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The next day, Detective Roy summed up what was left to do in his mind.

"So, the killer was clearly a Gruul young man in a Dimir disguise, with signs of poison on it. They might have acted on their own account, or hired by somebody else to do the job. It can't be excluded that the Selesnya themselves hired him to solve some kind of internal disagreement. An Izzet goblin who also could have been a useful witness has disappeared, and anyway they had run away before the murder, and not to take a bow and then return to shoot a poisoned arrow at the hierarch with it from the back of the crowd, he had run away because of fear and guilt, and anyway the murderer was a human and not a goblin, I saw it once I managed to take off the cloak. I could find some Izzet member to talk to them about this, but I don't think the Izzet are actually behind this given the current evidence. All the other guilds that were in the crowd look like they can be excluded as well, judging by their testimonies. The guild the culprit belongs to, if any, was not there in the hierarch's audience, which leaves the Gruul, after all the killer could have been hired by a high-ranking member of his same guild, the Selesnya, because of an internal feud, and…" He sighed. "The Azorius and the Boros. I know who I have to talk to next."

Roy felt a wave of discomfort hitting him as hard as an inner tsunami, and he was now forced to face it, trying to stand against it as strongly as the man he had yet to become.

The reason Roy had joined the Agency instead of any guild was because he wanted to know the truth behind all the guilds at their worst, when they were committing crimes, before he chose one, if any. His father, a Wojek Shift Captain, had always wanted to have him in his patrolling squad in the Boros Legion. He used to take Roy with him on his patrol relatively often, when it was safe enough, and he liked to walk the streets with his dad at his side, ready to protect him if the need should have ever risen, and such a need had already risen several times in Roy's still relatively short life. Once, he had witnessed a Boros patrol catching a criminal on the act and taking it a step too far by killing them on the spot instead of arresting them and consigning them to the Azorius, but at the same time he was also there another time when another Boros patrol saw an orphan child stealing food to survive and they chose to not even intervene. He knew the Boros could cover the whole range between heartly compassionate and stubbornly inflexible in law enforcement. He liked the former but had never understood the latter. His father had always told him that it was all part of the job and he shouldn't worry too much about it. Since then, Roy had left his parents' house to go to live with a friend of his. Roy rarely met either of his parents anymore since he left their house a couple years ago.

Roy knew where to find his father: the local seat of the Wojek League. He had free access there. He could go wherever he wanted, people there knew him and had always treated him as if he actually were the Boros soldier his father had always wanted him to become. After all, Roy was still their boss's son. They knew their boss would have wanted to have a talk with them if they kept him out of the buildings as they were technically supposed to, but they were all too afraid of that talk, as they knew it would have been the kind of talk you'd never want to have with your boss. So they all just let Roy reach his father's office and enter there as they always did. Roy ignored all the eyes that were looking at him as he reached the door, sighed, and entered the room without even knocking.

"Hi, dad." Roy was looking at the floor, not even daring to look his father in the eyes. He didn't want him to try to convince him to join the Boros yet again, and he didn't want to disappoint him by having to tell him no again, and that he wanted to find his own path, and that it was not a given that path led to him joining the Legion.
"Roy! My joy!"
"Dad, please… I don't know how many times you told me that rhyme in my life. You know I don't like it. I'm not a child anymore."
"But you are! It's been a while since you were here last time. What brings you here? You've finally decided you want to join the righteous side?"
"No, sorry, not yet. I'm still in the Agency, and that's why I'm here."
"Ok, I'll still wait then… How can I help you, son?"
"A Selesnya hierarch has been killed yesterday while holding a sermon in the main plaza, and I'm investigating his death. Were any of your men around there yesterday?"
"Some certainly were. You know we patrol the whole precinct constantly, day and night."
"Any report about that?"
"Not to me yet."
"Dad, please be sincere for once. Could the Boros do something like that?"
"You mean kill somebody while on service? Yes, it has happened before… Some of our guys get carried away by the frenzy of the moment sometimes… Don't tell anyone about that."
"I know, I've seen that myself as a child. Multiple times in fact. But even religious people? Hiring a Gruul archer boy wearing a Dimir cloak who shoots an arrow poisoned with an unknown poison right at their heart?"
"No, that doesn't sound like a Boros way to deal with criminals, I don't think it's been one of us. Anyway, let me hear from the zone Sergeant…"
Roy's father open the door of his office and shouted:
"Is Sergeant Namezt around here? Please anybody send him to report to me here! NOW!"

After a few minutes, the door of Roy's father's room was slammed open with the same violence that a local Grunt would use if it led to a criminal hideout instead of their boss's office. A male Boros minotaur entered the room.
"Sergeant Namezt, what are you doing? That's my office door, you know it!"
"Sorry, Captain Biklyev. You've called for me and I ran here. Inertia can be a force more binding than the law. At your orders! Oh, and hi, Royznod!"
"Hi, Zonez."
"Do you have any reports about a homicide in the main plaza yesterday? Roy is investigating that on behalf of the Agency."
"The Selesnya hierarch, sir?"
Roy replied in his father's stead:
"Yes, Zonez. That one."
"Roy, my son, you'd fit wonderfully in this role! You already know everybody here!"
"Dad, please, not in front of one of your subjects…"
"Anyway, anything about that, Sergeant?"
"Yes, Captain. Two of my Grunts saw an Izzet goblin running away from the plaza screaming curses to that hierarch, and they followed him. He entered a building a few blocks down and never came out of there for the rest of the day. At a certain point they saw the Azorius also going down the same street transporting a loxodon body."
"I told them to bring it to their evidence locker."
"Good idea, Roy! Sergeant, were any of your Grunts in the plaza at the moment that loxodon was killed?"
"No, sir. They were all patrolling the zone, but none was in the plaza at that exact moment as far as I know."
Roy said nothing, but he thought: "So no Boros were there at that moment. Dad's right, it can't be them."
Then he said aloud: "I wanted to talk to that runaway Izzet goblin…"
"Sergeant, could you take Roy to wherever your Grunts saw that goblin went?"
"Sure, Captain!"
"Do you want to go there right now, Roy?"
"Yes, dad. If you don't mind…"
"Not at all! Sergeant Namezt, take Roy there, and answer to him like you would to me. Stay with my son until he needs you, regardless of how long it might be. Feel free to go now if you want."
"Let's go, Zonez."
"Yeah, Royznod Biklyev, please follow me."
"Oh, come on, Sergeant Zonez Namezt!"

They left the Wojek local seat heading towards the building the Izzet goblin entered.
"Zonez, please, don't actually answer me as you would to my dad. I'm not in the Boros officially despite what dad would like. And you all essentially saw me grow up…"
"No problems, Roy! No one should be forced to join the Legion if they don't want to, and there is no law requiring a child to enter the same guild as one of his parents…"
"That sounds like something my mother might actually like… Don't give her ideas, please!"
"I don't think she's hearing us now…"
"You never know. The Senate has surveillance devices almost everywhere in the city."
"That's true. But then why didn't any of those devices detect anything happening in the plaza yesterday?"
"They might have. The Senate would never tell you unless it's needed. Invoke city secrets or something like that…"
"But then how would you know?"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of that later. I've already swallowed a bitter pill today. I might as well just swallow another one later. Now just take me there, Zonez."
"As you wish, Roy."
"At least you didn't reply 'At your orders!' to me…"
"You've asked me! And even if you didn't, I would have known anyway that you don't like it."
"Sometimes I feel like the rest of you understand me more than my dad actually does…"
"That's for you to figure out, Roy. If you ever need us you know where to find us! But only if and when you want it."
"Don't worry, I'll let you all know. Are we far?"
"Not much, but if you feel like you need some training, we can take a run there!"
"Why not? Let's go, Zonez!"

