Boggart Forager or even Soldier of Fortune is just HILARIOUS with this card! Sacrifice Boggart, shuffle their library, +1/+1 on your Trickster. Soldier of Fortune? Pay one red, tap get another +1/+1. A 3/3 creature on your 2nd turn? Or even a 4/4 on your third. Also, it makes those Terramorphic Expanses a little trickier to sac, unless they do something fast about this card. A;so, try making them suffer even MORE by putting an Archive Trap for searching their libraries. Tisk-tisk...
Good Against: Rebels, Fetchland, Specific Card Cycling, Tutors, effects like Ponder, anti-rezz effects like Progenitus
Hurt by: Mindlock Orb (Although mindlock is a good card to include in this type of deck to stop things like your own Path to Exiles.
Latronis
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
I'm particularly fond of the idea of using this with Roo***er Thief since neither is a particularly bad choice for using in an aggressive merfolk deck alone
much <3
zpikduM
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
With the amount of Fetch Lands in Zendikar, this becomes a great standard card with all the jund decks lying around.
JaxsonBateman
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(4 votes)
Good in theory, bad in reality. It's just like Scute Mob - you can ignore it until it becomes deadly, then you can just spot remove it with a Terminate/Doom Blade/Path etc. The only consolation is that this is blue, so you may have a counterspell of some sort lying around.
I often use a Jund deck myself, and usually you only fetch lands up to 4 times in a game - and very rarely all 4 (Verdant Catacombs). Most of the time you might do it once, maybe twice, and then just use the other multilands + Garruk to fulfill your mana costs. In theory, it could do very well against RW Bushwhacker which is usually using 12 fetches atm, but again - one Path to Exile, and all that boosting has gone to waste.
BelloAbril
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(3 votes)
This is not worth it's rarity, it will hardly be a 3/3 or 4/4 and even then you had wasted your turn one drop, maybe if the ZEN block adds some good merfolk it will be playable in standard or block but i dont see tournament material here even if that is the case.
PaladinOfSunhome
★★☆☆☆ (2.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Very handy, mostly in Zendikar since your opponat will be seaching their deck alot.
3.5
Gezus82
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(4 votes)
this is hilarious, there are now more rare merfolk in standard then either common or uncommon.
WER386
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(4 votes)
The point of this thing is FORCING your foe to shuffle his/her library; set up this in turn 1, throw a Sadistic Sacrament on turn 3-4, a Thought Hemorrhage on turn 4-5, a couple Path to Exile to random puppets and, if its still wandering around, your first turn drop is now a 4/4. True: Terminate/Doom Blade/Path to Exile and you just wasted your first turn. now in standard, name 3 cards which are 4/4 in turn 5 and cost one mana.
Omenchild
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
also, name a card thats useable in standard besides the sphinx of jaar isle that doesnt get whacked by maelstrum pulse and terminate. thats what the standard metagame is ALL about, killin shiz with spells. at least with jund
Swiftgamer18
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(2 votes)
This should read... "whenever an opponent shuffles his or her library, you may draw a card." Since when did blue care about beatdowns?
aboynamedcrow
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Not the greatest card, but it's very useful in a wizard deck. Couple 4 Cosi's Tickster with 4 Extract, and you're not only putting a counter on Cosi, but also exiling a card from an opponents library. With Sigil Tracer, you can copy it.
A3Kitsune
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Multiplayer!
Tommy9898
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(3 votes)
So you could make a deck that forces the player to search a lot but then they just kill the creature and your deck does nothing, oooooorr, you could make them think your deck needs it so they waste a removal on it. This guy makes a great decoy and if they are running fetch lands, harrows, and expanses, then even better.
Even if you have no combo in your deck whatsoever, this is still a fantastic creature. Almost every opponent has some kind of tutor and/or land acceleration that will hit this thing at least 2 or 3 times.
Really nice effect for a 1-drop, particularly with the Merfolk clan attached to it.
4.5/5
Sironos
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Interesting card, obviously good if your build your deck around it or if your opponent is a fetchlander.
alexkano
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(3 votes)
this card sucks!
n00bmag1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why do people insist that you "waste" turns by dropping removal bait?
XTwistedsoulX
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Soldier of Fortune. Prepare to be the most annoying player at the table.
izzet_guild_mage
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This combos well with Time Reversal in large games. Time Reversal also compliments the aggressive strategy a deck running this would likely employ, so it's really a win-win...
This card is surprisingly good against turbo land that you see running around these days. Often times, by the time they drop a Primeval Titan this is already a 6/6 or so, and it grows when the titian attacks.
i got this thing to a 6/6 playing a valakulut, works well with memoricide
Enchantment_Removal
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Did this HAVE to be a merfolk???
