Madcap Experiment MTG Card
Card sets | Released in 2 setsSee all |
Mana cost | |
Converted mana cost | 4 |
Rarity | Rare |
Type | Sorcery |
Text of card
Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal an artifact card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. Madcap Experiment deals damage to you equal to the number of cards revealed this way.
Cards like Madcap Experiment
Madcap Experiment is an intriguing card in the world of Magic: The Gathering that offers a high-risk, high-reward strategy. Its closest counterpart is probably Indomitable Creativity, which similarly destroys artifacts or creatures to reveal cards from the top of the library until you exile an artifact or creature card, then puts it onto the battlefield. However, unlike Madcap Experiment, Indomitable Creativity provides the flexibility to target multiple permanents and does not deal damage to the player.
Another card worth noting is Tinker, from the older sets, permitting players to sacrifice an artifact to search their library for another artifact card and put it directly onto the battlefield at the mere cost of three mana. While Tinker is banned in most competitive formats due to its power level, it echoes Madcap Experiment’s theme of trading in artifacts for potentially greater power without the risk of self-inflicted damage.
Comparing these, it’s clear that Madcap Experiment carves a unique niche in Magic: The Gathering. The element of chance and potential for a massive payoff make it particularly thrilling, albeit with the possibility of a destructive backlash if not carefully orchestrated within a deck’s strategy.
Cards similar to Madcap Experiment by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Madcap Experiment has the potential to pull a high-cost artifact from the deck directly onto the battlefield. This can be a massive gain in card advantage if the artifact in question has a significant impact on the game.
Resource Acceleration: By potentially cheating out expensive artifacts without paying their mana cost, Madcap Experiment can dramatically accelerate the user’s resource availability, bypassing traditional mana costs associated with powerful artifacts.
Instant Speed: While Madcap Experiment is a sorcery, the immediate effect of putting an artifact onto the battlefield can be compared to the tempo of instant speed actions. By facilitating a potentially game-changing artifact drop early in the game, it can disrupt the opponent’s pace and strategy.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Madcap Experiment presents a unique discard requirement, necessitating a certain setup in your deck. To ensure the spell yields maximum value, a player typically needs to trim down on other artifacts in their library, which can lead to a scarcity of options if the experiment doesn’t pan out as planned.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a specific investment of four mana, including one red. This can restrict its inclusion to decks that are tuned for a heavy red mana base, potentially excluding it from more varied or multi-colored strategies.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Allocating four mana to cast Madcap Experiment might be a high price, especially considering alternative options in the same mana range. These alternatives could potentially provide immediate board presence or impact without the inherent risk that comes with Madcap Experiment’s outcome.
Reasons to Include Madcap Experiment in Your Collection
Versatility: Madcap Experiment can fit seamlessly into any deck that aims to cast large artifacts at a potentially low cost. This especially includes strategies wishing to cheat out game-ending artifacts that can be difficult to cast with traditional mana sources.
Combo Potential: As a powerful enabler, Madcap Experiment works wonders in combination with Platinum Emperion, ensuring you don’t lose life while bringing a heavy-hitter onto the battlefield. It slots into artifact-based synergy decks where the outcome can be a game-shifting play.
Meta-Relevance: Within the current landscape of the game where unexpected plays can outpace opponents, Madcap Experiment holds relevance. It permits players to defy traditional mana curves and potentially drop high-impact artifacts into play way ahead of schedule, disrupting the flow of the match to their advantage.
How to beat
Madcap Experiment stands out in MTG as a potent spell capable of putting high-cost artifacts into play at an unexpectedly low cost, revolutionizing the battlefield in a blink. But this power comes with a risky downside, as it can also inflict serious damage to its caster corresponding to the number of cards revealed before hitting an artifact. Taking on a strategy to counter Madcap Experiment starts with understanding card interaction and disruption. To thwart this spell, consider incorporating instant-speed removal or counterspells, so that you have an answer ready when the opponent casts it.
Alternatively, graveyard manipulation is another method to destabilize a Madcap Experiment’s game plan. By strategically extracting key artifacts from the opponent’s library or graveyard, you reduce the likelihood of a successful hit. Hand disruption plays a pivotal role as well; cards that force opponents to discard can remove Madcap Experiment before it ever has the chance to resolve. Finally, effects that limit the number of spells each player can cast per turn prevent the Madcap Experiment from being played in the first place. Employing these tactics will enhance your gameplay and suppress the explosive potential of Madcap Experiment.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Madcap Experiment MTG card by a specific set like Kaladesh Promos and Kaladesh, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Madcap Experiment and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Madcap Experiment Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2016-09-30 and 2016-09-30. Illustrated by Joseph Meehan.
# | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2016-09-30 | Kaladesh Promos | PKLD | 122s | 2015 | Normal | Black | Joseph Meehan | |
2 | 2016-09-30 | Kaladesh | KLD | 122 | 2015 | Normal | Black | Joseph Meehan |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Madcap Experiment has restrictions
Format | Legality |
---|---|
Commander | Legal |
Legacy | Legal |
Modern | Legal |
Oathbreaker | Legal |
Vintage | Legal |
Duel | Legal |
Pioneer | Legal |
Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Madcap Experiment card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
Date | Text |
---|---|
2016-09-20 | Any abilities that trigger as the artifact enters the battlefield aren't put onto the stack until Madcap Experiment is done resolving. |
2016-09-20 | If you don't reveal an artifact card, you'll randomize your library and be dealt damage equal to the number of cards in your library. |
2016-09-20 | Once Madcap Experiment begins resolving, no player may take any actions other than those specified by Madcap Experiment until it's done resolving. |
2016-09-20 | The number of cards revealed this way includes the artifact card you put onto the battlefield. |