That's a wrap on this round's submissions! Stay tuned for judging results at the end of the month!
Contest May 2019 CaC: Coin Flips! (Results Up!)
- Thread starter Jabberwock
- Start date
Is there any chance of a June CaC? I know you've been overworked, so does that mean the system is going to be one month for making the cards, followed by a month for judging, with 6 CaCs a year?
Yep, CaCs have been run bimonthly since about the beginning of this year. It's just not feasible anymore (and honestly, it never really was in the first place) for us to judge a full set of entries every month in the few days between one contest's end and another's beginning. This system makes it much easier for our limited judging staff to keep up with the contests.
I feel like part of what draws people to CaC (at least for me) is the theme that it has each month. I think the current system of doing CaC is fine, overworking the judges isn't fun. However, I think some sort of "challenge" or something could be posed each month. Say something that isnt a normal CaC theme (like only ___ type, only evolved pokemon, only legendaries, etc.) like maybe.. the card must be built for mill, but has to also have a significant downside that interferes with mill, like giving back the opponent resources or having them take a prize easier or something. I think more challenging themes on the judging months would be really cool to just get people to really think about what the card would do. However, these months wouldn't be judged, and would instead just possibly be threads where you can make or look at cards that fit a certain theme that is a little different from regular CaC themes.
That sounds like a good idea. We could revive the old faking discussion thread and use it to host that sort of thing. What do y'all think? ^.^
Yeah, that sounds fun. I would enjoy making a card for stall and I like seeing other people's posts!
Ooh, that sounds cool
For those wondering, the Fakers' Marathon is this thing we did once [old thread here] that aimed to create as many fake cards as possible in a brief period of time. It required relatively little oversight from judges, which makes it a perfect thing to run in this scenario. The goal could be to generate a bunch of cards for bb's LackeyCCG project.
These are all great ideas, y'all. We'll definitely implement something for the next off-month in August.
Text-Based Results
Judges: @NinjaPenguin and @Jabberwock
Judge’s Note: NinjaPenguin
I was the judge for Creativity and Believability this month, and I really enjoyed all the entries! This theme seemed to really allow your full creativity to shine through, as everyone had their own interesting way of either reinventing coin flips or using them as a nice method to balance an otherwise too powerful effect. For the most part, this method of balancing succeeded, as most cards this month were pretty nicely balanced too! I don’t really have any overarching notes this month since there were no mistakes I saw consistently, but if you have any questions about your judging or want any advice for future cards, feel free as always to shoot me a PM.
Judge’s Note: Jabberwock
I took Wording for text-based this month to take a bit of the load off NP, so if you have any questions about that part of the score, direct ‘em to me. ^.^
Some neat entries this month; I liked what I saw with the effects. Judging text-based is always interesting bc often creativity really shines through when all the aesthetics of an image-based card are removed. A lot of the wording mistakes were easily fixable, though -- make sure to proof-read your entry before submitting it!
@FourteenAlmonds
@Vom
@DoubleAACE
@Lord Goomy
@Nyora
@ScrawnyMeowth1
@The Last Shaymin
@SneaselGenesis
@NaganadelIsBeast
@X21_Eagle_X21
@Gabs Kazumi
3rd Place: ScrawnyMeowth1’s Meowth, with 42/50 points.
2nd Place: Gabs Kazumi’s Bisharp, with 43/50 points.
1st Place: Nyora’s Charjabug & Shedinja GX, with 46/50 points.
Judges: @NinjaPenguin and @Jabberwock
Judge’s Note: NinjaPenguin
I was the judge for Creativity and Believability this month, and I really enjoyed all the entries! This theme seemed to really allow your full creativity to shine through, as everyone had their own interesting way of either reinventing coin flips or using them as a nice method to balance an otherwise too powerful effect. For the most part, this method of balancing succeeded, as most cards this month were pretty nicely balanced too! I don’t really have any overarching notes this month since there were no mistakes I saw consistently, but if you have any questions about your judging or want any advice for future cards, feel free as always to shoot me a PM.
Judge’s Note: Jabberwock
I took Wording for text-based this month to take a bit of the load off NP, so if you have any questions about that part of the score, direct ‘em to me. ^.^
Some neat entries this month; I liked what I saw with the effects. Judging text-based is always interesting bc often creativity really shines through when all the aesthetics of an image-based card are removed. A lot of the wording mistakes were easily fixable, though -- make sure to proof-read your entry before submitting it!
@FourteenAlmonds
Creativity: 16/20
Every effect here is surprisingly unique. I really enjoy how Random Generator has an actual consequence if you fail the first flip and Random Discharge GX KOing you for failing both of them follows this theme nicely. Random Spark despite seemingly relatively normal, has also never exactly been seen before. My one critique is that the one thing that makes the effects really interesting (these penalties for flipping tails) is just repeated throughout all of them, which takes away from the really cool ideas you created.
Wording: 12/15
- Need a full stop at the end of each of those GX attack options. [-1 point]
- “Coins” shouldn’t be capitalized. [-0.5 point]
- “200 damage to 1 of your opponent’s Pokémon”, not “to one” of them. [-1 point]
- “attaches” -> “attached” [-0.5 point]
Believability: 12/15
Balance-wise, this card is fine. Random Spark is strong but also random and your opponent can simply play around it. Random Discharge GX feels a bit weird, since I have no idea why anybody would ever use the attack and then opt for paralysis over the 200 damage snipe, which makes the choice feel totally irrelevant but I guess there are niche endgame situations when you’d risk getting automatically KO’d for paralysis maybe. The one big thing is that Random Spark’s self-paralysis doesn’t actually have the effect you intended. Instead of hurting you, Pachirisu would just get automatically cured as the turn ends which means in effect it does absolutely nothing.
Final Score: 40/50
Every effect here is surprisingly unique. I really enjoy how Random Generator has an actual consequence if you fail the first flip and Random Discharge GX KOing you for failing both of them follows this theme nicely. Random Spark despite seemingly relatively normal, has also never exactly been seen before. My one critique is that the one thing that makes the effects really interesting (these penalties for flipping tails) is just repeated throughout all of them, which takes away from the really cool ideas you created.
Wording: 12/15
- Need a full stop at the end of each of those GX attack options. [-1 point]
- “Coins” shouldn’t be capitalized. [-0.5 point]
- “200 damage to 1 of your opponent’s Pokémon”, not “to one” of them. [-1 point]
- “attaches” -> “attached” [-0.5 point]
Believability: 12/15
Balance-wise, this card is fine. Random Spark is strong but also random and your opponent can simply play around it. Random Discharge GX feels a bit weird, since I have no idea why anybody would ever use the attack and then opt for paralysis over the 200 damage snipe, which makes the choice feel totally irrelevant but I guess there are niche endgame situations when you’d risk getting automatically KO’d for paralysis maybe. The one big thing is that Random Spark’s self-paralysis doesn’t actually have the effect you intended. Instead of hurting you, Pachirisu would just get automatically cured as the turn ends which means in effect it does absolutely nothing.
