Now that's a powerful milling card against decks that search a lot!! Mill decks should definitely play this card x4 if they can! But then again I hate milling and don't know anything about mill decks.
ayefightbears
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
What I like about this is that it can be put in pretty much any deck, whether or not that deck has any Islands. I mean, sure, it's a little risky, but chances are your opponent is going to search his deck at some point while you've got this.
FatCorgi
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Anyone else think the flavor totally busts in multi-player? "Hah, Jimmy just searched his deck for a land! Take that George!" As in, instead of "if target player does yadda yadda, this spell can be payed for 0, targetting that player," They've got, "as long as someone fits the requirements, anyone can fall in the trap." What?
oraymw
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
Best mill card ever!! I want to make a UB mill deck for standard now.
LeoKula
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm a legacy / vintage player, but if I go standard I'd try some control / milling / vampire with this thing and Vampire Nighthawk.
Probably one of the best milling cards ever. If it gets some support in Worldwake, Standard milling may become a possible deck.
And I don't think the flavor is hurt in multiplayer. Anyone can trigger a trap. Ever play D&D? It isn't always the guy who triggers it who gets hurt by it.
poopooparty
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i would love to see the 1 in a million starting hand that has four of these right off the bat.. keep dreaming or quit stacking your deck
darkerthought7
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Nice new mill card. Wizards is making blue better, and that makes me happy =D
RobinHood3000
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I think Path to Exile has a new friend. The opponent is either milled for 13, or PtE's drawback passes them by.
SentByHim
★★☆☆☆ (2.7/5.0)(6 votes)
It is too bad this says target opponent... otherwise it would have been so much better.
banjoe
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ok I'm not looking in the right place for an answer, so I just have to post it here; What is its converted mana cost?
lickthemoose
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i love that with the 0 mana cost you can use this in any deck its the perfect answer for any harbinge situation
DarkJetta
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I already have this card in a non-blue deck. It works pretty nice too!
rubber
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(7 votes)
Particularly amusing because the search lands were recreated too. First turn: Opponent draws 7, plays search land. You triggered my Archive Trap card!x4: mill for 52. With the 1 card they took with the search land, that makes exactly 60 cards.
So that's why it's 13 cards, for those who don't know.
Anyway, you don't need to have 4 in your starting hand. It's basicly an improved Glimpse the Unthinkable.
DServ
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Something else you could do to make the chances of playing the card is put Trapmaker's Snare in the deck. That way, if you have two mana, they search, you play Trapmaker's then pull out Archive Trap and play it. It's even more effective if you already have an Archive Trap in your hand.
OD97
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Go blue/white, turn 6 traumatize (or when you have 6 mana), then PtE, then archive trap for the win. Simple, but deadly!
Dingo777
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
a nice card, dangerous in standard, deadly in limited
if you think about it, that is 21 cards out of their deck 7 for hand, 1 for searched card and 13 for this, that is a little more then half
in standard, it is simply another strong mill, there is already a good number of miller cards, nemesis(10), tramatize(half the libray), mind funeral(4 lands+everything inbetween), memory erosion(2 per spell opponent plays), hedron crab(3), telemin performance(at least 1 and you get the creature), tome scour(5)
and yeah, an opening hand with 3 or 4, is just about game turn 1
Qazior
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
W00t! We got the Rulings texts back!
GreenManTenTons
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(3 votes)
I really like the idea of this in a U/B mind-eff deck. Turn one Cosi's Trickster, turn two removal, turn 3 sadistic sacrament take their 3 win cards and force them to shuffle trigger archive trap swing with at least a 2/2. I know that the trickster sucks but it fits the theme...
mordecai17
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
turn 1 path the opps creature,
drop 4 of these guys and watch your opp curse themselves
muahahahahaha
Selez
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Banjoe, it's 5.
Anyone concerned with getting the reduced cost activated should look at the rulings. Try Aven Mindcensor and Maralen of the Mornsong! I search for Archive Trap, mill you 13. Repeat three times. You lose!!
