Heh, I use ~ for convenience's sake but if the contest holder insist, I don't see any reason to argue.

Never had halloween at where I live, but that doesn't mean I can't give it a shot.

Pumpkin Courtyard -
Enchantment
Whenever a non-token creature dies, you may pay . If you do, put a 0/1 red black Scarecrow creature token onto the battlefield.
At the beginning of your upkeep, target player loses 1 life for each Scarecrow you control.
Sacrifice a Scarecrow: Pumpkin Courtyard deals 1 damage to target player.
Ivor grinned as he tore the soul from a fresh corpse and trapped it within the scarecrow's pumpkin head. The pumpkin's expression shadowed the soul with haunting likeness, lost and terrified. Then, he lit the soul ablaze. The scarecrow creaked to life with a burning fuel and the pumpkin never stopped screaming since.

He's not saying it to be patronizing - if that's honestly how you feel, then that just means that you're not thinking like a Vorthos ;-) . Player psychographics aren't a grade that needs to be achieved, but rather a mindset. Most players think like you do Ko - that it doesn't matter, because it's a time-saver and is nice and easy. It doesn't impact the submission in any real way, and is just there to look pretty. It's just that "looking pretty" is something that matters in the mindset of someone who's a Vorthos. When everyone else sees clouds, Vorthos sees dragons and knights battling for the hand of the beautiful Princess Lalequa, daughter of the Ninth House of Berendel, who... (trails off for hours in made-up details)

Jack-O-Lantern
Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature has intimidate and vigilance.
Equip
"A candle's glow to give you light,
A pumpkin's face to fill with fright"
-Thraben children's rhyme

UPDATES:
Grading categories will no longer be named after psychographics. It was a cute idea, but it seems to have caused some degree of debate that could be solved with less debatable titles.
We have 8/13 entries.

Lantern Vine
Creature - Wall
Creatures attacking you may be blocked as if they did not have intimidate.
Sacrifice Lantern Vine: Lantern Vine deals 2 damage to each attacking creature.
0/3
What glares from their empty eyes? What burns from their shattered husks? It is not fire, but hunger.

tbh, this seems like a no true scotsman fallacy and it really is patronizing

Spiritgourd Lantern
Creature — Plant
Defender
: Spiritgourd Lantern gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
: Creatures can't attack you this turn unless their controller pays for each creature he or she controls that's attacking you, where X is Spiritgourd Lantern's power.
0/1

Desecrated Pumpkin Patch
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant land
Enchanted land gains ": Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.

It's not known what draws these plants to grow amoungst death and decay...

Jack's Lantern
Legendary Artifact - Equipment
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has hexproof as long as its a spirit.
Whenever equipped creature dies, return it to its owner's hand.
Equip
The lantern guides the souls of those who are not welcome in the afterlife.

I honestly didn't mean it to be patronizing, but I did mean it to be tongue-in-cheek. I agree that I would say that someone using ~ isn't indicative of that person not caring about their card's name, but Tevish might have a different subjective threshold of perceiving whether someone cares or not, regardless of whether they perceive they care or not. It's easy to see how Tevish might have such an opinion, and in a way that isn't simply uneducated — just different.

I'm not actually saying that you're not 'Vorthos enough,' or anything like that, just that it's clear that Tevish has different priorities, and it doesn't make them stupid, nor his conclusions uneducated. Maybe what you would call "caring" in this case isn't the same thing that Tevish would call "caring," and that doesn't make either of you incorrect about something so subjective. I don't have to agree with Tevish's analysis to understand how he might have arrived at it. But this is his contest, his thread; so I'm happy to make that concession, especially about something so trivial.

In any case, I'm sorry that I sounded patronizing And I'm sorry if I did again just now; if I did, I'll just stop here at the apology.

I thought that post was fine don't worry

I stand by my opinion that his opinion is stupid though. He can do whatever he wants with his contest but I don't have to like it B^)

There is way too much overthinking going on in this thread.

Eloquence aside, are we so bored we must argue the merits of ~?

I am never not bored enough not to argue the merits of nothing important.

