Magic: Forgetful Fish                                                  Designed by Nick Floyd (fixed email)

This Magic: the Gathering variant is designed for two players who both play out of the same 80 card deck.  

The deck contains ten copies of the signature creature for which the deck is named, the Dandân (originally from Magic’s first expansion, Arabian Nights), and eight Memory Lapse* which are also represented in the variant’s name. There are four copies of Accumulated Knowledge, and two copies of each of the other cards in the deck (aside from basic Islands), many of which manipulate the top of the single library in some way.

RULE CHANGES — Forgetful Fish is played like a standard game of Magic with these simple rule changes.

• The two players share a library and a graveyard placed between them so that both players can reach them with ease. A card that refers to the “owner” of a library or graveyard or refers to “your library” or “your graveyard” refers to the singular library or graveyard. The “owner” of a card is the person who played that card from his or her hand.

• For starting hands and anytime both players must draw cards from the same effect, the cards should be dealt from the top of the deck, one player than the other, as though dealing a standard card game. The active player deals.

•The standard mulligan rule applies, but anytime a starting hand of seven cards does not contain two or more land cards or does contain six or more, that player may reveal those cards and take a free mulligan without having to put an additional card on the bottom of the library when finally deciding to keep a hand.

• Players start the game with 20 life, but since they will only lose life in increments of four, a starting life total may be simply represented by five counters (5x4=20 life) or tracked on a single six-sided die. Each time a Dandân deals its 4 damage to a player, he or she loses one counter, or one number off the die.

• The stack works as normal, but can get quite complex. Players should allow time for their opponent to respond and make sure his opponent passes priority before beginning resolution of the stack, each time a spell resolves, and before drawing a card from the top of the library.

Optional Rules — Players may agree to any or all of the following optional rules before play.

Find Dory: Dandâns are considered every card type, allowing them to be retrieved with Mystic Retrieval or Mystical Tutor (and phased out with Vision Charm).

Fish Eyes: Any card placed on top of the library that both players are aware of (i.e. a spell countered with Memory Lapse or a Dandân that is Metamorphosed) is placed on the library face up.

In The Mind’s Island: Instead of using the free mulligan rule above, the players can remove four islands from the deck before dealing opening hands. Each player begins with two untapped islands in play, and play begins with the first player’s first main phase. Each player begins play with an opening hand of seven cards as normal and the standard Magic mulligan rules are in effect. This has the effect of a quick start and also forgoes the chance that only non-basic lands are played, preventing Dandâns from attacking a player.

Remember the Fish: If the deck runs out of cards, and a player is forced to draw a card, he reshuffles the graveyard into the library before drawing a card. Players cannot lose the game by being forced to draw a card from an empty library unless there are no cards in the library or graveyard.

Thanks for the Fish: A card that refers to the “owner” of a card, is treated as referring to that card’s “controller” instead. This allows Ray of Command, combined with Unsubstantiate or Supplant Form, to steal a Dandân on a permanent basis.

Two-Headed Fish: Play with four players in teams of two, using the standard Two-Headed Giant rules, except each team starts with 20 life instead of 30 (to reduce the game time). During a team’s draw step, they determine which teammate will draw first. Consider using the Remember the Fish optional rule in conjunction.

Strategy 

Control the draw, control the game. Because both players draw from the same deck, control of the top of the library is key. Take the best cards for yourself and give your opponent every land you can spare, making sure you have enough lands yourself. Only Memory Lapse the cards you cannot deal with another way or will help you more if you were to draw them.

It might not be obvious the first time taking a look at Forgetful Fish, but the key to killing a Dandân is to either make it so your opponent does not control an island (Vision Charm) or by changing the text of the Dandân to have it sacrificed if its controller does not have another basic land type (Crystal Spray or Mind Bend). Note that Vision Charm will kill ALL Dandâns and only Memory Lapseing the Vision Charm, bouncing the Dandân or Vision Charm to hand, or using Dance of the Skywise can save a Dandân from this effect. Changing the text of the Dandân with Crystal Spray or Mind Bend in response or after the sacrifice trigger goes on the stack will not save Dandân from being sacrificed when the triggered ability resolves, as it is not an "intervening if" trigger (Rule 608.2a). Note also that Mind Bend, Crystal Spray, and Vision Charm’s choices (other than mode and target) are chosen upon resolution and not upon their casting. This makes it pointless to try to avoid a Dandân sacrifice by changing a single land’s type or changing Dandân’s text before the text or lands changed are chosen on resolution. The player could just make another choice.

