Howling Mine + Underworld Dreams + Megrim If you can get 2/1/2 down (all I have) then they're taking 3 damage per turn on draw, then 4 or so if they need to discard. If you can take out their lands and leave them unable to play anything...
Chrisrawr
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Use the aforementioned combo with cards like call to heel. Boomerang, I find, works well for the lands.
Glymbol
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(4 votes)
My favorite card :) .
MightyMortox
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Correct me if I'm wrong but you can use a card like Fatestitcher to tap Howling Mine before your opponents turn so that they don't get the extra draw, right?
s0phocles
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(4 votes)
You are correct MightyMortox
ratchet1215
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I think it's weird how the draw ability doesn't trigger if the Mine is tapped...but I guess it sort of makes sense (the Mine has been plundered of all its treasures), plus that was back in Alpha, where cards could be as flavorful as they wanted even if they didn't flow too well (Raging River, anyone?)
Rainyday2012
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(11 votes)
It doesn't work when tapped because pre-6th edition non-creature artifacts were "turned off" when tapped. They wanted to keep the original functionality, and some people enjoy tapping the Mine to deny their opponent cards.
you can only play a land and one other card per turn (and nothing can cost more then 4 mana), you draw 2 cards, and you take damage from the discard
Schlorgadorb
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I use Spiteful Visions, Howling Mine, and Furnace of Rath. I've gotten it up to 10 damage a turn before I had to lightning bolt my way to victory, but it has a theoretical max of 64 damage per card. Every spiteful visions is 1 damage per card, and every furnace or rath doubles that damage. Get four of each... 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64. Then at that point they're drawing 5 cards per turn. Add 4 howling Mines, and its up to 9 cards a turn, that's almost 600 damage a turn. But in order to get that out without killing yourself is another story.
cuzman0
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Have you considered using Quest for Pure Flame instead of Furnace of Rath? One damage pre drawn card will proc the card very fast, and then you won't be hurting yourself with all yoru extra draw.
swornsoldier
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
There's always the simple combo of Howling Mine+Relic Barrier to keep it turned off durring an opponent's turn...
DarthKithkin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Flavour text is a thousand times better than the previous editions!
VoidedNote
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This is one of those cards that make people stop attacking you in multiplayer... Everyone loves Howling Mines!!!!
wakkacraft
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@darkfury Yawgmoth's Agenda does not work on your opponent; which I'm assuming your combo is for. There's way better cards for suicide. Not sure where you get the 4 mana limit. War's Toll doesn't stop them from tapping all lands @ main phase to use all the mana at once.
gnilleps
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
so many uses for this bad boy...
Maximillini86
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
sorry to say everyone, but this thing is not going to be in 2011. Sad day for Magic when cards like walletslayer are the new norm and staples like this get put aside.
Tanaka348
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
...or they're just shifting to the revealed 3 drop {T}: Everyone draws a card.
drycanthra
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The Best card ever, i hope it is never taken out of standard. Absolute staple in most of my decks purly for it fun in multiplayer games.
murdershot21
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is THE casual card.
Gabriel422
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
An all-time favorite. Multiple copies of it (possibly by also having Jace Beleren / Font of Mythos / Temple Bell etc) essentially throw the concept of card advantage out of the window, and that's when seven Lightning Bolts overwhelm seven Counterspells (or pretty much anything for that matter), almost invariably. And Sudden Impact gets so much stronger!
On the dark and evil side (or the deep blue side), the interaction with Time Warp is too good and more importantly too annoying. I won games with it and I didn't like it. I believe the fun part (Temple Bell) should stay, while the unfun part should at least cost 1 more.
I never utilized the fact that it turns off when tapped: it's too obscure and getting too technical for my liking. That's why I approve of the printing of Temple Bell.
majinara
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
In multiplayer games, people sometimes I ask me why I kill Howling Mines whenever I can. Reasons: - in a 5 player game, the howling mine gives my opponents each turn a total of 4 cards they could use to kill me, while drawing me only a single card to even that out - my decks are designed to work well without outside help - since the card is part of your deck, your deck probably relies on it and has some synergies with it - the card helps bad deck builders (since they probably didn't add enough lands or card draw to their decks) while punishing good deck buildings (whos decks run well without outside help)
So yes.. in specific decks, like ebony owl or mill decks, this card can do a great job. Simply putting it in a deck of yours because you want to draw cards, now that is a pretty bad idea.
Since the untap step comes before the draw step could you not just tap this during your turn, then let all opponents go, untap it during your next untap step and make it so only you benefit from this card?
Chamale
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
True story: On turn 3, my opponent cast Etherium Sculptor for 1U, another one for U, and two Howling Mines for free.
