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The "Roulette" Format
Sometimes EDH's form of randomness and sense of a new deck every time doesn't always feel random enough. Even with around 64(excluding lands) cards that are all different, it is usually built with similar cards to be consistant. I am after making a very fun, eventful format for people that get bored with using the same deck.
Rules:Your deck is an exactly 100 card deck using cards with a cmc(converted mana cost) of 2 or less and there can only be 1 copy of a certain card(besides basic lands of course). If your not a fan of aggressive decks this might not be the thing for you, but then again im sure someone can figure out ways to make control and such work.
Decks must be thoroughly shuffled and then a 50 card chunk is pulled off the top of the deck, and the rest is removed from the game( because of this you should definitely not go skimpy on the lands. You are stuck with the cards you pulled of the top for the round) . Life is set at the standard 20.
The Clip: The "Clip" is a 10 card sidedeck that is essential to gameplay. Although I am calling it a sidedeck, it has very little in common with a standard sideboard. All cards from the clip are automatically put into the deck (after exiling bottom half). The clip may use a full playset of a card as long as the maindeck does not already have a copy of that card. The cmc rule still applies to the clip.* You MUST either memorize or write down the cards in your clip. The cards in your clip cannot be exchanged with cards from the removed from game section of the deck.
Mulligan:In Roulette, there is no decrease in hand size when a player mulligans. However, each time a mulligan is used, you must reveal two cards in deck and/or hand that originated from the clip. The opponent choses one. That card is exiled. If all cards from your clip are removed this way, you lose the game.
Reload: Both players may shuffle all cards from the game (including exiled cards besides removed section of deck from beginning) and gain five life. This can be done at any point in the game. All players must agree to this. If everyone does you each draw 7 cards(just to clarify, this is not important to the structure of the game, it is there to reinstate the fun if everyone is irritated with how the game is going).
Banlist:For now this will follow the banned list of legacy. I don't know what all will be rediculous in this format yet, so if while testing this you find a certain card that is rediculous then comment below about it please!Have fun trying this! Anyone who does should post a link to their decklist down below!
Additional Banned Cards:
Restricted to maindeck:
Arcbound Roulette
I realized the first card that should be banned in this format.
I think Pyroclasm will be brutal enough guys.
Interesting idea. Most of the changes I would make are personal choices and have nothing to do with mechanics and/or synergy.
One of my favorite things about this format is the "you only get to use half of your deck" idea. It really changes deck building strategy since it adds a bit of random element to what tools you have. That being said, I'm not sure I like the EDH style "one card each" deal. I would much rather play with the four max of each way. That's just me though.
Secondly, the clip is also an interesting idea but maybe there one card out of the ten is a "silver bullet" in the clip. That is, one card that's over the CMC limit. Doesn't have to be a legendary but it's just one card that you MIGHT draw that could turn the game in your favor. It's not really like an EDH Legendary in that your entire deck is built around that card more like an ace in the hole. For example, you're running a UW control deck (bad example) your "Silver Bullet" could be a Wrath of God or something like that.
Which brings me to my next point, I would personally raise the CMC limit to 3. It might end up making control more welcome in the format?
Finally, I think the reload mechanic either needs tweaking. I mean, it doesn't really seem essential to the format and kind of seems gimmicky in a way. I know what you were going for there but I don't think it really adds anything to the format. It acts too much like a "this game isn't going well for either of us" let's just start over. I'd take it out if I were you.
But yeah, just personal preference kind of stuff from me.
Actually everything you just said is exactly why the reload mechanic is there. It's absolutely unessential to the format whatsoever. It's a casual format so I felt it needed a twist that allowed for when no one is having fun with the current way things are happeni ng to reinstate the fun if its all downhill. I actually considered allowing the clip to have higher cost cards or what u said ( the one high cost thing), but I came to the conclusion that it would allow for whoever got to their "silver bullet" (as your calling it) to most likely just resolve it and destroy who ever didnt get to theirs first and it would be a "race to your silver bullet" format, plus it allows for too much comparison to edh or hero(which are fine formats but I wanted to make something new). I think the one copy makes this more playable for people who just play for the fun and have a very limited collection, plus its even more randomized, so rediculous combo decks are hard to build,etc.
If the reload mechanic is unessential there's no use of me arguing for/against it any way. So...
With regards to the silver bullet, it wouldn't necessarily be a race to the silver bullet deal since you have an extremely small chance of drawing that single card. The idea is actually taken from the idea behind the Miracle mechanic. If you draw it, oh boy you might still have a chance. If not, no skin off your nose since you didn't really expect to draw it in the first place Plus with the CMC cap being at 2 (or 3) it makes it very difficult or near impossible to tutor it out.
Plus if your deck can't deal with one big threat that hits the field extremely rarely you might want to reanalyze your build. You'd obviously need to ban certain cards, no Jace, the Mind Sculptor no Swords etc. etc. but such is the way with these types of formats.
On your other point, I'm looking at my cards and I'm thinking I have bunches of cheap commons and uncommons and only a small percentage of them are uniques. Even if your collection is limited if you have enough cards to build a 100 card deck chances are, you have duplicates.Plus, doing so would limit comparisons made to the EDH format, if you're worried about that.
The chaos effect of running one of each is another matter entirely however. I guess I would just personally enjoy a format more if it didnt rely so much on complete random chance. I mean that kind of "crazy chaotic" fun is for some people but the deck building strategy is one of the biggest pulls for mtg with me. In this format, in its current form you have a 50 card selection more or less randomly chosen from a pool of 100, 10 absolutes, and chances are you're only going to end up seeing nine or ten of those cards tops?
