Eighth Wonder of the World - Card Design Competition Discussion Thread

Submitted 1 year, 9 months ago by


Competition Theme: Eighth Wonder of the World

We're setting our sights on some locations - ones that many would say are quite...legendary.

  • You must make a Legendary location card.

Demonxz95 is on a global trek in search of a place of mystery, once said to be truly a legendary location. Help them find it!

As always, we can be reached through Discord or here on the site via PM if you have any issues to report.


Competition Phases

Here are the phases of this card design competition

  • Submission Phase: Starts on Mon, Feb 27 17:00 EST (GMT -0500). Runs until Sat, Mar 4 17:00 EST (GMT -0500)
  • Voting Phase: Starts on Sat, Mar 4 17:00 EST (GMT -0500). Runs until Sun, Mar 5 16:00 EST (GMT -0500)
  • Finalist Phase: Starts on Sun, Mar 5 17:00 EST (GMT -0500). Runs until Mon, Mar 6 17:00 EST (GMT -0500)
  • Winner Selected: After finalist voting concludes and we validate votes.

Discussion Thread Rules

No thread rules were added to this season. Please populate and manually edit this thread with them.

  • Demonxz95's Avatar
    Senior Writer 2255 2706 Posts Joined 03/19/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago


    Competition Theme: Eighth Wonder of the World

    We're setting our sights on some locations - ones that many would say are quite...legendary.

    • You must make a Legendary location card.

    Demonxz95 is on a global trek in search of a place of mystery, once said to be truly a legendary location. Help them find it!

    As always, we can be reached through Discord or here on the site via PM if you have any issues to report.


    Competition Phases

    Here are the phases of this card design competition

    • Submission Phase: Starts on Mon, Feb 27 17:00 EST (GMT -0500). Runs until Sat, Mar 4 17:00 EST (GMT -0500)
    • Voting Phase: Starts on Sat, Mar 4 17:00 EST (GMT -0500). Runs until Sun, Mar 5 16:00 EST (GMT -0500)
    • Finalist Phase: Starts on Sun, Mar 5 17:00 EST (GMT -0500). Runs until Mon, Mar 6 17:00 EST (GMT -0500)
    • Winner Selected: After finalist voting concludes and we validate votes.

    Discussion Thread Rules

    No thread rules were added to this season. Please populate and manually edit this thread with them.

    Custom Hearthstone expansion, Gladiators of Brawl'Gar, 183 cards! https://outof.games/realms/hearthstone/8gd/gladiators-of-brawlgar-full-145-card-custom-expansion/
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  • StormKnightSera's Avatar
    Senior Writer Serra Angel 1720 2915 Posts Joined 02/09/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    Let the fires of the Phoenix Chamber revive you anew!

    Not sure about the class, but I'm okay with it for now. Edit: Thank you Wailor for the Shaman suggestion.

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  • Wailor's Avatar
    Design Champion 640 708 Posts Joined 05/28/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    I think flavor is quite important this time around. Picking an emblematic place for the Warcraft universe is surely a good way to go.

    The Frozen Throne's effect is based on the fact that this place is what gives the Lich King his power to control the Scourge. Maybe it's a bit basic for such an iconic location, but I don't know. I know I made up the word "graveyard", but it's not something Blizzard hasn't made in the past.

    Orgrimmar is actually a recycled idea that I ended up not submitting, but I wanted to bring it back.

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  • Demonxz95's Avatar
    Senior Writer 2255 2706 Posts Joined 03/19/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    Legendary locations time!

    (I actually had to post these at a smaller size than I normally would to get them to all fit in one line)

    Tree of Ardenweald is a flexible option for Druid with some long-term longevity. On its first turn, you can use the Refresh option to basically spend 1 mana (and 1 Durability) on it. Its first option can also be of good use to provide a free source of Spell Damage for them. Ardenweald is known for habiting "dream trees" and it's a perfect fit for the class.

    The Guardian Monoliths is an entirely original thing, but I thought the way that I worked the card out overall merited bringing it up here. In a spell-menagerie Shaman, it's just a way to get more mileage out of your cards that ask for multiple spell schools and helps you cast spells easier.

    Bastion Arch is an option for Priest to copy some spells while you control it. The first card is the way the card appears in the collection, in your hand, and in-play if you haven't cast any spells (and in the hypothetical world where it's a real card, the card database for Hearthstone websites). The second card is the way it appears after you've cast at least one spell while controlling it. In WoW, Bastion is the home of the Kyrians.

