At my local card shop, this card has been sitting in the EDH display box for about two years now for a dollar. I don't believe human hands have touched it since it was first placed there. No one, not even new folks just starting out in EDH, are suckers enough to buy it. I suspect that's mostly because of the life loss clause.
I have a single copy of this card. I cannot sell it, I cannot trade it, I cannot give it away. I've tried leaving it in people's backpacks, and they just pluck it out and put it on the table. They don't even spare the effort to throw it away, as if somehow holding onto it for too long will reduce their ability to play Magic.
Posted By:
RJDroid
(12/26/2011 4:56:19 PM)
It could have been a good card, with a few tweaks...
Okay, so it would have needed a complete overhaul.
Alas, it was not meant to be.
Posted By:
ParishInquisitor
(3/12/2013 5:02:16 PM)
I think I have a new way to balance casual multiplayer in a playgroup with disparate win percentages:
Whenever you win that night, you add one of these to the deck.
Posted By:
blurrymadness
(11/13/2013 1:34:35 PM)
I find it funny that stores have these in played condition... those poor players.
Posted By:
WarioMan
(5/10/2012 11:51:44 AM)
This simply shouldn't come into play tapped. That way you would have at least a little incentive to play it.
Posted By:
holgir
(8/13/2009 3:42:33 AM)
I actually gave this 1/5 instead of 0.5/5, for one reason: Commander. In Commander/EDH, many of its drawbacks are undone by the nature of the format.
1: The fact that it's legendary is about as much of a drawback as any other legendary permanent in a singleton format.
2: The fact that you have to pay 2 life is much less of a drawback in a format where your beginning life total is 40.
3: Even if its mana can only be used for Legendary spells, it can at the very least get your general out of the command zone and onto the battlefield a turn quicker.
Those three facts are worth half a point to me.
Posted By:
Mickacabra
(6/21/2011 6:09:44 AM)
Sigh, classic Kamigawa misdesign. Minor utility with mind-baffling over the top restrictions.
I always try to forget it, but this just makes me get disappointed all over again every time I see it. "Ooh, awesome art! Cool name! And it does... oh my god why."
Posted By:
IncrediSteve
(2/20/2010 4:34:10 AM)
But it untaps for FREE.
Posted By:
Ryvenge
(11/13/2010 9:36:35 AM)
Ancient Tomb is waaay better than this, not only is it not legendary you can use it for whatever you want, it doesn't come into play tapped, and also it deals damage not pay life, meaning you can prevent it, if you want to.
Posted By:
bhunji42
(10/17/2009 7:29:28 PM)
Don't knock it. It is the needle that weaves the fabric of creation. Oh wait, the fabric isn't legendary. never mind.
Posted By:
Youlose20life
(1/29/2011 2:37:27 AM)