Keyword Challenge

Sanfonier of the Night There's a slight problem with your mechanic. Ability words aren't rules text. So technically no cards have chorus.

   


Crescendo (If this is the second spell with Crescendo that you’ve cast this turn, you may cast it a second time without paying its mana cost.)

Bump! Submissions need to be turned in within twelve hours, because I’m closing this at midnight my time! I really like what everyone’s done so far. This will not be easy to judge!

Closed for judging! The results will be posted in 12-24 hours.

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viriss Duet -- Whenever this creature attacks or blocks, up to one other target creature that shares a creature type with it...
I'm a big fan of tribal decks, so this appeals to me hardcore. The mechanical flavor of the card is appropriate, since it can only affect one other creature. It's a very white effect, since it ties into community and togetherness and all that. That's a real plus for me as well, is that kind of synergy. My problem with it is that the cards you submitted aren't at common, so I worry that maybe you didn't think about what common duets would look like. Remember, MaRo's policy is that if a concept isn't at common, it's not important. Even still, it's a really interesting concept that could definitely see real printing. I do want to know if you intended the duet effect to grant a keyword the duet creature already has or if you could expand on that with, say, a creature that has double strike but the duet has first strike. (Also, let's be honest here, the armadillo is NOT the focal point of the art. Sorry. )

kefke Crescendo {COST} (If there is another spell on the stack, you may pay an additional COST as you cast this spell.)
WRITEUP It's the rising crescendo effect that really sells it for me. It's an expression of evolution, of a way that this keyword could be expanded upon, which I think is so important. I like mechanics that don't feel like dead ends, like, "this mechanic is very binary and there aren't a lot of ways to interact with it." It's clear that you put a lot of time into thinking about how this mechanic would actually be printed and how it might develop over time. I think it ought to include reminder text for split second and bolster, because those aren't very common keywords, but that's just me nitpicking.

temawimag Perform (During the following phases on your turn, or during the phase you cast this spell on:)
This is really somethin' special! I appreciate that you went out of your way to make a whole new card subtype, and I think the Saga frame does a bang-up job of communicating "this card doesn't behave like other cards" in a really clever way. My only real concern is that they might be too powerful? I mean, essentially what we have here is a Saga that goes off every turn. You've got to keep a steady hand when you're trying to balance something like that. Of the two you finalized, I think Hymn of the Brute's Legacy is better: it's thematically appropriate, it fits the color pie really well, and it's not overwhelmingly strong because you do have to sac your target creatures. But overall, this is a really well-done mechanic and you should absolutely be proud of this. I'd love to see more Songs, both from you and from all the other designers!

somerandomtom Duet X (Whenever another creature with the same power and toughness as this creature attacks, this creature and that creature get +X/+X until end of turn.)
So, okay. I don't have a lot to work with here, honestly. It's an interesting concept, but kind of sparse. It's the kind of mechanic that doesn't have a lot of depth to it because it's pretty simple. I could see it working as a standalone mechanic--not a keyword, just a theme--sort of a, like, an Elf tribal thing? But I don't see this getting keyword support any time soon. It's a solid attempt, don't get me wrong. Keep making keywords! Keep doing this! But Duet... it's not really doing it for me.

Sanfonier of the Night Chorus -- ...where X is the number of creatures you control with chorus.
Very promising! I like that it encourages a wide creature board, and the flavor is solid. I wish chorus had a mechanical meaning in itself instead of just enabling an effect, but I recognize that that would probably make the card text too bulky. I appreciate that you made cards across the color pie for the mechanic, because this ought to be something that all colors have some access to. Music being the universal language, and all that. Oh, and I promise you weren't penalized for me helping you out with formatting the cards better. So you're a little new at this! Keep it up.