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  • AeroJulwin's Avatar
    Fan Creator 305 174 Posts Joined 07/08/2021
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    There's no escape from the Violet Hold!... Unless they need to make room for a new prisoner apparently.

    @linkblade91 Is there any particular reason why The Phoenix Chamber doesn't simply let you choose the target? Nevermind, it's obviously against stacking the effect with its own summon.

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  • StormKnightSera's Avatar
    Senior Writer Serra Angel 1720 2915 Posts Joined 02/09/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago
    Quote From AeroJulwin

    @linkblade91 Is there any particular reason why The Phoenix Chamber doesn't simply let you choose the target? Nevermind, it's obviously against stacking the effect with its own summon.

    haha Yep, totally intended balance check. Not a coincidence or oversight in my creative thinking...nope.

    Show Spoiler

    Actually it's because I wanted a location where position mattered; I created this card first but redesigned it after I realized its potential:

    Stonetusk Boar OTK, ho!

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  • CursedParrot's Avatar
    640 720 Posts Joined 05/29/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    I balanced this card around the effect generally being a worse Frost Nova, with the upside that it can disrupt spells. Summoning 2 Tentacles is meant to mimic the boss battle and give yourself more random targets for your opponent to accidentally send their minions into. Does this seem balanced and fun overall? It feels very thematic to me but I could see it being too annoying to play against (although Mass Hysteria is a similar effect and it's considered fine)

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  • Bartigul's Avatar
    Eldritch Horror 505 17 Posts Joined 04/13/2020
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    "Your dreams will fuel my army."

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  • StormKnightSera's Avatar
    Senior Writer Serra Angel 1720 2915 Posts Joined 02/09/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    As I lie here in bed, it occurs to me that my idea is basically a Legendary version of the Death Knight's Construct Quarter, a card on the verge of being nerfed. It's a newer card and I've been away from Hearthstone for a bit, so I'm gonna give myself a break on that one, but still :(

    Edit: Evidently I wasn't going to be able to sleep until I committed this new idea to paper. No one expects the Scarlet Inquisition!

    Home of the Scarlet Crusade, the Monastery renews one's faith and zealotry to the cause. While it's one of the cheapest sources of (renewable) Divine Shield, this is balanced by the fact that it can only go to those who have lost their Divine Shield already.

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  • BasilAnguis's Avatar
    Dragon Scholar 835 426 Posts Joined 05/29/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    So many good cards. My idea for now is kinda generic, more a placeholder till I find something inspired. Will write feedback later today.

    I'll boop you 

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  • Wailor's Avatar
    Design Champion 640 708 Posts Joined 05/28/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    Feedback:

    linkblade91
    I liked The Phoenix Chamber better, even if it collides a bit with Construct Quarter. I'm not sure about which iteration I'd go with, though. I'd say the Priest one, but I'm not sure about how dangerous the OTK potential would be.

    Scarlet Monastery isn't bad, but it's effect feels closer to a Common than to a Legendary (not a fan of the art, either).

    Demonxz95
    All of them are solid and with supperb artworks.

    My clear favorite, though, is Bastion Arch (even if there are a lot of Priest cards here). Its effect feels very legendary and works very well with the location mechanic. I could see you winning the comp with it (again).

    AeroJulwin
    Very creative effect, I like it a lot. I'd suggest reducing the Durability to 3 or even 2, as 4 is basically for ever (especially if you consider you might want to keep a single minions inside the prison for several turns).

    CursedParrot
    The effect is alright, but I don't like it as a Neutral card. I'd suggest going for Mage, as the class has some connection with Yogg, and it's also known for its random effects. Might also suggest reducing its cost to 2.

    Bartigul
    Not sure if you're new here, but welcome if that's the case!

    Your card is pretty neat and I think it's balanced enough. I recommend writing a small piece of lore in the submission, as it's not as well known as other WoW locations, but it looks very cool and interesting.

    BasilAnguis
    The effect is neat and works well as a Neutral card, but it's way too expensive as a 5 Mana card. I'd probably go with 2 or 3 Mana.

    Also, a quest pannel doesn't look very legendary, even if it fits the effect. I'd suggest swapping the art and name for something more grandious that also fits the effect, like a well-known library in the WoW lore or a time portal.

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  • StormKnightSera's Avatar
    Senior Writer Serra Angel 1720 2915 Posts Joined 02/09/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago
    Quote From Wailor

    I liked The Phoenix Chamber better, even if it collides a bit with Construct Quarter. I'm not sure about which iteration I'd go with, though. I'd say the Priest one, but I'm not sure about how dangerous the OTK potential would be.

