[Finished][SCS 7] Contest of the Storms [Not Accepting | Judging Phase]

[Northern Sage]

Could you explain my OCG score too, when you have the time?

[-Noel-]

- Aqua -

B/D: 17 (Can essentially search another copy of itself and SS it; then go into something like Totem Bird or whatever R3 WINDs exist; or some Synchro.

C: 12.5

O: 9.5 (That one plural on “effect”s; otherwise it's essentially clean, as usual)

T: 5

Total: 44

That sentence is actually impossible, as my card only search for Psychic or Spellcaster, not including Fairy. Also reasons on how you arrived at my Creativity score would be great.

[Tesability Black]

I am also curious enough to want an explanation for the card's ratings, but I can wait until Gadj posts his ratings so I can hear both sets at once.

[Mizore-Shirayuki]

45.5 is pretty good out of 50. Thank you Sakura!! <3

[Oriannis]

Ok, I must admit I am more relieved about my entry than anything else. I thought the effect was rather ambiguous. It's a real shame that the OCG let it down (seems to be the only real issue) but it was a fair judgement and I'll be the first to admit that my OCG skills are below average.

[Trebuchet MS]

I am slowly cranking out the scores. Boy, there's a lot to review. Please wait warmly until I am ready.

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

Could you explain my OCG score too, when you have the time?

1 WIND Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monster(s)

Once per turn, during either player's turn, when a monster is Special Summoned: You can return 1 WIND monster you control to the hand; negate that Special Summon, and if you do, return that monster to the Deck.

 

Essentially capitalization stuff and some wording issues.

 

That sentence is actually impossible, as my card only search for Psychic or Spellcaster, not including Fairy. Also reasons on how you arrived at my Creativity score would be great.

 

Yeah, I overlooked the Type restriction, so it can't search itself; though you can still summon another copy from hand/grave. I'll award back 1.5 points on it for your balance/design.

 

Creativity was pretty much due to drawing/search stuff; though I don't recall any WIND monsters that would reveal themselves IRL; unless some of the new stuff do that [again, I still have to read up on them].

 

 

Then again, there were 30 or so entries I had to run through, so I might've overlooked some things [and I have to study for calc exams]

[Chiz Fri]

Sakura-kun, what about me?

[-Noel-]

 

Creativity was pretty much due to drawing/search stuff; though I don't recall any WIND monsters that would reveal themselves IRL; unless some of the new stuff do that [again, I still have to read up on them].

 

http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Mystical_Fairy_Elfuria

http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Ghost_Fairy_Elfobia

 

my card is designed to directly supported these cards, hope this help.

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

I sort of forgot those two existed; my bad, but it makes sense now.

(Busy with a lot of other things IRL, as a result, I don't memorize all the new content coming out)

 

I'll award back another point for it on your design score, so I think that amounts to 19.5/20 on it, now.

I added back 2.5 points, so your new score is 44 + 2.5 = 46.5.

[Trebuchet MS]

Scores are in!

 

[spoiler Duel Emperor - Karasu Tengu]
Clarity - 25/30
Balance - 27/40
Flavour - 19/20
OCG - 10/10
Total - 78%

It's a bounce effect on a body that triggers on Summon, or in response to a card effect sending it to the Graveyard. Sounds relatively solid, especially in comparison to various monsters that do things on Summon or when sent to the Graveyard. The problem lies in the secondary effects that come with this card's effect.

Getting a near-guaranteed bounce if the opponent controls an Extra Deck-Summoned monster (that includes Pendulums) can be incredibly damaging to any Synchro, Fusion, or Xyz monster. This wouldn't necessarily be a problem if the effect triggered upon just summons, but in retaliation to anything that sent this card to the Graveyard, even your own effects, you can more or less guarantee an Extra Deck monster kicked off the field nearly every turn.

Oh, but that's not all. You get to bounce 2 cards if you Normal Summoned this card. This turns the monster into repeated floats/plusses if you keep finding ways to recur it. Couple with the above effect-insurance you'd might as well tell your opponent to not even bother playing Extra Deck monsters. I also hope this extra target doesn't come into play if the monster is sent from the field to the Graveyard after having been successfully Normal Summoned before. Marked down slightly in clarity there, especially since a misinterpretation for this could have disastrous consequences.

 

EDIT: It has come to light that the extra bounce only happens when you Normal Summon the card while the opponent controls an Extra Deck monster. This won't help the clarity score as the intent wasn't well expressed and thus misinterpreted for the worst. However, knowing this would reduce the number of situations where this card profits in advantage through a non-responsive effect. Not that the "and" condition helps over an "or" situation, considering how Extra-Deck-centric the meta is becoming.

