See Senseless Rager for my first attempt at giving red temporary discard. Well, this is temporary mill instead of discard.

First attempt at a Ransom mechanic. This probably would work more easily with permanents on the battlefield (return to the top of the library from exile just sounds whack).

Assuming the move to only ransom permanents was made the question becomes to have a static ransom payment or ransom payments vary from card to card. If a static ransom payment is used, what should the payment be? Mana seemed the simplest way to pay a ransom. Going that route, gold or treasure tokens might make for flavorful mechanics to appear in the set, though I'd be happy if the addition of gold or treasure tokens would be considered "too much."

Alternatively, I like the idea of donating permanents, though that may not work if this mechanic was to appear at common.

Seems quite pointless. Milling a single card isn't that painful, it's comparable to what, 1/3 of a single point of damage or something (~50 cards vs 20 life)?

At which point is the cost supposedly need to be paid? At any point afterwards? I'm kinda reading it like you should pay it immediately or not at all.

This card especially just doesn't do anything. It's kind of like scry 1, if you want to keep it, pay since targeting yourself with this is the best thing really barring some obscure cases like after Vampiric Tutor or indeed, after other people scrying though using it after scrying still really isn't worth - especially when they can just pay anyway.

If I'm getting this right, this seems like it should be more like

> Target player ransoms the top card of his or her library. (To ransom a card, exile it. It gains ": Put this card on top of your library if you own it.")

or something.

The ransom cost should definitely be static since otherwise you will face memory issues with cards ransomed with different costs - at least if it is meant that you can pay that cost at any point of the game afterwards.

Regardless of ransom cost, this card is going to read as "badly scry 1 or badly mill opponent for 1". Maybe ransom for four or so? I don't think it feels particularly at that point though since it starts to slow down the game when before each draw (actually you have to "plan" your opponent's turn ahead as well if you can do it as an instant) you have weight out whether drawing a random card is better than drawing one of the ransomed cards. Too deliberate for is what I'm saying.

I was thinking narrowly. Ransom for mill won't do much without your opponent organizing their top card or playing with the top card revealed.

I guess I should also ask what is doing the ransoming. I think if permanents ransomed cards I could very the cost and have the ransomer permanent exit the battlefield as an alternate way to get the ransomer card back. Something like Ransom target creature- Pay three life (Exile target creature until ~ leaves the battlefield or if ransomed creatures controller pays three life.)

I bet that's still probably memory issues though.

Huh. Please ransom me a lot! Ideally, almost my entire deck. That way, I can tutor for any time I need to draw a card.

It's a lovely idea; and I do think it's a great flavour for a red mechanic. But this particular implementation, uh, missed. A lot.

I'm not actually sure of an alternative. My thoughts so far:
Preventing them from drawing entirely would be too evil... What you really want is them to have to give you something, not just pay it to the air.
I'm tempted to suggest "They cannot draw a card until they pay" but that's way too good. Feels close to the aim though.
Perhaps something like hate-scry; where they get the worst card of the top few (your choice), unless they pay?

The intention for Ransom isn't just the library, but any zone, barring graveyard and exile, and graveyard only from an expected lack of graveyard interaction. The top card of the library just happened to be used for the first test.

Oh, the reminder text makes it seem like ransom would only be the top card of a library.