The Gardener's Gazette, edition 10 - Anniversary Edition!

[align=center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Xy793Fy.png?1[/img]
[color=#1f8b4c][size=300][font=timesnewroman][b]The Gardener's Gazette: Special Anniversary Edition[/b][/font][/size][/color][/align][float=right][box][b][u]LINKS[/u][/b]
- [url=https://discordapp.com/invite/4rw98Aw]Discord Server[/url]
- [url=https://forms.gle/1aiwFN2Tfseb2hU89]Membership Application[/url]
- [url=https://github.com/dithpri/RCES/raw/master/userscripts/auction/Gardener%20Highlighter.user.js]Society Member Highlighting Script[/url]
- [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=deck/nation=epleho]EpLeHo[/url]
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Welcome to the tenth edition of the [b]The Gardener's Gazette[/b], a monthly newspaper with the purpose of keeping both gardeners and guests informed on the happenings within the Card Gardening Society. This edition was published exactly on the date of our one year anniversary, and thus has special articles. 

[hr][color=#1f8b4c][size=133]Announcements![/size][/color]
[list=1]
[*][b]Join this month's contest described below![/b] It is a special event themed on the Gardens' anniversary, so don't miss out on it.
[*]Nominations for [b]Gardener of the Year[/b] are still open! There were not enough entries last month so we are extending it until the last day of April. Don't forget to nominate someone, and check the [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1519413]last Gazette[/url] for details.
[/list]

[hr][color=#1f8b4c][size=133]A Letter from the Founder[/size][/color]
by [nation]The Unified Missourtama States[/nation]

It's been an amazing year in the Society. We've had 70 gardeners, given away 350 cards, and had 365 wonderful days. We've managed to do all that while remaining unaligned and creating a friendly community while having fun. There is a lot to say about what happened and what made it possible, but there are too many good things and good people for me to list in any reasonable letter, instead I simply contemplate all that has happened, and I find what makes these gardens special, and hope for another great year. Best of thanks to all for helping it just work.

Have a good gardening year,
[i]From the Executive Administrator
The Unified Missourtama States[/i]

[hr][color=#1f8b4c][size=133]Garden Insight[/size][/color]
by [nation]Giovanniland[/nation]

Welcome to the Garden Insight for the month of March! Here you can read about all interesting happenings in the Gardens that took place in the last month, all in a few paragraphs.

The month started with a dispute between admins [nation]Giovanniland[/nation] and [nation]The Unified Missourtama States[/nation] about whether marsupials should exist in the Gardens, with the former being against marsupials but the latter strongly supporting their presence. At the moment, the status of marsupials in the Gardens is disputed and a solution to this problem is unclear, but it's suspected they are hiding behind the nearby forests. Talking about something else that likes to hide, easter eggs were also a hot topic of discussion in the Gardens last month! Considering Easter just took place last Sunday, it's understandable people were eager to find more eggs—and in March, many people seeked the St. Patrick's Day related easter egg that is only available that month.
 
Another theme previously discussed that continued this month was the upcoming release of season 3. Some Gardeners thought it would release in April 1st as part of the annual NationStates April Fools event, but that was not the case and it's probable this theme will continue to be a topic of discussion. Instead, the April Fools event was called [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=bestnation/leaderboard=1]Best Nation[/url], in which nations could vote between a pair of random nations in order to eventually choose the best nation among all 250,000 currently alive nations. Farnhamia was chosen in the end, coincidentally a game moderator and thus a legendary card. A fun fact regarding the event is that both [nation]Giovanniland[/nation] and [nation]Noahs Second Country[/nation] reported founding the Card Gardens nation as a random choice during the event, and it's presumable to say it was chosen by both. I mean, who wouldn't? 

The Toolshed was sadly inactive during this period, with no messages in March at all. However, scripts were indeed discussed during this month, just elsewhere for some reason. Meanwhile, the Garden Displays channel saw some near-complete collections and discussion about them, especially legendary and regional collections. Likewise, the Farmers' Market was also active and continued to feature discussions about inflations, deflations, pull events and other trades, along with people posting cards they'd like to sell and buy.

