Whims of the Fates is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Starting with you, each player separates all permanents they control into three piles. Then each player chooses one of their piles at random and sacrifices those permanents. (Piles can be empty.)
Complete guide
Whims of the Fates is a high-stakes red sorcery that forces every player to gamble with their entire board state. By splitting your permanents into three piles, you are leaving your fate to chance in a chaotic display of red's philosophy. It is a powerful equalizer that can leave an opponent with nothing or leave your own side of the field completely decimated.
What It Does
When Whims of the Fates resolves, every player (starting with you) must divide every permanent they control on the battlefield into three distinct piles. These piles can be of any size, including empty piles. Once everyone has sorted their permanents, each player must randomly select one of their three piles and sacrifice everything inside it. This includes lands, creatures, enchantments, and artifacts.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, the active player separates their permanents into three groups, followed by each other player in turn order. Second, players must ensure the selection process is truly random; typically, this is done by assigning each pile a number (1-2, 3-4, 5-6) and rolling a six-sided die. Finally, all permanents in the randomly selected pile are put into their owners' graveyards simultaneously. Note that Auras and Equipment do not have to stay with the creatures they are attached to during the sorting process.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is forgetting that lands are permanents and must be included in the piles. Another mistake involves Auras: if you place an Aura in a pile that survives, but the creature it was attached to was in a pile that was sacrificed, the Aura will be put into the graveyard shortly after Whims of the Fates finishes resolving because it is no longer attached to a legal object.
When to Play It
This card is best used when you are significantly behind on board presence. Because you can put all your permanents into a single pile and leave the other two piles empty, you have a 66.7% chance of sacrificing nothing at all. Use it to force an opponent with a massive army to risk losing everything while you take a calculated gamble to keep your few remaining assets.
Interaction examples
Mana GeyserIf your opponents have many tapped lands, you can cast Mana Geyser to generate a large amount of red mana. This allows you to cast Whims of the Fates early in the game, forcing opponents to gamble with their mana base and setup before they are ready to recover.
Chandra's IgnitionYou might use Chandra's Ignition to wipe out small creatures first, then follow up with Whims of the Fates. If Whims of the Fates forces your opponent to sacrifice their remaining high-toughness creatures or their lands, they will be left with no way to stabilize their board after the initial damage sweep.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Whims of the Fates
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
To choose a pile at random, each pile must have an equal chance of being chosen. There are many ways to do this, including assigning each pile a number and rolling a die.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
You may put Auras or Equipment into one pile and the creatures they were attached to into a different pile.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If you put all permanents you control into one pile, you’ll have a two-thirds chance of not having to sacrifice any permanents, but a one-third chance of having to sacrifice all of them.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Whims of the Fates
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.