This is the only card in the game that explicitly tells you to count the number of cards in your library. (Even Battle of Wits lets you fudge it when appropriate, so if you only had 142 cards last upkeep you can't justifiably recount next upkeep.)
If you want to slow a game down to a crawl and pressure the opponent to concede, imprint this on Spellweaver Helix along with Mystic Speculation and then play a buyback'd Mystic Speculation as many times as possible. "Forty-one, forty-two... hold on... I lost count again..."
Evil.
Posted By:
Salient
(8/21/2011 4:23:13 PM)
It's the only one that explicitly tells you to count the cards in your library, but Traumatize forces you to do so as well.
Posted By:
Magnor_Criol
(9/2/2011 11:28:52 PM)
Sure your life total might be 80+.... I'd like to meet my 21 general damage to the face!
Posted By:
MTGFreak
(2/11/2012 1:38:43 AM)
When you're done counting, you will suddenly find yourself surrounded by an army of Cheatyfaces.
Posted By:
Totema
(10/23/2012 12:35:32 PM)
" Count the total.... Your life becomes that number...".
And what if I... were to miscount? It doesn't say, "You life total becomes equal to the cards in your library", which would leave room for correction. Since you count it, that leaves no room for correction, and a lot of room for loopholes. I'm probably wrong, but is there concrete proof of me being wrong? Because, if I were to be... correct... this would be one of the best cards in all of magic. Yes, Necropotence is banned, but Ad Nauseam is not, and there is a multitude of cards to go back into your deck.
I love loopholes.
Posted By:
Existential
(1/28/2013 9:49:41 AM)
@Igniteice: Basic maths. If your opponent is running a 500 card deck, they have an extremely small chance of ever drawing this card, even if they run four. Your argument is ridiculous because that person could go 100 games and never draw it. Plus there are other ways to win the game, even if your opponent has 500 life or you could just deal damage over and over. Don't be so mad because you had it used against you by someone with a big deck once.
Posted By:
Lifegainwithbite
(2/17/2013 10:29:56 AM)
Someone mentioned Battle of Wits.
Battle of Wits, Elixir of Life, some tutors, this. There's a deck in there somewhere.
Posted By:
Deaderpool
(7/11/2013 10:52:07 PM)
this + hive mind? wtf happens in a double-headed giant game?
Posted By:
Mosstone
(10/16/2013 6:55:15 PM)
A funny counter to this card could be Soul Conduit. I know its a long shot, but the scenario could present itself if the opponent did have 12 mana lying around, such as in a mid/late game edh match. Ironically enough, edh would be one of the best formats to use this card in.
Posted By:
MechaKraken
(4/1/2014 2:07:24 AM)
"Count the number of cards in your library."
But what if I don't WANT to count? What if I KNOW the number of cards in my deck? Do I HAVE to count? Y'know, pick up my deck and LITERALLY count "one, two, three..."
Posted By:
MasterOfParadox
(4/8/2014 6:08:16 PM)