Pointed Discussion

you probably get the effect at least once, maybe twice but the tempo loss is huge and this thing is expensive for the effect

might ensure survival late game for control.

Not worth the cost at all. For life gain u can use quiet disrepair or something. The second effect is ok though.

I would run 4 in a deck, need a way of concealing it, shroud or protection

i think 2 life each turn is good ,and later u can control your draw witch is good also,and dont`t forget u can always lose some life to kill an opponent

This card provides 3 essential basics for any control deck...problem is there are a lot more efficient ways of getting them 3.5/5

2nd ability is good, actually. I had one of these in draft and was quite disappointed though.

None of the abilities is worth 4 mana and three different colors.

Can I have one during EACH players upkeep? Because then you've got me. Not exactly powerful enough for my paradox haze deck (which isn't, itself, very powerful).

Well hold on people, consider spiteful visions is the same card (almost) and that costs 4, and underworld dreams is 3 in all black, so its actually pretty comparable and still works with cards that need black/white/blue or an artifact permanent. Multiples of these also stack, and you can use the three abilities for different decks such as the life gain for cradle of vitality, the library manipulation with reanimator decks and dredge or a cascade deck that wants to fix their draw steps, and the opponent life loss can be combined with underworld dreams, kederekt parasite, spiteful visions, and forced fruition, or bloodchief ascension. In essence its overcosted if it stands alone without any context, but like obelisk of alara is an extremely nice combo piece.. problem is you have to be playing the combo to make any use of it. Another fun one is use with mishra, you put two into play at the same time, regaining 4 life, moving 2 cards, or doing 2 damage a turn.

hm, honestly, i like this card; the 2nd ability proved helpful in general, whereas the 1st ability helps me ensure survival sometimes, but the 3rd ability, im not a big fan of...i wud never play this turn 4 though...maybe later, when i can have enough mana left over to cast/bluff a(n) Countersquall, Essence Scatter, or even Punish Ignorance

if this was just 3cmc; WUB itd be so much more playable

This is one of those cards that in the wrong deck, is really ineffective. However, in a deck with Mycosynth Lattice and Darksteel Forge, it can yield some serious results, espically combined with Master Transmuter or Tinker ...and thanks to one of it's abilities, Reconstruction.

It would be beautiful if it just cost a bit less.

It would be quite nice in multiplayer.

In EDH that can really start to add up. In Sharuum EDH you can ditch an Inkwell Leviathan, Sphinx of the Steel Wind, or Darksteel Forge into the graveyard.

I want this.

Pricey, but I'm trying to make it work with Zur's Weirding. As long as you have good board position, the combo effectively cancels your opponent's draw step indefinitely.

The new commander for esper in commander 2013 does all three abilities, one becomes a draw, better that this could have dreamed. Gain 2 life and for the price of 1mana draw one and drain one. Oloro rocks