Zonez and Roy knocked at the door that the Grunts had seen the runaway Izzet goblin go in. A raspy voice replied from the inside:
"GO AWAY!"
Zonez and Roy looked each other right in the eyes. Roy lifted his hand to stop immediate action by the Boros Sergeant. Roy replied with the calmest voice he could use while still making it sound determined:
"We are Detective Royznod Biklyev of the Ravnica Agency of Magicological Investigations and Sergeant Zonez Namezt of the Boros Legion. We need to talk with you. Please open the door."
"NO! AWAY!"
"Please do not force us to act."
"I! SAID! AWAY!"
Roy looked again at Zonez and this time nodded at his minotaur companion. Zonez nodded back at Roy, grinning. While Roy was relatively slim, Zonez was pretty big and muscular, even going by minotaur standards. In perfect sync, the two of them smashed the door with their shoulder. What appeared in front of them was clearly an Izzet research lab, with the same male goblin that fled from the plaza hiding behind a laboratory bench with several vials of reagents on it, the color of the solutions ranging from transparent to red, then yellow, then green, and violet. All the colors of the rainbow were represented among them. Roy recognized that last purple coloration. The goblin screamed again:
"TOLD YOU! TO GO! AWAY!"
Roy screamed back:
"That purple solution! I've already seen that color! It's the poison that killed the hierarch! Who are you?"
"DOESN'T MATTER! GO AWAY!"
"It will matter very soon if you keep behaving like this! Why did you run away from the hierarch?"
"ACCUSED! SCARED! NOW TOO! GO AWAY!"
"No, we won't! Answer me or I'll have you arrested right now! How convenient that I'm with a Boros Sergeant… What's that purple solution?"
A shaky goblin hand came up from behind the bench, took that purple solution and poured it into the vial with the transparent one. The purple drops also turned transparent as they reached and fused with the mass of the other solution.
"What's this magic?" asked Rov. Still hiding behind the bench, the raspy voice replied:
"It's not magic! They're called 'indicators'! Used for chemical analysis! Change color based on acidity! Red turns to yellow, purple disappears!"
"So it's not a poison?"
"NO! GO AWAY! NOW!"
"Wait! So you didn't come back to the plaza to shoot the loxodon after running away?"
"NO! CAME HERE! SCARED! NEVER LEFT AGAIN! NOW YOU TWO LEAVE!"
"Or give a poison to a Gruul boy to use on his arrow and have him shoot?"
"I don't know what you're talking about! And it's not poison! Real Izzet don't use poisons! NOW LEAVE!"
"How about the Dimir? They do, and the cloak was Dimir."
"Dimir could use poisons! Izzet don't! GO AWAY!"
Zonez intervened for the first time:
"Roy, that's true. Think about it. Have you ever heard about the Izzet experimenting with poisons? That's more of a Golgari or Simic thing, and the Dimir can use poisons as well. Not the Izzet. I don't think this goblin or his guild are involved in this."
"BIG GUY IS RIGHT! NOW GO!"
"You're right, Zonez. I guess the Izzet aren't involved."
"No. And this one just fled because of fear. Nothing to hide. Just my opinion, Roy."
"Ok. Excuse the intrusion and have a nice day, whatever your name is."

Roy and Zonez were back on the street, and clueless about what to do next. The big Boros minotaur told to the slim detective boy:
"Weren't you talking about your mother before?"
"Do we really have to talk about her?"
"No. It was just an idea. I can also just go back to the Wojek department if you prefer."
"No, it's fine. You can stay with me. If I have to go to talk to her as well, I'd feel good with you as moral support at least."
"Thank you. Do you want to do that now?"
"Why not? I might as well just swallow the other bitter pill sooner rather than later."
"Why is it bitter? If you don't mind…"
"No problem, you're like my second family. It's just that you only know half of my first one."
"I know your mother is Azorius. Why are you afraid of her?"
"I'm not afraid. Just uncomfortable, like when I came to talk to my dad at your department earlier today."
"Why are you uncomfortable with your own parents? That feels wrong to me."
"They both want me in their own guild. I don't feel ready to join either of them, and if I join one's guild, I know I will inevitably disappoint the other."
"If they really want what's good for you above everything else, like any parent is supposed to do, they won't be disappointed."
"They will. They're both very proud. Too proud. My dad doesn't miss a chance to make anybody notice how well I would fit in the Boros, you've heard it yourself earlier today and I'm sure it wasn't the first time. My mum does the same in the Azorius. It's always been like that. I feel like a rope in a game of tug of war, being pulled from two opposite sides at the same time. The end state is that the rope stands still, or if you prefer, I stay guildless. And if I end up in a different guild, I disappoint both at the same time. That's even worse."
"But would you disappoint yourself? That's what matters."
"No, but it's not that easy. If I have to join a guild at all, I want to know what they can do at their worst, even those who want to maintain a facade of goodness. At least the Rakdos and the Dimir are open about that, for how open the Dimir can be. but all the others aren't that better actually. You don't know how much dirt I've already seen since I joined the Agency a couple years ago as I left my parents' home. They all can do horrible things. All of them. Including yours. I'm sorry, Zonez, but that's the truth."
"No problem, Roy. Don't think I don't know."
"I want to understand. I want to know the truth about the guilds, all of them. Only then I will be able to make a decision, if any. In the meantime, I try to stay neutral. That's what I want for now. Neutrality, and knowing the truth. You know, the same ideals Ezrim founded the Agency for. For now, that's what I want. That's what I know I want. That's what I feel I want."
"Then that's what you should strive for, not whatever either of your parents want you to do."
"That's the problem." Roy sighed. "Let's go to find my mum."

"Here we are, Zonez."
"Where? This is just a secondary dead-end alley, Roy."
"I don't feel like passing through all the security checks of the local Azorius quarters just to talk to my mother."
"So you brought us to this wall instead?"
"There is a secret passage here. One that my mother set up specifically so that I could reach her office at any time I wanted."
"That doesn't sound like something the Azorius would do. At the very least it means your mother must trust you if she set up a way for you to bypass their security."
Roy sighed again. "Yeah, I guess… Just let me open this and follow me."
"If you prefer going there alone, just tell me. I'd understand."
"No. Come with me."

"Hi, mum."
"Good morning, madam."
"Roy! It's been so long since I last saw you!"
"Mum, this is Zonez. He's one of dad's subjects. Zonez, this is my mother."
"Sergeant Zonez Namezt. Nice to meet you, mistress…"
"Manyela Privak-Biklyev, advocate, prosecutor, and keeper of the local Azorius library and archives. Pleased to meet you, Sergeant."
"She always has to do this… couldn't she just say 'Manyela' and be done with it?" Roy thought, but lacked the courage to say it out loud. It was part of Azorius customs for one to say their full name, surname, and official titles when they introduce themselves to someone they don't know, and he didn't want his mother to see him as too detached from her guild. Instead, he told her:
"He's helping me on a case. A Selesnya hierarch was killed yesterday in a public plaza by a seemingly Gruul archer in a Dimir disguise with a poisoned arrow. We're looking for any information the archives can provide."
"No problem! Let me take the form to compile to access the archives…"
"Mum, it's me."
"...obviously in duplicate…"
"Me and my friend."
"...or maybe in triplicate it's even better, you never know one of the copies might be lost…"
"Mum?"
"Oh, sorry, son. It's just that there are laws to follow, I can't let anyone enter the archives like this…"
"You made a secret passage for me to get here, mum. Couldn't you just let me and my friend pass? I can guarantee for him myself if you want."
Zonez was looking at her rolling his eyes, thinking:
"This is why I'm proud to be Boros and not Azorius… Sometimes you have to close your eyes. I would allow my child immediate access, that's if I had one of course… If you don't trust your own child, who do you trust? And why does she trust her child enough to allow him access to his own office but not to the archive? It makes it look like there are some secrets in the archives she doesn't want even her child to know…"
But then what he actually told her was:
"If I am the problem, madam, I can stay here with you while he goes to look in the archive…"
"No, no, you can go together. You're right, son. Sometimes I let myself be carried away by the joy of formal paperwork! I will accompany you two there, just to be safe..."
"...at least, if someone sees us they will think we filled all the proper forms to be there. Got it, mum. Thank you. Let's follow her, Zonez."
Zonez went downstairs with Roy and his mother while thinking:
"'The joy of formal paperwork', sure… 'Joy' is a very subjective word I guess…"

