Probably quite a while - it's nice, but not all that powerful. Sure, it gives you a second chance, but you have to remember that when you reset, your opponent is already set up; you're not. Who's to say that you won't be dead the next turn or three?
ttian
★☆☆☆☆ (1.9/5.0)(7 votes)
that's not very reflective
Oleander
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(4 votes)
This card, in my honest opinion, should not merit the mythic rare slot it was given. Sure, it gives you a second chance should you die; However, second chances aren't really all that useful if there's no way for you to recover effectively. If it allowed you to keep your lands in play, I could see this as being worthy of the mythic status. However, it does not, and your opponent, who was set up well enough to kill you one time, can easily do it again as you are attempting to start over from square one while they're kicking at at least turn 5. Not a good card at all, almost a joke.
xXV4lkyr13Xx
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(4 votes)
From what it seems at the moment, the potential of this card is a bit underestimated. It seems effective to throw a board sweep at near death, then throw this out (if you already haven't) so that the opponent won't have such a large field when he does end up killing you the first time. With that being said, his not-so-large field might give you a good few turns to get out your defenses, allowing another fighting chance, and, despite any other tricks you may have in your deck, you'll also have another chance to get Lich's Mirror out again.
Darkside_Hero
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Astral Slide should work to save your creatures, right?
TheBigDrat
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
seems like it might go well with a mill or a burn deck.
Belz_
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(5 votes)
Ghostway can protect your creatures from its effects, but otherwise all this does is give your opponent the opportunity to kill you again.
I agree it shouldn't be Mythic, or it should allow you to keep your lands.
RJTheDestroyer
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Yeah, this card's not that great...killed my dad when he had this in play and I was at 1 life, ended up killing him from 20-0 with that same 1 life left.
Ordinary
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(5 votes)
I wonder if anyone has ever been given a Game Loss by a judge while this was out, and then argued that its effect should trigger...
Jagyr_Ebonwood_02
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(7 votes)
"I wonder if anyone has ever been given a Game Loss by a judge while this was out, and then argued that its effect should trigger..."
Oblivion Ring is a good call with this card. When you reset, the removed card comes back. The same is true with Faceless Butcher.
If you are running Blue and Red, you could use Jhoira of the Ghitu to suspend what you want to come into play, then mana burn to die right before hand. It might also buy you enough time to let that Sway of the Stars hit, then your Darksteel Colossus a turn later.
Mode
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(14 votes)
I also think this card is currently underrated. It has a pretty interesting potential you have to know how to make use of.
Possibly you didn't notice yet, but: 1. Only permanents you own are affected. 2. The Exiled Zone is unaffected. 3. Phased-out cards are unaffected.
That means every permanent you control yet don't own is unaffected by this card, delayed flicker-effects can be used to save your goodies, suspended cards still resolve.
That being said, you see building up your side a second time when done correctly can be a lot easier then it might appear to be.
Jinxed artifact should also work good with this card since you'll likely survive the life-loss for a longer period of time than your opponent does. Giving your opponent Sleeper Agent should do fine for similar reasons. Some repeatedly control-changing cards shold work nice as well, especially Sokenzan Renegade since you'll certainly get him after the mirror's effect with seven cards in hand. Activating Starke of Rath's ability before the trigger resolves is also useful.
Now let's talk about cards using the exiled zone. Be careful mixing those with control-changing cards, since they will always return the card under the owner's control.
Ghostway and Planar Guide can save all of your creatures (plus trigger their cip/etb effect, and keep tokens removed), Parallax Tide can save up to five of your lands - making it probably one of the most useful cards with Lich's Mirror! Realm Razer can save your entire lands as well, yet this card is harder to get out. Wormfang Turtle and Wormfang Newt can save a single land. Parallax Wave can save up to five creatures - and of course can also find use against your opponent. Portcullis might also be handy, Anurid Brushhopper can be saved easily, Saltskitter can be saved as well if a creature was played, Any creature that can champion another one will return it, which makes such cards also very appealing. Flickerwisp, Galepowder Mage, Oblivion Ring, Icy Prison and Faceless Butcher work as well, although you might just use them against your opponen if you're not ging to die soon, Grixis Slavedriver provides a 2/2 Zombie token, Wormfang Crab can harm your opponent, Worldgorger Dragon again can do a great job to return all of your permanents, effectively using the mirror without drawback! Unfortunately you can only play him in Vintage, and you'll probably have a hard time building a good-working deck around those cards.
Using Pacts or Final Fortune will be worth using as well for two reasons - you'll effectively get the card's effect without drawback, and this enables timing of the mirror's effect, so you won't be dependant on your opponent of "killing" you.