    Scarlet Monastery isn't bad, but it's effect feels closer to a Common than to a Legendary (not a fan of the art, either).

    I was thinking about the Monastery again while eating lunch. I can buff it, and I can post older ideas I passed on:

    • Now the Monastery lets them attack twice in that turn, or three times if they have Windfury, utilizing the Divine Shield they just regained. The art is literally the WoW loading screen for the Scarlet Monastery; I'm not likely to change it :/
    • Naxxramas is a little close to High Cultist Basaleph, but you can replay them for Battlecries and whatnot.
    • Nordrassil depicts the climax of Warcraft III, when Malfurion blows the Horn of Cenarius and summons countless Wisps to mana-detonate on Archimonde, killing him and saving Azeroth. It's effectively a super-BEEEES!!!, more-or-less guaranteed to kill the enemy minion and leave some Wisps behind.

    Been feeling discouraged lately, not being happy with my ideas...this comp isn't helping >_>

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  • FooBars's Avatar
    Eevee 150 19 Posts Joined 07/30/2021
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    Grove of Awakening custom card

    Flavour might be off, but I found this place while researching for another Location themed contest. I didn't use it for that one but wanted to make something for the future.

    Since colour can be hard to tell with Location's this is for Druid.

    The Grove of Awakening is the portal the Wild Gods enter to return to to reality, so I thought a resurrection theme would work well. I've also linked it to Beasts as most of the Wild Gods appear to be Beasts — it might work better as any friendly minion?

    I've costed it at 1 mana so that it can be played early or weaved into a turn, as it can only resurrect Beasts that have died while it was on the board. I had trouble finding a set to place it in — I've used Goblins vs Gnomes because Malorne (one of the Wild Gods) was printed in that set.

    I'll do feedback very soon :)

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  • Demonxz95's Avatar
    Senior Writer 2255 2706 Posts Joined 03/19/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    Well there's only 2 entries so far and the competition is moving so slowly again. These discussion threads used to be so alive and now they're so barren, and attempts to revitalize them have done next to nothing. :(

    But here's feedback.

    Linkblade91

    Honestly The Phoenix Chamber as a whole feels more Warlock to me than anything else since only Warlock really does anything with destroying their own minions (the only exception to this would be two-sided board clears). Between the Paladin and Shaman versions, I prefer the Shaman version.

    Scarlet Monastery (specifically the second version) is an admirable attempt at the "simple, but elegant" route. I almost feel like maybe limiting the second attack to minions is the way to go since Windfury in Paladin can become quite powerful with statbuffs.

    Naxxramas is another simple, but elegant card. I like it a lot and it feels like a believable card. If it weren't for the fact that High Cultist Basaleph was printed so recently, I'd say it'd be super good to go.

    I did already mention Nordrassil, the World Tree being a very fancy method of hard removal in Druid, but the fact that it's still hard removal in Druid and a pretty cost-efficient one at that might rub people the wrong way.

    Wailor

    The Frozen Throne is a really cool card in design, but I do worry that its concept is slightly upstaged by The Scourge even if that card is UU and this one is runeless. It is still a really good design though.

    Hey, I remember Orgrimmar. It's a good mechanic, and I like it.

    AeroJulwin
    I agree with Wailor that I think it makes more sense for the Durability to be lower and the Cost to be lower to match since you'll likely want to keep one particular minion in captivity for several consecutive turns, and thus the location would be on the board for an extremely long time.

    CursedParrot
    Very amusing, but its positioning in the Year of the Gryphon Core set is very questionable since locations didn't exist yet.

    Bartigul

    Welcome to our WCDCs. I hope you enjoy your stay.

    Ny'alotha is a card with a good concept. It's powerful, but it's also very slow which probably balances it out. However, you should change the watermark on it since locations would not exist for an extremely long time since Whispers of the Old Gods.

    BasilAnguis
    I think this is a fun idea for a Neutral location, and while I get that the card is probably intended to be fun to use more so than it actually being competitively viable, I do agree with Wailor that it could stand to cost 3 mana instead. I do also agree that the artwork could be better.

    FooBars

    I think this is a really good concept and the way the effect on a location works with remembering the board and what you've played is some creative design space. I think limiting it to Beasts is definitely the right call. It prevents it from being too exploitable, while at the same time, more fun and probably easier to build around.

    That said, you should use a different watermark. Locations still had an extremely long time to go after Goblins vs Gnomes before being implemented into the game.

