Classical Johnny card. Maybe either be used in the old-fashioned way, or with a black splash for some new experiments.
Iserp
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(10 votes)
A card so bad, that when you could donate it, it became an all-star
1SsqueezV1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
one of the best cards ever made becuase it makes you think of ways to use it. i just like cards like this. and i like destroying people with them :). also i like how the rabbit is actually like roaring
rsimpson182
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(8 votes)
BUNNY RABBITS
GradiustheFox
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why choose between Sanguine and Donate? Use both! The idea of putting myself 60 LP ahead, if not outright slaying them, puts me all a shiver. What a delicious combo card.
achilleselbow
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Was there any combo potential with this before Donate was printed? Perhaps something with phasing?
Gaining 20 life for a couple of turns can mean the difference between victory and defeat in a close game. Nowadays, games are so fast and lethal that this card is rather ineffective without a combo to back it up.
One of my win conditions (coupled with Donate) in my Stasis deck. Good luck with that upkeep over there, bub.
Hovercraft
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Some clarification... you need to use Donate and then destroy it. Paying the upkeep on a card is not a requirement so you need to destroy Illusions Of Grandeur before they get their turn again. This is because you can forgo paying the upkeep cost and sacrifice it instead. That is why Glacial Chasm in 42lands or Dystopia for black sideboard are great cards.
@ Hovercraft You do NOT need to destroy Illusions, the beauty of it is that the Cumulative Upkeep will eventually force your opponent to sacrifice it, triggering its Leaves the Battlefield ability.
You could abuse it by bouncing it back to your hand after donating, allowing you to cast it again for 20 more life, and another shot at donating it to someone else.
scumbling1
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(6 votes)
"well it looks like Bazaar Trader found a good purpose in life."
Look at Bazaar Trader again; it cannot give away enchantments. I have to wonder if this was a conscious decision influenced at all by this card.
KarmasPayment
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
"Look at Bazaar Trader again; it cannot give away enchantments. I have to wonder if this was a conscious decision" ~scumbling1
Yes and No, yes because red just isn't part of the color pie that interacts with enchantments much, so it suits red's flavor to exclude enchantments. No because that combo wouldn't have been overly powerful, it can be bounced, griped, ect. in response to the gain 20 life trigger.
Can you "donate" this card without using Donate. Or do you have to stipulate in the game rules that you can donate permanents you control to your opponent without using the card?
apollogod
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(3 votes)
@Slotty
You cannot "give away" your permanents. Unless you have some sort of wonky house rule in place, permanents you control remain under your control unless a spell or ability allows control to change.
And about the card, it is a wonderful card. Absurd and amazing with Donate, yet still useful in decks without donate.
4.5/5
Paleopaladin
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Oodles of new fun with phyrexian mana!
Wish it had "Tribal Enchantment - Illusion"
kiseki
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
The real fun of this card comes when an opponent has the donate in hand, but you naturalize it before the +20 life resolves from the stack. The opponent will lose the game before they can gain the life. It is probably a good idea to have a counterspell ready...
uchuunamako
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(3 votes)
"Look at Bazaar Trader again; it cannot give away enchantments. I have to wonder if this was a conscious decision" Opalescence.
WilloftheLisp
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(3 votes)
Illusions of Grandeur - Warding off amateur magicians for decades.
orisiti
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(3 votes)
Play it, kill it, sac Children of Korlis Expensive combo, but it's 20 life gain, and can still be combined with the non-donate combos above (i.e. Sanguine Blood and/or boon reflection)
First time i saw this card was plaing against someone in EDH, with Zedruu the Greathearted as a commander. If they don't take the 20 life, you gain a life and a draw each turn.
Gelzo
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Silly rabbit, you are for Trix!
high_tide_niv
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
well of lost dreams and channel.
Lord_of_Tresserhorn
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Why not just play it, decline to pay the cumulative upkeep, and Stifle the LtB effect?
Probably because life gain sucks, and it's much cooler to actually kill your opponent with it.
Still, could be a big boon in a Felidar Sovereign deck, seeing as you get a huge boost and the Sovereign triggers before you need to pay the upkeep.
Cartercr
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Looks like the makers of Wicked really are a bunch of magic players.
"Can't I make you understand you're having Delusions of Grandeur." - Glinda
PinkleDadandy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Trader of the Bizarr that way you dont have to deal with cumulative upkeep it'll be your opponents problem
Well...the most obvious thing to do with this is Donate then Boomerang.
SarcasmElemental
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet but a popular card to use this with is Donate.