Ritius
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Wonder if there's a good setup with Thrumming Stone for this... mill yourself down, use any of a hundred things to put these back into your library, and then insta-mil. Maybe Battlefield Scrounger. What to mill with tho, other than Tunnel Vision? Could be fun.
Brutal in drafts O_o
JaxsonBateman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have 4 of these in a UBw mill deck (splashed white for Path, O-Ring, Day of Judgement SB and Wall of Denial), and I have to say, it works so well with Path. First game when the opponent might not know what they're up against, they'll probably have no qualms about searching for a land when path'd. BANG, 13 cards gone for each trap in your hand. Keep in mind that Trapmaker's Snare is also blue, only costs 2 mana, and is instant speed, so it's *almost* like having 8 (in terms of probability) if you include 4 in a deck. In the second and possibly third game, they'll be so cautious that they won't search for a land unless they absolutely need it for a play on the next turn - same goes for fetching. Just the fear of the archive trap can slow the game dramatically down for them. Then again, one Thought Hem and no more archive traps for you!
LordShrill
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
can you use this card if they mulligan!
andywontdie
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have two of these in a UB deck paired with Haunting Echoes. Not the best combo but when it drops, the curses are very colorful from your opponent. Definitely one of the best mill cards to date.
PaladinOfSunhome
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
One of the best mill cards I have ever seen and, mostly in Zendikar, it really makes anyplayer who is facing a Blue deck think twice about searching their deck for cards.
4.5.
allmighty_abacus
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this card is just plain ridiculous. I mean mill in general is just far too damn good now what with tomb scour and hedron crab and everything else but this card is just all kinds of absurd.
I mean come on seriously playing it for free if your opponent searched their library in a land-centered block where everyone is going to try to run harrow or the sac lands? You could run 4 of these in any deck as an alt win condition because you can play it for free.
zeyette
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(11 votes)
He...he tried to tell me...Admiral Ackbar....he told me "It's a trap"....I....I didn't believe him.....it is now too late....
Borisyuk
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(11 votes)
Archive Trap + Path to Exile - Very good combination.
Kweane
★☆☆☆☆ (1.2/5.0)(7 votes)
Go for the sure thing, dears. Extract is your true blue friend.
Gaussgoat
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
I... love... this... card! I get so tired of people scouring their decks in casual games. SO happy that there is a card which punishes the hell out of them for it, hahaha.
5/5 I'd give it a 6 if I could.
Originalsin
★★☆☆☆ (2.9/5.0)(7 votes)
I liked blue much better back in the days of awesome counterspells and awful creatures... is decking someone really enjoyable?
Kataklyzmik
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I would love it if the line read "If any opponent searches any library this turn,..." because it would nail those guys that use haunting echoes, grinning totem, and jester's cap.
Dragannia
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The only problem with this card is that it tends to be a one-trick pony. Once the enemy have been beaten by it, they probably won't fall for the same trick twice, even if it means losing the benefit of Path to Exile. Mill decks tend to be creature light anyway, so they can afford to stall most of the time by not putting out creatures and not searching for lands. What Worldwake needs to bring is a forced search by the opponent, and then mill decks will be truly viable. That said, decks that use abundant fetchlands (like some Zoo decks) tend to get hammered by this card no matter how they play.
magicmaster01983
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Well if use this card you will be using twincast along with Halimar Excavator throw in Jwari Shapeshifter two or four Rite of Replication, cancels, essence scatters, call to heel, unsummon,m and into the roil you now have board control and mill CHING CHING!!!
f_fivefiftyseven
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(7 votes)
In my epser coloured control/mill deck, my opening hand was Plains, Path to Exile, Marsh Flats and 4 of these. My opponent played opened with a Raging Goblin and pinged me for one. I pathed his creature, he searched up a land, and I then milled him to death.
NeoSin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I hate mill, its such a wussy way of playing.
Telecaster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this card loves fetch lands. couple that with echo mage at max level and cast through time for more goodness.
