Chaos Channeler

[Ephraim]

Chaos Channeler
{R}
Creature -- Wizard
1/1

: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Flip a coin. If you win the flip, untap Chaos Channeler. If you lose the flip, sacrifice Chaos Channeler.

***

I was browsing through Wikipedia tonight and I came across an entry for "Chaos Magic." Fascinated, I read the article and found this interesting passage:

Perhaps the most striking feature of chaos magic is the concept of the magical paradigm shift. Borrowing a term from philosopher Thomas Kuhn, Carroll made the technique of arbitrarily changing one's model (or paradigm) of magic a major concept of chaos magic. An example of a magical paradigm shift is using a ritual from the Necronomicon one day, and using a spell from a Scott Cunningham book another day. These two magical paradigms are very different, but while the chaote is using one, he believes in it fully to the extent of ignoring all other (often contradictory) ones. The shifting of magical paradigms has since found its way into the magical work of practitioners of many other magical traditions, but chaos magic remains the field where it is most developed.

Here, then, we have a practitioner of chaos magic -- shifting to the various paradigms of magic at will, but at the risk of suffering dire consequences for his lack of fidelity to one paradigm.

Current Wording:

Chaos Channeler
{G}
Creature — Shaman
1/1

: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.

: If Chaos Channeler is in play, flip a coin. If you win the flip, untap Chaos Channeler. If you lose the flip, sacrifice Chaos Channeler.

[Marco]

I like it. If they can make Goblin Archaeologist I don't see why they can't make this. Although, even though red has taken over fast mana from black, should it also be able to take over "Add one mana of any color" from green?

I see the Chaos angle, but I would make it like this:

Birds of Shiv
R
Creature -- Bird
0/1
Flying
Tap: Flip a coin. If you win the flip, add one mana of any color to your mana pool and untap Birds of Shiv. If you lose the flip, sacrifice Birds of Shiv.

[Matt]

This should be a R/G gold card. If that makes it too weak, make it add 2 mana or something.

[Ephraim]

I really don't want to allow this guy to add two mana to your mana pool. If you win just the first coin flip, so that you get four mana, that's a sickening amount of acceleration from this guy. I also do not want to make the mana generation subject to the coin flip. I definitely want this card to be good for at least one mana. You're right though, that it ought to be a R/G card. Maybe as a R/G card, it doesn't need to have the coin flip attached to the ability. Would this be all right...

Chaos Channeler
{G}
Creature -- Shaman
1/1

: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.

: If Chaos Channeler is in play, flip a coin. If you win the flip, untap Chaos Channeler. If you lose the flip, sacrifice Chaos Channeler.

[Nibble]

Having a coin flip as a cost is a little good with Chance Encounter.

[Joblin Velder]

Couldn't you stack the ability and flip 1,000,000 coins to win with Chance Encounter?

[Ephraim]

The solution, I suppose, is to have the coin flip be part of the resolution. Unfortunately, that necessiates using the very inelegant : Flip a coin... templating. Even at that, I am not sure whether it solves the problem. If you stack the ability 100 times, but the creature dies on the first try, I think the other 99 flips will still resolve, which still allows you to win with Chance Encounter. This may be solved, perhaps, with an even less elegant solution -- the Parallax enchantment template -- : If Chaos Channeler is in play, flip a coin... That solves the problem, I believe, but leaves this creature with a very clunky-looking mechanic. Does anybody have any better solutions to this particular problem or suggestions for other routes the card could take? (Lest anybody suggest "Play this ability only anytime you could play a sorcery..." I've already thought of it and I want this card to be useful on an opponent's turn as well.)

[Anusien]

I'd still add the flip a coin to its resolution; otherwise this becomes an interesting take on a field of some dull creatures.  I'd take the original wording on the new body.

[Ephraim]

I guess I could use the original ability with a cost of {G} or {G}. If I do, I'm going to up its power and toughness to 2/1 or 2/2. Normally, I'm opposed to taking a clearly non-combat creature and giving it more attractive combat numbers, but I think it's appropriate in this case, considering that the colour pairing ought to give this creature a more favourable ability, which I think we may have determined is infeasible.

[Jacob Orlove]

Just use Frenetic Efreet's current oracle text for the ability.

[Ephraim]

Thanks, J||<3. You can see that I'd considered that idea before, but I thought that it was clunky. I trust your opinion, though, if you feel that it's adequately elegant.

[Ephraim]

24 Hour Clock

[Bram]

Closed and added.