i want this card for my chronozoa deck. Amazing sift at a cheap cost.
@ VirtueVsVice
well, ponder is good if 2 or 3 cards are good or if none are. Its not to great if only 1 card is cause you either lose that good card or deal with 2 bad ones right after it. This card is good no matter how many are good or bad. If both are good, decided which one you want most. If one is good, then just put the other on the bottom. If both are bad, then you put both on the bottom and have a higher chance of drawing the good stuff. So...i guess its preference honestly.
Posted By:
raegbund
(7/14/2010 5:15:41 PM)
Neither this nor Ponder is more powerful than the other since there's enough difference between the two mechanically.
Ultimately I like Ponder because it can ultimately see more cards, so you can play around with top card matters cards, like Top for instance.
Alternatively, I like this card because it relies more on knowns than Ponder does.
If you cast Ponder, the top 3 cards are crap, and you choose to shuffle, there is a very real chance of drawing one of the 3 cards you didn't want to draw.
Whereas with this, though you see fewer cards no matter what, there is no chance of redrawing into the 2 cards you sent away.
Posted By:
HairlessThoctar
(4/27/2011 2:06:41 PM)
because ponder is newer?
I was always a little unsure whether I liked Ponder or Serum Visions better. This is better than Serum Visions, but I'm still not sure on it vs. ponder. Oh well, I'll just run both.
and @jwmidnight: This affords you more control, what are you complaining about? If you don't like the cards you found, you can just, y'know, PUT THEM ON THE BOTTOM?
Posted By:
littlebeast
(7/15/2010 6:32:48 PM)
Among the many changes wizards is making on cards to make them appeal to players (changing creature types to be more useful, making cards with newcomer appeal better, etc.), this is one of the few that I can agree with. Though it spits in the face of its predecessor (Serum Visions), it makes so much more sense for the scry to go before the draw.
Posted By:
Selez
(7/18/2010 12:30:47 PM)
I guess Preordain is better for Control decks (You can keep more cards that help your significant problem) but Ponder is better for Combo, because you dig further for you combo piece (up to 4 cards vs. 2 with preordain)
Posted By:
Mightyass
(12/9/2010 11:48:02 AM)
Better than Ponder late game. You want answers, you get em faster with Preordain than you would with Ponder. I rather take logical probability over "top decking" from the shuffle any-day of the week.
In some situations, this is better than Brainstorm if you don't have fetchlands to support it, especially considering mid to late game.
Posted By:
PolishTamales
(8/2/2011 4:51:26 PM)
If you play blue, and play in a format where this is allowed, you run 4.
Posted By:
scorpiolegend
(10/24/2011 8:49:13 PM)
Ponder is either keep or shuffle. This is keep and/or bottom. I prefer Preordain.
Holy Schnikeys. Banned with Ponder in modern? No love for manipulating the top 3 of the library for {U}? Sad face.
This card is as important to any deck as Lightning Bolt is to any deck that runs Mountain.
Posted By:
DacenOctavio
(11/8/2011 12:01:13 PM)
Personally, Ponder is my favorite 1-drop draw card.
I get the choice between the top three cards, and if i don't like them, i can just reshuffle, then draw (which, unless you stack your cards, is better than just putting the cards on the bottom w/ scry)
Serum Visions doesn't allow me to choose between the 3 cards involved, and instead forces me to take the first and rearrange the next two.
Preordain lets me pick, but only between the top 2, and i don't even get to reshuffle.
I guess the two Scry cards are helpful in correcting the top few cards revealed (by something like Sage Owl or Halimar Depths), but then again Ponder can do the same...And also, with Scrying, i can make sure i don't have to see those cards anytime soon (unless i shuffle my deck, which with fetch lands in Standard, would actually pretty often for those that actually buy cards separately). This way, i have a... (see all)
Posted By:
Guntz1092
(7/16/2010 3:52:23 AM)
@mode;
because these guys have only been around since sharts of alara :P
but yeah I like this over serum visions, and its also a little better than a sorcery speed Opt but I kinda like instant :0
Posted By:
Kryptnyt
(7/11/2010 9:41:57 AM)