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  • AeroJulwin's Avatar
    Fan Creator 305 174 Posts Joined 07/08/2021
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    Feedback

    Wailor
    I'm not entirely happy with The Frozen Throne using "graveyard". I've heard of the term before, but it just wouldn't make sense to me if Blizzard used it instead of "that died this game". Regardless, I prefer Orgrimmar. Last time it felt a little extreme since locations were only just introduced, but this time that's exactly what the prompt is about.

    Demon
    Spell remembering effects are always cool, so I think you should go with Bastion Arch. The Guardian Monoliths is probably the least interesting option and Tree of Ardenweald seems very expensive compared to Rune Dagger.

    CursedParrot
    This is a very cool disruption card. Do note that when a card that summons minions specifies both the amount and stats, the amount should be spelled out (so "two 1/1"). This is because "2 1/1" can look a little convoluted. That doesn't apply for your card because there's an enter between them, but you should still change it to stay consistent with the game.

    Bartigul
    Solid card. Exactly the kind of effect I'd expect for a Legendary location. Nothing to add that hasn't been said already.

    BasilAnguis
    As others have mentioned, it's severely overpriced. Can probably go down to 2. And although better than most screenshots, you could probably find better art. I like Wailor's idea of something like a time rift. That would fit the effect well. Hall of Explorers maybe?

    FooBars
    I like the use of "while this was active" to set it apart from Revive Pet. We haven't seen anything like that on location cards yet.

    2 durability would be plenty considering you won't be able to use it right away and will probably resummon the same Beast each time anyway. And 1 Mana still feels slightly inexpensive to me, since without the extra requirement this would most likely be a 4-Cost.

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  • anchorm4n's Avatar
    Harbinger of Winter 1915 2510 Posts Joined 03/13/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    Late to the party due to RL stuff and successfully grinding Warlock to 1.000 wins before Discolock got nerfed (yay!), but I actually had a nice idea:

    I'd very much like this to be neutral but I'd be open to change it if you think that would be better. Some late feedback would be very appreciated!

    I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
    Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com

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  • anchorm4n's Avatar
    Harbinger of Winter 1915 2510 Posts Joined 03/13/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    Feedback:

    FooBars
    I like your general idea and the lore behind it, please make sure to add that to the description textbox! The wording seems a bit off, I suggest sticking to the usual "that died this game" term or even reducing it to "that died this turn" to tune down the power level a bit. That's my second gripe: the card is too cheap for what it does, even as a legendary. Hadronox players would love this, but I advocate for changing the cost or the text as mentioned above.

    linkblade91
    I like your card, but I don't really understand why you used "they" instead of "it" (…may attack again). 4 stars for now, might go to 5 after I've seen the rest of the field. I also do hope things are looking a little brighter on your side and wish you all the best.

    BasilAnguis
    Cool idea! I agree with everything that Wailor had to say.

    Bartigul
    I'm sorry but I'm not a big fan. The art doesn't look very hearthstone-y and the effect gives me PTSD from Big Priest shenanigans. If you choose to go with this, you should change the wording to "on your side" and try to avoid the single word in the last line.

    CursedParrot
    I like it! Please add the info you gave to the descirption box as well, specially the part about the Tentacles was clear to me at first glance but makes a whole lot of sense.

    AeroJulwin
    Hmmm… my first thought is: Can a minion that is dormant lose stats? Maybe I'm missing something but I'm a little confused. I do like the versatility though, as ayou can also target your own stuff to set up a combo turn. Last but not least, for us non-WoW-players a little explanation about the connection between the violet hold and this being a Priest card would be cool, because from a HS point of view I see purple / violet, I think "Arcane" = "Mage".

    Demonxz95
    All of them look incredibly cool art-wise. I'd discard the Shaman one because I don't think anything will ever make that archetype work. Between Druid and Priest it's a close call, but if in doubt go with the more innovative idea which is defintely Priest. Nice work!

    Wailor
    The Frozen Throne is very iconic, so great flavor here. I fear it's nearly impossible to balance though, because there's a high chance for a low roll and the card is way too expansive for that. Making it too cheap is also dangerous for the possible outcome, so I really don't know what to do here. I'm also part of the crew that is not happy with the word "graveyard". Orgrimmar gets lots of points for flavor as well. My gripe with that one is that locations aren't supposed to work like minions so this feels a little off. What might solve this is giving a friendly minion Taunt and whenever it takes damage, the location loses durability instead.

