Cashew
05-29-2008, 04:38 AM
Okay, get ready to get mad. Well at least some of you. I got very anal, and very technical when comparing my cards. Some people took chances and failed epically, others stayed the course and got railed for it. That's right - as YWN puts it - my moronic and hard to predict judging skills are at it again.
Let's start with the worst so I seem really mean. I will be formatting all cards to my liking since people decided to really jumble them up tonight.
11. Sency 21/50
Oliver Farrel, Renegade Leader 1WW
Legendary Creature - Rebel Lord
Protection from Black
Other Rebels get +1/+1
W: Oliver Farrel, Renegade Leader gets +1/+1 until end of turn, Can't be played more than three times a turn
Tap WW: Put a 1/1 white Rebel into play
2/3
"Believe in me and we will pull through this Civil War!" ~Oliver Farrel, Renagade Leader~
Anyone who knows me, knows I hate complicated cards, especially ones that just try to do too much without good reason. We have four abilities which kinda makes me question where the focus is. The first one is good, yeah Oliver could have pro black and honestly should have pro black. All the Rebel stuff though, kinda but not really. They were a religious cult and Oliver never broke ties with the Icatia, that did not happen until after his death. The schism would occur after his death, and wasn't a civil war as much as it was a heavily split faction. Even his Zealots his most facist of followers are merely Humans, not Human Rebels. You paint him as a Che Guevara, when he was more of a David Koresh, drawing members to his side thru fear and fanatacism. There was some technical and balance issues as well.
10. CoglineErro (30/50)
Delif 1GG
Legendary Creature- Elf Cleric Druid
0: This turn, when target creature you control attacks and isn't blocked, you may prevent all damage that would be dealt to another target creature this turn. If you do, it deals no combat damage this turn.
"A beast's instinct to kill will never be as strong as its instinct to protect."- Delif, Ponderings
0/1
Sorry I couldn't look at this one for very long. It was too "ouch in my head." not because it was complicated, but because of how far off it was. You tried to explain it but it was faulty. You got Artifacts and you also have Druids and Elves. Two go to together (Elf Druid), however one mixes like baking soda and vinegar. Green is the most anti-artifact color in the game proporting nature over man. Then you combine two classes that are similar yet very much different Druid and Cleric. That aside, you did get the ability right, but missed the whole ball on what exactly Delif could be. You definitely got what he is not down.
9. Dracofinalform (31/50)
Morgan, High Druid of the Thelonite 2GGG
Creature - Elf Druid
Saplorings get -1/-1
GGT: Target forest becomes a 4/4 green elemental creature (in addition to its other types) until the end of the turn.
GG:untap: target creature gains +1/+1 and trample until the end of the turn.
"the only thing i hate worse than loren, is saplorings. and i hate loren quite a bit. now trees break him."
2/4
Okay, this was a card that got parts of the flavor right, but missed others. It was also one that was marred by a total lack of trying it seemed. From the mispelling of Saprolings to the total abandon of things as simple as capitalization. It also missed an important aspect of the Thelonites - they use the blood sacrifices to create their magics. I felt the Saproling hate was there, but giving -1/-1 to a race of creatures that is all -1/-1 was a little much. Other minor things as well.
8. Azrael_Sub (34/40)
Cave-Stormer - RR
Creature - Thrull
R: Cave-Stormer gains First Strike until end of turn.
3: Cave-Stormer gets +3/+0 until end of turn. At end of turn, if RRR or more has been spent this way, sacrifice Cave-Stormer.
The child of thrull malice, orcish corpses, and razor blades.
1/1
Well, I wanted to like this card and hoped someone would do it, but this isn't what I expected. I wasn't a fan of the second ability, and as you said might happen, really just didn't buy them as Red at least not in Fallen Empires. One thing you missed was the Trample ability as a sell, after all it was able to fly thru caves without stopping tearing apart orc after orc? Yeah trample all the way or Mountainwalk perhaps.
7.Frychikin (35/50)
Citadel of the Ebon Hand
Legendary Land
Tap, Sacrifice a creature: Put a 2/1 Cleric creature token named Adept of the Ebon Hand black into play.