Manyela had left Roy and Zonez to search the archives and had gone back to her office, waiting for them to be back there. Given the sheer extension of the archives, the young detective and his minotaur companion had chosen to check separate parts of the archives each by himself, calling each other if either of them found anything noteworthy. While still searching, Zonez sighed and then told Roy from afar:
"Roy, there are several cases of corruption involving Boros members here…"
"Told you your guild isn't actually as clean as it wants to look like."
"Yeah… At least I don't know any of the names I'm seeing here personally."
"And I know you well enough to know you can't be among those."
"I've never taken a single bribe in my whole life, and have no intention to do so in the future."
"As I said, I know you."
Zonez had a folder in his hands and was scouring through it.
"Azorius too? Wow!"
"Doesn't surprise me. You don't know what I've seen through the Agency. None of the guilds is totally innocent. Not even a single one, and not even the lawmakers themselves. We're lucky there aren't more than ten guilds, or Ravnica would be even more fallible than it already is. Ten guilds are enough, no more are necessary."
"I can't imagine a Ravnica with more than ten guilds."
"In fact. I tell you: no more than ten. That's enough."
"Hold on! Roy, you might want to read this line that I've found here…"
"Coming, Zonez. I've found nothing in this other aisle so far anyway."
Roy went to check what Zonez had found.
"Read here, Roy."
"...and according to the aforementioned Regulament on Transport and Retention, vol. 20, section 5, colloquially referred to as 'Law on Illicit Substances', and as reaffiremed by the subsequent Government law n. 880 and Decree of public interest n. 29983, the production, detention and use of all known poisons are managed as detailed in article 9-ter of the Nature Act, that thorougly and extensively lists all of them, also specifying which ones are free and which ones require affiliation to a guild, and the physical and chemical properties to which each of them must adhere for its adoption to be inherently authorized without the need of any further permissions…"
"We might want to read that list."
"Yeah. It turns out some poisons require affiliation to a guild to use while others can also be used by the guildless. Under which category would something like what I saw on that Dimir cloak fall?"
"Who knows?"
"Is there a copy of the Nature Act somewhere in this archive?"
"There must be. This is so big that it looks like it must contain a copy of the whole New Prahv main archives..."
"Let's look for it."

They spent several hours researching the archive, looking for the Nature Act.
"See, Zonez? This is not what I want to do in my life. What is this all for? Nothing!"
"Come on, Roy! Don't give up! It must be here somewhere. It's true that I just can't see you in the Azorius, for how well I can know you..."
"You do know me, you've seen me grow up!"
"As did the whole Wojek department by the way..."
"Yeah. Not a problem, don't worry. Keep searching."
"Did your mother ever gave you a full tour of the Azorius offices here?"
"No. Ever. Not a single time. I can come and go as I please in your Wojek seat, and I could navigate that whole building with a blindfold on my eyes, without even being officially part of the Boros... Here I would have to pass all security checks and ask for directions to get to my mum's office if she didn't set up that secret passage. Except for my mother's room, I don't know a single corridor in the building that's above us right now. I could draw the whole map of the Wojek department, but I couldn't draw a single line if I were to map this building instead."
"Complete opposites..."
"Yeah, indeed. I'm used to that by now. It's not that my mother doesn't trust me, it's just that while my dad shows it too much, she doesn't show it at all instead. She's not a bad person though."
"Never said that. It just that the difference between those two extremes caught my attention..."
"Tell that to me! I used to live it every day until I chose to leave home, and yes, that was part of the reason why I did that."
"HERE IT IS!"
"Did you find it?"
"Yeah! 'The Nature Act'.Finally! Come here, Roy! Let's take a look."
"Go directly to article 9-ter. I wanna see that list of poisons right now!"
"Here!"
"Wow, look at this table! It's so long!"
"How did it say? 'Thorough and extensive' or something like that?"
"Well, this certainly qualifies!"
"I had no idea so many poisons existed... so many ways to die..."
"Can't blame you for seeing it that way, Zonez... WAIT! What's that name?"
"'Stain of Violets'?"
"Yeah! Let's see what it says about it... violet color..."
"Who would have guessed?"
"Violets are flowers, Zonez."
"Yeah. And what color are they?"
"Violet, of couse. Ok, you're right."
"How does the saying go? 'Roses are red, violets are violet' or something like that?"
"Not exactly, but it gives the idea quite well. Let's see the rest of the physical and chemical properties... It doesn't mention anything about turning transparent in an acid environment."
"The Izzet goblin was right. This is not the one we saw in his lab."
"Indeed."
"And what does it say about any eventual guild affiliation required to use it?"
"'Requires guild affiliation..."
"Well, that rules out whoever hired the killer being guildless then..."
"Yeah, but look at how it goes on: '...to one of the following guilds: Dimir House, Cult of Rakdos, Gruul Clans, Selesnya Conclave, Orzhov Syndicate, Golgari Swarm, or Simic Combine.'"
"Could have just said 'almost everybody'..."
"No, Zonez! Don't focus too much on who's there, also pay attention to who is not there!"
"I'm just happy my own guild is not on that list..."
"Me too. Dad and all of you at the Wojek seat are clean, as well as mum and everybody who works in this building."
"True. Doesn't say Azorius either. Of course, this was also written by some Azorius bureaucrat, so they might want to still have access to it out of the law..."
"'Out of the law'? The Azorius? Do you feel fine, Zonez? The ceiling here is low, maybe you might have hit it with your horns or some other part of your head..."
"Yeah, you're right. I was thinking as Boros, sorry. Of course the Azorius would spell it out even if it was themselves writing this... Makes them appear lawful, and anyway it's not their job to patrol the streets and have to deal with the real s..."
"...service that must be offered to Ravnica's population. I guess that was what you were about to say, wasn't it?"
"Oh, sure... Yeah, it was certainly that... Nothing to worry about. But it's true that it's too easy for them to just sit behind their desks while we have to deal with the real-life consequences of the laws they like so much to write while they're safe sitting in a building with security checks and everything..."
"That's what makes you Boros, Zonez."
"Indeed. Couldn't see myself doing that, sorry."
"No need to apologize. To each their own, no?"
"Yeah, of course. So does this also clear out the Azorius too in your opinion?"
"Yes, it does. If they aren't allowed to possess or use this poison, which I'm convinced is the correct one after reading its properties, the one that I saw on the sleeve of the Dimir cloak, then it makes it much less likely that it's one of them who has hired the Gruul archer killer. Yes, they are also clean. The Boros, the Azorius, and the guildless. Also, remember it's named after a kind of flower... That could point to the Selesnya, the Golgari, and probably the Simic too..."
"Have you already interrogated anyone from those guilds?"
"I've talked to a Golgari elf and to a Simic melfolk, and they both seemed sincere. The Golgari guy even looked like he wanted to help me, and the Simic lady invited me to join them, even though she did want to feed the dead loxodon body to their Sharktocrabs... But I still have to hear from the Gruul and the Selesnya themselves, that's true. I will have to do that as soon as possible."
"We must have spent the whole day here in this huge archive. I can't even say if it's day or night outside..."
"Neither can I. Are you hungry?"
"A little... are you?"
"Yeah. Why don't we go to eat something together and then call it a day? I'll go to the Gruul and the Selesnya tomorrow."
"I'll go back to the Wojek department then after dinner."
"You don't have to. You can come to spend the night with me and my housemate and then be already with me as we wake up tomorrow to reprise our investigation. Didn't dad tell you to stay with me until I needed you?"
"Yeah, he did. But this is your case, Roy. Do you really still need me?"
"Absolutely, Zonez. Now more than ever. I told you before, you're my second family. How could I not need you now?"
"And what about your first family?"
"They're just in too deep with their own guild business..."
"I'm too theoretically..."
"You said that! 'Theoretically'. But in practice?"
Zonez reflected for a moment and then replied:
"Yeah! I'm Boros, I know that what really matters is the spirit of the law and not the letter. I'll gladly leave that to the Azorius. Your dad or somebody else will take care of the patrolling turns for tomorrow... In practice I have a friend, one that grew up with us more than with his actual parents, who needs me and my help. Who am I to say no to that?"
"I won't say no either. Let's go, Zonez. You patrol the streets every day, you must know all the restaurants in this part of the city... You pick one. We'll start thinking about this again tomorrow!"
"And together."
"Of course! Together, tomorrow!"