Final Score: 40/50
@Vom
Creativity: 14/20
Compared to your normal cards, Vom, this feels a bit uninspired. Backbreaker and Hellfire are both effects that have been seen in basically that exact state before (Backbreaker having the coin flip is technically new but not very interesting). I really enjoy Nighthowler GX and how it feels like almost an opposite version of Lucario & Melmetal GX’s Full Metal Wall with a focus on synergy rather than disruption, but the other two effects drag the card down a lot.
Wording: 12/15
- “your opponent’s Active Pokémon is now Paralyzed” -> “that Pokémon is now Paralyzed” [-1 point]
- The types in the GX attack should be listed in order; i.e. “[R] and [D]”. [-1 point]
- Adding damage to an attack always comes before Weakness, not after. If you intended it to be after for balancing reasons, you’d have to word it differently, as the clauses in italics are reminder text about some rule or another of the game itself. Breaking those rules requires non-italic text, as in cards like Espeon PLF. [-1 point]
Believability: 15/15
Everything here seems balanced well enough. Nighthowler-GX is pretty powerful, but spreading energies around tied to luck on a card that gives up three prizes isn’t going to have too busted an effect. Perhaps it could be a bit powerful when combined with a card like Sceptile CES, but even then you’d be (probably) sacrificing a three prize setup Pokémon for a Stage 2 deck to function which seems pretty clunky so I doubt it.
Final Score: 41/50
Compared to your normal cards, Vom, this feels a bit uninspired. Backbreaker and Hellfire are both effects that have been seen in basically that exact state before (Backbreaker having the coin flip is technically new but not very interesting). I really enjoy Nighthowler GX and how it feels like almost an opposite version of Lucario & Melmetal GX’s Full Metal Wall with a focus on synergy rather than disruption, but the other two effects drag the card down a lot.
Wording: 12/15
- “your opponent’s Active Pokémon is now Paralyzed” -> “that Pokémon is now Paralyzed” [-1 point]
- The types in the GX attack should be listed in order; i.e. “[R] and [D]”. [-1 point]
- Adding damage to an attack always comes before Weakness, not after. If you intended it to be after for balancing reasons, you’d have to word it differently, as the clauses in italics are reminder text about some rule or another of the game itself. Breaking those rules requires non-italic text, as in cards like Espeon PLF. [-1 point]
Believability: 15/15
Everything here seems balanced well enough. Nighthowler-GX is pretty powerful, but spreading energies around tied to luck on a card that gives up three prizes isn’t going to have too busted an effect. Perhaps it could be a bit powerful when combined with a card like Sceptile CES, but even then you’d be (probably) sacrificing a three prize setup Pokémon for a Stage 2 deck to function which seems pretty clunky so I doubt it.
Final Score: 41/50
@DoubleAACE
Creativity: 17/20
I absolutely love Gravity Assist as an effect. Sacrificing your Pokémon to the Lost Zone for damage and draw power is something totally unlike anything seen before, let alone adding the twist of that power being dependent on the Retreat Cost of the Pokémon sacrificed. Utter Chaos has some interesting effects (I especially like the idea of swapping prize cards with your opponent’s hand), but it just feels a bit convoluted to me.
Wording: 10/15
- “you hand” -> “your hand” [-0.5 point]
- Delibird TR and Slowbro UNB indicate that “if none of them are heads” should instead be “if all of them are tails”, and likely at the end of the list. [-2 points]
- Reference Pachirisu PHF, not Espurr BUS -- you’ll want the “the amount of Weakness” clause not to be italicized in this era. It should also be its own sentence, with its own full stop and a capital first letter. [-1 point]
- Need a full stop inside of each of the “(Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon)” clauses. [-1 point]
- There’s a stray “the” in the last sentence of the attack. [-0.5 point]
Believability: 10/15
With Double Dragon Energy in the format, Gravity Assist feels way too powerful, since you can discard some four Retreat Cost Pokémon you include in your deck and suddenly do 80 damage and draw four cards for only a single attachment. Utter Chaos can’t really get too broken, even with a Trick Coin, if your opponent knows how to play around it, so it should be fine. I don’t really mind the length of Utter Chaos itself since this is text and so it’s not like other mediums, but the fact that the effect has so many unnecessary permutations and it feels so arbitrary to end it at 8 heads flips means that I couldn’t see it possibly being printed.
Final Score: 37/50
I absolutely love Gravity Assist as an effect. Sacrificing your Pokémon to the Lost Zone for damage and draw power is something totally unlike anything seen before, let alone adding the twist of that power being dependent on the Retreat Cost of the Pokémon sacrificed. Utter Chaos has some interesting effects (I especially like the idea of swapping prize cards with your opponent’s hand), but it just feels a bit convoluted to me.
Wording: 10/15
- “you hand” -> “your hand” [-0.5 point]
- Delibird TR and Slowbro UNB indicate that “if none of them are heads” should instead be “if all of them are tails”, and likely at the end of the list. [-2 points]
- Reference Pachirisu PHF, not Espurr BUS -- you’ll want the “the amount of Weakness” clause not to be italicized in this era. It should also be its own sentence, with its own full stop and a capital first letter. [-1 point]
- Need a full stop inside of each of the “(Don’t apply Weakness and Resistance for Benched Pokémon)” clauses. [-1 point]
- There’s a stray “the” in the last sentence of the attack. [-0.5 point]
Believability: 10/15
With Double Dragon Energy in the format, Gravity Assist feels way too powerful, since you can discard some four Retreat Cost Pokémon you include in your deck and suddenly do 80 damage and draw four cards for only a single attachment. Utter Chaos can’t really get too broken, even with a Trick Coin, if your opponent knows how to play around it, so it should be fine. I don’t really mind the length of Utter Chaos itself since this is text and so it’s not like other mediums, but the fact that the effect has so many unnecessary permutations and it feels so arbitrary to end it at 8 heads flips means that I couldn’t see it possibly being printed.
Final Score: 37/50
@Lord Goomy
Creativity: 10/20
BOOST? is an amazing effect. I think it’s incredibly clever to add an effect that if it fails, gives you another shot at it next time by bringing Unown back on the bench and I can immediately see how it might be used competitively. That being said, Hidden Power is just a boring vanilla effect. I get that it’s an Unown and that’s typical for them, but I still would rather see literally any effect instead of something purely vanilla and it costs you a lot here.
