Post by augur on Jan 11, 2019 23:05:45 GMT
aaand it’s 36 hours after I said I’d finish it
sorry once again for the delay. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen with YMTC Poor Man’s or anytime in the future for real this time :x
Good entries all around!
sorry once again for the delay. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen with YMTC Poor Man’s or anytime in the future for real this time :x
{melono}
Bird’s Defender has some good flavor and flavor text. I like the tradeoff of holding back one of your creatures, but I feel the payoff may be too good. Optional redirection really messes with combat math, and if the creature you put it on is beefy enough, it can negate virtually all damage. Even if it isn’t, the +0/+4 boost alone negates pretty much all damage based removal. imo the redirection should be mandatory and the toughness boost lowered (and potentially the cost lowered to compensate).
Bird’s Defender has some good flavor and flavor text. I like the tradeoff of holding back one of your creatures, but I feel the payoff may be too good. Optional redirection really messes with combat math, and if the creature you put it on is beefy enough, it can negate virtually all damage. Even if it isn’t, the +0/+4 boost alone negates pretty much all damage based removal. imo the redirection should be mandatory and the toughness boost lowered (and potentially the cost lowered to compensate).
{Jartis}
I like that while Knight of Aven Pass gets significantly better with equipment, you don’t need equipment to make it worth the slot as you do with others like the similar Kitesail Apprentice and Skyhunter Cub, since a bear is unexciting but playable. It is a little awkward that it’s not necessarily a good card for an equipment archetype since it’s playable in a lot of decks, but that’s a small concern.
I like that while Knight of Aven Pass gets significantly better with equipment, you don’t need equipment to make it worth the slot as you do with others like the similar Kitesail Apprentice and Skyhunter Cub, since a bear is unexciting but playable. It is a little awkward that it’s not necessarily a good card for an equipment archetype since it’s playable in a lot of decks, but that’s a small concern.
{gateways7}
The Feathered Knight really should not be at common. I’d place it at uncommon, but it’s mostly better Sandsteppe Outcast in that it’s 3 points of (conditional) flying power. Notably, the Knight body is easily re-enabled with a second copy of the card (and that with a third, and so on) so not only is it powerful but also excellent in multiples.
The Feathered Knight really should not be at common. I’d place it at uncommon, but it’s mostly better Sandsteppe Outcast in that it’s 3 points of (conditional) flying power. Notably, the Knight body is easily re-enabled with a second copy of the card (and that with a third, and so on) so not only is it powerful but also excellent in multiples.
{viriss}
The efficiency of the tokens plus the body of Aviary Knight worries me. 4-5 mana gets 2-3 flying tokens and a 3/3-4/4 vigilance creature, but the card can be scaled down to two mana or even further up. You’re also incentivized to run multiples, partially due to the scaling and partially due to the bird’s lands helping scale larger. Making it legendary was a nice choice in that regard- you can’t benefit from two Knights at once- but also kind of awkward in that you can sacrifice the new one and immediately swing with the old, and that the flavor doesn’t really connect as being legendary. I do like the bird tokens giving a death benefit.
(also I think the last ability should be “gets +1/+1 for each creatures you control with flying”)
The efficiency of the tokens plus the body of Aviary Knight worries me. 4-5 mana gets 2-3 flying tokens and a 3/3-4/4 vigilance creature, but the card can be scaled down to two mana or even further up. You’re also incentivized to run multiples, partially due to the scaling and partially due to the bird’s lands helping scale larger. Making it legendary was a nice choice in that regard- you can’t benefit from two Knights at once- but also kind of awkward in that you can sacrifice the new one and immediately swing with the old, and that the flavor doesn’t really connect as being legendary. I do like the bird tokens giving a death benefit.
(also I think the last ability should be “gets +1/+1 for each creatures you control with flying”)
{Flo00}
Silent Watch 
Enchantment
At the beginning of each upkeep, create a 1/1 white Bird creature token with flying.
When a creature you control attacks or you’re dealt combat damage, sacrifice Silent Watch.
“each” upkeep is a little frightening, but I think there’s enough safety valves for this to be balanced even in Commander. I’m worried about how it will actually play in 1v1 games, as there are a lot of answers but also a lot of potential for slow games.
