CCDD 073012—Shortcut Through the Woods

Cool Card Design of the Day
7/30/2012 - I'm not sure how I came to this design. Couldn't have been top-down from the art. Maybe I started with the primary effect as a no-shuffling version of Rampant Growth, found the flavor that would match the random wandering effect and that some somehow triggered the idea to add madness. Maybe I was just looking for madness effects and realized there wasn't a land fetch card with madness yet.

CCDD 072712—Crush the Weak

Cool Card Design of the Day
7/27/2012 - Started on another short fiction CCDD yesterday, but when I "finished," it demanded a major rewrite. Stupid, demanding medium.

To sate your card-lust in the meantime I present the following without editorial. Opinions welcome.

CCDD 072512—Defining Moment

Cool Card Design of the Day
7/25/2012 - Another unexpected factor of designing cards for this site is that I'll write down an idea or burst of ideas as they come to me, just as I used to, but I almost never write about them immediately. I let these cards ruminate in a folder, allowing the excitement that inspired them to ebb, so that when I see them again, I do so with fresh eyes and can evaluate how worthwhile sharing them would be. It's an impressive coincidence that the oldest card in the folder is exactly one year old today. Neat.

CCDD 072412—Falls Market

Cool Card Design of the Day
7/24/2012 - Making cards for this site has had an unexpected impact on my development as a designer beyond the improvements afforded through your critical feedback and ideas. Because I produce a card image for each design (years ago I'd just divide a piece of paper and shorthand ~18 cards onto it), I'm more aware of how the final product looks, which has helped me to produce simpler cards with shorter text.

CCDD 072312—Prized Memories

Cool Card Design of the Day
7/23/2012 - Two things Spike loves are card advantage and difficult choices. This card requires each player to sacrifice some portion of their deck in order to enjoy the card advantage, the trick being that you have to guess how much your opponent is going to give in order to "bid correctly."

CCDD 071912—Non-Red Dragons

Cool Card Design of the Day
7/19/2012 - I was hoping HavelockV would talk more about some of the Dragon submissions for his last Design Challenge, but I believe he's swamped with real life. So instead, I'd like to share with some of the dragon designs I chose Isochron Familiar over, and why.

First up, is the obligatory Cold Dragon. I'm glad I didn't submit this one, because Chris' Dragon of Winter's Breath is better. His isn't as splashy, but it's simpler and still gets across the freezing breath concept.

CCDD 071712—Dragonstone

Cool Card Design of the Day
7/17/2012 - Trying something a little different today. Let me know if you love it or hate it.

My brother used to tell me about life before the war. Of summer nights spent chasing fireflies and winter nights huddled around the village fire. Of tugging pigtails in the school house and the struggle to keep quiet in church. Of Mom's hugs and Dad's laugh. Jared never quite adjusted to hauling logs for the outer wall, endless hours of sparring, or Captain Tavek's fondness for punishment. But he suffered through it all to make sure no one ever hurt me. The only task he didn't dread was lookout duty.