I just judged my first event as part of the whole entry process and I just wanted to say thank you for all of what you do for this community and ask for any advice you may have in the process of becoming a judge?
Yay! Welcome to the judge family!
My best advice is to not worry about how long the process takes. Becoming a judge isn’t a race and isn’t something you should rush. It’s better to pass the test with confidence later than to barely squeak by and certify now, at least in my opinion.
Another day, another round of CFAC submissions! Remember, if you’re looking to enter this week, you have until Friday, and you can check out the full challenge here!
Today, we’ve got cards from the 3′s and 2′s, with creatures, an enchantment, and even a sorcery! Follow the jump to check out these awesome entries!
Art by Alena Velichko
@outerspace-messiah:
The dryad in the art looks very nurturing and seems as if to be holding excess mana, so I tried to convey that through this card. I set it to uncommon because this feels a little strong for common.
I’m a sucker for a good Ramp strategy, and this looks like a key piece for a limited go-big archetype. Ramping from four to seven (with the next land drop) is definitely bit game.Costing all the way around looks good, and the flavor text is spot on.
3′s all the way around. Thanks for the submission! Two points!
@acting4life97:
So one thing that magic doesn’t have yet is a legendary creature that fits an enchantress strategy that isn’t just your regular voltron commander. Even though I feel like she may be a little more fair at a ¾, I think it’s fair as a 3/3 that becomes a 6/6 once she becomes enchanted. I actually really like how this design came out, and I tried a few different things with the buff she granted, but landed on this. I felt the ability could be pushed since she has a high cost, so I pushed it a little more than I normally do. While I’m not sure exactly what world/plane she would fit in to, I think she would make for an interesting character to be interacted with and I think I will be exploring some with her myself moving forward in working on worldbuilding.
Seven mana is a lot of mana, but this looks like it’s pretty worth it. Sure, it’s just a 3/3, but casting a single enchantment after it is a guaranteed card draw, and two enchantments basically covers the full card’s value, not counting if one of them was an aura to buff this up. Snagging an enchantment from the graveyard is also pretty powerful.
3′s all the way around. Thanks for the submission! Two points!
@planeswalkergarrett:
So, using only one number? At first, I saw this as incredibly restricting, but then I just had to go overboard. So, a planeswalker I made. Jalessa, the Dryad of the Ulvenwald has remained in the shadows of Innistrad, keeping her forests safe from the terrors of the cities and the madness of the angels. Calling wildlife to her side, swelling the strength of those who protect her, and lengthening their lives with her magic, she has kept the Ulvenwald and its spirits alive for centuries.
All in all, I just had to make something ridiculous. Admittedly the -2 seems a bit underwhelming, but given that it’s a repeatable source of 4/4 bears, I figured it all balanced out.
Four-mana planeswalker that +2′s to put out a 2/2? Unfortunately, that alone puts this in the “overpowered” category. Any other planeswalker that can make a token that big either 0′s or minuses to do so. So, that ability definitely needs a change.
The other two abilities are closer to reasonable. +2 to gain two life may sound unappealing, but remember that it’s basically gaining 4 life because it makes Jalessa harder to kill, keeping you alive longer by proxy. Ajani Goldmane actually has this ability as a +1. -2 to pump the team is close to appropriate. Garruk Wildspeaker gives +3/+3 and trample for -4, so this seems like an okay starting point to test from. Basically, the first ability is more appropriate as a -2 than a +2, and planeswalkers really shouldn’t be restricted to one number.
2′s all the way. Thanks for the submission! Two points!
@noyan-dar:
Tried to think of as many numeric green abilities as i could and i came up with something nice. I think it looks expensive for all those effects since each one is quite small but 3G seemed too cheap. maybe bumping it up to instant speed could work but that would just be confusing to do in response to something. Maybe should be uncommon instead of rare too.
Well, let’s do some research and see how much each of these costs.
Scry 3 - Augury Owl and Mystic Speculation point this to about {1}.
Untap three creatures - there’s no precise precedent, but I would call this somewhere between {G}{G} and {2}{G}.
Shuffle three cards - Gaea’s Blessing puts this at about {1}.
Gain 3 life - Various cards put this value at about {1}.
So...yeah, that totals 3GG. Good enough for me.
3’s all the way through. Thanks for the submission! Two points!
@nyx-fleece-bamf:
So I decided to be boring and go with a creature, and was inspired by a previous Dryad from Darksteel? (Don’t quote me on that) But its a creature that cares about cards in opponents hands much like the Darksteel dryad cared about artifact lands!
There are several small wording tweaks that should probably be made here, but they’re not super important. What stands out to me, though, is that these are not really the colors for this kind of ability: this feels like a Blue or Red card. Blue/Green would probably be most fitting. It could also probably stand to have a slight stat boost, but of course, the challenge. Tanglewalker is the card you’re looking for, by the way.
2′s all the way through. Thanks for the submission! Two points!
First off, I'd like to say thank you for putting so much time into answering questions we ask. As an aspiring judge, I really enjoy reading the questions you ask. And now, a question of my own. If I have Jeskai Ascendancy out, and I've cast a few noncreature spells before another creature enters my battlefield, do all my creatures get the same power and toughness boost, or is it dependent upon when the creatures were out on the field? Thank you very much :)
Thanks!
Jeskai Ascendancy and other effects that buff power and toughness, grant abilities, or otherwise change a permanent’s characteristics will only apply to objects that are on the battlefield (and of the correct type) at the time the ability resolves.
