NEXUS FLAMINGO ☆ Exclusively For Custom Card Connoisseurs and Gnomes

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

Foaming Fiddler
4{U}
Creature - Crab (U)
Foaming Fiddler enters the battlefield with four bubble counters on it.
Foaming Fiddler has ward {X}, where X is the number of bubble counters on it.
Whenever Foaming Fiddler is dealt damage, remove that many bubble counters from it.
3/5
Clear the foam protecting its body first, to get a clear shot at its weak point for MASSIVE damage!


Praya Dubia, the Ocean's Agony
4{U}{U}{B}{B}
Legendary Creature - Jellyfish (M)
When Praya Dubia, the Ocean's Agony enters the battlefield, if it was cast, gain control of target creature as long as you control Praya Dubia. That creature gains the following abilities for as long as you control Praya Dubia.
Ward {3}, Pay 3 life.
This creature gets +1/+0 for each permanent card in your graveyard.
0/11


Elden Ring crossover:

Boiled Crab
{3}
Kindred Artifact - Crab Food (U)
{3}, {T}, Sacrifice Boiled Crab: You gain 3 life. Prevent the next 3 damage that would be dealt to you this turn.


IIW: Out-of-place animals via omenpaths.

[Volrath the Risen]

Unsure that I understand this challenge, maybe it's looking for this...

Oversized Handgun 3
Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature gets +10/-2 and, unless it's a Crab, gains defender.
Equip 4
"There's only one way to be SURE it's really dead."

IIW: Band names as card names

[Ulka]

well well well the turn tables have... um... turned...

@chetoos you should judge when you can =P

[chetoos]

I like to give them 2 full days. Tonight

[chetoos]

Oh Crab, I'm late for judging!

Scuttlerush
Creature - Crab (U)
As long as Scuttlerush's power is greater than its toughness, it can't be blocked.
: Scuttlerush gets +1/-1 until end of turn.
"Their strength lies not in armor, nor in speed, but in the freedom to choose either."
1/4

Vacant Carapace
Creature - Crab Skeleton (R)
When Vacant Carapace dies, you may put a permanent with mana value 1 from your hand onto the battlefield tapped.
: Return Vacant Carapace from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
2/2
In life, it housed a single crab. In death it might serve as a home to bloated rats, macabre faeries, or a very confused goblin.

Magma Crab
Creature - Elemental Crab (U)
Fathomless Descent - Whenever Magma Crab attacks, it deals damage to the player or permanent it's attacking equal to the number of permanent cards in your graveyard.
1/5

SPOILER

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Got a little carried away imagining a dwarf fortress set, came up with draft archetypes, figured I might as well share them.

Dwarf + Defender control
Craft / artifacts
Goblins + creature sacrifice
Descent aggro
Elves + land
Sagas
"Equipped dwarves you control"
Descent midrange / land sacrifice
Go-wide Dwarf aggro
Monstrous

IIW: Legendary instants/sorceries

Never played Dwarf Fortress, so I can't comment on that, but the first two cards are really interesting. I like getting the extra value from the carapace. I'm imagining an aristocrats deck, using this to put out Doomed Traveler or something, but the magma crab is way too strong for 3 mana. If you hard mill yourself, you could one shot someone with that.

Thanks for the well wishes. Grandma is doing okay and is home already. She had super high blood pressure which caused her to faint in the humidity. the fall didnt do much damage outside of bruising.


Crustabber 1U
Creature - Crab
When Crustabber enters the battlefield, if you cast it, you may pay 2. If you do, draft a card from Crustabber spellbook.
Equip abilities you activate that target Crustabber cost 2 less to activate.
" Once I saw a crab pick up a knife and I thought THAT was terrifying." - Teferi
1/3

Spellbook

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Crustabber's Spellbook

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

1 Sword of Body and Mind

1 Sword of Feast and Famine

1 Sword of Fire and Ice

1 Sword of Forge and Frontier

1 Sword of Hearth and Home

1 Sword of Light and Shadow

1 sword of Once and Future

1 sword of Sinew and Steel

1 Sword of Truth and Justice

1 Sword of War and Peace

1 Sword of Wealth and Power

Approximate Total Cost:

IIW: Draft from a spellbook


NOTE: About to be traveling so if selected please be patient or I might elect someone to judge in my absence if needed

Crab sword! I see you trying to play to the judge by including a digital only mechanic. I kind of wish that you included other equipment, not just the 11 swords.