Either way, card does an incredible amount on its own. Even if it's bounce, which has been one of the most effective means of monster removal (due to floating or destruction resistant monsters we see these days), the potential advantage one stands to gain off this card is too much. That's why the balance score is so heavily penalized.[/spoiler]

[spoiler Olzys - Sirin, Protector of the Winds]
Clarity - 30/30
Balance - 35/40
Flavour - 18/20
OCG - 9/10
Total - 92%

It's akin to Grand Mole that can slip onto the field if a WIND monster is destroyed by a card effect under most conditions. I'm not very certain how often one sees WIND monsters destroy themselves to create opportunities for this card to jump in, but when it does so it gleefully helps deter attacks, unlike Grand Mole which often requires your Normal Summons first.

When it battles, you get the option to shuffle it and the opposing monster into the Deck, making it simultaneously better and worse than Grand Mole in different aspects - better since your opponent loses the monster for a good while of the game, but worse since the same happens to Sirin. Not that there's anything wrong with that - last thing we need is a card that shuffles things in for days.

No need for "(without damage calculation)", if one of the battling monsters isn't around by that time, it won't happen anyway.

Overall, it can get particularly disruptive despite how simple its effects look. Boring but practical.[/spoiler]

[spoiler JamesMuddy - Black Phoenix]
Clarity - 25/30
Balance - 10/40
Flavour - 10/20
OCG - 6/10
Total - 51%

Right off the bat, it's clear that the creator isn't very well-versed in card grammar yet. But I won't mark off too heavily here, as the effect is still coherently phrased for me to understand what's being done.

Now for the other question: Does the creator have any idea what combos this card is going to enable? Apparently not. While this card is relatively difficult to Summon due to the lack of LV8 WIND monsters, the draw 3 on Summon is crazy good, no matter how you slice it. It doesn't help matters that among the cards you draw you can immediately put any WIND monsters from them straight onto the field with the only condition that they can't activate their effects for the turn. But not like it matters, since you've just put a bunch of beaters down to, oh, beat face with or fuel further Summons!

But no, it's not all. It gets worse. You get to fetch ANY WIND or Winged Beast Monster from your Deck or Graveyard. Admittedly, in face-up Defense Position, but who's to stop you from fetching that monster for the sole purpose of going into a Synchro or Xyz Summon? Suddenly the drawbacks aren't there anymore, and the ability to reach into the Deck for monsters at little drawback is just stupidly powerful.

Last I checked, Phoenixes are all about self-revival, not fetching friends.

Gathering 2 LV8 WIND Monsters is challenging, but not nigh-impossible. This card rewards too much for the medium effort needed to make it. I hope you understand why you're being scored so terribly.[/spoiler]

[spoiler Radiant FURY - Favonidrago, Bringer of the Breeze]
Clarity - 28/30
Balance - 20/40
Flavour - 17/20
OCG - 8/10
Total - 73%

First thing I see is that its Summon can be set up for with relative ease. Dropping a 3200 ATK at almost a drop of a hat is nuts unless you were planning to use the banished monsters for something. Dragunity would love this card to bits - fortunately they don't have Dragon Ravine to set up for this card. Doesn't help matters that this is a semi-Nomi, meaning it can still come back after the first time it goes down.

Skipping your Battle Phase (by the way, that can't be a cost) for a bunch of WIND monsters from Deck (or hand) is incredible, even if it requires you to control no other WIND monsters around. Still, it lets you set up a Synchro or Xyz Summon to put forth a more fearsome presence that your opponent would face trouble surmounting. Doesn't help that 3200 ATK is usually difficult to overcome.

The final effect is more or less guaranteed to trigger due to its massive near-insurmountable ATK score, and even if the opponent has nothing to nuke, the "up to" bit lets you get away with doing nothing. It's a little vaguely worded as well - does it target? I feel that it should target considering how often it can happen and how much it blows up.

It's another case of doing a bit too much. Simply attacking with it can grant you card advantage for days - the first one would have it break even at minimum, and any subsequent ones will net you advantage profits. And that's before you count the "pull a bunch of monsters out of my ass Deck" effect.[/spoiler]

[spoiler Aqua - Cheerfield Fairy]
Clarity - 29/30
Balance - 37/40
Flavour - 18/20
OCG - 10/10
Total - 94%

Now this is intriguing. "Fairy" name-specific support? Let me delve into the database...

The only candidates I see working with this card are Elfuria and Elfobia, which just so happen to fit nicely in its specific conditions. Doesn't stop the wild Gusto splash due to the search effect. Name-specific support essentially means you can't pull out a second copy of her - not to mention being utterly incompatible with her own search range. So we have that.

