For me it has to be Quest Taunt Warrior, because I made it work back in Witchwood... Was the only deck of mine that actually saw meta play and became popular...
I have regrets not making it my favorite deck up above, but too late now. There's just something satisfying about exhausting your opponent of resources while you blast them with the Hero Power.
Riven is my favorite of the three new champs, so I'm disappointed she's not doing well. I think if Noxus had some Scout cards, Riven would excel more. But what do I know: I complete my quests against the AI most of the time lol.
Thank you all for the feedback on Herald of Winter; it's not an overly-serious idea, but I submitted it anyway because I frankly couldn't be asked to think of something else right now. I've got some stuff on my plate I'm trying not to get upset about; a side-comp is the least of my worries.
Anyway, here's my feedback:
Show Spoiler
DavnanKillder - I prefer the second snowman as well, the one with the four arms. Also, you should stop capitalizing "hero" in your text; they don't do that in-game, unless it's referring to a Hero Power :P
FieselFitz - I like the new version of Awakened Waterfront. Not the "for each Frozen enemy" one, because that can really get out of hand, but the "If you control a Secret" iteration. Looks good as-is.
anchorm4n - One major flavor problem with the Christmas Tree is that the Secret layout doesn't look like that on mobile, so some players might be wondering where the Secret gameplay comes from. Another thing - and I hate mentioning this - is that some people will find giving AoE damage to the Hunter off-putting. I think it's stupid, but something something "class identity" or whatever. With that out of the way, I prefer the 1 damage to all/Rare version.
KANSAS - It looks better with the Stealth already on there. I'm concerned about making it cost 3, though, because then it will have vanilla stats whilst being theoretically "perma-stealthed". I think it looks fine as-is.
Hordaki - I like Anivia Glacial Frostwing. Might be a little on the strong side, though; maybe make it a 5/3/3?
Wailor - Frostbitten Raider is silly: if it can't attack the turn it is played, it is essentially a vanilla 4/5/4 minion. You can cheat it out to avoid the Battlecry, though, so it's not entirely a joke card. If you go with the Ghost, I would go with the Neutral one; the Rogue version is too wordy for me.
BloodMefist - Attack should be capitalized, but beyond that it looks good. I like the Paladin card a lot.
DestroyerR - I guess it counts, but it seems super OP at first glance. You've got two turns to "waste" your opponent's cards; not just destroying them like Tickatus, but actively using them against your opponent. I think this would lead to a lot of feel-bad moments I don't want to partake in.
FenrirWulf - I like the second iteration more than the first, so it's a good thing you went with that one :)
I've been dealing with a family Covid situation, on top of it being Christmas week, so while I've poked my head in on occasion I haven't made the time to sit down and provide feedback until now; sorry about that.
Show Spoiler
FieselFitz - You have a weird space under the text: I think you left a line-break in there. While you didn't break any rules or anything this time around, I will say that the card is a bit on the boring side :/
Wailor - The Raptor has +1 Attack over Pterrordax Hatchling, but it's a class card so this is understandable. That being said it might be too good anyway because Echo cards are generally not so mana-efficient. You're kind of stuck in a corner because you want to keep the 3/2 statline, but increasing the cost would lose you an Echo proc and make it kind of sucky.
KANSAS - Would Microbot even work as intended? Or would magnetizing the minion keep the Battlecry from activating (because it didn't hit the table on its own)? I can give the benefit of the doubt, but there are no Magnetic minions with Battlecries, so it's hard to say how that interaction would function. Beyond that, while I like the general idea of it, giving Adapt to a non-Beast is kind of iffy, given what Adapt is supposed to mean.
DavnanKillder - I like Sand Shark the most, but it is now blatantly better than Rabid Worgen. It needs Health to survive the trade, but it needs Attack to utilize the Overkill. I guess I would increase the cost.
ChickyChick - I would argue Lackeys are not set-specific, given we got new ones throughout the Year of the Dragon, but you're still good-to-go with Spare Parts and Razorpetals. Just need to say "Add a random*…"
Hordaki - I like Pupil of the Moon, although the art doesn't really line up with the name in my opinion.
BloodMefist - I love that art; was thinking about using it myself before I came up with the Soul Fragment idea. I would consider dropping a point off Attack, if that would help make it seem less scary.
anchorm4n - Dormant is out, but I like Zevrad more anyway. Don't have much to criticize, personally.