Foaming Fiddler
4{U}
Creature - Crab (U)
Foaming Fiddler enters the battlefield with four bubble counters on it.
Foaming Fiddler has ward {X}, where X is the number of bubble counters on it.
Whenever Foaming Fiddler is dealt damage, remove that many bubble counters from it.
3/5
Clear the foam protecting its body first, to get a clear shot at its weak point for MASSIVE damage!


Praya Dubia, the Ocean's Agony
4{U}{U}{B}{B}
Legendary Creature - Jellyfish (M)
When Praya Dubia, the Ocean's Agony enters the battlefield, if it was cast, gain control of target creature as long as you control Praya Dubia. That creature gains the following abilities for as long as you control Praya Dubia.
Ward {3}, Pay 3 life.
This creature gets +1/+0 for each permanent card in your graveyard.
0/11


Elden Ring crossover:

Boiled Crab
{3}
Kindred Artifact - Crab Food (U)
{3}, {T}, Sacrifice Boiled Crab: You gain 3 life. Prevent the next 3 damage that would be dealt to you this turn.


IIW: Out-of-place animals via omenpaths.

SCREAM FOR ME!!!! But I like the designs here, Praya Dubia especially is really cool. I do think that she should get weaker each turn that she isn't controlling something ("put a -1/-1 counter at end step if you don't control a creature you don't own.") but I also see that it might be too wordy at that point.

Unsure that I understand this challenge, maybe it's looking for this...

Oversized Handgun 3
Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature gets +10/-2 and, unless it's a Crab, gains defender.
Equip 4
"There's only one way to be SURE it's really dead."

IIW: Band names as card names

This kills the crab.

I like all the entries too much to pick an Honorable mention
Winner: @EsperCormorant for scuttlerush
Next: legendary Instants/Sorceries

[chetoos]

Kiora's Nautical Heist 3UU
Legendary Sorcery
Gain control of target artifact or enchantment. If that permanent is legendary, scry X, where X is that permanent's mana value.
To this day, Thassa is still wary of her merfolk followers.

IIW: Rampant Speculation for Bloomburrow or Duskmorne

[Volrath the Risen]

Mishra Embraces Phyrexia 2B
Legendary Sorcery
Sacrifice any number of creatures. You may put that number of loyalty counters on up to one target planeswalker. Then, create a token artifact with that number of charge counters and "T: Add B for each charge counter on this artifact".

IIW: Magic today, if Mishra had won the Brothers' War

[EsperCormorant]

I'll probably judge around my noon tomorrow, so in 18 hours.

[void_nothing]

Garth's Masterful Casting 2GU
Legendary Instant (R)
Choose target nonland card in your graveyard. You may cast a card from your hand with the same name as that card without paying its mana cost. Then return the card in your graveyard to your hand and each opponent exiles the top X cards of their library, where X is that card's mana value.
Exile Garth's Masterful Casting.

IIW: non-planar deck Planechase cards or non-scheme deck Archenemy cards

[EsperCormorant]

Kiora's Nautical Heist 3UU
Legendary Sorcery
Gain control of target artifact or enchantment. If that permanent is legendary, scry X, where X is that permanent's mana value.
To this day, Thassa is still wary of her merfolk followers.

IIW: Rampant Speculation for Bloomburrow or Duskmorne

Great flavor, very iconic event to reference and a great bit of matching the mechanics to the flavor. I feel like scry is a very fitting mechanic for a Theros-set card. There's two awkward snarls: the first is the relatively high cost for a card this situational (I'd rather get control of a creature than an artifact or enchantment, which is available around five mana without the legendary restriction, though I suppose in the right set this gets better), and the second is the game's general dislike of scry values 5 and up. Just a bit of a weird realization of a strong concept.

Mishra Embraces Phyrexia 2B
Legendary Sorcery
Sacrifice any number of creatures. You may put that number of loyalty counters on up to one target planeswalker. Then, create a token artifact with that number of charge counters and "T: Add B for each charge counter on this artifact".

IIW: Magic today, if Mishra had won the Brothers' War

I don't get the planeswalker thing: does it symbolize Mishra empowering Yawgmoth? The permanent black mana ramp is almost presented as a sort of afterthought when it really isn't, and the fact that the token enters untapped means you can immediately follow up with, say, a boardwipe. It's a very under-the-radar card that will sometimes give you a permanent doubling of your mana base and a planeswalker ultimate on the same turn, and I don't know if I like that.

Garth's Masterful Casting 2GU
Legendary Instant (R)
Choose target nonland card in your graveyard. You may cast a card from your hand with the same name as that card without paying its mana cost. Then return the card in your graveyard to your hand and each opponent exiles the top X cards of their library, where X is that card's mana value.
Exile Garth's Masterful Casting.

