[CDC] Gone but not Forgotten--CLOSED

[trickycaster]

Edited my post to balance out and clarify some things.

What Lurks in Shadows
Purity: 1E
Character- Demon
Rare
Cost: 4
Morale: 8
10/8
Pay 2: Remove CARDNAME from the game until the end of the turn. During this effect, whenever a character an opponent controls would be removed from the game by a card's effect other than CARDNAME, instead CARDNAME takes it as a hostage, removing it from the game.  This ability cannot be used while CARDNAME has hostages.
If CARDNAME would enter combat with any hostages, instead a hostage is returned to play in front of CARDNAME.

"Where did Jack go?"
"IT'S GOT ME! IT'S GOT ME! HELP! AHHHH!"
"Uh... YOU, go check that out!"

removed character description "Unique".
replaced rule text "another card's effect" with "a card's effect other than CARDNAME".
added rule text "This ability cannot be used while CARDNAME has hostages.".

[Benionin]

The contest is now closed. Judging process underway.

[Benionin]

An excellent showing from the community this round and some tough decisions had to be made, but I can't award prizes to everyone. As you know, this challenge centered around caring about cards being removed from the game, be it the card itself (like the Defiant Cycle) or other cards (like Purge the Unworthy and Never Forget the Fallen). Each entry and my comments can be found below, with the winners in the next post down (the character limit strikes again!). If you have any questions or comments on my judgment/methodology, feel free to ask and I will be more than happy to answer.

NatoPotato
Improved Efficiency Recycler
2GI
Unique Artifact
Cost 2
If any Artificial Character you control is permanently removed from the game another copy will be created in your hand at the end of the next turn.

Comments:
Not too flashy, but a dependable card to generate repeated advantage. Solid design.

Hiding
Multidimensional Replicator Bot
2p GI
3 cost
10 morale
Character- Artificial
Unstable (When this card is targeted, remove it from the game)
Pay 3, preemptive, exhaust: Until end of turn, whenever a character you control in play is removed from the game or returned to your hand, create a copy of it in the zone it was in.
3/3
"Tired of Calamities ruining your plans? Afraid that Lucca you sent off to who knows where won't come back this time? Well here's the Bot to solve your problems!"
Warning: Prone to sudden disappearances, any resulting loss of objects or incorrectly replicated Luccas will not be compensated for. Choking Hazard: Age Limit 6+.

Comments:
A clever design to take advantage of--or prevent being disadvantaged by--remove-from-game effects. Only thing it doesn't beat is Kidnapper. The Unstable is a nice touch, making this a real resource sink--which makes sense given the sort of advantage that you could accrue.

CallMeXan
Gone but not Forgotten
Neutral
Ability
Epic
6
Remove Target Character from your grave.  Add a Character from your deck to your hand with the same name as the removed Character.
If this card is removed from the game (hand, deck or grave) recover one of your characters removed from the game and place it in your grave.
"And so we take up the mantle of those who have fallen before us."

Comments:
A way to replace those who have gone on before--though I suspect that it'll be run with Sleepers and Overcharged in order to get characters back into your grave. Flexible, multi-use card.

drewmb10
Totem of the Old World
2WP
Unique Artifact
Rare
2 cost
If a character you own is removed from the game this turn, you gain the initiative next turn.
A gift left behind by Prophet Karani, this totem motivates those longing to take back the land in which they had once thrived.

Comments:
Talk about unexplored design space! Manipulating the initiative is something I've never even considered in IW before, but brings all manner of implications with it. A simple yet groundbreaking design.