Anubisisking
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Cosi's trickster... taking advantage of the rediculous amount of fetchlands in standard since Zendikar!
GrimjawxRULES
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I guess this is a kind of anti-turboland card, just that it was printed before the deck was made? ...
Anyways, I own one, and it's really only good against decks with loads of tutors or otherwise stuff that searches the library for more stuff and puts it onto the battlefield. I could see it be of use in EDH, as I've seen a couple of decks that packed quite the amount of tutors... and at one mana, it's not a bad deal.
iSlapTrees
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
OMG! I got it I got it!!!
combo with Bitter Ordeal after a board wipe or something
ObsessedAddict
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have a kind of ridiculous question - if you exile this with Karn Liberated, and then restart the game so that you have this card out as they reshuffle their deck in order to start the game with this with +1/+1 counters, do you get the counters or no?
Kitty_the_Kat
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm tempted to drop this into an EDH deck, with all the deck searching that goes on in the format it could potentially very get big!
Its also nice that it fits into the Wizard tribe.
Justice1337
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
All the "dies to removal" die-hards complaining about Standard are missing the point. This will see play for the simple reason that it's a one drop in blue that will routinely get bigger than 2/2. Precisely zero other cards fit that de***ion (that aren't unplayable level up weenies).
For example, any Sygg deck in EDH will run this. It will most likely get at least one counter every orbit.
GengilOrbios
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Maralen of the Mornsong FTW!
OmegaSerris
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ObsessedAddict
Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know, the game doesn't "start" until players finish drawing their hands, mulligan-ing, and the first player is chosen. That's when Leylines are put on the field (and I assume Karn's ability triggers). So this wouldn't be "on the field" until after the shuffles are finished. Check the rulings on the Leylines to see what I mean.
NoobOfLore
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's a 1/1 for one that begs for combos, but works just fine regardless.
ZeroSheep
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In Duels of the Planewalkers you can use a close-up of this merfolk's face as your avatar. It's really, really creepy. Great 1-drop, fantastic rape face.
Mike-C
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Do y'all have ANY idea how out of hand she gets in today's Magic?? I played her just for the heck of it as a last sec fill-in to have 60 cards. I did not get to play 1 single card that helped her. Not 1. Based just on what my opp did who was playing a r/b vamp burn deck with a ton of tutor and dig cards, I was able to watch her go from a 1/1 joke to a 9/9 roided out Merfolk in literally no time at all. For those interested, I lost the game. Bad. But this card was the bright spot and now I'm building a u/g deck with 4 of this and some overrun, a couple decent equip's and cards that focus on forcing an opp to shuffle. If you have this card, TRY IT. You'll be amazed at just how many times/game an opp shuffles his/her deck nowadays without your own added effects and because the effects/abilities that lead up to that are usually a HUGE part of that opp's main strategy, they'll see your trickster and if they can't remove it, you'll hear- "Oh well, I gotta do it.." lol TRUST ME on that ;)
Gheridarigaaz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Anyone tried using this girl in modern yet?
Fetch lands everywhere... U/W merfolk have path to exile, and given the opportunity she could've easily stood up to that nasty piece of work wild nacatl, and maybe have been able to show that there were enough cards at roughly the same power level to prevent it's banning...
What's that? You got a fetch-land but don't want my creature to turn into a 5/5 so i can block your tarmogoyf? Plays master of the pearl trident then proceeds to smash face... :-P
Apart from that, the deck-searching action was pretty rampant while this girl was in standard... i guess either nobody clicked that cawblade, valakut and any deck running fetch-lands/tutors regularly shuffled to care enough to give her a try, or she was just outclassed by all the other amazing blue 1-drops... as far as i can see the only blue 1-drop people took notice of was preordain, which is apparently powerful enough to be banned in modern... damned storm decks...
I'm just sayin... she isn't exclusive to merfolk decks, apart from being a decent, and potentially dangerous, 1-drop creature for blue she's also a wizard (not that there are any viable wizard decks i know of in Modern format), so why don't people play more of her?
Alsebra
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@OmegaSerris (and, therefore, Obsessed Addict) - According to Karn's rulings, everything comes back into play (that Karn exiled) after cards in the hand are checked for abilities (such as leylines and chancellors), so the Trickster won't get any counters.
ThatStunna
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Based on Party Rock Anthem, she'll get +1/+1 at least every day.
I'm actually going through every card available in modern, because I am unfamiliar with the bulk of the cards except the ones that are currently being played. I want to see if I can find any gems - overlooked cards that could perform well and be very cheap to pick up.
This card seems like a really good aggro creature against the field in Modern. It will always get to be a 3/3 since everyone is playing 8 fetch lands, but what's more interesting is that a lot of decks are tutoring, like the pod decks.
