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Hearthstone | Posted by | 3 years, 9 months ago
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New Upgrade Available - Card Design Competition Discussion Thread

Competition Theme: New Upgrade Available

Sometimes you just want your card to be a little bit better - so let's set about making some upgrades!

  • You must create a card which can upgrade under certain conditions
    • Think of cards like the Spellstones or the Schemes for inspiration
  • Mechanics which upgrade cards (like Corrupt or Infuse) are not allowed
    • We're all about self-improvement here - no shortcuts allowed!

BloodMefist has tasked us with a bit of self-improvement this week, so make sure your cards are up to the task!

As always, I 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, Jul 4 17:00 EDT (GMT -0400). Runs until Sat, Jul 9 17:00 EDT (GMT -0400)
  • Voting Phase: Starts on Sat, Jul 9 17:00 EDT (GMT -0400). Runs until Sun, Jul 10 16:00 EDT (GMT -0400)
  • Finalist Phase: Starts on Sun, Jul 10 17:00 EDT (GMT -0400). Runs until Mon, Jul 11 17:00 EDT (GMT -0400)
  • 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.

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  • Competition Theme: New Upgrade Available

    Sometimes you just want your card to be a little bit better - so let's set about making some upgrades!

    • You must create a card which can upgrade under certain conditions
      • Think of cards like the Spellstones or the Schemes for inspiration
    • Mechanics which upgrade cards (like Corrupt or Infuse) are not allowed
      • We're all about self-improvement here - no shortcuts allowed!

    BloodMefist has tasked us with a bit of self-improvement this week, so make sure your cards are up to the task!

    As always, I 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, Jul 4 17:00 EDT (GMT -0400). Runs until Sat, Jul 9 17:00 EDT (GMT -0400)
    • Voting Phase: Starts on Sat, Jul 9 17:00 EDT (GMT -0400). Runs until Sun, Jul 10 16:00 EDT (GMT -0400)
    • Finalist Phase: Starts on Sun, Jul 10 17:00 EDT (GMT -0400). Runs until Mon, Jul 11 17:00 EDT (GMT -0400)
    • 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.

  • Nobody knows her true face, or if she even has a face at all.

    Is it obvious how the upgrade is applied? It's supposed to be a +1/+1 upgrade.

    Friendly Staff

  • Shaman is the Battlecry King, so I might as well go that route: precedent exists for Battlecry shenanigans in Kobolds & Catacombs, with Murmuring Elemental and Grumble, Worldshaker. That and it's not like the current Lesser Sapphire Spellstone connected to the other cards that well, anyway.

    I originally wanted to do a Spellstone for the DH, but it's a hard ask. I could slide this over to the Mage, maybe, since they're more Dragon-friendly. I also have art for a Citrine or Opal Spellstone, as well, if the Dragon Shaman connection is too out there.

    Friendly

  • I finally have time to participate again, so I'll go with these two this week. Honestly I was just going with the Bounty Hunter, but since I'm still inspired to make warlock cards, I made another one, thoughts?

    Fel Rift Card Image

  • I'm out of ideas this week 😅

    I like making Coin Rogue cards with a sketchy business flavor, but the effect is probably too simple. I might try something different if I can think of it.

  • Here's my idea for this week:

     

    Rise of Shadows saw quite some Deathrattle support and also Sylvanas' sister Vereesa Windrunner so this might fit pretty well imo. It obviously negates the League of Explorers vs. League of E.V.I.L. theme but that's just that. I'm also aware of the fact that this a massive preemptive powercreep on Jewel of N'Zoth and that there's a similar card in Amulet of Undying. On the plus side, resurrecting Deathrattle cards fits Sylvanas' flavor pretty well imo and I like the simplicity of the effect. What do you people think? Which artwork do you prefer (I'm leaning towards the one on the right)? Will add feedback later!

  • Already submitted mine, but here's some feedback regardless:

    Feedback

    Demonxz95
    Stealth and secrets fit nicely together. I don't think the upgrade is implied as it could have been a +2/+2. However, this is actually not uncommon for upgradeable cards like Fury (Rank 1) and Lesser Amethyst Spellstone, so I'd say you're good.

    linkblade91
    Personally not a huge fan of dragon Shaman, because I don't think it has enough support. I am a huge fan of battlecry effects and think this one is very cool. I think it's fine as is, but wouldn't mind if you changed the criteria, even if the art depicts dragons.

    Sorry for locking in the Citrine Spellstone. Since the Opal Peridot and Garnet art were already being used, I didn't wanna miss my chance.