Revealing WIND monsters in the hand is a rarity outside of Elfuria and Elfobia interactions, and what becomes of it depends on who she's comboing with. With Elfuria, the general result is that you change Cheerfield into whatever big beater you've revealed while stifling most Xyz plays. With Elfobia, you'd be going small, changing her into a Tuner or keeping her in relatively the same shape for a R3 WIND Xyz. (Admittedly, not a lot of plays to be had in this particular regard.)

Drawing to replace her is a nice touch, though be wary of how much she can float. At the moment, her scope's a bit narrow, but who knows what the future holds.

Slight flavour penalty for breaking naming theme, too.[/spoiler]

[spoiler LeLukeX - Simorgh, Lord of Divinity]
Clarity - 29/30
Balance - 23/40
Flavour - 20/20
OCG - 10/10
Total - 82%

I remember the disappointment that was the original Simorgh. This card tries to redeem it... with varied results.

Putting him on the field at no Tribute means any Deck that can summon a bunch of WIND monsters in one turn can pave the way for him to land. And what's landing is often, at first, Heavy Storm with wings. Not quite a pretty sight - there's a reason why Heavy got banned.

Milling to do stuff could essentially mean that you're doing the action for a bonus on top. Mills aren't quite what they used to be, now with everyone and their mother having some form of Graveyard shenanigans. Even something as humble as a bounce can mean trouble if it gives you the excuse to set up your Graveyard and OH LORD YOU CAN BOUNCE YOUR OWN THINGS

Right then, the potential ability bounce your S/Ts is a problem. There's a bunch of monsters that can do that, and a good chunk of them are on the List for a reason.[/spoiler]

[spoiler Qliphort Tool - Grandmaster Kaze]
Clarity - 30/30
Balance - 30/40
Flavour - 20/20
OCG - 9/10
Total - 89%

Rather awkward wording for a "flicker" effect, especially one seen on an Xyz Monster, but considering what happens whenever it returns, I kind of understand.

What we get out of this is a very slippery ninja that's even harder to catch than Evilswarm Thunderbird who also sports Quick Effects that check the board. Though at a price, of course, being that you'll need constant devotion to keep him fueled with Material each time he returns from a flicker.

I hardly ever see a solid way for him to go down permanently. Even Thunderbird wasn't that cheap - you had to threaten Thunderbird with a card or effect before it can flicker - Kaze doesn't need that and flickers whenever he wants. A monster that's nigh-impossible to remove becomes a pain in the ass, especially if it sports its own set of effects to handle things it can't take down on its own.[/spoiler]

[spoiler Axi - Harpie Guardian]
Clarity - 30/30
Balance - 36/40
Flavour - 20/20
OCG - 10/10
Total - 96%

Design notes really help in understanding the card and its intended weaknesses.

Sufficiently splashable, yet keeps you from running this outside its intended theme. Lets your opponent see what's to come and can hinder his plays, but doesn't stick around for too long to have any long-term effects. Hindrance can be played around by simply punching it in the face.

And when worst comes to worst, you just use it as a Tuner rather than intimidate your opponent away from trying a big play. A nifty little tool all-around.[/spoiler]

[spoiler Chaos Sonic - Windswept Beast Yvain]
Clarity - 30/30
Balance - 38/40
Flavour - 20/20
OCG - 9/10
Total - 97%

Beauty in simplicity. Decent offensive stats backed by a way to jump onto the field with no costs is always appreciated. S/T bounce really isn't a bother when it specifically targets Set cards, making it unable to loop Continuous S/Ts like Brionac and pals.

Slight OCG penalization due to wording on the final effect. Should read "to the hand" rather than specifying a certain player's. What would happen otherwise if you opt to bounce your own card for whatever reason?[/spoiler]

[spoiler WizCC - Guardian of the Sky Fortress]
Clarity - 25/30
Balance - 28/40
Flavour - 18/20
OCG - 6/10
Total - 77%

The ability to fetch any card in your Deck is pretty decent, even if there's an arbitrary time limit to it. But since you get the card regardless of how it left the field, you effectively have control over when you get the card. That's... far from ideal.

The other effect is a pain to deal with. Your opponent can't respond to it, and you give up very little (as mentioned somewhere earlier, excavate-milling 1 is a very tiny cost) to be able to destroy a monster on the field, and because no targets are specified, your opponent won't know which one until resolution happens. It's multiple good modifiers (inconsequential cost, non-targeting, non-responsive) rolled into one that makes a terrible effect.