Holiday Lanterns
Enchantment
Whenever a creature would deal damage to a player, its controller may choose to put that many +1/+1 counters on it instead.
If no creature dealt damage this turn, transform Holiday Lanterns
In evening light they had their treats,
And played their games and ate their sweets
And when they could play no more
They blew out the lamps and shut the door.
__________________________________________________________

Lantern Devils
Creature - Devil
Creatures with counters on them can't block.
Whenever Lantern Devils deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card at random.
But the lamps refused to die
With firelight glinting in their eyes
They grew claws and began to creep
Upon the village wrapped in sleep
3/3

Planeshaper
Power Level 5/5: This is solid. ":b:: Target creature can't block this turn, activate only as a sorcery" is a pretty nice use of mana.
Flavor 5/5: Spot on and perfect, it communicates the little bit of halloween lore it has perfectly through its mechanics.
Technical 5/5: No Errors
Wow 3/5: This is a little card. It's not unexciting, but I feel like this is one of those things I would always forget exists. It doesn't really thrill me with possibilities, but you know, it's fine as it is. Average grade.
Total 18/20

Yarium
Power Level 3/5: Under, decidedly. It's a 3-toughness defender for 3 which already hurts, it's vulnerable to extra forms of removal, and it has one word that just kills it: Other. It can't really function on its own, which is painful for a card that might otherwise be a good stabilizer.
Flavor 3/5: You convey what you're trying to convey pretty well, but I'm left with some questions. The biggest of which is... why is this an enchantment? Seriously, Creature - Plant and the enchantment focused ability would seem to convey the "Black magic animates them" flavor you want to convey. Is it a concession to mechanics so they can at least count other patches? I guess that works, but if you're going to do something weird and special, do something weird and special. I suppose it's one big gripe, and if I gave half points you'd have a 3.5 here, but as it is I've got to go with 3.
Technical 5/5: No errors
Wow 4/5: This is starting to really interest me. I start scheming... black with a dash of Bestow? dip into multiple colors for Sterling Grove and the like? I want to build with this.
Total 15/20

Dudibus
Power Level 5/5: You hit the butter zone here. At first I thought it was way too strong, since it can almost certainly go monstrous before attacking, but then... it comes out as a 1/1 for two, and its intimidate is less useful on a two-color creature. Investing another to make it go to a 3/3 has it at a good return on investment, but not game-breakingly good. Good job
Flavor 3/5: This one really, really suffers for its lack of art (unavoidable) and lack of a creature type. Is it motile and just lying in wait? If not, why doesn't it have defender. Is it an evil spirit, an animate plant, a scarecrow? There are more questions than answers in this card.
Technical 4/5: Has no creature type. If this was intentional, I apologize, but I really think it's an error.
Wow 3/5: I can't say a lot for this... it's a decently efficient beater and it does at least use counters which I can play with, but at the same time there are a lot of other cards that fill similar to identical roles.
Total 15/20

Phoenix Toph
Power Level 4/5: It's not hard to off your own creature... but then it's not hard to off its transformed state.
Flavor 4/5: I like it... smash the pumpkin and you deal with the nasty spirit attendant to it. That's a kind of cool take, really. My only issue with it is that I feel like the smiling gourd should be black to hint at what's underneath -- at least hybrid with black.
Technical 3/5: Should be "Return it to the battlefield Transformed" (see Loyal Cathar), and the ability on the transformed version should have a clear trigger. I'm not docking you for using fear instead of intimidate, though I warn you that some judges will, particularly on a creature that is mono-black (and thus for which fear and intimidate mean the same thing in normal circumstances)
Wow 5/5: It may ultimately be too fragile to do anything with, but at the same time, it makes me want to. There are so many ways to off your own creatures, even for profit, and the thought of getting an evasive 4/1 for 2 is really quite delightful! Wowed me while still being slightly below curve. That deserves some respect.
Total 16/20

AzureShade
Power Level 5/5: It's in the butter zone. Its playability would entirely depend on the format around it: whether you have the ramp to get to its monstrosity and whether its "Hurricane for 6" is going to be a game-changer in a reliable fashion.
Flavor 4/5: So, why does it horribly burn all flying creatures to death? The effect that its monstrosity has (Damage to flyers/players) is usually depicted as heavy winds. I'd like it better if it were "Each other creature"
Technical 5/5: No errors
Wow 4/5: It's good, no doubt. Its massive air-burst is interesting.
Total 18/20

