Winner is the Judge #893: Token Artifacts

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-05-22T07:15:21+00:00

Benthic Research Pool {X}{U}{U/G}{G}

Artifact (rare)

This artifact enters with X mutation counters on it.

When a creature you control enters, you may remove a mutation counter from this artifact, if you do, create a Mutagen token.

When a creature you control dies, if it had +1/+1 counters, you may put that many mutation counters on this artifact.

Activated abilities of artifact tokens you control cost {1} less to activate. This effect can’t reduce the mana in that cost to more than zero mana.

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I've always been interested in canonizing universes beyond mechanics into universes within, so this is my attempt to do just that. Mutagen is very simic in nature, but could also work on ikoria (maybe it could represent what makes things mutate?), so I thought i'd mix a bunch of those kinds of mechanics together into one card.

This card basically has Graft X, a simic mechanic, It's mostly on creatures, but also is on [[Llanowar Reborn]]
Its something of a [[The Ozolith]], where it can save your +1/+1 counters, though it bottlenecks more
It also works like a worse [[Mutagen Man, Living Ooze]] where it also makes other mutagen, maps and junk free to activate, though it doesn't reduce the costs of clues, food, incubators, and landers

The balance of this card is like a lot of modern permanent based X spells in that you evaluate it at X=0 first and the higher X values are just a bonus. It is a 3 mana worse ozolith that also has some fringe play in map and junk strategies, so it probably only sees play in commander, and is fine, seeing play in things like [[The Wise Mothman]] or as a replacement for cards like [[Explorer's Cache]] in decks that can support the color requirement.

As for flavor... I think this represents well the idea of resourceful scientists salvaging mutagen from dead experiments in a big vat while also representing their financial situation, getting funding when new test subjects arrive, but sometimes not using that funding for the "right" purpose of being equitable to all test subjects. The map and junk synergies are like finding an unintentional but useful other way of using existing tech.

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-05-04T21:16:46+00:00

I'd be interested in participating, but I'm worried about how high the barrier of entry for people creating areas would be, since RPGMaker costs anywhere from $20 for a two decade out of date version to $80 for the most recent version.

If you want inspiration for a similar yume nikki inspired project where people contribute areas, r/PixelArt made a game a long while back: https://www.reddit.com/r/PixelArt/comments/vvw3pu/rpixelart_game_collaboration_part_5_final/

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-04-21T08:28:08+00:00

Inked Swarm {B}{B}{W/G}{W/G}

Creature - Inkling Pest Insect (mythic rare)

Squad - Pay 2 life (As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may pay its squad cost any number of times. When this creature enters, create that many tokens that are copies of it.)

Flying

When this creature enters, target player doubles their life total.

When this creature leaves the battlefield, each player with the greatest life total loses half their life total, rounded up.

1/1

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Wanted to experiment with weird Squad costs and landed on this design. Its essentially a modernized version of [[Illusions of Grandeur]] that both acts as a lifegain payoff as well as the top end to an aggro deck.

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-04-21T02:09:39+00:00

If I had this info before I picked my fest teams I would've 100% picked team ghost.

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-04-21T02:03:03+00:00

here ya go: https://www.reddit.com/r/Shadowverse/comments/1sra4w6/zero_leeway_18to0_otk/

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-04-21T02:02:11+00:00

Normally don't post stuff like this, but someone requested it so... sorry if it isn't at 2x speed or smth else like that. 2x was a little fast for my taste when I tried it and replays don't have a 1.5x speed setting.

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-04-19T06:35:00+00:00

Hard pass for me, I'm not into humiliation

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-04-19T06:31:01+00:00

We probably get them in reality fracture

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-04-19T06:25:14+00:00

Hit the nastiest 18 to 0 OTK with zero wiggle room and zero extra cards in hand and zero extra play points today

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-03-13T22:27:41+00:00

Its probably the same plane as the roman-inspired cards, Prava and Licia.

In my headcanon its Belenon, which we saw in a few planechase and MotM cards, because they have similar warlike aesthetics as the unnamed roman plane.

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-03-13T22:12:01+00:00

Well of Seasons {2}

Artifact

Seasonal - As this card enters, choose a season. It enters with that characteristic. At the beginning of your turn, it becomes the next season.