Finally, I couldn't finish this section without welcoming the new Gardeners that joined this month. A warm welcome to [nation]Nacoa Dya[/nation], [nation]Seanat[/nation], and [nation]Sorianora[/nation]; may their harvests give great fruits from now on!

[hr][color=#1f8b4c][size=133]Winners of the Month[/size][/color]
by [nation]Giovanniland[/nation]

In the month of St. Patrick's Day, Gardeners searched across the land owned by our Society for the best four-leaf clovers, hoping to increase their chances for the weekly giveaways. On the other hand, this month had 13 giveaways, a number that some would consider unlucky. One would think of it as a paradoxical month, but luck prevailed as seen below.

Two Gardeners found the best four-leaf clovers in the entire Gardens, [nation]EconomicHunger[/nation] and [nation]Fauzjhia[/nation], since they each won two giveaways! There were nine other winners too, all of them winning either a Legendary card or an Epic package. In the following table you can see all winners in the last month:

[table][tr][td]Nation[/td][td]Number of Wins[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]EconomicHunger[/nation][/td]
[td]2[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]Fauzjhia[/nation][/td]
[td]2[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]Destructive Government Economic System[/nation][/td]
[td]1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]New Sunville[/nation][/td]
[td]1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]Libertanny[/nation][/td]
[td]1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]The Python[/nation][/td]
[td]1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]Grand Abaco[/nation][/td]
[td]1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]Alfonzo[/nation][/td]
[td]1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]Salaxalans[/nation][/td]
[td]1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]Luna Amore[/nation][/td]
[td]1[/td][/tr]
[tr][td][nation]Fuentana[/nation][/td]
[td]1[/td][/tr]
[/table]

[hr][color=#1f8b4c][size=133]Community Contribution Awards[/size][/color]
by [nation]The Unified Missourtama States[/nation]
It is once again time for the Community Contribution Awards! Every six months we will census contributions from the community and recognize the most active members. There are 2 categories with awards: [i]Cards[/i] and [i]Commentary[/i].

[b]Cards –[/b] recognizes members who donated the most cards to help support the activities of the Society. The top in this category gets a custom role on our community Discord! Top 4 members are listed below:
[list][nation]Noahs Second Country[/nation] with 23 donated Legendary cards;
[nation]Zentata[/nation] with 14 donated Legendary cards;
[nation]Fauzjhia[/nation] with 5 donated Legendary cards;
[nation]Vylixan[/nation] with 3 donated Legendary cards.[/list]

[b]Commentary –[/b] recognizes members who are active in conversation (non-spam, interactive messages) in our community Discord. The top in this category gets a [b][color=#ffd700]legendary[/color][/b] card, this time a season one [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=deck/card=1089/season=1]Kyrusia[/url]! Top 4 members are listed below:
[list][nation]Infinitecimal[/nation] with 956 messages;
[nation]Vylixan[/nation] with 787 messages;
[nation]The Atlae Isles[/nation] and [nation]Fauzjhia[/nation] tied for third with 481 messages each;
[nation]Libertanny[/nation] with 475 messages.[/list]

We thank everyone else who also made contributions for supporting us through our first year.

[hr][color=#1f8b4c][size=133]Monthly Contest Results and Update[/size][/color]
by [nation]Giovanniland[/nation]

The last month saw a [b]Card Design Contest[/b] happening, in which Gardeners were asked to imagine how a possible Season 3 card design would be and then send a representation of it. Two Gardeners sent their own ideas, namely [nation]Indusse[/nation] and [nation]Sorianora[/nation].

