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0.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.0
Community Rating: 3.697 / 5  (33 votes)
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Possible combo with Near-Death Experience?
Posted By: lufia22 (7/4/2010 9:25:45 AM)
Rating: 
0.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.0

 


Children of Korlis go!
Posted By: bw13187 (5/27/2011 8:51:18 PM)
Rating: 
0.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.0

 


underworld dreams gets you some easy card draw
Posted By: BambooNickel (10/5/2009 11:50:21 AM)
Rating: 
0.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.0

 


This is my favorite card from SoK. Most people won't pay 4+ life to draw 4 cards. I usually start at 4 life for the bid, which usually nets me 4 cards in turn. But if my opponent bid 5, I'll go for 6 depending on how late in the game it is and life totals.
Posted By: RyanFisher (11/26/2009 1:52:46 PM)
Rating: 
0.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.0

 


Such a fun card in EDH and other casual formats.
Posted By: dberry02 (9/20/2010 12:37:08 AM)
Rating: 
0.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.0

 


My question is how does this interact with platinum emperion?

Specifically, can you "bid" life if your life total can't change?
Rules say you can't pay costs that involve changing your life, but bidding isn't a cost here as far as I can tell.

So with an emperion on the table can you bid more life than your opponent has and keep your life when pain's reward resolves?
Posted By: roguepariah (7/10/2011 8:35:36 AM)
Rating: 
0.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.0

 


@ roguepariah:

You just broke this card. Congrats! Bidding life is not the same as paying life, and you only lose life and draw the cards if your bid is the highest number. Platinum Emperion's rule is like a replacement effect, so you don't lose the life for drawing the cards. Now, the challenge is building a deck that not only cheats Emperion into play early enough for resolving Pain's Reward to matter, but keeping your Emperion on the board and under your control as Pain's Reward resolves.

Proof, taken from Platinum Emperion's ruling:

1/1/2011 Spells and abilities that would normally cause you to gain or lose life still resolve, but the life-gain or life-loss part simply has no effect.
Posted By: DacenOctavio (8/6/2011 10:58:35 PM)
Rating: 
0.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.0

 


Children of Korlis, Tainted Sigil and Wound Reflection play well with this.
Posted By: HuntingDrake (6/14/2011 1:42:08 AM)
Rating: 
0.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.0

 


Fantastic synergy in Liliana's Caress decks where one of the biggest problems is having your opponent run out of cards to discard. Unfortunately, that's the only situation that I can think of that makes this card worth playing.

Yes, you would get mad johnny points for cheating a Platinum Emperion into play to use with this card, but it's too many hoops to jump through for not that strong of an effect.

Using it in conjunction with Children of Korlis or Tainted Sigil is cool, but it still boils down to using 4 mana and 2 cards (or 7 mana and 2 cards) to draw 4 cards.

On its own, this card inherently gives the advantage to your opponent. Why? Whether you win the bid or lose the bid, you are out 3 mana and a card. To think of it another way:

If you win the bid, then you're up 3 cards (you used 1 card to draw 4).
If they win the bid, then they're up 5 cards (they get 4 cards and you're out 1 card).
And e... (see all)
Posted By: iUseBreakOpen (1/22/2012 11:24:10 AM)
Rating: 
0.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.0

 


Purity would not combo, this does NOT deal damage, you just lose life. Still a great card, espescially in black white life gain.
Posted By: drebhan (3/9/2011 8:18:15 PM)
Rating: 
0.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.0

 




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