Lightning Rod - I get it! Neat. Even reach is okay - it's got to be tall, so I get the flavor. For the proper wording on what you're attempting to do, check out Coalition Flag and the like. Anyway, neat design, flavorful, moderately useful, so 8/10.
Syrad the Ferryman - 4BB
Legendary Enchantment Creature - Spirit
If your devotion to black is seven or greater, you may cast creature spells from your graveyard. (Each B in the mana costs of permanents you control counts towards your devotion to black.)
Discard two cards: Return Syrad the Ferryman from your graveyard to your hand.
4/4
((He's an enchantment just because all the divine stuff in Theros is an enchantment as part of the flavor of the set.))
Belkar - neat. He's sneaky good - as in, you don't really realize how good he is at first glance. He's likely to kill any creature that attacks into him, and his weakness of being unable to hit red guys is flavorful. With the highlander theme, I wish he got more powerful when he killed creatures, but that's minor. Cool card. 8/10.
Instant Fortress - 4W
Instant (U)
For each attacking creature, put a 0/3 white Wall creature token with defender and indestructible onto the battlefield.
Next up: A creature that's terrible when you're winning but great when you're losing.
Biomechanics - I'll rate this card, but the challenge was to design a hybrid card, like this: :symgu::symgu: So, some points off just for not reading the challenge carefully enough. Now, in regards to the three abilities on this charm: +5/+4 is a bit much, returning creatures to hand feels off, and the last ability is mechanically clunky since instants/sorceries don't generally give permanent effects, for good reason - it's hard to keep track of them as the game progresses. Especially since in a blue/green deck there's probably lots of different counters floating around on your creatures, trying to remember which counters are +1/+1 and which gave flying and trample is a pain. The overall flavor of the card (multiple ways to enhance/alter creatures) is neat, but between the actual mechanics and the misread challenge, this gets a 4/10.
Form of the Vampire - 4BBB
Enchantment
Whenever a source you control deals damage to an opponent, gain that much life.
Sacrifice a creature: Creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.
At the beginning of each end step, sacrifice a non-creature permanent.
Next: A hybrid instant or sorcery in enemy colors.
Xmpdz - this is pretty terrible. Huge lists of keywords are almost never interesting outside of cards with "Akroma" in their name, and even then, they keywords have to make sense. Flash? Nonbasic landwalk? Intimidate? Undying? And why does it need to get +0/+X when it blocks if it's indestructible? Being 1/1 doesn't balance out the horrible-ness of this card - the text wouldn't even fit on a card, let alone ever see print. It seems as though you were just futzing around instead of trying to actually design a card. 1/10.
Simulacrum Stone - 5
Artifact
Whenever you activate an ability, if you paid life as part of the activation cost, copy that ability. You may choose new targets for the copy. Young necromancers put the vigor of their youth into such stones, so that the old necromancers they become can draw upon it.
Next up: A hybrid instant or sorcery in enemy colors. Remember, hybrid means it should be a reasonable card if it were to appear in either color!
Valhalla - I might be nitpicking, but I would love it if Valhalla worked on any creature, but required that the creature die during the combat step. I.e. "died in battle." Still, neat flavor and the mechanic is a cool build-around card. 7/10.
Grand Inquisitor - 5WW
Legendary Creature - Human Cleric
When Grand Inquisitor enters the battlefield, tap all other creatures. Those creatures do not untap during their controllers' untap steps for as long as Grand Inquisitor is on the battlefield. W, :symtap:: Choose one - destroy target tapped creature, or untap target creature. "Kneel and face judgement!"
5/5
Next up: Take any card currently on any official banned list, and re-design it so it wouldn't get banned, keeping the original intent/flavor of the card.
Aetherial Battle Cry is cool and weird. I like that if you have 2, and one is exiled, then there's this awesome parallel war going on. Here's what I don't like - it's subtly overpowered. If you exile a bunch of creatures, and your opponent doesn't, and then you exile this, not only can all your exiled creatures kill your opponent, but your opponent can't do anything about it - they can't kill the creatures, they can't block, and they can't even remove the enchantment. So while the concept is very cool, unfortunately the execution results in a broken card. So 3/10 for usefullness, though 7/10 for concept. Averages to a 5.
Etherial Spell-Seeker - 3UU
Creature - Human Wizard 1UU: Exile ~, then return it to the battlefield at the beginning of your next end step.
Whenever ~ enters the battlefield from exile, you may return one instant or sorcery you own from exile to your hand, then discard a card.
