The lens isn't strictly better, since it doesn't cantrip, just as this isn't strictly better than chromatic sphere. If your opponent has a leyline of the void (which is reprinted, btw) then you can't draw a card like you could off the sphere.
I agree it's better, but not in every situation.
Posted By:
channelblaze
(7/7/2010 10:56:03 AM)
@RafiqTheMiststalker; its not "strictly better" at all. Prophetic prism slows you down by one more mana than this does, so its worse for annoyingly powerful storm decks.
Also, Shrapnel Blast. 3 or 4 mana for 5 damage?
Posted By:
Kryptnyt
(7/26/2010 8:22:43 PM)
A lot of tournament winning decks have used this card. This is slightly better than terrarion, barbed sextant and chromatic sphere. Barbed sextant being the original version. Very good common card for decks that play multiple colors.
Posted By:
feeble2002
(12/19/2010 8:32:40 PM)
This was my first artifact. If you have Lotus Petals, run them instead.
Posted By:
JFM2796
(8/1/2011 7:10:33 AM)
Some people don't understand the term "strictly better".
Posted By:
land_comment
(3/27/2011 5:01:35 PM)
I like this slightly improved version of Chromatic Sphere.
Rather than using it for its mana ability, you can also sacrifice it to something different as well to draw a card, e.g. the Arcbound Ravager.
And all at the cost of one tiny mana.
Besides, this will of course also trigger cip and pig-effects as well.
A lovely card, isn't it?
Posted By:
Mode
(1/24/2009 8:50:32 AM)
Best pack war card ever.
Posted By:
doogles
(1/25/2009 7:59:40 AM)
How does this not get at least a 4.5/5???
I would put 4 in a monodeck.....
Posted By:
TheWrathofShane
(8/24/2012 6:57:30 AM)
So I was trying to explain to a friend of mine about how to better his mana in his deck. He was using a play set of each of the Urza lands in order to build mana. In an Ideal situation it would work. But more often then not it would. He was running scarecrows and thought the Urza lands where the best thing ever to be printed. I tried to explain to him that using cost reducing artifacts would be much better to use then inconsistent lands but he wouldn't listen to that. So then I decided to show him simple mana fixers that work well in artifact decks that use colors such as this card and Chromatic sphere. I have a lot of work to do with him before he can become a semi decent magic player.
Posted By:
Yozuk
(11/21/2011 12:52:43 PM)
this would have been great with some new flavor text that referenced the original, maybe imply the star is now where it belongs
Posted By:
orisiti
(11/18/2012 3:36:18 PM)