Main Challenge

• There are two requirements that your card has to meet at the same time to qualify:

1. It has investigate itself. Granting it doesn't count. Creating Clue tokens directly without using the investigate keyword also does NOT count.

2. It does NOT have blue in its color identity. Not just color, color identity! This means no blue mana symbols of any kind (normal, any hybrid containing blue, "twobrid", Phyrexian, etc...), neither in the mana cost nor in the text box (rules text + reminder text).

• Your card can be of any card type(s) and do whatever you want in addition to investigate.


Subchallenge 1

EXAMPLES

I will always use collect evidence 6. Adjust accordingly for other numbers.

"As an additional cost to cast this spell, collect evidence 6."
Here the text itself says it, it's a cost. Subchallenge NOT met.

"You may collect evidence 6 rather than paying this spell's mana cost."
Here it's a cost. An alternative cost, but still a cost. Subchallenge NOT met.

"You may cast this spell without paying its mana cost if you collect evidence 6."
Again an alternative cost. Remember that casting a spell "without paying its mana cost" is already an alternative cost. Subchallenge NOT met.

"Flashback—Collect evidence 6."
Alternative cost. Subchallenge NOT met.

"Suspend X—X, Collect evidence X."
Alternative cost. Subchallenge NOT met.

"Kicker—Collect evidence 6."
Alternative cost. Subchallenge NOT met.

"Kicker G
Collect evidence 6. If this spell was kicked, return a card from among the exiled cards to your hand."
Effect. Kicker is the additional cost and it's just mana. Subchallenge MET.

"Kicker B
Target opponent loses 3 life. If this spell was kicked, they collect evidence 6."
Effect. Again, kicker is the additional cost and it's just mana. Subchallenge MET.

"Counter target spell unless its controller collects evidence 6."
Cost. In the CR, the word "unless" means "(some player) may (do whatever comes after the "unless", and this is a cost). If that player does, (do whatever comes before the "unless", this is an effect). Subchallenge NOT met.

"Collect evidence 6, then counter target spell if it shares a color with a card exiled this way."
Effect. Subchallenge MET.

"Whenever you collect evidence 6, you gain 3 life."
Trigger condition, not an effect. Subchallenge NOT met.

"Whenever CARDNAME enters the battlefield or you collect evidence 6, you gain 3 life."
Same as before. Part of the trigger condition, still not an effect. Subchallenge NOT met.

"Whenever CARDNAME enters the battlefield, if you've collected evidence 6 this turn, you gain 3 life."
Intervening if clause, still not an effect. Here the effect is the "you gain 3 life" at the end. Subchallenge NOT met.

"Whenever CARDNAME enters the battlefield, you collect evidence 6 and you gain 3 life."
Effect. Subchallenge MET.

"At the beginning of your upkeep, you collect evidence 6 and you gain 3 life."
Effect. Subchallenge MET.

"1W, Collect evidence 6: You gain 3 life."
Activation cost, but still a cost. Subchallenge NOT met.

"1W: Collect evidence 6, then you gain 3 life."
Effect. Subchallenge MET.

"1W: You gain 3 life unless an opponent collects evidence 6."
Cost. Same reasoning from before about the word "unless". In this case, it means "an opponent may collect evidence 6 (cost). If none of your opponents does, you gain 3 life (effect). Subchallenge NOT met.

(on a planeswalker card) "-2: Collect evidence 6, then you gain life equal to the number of colors among the exiled cards."
Effect. Subchallenge MET.

(on a planeswalker card) "-X: Collect evidence X."
Effect. Subchallenge MET.

(first ability of a planeswalker card) "As CARDNAME enters the battlefield, you may collect evidence 6. If you do, CARDNAME enters the battlefield with two additional loyalty counters on her."
Cost. In general, in "you may (something). If you do, (something)", the first "something" is a cost, something that you can pay to get the second "something", that after the "if you do", and that part is an effect. As worded in this specific example, Subchallenge NOT met.

(first ability of a planeswalker card) "When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, you may collect evidence 6. If you do, put two additional loyalty counters on her."
Still a cost. Same reasoning as the example right above this one. The fact that the previous one was a static ability and this one is a triggered ability doesn't matter. As it's a cost, Subchallenge NOT met.

(first ability of a planeswalker card) "When CARDNAME enters the battlefield, collect evidence 6. If there are two or more cards that share a color among the exiled cards, put two additional loyalty counters on her."
Effect. The fact that there is a condition check right afterwards doesn't matter. Subchallenge MET.

For now I can't think of any other possibility. If something comes to my mind later, I will add it here.


NOTES

• The collect evidence value can be any number. X counts too, just remember to define it.

• Again, yes, the CR have no problems with collect evidence being an effect instead of a cost. "Collect evidence N" is just shorthand for the rules text "Exile any number of cards with total mana value N or more from your graveyard." It's just a way to exile cards from graveyards. You can absolutely collect evidence as an effect and then do whatever you want with the exiled cards. You could have a card that says, for example, "Exile any number of cards with total mana value 6 or more from your graveyard, then destroy all permanents that share a color with one or more of the exiled cards", couldn't you? That's perfectly valid as an effect. You could just write it as "Collect evidence 6, then destroy all permanents that share a color with one or more of the exiled cards." There you go, collect evidence used as an effect!

• The effect can be any kind of effect: an instant or sorcery spell resolving, or the effect of an activated or triggered ability. All it matters is that collecting evidence is part of an effect and NOT a cost!

• There are only two cards in the MKM main set that would meet this Subchallenge: Evidence Examiner and Surveillance Monitor. All the others use collect evidence as a cost. This Subchallenge is intentionally pushing you to find new design space for the mechanic. • Remember that ANYTHING that comes BEFORE the colon in an activated ability is a COST, and ANYTHING that comes AFTER it is an EFFECT. So for this Subchallenge to be met by using an activated ability, collect evidence MUST come AFTER the colon.

• Also remember that triggered abilities can also ask you to pay some cost to get an effect, and that's also a cost. Things like this for example:

"When/whenever/at (trigger condition), you may pay COST. If/when you do, EFFECT."

That ability's effect is:

"you may pay COST. If/when you do, EFFECT."

and this is itself an effect, but one that asks you to pay a further cost, and that further cost is, precisely, a COST. If/when you pay that further cost, you get the EFFECT. To pass this Subchallenge with such a triggered ability, collect evidence being part of that second additional cost does NOT count. It CANNOT be:

"(trigger condition), you may collect evidence N. If/when you do, EFFECT."

There, collect evidence is still a COST in the CR. What DOES count is:

"(trigger condition), you may pay (some other cost). If/when you do, collect evidence N and do whatever else."

There, collect evidence is part of the effect, so this Subchallenge is passed.

• Collecting evidence as an additional or alternative cost for anything does NOT count.

• From the discussion thread:

bravelion83 wrote: ↑

2 months ago

haywire wrote: ↑

2 months ago

@bravelion83 in the past, there have been issues where I have followed the letter of a challenge but not the spirit, so I wanted to ask for subchallenge 1: would an effect such as "at the beginning of combat on your turn, tap this creature unless you collect evidence 6" pass? To my knowledge, even though it functions as a sort of cost, the CR still sees this ability as an effect.