DestroyerR - I like Awestruck Apprentice: she's got good flavor. That being said, she's not likely to live long, which makes her slow gameplay pattern a problem. Can we reasonably say she'll ever live long enough to draw two cards, statted as she is? Maybe late in the game, but then you're messing around with a 2/3 when you could be doing other, more impactful things.
Demonxz95 - No additional notes. I think it's good to go.
Are we allowed to submit cards we've posted before? I made this in "Here's Some Art, Make A Card" and I think it fits this competition well, but if not I'll go back and come up with something new.
As long as you haven't won with it before, you can resubmit old ideas.
In my opinion, that's too many sets to be considered a one-off mechanic or keyword, and more than the two we're loosely allowing with callback cards. It didn't rise to prominence until Ashes of Outland, and we might not even see much of it again, but I would argue Dormant has become an evergreen keyword. Edit: Apparently, Magic the Gathering has a term for this situation, "deciduous". Not truly evergreen, but not a one-off either. Regardless, it is not acceptable for the prompt.
Inspire makes a return, the flavor being that he uncovers some kind of breakthrough on his research. With enough magic (for the Spellburst), he can even double up on your Soul Fragments.
We mention this at the bottom of the competition page, but I think I'll reiterate it here: mechanics and keywords reappearing in a one-off capacity - like Omega Devastator in Rise of Shadows - is not enough to disqualify them from the list of potential options. In that way, Reborn and Twinspell are not ruined just because they reappear in Galakrond's Awakening. When we think about mechanics and keywords that'll get you disqualified, we're talking "evergreen" stuff like Lifesteal, Discover, "if you're holding a Dragon", "if you played an Elemental last turn", etc. You can use them, but don't rely on them as being one of the two mechanics or keywords for the prompt.
I do not own Lorekeeper Polkelt, and I don't want to craft him. What would you replace him with in the Elemental deck? I threw in a Bonfire Elemental for now, although I also have Pyros (not even close to the same thing, but I like the bird).
BloodMefist - I like Arfus the Eternal the most, both in name and art.
grumpymonk - I like Sonya. She can't be used to mana-cheat too much because the minions return to your hand before they get to attack, so it's all about the Battlecries/Comboes. Sonya Shadowdancer had better synergy with Deathrattles, but it's still a good second-take on her original playstyle :)
FieselFitz - I think there was some "spirit of the theme" intention for us to not use characters that have already received a new interpretation, but that was not explicitly written in the rules so Kragg the Fallen should be fine (it is with me, at least). I'd stick with him over Pyros: your Pyros is really hard to balance well, whereas Kragg is a good callback to the original card.
DavnanKillder - The One of Many Faces has the same problem I had with the original (with Face Collector being a Rogue minion). Myra, though, I like a lot more. The return of Spiritsinger Umbra's effect is interesting, although it takes away from her specialness a bit. Also flavor-wise I'm not sure how a "bomb" triggers friendly Deathrattles. But, as I said, I like Myra.
Hordaki - I think Genzo is weird. What's the use-case here? You can Corrupt your higher-cost cards without playing something more expensive, sure, but you would automatically Corrupt the lower ones just by playing Genzo. With the cards needing to be in your hand, and giving the same effect to your opponent, I just think the usage of Genzo is way too niche to warrant playing :(
BloodMefist - Arfus seems fine, balance-wise. I'm not a fan of the art, but this will be a difficult week for such things so I understand.
Wailor - The Boogeymonster is garbage, so anything better than that is alright in my book lel. "(T)he Kidnapper" is a weird direction to take him, and Priest is especially weird flavor-wise, but mechanically it makes sense…I think? There are no Priest minions with Rush, IIRC, unless you count that one Lackey. I like the effect well enough, but the package as a whole is a hard sell.
FieselFitz - I would not summon Jade Golems outside of Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, personally, but a one-off callback isn't entirely out of the question. She doesn't use up the Mana, though, so this might be a powerful turn-10 play considering you still have 5 mana left to play with.
bangyakunoSquash - Welcome to the Fan Creations side of things, and with your first post too :D Cool art for the card, with the moon in there and everything. The name is weird, though, and there appears to be no watermark behind the text. The gameplay is neat, at least.