2/3
Next up: A Khan Empire monster - something unaffiliated with the politics, but still clearly lives on the plane.
((Quick Note: I LOVE this Khan Empire set! The past few cards have been awesome. Infiltrator's Trap + Jhoira of the Ghitu = waaaaa. Cereburn Anarchist is the mechanic red has been waiting for forever, and...))
Agazi - This is the coolest freaking card I've ever seen. He drips flavor, he's mechanically brilliant, and I would love it if he existed. A rare 10/10 to you!
Cereburn Uprising - 4RR
Enchantment
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, each player exiles a card from his or her hand. Any player may play cards exiled with Cereburn Uprising without paying their mana cost, but only during his or her turn. "Lightning in the telegraphs! Intelligencers dead by scores! Prepare the battlements - the uprising must not reach the Emperor!" - Su-Chen, to Agazi
Next Up: Every set needs a rare land cycle. Give me an example of a rare land from a cycle in Khan Empire.
EDIT: NATHED, but then I saw that we both actually picked the same challenge! Great minds think alike, so I'll just leave mine, and the next person can rate whatever.
Bookkeeper - solid flavor, cool ability, definitely a solid combo-friendly, Johnny-favorable uncommon. I like! 9/10.
Imperial Intelligencer - 2BB
Creature - Human Rogue
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, look at that player's hand and exile a non-land card from it.
Whenever ~ dies, you may cast any number of cards exiled with ~. "The Intelligencers bring the House Lords much valuable information - too valuable to let them keep it."
2/1
Next up: The Khan Empire is a blast! I love the spies-and-steampunk feel it seems to have. So! Give me an enchantment that represents a ward you'd put up against spies in this world.
Uwejo - Love the flavor, love the mechanic, love the reference, hate the fact that he's green/blue hybrid, when he should obviously just be blue. Turtles are blue anyway, and all his abilities are blue. Other than that, super solid. 9/10.
The Wrath Returned - 5BBB
Legendary Creature - Angel Skeleton
You may cast The Wrath Returned from your graveyard. As an additional cost to cast The Wrath Returned this way, exile an angel card from your graveyard.
Flying, First Strike, Haste, Deathtouch, Trample BB: Regenerate The Wrath Returned
6/6
((Note: As written, casting her from the GY still costs 8, in addition to the angel exile. She is castable from the hand as normal.))
Catastrophe Elemental: This card is cool, but doesn't meet the challenge. The challenge was to use the completely unedited text from two cards and combine them onto one functional card. Let me give an example: Hive Mind and Æther Barrier makes:
Lord of the Etherial Maze - 5UUU
Creature - Avatar Wizard (M)
Whenever a player casts an instant or sorcery spell, each other player copies that spell. Each of those players may choose new targets for his or her copy.
Whenever a player casts a creature spell, that player sacrifices a permanent unless he or she pays 1.
5/5
See, exact text of two cards, combined onto a functional card. Your card is neat, but you altered the text significantly to make it fit, while the challenge was to find two cards that you could combine without doing that. So I'll give it a 7/10*, with the asterisk being because it technically didn't fit. Cool card, though.
Angel of the Forge - 4RR
Creature - Angel
Flying
When Angel of the Forge enters the battlefield, for each Angel you control, search your library for an Equipment card and put it onto the battlefield attached to that Angel. Then shuffle your library.
5/5
Next up: The combination challenge, again. Note the example above for restrictions.
Bold Warrior - obviously unprintable, though that's not really your fault; the challenge was tough. You did a good job with it given the restrictions, though. All the abilities feel red, and the card isn't unbalanced, just ridiculous in concept. Good achievement of the challenge, so 8/10.
Chamber of Velis Vel
Tribal Land - Shapeshifter (R)
Changeling (This card is every creature type at all times.) T: Add 1 to your mana pool. If you control at least three
creatures that share a creature type, instead add one
mana of any color to your mana pool.
Next up: Take any two cards in Magic, and put their exact rules text, word for word, on the same card. You can change everything else about the card - mana cost, card type, etc. - but the only rules text allowed on the card must be the exact rules texts of two other cards, and the card must functionally work.
Homarid Deep-Ancient - huge blue dude, check. Dripping with flavor, semi-check. He has a lot of abilities that reflect a lot of different things, and while none of the abilities seem out of place, they clutter the card a bit. Also, generally one very awesome ability can do more for flavor than a lot of on-theme keywords (See Colossal Whale, for instance.) So neat card, I would play it if it existed because I LOVE blue fatties, but could be simpler. 7.5/10
Gargadon Rampager - 3RR
Creature - Beast
Whenever Gargadon Rampager becomes blocked, it gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is the total toughness of all creatures blocking Gargadon Rampager.