I suppose there are still a number of answers to this card, like Abrupt Decay, Lightning Bolt (if they do it early enough of course), Teminate, etc., but I'd rather they spend their removal on a stupid 1cc 1/1 and not on my lords and stuff anyway.
I know merfolk is already a deck in modern, but I am not sure it runs this guy. Maybe it should. The question is, should it run this or the 1cc tempo guy that counters a spell unless they pay 1.
Mirrordin_Pure
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Works for Kozilek.
MCcreator
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Tap an Island, a Swamp and two other land (leave the mana floating). Cast Soulscour Cast this THEN Bitter Ordeal with your floating mana. Equip Lightning Greaves to this. Be satisfied.
Comments (49)
EDIT: This is, in my opinion, the best blue card in Standard.
Mechanical Combos: Cards that search your opponent's deck like Thought Hemorrhage, Lobotomy, Roo***er Thief, Bitter Ordeal and Extract.
Good Against: Rebels, Fetchland, Specific Card Cycling, Tutors, effects like Ponder, anti-rezz effects like Progenitus
Hurt by: Mindlock Orb (Although mindlock is a good card to include in this type of deck to stop things like your own Path to Exiles.
much <3
I often use a Jund deck myself, and usually you only fetch lands up to 4 times in a game - and very rarely all 4 (Verdant Catacombs). Most of the time you might do it once, maybe twice, and then just use the other multilands + Garruk to fulfill your mana costs. In theory, it could do very well against RW Bushwhacker which is usually using 12 fetches atm, but again - one Path to Exile, and all that boosting has gone to waste.
3.5
True: Terminate/Doom Blade/Path to Exile and you just wasted your first turn. now in standard, name 3 cards which are 4/4 in turn 5 and cost one mana.
This guy makes a great decoy and if they are running fetch lands, harrows, and expanses, then even better.
Really nice effect for a 1-drop, particularly with the Merfolk clan attached to it.
4.5/5
Often times, by the time they drop a Primeval Titan this is already a 6/6 or so, and it grows when the titian attacks.
Supreme Inquisitor.
And lots of other fun cards that mess with libraries :)
Anyways, I own one, and it's really only good against decks with loads of tutors or otherwise stuff that searches the library for more stuff and puts it onto the battlefield. I could see it be of use in EDH, as I've seen a couple of decks that packed quite the amount of tutors... and at one mana, it's not a bad deal.
combo with Bitter Ordeal after a board wipe or something
Its also nice that it fits into the Wizard tribe.
For example, any Sygg deck in EDH will run this. It will most likely get at least one counter every orbit.
Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know, the game doesn't "start" until players finish drawing their hands, mulligan-ing, and the first player is chosen. That's when Leylines are put on the field (and I assume Karn's ability triggers). So this wouldn't be "on the field" until after the shuffles are finished. Check the rulings on the Leylines to see what I mean.
Fetch lands everywhere... U/W merfolk have path to exile, and given the opportunity she could've easily stood up to that nasty piece of work wild nacatl, and maybe have been able to show that there were enough cards at roughly the same power level to prevent it's banning...
What's that? You got a fetch-land but don't want my creature to turn into a 5/5 so i can block your tarmogoyf? Plays master of the pearl trident then proceeds to smash face... :-P
Apart from that, the deck-searching action was pretty rampant while this girl was in standard... i guess either nobody clicked that cawblade, valakut and any deck running fetch-lands/tutors regularly shuffled to care enough to give her a try, or she was just outclassed by all the other amazing blue 1-drops... as far as i can see the only blue 1-drop people took notice of was preordain, which is apparently powerful enough to be banned in modern... damned storm decks...
I'm just sayin... she isn't exclusive to merfolk decks, apart from being a decent, and potentially dangerous, 1-drop creature for blue she's also a wizard (not that there are any viable wizard decks i know of in Modern format), so why don't people play more of her?
I'm actually going through every card available in modern, because I am unfamiliar with the bulk of the cards except the ones that are currently being played. I want to see if I can find any gems - overlooked cards that could perform well and be very cheap to pick up.
This card seems like a really good aggro creature against the field in Modern. It will always get to be a 3/3 since everyone is playing 8 fetch lands, but what's more interesting is that a lot of decks are tutoring, like the pod decks.
I suppose there are still a number of answers to this card, like Abrupt Decay, Lightning Bolt (if they do it early enough of course), Teminate, etc., but I'd rather they spend their removal on a stupid 1cc 1/1 and not on my lords and stuff anyway.
I know merfolk is already a deck in modern, but I am not sure it runs this guy. Maybe it should. The question is, should it run this or the 1cc tempo guy that counters a spell unless they pay 1.
Cast Soulscour
Cast this THEN Bitter Ordeal with your floating mana.
Equip Lightning Greaves to this.
Be satisfied.