NOTE: Voting Ends 7/15/06 (Saturday).  Please place your votes in the following threads:

VOTE FOR THE BEST CARD IN GROUP A HERE.

VOTE FOR THE BEST CARD IN GROUP B HERE.

VOTE FOR THE BEST CARD IN GROUP C HERE.

VOTE FOR THE BEST CARD IN GROUP D HERE.

VOTE FOR THE BEST CARD IN GROUP E HERE.

Thank you for participating in the first ever Magic Idol: Bestest Broken Card Contest. Your interest in this contest has made it an overwhelming success! When this contest was in the creative design process, meaning while I was thinking about it, I would have estimated around 10 entries, and I would have felt good about that. However, the number of people submitting cards into the contest has been staggering. After accumulating the entries, you guys managed to fill up nearly 13 pages with your proposed cards. We ended the registration period with a total of 43 entries.

The original plan was to have you vote for one card and the top five vote getting cards would be sent to the Judges for the final round, in which a winner would be selected. However, with the extra large number of entrants, I have decided to break the cards down, into five groups. The card in each group that gets the most votes, will go on to the finals. The groups will consist of three groups of nine, and two groups of eight.

It is now time for you, the viewers at home, to cast your vote! You may vote for one card, per group. You can, of course, vote for your own card. Before you cast your vote, let me tell you of a few important things to keep an eye out for, as these are a few things the Judges will be looking for:

• The card must be legal. Meaning, that the card must follow the current rules of Magic. It can not have a new mechanic. It must be castable, and it can not create infinite loops.
• The card must have an original flavor text.
• The card should be too powerful to remain in the Standard environment. This card should be so strong that it is removed from the Standard format. 
• Also note the original guideline: The card needs to be playable in Vintage. This means that it should be powerful, but not stupid

You, the fans of Magic Idol, will now be asked to narrow the field down to five cards. The five cards that receive the most votes will move on to the finals, where the three selected judges will discuss each card, and will select one card as the winner and the first ever Magic Idol.

EDITOR'S NOTE: You will have to be signed up in the forum to vote.  Registering only takes about 5 minutes at most, so please register here if you haven't already!  Thanks.  ~Streetz~

ALSO!  There are quite a few entries... so be prepare to have some time to review each in every group before you vote.  We ask that you vote once in each category.

Contestant #1: Sasori
Card Name: Vicious Growth
Mana Cost: 2GGG
Card Type: Enchantment
Card Text: Whenever you play a Land, draw 2 cards. You may play an additional Land card this turn for each land card draw with Vicious Growth.
Flavor Text: "Ignorance makes us walk the same path twice"

Contestant #2: Lord_Urza
Card Name: Urza’s Memory
Mana Cost: GWURB
Card Type: Legendary Enchantment
Card Text: All lands you control gain (T: Draw two cards or produce a mana of any color).
Flavor Text: "I once asked him, Do you even remember the places you've been, Plainswalker. Then he said,Yes......extensively."

Contestant #3: -=Cpt_Keyes=-
Card Name: Thought-Finder Construct
Mana Cost: 3
Card Type: Artifact Creature - Construct
Card text: 1, T, Sacrifice ~ : Remove cards from the top of your library until you remove three Non-Land cards from the game. Target opponent chooses one. That spell resolves. Play this ability only any time you could play a Sorcery. (Since that spell does not use the stack, it cannot be countered.) (If X is in a revealed card's mana cost X=0)
Flavor Text: Intern: Look MaRo! I took Gifts Ungiven and Minds Desire, made them a creature, and turned the ability into a sorcery! I totaly fixed them!
Power/Toughness: 1/3

Contestant #4: death by aggro
Card Name: Immortal Burn
Mana Cost: 1RR
Card Type: Instant
Card Text: ~ deals 5 damage to target creature or player.
At the beginning of your upkeep if ~ is in your graveyard, you may sacrifice a land in order to return ~ to your hand.
Flavor Text: The technique takes a lifetime to learn, and an eternity to endure.

