I simply love the flavor text in this card. It also does an excellent job at giving the user an strategic advantage from the get go (I mean one blue mana? Seriously?). Excellent artwork, flavor, and extremely useful early on in the game. This is an excellent 4/5 for me.
CrimsonVoid
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is such an annoying card. There's nothing I hate more than having to reveal my hand, especially to a person playing blue. But I also kind of love it because, what's more blue than a card that takes the guess work out of the game.
Locohead
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Umm... Hello Glasses of Urza? Slightly better in multiplayer? I'd much rather use a Clairvoyance, it's a cantrip.
MrPink343
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(10 votes)
The essence of blue right here. Know you opponent's strategy intimately, react to it, win.
lettherebeblight
★☆☆☆☆ (1.3/5.0)(6 votes)
ugh
ChocolateLive
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Even better than Revelation, awesome card.
WER386
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Exactly what I need in my Grixis-Garza Zol deck with 3 Thought Hemorrhage in main deck. First turn drop and pays up immediately, definitely a high-end card.
epochei
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i love when my opponents are like wtf? when i get this out plus its good for a meddlingmage
Gaussgoat
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Possibly the most annoying one-drop in the history of Magic. Who wouldn't want this out, especially as a blue player? Honestly, this is a no-brainer. In a team match, this thing is devastating since it specifies your opponents.
5/5
nineyears
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I like the Blue color and this card makes me happy. I like knowing the secrets of my opponents, and i also like to plan ahead. When i get this on the battlefield there is nothing left to do but to seat back and relax as i see my opponents trying desperatly to kill me but what they dont know is what i have in my hand : ).
bekk7268
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Am I reading this right? All players continue with their hand revealed....for the whole game or just for that turn????
gmcfoley
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
bekk7268: Your opponents play with their hands revealed for as long as Telepathy is on the battlefield.
Nickkom
★★★★☆ (5.0/5.0)(15 votes)
It's odd how strategic professional players are, yet you would never see this card in a pro deck. For 1 mana, this provides an amazing informational advantage over an opponent. Then again, this would probably replace ponder in a blue control deck. Ponder helps set up your own turns and cantrips. These are immediate rewards.
I feel like pro players always want to see an immediate reward. Probably for good reason. Still, I'd like to see this in a pro control deck.
Wraique
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(14 votes)
A lot of this game's fun for me is my opponent's unpredictability, so constantly seeing what he's going to play almost made me watch The View.
Card should read: When Telepathy comes into play, remove the Fun from the game. Place X Suck-the-Fun-out-of-the-game counters on it each time it sucks Fun, where X is how much Fun you're not having. At the beginning of each phase, all players lose Fun equal to X.
And it should have a picture of Whoopi Goldberg on it.
mdakw576
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(12 votes)
This card is bad at high levels of play because experienced players can guess what's in their opponent's hand anyway, and control decks will know when to counter something and when not to. For example, if your opponent is running monored, you're going to expect something like goblin guide -> hellspark elemental -> ball lightning. Your opponent revealing his hand and showing 4 mountains + those three cards didn't tell you anything your intuition already told you.
Remember, this doesn't actually stop the opponent from casting spells, or discard cards, or anything, and in the meantime you're giving up card advantage and tempo to gain knowledge that either won't help you or tell you stuff you already know. You don't even need this with meddling mage/thought hemorrhage, since you should already know what to name even without looking at your opponent's hand.
However, at lower levels of play (which I will admit I'm at, I'm no pro), this is great, because players like us aren't as good at guessing what's in our opponent's hand. In a draft/sealed it's also a good pick, since decks are a lot more unpredictable.
Jacer
★★★☆☆ (3.4/5.0)(7 votes)
Think how it would be useful in poker HAHAHAHAHA
Guest57443454
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(6 votes)
This card is one of the cards that are kept in the core set for beginners, since knowing what your opponents play seems very powerful for a beginner. Otherwise it remains a useful card especially with its CMC...
Allikiza
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card won't do to well in the early stages of a multiplayer match...