Tesagk Crescendo (If this is the second spell with crescendo you've cast this turn, you may cast it a second time without paying its mana cost.)
Curious... Very curious. So, my first thought is to generalize this even more so that you can crescendo more than one spell each turn by writing out "If this is not the first spell with crescendo..." The effects are powerful, but not overwhelmingly so, in my mind. I like that you have to be a little clever about the order in which you cast spells since you can't crescendo the first one, so you have to be okay with not doubling up on its effect. It encourages smarter play than just "I can afford this spell, and this spell helps me, so I will cast it right now and then think about what to do next." .......Also, since Song of Mercy is a sorcery, how is it supposed to exile attacking creatures without, like, splashing into white from Hypersonic Dragon?

ameisenmeister Tritone -- ...if you control three or more nonland permanents with consecutive converted mana costs.
It's strange, but I'm coming around to it. I'm certainly a fan of "CMC matters" effects, and the flavor of this mechanic is delightful. It's the sort of thing that, like, you couldn't call it something else without losing flavor. I like that about it! The token generator took me a second, but I guess technically it does fulfill the requirements. I just wish that particular card did something that felt more mechanically relevant than just "this is a 1-drop that makes a 0-drop". Maybe a kicker sort of thing?

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Also, I'm not above admitting this: I want to build cards with these mechanics. Like, a lot of cards. Everyone did great!

Thanks for the second place. And even more thanks for writing considerable analyses for each participant. I am always a bit annoyed when judging is basically just "XY won!".

  

Egoism -- ...as long as [this creature] has the greatest sum of power and toughness among creatures you control. Egoism is primary in black, the color of unabashed selfishness, and secondary in red, the color of unchecked emotions, but can appear in any color. Anyone and anything is capable of getting a swelled head, even a wild animal. Well, a sort-of-magical wild animal. Anyway.

Creatures with egoism have the skills to back up their arrogance, but only just. Their tempers -- in any color -- can and will flare up if they see an ostensible ally who's stronger than them. Also -- this is really important! -- egoism effects don't apply if two of your creatures are tied for the greatest sum!

What I wanted to do was create kind of weird scenarios for your opponents, where they feel like it's okay to buff one of your minions if it means that, overall, your army loses something powerful. Soz for only providing black/red examples. (For now.) I'm not super happy with how my other Egoism cards have come out, but I wanted to get something in now and maybe edit it later. The mechanic will not change, but I want to provide a lot of different ways from which to come at it.

                               

(Since you asked)

I'm not really seeing why this would be printed as-is whenever the Legendary type pretty much does the same thing, except with no space in the rules text.

Thing is, I get that, but at the same time that means in order for the mechanic to be fun it needs to either be so limited that no cards interact with it (thus it's purely restrictive) or if it would gain support, then it would become a bit redundant. The flavor of this mechanic is probably one of my favorites out of the entries so far (a creature that isn't legendary things of itself as being legendary), but mechanically I'm not certain that you have much to work with.



Speaking of mechanics, mid-point guidance time says that all of the entries so far are mechanically sound.

Judging will be on Friday at 4:30 Eastern Time (US).

Egoist (Each spell must target this creature if able.)
The full rules text would look something like this:
While a player is choosing targets as part of casting a spell they control, that player must choose this creature if able.
(I kind of took this from flagbearers.)
If there are multiple egoists on the batltefield but your spell has only one target, you can choose any one of them.


Phantom Maiden
Crreature - Illusion
Egoist (Each spell must target this creature if able.)
When Phantom Maiden becomes the target of a spell, sacrifice it.
3/3

Self-Centered General
Creature - Human Knight
Egoist (Each spell must target this creature if able.)
First strike
Whenever Self-Centered General becomes the target of a spell, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
2/2

Target Mark
Enchantment - Aura
Enchant creature
When Target Mark enters the battlefield, draw a card.
Enchanted creature has egoist. (Each spell must target this creature if able.)

Ego Boost
Instant
Target crerature gets +2/+2 unitl end of turn. If it has egoist, put a +1/+1 counter on it.

Showdown (Whenever this creature attacks alone, players may not cast spells or activate abilities until end of combat.)

I'll try to come up with some example cards later.

Ferocious Wanderer
1GG
Creature -- Human Warrior
Uncommon
Showdown - Whenever this creature attacks alone and is blocked, it gets +1/+1 and gains trample until end of turn.
3/3

Cunning Swordsmith
3U
Creature - Human Artificer
Rare
Cunning Swordsmith gets +2/+0 as long as you control one or more equipments.
Showdown - Whenever this creature attacks alone and is blocked, you may draw a card.
2/4