Tap, Sacrifice a creature: Add BB to your mana pool.
.--.--..--.--..--.--..--.--..--.--..--.--..--.--.
Adept of the Ebon Hand
Creature Token - Cleric
Protection of White
BB: ~ gains first strike until end of turn.
2/1
Okay here's an example of the opposite, this matched the heart of the Ebon Hand. However, the card was terribly designed. Your card doesn't make what the token is shown to be, nor is something particuarlly good for a token to be. The flavor was there, but the execution was not.
6. MystaC (36/50)
Cemetery of The Ebon Hand 1BB
Enchantment (R)
Sacrifice a Thrull: target player loses 1 life
Remove a creature in your graveyard from the game: Put a 1/1 Black Thrull creature token into play.
I hate to say it, but this was almost the winner. Then I hit it with penalties, why you ask? It wasn't a character in the appendix nor was it anything I could find evidence of existing inside the Fallen Empires universe. I'm not even 100% sure that the Order of the Ebon Hand would have a cemetary instead choosing to animate or give their dead as burnt offerings. As a result it got a hefty -10 point penalty to the character flavor section, otherwise a very solid card and still good for 6th place!
5. Maleficent (38/50)
Oliver Farrel 2WW
Legendary Creature - Human Cleric (R)
1W: Target blocked creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Whenever a creature you control attacks and isn't blocked, you may have it deal X damage to target creature, where X is its power. If you do, that creature deals no combat damage this turn.
1/2
Okay Male disappointed me. Mr. "I want to make the most complex and original ideas" simply combined two Farrel cards to make the Master Farrel. He did get the casting cost right for a Fallen Empires style card though by making it cost way too much for what it is. So ho-hum in the orginialty factor, and minor ding because this seemed to give all his creatures Farrel's Mantle where as he only had one and it was bestowed on his champion. Eat it Male.
4. YWN (39/50)
Jherana Rure, Counter-Insurgency Commander - 2B
Legendary Creature - Cleric Knight
As Jherana Rure, Counter-Insurgency Commander comes into play, choose a creature type.
Creatures of the chosen type get -2/-1.
2/2
"As long as I live, Thrulls WILL know their place."
YWN took four educated guesses and made four educated moves on the card. What hurt him though? Balance. This card is essentially better in everyway yet equal to the casting cost of the already very good Engineered Plague. Then there was this:
I don't know much about Jherana or the Ebon Hand other than what I read in Cashew's articles. So I presume the Counter-Insurgency already existed to ward off any possible threat, and wasn't just created to fend off the Thrulls. Bummer if I'm wrong.
Sadly wrong. Every instance of Jherana is from Fallen Empire cards and pretty much about how much she hated the thrulls. Everyone of the Counter-Insurgency was in reference to the Thrull Rebellion. You got it, Jherana Rure hates thrulls and the counter-insurgency. She was very Thrull centric. Oh well, ding ding ding!
3. Zaknifa (40/50)
Marshall Karel Volnikov 2UUU
Legendary Creature-Merefolk Soldier
Protection from Homarids
3U, Tap: Tap all creatures you control. They gain Protection from Homarids until end of turn.
2/3
"We are the abandoned. Abandoned by our queen, our friends, and our loved ones. But that does not mean we die without a fight.
-Marshall Karel Volnikov, last words
This one lost points because of one major flaw. The Homarids annihilate the Merfolk very easily. Push them straight out of the Voda Sea. To give them protection from the Homarids made you kind of question how they ever fell. I didn't really rail it for this because to get protection they had to all tap, but the thing was if they were already tapped it just became a free attack past the Homarids or could be declared after blockers were chosen. It actually gave the Merfolk a major advantage over Homarids. That being said, I like the idea and I liked an important Merfolk being an expert at warfare against them, just thought it needed slightly more work in the concept.
2. Dainejir (41/50)
Henry Joseph I, King of Icatia 1WWW
Legendary Creature - Human Lord
At the end of each turn, if no creatures have attacked, put a 1/1 white Citizen token into play.
