Hmm, I don't really feel like paying for this card, so I don't think I will.
yojimbojones
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(6 votes)
@ Joseph_Leito, that is a sick combo and you should burn in Phyrexia for all eternity for putting in my brain. Must buy... 4 of each... >_<
majinara
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(8 votes)
Opponent: "Oh, you're tapped out? I'll play this super awesome win card that you cant stop!!" You: "Pact of Negation." Opponent: "static orb." You: :'(
The card is fun, but can backfire. :) Any sort of bounce/tap/destroy/steal effect (or just anything in general that prevents you from having access to 5 mana) can make you lose. :)
Countering while being tapped out is nothing new. Still I prefer Daze, Foil and, obviously, Force of Will to do the job. All of them allow you to counter on turn 1 (except for daze, turn two), while you'll have to be at turn 4 to play this one, at least, and next turn all you'll be tapped out for a start.
runestar
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(6 votes)
Is it me, or are 4 of this card a no-brainer in any combo deck, even if it doesn't run blue? It is essentially a free counter against anything that can go wrong (such as your opponent holding on to countermagic). Your opponent thinks he is safe with force of will in his hand? Show him up with pact of negation!
So what if you have no means of paying the mana cost later on? If you go off this turn and fail to finish off your opponent, you are going to lose the game anyways. And if you win the game on your turn, then its drawback essentially becomes irrelevant!
I wouldn't run it in normal blue permission decks, so in that aspect, the designers seemed to have missed the mark. And I don't think it was their intention that it be a staple in any combo deck...
doolydooly
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i'm not terribly fond of most newer sets but the future sight block really had some interesting card ideas that end up going into my decks, like this one
BelloAbril
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
The best friend of combo insta-win. This is meant to be played on extended where is the only viable counter for 0 mana. Of course vintage has force of will, daze, etc but this card doesnt need you to have islands into play or another extra blue card. One of the things that limit combo instant kill decks is that they need to play FoW/Daze to make sure they survive and requires them to have another blue card on hand or situationally countering.
PoN doesnt require any of those, its an non restrictive/situational counter for exactly 0 mana if played on the proper deck, it doesnt even require you to be playing blue, this card can be splashed on combo decks that needs to ensure they dont get their decisive card be countered.
Probably the best non restricted counter for combo players out there, 5/5, no ext legal counter can beat this.
"but you don't have any blue manna" "so? I'm gonna win this turn"
Tommy9898
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Not once had my opponent ever did anything that made me lose the game after I played it. This card is all good.
rctoons
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(7 votes)
Put this on an isochron, oh yea very smart!
kalnaz35
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So this may seem like a dumb question but what if you skip your next turn or even your next upkeep? If you dont have an upkeep phase then the second part of this doesnt resolve...is this correct?
dberry02
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
It's the OH SH** Button.
infernox10
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I like the flavor text sort of being inspired by what this card is meant for.
"I won't play anything this turn 'cause I know it'll be countered... Or this turn... Okay, he's tapped out, no way this won't work..."
Etc. Etc.
Kudos for flavor text and function.
Yozuk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I wonder how well this would go over with hive mind?
Spideredd
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(4 votes)
@ Yozuk
I can immagine it now in multiplayer
Player one: I have Hivemind
Player two: I cast Warp World Player three: No you don't, I cast Pact of Negation
someone gets beats, but I'm not sure who.
Saxican
★★★☆☆ (3.1/5.0)(4 votes)
opponent:i play emrakul!!!! you:well you know what pact of negation! opponent:...its uncounterable.... you:well then i play 3 more!!!!! opponent:....it doesnt make a difference....well anyway now i end my first turn and start my second turn and im going to at- you:oh but timestop!!!!!!! opponent:so now you lose.....what was the point of that? you:i was screwed either way this way i got out on my own terms:D opponent:.....you could have played timestop while emrakul was on the stack to exile it......... you:........
Amnesigenic
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Eon Hub.
scorpiolegend
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I should try this out in my Dragonstorm deck. No more countering my seething songs and lotus blooms.
NuckChorris
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
What happens if someone plays this, can't pay for it on their upkeep but have Near-Death Experienceand fulfill the requirement? Do they choose how the abilities stack and win, or do the abilities resolve at the same time and either nothing happens, or the game is a draw?
Tsunaki
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I think the real point of this card is more of a "Counter when I have no mana" "I have 0 mana? Really?! You think you're safe?!?!?!" *counter*
Sure, there are "better" cards in the game... but this is a ZERO cost COUNTER spell, with the ONLY drawback being paying 2 extra Mana for an effective "Counter Spell whenever I feel like it"
It's like all the other Mana Loan cards. You Have the effect now and it casts you a little extra Mana at the beginning of your turn. Sure, 5 mana at the beginning of your turn is a little drawback, but what if you had that ONE card you needed to counter, but didn't have have the Mana to Mana Leak it, or they had the 3 mana to tap Mana Leak when you only had 2 mana left?
Edword23
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
My poor brother. He cast this to counter my play while he was tapped out with 5 lands. I used Ajani Vengeant's +1 on his island. GG, bro.
It's an emergency counter. It's for when you are in a bind during your previous turn and you need to tap out everything. I actually like it a lot for that reason.
It, along with its cycle brethren, are also hilarious if you force an opponent to cast it when they have no way to pay for it. Of course I'm sure everyone else thought of that too.
KingSushi123
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This + Stifle or Trickbind (Thanks Raptorman333). Would make for a very inexpensive counter combo. I would love to see that is action.
