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CardName: Challenge # 052 Cost: Type: Challenge Pow/Tgh: / Rules Text: Design an apparently innocuous card that has the potential to be format warping or broken. Flavour Text: Set/Rarity: Multiverse Design Challenge None

Challenge # 052
 
Challenge
Design an apparently innocuous card that has the potential to be format warping or broken.
Created on 29 Aug 2012 by Jack V

History: [-]

2012-08-29 10:16:59: Jack V created the card Challenge # 052

You are Evil Mark Rosewater. Mark Rosewater is ill one day and you sneak into the office with the aim of creating as much chaos as possible. You can probably sneak one new card into the file without anyone noticing.

It should appear as innocuous as possible, but potentially warp at least one format. Bonus points for:

  • Being common or uncommon
  • Warping multiple formats (limited, standard, legacy, edh, etc) or a format no-one expected
  • Looking well-designed, unassuming, fun or well-designed.

You can make some assumptions about what else is in the format, eg. "powerful equipment" or "good mana fixing" etc, or design for a recent standard environment. You can propose an extra card for it to combo with if both are simple.

It's up to you what's broken, whether that's "immediately bannable" or "annoyingly repetitive". Umezawa's Jitte (ridiculously too good). Artifact lands (a good idea, but revealed the brokenness of the rest of affinity). Stoneforge + Batterskull or Swords + Squadron Hawk (each reasonably at the top end, but too good together).

I'm starting with Evolutionary Branch. I'm not sure how innocuous it looks. It could, in theory, be an uncommon... but really, it's in rare territory.

I nominate Porcelain Legionnaire. Massively warping in any environment with a ground-stall, equipment, pump spells or deathtouch enablers. It's just soooo cheap!

Uh, yeah. I'll have a real think about this later.

I find it interesting that people have been nominating Cathars' Crusade for this in the real world. The typical line is "It'll see no tournament play, but it'll be crushingly good around kitchen tables for ever".

I made Growthtalker, but I don't really know that it fits this challenge. This is a hard challenge for me, because I'm not that strong of a player, and I don't necessarily understand all the formats as well as a designer should.

Added Wolf Call, cause I felt this challenge could use a bit more loving. There sure are a lot of ways to exploit this game... ;)

Created Warcaller, imagining it had been printed two years ago. Will consider some more possibilities soon.

The more I think about this challenge, the more I enjoy it. So thank you Jack. I've added Make Your Own Luck and Reckless Ninjitsu for general mollification.

I tried again with Farcaster as a sort of tweak on Conjurer's Closet.

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