Friday, March 3, 2017

Weekend Art Challenge 030317—xXang3leyesXx

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://xxang3leyesxx.deviantart.com/art/Ryuk-Moonlight-Death-Note-283123825

Design an uncommon black creature, enchantment, or sorcery.

28 comments:

  1. Evangel Parasite {2}{BP}
    Enchantment Creature- Insect Horror
    Bestow {3){BP}{BP}
    Flying, Infect
    Enchanted creature gets +1/+1, and has flying and infect.
    1/1

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My bad, the bestow cost was intended to be {4}{BP}{BP}.

      Delete
    2. I'm not sure I see Phyrexians choosing to bestow other creatures like Theros' gods did, particularly since they're so artifact-aligned, but mechanically this presents a coherent threat. I would love to put this on 4/x and win in two turns, with a back-up plan of winning in six if they kill it after a single hit. I can also seeing playing this on turn 2 with the plan of rushing poison.

      This is a lot stronger than Phyresis, which is fine, and mostly better than Grafted Exoskeleton, which is a little scary.

      Delete
  2. Lunar Creep 2B
    Sorcery - U
    Black creatures you control gain fear until of turn.

    If an opponent doesn't control a swamp, creatures you control get +2/+0 until end of turn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hadn't even thought about ever bringing fear back, but since it's not evergreen, it could be a returning mechanic for one set/block. You would have to justify its use over intimidate, but if it's only used on black creatures, or if the set's themes really want to use the word 'fear', it's conceivable.

      The second line here doubles down on this being an old-school design whose value depends entirely on your opponent's deck and acts as 'hate' against all blackless decks.

      Maybe if we were making a retro set?

      Delete
    2. I used flavor to design the card without thinking about set picture. But a singular ability for each color might be flavorful too. Bring back flanking, shadow, phasing, provoke...

      Thanks for the tips.

      Delete
  3. Shadow of what once was 2WB
    Instant
    Angels you control have undying until end of turn.
    Gain 2 life for each Angel in all graveyards.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. With angles and undying mentioned, it's fair to guess this is for a third block set on Innistrad. I think it's hinting that angels are still evil/mad, since undying was a "monster mechanic" originally, though it could be repurposed a bit.

      It's a little confusing that it does one thing for angels that are currently alive but about to die, something different for angels that are already dead (and nothing for living angels that are safe). I guess the second line is to make you feel less bad about the angels you couldn't save? Not sure it's worth diluting the main message.

      Delete
  4. Eclipse Specter 1BB
    Creature-Specter (U)
    Flying
    Whenever Eclipse Specter deals combat damage to a player, that player chooses a card from their hand and exiles that card until Eclipse Specter leaves the battlefield.
    2/2

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a clean callback to Hypnotic Specter using Faceless Butcher tech. I do wonder if we need to replace random-selection with opponent-selection, given how much weaker this temporary disruption is, but it's fair to say that random is still slow to do and frustrating when it gets your best card. It certainly helps makes this otherwise rare card uncommon.

      Delete
  5. Emrakul's Nighthawk
    1CC
    Creature - Eldrazi Horror - U
    Flying, deathtouch, menace
    3/1
    /"Even the moonlight bends to Her whims." - Sorin Markov/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This Vampire Nighthawk callback trades lifelink for menace and two toughness for one power.

      That reduces it's racing capacity from 4 to 3, but also makes it 3 power 3cc creature with double-evasion, and that is guaranteed to trade for at least two creatures instead of one—provided your opponent doesn't remove it with a spell, which it is more vulnerable to.

      I was about to say this likely needs to be rare or else 2BB, when I finally understood that 1CC means {1}{C}{C} and not one generic and two colored mana, like it used to. Yeah, requiring two colorless mana makes this totally fair. Cool.

      Delete
    2. My least favorite part about colorless mana is that it is so confusing to represent!!

      Delete
  6. Harpy's Hunt
    4B
    Sorcery
    Destroy target creature. Put a +1/+1 counter on each of up to two target creatures.

    I really wanted to make this "up to X target creatures where X is its toughness" but that was so often all your creatures I wasn't sure it was still uncommon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Make this {3}{B}{B} and I 100% buy this in a new set with +1/+1-counter and go-wide themes in black.

      For the theme to work, harpies need to benefit from appearing in multiples, and this art needs to show two of them: no problem.

      Delete
  7. Forsaken Angel 3BB
    Creature - Angel Horror (U)
    Flying
    Sacrifice a creature: CARDNAME gets -2/-1 until end of turn. Any player may activate this ability on his or her turn.
    5/3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Straight up Fallen Angel reprint would be great.

      Delete
    2. I'd prefer Darkest Hour over Bad Moon, but yeah, this is pretty clearly a "what's a new twist on Fallen Angel".

      Delete
    3. This new Fallen Angel is much more about killing creatures than players, which is cool. Except its 5 power actually makes it quite good at killing players too. It's not a strict upgrade, but it is substantial...

      It's worth noting that any player can activate its Weakness-Bone Splinters ability. That means I can sack three creatures to kill Forsaken Angel, provided I have any left after your first barrage. It's important that I can't sack during your turn, or else there'd be one huge explosion when FA hits the table, but that does mean I can't sack on defense to reduce the damage she deals.

      Delete
    4. Just to be clear, the only creature the only creature that can be targeted by the Weakness is the Angel itself.

      Delete
    5. Dah! My mistake, again. In that case, why the timing restriction? Or the uneven numbers?

      Delete
    6. The timing restriction is to make decision-making a little easier on both sides - and to make removal from the Angel's deck a little more relevant. The 2/1 is mirroring Weakness and Fallen Angel, the same way I think Fallen Angel and Unholy Strength had something of a melviny connection, and because the numbers look like they play well to me.

      Delete
  8. Bad Moon Rising BB
    Enchantment (U)
    Whenever you sacrifice a creature, you may put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.

    "Don’t go ‘round tonight
    It’s bound to take your life
    There’s a bad moon on the rise."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A nice, simple engine with good story.
      Could maybe cost just {B}.

      Delete
    2. Perhaps a little too on the nose with persist?

      Delete