LilyStorm
Power Level 5/5: Impressive, but not overwhelming. 2/2s for are nothing new, but this one does manage to stand out with a good contribution to magic
Flavor 2/5: What in the world is going on here? Why do we have a nonartifact, white legendary scarecrow? Why does he give people pro-black and vigilance? Is it from lighting their way? BADLY needed flavor text.
Technical 5/5: No errors
Wow 4/5: Another card I'd want to play with -- team vigilance can't be denied as useful and team pro-black is possibly even more useful, though some of that is hurt because he does not himself have protection, reducing the number of available shenanigans.
Total 16/20

Confused
Power Level 5/5: I love this card. It's powerful enough to be relevant, but the mana investment holds it back from being broken. In some ways, I'd rather have Golgari Germination, but the potential to really power through damage is tempting.
Flavor 5/5: Excellently executed. I know what's going on, the mechanics represent it well, and the line used to tie it together really does help.
Technical 5/5: No errors
Wow 5/5: This is the heart of a deck. Potentially, it's the heart of many decks ranging from aggressive to solidly controlling because it can trigger off both enemy creatures and your own. Just wish sacrificing a scarecrow did something other than accelerating your win-con by one turn. Not enough to lose it a point though
Total 20/20

Cato
Power Level 5/5: This is fine. It's not really on either edge, it's just fine.
Flavor 5/5: Well communicated and I appreciate the rhyme
Technical 5/5: No errors
Wow 2/5: This card is... it's dull. I mean, really dull. It does what it does well, but it doesn't inspire or, in fact, 'wow' in any way.
Total 17/20

YingLung
Power Level 5/5: Saved only by its low cost, this can blow out weenie decks rather well, which is positive.
Flavor 4/5: I mostly get it, but the flavor text actually loses me. It would have been better without it, which serves to ambiguate a previously fairly unambiguous card. Okay, maybe it wouldn't have been better without flavor text, but a different flavor text would have served it well.
Technical 5/5: No errors
Wow 3/5: It's a solid utility piece, but nothing more.
Total 17/20

DS
Power Level 3/5: It's rather weak. It can get a big effect, I guess, but the investment to do so is huge and varied: you need green to cast it, red to pump it, and white to activate its Ghostly Prison effect. Maybe in EDH... oh, right, it has one toughness and no removal resistance to speak of.
Flavor 4/5: The name's a bit dull and it could use flavortext, but I get what you're trying to get across and the mechanics work towards that end.
Technical 4/5: Compare your wording to Sphere of Safety.
Wow: 3/5: This should have been a four, but it was held back by its power level a little too much. I keep thinking about how this would fit in defendabarbs/tamobarbs, but the answer is it doesn't contribute enough.
Total 14/20

PeregrineV
Power Level 4/5: Compare Barbed field, which is already not a good card. This is cheaper, but it basically can't hit players. Some of the differences between -1/-1 and 1 damage are cute, which is why this isn't lower, but at the same time it needed a little oomph. Maybe a cantrip?
Flavor 4/5: Creepy and solid, but at the same time it's not incredibly resonant: the name and flavor text are at odds for the origin of your creepy enchant land.
Technical 5/5: No errors
Wow 4/5: I have a soft spot for "enchant land". That alone makes this memorable and interesting.
Total 17/20

Moonbeam
Power Level 3/5: Compare this to its similar cards -- Gift of Immortality, Deathrender or Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho. They're fairly modest cards, mostly, and this is weaker than all of them. I guess if spirit tribal is a big thing it could work, but even then, Oathkeeper seems to suggest you could set the bar higher.
Flavor 5/5: I love it. A great callback to the origin of the Jack o' Lantern, though I doubt many people will actually know the story.
Technical 5/5: No Errors
Wow 3/5: At first, this seemed great, but then I noticed how little it actually did. +1/+1 and hexproof is a modest boost, and returning the creature to your hand weakens it a lot compared to returning to the battlefield (again, I'm having to compare it to Oathkeeper). For 5 mana, I'm left wondering why I didn't just play a Leonin Scimitar.
Total 16/20

Morgothra
Power Level 4/5: I... I'm honestly at a loss. I'm giving this a 4/5 because I'm not sure where to play it. It seems like you could set up an insane blowout, but at the same time the symmetry of the effect might be too difficult to break without some sort of counter manipulation.
Flavor: 5/5: The flavor text really makes it, really. But with the flavor text, this tells a very solid story, which is good always and especially important on a transform card that has progress over time
Technical 5/5: No Errors
Wow 5/5: This is... fascinating. It's really, really interesting and I love that it doesn't specify combat damage, so you can keep the enchantment from transforming with a Prodigal Pyromancer.
Total 19/20

