Sure, the Oracle text is probably harder to read, but it actually WORKS under the current rules.
Gotta love goofily complex old cards, and you're pleasantly surprised when they have actual use.
EDIT: @Tavaritz: It's a replacement effect, and replacement effects can only apply once. It's already replaced the event "draw" with the event "discard and draw", so it doesn't apply to the resulting draw.
Posted By:
Tanaka348
(8/10/2011 1:25:56 PM)
Wow that is a gigantic wall of text. Useful against card-drawing decks.
Posted By:
Elysiume
(5/26/2009 3:34:26 PM)
People here don't understand replacement effects nor no how to read offical rulings
Here's what happens when Chains of Mephistopheles replaces a player's draw: -- If that player has at least one card in his or her hand, he or she discards a card and then draws a card. -- If that player's hand is empty, he or she puts the top card of his or her library into his or her graveyard. The player doesn't draw a card at all.
Posted By:
iamjohn
(7/22/2010 4:06:35 AM)
look at the rulings, when you draw a card via a spell, ability or effect you must discard a card before drawing a card. If you have no cards in hand, you put the top card of your library into your graveyard...
This card is a nice utility enchantment to play against many decks, with a cost that allows it to be playable...
Posted By:
Guest57443454
(11/25/2009 12:04:41 PM)
Has anyone seen how much this thing is worth lately?? Gettin up there with Alpha and Beta. This set was of course a classic set. I had a few cards from this set back about 10 years ago. They're looooong gone now.. Brother traded them to a neighbor for a skateboard, and according to my brother that punk kid "threw them up in the air and ripped them up just for the heck of it". Oh man does it boil my blood thinking about it!
Posted By:
EvilCleavage
(4/14/2010 10:10:01 AM)
It looks like a lot of text (and it is) but there must be room for another 3 lines that they didn't use. Reserved for flavour text I suppouse.
Posted By:
TPmanW
(11/21/2010 9:43:09 PM)
Necropotence lets you "draw" cards to get around this, while likely locking down the opponent from getting extra cards. Of course, if you have necro out, you probably don't need this...oh well.
Posted By:
C5r1a5z0y
(1/13/2012 4:19:55 PM)
Reminds me of Animate Artifact with its counter-intuitive Oracle text.
Posted By:
Tiggurix
(5/30/2012 2:40:28 PM)
@Lord_Sauron: Yes, the Oracle wording should be recursive, but the rulings say it isn't. WotC messed things up once again.
@Hovercraft: You treat each draw separately. So if you cast a Brainstorm with at least one card in hand the following happens:
1. You discard and draw.
2. You discard and draw.
3. You discard and draw.
4. You put two cards on top of your library. If you don't have but one card in hand you put it on top of the library
If you don't have any cards in hand:
1. You mill one card.
2. You mill one card.
3. You mill one card.
4. You try to put two cards on the top of your library but fail.
Lesson to be learned:
If Chains of Mephistopheles is out don't try to draw more cards than the one you get every turn. Good card 4.5/5.
Posted By:
tavaritz
(5/9/2011 6:35:26 AM)
how about geth's grimoire and prosperity. A little too much to calculate. All I know is that it goes very well with Laboratory maniac
Posted By:
bantar
(6/18/2012 3:33:27 PM)