Whenever Gargadon Rampager attacks and isn't blocked, destroy target land.
0/4
Next up: An artifact that stores something. Bonus points if it's not mana or time.
Flickering Commander: Very cool flavor, but probably quite a bit overpowered. Hexproof in general is a very dangerous mechanic - it's all-upside and very, very good, so granting it en masse should be a bit harder than this. This guy is Misthollow Griffin plus Lord of the Unreal plus special works-like-an-EDH-commander powers plus gives first strike. He's a bit much. Concept is very cool and flavor is good, but he's probably unprintably good as-is. 6/10
Glissa's Trap - 4BG
Instant - Trap
If an artifact has been put into your graveyard from the battlefield this turn, you may pay BG rather than pay Glissa's Trap's mana cost.
Put two 1/1 black and green Elf Zombie tokens with first strike and death touch onto the battlefield.
Whenever a creature an opponent control's dies, you may return Glissa's Trap from your graveyard to your hand.
Next up: A reformed monster - like a demon who's seen the light, a barbarian that found civilization, a domesticated beast, whatever. Bonus points if there's a condition under which it could go bad again.
Red Hot Snow - Here's the only thing I don't like about it - I could run it in mono-blue, sacrifice no mountains, and still have a Shockfor 2 in my blue deck. Otherwise cool. 7/10.
River of Dreams - UG
Enchantment (R)
At the beginning of each end step, if no spells were cast that turn, put a 2/2 green and blue Human Illusion creature token onto the battlefield. It has "When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it." "In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep..."
Mirror - did you intend for it to block spells as well, or only abilities? Either way, cool - and I like "endow" as the keyword. 8/10.
Summoner's Gate - 4
Artifact - Relic
Endowed planeswalker has "-X: Search your library for a creature card with converted mana cost X and put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library."
Endow 3
Syrad the Ferryman - 4BB
Legendary Enchantment Creature - Spirit
If your devotion to black is seven or greater, you may cast creature spells from your graveyard. (Each B in the mana costs of permanents you control counts towards your devotion to black.)
Discard two cards: Return Syrad the Ferryman from your graveyard to your hand.
4/4
((He's an enchantment just because all the divine stuff in Theros is an enchantment as part of the flavor of the set.))
Next up: A one-cost planeswalker.
Instant Fortress - 4W
Instant (U)
For each attacking creature, put a 0/3 white Wall creature token with defender and indestructible onto the battlefield.
Next up: A creature that's terrible when you're winning but great when you're losing.
Form of the Vampire - 4BBB
Enchantment
Whenever a source you control deals damage to an opponent, gain that much life.
Sacrifice a creature: Creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.
At the beginning of each end step, sacrifice a non-creature permanent.
Next: A hybrid instant or sorcery in enemy colors.
Simulacrum Stone - 5
Artifact
Whenever you activate an ability, if you paid life as part of the activation cost, copy that ability. You may choose new targets for the copy.
Young necromancers put the vigor of their youth into such stones, so that the old necromancers they become can draw upon it.
Next up: A hybrid instant or sorcery in enemy colors. Remember, hybrid means it should be a reasonable card if it were to appear in either color!
Grand Inquisitor - 5WW
Legendary Creature - Human Cleric
When Grand Inquisitor enters the battlefield, tap all other creatures. Those creatures do not untap during their controllers' untap steps for as long as Grand Inquisitor is on the battlefield.
W, :symtap:: Choose one - destroy target tapped creature, or untap target creature.
"Kneel and face judgement!"
5/5
Next up: Take any card currently on any official banned list, and re-design it so it wouldn't get banned, keeping the original intent/flavor of the card.
Etherial Spell-Seeker - 3UU
Creature - Human Wizard
1UU: Exile ~, then return it to the battlefield at the beginning of your next end step.
Whenever ~ enters the battlefield from exile, you may return one instant or sorcery you own from exile to your hand, then discard a card.
2/3
Next up: A Khan Empire monster - something unaffiliated with the politics, but still clearly lives on the plane.
Agazi - This is the coolest freaking card I've ever seen. He drips flavor, he's mechanically brilliant, and I would love it if he existed. A rare 10/10 to you!