SCORES AFTER ROUND 1:
1) Confused (20)
2) Morgothra (19)
3) Planeshaper (18)
3) Azureshade (18)
5) Cato (17)
5) YingLung (17)
5) PeregrineV (17)
8) PhoenixToph (16)
8) LillyStorm (16)
8) Moonbeam (16)
11) Yarium (15)
11) Dudibus (15)
13) [null]


ROUND 2
Back in Innistrad, there was some talk about "Halloween Horror" and how it might overlap with the gothic, but did not entirely. One of the topics brought up was Witches, and how the typical Halloween Witch didn't fit. So this is my challenge to you: Make a Halloween Witch. More specifically, you need to do one of the following three things -- Make a pretty witch (Don't see those outside of Halloween much), a Flying Witch (as on a broomstick), or make a flying broomstick.

Youthdrinker Crone
Creature - Human Shaman
When Youthdrinker Crone enters the battlefield, put 4 -1/-1 counters on it.
: Move a -1/-1 counter from Youthdrinker Crone to target creature.
As long as there are no counters on Youthdrinker Crone, it has lifelink and provoke.
4/5

Awww crap, I wanted to do Macbeth : (

Ohwell, let's go with a pretty witch:
Bewitching Enchantress
Creature - Dryad Enchantress
: Tap target creature. If that creature is a token, gain control of it instead.
2/4

Somberwald Seductress
Creature - Human Shaman
: Until end of turn, target land becomes a 3/3 creature that's still a land and has ": This creature fights another target creature."
"She's just looking for a little nightly woodland dalliance, boys. I'll be back by morn'." - Fesuli's last words
2/2

I'll design the "trap design" card, the broomstick . First, here's the generic "flying broomstick" that wouldn't win because, though effective and useful for draft, just isn't that exciting beyond face value:



But let's face it - that's not very exciting, so and not powerful enough for the Power-Level or Wow factor scoring. Sort of why I dislike "Wow" factor scoring, as it pushes players to design powerful rares, rather than the more difficult, but more realistic, Commons/Uncommons.

So here's the "fixed" version of Flying Broomstick, but this time as something that will make players want to play it!



EDIT: Bleh, this is a bad card. Redesigning.

You know what? I'm going with my first card. I don't care if it doesn't gain the "wow! omg must play so awesome!" points - because it's what a real flying broomstick card would look like, and it's at the power level it would be at! I refuse to believe that a card must be powerful in order to be exciting. If that is the case, then I would want a "Rarity" clause put in for where we should be designing - because crazy-awesome-cool belongs at Rare, but a generic flying broomstick obviously doesn't. To quote Mark Rosewater; "If your theme isn't at common, it's not your theme."

Flying Broomstick
Artifact - Equipment {U}
Equipped creature gains flying. If that creature is a Shaman, it also gains Hexproof.
Equip -
The incantation was successful, and Grok sped off into the sky. Returning to the ground would be another problem entirely.

I spent quite a bit of time trying to balance the cost p/t with the monstrosity so it's nice someone noticed .
The red activation cost was the act of 'lighting' the pumpkin.
I tried to think of a creature type but I decided not to go with one which I agree was a mistake in hindsight.

Witch of Sithan Hollow
Creature - Human Witch
Flying
Whenever Witch of Sithan Hollow enters the battlefield or attacks, target creature becomes a 0/1 green frog instead of its usual color and types until Witch of Sithan Hollow leaves the battlefield.
2/2

Bonus card that I wanted to submit but it didn't fit the criteria:

Gingerbread House
Land (U)
When Gingerbread House enters the battlefield put two 1/1 white human creature tokens onto the battlefield under target opponent's control.
When you are dealt damage by a human, sacrifice Gingerbread House. If you do, search your library for a witch card and put it onto the battlefield. Shuffle your library afterwards.
: Add to your mana pool.

When I first say the criteria I wanted to make an animated broom with sweep because why not. However 2 things stopped me 1) could not come up with anything I even remotely liked 2) forgot how annoying and meh the sweep ability really was.

Coven of Curses
Creature - Human Witch
Flying
When Coven of Curses enters the battlefield put two 1/1 Black Witch tokens with flying onto the battlefield.

Witches you control gain "Whenever this creature attacks, target opponent loses life equal to the number of curses attached to him or her."

2/4