VwllssWndr
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Easily better than Traumatize, for lots of reasons: 1) it's an instant, 2) the conditional trigger for 0 cost is ridiculously common, 3) it always gets 13 cards (whereas Traumatize becomes less effective with each casting), and 4) it can reduce the size of a library to 0 (whereas Traumatize will always leave at least 1 card).
Jacer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Mill deck must have 4 of this. just take care whit the Swerves
Ashamed
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm genuinely happy that the new Eldrazis let you shuffle your entire graveyard into your deck. Shuts down mill cards like these fast. 5/5 for 1 turn win situation.
bboi018
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Since its an instant, after casting this spell, and assuming it resolves-> does it mill his deck BEFORE he begins searching...or AFTER he has searched his library ?
NecroticNobody
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is great. In a multiplayer game, you could have a deal with another player; he searches his library, you mill the common enemy. Mill is great now, just throw a playset of Hedron Crabs, Tome Scour, Archice Trap, any Cancel type cards you want, Spreading Seas, Contaminated Grounds and Wrexial, The Risen Deep together and you have a possible T2 deck in the works.
TheSwarm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
wow.. like I would pay 5 mana for a 13 card mill.. but that makes it fuuun specially with all the fetchlands and stuff goin around.
Kaldra27
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
noooo Path to Exile is not in standard anymore...NOOOOOO!!!
Ronin_Rain
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is powerful indeed, and hopefully will be played in Standard control-decks more often.
I mostly think of combining it with Memoricide, and Nihil Spellbomb, counters, Into The Roil
Imagine:
Your starting hand is : 2 lands (like an island and a swamp), 1 Nihil Spellbomb, 2 Archive Traps, 1 Spell Pierce, 1 Duress/Preordain/ Inquisition of Kozilek 1 Turn -
a) Put down the Swamp and duress inqusit his hand, just to take a look, and to get rid of counters, Lightning Bolts Birds of Paradise and what else could cause some trouble early in the game.
b) Put down the Island, lay back, opponents turn.
2 Turn - HE knows your playing blue/black, your opponent plays a fetch-land, fetches an island, shuffles, you respond with one Trap, he may counter it, but mostly won't, but if he does you can respond with the Pierce, you play off the other Trap unhindered.
Result: 13(+1)-26(+1) Cards from opponents library are in graveyard in his fist turn.
3 Turn: You may draw something like Into the Roilor Mana Leak put down your second land, play the bomb sacrifice it pay B , to exile a Maximum of 27 cards, and draw a card, for 3 mana.
- and your opponent thinks twice before shuffling his library, drawing cards, cultivating lands.
- Fetch-lands are dead, for the rest of the match.
Second Situation:
mid game - You Have like 6 mana (1 B 1 U, 4 colorless)
Your hand is Memoricide, 1 Trap, a counter, and Into the Roil.
He played of his Primeval Titan through your thick counter wall.
You play Roil on the Titan, the memoricide him, and force him to shuffle his library, trap for another lost 13 cards. I would be depressed if that happened to me. And what if you had one of the Jaces on the table earlier.
Imagine that in one Game - Starting hand 7 + Drawn cards in 5-6 turns + lands in play 5-7 + 26(+1)(Exiled) + 13(Graveyard maybe Exiled, too) + 4(Exiled) ,
and Jace Beleren says: Everybody draws cards.
Game over man, Game Over
All, thanks to the Trap.
divine_exodus
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Better than a kicked Sadistic Sacrament? I think so. Pay 10 for 15 discards or pay 0 for 13?
surewhynot
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(2 votes)
If you use this after a Path to Exile, you will instantly become "That guy". Prepare to lose the next game miserably...you deserved it you jerk...
tcollins
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(11 votes)
Opp: Path to exile on your 1 drop...
IT'S A TRAP!