    MrRhapsody
    Both have nice effects, but Westfall Bounty Hunter seems like it would just give 2 Coins most of the time. Riftmaster Tanya's scaling feels more relevant, so I like that one better.

    Wailor
    I'm never sure about balance on cards that require something specific like Coins. I'd say this card is good, because Coins can be difficult to obtain but if you did get a lot of them, this wouldn't break Rogue. I do think it's a little boring and hope inspiration still strikes.

    anchorm4n
    I like the second art better. I enjoy the deathrattle support for Hunter, but this card is very strong. The other scheme cards use small effects so that even if they scale up high, it's not game-changing. Since it also doesn't fit the story of the LoE vs the LoE, I would recommend making it a non-scheme card for a different expansion and adjusting the upgrade criteria. Having an interesting upgrade criteria would also help this card stand out a bit more.

    Blind as I am, I actually didn't notice the season feedback thread going on for over a month...

  • Feedback time!

    Wailor
    It's amazing what you're still able to produce when you're out of ideas lol. I give you that it's not the most creative design I've ever seen, but I really like the flavor. Balance looks good as well so this is a neat placeholder until inspiration strikes.

    MrRhapsody
    The Bounty Hunter is really really cool, easy 5 stars from me! The Riftmaster is too similar to Tamsin's hero card for my taste.

    linkblade91
    Hmmm I've got to say the Dragon requirement in Shaman does feel kinda out of place. Maybe make it Elementals with the Opal Spellstone instead? I see a lot of potential here since good Spellstone art including upgrades is difficult to find.

    Demonxz95
    Super cool, super flavorful, nothing to criticize from my side. You should add the info about what gets upgraded to the description box just in case.

  • Some tweaks to my card: now it's an Opal Spellstone, and thus the Dragon requirement has changed too. Also the Nature spell school was added; I completely failed to notice that 8/9 Spellstones have a spell school.

    Transforming a minion or minions can be a rare occurrence, so I figured only the once per upgrade made sense (let's forget about Unstable Evolution being in the same set >_>). This card could be used to repeat a Battlecry even for a minion that didn't get to use theirs - like, say, when you transform into a Battlecry minion! :D

    Feedback:

    Show Spoiler

    AeroJulwin - You're the reason I even double-checked to see that Spellstones have schools, so thank you for that haha. I gave you a 4, if you're curious: it's a solid card, but not enough for the elusive 5. Goes nicely with Explosive Runes from the set, though.

    anchorm4n - I also prefer the art on the right. I also also agree with Aero: it's very powerful, could maybe be for a different expansion, and a different requirement beyond simply waiting a turn could help curb the edge off it.

    Wailor - I've been making Coin Rogue cards off-and-on for a while now, 'cause it just feels right, yeah? My only concern is how "realistic" can the archetype's payoff cards be when giving them a Coin for going second could be a problem *shrugs* Don't want The Coin to swing the games too much.

    MrRhapsody - Tanya is too close to Dreadlich Tamsin, neat as it is. The Bounty Hunter is more unique and thus better, in my opinion.

    Demonxz95 - Cool card. The only issue is how exactly does it upgrade: the Shadows could become bigger, or it could summon more Shadows. Not every upgrade card explains it perfectly, though, so I think you're good to go.

    Friendly

  • I finally managed to get another idea, which is probably in the opposite end of the spectrum compared to my previous one.

    Yup, the more you upgrade her, the more Divine Shields she has. For instance, at 2 Divine Shields, you'd need to ping her twice before being able to damage her.

    I know this might be too big of a leap considering we don't even have a Double Divine Shield card yet, but whatever.

    Demonxz95
    Pretty cool card. Stealth and Secrets make a lot sense thematically together, and this can provide a good finishing tool for Secret decks.

    Since you wrote how many Shadows are summoned with text, it's very clear the stats are the thing being upgraded, so I think you're good to go.

    Edit: Not very important, but I'm not a fan of the name. Sounds a bit lame to me.

    linkblade91
    I like the Opal version a lot more, fits Shaman very well. My main question with both versions is if the Battlecries have random targets or if it lets you pick the target.

    MrRhapsody
    Westfall Bounty Hunter has amazing flavor and I think could win the comp. Sure, it'll just upgrade once most of the time, but that's already the case with end of turn effects, so I think it's fine.

    Riftmaster Tanya isn't bad, but a bit too similar to Tamsin (both effect and flavor wise).

    anchorm4n
    I really like the idea of exploring what would've happened if other classes had been part of the League of Evil, but I agree with other people about the card being too powerful with the current upgrade requirements.