Make sure to include fetchlands, such as Polluted Delta as well, because this will allow you to put a land into play right after the mirror's effect resolved, given that you can kill yourself with or after activating their effect. That mean's you'll have a land for each fetch-land you activated, plus those you took from your opponent, plus those you exiled, plus one you can play afterwards from your hand.
This card should also be useful in removal decks in general, since your opponent won't have much out to harm you.
But make sure that he/she doesn't run Brooding Saurian, shatters the mirror or stiftles its trigger, otherwise you're pretty much dead ;)
Btw, did you know your comment can't have more than 5000 characters? LOL!
One_Winged_Angel
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Good lord...I thought this card was junk, then I saw someone use it. Basically, he would use suspend cards to ensure that there would be cards when he lost, then use Final Fortune and similar effects to force a loss. Of course, this was after he had used cascade cards to mill me into near oblivion. Then it started all over...this time with two Lotus Blooms in play and me with half my library gone. It reminded me a good deal of using Wheel of Fate to reload a burn deck. I'm not saying this is a great card on it's own, but it does have some nasty combo potential.
liir007
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I am going to build a deck around this even if it kills me. Get it? Kills me..... Tough crowd. Try Arc Blade or Restore Balance
bacnmaster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is one of only a few cards that actually replaces a state-based effect. A state-based effect is something that the game itself does to make sure things happen right. So, imagine, if you will, a game wherein you have the mirror in play. How do you break a card that leaves you defenceless? You don't let it resolve. You cast an Ad Nauseum while at whatever life. Lose some life for the top card, and continue. Lose more life, and continue. Until finally you drop to zero or less. Oops, you just lost! But wait, the Lich's Mirror sees what it's triggered by and does it's thing. But it's in the middle of a spell resolving... Normally once you drop to zero or less a state-based effect stops the game entirely and it's over, but the Lich's Mirror replaces that with not dying... In the middle of the Ad Nauseum. "What happens?" Might you be asking. I'm not really sure because the Oracle is down right now, but as it stands, the Ad Nauseum is resolving, which means nothing can be added to the stack, but you're at a dead life total, so a state-based effect is trying to end the game, which Lich's Mirror is trying to stop. Either the game stops the Ad Nauseum, you actually lose, or Lich's Mirror puts you into an almost parallel game where your life total doesn't exist for as long as that stack is going and after it does resolve, Lich's Mirror resolves. This is why it's an ultra-rare.
EnV
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In order to win you must use some means may it be counters as suck or indestructible effects/shroud to keep this alive and never lose. Platinum Angel plus this is ultimate.
Since you drop below 0 life the Mirror resolves and you shuffle it and all permanents you own into your library, but the leaving Oblivion Ring will bring back the Sanguine Bond and when you're set to 20 life, the lifegain will make your opponent lose 20 life. :)
AgesofThunder
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(5 votes)
@Magasul If your life total becomes something that's not counted as gaining (or loosing) life.
CrimsonFury82
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Sorry AgesofThunder you are wrong. The oracle entry for Lich's Mirror says this:
For your life total to become 20, you actually gain or lose the necessary amount of life. Keep in mind that you may have a negative life total when this happens. For example, if your life total is -4 when you would lose the game, Lich's Mirror's effect will cause you to gain 24 life. Other cards that interact with life gain or life loss will interact with this effect accordingly.
Tanaka348
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
The real problem with Magasul's plan is that the Sanguine Bond wouldn't make it back in time. You gain the life before you even put Oblivion Ring's return ability on the stack, much less have it resolve.
Tanaka: But's its a bomb card in Two Headed Giant if you're partner's playing Sanguine Bond + Vampires. That's the strategy my parner and I are going for on Friday i.e. I'm running aggro Red (Goblins, Rakka Mar and Manabarbs) w/ Lich's Mirror filling a final slot I had empty and my partner's running Sanguine Bond + Vampire's.
Penultimate
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I've yet to see someone mention Death Cloud with this card, the combo being hideously hilarious to the max.
reddaemon
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(4 votes)
@ anyone who thinks you can make a combo with this card. There is no combo. If you Oblivion Ring a Sanguine Bond and then lose the game with Lich's Mirror out, you will not make your opponents lose a ton of life. Oblivion Ring 's effect waits to be put onto the stack until after Lich's Mirror finishes resolving as per the rules regarding the stack.
I think this is by far the most terrifying card in magic. The art and flavor go so well with the cards effect, and the scary part is while most players who use the card don't know it, you are that lich on the card, thinking you are alive when you are dead.
DiablilloDeChimenea
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great flavor, plus it's pretty useful (and funky) as SB card in the 2 HG at the place I usually assist (people hates to see their plans vexed by -or sometime even lose to- this "underwhelming" card).
