I don't know why this card is rated so low, isn't this a super card?
LogicaLInsanity
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(3 votes)
I happen to love this card. It has saved my arse so many times.
DFG_Danger
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I don't know why it's rated so low either. So cool!
thaviel
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(8 votes)
i'll let you guys know why it's rated low. 1. it's life gain in casual play life gain is awesome for the elites jerks on this site "this is a card i have to play to 'not get closer to winning!?'" 2. it's 8 mana in casual yea cool 8mana card bro, for competitive play 8mana should downright get you close to winning 3. some people probably low rated out of spite because they lost there advantage when there friend played this
Outstanding card, even when drawn late, you still have more to gain than most life gaining cards offer.
theelk801
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(4 votes)
The problem with this card is that there's no life gain, only a life change, which prevents comboing with Sanguine Bond or something.
BenFinkel
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(8 votes)
@theelk801 -
Not true, this card DOES cause a health gain or loss. See official rules #117.5: If an effect sets a player’s life total to a specific number, the player gains or loses the necessary amount of life to end up with the new total.
Makes Ajani's avatar beef. Just, its too bad with cards like Traumatize and Mind Funeral that ruin people's fun by milling instead of killing. But if you play Battle of Wits then play this too!
Gaussgoat
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(5 votes)
Ummmm... Elder Dragon Highlander? Sure, it only comes up once in a while, but you'll probably have the mana and the need for it, lol.
The cost is pretty brutal for regular play, and there are easier ways to gain a whole mess of life.
Now, don't get me wrong, this card is fun and encourages a unique playstyle. However what it also does is take far too long to play and have too many out-of-game variables. How long will it take you to count your deck? How will you do this without looking at it, changing the order, or showing your opponent? how does your opp. make sure you counted correctly? Do they count the deck without looking or changing the order? None of these things have any bearing on the strategy of the game, but can easily disrupt play. Traumatize falls into the same pit, as does Shahrazad.
2.5 for fun value.
AngelxLegna
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is too much fun in commander or any other large casual deck. Always love casting this when I'm under 10 life.
This is the only card in the game that explicitly tells you to count the number of cards in your library. (Even Battle of Wits lets you fudge it when appropriate, so if you only had 142 cards last upkeep you can't justifiably recount next upkeep.)
If you want to slow a game down to a crawl and pressure the opponent to concede, imprint this on Spellweaver Helix along with Mystic Speculation and then play a buyback'd Mystic Speculation as many times as possible. "Forty-one, forty-two... hold on... I lost count again..."
Evil.
Magnor_Criol
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's the only one that explicitly tells you to count the cards in your library, but Traumatize forces you to do so as well.
sarroth
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@BonniePrinceCharlie: I suppose you also hate cards made specifically for Limited, or for Standard Constructed? How about ones that are made for Timmes, or Johnnies, or Spikes? With hundreds of cards in each set, I think people need to get over the fact that a good number of them aren't going to be made with them as the target audience.
Yes, this is great in EDH/Commander, provided you can protect yourself from the commander damage aspect of the format. I myself like attacking with Rafiq of the Many with a Protective Bubble on him, so your 80ish life doesn't mean much when I only need to deal 21 damage to you.
That said, I still like the card. Interesting how it encourages newer players to shy away from the optimal 60 card builds, though, as their inner Timmies start seeing huge life total numbers dancing in their heads. As great as that could be, Magical Christmasland doesn't happen all that often in this game.
MTGFreak
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Sure your life total might be 80+.... I'd like to meet my 21 general damage to the face!
Mike-C
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@ Kryptnyt: Milling IS killing. As is Poison. It's not always brute force, just like life. If you get stung by a nest of honey bees, you might survive but 10 stings from the venom of killer bees can take your life. Like brain damage is to milling, too many drugs, you run through your "library" and have nothing else to do but sit there w/a dumb look on your face, game over. lol. I think the other elements added to win or kill your opponent in today's MTG is AWESOME. Makes the game more interesting, no? And let's be honest.. Half (or likely more) of today's mages would b**ch w/o the added "twists" of the game. See my posting for Griffin Guide for more on THAT topic ;)
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
When you're done counting, you will suddenly find yourself surrounded by an army of Cheatyfaces.
Existential
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
" Count the total.... Your life becomes that number...".
And what if I... were to miscount? It doesn't say, "You life total becomes equal to the cards in your library", which would leave room for correction. Since you count it, that leaves no room for correction, and a lot of room for loopholes. I'm probably wrong, but is there concrete proof of me being wrong? Because, if I were to be... correct... this would be one of the best cards in all of magic. Yes, Necropotence is banned, but Ad Nauseam is not, and there is a multitude of cards to go back into your deck.
I love loopholes.