If your opening hand contains a couple non-basic lands, you might consider not playing an island for a few turns so that Dandâns cannot attack you and you can collect cards that will give you an edge when you start dropping your own Dandâns. You likely will not want to miss many land drops to continue this short term strategy.  

Card advantage is a big key and control of the Accumulated Knowledges is just as important as Dandâns and Memory Lapses. Unless you desperately need to draw the top card of the library, you’ll likely want to wait until there is at least one Accumulated Knowledge in the graveyard before you cast the one in your hand. If you significantly lose card advantage or have no other option to save yourself from damage, try to reset the hands with a Diminishing Returns.  

Expect a Memory Lapse. If you don’t have the mana available during your opponent’s end step, it is sometimes beneficial to cast an instant spell during your upkeep simply so that if your opponent Memory Lapses it, you can draw it again on your draw step. Mystical Tutor right before your draw step is sometimes beneficial in this way also. Likewise you’ll often want to wait till after your opponent’s draw step to cast an important spell just in case he uses Memory Lapse.

Unless your opponent taps out, Unsubstantiate is seldom well played on your opponent’s spells on the stack if they can just recast it. Instead save it to bounce a blocker, save your Dandân from destruction, or better yet, return your own spell that is about to be Memory Lapsed, and cast it again.

Try to save Accumulated Knowledge, Brainstorm, and cycling lands for when you or your opponent knows what card is on top of the library and you want it, don’t want it, or don’t want your opponent to have it. Predict is also best saved for moments when you don’t want your opponent to draw the card he has set himself up to draw. Note that Predict’s caster names the card on resolution, and not when cast. If you are unsure what the top card is, Island is the most common card in the deck. Vision Charm can also be used to clear the top of the library, but is often more useful as a board wipe.

If the game goes long and players fail to successfully cast a Diminishing Returns (or if too many are cast), it may come down to who can make sure they have a card to draw when the deck is depleted. If the deck is nearly out of cards, make sure you have a trick or two to place a card on the library when you are forced to draw. Memory Lapse your own spell if need be. Check out my Dandanless Dandan deck that always goes to decking,

Relevant Rules Clarifications by Card (from the Oracle)

Cycling Lands: Cycling is an activated ability and is not a spell. It uses the stack but cannot be countered (by Memory Lapse).

Accumulated Knowledge: The count does not include the card that is currently resolving. The card does not go to the graveyard until after it is done resolving.

Brainstorm: This is all one effect. You draw 3 and return 2 cards all in one resolution. Nothing may happen between the two. The cards returned are not required to be cards drawn with Brainstorm.

Crystal Spray: This spell can target a card with no appropriate words on it, or even one with no words at all. It alters all occurrences of the chosen word in the text box and the type line of the given card. You choose the words to change on resolution, not when cast. It can't change a word to the same word. It must be a different word. It only changes what is printed on the card (or set on a token when it was created or set by a copy effect). If you change the text of a spell which is to become a permanent, the permanent will retain the text change until the effect wears off. It can be used to change a land's type from one basic land type to another. For example, an Island can be changed to Mountain. It will produce red mana at that time. It doesn't change the name of any permanent.

Diminishing Returns: This card won't be put into your graveyard until after it's finished resolving, which means it won't be shuffled into the library as part of its own effect and begins a new graveyard. The exiled cards are exiled face up. You’ll see them before you choose how many cards to draw. Each player chooses to draw any number of cards from zero to seven. First the player whose turn it is chooses how many cards to draw, then each other player in turn order chooses. Then the cards are drawn. In Forgetful Fish the active player should deal one card at a time starting with the nonactive player like dealing poker or another standard card game.