"Magic Mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all? " (Recite this outloud, with feeling, as the mirror makes it's thing, for greater effect. It Works!)
Four N' Half thumbs Up For the Mirror.
Aquaela
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I've only seen this card used effectively TWICE. Once in a mill deck, once in a mono-red burn deck, both to refuel.
McThor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Bad. You live a few more turns, but your opponent already has a massive card advantage, and if they defeated you with you're previous set-up, the chances that you are going to lose again with exactly zero permanents in play is very low.
Zaneshift
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Best used in decks with either lots of suspended cards, decks that don't rely much on permanents, decks that use few lands, decks that like seven new cards, decks that have problems being milled, et cetera. So it works perfectly in a burn deck: to get that one last lightning bolt off, to buy time with 20 new life, or even just for more cards in hand. That and it distracts opponents, always fun. I think it's worth having one or two in burn at least.
Megrimage
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
might be good with
some good suspend cards including creatures
also could be good with pestilence allowing you to hit for as much mana as you can. it might be enough to kill the opponent but otherwise it would kill you too.
Johnald
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Works rather nicely in a deck built around salvage titan. where all you need is one or two turns to get out two of the titans to keep your ass covered.
Kloid
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
reset!!!!
can u kill me once again?
>: D
OpenSeasonNoobs
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ reddaemon,
Your life total becomes 20, so it's not gaining life, so you won't have them lose life.
Anyway, use this with Arc Blade and other suspend cards to buy yourself some time if you're going to lose. Not a card to build a deck around, but definitely are card that could help phasing/suspend decks.
Master-Crimson
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@OpenSeasonNoobs: check the rulings for the card. When your life total becomes something else, you either lose or gain the life needed to get there. So whatever reddaemon's plan was, it can still work.
Laguz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I used to think this card was amazing. Then I played with it. It's not very good at all.
I cast it, and it ended up activating, and I lost two turns later. Your opponent ends up with everything while you have nothing. Loss prevention is useless if you're practically guaranteed to lose anyway.
It is still extremely flavorful, and the art is amazing. Shame it was such a disappointment.
PhyrexianLobbiest
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
How about using it to let you survive your own Deathcloud?
nammertime
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Here's how to combo it in a contrived way (if you pull it off, you win three internets):
1. Play One with Nothing before the end of your opponent's turn.
2. Respond to that by Disenchanting your own Lich.
Lich leaves play, making you lose the game. The Lich's Mirror's effect is triggered and resolves, reshuffling everything in (the Oblivion Ring, having left play, has its second ability go on the stack), drawing you 7 cards and gaining you 20 life (from 0 with Lich). Barren Glory appears, then One with Nothing finally resolves. You win by your upkeep!
KikiJikiTiki
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I was so annoyed to get this as my first mythic rare... I still haven't ever used it. Unless your opponent is at about 5 life or has no lands in play, you're just screwed again, and if the former is the case, wouldn't a simple, common lava axe be better? Stick with your Platinum Angel.
Actually, there's some vintage player who figured out how to combo with lich's mirror. Use Channel to pay for lich's mirror, and then kill yourself by draining the rest of your life. Shuffle up, draw a new hand, draw more mana from the Channel and then finish off your opponent with a fireball, backed up with a couple of Force of wills.
The rest of the deck is mostly tutors to find the combo pieces (especially channel, since it's restricted), ways to protect itself, and stuff that fixes mana (like Chromatic star). Also, the mana base is made up almost entirely of 5-color lands.
for those interested in checking it out, here's the link: http://www.deckcheck.net/deck.php?id=29152
niceguygreensboro
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In response to Lich's Mirror's trigger, use some effect to flash a Sway of the Stars. Everyone resets to nothing and 7 life, you reset to nothing and 20 life!
thedeathscythe
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
realm razor. that way you at least keep your lands...you gotta hope you can recover with the hand you get, though. also, another reason sanguine bond wouldnt work (besides the stack) is because you arent gaining life, your life total is changing.
Nagoragama
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Does anyone else think of the old Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and its creepy art when they see the art to this card?
Least it lets you clean up the board before it ends. Saves you from someone calling on you wasting a 5 drop on this post-game.
luxma
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
All cards that make you loose or win or not wnning or loosing the game should be mythic, I think
Bazooka99
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Play this with Cultural Exchange. After exchanging creatures with your opponent and at some point losing the game, your opponent will lose all the creatures you gave him (since you are the owner). You'll still have control of the creatures your opponent owns, and they'll remain on the battlefield. And of course, you'll get seven cards and 20 life again on top of all that.