ToxicShadow
Disfunctional Prototype
Purity: 2GI
Type: Character - Artifical
Rarity: Legendary
Cost: 2
Morale: 10
Attack/Health: 2/2
When Disfunctional Prototype is deployed, it dies at the end of the turn. If it dies that way, draw a card.
If this character is removed from the game while in play or in your hand, deploy an Imperfect Temporal Energy Convertion Prototype in your support zone. Once removed, the Disfunctional Prototype will not return to the game (even if the card used to remove it allows it).
"Why won't it work? The energy is tearing it apart each time."
"How about we use a controlled anomaly to stabilize it?"
"That is either the dumbest idea I ever heard, or you are a genious. Let's find out!" -Recorded conversation during development of project XFG VIII, entry 50, classification: confidential.
Imperfect Temporal Energy Convertion Prototype
Purity: 2GI
Type: Character - Artifical
Rarity: Legendary
Cost: 3
Morale: 10
Attack/Health: 6/6
Pay 2, take this character to your hand.
Sacrifice an artifical character: This character gains shield 1 until the end of turn.
If this character is removed from the game while in play or in your hand, deploy Sunten,Temporal Energy Converter in your support zone if you don't already control a copy of it. Once removed, Imperfect Temporal Energy Convertion Prototype will not return to the game (even if the card used to remove it allows it).
"All systems operational. Conversion rate at 50%."
"Better than nothing i guess, but not what we had in mind."
"How about another round through the anomaly?"
"Actually, why the hell not?" - Recorded conversation during development of project XFG VIII, entry 177, classification: confidential.
Sunten, Temporal Energy Converter
Purity: 2GI
Type: Unique Character - Artifical
Rarity: Legendary
Cost: 6
Morale: 14
Attack/Health: 15/15
Shield 1
Pay 4, take this character back to your hand.
Sacrifice an artificial character: This character gains unstoppable until the end of turn.
If this character is removed from the game while deployed or in your hand, create Sunten, Ultimate Form in your support zone if you don't already control a copy of it. Once removed, Sunten, Temporal Energy Converter will not return to the game (even if the card used to remove it allows it).
"I am aware. I am Sunten. Enemies of the creators, beware!"
"It worked! Finally! But who the hell named him? That wasn't part of his program." -Recorded conversation during development of project XFG VIII, entry 190, classification: confidential.
Sunten, Ultimate Form
Purity: 2GI
Type: Unique Character - Artifical
Rarity: Legendary
Cost: 10
Morale: 16
Attack/Health: 25/25
Shield 1
Unstoppable
Pay 10, remove Sunten, Ultimate Form and all deployed characters your opponent controls from the game until the end of turn. Only activate this ability if this character is on the battlefield.
If this character is removed from the game while deployed or in your hand, create a Disfunctional Prototype in your hand. Once removed, Sunten, Ultimate Form will not return to the game (even if the card used to remove it allows it).
"He became stronger again. How about we send him through another anomaly?"
"Don't you dare! Don't...argh, too late." -Recorded conversation during development of project XFG VIII, last entry before the discontinuation of the project, classification: confidential.

Comments:
There's a lot of text here to work with. Sunten's design as a constantly evolving through self-removal is very much Genesis Industries, and the crazily complex road to an OP card also fits the GI bill (looking at you, Ultra-Unit). The final ability, being a mirror of Temporary Mass Reality Shift, has potential to be super strong, allowing a final blow through a defensive line, resetting enemy buffs, or simply buying one more turn of time.

JLazeZ
The Rift Runner, TOP RANKED RIFT PLAYER'S NAME
Faction / Factionless
Purity / None
Rarity / Rare
Cost / 5
Morale / 8
Unique Character - Human
Power / 6
Health / 10
When PLAYERNAME is removed from play he comes back at the end of the next turn, bringing target Character who was removed from play with him.

Comments:
I love the concept of a constantly changing card based off of the Draft leaderboard. It's a real incentive to do well with your draft and reminds me of the cards that Wizards used to design based off of players, be it the 1996 World Champion, Bob, or Shadowmage Infiltrator.

ORISOLVE
Name: Revenge of the Avatars
Purity: 3P Descendants of the Dragons
Rarity: Epic
Cost: 1
Mission
Flavor Text: Discipline, Strength, and Ferocity.
Ability: Opening (This card has Opening, it will start the game in play rather than in your deck.)
If an Avatar is removed from the game, Avatar's Revenge becomes 35% more complete. When Avatar's Revenge is 100% complete, choose one of the following effects to apply next turn:
1. Lingbao's Revenge: Deal 15 damage to all Characters in your opponents Defense Zone and 15 morale damage to your opponent.
2. Daode's Revenge: All the health damage that you have taken for the duration of the match will now be dealt to your opponent.
3. Yuanshi's Revenge: Your fortress cannot take damage this turn, all Characters you control gain +10/+0, and deal 10 damage to your opponent's fortress.

