Random decks

[Marek14]

After I spent lots of time detailing my ideas as to random decks on MTG Forge blog, I realized that it would be probably as well to post it here, so here goes:

I also agree that the random deck is fun, but I am a bit concerned that it doesn't generate everything... I only ever saw monocolored cards in it.

I think this part could do with some enhancing. Ideally, it might work like this:

You set a number of colors set. (1-5, maybe for larger number of colors you could start with more life to compensate for awkward mana base?)

You set a deck size. If you want random fun, why constraining yourself to 60? Also, this increases probability you get something really good, and thus the power of tutor effects (which, however, still won't be as strong as constructed).

You generate a land base. (You COULD have a settable percentage of lands, but usually you will want to go with 1/3, I guess). Although it's called "land" base, in practice it includes every card that can generate mana without costing any, most notably Moxes, but Elvish Spirit Guide might qualify as well. I guess that what you COULD set would be how many of the slots availaible HAVE to be basic lands, i.e. if you want nonbasics to be common in the deck or rare. Maybe this would be a fixed number, maybe just probability (so the actual deck could end up with less or more). Percentage of snow-covered basics is another possibly settable number.
Now a land base file comes into effect. Basically, each land base card has defined where it is playable.

For example:
Adarkar Wastes ; WU

You only want to play Adarkar Wastes in a deck that plays both white and blue, since otherwise it's worse than a basic land.

Crosis's Caldera ; UB UR BR
Crosis's Caldera adds three colors, so I guess it's playable in any deck that includes at least two of those.

Mox Emerald ;
Mox Emerald is playable even if your deck doesn't play green, since it's acceleration.

City of Brass ; 2
The general rule of thumb is that a land producing more than one type of mana is useful if a deck plays at least two of those. Thus, any two-or-more-color deck can include City of Brass.

So the first parse of land base file creates a land base for the specific color combination the deck will play. Next, cards will be randomly selected from it to build the base.

The final part is to select the spells.

A very similar approach to land base can also work here. Every spell is marked by what kind of deck it can be used with. This is usually determined by its color, but there are exceptions

Grizly Bears ; G
Obviously, you need green deck to play Grizzly Bears

Watchwolf ; GW
And equally as obviously, your deck must play both green and white to play Watchwolf

Ornithopter ;
While Ornithopther has no requirements at all.

Kitchen Finks ; G W
Kitchen Finks, as a hybrid card, requires you to play green OR white, but you don't need both

Bant Sureblade; GW WU
Similar principle, you need white, but another color is a choice.

Bant Battlemage ; GWU
Bant Battlemage COULD be played in monowhite, but would you ever want to? To use it, you want at least two colors, but ideally all three.

Pentad Prism ; 2
Fist of Suns ; WUBRG

There is some space for debate, for example whether to allow any deck to play Gathan Raiders or limit it to red, or whether have Whip-Spine Drake as "W U" or as "WU" (whether he's useful enough in monocolor). I'd usually go with the harsher requirements. Also, sunburst might be a question: how many colors do you have to play so you could be given Suncrusher? Would you want to require five-color deck for that?

So, what do you think? If this was implemented, the only external part are the files detailing use of cards, and I would be willing to write those...

Edit: I forgot one important thing. This system pays no attention to "fair selection", i.e. choosing the same number of cards from each color. The law of large numbers takes care of that automatically, so there CAN exist some freak decks, but they will be improbable.

[Chris H.]

After I spent lots of time detailing my ideas as to random decks on MTG Forge blog, I realized that it would be probably as well to post it here, so here goes:

I also agree that the random deck is fun, but I am a bit concerned that it doesn't generate everything... I only ever saw monocolored cards in it.

I think this part could do with some enhancing. Ideally, it might work like this:

Interesting message.

I assume after reading your message that you are referring to using the "Generate Deck" command and not the "Random" option.

While I do enjoy the occasional Random game, the Generate Deck option is my favorite for when I want to get in a quick game.

[Marek14]

Yes, "generate deck"... Although, when I review my post now, I see that maybe I should have made it in the general discussion... this method of generating is not necessarily unique to MTGForge.

[mtgrares]

Markek14, Your ideas seem fine but I'm not sure that we will code them. (I have don't much coding recently but I'm planning on changing that.) One of the ideas that you propose is not including some cards based on the colors of the deck, like not including Bant Battlemage in a two color deck.

I view ideas that involve making a comment about each card to be very hard (without taking alot of effort to make a program which makes it easier to do) although I see your point about including cards only if they will be "good" in a deck.

Thanks for your comments.

[Marek14]

Markek14, Your ideas seem fine but I'm not sure that we will code them. (I have don't much coding recently but I'm planning on changing that.) One of the ideas that you propose is not including some cards based on the colors of the deck, like not including Bant Battlemage in a two color deck.

I view ideas that involve making a comment about each card to be very hard (without taking alot of effort to make a program which makes it easier to do) although I see your point about including cards only if they will be "good" in a deck.

Thanks for your comments.

It is not actually that hard. A program could simply assign each card its colors, which would be sufficient for the majority of them. Then a human (and I offered that it could be me) looks through and manually changes the entries. The result will be two text files, which could be even edited by the individual users.