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Mechanics | Planets and Gravity | Merge Gates | Madness

CardName: Scheming Patron Cost: 3br Type: Creature - Devil Pow/Tgh: 3/3 Rules Text: Deathtouch Cards in your hand have madness. The madness cost is equal to one mana that shares a color with that card plus X life, where X is its mana value. Flavour Text: Set/Rarity: Infinite Potential Well Mythic

Scheming Patron
{3}{b}{r}
 
 M 
Creature – Devil
Deathtouch
Cards in your hand have madness. The madness cost is equal to one mana that shares a color with that card plus X life, where X is its mana value.
3/3
Updated on 20 Aug 2021 by dude1818

History: [-]

2021-08-16 04:41:28: dude1818 created and commented on the card Scheming Patron
2021-08-16 04:48:58: dude1818 edited Scheming Patron

Uhm, that "one mana that shares a color with that card" is rather ill-defined. Or doyou want that to be:

> The madness cost is "Pay one mana that shares a color with this card and X life, where X is this card's mana value."

? That would work since it's clear that the decision for the color is only made as the cost gets paid (or at least "locked in" maybe).

Not certain about the color fixing aspect of this.

It's supposed to enforce the color pie. If you discard Brainstorm, you can madness it for {u} and 1 life; if you discard Hull Breach, {r/g} and 2 life. I guess it lets you splash multicolor cards you couldn't otherwise cast, but you still need access to one of their colors.

Potential balance issues aside, I'm not sure why you say it's ill-defined

It's ill-defined because your wording doesn't make it apparent that you choose the color as you pay the madness cost, but makes it seem as if the color is somehow set as the static ability applies - without a person making a choice. Which is why I suggest another wording that moves the choice to the actual act of casting with madness.

The problem is similar to the ill-defined choice on Hidden Pit Trap actually.


On another note: Is this supposed to be a cost that cannot be paid for colorless cards?


If you really want to enforce the color pie, then the best way would probably just to allow payment of generic mana as life; you could even make it two separate abilities: One gives each card in your hand madness with a madness cost equal to its mana cost; another grants you the ability to pay generic mana with life on madness costs probably using K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth's ability as a template.

Your reading of the ability is unnecessarily pedantic and doesn't even follow the precedent set by cards like Snapcaster Mage. The ability puts "madness - one mana of this card's color and X life" onto the card. There is no sane way to interpret that other than "pay a mana when you madness this, and if it shares a color with this card, you're good to go."

I'm aware that it doesn't work with colorless cards and decided that's acceptable

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