The only time I've ever used this was in EDH (for flavor) and I topdecked a Lightning Helix for the win.
Posted By:
auriscope
(10/30/2010 10:11:21 AM)
@atemu1234: Tacking abilities on lands is really powerful, so one has to be careful with what what abilities they put on lands. Consider that Desolate Lighthouse exists and is playable.
Posted By:
Axelle
(7/30/2012 5:46:18 PM)
This is really disappointingly bad, and I love Izzet. You're essentially needing to pay 3UR + the cost of the spell, and if you're gambling on the top card, you can get an unplayable card either by it being the wrong card type or not having the mana to play it. When a Lightning Bolt costs 3URR just to play, it's not really worthwhile - mana efficiency is key when it comes to instants and sorceries.
Play a mana-fixer instead of this land, and play Future Sight. It's mile's better.
If I were to redesign this card, I might have kept the activation cost the same (it's still quite high) but changed the effect to "Reveal the top card of your library. If it's an instant or sorcery card, you may put that card into your hand." Now that's card advantage I can live with. It's a worse Jayemdae Tome, but because it's on a land it's got that much more value.
Posted By:
Rasel
(2/19/2010 9:36:53 AM)
WHY do they do this!?
I came to these discussions specifically for "What am I missing here" in reference to this card.
Wizards, MA-RO - you owe us another R/U card to make up for this one and don't get me started on Petrahydrox... C'mon let's let the "Unpredicable nature" of Red/Blue be our OPPONENT''s
worry, not that of the casting Mage..! I mean really.. How bad can a card get? This card says, "we ran out of ideas for Red/Blue".
It seems tho.. we get an extra Green/Black card thrown in extra now and again.. but other than Jhoira..nothing. Get on the stick with this design space Wizards - it just seems like you don't know what to do with Red/Blue but hang onto "chaos" for the casting mage...
Here's an idea - what if a red-blue spells are unpredicable because they have entwine, or choose one effect, or flash/rebound - starting mixing up abilities like deathtouch/dredge or make them chaotic AND playable... but chaotic for the opponent.. Listen we're Izzet geniu... (see all)
Posted By:
CometKing
(8/8/2011 10:06:54 PM)
@Ganadote: No, you're reading it wrong. It doesn't say "without paying its mana cost"; you still have to pay for the thing.
I don't think that there's any good way to use this, really. About the only time I would even try is if I was going to lose if I didn't.
Posted By:
littlebeast
(12/9/2009 1:10:33 AM)
I'm missing something. To me it almost looks like a really expensive draw, except if it's not an instant or sorc, you never get to play it.
Posted By:
Myxomorph
(6/14/2009 3:50:44 PM)
It's card advantage. It is like an incredibly overcosted, really bad Future Sight ability, but that is still not bad for something that won't take a spell slot.
Posted By:
Swordhand
(12/28/2009 4:08:13 PM)
this is the worst nonbasic guild land, IMO. 1 Star.
Posted By:
Dalek9
(6/23/2009 3:40:47 PM)
I think that most people misunderstood this card. I quite like it, for some reasons...
I have a single copy in my Izzet deck, that features Izzet Boilerworks, too. Those karoo lands help pay this land's ability, and with a large amount of lands you have the mana to play the cards that eventually you reveal. In a very late game, when I topdeck a non-instant, non-sorcery card (namely, a land or one of the few creatures), and there aren't useful card in my hand, I play this ability and chances are that I reveal an useful card like Char or Electrolyze, that I can cast right at the moment, gaining me a card. If I don't reveal anything useful it's quite ok, in that maybe I wouldn't have done anything anyway... Not so bad for a card that didn't cost any mana to play, instead gives me mana to play my spells!
I don't whine about the lack of "without paying its mana cost" text, because it would be a little overpower and because ma... (see all)
Posted By:
leomistico
(10/25/2011 5:05:17 AM)