Like a few other cards before, doing too much on its own.[/spoiler]

[spoiler Dramatic - Bark Zylant]
Clarity - 29/30
Balance - 35/40
Flavour - 20/20
OCG - 10/10
Total - 94%

It's a simple card, with the ability to Summon itself from the hand or the Graveyard. Being able to self-revive is a particularly potent ability, but this card counterbalances it by restricting to the Battle Phase (no instantaneous Xyz or Synchro plays) and with a rather heavy "cost" of putting a monster on the bottom of your Deck. Not really a cost since you don't lose the monster should you suddenly not be able to Special Summon it.

That said, balance points lost for seeming rather... underwhelming. Yes, you do get to squeeze out an extra 1500 damage mid-battle when pushing for game, and it quickly fields itself for Synchro/Xyz plays, but otherwise there isn't much to write home about its potential. At least it's not accidentally combotastic.[/spoiler]

[spoiler Glovenaut - Anubis of the Sandstorm]
Clarity - 27/30
Balance - 32/40
Flavour - 19/20
OCG - 8/10
Total - 86%

OCG penalty for using old text formatting, but not too heavily as it doesn't open glaring misinterpretations of the effect.

Right off the bat, we have a 1900 ATK 1-Trib monster, and thus we expect it to have some amazing effect to make up for it. Immunity to targeting (from both sides) helps in its staying power, though it doesn't prevent the opponent from bashing its face in. Fortunately, it's got that covered.

When it battles, you get to see an opponent's card, with an average 1 in 3 chance of getting it right and turning Anubis into a hulking 2900/2900 which effectively lets it win nearly any battle it partakes in. And if you've been paying attention to the opponent's card type spread, especially if you've had bounce to supplement it, you're going to get that off most of the time. Call it wrong and your opponent most likely slugs this card in the face.

But what I'm not sitting easy with is that once you get this card's effect off, its limitation might as well be nonexistent until it wears off, since its original ATK is no longer 1900. If you get the boost and then goad multiple monsters into attacking this card, you can more or less look through most of your opponent's hand and sharply increase your chances of getting the guess right.

And just to rub salt in the wound, not only are you seeing what your opponent has waiting, but you also tuck whatever this card kills on the bottom of its owner's Deck, never to be seen for most of the game. Jury's currently out on whether the monster enters the Graveyard or goes into the Deck as a replacement effect, with the latter allowing you to circumvent destroy-and-send-to-Graveyard triggers.

Would suggest you reduce the boost so that this card goes nicely into the sweet spot that rests between too much and too little power.[/spoiler]

[spoiler Reptillous - Blade Beak Storm Guard]
Clarity - 29/30
Balance - 38/40
Flavour - 19/20
OCG - 9/10
Total - 95%

Ooh, a hand trap. Interesting. Being able to stop any kind of attack, not just direct ones like what Battle Fader and Swift Scarecrow are restricted to, along with removing the monster (maybe temporarily) without even targeting it, is powerful. So of course we'll need a downside to it. Skipping your Draw Phase? Feels about right, forcing you to think over whether that removal will be worth it. Losing your Draw Phase would be usually be worth it when the key monster you're taking out is preventing you from pushing for game, or when the game hinges over that attack connecting.

Does the Draw Phase loss occur even if you failed to topdeck the attacking monster (e.g. your opponent gets bounces that monster in response)? That little detail might result in you being worse off on the rare chance the opponent plays around it. Though the result is effectively the same - your opponent's lost the monster you're trying to get rid of.[/spoiler]

[spoiler RickyKrilov - Bird of Steel]
Clarity - 30/30
Balance - 20/40
Flavour - 15/20
OCG - 6/10
Total - 71%

So, here we have Flying Kamakiri v2.0. It's got better stats, triggers off more actions, and pulls out almost anything with no heed to ATK score. That includes itself.

I understand that power creep has resulted in Flying Kamakiri and its cycle of Attribute searchers aren't played anymore, but that doesn't warrant excessively powering up a clone of it to be better in every single aspect. Especially when it's a generic effect.[/spoiler]

[spoiler josholche - Aru, Aristocracy of the Zephyr]
Clarity - 30/30
Balance - 36/40
Flavour - 19/20
OCG - 9/10
Total - 94%

Whirlwind Prodigy meets Zephyros, which can also be fetched out with Emergency Teleport. Fortunately there's a restriction that prevents you from immediately going into Synchro or Xyz plays with it, and if you had the nerve to Pendulum to try and create fuel for its recursion effect you can't Special Summon this card.

