuality Dragons
ReplyDelete3WWBB
Sorcery - Mythic Rare
Put a 5/5 white legendary Dragon creature token with flying and lifelink named Ryuyin onto the battlefield.
Put a 5/5 black legendary Dragon creature token with flying and deathtouch named Ryuyang onto the battlefield.
I really like the concept you have here. I wonder if the colors could be changed, since the dominant colors of the art are blue and green.
DeleteTotally agree - I was going off a more zoomed in look at the dragons, but all my first designs were blue/green lands. :)
DeleteBroodmate on steroids! Amusing that the second copy of Double Dragon is much worse than the second Broodmate.
DeleteSomewhat odd that lifelink is the "white" ability in this pairing when black has it too.
DeleteEvan - I was going off of cards like Vault of the Archangel, Basilisk Collar and Wurmcoil Engine, but white's ability could easily be Vigilance instead
DeleteI like "life"link and "death"touch because they invoke the dual and opposite aspects of Yin and Yang. The names of the dragons should be reversed, though.
DeleteWhat if an opponent got the black token?
DeletePro-white and pro-white on opposing sides of the battlefield...
Can I clarify, should "line" mean it has to fit on one line on the card, or just that it's a short sentence?
ReplyDeleteCan I clarify, if this a creature it would probably have flying. Should there be an exception to allow flying in addition to other rules text, or assume that has to be covered by one of the two lines (which is definitely plausible, but restricts the possibilities a lot)?
Greater Reflection
ReplyDelete5UU
Sorcery
Put a token that's a copy of target creature OTB.
Put a token that's a copy of target creature OTB.
I will probably add an entry I like more later, but here's a provisional one in the meantime if I don't :)
I'm not sure if this is your intent, but this lets you copy the best creature twice. It seems more interesting to me if the second line is "a different target creature"
DeleteMirrormere
ReplyDelete4GGUU
Sorcery - Rare
For each creature you control put a token on to the battlefield that is a copy of that creature.
For each land you control put a token on to the battlefield that is a copy of that land.
Clone Legion spliced onto Boundless Realms? Even with the restriction I'm thinking this needs to be priced out of reasonable Standard casting costs.
DeleteNote it is the bad half of Clone Legion.
DeleteLove the name and the flavor. Balance is a legitimate concern, but at 8 mana I think you're OK.
DeleteGo Fish 2UG
ReplyDeleteInstant - (U)
Draw a card for each creature you control.
Discard a card for each non-Bird creature you control
LOL. Awesome.
DeleteFans of Kangee, Aerie Keeper EDH are going to be sad at the green in this cost.
DeleteThat's probably plenty of reason to make this UW as long as that agrees with the birds in the set it is in. I went with Green because of Shamanic Revelation being the most recent precedent but UW can also certainly do this.
DeleteThe creature in the art having wings certainly throws a monkey wrench in a lot of creature designs.
ReplyDelete"Flying
EFFECT 1
EFFECT 2.
D'oh!"
Infiltrator Drake (RARE)
Delete2UU
Creature - Drake
3/2
Flying
When NAME enters the battlefield, target opponent gains control of it.
When NAME leaves the battlefield, target opponent gains control of a creature you control.
“Always read the fine print on a used familiar.”
—Jace Beleren
There's a lot going on with this design, but the idea is "I will gladly give you this small evasive creature now for a creature of my choosing later."
It's very abusable with repeatable bounce and/or blink effects, but you still need those effects and in the case of bounce, the mana to recast it each turn. Also, it's risky. If your opponent kills it, or bounces it, or blinks it when the ETB trigger is on the stack, you'll have to give them one of your other creatures.
Ultimately, the opponent has a lot of control over when it will leave the battlefield, it's probably a bulk rare. But it could create a few unforgettable moments.
"Leaves the battlefield" is much more abusable than "dies". Do you want to run the risk of being broken with the likes of cloudshift, unsummon, Kiki-jikki, mimic vat, etc?
DeleteWell, I don't want to invite that conversation, and it's not the point of design, and I wouldn't have used the "leaves play" wording if I wasn't thinking about the challenge. So why don't I just change it?
DeleteInfiltrator Drake (RARE)
2UU
Creature - Drake
3/2
Flying
When NAME enters the battlefield, target opponent gains control of it.
When NAME dies, target opponent gains control of a creature you control.
“Always read the fine print on a used familiar.”
—Jace Beleren
Pondskimmer Drake 3UU (Uncommon)
ReplyDeleteCreature - Drake
CARDNAME has flying as long as it's attacking.
CARDNAME has hexproof as long as it's not attacking.
2/3
The "low flying" text is meant as a to the Welkin Tern/Cloud Spirit "high flying" ability. She's a little baby drake, she has to get a running start to take off!
The modal hexproof is worded that way for symmetry, but it's a little bit stronger than the standard wording which is unfortunate.
