This card says one thing for blue decks, "Painful knowledge". it will make blue decks or any decks for tat matter that has draw spell think twice before casting. even if they don't draw and you hard cast it still good in some way depending on the deck your against. although it is costly, but just for the cheaper cost how often do you think yo will play it for that . i mean how many card does a normal deck draw a turn. 1 card that for sure. the card you draw in the draw phase. i would say a BLUE deck would draw 1 to 2 more cards then that in any given turn. not ever turn but still.
lets look at it like this. my opponent playing a Black/Blue deck and it his 3rd turn. he draw a card (that one draw.) then plays a Sign in Blood(that 2 more draws for 3). i know it not a blue card, but it better. now let say he has 4 cards in hand after playing his land the 3rd turn. he plays the Sign in Blood. then i play Runeflare Trap for the traps trip cost(one red mana). my opp then will lose 6 life plus life from the "sign in blood". so that would make it 8 life on TURN 3! that is not bad. still over all i would put this card as a sideboard card in red decks. red deck that have problems with with decks that draw a lot.
Hmm, there are tons of misconceptions with this card it seems. Honestly, this card severely encourages card draw by the person casting it, because most spells mean that all players draw cards. I can't believe that no one has mentioned the massive advantage you gain playing artifacts and enchantments that cause all players to draw in conjunction with this card.
If you're rating this card anything lower than 4, you shouldn't be reviewing it.
theelk801
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(6 votes)
This is a great card when combined with Howling Mine and Font of Mythos. I've got a RU deck that kills with this combo.
coyotemoon722
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I had a brief run with trying to make a deck with this card. The issue I have with it is the same with most traps in that they're extremely situational. So in order to really make it work you have to build the deck around it, or it's just taking up space in your deck. 7-9 damage for 6 mana isn't worth it when you have Ball Lightning, Fireball, etc. (Keeping in mind getting 7-9 damage would be an uncommon, best case scenario without draw boost, and most likely if you're paying the 6 mana they only have 4 cards or so in their hand) So you're counting on that R mana cost.
Now that you know that, you're forced to put in Howling Mines, Font of Mythos, Burning Inquiry, and make the rest burn, or mix it up with Black or something with Sign in Blood. Then you have to bank on actually having the card in your hand after Burning Inquiry goes off. On second thought, I'd probably even leave Inquiry out of the mix for risk of losing the card from your hand.
Don't get me wrong, it can be done, but it just seems frivolous to build a deck around a trap card, which is what you would have to do to make it work, otherwise again it's just taking up an extra card slot.
Nerouge
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
truely i do not think you people are giving this card enough credit. i have made a deck that is centered around this card, that consists of: dragon fodder x4, bloodhall ooze x4, kederekt parasite x4, veinfire borderpost x4, howling mine x4, font of mythos x4, underworld dreans x4, megrim x4, burning inquiry x4, and runeflare trap x4. about 50% of the time, give or take 5%, i would get a double runeflare trap on turn 5 for at least 8 life each, after kederekt parasite and underworld dreans have done there jobs, pared with font or mine.
IronShins
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I have a question. How soon can i activate this card? Can i tell my opponent that I am activating it at the end of their draw step or is that an illegal move?
I didn't really realize how power full this card was until last friday. He was playing a typical Red deck Bolts, Bursts. Ball lightnings, Hells thunders and the like. And Chandra Ablaze Except he was playing Howling mines, Font of mythos, Pyro ascension, and Burning inquiry. I thought interesting a red deck that doesn't run out of fuel. He had 2 Fonts out, and an active ascension, he passed after playing the second leaving RR untapped. I was playing boros, I drew bushwacker, Lynx, Vanguard, Vangaurd, Geopede, and a mesa (making up my hand), I had the mana to play them all and swing for the win, at the end of draw step he X2 runeflare trap, turning it into a total of 20 damage due to ascension. Nuts even w/o the ascension. He went 4-0 that night. Yes he would get his flare off on turn 2 aswell, for sometimes 6, while wrecking their hand using inquiry. They don't have to be playing draw as long as you are. :D
i've once made my opponents draw 16 cards with my blue-red deck with the help of Soulbright Flamekin.. killing one opponent, and let niv-mizzet take care of the other..
DoctorKenneth
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(12 votes)
Here's a fun casual moment. Play Trade Secrets when your opponent is low on cards. Then look dissaprovingly at your hand, as though your surge of card drawing turned up nothing useful. Politely decline to draw any more cards as your opponent gleefully fills up his or her hand once again- certain that your silly three-mana sorcery has gone awry for you. They'll go past seven, no doubt, since this all takes place on your turn, and they'll have time to empty it out against your skull shortly. When they're done their spree- tap one red and cue Admiral Ackbar.
Just don't try to pull that a second time.
ZealotofDeath
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(3 votes)
This becomes active after your opponent Brainstorms with their Jace.
