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Recent updates to Code Geass: (Generated at 2025-06-21 21:48:04)
Another tweak on the earlier exile-face-down suggestions that came up while I was thinking about Gefjun Disturber:
> Prepare
(You may exile this face down for 
as a sorcery. If you do, on future turns you may cast it from exile for its prepare cost as if it had flash.)
Similar to Jack's Plan ahead, but giving up the cantrip for the opportunity to cast it for a reduced cost.
One way to mitigate the lack of specialness I talked about on Gefjun Disturber is to have two or more cards for these concepts from the series: a simple common for the basic form (the form used in series 1) and an elaborate rare for the complicated version (the form used in series 2).
In this case, making it an artifact is a little odd, but I wanted a "once per turn" restriction on the
ability to stop you spamming it in response to itself, so a tap ability is the simplest way to do that; and the set looks like it'll already have coloured artifacts for Knightmares so I can still make it blue. (Though I guess this could be colourless if I wanted.)
You make a very good point. It probably does need to be something like
> At the beginning of each upkeep, predict. (Choose a colour and CMC.)
> Whenever an opponent casts a spell with the last predicted colour and CMC, put a +1/+1 counter on ~.
...Hmm, maybe that's staying a bit far from Link's suggestion. Let's try again:
> At the beginning of each upkeep, predict the colour and CMC of the next spell an opponent casts this turn.
> Whenever you predict correctly, put a +1/+1 counter on ~.
That could equally be "...predict. (Guess the colour and CMC of the next spell an opponent casts this turn.)"
It puts a "Hang on!" where one didn't used to be though - remember all the fuss of "Tap mana first then cast"? It's putting a step back in there - you have to interrupt your opponent in the middle of their casting something. Between them pulling the card from their hand and their saying what it is.
Better would be if you named it at the start of the turn, or something. More interesting bluffs that way too - but memory issues make it too messy for common.
Crosslinking for reference: Link created ((C38343)) as a suggestion for this mechanic:
((C38343))
It's one of the simplest possible implementations of "predict what your opponent's going to do", which definitely wins it some points. It's got the nice accumulating benefits that Contemptible Judge/Bribe Archivist/etc have, whereby they can all benefit from the trigger that any one of them provides (contrasted with things like Ainok Bond-Kin which costs enough mana you probably can't outlast multiple of them in a turn). I like that the CMC will often be guessable in the early game, and the colour will often be guessable, but guessing both may still be challenging enough to certainly not always trigger. It's possible it'd need a cost like
though.
But anyway, yes, it's an interesting and direct enough solution to the problem that I should definitely give it some consideration.
Yeah. My logic was, firstly, that we'd had so much difficulty with mana reduction, maybe a different bonus for planning makes sense and "draw a card" (or flash) is simplest. And the planning would be, can you predict which card you'll need next turn, so you can plan that one now. Although that only works if you need your mana for something other than just "plan everything just in case". (There could be a use by the end of your next turn it or return it to hand/graveyard so you need to plan more precisely, but I think that would complicate it a lot.)
Hmm. No, I don't think we discussed that particular version. My attempted rephrasing:
> Plan ahead (
: Exile this card from your hand face down. After the current turn ends you may cast it from exile. When you cast it this way, draw a card. Plan ahead only as a sorcery.)
So you're not getting to cast any more cards in one turn than you could do if you didn't Plan them, because you have to pay the mana cost, but you're increasing the card flow. Vitenka suggested incorporating a cantrip - that's a nice way to do it.
But I'm not sure that it particularly rewards predicting what your opponent will do. And it doesn't enable you to cast cards when you couldn't otherwise have done, either by discount or by changing speed. That could be easily added, though - we could easily tweak it to allow casting as flash, as a variation on Planning / Strategize.
I can't remember we already proposed. Did we have something like, "Plan ahead (2: exile this card from your hand face down. You may cast it from exile, and if you do, draw a card. Plan ahead only as a sorcery. You can't cast it the same turn you exiled it.)"
That's very similar, but with a simpler restriction and simpler bonus, and we definitely considered several very similar things, but now I'm coming back to it. But I don't know if it's too much complication for too little benefit.
On the Goblin Artisans review thread, Jenesis proposed:
> Coup d'Etat
(
, Reveal this card from your hand: Exile a card from your hand face down. As long as that card has strategize, you may cast it from exile as though it had flash. Strategize only as a sorcery.)
> Sorcery (rare)
> Strategize
> Destroy target creature. If that creature was legendary, its controller loses 3 life.
This is a twist on my Planning mechanic above. It's pretty interesting because it's not a discount mechanic - it charges you more to get to cast your sorceries with flash - but it allows you to bluff by exiling cards that don't even have strategize at all. On the flip side, it does require you to reveal the first one.
Over on the main cardset comments thread, Jack proposed (intending for people to riff on it):
> Plan
(
: Exile this facedown from your hand. Until the end of your next turn you may turn it face up and cast it for 
. If you don't, return it to your graveyard.)
I wondered if some sorceries could have the ability to use them during combat if you prepare them:
> Planning
(
: Exile this sorcery facedown from your hand. Until end of turn, you may cast it for 
any time you could cast an instant. If you don't, return it to your hand. Plan only as a sorcery.)
I then came up with Set in Motion as on Plan for Ambush, and then proposed:
> Manoeuvre
(
: Choose target creature and exile this card face down. While that creature is attacking [/in combat?] you may cast this card from exile for its manoeuvre cost. [Manoeuvre only as a sorcery.])
Jack proposed a long-term planning mechanic for big high-impact sorcery spells like Wraths:
> Mastermind 2-3 --
(Exile this face down. At the beginning of your upkeep put a time counter on it. If it has 2 or 3 time counters on it, you may cast it for its mastermind cost.)
This is somewhat related to Instants theme, but not completely the same thing.
Examples of ideas I've had so far for prediction / planning mechanics: (None of which are great, and certainly not for common)
If you control a Mountain or a Plains, target creature gets +1/+0 and gains first strike until end of turn.
Whenever an opponent casts a spell with the predicted colour and converted mana cost, target creature you control gains protection from the predicted colour until end of turn.
Matt comments: Like this. "If they control something big, you can suicide this into it to trade."