Cereburn Uprising - 4RR
Enchantment
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, each player exiles a card from his or her hand. Any player may play cards exiled with Cereburn Uprising without paying their mana cost, but only during his or her turn.
"Lightning in the telegraphs! Intelligencers dead by scores! Prepare the battlements - the uprising must not reach the Emperor!" - Su-Chen, to Agazi
Next Up: Every set needs a rare land cycle. Give me an example of a rare land from a cycle in Khan Empire.
EDIT: NATHED, but then I saw that we both actually picked the same challenge! Great minds think alike, so I'll just leave mine, and the next person can rate whatever.
Imperial Intelligencer - 2BB
Creature - Human Rogue
Whenever ~ deals combat damage to a player, look at that player's hand and exile a non-land card from it.
Whenever ~ dies, you may cast any number of cards exiled with ~.
"The Intelligencers bring the House Lords much valuable information - too valuable to let them keep it."
2/1
Next up: The Khan Empire is a blast! I love the spies-and-steampunk feel it seems to have. So! Give me an enchantment that represents a ward you'd put up against spies in this world.
The Wrath Returned - 5BBB
Legendary Creature - Angel Skeleton
You may cast The Wrath Returned from your graveyard. As an additional cost to cast The Wrath Returned this way, exile an angel card from your graveyard.
Flying, First Strike, Haste, Deathtouch, Trample
BB: Regenerate The Wrath Returned
6/6
((Note: As written, casting her from the GY still costs 8, in addition to the angel exile. She is castable from the hand as normal.))
Next up: Make a //gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?action=advanced&name=+[%22magus%20of%20the%22">+![%22unseen%22]"]Magus.
Lord of the Etherial Maze - 5UUU
Creature - Avatar Wizard (M)
Whenever a player casts an instant or sorcery spell, each other player copies that spell. Each of those players may choose new targets for his or her copy.
Whenever a player casts a creature spell, that player sacrifices a permanent unless he or she pays 1.
5/5
See, exact text of two cards, combined onto a functional card. Your card is neat, but you altered the text significantly to make it fit, while the challenge was to find two cards that you could combine without doing that. So I'll give it a 7/10*, with the asterisk being because it technically didn't fit. Cool card, though.
Angel of the Forge - 4RR
Creature - Angel
Flying
When Angel of the Forge enters the battlefield, for each Angel you control, search your library for an Equipment card and put it onto the battlefield attached to that Angel. Then shuffle your library.
5/5
Next up: The combination challenge, again. Note the example above for restrictions.
Chamber of Velis Vel
Tribal Land - Shapeshifter (R)
Changeling (This card is every creature type at all times.)
T: Add 1 to your mana pool. If you control at least three
creatures that share a creature type, instead add one
mana of any color to your mana pool.
Next up: Take any two cards in Magic, and put their exact rules text, word for word, on the same card. You can change everything else about the card - mana cost, card type, etc. - but the only rules text allowed on the card must be the exact rules texts of two other cards, and the card must functionally work.
Gargadon Rampager - 3RR
Creature - Beast
Whenever Gargadon Rampager becomes blocked, it gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is the total toughness of all creatures blocking Gargadon Rampager.
Whenever Gargadon Rampager attacks and isn't blocked, destroy target land.
0/4
Next up: An artifact that stores something. Bonus points if it's not mana or time.
Glissa's Trap - 4BG
Instant - Trap
If an artifact has been put into your graveyard from the battlefield this turn, you may pay BG rather than pay Glissa's Trap's mana cost.
Put two 1/1 black and green Elf Zombie tokens with first strike and death touch onto the battlefield.
Whenever a creature an opponent control's dies, you may return Glissa's Trap from your graveyard to your hand.
Next up: A reformed monster - like a demon who's seen the light, a barbarian that found civilization, a domesticated beast, whatever. Bonus points if there's a condition under which it could go bad again.
River of Dreams - UG
Enchantment (R)
At the beginning of each end step, if no spells were cast that turn, put a 2/2 green and blue Human Illusion creature token onto the battlefield. It has "When this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability, sacrifice it."
"In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep..."
Next up: A non-creature with a creature keyword.
Summoner's Gate - 4
Artifact - Relic
Endowed planeswalker has "-X: Search your library for a creature card with converted mana cost X and put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library."
Endow 3
Next Up: //gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=+[charm">&type=+[Instant]"]http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?name=+[charm]&type=+[Instant] We've seen mono-color charms, guild charms for all ten color pairs, and three-color charms for all five shards. We haven't seen wedge charms, though! Design one.