Seems like this card would be amazingly powerful when combined with or against Timetwister and Wheel of Fortune. Probably not enough card drawing going on in Standard/Extended though.
Maybe as a partial counter to Jace the Format Sculptor.
Askthespartan
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
@Ironshins: You can activate this after the draw, as is the case with Sudden Impact.
DarthParallax
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(5 votes)
I think maybe Wizards thought that Jace was 'fair' because they printed this 'answer'. somebody said something about 'misconceptions' about this card. dude, the FIRST comment on here was Howling Mine and Font of Mythos! but anyway, the guy who said most draw is two-sided is wrong. you never want your opponent to get more cards, UNLESS you have a niche card like this. Brainstorm, Ancestrall Recall, Ponder, Braingeyser, Mind Spring...NOBODY plays those saying 'go ahead, draw a bunch of cards.'
and Blue plays the most card draw, so if you're going to say something like 'all/most draw cards are like this...' then you should check your research beforehand. Artifact draw is equal for both sides because it would be BROKEN if it wasn't! imagine a one-sided Temple Bell! dang that would be banned SO FAST! I dont mind being corrected/lectured, but only if your actually right.
sarroth
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Traps are so much fun. Not just because of the color-hate cheaper mana costs, but because of the flavor with Zendikar as an adventurer's plane. Fantastic.
(Spoiler) Nin, the Pain Artist is a UR legend that will be released with (presumably only 1 of) this summer's Commander precons. She would go well as a commander with a deck full of cards like this, Cerebral Vortex, and Vicious Shadows.
This is going to be excellent with new Jace and his big ability. "We both draw 20 and you can go ahead and take 20 to the face"
Artan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Once, I got colorscrewed during an EDH game. The blue player at the table played a bunch of card draw spells, ending up with about 27 cards in his hand. I had this in my hand, but no red mana to cast it wih. I died a bit inside.
Comments (36)
lets look at it like this. my opponent playing a Black/Blue deck and it his 3rd turn. he draw a card (that one draw.) then plays a Sign in Blood(that 2 more draws for 3). i know it not a blue card, but it better. now let say he has 4 cards in hand after playing his land the 3rd turn. he plays the Sign in Blood. then i play Runeflare Trap for the traps trip cost(one red mana). my opp then will lose 6 life plus life from the "sign in blood". so that would make it 8 life on TURN 3! that is not bad. still over all i would put this card as a sideboard card in red decks. red deck that have problems with with decks that draw a lot.
If you're rating this card anything lower than 4, you shouldn't be reviewing it.
Now that you know that, you're forced to put in Howling Mines, Font of Mythos, Burning Inquiry, and make the rest burn, or mix it up with Black or something with Sign in Blood. Then you have to bank on actually having the card in your hand after Burning Inquiry goes off. On second thought, I'd probably even leave Inquiry out of the mix for risk of losing the card from your hand.
Don't get me wrong, it can be done, but it just seems frivolous to build a deck around a trap card, which is what you would have to do to make it work, otherwise again it's just taking up an extra card slot.
Step 1: Braingeyser
Step 2: Runeflare Trap
Step 3: Black Vise
Ouch.
He was playing a typical Red deck Bolts, Bursts. Ball lightnings, Hells thunders and the like. And Chandra Ablaze
Except he was playing Howling mines, Font of mythos, Pyro ascension, and Burning inquiry. I thought interesting a red deck that doesn't run out of fuel. He had 2 Fonts out, and an active ascension, he passed after playing the second leaving RR untapped. I was playing boros, I drew bushwacker, Lynx, Vanguard, Vangaurd, Geopede, and a mesa (making up my hand), I had the mana to play them all and swing for the win, at the end of draw step he X2 runeflare trap, turning it into a total of 20 damage due to ascension. Nuts even w/o the ascension. He went 4-0 that night. Yes he would get his flare off on turn 2 aswell, for sometimes 6, while wrecking their hand using inquiry. They don't have to be playing draw as long as you are. :D
i've once made my opponents draw 16 cards with my blue-red deck with the help of Soulbright Flamekin.. killing one opponent, and let niv-mizzet take care of the other..
Just don't try to pull that a second time.
Or, if you prefer combo, maindeck with Chandra Ablaze.
Maybe as a partial counter to Jace the Format Sculptor.
and Blue plays the most card draw, so if you're going to say something like 'all/most draw cards are like this...' then you should check your research beforehand. Artifact draw is equal for both sides because it would be BROKEN if it wasn't! imagine a one-sided Temple Bell! dang that would be banned SO FAST! I dont mind being corrected/lectured, but only if your actually right.
(Spoiler) Nin, the Pain Artist is a UR legend that will be released with (presumably only 1 of) this summer's Commander precons. She would go well as a commander with a deck full of cards like this, Cerebral Vortex, and Vicious Shadows.
You: Mountain, go
Opponent: At the end of your turn I cast Brainstorm
You: *smile*