The Third Day of Fishmas

 Lauby: I had a lot of fun making the art on this one.  Googling for images of people on fire was a rate treat.  

Uglyraincoat: The elemental’s portly shape is pleasant, accentuated by his can-do body language.  Additionally, the upkeep cost is the single most poetic use of a game mechanic to represent life that I’ve ever seen.  If you don’t tend your elemental it will slowly burn out.  
dethtron:  campfire elemental demands a burnt offering.  Almost feel like it should have been a G for upkeep though, representing wood and all that.
Uglyraincoat: I like it.  Plus, forests are only about $3 per bundle.  
Lauby:  So long as there aren’t any Spotted Owls in them.

Lauby: This would have been a truly great card if any of the artifacts we designed had been worth sacrificing a 3 mana cost creature for.
Uglyraincoat: Majestic.  
dethtron:  I feel like that ability existed solely for the purpose of destroying fishing rods.  Unfortunately we forgot to put enough fishing rod artifacts in the set :(

dethtron:  all things considered, this is kind of an awesome card.  The card removal and growth mechanics are actually kind of clever.  Granted it’s the slowest way to mill somebody to death ever, but I’m still fond of this guy.  If nothing else it fits in with the “excessive number of counters required” theme we were rocking with this set.

Uglyraincoat: One or even two less casting cost, to get it in the game earlier?  Maybe three blue?
dethtron:  nah, if anything I think it needs another way to put a different kind of counter into play.
Lauby: Oh, or some kind of “fuck you for killing me” capability on account of IRL catfish having those nasty spines.
Uglyraincoat: -1 / -1 “spined” token?

 Lauby: Everyone has their favorite piece of card art in the set.  This is mine.  The Jack Lemmon (as seen in the Amazing Race) mash up with the classic crying kid is the kind of thing that kept me laughing the entire time I was violating people’s copyrights. A very welcome stretch in the mad pace of trying to make 67 cards in a month.  And yes, I realize I was laughing at my own joke.

dethtron:  why don’t you quit being the chiselingest chilser that ever chiseled (since Liss, of course) and explain the story behind this card?
Lauby:  sigh... a very dear friend of ours was obsessed with a tiny line from Gangs of New York and became very concerned with whether or not people were chiseling him and if they were, how much chiseling they were doing.   
dethtron:  that friend being, of course, the aforementioned Liss.
Uglyraincoat: And if you indicated, in any way, that you didn’t give a shit about chiseling, being chiseled, or chiselers, it would turn into a big theatrical event in which his charisma was directed against you in the same manner that, in other cases, rational argument is used.  I think chisels are a very practical tool, but the separation they entail is, I think, the metaphysical sticking point that Liss could in no way abide: whether it pertain to money, love, friendship, or some other valued essence.  

Uglyraincoat: This cardinal hung around our camp one year, and would hop around in the firepit / grill area when we weren’t cooking.  Not to be confused with the human Chuck, who came later, and who drank so much he missed an entire day of his life in the delirium of recovery.  

dethtron:  still can’t believe this is our state bird.  I rarely see more than 1 or 2 in an entire season.
Lauby: The cardinal is also the state bird of Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.  It’s a pretty awesome bird.
Uglyraincoat: I thought Illinois’ state bird was the Cub.

dethtron:  I was not there for this and fear that I don’t want to know the backstory.
Lauby:  Oh, it’s not that bad.  It just involves smashing corn flakes and corn beef hash into a soda bottle with a stick and then tossing it into the lake.  Actually, that involves a fair bit of water pollution so I guess it IS pretty bad.  But at least it’s not scary.
dethtron:  guess I assumed puke.
Uglyraincoat: Because lure was already a real card, that’s why!