*swiftly moves hand AWAY from library..*
Thanks Admiral Ackbar!
sorin688
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
i play a blue black deck and its all about controling the battle. thats why i like this card. it is expensive but it takes out a lot of options for them so in turn you can stay in control if there not in control of there options
Redeemer707
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@divine_exodus I have to disagree... Sadistic Sacrament removes cards instead of milling them, you also get the choice at which cards. When you're facing an opponent who has Emrakul, Kozilek, or Ulamog in their deck, it is only inevitable that one will end up in the graveyard, wasting every cards you used to get to that point. Neither is "better", both have their uses.
iSlapTrees
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Mill deck: If you know your opponent's deck then milling tells you what they may have so you can shape your hand accordingly
It's like water! very blue :)
DacenOctavio
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Heh, I'm glad I now have Gitaxian Probe so I can see crap like this coming.
Gelzo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I like that it doesn't have to be the same opponent. I wonder how in terms of flavor you would justify one opponent's library containing a trap that's triggered by the other opponent's library being searched.
Saxican
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I love doing this when im playing two headed giant and one of my opponent is using green and uses something like rampart growth and i just toss two of these down, yes i litterally toss em on the table, and when his teammate finally stop laughing i tell him im targeting him then the guy with the green deck starts laughing and then i use the other two on him.....ah nothing like having two echo mages on the field at lv 4 and 4 untapped islands........
Opening play You have seven cards in hand and they have seven cards in hand. That leaves them with a 53 card deck. You play your Island and cast Extract leaving them with 52 cards in hand. They shuffle and in repsonse you cast all four Archive Traps for free thus milling them for 13 time 4 copies of the card which comes out to 52; The exact number of cards remaining in their deck. They then proceed to take their first draw of the turn and loose.
MacBizzle
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
YOU ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD!
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Does scrying, or looking at the top X cards of your deck count as searching? Because if so, this completely hoses it.
Kragash
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
"Anyone concerned with getting the reduced cost activated should look at the rulings. Try Aven Mindcensor and Maralen of the Mornsong! I search for Archive Trap, mill you 13. Repeat three times. You lose!!"
No, *you* lose. You can't lose from being milled with Maralen on the Battlefield.
Underrated even at 4.4. This card is vicious whether your opponent knows that you have them in your deck or not.
An opponent that doesn't know you're playing with this card will probably spring the trap... perhaps as early as your turn 0 or his turn 1 with a fetch land with almost no chance to counter it (since you'll likely to play Archive Trap once he's tapped out). Just one Archive Trap in your opening hand gives you a chance to be at 1/3 your win con. Two of them in your opening hand gives you a chance to be at 1/2 your win con... this before you even put a single land down if your opponent starts first.
At worse, your opponent knows you're playing with this card and will try to avoid any tutoring or try to call your bluff if you have none in your hand. Your opponent will either be slowed down or be playing with fire by using cards with library searching knowing full well that he could instantly be milled for 13 or 26 or 39 (provided you have Archive Traps and/or Twincasts and/or Trapmaker's Snares in your hand.)
LordRandomness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Responding to someone finding their final combo piece on your end step with four of these is friggin' hilarious.
PeanutTheDestroyer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
can you say "intuition"? so you mill 15 cards for 3 mana and if its later in the game you can twin cast it then evil laugh at your opponents.
Salient
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
*First turn, opponent plays Verdant Catacombs fetching a Swamp*
You: Archive Trap!!! :D
Opponent: "...uh, I'm playing a Dredge deck..."
You: 0_0
Opponent: *flipping 17 cards over* ... "Thanks for basically giving me four Time Walks."
You: ._.
...In any other situation, though, Archive Trap is a blast to play.
Ammoral_Support
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Best opening hand i ever had was three of these and a ghost quarter. They never saw it coming, immediate ragequit :P.
VirusVescichetta
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The worst (or best) I have ever seen with this card is when me and four of my friends were playing a casual free for all. One of them, who is notorious for quick mana ramps to make huge creatures, searched his deck on turn three for land. One of my other friends dropped four of these on him for the top 52 cards of his library and pretty much emptied him out right there.