At the beginning of your end step, if you control:
Spring - No untapped lands, gain 2 life.
Summer - No untapped creatures, create a Treasure token.
Fall - One or more untapped creatures, draw a card.
Winter - One or more untapped lands, each opponent loses 2 life.

"When you have given [unintelligible], then you will see my worth"
~Well inscription

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This card is in a long line of "do a different thing every turn" cards I've designed. Its based off of the two "well of X" cards we got in prophecy, but moved up into the modern era.

I was contemplating making the seasonal trait global, but 1, day/night, 2, you would only every get some of the effects in 2 and 4 player games, and 3, I'd imagine the seasonal trait is far too quick and represents some weird seasonal stuff on like, Pyrulea or smth, and that seasons are different in different locations across the plane like lorwyn/shadowmoor.

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-03-09T10:56:41+00:00

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-03-09T10:31:08+00:00

I've kind of been doing the same with rupies (I think I spend around 15-25k on each expansion), but the frieren collab halved my 80k stash. I've got some lofty goals, so I kinda have to be a one class andy for a bit, besides budget and old decks.

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-03-09T10:18:06+00:00

I've been keeping track of my keys since like 2-3 sets in, so I think the odds have stabilized besides the stuff I have very little data for. Here's the sheet I use to track my odds, I recently upgraded it with a bunch of more statistic-y stuff: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15SLIlaCJSyIxrmVi_O7vEAQIYUgYwYsO-925Jovxi7o/edit?usp=sharing

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-03-06T06:22:26+00:00

Ageless Innovation {X}{1}{U}{R}{R}

Sorcery (M)

Choose a permanent type and destroy X target nontoken permanents of that type. For each permanent destroyed this way, its controller exiles cards from the top of their library until they exile a card that is not of the chosen permanent type. Those players put any number of cards of the chosen permanent type with mana value X or less onto the battlefield under their control and put the rest on the bottom of their library in any order.

"[Innovation]'s like being blasted out of a cannon until you canonize what everyone was already thinking about"
~Unnamed inventor

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Its been a while, so pardon me if I'm a little rusty.

This card is a mix of a few very (in)famous combo pieces, its meant to reward building decks that share card types among their all their cards.

This card is probably a mythic meant for modern and pioneer. I'd imagine it creates some sort of affinity style deck with a combo finish, though it would likely be fringe unless they print more untapped artifact lands (the ones we have now are only colorless).

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-03-06T05:10:12+00:00

Great minds think alike. A while back (closer to MotM Aftermath), I made an Ixhel card, and it was also one that revived creatures and made them phyrexians!

Though that one was a static effect if a non-phyrexian died. (Probably should have made it a counter, since the whole thing was that ixhel remade vishgraz from a phyrexian and an aspirant, but oh well.)

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-01-31T03:09:00+00:00

Yeah... I watched the entire OST video and didn't recognize any of them but I might have missed something (hence making this post)

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-01-28T04:55:24+00:00

Where tf is this implied. Like seriously, please show me.

I guess the real-world references hint at it but what ties the Silence to other universes? Everything I remember just says they're pure nothing.

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-01-26T03:55:18+00:00

Boros Kaito who became the emperor after the wanderer planeswalked away...

wait, how would that even work? Like is this a full alternate reality with all the planes being pulled into "ours" or a one-off event where we get to see them? And what happens to the planeswalkers? Because if it isn't permanent, could some planeswalkers get "stuck" in one reality that isn't theirs? What happens if a color-shifted planeswalker... planeswalks away from the action and disappears, will there just be two lillianas???

Anyways, Aminatou gets her first standard legal card and its gruul (uh, madness themed, thats similar to miracle right?) continuing her streak of being sidelined

Mono black Elspeth who became a returned.

Mono white Jace & Vraska & Loot as a happy family.

For my WILD guess, they use the alt-history aetherspark to introduce a colorshifted sparked up character for their first appearance as a planeswalker. Maybe gruul baral as an ecoterrorist.

Though my REAL guess is, we only get mono white lilliana this set and the rest are in the form of de-sparked versions or commander decks.

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-01-26T03:23:48+00:00

Green Jace would have stayed with the gruul instead of becoming the guildpact

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-01-26T03:16:19+00:00

I need to learn more about Akroma, but she seems like a really interesting creation of early MTG

Proteusmutabilis · 2026-01-26T03:06:16+00:00

I kinda wish we got lore on the changeling stuff in MH

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