Really, though, any "exchange control" effects work great with this card. Might be fun to build a casual "creature trade" deck around this card, maybe with some Puca's Mischiefs and Bronze Bombshells.
__Silence__
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@reddaemon .. I found a combo Bazaar trader plus mindslaver plus this I just dissed my opponent xD
Azrael1911
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I used this in my commander deck with Arcum Dagsson. If i'm about to lose the game, i can actually search and put mirror into play at instant speed, and then proceed to UNLOSE the game.
NextSureThing
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Combos with Realm Razer and Immortal Coil. With all three on the board, you can lose the game at will, get all your lands back, 20 life, and a full hand. Don't see it being used as anything other than a failsafe/contengency plan, but still kinda cool.
Addendum: And someone already made mention of a similar combo. It's true, there are no new ideas.
Since this doesn't reset general damage in EDH, if you stole this from someone and got killed by general damage it would draw the game. The mirror wouldn't get shuffled in because it isn't yours and you'd perpetually try to lose the game.
@TheWrathOfShane you should take a look at Acquire.
ratchet1215
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Definitely isn't JUST an extra life. 20 life ain't much when you have no lands, no board, and an opponent who still has 7 power of creatures ready to rip your face off. Needs a combo. That said, it's a pretty awesome and fairly mythic-feeling effect. Fight on!
andoroth
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i love how this still doesn't really do anything against infect. still, it's fun to force my opponents to sac this, shuffle their library, draw seven cards, and then immediately lose the game
Myztical
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The Flavor deserves a 5/5.
ninjaman98
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(4 votes)
Did you realise the name of the artist is Ash Wood... What were her parent's thinking....
scumbling1
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(8 votes)
You can play it with Channel: pay five life for the mirror, then convert the rest of your life into mana. You turn Lich's Mirror into a draw-7 and an additional nineteen mana.
Of course, there are a lot of better things to be doing with Channel that don't involve Lich's Mirror.... I like the Gilded Drake combos better.
Hayw00d0909
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Absolutely love the flavor and mechanic of this card. I want so badly to make use of this in my Reanimator for the flavor and challenge of a truly EPIC comeback alone.
It would have been much better if it let you keep 3 or so lands on the table, or perhaps give you a life total of 30. Either way, its cards like this that break the rules of Magic and make me love the game again for all of the unique strategies that can unfold. This is probably my favorite Magic card in terms of flavor altogether, and for that I rate it a solid 5/5.
bijart_dauth
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
seems kind of useless. Save some sort of temporary exiling shinigans you now have absolutely nothing against there field. Unless your fighting a burn deck (or if you are a burn deck) and they or you had no board presence what so ever your probably about to loose.
Relvelor
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
This could be used well with Abyssal Persecutor. Use Persecutor to get them down 0 life. As soon as you die, he gets buried, causing you to win the game.
@bacnmaster: SBE's are only checked before someone gets priority. So, Lich's Mirror wouldn't replace the game-loss until after Ad Nauseam is done resolving.
Ferlord
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
It's a good card to have around my computer when I'm reading Memebase.
Next time i see "You Lost the Game", I'll just say, "F**K you! Lich's Mirror protects me!"
drpvfx
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Interesting mechanic, but I prefer the original Lich's Mirror- (Lich + Mirror Universe). I can't help but wonder if that combo inspired this card's name...
theNASM
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(7 votes)
The artist now goes by HIS full name, Ashley Wood and is the artist for the Metal Gear Solid franchise among other projects.
non1337
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This has to be a replacement effect, not a triggered ability. Losing the game is a state-based action. You cannot respond to it. There is nothing that can stop the effect once state-base actions are checked (that you lose the game due to whatever reason) as the effect works immediately.
lorendorky
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
When this was in standard I used it to mild success in a Valakut ramp deck since I could get up to 5 or 6 mana by turn 3.
starfox444
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(19 votes)
I'll get that Lich a mirror, Liches love mirrors.
Lord_of_Tresserhorn
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@non1337:
In that case, I strongly assume you can't Stifle/Trickbind this card.
I think the main reason for making this Mythic is that it's so horribly complicated in the niggly details that they didn't want to have too many floating around.
mynameis832
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
If I had this card, I would do this:
"hey, can I buy that emrakul you just summoned? I'll pay you twenty bucks."
"Sure!"
*dies by emrakul, is shuffled into my deck because I now own it*
"WHEEEEEE!!!"
Guest1381794618
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This art seriously reminds me of Stephen Gammell. If that name doesn't ring a bell to you, look it up. If you were a boy of a certain age, get ready for a flashback.
Evocative art, sorta meh card.
