"This key unlocks Harmony... or Tempo... or Rhythm..." --Recynder Dovain, Planeswalker
Zulp
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(6 votes)
Why is this rated so low? Several of these can be game-decidingly useful if you can get them out there.
Guest1524274415
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.6/5.0)(6 votes)
an awesome card in an artifact deck, who doesnt like a cheap dark steel collassas
Mode
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(8 votes)
Uhm, chosing artifacts to become cheaper and then trying to hardcast a Darksteel Colossus for ten freaking mana is about the last thing i'd like to do with that key... When chosing these i'd rather look for some interesting loops that could be done with various artifact one-drops instead.
PrimeSonic
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Paired with an Ethurium Sculpter, this could really boost things even more in Esper/Artifact decks.
Atmos
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
A very nice combo piece, and an equally good tempo generator whose ability is difficult to suppress without flat out destroying it.
Remember that it can also reduce the ADDITIONAL COSTS for many spells, such as Buyback (For example, try it with Reiterate, it's annoying and fun) and its flexible nature lets it fit into just about any casual deck.
RafiqTheMiststalker
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Cloud Key IS good in artifacts cause it is an artifact. The first 3, the second 2, the third 1 and the last is free. Now the rest cost 4 less. Free Lodestone Golems ftw.
Mortal-Rot
★★★☆☆ (3.3/5.0)(3 votes)
this is pretty good in a scarecrow deck, make all the wimpy scarecrows cheap and any other artifacts youre using (like Door to Destinies or another Cloud Key) so you can just poop out scarecrows for the Reaper King
nammertime
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(10 votes)
Here's one for the combo lovers: Cloud Key + (Sensei's Divining Top x 2) + any storm card = infinite storm.
I'd say that in most cases, Etherium Sculptor is going to be better than this for artifact decks assuming they're running blue, partly since they are much more likely to come into play on turn 2 (although since one's colored you can't get them free like you can with this), but mostly because Grand Architect also effectively turns them into Vedalken Engineers with the caveat of only producing colorless mana. Plus it seems like with the Architect, Master Transmuter, and all the other mana accelerators in blue artifact, this wouldn't be all that useful. Plus turn 2 Etherium Sculptor into turn 3 Steel Overseer x3 (or turn 3 Grand ArchitectSteel Overseer x4 if you're ungodly lucky!) will pretty much mean game.
Of course this certainly has a place in many decks, not the least of which are non-blue artifact for almost the same boost Etherium Sculptor can give you.
ROBRAM89
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Nobody is going to mention that Semblance Anvil kicks this card's ass?
Imprint a mana myr on it and all your artifacts, creatures AND artifact creatures are a full 2 cheaper, including other maan myr now costing 0.
http404error
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Only useful if you use it for something other than "Creature" or "Artifact".
prototype portal If you can get away with it, it's completely ridiculous.
tcollins
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Combo-enabling or control card thats for sure. Making my counterspells in {U} cost {1} less? Yes please
sincleanser
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Has everyone here missed the fact that it can make things cost 0?
ICEFANG13
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Lyoncet made some points I have to agree with, and I have some more.
Semblance Anvil is, of course, not strictly better than Cloud Key, but it greatly depends on your deck and the CMC of the creatures and how color heavy they are.
If I wanted to use one in a dragon deck, I would use Cloud Key, most dragons are heavy red, the -1 is usually a pretty big effect, and wasting a dragon on Semblance Anvil is not a good thing. Burn spells are really important at 1 CMC or 2, which means Semblance Anvil may have some effect or no effect on them.
In a green deck (in general) I would use Cloud Key, it is in the same area of a dragon deck, many green creatures are color heavy, or in Thallids case (like burn spells) only cost a G, wasting a creature on Semblance Anvil is probably a waste.
In blue, with counters, I would probably use Cloud Key still, but it really depends on the deck. White often has weenies, and Black is probably has the most color heavy non-creature spells.
Of course, it really depends on your deck, Semblance Anvil is just amazing in artifacts, wasting a somewhat useful artifact to make them 2 cheaper? YES.
cathar1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Easily broken in the right decks, which is what makes it so fun.
CHOfTheSnow
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
pretty nice artwork Now, the card says "as Cloud Key comes into play" not "as this card..." so that means that it stacks... so 1 Cloud Key= -1, 2 Cloud Keys = (-1 from CK 1) + (-1 from CK 2) + (another -1 from CK 1 "on" CK 2 when it comes into play) so 2 CK = -3 3 CK = -6 and 4 CK = -10 and, if you pick artifacts then the 3rd and 4th CK cost 0... not bad if you ask me!
Tsunami84
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I was just wondering if you select artifacts does this affect activated abilities as well?
Totema
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I love that a lot of cards with "key" in their name have references in their flavor text to unlocking combos. This certainly helps a lot of combos get played.
Dabok
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
An interesting ramp card. It not only let's you choose which type of card you wants to ramp, making it very flexible. It also let's you play combo cards much easier, since it lowers the cost of cards rather than just ramping 1 mana. It's good :)
ReignBeaux
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@chofthesnow
This is not true. what ever you pick is only one cheaper per cloud key on the field. The 'Cloud Key comes into play' part simply means you don't choose at any other time only when the card comes into play. The second ability does not care how many there are on the field.
@Tsunami84
No, it is only casting costs that are affected by this ability.