Wording: 11/15
- Missing a “Then, shuffle your deck” clause. [-2 points]
- “at the start of your next turn, before you draw a card” should be “before you draw a card at the beginning of your next turn”, as per Luvdisc FLF and Dialga LV.X. [-2 points]
Believability: 14/15
The fact that BOOST? requires you to KO Unown and isn’t even guaranteed to attach the energies makes it feel like a less powerful version of those Electrode cards you see that do a similar effect. The fact that it’s a one-prize basic that can restore itself if you fail, however, makes me feel like it’s just a bit over the power level.
Final Score: 35/50
BOOST? is an amazing effect. I think it’s incredibly clever to add an effect that if it fails, gives you another shot at it next time by bringing Unown back on the bench and I can immediately see how it might be used competitively. That being said, Hidden Power is just a boring vanilla effect. I get that it’s an Unown and that’s typical for them, but I still would rather see literally any effect instead of something purely vanilla and it costs you a lot here.
Wording: 11/15
- Missing a “Then, shuffle your deck” clause. [-2 points]
- “at the start of your next turn, before you draw a card” should be “before you draw a card at the beginning of your next turn”, as per Luvdisc FLF and Dialga LV.X. [-2 points]
Believability: 14/15
The fact that BOOST? requires you to KO Unown and isn’t even guaranteed to attach the energies makes it feel like a less powerful version of those Electrode cards you see that do a similar effect. The fact that it’s a one-prize basic that can restore itself if you fail, however, makes me feel like it’s just a bit over the power level.
Final Score: 35/50
@Nyora
Creativity: 20/20
Shocking Souls is a really nice way to incorporate a “take an extra prize” effect that’s never been seen before and adds an interesting element by allowing your opponent to try to find a way around it. Lifespark GX is also really well built, as both the initial effect can take a prize for you and the four extra energy effect can turn it into a behemoth, two incredibly interesting methods of furthering your win condition. Amazing job!
Wording: 14/15
- Lifespark’s wording is pretty clunky, but I do think you’ve found a pretty good way to word it. The only thing I’d definitely change about it is “the Pokémon attached to this Pokémon” -> “that Pokémon”, especially because with the current wording you’d technically be adding, for example, 40 more HP if Charjabug & Shedinja GX already had a Shedinja LOT attached to it. [-1 point]
Believability: 12/15
The only way to use Lifespark GX consistently, as far as I know, is to rely on some combo with Mr. Mime DEP and Mallow or Magcargo CES, which is actually more feasible than it might sound. The power level there is concerning, even given the balance of 5 Energy to use it, because then the Pokémon you attach to it can’t even be removed in any way short of something like Pidgeot TEU’s Spin Storm attack. Shocking Souls is balanced enough considering the fact that Charjabug & Shedinja without anything attached is a frail three prize Pokémon at only 200 HP. That being said, there has been no TAG TEAM with less than 240 HP, which makes the amount of HP on this card feel incredibly low even considering the Pokémon in it.
Final Score: 46/50
Shocking Souls is a really nice way to incorporate a “take an extra prize” effect that’s never been seen before and adds an interesting element by allowing your opponent to try to find a way around it. Lifespark GX is also really well built, as both the initial effect can take a prize for you and the four extra energy effect can turn it into a behemoth, two incredibly interesting methods of furthering your win condition. Amazing job!
Wording: 14/15
- Lifespark’s wording is pretty clunky, but I do think you’ve found a pretty good way to word it. The only thing I’d definitely change about it is “the Pokémon attached to this Pokémon” -> “that Pokémon”, especially because with the current wording you’d technically be adding, for example, 40 more HP if Charjabug & Shedinja GX already had a Shedinja LOT attached to it. [-1 point]
Believability: 12/15
The only way to use Lifespark GX consistently, as far as I know, is to rely on some combo with Mr. Mime DEP and Mallow or Magcargo CES, which is actually more feasible than it might sound. The power level there is concerning, even given the balance of 5 Energy to use it, because then the Pokémon you attach to it can’t even be removed in any way short of something like Pidgeot TEU’s Spin Storm attack. Shocking Souls is balanced enough considering the fact that Charjabug & Shedinja without anything attached is a frail three prize Pokémon at only 200 HP. That being said, there has been no TAG TEAM with less than 240 HP, which makes the amount of HP on this card feel incredibly low even considering the Pokémon in it.
Final Score: 46/50
@ScrawnyMeowth1
Creativity: 14/20
You’ve provided some nice and clever tweaks on typical effects here, Meowth. By making Playful rely on two flips and adding a variety of methods of drawing (including the rarely seen method of drawing from the bottom of the deck) to Lucky Charm, you’ve turned a typical filler card into one with its own small but unique twists to it. That being said, both of the effects are still combinations of effects which have been seen before, which hurts your score a good deal here.
Wording: 15/15
- Wording looks on point. There’s some weird conflict between Cyndaquil LOT (the most recent card to feature an attack like Playful) and the cards before it. Cyndaquil says “that attack doesn’t happen”, rather than “that attack does nothing”. Since this is just a one-off example, and relatively recent so we don’t know yet whether it was an error or the new norm, I’ll let this one slide. [-0 points]
Believability: 13/15
I know it’s a Meowth, but it seems slightly underpowered even still. Playful’s secondary effect is almost inconsequential because it can be played around so easily, and even if your opponent doesn’t bother they still have a 75% chance of their attack working. Lucky Charm is okay, but you don’t really want to have to use two Energy for what will usually just get you one random card.
Final Score: 42/50
You’ve provided some nice and clever tweaks on typical effects here, Meowth. By making Playful rely on two flips and adding a variety of methods of drawing (including the rarely seen method of drawing from the bottom of the deck) to Lucky Charm, you’ve turned a typical filler card into one with its own small but unique twists to it. That being said, both of the effects are still combinations of effects which have been seen before, which hurts your score a good deal here.
Wording: 15/15
- Wording looks on point. There’s some weird conflict between Cyndaquil LOT (the most recent card to feature an attack like Playful) and the cards before it. Cyndaquil says “that attack doesn’t happen”, rather than “that attack does nothing”. Since this is just a one-off example, and relatively recent so we don’t know yet whether it was an error or the new norm, I’ll let this one slide. [-0 points]
Believability: 13/15
I know it’s a Meowth, but it seems slightly underpowered even still. Playful’s secondary effect is almost inconsequential because it can be played around so easily, and even if your opponent doesn’t bother they still have a 75% chance of their attack working. Lucky Charm is okay, but you don’t really want to have to use two Energy for what will usually just get you one random card.
