I don't see how this can have such a bad rating.. it may have a drawback but in a naya deck the 5 life gain is offset by things like thoctars. It has the same power as a bogardan on a 3 mana removal (a mythic rare I might add), and the downside is life gain (which also works with punishing fire just fyi). The other card that was this good that caused life gain is swords to plowshares.. one of the best cards in this game. I suppose if this card has a downside it can really be said to be the extreme color requirement, you basically have to be playing either 5 color or 3 color naya shard to get the use of it.
A fun combo, this + everlasting torment, it deals 5 in wither damage and your opponent doesn't gain any life.
mdakw576
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
This can pretty easily 2 for 1, and depending on what your opponent is running, it can even be a 3 for 1. At the cheap price of giving your opponent 5 life. The only BAD thing about this card is the tough mana cost, not the 5 life.
I'm pretty sure that if this was reprinted in alara, every naya deck would at least sideboard this. It's too flexible NOT to.
Pretty sure if this had been printed in Alara it would give you the five life instead.
Dark_Raider
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
You know, this is going to give me, like, at least 4 for 1 against a lot of decks in my playgroup. Pesky elves? Swept away. Mana myr? Cleaned up nicely. You name it.
supershawn
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
false cure, an extra two black mana and you just doled out 5 damage to creatures and dealt 5 damage to a player, or dealt 10 damage to a player.
land_comment
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.6/5.0)(6 votes)
Huh. Useless card.
TreeTrunkMaster
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Tamanoa makes this a little better. Then you and an opponent gain 5 life, and you get to distribute 5 damage how you choose amongst their creatures which is nothing to scoff at.
djflo
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
In multiplayer, this makes for great politics. Wipe out a weenie deck as a threat and butter up an ally? Hell yeah.
sonorhC
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This would also be good if your deck goes for an alternate win condition like mill, infect, or "you win" cards. Though the colors don't really work well with mill or infect.
Guest2017427298
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This is a significantly better card now that planeswalkers are in the mix. Highly efficient and versatile--knock down a weenie army, nuke a fatty, and/or polish off a planeswalker, all for 3 mana and a handful of life for your opponent. I like it.
Gargantula
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Seems like it could be cool in EDH in a deck that uses commander damage to kill people. The 5 life gain could still cause probs in a big multiplayer setting, but it probably wouldn't be nearly as bad.
Kryptnyt
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Pretty insane draft pick, and viable cube card.
LeBandersnatch
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is good because of its versatility, not because it can combo with other spells for nastiness (that is just a side bonus). Just by itself it can be a 5-for-1 in the best circumstances (usually multiplayer, also early-game EDH), and remember, folks: lifegain sucks. I hate saying that because it's cliche, but most people would very willingly give an opponent 5 life to get card/board advantage like this card can give you. It isn't the most powerful card out there - not by a longshot - but it gets the job done.
emperorkursan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Might work well with some sort of infect.
blazinpsycho
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
What happens if I target someone with the life gain, and another opponent kills them in response? Does the rest of my spell resolve?
Maraxas-of-Keld
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This is fantastic for the same reason Swords to Plowshares is good really. It's removal, not burn. Instead of being really cheap, though, it kills more then one thing.
Sasooli
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
The thing about giving your opponents life is it only matters if you're planning to wear their life total down over time. If your deck plans to win by doing much more than 20 damage in a single turn (either with an infinite combo, or just say an Overrun on top of fifteen Saprolings), you probably don't care about having to do 25 instead.
And of course if you're playing infect - or any alternative win condition like Maze's End or Door to Nothingness - you don't care at all about the lifegain.
Comments (21)
A fun combo, this + everlasting torment, it deals 5 in wither damage and your opponent doesn't gain any life.
I'm pretty sure that if this was reprinted in alara, every naya deck would at least sideboard this. It's too flexible NOT to.
And of course if you're playing infect - or any alternative win condition like Maze's End or Door to Nothingness - you don't care at all about the lifegain.