I don't think the point is to use this as a first-turn sort of deal.
I think it's supposed to be played when you want to have a leaves-play effect happen,
And it also forces your opponent to give up something as well.
Sure, most leave-play stuff is on a creature,
But using "permanent" makes it so if your opponent has no creatures, he/she isn't just sitting there with no ill effects.
Posted By:
infernox10
(8/11/2010 10:52:26 AM)
Use with Skyfire Kirin and Cunning Bandit.
Also all the combos listed here. This is a pretty fun card in multiplayer too. You lose 1 card while taking several. The other combos listed here are pretty nice as well. This isn't a useless card. There are plenty of combos you can use this with.
Posted By:
OpeeFomenom
(3/31/2012 11:54:22 PM)
Fun card. Works great with the splice cards, as well as cards like Act of Treason. Yes please, I'll take control of your Darksteel Colossus, bash you in the face with it, and then get rid of it altogether.
It's also a fun reset button. Say your opponent goes first, and sacs his Polluted Delta to fetch his Watery Grave and plays it untapped to play a Ponder. Play your mountain and then this card. Sure, his library is a bit more organized, but he's down 3 life and a duel land.
Posted By:
SirZapdos
(12/6/2011 11:50:13 AM)
@blurrymadness: 'comboing' this with ball lightning basically just means you devote a card in your deck towards making your opponent sacrifice the permanent they need the least on turn 4+... assuming ball lightning survives combat. That effect just isn't worth a spot in a deck.
Busting lands at the beginning of the game seems better, but that's a game of luck. If they're manascrewed, great. You win. If they're not, you probably won't be able to keep on top of them every turn, and they'll build up lands eventually. In order to ensure that you can destroy their lands early game, you'd have to stack your deck with Raze type cards, which suggests that your deck probably won't be able to do much else.
Posted By:
ScissorsLizard
(2/24/2012 5:52:13 AM)
This was a fun card in limited. There are a lot of combos in Kamigawa to make use of the effect. Besides Cunning Bandit and Skyfire Kirin there's also Blind with Anger, God's Eye, Gate to the Reikai and Akki Raider in red. Plus it's a cheap arcane spell for all that that does in block.
It's not an exceptional effect since you'll usually only grab a weak creature or superfluous land, but can be fun to play around with.
Posted By:
Saikuba
(5/20/2012 8:54:24 PM)
Run it in Goblin decks. Those things are so fast and have enough creatures you'll be tearing into fairly vital permanents at the cost of one a mere piece of Dragon Fodder.
Posted By:
psychichobo
(1/1/2013 3:25:26 PM)
It was part of a funny combo in kamigawa constructed: with Akki Blizzard-Herder in play, then cast Crack the Earth with Desperate Ritual spliced. Then Sacrifice the akki and trigger his ability, with the three red mana left, cast stone rain. Three or two lands down in turn three.
The combo is very hard to get but is really flashy.
Posted By:
Ignasier
(11/6/2009 12:47:55 PM)
I guess if you go second, you could play it with Simian Spirit Guide then play a mountain.
Posted By:
Kirbster
(9/6/2010 11:50:54 AM)
Yeah, I rated it 4.5. Why? Ball Lightning, Hellspark Elemental, Spark Elemental, and i'm just getting started.
One mana opponent sacrifice a permanent with no drawback ftw.
Seriously, people who rate these cards need to be half as noobish as they are.
Also great if you have a creature that you played Blood Frenzyor Fatal Frenzy on. Loads of combos to make this "worth it".
How about Sandstone Needle, Raze, and this? Turn 2, destroy two lands, and still have a land left over to cast a goblin with haste or something.
Posted By:
blurrymadness
(1/12/2011 3:28:40 PM)
Ichor Wellspring?
It's still not very good.
Posted By:
SolaceVerisi
(6/10/2011 6:46:46 AM)