Enchantment
At the beginning of each upkeep, create a 1/1 white Bird creature token with flying.
When a creature you control attacks or you’re dealt combat damage, sacrifice Silent Watch.
“each” upkeep is a little frightening, but I think there’s enough safety valves for this to be balanced even in Commander. I’m worried about how it will actually play in 1v1 games, as there are a lot of answers but also a lot of potential for slow games.
{Tesagk}
The Guardian of the Crossroads potent flying lord. I like the statline as a defensive creature, especially in regards to it being a guardian which also fits well with the first ability. The second ability is kind of awkward looking at is as psuedo-evasion for creatures that already have flying, an evasive ability. I doubt it’ll be overpowered but it would probably be safer to drop the second ability and increase the base stats a bit.
(also I think the last ability should be worded “creatures can’t block creatures you control with flying unless their controller pays 1 for each of those creatures” or something else similar to Archangel of Tithes.)
The Guardian of the Crossroads potent flying lord. I like the statline as a defensive creature, especially in regards to it being a guardian which also fits well with the first ability. The second ability is kind of awkward looking at is as psuedo-evasion for creatures that already have flying, an evasive ability. I doubt it’ll be overpowered but it would probably be safer to drop the second ability and increase the base stats a bit.
(also I think the last ability should be worded “creatures can’t block creatures you control with flying unless their controller pays 1 for each of those creatures” or something else similar to Archangel of Tithes.)
{ameisenmeister}
I’m a little biased here as I love Cream of the Crop, but I really like the functionality of Augury Pilgrimage. Clearly it fills a different niche than Cream, but in a good way- the effect seems natural in blue and works in white thanks to token synergy. The activated ability is also a nice way to provide lategame value and tie together the flavor. I think 2 is a safe mana cost but putting it at uncommon is a little unsafe, I’d be wary of decks with 2+ copies of this partially due to constant scrying.
(also I’m unsure if the trigger functions properly as-is, it feels like it should but there’s no precedent. splitting it into “scry 1 for each nontoken creature” and “scry X whenever an effect creates X tokens” would definitely work, but would also impact the functionality.)
The bird theme is obvious and the watching figure reminded me of augury, a sort of predicting the future by watching the flight of birds (at least that was common practice in ancient Greece). So, the more creatures you watch passing, the greater your knowledge about the future. And eventually you can use your knowledge about it to enjoy the biggest benefits. (Hey, it's the same effect that Augury Adept grants you. Such coincidence...)
I’m a little biased here as I love Cream of the Crop, but I really like the functionality of Augury Pilgrimage. Clearly it fills a different niche than Cream, but in a good way- the effect seems natural in blue and works in white thanks to token synergy. The activated ability is also a nice way to provide lategame value and tie together the flavor. I think 2 is a safe mana cost but putting it at uncommon is a little unsafe, I’d be wary of decks with 2+ copies of this partially due to constant scrying.
(also I’m unsure if the trigger functions properly as-is, it feels like it should but there’s no precedent. splitting it into “scry 1 for each nontoken creature” and “scry X whenever an effect creates X tokens” would definitely work, but would also impact the functionality.)
{Lydia Deetz}
Both costs of Knight of the Avian Order are way above rate- Angelic Gift is playable on its own, and the bestowed version of the Knight leaves behind a 2/3 body. Likewise, the creature + cantrip of straight casting it is a beefier body than is acceptable (see Generous Stray). The flavor does match up nicely with the idea of a bestow creature without the ability it grants.
Both costs of Knight of the Avian Order are way above rate- Angelic Gift is playable on its own, and the bestowed version of the Knight leaves behind a 2/3 body. Likewise, the creature + cantrip of straight casting it is a beefier body than is acceptable (see Generous Stray). The flavor does match up nicely with the idea of a bestow creature without the ability it grants.
Good entries all around!
{Winner}
The winner is ameisenmeister!
The runner-ups are Jartis and Flo00
The winner is ameisenmeister!
The runner-ups are Jartis and Flo00
: Add 
to your mana pool.
. Goberu the Light Garden deals 1 damage to you.
, Put a -1/-1 counter on CARDNAME: Target creature you control gets +1/+1 and gains lifelink and trample until end of turn. Untap it.
Picture by Marcel Mercado
"When in doubt, do a common." 
