CFAC #43 Winners!
There you are, sitting at your desk, sipping your morning beverage and answering emails, ready to start the day as the design representative for the development team of the set codenamed Rattle, when I come skirting around the corner, slapping a folder onto your desk.
“We forgot something.”
It turns out, the marquee spot removal, board wipe, and card draw spells for Standard are all rotating out when Rattle rotates in: aggro decks will run amuck if we don’t get a handle on it, so I’m spreading the word: I need designs to fill the holes, and I need them yesterday.
So, who rose to the challenge and gave me the pieces to build a better Standard? Let’s find out!
First up, we have the winning targeted removal spell. In Standard, successful removal spells usually have to be two or three mana, or else they’re too expensive because they cost more than the creature they kill. Every now and then, a removal spell can make it in at four mana if it offers a little extra value. This category’s winner offered that kind of value, and though it probably needs a slight CMC increase, it was my favorite of the spot removal spells. This category’s winner is...
Token Defiance by @magicarasa! Congratulations, you will be rewarded one bonus point!
Up next, we have the best board wipe. This category’s winner actually managed to design a card that fit into all three categories, but it was its work as a board wipe and its flexibility that really caught my eye. It’s my favorite execution on a task many designers tried to tackle this week. This category’s winner is...
Skellis’ Deal by @palaguin! Congratulations, you will receive one bonus point!
For our third category, we have the best of the card draw spells submitted. This category had the fewest entries, but I suppose a giant screaming skeleton looked a lot more like it was ready to kill than impart wisdom. For this winner, I chose a card with some potent flexibility, simplicity, and stood a real chance of being a card that would be played in Standard. This category’s winner is...
Faithful Revelation by @amtgplayer! Congratulations, you will be awarded one bonus point!
Finally, after much examination and theoretical playtesting, we have the one to rule them all: the card that I was most interested in working into a Standard set (albeit with a few tweaks). This card was my prefered execution on the “board wipe with value” that so many designers tried to tackle this week. This week’s overall winner is...
Final Outcome by @outerspace-messiah! Congratulations, you will be awarded two points, and you card will be added to the CFAC Hall of Fame!
Thanks again to everyone who participated in this week’s CFAC! Designing for a specific card niche can be difficult, but I was pleasantly surprised at the diversity and creativity in this week’s cards. I expect to see even more creativity in next week’s contest, which starts tomorrow at approximately 2:00 pm when I post the challenge!