There aren't a lot of WIND monsters you'd want to Tribute Summon, but the first thing that comes to mind would be Mega Raiza. Heck, it even fits in the theme of no-Extra-Deck Monarchs. But barring that, there really isn't much available (not counting the future pack content) to warrant its use.[/spoiler]

[spoiler BaliasGale - Ministry of Storms: Feng Po]
Clarity - 30/30
Balance - 34/40
Flavour - 16/20
OCG - 8/10
Total - 88%

It wants to be Yang Zing so freakin' bad, floating all those cards you never had.

It's a Tuner that respawns whenever cards you control are blown up by anyone, though with a once-per-turn-per-copy restriction that prevents multiple copies from jumping onto the field at a single destruction. I can see Scraps splashing a copy or two of this card for more advantage.

But other than that, it's a simple respawning splashable Tuner that doesn't have much stats to add more to its function beyond fueling Synchros. Balance penalty applies for underwhelming cards.[/spoiler]

[spoiler guthixman540 - Tempest Wind Dragon]
Clarity - 30/30
Balance - 25/40
Flavour - 20/20
OCG - 8/10
Total - 83%

Oh hey, it's Strong Wind Dragon's distant cousin. How's it going? Man, times have been tough since the 5D's era. I don't think even the actual Strong Wind Dragon even made a mark in its debut stage. Got to be even earlier when it would be particularly powerful.

Tempest Wind Dragon trades Strong Wind Dragon's immunity to battle ties for the potential to reach even higher ATK stats with piercing. The issue here is that Strong Wind Dragon would be considered better than this card due to the battle-tie immunity and less effort needed to Normal Summon it and grant its ATK boost. And seeing how badly Strong Wind's been faring in the current game...

Beauty can be derived from simplicity, but simplicity is equally likely to create mediocrity. This card isn't stupidly powerful, it just gives too little bang for the buck you need to invest in it. Maybe if it had self-protection...[/spoiler]

[spoiler Ryoga Kamishiro - Sacred Wing Sylph]
Clarity - 29/30
Balance - 26/40
Flavour - 18/20
OCG - 9/10
Total - 82%

Something about this card screams "Chain Burn hate!" It's the Deck most likely to be seen devoid of monsters and a full backrow.

What I don't like about this card's effect is that there's very little middle ground - either it is incredibly powerful or is utterly ineffectual. Clean out the opponent's monsters, land this card, and combo and push for game unhindered. One-sided locks aren't fun to be in, especially when it happens in a turn where you can't immediately rectify the situation.

Now throw in Anti-Spell Fragrance and watch your opponent squirm a little.

Oh, and on that last sentence, no need for a colon. Colons imply Chain-starting effects. It would mean that effect gets misinterpreted into creating a persistent effect (of indefinite duration) that locks out your opponent's Set S/Ts if they don't have monsters. And we can't have that, can we?[/spoiler]

[spoiler Talim Rave - Celevoir, Bird of Leaves]
Clarity - 30/30
Balance - 29/40
Flavour - 18/20
OCG - 7/10
Total - 84%

The little issue I have with effects that trigger when attacked is that you have next to no control over when it happens. It also makes your opponent hesitant to attack into it, but when they begin moving to do so, it's likely that whatever you're going to take out is no longer essential to their board state - or maybe they're pulling a Batman Gambit and benefitting off this card's effect. Or this card goes up in smoke from a card effect.

Very few people would willingly Tribute Set now, and the very action makes opponents wary and would force them to move to kill with a card effect. This would often mean that you'd find yourself Special Summoning it with, say, Lonefire Blossom.

Having 3 Types at once is kinda novel, and this flexibility slightly offsets its underwhelming effect. However, its lack of ability to keep an offensive pressure and completely reactive effects would leave support for all 3 of its Types looking elsewhere for options. Balance penalty for underwhelming effects.

Maybe if you included a way for you goad the opponent's monsters into attacking...[/spoiler]

[spoiler Cait Sith - Vidopnir]
Clarity - 25/30
Balance - 38/40
Flavour - 20/20
OCG - 7/10
Total - 90%

Looked up Vidopnir. I don't think the golden rooster is that colourful, but I'll let that slide a little.

A 2500/1900 LV8 Synchro would immediately draw comparisons to Stardust Dragon, but its roles differentiate it enough. This has the ability to negate inherent Special Summons, and instead of destroying them like most similar effects do, it can shuffle those into the Deck.

Hmm, does it hit Pendulum swarms? Based on Black Horn of Heaven's function (ignoring the Judge Program Rulings), I guess it doesn't. This means that the shuffling is almost irrelevant unless you're stopping a (semi)Nomi or a single Pendulum Summon - Extra Deck monsters are unfazed by this and are preferably destroyed on summon negation.

