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.
Design a creature card for this art.
Canopy Naga 1G
ReplyDeleteCreature Naga Warrior C
Reach
When Canopy Naga blocks or becomes blocked by a creature without flying, it gains first strike until end of turn.
2/2
Cool, though First Strike isn't really in green's slice of the color pie typically. Perhaps +1/+1, or another bonus?
DeleteI can dig it, although it feels less thematic than a snake surprising a creature by dropping down out of a tree.
DeleteCanopy Naga 1G
Creature Naga Warrior C
Reach
When Canopy Naga blocks or becomes blocked by a creature without flying, it gains +2/+2 until end of turn.
2/2
Maybe an off-colour R or W activation?
Delete"If you control a mountain or plains, first strike and +N/+Y?" Might be too out of the naga's sultainess, though.
DeleteI was really digging this more aggressive Netcaster Spider variant until I realized it gets the bonus only against non-fliers. I get that gives some tension, but it's counter-intuitive because reach tells us this is for interacting with fliers (and b/c green historically gets stronger against fliers, rather than the opposite).
DeleteAlso that makes this a 4/4 for two in the default application. We can of course point to Brushwagg and Chubb Toad (and all the samurai), but then we still have that reach signpost and the flying-exception rider.
Our commons shouldn't be creating tension, they should have clear purpose.
Naga Stalker
ReplyDelete2G
Creature - Naga Warrior - Uncommon
Deathtouch
2B, T: Naga Stalker fights target creature.
2/2
This is clean, and fair enough for a two-color uncommon. I kind of want to limit it to targeting tapped creatures or something, but paying {4}{B}{G} and waiting at least a turn to kill something is hardly over-powered.
DeleteNice.
Oh, I figured out what's bothering me. Black doesn't get fight. Make this base-black with a green activation and it feels more right.
DeleteGalestorm Wanderer 1G
ReplyDeleteCreature - Naga Warrior - U
Reach
Whenever a creature an opponent controls attacks, if it has flying ~ gets +1/+1 until end of turn
1/3
I was toying with the idea of having a "Palace Guard" effect as well. But the stats, or rarity would have to change I think.
DeleteI think this could say "Whenever a creature with flying attacks you,"? The effect is slightly different for multiplayer, but a little easier to read (for me, at least).
DeleteI don't understand why this gets the bonus whether it blocks the flying creature or not. It's just really jazzed you're getting flown at? You want it to grow even more when attacked by multiple birds?
DeleteI'd just make it a blocking trigger. Otherwise, solid card.
Coiling Wayfarer UG
ReplyDeleteCreature - Naga Druid
When ~ enters the battlefield, you may reveal the top card of target player's library. If it's a land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped under your control. Otherwise, you may play an additional land card this turn.
2/1
This text is trying to be clever in two ways, and that's one way too many. Either focus on the fact that I can grab land from my opponent's library, or on the fact that it can help my land development whether it hits or not; doing both splits our focus and tells a worse story.
DeleteI appreciate the pedigree, but Son of Oracle seems mono-green.
I would enjoy playing this.
The multicolor is mostly to justify getting this effect on turn 2, where it's more valuable. If the lead designer/dev thought it was fine in monogreen, I wouldn't tell them no.
DeleteI do like the "this card has four+ modes" style of design, but I can appreciate that this one might benefit from being slimmed down (or being legend and marking this as a unique ability).
Naga Raid Leader 3G
ReplyDeleteCreature - Naga Warrior (Rare)
3/3
Flash
When ~ ETBs you may have two other snake or naga creatures you control get +2/+2 UEOT.
I wasn't sure what Naga I was excited to design, but I realised we haven't had a naga lord. This one didn't look like they'd lead a *large* force, so I gave the bonus to a smaller infiltration group.
Is it acceptable to leave off "other". If this is your only naga I don't want you to feel bad you can't attack with the bonus, but there's few enough naga it would be nice if the boost worked even if you didn't have any others.
"Up to two" instead of "you may" should work just fine on a rare. Or even on an uncommon; a 5 power flash blocker might be a lot, but probably not too much considering the briarpacks and briarhorns et al.
DeleteOops, sorry, it was always supposed to be "up to", I think wizards have usually retreated from *requiring* two, I just forgot. I meant, "up to two target other naga or snakes" vs "up to two target naga or snakes".
DeleteBut ok, that does sound fine. I wanted that anyway, I just wasn't sure if it would be too unexpected. That makes the new wording:
Naga Raid Leader 3G
Creature - Naga Warrior (Rare)
3/3
Flash
When ~ ETBs up to two target snake or naga creatures you control get +2/+2 UEOT.
Briarpack Alpha gets the tribal treatment: Neat! It's slightly worse in a non-Naga deck, but it can still block as a surprise 5/5, and with Naga around it's even better than its lupine cousin. Cool uncommon.
DeleteI forgot Briarpack! Glad to see this ended up in about the right place.
DeleteTreetop Slitherer 3G
ReplyDeleteCreature - Naga (U)
CARDNAME can't be blocked except by creatures with flying or reach.
Whenever CARDNAME deals combat damage to a player, draw a card.
2/2
🐍⭐!
DeleteThis is a card I'd love to see printed tomorrow.
Searching Gatherer for the Canopy Cover ability really drives home the fact that it is exactly identical to flying minus the actual keyword. Which is weird, right?
DeleteAnyhow, Orchard Spirit + Stealer of Secrets is certainly a compelling package and easily worth {3}{G}. Just ask Thieving Magpie.
I imagine it needs to be slightly harder to cast at {4}{G} or {2}{G}{G} or {2}{G}{U} or maybe just {3}{G} rare, but that's Dev's concern.
Putting this abilities together means the player doesn't get to feel clever by putting Cartouche of Knowledge on Watchful Naga or Sixth Sense on Aven Initiate, but every once in a while we just want to hand them a complete gizmo to swing around.
This does lack the ability to block fliers, which differentiates it from "just flying only spelled out".
DeleteVery true. "Flying when attacking... minus the keyword."
DeleteNice work, Artisans.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't expecting all the flying/reach business: Granted, our naga is in a tree, but he's clearly right at the base of the tree, inches from the ground. To me, it's more prominent that we're in a swamp-y area.
And that's the great thing about designing in a group. I would have never gotten to all the cool places the rest of you did.
PS, faux-flying is weird.