Genie's Wish

**Genie's Wish** is a spell card. It casts a random spell of your hero's level or less when cast. It can cast targetable spells, but only if your board or hand has a legal target for it. If those spells are chosen, the targeted character is random.

## Strategy

**Genie's Wish** might be the most difficult spell to strategize about, since its effect varies a lot. However, if your hero is level 2, there's 5 spells it can always cast:

* Free Roll
* Roll the Dice
* Forbidden Fruit
* For Glory!
* Shrink Spell

If you have any characters, it can also cast:

* Magic Research
* Sugar and Spice (if one is good)
* Witch's Brew (if one is evil)

If you are a turn with an even amount of Gold and **Genie's Wish** is offered, if you take it:

* Free Roll means you're going without one fewer character - if turn 1, you pass the turn without a character on board - very bad
* For Glory! means you're going without one fewer character - if turn 1, you pass the turn without a character on board - very bad
* Forbidden Fruit means you'll get a character, but lose 2 health you otherwise didn't need to lose - bad
* Shrink Spell means you'll get a character and can lock the other two shrunk characters - great
* Roll the Dice means you'll get a character with +1/+1 and can choose to roll for another shop - good
* The targeted spells may be selected if you already have a character. They usually aren't worth a character, esp. Magic Research, as you are likely to lose the brawl because of the lost character - bad

So it's a gamble that is probably not worth it overall, but might be worth considering.

If you have an odd amount of gold and **Genie's Wish** is offered:

* Free Roll rolls the shop, which is all you could have done with the extra 1 Gold anyway, assuming there weren't any characters in the current shop you really wanted. (But if the shop contains a character you really want, this is a reason to consider skipping **Genie's Wish** or at least buy that character first).
* Roll the Dice is the one you generally want to hit - getting a random character with +1/+1 is a strong effect for 1 Gold.
* Shrink Spell is a good hit too - 1 cost characters on level 2 are just about always worth taking and locking, as filling up your board early, even if the pieces don't quite fit, is a good way to stay healthy.
* For Glory! ends up being exactly as if you'd simply cast For Glory! on its own.
* Forbidden Fruit is the low-roll of this group, as it simply refunds you the gold you spent to play this spell, and costs you 2 Health - you'll be able to roll anyway, but with 2 less Health.
* Any of the 3 targeted spells are OK, though the fact that they're played randomly, and can be Magic Research, which may not last, means they're probably not the spell you wanted to see from **Genie's Wish**. That said, any additional immediate strength you can find early is usually worth it over a roll.

As such, it's usually worth casting if you have a spare Gold, barring an unusual need for a specific character, but probably shouldn't be taken over buying a character.

So the more interesting decision is - do you cast it before, or after, buying a character? On the plus side, it could cast Shrink Spell and make the character you would buy cheaper, letting you buy another character (or two!) along with it, or cast Roll the Dice and pick them up with a +1/+1 buff. On the minus side, it could cast Free Roll and roll the character you wanted away.

As such, it should probably be cast before buying a character unless there's a character you are particularly interested in, such as a Princess with a Lonely Prince. Because it counts as two spells being cast (one for **Genie's Wish** itself and one for the spell it casts), it may also be correct to buy Cinder-Ella before casting **Genie's Wish** if they are in the same store. Since randomly targeted spells are possible, consider whether you'd like the thing you would buy to be the target of a buff, or if you'd rather the buff hit a different target.

If your are Merlin, or if you have Cinder-Ella or Wizard's Familiar, this spell can be worth casting simply for the fact that it actually casts 2 spells - itself, and the random spell it casts. It may even be worth taking over a character in these situations (and Forbidden Fruit isn't a low-roll in this situation, as then you'll get to buy the character anyway).

After level 2, it may be worth taking a flyer on this spell if you have a spare Gold - it could cast a Turkish Delight or Wish Upon a Star, or even a Knighthood, for just 1 Gold, which is a huge economy boost. However, be careful - while it can't cast spells that are too disruptive (those that completely transform the character), it can cast Beauty's Influence (or Evil Twin, though this could only be an immediate problem if it resulted in an upgrade) on a character, which can break alignment-based synergies, such as a high-attack evil character when you have Shoulder Faeries.

## Notes

**Genie's Wish** cannot cast itself, and cannot cast the following:

* Mixawizzle
* True Love's Kiss
* Feed the Kraken
* The End
* Croc Bait
* Potion of Heroism
* Shard of the Ice Queen

When casting **Genie's Wish**, characters and heroes that do something when a spell is cast will activate twice, once for **Genie's Wish**, and once for the spell it casts.

Spells cast by **Genie's Wish** are not duplicated by Forking Rod or Wand of Weirding. **Genie's Wish** itself is duplicated, however, and only the last spell cast is visually shown. It's possible to get an unexpected For Glory! or Spinning Gold activation this way!

Crystal Ball will add a spell and allows casting another spell if Genie's Wish produces a targeted spell.

## History

 June 18, 2021 | Released in *Storybook Brawl's* Early Access launch.