Fish Fiddling

Rules

In this variant, players have the ability to alter a few things in the game. They may change the amount of life they start with, hand capacity, amount of cards they draw, and they are limited to the number of colors they can play. To do this, each player starts with 20 points and they can buy any of the following:

+5 Life Points
+1 Hand Capacity
+1/4 Draw (Card/Turn)
+1 Color Proficiency

Note: In a regular game a player has the following characteristics:

Life Points	20	4 Points
Hand Capacity	7	7 Points
Draw	1 Card/Turn	4 Points
Color Proficiency	5	5 Points
	Total	20 Points

Life Points

For each point you spend on Life you get +5 life. Use the chart below to determine your starting life:

Points	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Life	5	10	15	20	25	30	35

So if you spent 3 points you would start the game with 15 life.

Hand Capacity

For each point you spend on Hand Capacity you get +1 max hand size and this also determines your starting hand size.

Points	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
Capacity	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
Starting	4	4	5	5	6	6	7	7	8	8	9

So if you spent 5 points you would have a max hand capacity of 5 and you would start the game with 6 cards in your hand.

Draw

For each point you spend on Draw you get +1/4 draws. So if you spend 6 points on +1/4 draw (6/4 = 3/2) then on the each turn you would draw a card and every other turn you would draw an extra card. Use the chart below to determine when you would draw a card:

Points Spent	Cards Drawn by Turn
	Turn 1	Turn 2	Turn 3	Turn 4
1 (1/4)	1	0	0	0
2 (2/4)	1	0	1	0
3 (3/4)	1	1	0	1
4 (4/4)	1	1	1	1
5 (5/4)	1	1	1	2
6 (6/4)	1	2	1	2
7 (7/4)	1	2	2	2
8 (8/4)	2	2	2	2

So if you spent 6 points you would draw 1 card on your first turn, 2 on your second, 1 on your third, 2 on your fourth turn, and 1 on your fifth turn and so on…

Color Proficiency

For each point you spend on Color Proficiency you may play an additional color.

Points	1	2	3	4	5
Colors	1	2	3	4	All

So if you don’t spend any points on color proficiency then you may only play artifacts.

You can handicap players that are good by giving them less points and/or giving newer player more points.

Other Rules

Also use the following rules when playing this variant:

Once every two cycles, 1 cycle is when each player has had 1 turn, before the untap phase roll 2d6 and refer to the chart below to generate a random effect that lasts until the next roll.
If the same number is rolled twice in a row then re-roll.
For the first two cycles do not roll.

1. You may sacrifice a land to gain two life until the end of the turn.

2. Players draw an extra card per turn.

3. Lands tapped for mana produce an additional mana of the same type.

4. No creatures with power greater then two untap during their controller’s untap phase.

5. Only one land can be untapped per untap phase.

6. All lands, artifacts, and creatures come into play tapped.

7. Nothing happens.

8. For the next two cycles, at the beginning of each player’s turn refer to the chart for a new effect.

9. All green creatures gain +1/+1, all blue creatures gain +0/+2, all red creatures gain +2/+0, all black creatures gain +3/-1, all white creatures gain –1/+3, and all artifact creatures gain +1/+0.

10. Creatures are unaffected by summoning sickness.

11. All attacking creatures gain +1/+0

12. Roll the dice twice for two effects.

During your upkeep, if you have any points left over from above, you may use one of your left over points to get one effect from the above lists that affect every player for four cycles. Only one point may be used per upkeep.
Please note that it is impossible to roll a 1 on 2d6. You may spend one point during your upkeep to gain ability number 1 for one turn and it only affects you.
Any player may spend one point during his upkeep to cancel and effect brought into play by another player.
Effects may be removed from the chart by spending one point before the game starts. If you remove an effect then treat that effect as a 7 (nothing happens).

In addition to the normal rules and the rules stated above the following rule is also in effect and may not be removed:

For each point of damage a creature takes, prevent that damage and put a -0/-1 counter on that creature. These counters are not removed at the end of the turn. To remove all counters on a creature you must pay double the creatures converted mana cost. This will not save a creature from taking lethal damage. For example if you have a 2/2 creature in play and he gets hit for two damage then you would put two -0/-1 counters on him and he would die. Now if someone hit the 2/2 for 1 point of damage and then targeted it for another point of damage to it, you could respond to the targeting spell and pay double the mana cost to remove the -0/-1 counter. So at the end of the turn it would be a 2/1 creature.

Deck Construction

Standard deck construction rules apply. If you are playing this variant as Constructed then you must have a 60-card minimum deck and 40-card minimum deck for Limited.

Sideboard

You can have a 15-card sideboard in Constructed and in Limited the remainder of you cards you don’t use are your sideboard

Banned & Restricted List

When playing this variant it is usually decided what Type you will be playing. So, if you are playing Type 1, Type 1.5, Type 2, or Extended Fish Fiddling then, follow that format’s Banned and Restricted List.

Mulligan Rules

Standard “Paris” Mulligan is used for this variant.

Before each game begins, a player may, for any reason, reshuffle and redraw his hand, drawing one less card. This may be repeated as often as the player wishes, until he has no cards left in his hand. After the participant, who plays first, mulligans as often as he likes, the decision of whether to mulligan passes to the other player. Once a player passes the opportunity to mulligan, that player may not change his mind.

History

This variant was created by Daniel and Eion (no last name was provided).