No, it does not pass. It's a cost. The "A unless B" means "you may A. If you don't, B." A is a cost, B an effect. In this case, "collect evidence 6" is A (a cost) and "tap this creature" is B (an effect).

CR (MKM) wrote:118.12a Some spells, activated abilities, and triggered abilities read, "[Do something] unless [a player does something else]." This means the same thing as "[A player may do something else]. If [that player doesn't], [do something]."

As for the rest, I actually believe it's not that counterintuitive what is a cost and what is an effect, even with no knowledge of the CR. A cost is something you need to do to get something. An effect is what actually happens when something resolves. We can go more technical and quote the CR directly for definitions...

CR (MKM) wrote:609.1. An effect is something that happens in the game as a result of a spell or ability. When a spell, activated ability, or triggered ability resolves, it may create one or more one-shot or continuous effects. Static abilities may create one or more continuous effects. Text itself is never an effect.

...but I don't think it's actually that hard to get intuitively. It's just something you might not think about while you're playing, but what you do in ordinary gameplay is just paying costs to get effects (plus combat). Spells that require additional costs even use the word "cost" in the additional cost itself: "As an additional cost to cast this spell, (whatever)."

See when I say I always fail when trying something that's outside the box? This is a perfect example. Having you use collect evidence as an effect felt like a genius idea to me, and almost an auto-include in the challenges. I was excited to do it, it felt very original to me, and it was kind of the point of the round to me. I even thought about making it the Main Challenge at first, then I thought it was better as a Subchallenge, but there was no point in time while planning this month that this challenge wasn't there. I also crafted both modes in Subchallenge 2 around that. Now it has suddenly become yet another failure... Leo, you need to stay inside the box! That's where your strenght lies, and you know it. Stop trying to be original! What else must happen for you to get that? Anyway, did you want an article topic? There's one! Add it to the list. Thanks, inner self... Don't worry, this is normal. On a totally unrelated note, I'm going to write about Kim in the DCC right now...

I'll be honest: I'm not going to change the challenge. I mostly built the whole round around this idea. What I can do and I'm willing to do is to tell you, any player, whether the way you're using collect evidence counts or not as an effect, aka whether it passes the Subchallenge or not. Feel free to ask me either here or via pm.

For example, @marioguy3's current submission uses collect evidence as a trigger condition, and that's NOT an effect. It does NOT currently pass Subchallenge 1:

marioguy3 wrote: ↑

2 months ago

Oceanic Cleanup Machine
Artifact (Rare)
When Oceanic Cleanup Machine enters the battlefield, investigate for each Fish, Jellyfish, Merfolk, and Octopus cards in graveyards.
Whenever you collect evidence 4, mill two cards.
, Sacrifice three clues: Return Oceanic Cleanup from your graveyard to the battlefield.

@Caspernicus and @Komandon's submissions do use collect evidence as an effect and currently pass Subchallenge 1. No other players have submitted yet.

bravelion83 wrote: ↑

2 months ago

haywire wrote: ↑

2 months ago

@bravelion83 since the existing CR for Collect Evidence only provides support for how it is done as an optional use, e.g. 701.57b/c, how do we interpret its use as a mandatory effect? For example, if my card says "Target opponent collects evidence 6", and they only have a 3 drop and 2 lands in their yard, do they exile everything? Or only the 3 drop, since the lands don't provide any progress towards collecting evidence so they don't fall under "Does as much as it can" rules of thumb?

I'm asking because it feels like, similarly to the prowess counters in my previous rounds, while an extremely simple change to the CR, it would still require a change/additional bullet to cover the use of collect evidence in the non-optional scenario, which, by the rubric, would lose points.

CR (MKM) wrote:701.57a To "collect evidence N" means to exile any number of cards from your graveyard with total mana value N or greater.

As I interpret it, exiling only the 3-drop would be enough to "do as much as it can", as you are exiling "any number" (1) of cards with total mana value as close to 6 as you can. Though, "any number" also includes 2 and 3, so it still would be legal for them to also exile one or both lands in addition to the 3-drop. It's still "any number" of cards and the total mana value is still as close to 6 as possible. In the case you proposed, I'd say that them exiling the 3-drop is the minimum requirement and would be enough. They MUST exile their 3-drop, but if they want they CAN also exile one or both lands. All of those would be legal choices for your opponent, and they would get to choose which one to do, not you.

As a counterexample, suppose that instead of the 3-drop your opponent has a 4-drop and a 1-drop plus whatever number of lands in their graveyard. In this case, exiling only the 4-drop or only the 1-drop would not be doing "as much as it can", so they would not be legal choices for your opponent. In this case, they are forced to exile both the 4-drop and the 1-drop (plus any of the lands if they want, including none) to do "as much as it can".

@Subject16

Subject16 wrote: ↑

2 months ago

Alibi Extractor 2BB
Creature — Demon Detective (M)
Flying, trample
Pay 2 life: Investigate. (Create a colorless Clue artifact token with "2, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.")
Whenever you sacrifice a Clue, each opponent loses 2 life unless they collect evidence 2. (To collect evidence 2, that player exiles cards with total mana value 2 or greater from their graveyard.)
4/5

Here collect evidence is a cost. See my previous post about "unless" meaning "you may COST. If you do, EFFECT." This submission as is would NOT pass Subchallenge 1.

Hope this helps. I'm going to update the clarifications adding examples.

bravelion83 wrote: ↑

2 months ago

haywire wrote: ↑

2 months ago

@bravelion83 you said that no card in the set meets subchallenge 1, but how does Evidence Examiner not do so?

You're correct, I just missed it. On that card, collect evidence is an effect. It's also a good precedent to show that I wasn't too crazy making it a Subchallenge, Wizards did it themselves! I'll edit the clarifications. Thanks for making me notice.

EDIT - It's not the only one. Surveillance Monitor is the other, but I checked and they are the only two existing cards from MKM that would pass Subchallenge 1. Updating the clarifications again.

bravelion83 wrote: ↑

2 months ago

Subject16 wrote: ↑

2 months ago

@bravelion83 I've made an edit to my submission. Can you confirm that it now meets the criteria for the subchallenge?

Subject16 wrote: ↑

2 months ago

Alibi Extractor 2BB
Creature — Demon Detective (M)
Flying, trample
Pay 2 life: Investigate. (Create a colorless Clue artifact token with "2, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.")
Whenever you sacrifice a Clue, each opponent collects evidence 2. If they can't, they lose 2 life. (To collect evidence 2, that player exiles cards with total mana value 2 or greater from their graveyard.)
4/5

@Subject16 Here collect evidence is indeed an effect (of a triggered ability). This submission WOULD pass Subchallenge 1.

haywire wrote: ↑

2 months ago

Burn Your Source 1RR
Sorcery {R}
Sacrifice each Clue you control. Burn Your Source deals X damage to target opponent and up to one target creature they control, where X is the number of Clues sacrificed this way. That opponent collects evidence X, then you may cast a spell exiled this way without paying its mana cost.
Chase a Risky Lead — 1R, Reveal Burn Your Source from your hand: Investigate. Burn Your Source deals 2 damage to you. Activate only as a sorcery.
A good detective never gives up their sources. But if you do, make sure you do it spectacularly.

@haywire Here too collect evidence is an effect (of a spell ability), so this submission as it currently is WOULD also pass Subchallenge 1.

netn10 wrote: ↑

2 months ago

Case of the Meticulously Framed W
Enchantment - Case (Rare)
When this Case enters the battlefield, exile target creature until this Case leaves the battlefield. If you can't, sacrifice this Case.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may collect evidence 4. If you do, investigate. If you don't, sacrifice this Case.
To solve — You control three or more Clues.
Solved — Sacrifice this Case: Put the exiled creature into its owner's graveyard.

@netn10 Here collect evidence is a cost (that you may pay to investigate, that's an effect). This submission as is does NOT pass Subchallenge 1.