N3rf
★★★★☆ (5.0/5.0)(14 votes)
This card has a tricky, but awesome usage in multiplayer EDH. Try it with zedruu the greathearted. Any player about to lose the game? Donate them the mirror. The following will happen:
He will lose the game, but instead of losing the game, he will go to 20 and draw 7 cards. The mirror stays on the board under his control. Because the mirror is there, constantly resetting him when he dies, the player is unkillable untill you lose the game or the mirror is destroyed (or is returned to you). Then he starts back at turn 0, he will have nothing to defend himself with, causing everybody else on the board to simply smack him dead, resetting him again. At this point you can either let that be (acting as a powerful distraction while you build) or convince that player to help you out with whatever he draws. After all, if you lose the game, his permanent mirror will be gone and he will lose quickly after aswell.
You have just reanimated and enslaved a player.
Anything you donate to him afterwards, will be nearly unremovable. Try donating a powerful creature with a vow (vow of flightvow of duty) or somthing along the lines of wall of shards. "Yeah, you can not pay the upkeep, but what will you block with then? Ofcourse I'm the best target for the lifegain, since I'm the only thing that stands between you and utter annihilation"
Ofcourse this also works brilliantly in any coop multiplayer format, but thats not nearly as fun as taking a dying enemy, trapping his soul into a mirror and then ordering him around like a minion.
Lavrant
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Does it trigger if an event judge issues you a game loss while it's on the battlefield? :D
LordRandomness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Goes nicely in some styles of burn, where you can potentially finish them off turn 1 or 2 with your new hand.
Oh, and another trick: Anything you have under one of your own Oblivion Rings will pop out and be ready for use after death. Not particularly useful, but you could potentially stick another Mirror under there...
pedrodyl
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So many rulings just for this one card...
cptjack42
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@nerf: But what are the odds that in an edh game no one is going to get any artifact removal? Also, you're just going to come in second eventually anyway.
TwentyFifthBaam
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Play red and white. Get yourself down to low, low health with this out. The turn before you suspect you'll die, Balance. Then, on the stack, Lightning Bolt or something similar on yourself.
Totema
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Flavor reminds me of The Picture of Dorian Gray. But since it does nothing to stop your opponent, who already had such an advantage that he beat you, it might not do much in most games. Maybe against things that rely on small amounts of damage, but otherwise you're really only buying another turn or two.
@N3rf The only thing about that is that it says; shuffle all permanents "you own" not "you control".
GrayWizard
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(1 vote)
@iHARBiNG3R, well there goes my box of junk commons, and my trade binder, and my land collection, and my...
psychichobo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@iHARBiNG3R: That's the point. That player can never truly die, since the mirror will always be on the field under their control.
@N3rf: That's.... the most evil thing I've ever heard....
A_Real_Travesty
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Occasionally suspend a Restore Balance while the mirror is out to buy yourself some time. If no one wants to waste removal on the mirror, then they can't risk killing you or else they lose everything when Restore Balance resolves. Even better if you have a Pact of Negation at the ready for any attempts to remove the Mirror or counter Restore Balance.
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Probably best in straight Burn or RDW Why? When you plop this and lose on your T5 (which is often too late for those decks anyway) you start off with castable spells and quickly burn through your hand again.
Actually, it seems much more better with epic spell. It may allow you keeping alive and copying something like Neverending torment.
Earthdawn
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Ferlord: Haha, awesome :)
SyntheticDreamer
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
How to be evil in a multiplayer game:
1) Suspend Worldfire and this with Jhoira of the Ghitu. 2) Next turn, suspend Gut Shot with Jhoira. 3) The triggered abilities allowing you to cast Worldfire and Lich's Mirror from exile trigger. Choose to cast Worldfire first, then cast this. 4) Next turn, Gut Shot gets cast from exile. Target yourself.
All your opponents have no hands, graveyards, or permanents and are at 1. You're at 20 with a fresh hand of 7 cards. Proceed to cackle maniacally.
Lord_of_Gelectrodes
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ferlord Don't forget that you would need an R&D's secret lair
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I could see some use in RDW if everything in your deck costs 1-2 mana.
Kura-san
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@N3RF
What happens if he has 10 Poison counters? Do they get removed when he loses, or do they stay and create an infinite loop?
Enelysios
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Kura-san: If the player would lose due to poison or commander damage, then the game ends in a draw due to an involuntary infinite loop. Because these are state based actions, this cannot be responded to by any player trying to say shatter the mirror.
Bongodwarfcleric
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Evil combo: Rain of gore+Donate+This Kill them by damage, lichs mirror triggers for them, causing them to gain 20 life. (Its gain, read the rulings) Instead of gaining life they lose 20 putting them at -20 (If you put them at exactly 0), Lichs mirror triggers, they lose 20 and it just loops forever causing the game to be a draw.