Comments:
Wow! Don't mind me, just going to fill up a deck with Avatars and crush my opponent by overcharging them. The Revenge effects are super strong, particularly those of Daode and Yuanshi, creating a huge payoff for a card that cares about what specific cards you're removing from the game. This card has two problems though: it isn't unique, meaning you can stack three of them and deal tons of damage.

Nephilim
reality scout
1 GI
cost 2
creature human
whenever reality scout is removed from the game, at the end of the turn summon a reality mutant with the combined power of all creatures removed from the game this turn and combined toughness of all creatures removed from the game this turn
4/4
reality mutant
creature - no subtype
whenever you remove a character from the game, summon a 1/1 with no morale cost

Comments:
Another solid design with a flashy payoff in the form of a giant character that summons lots of small characters. Continuously flickering Reality Scout (perhaps with Box or CTA) can create a swarm of lowly 1/1s just waiting to be made into a giant army somehow.

lovemeseriously
Name: Rift in to the Remembered
Faction/Purity: Neutral
Type: Unique Location
Rarity: Legendary
Cost: 5
Pay x,Exhaust: You may play a character card that was removed from the game with resource cost x or less.
"History shall repeat itself" - World Librarian

Comments:
A simple, elegant design turning the removed from game zone into an additional hand.

Bubba1234
Soul Ripper
Purity: 2 Exiles
Rarity: Rare
Cost: 6
Type: Artifact
Whenever a deployed Character is removed from the game, its power and health are added to a deployed Demon of your choice.

Comments: While I'm not sure how this would be coded, it's a really clever way to redistribute the stats of your removed characters--provided that you still have more characters to buff. The demon tribal restriction is very much Exiles and even being a 2-purity rare artifact fits.

ecliptix
Defiant Warlock
2 CoV
Creature
Uncommon
3 Cost
6/7
6 Morale
When Defiant Warlock is removed from the game select a card in your hand and place a copy of that card from your deck to your hand.
"For the last time - I. AM. NOT. A. WIZARD."

Comments:
Otherwise known as Defiant Tutor. I can imagine this card being combo'd with Dark Vision for extra value. The restrictions are very cleverly placed, making it harder to abuse than at first glance. A good design, but the Warlock will probably never be played as a character, merely overcharged for the effect.

klumpus
Name: Agent Coyle, Rift Rider
Faction/Purity: Factionless
Type: Unique Character - Human
Rarity: Legendary
Cost: 4
Morale:13
Attack/Health: 6/6
Rules Text: Pay X, Overcharge: Play all cards that have been removed from the game with resource cost equal to X-2.  Use this ability only if Agent Coyle, Rift Rider is deployed.
Pay 10, Exhaust: Transform into an X/X Flying, Unstoppable Dragon, where X is equal to the number of cards that have been removed from the game.
Flavor Text: In his quest for power, Agent Coyle learned to use the rifts to retrieve items thought to be lost from this reality.

Comments:
Agent Coyle and rifts go hand-in-hand. The self-proclaimed first Rift Runner has a nasty habit of jumping into rifts without thinking, and now he's pulling things out of them. The first ability seems like it could be insane, particularly if the card overcharged as part of the cost counts too. Given the low cost to play him, this Coyle is extremely powerful, high morale cost aside.

Decadere
Name: Heart Of Avarrach
Sleepers/3p
Type: Unique Undead Character
Power/Health: 0/20
Rarity: Legendary
Cost: 6
Haste
(1 use per turn) Pay X, where X equals the cost of the targeted deployed character: Remove a non-artificial character that your opponent controls from the game. Heart Of Avarrach gains 1 charge and becomes exhausted next turn.
Pay 1 charge: Create two 7/7 Endless Hordes adjacent to Heart of Avarrach.
Pay 2 charges: all undead characters you control gain +2/0 and infect until the end of the turn.
Pay 3 charges: Heart of Avarrach Removes all deployed non-undead characters from the game.
"Several research teams from the GI Biotech branch went missing when sent to investigate the sound emanating from the center of Kyrallic. Because of that, The last team sent was heavily armed and equipped with a drone which would broadcast the expedition live. As they got closer, the sound became more and more deafening. When they reached their destination the team went dark, but not before the drone caught a glimpse of something horrific...".