Halimar Depths: The ability is triggered when it enters the battlefield and goes on the stack like other triggered abilities.

Memory Lapse: Memory Lapse has a self-replacement effect that replaces the spell going to the graveyard before any other effect can replace that event. If the spell was cast using flashback, however, flashback will change the spell’s destination from its owner’s library to exile.

Mind Bend: Can target a card with no appropriate words on it, or even one with no words at all. It alters all occurrences of the chosen word in the text box and the type line of the given card. You choose the words to change on resolution, not when cast. It can't change a word to the same word. It must be a different word. It only changes what is printed on the card (or set on a token when it was created or set by a copy effect). It can be used to change a land's type from one basic land type to another. For example, an Island can be changed to Mountain. It will produce red mana at that time.

Mystical Tutor: You do not have to find an instant or sorcery card if you do not want to.

Mystic Retrieval: A Mystic Retrieval cast from the graveyard with flashback can’t target itself. It’s on the stack when you choose its target. A spell cast using flashback will always be exiled afterward, whether it resolves, is countered, or leaves the stack in some other way.

Mystic Sanctuary: An Island is a land with the subtype Island, not any land that could produce blue mana. For example, Mystic Sanctuary is an Island, but Halimar Depths isn’t.

Predict: The card is named upon resolution, not when cast.

Ray of Command: You may target an already untapped creature. The creature returns to the opponent when the "until end of turn" effect wears off during the cleanup step. You tap the creature when you lose control of it for any reason -- because Ray of Command’s effect ends, or because a spell or ability causes another player to gain control of it. If a player uses Ray of Command to regain control of his own Ray of Commanded creature, that creature will become tapped when the second Ray of Command fully resolves and the triggered ability of the first Ray of Command taps the creature.

Supplant Form: The token copies exactly what was printed on the creature and nothing else. If the copied creature is a token, the token created by Supplant Form copies the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that put it onto the battlefield. It doesn’t copy whether that creature was tapped or untapped, or any non-copy effects that changed its power, toughness, types, color, and so on.

Temple of Epiphany: Scry in this case is a triggered ability that begins a stack when Temple of Epiphany comes into play.

Vision Charm: Land subtypes are also called “land types.” Most non-basic lands have no “land type” that can be changed and Vision Charm cannot grant a land type to a land that has no land type. You choose the lands to change and what they change to on resolution, not when cast. All lands changed are changed to the same type, and produce the new color of mana.

Like Forgetful Fish? Try my other variants, R.P.S. and Trippin’. Tell me what you think at phloiddesign@hotmail.com

 Dandan tokens for Supplant Form

 Forgetful Fish Designer's Notes

I kind of stumbled on this deck idea in the spring of 1996. I had traveled to see cousins and left all my cards at home. I did however buy some Homelands and Chronicles packs on the road as well as a starter deck of 4th Edition. Not having enough cards or lands to build two decks, I shuffled all the cards I had together and I taught my cousin how to play with just the one deck. Both Dandân and Memory Lapse were in the deck and when I cast Memory Lapse on my cousin’s spell and realized that I would be drawing that spell on my turn, lightning struck and I decided to build a deck around that little trick. Dandân was chosen not because it was in the deck we played that day (though it was), but because it was very cheap to cast, a decent threat when both players would be near guaranteed to have islands, and could be killed easily by cheap spells that continued to sit unused and unwanted in my trade binder (Magical Hack at the time). The fact a player’s 20 life is easily divisible by the fish’s power was a happy accident. The rest of the deck just fell together to create something really great. I played in US Nationals in ‘97, and most of my down time was spent playing the first FF with a friend who went with me. Had a lot of laughs. I loaned my original deck to a college friend for the summer of 2001, and when he dropped out of school and failed to show up in the fall, I had to rebuild it from scratch. For years, I simply called it “The Dandân Deck,” but “Forgetful Fish,” just seemed to be a better name for dropping it on the Magic internet community. Even though “Finding Nemo” is probably my favorite Pixar film, I did not even realize the association with the Dory character until seeing “Finding Dory” trailers in the Spring of 2016. She is the forgetful fish. I immediately had to name an optional rule in her honor.  

