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Recent updates to Multiverse Design Challenge: (Generated at 2025-05-17 10:04:21)
Added Goblin Gameshow Host.
For Challenge # 082. You know, I don't think I've seen a card that chooses players at random, so I ran this up the flagpole. It's supposed to look terrible if you normally play one-on-one matches, but gets better with multiplayer. Originally, I had this a sorcery... but I thought it would be more interesting to watch the player try to protect the Host, until there were less players in play. I'd be lying if I didn't think Flickering this guy in the desperate hopes for emergency cards was kind of funny, too.
"Choose a random number from 1 to 6. ~ Deals that much damage to target creature or player."?
Indeed, it could have double strike, and then lifelink, I think... :)
I'd like a simpler version, but I definitely like it.
Fickle Knight, a 2/2 with an unpredictable (set of) abilities.
(There's also Mind's Desire and Temporal Aperture in the category that shuffles then does something to your top card.)
Created for Challenge # 082. Somewhat similar to Urza's Science Fair Project. With enough mana, it can attack as though it had haste, have your choice of the three evasion abilities at declare blockers, and have either lifelink or double strike by the combat damage step; but that would need quite a lot of mana.
"When you cast CARDNAME, roll a six-sided die, then choose a creature or player.
CARDNAME deals damage to the chosen creature or player equal to the result of the die roll when it was cast."
This gets around forgetting to pay the cost on suboptimal randomness, and while it doesn't target, it still lets everyone know what's going to happen in advance. However, it doesn't work well with forks and redirects, and Stifle becomes a rather humorous way to stop it.
But Jack's right that that's really annoying. It's much more satisfying to at least know you did the best with what the randomness gave you. Yes, most random spells or effects work the way dude1818 describes, but that doesn't mean it's the only way (or the best way) they can work.
Or just choose a target, roll the die, and whiff occasionally like Blast of Genius.
How about nested spells?
Roll a die, then cast a spell that deals that much damage to target creature or player.
Or just use 'choose' instead of target, I think that works.
Doh! You're right, you choose modes, and determine costs first, and then choose targets, and then pay costs. So I wanted the die roll to happen in the choosing modes bit.
Hm. I guess I could do "Choose one at random: deal 1 damage to target creature or player, deal 3 damage to target creature or player, deal 5 damage to target creature or player" :)
Or I could just say "Roll a die before choosing targets. ~ deals that much damage to target creature or player."
That's unusual, but I think unambiguous?
Although, come to think of it, I don't think that works either, I think it goes like this:
2.1. Roll a die. Get 1.
2.2. Refuse to activate any mana abilities.
2.3. Unable to pay costs. Game state is rolled back to before the announcement.
2.4. Repeat steps 1-2.3 until you roll a six.
2.5. Choose targets.
You're right, an artifact would work, but I liked the simplicity of the spell. Can anyone think of any better template?
Good call making the die roll an additional cost. I think this might need reminder text to make it clear you see the die roll before choosing targets.
In fact, hmm, does that actually work? Targets are normally chosen before costs are paid, so I fear you might need a different technique.
Perhaps an artifact which ETBs with d6 counters and can be sacced to deal N damage to target?
For Challenge # 082
Normally wizards errs in favour of semi-controllable randomness like "reveal the top card of your library" because (a.) it feels less unfair if you might be able to control it (b.) it cuts down on make-work like rolling dice because you need to have a shuffled library anyway.
So normally I'd prefer this card was "reveal a card from your hand at random. deal damage equal to its CMC to.." However, that version is probably too degenerate if it could target player if you can combo it with a 10+ CMC card.
So wizards wouldn't normally print die-rolling cards. But if they did, here's one reason to do it, a random-damage spell that can hit players without being broken (I think).
Note the rules, we need to roll the die as a cost before we choose targets, because it's really frustrating to not know which creature to aim for. But here we can say "if we get six damage, just kill the opponent. if we get 2+, kill the creature. if we only get 1, we might as well do it to the opponent."
I wasn't sure of the cost. The average damage is 3.5, so this probably should cost 3-4, although burn spells vary a lot. But I overcosted it because wizards don't normally want random cards to be too competitive, as lots of people find them time consuming or annoying.
Experimental Weapon, "deal 1d6 damage"
Heh, I like it.
Very nice use of "you may" to avoid the busywork if you don't need this to colourfix.
No idea if this is any good. I fear it is good enough for tournaments, which would annoy Spikes.
I think there are enough Timmies who like pure randomness, Johnnies who found a neat way to use a 'bad' card, and Spikes who think they're being clever to make this card good for most players. It would get its fair share of derision, but I'm sure it would be a pet card for many, too.
Yes, I can see how this is often pointless, but just sometimes it's the right card for a deck. Probably wants a "Then" in there, though?
I'm worried it might seem annoyingly pointless in an actual set, but by all means, borrow the idea if you'd like, thank you.
Yeah, oddly, this is a strong card. I know it would be potent in New Mirrodin, for example, which keeps slipping cards on the bottom of your library. In fact, I might steal this card from you, Jack. I got an open uncommon slot this could fill.
For Challenge # 082
Discussion of the ways the top card of your library can not be random led to this.
It's more of a talking point than an actual design -- most people don't want a card this useless.
It came from asking, what's a red Brainstorm like? Ironically, it's not at all useless -- if you have something that does tell you the top card of your library, this can give you some control.
It would be a better design if the shuffle was optional, so it was less time-consuming and gave you more choices if you do know what the top card is. But I think that's less red.
Red Cantrip, the most blatant use of the "shuffle then draw" loophole :)
Plasma Fields, a land that produces a random colour.
For Challenge # 082
Originally this was going to be a considerably more complicated land that was something like "reveal cards from the bottom of your library until you reveal a land card. this becomes a copy of that card UEOT". But I decided it didn't add enough over "it works/it doesn't work".
It would be more interesting if it was easy to get your main colour and harder to get your splash colour -- as it is, this is mostly "wait on average 1 turn". But I couldn't think of any easy way to weight it.
I'm not positive about the templating. I said "may" so it's hopefully more obvious you can skip the coin flip if you just want one mana and don't care about the colour.
You could make this higher-risk higher-reward by making it produce
or 
but I think that would make it less fun and more broken.