Comments:
As noted earlier, this entry does not satisfy the requirements of this challenge. While it certainly removes characters from the game, it doesn't really care about RFG.

xMatanX122
Lab Accident
2 GI purity
Ability
10 cost
remove all deployed characters from the game. at the end of the turn return each character to it's opponent support zone.
"For the 5th time, I told you not to drink coffee in here"
-Aleta

Comments:
Hilarious? Yes. Clever design that can be used in a multitude of ways? Yes. Fundamentally cares about cards being removed from the game? Not so much.

colonscopy
Dust Collector
Factionless
Artifact
Epic
Cost: 3
Each time a card (in play, from hand or the Graveyard) is removed from the game , Dust Collector becomes 17% more complete. When Dust Collector is 100% complete, it transforms into a 20/20 Dust Dragon with Flying and Unstoppable.
Flavor:
You can hide it under the carpet, but you can never stop its growth;
After the Calamity dust still exists.

Comments:
Another solid, simple design. I'm reminded of Ritual of Summoning, except less menacing and funnier.

quangtit01
Name: Lucifer Morningstar, First Fallen Angel.
Faction/Purity: Triple OOS or Triple Exile
Type: Unique Demon Angel
Rarity: Legendary
Cost: 11
Morale: 20
Attack/Health: 16/16
Rules Text: Untouchable, Flying, Unstoppable
Lucifer cannot be removed from play. when Lucifer is deployed, remove all other characters until the end of the turn. If any character that gets removed has the Angel or Demon subtype, Lucifer gain +2/+2. Lucifer cannot be killed from non-damage source.
Flavor Text: Before Sol's rise to power, there was an Angel, shining brighter than all other angels. Once THE beacon of hope of the Overseer, Lucifer's fall from grace changed them forever.

Comments:
This card only just barely qualifies for the challenge in that it cares about the subtype of the characters that Lucifer is removing, but boy is it full of flavor and power. The purity requirement is something that I've been wanting to see for a while (namely, Mercenary purity cards that are more than just single purity).

[Benionin]

CDC Judgment (Part 2)

vengefulmierothi
Name: The Spirit Gong
Faction/Purity: 1DoD
Type: Unique Artifact
Rarity: Epic
Cost: 3
Rules Text:
Each time a card you control is removed from the game create a 1/1 spirit with flying in your support zone.
Pay 3, exhaust: All spirits you control gain +2/+2.
Flavor Text: Though many become lost, we will always honor their memory.

Comments:
It might get out of control with Dojo, but the DoD deserves it. This is a particularly awesome design because it's useful even if cards aren't being removed from the game, since it can buff your spirit tribal cards (which, admittedly, there isn't a whole lot of, but it's cool). Excellent design.

Number11
Eva, Who Demands Ransom
1 purity CoV - Rare
2 cost
7 morale
Unique Character - Human
3/7
While in play:
Opponent character you remove from the game that would return at specific turn are delayed by one turn.
If you remove an opponent character temporarily from the game, then next turn the opponent can pay 1 cost ransom. If not paid the card is permanently removed from the game.
If a ransom is paid you gain 1 resource the next turn.

Comments:
A painful card to deal with, Eva's ransom is definitely demanding. CoV needs good characters, but Eva seems so powerful and toxic. CTA's remove for two turns--if not permanently, and so on and so forth. The single purity means that Eva can be combined with just about anything to remove cards from the game, and a dedicated deck can starve your opponent of resources while ramping you farther and farther ahead. There's some interesting space here and I like the delaying aspect of the ability, but all together it just seems like too much to be healthy.