Sootoo
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
If you reveal and add this card with Tolaria West to your hand, you´ll have your opponents think twice about what they play. One could assume, that revealing your own cards is a drawback, but in this case, it´s rather more likely that your opponents will get intimidated and won´t even cast anything which could get you in trouble, for a while, since they know you easily can counter it, anyway.
This can be even better than to surprise your enemy with this counter, especially in multiplayer games, since it gives you some time to build up your arsenal, while otherwise, one opponent would just cast anything annoying, you counter it, and then the next opponent casts another annoying spell. But if everyone knows you have this counter, it´s pretty likely that noone would want to make the first step, and cast something which could get you in trouble.
This card is not just something like the trap-buzzerbeater under the counterspells. It also can let you play mindgames with your opponents.
JanusAurelius
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'll gladly pay you Tuesday, for a counterspell today.
j_mindfingerpainter
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Like a Force of Will except for the turn after you exile Storm Crow, he goes ballistic on you if you don't the non-alternative cost for Force of Will.
WARNING: This comment is not funny if you don't know/understand/like the Storm Crow joke.
Blackworm_Bloodworm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Much more balanced than Force of Will is now. I wouldn't mind seeing this reprinted, as long it would drop the price.
nemokara
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
@markov61,
What sane player would use this against a Traumatize (something that isn't beating them this turn), when they can see there's a Sorin Markov ready to ultimate off on the board? I don't think you quite thought that through.
ComboGod
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I actually run this in a deck with no blue and 4 angel's grace. My poor man's Force of Will. Instead of 1 life and a car from your hand, it becomes 1 mana next turn and a card from your hand.
markov61
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@nemokara
If you didnt have pact of negation in your hand when sorin markov was played. it costs zero to play so you still have mana to use to try to get sorin off the board.
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I thought this was going to be affordable when I found it. I was wrong.
Comments (37)
Opponent: "Oh, you're tapped out? Ill play this super awesome win card that you cant stop!!"
You: "Pact of Negation."
Opponent: :(
Hmm, I don't really feel like paying for this card, so I don't think I will.
You: "Pact of Negation."
Opponent: "static orb."
You: :'(
The card is fun, but can backfire. :) Any sort of bounce/tap/destroy/steal effect (or just anything in general that prevents you from having access to 5 mana) can make you lose. :)
So what if you have no means of paying the mana cost later on? If you go off this turn and fail to finish off your opponent, you are going to lose the game anyways. And if you win the game on your turn, then its drawback essentially becomes irrelevant!
I wouldn't run it in normal blue permission decks, so in that aspect, the designers seemed to have missed the mark. And I don't think it was their intention that it be a staple in any combo deck...
PoN doesnt require any of those, its an non restrictive/situational counter for exactly 0 mana if played on the proper deck, it doesnt even require you to be playing blue, this card can be splashed on combo decks that needs to ensure they dont get their decisive card be countered.
Probably the best non restricted counter for combo players out there, 5/5, no ext legal counter can beat this.
you: glimpse of nature / heritage druid
opponent: negate / path to exile
You: Pact of Negation
"but you don't have any blue manna"
"so? I'm gonna win this turn"
"I won't play anything this turn 'cause I know it'll be countered... Or this turn... Okay, he's tapped out, no way this won't work..."
Etc. Etc.
Kudos for flavor text and function.
I can immagine it now in multiplayer
Player one: I have Hivemind
Player two: I cast Warp World
Player three: No you don't, I cast Pact of Negation
someone gets beats, but I'm not sure who.
you:well you know what pact of negation!
opponent:...its uncounterable....
you:well then i play 3 more!!!!!
opponent:....it doesnt make a difference....well anyway now i end my first turn and start my second turn and im going to at-
you:oh but timestop!!!!!!!
opponent:so now you lose.....what was the point of that?
you:i was screwed either way this way i got out on my own terms:D
opponent:.....you could have played timestop while emrakul was on the stack to exile it.........
you:........
"I have 0 mana? Really?! You think you're safe?!?!?!" *counter*
Sure, there are "better" cards in the game... but this is a ZERO cost COUNTER spell, with the ONLY drawback being paying 2 extra Mana for an effective "Counter Spell whenever I feel like it"
It's like all the other Mana Loan cards. You Have the effect now and it casts you a little extra Mana at the beginning of your turn. Sure, 5 mana at the beginning of your turn is a little drawback, but what if you had that ONE card you needed to counter, but didn't have have the Mana to Mana Leak it, or they had the 3 mana to tap Mana Leak when you only had 2 mana left?
It, along with its cycle brethren, are also hilarious if you force an opponent to cast it when they have no way to pay for it. Of course I'm sure everyone else thought of that too.
This can be even better than to surprise your enemy with this counter, especially in multiplayer games, since it gives you some time to build up your arsenal, while otherwise, one opponent would just cast anything annoying, you counter it, and then the next opponent casts another annoying spell. But if everyone knows you have this counter, it´s pretty likely that noone would want to make the first step, and cast something which could get you in trouble.
This card is not just something like the trap-buzzerbeater under the counterspells. It also can let you play mindgames with your opponents.
WARNING: This comment is not funny if you don't know/understand/like the Storm Crow joke.
I wouldn't mind seeing this reprinted, as long it would drop the price.
What sane player would use this against a Traumatize (something that isn't beating them this turn), when they can see there's a Sorin Markov ready to ultimate off on the board? I don't think you quite thought that through.
If you didnt have pact of negation in your hand when sorin markov was played. it costs zero to play so you still have mana to use to try to get sorin off the board.
Beautiful combo deck material.