Final Score: 42/50
@The Last Shaymin
Creativity: 17/20
I really like what you’ve done with the synergy here, TLS! Guzzle feels like a way to make Guzzlord GX’s Eat Sloppily attack more powerful but also add an element of risk in that you take damage after failing. Tyrannical Trick being used then catapults the attack into something much more exciting, where a tails flip can dramatically mill your deck and hurt you but yet can also be much more potent since you get 10 cards worth of energy to attach. It’s a really interesting way to balance risk and reward and helping or harming your game state.
Wording: 9.5/15
- Missing the “(before your attack)” clause in the Ability. [-2 points]
- The wording for the first bit of the attack feels needlessly clunky and you could probably combine a couple of those clauses into one, but there’s not really a good reference, so that slides. However, you do need a comma between “flip tails” and “and you have”, as per cards like Alolan Muk GX with lists of 3 or more items. [-0.5 point]
- The last part of the attack should read “... you may discard 10 cards instead of 5 cards. If any of those cards are Energy cards, attach them to your Pokémon in any way you like”, both to mirror the wording of the Ability and because “you find there” is only used for effects that begin with “Look at …” or “Reveal …”, not “Discard …”. [-3 points]
Believability: 12/15
Tyrannical Trick’s effect takes too much setup to ever be busted and Guzzle is probably more likely to mill yourself to death than be game winning, especially when it takes a coin flip for it to even work. I’m still a bit worried about it, however, simply because you can use four of those abilities in a turn, which might be enough to very rapidly power up some attacker in a way that ends up being broken like Archie’s Blastoise was back in the day. -2 points for missing Ultra Beast classification and Dex Stats.
Final Score: 38.5/50
I really like what you’ve done with the synergy here, TLS! Guzzle feels like a way to make Guzzlord GX’s Eat Sloppily attack more powerful but also add an element of risk in that you take damage after failing. Tyrannical Trick being used then catapults the attack into something much more exciting, where a tails flip can dramatically mill your deck and hurt you but yet can also be much more potent since you get 10 cards worth of energy to attach. It’s a really interesting way to balance risk and reward and helping or harming your game state.
Wording: 9.5/15
- Missing the “(before your attack)” clause in the Ability. [-2 points]
- The wording for the first bit of the attack feels needlessly clunky and you could probably combine a couple of those clauses into one, but there’s not really a good reference, so that slides. However, you do need a comma between “flip tails” and “and you have”, as per cards like Alolan Muk GX with lists of 3 or more items. [-0.5 point]
- The last part of the attack should read “... you may discard 10 cards instead of 5 cards. If any of those cards are Energy cards, attach them to your Pokémon in any way you like”, both to mirror the wording of the Ability and because “you find there” is only used for effects that begin with “Look at …” or “Reveal …”, not “Discard …”. [-3 points]
Believability: 12/15
Tyrannical Trick’s effect takes too much setup to ever be busted and Guzzle is probably more likely to mill yourself to death than be game winning, especially when it takes a coin flip for it to even work. I’m still a bit worried about it, however, simply because you can use four of those abilities in a turn, which might be enough to very rapidly power up some attacker in a way that ends up being broken like Archie’s Blastoise was back in the day. -2 points for missing Ultra Beast classification and Dex Stats.
Final Score: 38.5/50
@SneaselGenesis
Creativity: 19/20
I’m in love with how this card manages to synergize with the Togekiss of this era! You already mentioned how Jubilation is like a Flower Shop Lady but perfectly built to capitalize on Togekiss GE by putting those cards on top of the deck, and Hustle is just as elegant of an effect which takes an ability from the game and perfectly translates it to the TCG. Not only does it work with Togekiss GE in the way that you said, I noticed it also works quite interestingly with Togekiss UD, which already has a flip which if tails means the attack does nothing. Nice work!
Wording: 7/15
- LV.X isn’t actually part of the Pokémon’s name; it’s only ever used in attack text to distinguish it from the previous Level. So, for example, your usage of “Togekiss LV.X” in the Poké-Power is fine, but in the Poké-Body it should just be “Togekiss”. [-1 point]
- Poké-Body should read “If heads, each of Togekiss’s attacks does 50 more damage to the Active Pokémon”, as per Probopass AR. [-2 points]
- Italicize “(before applying Weakness and Resistance)” and “(before your attack)”. [-2 points]
- In the DPPt era, when you put something from your discard pile anywhere, you actually search your discard pile for it. So the power would look more like “For each heads, search your discard pile for a Pokémon or a basic Energy card, show it to your opponent, and put it on top of your deck.” [-2 points]
Believability: 13/15
With an average damage of just over 50 for three energy, Togekiss GE’s attack feels well balanced with Hustle. Jubilation worries me a good deal, since you can potentially use it, get five (on average) energies, and then immediately use Togekiss GE’s Serene Grace to just attach them all in a turn since they’re still on top of the deck. Given how widely played Togekiss already was (Skittles, Magmortar, etc), that could create a combo which was way too strong for that era.
Final Score: 40/50
I’m in love with how this card manages to synergize with the Togekiss of this era! You already mentioned how Jubilation is like a Flower Shop Lady but perfectly built to capitalize on Togekiss GE by putting those cards on top of the deck, and Hustle is just as elegant of an effect which takes an ability from the game and perfectly translates it to the TCG. Not only does it work with Togekiss GE in the way that you said, I noticed it also works quite interestingly with Togekiss UD, which already has a flip which if tails means the attack does nothing. Nice work!
Wording: 7/15
- LV.X isn’t actually part of the Pokémon’s name; it’s only ever used in attack text to distinguish it from the previous Level. So, for example, your usage of “Togekiss LV.X” in the Poké-Power is fine, but in the Poké-Body it should just be “Togekiss”. [-1 point]
- Poké-Body should read “If heads, each of Togekiss’s attacks does 50 more damage to the Active Pokémon”, as per Probopass AR. [-2 points]
- Italicize “(before applying Weakness and Resistance)” and “(before your attack)”. [-2 points]
- In the DPPt era, when you put something from your discard pile anywhere, you actually search your discard pile for it. So the power would look more like “For each heads, search your discard pile for a Pokémon or a basic Energy card, show it to your opponent, and put it on top of your deck.” [-2 points]
Believability: 13/15
With an average damage of just over 50 for three energy, Togekiss GE’s attack feels well balanced with Hustle. Jubilation worries me a good deal, since you can potentially use it, get five (on average) energies, and then immediately use Togekiss GE’s Serene Grace to just attach them all in a turn since they’re still on top of the deck. Given how widely played Togekiss already was (Skittles, Magmortar, etc), that could create a combo which was way too strong for that era.
Final Score: 40/50
@NaganadelIsBeast
Creativity: 15/20
There are some pretty cool effects you’re working with, Naga. Fury Attack has some really interesting elements, like the damage cap changing depending on the amount of prizes you have left, and works nicely with Beast Battler, which is quite an unusual thing to see from an ability. Hit, Sting, and Run is just a combination of typical effects, but does live up to its name quite nicely.