Contestant #5: Dreager_Ex
Card Name: Mother of the Lotus
Mana Cost: 1
Card Type: Artifact Creature - Lotus
Card Text: When ~ comes into play tap all lands you control and they don't untap during your untap step.
When ~ leaves play you may play any number of lands until end of turn.
Pay 3 life, and Sacrifice ~ : Search your library for any three cards and put them into your hand.
Flavor Text: She brought the blade to her chest and inserted it releasing enough life to fill an entire planet. All that remained of her as her body turned to ash was a single Black Lotus
Power/Toughness: 1/1

Contestant #6: krozz
Card Name: Sounds of Torture
Mana Cost: 1B
Card Type: Instant
Card Text: Chose one: Each player discards cards equal to the player with the least cards in their hands, or each player draws cards equal to the player with the most cards in their hand.
Flavor Text: Music To the Ears of the of the underworld cities

Contestant #7: St.Jimmy
Card Name: Time Rift
Mana Cost: U5
Card Type: Enchantment
Card Text: Whenever you draw a card you may discard that card and draw two cards.
Whenever you draw a card gain one life. Whenever you discard a card, you may pay 1, if you don't lose two life.
Flavor Text: When time is amiss, an eternity can pass in a second, and in that passing history will be rewritten.

Contestant #8: zackwilder118
Card Name: Stream of Knowledge
Mana Cost: 1U
Card Type: Enchantment
Card Text: Your minimum hand size is seven. (During your end step, if you have less than 7 cards in your hand, draw until you have exactly seven cards in your hand.)
Your maximum hand size is increased by one.
Flavor Text: Mages who drink from the stream are instantly filled with the knowledge required to defeat their opponent.

Contestant #9: Tekkactus
Card Name: Eye of the Devolute
Mana Cost: R
Card Type: Enchantment
Card Text: Sacrifice Eye of the Devolute: Eye of the Devolute deals 1 damage to target creature or player.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if Eye of the Devolute is in your graveyard, you may return it to play.
Flavor Text: An existence without death can only lust for such luxuries.

VOTE FOR THE BEST CARD IN GROUP A HERE.

Contestant #10: Kennedy
Card Name: Gambling Fissure
Mana Cost: XWG
Card Type: Sorcery
Card Text: When ~ comes in play return X Plains to your hand, Untap X creatures and take an additional attack phase. Return a Plains back to play for each creature that dealt damage to opponents in this phase.
Flavor Text: Keep moving the attack forward! A step backwards will be fatal!

Contestant #11: mrraow
Card Name: Necrotic Amnesia
Mana Cost: BBB
Card Type: Sorcery
Card Text: As an additional cost to play ~ , you may pay any amount of life. For every 2 life spent, target player discards a card or sacrifices a permanent.
Flavor Text: No price too high, no deed too low.

Contestant #12: FuDaWg45
Card Name: Ancient Renewal
Mana Cost: 3G
Card Type: Sorcery
Card Text: Return all cards from your graveyard to your hand. Remove ~ from the game.
Flavor Text: "Ancient mages found a secret,
But they found they couldn't keep it.
History had tools to beat it,
So they thought, 'Why not repeat it?'"
-Excerpt from an elvish bard's tale

Contestant #13: Kinghonkey
Card Name: Null Field
Mana Cost: 4
Card Type: Artifact
Card Text: Lands cannot be tapped for mana.
Flavor Text: The Planeswalker cried out for more power, but the lands had fallen silent.

Contestant #14: oyzar
Card Name: Fair
Mana Cost: U
Card Type: Instant
Card Text: Counter target spell. Draw a card.
Flavor Text: There are loads of idots wandering about the fair.

Contestant #15: JSweeney
Card Name: Mind Crank
Mana Cost: 4
Card Type: Artifact
Card Text: ~ untaps during your opponent's untap step.
Tap: The player whose turn it is takes another turn after this one. End the turn.
(Remove all spells and abilities on the stack from the game. The player whose turn it is discards down to his or her maximum hand size. Damage wears off, and "this turn" and "until end of turn" effects end.)
Flavor Text: No, no, no. That just won't do. Let's try that again. and again. and again.

Contestant #16: izzetwizard2006
Card Name: Everlasting Faith
Mana Cost: 1W
Card Type: Enchantment
Card Text: ~ can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. At the beginning of each player's upkeep, if ~ is in play or is in your graveyard, you may gain 1 life.
Flavor Text: Life is fleeting, but faith is eternal.

