A while back I tried a design challenge using randomly generated parameters. People seemed to like it, so let's try it again with some tweaks! Roll 6 six-sided dice (here's an easy link) and look up the results in the list.
First die: 1-white, 2-blue, 3-black, 4-red, 5-green, 6-multicolor
Second die: 1-artifact (may ignore color), 2-creature, 3-enchantment, 4-instant, 5-sorcery, 6-planeswalker
Third die: 1-common, 2/3-uncommon, 4/5-rare, 6-mythic
Fourth die: converted mana cost is what you rolled
Fifth die: card is from a set focused on... 1-graveyard, 2-tribal, 3-multicolor, 4-"Voltron" (big/enhanced creatures), 5-artifacts, 6-any top-down theme
Sixth die (Bonus challenge only): card provides... 1-offense, 2-defense, 3-value, 4-removal, 5-synergy, 6-flexibility
Good luck and have fun!
4,6,6,6,4,6
ReplyDeleteRed Planswalker Mythic CMC6 Voltron Flexibility.
Ok.
Koth, Encased in Primax 3RR
Planeswalker -Koth Mythic
Koth comes into play with a loyalty counter for each basic mountain you control.
+1: Exile a card from the top of your library. You may play it as long as its CMC is < than the loyalty of Koth.
-2: Search your library for any number of equipment cards with total CMC < than the loyalty of Koth and put them into play.
-9: Koth becomes a human creature with indestructable, hexproof, trample and 0: attach target equipent on Koth.
a 3/3 human creature*
DeleteI really like the first two abilities. The -9 seems really hard to get to, and the keywords could be redundant depending on the equipment you're fetching. If it just turned into a 3/3 that could equip stuff for free as a +0 ability that could be pretty cool.
DeleteYou are correct in your assesment. I would keep hexproof, and remove the other abilities, or perhaps even hexproof is redundant.
DeleteCool design, lots of novel stuff going on! I would suggest changing the -2 to just tutor one equipment card to your hand-- CMC and loyalty are relevant in plenty of other ways in this design. Also, hexproof isn't in red's color pie so I'd suggest removing that from the ultimate. Voltron + flexibility is challenging to capture but this design makes it work well. If anything, I'd suggest shifting one of the first two abilities away from card advantage and toward interaction.
DeleteNice work!
Red Uncommon Creature at CMC=1, Top-down Set, providing Flexibility.
ReplyDeleteLet's go for a Tormenting Voice variant, set in Underground City world.
Tunnelling Mole-Rat (uncommon)
R
Creature — Mole Rat
1/2
{R}, {T}, Sacrifice Tunnelling Mole-Rat, Discard a land card: Draw two cards.
In retrospect this is probably a Common design.
DeleteThere's plenty going on here to justify uncommon. A 1/2 for 1 is decently strong and the ability does provide a lot of flexibility. Top-down flavor is on point as well. Only comment is that I wish the ability synergized better with using the creature to attack-- tapping makes it feel clunkier than, say, Bomat Courier or Insolent Neonate.
DeleteNice work!
Yeah, this challenge is fun.
ReplyDeleteCommon black 1-cmc sorcery in a tribal set providing value if possible.
I first thought, how many cheap sorceries can black have? But then I thought "return a card from graveyard to hand, but better if you play zombies", but several of those exist already :)
So will settle on something soon :)
Currently thinking
DeleteDisinter B
Sorcery (C)
Return target card from your graveyard to your hand. If it is a zombie creature card you may put it onto the battlefield instead.
If there's any zombies which are too powerful you could put a CMC limit on the reanimation.
But that's almost too obvious. Maybe something corpse lunge y? Or with vampires instead?
Yeah, this definitely wants a CMC limitation. A common 1-mana spell being able to get back, say, Mikaeus the Unhallowed is a bit much. You're also right that this has been done before, e.g. Cemetery Recruitment. But that's not a bad thing! This is a clean, resonant version of the effect and very on-point for the randomizer criteria. Nice work!