You'd instantly become a target....
vomitron6000
★★☆☆☆ (2.9/5.0)(6 votes)
ok, so i used to play magic with this one guy that i'm not friends with anymore, blah blah blah, anyways... he was the WORST magic player i have ever seen! he had this semi-ok deck with djinn off wishes and this card and some other stuff....
ok so we are playing and, he drops this out, i lay my cards out and he asks "why are you showing me your cards?" i was like dude, you just play a card that makes me play with my hand revealed....... then he told me "i don't want to play that then cuz it eff's your startagy i told him dude, i don't care if you see my cards cuz i'm still gonna stomp you
he also told me to leave his house because he had dropped a Leatherback Baloth, giant growth, giant growth and tried to swing, i told him, dawg he's affected by summon sickens... so i let him retract his play next turn (before i had a chance to declare blockers he drops them again and i chump block he goes so you take 9 and go to 4.... i went "dude, you are trippin, i blocked" to which he responded " but my dude is 10/10 (actually it's 9/10)" i said "show he wear you gained trample.... he told me that i was cheating, because "how could a little @@@@ing bug (thornscape familiar) block my @@@@ing beast and you take NO DAMAGE!) i looke dat him and said "because you don't have trample...."
"get out....."
i haven't played him or even talked to him since
SleetFox
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(5 votes)
This card is really fun and not entirely impractical either. It just gets tedious in large multiplayer games to have everyone always needing to be able to see each other's hand.
Joseph_Leito
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(3 votes)
No reprint in 2011? W. T. F.
Kryptnyt
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(5 votes)
I love dropping this in multiplayer games. The major problem with it is that if you get more than one its a dead card, and thats why its bad in constructed.
izzet_guild_mage
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(9 votes)
The flavor text more or less sums up the experience one has playing this card in a duel. "Oh. I kinda figured that's what you had." Also, in multiplayer, I find this card gets you killed...when everyone sees each others' hands and don't see an immediate threat, they tend to attack the only unknown: you.
ItsSlaughteringTime
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(6 votes)
this card always makes playing blue fun.
ZirilanoftheClaw
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(4 votes)
this seems to be amasing with discard/controll decks, always knowing what to counter and whats not really worth it, also cards that say "name a card then look at players hand if that card is in the hand..."
JWalks82
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.6/5.0)(7 votes)
I've played Magic for a long time, and this is my most hated card. Ever.
It's text mine as well read "target opponent enters scoop phase".
It's not fun, it's just gay. If this card didn't exist, Magic would be better off.
This card is annoying. And confusing, if the revealed player just puts his or her hand face-up on the table. This sort of effect is best done one-shot (Peek, Duress).
BlackAlbino
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If it had a can trip on it it'd be EVERYWHERE But then again, a can trip might even make Razor boomerang playable...
As it happens, it's one of my favorites from the new set.
Splizer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I know not many people use it, and I sure don't, but oh my oh my, do I love the principle of this card.
Crag-Hack
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Haha the flavor text sums up this card pretty well XD In most cases anyway..
JaxsonBateman
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
You won't see it in a pro-control deck. A metagame is typically 'readable' at pro-level events, and even at lower level events you can get an idea of what cards people are probably playing. If you're a pro, you should know what could/should be in an opponents hand without wasting a card slot for it.
In casual it's a lot more powerful, especially if you come up against a lot of decks that you've never played against before (for example, you have a friend who rebuilds decks on a weekly basis), but even in casual, after playing against a deck once or twice you should be able to figure out what's in it.
To put it simply, except for the first few games against a new deck in an environment where you can't be expected to know what's in that deck, Telepathy just makes up for a skill that Magic players should be developing anyway (the ability to 'read' what's in an opponents deck/hand).
Salient
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Every time I teach someone how to play Magic for the very first time, I make sure this is in their opening hand. :)
Purple_Shrimp
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this is a great way to get killed in a multiplayer game with bad players
Superllama12
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Kinda wish it cantripped
nope.avi
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(4 votes)
The views of people on this card range from holy shit this is so broken it completely ruins magic and i hate it to it completely breaks magic and i love it, to this card sucks ass, to this card is incredible mediocre. Sigh it's ok, however in any competitive format you should be able to tell what your opponent has in their hand especially if they're running non blue, non control. For good players this card is more or less redundant, and for bad players, well they should learn to be able to play without this card. For example if its turn 7 and a blue player has 4 open mana and 7 cards in their hand then you can obviously tell that they have counter spells, and if you can't then why are you on gatherer, or for that matter how are you breathing?Gitaxian probe is almost strictly better despite the fact it doesn't work forever.
TheWrathofShane
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
In standard, you can guess whats in an opponents hand, tho you might be surprised sometimes. In extended, its anyone's guess unless there playing tribals. Still, its a one drop and its absolutely beautiful if you have counters. Turn 1 drop this Turn 2 drop Meddling Mage. Great way to start out any game. Also running a few Jace Beleren and a playset of Howling Mine is a great combo with this card, because you can see what the heck there drawing.