McLight
Name: Molecular Reconstruction
Faction/Purity: Genesis Industries/2
Type: Unique Mission
Rarity: Rare
Cost: 5
Rules Text:
Each time a character card is removed from play, Molecular Reconstruction becomes 15% more complete. If Molecular Reconstruction becomes 100% complete, it creates an artificial character in your support zone that has a combined power and health of all of the characters used to complete Molecular Reconstruction.
Flavor Text:
After the calamity, it was said that nothing remained. After some tests at Genesis Industries it was found that it may be possible to recover or scavenge some of the remains left after the incident...

Comments:
Much like Dust Collector, this is a solid and simple mission design that nets you a character once a certain number of characters have been removed from play. The difference is that this one lacks flying, can get much bigger, and is artificial, which has huge ramifications. Also, its placement in 2 GI puts it in the neighborhood with Phasebot and Temporary Mass Reality Shift, suggesting ways to quickly power out a giant token.

Necrosoverlord
Name:Chaos of the lost
Faction/Purity:Exiles/3
Type:Ability
Rarity:Rare
Cost:7
Exile:5
Rules Text:
All deployed cards are removed from game and each turn one random card that has been removed by chaos of the lost is returned to its original zone.
Flavor text:
H...How long have we've been gone?

Comments:
As mentioned in my earlier post clarifying the rules, this card doesn't really care about cards being removed from play. It's a very much self-contained design that merely grants Exiles a massive stall engine.

ShamanExile
Name: Wrong Turn
Faction/Purity: 2 Exile
Type: Ability
Rarity: Rare
Cost:4
Rules Text:
Exile 3.
Remove up to two cards in the assault zone from the game. At the beginning of the next turn, return each card removed this way to its owner's support zone and exhaust them.
Flavor Text: There's a reason it's called the demon wastes...now, were we supposed to turn at that skeleton pile or the one back there?

Comments:
This is a wonderfully flavorful card befitting the winner of the Flavor portion of the Iron-willed Chef Tournament. Unfortunately, it doesn't fit the challenge's criteria and acts more like a double-CTA.

Xadera
Leks, Void Chaser
1p Exiles
Unique Character - Demon
Rare
Cost: 3
Morale: 6
1/10
When a card is removed from the game, Leks gets +1/-1.
When Leks dies, remove her from the game.
When Leks is removed from the game, X Uncontrolled Rifts are created in your hand, where X is equal to her power.
She grasps at nothing. And she's starting to catch it.

Comments:
Everyone's favorite casual card, Uncontrolled Rift, gets a new friend! The flavor text is brilliant and I can think of so many different ways to boost her power so you get a giant hand of UCRs--but that isn't even all that problematic due to the max hand size. Wonderful design.

volumet
Pay Back
2p WP
Ability
Uncommon
Cost 4
Deal damage to target deployed Character equal to twice the number of beasts you control that died last turn
If it is killed by this way, remove it and create a 4/5 beast in your Support Zone

Comments:
This card fails to satisfy the requirements for this challenge. The removal clause is the definition of trinket text and doesn't matter to the operation of the card as a whole.

Gamer7956
Revival from Nothing
2p SoA
Ability
Uncommon
4 Cost
All Characters that have been removed from the game are added to your graveyard with the additional effect: "If this card is in the graveyard for 6 consecutive turns, it is raised to the support zone and loses all abilities, and has half it's original morale cost"
Flavour text: "No matter how infinitesimally small the pieces, the Sleepers Nanomachines will put the dead back together... at least physically"

Comments:
Turning everything into an Aleta. Clever. I like it.

mynci
Name - Run for cover
Faction/Purity - Factionless
Type - Ability
Rarity - Epic
Cost - 5
Rules Text - No characters in your support zone can be removed from play this turn
Flavor Text - "and amidst the desolation of the calamity small pockets of life would cower under the earth."

Comments:
A great card design, but it fails to satisfy the requirements of the challenge. Having something that prevents character removal is uncharted territory, but this challenge was about exploring a different section of design space.

pichistelrooy
Name: Eternal Despondency
Faction: Verone
Purity: 2
Type: Unique Artifact - Magic
Uncommon
Cost: 6
Rules Text: At the of the turn, your opponent loses1 point of moral for each ability card in your graveyard. If this card is destroyed, it leaves the game.
Flavor Text: nightmares are real... and these are lurking behind you

Comments:
Once again, this design fails to care about removal from the game. Just like with Payback, the removal clause that is on the card is mere trinket text.