As a reference, here is the definition of a cost:

CR (MKM) wrote:118.1. A cost is an action or payment necessary to take another action or to stop another action from taking place. To pay a cost, a player carries out the instructions specified by the spell, ability, or effect that contains that cost.

And here is that of effect:

CR (MKM) wrote:609.1. An effect is something that happens in the game as a result of a spell or ability. When a spell, activated ability, or triggered ability resolves, it may create one or more one-shot or continuous effects. Static abilities may create one or more continuous effects. Text itself is never an effect.

Subchallenge 2, mode 1

• An activated ability always has a colon, and everything that comes BEFORE the colon is the activation cost. In that activation cost, there must be something that's NOT a mana payment.

• There can be any mana payment in the activation cost in addition to the non-mana component.

• For example all the following pass this Subchallenge mode:

"Sacrifice a creature: EFFECT."

"MANA, Sacrifice a creature: EFFECT."

"MANA, T: EFFECT."

Yes, the tap symbol is a non-mana component. The same goes for Q, the untap symbol.

You can also use energy, that's also not mana. The following passes this Subchallenge mode:

"MANA, Pay E: EFFECT."

• Here the intended difficulty is that you're tempted to use collect evidence as a cost, as it's being used in MKM. You CAN do that, and collect evidence WOULD count as a non-mana component for this Subchallenge mode, but if you do that, you won't pass Subchallenge 1 at the same time. It's still very possible to do both at the same time, you just have to use collect evidence as an effect and have any different non-mana component in the activation cost.


Subchallenge 2, mode 2

• This Subchallenge mode asks a simple question: "Can this activated ability possibly work from the battlefield?" The answer must be NO to pass.

• If the activated ability can work from multiple zones, this Subchallenge mode is met ONLY is the battlefield is NOT included among those zones. For example, an ability that can work from the graveyard but also on the battlefield does NOT pass this Subchallenge mode. One that only works from the graveyard and NOT from the battlefield DOES pass it. One that can work from both the graveyard and exile but NOT the battlefield DOES pass it as well. All that matters is that the battlefield is NOT included in the list of zones that the ability can work from.

• The ability can be keyworded or not, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that it's an activated ability that can't work from the battlefield. For example, embalm (from Amonkhet) would count for this Subchallenge mode.

• The ability that counts for this Subchallenge mode can be the same one that also counts for the other Subchallenge mode, or they can be two different activated abilities. Both ways count.


If you have any more questions, feel free to post them in the MCC discussion thread.

The MCC Rubric is given below, in an easily "copy and pasted" form. (Courtesy of Rithaniel.)

---

Source: The Lion's Lair #11 - Monthly (Card Contest) review

3: this is a card that does something never done before, not even on a single card.
2.5: this is a card that has an effect that is rarely seen in modern Magic, but not very often.
2: this is a card that does something we've already seen but in a new way or with a new twist.
1.5: this is a card that does something we've already seen but without big innovations.
1: this is a card that does something we've already seen multiple times and doesn't innovate it in any way.
0.5: this is a card that does something we see all the time in real sets, and maybe there is only some little detail we've not seen before.
0: this is a card that does something we see all the time in real sets and in a way we also see all the time in real sets.

bravelion83 wrote: ↑

1 year ago

In the M15 frame, you can have:
• Up to eight lines with however many breaks you want.
• Nine lines with up to four breaks. If you have more than four breaks, it's microtext.
• Ten lines with up to two breaks. If you have more than two breaks, it's microtext.
• Eleven lines and a single break. If you have more than one break, it's microtext.
• If you have twelve lines of more, it's microtext regardless of breaks.

bravelion83 wrote: ↑

1 year ago

In the MSE M15 frame you can have at most:
• Eight lines or fewer with any number of paragraph breaks.
• Nine lines with at most four breaks.
• Ten lines with at most two breaks.
• Eleven lines with a single break.
• Everything that is twelve lines or more is microtext regardless of breaks.

Caspernicus wrote: ↑

2 months ago

Gravescandal Investigator BG
Creature — Zombie Elf Detective (R)
Deathtouch
Whenever a creature card is exiled from a graveyard, investigate.
Sacrifice X Clues, Exile Gravescandel Investigator from your graveyard: Target player collects evidence X twice, then that player may return a card with mana value X or less from their graveyard to their hand. X can't be 0.
1/1

Design
Appeal 2/3 - I don't think Timmy cares too much. Johnny is just in love with this card and has already gone brewing. Spike always likes recursion, and most of all she likes the low mana cost here.
Elegance 1.5/3 - Very wordy, and not very intuitive the first time you read it, especially the last ability.
Development
Viability 3/3 - No problems with the color pie, rarity, or the rules.
Balance 2/3 - The rate and mana cost look fine to me. There is a lot of tension, maybe too much, in the last ability between using it on yourself to return a card that you want or on your opponent to make them exile potentially worthy cards in their graveyard but allowing them to return a card to their hand? It will very probably depend on the specific gameplay situation, but I don't feel like there is a universal answer to that question, which is at the same time a good and a bad thing. Good, because it creates interesting gameplay decisions. Bad, because if you push that tension too far you can cause players to go into mental overload. As for playability, if you're in these colors it's a very good low-drop you will always play in limited. I'm a bit worried by the possibility of potentially broken combos in constructed, but if there are none of those, this should be fine. The high complexity of the last ability might turn down some casual players. In multiplayer, the choice of who to target with the last ability gets even more interesting, but also harder.
Creativity
Uniqueness 2/3 - (See table above.) 2: this is a card that does something we've already seen but in a new way or with a new twist. In this case, the twist is mainly the whole last ability.
Flavor 3/3 - No real room in the text box for flavor text, so no problems with this card not having it. As for the name, I like the "grave" double meaning a lot in the card name: is the "scandal" serious, or is it about graves? Excellent pun, that also fits very well with the creature types. Probably the best job you could do with the elements at your disposal.
Polish
Quality 2.5/3 - The word "Gravescandal" in the name turns into "Gravescandel" in the activation cost. (-0.5) Adding reminder text for both mechanics would bring this well over microtext limits, so with this being a rare, it was the correct choice to leave them out.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Collect evidence is an effect. The last ability is an activated ability that has a non-mana component in its cost and also works only from the graveyard.
TOTAL 20/25

Lorn Asbord Schutta wrote: ↑

2 months ago

Catacombs Searcher
Creature — Human Detective (R)
Deathtouch
Whenever a player draws their second card each turn, collect evidence 3, then put a +1/+1 counter on Catacombs Searcher and return a creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
Discard Catacombs Searcher: Investigate. Activate only if a creature you control died this turn.
"If she died recently I could just go and... Three weeks ago? Now this will require some snooping around."
1/2