JackTheStripper
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A truly devastating card. My friend got a first turn tournament win in modern because of this. She had four in hand, an island, a swamp, and a tome scour. Her opponent went first, and played flame kin harbinger to put kiln fiend on top. Immediately after, my friend plays this. Four times. Next turn: time scour, gg.
@Vedalken_Arbiter: That doesn't work at all. Extract doesn't make them search their library it makes you search their library. If you read this card closely it says an opponent needs to search their library in order to play this for the alternate cost, not just shuffle.
also @Xycolian: EDIT: I thought you were talking about Twincasting a Diabolic Tutor that you cast. apparently I read your statement wrong, sorry.
Xycolian
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Twincast a Diabolic tutor to find yourself an Archive trap, which you can use once your opponents Diabolic tutor resolves.
Mwahahaha.
@mn6334
Yes it does work. I pulled this off on MTGO when my opponent cast a diabolic tutor.
His diabolic tutor is on the stack, I cast twincast targeting it. Twincast resolves and adds my Diabolic tutor to the stack. My diabolic tutor resolves first, which I used to find archive trap, then after he searches his library with his diabolic tutor, I cast Archive trap for free.
Anzu-chan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Good sideboard for milling deck, just in case your opponent likes tutoring cards.
Continue
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Turn 1 Path to Exile into four of these suckers. Your opponent better hope the last card in his deck is something useful.
If your opponent begin and your opening hand happen to have 4 of these and a Ghost Quarter, then you already destroyed your his land and milled 52 cards from his deck.
Let's say you don't know what kind of deck you're playing. They play a land. Maybe a fetchland (it's modern. I haven't seen a deck list that doesn't have a few of those in there). Upon the searching, you Trap them, revealing their deck strategy. "Oh no... They got Tarmogoyf's in that deck". You think.
"You idiot," your rude opponent would say. "Now I've got a 6/7 Tarmogoyf coming out next turn".
"Oh right! I am so stupid. How could've I not foreseen this backfiring?" (revealing the following card).
Shock and terror erupt, you throw up a middle finger to $100 cards.
Ikari13
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Lets say Player A uses Surgical Extraction or Extirpate, forces a search, Archive goes off. Play A can play afterwards Archive Trap with 0 mana cost?
CogMonocle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
one of a very small set of one of mill cards that isn't *completely* terrible. Imagine the same card,except it does ~5 damage to player, and it says that creatures you control can't damage players/damage already dealt by creatures you control is undone.
When scaled down to tome scour, you see why it's unplayable, but this and glimpse are ok, at least.
Cuz it's UB burn instead of R, so more tools to help.
Rundtosset
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hmm... 13 cards? Opponent: "I'll go first. Terramorphic Expanse, fetching a forest. Go" You: "In response, Archive Trap, Archive Trap, Archive Trap and Archive Trap." Opponent: "So... I started with 53 cards in my library, and now you mill me for 52? I've only got one card left to draw?" You: "No, that last card was the forest you searched for..."
RAT666
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
...Is'nt traumatize a much better card? For the same casting cost, "target player puts half of his or her library into his or graveyard." You play traumatize on your fifth turn means your opponent will be putting at least 23 cards into his graveyard!!! So they have 24 cards left, so if you could play an archive trap then twincast, they're done.
LaserfaceJones
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Perfect for that "I'm wasting an Enlightened Tudor on an Elixir of Immortality because you've almost milled me to death" counterplay.
It's dirty, even in EDH.
Kariuko
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@RAT666 only in EDH is traumatize a better card, and even then not necessarily always. Why? If you are using a mill deck and play traumatize on turn 5 and still mill 23 cards, then what have you been doing on turns 1-4? Just gathering defense and lands for the traumatize that you will never be able to use as your finisher? And are you just going to tap out on turn 5? Archive trap requires none of this, it will always mill 13, it can be your finisher, and 80% of the times it will cost nothing. Plus, it may go unnoticed, and as is specified in the rulings, it doesn't require you to mill the player that actually searched his library, you can mill someone else
And after they plaied their tutor and you plaied the trap, just cast a brain freeze to mill at least 9 more and finish them off
I saw somebody in a tournament whip 3 of these at his opponent when the opponent used a fetch land turn 1. It was amazing. How do you like starting the game with 14 cards in your library.