And the cost to negate a Summon reins it in from doing too much stuff on its own. Because you have to return a monster to the hand, word-for-word, as part of its cost, you can't have this card spin itself when it's alone, which keeps it from always being a hanging Sword of Damocles that threatens any inherent Special Summon.[/spoiler]

[spoiler Oriannis - Aeolus Manifest]
Clarity - 30/30
Balance - 38/40
Flavour - 18/20
OCG - 7/10
Total - 93%

Alright, this is kinda interesting.

It's a bounce on summon, but your opponent has a choice over what they can bounce. You're giving up control over what to remove in exchange for more easily accessible card advantage.

Free Shifts for card effects are also potentially disruptive, turning the tables on anything that dares specify a target, and if it takes the bullet, you get a replacement for your trouble in addition to forcing that effect to not resolve successfully.

2500/2000 for a generic LV7 Synchro seems mostly acceptable. Sometimes we just need a LV7 Synchro that is stronger than Black Rose Dragon but also does something interesting unlike the vanilla Scrap Archfiend.

OCG penalty for awkward wording though.[/spoiler]

[spoiler pwnyo - Little Tengu]
Clarity - 30/30
Balance - 35/40
Flavour - 17/20
OCG - 10/10
Total - 92%

Adding rulings in the design notes helps with the clarity department, especially if they're little interactions that are difficult to express in card wording.

Creature Swap for S/Ts is novel, but under most circumstances, you're bound to end up with something you can't use either due to its incompatible activation restriction or utter terrible luck. Because the opponent sees what they're about to lose, there's also the chance of the opponent Chaining that Set S/T and forcing your effect to resolve without doing anything. There's no way an intelligent opponent would willingly let you have something they know both you and them can use.

Cool idea, lost balance marks for non-ideal execution.[/spoiler]

[spoiler Mizore - Stormborn Prodigy]
Clarity - 30/30
Balance - 37/40
Flavour - 19/20
OCG - 10/10
Total - 96%

A couple ways I can see this card being pulled out from the Deck is E-Teleport and Kamakiri. Teleport's more likely to happen, though.

Pretty simple card - cleans out a S/T, sets up for a Synchro, and autobanishes to avoid it from being recycled extensively (timely, too, since Transmigration Prophecy's sliding down to 2), or to interact with other banish Psychic strategies.

Something's telling me this art has an association with Index, but I can't pin down where...[/spoiler]

[spoiler 0DST - Black-Smoke Amphithere]
Clarity - 26/30
Balance - 33/40
Flavour - 18/20
OCG - 5/10
Total - 82%

Hah, a Fusion that can't be Fusion Summoned? I think we have a few monsters in that department already. Think "Contact Fusion".

The ability to transform any single WIND Dragon into something like this is potent - even the humble Baby Dragon has this card as a far preferable alternate to Thousand Dragon. If you threw in another monster into the requirement, not only does this take a little more effort to show up, but you now have something to write for its "Fusion Material".

Cards don't have individual battle phases. Players do. But I think skipping an entire Battle Phase for the ability to take out a single monster is a bit overweighted. Did you mean to instead have this card not be able to attack the turn you activate the effect?

The final effect is reminiscent of Black Tyranno, but pay attention: Your opponent also needs to control no backrow before this card can even think about attacking directly. That's what reined in Black Tyranno's functionality, and it'll happen to Amphithere too.

Good attempt, awkwardly worded, slightly underwhelming.[/spoiler]

[spoiler Voltex - Lightning of the Violet Sky]
Clarity - 28/30
Balance - 34/40
Flavour - 20/20
OCG - 10/10
Total - 92%

What I'm not comfortable about this card is her ability to essentially no-sell every face-up card currently on the board when she shows up. Granted, she can't mark anything else past this point, but this form of staying power is quite potent, don't you think?[/spoiler]

[spoiler Kotoakatsukami - Peperup Owl]
Clarity - 24/30
Balance - 17/40
Flavour - 16/20
OCG - 7/10
Total - 64%

Ignoring all its other effects, we have a LV4 2400 ATK monster with no drawback to counterbalance it. That in itself is already particularly broken, but it has the ability to temporarily adapt the effect of whatever monster you bounced. I don't see a need to elaborate beyond it already breaking the 2000 ATK rule.[/spoiler]

[spoiler Jae - Autumn]
Clarity - 24/30
Balance - 38/40
Flavour - 16/20
OCG - 10/10
Total - 88%

Kinda intriguing. The few WIND monsters I'm aware of that banish themselves are the Banisharks. This might see a little use amongst them, what with its Level even capable of fitting into their Rank 3 plays, but its oddball Type makes it mostly incompatible with their general support.

