I see only three situations where this card is better than Braingeyser.
i. Multicolor deck
ii. Can be used during opponent's end phase.
iii. Milling out decks that have an Eldrazi Titan in their deck (which everyone worried about mill should have, at least in sideboard). Here's how it works:
1. Play Path to Exile on one of your opponent's creatures. Let this spell resolve.
2. Play Archive Trap (for free).
3. If the Eldrazi Titan is milled, then the trigger goes on the stack, at which point you respond by putting Stroke of Genius for 1 targetting your opponent, and then respond to your own spell by playing the rest of your Archive Traps. You do not want that trigger to resolve!
4. If the Titan wasn't milled, play 1 Archive Trap at a time, until the Titan is milled, and then follow step 3.
If you set up the stack right, this is how it should resolve:
1. Archive Trap(s)
2. Stroke of Genius
3. This would be the Titan's triggered ability, but what happens here is you win... (see all)
Posted By:
statiefreez
(5/28/2010 7:36:43 PM)
Wow...you're an idiot...this was the win card for infinite mana combos...
Posted By:
GrixisGravePact
(6/7/2009 6:48:04 PM)
I think I should play a few games with it, 'cause I've always felt like 2U was just too much apart from the X cost.
I don't really like the versatility of having "Target player draws..." in a few cards... if you're going for milling, there's always a bunch of cheaper cards like Archive Trap or Traumatize that will mill for 13 ~ 20 cards for 5 mana instead of 2 cards for 5 mana. On the other hand, if you wanna draw them urself, you'd go with Tidings, Concentrate or even Braingeyser / Mindspring for X cards.
Posted By:
LeoKula
(10/30/2009 2:28:31 PM)
WTF someone actually had the balls to say Traumatize is better? No wonder I saw the word Idiot flying.... Go ahead and try to win with Traumatize or the other stuff, it isn't going to be nearly as accurate, or as fast, as this or Braingeyser. Seriously... I've won games on the first turn with Braingeyser (Fastbond Crucible of Worlds, Zuran Orb = infinite Mana infinite Life so with an Island, you can win on turn 0, only problem is Fastbond is Restricted, so getting that hand is rare, but it has happened).
Posted By:
SlackWareWolf
(3/15/2010 6:05:27 PM)
Not bad, but I can't help feeling that it's kinda exspensive compeared to modern cards.
2.0
Posted By:
PaladinOfSunhome
(6/1/2009 4:41:23 AM)
This is already back in the form of Blue Sun's Zenith, which would've been just as good if it was printed alongside Tolarian Academy. Today the triple blue actually matters.
Posted By:
Gabriel422
(9/21/2011 9:38:42 PM)
"I do the only thing I can do, I stroke myself as hard as I can..."
Patrick Chapin
Posted By:
pedrodyl
(1/11/2012 5:40:27 PM)
I used this with High Tide and Reset then made my opponent stroke their genius until it came.
Posted By:
Clicka
(2/24/2012 10:14:03 AM)
This actually had a somewhat reprint thingy that's actually better in most circumstances:
Blue Sun's Zenith.
Posted By:
dlgn
(5/5/2012 11:01:57 PM)
Flavor: What happens is that your opponent has a stroke of genius, realizes how awesome you are, then gracefully concedes.
Posted By:
dberry02
(5/13/2012 5:56:09 PM)