Design
Appeal 2/3 - Timmy likes the potential for growth, though he would clearly prefer either better starting stats or a faster rate of growth, or possibly even both. Johnny is not here anymore, he said he had to go home to brew something... you'll probably meet him again playing a deck built around this card in multiple ways against you at the next tournament you'll go to. Spike sees potential for card advantage here, and she obviously always likes that.
Elegance 2.5/3 - A bit wordy, but other than that no problems here.
Development
Viability 2.5/3 - If you only cared about your opponent's second card, I wouldn't have any problems with that trigger condition in monoblack. Also caring about your second card pushes it towards blue in my opinion. I know blue was forbidden by the Main Challenge, but I've still got that feeling, also about the last ability, that to me reads: black cost, blue effect, black restriction. Overall, I'd say an acceptable bend for monoblack, but it blue were allowed some mana cost including UBB would probably be more appropriate. No problems with rarity or the rules.
Balance 3/3 - Collecting evidence 3 doesn't look too hard, especially for a black deck, so I think you would play this in limited expecting it to grow at least once or twice to more acceptable sizes. In constructed, this can go in self-mill decks to collect more evidence, or in most strategies based on what's in your graveyard as this is very easy to get there if you need it for delirium, threshold, or whatever. You will often simply activate the last ability after combat, after your creature has traded with an opposing one or chump blocked a large opposing one that doesn't have trample. No particular problems in casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 2/3 - (See table above.) 2: this is a card that does something we've already seen but in a new way or with a new twist. We've seen "second card" archetypes too often in recent sets in my opinion, but this cares about any player drawing the second card, not just you, which only a couple cards from Commander sets have done yet. Another twist is the morbid restriction in the discard ability, and also using that ability as pseudo-cycling.
Flavor 3/3 - Very good. Realistic name, good flavor text, both matching the creature types and the mechanics. Nothing more to say here.
Polish
Quality 3/3 - All good. No room for reminder text when you're already at nine lines and three breaks. This is a rare, so you can omit it, and it was the right call.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Collect evidence is an effect. The last ability is an activated ability that has a non-mana component in its cost and also works only from the hand.
TOTAL 22/25

netn10 wrote: ↑

2 months ago

Case of the Meticulously Framed W
Enchantment - Case (Rare)
When this Case enters the battlefield, exile target creature until this Case leaves the battlefield. If you can't, sacrifice this Case.
At the beginning of your upkeep, the owner of the exiled creature collect evidence 4. If they can't. investigate. If they do, sacrifice this Case.
To solve — You control three or more Clues.
Solved — Sacrifice this Case: Put the exiled creature into its owner's graveyard.

Design
Appeal 1.5/3 - Timmy doesn't care. Johnny can find other ways to collect three Clues and solve the Case. Spike just sees this as removal for limited. Removal is always good to her, but this looks like it has too many hoops for her to jump through to get the permanent removal.
Elegance 1/3 - I honestly can't see how all the text of the first two abilities can fit in the Case frame, where you have even less room in the vertical text box. The card itself is not even that hard to understand (the main reason why this score isn't even lower), and you've tried abusing the "this Case" wording instead of the longer card name (something that has been done for real in MKM so I can't penalize you for that), but this is still too much text to fit in the frame. Sorry.
Development
Viability 3/3 - No problems with the color pie, rarity, or the rules.
Balance 2.5/3 - This looks good enough as white removal in limited. In constructed, provided that it sees any play at all, which is not a given but the very low mana cost might tempt some players to try it, you might want to pair this with effects that lets you exile cards from your opponent's graveyard to try to prevent them to be able to collect evidence 4 and investigate more, which you need to solve the Case. None of this changes when you think about casual or multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 1.5/3 - (See table above.) 1.5: this is a card that does something we've already seen but without big innovations. This is essentially just a Case version of Banishing Light and similar cards, that have become a staple in white by now. There is the potential upside of getting rid totally of the exiled creature card (see Quality) by putting it into its owner's graveyard, but that doesn't feel like that big of a twist to qualify for a 2/3 in my table.
Flavor 3/3 - The strongest area of this card by far, no questions asked.
Polish
Quality 0.5/3 - Hyphen instead of an em dash on the type line and some of your direct opponents in this bracket did it right instead, so -0.5 for that. The "this Case" wording is supported by multiple real Cases in MKM. At first I wanted to deduct points here because you didn't repeat the card name to mean "this object" and this isn't a legendary card, so you can't even truncate the name, but I checked and I was wrong. This is how they worded Cases for real, probably for lack of room in the frame. Anyway, that's good. In the second ability, the verb "collect" should be conjugated at the third person with an "s" at the end (-0.5) as the subject is "the owner of the exiled creature", which by the way doesn't include the word "card" (in exile there are "creature cards", not "creatures", -0.5). A period/full stop instead of a comma between the words "can't" and "investigate". (-0.5) The solved ability also doesn't include the word "card", so -0.5 for the same reason as above. And all of this ignoring the reminder text for collect evidence and investigate, which obviously doesn't fit, so it was the correct choice omitting it on a rare.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 1.5/2 - Collect evidence is an effect. The last ability is an activated ability that has a non-mana component in its cost but it works from the battlefield, so Subchallenge 2, mode 2 is NOT met.
TOTAL 16.5/25

slimytrout wrote: ↑

2 months ago

Persistent Mossdog 2BG
Creature — Plant Dog (R)
Whenever Persistent Mossdog attacks, you may sacrifice a nonland permanent or discard a nonland card. If you do, double Persistent Mossdog's power until end of turn.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if Persistent Mossdog is in your graveyard, collect evidence 4, then investigate.
Cycling 1{b/g}
5/3

Design
Appeal 2.5/3 - Timmy normally doesn't like sacrificing or discarding his own things, but if the reward to do so is doubling the power of an already big creature... Well, sign him up! Johnny could probably find something to do with this, but I don't think it will be his favorite card. Spike just loves the high rate here.
Elegance 2.5/3 - Just a little bit of memory issues due to having to remember that this is in your graveyard for the second ability, but otherwise good.
Development
Viability 3/3 - No problems with the color pie, rarity, or the rules.
Balance 3/3 - This follows the classic pattern of big thing that you cycle away if you draw it too early. We know that designs like those work. This card is definitely playable in limited, and even removing the ability to double the power would still be enough for that. Also nice for limited is that the hybrid mana cost allows you to play this even if you just splash or just don't use one of the colors, just use this to dig one more card deeper in your library with the one color you have. I can also very easily see constructed implication, especially at this rate: four mana for 5 power that can be doubled to 10 (half your opponent's starting life total in non-2HG non-Commander formats) and relatively easily, looks pushed. And on top of that, it still has positive effects even while dead. After all, I'd be surprised to NOT see this in constructed, also remembering that if you're in green you will most likely have ways to give this trample. Casual players will love this, and I don't see any problems in multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 2.5/3 - (See table above.) 2.5: this is a card that has an effect that is rarely seen in modern Magic, but not very often. What qualifies for this is the intervening if clause. There are only 16 cards in the whole history of Magic with that clause, and most are from the early days, though there are some more recent ones, but spread out quite a lot between one another.
Flavor 3/3 - The next one in the line of Mossdogs, but the first multicolored one. Still doing something even after death feels like a very good way to represent persistency. Mossdogs are also established as Golgari on Ravnica. Overall I really like the flavor of this card.
Polish
Quality 2.5/3 - Cycling is deciduous, not evergreen (yet), so it needs reminder text if there is room even on a rare, and MSE shows me there is room here. If you add it, it's nine lines and two breaks, well within microtext limits. (-0.5 for missing reminder text)
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 2/2 - Collect evidence is an effect. Cycling is an activated ability that only works from your hand and has a non-mana component in its activation cost.
TOTAL 23/25

void_nothing wrote: ↑

2 months ago

Marshal of Memories 2GW
Creature - Elephant Detective (R)
Whenever Marshal of Memories attacks, investigate, then you may collect evidence 5.
For each card exiled with Marshal of Memories, Marshal of Memories has hexproof from that card's types.
{G/W}, Shuffle a card exiled with Marshal of Memories into its owner's library: Marshal of Memories gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Until end of turn, it gains double strike if that card was an artifact or enchantment, vigilance if it was a creature, flying if it was an instant or sorcery, trample if it was a land, and indestructible if it was a planeswalker.
3/3