Lifegainwithbite
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Igniteice: Basic maths. If your opponent is running a 500 card deck, they have an extremely small chance of ever drawing this card, even if they run four. Your argument is ridiculous because that person could go 100 games and never draw it. Plus there are other ways to win the game, even if your opponent has 500 life or you could just deal damage over and over. Don't be so mad because you had it used against you by someone with a big deck once.
igniteice
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
An absolutely ridiculous card to play against. Takes all of the fun out of playing against someone when they are running a 500+ card deck and they play this. Should be banned in any game that allows more than 60 cards in a deck.
@Lifegainwithbite If your opponent is running a 500 card deck, they have an extremely small chance of ever drawing this card, even if they run four. Your argument is ridiculous because that person could go 100 games and never draw it.
You're right. There is no possible way they could tutor this. It's not like they could play any of these cards to find it:
They'll obviously have to wait and just draw the card.
Deaderpool
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Someone mentioned Battle of Wits. Battle of Wits, Elixir of Life, some tutors, this. There's a deck in there somewhere.
Mosstone
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this + hive mind? wtf happens in a double-headed giant game?
MechaKraken
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A funny counter to this card could be Soul Conduit. I know its a long shot, but the scenario could present itself if the opponent did have 12 mana lying around, such as in a mid/late game edh match. Ironically enough, edh would be one of the best formats to use this card in.
MasterOfParadox
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"Count the number of cards in your library." But what if I don't WANT to count? What if I KNOW the number of cards in my deck? Do I HAVE to count? Y'know, pick up my deck and LITERALLY count "one, two, three..."
Comments (30)
1. it's life gain in casual play life gain is awesome for the elites jerks on this site "this is a card i have to play to 'not get closer to winning!?'"
2. it's 8 mana in casual yea cool 8mana card bro, for competitive play 8mana should downright get you close to winning
3. some people probably low rated out of spite because they lost there advantage when there friend played this
4.
I Reverse the sands after my friend played this :)
Not true, this card DOES cause a health gain or loss. See official rules #117.5: If an effect sets a player’s life total to a specific number, the player gains or loses the necessary amount of life to end up with the new total.
http://www.wizards.com/magic/comprules/MagicCompRules_20090708.pdf
The cost is pretty brutal for regular play, and there are easier ways to gain a whole mess of life.
2/5
Now, don't get me wrong, this card is fun and encourages a unique playstyle. However what it also does is take far too long to play and have too many out-of-game variables. How long will it take you to count your deck? How will you do this without looking at it, changing the order, or showing your opponent? how does your opp. make sure you counted correctly? Do they count the deck without looking or changing the order? None of these things have any bearing on the strategy of the game, but can easily disrupt play. Traumatize falls into the same pit, as does Shahrazad.
2.5 for fun value.
I AM INVINCIBLE!
If you want to slow a game down to a crawl and pressure the opponent to concede, imprint this on Spellweaver Helix along with Mystic Speculation and then play a buyback'd Mystic Speculation as many times as possible. "Forty-one, forty-two... hold on... I lost count again..."
Evil.
Yes, this is great in EDH/Commander, provided you can protect yourself from the commander damage aspect of the format. I myself like attacking with Rafiq of the Many with a Protective Bubble on him, so your 80ish life doesn't mean much when I only need to deal 21 damage to you.
That said, I still like the card. Interesting how it encourages newer players to shy away from the optimal 60 card builds, though, as their inner Timmies start seeing huge life total numbers dancing in their heads. As great as that could be, Magical Christmasland doesn't happen all that often in this game.
And what if I... were to miscount? It doesn't say, "You life total becomes equal to the cards in your library", which would leave room for correction. Since you count it, that leaves no room for correction, and a lot of room for loopholes. I'm probably wrong, but is there concrete proof of me being wrong? Because, if I were to be... correct... this would be one of the best cards in all of magic. Yes, Necropotence is banned, but Ad Nauseam is not, and there is a multitude of cards to go back into your deck.
I love loopholes.
@Lifegainwithbite
If your opponent is running a 500 card deck, they have an extremely small chance of ever drawing this card, even if they run four. Your argument is ridiculous because that person could go 100 games and never draw it.
You're right. There is no possible way they could tutor this. It's not like they could play any of these cards to find it:
>Demonic Tutor
>Mystical Tutor
>Grim Tutor
>Diabolic Tutor
>Personal Tutor
>Vampiric Tutor
>Imperial Seal
>Increasing Ambition
>Diabolic Revelation
>Cruel Tutor
They'll obviously have to wait and just draw the card.
Battle of Wits, Elixir of Life, some tutors, this. There's a deck in there somewhere.
But what if I don't WANT to count? What if I KNOW the number of cards in my deck? Do I HAVE to count? Y'know, pick up my deck and LITERALLY count "one, two, three..."