MenacingBagel - I'm not a fan of Sherazin because it seems to take away from what makes Gral, the Shark and Maiev Shadowsong special :( It's neat in its own way, but might not survive long given the amount of removal lying around at the moment.
DavnanKillder - Face Collector was originally a Rogue minion, so the new iteration being a Shaman minion is suspect. I also agree with Demon in-that Dorian is too close to The Nameless One mechanically-speaking. That leaves Ashmore; the Battlecry should probably say "Discover a Royal Servant to summon.", but beyond that it seems good.
DestroyerR - Flark is cool and interesting, but isn't there an adventure boss fight that does the same thing? I could've sworn there was, anyway. Either-way, I'd go with him; seems like strong finalist material.
fungusABao - I will echo what others have said about Kun, being from the same set as the original. Shudderwock is inherently interesting, but fundamentally flawed because Dragons are mostly about their Battlecries. I think if you change him to embrace this quality - without just rehashing his original Battlecry - you'd have a strong card. But don't name him "the Dragon" and then not make him a Dragon lol :P
SLima - We always like to see new faces :D I think the effect is really cool; my only complaint is that she should not be from the same set as the original Toki. Change that, and I think you're well on your way to finalist material.
Wailor - Giving a Warlock version of Saraad the title of "Soul Collector" but not making him related to Soul Fragments seems like a disconnect, personally. He could be something like a DH/Warlock card that says "Whenever you use your Hero Power, shuffle a Soul Fragment into your deck." That would be cool, and callback to his Inspire effect. As your cards currently stand, though, I would go with Megafin.
Demonxz95 - We don't have a "Play a Random Deck" functionality, so I like Whizbang. Having to own him for that is a bit of a bummer, but then again so was having to own the original Whizbang.
Dat Druid recipe deck tho lol
Don't forget to open your OOC presents :)
I have regrets not making it my favorite deck up above, but too late now. There's just something satisfying about exhausting your opponent of resources while you blast them with the Hero Power.
Riven is my favorite of the three new champs, so I'm disappointed she's not doing well. I think if Noxus had some Scout cards, Riven would excel more. But what do I know: I complete my quests against the AI most of the time lol.
Thank you all for the feedback on Herald of Winter; it's not an overly-serious idea, but I submitted it anyway because I frankly couldn't be asked to think of something else right now. I've got some stuff on my plate I'm trying not to get upset about; a side-comp is the least of my worries.
Anyway, here's my feedback:
DavnanKillder - I prefer the second snowman as well, the one with the four arms. Also, you should stop capitalizing "hero" in your text; they don't do that in-game, unless it's referring to a Hero Power :P
FieselFitz - I like the new version of Awakened Waterfront. Not the "for each Frozen enemy" one, because that can really get out of hand, but the "If you control a Secret" iteration. Looks good as-is.
anchorm4n - One major flavor problem with the Christmas Tree is that the Secret layout doesn't look like that on mobile, so some players might be wondering where the Secret gameplay comes from. Another thing - and I hate mentioning this - is that some people will find giving AoE damage to the Hunter off-putting. I think it's stupid, but something something "class identity" or whatever. With that out of the way, I prefer the 1 damage to all/Rare version.
KANSAS - It looks better with the Stealth already on there. I'm concerned about making it cost 3, though, because then it will have vanilla stats whilst being theoretically "perma-stealthed". I think it looks fine as-is.
Hordaki - I like Anivia Glacial Frostwing. Might be a little on the strong side, though; maybe make it a 5/3/3?
Wailor - Frostbitten Raider is silly: if it can't attack the turn it is played, it is essentially a vanilla 4/5/4 minion. You can cheat it out to avoid the Battlecry, though, so it's not entirely a joke card. If you go with the Ghost, I would go with the Neutral one; the Rogue version is too wordy for me.
BloodMefist - Attack should be capitalized, but beyond that it looks good. I like the Paladin card a lot.
DestroyerR - I guess it counts, but it seems super OP at first glance. You've got two turns to "waste" your opponent's cards; not just destroying them like Tickatus, but actively using them against your opponent. I think this would lead to a lot of feel-bad moments I don't want to partake in.