Design
Appeal 2/3 - Timmy is interested even if this is not his favorite kind of card, that's if he reads it at all of course and doesn't just look at the wall of text and say: "NEXT!" There are probably many things for Johnny to do here. Spike is interested too, though she really doesn't like a vanilla 3/3 for four mana as its starting size. She will probably willing to do the work to make it better though given the potential results.
Elegance 1/3 - Way too wordy, literally on the borderline of microtext (also see Flavor). It requires a lot of focus to understand and play. Additional tracking complexity due to having to track which keywords this currently has. Too many problems here.
Development
Viability 3/3 - No problems with the color pie, rarity, or the rules.
Balance 2.5/3 - Playable in limited. Given the potential huge upside it might tempt constructed players to try it. If they manage, I have a feeling that the result will play almost as a combo deck, where you try to give it the most different keywords you can. A wall of text might be discouraging at first to some casual players, who might just ignore this card and go to the next one. Nothing changes when you think about multiplayer.
Creativity
Uniqueness 3/3 - (See table above.) 3: this is a card that does something never done before, not even on a single card. I can't remember anything like the last ability here, and hexproof from specific card types is also new on top of that.
Flavor 1.5/3 - This reads like a card design driven much more by mechanics rather than flavor. Yes, the name is good and I think I've already learned it by heart after reading it so many times... Also, there is clearly no room for flavor text here and I don't even need to check in MSE... Ok, I'll do that anyway but mainly to see whether it's microtext because I have a feeling it could easily be... Borderline. Ten lines and two breaks, exactly on the limit. I'm also not sure how the different keywords were chosen for the different card types. Maybe they pickup a double-edge weapon and gain double strike, ok, that works, but also for enchantments? Maybe they take a turn of guard duty with a fellow soldier and gain vigilance? The easy ones are over though... the other three options are not as obvious to me. Really, in the end it just feels to me like you had this mechanical design and only gave it a (good) name and (good) creature types, and that's it. Not the best in this area.
Polish
Quality 2.5/3 - Hyphen instead of an em dash on the type line and some of your direct opponents in this bracket did it right instead, so -0.5 for that. All the rest is good.
Main Challenge 2/2 - Good.
Subchallenges 1.5/2 - Collect evidence is an effect. The last ability is an activated ability that has a non-mana component in its activation cost. I don't see any activated abilities that work from somewhere other than the battlefield.
TOTAL 19/25

slimytrout: 23
Lorn Asbord Schutta: 22
Caspernicus: 20
void_nothing: 19
netn10: 16.5

Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Timmy will find this pretty fun, as will Johnny. Spike isn't as sold, but there's plenty of potential.
(2/3) Elegance - This card relies heavily on the somewhat obscure rules knowledge that Auras entering the battlefield without a target enter attached to something they could enchant. This also has the issue that as written, it removes your pre-existing Clues, since they don't get that benefit.

Development
(2.5/3) Viability - Green looks fine. Rare is fine, due to its unusual effect, though uncommon could be a plausible fit in the right environment. I do think it would be printed such that pre-existing Clues can survive this entering.
(2.5/3) Balance - It's inherently a 3/3 for 3, which is a fine rate. The fact that it punishes you for using investigate cards before this comes down is unfortunate though. With that fixed, it would be perfect.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - Turning other permanents into Auras is similar to turning them into Equipment (and Armed with Proof [/card] does exactly that with Clues), but it does have functional differences.
(2/3) Flavor - Being an enchantment creature is rather distracting. Dryads are on Theros, but the flavor suggests Ravnica. I presume the 'vibes' in the flavor text reflects the Clues turning into Auras, which is clever.

Polish
(2/3) Quality - Bronzehide Lion suggests that enchant creature should come before the actual effect of the Aura in the text of the ability turning Clues into Auras. As well, it should be "Enchanted creature gets +1/+1", not "Enchanted creature has +1/+1".
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Is a nonblue investigate card.
(0/2) Subchallenges - This card ignores all subchallenges.

Total: 17/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.

Design
(2/3) Appeal - Has aspects to appeal and turn away Timmy. Johnny can certainly enjoy this. Spike likes repeated card advantage, but the mana cost is a little high, and the card itself requires a lot of Clues to get powerful.
(2.5/3) Elegance - Wordy, but nothing particularly unusual.

Development
(2/3) Viability - Rare is definitely appropriate. Repeated investigate (not to be confused with what I would call bulk investigate, like these hybrid cards) in monored is unusual (Innocent Bystander requires several hoops to turn into an engine.) As well, the fact that this can steal any nonland permanent type from a graveyard (even if your opponent curates) makes this feel even more black.
(2.5/3) Balance - Might even be weak, for the hoops required. Definitely has potential high moments, but you almost certainly want other means to investigate, and the double red cost might hinder that somewhat.

Creativity
(2/3) Uniqueness - Has some familiar ideas, but the package is quite novel.
(3/3) Flavor - Feels pretty solid all around.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - That's nearly microtext, but otherwise fine.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Is a nonblue card with investigate.
(2/2) Subchallenges - Correctly uses collect evidence as an effect, has an activated ability that both has a nonmana cost, and can't be activated from the battlefield.

Total: 21/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.

Design
(2/3) Appeal - Can get bigger, but has some drawbacks that Timmy won't enjoy. Has some angles for Johnny. Spike doesn't mind drawbacks, but it's questionable if this is worth it.
(3/3) Elegance - Has a lot of individual effects, but they're all fairly simple, and tie into each other.

Development
(3/3) Viability - Looks fine for black. Rare looks correct over all.
(3/3) Balance - Solid value engine if you can keep it fed. Can get threateningly big pretty fast with some outside support.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - A lot of familiar concepts for black, with a Detective paint brush.
(2.5/3) Flavor - The name is a bit silly, but otherwise this feels pretty solid for a Skeleton Detective.

Polish
(2.5/3) Quality - Should be "each turn", not "per turn".
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Nonblue card with investigate.
(2/2) Subchallenges - Fills all subchallenges.

Total: 21.5/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.

Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Can do some spectacular things, though Timmy probably doesn't like the cost to bring it back. Johnny certainly likes it, and being a cost free Clue (that's own cost could unveil additional copies!) is certainly of some value to Spike, especially if there are reasonable creatures of those types to play with it.
(3/3) Elegance - Nothing too unusual mechanically.

Development
(2.5/3) Viability - Green is weird, considering those are mostly blue creature types, and a condition that's more black, but not entirely out of the question. Rare is certainly correct.
(1.5/3) Balance - A mana free cost to get into play that also fills the graveyard (potentially with more of these) is very concerning. It's probably quite playable without leaning into the synergies that net extra investigates. The triggered ability on sacrificing Clues is quite irrelevant to how this will likely be played. It's essentially a card with Dredge 6, though trickier to repeat.

Creativity
(2.5/3) Uniqueness - Effects that aren't inherently unique (though removing -1/-1 counters isn't terribly common), but the first two abilities have unusual qualifiers that make this feels pretty fresh.
(2/3) Flavor - So investigating involving dying sea creatures and using those clues to clean up make some sense, but I question whether it makes sense for this to be a machine. Being flavored as a detective would help this much more.

Polish
(2.5/3) Quality - Clue should be capitalized, as it's a subtype.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Nonblue investigate.
(1/2) Subchallenges - No collect evidence, but the activated ability fulfills both halves of the 2nd subchallenge.

Total: `19.5/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.

Design
(2.5/3) Appeal - Big creature for Timmy, with an unappealing cost for its activated ability. Johnny and Spike certainly don't mind.
(3/3) Elegance - Certainly is.

Development
(3/3) Viability - That's pretty black, and quite mythic.
(2.5/3) Balance - Doom Whisperer never ended up breaking anything, but this is trying to do better in several ways. There are a lot of artifact synergies that can take advantage of this. Warrants watching.

Creativity
(1.5/3) Uniqueness - Pay life, draw cards is pretty common in black. Investigate adds a small twist, as does the effect when sacrificing Clues.
(2.5/3) Flavor - That is a very underwhelming name for a mythic rare, but it does otherwise fit the abilities quite well.

Polish
(3/3) Quality - Looks good.
(2/2) Main Challenge (*) - Nonblue investigate
(1.5/2) Subchallenges - Uses collect evidence as an effect. Only half a point from the 2nd subchallenge, as this can (and must) be activated from the battlefield.

Total: 21.5/25
*An entry with 0 points here is subject to disqualification.

Komandon - 21.5
Subject16 - 21.5
haywire - 21
marioguy3 - 19.5
AnotherAlias - 17