1: Banding until end of turn
1/4
Flavor Text: "The last king of Icatia rallied an impressive force of ordinary peasants to aid the army in defense of the empire's borders. Though initially successful, his kingdom's doom was sealed when Trokair fell and many of his once loyal soldiers abandoned their guardposts to join Oliver Farrel's vindictive followers." - Sarpadian Empires, vol. VI
Okay the first ding - Card way too long! Next small ding: Lord is an extinct tribe sorry. Now lets get to the good parts, balance is there, the casting cost seems a tad high for a 1/4, but banding inflates it and probably could have even gone 2WWW. The first ability got kudos and a ding though, Dain really grasped the concept of Icatia coming together for all. However, he missed the concept of Icatia rallying in defense. Instead of focusing on not being attacked, it should have focused on being attacked. Something like "Whenever you are attacked by a player put a 1/1 Citizen token into play." That would be more like a Militia coming into play and would have even linked it brilliantly to Darien, King of Kjeldor.
1. Final_press (46/50)
General Khurzog 3R
Legendary Creature - Orc Warrior
General Khurzog cannot block creatures with power 3 or greater.
RR, Sacrifice an untapped Orc or Goblin: General Khurzog deals damage equal to the sacrificed creature's power to target attacking creature.
3/3
"Orcish officers were tireless in battle, moving up and down the lines to put their own men between themselves and the enemy." —Sarpadian Empires, vol. IV
The minor dings! Um none really. I dinged it some, but it was very minor. I wanted to ding it for being a warrior, but then I realized all the Orc's even Orcish Captains are warriors so I gave those points back. Then I wanted to ding it for some other stuff and didn't because the Orcs would sacrifice other Orcs too when it came down to it, not just their Goblin fodder. I didn't quite like the casting cost thought 2RR would have been better and I thought the first ability was a little unnecessary. But that's just me justifying why a card with very little flaws wasn't a perfect score. Great flavor text. Great understanding and execution. Definitely the winning entry.
Send me your info Fallen_Press if you want your comics prize and to all thanks for playing and reading. Wish we had some more entries, but oh well!
Let's start with the worst so I seem really mean. I will be formatting all cards to my liking since people decided to really jumble them up tonight.
11. Sency 21/50
Oliver Farrel, Renegade Leader 1WW
Legendary Creature - Rebel Lord
Protection from Black
Other Rebels get +1/+1
W: Oliver Farrel, Renegade Leader gets +1/+1 until end of turn, Can't be played more than three times a turn
Tap WW: Put a 1/1 white Rebel into play
2/3
"Believe in me and we will pull through this Civil War!" ~Oliver Farrel, Renagade Leader~
Anyone who knows me, knows I hate complicated cards, especially ones that just try to do too much without good reason. We have four abilities which kinda makes me question where the focus is. The first one is good, yeah Oliver could have pro black and honestly should have pro black. All the Rebel stuff though, kinda but not really. They were a religious cult and Oliver never broke ties with the Icatia, that did not happen until after his death. The schism would occur after his death, and wasn't a civil war as much as it was a heavily split faction. Even his Zealots his most facist of followers are merely Humans, not Human Rebels. You paint him as a Che Guevara, when he was more of a David Koresh, drawing members to his side thru fear and fanatacism. There was some technical and balance issues as well.
10. CoglineErro (30/50)
Delif 1GG
Legendary Creature- Elf Cleric Druid
0: This turn, when target creature you control attacks and isn't blocked, you may prevent all damage that would be dealt to another target creature this turn. If you do, it deals no combat damage this turn.
"A beast's instinct to kill will never be as strong as its instinct to protect."- Delif, Ponderings
0/1
Sorry I couldn't look at this one for very long. It was too "ouch in my head." not because it was complicated, but because of how far off it was. You tried to explain it but it was faulty. You got Artifacts and you also have Druids and Elves. Two go to together (Elf Druid), however one mixes like baking soda and vinegar. Green is the most anti-artifact color in the game proporting nature over man. Then you combine two classes that are similar yet very much different Druid and Cleric. That aside, you did get the ability right, but missed the whole ball on what exactly Delif could be. You definitely got what he is not down.