Comments (88)
And I don't think the flavor is hurt in multiplayer. Anyone can trigger a trap. Ever play D&D? It isn't always the guy who triggers it who gets hurt by it.
I already have this card in a non-blue deck. It works pretty nice too!
So that's why it's 13 cards, for those who don't know.
Anyway, you don't need to have 4 in your starting hand. It's basicly an improved Glimpse the Unthinkable.
if you think about it, that is 21 cards out of their deck 7 for hand, 1 for searched card and 13 for this, that is a little more then half
in standard, it is simply another strong mill, there is already a good number of miller cards, nemesis(10), tramatize(half the libray), mind funeral(4 lands+everything inbetween), memory erosion(2 per spell opponent plays), hedron crab(3), telemin performance(at least 1 and you get the creature), tome scour(5)
and yeah, an opening hand with 3 or 4, is just about game turn 1
drop 4 of these guys and watch your opp curse themselves
muahahahahaha
Anyone concerned with getting the reduced cost activated should look at the rulings. Try Aven Mindcensor and Maralen of the Mornsong! I search for Archive Trap, mill you 13. Repeat three times. You lose!!
Brutal in drafts O_o
4.5.
I mean come on seriously playing it for free if your opponent searched their library in a land-centered block where everyone is going to try to run harrow or the sac lands? You could run 4 of these in any deck as an alt win condition because you can play it for free.
5/5 I'd give it a 6 if I could.
Shuts down mill cards like these fast.
5/5 for 1 turn win situation.
I mostly think of combining it with Memoricide, and Nihil Spellbomb, counters, Into The Roil
Imagine:
Your starting hand is : 2 lands (like an island and a swamp), 1 Nihil Spellbomb, 2 Archive Traps, 1 Spell Pierce, 1 Duress/Preordain/ Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Turn -
a) Put down the Swamp and duress inqusit his hand, just to take a look, and to get rid of counters, Lightning Bolts Birds of Paradise and what else could cause some trouble early in the game.
b) Put down the Island, lay back, opponents turn.
2 Turn - HE knows your playing blue/black, your opponent plays a fetch-land, fetches an island, shuffles, you respond with one Trap, he may counter it, but mostly won't, but if he does you can respond with the Pierce, you play off the other Trap unhindered.
Result: 13(+1)-26(+1) Cards from opponents library are in graveyard in his fist turn.
3 Turn: You may draw something like Into the Roilor Mana Leak put down your second land, play the bomb sacrifice it pay B , to exile a Maximum of 27 cards, and draw a card, for 3 mana.
- and your opponent thinks twice before shuffling his library, drawing cards, cultivating lands.
- Fetch-lands are dead, for the rest of the match.
Second Situation:
mid game - You Have like 6 mana (1 B 1 U, 4 colorless)
Your hand is Memoricide, 1 Trap, a counter, and Into the Roil.
He played of his Primeval Titan through your thick counter wall.
You play Roil on the Titan, the memoricide him, and force him to shuffle his library, trap for another lost 13 cards. I would be depressed if that happened to me. And what if you had one of the Jaces on the table earlier.
Imagine that in one Game - Starting hand 7 + Drawn cards in 5-6 turns + lands in play 5-7 + 26(+1)(Exiled) + 13(Graveyard maybe Exiled, too) + 4(Exiled) ,
and Jace Beleren says: Everybody draws cards.
Game over man, Game Over
All, thanks to the Trap.
IT'S A TRAP!
*swiftly moves hand AWAY from library..*
Thanks Admiral Ackbar!
It's like water! very blue :)
1 Island
4 Archive Trap
1 Extract
1 bonus slot. (possible to mulligan into?)
