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Desperate Gambit

Desperate Gambit

Instant

uncommon

Choose a source you control and flip a coin. If you win the flip, the next time that source would deal damage this turn, it deals double that damage instead. If you lose the flip, the next time it would deal damage this turn, prevent that damage.

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Semantic Tags

Chaosmechanical

Random, chaotic, or coin-flip effects that create unpredictable game states.

Chaosvector

Random, chaotic, or coin-flip effects that create unpredictable game states.

A keyword ability that lets a creature deal its combat damage twice. See rule 702.4, “Double Strike.”

Format Legality

commanderlegal
oathbreakerlegal
modernnot legal
pioneernot legal
standardnot legal
legacylegal
vintagelegal
paupernot legal
historicnot legal
explorernot legal
alchemynot legal

Price history

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Printings (1)

SetRarityTCGplayerCard KingdomCardmarket
Weatherlight#96uncommon···

Related Concepts

Double

A keyword action used in a variety of contexts. See rule 701.10, “Double.”

Related Rules

106.6

Some spells or abilities that produce mana restrict how that mana can be spent, have an additional effect that affects the spell or ability that mana is spent on, or create a delayed triggered ability (see rule 603.7a) that triggers when that mana is spent. This doesn’t affect the mana’s type.

111.10i

An Incubator token is a double-faced token. Its front face is a colorless Incubator artifact with “{2}: Transform this token.” Its back face is a 0/0 colorless Phyrexian artifact creature named Phyrexian Token.

122.1b

A keyword counter on a permanent or on a card in a zone other than the battlefield causes that object to gain that keyword. The keywords that a keyword counter can be are flying, first strike, double strike, deathtouch, decayed, exalted, haste, hexproof, indestructible, lifelink, menace, reach, shadow, trample, and vigilance, as well as any variants of those keywords. See rule 613.1f.

201.4d

If a player wants to choose the name of the back face of a double-faced card, the player may do so. (See rule 712.) If a player is instructed to choose a card name with certain characteristics, use only the characteristics of the back face to determine if this name can be chosen.

202.3a

The mana value of an object with no mana cost is 0, unless that object is the back face of a nonmodal double-faced permanent or spell, or it is a melded permanent.

202.3b

The mana value of the back face of a nonmodal double-faced permanent or spell’s back face is calculated as though it had the mana cost of its front face. If a permanent or spell is a copy of the back face of a nonmodal double-faced object (even if the card representing that copy is itself a double-faced card), the mana value of the copy is 0.

506.1

The combat phase has five steps, which proceed in order: beginning of combat, declare attackers, declare blockers, combat damage, and end of combat. The declare blockers and combat damage steps are skipped if no creatures are declared as attackers or put onto the battlefield attacking (see rule 508.8). There are two combat damage steps if any attacking or blocking creature has first strike (see rule 702.7) or double strike (see rule 702.4).

510.4

If at least one attacking or blocking creature has first strike (see rule 702.7) or double strike (see rule 702.4) as the combat damage step begins, the only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are those with first strike or double strike. After that step, instead of proceeding to the end of combat step, the phase gets a second combat damage step. The only creatures that assign combat damage in that step are the remaining attackers and blockers that had neither first strike nor double strike as the first combat damage step began, as well as the remaining attackers and blockers that currently have double strike. After that step, the phase proceeds to the end of combat step.

Rulings

2004-10-04

The coin is flipped during resolution of this spell, so you know in advance what will happen when the source deals damage the next time.

2008-04-01

The chosen source may be a permanent, a spell on the stack, or anything referred to by something on the stack (such as a Prodigal Pyromancer that’s left the battlefield while its ability is still on the stack)