Each Time Spiral card was an homage to at least one previously printed card.
Specifically, each Sliver in Time Spiral and Planar Chaos derive their ability from a previously printed card.
This Sliver is referencing a previous sliver, Metallic Sliver, only larger. The Venser referenced here is Venser, Shaper Savant, a powerful artificer who, like Volrath the Fallen before him, was attempting to use an artificial sliver to study the way the sliver hive mentality worked. During the events of Time Spiral block, his planeswalker spark ignited; he would later appear as Venser, the Sojourner.
Posted By:
Missile_Penguin
(12/2/2012 2:19:12 AM)
Cut Venser some slack guys, he's clearly not a master artificer yet.
Posted By:
Yoto32
(9/8/2010 7:49:53 PM)
venser dont quit your day job. volrath has you beat in the sliver making department.
Posted By:
Hand_Bannana
(10/19/2010 6:55:56 AM)
Venser... you need to make another one of these. Then let it fall into Phyrexian hands.
Please?
Posted By:
keiyakins
(3/21/2011 12:10:16 AM)
Wonder what an Urza's Silver would be like. Poor Venser.
Posted By:
Richard_Hawk
(9/19/2010 4:24:40 PM)
Likely the worst of all slivers.
A plain 3/3 artifact creature for 
wouldn't have been powercreep either, even though it had a useful creature type in this case.
At least i can't remember Hill Giant ever having been a big threat.
Posted By:
Mode
(8/16/2009 2:29:18 AM)
Sad that this doesn't cost 4 mana. A waste of a card like this.
Posted By:
Zage
(10/24/2009 12:55:32 PM)
Come on, guys. It still pulls the super-fun-time antics that all other slivers deliver. It just doesn't return the favor.
Posted By:
masonthekiller
(11/13/2010 12:10:05 PM)
Well, the slivers would have recognized and rejected too good an artificial sliver. Venser's a genius!
Posted By:
ClockworkSwordfish
(4/23/2011 8:57:15 PM)
I throw a couple of these in my affinity for artifacts deck in case of surprise slivers. It's expensive, but at 3/3 has higher base stats than most slivers. It's still not -good-, but as an anti-sliver it's passable.
Posted By:
LtFoeHammer
(12/16/2011 9:52:07 PM)