Batfly
Voidsphere
purity: 1p Genesis & 1p Verore
Rarity: Rare
Cost: 2
Artefact
If a card is removed from the game, Voidsphere put a "Hopeless" ability card in your opponent's deck, then he draw a card.
Players cannot play ability cards named "Hopeless".
------------------------
Hopeless
Purity: Neutral
Cost: 2
Ability
If you have 8 hopeless cards in your hand, your morale value become 0 .

Comments:
It's clever, because while it technically generates card advantage for your opponent it also creates a certain kind of misinformation that functions as a reverse Exodia. I like it.

MarxLance
Name: Corrosive Card
Picture: Genesis worker aghast at his acid-covered melting hand
Faction/Purity: CoV, E
Type: Ability
Rarity: Rare
Cost: 2
Rules Text:
Only play this card if your deck has this card's purities.
Put this card in your opponent's hand.
At the end of each turn, remove all adjacent cards from the game.
Flavor Text: "And that's why we wear gloves"

Comments:
There's no way to put this politely: this card is toxic. Barring a mirror, you'll never get hit by it while your opponent will hemorrhage cards helplessly. Even if they shuffle it away, they'll still run the chance of redrawing it and having to spend more resources getting rid of it. The only way for them to effectively deal with it is to overcharge it, and even then they're still losing at least one or two cards to its effect the turn you played it. The Denial cards all have requirements and mind games involved, but this one just kills hands and positive attitudes. On top of that, it doesn't actually care about other cards (or itself) being removed from the game--it merely removes cards from the game.

fluffyfish
Sagitta, Champion of Punishment
Unique Character - Angel
5 Cost
11 Morale
2p OoS
14/8
Champion
Whenever a card your opponent controls is removed from the game (including from the hand, deck or graveyard), inflict 2 damage to your opponent's fortress for each card removed.

Comments:
A form of direct burn that makes sense in the Overseers and plays into their Remove from the game subtheme. The numbers are conservative but enough to make the payoff worth it in a deck that chooses to focus on it--and it can allow an OoS player whose rush has failed to finish off their opponent, much as Sacullas does for the FD.

Grinnin_Gin
Name: The Silver Army of Jinhai
Faction/Purity: Gi/DoD
Type: Artifact - Unique
Rarity: Legendary
Cost: 4
Rules Text: The first time a card is removed from the game each turn, crate a 4/6 Artificial "Terracotta Warrior" in your support zone. Overcharge 1, Pay 2, Exhaust; Create a 4/6 "Terracotta Warrior" in your support zone.
Flavor Text:
"You would rebel? With what army?" - Sol.
 "THIS army." - Lucca and Xi.

Comments:
This card is great for so many reasons. First of all, it's not going to spiral out of control since you're only getting at most two tokens every turn. Secondly, its first ability can stand on its own, activating off of Dojo, your own Overcharge, or even your opponent's overcharge. And most importantly, it also has a way to manually fire off its ability. The tokens created aren't super impressive (though I imagine Lucca buffs would change that very quickly), but they'll add up over time. A stellar design.

SoLSyndicate
Kavir, The Hopeful
Flame Dawn, 3 Purity
Unique Character - Human
Rare
4 Cost
15 Morale Cost
12/8
While Kavir, The Hopeful is Deployed, All Human Character's in the same zone have their Morale Costs are reduced by 2. If another Unique Character is removed from the game, Kavira, The Hopeful Transforms.
"Kavir does his best to keep spirits high against his oppressors. But one can only smile in the face of death for so long, before that smile starts to crack."
-Anonymous Flame Dawn Knight
Kavir, The Cracked
Flame Dawn, 3 Purity
Unique Character - Human
Rare
4 Cost
15 Morale
12/1
Indestructible, Unstoppable
Kavir, The Cracked is moved to the Assault Zone, and cannot be moved from it. Any enemy non-  artificial Character with less attack than Kavir, The Cracked is moved to the Support Zone. At the beginning of the next turn, Kavir, The Cracked is removed from the game.

