Random

Some Magic cards and rules ask for a decision to be made at random. Beyond the plain English definition of the word, several rules offer further guidance as to how these decisions should be made.

Description
Mark Rosewater has described randomness as a state that, if not interfered with, has unpredictability. Richard Garfield states that any game whose outcome is not a foregone conclusion has a degree of luck.

Randomness is first introduced to the game when each player shuffles their libraries before the game. While the Comprehensive Rules state only that libraries must be in a state such that no player knows their order, the Tournament Rules go into substantially more detail. Notably, the Tournament Rules state that pile shuffling alone is not adequate. Additionally, players must have the option of performing a final shuffle of their opponent's deck. At the Competitive and Professional Rules Enforcement Levels, players must shuffle their opponents decks.

The Tournament Rules suggest a die roll or coin toss as a random method for determining which player will play first in the first game of a match.

When flipping a coin, other sources of randomness are allowed, as long as there are two outcomes of equal likelihood and all players agree to that substitution.

Rules
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