Wording: 0/15
- Need to clarify when you can use the Ability. Once per turn? When you evolve it? When you attach an Energy? When your opponent shuffles their hand? [-3 points] for missing a necessary clarification.
- “heads” and “tails” should both be lowercase everywhere they appear on the card. [-2 points]
- “Ultra Beast” -> “Ultra Beast card” provided it’s not in play. [-1 point]
- “them” -> “it” as the object it’s referencing is “an Ultra Beast”, not plural “Ultra Beasts”. [-0.5 point]
- Missing a “Then, shuffle your deck” clause in the Ability. [-2 points]
- “This does” -> “This attack does” [-0.5 point]
- “You may not do more” -> “You can’t do more”, as per Zoroark TEU. [-2 points]
- Need to say “exactly 2 or 4”, “exactly 3 or 5”, and “exactly 1 or 6 Prize cards remaining”. [-1 point]
- “If all flips are Tails” -> “If all of them are tails” [-1 point]
- “put 5 damage counters on your opponent’s Poisoned Active Pokémon. (This effect only occurs if you flipped all Tails.)” -> “put 5 damage counters instead of 1 on that Pokémon between turns.” Same for the GX attack. [-3 points]
- “Switch this with one of your Benched Pokémon” -> “Switch this Pokémon with 1 of your Benched Pokémon” [-2 points]
- Missing “(You can’t use more than 1 GX attack in a game.)” clause. [-2 points]
Believability: 6/15
Fury Attack is balanced well enough to make it a viable archetype in the mold of decks like Vespiquen, but not overpowering. Hit, Sting, and Run however essentially does 250 damage immediately and has two coins flips to do more along with switching Naganadel GX to the bench, which is too powerful even for a GX attack (look at a card like Persian GX or Golisopod GX for comparison). Beast Battler has absolutely no frame of reference for when or how often it can be used. Additionally, this card has no stage, which renders it literally unplayable. -2 Points for no GX rule and having a Dex entry on a GX.
Final Score: 21/50
There are some pretty cool effects you’re working with, Naga. Fury Attack has some really interesting elements, like the damage cap changing depending on the amount of prizes you have left, and works nicely with Beast Battler, which is quite an unusual thing to see from an ability. Hit, Sting, and Run is just a combination of typical effects, but does live up to its name quite nicely.
Wording: 0/15
- Need to clarify when you can use the Ability. Once per turn? When you evolve it? When you attach an Energy? When your opponent shuffles their hand? [-3 points] for missing a necessary clarification.
- “heads” and “tails” should both be lowercase everywhere they appear on the card. [-2 points]
- “Ultra Beast” -> “Ultra Beast card” provided it’s not in play. [-1 point]
- “them” -> “it” as the object it’s referencing is “an Ultra Beast”, not plural “Ultra Beasts”. [-0.5 point]
- Missing a “Then, shuffle your deck” clause in the Ability. [-2 points]
- “This does” -> “This attack does” [-0.5 point]
- “You may not do more” -> “You can’t do more”, as per Zoroark TEU. [-2 points]
- Need to say “exactly 2 or 4”, “exactly 3 or 5”, and “exactly 1 or 6 Prize cards remaining”. [-1 point]
- “If all flips are Tails” -> “If all of them are tails” [-1 point]
- “put 5 damage counters on your opponent’s Poisoned Active Pokémon. (This effect only occurs if you flipped all Tails.)” -> “put 5 damage counters instead of 1 on that Pokémon between turns.” Same for the GX attack. [-3 points]
- “Switch this with one of your Benched Pokémon” -> “Switch this Pokémon with 1 of your Benched Pokémon” [-2 points]
- Missing “(You can’t use more than 1 GX attack in a game.)” clause. [-2 points]
Believability: 6/15
Fury Attack is balanced well enough to make it a viable archetype in the mold of decks like Vespiquen, but not overpowering. Hit, Sting, and Run however essentially does 250 damage immediately and has two coins flips to do more along with switching Naganadel GX to the bench, which is too powerful even for a GX attack (look at a card like Persian GX or Golisopod GX for comparison). Beast Battler has absolutely no frame of reference for when or how often it can be used. Additionally, this card has no stage, which renders it literally unplayable. -2 Points for no GX rule and having a Dex entry on a GX.
Final Score: 21/50
@X21_Eagle_X21
Creativity: 17/20
I really love Wonder Power as an effect, Eagle! It’s a cool way of doing damage which has never really been seen before and immediately gets you thinking of the ways you would use it in a deck, which is always great to see. Wonder Spin is a bit more typical, but by tying the card recovery to both the number of energy attached and coin flips, it’s able to separate itself pretty well from effects of a similar nature.
Wording: 11/15
- “If this Pokémon is your Active Pokémon” should go after the “Once during your turn” clause. However, I acknowledge that TPCi themselves have made this error as well, namely on Salamence DRM and Leafeon-GX, so I won’t dock for it since there is technically a reference. [-0 points]
- Missing “If you use this Ability” before “Your turn ends”, as per Happiny, Cleffa, and Tyrogue UNB. [-2 points]
- You don’t need to search your discard pile for a card in any era after HGSS. You just put the card(s) into your hand. [-2 points]
Believability: 11/15
Wonder Power just feels too strong, since it doesn’t even take any energy to power up and it’s not much of a challenge at all with the right deck to burn through 15+ cards in a turn, which would get Claydol to doing 100+ damage per turn in no time, which when combined with a lot of disruption, could make a very formidable combo, putting it far above the power level for a Stage 1. Additionally, I worry about the logistics of flipping that many coins. Once you get past 10 or so flips, it would become incredibly tedious and not easy to keep track of in your head throughout all the boredom of flipping a coin 30 times, which makes me doubt a card like this could ever be printed.
Final Score: 39/50
I really love Wonder Power as an effect, Eagle! It’s a cool way of doing damage which has never really been seen before and immediately gets you thinking of the ways you would use it in a deck, which is always great to see. Wonder Spin is a bit more typical, but by tying the card recovery to both the number of energy attached and coin flips, it’s able to separate itself pretty well from effects of a similar nature.
Wording: 11/15
- “If this Pokémon is your Active Pokémon” should go after the “Once during your turn” clause. However, I acknowledge that TPCi themselves have made this error as well, namely on Salamence DRM and Leafeon-GX, so I won’t dock for it since there is technically a reference. [-0 points]
- Missing “If you use this Ability” before “Your turn ends”, as per Happiny, Cleffa, and Tyrogue UNB. [-2 points]
- You don’t need to search your discard pile for a card in any era after HGSS. You just put the card(s) into your hand. [-2 points]
Believability: 11/15
Wonder Power just feels too strong, since it doesn’t even take any energy to power up and it’s not much of a challenge at all with the right deck to burn through 15+ cards in a turn, which would get Claydol to doing 100+ damage per turn in no time, which when combined with a lot of disruption, could make a very formidable combo, putting it far above the power level for a Stage 1. Additionally, I worry about the logistics of flipping that many coins. Once you get past 10 or so flips, it would become incredibly tedious and not easy to keep track of in your head throughout all the boredom of flipping a coin 30 times, which makes me doubt a card like this could ever be printed.
