u/EngineeringOdd8696

I've recently been using [[reckless handling]] in my gamechanger-less deck and I'm wondering if I should get rid of it. Because it's so close to [[gamble]], I thought it would be more interesting to discuss gamble instead.

What are folks thoughts on gamble?

1 mana instant is a great rate for a tutor. But discarding a card puts you at negative cards. And discarding a random card is significantly worse than choosing a card.

It feels like a really awkward card to use. Often, if I'm tutoring, I'm looking for a combo piece or an answer to something else. Having the chance to discard a different combo piece makes it gamble a card I often don't want to play in case it screws me over.

Is gamble generically good and an auto include? Or is it more situational and for decks with GY synergy and/or are less combo centric?

Edit: in my specific case, a mono-red combo deck, I'd consider swapping it out for more card advantage (i.e [[wrens resolve]]).

What are folks thoughts on what is a "decent" MTGA rank and how that maps to the competitive scene (i.e RCs, directs, etc.)?

Personally, I play on one account, f2p, and usually always hit plat, but on occasion will hit diamond - if the set clicks and I play enough.

My personal observations:

Gold->plat: tends to be fairly easy (unless at the start of the season)

Plat->diamond: decks and gameplay is stronger, but still a lot of misplays

Diamond+: decks tend to be pretty well built and missing a damage/trigger can definitely cost you the game

What I've also noticed, as have others, is that rank is often a metric of play time. But at the same time, unless you're paying for gems, the amount you can play is also a proxy for how often you're winning.

So some questions:

What do you consider as a decent rank?

What rank do you think people should be in order to play competitively/semi-competitively?

What other parameters are you considering? (E.g how much someone plays in a month or how many gems they buy)