On the other hand, it might be a candidate for a splash into Spirit Beast Decks, what with their fondness for banishing their monsters to activate effects or Contact their monsters. Still, its off-theme Type and incompatibility with their general support restricts its functionality, leaving it lost and confused and looking for a good Deck to call home.[/spoiler]

[spoiler Lera - Noble Spirit Beast Apelio]
Clarity - 30/30
Balance - 32/40
Flavour - 20/20
OCG - 9/10
Total - 91%

Ah, crap. Support for unreleased archetypes. Gimme a moment while I research...

Right then. Quite weird for a non-Fusion Spirit Beast to trigger when banished rather than actively banish cards for its effects, but it might just prove the extra force the archetype in general could use for all-around decency. 1800/200 lets it beat a decent amount of face for its Level, and considering the rate at which Spirit Beasts banish themselves and each other, that destruction trigger is prone to going off a lot.

But if unrestricted, it's also prone to looping too much. This is reined in with the fact that you can only SS 1 Apelio per turn like many other non-Fusion Spirit Beasts, but what's stopping you from being crafty with the effect's loopholes and banishing Apelio from other places?

This nearly feels like Heraldic Beast Leo for the Spirit Beast archetype. Maybe if the destruction effect had a once-per-turn-per-copy restriction...[/spoiler]

[spoiler ReneTCG - Icaryte Wingmaker]
Clarity - 29/30
Balance - 39/40
Flavour - 18/20
OCG - 9/10
Total - 95%

"This card cannot attack the same turn you activate this attack." Careful with them word slips.

The effect and name strongly remind me of Daedalus and Icarus, making wings to help lesser monsters fly over the opponent's defenses. The second effect on switching a monster's battle position is a little confusing to interpret - maybe it's when Daedalus built that labyrinth to house the minotaur?

It's a pretty okay utility card. Doesn't help create card advantage like many others try to, but sometimes people tend to forget that enabling direct attacks can suddenly close or even end a game. A pity the Wingmaker himself won't be able to fly.[/spoiler]

[spoiler Batmed - Lefarsi, Archlord of Whirlwinds]
Clarity - 30/30
Balance - 32/40
Flavour - 18/20
OCG - 8/10
Total - 88%

A bounce effect with a few restrictions. You'll need monsters with Levels to banish, and Special Summoned targets also with Levels, lower than the banish fodder, in order for this card to work. I feel this a bit too restrictive. Usually the Special Summoned targets you'd expect to hit are either Xyz Monsters or higher-levelled Synchro Monsters, but usually the monsters you get to banish are Level 2-4, making it very had to have this effect go off. 2400/2200 also doesn't quite easily justify its difficult effect.

Balance points lost for being so restrictive that it can't hit anything of value. I would just allow the effect to hit any Special Summoned monster without restriction so that there would be many more situations where it can actually do something.[/spoiler]

[Duel Emperor]

[spoiler=Sakura's Scores]
Duel Emperor
B/D: 16 (2 free bounces on its Normal Summoning didn't really sit well, especially in conjunction with immunity if opponent even summoned from Extra; which is still common nowadays [but it does punish Decks from doing it]. Otherwise, it's fine)
C: 13
O: 10
T: 5
Total: 44
[/spoiler][/spoiler]
 

Scores are in!
 
[spoiler Duel Emperor - Karasu Tengu]
Clarity - 26/30
Balance - 24/40
Flavour - 19/20
OCG - 10/10
Total - 77%

It's a bounce effect on a body that triggers on Summon, or in response to a card effect sending it to the Graveyard. Sounds relatively solid, especially in comparison to various monsters that do things on Summon or when sent to the Graveyard. The problem lies in the secondary effects that come with this card's effect.

Getting a near-guaranteed bounce if the opponent controls an Extra Deck-Summoned monster (that includes Pendulums) can be incredibly damaging to any Synchro, Fusion, or Xyz monster. This wouldn't necessarily be a problem if the effect triggered upon just summons, but in retaliation to anything that sent this card to the Graveyard, even your own effects, you can more or less guarantee an Extra Deck monster kicked off the field nearly every turn.

Oh, but that's not all. You get to bounce 2 cards if you Normal Summoned this card. This turns the monster into repeated floats/plusses if you keep finding ways to recur it. Couple with the above effect-insurance you'd might as well tell your opponent to not even bother playing Extra Deck monsters. I also hope this extra target doesn't come into play if the monster is sent from the field to the Graveyard after having been successfully Normal Summoned before. Marked down slightly in clarity there, especially since a misinterpretation for this could have disastrous consequences.