Contestant #17: P_MCMANIS
Card Name: Tabla Rasa
Mana Cost: UU3
Card Type: Sorcery
Card Text: Kicker - Pay 2 Life
As an additional cost, remove any cards in your hand from the game, draw 7 cards, if you paid the kicker, this spell cannot be countered and can be played at instant speed.
If Red is used to play this card, destroy a land.
If Blue is used to play this card creatures you control gain flying until the end of the turn.
If Black is used to play this card, destroy target Non-Black, Non-Artifact creature.
If Green is used to play this card, put 2 1/1 Sunglass tokens into play.
If White is used to play this card, creatures you control gain protection from the color of your choice until the end of turn.
Flavor Text: "Urza always said, if at first you don’t succeed, try again, but next time, bring the cavalry"

Contestant #18: Emperor Crusty
Card Name: Seigniory Delve's Gateway
Mana Cost: 1
Card Type: Artifact
Card Text: 1B, Name a basic land card. Reveal cards from the top of your Library into your Graveyard until a basic land is revealed. If it's the named land, Put it  into play tapped and lose 2 life. If it's not the  named land, Put it into the graveyard and draw a card. (Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery.)
Sacrifice ~, Draw a Card.
Flavor Text: Alive i am, this portal will grant you any land you wish, but i choose what price you must pay.......The Talking Gateway of Continuum

VOTE FOR THE BEST CARD IN GROUP B HERE.

Contestant #19: stolin
Card Name: Vitiator
Mana Cost: X
Card Type: Artifact
Card Text: ~ comes into play with X charge counters.
Remove a charge counter from ~ : Draw a Card.
Flavor Text: Once the Vitiator is used, corruption is inevitable

Contestant #20: Einsteinmonkey
Card Name: Derange
Mana Cost: UB
Card Type: Sorcery
Card Text: Put your library into your graveyard.
Flavor Text: Those who are insane have less to lose.

Contestant #21: Your Worst Nightmare
Card Name: Legato Bluesummers Picture
Mana Cost: 3UUU
Card Type: Legendary Creature - Human Rogue
Card Text: When Legato BlueSummers comes into play, gain control of all creatures as long as Legato Bluesummers remains in play.
Whenever a creature comes into play, gain control of that creature as long as Legato Bluesummers remains in play.
Players can't lose the game.
Flavor Text: "Now you feel the pain that is to be alive."
Power/Toughness: 3/4

Contestant #22: noonespecial
Card Name: Utopia
Mana Cost: (Land)
Card Type: Land - Plains, Island, Swamp, Mountain, Forest
Card Text: If ~ is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it in play. (T: Add W, U, B, R or G to your mana pool)
Flavor Text: Interestingly only the most imaginative mages claim to have seen fabled

Contestant #23: Edrex
Card Name: Phantom Sage
Mana Cost: U
Card Type: Creature- Illusion
Card Text: Creatures you control are unblockable. Phantom Sage can’t be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.
Whenever you would draw a card, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Phantom Sage instead.
Flavor Text: Some said that the Library of Alexandria was set afire, I that in fact that a Phantom Sage caused the disaster.
Power/Toughness: 1/1

Contestant #24: Kaiser Soze
Card Name: Miser's Downfall
Mana Cost: U
Card Type: Instant
Card Text: Draw 3 cards and reveal them all.
If one of those cards is a land or a card named Miser's Downfall or Ancestral Recall, you may copy this spell. If none of the cards drawn were lands or a card named Miser's Downfall or Ancestral Recall, you lose life equal to the number of cards drawn this turn. If you choose not to copy Miser's Downfall, you lose life equal to twice the number of cards named Miser's Downfall or Ancestral Recall drawn this turn.
Flavor Text: "Daddy needs a recall..."
"Player draws 3 Birds of Paradise."
"...Ouch"
Last words of a miser

Contestant #25: youngmoney803
Card Name: Death, Afterlife's Assistant
Mana Cost: Creature - Reaper
Card Type: 2BB
Card Text: Trample, Haste, Vigilance, Protection from white
Whenever a creature is put into a graveyard from play, put a creature token that's a copy of that creature into play under your control.
Tap: Destroy target creature, it can't be regenerated.
Flavor Text: The war has been going on since the begining of time, and earth has been the battlefield. One side has finally gained an advantage.
Power/Toughness: 5/5

Contestant #26: AlasterEisaroh
Card Name: Star Shard
Mana Cost: 1
Card Type: Artifact
Card Text: Tap: Add 1 Mana of any color to your Mana Pool. Tap: Add 2 colorless Mana to your Mana Pool.
1, Untap Star Shard, you may untap Star Shard only once per turn and only on your turn.
Flavor Text: Little is known of it's power, but enough is known to incite greed.

Contestant #27: pingel
Card Name: Eternal Inspiration
Mana Cost: 1U
Card Type: Enchantment
Card Text: Whenever an opponent draws a card you may discard a card or pay one life to draw a card. The loss of life cannot be prevented.
Flavor Text: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is...