    I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
    Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com

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  • AeroJulwin's Avatar
    Fan Creator 305 174 Posts Joined 07/08/2021
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago
    Quote From anchorm4n

    Hmmm... my first thought is: Can a minion that is dormant lose stats? Maybe I'm missing something but I'm a little confused. I do like the versatility though, as ayou can also target your own stuff to set up a combo turn. Last but not least, for us non-WoW-players a little explanation about the connection between the violet hold and this being a Priest card would be cool, because from a HS point of view I see purple / violet, I think "Arcane" = "Mage".

    There actually isn't a lore connection. I don't know any WoW lore myself past what I learn from Hearthstone. I just remembered it from the RoS cinematic/solo adventure and thought it'd be really cool to use it for this prompt. Being a control card with a stat-reducing effect, it made sense to put it in Priest. My excuse here is that the watermark depicts the symbol of the Kirin Tor (also appeared in RoS), which would likely be an expansion centered around the Kirin Tor/Dalaran. These are very magical and mage-like, kind of creating a MotLK situation where every class gets Death Knight-themed cards. I could still change it to Mage. Should I?

    Also, yes, affecting a Dormant minion is questionable. Although I don't think it's too unrealistic in this effect, so I figured I'd just wait and see what people thought about that.

    Feedback: I like the effect and would like to see it stay Neutral, but it currently has the value of a class-card. It's a strong card that could see use in a variety of classes, even bypassing weaknesses (Druid, when will you stop being problematic?), so I think it should be a 4- or even 5-Cost to balance that out. Otherwise it works just fine as a 3-Cost if you put it in something like Hunter.

    1
  • anchorm4n's Avatar
    Harbinger of Winter 1915 2510 Posts Joined 03/13/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    No, I don't think you should change the class. I'm still sceptical about the stat decrease though, maybe cut that and make it cheaper? The effect is still pretty strong in itself since you not only lock a minion out, but also a board space. 

    I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
    Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com

    0
  • StormKnightSera's Avatar
    Senior Writer Serra Angel 1720 2915 Posts Joined 02/09/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago
    Quote From anchorm4n

    Feedback:

    linkblade91
    I like your card, but I don't really understand why you used "they" instead of "it" (…may attack again). 4 stars for now, might go to 5 after I've seen the rest of the field. I also do hope things are looking a little brighter on your side and wish you all the best.

    I used 'they' instead of 'it' because I'm a dumb-dumb who wasn't paying attention.

    On a more personal note, I want to apologize for being a whiny bitch a lot of the time :/ A. It's just a creative exercise, I shouldn't get mad for losing, and B. I shouldn't take my personal pain out on the group. I've been dealing with a lot, but that's a lame excuse - we all have stuff to deal with.

    Show Spoiler
    Hopefully we'll find out what's wrong with my liver soon, and I can go back to being more upbeat!

    1
  • Demonxz95's Avatar
    Senior Writer 2255 2706 Posts Joined 03/19/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    At this point, you have 24 hours left to submit.

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  • StormKnightSera's Avatar
    Senior Writer Serra Angel 1720 2915 Posts Joined 02/09/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    Good luck to everyone in the voting

    1
  • StormKnightSera's Avatar
    Senior Writer Serra Angel 1720 2915 Posts Joined 02/09/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    Naturally now that it's a day-late and a dollar-short, I think of a Legendary location I'm more happy with. I present to you: The Maelstrom!

    I made it just now for a new class/expansion combo I've been working on; the idea is that minions are being pulled to their doom by the whirling vortex. So, the "closest" minions (the ones on the board) fall into the Maelstrom and die, then a minion is pulled from each hand onto the board, then a minion is pulled from each deck into one's respective hand.

    Started the class+expansion just after Sunken City, but my motivation dried up until today...only now there's locations, Undead, dual minion types, and a whole 'nother class to consider D:

    2
  • anchorm4n's Avatar
    Harbinger of Winter 1915 2510 Posts Joined 03/13/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    Looks very cool, especially after having read your explanation for the effect!

    Good luck to everyone in the voting from me as well. My absolute favorite this week is Area 52.

    I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
    Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com

    0
  • StormKnightSera's Avatar
    Senior Writer Serra Angel 1720 2915 Posts Joined 02/09/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    Congratulations to Wailor!

    0
  • anchorm4n's Avatar
    Harbinger of Winter 1915 2510 Posts Joined 03/13/2019
    Posted 1 year, 9 months ago

    Congrats to Wailor!

    I notice I am confused. Something I believe isn't true. How do I know what I think I know?
    Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, hpmor.com

    0
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