IIW: non-planar deck Planechase cards or non-scheme deck Archenemy cards

Not holding a GU card for a WUBRG character against you: it's got precedent. A bit of a weird effect: I like the safety valve where you can only get a spell for free if one's already in your graveyard, but the restriction makes me wonder whether this'll be a dead draw too often. And why the not-quite-mill tacked on at the end? This card just doesn't come together for me, unfortunately.

Winner: @chetoos for Kiora's Nautical Heist.
Next: Rampant speculation for Bloomburrow or Duskmourne

[void_nothing]

The reason I made Garth a GU card is specifically he's the scion of the mage house of those colors in his original fiction!

[EsperCormorant]

The reason I made Garth a GU card is specifically he's the scion of the mage house of those colors in his original fiction!

I see! It didn't change the score much, as I said, but I appreciate the explanation!

------

Leyline of Mystery
Enchantment
If Leyline of Mystery is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield.
Whenever one or more creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, draw a card, then discard a card.
At the beginning of your end step, if you've drawn three or more cards this turn, untap all creatures you control.

Leyline of Fright
Enchantment
If Leyline of Fright is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield.
Whenever a permanent enters the battlefield with one or more counters on it, you may remove a counter from it.
Whenever the last counter is removed from a permanent you control, target opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.

Leyline of Desperation
Enchantment
If Leyline of Desperation is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may discard a card. If you do, exile the top card of your library. You may cast it this turn.
As long as you have one or fewer cards in your hand, creatures you control have menace and haste.

Leyline of Company
Enchantment
If Leyline of Company is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may have each player reveal the top card of their library. Each player who revealed a creature card this way puts it in their hand.
As long as you control four or more creatures with different names, creatures you control have Ward


And one for Bloomburrow because inspiration struck me:

Two-Tailed Timmy
Legendary Creature - Lizard Rogue (R)
Two-Tailed Timmy enters with a first strike counter on it if it was cast from your hand.
When Two-Tailed Timmy dies, return it to the battlefield under your control. If it didn't have a first strike counter on it, put a finality counter on it.
"Fool me once, I'll wriggle out. Fool me twice, same story. Three times, that's where it gets iffy."
3/1

IIW: A legendary creature based on a character who's only shown up in flavor text so far.

[Volrath the Risen]

Am already pretty hyped about Bloomburrow, so let's try to get into a Duskmourne frame of mind...

Diary of the Lost BB
Artifact - Clue
Whenever you sacrifice this artifact or another Clue, lose 2 life and create a 3/3 black Wraith creature token with menace. This ability triggers only once each turn.
2, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card

IIW: More survival horror tropes in Duskmourne

[lookingupanddown]

Winter Storage 2G
Artifact
Whenever one or more Squirrels enter the battlefield under your control, put an acorn counter on Winter Storage.
: Put an acorn counter on Winter Storage.
3, , Remove two acorn counters from Winter Storage: Choose one. If there are no counters left on Winter Storage, sacrifice it.
• You gain 3 life. Put a +1/+1 counter on target Squirrel you control.
• Search your library for a Forest card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.

Eternal Staircase 2UU
Enchantment - Aura Curse
Enchant player
Whenever a permanent enchanted player owns leaves the battlefield, put that card on top of its owner's library.
8: Shuffle enchanted player's graveyard into their library. Any player other than enchanted player may activate this ability.
They found him one floor down, muttering "It's the same stairs" while curled up in a ball.

IIW: animals not from the main ten types of Bloomburrow

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

The Very Thin Man
[Slenderman]
2{B}{B}{B}
Legendary Creature - Nightstalker Avatar (M)
Whenever an opponent draws a card, put a page counter on this creature, then if it has eight or more page counters on it, sacrifice it and draw a card for each page counter on it.
This creature gets +1/+1 for each page counter on it, has menace and "Ward -Pay 3 life, Discard a card" as long as it has three or more page counters on it, and can't be blocked as long as it has six or more page counters on it.
4/4


Polyhedron of Punishment
[Pyramid Head]
3{R}{W}{B}{B}
Legendary Creature - Nightmare Avatar (M)
Trample
Whenever a creature deals combat damage to this creature or you, destroy that creature.
At the beginning of end step, each opponent loses life equal to the life you lost by sources that player controls.
{B}{B}, Sacrifice another creature: This creature gains indestructible until end of turn. Tap it.
6/7


Creepypasta
3{U}{B}{R}
Enchantment - Saga (M)
[1] Target player exiles two cards from their hand.
[2] Exile target creature or planeswalker.
[3] Each opponent exiles the top five cards of their library. You may play cards exiled by this enchantment for as long as they remain exiled. If you cast a spell this way, you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast it.