Opening play
You have seven cards in hand and they have seven cards in hand. That leaves them with a 53 card deck.
You play your Island and cast Extract leaving them with 52 cards in hand.
They shuffle and in repsonse you cast all four Archive Traps for free thus milling them for 13 time 4 copies of the card which comes out to 52; The exact number of cards remaining in their deck. They then proceed to take their first draw of the turn and loose.
No, *you* lose. You can't lose from being milled with Maralen on the Battlefield.
Underrated even at 4.4. This card is vicious whether your opponent knows that you have them in your deck or not.
An opponent that doesn't know you're playing with this card will probably spring the trap... perhaps as early as your turn 0 or his turn 1 with a fetch land with almost no chance to counter it (since you'll likely to play Archive Trap once he's tapped out). Just one Archive Trap in your opening hand gives you a chance to be at 1/3 your win con. Two of them in your opening hand gives you a chance to be at 1/2 your win con... this before you even put a single land down if your opponent starts first.
At worse, your opponent knows you're playing with this card and will try to avoid any tutoring or try to call your bluff if you have none in your hand. Your opponent will either be slowed down or be playing with fire by using cards with library searching knowing full well that he could instantly be milled for 13 or 26 or 39 (provided you have Archive Traps and/or Twincasts and/or Trapmaker's Snares in your hand.)
You: Archive Trap!!! :D
Opponent: "...uh, I'm playing a Dredge deck..."
You: 0_0
Opponent: *flipping 17 cards over* ... "Thanks for basically giving me four Time Walks."
You: ._.
...In any other situation, though, Archive Trap is a blast to play.
also @Xycolian: EDIT: I thought you were talking about Twincasting a Diabolic Tutor that you cast. apparently I read your statement wrong, sorry.
Mwahahaha.
@mn6334
Yes it does work. I pulled this off on MTGO when my opponent cast a diabolic tutor.
His diabolic tutor is on the stack, I cast twincast targeting it. Twincast resolves and adds my Diabolic tutor to the stack. My diabolic tutor resolves first, which I used to find archive trap, then after he searches his library with his diabolic tutor, I cast Archive trap for free.
IT'S A TRAP!
Fetchland? Okay, everyone mill all your decks.
Let's say you don't know what kind of deck you're playing.
They play a land. Maybe a fetchland (it's modern. I haven't seen a deck list that doesn't have a few of those in there).
Upon the searching, you Trap them, revealing their deck strategy.
"Oh no... They got Tarmogoyf's in that deck". You think.
"You idiot," your rude opponent would say. "Now I've got a 6/7 Tarmogoyf coming out next turn".
"Oh right! I am so stupid. How could've I not foreseen this backfiring?" (revealing the following card).
Shock and terror erupt, you throw up a middle finger to $100 cards.
When scaled down to tome scour, you see why it's unplayable, but this and glimpse are ok, at least.
Cuz it's UB burn instead of R, so more tools to help.
Opponent: "I'll go first. Terramorphic Expanse, fetching a forest. Go"
You: "In response, Archive Trap, Archive Trap, Archive Trap and Archive Trap."
Opponent: "So... I started with 53 cards in my library, and now you mill me for 52? I've only got one card left to draw?"
You: "No, that last card was the forest you searched for..."
It's dirty, even in EDH.
only in EDH is traumatize a better card, and even then not necessarily always.
Why?
If you are using a mill deck and play traumatize on turn 5 and still mill 23 cards, then what have you been doing on turns 1-4? Just gathering defense and lands for the traumatize that you will never be able to use as your finisher? And are you just going to tap out on turn 5?
Archive trap requires none of this, it will always mill 13, it can be your finisher, and 80% of the times it will cost nothing. Plus, it may go unnoticed, and as is specified in the rulings, it doesn't require you to mill the player that actually searched his library, you can mill someone else
And after they plaied their tutor and you plaied the trap, just cast a brain freeze to mill at least 9 more and finish them off
PUNISH EXPENSIVE FETCHES.