I'd like to put it in my Maelstrom Wanderer EDH deck... but the thing is, between Sensei's Divining Top, Scroll Rack and Jace, the Mind Sculptor, it's hard to find a reason to include this (which is certainly inferior to the other 3).
And yes folks, while the shuffle is far inferior to the X: ability, it's certainly not useless. To paraphrase another comment, a meh ability added to a decent card still makes it better.
Posted By:
JaxsonBateman
(6/20/2012 12:49:08 AM)
the first ability is terrible, but the second ability is a good place to sink your mana in.
Posted By:
mdakw576
(1/16/2010 2:07:13 AM)
Sooth
Posted By:
Forgeling
(8/22/2009 7:21:12 PM)
The first ability sucks, but I can guarantee you that if you play with this card enough you will use it. A bad ability added to an otherwise good card makes an even better card.
Posted By:
SleetFox
(9/10/2011 2:12:39 PM)
5 mana to shuffle your library? Really? That's disgusting.
Posted By:
Lege
(11/18/2009 9:00:04 AM)
4: Cosi's Trickster, Soothsayer, Donate, Mindslaver. Ludicrous I know, but it works. Donate the Soothsayer, Mindslaver them to force them to shuffle, get infinite +1/+1 counters on Cosi's Trickster.
wow. I wonder if there's any practical applications for this?
Posted By:
DarthParallax
(3/18/2011 5:56:11 AM)
I have actually used the 1st ability, but only once to fish for a removal card when none are coming up in an EDH deck.
Posted By:
Salohkin
(9/27/2010 7:38:23 PM)
Pales a bit next to Sensei's Divining Top (little doesn't, in reality), but this is one of the best non-deck-specific permanent 1-drops blue has to offer, and its price tag is around 1% of the Top's. Yeah, the first ability is quite overpriced, but I'm going to go ahead and guess that most of the naysayers would love this card if it only had the second. Plus, it gets better as the game goes on and your mana base comes online, and it gives you an instant-speed return-on-investment for any mana you didn't use to counter or play your own spells. While it doesn't give you straight card advantage, it dose give you the kind of advantage that blue really craves - not number of cards, but getting the right cards at the right moment. I want to find a reason not to give it quite 5/5, but I just can't.
Posted By:
Lyoncet
(2/26/2011 8:46:12 PM)
First ability saves you from Tunnel Vision in EDH or singleton i guess
but seriously 1 drop, awesome deck manipulation, it doesnt matter if the first ability is useless, at least it isnt a drawback. Nobody complains that half of Bittlerblossom's ability kills you slowly.
Posted By:
ddong
(4/29/2011 5:23:00 AM)
A poor man's sensei top for EDH, that can also shuffle your library, very good mana sink.
Posted By:
Sironos
(6/12/2011 3:57:19 PM)