With Scars of Mirrodin, Howling Mine got a new BFF in Vedalken Certarch. Not only does the Certarch, a 1-drop, squeeze in just before your Mine, but as an artifact, Howling Mine helps trigger Certarch's Metalcraft for a 3-mana two-to-one card advantage for the rest of the game.
In honesty, I think the Certarch may be one of the reasons that they switched from Howling Mine to Temple Bell. I find it regrettable, but understandable.
edit: "True story: On turn 3, my opponent cast Etherium Sculptor for 1U, another one for U, and two Howling Mines for free.
On my turn 3, I cast Underworld Dreams."
Bwahahaha! >: )
scumbling1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"In multiplayer games, people sometimes I ask me why I kill Howling Mines whenever I can. Reasons..."
I agree with everything you said.
One thing I'd add to that list is when a lot of playes use this card, they are actively trying to mill you. It's a bad way to go about doing it, but it's often attempted nontheless. I don't believe in altruism in multiplayer.
DacenOctavio
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Sometimes you use it for mill. Sometimes you're desperate for card draw, or can actually tap it to turn it into card advantage. Sometimes you're a douche with a mill deck that has Font of Mythos.
Most of the time, you just want the game to go fast and you want your opponent to actually have spells for you to counter/duress.
sarroth
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Majinara: "in specific decks, like ebony owl or mill decks, this card can do a great job."
Or in decks that just want to speed the game up for everyone. I play with plenty of people who run cards like this and Jace Beleren that aren't even full-on Group Hug. They don't mind the card disadvantage because they just want to have a fun casual experience. I'm definitely in this group. Of course, it's more fun when you pair it up with cards like Underworld Dreams, Mindslaver, and Consecrated Sphinx, but some people, like myself like it just fine on their own.
Of course, VoidedNote is wrong, too: Just because you're giving everyone cards does not mean they're not going to attack you. If it does, your opponents need better threat assessment; a threat is still a threat even with free cards.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Giving your opponents gas is the last thing you want to do, run with things to tap your Mine before they draw.
Comments (31)
If you can get 2/1/2 down (all I have) then they're taking 3 damage per turn on draw, then 4 or so if they need to discard. If you can take out their lands and leave them unable to play anything...
Try adding The Rack, Black Vice, Gnat Miser and Locust Miser
you can only play a land and one other card per turn (and nothing can cost more then 4 mana), you draw 2 cards, and you take damage from the discard
Yawgmoth's Agenda does not work on your opponent; which I'm assuming your combo is for. There's way better cards for suicide. Not sure where you get the 4 mana limit. War's Toll doesn't stop them from tapping all lands @ main phase to use all the mana at once.
On the dark and evil side (or the deep blue side), the interaction with Time Warp is too good and more importantly too annoying. I won games with it and I didn't like it. I believe the fun part (Temple Bell) should stay, while the unfun part should at least cost 1 more.
I never utilized the fact that it turns off when tapped: it's too obscure and getting too technical for my liking. That's why I approve of the printing of Temple Bell.
- in a 5 player game, the howling mine gives my opponents each turn a total of 4 cards they could use to kill me, while drawing me only a single card to even that out
- my decks are designed to work well without outside help
- since the card is part of your deck, your deck probably relies on it and has some synergies with it
- the card helps bad deck builders (since they probably didn't add enough lands or card draw to their decks) while punishing good deck buildings (whos decks run well without outside help)
So yes.. in specific decks, like ebony owl or mill decks, this card can do a great job. Simply putting it in a deck of yours because you want to draw cards, now that is a pretty bad idea.
On my turn 3, I cast Underworld Dreams.
In honesty, I think the Certarch may be one of the reasons that they switched from Howling Mine to Temple Bell. I find it regrettable, but understandable.
edit:
"True story: On turn 3, my opponent cast Etherium Sculptor for 1U, another one for U, and two Howling Mines for free.
On my turn 3, I cast Underworld Dreams."
Bwahahaha! >: )
I agree with everything you said.
One thing I'd add to that list is when a lot of playes use this card, they are actively trying to mill you. It's a bad way to go about doing it, but it's often attempted nontheless. I don't believe in altruism in multiplayer.
Most of the time, you just want the game to go fast and you want your opponent to actually have spells for you to counter/duress.
Or in decks that just want to speed the game up for everyone. I play with plenty of people who run cards like this and Jace Beleren that aren't even full-on Group Hug. They don't mind the card disadvantage because they just want to have a fun casual experience. I'm definitely in this group. Of course, it's more fun when you pair it up with cards like Underworld Dreams, Mindslaver, and Consecrated Sphinx, but some people, like myself like it just fine on their own.
Of course, VoidedNote is wrong, too: Just because you're giving everyone cards does not mean they're not going to attack you. If it does, your opponents need better threat assessment; a threat is still a threat even with free cards.