This is one of a cycle of five lands I created (using a different name and image) for a custom set I'm making. The other four, other than giving you mana are: White - Gives you life equal to the number rolled. Blue - Something gains flying until end of turn. Red - Something gains haste and first strike until end of turn. Green - Put a +1/+1 counter on something.

I don't think that's a common design.

Also: I think you should swap the mana and counter ability. It is so weird to state first what happens if you fail to match.

It's really unwieldy to use this to actually cast a spell. You don't even know where you are on the curve before you activate the ability.

Fun fact: Cannot add mana without a creature on the battlefield.

Why do you even need to choose a number? The card could save text space by using a pre-defined value.

Because this targets, I think this is technically not a mana ability. Which means it uses the stack and someone could theoretically stifle it.

I also think that it can't be used while casting a spell so you avoid problems like those of Selvala, Explorer Returned.

That doesn't fix how unwieldy this is. If this is one of your lands you have no idea if this will produce mana or not. Similarly if you want to shrink a creature then you're going to be disappointed every time it just adds mana.

Yeah, my first thought was SecretInfiltrator's last thought. Unless it's interacting with another card in some hidden way, I'd just have the card say "If you roll a 1."

Having playtested lands that ask you to do something every time you use them (mine put a counter on it when you first tapped it, then removed the counter the next time you tapped it) I can tell you that this mechanic would be very annoying to play out. We usually think of lands as functioning without much oversight in the background. Rolling three dice every turn could make a player hate this card in short order.

I will say, though, that there are many different players with different needs. I'm sure someone would be happy to see this card. Maybe even thrilled. It's a weird game like that.

Or - going full on moon-logic - If you really want to annoy? Make an opponent choose the number.

Still makes no difference, but it feels like it does. And put the onus on them to get it right :)

Or make it a head game, both choose a number from 1 to 6 and see if they're the same :) Don't actually do that on a mana producing ability :)

No, take Jack's idea and make it worse, then credit Jack with the mechanic. Each player at the table chooses a number...

;p

No one's mentioned you can't roll dice in black border yet?

The social engineering headgame is actually quite a good one :) Especially if you can tie some cost or benefit to the number, so that they are no longer equally likely...

And... I honestly did not realise that.

Not rolling a dice isn't a problem, just flip 2.585 coins instead :)

Sorry Lee, we might have derailed this discussion a bit :)

Uh; right. Good point. But I agree, this is a rare case where both results are an upside; but you'll rarely be in a situation where either would be what you want.
Maybe it could give you the mana even if you do hit the -1/-1 counter? Then it's almost always lovely.

Yeah, the mana ability and the dice ability should be separate. Maybe something like Zhur-Taa Druid instead, where it has a triggered ability when you tap it for mana?

Yeah. I think my question is, what are these lands supposed to be doing? What is the part that they're supposed to adding to the set?

Getting a small thematic bonus occasionally seems like a good upside.

Not getting mana 1/6 of the time is a good idea for a drawback but is fiddly and going to require players to do extra calculation that doesn't add much; getting mana isn't usually a bonus but an expectation.

The difficulties with a -1/-1 counter (having to use the stack, only being playable with a creature out, hitting your own creature) probably aren't on the rest of the cycle so probably aren't an important part of the card, so it could be tweaked to avoid them (as dude suggests).

Lee, which of those do you think are the important part of the design?