DeleteThoughts?:
Ringskip Drake 3UU (Uncommon)
Creature - Drake
CARDNAME has flying as long as it's tapped.
CARDNAME has hexproof as long as it's untapped.
2/3
I think that Ascended Lawmage's existence says that this can easily be the former, and probably even the former at 2UU rather than 3UU.
DeleteI rather like the flavor of the former as well.
I really like this design in either form-- though my preference is for the first version. I agree with R that it could probably cost 2UU,
Delete2/3 seems "full grown" to me. Can this go lower? Or maybe it's a mother protecting her clutch?
DeleteRealm of Prosperity (rare)
ReplyDelete1G
Enchantment
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on it.
Whenever a planeswalker enters the battlefield under your control, put an additional loyalty counter on it.
Even just the first line is already a really interesting card!
DeleteIt seems to me like it might be White, since it is basically a funny anthem? On the other hand maybe we benefit from putting the funny anthem in a color that isn't the color that gets regular anthems?
It's better than an anthem because the counters stay if the enchantment goes away. It's worse than an anthem because it doesn't affect the creatures that were already on the battlefield when you cast it.
DeleteNot sure if the card as a whole is better or worse, but that definitely makes it feel different. I'd compare it to something akin to Oran-Rief, the Vastwood.
Oh yea, I love the design.
DeleteLet's make these abilities static. That way your opponent can't kill your new friends in response to the trigger. (On planeswalkers this is particularly pernicious, because the trigger goes on the stack before you get a chance to use their + abilities, possibly creating a moment of weakness.)
DeleteRealm of Prosperity (rare)
1G
Enchantment
Each creature you control enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
Each planeswalker you control enters the battlefield with an additional loyalty counter on it.
Is this worthy of being legendary? (Or laughably "world"?)
DeleteHaiku B Instant
ReplyDeleteEach opponent reveals their
hand and discards a card.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThe art should be cropped to just the drake and its reflection for this card.
DeleteClever.
DeleteI hate to ruin your syllable count, but the standard templating would use "his or her".
Also, how do you pronounce "B"? And would players get the joke as printed on an actual card?
For what it's worth, "his and her" may not always be the way to go. I don't have any inside knowledge, but I personally expect the templating to change by 2020.
DeleteThis is an Un-card, so I can accept the singular "their."
DeleteWhat I can't accept is a haiku with six syllables on the last line.
I like how this has turned into a whole thing on blogatog
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThere's basically no way this art isn't a creature with flying. It's practically original Birds of Paradise level. So I'll do two lines, but include flying separately.
DeleteMirror Drake. 3UU
Creature - Drake
Flying
When Mirror Drake enters the battlefield, put a 2/2 blue Drake Illusion creature token onto the battlefield.
When Mirror Drake leaves the battlefield, put a 2/2 blue Drake Spirit creature token onto the battlefield.
2/2
I think two Wind Drakes is enough, I think 3 is just getting pretty absurd. I think if you strike the second line entirely, you can argue this card exactly meets the challenge. It is a 2/2 flier that makes a 2/2 flier.
DeleteHaving to track which Drake token is an Illusion and which is a Spirit is going to be annoying in any game that cares about either.
DeleteIf they aren't different in some respect, then they can't be separate lines of text; they'd get templated as one.
DeleteI think it is a mistake to make a better design worse to make it meet the challenge. I often opt to submit the better design that doesn't quite meet the challenge with an explanation of how the challenge got me there.
DeleteTeferi's Pool 2UU
ReplyDeleteEnchantment (R)
At the beginning of your upkeep, all creatures phase out.
At the beginning of your upkeep, all phased-out creatures phase in.
(Yes, I recognize WotC would never print this. It was the most poetic thing I could think of to do with the art that doesn't involve the "Flying" line of text or yet another copy effect.)
Probably broken. You can stack the triggers however you want so that you can keep the board permanently empty, so to speak.
DeleteOnly on your turn. Anything you phase out using this card will phase in no later than your opponent's next untap step. This was intentional.
DeleteBonus submission, zooming in on the drakes and rotating the art 90 degrees counterclockwise:
DeleteShimmering Shield 4WWW
Enchantment (R)
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to untapped creatures you control.
Prevent all damage that would be dealt by tapped creatures you don’t control.
[Insert flavor text to make each sentence of rules text fit on two lines apiece.]
Lifewarp 3WB
ReplyDeleteEnchantment (R)
Whenever you would gain life, you may have target opponent lose that much life instead.
Whenever an opponent would lose life, you may gain that much life instead.
Doesn't template as two lines (more like 6), but meh.
This is very cool. I'm surprised it doesn't exist already.
DeleteDespite the symmetry, I'd expect the first ability to do substantially more work than the second in most cases. The first ability turns every lifelink creature into a double-striker and Angel's Mercy into a game-ending card. The second ability might occasionally be relevant for a control deck, but not relevant enough that it would actually get played. Even so, the range of possibilities this opens up is pretty neat-- I'd get a kick out of using both abilities with Serra Ascendant.