Arachnos
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Put it into play, gain 20 life
Donate it, losing 20 life becomes opponent's problem =D
azure_drake222222
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@SolidSoldier: I think it's funny that there's cu.mulative upkeep with a period on this card. At least it's not Obsianu.s Golem or Coc.katrice.
Aquillion
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
This card was considered completely worthless when it first came out; the fact that a single combo raises it to five stars tells you just how good that combo is. Then again, any card that has "lose 20 life" printed on it is probably going to have a use for it found eventually.
ScissorsLizard
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
This is what happens when you print the number 20 on a card. Someone will find a way to break it. I'm looking at you, too, Dark Depths and Vampire Hexmage.
Bazaar like that is actually faster than Donate, simply because it happens immediately. It does take an extra card and color however..
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Very broken with donate.
iUseBreakOpen
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Trix used to be THE combo, but it hasn't been able to cut it Legacy for the past decade.
It's just to costly and to risky. It's risky because if your opponent destroys Illusions while the life gain trigger is on the stack, the life loss trigger will resolve first and kill you. If you play both pieces on the same turn, it costs a whopping 7 mana. If you play Illusions and wait a turn to play Donate, then you have to pay the 2 mana upkeep cost. You end up paying 4 mana one turn and 5 mana next turn.
But if you insist on trying to make it work, here are some cards that I've found to be helpful. Sapphire Medallion (Lowers the cost of the combo by 2 mana.) Sunscape Familiar (Lowers the cost of the combo by 2 mana.) Quicken (Donate Illusions while the first upkeep is on the stack - only costs 4 mana instead of 5)
Comments (41)
Maybe either be used in the old-fashioned way, or with a black splash for some new experiments.
@ achilleselbow
Gaining 20 life for a couple of turns can mean the difference between victory and defeat in a close game. Nowadays, games are so fast and lethal that this card is rather ineffective without a combo to back it up.
You do NOT need to destroy Illusions, the beauty of it is that the Cumulative Upkeep will eventually force your opponent to sacrifice it, triggering its Leaves the Battlefield ability.
You could abuse it by bouncing it back to your hand after donating, allowing you to cast it again for 20 more life, and another shot at donating it to someone else.
Look at Bazaar Trader again; it cannot give away enchantments. I have to wonder if this was a conscious decision influenced at all by this card.
~scumbling1
Yes and No, yes because red just isn't part of the color pie that interacts with enchantments much, so it suits red's flavor to exclude enchantments. No because that combo wouldn't have been overly powerful, it can be bounced, griped, ect. in response to the gain 20 life trigger.
The Mono-red cards that interact with enchantments and don't require off color mana requirements are:
Goblin Tutor
Aura Barbs
Blood Oath
Confusion in the Ranks
Warp World Somewhat, only to a small extent so that auras can still be placed on things.
And then... there is Wild Swing.
You cannot "give away" your permanents. Unless you have some sort of wonky house rule in place, permanents you control remain under your control unless a spell or ability allows control to change.
And about the card, it is a wonderful card. Absurd and amazing with Donate, yet still useful in decks without donate.
4.5/5
Wish it had "Tribal Enchantment - Illusion"
It is probably a good idea to have a counterspell ready...
Opalescence.
First time i saw this card was plaing against someone in EDH, with Zedruu the Greathearted as a commander. If they don't take the 20 life, you gain a life and a draw each turn.
Probably because life gain sucks, and it's much cooler to actually kill your opponent with it.
Still, could be a big boon in a Felidar Sovereign deck, seeing as you get a huge boost and the Sovereign triggers before you need to pay the upkeep.
"Can't I make you understand you're having Delusions of Grandeur."
- Glinda
that way you dont have to deal with cumulative upkeep
it'll be your opponents problem
Donate it, losing 20 life becomes opponent's problem =D
Liquimetal Coating
This
Bazaar like that is actually faster than Donate, simply because it happens immediately. It does take an extra card and color however..
It's just to costly and to risky. It's risky because if your opponent destroys Illusions while the life gain trigger is on the stack, the life loss trigger will resolve first and kill you. If you play both pieces on the same turn, it costs a whopping 7 mana. If you play Illusions and wait a turn to play Donate, then you have to pay the 2 mana upkeep cost. You end up paying 4 mana one turn and 5 mana next turn.
But if you insist on trying to make it work, here are some cards that I've found to be helpful.
Sapphire Medallion (Lowers the cost of the combo by 2 mana.)
Sunscape Familiar (Lowers the cost of the combo by 2 mana.)
Quicken (Donate Illusions while the first upkeep is on the stack - only costs 4 mana instead of 5)