Agreed the upkeep kills this card, which isn't that great to begin with...
EtotheK
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Maybe if they made it so the upkeep was whatever damage the card prevented in the previous turn, and you could spend more than a certain amount, would make this strategic and fun. You could use it to stall a game till vanishing counters or something ran out or up. Or use it to stop a flying deck while building weenie guys to go at him. Or you could shut down a huge attack and then fail the upkeep and just buy yourself time for a better draw.
psyklone
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
The real tragedy is that its a rare.
Imagine getting this in your booster!
NARFNra
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@psyklone
What's even worse is that I'm pretty sure the booster size was 12 cards at the time...
one_eyed
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
boosters were only 8 cards per pack back then.
yyukichigai
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Really, really limited in scope. Hell, the card may as well read "spend {3} during your upkeep to nerf target burn deck." The cost is way too high, but then again this was printed in an era where this effect seriously compromised most red decks.
One thing of note: since the reduced damage is a replacement effect, rather than a prevention effect, this gets around "cannot be prevented" burn spells like Lava Burst or a 5+ point Banefire. Combo with a Sphere of Law/Sphere of Purity/etc. (or two Urza's Armors) and your opponent may as well stop casting any burn spells at all.
Extremely expensive prevention of burns would like it if it we're sources in general. Hehehe blightsteel? Pssssh
majinara
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I guess the point is to play this with cards that deal damage to each player. Such as Inferno, earthquake or hurricane.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Take the upkeep cost out and we can start talking.
LordRandomness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
There's one big use for this: Spells that deal X damage to each player. You lose 3 damage in exchange for being mostly immune to the effects. That's pretty solid if you're trying to go for Molten Disaster for lethal to the whole board. Pretty niche, though.
The_Jabberwocky
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love the artwork. I have to find a way to make this playable in a casual deck.
Comments (12)
This makes Suffocate look good.
Imagine getting this in your booster!
What's even worse is that I'm pretty sure the booster size was 12 cards at the time...
Divine Presence pretty well makes this thing obsolete.
One thing of note: since the reduced damage is a replacement effect, rather than a prevention effect, this gets around "cannot be prevented" burn spells like Lava Burst or a 5+ point Banefire. Combo with a Sphere of Law/Sphere of Purity/etc. (or two Urza's Armors) and your opponent may as well stop casting any burn spells at all.
Extremely expensive prevention of burns would like it if it we're sources in general. Hehehe blightsteel? Pssssh