Airborne Fleetingness {GU}
ReplyDeleteEnchantment (Common)
{U}, Sacrifice Airborne Fleetingness: Target creature you control gains flying until end of turn.
{G}, Sacrifice Airborne Fleetingness: Destroy target creature with flying.
Thassa's Ruse U
ReplyDeleteEnchantment
2UU: Tap target creature.
1U: Untap target Relfection.
Just riffing:
DeleteUnshrike 1U
Creature- Reflection
2W: CARDNAME loses shadow and has flying.
2B: CARDNAME loses flying and has shadow.
2/1
(These activated abilities are intended to be permanent.)
Continued riffing:
DeleteErsatz Reflection U
Instant
Name a card. That card can't be named this turn.
Continued riffing:
ReplyDeleteInvert the Sky. {W/U}{W/U}
Enchantment
All instances of {T} on creatures are replaced with {Q}.
All instances of {Q} on creatures are replaced with {T}.
And yet more riffing:
ReplyDeleteInvert the skies v2. {1}{R/U}{R/U}
Enchantment
Creatures without flying can block creatures with flying and can't be blocked by creatures with flying.
Tamiyo's Haiku 2U
DeleteSorcery
Tap target creature.
It's controller draws a card.
Then, you draw a card.
Sky Mirror 2U
ReplyDeleteEnchantment (Uncommon)
When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, put a 2/2 blue Drake creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
When CARDNAME leaves the battlefield, put a 2/2 blue Drake creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
I like this, Mirrored Wellspring!
DeleteThis would be templated as one sentence.
DeleteRats... that's a good point. I'll try to think of something else.
DeleteAlso, I completely missed the fact that your design was incredibly similar.
DeleteI haven't come up with anything better, so I'll borrow your trick for keeping it as two sentences:
DeleteWhen CARDNAME enters the battlefield, put a 2/2 white Drake creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
When CARDNAME leaves the battlefield, put a 2/2 black Drake creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTwixter Drake 3U
ReplyDeleteCreature - Drake
1W: ~ gains flying until end of turn.
1B: ~ gains shadow until end of turn.
2/4
This design would be much more interesting if there was a reason to activate both abilities at once. The effects are so similar though. It's tough when you feel one of the abilities needs to provide flying to match the challenge parameters. Still, the B ability could be something different.
DeleteNightwing Drake (COMMON)
2U
Creature - Drake Shade
2/2
1W: NAME gains flying until end of turn.
1B: NAME gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
I think that's comparable to Nightwing Shade from M14.
Speaking as a Melvin, it'd annoy me that the black ability is worth activating multiple times in a turn but the white ability isn't. Flying and lifelink, perhaps?
DeleteMirror Moves 3GU
ReplyDeleteEnchantment (R)
Whenever a creature you control attacks, you may put a creature card from your hand with equal converted mana cost onto the battlefield tapped and attacking.
Whenever a creature attacks you, you may put a creature card with equal converted mana cost onto the battlefield blocking it.
Unseen Watcher 3U
ReplyDeleteCreature - Merfolk Wizard (C)
When ~ enters the battlefield, draw 2 cards.
When ~ leaves the battlefield, discard 2 cards.
2/2
Opterancy {1}{W/B}{U}
ReplyDeleteEnchantment
WU, T, Discard a card: Put a 2/2 white Bird creature token with flying onto the battlefield.
UB, T, Sacrifice a creature: Put the top two cards of your library into your hand.
A reprint:
ReplyDeleteSkywinder Drake {2}{U}
Creature - Drake (C)
Flying
Skywinder Drake can only block only creatures with flying.
3/1
Was just about to post this. :)
DeleteCould also be (maybe):
DeleteGravitational Shift 3UU
Enchantment (R)
Creatures with flying get +2/+0.
Creatures without flying get -2/-0.
Seaside Glade
ReplyDeleteLand
1, T: Add U or G to your mana pool.
T, Pay 1 life: Add U or G to your mana pool.
Not a functional reprint of the painland cycle, but interestingly close. It's also worth pushing towards generic fantasy for some of the more workhorse cards - like Khans' land cycles, or the move from Llanowar to Elvish Mystic.
This can be templated a few different ways, but I think this is probably the easiest for newer players? For comparison:
"T, Pay {1} or 1 life: Add U or G to your mana pool."
Did anyone make the renders? I can make them later, if necessary.
ReplyDeleteBad name, but...
ReplyDeleteDivebomb Swoop {2}{W}
Instant (uncommon)
Tap target creature you control. If you do, it deals 2 damage to target attacking or blocking creature.
Untap target creature you don't control. If you do, prevent the next 2 damage it would deal this turn.
Unfortunately reminiscent of Azorius Ploy, a very bad card. But the Righteous Blow mode ought to make this at least vaguely playable for when you're blocking (shoot one attacker, fog another), and it could occasionally even be useful when you're attacking.