Final Score: 39/50
@Gabs Kazumi
Creativity: 19/20
I love how you’ve worked with the theme in Dangerous Gamble here! It’s a really fun way to add extra tension to flips and give you and your opponent a seemingly symmetric effect but still benefit you, since you control the Pokémon that’s damaged. High Bet also has a cool way of doing an automatic win effect by tying it to a bad Supporter card but not making it guaranteed, which turns playing Grimsley into an interesting risk between winning and having a worse board state from using a worse supporter. Nice job!
Wording: 10/15
- “As long as this Pokémon is your Active Pokémon” is only used for passive effects; i.e. effects that are always there, that you don’t need to activate. Should be “If this Pokémon …” instead. [-1 point]
- “before you flip any coins in your turn” -> “before you flip any coins during your turn”, as per Malamar XY58. [-1 point]
- Both “one”s in the Ability should be “1”s. [-1 point]
- SUM wording doesn’t say “times the number of heads”; it should be “for each heads”. [-2 points]
- “you win the game” -> “you win this game”, as per Slowbro UNB. [-1 point]
Believability: 14/15
Since Bisharp needs to be active, there’s no way to turn Dangerous Gamble into anything broken. Similarly, it’s incredibly unlikely you’ll ever be able to use High Bet more than three times in the course of a game, which would still only give you a 33% chance of winning (and that isn’t even taking into account the harm which playing Grimsley compared to a consistency supporter would provide) and no real chance of doing enough damage with the attack to win the game. -1 Point for no Dex Stats.
Final Score: 43/50
I love how you’ve worked with the theme in Dangerous Gamble here! It’s a really fun way to add extra tension to flips and give you and your opponent a seemingly symmetric effect but still benefit you, since you control the Pokémon that’s damaged. High Bet also has a cool way of doing an automatic win effect by tying it to a bad Supporter card but not making it guaranteed, which turns playing Grimsley into an interesting risk between winning and having a worse board state from using a worse supporter. Nice job!
Wording: 10/15
- “As long as this Pokémon is your Active Pokémon” is only used for passive effects; i.e. effects that are always there, that you don’t need to activate. Should be “If this Pokémon …” instead. [-1 point]
- “before you flip any coins in your turn” -> “before you flip any coins during your turn”, as per Malamar XY58. [-1 point]
- Both “one”s in the Ability should be “1”s. [-1 point]
- SUM wording doesn’t say “times the number of heads”; it should be “for each heads”. [-2 points]
- “you win the game” -> “you win this game”, as per Slowbro UNB. [-1 point]
Believability: 14/15
Since Bisharp needs to be active, there’s no way to turn Dangerous Gamble into anything broken. Similarly, it’s incredibly unlikely you’ll ever be able to use High Bet more than three times in the course of a game, which would still only give you a 33% chance of winning (and that isn’t even taking into account the harm which playing Grimsley compared to a consistency supporter would provide) and no real chance of doing enough damage with the attack to win the game. -1 Point for no Dex Stats.
Final Score: 43/50
3rd Place: ScrawnyMeowth1’s Meowth, with 42/50 points.
2nd Place: Gabs Kazumi’s Bisharp, with 43/50 points.
1st Place: Nyora’s Charjabug & Shedinja GX, with 46/50 points.
Image-Based Results
Judge: @Jabberwock
We only got three entries in image-based for this month, but they were three really stellar entries, and a joy to critique. This was one of the closest months we’ve ever had, so believe me when I say that all three of you have done something to be really proud of this month.
Sidenote, all three entries got perfect scores in Fonts and Placement this month. THAT’S what I like to see. Keep it up, y’all.
~~Jabberwock
Wow. My first thought is that these are some daring effects. It’s very out-there to incorporate dice at all on a Pokémon card -- mainly because it’s never been done before, but that’s obviously not the entire reason, because that would be the whole point of creativity in these designs. My concern around the dice is that it’s not simply a new effect; it’s also introducing a new outside object to the game that didn’t necessarily exist before. It wouldn’t make a dent in the competitive scene, where dice are the norm, but it would be a new obstacle for beginners. Don’t get me wrong -- I love the idea behind it, and this is a fine use of that mode of probability from a technical standpoint -- but in this case, even though you gain a fair bit in Creativity, I’m gonna dock a cautious Believability point.
Dangerous Game is a really neat idea, and if I’m not mistaken the probability actually works out such that it sums the same for you and your opponent. They’ll get to draw a card roughly 25% of the time, but you’ll get to draw 2 cards roughly 12.5% of the time, so the reward is worth the risk. I guess at that point it becomes a question of how much the extra card(s) are worth to you, but given that you also get to use them on your turn, i.e. before your opponent, I’m inclined to say that it’s a favorable power. So yeah, I think I do quite like Dangerous Game as a concept.
Honestly, the only thing holding your Creativity score back -- and, perhaps, an area of expansion for the future -- is that it’s hard for me to imagine a scenario where Sableye is usable to its fullest extent in gameplay. Dangerous Game is good throughout the game because it had virtually no cost to use it except deck space and Bench space; that’s fine. Gamble Rumble, though, is very much a set-up attack (since you can’t count on drawing the Prize, you’ll be using it mostly for searching for a card ~58% of the time) and I’m not sure the 58% chance is enough to justify that attack cost. [D][D][C] isn’t viable as a set-up attack in a format where basic Darkness Energy don’t even exist.
Aesthetics are great, though. Nice holosheeting. ^.^
Wording errors:
- Dangerous Game should refer to “each player”, not “you and your opponent”. [-2 points]
- I believe that the “alternating” thing should just be “take turns flipping a coin”, but there’s no official source to back that up, so [-0 points]
- “You can’t use this power” -> “This power can’t be used” [-2 points]
- There’s exactly zero precedent for Gamble Rumble, so you’re fine there too. [-0 points]
Fonts and Placement errors:
- Seems fine.
Creativity/Originality: 13/15
(I like where you’re at with the probability.)
Wording: 11/15
(A couple errors, but largely a free pass for introducing an entirely new mechanic.)
Fonts and Placement: 10/10
(Looks good.)
Believability/Playability: 4/5
(Cautious point for the dice.)
Aesthetics: 4/5
(Nice holosheet.)
