Miracle Mechanic Cheaters
General forum
Posted on April 8, 2012, 3:27 p.m. by C4rnif3X
I can see there being a lot of issues with this mechanic. Say someone draws a card, then shuffles their hand around for a little bit saying they're "thinking," then casting the Miracle cost. Obviously they're going to be doubted for not playing it right away. On the other side of things though.. It could be a legit top deck draw, but there is another optimal play to be done, and you don't know what you should spend the mana on. It's just a very awkward mechanic that I see failing. Obviously on high level tournaments, it's not going to be an issue. Just for FNM. Thoughts?
mistergreen527 says... #3
Miracle reminds me a little of kinship. It will just take some adjusting to getting used to looking for the miracle cost before adding it to the rest of your hand. They even give you the altered card frame to help remind you to look. has a similar interaction too.
Once the official rules come out, I expect that they will make it clear just how to handle the mechanic and there won't be any issues.
April 8, 2012 3:45 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #4
Miracle is worded so you can't cheat it. Its wording is as follows:
You may cast this card for its miracle cost when you draw it if it's the first card you drew this turn.This implies that when you draw a miracle card, if you wish to cast it for its miracle cost you must reveal it immediately (since the source of an ability is always revealed before the ability may go onto the stack). I'm sure WotC will have thought the rules through enough to prevent abuse. My guess is that it will work somewhat like madness in terms of official rules.
April 8, 2012 3:47 p.m.
I think its fairly easy. Same thing for , Ponder, etc. and should be placed in a spot where it can be easily identified as the card you drew for your turn/beginning of your upkeep. For instance, when you Ponder the card doesnt state to take a card into your hand and put two on the top of your library, it says re arrange the top three in any order and proceed to then draw a card. So the easiest way in my mind is to move the top card to some zone in plain view where it couldn't possibly have an interaction with your hand. Since we haven't seen many miracle cards yet, I would think that it not every one of them would be most beneficial to you as the first card you play that turn, and I don't get the feeling from the way the ruling is stated as it has to be cast immediately.
I think the issue of "cheating" would arise from taking the first card that you draw per turn and using it as a bluff of some sorts. Say you have that red miracle card (the name eludes me right now), your opponent knows this and you draw your card and set it aside. If you opponent has any thoughts in his head he will think twice about what that card sitting on the side is. At no point do you have to reveal it until you actually play the card, you only need to distinguish whether or not it was the first card that you drew that turn. Additionally, you only recieve the benefits of the miracle cost if you happen to play it first, so if you don't play it first, then you would just end up keeping it in your hand. It isn't discarded or anything, so for all intents and purposes, you could draw a card, set it to the side whether or not you have a card that can be cast with miracle, and if you happen not to cast it, then it becomes another card in your hand.
We obviously don't know all the applications miracle cards will have, but if you Think Twice on their turn, you can always have a proverbial bullet in the chamber which can have an impact on the choices your opponent will make. At least thats my take on it. I play a lot of cards that have interactions with my graveyard and my exiled cards, so I play with a blank playmat and I stenciled out and area for my Deck, Graveyard, and Exiled cards. This helps me keep track as well as my opponents. So I don't see there being a difficulty adding one more spot on the opposite side to lessen the confusion even further.
Moral of the story, don't be a slob and you won't get fingered as a cheater.
April 8, 2012 9:05 p.m.
Epochalyptik is correct. It will work like , really. If you put the card in your hand, you can't reveal it. Similarly, if you put the Miracle card in your hand, you can't cast it for the Miracle cost.
Look, an L5 agrees:
To clarify: if it touches the rest of your hand, you have elected not to play it as a Miracle.— tobyelliott (@tobyelliott) April 8, 2012Wait for the official rules, but I guarantee this is exactly how judges will rule.
April 9, 2012 7:53 a.m.
As for FNM, it's just a matter of teaching players. As a judge, if a player put a Miracle card in their hand but wanted to play it, I would not let them. There is absolutely no way to know if they are being truthful. But there is no penalty (since it's FNM, though it's not a penalty at comp/prof level either), and you educate the player to look at the card he is drawing before putting in his hand with the rest of the cards.
April 9, 2012 7:56 a.m.
Ya I guess it makes sense to be played like that. I'm glad it's already been thought of.
April 9, 2012 5:27 p.m.
JakeHarlow says... #9
We'll, two years later and I'm still finding this post useful. I was randomly wondering about this today and I'm glad I found the answer.
Nephilim says... #2
easiest way i've heard to play is sitting hand to the side when you draw, then having top card sitting separate, that way you can look at both before making your decision.
April 8, 2012 3:43 p.m.