I have optimized Forgetful Fish to my liking, but there are many cards that might fit well in this deck. I scan every new set to see if there is a new card I might like better than a current card. Here is a list of cards that you might like in your own deck. Many I have tried, and many I have not. Feel free to customize your Forgetful Fish deck the way you like. I personally try to choose cards based basically on three criteria: versatility, uniqueness, and surprise factor.

At one point I removed some Memory Lapse to try two copies of other counterspells that work with the shared library theme. I put in two copies each of Condescend, Discombobulate, Hinder, and Remand, but it cut down on the fun inherent in multiple Memory Lapse stacks and the increase in CMC of some of those spells also seemed detrimental. And I finally gave up on  Insidious Will and returned my list to 8 Memory Lapse. Its versatility was cool sometimes but it felt so cold when the hard counter mode was used so I cut it to return to the original 8 Memory Lapse.

Accumulated Knowledge was also removed at one time as it sometimes just lets the player winning, to “win more.” I believe the deck does need to have some draw to both save the player who is losing and to keep things moving. I just like Accumulated Knowledge after trying a mix of other spells. The fight over them is often great. There could be a case made to use the sorcery speed Take Inventory instead as it has the same effect when the players share the graveyard, but forcing casting on the main phase makes it less powerful and an easier Memory Lapse target.  

My version of this deck for many years had proxy Timetwisters in the Diminishing Returns slot, but since most players likely don’t have spare Timetwisters lying around, I changed it to Diminishing Returns before putting it online. After playing it a few times with Diminishing Returns, I decided I liked it somewhat better. It adds a greater chance that the game comes down to who is forced to draw from an empty deck and it is fun to see what cards are exiled when it resolves and how that changes how players might play the game. Most of the other similar spells (Day’s Undoing, Time Spiral, Time Reversal) exile themselves upon resolution, and I think the recursion from the graveyard is important. Temporal Cascade is just too expensive. Use Timetwister if you like it better and have them to spare (or proxy them). Echo of Eons might also be a good choice. Or Commit // Memory.

I wanted to add a scry land to the deck, but there is no blue version of New Benalia. Forced to use one of the dual color temples from the original Theros block I went through spells to see if there was anything with a color identity of both blue and another color that could replace a spell in the deck. I used Temple of Epiphany and replaced Relearn with Mystic Retrieval. I then replaced the Coral Atolls I had with Izzet Boilerworks, making casting Mystic Retrieval more often a liability when your opponent can flash it back, and letting the Boilerworks bounce your Halimar Depths or Temple of Epiphany to get their ability again, or get a cycling land in hand is just a great bonus. Far/Away, Jilt:, Probe, River’s Grasp, Spite/Malice. None of these would adequately replace a spell in the current deck list to my liking, but the temple and guild bounce land could change if a new card is printed with another color identity or you just like some card better in your own deck.

   In Spring 2023, thanks to a Rhystic Studies YouTube video, I discovered that Forgetful Fish had finally been noticed by members of the Magic community and had been growing in popularity over the last few years. Players are using their “Dandan decks” to play on the side and in downtime at Magic events. Awesome! That's what I had always hoped for and knew it had such potential being a standalone Magic mini game with broad appeal. The player base is also creating a lot of innovative variants on the shared deck theme, and players are tweaking Forgetful Fish to suit their own style. That is so great. There are so many games within Magic just waiting to be discovered, it is such a robust and varied system. All the variants I have created (Forgetful Fish, R.P.S. and Trippin’. as well as others I have not posted online) are all designed with this in mind while trying to find another unique tweak on the Magic rules (shared deck, landless, all cantrips, shared graveyard, etc). Get out there and find them. And try all of them you can if someone offers to teach you. You never know when another game within the game will be a truly great and fun game all its own.

In August of 2023 a fan of the variant emailed me asking if I minded if he created an app for playing Forgetful Fish and showed me a WordPress site he created for Forgetful Fish and creating other variants based on it. I enthusiastically gave my consent. Here is the site.