IIW: Out-of-place animals via omenpaths.

[Ulka]

The Great Pondering U
Legendary Sorcery
Companion
Look at the top five cards of your library, then put them back in any order. You may shuffle.

Draw two cards.

IIW: non creature companions

[chetoos]

Is that mouse a hero mouse, or a spooky mouse? Let's dive in!

Leyline of Mystery
Enchantment
If Leyline of Mystery is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield.
Whenever one or more creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, draw a card, then discard a card.
At the beginning of your end step, if you've drawn three or more cards this turn, untap all creatures you control.

Leyline of Fright
Enchantment
If Leyline of Fright is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield.
Whenever a permanent enters the battlefield with one or more counters on it, you may remove a counter from it.
Whenever the last counter is removed from a permanent you control, target opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.

Leyline of Desperation
Enchantment
If Leyline of Desperation is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may discard a card. If you do, exile the top card of your library. You may cast it this turn.
As long as you have one or fewer cards in your hand, creatures you control have menace and haste.

Leyline of Company
Enchantment
If Leyline of Company is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may have each player reveal the top card of their library. Each player who revealed a creature card this way puts it in their hand.
As long as you control four or more creatures with different names, creatures you control have Ward


And one for Bloomburrow because inspiration struck me:

Two-Tailed Timmy
Legendary Creature - Lizard Rogue (R)
Two-Tailed Timmy enters with a first strike counter on it if it was cast from your hand.
When Two-Tailed Timmy dies, return it to the battlefield under your control. If it didn't have a first strike counter on it, put a finality counter on it.
"Fool me once, I'll wriggle out. Fool me twice, same story. Three times, that's where it gets iffy."
3/1

IIW: A legendary creature based on a character who's only shown up in flavor text so far.

Some more leylines to complete a potential cycle, I like it! I really like building on the "do a thing, get a bonus" that the already spoiled leyline contributes to. I do think that the blue and green leylines could have their card advantage improved slightly (looting on a potentially 4 mana enchantment feels weak, considering Coastal Piracy), but solid designs. Two-tailed timmy is also a fun story on a card.

Am already pretty hyped about Bloomburrow, so let's try to get into a Duskmourne frame of mind...

Diary of the Lost BB
Artifact - Clue
Whenever you sacrifice this artifact or another Clue, lose 2 life and create a 3/3 black Wraith creature token with menace. This ability triggers only once each turn.
2, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card

IIW: More survival horror tropes in Duskmourne

Only a minor note that the trigger should be "Whenever you sacrifice one or more clues", but it certainly fits into the horror tropes that we're working with here.

Winter Storage 2G
Artifact
Whenever one or more Squirrels enter the battlefield under your control, put an acorn counter on Winter Storage.
: Put an acorn counter on Winter Storage.
3, , Remove two acorn counters from Winter Storage: Choose one. If there are no counters left on Winter Storage, sacrifice it.
• You gain 3 life. Put a +1/+1 counter on target Squirrel you control.
• Search your library for a Forest card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.

Eternal Staircase 2UU
Enchantment - Aura Curse
Enchant player
Whenever a permanent enchanted player owns leaves the battlefield, put that card on top of its owner's library.
8: Shuffle enchanted player's graveyard into their library. Any player other than enchanted player may activate this ability.
They found him one floor down, muttering "It's the same stairs" while curled up in a ball.

IIW: animals not from the main ten types of Bloomburrow

Squirrel Typal is eating good tonight... or maybe not. I guess that's the decision you need to make here. The staircase is really good. Do we know if Delirium is back in this set? Because if so, we could have that activated ability cost X less where X is the number of card types among cards in their graveyard.

The Very Thin Man
[Slenderman]
2{B}{B}{B}
Legendary Creature - Nightstalker Avatar (M)
Whenever an opponent draws a card, put a page counter on this creature, then if it has eight or more page counters on it, sacrifice it and draw a card for each page counter on it.
This creature gets +1/+1 for each page counter on it, has menace and "Ward -Pay 3 life, Discard a card" as long as it has three or more page counters on it, and can't be blocked as long as it has six or more page counters on it.
4/4


Polyhedron of Punishment
[Pyramid Head]
3{R}{W}{B}{B}
Legendary Creature - Nightmare Avatar (M)
Trample
Whenever a creature deals combat damage to this creature or you, destroy that creature.
At the beginning of end step, each opponent loses life equal to the life you lost by sources that player controls.
{B}{B}, Sacrifice another creature: This creature gains indestructible until end of turn. Tap it.
6/7


Creepypasta
3{U}{B}{R}
Enchantment - Saga (M)
[1] Target player exiles two cards from their hand.
[2] Exile target creature or planeswalker.
[3] Each opponent exiles the top five cards of their library. You may play cards exiled by this enchantment for as long as they remain exiled. If you cast a spell this way, you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast it.