VOTE FOR THE BEST CARD IN GROUP C HERE.

Contestant #28: Mad Mat
Card Name: Machine of Misery
Mana Cost: 2
Card Type: Artifact
Card Text: Whenever you would draw a card, you may search your library for a card instead and put it into your hand. If you do, then shuffle your library.
Flavor Text: "After the notorious incident at the grand-prix of Antwerp, every player's backpack is now searched before every game."

Contestant #29: Darkblast
Card Name: Parallel Dimension
Mana Cost: U1
Card Type: Instant
Card Text: Set aside ~ , until end of turn, you may play your removed from the game cards, all non permanents played this way go to your graveyard, at end of turn, remove ~ from the game
Flavor Text: An infinite number of dimensions may exist at any given time. )

Contestant #30: guest1234
Card Name: Mogg's Netherwalk
Mana Cost: 1BR
Card Type: Sorcery
Card Text: Exchange your graveyard and your hand
Flavor Text: "Where am I? And how did all these burn spells get here?" - Wandering Mogg

Contestant #31: to1701
Card Name: Adamant Muck
Mana Cost: BBB
Card Type: Creature - Ooze
Card Text: Cannot be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.
Cannot be sacrificed.
Cannot be blocked by creatures without defender.
B-Regenerate
Flavor Text: It arose from the dump, causing an effusion of panic by any who saw it’s disgusting semblance.
Power/Toughness: 5/5

Contestant #32: Yezzandrix
Card Name: One With Everything
Mana Cost: B
Card Type: Sorcery
Card Text: Each player removes his or her hand from the game.
If you control a swamp, you may remove your hand from the game instead of paying ~'s mana cost.
Flavor Text: He knew that there was something on his mind, if only he could remember what it was...

Contestant #33: The Amaster
Card Name: Venom Summoner
Mana Cost: 3GG
Card Type: Creature- Human Shaman
Card Text: 1: Put a 1/1 green snake token into play. Choose one: Target player loses 1 life, and you gain 1 life, or put a +1/+1 counter on Venom Summoner.
Flavor Text: The snakes love him. They feed him, they caress him, and they utterly destroy his enemies.
Power/Toughness: 4/4

Contestant #34: mjd
Card Name: Contradicted Bazaar
Mana Cost: (Land)
Card Type: Land
Card Text: ~ comes into play tapped.
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
1T, Sacrifice a creature: Deal X damage to target player. Where X equals the sacrificed creatures power.
2T, Remove all permanents from the game: Put a 20/20 colorless creature token with flying and defender into play under each players control.
Flavor Text: "Destruction is infinate, and life is eternal." -Groli, Diovenn Monstrosity

Contestant #35: emkorial
Card Name: Leyline of Infinite Knowledge
Mana Cost: 2UU
Card Type: Enchantment
Card Text: If Leyline of Infinite Knowledge is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it in play.
During your draw phase, you may draw up to your maximum hand size.
Flavor Text: Where insight and greed converge.

VOTE FOR THE BEST CARD IN GROUP D HERE.

Because I am a nice guy, I decided to include the late comer into the contest, which brings us to 44 contestants, and nine in Group E.

Contestant #36: Hiakashi
Card Name: Watery Ooze
Mana Cost: XGGBBUU
Card Type: Creature - Ooze
Card Text: When Watery Ooze comes into play, you may remove X creatures you control and Imprint them on watery ooze. Watery Ooze obtains all activated abilities of each creature imprinted on him, and all other abilities such as Flying, fear, first strike, can't be the target of spells or abilities, fear, etc. Watery Ooze's Power and Toughness equal one plus the number of creatures imprinted on Watery Ooze.
3GUB - Imprint Creature you control on Watery Ooze. (This does not Target the creature.)
Flavor Text: "This abomination, the Dimir have no secrets of it, the Golgari refuse they planted it, and the Simic deny they made anything like it." - Transguild Courier
Power/Toughness: 1 + * / 1 + *
Judge Note: You have been defaulted back to this card, since I don’t believe Instant - Blasphemy is found in the current floor rules.