If they printed a version with cycling it would make the idea so much better. The main problem is you want it in your hand on turn 1, which makes you want 4 copies, but you do not want to draw doubles at the same time. Cycling for {1} or even {1}{U} or {2} would fix this and would see allot of play.
Pigfish99
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this is the best version of the card, simply because of the flavor text. The effect is quite good as well. ^_^
BongRipper420
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Seems like this would be fantastic with Meddling Mage or Nevermore type cards. Of course, most of the time Gitaxian Probe will probably be better for your deck in general, and the argument could be made you shouldn't really need to look at your opponents hand. Because most of the time, you should in general have an idea on what's in your opponents hand. For example, an opposing blue deck with 7 cards in hand and 2 or more mana up has a counter spell. A white control deck likely has a wrath effect sitting in their hand, ect.
Another draw back is it's one of those enchantments that don't stack, so a second one is normally a dead draw. This is another reason why Gitaxian Probe is more preferable. You get to draw card off it. And it costs less.
However, I would still play this card. Why? Because it looks like it'd be fun. Plus there's a psychological factor to it, to an extent. Your opponent has no secrets, and they know you know exactly what to counter. And if your lucky, they'll even waste removal on it.
Overall, I give this card a solid 2.5/5. It has practical applications, but it will rarely contribute heavily to your victory.
Arachnos
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Oh Teferi, you troll. =D
psychichobo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Oh, this is ANNOYING to see turn one. You all talk about being able to guess your opponent's hand but you forget, a lot of players rely on bluffing to make you paranoid about counters, burn, removal, etc. Not being able to pull off some annoying combat trick or catch an opponent off guard really messes your game up.
Ferlord
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
SImply put, it's a decent political EDH card. No one really benefits or gets hurt. No one is going to waste a Naturalize on it in case a Defense of the Heart or, god forbid, a Contamination hits the table.
However, it's also an amateur EDH staple. What I mean is that if an amateur were to make an EDH card, they'd play this over something that'd help them more, because "they don't want to be hated".
Sure, there are lots of cards that will make you into a bulls-eye (especially in black, like Contamination or Oppression), but you still need something it help you win. If you waste a space using a card that doesn't put you ahead at all, then you're not playing EDH right.
Nucleon
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Yeah, no use in EDH, right? Well, I built a Vendilion Clique EDH deck, and...
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Decent enough, can't tell if I want to ever run it or not; need to experiment.
To the problem of multiples: What I do is take the Greater Good approach to these cards. Yes it's useless in multiples, but you can use card filtering effects to get rid of the multiples and gain some benefit. In this case simple Looter effects are in color and all over the place. Many popular blue draws have you discard after you draw, or brainstorm like effects (to which you add shuffling.)
Consider these if you wish to use telepathy
DM3921
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card also feels kind of like Azorious in nature.
There are no secrets in a court of law.
Mirrordin_Pure
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Say whatever you guys want, it found a niche in my Nebuchadnezzar EDH.
Kadaver666
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I disagree with the statement that this is an amateur edh card. In my opinion it's an amazing edh card, especially turn 1. Found a great home in my Teferi/knowledge pool edh and let's my opponents see each other's threats and I can set up counters so I can dictate what's going to be on board when Teferi and knowledge pool comes out lol.
car2n
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's a god thing Counselor Troi was not telepathic, she probably would have blushed to death from her male clients.
MasterOfParadox
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
My god, does this not scare you? It's a 1 mana "see-hand" enchantment. Unless your opponents got some enchantment removal going on, you get to see EVERYTHING for quite a while.
Comments (51)
First turn drop and pays up immediately, definitely a high-end card.
5/5
bekk7268: Your opponents play with their hands revealed for as long as Telepathy is on the battlefield.
I feel like pro players always want to see an immediate reward. Probably for good reason. Still, I'd like to see this in a pro control deck.
Card should read: When Telepathy comes into play, remove the Fun from the game. Place X Suck-the-Fun-out-of-the-game counters on it each time it sucks Fun, where X is how much Fun you're not having. At the beginning of each phase, all players lose Fun equal to X.
And it should have a picture of Whoopi Goldberg on it.
