Should Give Free Skill give X cost cards

[Taoh Rihze]

I got a whirlwind I think it was from a gain a free attack. This felt kinda unfitting. Sure I can still use it but I had no energy left as I had used the last energy to get the free attack.

[ZexxCrine]

yes.

random should be random

[Taoh Rihze]

But you do lose the point of the card (a free attack)

[Cap'n Darwin]

Depending on the situation you may lose any attack card you get in this case.

[SoM]

You still get the card though. You just can't use it this turn.
You can always choose to use the "gain free Attack/Skill" card when you have energy left.

[Cap'n Darwin]

+1 to SoM's point too.

[Skilletzorz]

Well the idea is variance right? You won't always get the good outcome off such a card in exchange for the good outcome being potentially nutty for your deck.

[Taoh Rihze]

My point was more along the lines that X does not feel like a zeroed card.

Other options I see, which I feel neither match either.

Forcing it to be always played at 0 cost, but combo is value is current power would be quite OP
Forcing it to be always played at 0 cost, but combo value is 0 makes it useless
Setting the cost to 0 and combo to some value like 1, would make it quite quirky, but could make a little sense.

So if the current option seems unfitting (at least too me) and alternatives are bad as well, removing those options are pretty much it, which is bad as well, as you say, it remove diversity.

My best solution would be rephrasing how X cost cards are made. So X cost cards were changed to 0 cost cards, but the text added. Spend remaining power and apply effect X times, then you address this, as well as allow X effects cards with different starting values (pay 2 for casting it, any power past that gives a high payoff), or modifiers to cost of cards could increase the cost past 0.

[Cap'n Darwin]

If you want to make them effective as 0 cost cards you need to change the effects from X mana * Y effect to Y effect + X mana * Y effect. Just scale the effect back a bit and off you go.

[Iavra]

If i manage to pickup Kunai etc i actually find myself using X cost cards for 0 very often, just to add to the counter.