Random Deck Generation

Starting with JPortal v1.3 you can build random decks. You can find the corresponing menu button as seen in the below picture:



Deck Generation menu


I gather even automatic random deck generation should not be TOTAL random. for that reason you are able to generate templates, on which random generation can be done. Configuration can be done in the following window:



Deck Generation configuration


The deck generation in general involved three different configuration "thoughts".

If you look at the screenshot, you can discern the three parted configuration vertically. The items under "Deck colors" represent all heap related stuff. The items under "Strength" the "direction" and the items under "Costs" - well have a guess.

Heap
The first part of the configuration is concerned with the general heap the random deck will be built of. You can configure:
Lands
What/how many different colors of magic do you want the heap to have. You can either select the colors directly, or have the computer chose randomly between 1, 2, 3 or 4 colored decks,

Deck/spec
Size of deck, percentage of lands and how many cards of the same ID at most are allowed (ID, not name!)

Sets
And you may chose from what set(s) the deck should be generated.

Heap
Here "general" information about the deck can be specified. What kind of strength should a deck have.
Note:
The values selected by the sliders are relatives, the numbers have no meaning to number of cards, they are only values for comparisson to other given values.

The mechanic behind the selection is based on relative values of the sliders to each other. e.g. look at the screenshot:

In general this means, there will be seven times as many creature cards as healer cards etc.

It also means (the sum of all is: 16) 7/16 cards of non lands will be creatures.

Meaning behind the naming:

Heal:
Cards that might heal the player

Creature:
Any type of creature.

Player damage:
Any card that does direct damage to a player

Creature damage:
Any card that does direct damage to a creature

Land destroy:
Any card that moves a land away from the playfield

Anti Magic:
Any card that negates some card/effect.

Card Magic:
Any card that lets the player draw cards from the library/ graveyard

Buffy:
Any card that buffs/debufs a creature

Tricky:
Any card that does not belong to the above categories

Note:
There are creatures that heal, or damages players/creatures etc. If the button "Force creature/distribution" is not selected, creatures will also be counted as the corresponding card types (heal, player damage) and will thus result in more creatures overall!


Note also:
Distrubution is calculated using percentages as doubles. The result will be rounded to int. There are rounding "errors" - all rounding differences are filled up in a fixed order - first in the order are allways creature cards. Thus it is usual to have at least one more creature card than expected. The rounding errors occur in each mana-strength. Thus there might even be 1 creature more for each mana strength...
All card types not available in current heap are filled up with cards of the other types in a specific order. First in order are creatures, thus it usually gets filled with creatures.

Note also also:
As of now cards are not evenly divided over color range.

Below the sliders you also find four textfields. There you can enter (for creature cards only) if you want to forbid creatures or abilities (these will be removed from heap and you will never get a creature of that type). Or if you have prefferences for a creature type or ability. In that case the algorythm tries to fit these "recomendations" but if it has not enough, the result will be filled up with creatures that do not fullfill the given preferences (you can enter more than one type/abillity, use comma to seperate).

Randomize
Behind each slider you find an additional checkbox. With that checkbox you "randomize" the result to be at maximum the value that the slider is set to. Thus a setting of 3 on a slider with randomize enabled gives a random result of 0,1,2 or 3!
In general it is a BAD idea to randomize creatures, since it can quite often result in decks with unearthly low creature population!

Costs
Here you can select the distribution of your cards over the corresponding mana-cost. From 1-10, where 10 represents everything that is 10 or higher. (The distribution is calculated as in Strength, again NO absolut values)

Randomize
As above. But randomize is with one button selected for all cost sliders.


Show Pool (Button)
Displayes the pool with above settings from which a deck will be built.


Show Generated deck (Button)
Displayes a randomly generated deck with above settings.