FenrirWulf - I like the second iteration more than the first, so it's a good thing you went with that one :)
I've been dealing with a family Covid situation, on top of it being Christmas week, so while I've poked my head in on occasion I haven't made the time to sit down and provide feedback until now; sorry about that.
FieselFitz - You have a weird space under the text: I think you left a line-break in there. While you didn't break any rules or anything this time around, I will say that the card is a bit on the boring side :/
Wailor - The Raptor has +1 Attack over Pterrordax Hatchling, but it's a class card so this is understandable. That being said it might be too good anyway because Echo cards are generally not so mana-efficient. You're kind of stuck in a corner because you want to keep the 3/2 statline, but increasing the cost would lose you an Echo proc and make it kind of sucky.
KANSAS - Would Microbot even work as intended? Or would magnetizing the minion keep the Battlecry from activating (because it didn't hit the table on its own)? I can give the benefit of the doubt, but there are no Magnetic minions with Battlecries, so it's hard to say how that interaction would function. Beyond that, while I like the general idea of it, giving Adapt to a non-Beast is kind of iffy, given what Adapt is supposed to mean.
DavnanKillder - I like Sand Shark the most, but it is now blatantly better than Rabid Worgen. It needs Health to survive the trade, but it needs Attack to utilize the Overkill. I guess I would increase the cost.
ChickyChick - I would argue Lackeys are not set-specific, given we got new ones throughout the Year of the Dragon, but you're still good-to-go with Spare Parts and Razorpetals. Just need to say "Add a random*…"
Hordaki - I like Pupil of the Moon, although the art doesn't really line up with the name in my opinion.
BloodMefist - I love that art; was thinking about using it myself before I came up with the Soul Fragment idea. I would consider dropping a point off Attack, if that would help make it seem less scary.
anchorm4n - Dormant is out, but I like Zevrad more anyway. Don't have much to criticize, personally.
DestroyerR - I like Awestruck Apprentice: she's got good flavor. That being said, she's not likely to live long, which makes her slow gameplay pattern a problem. Can we reasonably say she'll ever live long enough to draw two cards, statted as she is? Maybe late in the game, but then you're messing around with a 2/3 when you could be doing other, more impactful things.
Demonxz95 - No additional notes. I think it's good to go.
As long as you haven't won with it before, you can resubmit old ideas.
Dormant appears in four sets beyond Ashes of Outland:
In my opinion, that's too many sets to be considered a one-off mechanic or keyword, and more than the two we're loosely allowing with callback cards. It didn't rise to prominence until Ashes of Outland, and we might not even see much of it again, but I would argue Dormant has become an evergreen keyword. Edit: Apparently, Magic the Gathering has a term for this situation, "deciduous". Not truly evergreen, but not a one-off either. Regardless, it is not acceptable for the prompt.
Unless I'm mistaken, I hit all three prompts with this idea ;)
Congratulations to grumpymonk and DavnanKillder!
Also want to apologize to FieselFitz: I gave you an okay for Kragg, but you were disqualified anyway. That's on me :(
With the above out of the way, this is my idea:
Inspire makes a return, the flavor being that he uncovers some kind of breakthrough on his research. With enough magic (for the Spellburst), he can even double up on your Soul Fragments.
We mention this at the bottom of the competition page, but I think I'll reiterate it here: mechanics and keywords reappearing in a one-off capacity - like Omega Devastator in Rise of Shadows - is not enough to disqualify them from the list of potential options. In that way, Reborn and Twinspell are not ruined just because they reappear in Galakrond's Awakening. When we think about mechanics and keywords that'll get you disqualified, we're talking "evergreen" stuff like Lifesteal, Discover, "if you're holding a Dragon", "if you played an Elemental last turn", etc. You can use them, but don't rely on them as being one of the two mechanics or keywords for the prompt.
Good luck to our finalists!
Until I forget and get stuck with a card I don't care about :P It's happened before lol.
I love Highlander decks, and I miss my Elemental deck of yesteryear, so this seems like a welcome combination :D
...I do not own Lorekeeper Polkelt and don't want to craft him; what would you replace him with? I threw in a Bonfire Elemental for now.
I do not own Lorekeeper Polkelt, and I don't want to craft him. What would you replace him with in the Elemental deck? I threw in a Bonfire Elemental for now, although I also have Pyros (not even close to the same thing, but I like the bird).