DeleteBlack - Rare - Creature - 1 CMC - Tribal - Defense
ReplyDeleteCannibalistic Imp B
Creature - Imp (R)
Flying
1, T, Sacrifice another creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on ~ for each creature you've sacrificed this turn. If the sacrificed creature was an Imp, untap ~.
0/3
Not really sure about the balance or defensiveness of this one, but it would be cool to iterate on.
Nice flavour.
DeleteThat's a fun, novel text box for sure. Seems balanced and plenty defensive to me. My main concern is that the ability is so narrow, and Imp is already such a marginal tribe, that the tribal element won't make much difference. "Imp or Devil" maybe? And maybe "for each creature that died under your control this turn", to help with the narrowness? As Jack said, though, the flavor is great and the design is quite distinctive. Nice work!
Delete2 3 3 4 6 3
ReplyDeleteBlue, enchantment, uncommon, cmc 4, from a top-down set, provides value
Shrouded Knowledge 3U
Enchantment [U]
At the beginning of your upkeep, draw a card. Then, discard a card unless you exile two instant and/or sorcery cards from your graveyard.
" The Arcarian Realm remains hidden by extracting knowledge as leverage from all who learn of it. "
The top down that seemed most interesting to me was an urban-fantasy-esque world where magic is hidden from the general populace. A blue value enchantment is almost surely gonna draw cards, and the discard/graveyard exile plays up the memory spells these hidden worlds always need to have.
Oh yeah, nice setting, and nice tie of the effect to the concept.
DeleteThat's funny-- when I initially read the textbox it seemed bottom-up but I totally buy the top-down explanation. Magic-does-urban-fantasy would be awesome (Kaladesh and Ravnica have both gestured at this but it wasn't their main theme). The design itself is surprisingly simple-- closest equivalent I can find is Honden of Seeing Winds; blue doesn't seem to be in the business of straight-up "draw a card each turn" much. That makes me think this would lean toward rare because of how much repeatable value it provides.
DeleteNice work!
Oh, there's also Heightened Awareness and Monastery Siege. Both rare, so I suspect that's where this would belong.
Delete(from Jenesis: blogspot is being a whiny POS and not letting me sign in.)
ReplyDelete2/6/2/4/1/4.
Blue planeswalker, okay. Uncommon, that's gonna narrow it down a lot. 4 cmc, fine. Graveyard set, now I think we've got a direction, and... Removal.
Well now. That's gonna be a tricky one.
Keanu, the Surging Tide 2UU
Legendary Planeswalker - Keanu (Uncommon)
Whenever a card is put into an opponent's hand from anywhere, that player mills 3.
-2: Return target creature to its owner's hand.
[5]
Yeah, that's tricky! When I saw you were using mill I assumed the synergy would be that the activated ability put the creature on top of its owner's library. But that might have been too powerful and color-pie-breaking. What you have here is a cool and different take. Great use of the War-uncommon planeswalker style. My only concern is that it would be too narrow-- it requires building a deck around both mill and bounce to take full advantage of. What about reversing the effects? Bounce a creature whenever you mill (maybe with a power or CMC constraint) and the activated ability mills?
DeleteNice work!
Cool idea! Riffing:
DeleteKeanu, the Sweeping Tide 2UU
Legendary Planeswalker - Keanu (Uncommon)
Whenever a player mills one or more cards, you may return target creature that player controls with converted mana cost X or less to its owner's hand, where X is the number of cards milled this way.
-X: Target player mills X cards.
{8}
Oof, that trigger's ugly. Still not as bad as it would have been before mill became an action word, but I have doubts about its readability in the frame.
a bit late to this, since i discovered this blog just today.
ReplyDeletegot a 633361
multicolored/enchantment/uncommon/3CMC/any-topdown/offense
Well, since i am working on a instants and sorceries matter set. i think i'll do that.
Bloodfire 1RB
Enchantment - (Uncommon)
Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you may sacrifice it. if you do. return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.
i think this might be a bit too strong for its cmc, or a bit to heavy on the recursion to be at common. but it really felt like lightning struck me and planted this fully formed into my head.
there's also the issue that this card rewards offense, rather than "providing it" as the challenge describes