FatalEagle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Buy 3 get 1 free.
Ferlord
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Obviously Semblance Anvil kind of took this cards place for 3-cost artifact that reduces cost.
But is it better?
The cost is less rather than less. That's a huge bonus.
But (and it's a big, huge, throbbing but) you have to imprint (aka Exile) a card from your hand. So, if you don't have the card type that you'd like reduced, you're stuck. If you do, you have to choose whichever one is weaker.
I do like this quite a bit. It works best with Artifacts, but isn't horrible elsewhere. Not exactly an EDH staple, but if you have one, it wouldn't hurt your game.
Whenever a card refers to it's own name, what it's really referring to is "This permanent/spell", unless it specifically mentions other cards.
In other news, I need one for every EDH deck I have. Well, maybe not every one. Most of them though.
leomistico
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I, for one, prefer this one over the Semblance Anvil, because you don't have to exile one card from hand and because often a discount of is enough... Obviously, in a EDH deck, I would play both!
But I have an issue with both those cards: you can't reduce costs of Instants AND Sorceries! MaRo (I think) once said that Instants are only Sorceries with Flash, and that they could collapse both in a single card type. I see that this process would take a lot of changes in terms of Errata that have to be done, but I would really appreciate the move, even only because I could play this Key for better value. They would work really well in my Melek EDH deck!
4.5/5, waiting for the errata to bring it at 5/5 (For whoever would question such a high rate for something that is not a Black Lotus, I would say that I rate the playability and balanceness of this card. Not only broken cards deserves a 5/5...)
Comments (30)
When chosing these i'd rather look for some interesting loops that could be done with various artifact one-drops instead.
Remember that it can also reduce the ADDITIONAL COSTS for many spells, such as Buyback (For example, try it with Reiterate, it's annoying and fun) and its flexible nature lets it fit into just about any casual deck.
The first 3, the second 2, the third 1 and the last is free.
Now the rest cost 4 less. Free Lodestone Golems ftw.
Of course this certainly has a place in many decks, not the least of which are non-blue artifact for almost the same boost Etherium Sculptor can give you.
Imprint a mana myr on it and all your artifacts, creatures AND artifact creatures are a full 2 cheaper, including other maan myr now costing 0.
If you can get away with it, it's completely ridiculous.
Semblance Anvil is, of course, not strictly better than Cloud Key, but it greatly depends on your deck and the CMC of the creatures and how color heavy they are.
If I wanted to use one in a dragon deck, I would use Cloud Key, most dragons are heavy red, the -1 is usually a pretty big effect, and wasting a dragon on Semblance Anvil is not a good thing. Burn spells are really important at 1 CMC or 2, which means Semblance Anvil may have some effect or no effect on them.
In a green deck (in general) I would use Cloud Key, it is in the same area of a dragon deck, many green creatures are color heavy, or in Thallids case (like burn spells) only cost a G, wasting a creature on Semblance Anvil is probably a waste.
In blue, with counters, I would probably use Cloud Key still, but it really depends on the deck. White often has weenies, and Black is probably has the most color heavy non-creature spells.
Of course, it really depends on your deck, Semblance Anvil is just amazing in artifacts, wasting a somewhat useful artifact to make them 2 cheaper? YES.
Now, the card says "as Cloud Key comes into play" not "as this card..."
so that means that it stacks...
so 1 Cloud Key= -1,
2 Cloud Keys = (-1 from CK 1) + (-1 from CK 2) + (another -1 from CK 1 "on" CK 2 when it comes into play)
so 2 CK = -3
3 CK = -6
and 4 CK = -10
and, if you pick artifacts then the 3rd and 4th CK cost 0...
not bad if you ask me!
It not only let's you choose which type of card you wants to ramp, making it very flexible.
It also let's you play combo cards much easier, since it lowers the cost of cards rather than just ramping 1 mana. It's good :)
This is not true. what ever you pick is only one cheaper per cloud key on the field. The 'Cloud Key comes into play' part simply means you don't choose at any other time only when the card comes into play. The second ability does not care how many there are on the field.
@Tsunami84
No, it is only casting costs that are affected by this ability.
But is it better?
The cost is
But (and it's a big, huge, throbbing but) you have to imprint (aka Exile) a card from your hand. So, if you don't have the card type that you'd like reduced, you're stuck. If you do, you have to choose whichever one is weaker.
I do like this quite a bit. It works best with Artifacts, but isn't horrible elsewhere. Not exactly an EDH staple, but if you have one, it wouldn't hurt your game.
Whenever a card refers to it's own name, what it's really referring to is "This permanent/spell", unless it specifically mentions other cards.
In other news, I need one for every EDH deck I have. Well, maybe not every one. Most of them though.
But I have an issue with both those cards: you can't reduce costs of Instants AND Sorceries! MaRo (I think) once said that Instants are only Sorceries with Flash, and that they could collapse both in a single card type. I see that this process would take a lot of changes in terms of Errata that have to be done, but I would really appreciate the move, even only because I could play this Key for better value. They would work really well in my Melek EDH deck!
4.5/5, waiting for the errata to bring it at 5/5
(For whoever would question such a high rate for something that is not a Black Lotus, I would say that I rate the playability and balanceness of this card. Not only broken cards deserves a 5/5...)
Also, great artwork!