9. Dracofinalform (31/50)
Morgan, High Druid of the Thelonite 2GGG
Creature - Elf Druid
Saplorings get -1/-1
GGT: Target forest becomes a 4/4 green elemental creature (in addition to its other types) until the end of the turn.
GG:untap: target creature gains +1/+1 and trample until the end of the turn.
"the only thing i hate worse than loren, is saplorings. and i hate loren quite a bit. now trees break him."
2/4
Okay, this was a card that got parts of the flavor right, but missed others. It was also one that was marred by a total lack of trying it seemed. From the mispelling of Saprolings to the total abandon of things as simple as capitalization. It also missed an important aspect of the Thelonites - they use the blood sacrifices to create their magics. I felt the Saproling hate was there, but giving -1/-1 to a race of creatures that is all -1/-1 was a little much. Other minor things as well.
8. Azrael_Sub (34/40)
Cave-Stormer - RR
Creature - Thrull
R: Cave-Stormer gains First Strike until end of turn.
3: Cave-Stormer gets +3/+0 until end of turn. At end of turn, if RRR or more has been spent this way, sacrifice Cave-Stormer.
The child of thrull malice, orcish corpses, and razor blades.
1/1
Well, I wanted to like this card and hoped someone would do it, but this isn't what I expected. I wasn't a fan of the second ability, and as you said might happen, really just didn't buy them as Red at least not in Fallen Empires. One thing you missed was the Trample ability as a sell, after all it was able to fly thru caves without stopping tearing apart orc after orc? Yeah trample all the way or Mountainwalk perhaps.
7.Frychikin (35/50)
Citadel of the Ebon Hand
Legendary Land
Tap, Sacrifice a creature: Put a 2/1 Cleric creature token named Adept of the Ebon Hand black into play.
Tap, Sacrifice a creature: Add BB to your mana pool.
.--.--..--.--..--.--..--.--..--.--..--.--..--.--.
Adept of the Ebon Hand
Creature Token - Cleric
Protection of White
BB: ~ gains first strike until end of turn.
2/1
Okay here's an example of the opposite, this matched the heart of the Ebon Hand. However, the card was terribly designed. Your card doesn't make what the token is shown to be, nor is something particuarlly good for a token to be. The flavor was there, but the execution was not.
6. MystaC (36/50)
Cemetery of The Ebon Hand 1BB
Enchantment (R)
Sacrifice a Thrull: target player loses 1 life
Remove a creature in your graveyard from the game: Put a 1/1 Black Thrull creature token into play.
I hate to say it, but this was almost the winner. Then I hit it with penalties, why you ask? It wasn't a character in the appendix nor was it anything I could find evidence of existing inside the Fallen Empires universe. I'm not even 100% sure that the Order of the Ebon Hand would have a cemetary instead choosing to animate or give their dead as burnt offerings. As a result it got a hefty -10 point penalty to the character flavor section, otherwise a very solid card and still good for 6th place!
5. Maleficent (38/50)
Oliver Farrel 2WW
Legendary Creature - Human Cleric (R)
1W: Target blocked creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Whenever a creature you control attacks and isn't blocked, you may have it deal X damage to target creature, where X is its power. If you do, that creature deals no combat damage this turn.
1/2
Okay Male disappointed me. Mr. "I want to make the most complex and original ideas" simply combined two Farrel cards to make the Master Farrel. He did get the casting cost right for a Fallen Empires style card though by making it cost way too much for what it is. So ho-hum in the orginialty factor, and minor ding because this seemed to give all his creatures Farrel's Mantle where as he only had one and it was bestowed on his champion. Eat it Male.
4. YWN (39/50)
Jherana Rure, Counter-Insurgency Commander - 2B
Legendary Creature - Cleric Knight
As Jherana Rure, Counter-Insurgency Commander comes into play, choose a creature type.