ICEFANG13
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ Enelysios and @ Kura-san
That's not true, if you would lose the game after you did the effects of Lich's Mirror, then you lose. Lich's Mirror is shuffled into your deck so there is nothing to stop you from losing 'again'. There are rules written on this card that describes it.
"As part of Lich's Mirror's effect, it typically shuffles itself into your library. If it does, that means that if you'd lose the game *again* immediately after its effect is finished, it can't help you a second time. This can occur in a few different ways. For example: -- You have ten or more poison counters. Lich's Mirror doesn't remove poison counters. If you'd lose the game this way, you'll do what Lich's Mirror says, then you'll lose the game the next time state-based actions are checked. -- Your life total is 0 or less and an effect says that you can't gain life. Since your life total can't be raised, it stays at whatever it is rather than becoming 20, and you'll lose the game the next time state-based actions are checked. -- The number of nontoken permanents you own plus the number of cards in your hand, graveyard, and library is less than seven. When you try to draw seven cards as part of Lich's Mirror's effect, you'll be unable to complete at least one of those draws and you'll lose the game the next time state-based actions are checked. -- You control *but don't own* a permanent such as Immortal Coil with a triggered ability that causes you to lose the game when a certain game state happens (also known as a "state trigger"), and the condition that causes the "lose the game" ability to trigger hasn't changed. If you owned the permanent, Lich's Mirror would shuffle it into your library. In this case, however, it remains on the battlefield and its ability will trigger again."
Comments (98)
I agree it shouldn't be Mythic, or it should allow you to keep your lands.
http://magiclampoon.com/blog/2009/07/18/standoff-in-honolulu/
If you are running Blue and Red, you could use Jhoira of the Ghitu to suspend what you want to come into play, then mana burn to die right before hand. It might also buy you enough time to let that Sway of the Stars hit, then your Darksteel Colossus a turn later.
Possibly you didn't notice yet, but:
1. Only permanents you own are affected.
2. The Exiled Zone is unaffected.
3. Phased-out cards are unaffected.
That means every permanent you control yet don't own is unaffected by this card, delayed flicker-effects can be used to save your goodies, suspended cards still resolve.
That being said, you see building up your side a second time when done correctly can be a lot easier then it might appear to be.
Changing control of cards is especially useful, since you'll also shuffle the cards you gave your oppont back into your library.
Cards that enable exchanges are Avarice Totem, Chromeshell Crab, Confusion in the Ranks, Cultural Exchange, Gilded Drake, Juxtapose, Legerdemain, Phyrexian Infiltrator, Puca's Mischief, Spawnbroker, Political Trickery, Shifting Borders and Vedalken Plotter.
The three latter cards are especially useful with these cards, since you'll have an easy time continuing the game with seven new cards in hand if you are able to keep a bunch of lands from your opponents on your side.
Jinxed artifact should also work good with this card since you'll likely survive the life-loss for a longer period of time than your opponent does.
Giving your opponent Sleeper Agent should do fine for similar reasons.
Some repeatedly control-changing cards shold work nice as well, especially Sokenzan Renegade since you'll certainly get him after the mirror's effect with seven cards in hand.
Activating Starke of Rath's ability before the trigger resolves is also useful.
Now let's talk about cards using the exiled zone.
Be careful mixing those with control-changing cards, since they will always return the card under the owner's control.
Ghostway and Planar Guide can save all of your creatures (plus trigger their cip/etb effect, and keep tokens removed),
Parallax Tide can save up to five of your lands - making it probably one of the most useful cards with Lich's Mirror!
Realm Razer can save your entire lands as well, yet this card is harder to get out.
Wormfang Turtle and Wormfang Newt can save a single land.
Parallax Wave can save up to five creatures - and of course can also find use against your opponent.
Portcullis might also be handy,
Anurid Brushhopper can be saved easily,
Saltskitter can be saved as well if a creature was played,
Any creature that can champion another one will return it, which makes such cards also very appealing.
Flickerwisp, Galepowder Mage, Oblivion Ring, Icy Prison and Faceless Butcher work as well, although you might just use them against your opponen if you're not ging to die soon,
Grixis Slavedriver provides a 2/2 Zombie token,
Wormfang Crab can harm your opponent,
Worldgorger Dragon again can do a great job to return all of your permanents, effectively using the mirror without drawback! Unfortunately you can only play him in Vintage, and you'll probably have a hard time building a good-working deck around those cards.
Using Pacts or Final Fortune will be worth using as well for two reasons - you'll effectively get the card's effect without drawback, and this enables timing of the mirror's effect, so you won't be dependant on your opponent of "killing" you.