Contestant #37: Drakko
Card Name: Distended Elemental
Mana Cost: 3UUGG
Card Type: Creature - Elemental
Card Text: Defender
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you don’t control an island and a forest, pay 1GGG or sacrifice ~ .
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control an island and a forest, each player may play a creature card from their hand.
~ power and toughness are each equal to the number of permanents in play.
2U: ~ gains flying until end of turn.
2G: ~ gains trample until end of turn.
3: ~ loses defender until end of turn.
Flavor Text: "I bend the inevitable in my favor"
Power/Toughness: */*

Contestant #38: shadowmancer
Card Name: Marce, Jester of Minds
Mana Cost: 1UUU
Card Type: Creature - Manipulator Legend
Card Text: T: Sacrifice a creature, destroy target creature.
T: Sacrifice an artifact, destroy target artifact.
T: Sacrifice an enchantment, destroy target enchantment.
T: Sacrifice a land, destroy target land.
T: Discard a card at random from your hand, target player discards a card from their hand.
4UT: Remove Marce from the game, return all cards in all graveyards to their owners' hands.
Flavor Text: "Sometimes, the means to an end may seem less important then the end itself. My duty is simply to make the end happen, no matter the cost."
-Marce, jester of minds
Power/Toughness: 1/1

Contestant #39: Mtg Wiz
Card Name: Mana Resonant
Mana Cost: 5GGG
Card Type: Sorcery
Card Text: If ~ is in your starting hand, you may play this card without paying ~'s mana cost. Search your library for any amount of green cards in your library that could produce mana, and put them into play. Shuffle your library afterwards.
Flavor Text: When domination meets defeat.

Contestant #40: Guildmage 06
Card Name: Swift Indications
Mana Cost: XUU
Card Type: Instant
Card Text: Draw X cards.
Reveal the cards as you draw them.
You may play any of the revealed cards without paying their mana cost.
Flavor Text: What is known to come is unknown to be.

Contestant #41: McC
Card Name: Congenital Monogram
Mana Cost: 2
Card Type: Artifact
Card Text: You may begin the game with ~ in play.
Your mana pool doesn't empty and you are unaffected by mana burn.
T: Add two mana of any color to your mana pool.
1: Convert one mana in your mana pool to the color of your choice.
Sacrifice ~ : Add WUBRG to your mana pool. Take an extra turn after this one.
Flavor Text: "As common as it is, its rare to find someone that can control it." -Koledron, Prophet of Life"

Contestant #42: Maleficent
Card Name: Beyond Understanding
Mana Cost: 2UU
Card Type: Legendary Enchantment
Card Text: When ~ comes into play, each player draws seven cards.
Players skip their draw phase.
Discard your hand: Destroy ~. Any player may play this ability.
Flavor Text: Learning everything can be a headache. Understanding everything drives most mad. But going beyond understanding, well, that's not a place many wizards go.

Contestant #43: muhlekidd
Card Name: Reign of the Unholy Punishment
Mana Cost: 2BB
Card Type: Enchantment
Card Text: Pay 3 life: Target player removes a card from his or her hand from the game. Any player may play this ability.
Pay 4 life: Remove target permanent from the game. Return that permanent to the game at end of turn. Any player may play this ability.
Whenever a permanent comes into play its controller loses life equal to the converted mana cost of that permanent.
Whenever a card is removed from the game, its controller loses 1 life for each card removed.
Flavor Text: Portrait to the eyes of the deceased.

Contestant #44: The Immortal Kamahl
Card Name: Urza, The Legendary Mind
Mana Cost: WW2
Card Type: Legendary Creature - Inventor
Card Text: 2, Tap: Search your deck for an Artifact with a converted mana cost equal to ~ 's power and put it into your hand.
1, Tap, Sacrifice an Artifact: Put an Idea Counter on ~ .
As long as ~ has an Idea Counter he is Indestructible. During your upkeep you may play an Artifact equal to the number of Idea Counters from your hand for 2 less.
Flavor Text: "Everyone knows of his feats, now everyone will see his power."-Apprentice to Urza
Power/Toughness: 1/2

VOTE FOR THE BEST CARD IN GROUP E HERE.

And that's all 43 entries.    Remember you get one vote in each category.. so place your vote well.  Thanks for being a part of this contest.  The judges will make their comments and announce the winner once all of the votes have been finalized.  The voting deadline date is to be determined.

-cpn- and MDV Writing Staff

You can discuss this article in the MDV forums here.

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Druid Week Primer
Opting In: Ravnica
MDV Idol: Finale!
Avatar Week Primer
Delusions of Mediocrity: Getting Stuffy in Here.
Raiding Ravnica: Guildmages and You!
Lands-More than Mana: Part One