Comments:
A creative design showcasing how someone can crack in the midst of battle and mindlessly charge forward. A good effort and truly interesting design that I wouldn't mind seeing some day in-game.

ArcaneAzmadi
Lens Into Oblivion
Verore 2 purity
Artifact
Rare
4
Whenever a card in play is removed from the game, instead add it to your hand and lose morale equal to its cost.
"It is a window into infinite power... but the pain is almost too much to bear..." -Candit

Comments:
This card screams Cult of Verore and Candit, so the flavor is spot on. The drawback reminds me of the old-old Lone Keep and is another great aspect. Great design.

trickycaster
What Lurks in Shadows
Purity: 1E
Character- Demon
Rare
Cost: 4
Morale: 8
10/8
Pay 2: Remove CARDNAME from the game until the end of the turn. During this effect, whenever a character an opponent controls would be removed from the game by a card's effect other than CARDNAME, instead CARDNAME takes it as a hostage, removing it from the game.  This ability cannot be used while CARDNAME has hostages.
If CARDNAME would enter combat with any hostages, instead a hostage is returned to play in front of CARDNAME.
"Where did Jack go?"
"IT'S GOT ME! IT'S GOT ME! HELP! AHHHH!"
"Uh... YOU, go check that out!"

Comments:
So this card took me a few reads to really figure out. It's extremely complex and rather confusing, but once you figure it out it's pretty cool. However, it'd be a nightmare to code and would confuse players to no end, making it too complex for its own good. I see what you were going for and admire the attempt, but I don't think it worked.

FullMetalBucket
Name:Mirrored Rift 
Faction/Purity:Non-Faction
Type: Ability
Rarity:Rare
Cost:6
Morale: N/A
Attack/Health:N/A
Rules Text:Preemptive. When a character is removed from the game this turn, a 6/6 Enduring Spirit with flying is placed in that character controller's support zone.
Flavor Text: Life can neither be created nor destroyed, only changed from one form to another.
(Enduring Spirit: Casting Cost 0. Morale Cost 4)

Comments:
A solid design to make sure that something is always sticking behind. Those characters may have been removed from the game, but their business is far from done.

And our winners are...
3rd Place: Spirit Gong, by vengefulmierothi
2nd Place: Lens to Oblivion, by ArcaneAzmadi
1st Place: The Silver Army of Jinhai, by Grinnin_Gin

Congrats to all the winners! This contest was an excellent showing by the community by and large but there can only be three winners. Stay tuned for Gin's contest--Gin, contact Drew beforehand. I hope to see each and every one of you in future contests. Congrats to the winners and really, congrats to everyone involved!

[drewmb10]

Just wanted to say congrats to all the winners, but more importantly, congradulations to Benionin for putting on an excellent contest! Timely, thorough, and gave great comments to each entry. Perfect.

[Number11]

If you are playing Eva then you need to spend resources for the temporary removal. In case of CTA you are spending 2 resources for it and if the opponent pays the ransom the payoff from it is such that it is like you removed the opponents card for 2 turn without loss in resource advantage. On the other hand you are using up a card while that is not the case for the opponent to pay the ransom. So the 2 turn removal will still cost you a card.

The lowest cost temporary removal is Mysterious Box Of Wonder and with it you can remove a card for only 1 resource. That is strong indeed, but you also need consider that removing cards this way from the game is not going to inflict any morale damage to the opponent. So while it is strong, I don't believe the card is going to be to strong unless the game starts to have to many 1 cost temporary removal cards.

Congrats on winning Grinnin_Gin.

[Batfly]

I'm happy to see the "Spirit Gong" is in the Top3. When I see this card, I expected it will be selected. Congratulation all ^^ .

Players cannot play ability cards named "Hopeless".

Comments:

It's clever, because while it technically generates card advantage for your opponent it also creates a certain kind of misinformation that functions as a reverse Exodia. I like it.

When you said that, I realise my mistake on this card design:

"Players cannot play and discard ability cards named "Hopeless" " sound better in order to prevent to discard those cards. My bad ^^ .