[spoiler=Indusse][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/708080548928553030/829356745373253682/unknown.png[/img][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Sorianora]
[img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/708080548928553030/829356745016213534/image0.png[/img][/spoiler]

After the deadline of 2nd April, the members of the Sub-Administrative Committee gathered to decide the winners! Just like in previous contests, the judge team was composed by [nation]Destructive Government Economic System[/nation], [nation]Giovanniland[/nation], [nation]Noahs Second Country[/nation], [nation]The Unified Missourtama States[/nation] and [nation]Recuecn[/nation]. The winner decided by the judges is… *[i]drumroll[/i]*
[spoiler=Results][nation]Sorianora[/nation], who earned a clear majority! Honorable mention to [nation]Indusse[/nation] for participating as well.[/spoiler]

Congratulations! The winner earned the Season 1 [b][color=#ffd700]legendary[/color][/b] card [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=deck/card=173694/season=1]The Grim Reaper[/url]. 
 
For the second part of this article, I would like to announce this month's contest. In order to celebrate the Gardens' anniversary, we will be bringing back our first ever contest style—a collection contest! Our [b]Anniversary Collection Contest[/b] has the goal of celebrating our anniversary by having collectors find cards related to the theme Birthday and building a collection. The rules are listed below, they are similar to our previous Garden of the Month contests with some amendments:

1. Regardless of size and card rarity, we're accepting any and all collections, provided they follow Card Gardens and NS rules. 
2. You can choose a collection you already have, or build one and submit later, as long as they follow the contest theme.
3.  Submissions are to be sent by Discord DM or telegram to [nation]Giovanniland[/nation], and will close on 23:59 UTC of Friday, 30th April.
4. The winner will win a shiny legendary card, and additional prizes may be awarded if there are several entries.

The winner will then be announced on the next Gazette edition following a Committee vote, and all entries will also be listed so that readers can look at every collection. Good luck collecting!

[hr][color=#1f8b4c][size=133]Garden Spotlight[/size][/color]
by [nation]Giovanniland[/nation]

Finally, for this special birthday edition, we're bringing back an oldie but a goodie—our Garden Spotlight! The first version of it was published in our [url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1475788]6th edition[/url], which happened in December last year. For the second iteration, I will be reviewing all collections posted in the Garden Displays channel since 2021 and the best will be showcased here!

[url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=deck/collection=29738]Card Gardens[/url] by [nation]Grand Abaco[/nation]: A collection displaying the cards of twenty-five Gardeners! Despite not being complete, it is an unique idea that shows the collector's love for the Gardens.

[url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=deck/collection=32602]Intricate design, each step unfolds in order, the end captivates[/url] by [nation]Vylixan[/nation]: It is difficult to even describe this collection, whose name is also a haiku and whose cards have mind-boggling designs. What can be said for sure is that Vylixan has great collecting abilities, as shown by the fact another collection of theirs is here just like the previous spotlight!

[url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=deck/collection=35140]The Order of the Golden Ocelot[/url] by [nation]Libertanny[/nation]: Collected by a former [region]The East Pacific[/region], the collection contains all nations that have been awarded the highest honor one can receive in TEP. Fun fact: the award name honors [nation]Xoriet[/nation], also a former delegate of the East.

[url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=deck/collection=31262]Season 1 Legendaries[/url] by [nation]Fauzjhia[/nation]: Despite this collection not being the first ever complete Season 1 legendary collection, it's included here by the enormous effort used to complete it even a year after Season 1 had already ended. It took Fauzjhia just three days to buy all 184 legendaries, in an endeavor that costed more than 15,000 bank. A very impressive feat!


[url=https://www.nationstates.net/page=deck/collection=32696]Under blågul fana[/url] by [nation]Svenskskit[/nation]: Here can be found nearly 400 copies of different cards with the Swedish flag! The collection, whose name translates to "under the blue-yellow banner," is only missing a few cards.

[hr]See you all next month for another Gardener's Gazette edition. Credits to [nation]Giovanniland[/nation] for leading the newspaper publication and writing some articles, and [nation]The Unified Missourtama States[/nation] for contributing the other articles! If you'd like to write, please contact our Administration to apply for the Gazette Writer position.