Make sure to include fetchlands, such as Polluted Delta as well, because this will allow you to put a land into play right after the mirror's effect resolved, given that you can kill yourself with or after activating their effect.
That mean's you'll have a land for each fetch-land you activated, plus those you took from your opponent, plus those you exiled, plus one you can play afterwards from your hand.
This card should also be useful in removal decks in general, since your opponent won't have much out to harm you.
But make sure that he/she doesn't run Brooding Saurian, shatters the mirror or stiftles its trigger, otherwise you're pretty much dead ;)
Btw, did you know your comment can't have more than 5000 characters? LOL!
1. Cast Sanguine Bond
2. Oblivion Ring it out
3. Cast Lich's Mirror
4. Get below 0 life ASAP to win.
What happens?
Since you drop below 0 life the Mirror resolves and you shuffle it and all permanents you own into your library, but the leaving Oblivion Ring will bring back the Sanguine Bond and when you're set to 20 life, the lifegain will make your opponent lose 20 life. :)
For your life total to become 20, you actually gain or lose the necessary amount of life. Keep in mind that you may have a negative life total when this happens. For example, if your life total is -4 when you would lose the game, Lich's Mirror's effect will cause you to gain 24 life. Other cards that interact with life gain or life loss will interact with this effect accordingly.
mmm....red milling
"Magic Mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all? " (Recite this outloud, with feeling, as the mirror makes it's thing, for greater effect. It Works!)
Four N' Half thumbs Up For the Mirror.
So it works perfectly in a burn deck: to get that one last lightning bolt off, to buy time with 20 new life, or even just for more cards in hand. That and it distracts opponents, always fun. I think it's worth having one or two in burn at least.
some good suspend cards including creatures
also could be good with pestilence allowing you to hit for as much mana as you can. it might be enough to kill the opponent but otherwise it would kill you too.
can u kill me once again?
>: D
Your life total becomes 20, so it's not gaining life, so you won't have them lose life.
Anyway, use this with Arc Blade and other suspend cards to buy yourself some time if you're going to lose. Not a card to build a deck around, but definitely are card that could help phasing/suspend decks.
check the rulings for the card. When your life total becomes something else, you either lose or gain the life needed to get there. So whatever reddaemon's plan was, it can still work.
I cast it, and it ended up activating, and I lost two turns later. Your opponent ends up with everything while you have nothing. Loss prevention is useless if you're practically guaranteed to lose anyway.
It is still extremely flavorful, and the art is amazing. Shame it was such a disappointment.
a. Have Lich's Mirror and a Lich or Nefarious Lich in play (woo, flavor!).
b. Have an Oblivion Ring played on your own Barren Glory.
c. Have One with Nothing and Disenchant in your hand.
Here's how it goes:
1. Play One with Nothing before the end of your opponent's turn.
2. Respond to that by Disenchanting your own Lich.
Lich leaves play, making you lose the game. The Lich's Mirror's effect is triggered and resolves, reshuffling everything in (the Oblivion Ring, having left play, has its second ability go on the stack), drawing you 7 cards and gaining you 20 life (from 0 with Lich). Barren Glory appears, then One with Nothing finally resolves. You win by your upkeep!
Use Channel to pay for lich's mirror, and then kill yourself by draining the rest of your life. Shuffle up, draw a new hand, draw more mana from the Channel and then finish off your opponent with a fireball, backed up with a couple of Force of wills.
The rest of the deck is mostly tutors to find the combo pieces (especially channel, since it's restricted), ways to protect itself, and stuff that fixes mana (like Chromatic star).
Also, the mana base is made up almost entirely of 5-color lands.
for those interested in checking it out, here's the link: http://www.deckcheck.net/deck.php?id=29152
Really, though, any "exchange control" effects work great with this card. Might be fun to build a casual "creature trade" deck around this card, maybe with some Puca's Mischiefs and Bronze Bombshells.
If i'm about to lose the game, i can actually search and put mirror into play at instant speed, and then proceed to UNLOSE the game.
Addendum: And someone already made mention of a similar combo. It's true, there are no new ideas.
@TheWrathOfShane you should take a look at Acquire.
Of course, there are a lot of better things to be doing with Channel that don't involve Lich's Mirror.... I like the Gilded Drake combos better.
It would have been much better if it let you keep 3 or so lands on the table, or perhaps give you a life total of 30. Either way, its cards like this that break the rules of Magic and make me love the game again for all of the unique strategies that can unfold. This is probably my favorite Magic card in terms of flavor altogether, and for that I rate it a solid 5/5.
Next time i see "You Lost the Game", I'll just say, "F**K you! Lich's Mirror protects me!"
(Lich + Mirror Universe).