Either way, card does an incredible amount on its own. Even if it's bounce, which has been one of the most effective means of monster removal (due to floating or destruction resistant monsters we see these days), the potential advantage one stands to gain off this card is too much. That's why the balance score is so heavily penalized.

 

Excuse me, but I want to add some info on my card a bit. I just have my friend encoding it for Ygopro. He misunderstood its effect and told me its wording is quite bad (alright, I know I'll have no chance of getting 10 from OCG anymore) but I will clarify what he asked before here.
 
Its effect that allow you to target and bounce an additional card on the field if you Normal Summoned it can only be applied if your opponent control an Extra Deck monster. It'd be appreciated if someone could fix that wording for me after this contest ends.

And I thought I've stated this...

[Trebuchet MS]

And I thought I've stated this...

Right then. I made this judgment just by looking at the relevant card and not any other design notes that appear in later posts. Later clarifications won't help your clarity score, but might adjust the balance score.

 

 

I did say you can fix the wording until the deadline, so go ahead. Just that you can't completely change your entry card.

And considering the card wording didn't get amended by then...

 

Let's see how it would look like:

 

If this card is Summoned or is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect: You can target 1 card on the field, also if this card was Normal Summoned while your opponent controls a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, you can target an additional card on the field; return those targets to the hand. If your opponent controls a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, your opponent cannot activate any card effects in response to this effect. Also, if this card was Normal Summoned, you can target an additional card for this effect. The effect of "Karasu Tengu" can only be activated once per turn.

It feels a little redundant with the Extra Deck monster condition being mentioned twice, but it ensures that people understand that the extra target needs to check off both conditions, rather than it being an "or" condition.

 

With this in mind, I'll re-evaluate the score and commentary.

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

In the meantime, I am summing up all of the scores.

As stated, I'm going to have your final ones as out of 100 points.

 

Right now, the standings are thus.

 

1st - Chaos Sonic - 97

2nd - Dramatic - 95.5

3rd - Axi / Voltex - 95

4th - Reptillous - 94.5

5th - ReneTCG - 94

 

Duel Emperor, your current final is 82.5

[Chiz Fri]

The second effect on switching a monster's battle position is a little confusing to interpret - maybe it's when Daedalus built that labyrinth to house the minotaur?

Ah, you're so good! I wasn't sure if anyone would get that one.

[Darj]

What I'm not comfortable about this card is her ability to essentially no-sell every face-up card currently on the board when she shows up. Granted, she can't mark anything else past this point, but this form of staying power is quite potent, don't you think?

 
Not asking for a re-evaluation, but just to answer the question:

Considering the card has an average ATK for a Synchro 6, it is not generic, and requires a somewhat established board (from either sides) to generate enough Counters for 2+ card pops from the beginning, I think it should be fair.

[Oriannis]

Oh well. I take comfort that I got a decent score. Congrats to the winners, there were some very good entries in this contest!

[Radiant F.U.R.Y.™]

Is there going to be another in the series, Sakura? I want to redeem myself

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

There will be plenty more in the future (hopefully)

I have to think of a proper theme for SCS 8.

[Chiz Fri]

In the meantime, I am summing up all of the scores.
As stated, I'm going to have your final ones as out of 100 points.
 
Right now, the standings are thus.
 
1st - Chaos Sonic - 97
2nd - Dramatic - 95.5
3rd - Axi / Voltex - 95
4th - Reptillous - 94.5
5th - ReneTCG - 94
 
Duel Emperor, your current final is 82.5

Even having a decent place, I'd still like to understand what went into my score on your end, Sakura.

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

I liked your card as a whole, just that I felt that it does have the potential to end a game or set up stuff more than it should.

Essentially, Gadj and I had similar ideas about it [though more on the technical side here]

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Wow...I made first?

 

I guess this proves I truly do still have the card making aspect of myself still around. Definitely have to thank you Sakura! With these contests, I believe I'm slowly getting back into card making! Can't wait for SCS 8!

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

Yeah, you actually won the whole thing this time.

Still need to wait for Gadj to re-evaluate that other member's score; but as stated earlier, he isn't within the placing range.

[- Minimania -]

Oh cool, Second to last place! YESS!

[Trebuchet MS]

Yeah, you actually won the whole thing this time.

Still need to wait for Gadj to re-evaluate that other member's score; but as stated earlier, he isn't within the placing range.

I have already adjusted DuelEmperor's score.