    I think "summon X Beasts" is the best condition, since Deathrattle Hunter usually runs Beasts, but at the same time, this condition needs you to do something and build around in order to get such a powerful effect. Of course, the flavor and expansion would need to change in order to accommodate the new requirement.

    Another option is simply increasing the Cost to 5 or 6, which I don't like as much mechanically, but would allow you to keep it as Sylvana's Scheme, which I really like.

    • Quote From Wailor

      I like the Opal version a lot more, fits Shaman very well. My main question with both versions is if the Battlecries have random targets or if it lets you pick the target.

      If this was a modern card, I would maybe suggest that you can target the Battlecries after targeting the friendly minion you want to repeat. But with it being from Kobolds & Catacombs, I have to assume it would be random :/

      Regarding your card, making a minion super difficult to remove via multiple Divine Shields is an awesome design in theory....but being that it's from the Paladin, where buffing is prevalent, this could be a problem. What happens if your opponent doesn't have hard removal in hand, and must rely on "the old fashioned way" to get rid of a 10/7 or a 15/12 with several Divine Shields on it? Yumna can just go face while you laugh off their damage.

      If she was stuck as a 5/2 Yumna would be more balanced, but still really cool; in her current form the potential synergies seem scary to me.

      Show Spoiler
      All that being said I'd probably still give you a 4, 'cause I like it so much lol :P

      Friendly
      • Quote From linkblade91

        Show Spoiler

        Regarding your card, making a minion super difficult to remove via multiple Divine Shields is an awesome design in theory….but being that it's from the Paladin, where buffing is prevalent, this could be a problem. What happens if your opponent doesn't have hard removal in hand, and must rely on "the old fashioned way" to get rid of a 10/7 or a 15/12 with several Divine Shields on it? Yumna can just go face while you laugh off their damage.

        If she was stuck as a 5/2 Yumna would be more balanced, but still really cool; in her current form the potential synergies seem scary to me.

        Show Spoiler
        All that being said I'd probably still give you a 4, 'cause I like it so much lol :P

        I agree with your criticism, but I'm not sure how to fix it, since adding "Can't be enchanted" doesn't feel very organic.

        Maybe I should just increase the Cost to 6 or 7 (and the stats a little bit) to make it come later and be harder to combo with buffs, dunno.

        • Maybe even just a 6/6/3 would help *shrugs* It's hard to say what the right move is when you can't test it: is it okay at 5? Would it be healthier at 6? Is it simply too much of a concern to where it shouldn't exist? Whatever you feel is right: I'll probably give you at least a 4 regardless hehe. Not that other voices wouldn't hurt; you've still got time for feedback.

          Friendly

  • Ok then, I'll go with the Bounty Hunter, one question thoght, is it good as it is, or maybe it would be better as a 2/5? Making it more likelly to stick on the board and loot more coins for you? Anyway, Feedback time.

    Demonx95
    Nope, the update is not clear, first time I read I thought it gave more shadows, it doesn't mean the card is bad though, it's pretty neat, just make sure to explain how the upgrades works, writte it in the description or maybe in the token's text box.

    Wailor
    I quite like, however I think this works better as an set of cards, this wont be well received as a standalone card, since this gives too much of an advantage to the player going second. Once again, I loved your card, just don't think it will perform good.

    anchorm4n
    Cool card, but it should cost more IMO. All the schemes were very bad at their initial and even second stage, they only started to get decent at the third stage, and powerful at their fithty , and this turns into the equivalent of a 8-mana card just at the third stage, I suggest you to bump the cost to 6. About the artwork, I preffer the one the right, fits the flavour better. Another thing, I really don't mind the Sylvanna's flavour, but I can see some people bothered by it, so in case a lot of people see it as a flaw, I suggest you to make it a Galakrond's Awakening card and turn it into Galakrond's Scheme, since the mini-set brought back mechanics from RoS, once again, I don't think its necessary, it's just a suggestion for a possible problem.

    linkblade91
    Simply loved the new version, nothing to say here, just an easy 5/5 for me.

  • I totally get all your feedback for my card but I'm struggling to improve it. Here's another try with a more interesting condition... Not completely happy with the artwork and it has a pretty narrow target archetype-wise, but it's flavorful and imagine the things this could do with a single well placed Explosive Trap. Please note that it's possible to upgrade it by killing your own minions, which is not unheard of in Deathrattle decks. 

    • Quote From anchorm4n

      Please note that it's possible to upgrade it by killing your own minions, which is not unheard of in Deathrattle decks. 