Total: 42/50
I like the aesthetics. Sunlava could probably be a tad bit brighter over the art, but overall my first glance at the card turned up a “yeah, that looks real” in my head. Actually, the art is quite fitting for a Prism Star, too, which definitely contributes to the realism of it.
In terms of the text of the card, Prism Stars are always a delicate balancing act. You get considerable leeway with power given that you can’t have more than one at any given point, but you’re also still hindered by the fact that it’s a Basic, and so is both super searchable and super splashable (i.e., can fit into virtually any deck at little cost).
My concern, therefore, would be around the universality of the Ability. Throwing in a single card that gives you a 75% chance to hit at least 3x your usual damage output for Weakness? That’s pretty damn good. A lot of decks would love to be able to do that. It makes viable a ton of cards with previously negligibly low damage output. But at the same time, I don’t think it’s broken. Weakness is a relatively niche thing, so the worst this could do given its balances is enable a toolbox of previously underused attackers, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
Anyway, the concept is neat. It’s hard to play around too much with Weakness because you risk sending all those underused attackers through the roof in utility, but I think putting it on a Prism Star under this theme is a good way to go. And it does make good use of the theme to balance an otherwise precarious effect.
Noble Call is fine. I wish it had more to do with the theme, but it’s a creative effect in its own right. It does have a nice synergy with the Ability in that it sort of ties into the toolbox attacker thing, but I feel like in general those toolbox attackers would have better things to do than [F][F] for 50. I guess it’s a fringe situation thing, so fair enough.
Wording errors:
- Missing “before your attack” clause. [-2 points]
- I assume the Weakness modifier is only for the turn you use the Ability, but that’s ambiguous and needs to be stated on the card. [-3 points] for an unclear effect.
- I actually don’t take issue with the ending of Noble Call; I think you worded it as optimally as possible. One possible concern is that the new Pokémon getting to use the attack would also have the option of switching with the Bench (as it uses the entire attack, of which switching is a part), but in recent eras it’s been implied that you can’t go for inefficient loops in this way (see Puzzle of Time and probably a couple others), so I think it’s fine. [-0 points]
Fonts and Placement errors:
- Pixel-perfect.
Creativity/Originality: 12/15
(Nice use of the theme, though I wish Noble Call was better integrated.)
Wording: 10/15
(A couple of errors in the Ability.)
Fonts and Placement: 10/10
(I really hate the spacing of the name in SUM lol)
Believability/Playability: 5/5
(I don’t see anything wrong with it.)
Aesthetics: 4/5
(Sunlava could be a tad better, but overall quite good.)
Total: 41/50
Hmm, quite different from your norm! You’ve still got the sunlava cranked up to eleven, but it’s interesting to see it on a regular holo rare instead of a GX. I think you’ve pulled off the aesthetic very well, actually; the rainbow effect works well on such an otherwise relatively monochrome artwork.
And how fascinating, as well, to go for a one-attack card. This really is a one-attack card in truth, too, since there is no feasible way to use Malevolent Gamble more than once in a game, as it gets rid of at least three of your Umbreons. And with that in mind, I think you may actually have overbalanced it, so to speak; it’s getting into underpowered territory now. An average of 150 damage for an Energy and a Prize card, once per game, taking up valuable deck space and then making you get rid of at least two other potential resources, and you don’t even get the surprise factor of a one-Energy attack, since you need it to be in play for a full turn before you can use it. I get that it’s supposed to be a niche effect, but this seems a little too niche to be playable.
The fact that you don’t get a surprise factor from it is honestly one of the biggest things working against it, imo, especially given that other last-chance cards like Rayquaza Star or Necrozma-GX BUS have always had potential avenues to get them powered up in one turn. This one has to be a Bench sitter for a full turn before it can … what, snipe 50 to (on average) three Pokémon? I’m not sure that’s worth the space.
I do think it’s a clever use of probability, because it works out to be that sort of last-chance card design. I just wish it had more utility beyond a once-in-a-game slight chance to be useful if all the cards and dice play out in your favor.
Wording errors:
- Need a “Then, shuffle your deck” clause. [-2 points]
- Shouldn’t need the “can’t use this attack on your first turn” bit. Eevee-GX has it because Eevee-GX can be in play on the first turn without being put into play, by virtue of being a Basic Pokémon that you can put face-down from your hand during set-up. There’s no effect that would allow you to do this with Umbreon, though, so the second part of that clause covers the whole of it. [-2 points]
- You seem to have a Cyrillic Й in place of the é in Pokémon in the flavor text. Also “threat” over “throat”, which is what I assume you intended. [-1 point] total for both of these.
Fonts and Placement errors:
- Pixel-perfect.
Creativity/Originality: 11/15
(Design space is okay, wish it had more potential uses in-game.)
Wording: 10/15
(A few things.)
Fonts and Placement: 10/10
(Looks good.)
Believability/Playability: 4/5
(Slightly underpowered.)
Aesthetics: 5/5
(Holo works exceptionally well with ishmam’s artwork. Can’t think of anything I’d do differently.)
Total: 40/50
3rd Place: Nyan’s Umbreon, with 40/50 points.
2nd Place: RealArity’s Carbink ◊, with 41/50 points.
1st Place: KnightofDust’s Sableye, with 42/50 points.
Judge: @Jabberwock
We only got three entries in image-based for this month, but they were three really stellar entries, and a joy to critique. This was one of the closest months we’ve ever had, so believe me when I say that all three of you have done something to be really proud of this month.
Sidenote, all three entries got perfect scores in Fonts and Placement this month. THAT’S what I like to see. Keep it up, y’all.
~~Jabberwock
Wow. My first thought is that these are some daring effects. It’s very out-there to incorporate dice at all on a Pokémon card -- mainly because it’s never been done before, but that’s obviously not the entire reason, because that would be the whole point of creativity in these designs. My concern around the dice is that it’s not simply a new effect; it’s also introducing a new outside object to the game that didn’t necessarily exist before. It wouldn’t make a dent in the competitive scene, where dice are the norm, but it would be a new obstacle for beginners. Don’t get me wrong -- I love the idea behind it, and this is a fine use of that mode of probability from a technical standpoint -- but in this case, even though you gain a fair bit in Creativity, I’m gonna dock a cautious Believability point.
Dangerous Game is a really neat idea, and if I’m not mistaken the probability actually works out such that it sums the same for you and your opponent. They’ll get to draw a card roughly 25% of the time, but you’ll get to draw 2 cards roughly 12.5% of the time, so the reward is worth the risk. I guess at that point it becomes a question of how much the extra card(s) are worth to you, but given that you also get to use them on your turn, i.e. before your opponent, I’m inclined to say that it’s a favorable power. So yeah, I think I do quite like Dangerous Game as a concept.
