Helm of Obedience forms a two card 'infinite mill' Combo with Leyline of the Void. If you activate Helm with LotV in play, it causes all of the cards in that target opponents' library to be removed from the game. Then, when your opponent is next forced to draw a card they will lose the game.
Titobaube
★★☆☆☆ (2.3/5.0)(3 votes)
No because the cards aren't put in the graveyard, so the event of "a creature card going to the graveyard" never happens (Nor X cards) So yeah, it's a infinite milling... But does it create an infinite loop which cause the games to be a tie? or does it stop, so your opponent can actually loose by not being able to draw a card?
AlphaNumerical
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(5 votes)
It does work, and they will lose the next time they draw a card.
It is like Painter/Grindstone; the loop ends when they have no cards in library as there is nothing to keep the loop strictly infinite and force a tie.
xStrikerx
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(4 votes)
Wheel of Sun and Moon would cause an infinite loop since it replaces going to the graveyard to the bottom of that person's library. Would be funny to see.
bhunji42
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I liked stealing creatures and milling with this when it first came out...
Tanaka348
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Also see Thought Dissector for artifacts, though it doesn't have the goofy "old card" wording that allows the silly infinite mill.
mtmills
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Yeah, I was wrong on this one. Easy infinite mill.
SIlverSkyz
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
10/1/2008 If an effect like that of Leyline of the Void prevents cards from being put into your opponent's graveyard, the process described in the first sentence of Helm of Obedience's effect will never stop. Your opponent's entire library will be exiled, even if X is 1.
Sad when even the Gatherer knows they made a broken combo.
Andon_A
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
It stops when there are no more cards to mill with Leyline of the Void.
It's dreadfully easy to hit multiple people with it as well, since you can use things such as Voltaic Key to untap it and then just pay 1 more to infinity-mill someone else... It just isn't nice.
high_tide_niv
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i thought it was broken in my deck using academy ruins and stealing every creature in my opponents deck
Dr.Pingas
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I would re-word it to avoid the lame mill-tricks. Make it so it reveals the cards, not sends them to the grave, so LotV would be irrelevent.
Why though, wouldn't it cause a forced tie? X cards never hit the grave, neither does a creature, and it's not a may ability. I guess it makes sense that it'd stop, or you could cause an easy tie by making X more cards than they have currently, assuming no creatures are left in they're deck, but I find this card rediculous otherwise.
At least ban it in EDH, the only format I've seen it hit play in. Painter's Servent got the ban for the same reason.
It may not be the most powerful card ever printed, but it's a blast to use. And it can *ruin* creatureless decks.
Thought Dissector is an interesting twist on this, but nowhere near as useful, IMO.
igniteice
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(2 votes)
With Leyline of the Void, this is a really good way to get people to not play against you. And surely that's the driving force behind Magic.
Radagast
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Fun when used to steal a creature, stupid when used in the "Gee, look, I win!" combo with Leyline of the Void. A great way to be sure you don't have any Commander opponents in the future.
shotoku64
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
She looks like Chell from Portal, so now my playgroup has begun to call this card GLaDOS.
MANABURNWASGOOD
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Wow, just wow. I started playing the game back in 1997 or so. this card was around, and played in my circle, but it wasn't a huge threat. if you were lucky you could walk away with a morphling or something.
Leyline of the void, just wow. this card went from totally useless to a combo win condition.
C5r1a5z0y
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@xStrikerx: Wheel of Sun and Moon won't prevent anything, since the opponent has the option of which way to order the two replacement effects (since they're acting on their card). Eventually the opponent has to choose to let the milling finish, one card at a time.
drp527
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@C5r1a5z0y Actually he's correct, Wheel of Sun and Moon is a replacement effect while the Helm of Obedience's effect is a trigger dependent on the card actually going to the graveyard. As Wheel is replacing that event before it ever happens, the Helm's trigger can never go off and as such the opponent's deck would cycle infinitely unless someone had enchantment destruction.
Even without the leyline of the void this card is great if your playing someone with no creatures in there deck like a burn deck
ThinkOriginal
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Gotta love when the rulings say, "Hey, try this combo!"
Technetium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is a classic favorite card of mine. I used to steal my brother's mahamoti djinns and shivan dragons with it. Apparently it's now part of a degenerate combo. Nice.
wpnmstr22
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Really don't see how this is so good. at best, you get a random creature, and worst yyou immediately get some crap 1-drop. sure you can infinite mill with a leyline of the void or rest in peace, but those are fragile cards that are easily answered. seems fairly situational to me, and every time I've had to play against this, they either mill me of cards I don't need at the time, or get a one drop that would've been a dead draw at that point.
Comments (24)
It is like Painter/Grindstone; the loop ends when they have no cards in library as there is nothing to keep the loop strictly infinite and force a tie.
Sad when even the Gatherer knows they made a broken combo.
It's dreadfully easy to hit multiple people with it as well, since you can use things such as Voltaic Key to untap it and then just pay 1 more to infinity-mill someone else... It just isn't nice.
Why though, wouldn't it cause a forced tie? X cards never hit the grave, neither does a creature, and it's not a may ability. I guess it makes sense that it'd stop, or you could cause an easy tie by making X more cards than they have currently, assuming no creatures are left in they're deck, but I find this card rediculous otherwise.
At least ban it in EDH, the only format I've seen it hit play in. Painter's Servent got the ban for the same reason.
it's up there with Mirror Universe, Panoptic Mirror, and Mindslaver in terms of fun value for me.
It may not be the most powerful card ever printed, but it's a blast to use.
And it can *ruin* creatureless decks.
Thought Dissector is an interesting twist on this,
but nowhere near as useful, IMO.
Leyline of the void, just wow. this card went from totally useless to a combo win condition.