      It's also not unheard of in Questline Hunter, if you don't play your own minions for them to kill off lel. Resurrect those stupid Leper Gnomes D:

      I like the changed requirement: you're fueling death with, well, more death. It would go great in the new expansion with Infuse, but alas that is not allowed. Still, I think you're ready.

      Friendly

  • What happens if your opponent doesn't have hard removal in hand, and must rely on "the old fashioned way" to get rid of a 10/7 or a 15/12 with several Divine Shields on it?

    --> Moonfang

    • Quote From AeroJulwin

      What happens if your opponent doesn't have hard removal in hand, and must rely on "the old fashioned way" to get rid of a 10/7 or a 15/12 with several Divine Shields on it?

      --> Moonfang

      Oh, right lol. This is practically just like Moonfang >_> Totally forgot about that card.

      She's fine as-is, Wailor: if Moonfang isn't terrorizing the game, Yumna should be fine.

      Friendly

  • Sorry to spam, but what if she only had three stages, just like the Spellstones? This way, she'd be more manageable even if you don't have hard removal.

  • Oh wow, I hadn't even realized that I haven't given feedback yet. I just assumed I had. I guess I'm no longer used to this speed at which this comp is moving.

    Linkblade91

    I do like this. I think the version that needs you to transform to upgrade is a bit thematic to Shaman, so I'd probably go with that one. My only real complaint is that it doesn't really look/feel like a Nature spell, but transform cards in general don't really feel Nature spells either and there are much worse examples of spells not feeling like the school that they have.

    I'm not too worried about Unstable Evolution making the card easy to upgrade. Some Spellstones are able to be upgraded to full power quite quickly themselves.

    MrRhapsody

    I like both of these cards.

    My biggest problem is that Riftmaster Tanya is quite blatantly just using Tamsin artwork. I do quite like the idea of Imps getting the Treant/Whelp treatment, so I do quite like the effect.

    Wailor
    I think Money Laundering is incredibly flavorful and I always like to see some good Coin Rogue support. That said, I think you can probably get away with it just upgrading based on how many Coins you played throughout the entire game. There's not that many ways to generate Coins, so it can't scale too quickly and it's a bit awkward to hold onto Coins for you to draw a Coin-specific synergy card when they could instead to used to make a stronger-than-normal play anyway.

    Hopebringer Yumna could be a little bit dangerous, but it's hard to scale too quickly since she needs to be in your hand for her effect to scale. Moonfang wasn't too much of a hassle, which leads me to believe that this won't be either.

    Anchorm4n

    I think this is good. It can potentially be quite powerful, but it requires a lot of work to scale it up really high. Namely, killings lots of minions with spells and playing Deathrattle minions you want to resurrect and then having them die. Hunter doesn't have that many ways to kill multiple minions with a single spell, so it can't scale that quickly and that's not even considering the fact that it needs to be in your hand to upgrade.

    Now that I type that out, it sounds like I'm a bit more negative on the card than I intended to (oops), but I like the card.

    Friendly Staff

  • The set of spellstones I made as a what if DH was around during K&C.

    Rush of course wasn't a thing back then and while this was during the period of time where Blizzard just stopped printing minions with Charge, when they did start using it again it was in DH (In fact upon fact checking 2/4 Charge minions printed after Frozen Throne were DH).

    Wish I had better art for these, might remove the fel tag since it doesn't have a green glow. Also I'd think it'd be cool if it had a little felwing trapped inside the amber in the pendant.

    Also might up the restriction

  • LazyKid
    Nice effect. Both the summon and upgrade criteria fit DH well and even go well together. There are a few things that could be improved. If your card summons a token, you should include it in the submission. And although finding three fitting images for spellstones is incredibly difficult, Hearthstone cards use art rather than photos. If you really can't find anything, it's still fine to use these (the third one could honestly pass for realistic art), but it will bring your rating down slightly.

    You're probably safe keeping it at 2 Mana, since it's an older expansion. But I definitely wouldn't up the restriction. With the first stage being a twice as expensive Stonetusk Boar, it shouldn't be too difficult for the player to upgrade it. Personally, I think it could work with 2 minions per upgrade, but of course that would depend entirely on what other theoretical cards DH would have available.

  • Less than five hours left to submit! Good luck to everyone :)

    Friendly

  • Alright, who's the guy that keeps submitting 0 cost stone spells? xD

  • Top card going into the finals, bottom card of the end results.

    Sigh.

    ...

    Anyway, congratulations to Mr. Rhapsody! You're really collecting those wins this Season :D

    Friendly

  • Congrats to Mr. Rhapsody! Very flavorful card, great work!