This is really good for any deck that needs an answer to protection from ___ . It's great in burn decks that want to run Shrapnel Blast and Ankh Of Mishra and need artifacts to sacrifice this is an easy include for 1 mana and a nice repeatable damage source. It's good for destroying weaker beats when you really would rather just save a Smother for Tarmogoyf instead. If you sideboard this in with cards like Withered Wretch that shrink 'goyfs Cursed Scroll is nice for finishing the job. I find that particularly with black that likes to run a lot of disruption and few creatures it is extremely good.
Posted By:
Hovercraft
(4/24/2010 10:44:51 AM)
Wait, let me get this straight. You don't have to name a card actually in your hand? Seems awesomely unsportmans like.
Posted By:
Roy1138
(7/5/2010 6:19:26 AM)
at first i thought this was bad till i noticed YOUR hand this must be a classic
Posted By:
qaq456
(9/10/2010 3:44:33 PM)
Amazing when you can leave 1 card in your hand and make it a repeatable 2 damage per turn.
I choose Lightning Bolt. Oh, look, 2 damage!
Next turn: Draw a Mountain, play it... I choose Lightning Bolt again.
Repeat until opponent has 3 life, then Bolt him.
Posted By:
Chamale
(2/26/2011 12:21:47 PM)
@Omenchild
Punishing Fire and Grove of the burnwillows was one of the most powerful combo in recent extended. (basically colorless mana to recover Punishing Fire and two more to cast so very similar to Cursed Scroll) Cursed Scroll is almost strictly better since it requires only Cursed Scroll, it is colorless damage, and does not give opponent life. Continuous burn is not a laughing matter.
It would be still used in today's standard if it was reprinted. Hell, it would be still used in extended format too.
Posted By:
Hoonster
(3/3/2011 10:59:10 PM)
This was in one of the world championship decks back in the day. Do not call this bad. And its perfectly competitive. Repeatable burn is nothing to laugh at, and it isnt hard to always have only one card in your hand.
Posted By:
bijart_dauth
(3/11/2011 6:53:36 PM)
For those of you that aren't quite on board that this card is competitive, it's quite the "shocker" in Pox. I love this card, and I love me some Pox. It's definitely a 4-of, especially as a 1-drop. Dat activated ability, man.
I do have a question, though. You name the card, your opponent chooses a card at random, and then if the card you named is the card your opponent chooses: 2 damage. My question: Do you have to show your opponent the chosen card? Let's say you Scroll with 2 cards in hand - one Swamp and one Mishra's Factory for example - and you name Swamp. You lay those 2 cards in-hand face-down, and your opponent rolls a d6 (1-3 card 1, 4-6 card 2). They roll a 5 and it's card 2. You look at it, it's Mishra's Factory. It's not a Swamp, so no 2 damage. Scroll doesn't require you to reveal the chosen card. Do you have to show your opponent as proof? Can you show someone else in the room and have them confirm with a "yes" or "no" if it's the named card or not? Can you show a jud... (see all)
Posted By:
BushidoGraphics
(12/20/2011 12:31:38 AM)
@mykatdied
From what i gather from the wording, "Target opponent chooses a card..." verses "Reveal a card at random..." means that in a multiplayer match if player 1 chooses a card from player 2 than he does not reveal the card to player 3. Th new wording now forces that card to be revealed to player 3, rather than only being showed to the player who was choosing, in this case player 1.
Posted By:
Guest1008218481
(10/27/2012 9:59:14 PM)
This card is 15 years-old and it's still an awesome card. It's very versatile : you can run it as a control card to kill weenies or you can run it to burn your opponents life points, or both.
I wouldn't say it's broken, but it's a very strong card.
Posted By:
Anzu-chan
(1/1/2013 2:29:42 PM)
Oracle text changes functionality: Previously if the targeted opponent gave themselves shroud or hexproof, the ability would fail regardless of the target for the damage. Additionally, the whole point was that the opponent "reads" the card from your hand and if it's the cursed one the damage happens. The oracle wording ruins the coolness =(
Posted By:
LordRandomness
(5/6/2013 6:28:00 AM)