Creatures of the chosen type get -2/-1.
2/2
"As long as I live, Thrulls WILL know their place."
YWN took four educated guesses and made four educated moves on the card. What hurt him though? Balance. This card is essentially better in everyway yet equal to the casting cost of the already very good Engineered Plague. Then there was this:
I don't know much about Jherana or the Ebon Hand other than what I read in Cashew's articles. So I presume the Counter-Insurgency already existed to ward off any possible threat, and wasn't just created to fend off the Thrulls. Bummer if I'm wrong.
Sadly wrong. Every instance of Jherana is from Fallen Empire cards and pretty much about how much she hated the thrulls. Everyone of the Counter-Insurgency was in reference to the Thrull Rebellion. You got it, Jherana Rure hates thrulls and the counter-insurgency. She was very Thrull centric. Oh well, ding ding ding!
3. Zaknifa (40/50)
Marshall Karel Volnikov 2UUU
Legendary Creature-Merefolk Soldier
Protection from Homarids
3U, Tap: Tap all creatures you control. They gain Protection from Homarids until end of turn.
2/3
"We are the abandoned. Abandoned by our queen, our friends, and our loved ones. But that does not mean we die without a fight.
-Marshall Karel Volnikov, last words
This one lost points because of one major flaw. The Homarids annihilate the Merfolk very easily. Push them straight out of the Voda Sea. To give them protection from the Homarids made you kind of question how they ever fell. I didn't really rail it for this because to get protection they had to all tap, but the thing was if they were already tapped it just became a free attack past the Homarids or could be declared after blockers were chosen. It actually gave the Merfolk a major advantage over Homarids. That being said, I like the idea and I liked an important Merfolk being an expert at warfare against them, just thought it needed slightly more work in the concept.
2. Dainejir (41/50)
Henry Joseph I, King of Icatia 1WWW
Legendary Creature - Human Lord
At the end of each turn, if no creatures have attacked, put a 1/1 white Citizen token into play.
1: Banding until end of turn
1/4
Flavor Text: "The last king of Icatia rallied an impressive force of ordinary peasants to aid the army in defense of the empire's borders. Though initially successful, his kingdom's doom was sealed when Trokair fell and many of his once loyal soldiers abandoned their guardposts to join Oliver Farrel's vindictive followers." - Sarpadian Empires, vol. VI
Okay the first ding - Card way too long! Next small ding: Lord is an extinct tribe sorry. Now lets get to the good parts, balance is there, the casting cost seems a tad high for a 1/4, but banding inflates it and probably could have even gone 2WWW. The first ability got kudos and a ding though, Dain really grasped the concept of Icatia coming together for all. However, he missed the concept of Icatia rallying in defense. Instead of focusing on not being attacked, it should have focused on being attacked. Something like "Whenever you are attacked by a player put a 1/1 Citizen token into play." That would be more like a Militia coming into play and would have even linked it brilliantly to Darien, King of Kjeldor.
1. Final_press (46/50)
General Khurzog 3R
Legendary Creature - Orc Warrior
General Khurzog cannot block creatures with power 3 or greater.
RR, Sacrifice an untapped Orc or Goblin: General Khurzog deals damage equal to the sacrificed creature's power to target attacking creature.
3/3
"Orcish officers were tireless in battle, moving up and down the lines to put their own men between themselves and the enemy." —Sarpadian Empires, vol. IV
The minor dings! Um none really. I dinged it some, but it was very minor. I wanted to ding it for being a warrior, but then I realized all the Orc's even Orcish Captains are warriors so I gave those points back. Then I wanted to ding it for some other stuff and didn't because the Orcs would sacrifice other Orcs too when it came down to it, not just their Goblin fodder. I didn't quite like the casting cost thought 2RR would have been better and I thought the first ability was a little unnecessary. But that's just me justifying why a card with very little flaws wasn't a perfect score. Great flavor text. Great understanding and execution. Definitely the winning entry.
Send me your info Fallen_Press if you want your comics prize and to all thanks for playing and reading. Wish we had some more entries, but oh well!