Remember, this doesn't actually stop the opponent from casting spells, or discard cards, or anything, and in the meantime you're giving up card advantage and tempo to gain knowledge that either won't help you or tell you stuff you already know. You don't even need this with meddling mage/thought hemorrhage, since you should already know what to name even without looking at your opponent's hand.
However, at lower levels of play (which I will admit I'm at, I'm no pro), this is great, because players like us aren't as good at guessing what's in our opponent's hand. In a draft/sealed it's also a good pick, since decks are a lot more unpredictable.
You'd instantly become a target....
ok so we are playing and, he drops this out, i lay my cards out and he asks
"why are you showing me your cards?"
i was like dude, you just play a card that makes me play with my hand revealed.......
then he told me "i don't want to play that then cuz it eff's your startagy
i told him dude, i don't care if you see my cards cuz i'm still gonna stomp you
he also told me to leave his house because he had dropped a Leatherback Baloth, giant growth, giant growth and tried to swing, i told him, dawg he's affected by summon sickens...
so i let him retract his play
next turn (before i had a chance to declare blockers he drops them again and i chump block
he goes so you take 9 and go to 4.... i went "dude, you are trippin, i blocked"
to which he responded " but my dude is 10/10 (actually it's 9/10)"
i said "show he wear you gained trample....
he told me that i was cheating, because "how could a little @@@@ing bug (thornscape familiar) block my @@@@ing beast and you take NO DAMAGE!)
i looke dat him and said "because you don't have trample...."
"get out....."
i haven't played him or even talked to him since
"Oh. I kinda figured that's what you had."
Also, in multiplayer, I find this card gets you killed...when everyone sees each others' hands and don't see an immediate threat, they tend to attack the only unknown: you.
It's text mine as well read "target opponent enters scoop phase".
It's not fun, it's just gay. If this card didn't exist, Magic would be better off.
good luck finding blue mana in poker
But then again, a can trip might even make Razor boomerang playable...
As it happens, it's one of my favorites from the new set.
In casual it's a lot more powerful, especially if you come up against a lot of decks that you've never played against before (for example, you have a friend who rebuilds decks on a weekly basis), but even in casual, after playing against a deck once or twice you should be able to figure out what's in it.
To put it simply, except for the first few games against a new deck in an environment where you can't be expected to know what's in that deck, Telepathy just makes up for a skill that Magic players should be developing anyway (the ability to 'read' what's in an opponents deck/hand).
Sigh it's ok, however in any competitive format you should be able to tell what your opponent has in their hand especially if they're running non blue, non control. For good players this card is more or less redundant, and for bad players, well they should learn to be able to play without this card. For example if its turn 7 and a blue player has 4 open mana and 7 cards in their hand then you can obviously tell that they have counter spells, and if you can't then why are you on gatherer, or for that matter how are you breathing?Gitaxian probe is almost strictly better despite the fact it doesn't work forever.
If they printed a version with cycling it would make the idea so much better. The main problem is you want it in your hand on turn 1, which makes you want 4 copies, but you do not want to draw doubles at the same time. Cycling for {1} or even {1}{U} or {2} would fix this and would see allot of play.
Another draw back is it's one of those enchantments that don't stack, so a second one is normally a dead draw. This is another reason why Gitaxian Probe is more preferable. You get to draw card off it. And it costs less.
However, I would still play this card. Why? Because it looks like it'd be fun. Plus there's a psychological factor to it, to an extent. Your opponent has no secrets, and they know you know exactly what to counter. And if your lucky, they'll even waste removal on it.
Overall, I give this card a solid 2.5/5. It has practical applications, but it will rarely contribute heavily to your victory.
However, it's also an amateur EDH staple. What I mean is that if an amateur were to make an EDH card, they'd play this over something that'd help them more, because "they don't want to be hated".
Sure, there are lots of cards that will make you into a bulls-eye (especially in black, like Contamination or Oppression), but you still need something it help you win. If you waste a space using a card that doesn't put you ahead at all, then you're not playing EDH right.
To the problem of multiples:
What I do is take the Greater Good approach to these cards. Yes it's useless in multiples, but you can use card filtering effects to get rid of the multiples and gain some benefit. In this case simple Looter effects are in color and all over the place. Many popular blue draws have you discard after you draw, or brainstorm like effects (to which you add shuffling.)
Consider these if you wish to use telepathy
There are no secrets in a court of law.
It's a 1 mana "see-hand" enchantment. Unless your opponents got some enchantment removal going on, you get to see EVERYTHING for quite a while.