Honestly, the only thing holding your Creativity score back -- and, perhaps, an area of expansion for the future -- is that it’s hard for me to imagine a scenario where Sableye is usable to its fullest extent in gameplay. Dangerous Game is good throughout the game because it had virtually no cost to use it except deck space and Bench space; that’s fine. Gamble Rumble, though, is very much a set-up attack (since you can’t count on drawing the Prize, you’ll be using it mostly for searching for a card ~58% of the time) and I’m not sure the 58% chance is enough to justify that attack cost. [D][D][C] isn’t viable as a set-up attack in a format where basic Darkness Energy don’t even exist.
Aesthetics are great, though. Nice holosheeting. ^.^
Wording errors:
- Dangerous Game should refer to “each player”, not “you and your opponent”. [-2 points]
- I believe that the “alternating” thing should just be “take turns flipping a coin”, but there’s no official source to back that up, so [-0 points]
- “You can’t use this power” -> “This power can’t be used” [-2 points]
- There’s exactly zero precedent for Gamble Rumble, so you’re fine there too. [-0 points]
Fonts and Placement errors:
- Seems fine.
Creativity/Originality: 13/15
(I like where you’re at with the probability.)
Wording: 11/15
(A couple errors, but largely a free pass for introducing an entirely new mechanic.)
Fonts and Placement: 10/10
(Looks good.)
Believability/Playability: 4/5
(Cautious point for the dice.)
Aesthetics: 4/5
(Nice holosheet.)
Total: 42/50
I like the aesthetics. Sunlava could probably be a tad bit brighter over the art, but overall my first glance at the card turned up a “yeah, that looks real” in my head. Actually, the art is quite fitting for a Prism Star, too, which definitely contributes to the realism of it.
In terms of the text of the card, Prism Stars are always a delicate balancing act. You get considerable leeway with power given that you can’t have more than one at any given point, but you’re also still hindered by the fact that it’s a Basic, and so is both super searchable and super splashable (i.e., can fit into virtually any deck at little cost).
My concern, therefore, would be around the universality of the Ability. Throwing in a single card that gives you a 75% chance to hit at least 3x your usual damage output for Weakness? That’s pretty damn good. A lot of decks would love to be able to do that. It makes viable a ton of cards with previously negligibly low damage output. But at the same time, I don’t think it’s broken. Weakness is a relatively niche thing, so the worst this could do given its balances is enable a toolbox of previously underused attackers, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
Anyway, the concept is neat. It’s hard to play around too much with Weakness because you risk sending all those underused attackers through the roof in utility, but I think putting it on a Prism Star under this theme is a good way to go. And it does make good use of the theme to balance an otherwise precarious effect.
Noble Call is fine. I wish it had more to do with the theme, but it’s a creative effect in its own right. It does have a nice synergy with the Ability in that it sort of ties into the toolbox attacker thing, but I feel like in general those toolbox attackers would have better things to do than [F][F] for 50. I guess it’s a fringe situation thing, so fair enough.
Wording errors:
- Missing “before your attack” clause. [-2 points]
- I assume the Weakness modifier is only for the turn you use the Ability, but that’s ambiguous and needs to be stated on the card. [-3 points] for an unclear effect.
- I actually don’t take issue with the ending of Noble Call; I think you worded it as optimally as possible. One possible concern is that the new Pokémon getting to use the attack would also have the option of switching with the Bench (as it uses the entire attack, of which switching is a part), but in recent eras it’s been implied that you can’t go for inefficient loops in this way (see Puzzle of Time and probably a couple others), so I think it’s fine. [-0 points]
Fonts and Placement errors:
- Pixel-perfect.
Creativity/Originality: 12/15
(Nice use of the theme, though I wish Noble Call was better integrated.)
Wording: 10/15
(A couple of errors in the Ability.)
Fonts and Placement: 10/10
(I really hate the spacing of the name in SUM lol)
Believability/Playability: 5/5
(I don’t see anything wrong with it.)
Aesthetics: 4/5
(Sunlava could be a tad better, but overall quite good.)
Total: 41/50
Hmm, quite different from your norm! You’ve still got the sunlava cranked up to eleven, but it’s interesting to see it on a regular holo rare instead of a GX. I think you’ve pulled off the aesthetic very well, actually; the rainbow effect works well on such an otherwise relatively monochrome artwork.
And how fascinating, as well, to go for a one-attack card. This really is a one-attack card in truth, too, since there is no feasible way to use Malevolent Gamble more than once in a game, as it gets rid of at least three of your Umbreons. And with that in mind, I think you may actually have overbalanced it, so to speak; it’s getting into underpowered territory now. An average of 150 damage for an Energy and a Prize card, once per game, taking up valuable deck space and then making you get rid of at least two other potential resources, and you don’t even get the surprise factor of a one-Energy attack, since you need it to be in play for a full turn before you can use it. I get that it’s supposed to be a niche effect, but this seems a little too niche to be playable.
The fact that you don’t get a surprise factor from it is honestly one of the biggest things working against it, imo, especially given that other last-chance cards like Rayquaza Star or Necrozma-GX BUS have always had potential avenues to get them powered up in one turn. This one has to be a Bench sitter for a full turn before it can … what, snipe 50 to (on average) three Pokémon? I’m not sure that’s worth the space.
I do think it’s a clever use of probability, because it works out to be that sort of last-chance card design. I just wish it had more utility beyond a once-in-a-game slight chance to be useful if all the cards and dice play out in your favor.
Wording errors:
- Need a “Then, shuffle your deck” clause. [-2 points]
- Shouldn’t need the “can’t use this attack on your first turn” bit. Eevee-GX has it because Eevee-GX can be in play on the first turn without being put into play, by virtue of being a Basic Pokémon that you can put face-down from your hand during set-up. There’s no effect that would allow you to do this with Umbreon, though, so the second part of that clause covers the whole of it. [-2 points]
- You seem to have a Cyrillic Й in place of the é in Pokémon in the flavor text. Also “threat” over “throat”, which is what I assume you intended. [-1 point] total for both of these.
Fonts and Placement errors:
- Pixel-perfect.
Creativity/Originality: 11/15
(Design space is okay, wish it had more potential uses in-game.)
Wording: 10/15
(A few things.)
Fonts and Placement: 10/10
(Looks good.)
Believability/Playability: 4/5
(Slightly underpowered.)
Aesthetics: 5/5
(Holo works exceptionally well with ishmam’s artwork. Can’t think of anything I’d do differently.)
Total: 40/50
3rd Place: Nyan’s Umbreon, with 40/50 points.
2nd Place: RealArity’s Carbink ◊, with 41/50 points.
1st Place: KnightofDust’s Sableye, with 42/50 points.