IIW: Out-of-place animals via omenpaths.

All good designs, but Pyramid head is missing word on the end step trigger (each? Yours?), and "this turn" at the end. Otherwise, good designs all around. Pyramid head especially definitely feels like it's from Silent Hill 2

The Great Pondering U
Legendary Sorcery
Companion
Look at the top five cards of your library, then put them back in any order. You may shuffle.

Draw two cards.

IIW: non creature companions

No idea which set this is from, but it's interesting. It's a way better ponder, but it needs you to have a legend out... Maybe cut it down to just draw 1 card, since you already have so much card selection in there.

HM: Volrath the Risen
Winner: @lookingupanddown
Next: animals not from the main ten types of Bloomburrow

[Sporegorger_Dragon]

Pyramid head is missing word on the end step trigger (each? Yours?), and "this turn" at the end.

HNrrgggh, yes, it's meant to say "At the beginning of each end step, each opponent loses life equal to the life you lost this turn by sources that player controls.

[chetoos]

spoilers for Another Crab's Treasure

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Camtscha, the bleached king

3WB
Legendary Creature - Crab Noble
Undying
As long as This creature doesn't have a +1/+1 counter on it, it has wither.
Bleached - Your opponents can't activate abilities of creatures they control with -1/-1 counters on them.
"Death cannot reach Us with its foul claws... We have locked it far away..."
2/6

I'd love to have a philosophical debate about Kril's color identity later, but this design at least is boros.
Kril, wayward hermit 1WR
Legendary Creature - Crab Warrior
Equipment attached to Kril has Umbra Armor
Kril gets +0/+x, where X is the greatest mana value among equipment attached to Kril.
Shell swap - Unequip an equipment with mana value X attached to Kril: Equip target equipment with mana value less than or equal to 1 + X to Kril.
2/2

Can you tell I really like Another Crab's Treasure?

Grovekeeper Topoda 3GU
Legendary Creature - Shrimp Druid
Mantis Punch - 2g, : Grovekeeper Topoda deals damage equal to its power to another target creature.
Umami Training - Once during each of your turns, you may cast a non-creature spell from your graveyard. A spell cast this way gains convoke, and mana cannot be spent to cast that spell.
"May your corpse nourish the kelp."
4/4

IIW: Mounts or Impending

[EsperCormorant]

Five creatures, five mana values, five colors, five different typelines.

Teddy Scare
Artifact Creature - Bear Toy (U)
When Teddy Scare enters the battlefield, you may have target Toy creature you control fight target creature you don't control.
2/2

Frostfleece Ram
Snow Creature - Sheep (C)
Backup 1
Prevent all damage that would be dealt to this creature by snow sources.
"Even as the blizzards hit, they just keep calmly grazing. Makes you wonder whether they even feel the cold."
-Gar Kalerson, Balduvian Shepherd
3/3

Enormous Gastropod
Creature - Snail (C)
Ward
Whenever Enormous Gastropod attacks, exile it. Return it to the battlefield tapped and attacking under its owner's control at the beginning of the next combat step.
"It's coming straight at us! We're doomed! ...in three to five hours."
6/8

Pharika's Leeches
Enchantment Creature - Leech (U)
Bestow
Enchanted creature gets -1/-1 and has lifelink.
Lifelink
Blessing and curse, medicine and poison, parasite and ally.
1/1

The Simian Trio
Legendary Creature - Monkey (R)
Whenever The Simian Trio enters the battlefield or attacks, choose one —
• See no evil — Target creature can't block this turn
• Hear no evil — Destroy target artifact with mana value 3 or less
• Speak no evil — Spells you cast this turn can't be countered
3/3

IIW: Take a counter that's only appeared on a single card so far and make a second card for it

[Volrath the Risen]

Catdog 1RW
Legendary Creature - Cat Dog
This creature has +4/-4 while tapped.
This creature can block while tapped.
1/5
"Alone in the world, a little cat dog."

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing 2B
Creature - Wolf
When this creature enters, create an equipment artifact token named Sheep's Clothing and attach it to this creature. That token has "Equipped creature is a white Sheep with base power 1 and has skulk" and "1U: Attach this equipment to target creature".
4/2

IIW: Creatures whose subtypes are also their name