why is scattering stroke not playable? no more mana burn
ClockworkSwordfish
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(7 votes)
Scattering Stroke and Draining Whelk cost two and three times what Mana Drain does, and both are darn good.
lukemol
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(6 votes)
This is probably my favorite counterspell, if only for the flavor of it.
iSlapTrees
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
And when this thing eats a bazillion damage fire ball.... LOL :)
SweetZombiJesus
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(4 votes)
A creature you can afford to use all your mana to play because you are countering a spell; I love this creature, maybe as the only copy in a deck, but still a very effective card.
desolation_masticore
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(7 votes)
Card advantage. They lose a spell, you gain a potential fatty (even a 3/3 flier is an efficient beater), and best part is most of the time you will be able to attack right off since this will usually be used on the bomb they tried to drop on their turn.
Chamale
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Hunting Grounds. If the opponent casts a spell, you get to drop this for free, countering their spell.
Countering a Fireball will only give you one +1/+1 counter, because {X} in a spell's cost is 0 for the purpose of determining it's converted mana cost. Still, this is an incredibly efficient card, especially considering it's a hard counter and has no restrictions on what you can counter, like Overwhelming Intellect does.
nimzo
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
"Counter target spell. Then, if you control a Sage of Fables, draw some card"...
leomistico
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(4 votes)
@cathode01 What you're saying isn't correct... "{X} in a card's cost is 0 for the purpose of determining it's converted mana cost" Fixed! A spell is a card on the stack, and while it's on the stack the value of X is determinated when that spell was casted. While a card isn't on the stack it's called (guess what?) card, and if a card with X in its casting cost, X=0 for the purpose of determining its Converted Mana Cost. So for a Fireball with X=10, its CMC is 11, so the Whelk whould become a 12/12 (or better, a 1/1 with 11 +1/+1 counter...). As you said, opposed to Overwhelming Intellect, this is an hard counter, so more versatile, and better in that you gain a fatty to beat your opponent with! Drawing some cards isn't so effective, when you haven't any finisher!
A very good card, in my favourite tribe (Illusion), with a lot of card advantage: removal+flying creature! It's not something you see everyday! Very Elegant, too...
5/5
Arachibutyrophobia
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
I know from experience, this thing screws over WHATEVER your opponent is trying to do, and gives you card advantage.
ant_ayers
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
Got started in MTG when TSP dropped, and this is the first card non-Timmy card that really captured my attention. I think I traded a Bogardan Hellkite for two of these guys. Thanks, Draining Whelk!
drpvfx
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(5 votes)
I *love* that they made a card that explains the art of Mana Drain.
It's a cool reference to Mana Drain effect-wise as well.
Shadoflaam
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
6 for a 1/1 flash flying? This sucks!
Haha just joking. Such an EDH bomb...
SirZapdos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
With a Heartless Summoning or two on the battlefield, this card is not fair at all.
thexmanlight
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@SirZapdos Heartless Summoning would kill the whelk the second it hits the battlefield as a statebased effect. It doesn't get the counters until after its triggered ability resolves.
Missile_Penguin
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(5 votes)
Each Time Spiral card was an homage to at least one previously printed card.
This card is referencing Mana Drain in both ability and art (both by Mark Tedin depicting the mana-siphoning whelks.)
Trygon_Predator
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A nasty surprise for your opponent, especially in Commander where you can easily amass the mana to cast it, or in decks where you can ramp for it. I love how it's a balanced Mana Drain, down to explaining what those weird creatures are.
Okuu-chan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Deadeye Navigator. Sure, it doesn't keep the counters, but it will probably get life counters thrown at you.
iHARBiNG3R
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Arachnos, Emrakul can't be countered which also means that the Whelk wont be getting the 15/15 pump.
Minus_Prime
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@iHARBiNG3R: Draining Whelk still gets a boost even if the spell it targets is uncounterable. Its ability still resolves, and even though it has no effect it still has a valid target for the "that spell" part. Whelk vs. Emrakul would become a 16/16 flying creature ready to block right away.
Bear_Scape
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
When this card gets played against you it feels so unfair.
Its like "So now blue can summon fatties and counter my spells at the same time without even using up a spell. Swell."
CaptainBlue
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Question:
So I was playing DotP 2013 and had cast my Whelk. The spell resolved and the Whelk came into play. Its ability activated and I targeted an opponent's spell which was still on "the stack" but before my Whelk's ability resolved it was killed. My opponent's spell was not countered.
I assumed that even if the Whelk was destroyed, the targeted spell wouldn't be considered an illegal target so the ability would still resolve. Would being unable to place +1/+1 counters on the Whelk really cancel the entire ability out - even the earlier "spell-countering" half of the ability which has its text separated from the "+1/+1 counter" half of the ability by a period? Should this have happened or is it a ruling glitch?
Thanks ahead of time for any answers, guys.
The_Fan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Somewhat off-subject, but is this the spell that Jace keeps using in Agents of Artifice? The illusionary eel-creature that snaps out of his sleeve and bites people in the face as a quick distraction?
patronofthesound
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
seems quite good at a playable six in monoblue. Feels like it should be simic or something at this power level
The spell should still be countered. Whelks ability triggers when he enters the battlefield and is put on the stack. In order for him to be killed he has to first enter the battlefield, thus the ability will still be on the stack if whelk is killed, and the spell should still be countered.
Comments (33)
Although this one's a beating on its own.
What you're saying isn't correct...
"{X} in a card's cost is 0 for the purpose of determining it's converted mana cost"
Fixed! A spell is a card on the stack, and while it's on the stack the value of X is determinated when that spell was casted. While a card isn't on the stack it's called (guess what?) card, and if a card with X in its casting cost, X=0 for the purpose of determining its Converted Mana Cost. So for a Fireball with X=10, its CMC is 11, so the Whelk whould become a 12/12 (or better, a 1/1 with 11 +1/+1 counter...).
As you said, opposed to Overwhelming Intellect, this is an hard counter, so more versatile, and better in that you gain a fatty to beat your opponent with! Drawing some cards isn't so effective, when you haven't any finisher!
A very good card, in my favourite tribe (Illusion), with a lot of card advantage: removal+flying creature! It's not something you see everyday! Very Elegant, too...
5/5
It's a cool reference to Mana Drain effect-wise as well.
Haha just joking. Such an EDH bomb...
Heartless Summoning would kill the whelk the second it hits the battlefield as a statebased effect. It doesn't get the counters until after its triggered ability resolves.
This card is referencing Mana Drain in both ability and art (both by Mark Tedin depicting the mana-siphoning whelks.)
Its like "So now blue can summon fatties and counter my spells at the same time without even using up a spell. Swell."
So I was playing DotP 2013 and had cast my Whelk. The spell resolved and the Whelk came into play. Its ability activated and I targeted an opponent's spell which was still on "the stack" but before my Whelk's ability resolved it was killed. My opponent's spell was not countered.
I assumed that even if the Whelk was destroyed, the targeted spell wouldn't be considered an illegal target so the ability would still resolve. Would being unable to place +1/+1 counters on the Whelk really cancel the entire ability out - even the earlier "spell-countering" half of the ability which has its text separated from the "+1/+1 counter" half of the ability by a period? Should this have happened or is it a ruling glitch?
Thanks ahead of time for any answers, guys.
Because Emrakul cannot be countered.
The spell should still be countered. Whelks ability triggers when he enters the battlefield and is put on the stack. In order for him to be killed he has to first enter the battlefield, thus the ability will still be on the stack if whelk is killed, and the spell should still be countered.