On this card shootout is just a strictly worse "you may discard a card", right?

I feel shootout would play better if both players had the option to rummage/"shoot and reload" rather than straight-out discard and lose a "bullet".

Ivesting a card is such a daunting prospect, while cycling will encourage actually partaking in the ability.

Mm. My first thought was, as your opponent, I won't be bothering to discard a card 90% of the time. The fact that discarding a land does nothing for me certainly doesn't help.

Now if this was "You must discard a card, if you can, then draw a card if you did" I'm behind the mechanic. Most colors don't force a discard, or loot, but I can accept color bleed for a good mechanic.

Rummaging would take away from the risk aspect that I actually want to be present- it would just feel weak and too generous. I want Shootout to be as much bluffing and risking. If I kept this card's design, what would an appropriate boon from winning the shootout be, one worth risking a discard to stop?

Hmm. That makes it a razor's edge mechanic. Too strong a boon and you get a blowout, too weak a boon and the card doesn't do what you want it to do. Getting it just right is the challenge.

Which... I think you already did. This is a Divination+ in common. If anything, I think this may be too powerful, since I consider the majority of the time you'll either draw 2 cards, or draw two, discard one, scry 2, draw one. Since you know what's in your hand and when it's appropriate to take a risk, you should 'win' the vast majority of the time (I consider just taking the Divination as winning). I'd consider it at least on par with Thirst for Knowledge.

I could be wrong, but I think what SecretInfiltrator is referring to is how the card 'feels' as opposed to how powerful the card is. It feel like the boon isn't particularly valuable. You exile a high mana value card for a 'random' card. But since you're in control and this is just gravy, it is very valuable. So that brings up the question: Does it matter if a card's design doesn't excite players if it does exactly what the designer wants it to do?

The problem is less about whether the card is or feels powerful than about whether the whole complexity of shootout and the bluffing game will matter often enough to not just make a "Kicker - Discard a card." mechanic.

As pointed out you will always be able to "win" and probably have a good idea when to risk pitching and your opponent is very disincetivised from partaking in the game since they will have to take one card of card disadvantage to stop you and might still fail.

And even if they don't fail and cause you not to win, you still got "Draw two cards, then discard a card. Your opponent discards a card." which isn't exactly "losing" at three mana.

This has to be analysed from each player's perspective and each of them has to feel like partaking in the bluffing game has to be worth the risk. I feel the base stakes are too high at one card. That's a hurdle towards players actually engaging in the minigame.

And if you cannot make the shootout happen more than 10% of the time, then is it worth six lines of reminder text on each common the mechanic appears on?