I can't help but wonder if that combo inspired this card's name...
In that case, I strongly assume you can't Stifle/Trickbind this card.
I think the main reason for making this Mythic is that it's so horribly complicated in the niggly details that they didn't want to have too many floating around.
"hey, can I buy that emrakul you just summoned? I'll pay you twenty bucks."
"Sure!"
*dies by emrakul, is shuffled into my deck because I now own it*
"WHEEEEEE!!!"
Evocative art, sorta meh card.
He will lose the game, but instead of losing the game, he will go to 20 and draw 7 cards. The mirror stays on the board under his control.
Because the mirror is there, constantly resetting him when he dies, the player is unkillable untill you lose the game or the mirror is destroyed (or is returned to you).
Then he starts back at turn 0, he will have nothing to defend himself with, causing everybody else on the board to simply smack him dead, resetting him again.
At this point you can either let that be (acting as a powerful distraction while you build) or convince that player to help you out with whatever he draws. After all, if you lose the game, his permanent mirror will be gone and he will lose quickly after aswell.
You have just reanimated and enslaved a player.
Anything you donate to him afterwards, will be nearly unremovable. Try donating a powerful creature with a vow (vow of flight vow of duty) or somthing along the lines of wall of shards.
"Yeah, you can not pay the upkeep, but what will you block with then? Ofcourse I'm the best target for the lifegain, since I'm the only thing that stands between you and utter annihilation"
Ofcourse this also works brilliantly in any coop multiplayer format, but thats not nearly as fun as taking a dying enemy, trapping his soul into a mirror and then ordering him around like a minion.
Oh, and another trick: Anything you have under one of your own Oblivion Rings will pop out and be ready for use after death. Not particularly useful, but you could potentially stick another Mirror under there...
That, dear sir, was amazing.
Detention Sphere
Oblivion Ring
Then Infinite Reflection either
Wormfang Crab
or
Wormfang Turtle
OR just exile Synod Sanctum with Oblivion Ring after grabbing the permanents you want.
And yeah N3rf, beautiful.
@N3rf: That's.... the most evil thing I've ever heard....
Why? When you plop this and lose on your T5 (which is often too late for those decks anyway) you start off with castable spells and quickly burn through your hand again.
Perfect way to get yourself low safely? Immolating Souleater.
It may allow you keeping alive and copying something like Neverending torment.
1) Suspend Worldfire and this with Jhoira of the Ghitu.
2) Next turn, suspend Gut Shot with Jhoira.
3) The triggered abilities allowing you to cast Worldfire and Lich's Mirror from exile trigger. Choose to cast Worldfire first, then cast this.
4) Next turn, Gut Shot gets cast from exile. Target yourself.
All your opponents have no hands, graveyards, or permanents and are at 1. You're at 20 with a fresh hand of 7 cards. Proceed to cackle maniacally.
Don't forget that you would need an R&D's secret lair
What happens if he has 10 Poison counters? Do they get removed when he loses, or do they stay and create an infinite loop?
Kill them by damage, lichs mirror triggers for them, causing them to gain 20 life. (Its gain, read the rulings) Instead of gaining life they lose 20 putting them at -20 (If you put them at exactly 0), Lichs mirror triggers, they lose 20 and it just loops forever causing the game to be a draw.
That's not true, if you would lose the game after you did the effects of Lich's Mirror, then you lose. Lich's Mirror is shuffled into your deck so there is nothing to stop you from losing 'again'. There are rules written on this card that describes it.
"As part of Lich's Mirror's effect, it typically shuffles itself into your library. If it does, that means that if you'd lose the game *again* immediately after its effect is finished, it can't help you a second time. This can occur in a few different ways. For example: -- You have ten or more poison counters. Lich's Mirror doesn't remove poison counters. If you'd lose the game this way, you'll do what Lich's Mirror says, then you'll lose the game the next time state-based actions are checked. -- Your life total is 0 or less and an effect says that you can't gain life. Since your life total can't be raised, it stays at whatever it is rather than becoming 20, and you'll lose the game the next time state-based actions are checked. -- The number of nontoken permanents you own plus the number of cards in your hand, graveyard, and library is less than seven. When you try to draw seven cards as part of Lich's Mirror's effect, you'll be unable to complete at least one of those draws and you'll lose the game the next time state-based actions are checked. -- You control *but don't own* a permanent such as Immortal Coil with a triggered ability that causes you to lose the game when a certain game state happens (also known as a "state trigger"), and the condition that causes the "lose the game" ability to trigger hasn't changed. If you owned the permanent, Lich's Mirror would shuffle it into your library. In this case, however, it remains on the battlefield and its ability will trigger again."