I will say this though, this format would be a lot of fun during a night of drinking or at a get together or whatever. I just can't see it having the same type of strategic element as the other formats. Not there's anything wrong with that, just an observation.
junkbugs idk how to get rid of them
seriously how do you get rid of them? I never did anything to make them come up, but the more you x the more they come back
Ya id really like them gone. they're annoying and obviously not real cuz the format is 2 cmc max and the only workable ones I think I've seen are evolving wilds, pacifism, and strangleroot geist lol
Hey they're gone. Idk if you did it yeaGO! but thanks if you did
ya...oh well. It's only slightly annoying. If you can't fix it I'm sure I'll get over it. Well anyways, check out the format please and see if you want to make it a format on here.
Abrupt Decay should probably get a ban when it comes out.
I think abrupt decay is another one where it can just be restricted to mainboard
why can't the reload function happen whenever you want? I mean if this is supposed to be an aggressive style match. the easiest solution is to have reload only allowed once, and only on your turn. a duck and cover kind of mechanic also it's not much of a reload if you don't also draw a full hand.
I feel your clip should be a separate small deck with the top card face up. you should be able to choose to draw from it instead of your library. it would also save a lot of time in the game for your mulligan rules.
if a card from your clip would be put into a graveyard from anywhere it should be exiled instead. (another way to keep your clip separate from your deck)
these are only ideas. I feel that these choices would give the game a much more "western" feel to it. I imagine the whole idea was a gun fight at sundown
oh and remove the whole 2cmc rule, that ruins the game and certain colors aren't capable of doing anything substantial under 3-5 mana. let people build however they want. with your deck cut in half, restrictions like that become redundant. yes people are going to want cheaper cards to play, but if they want to drop a bomb halfway through the match let them.
think of it as the announcer from unreal "HEAD SHOT!"
If that's what you want, then please go put up your own format. you want most of the main ideas to be taken out and without any stylistic features besides a pile of cards to your side. I don't know what game your playing but every color definitely has more than a fighting chance with just two mana, your just going to have to play them differently then you must be used to. And this doesn't have to be an aggressive format. I just said that because less innovative people will have problems building anything that isn't because their not used to trying to do anything in green without primeval titan or in blue without cryptic command. But I'm telling you it can be done, you've just gotta think a little differently. That's the beauty of different formats; it is like playing a different game. I think if you give it a try before picking it apart you'll find it alot more interesting than your making it sound to yourself.
Oh and refer to previous comments for reasons for the reload mechanic. On a different note, any current players, remember to post your roulette decks here so they can be put in the examples and please keep me updated on if anyone's play group has a adapted this format cuz that'd be awesome. Thanks!
Arcbound Roulette Fixed
i wasn't trying to make you mad, just leaving some constructive criticism. it's a good idea, i wasn't trying to change the whole thing, just throwing idea's out there that would make it a bit more stream lined, take what you want and leave the rest i say :D.
omg, Tempting Wurm could be a beatstick.
I think red Aggro is def a thing but not straight goblins. There aren't any goblin lords in the 2 cmc range. Tempting wurm will be awesome but def not overpowered cuz there is still so much they could put into play from it and then just kill it. Have fun trying it out!
You might have a better time with merfolk. Master of the Pearl Trident and Lord of Atlantis .
Yep merfolk with be good. There are thousands of ways you can go this format.
This format seems fun, but is too restrictive. CMC <=2 shuts down not only several quality deck ideas, but several entire archetypes. The only possibly way to play this effectively is to play bumrush aggro, which is sad for players that like to slow down and think more about their plays.
Once again, that's what we're going for. If you can't handle the rules, that's fine. I didn't make this format to please everyone. I'm sure there we're many people who really hate pauper and edh. Figure out how to break the format. I'm sure you can figure something out if you've got an inkling of a brain. Control still has sensei's divining top and an endless slew of counterspells, along with the fatties it needs like tarmogoyf and the stabilizing creatures it needs like snapcaster Mage. And if you don't think about your plays when you play Aggro then that's your problem. I'm not trying to be mean but seriously, all formats are restricting in some way. That's why it's fun to play them, because it challenges you to play differently.
landgrafb counter/kill control is actually viable here. Doom Blade , Go for the Throat , etc and Mana Leak , Counterspell , Syncopate , etc combined with combo setups like Bloodchief Ascension + Mindcrank would make for a very healthy control deck.
The only thing that this format does do vs control is that you are almost FORCED to play combo because there are hardly any big beefy beaters like in most control decks.
After a few minutes the best beaters I could find before I got bored was card:Ludevic's Test Subject and Phyrexian Dreadnought (There are plenty of ways to negate his bad side).
First attempt at a deck. Decided on a mill concept with some counterspells and defenders mixed in.
Check it out and let me know what you think: "Roulette" Mill
| Date added | 9 months |
| Last updated | 7 months |
| Legal formats | None |
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UGplayerWillie says...
I put all the comments up into the update because it was getting to be too much. Has anyone got their playgroup playing The "Roulette" Format yet? I'll be really excited if someone tells me that. I know some of you guys have already built some roulette decks so I'm going to start putting up any decklists that are posted on here up in the example decks update. Have fun with it! and as always, if you find a card that's extremely overwelming in the format let me know so a restriction or banning can take care of the problem.
August 23, 2012 12:59 a.m.