I would like a chosen starting hand option as a gametype.
I could see this being you only have those 7 spells for the whole game (but multiple uses) or start with those 7 then go random.
Only problem I see with this, is that in any card game I have seen people with a starting hand almost up and destroy others with a weaker starting hand.
Like Use perma STR +1 card at start on Warrior, than once opponets are close enough: Discard card for Bards ability to give warrior +4 attack. Use the card that gives 2 mana, than use dragon's Fury on the warrior, and cripple on the Hero that is too close.
Basically you just set it up to have your warrior do (6x2) attacks with +4 to all 12 rolls, against a hero sitting at 11 def (since cripple cant get it to go lower).
Or any of the horrible destruction magic combos from a distance + the 2 mana card.
It just seems it would make the game become a win to whoever could make the best starting hand combo and zerg. Not the best idea for a game trying to grow and add a lot more people, seeing these experienced players create a 1 turn win hand against new players, and the new players not knowing how to counter.
I think tors10's suggestion is interesting, but the user interface for accomplishing this would be extremely complex given the diverse array of spells offered.
Perhaps a better solution, which I think would satisfy his aim to help eliminate the totally crappy starting hand (aka a summoner with no summons, a sorceress with no destruction, etc.) would perhaps be to add a "mulligan" option. This would allow you to basically draw an entirely fresh hand if you're not happy with your starting spells at the very beginning of your first turn.
How does that sound to everyone?
What about: 4 random, and you have 6 cards to choose from at the start for three more?
I like the mulligan idea.
See I love the random factor of this game, and a mulligan keeps the random factor, while still allowing a chance to eliminate a crap draw.
I was thinking of the set hand as a completely seperate game type, where mana is the limiting factor, and the cards you start with are what you are stuck with (choose those 7 wisely), but the mulligan idea is pretty good.
quoting mulligan from wikipedia = "a player may declare a mulligan after drawing his initial hand at the beginning of each game. If such a declaration is made, the player puts his cards back into his deck, shuffles, and draws a new hand with one fewer card. A common reason for declaring a mulligan would be getting a hand with no mana sources, that is, a hand that has no playable cards. The player may repeat this until they are satisfied, or the number of cards in their hand reaches zero."
Not that I oppose the mulligan, but I'd like to bring the following point to everyone's attention. You can manually discard your spells without casting them by clicking the discard button (the small X symbol). Baker, diesbudt, and other players have started recongizing the value of this ability as a way to hone your spells to a desired hand. For example, if you play the Summoner and get no summon spells in your starting hand, simply discard 3 spells and at the end of your turn you'll get 3 new spells. This is a very effective first turn strategy.
I think I would be opposed to a Chosen Hand, and am not all that enthusiastic about the idea of a mulligan.
I'm really digging the randomness of the draw, and devising a strategy to make what I have work. With mulligans, we would have people throwing out entire hands just to try and get that one spell they want, and that would detract something from the game and environment for me.