Less than four hours left to submit; better hurry if you want to participate! :P
I'm jealous that you got Genevieve: she's my favorite non-champion card.
More feedback:
BloodMefist - I like Arfus the Eternal the most, both in name and art.
grumpymonk - I like Sonya. She can't be used to mana-cheat too much because the minions return to your hand before they get to attack, so it's all about the Battlecries/Comboes. Sonya Shadowdancer had better synergy with Deathrattles, but it's still a good second-take on her original playstyle :)
FieselFitz - I think there was some "spirit of the theme" intention for us to not use characters that have already received a new interpretation, but that was not explicitly written in the rules so Kragg the Fallen should be fine (it is with me, at least). I'd stick with him over Pyros: your Pyros is really hard to balance well, whereas Kragg is a good callback to the original card.
DavnanKillder - The One of Many Faces has the same problem I had with the original (with Face Collector being a Rogue minion). Myra, though, I like a lot more. The return of Spiritsinger Umbra's effect is interesting, although it takes away from her specialness a bit. Also flavor-wise I'm not sure how a "bomb" triggers friendly Deathrattles. But, as I said, I like Myra.
Hordaki - I think Genzo is weird. What's the use-case here? You can Corrupt your higher-cost cards without playing something more expensive, sure, but you would automatically Corrupt the lower ones just by playing Genzo. With the cards needing to be in your hand, and giving the same effect to your opponent, I just think the usage of Genzo is way too niche to warrant playing :(
Feedback:
BloodMefist - Arfus seems fine, balance-wise. I'm not a fan of the art, but this will be a difficult week for such things so I understand.
Wailor - The Boogeymonster is garbage, so anything better than that is alright in my book lel. "(T)he Kidnapper" is a weird direction to take him, and Priest is especially weird flavor-wise, but mechanically it makes sense…I think? There are no Priest minions with Rush, IIRC, unless you count that one Lackey. I like the effect well enough, but the package as a whole is a hard sell.
FieselFitz - I would not summon Jade Golems outside of Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, personally, but a one-off callback isn't entirely out of the question. She doesn't use up the Mana, though, so this might be a powerful turn-10 play considering you still have 5 mana left to play with.
bangyakunoSquash - Welcome to the Fan Creations side of things, and with your first post too :D Cool art for the card, with the moon in there and everything. The name is weird, though, and there appears to be no watermark behind the text. The gameplay is neat, at least.
MenacingBagel - I'm not a fan of Sherazin because it seems to take away from what makes Gral, the Shark and Maiev Shadowsong special :( It's neat in its own way, but might not survive long given the amount of removal lying around at the moment.
DavnanKillder - Face Collector was originally a Rogue minion, so the new iteration being a Shaman minion is suspect. I also agree with Demon in-that Dorian is too close to The Nameless One mechanically-speaking. That leaves Ashmore; the Battlecry should probably say "Discover a Royal Servant to summon.", but beyond that it seems good.
DestroyerR - Flark is cool and interesting, but isn't there an adventure boss fight that does the same thing? I could've sworn there was, anyway. Either-way, I'd go with him; seems like strong finalist material.
fungusABao - I will echo what others have said about Kun, being from the same set as the original. Shudderwock is inherently interesting, but fundamentally flawed because Dragons are mostly about their Battlecries. I think if you change him to embrace this quality - without just rehashing his original Battlecry - you'd have a strong card. But don't name him "the Dragon" and then not make him a Dragon lol :P
SLima - We always like to see new faces :D I think the effect is really cool; my only complaint is that she should not be from the same set as the original Toki. Change that, and I think you're well on your way to finalist material.
Wailor - Giving a Warlock version of Saraad the title of "Soul Collector" but not making him related to Soul Fragments seems like a disconnect, personally. He could be something like a DH/Warlock card that says "Whenever you use your Hero Power, shuffle a Soul Fragment into your deck." That would be cool, and callback to his Inspire effect. As your cards currently stand, though, I would go with Megafin.
Demonxz95 - We don't have a "Play a Random Deck" functionality, so I like Whizbang. Having to own him for that is a bit of a bummer, but then again so was having to own the original Whizbang.