Comparable to Chromatic Star (which saw play), this one is better in every way (common too). 4.5/5
SleetFox
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
I love it. If I have four of these, I can use them together with my Darksteel Ingots to have a respectable 5-color deck without having to have too many expensive duel lands.
RobinHood3000
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
I just found a replacement for Kaleidostone for CIP-card draw. And it filters my mana too - sweet.
SolidSoldier
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
This card, along with Evolving Wilds, makes tri-color limited decks in this set work.
JiangWei23
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(13 votes)
Surely I wasn't the only one who thought of the game "Portal" when I saw the card art. :D
Akyl.D.Pain
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
This card is heavily underrated if people vote it for 3.5. Alright lets get to the bigger picture of this card and explain the deeper functions of this card. For 2 mana artifact card you get to draw a card and convert a mana to any color. Lets separate the cost of this artifact 1 mana to draw a card and 1 mana to change any color you make to anything you want. I literally have a 4 color deck with just 2 of these cards and elrazi humongous monsters to win a game in drafts winning because the deck has all the best cards in it. Mythics cards in the deck contained linvala keeper of silence and Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre. Other 3 colors where support and protection and offensive. My opponent was at an outrage with his perfectly made blue and red deck. Control with defenders and flying. Me having an enchantment that stops creatures from flying to go back down on ground.
Guntz1092
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
i love this thing
RafiqTheMiststalker
★★★☆☆ (3.1/5.0)(4 votes)
I feel like i should run a playset in most of my decks. Strictly better than Chromatic Star, but rated the same. Good one, guys. Just like the people that make Lotus Petal a 5 but Black Lotus a 4.5. Deeerp.
badmalloc
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love this. Compare to Mana Cylix - for one more mana you get a cantrip. And that was the biggest weakness of the Mana Cylix - it's a dead card late in the game once you color base is set up.
_X_
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
One example of some revolutionary artifacts out of the Zendikar block. This card turns my red dominant jund deck into the fastest, easiest tri-color mana base i know. Seriously, to any deck that needs specific mana and a lil draw early or late game, here's your colorless solution.
5 stars
Kryptnyt
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Better than Chromatic star? Guys, you haven't played against those annoying Tendrils decks that use Yawgmoth's will yet, have you. Still, pretty decent. Mana Cylix is bad in every way this is good.
Gaussgoat
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is really solid, a practical necessity in any multi-colored deck in standard. If people are bombing your mana base with Spreading Seas you can counter it with this guy. The card draw is what makes it exceptional.
4.5/5
ZursApprentice
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This truly is one of the best commons to come out of the set and there were a lot of good commons in the set. Two mana cantrips have never been bad. The ability is extraordinary in three or four color decks with less expensive manabases. It is also occasionally useful in two-color decks. Five stars for a two mana cantripping mana-fixer at common!
spike_barnett
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(1 vote)
It's a great card but it isn't "strictly" better than Chromatic Star. Doesn't any one other than Kryptnyt remember Sunny Side Up?
Evermint
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is the glue of multicolored pauper decks. Hell, it's a nice way to fix mana in Extended. Card draw pushes it to excellent.
Jaimie_Lannister
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This Card Is Awsome Combined With Cards Like Omnath, Locus Of Mana and Shivan Dragon. All you need to do is make all your mana green to store it and then turn it all red to pump your shivin to finish the game, it's Great 5/5
Arkhon_Xa
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The more i play with card, the more i like it. Its a very subtle effect that does wonders for a deck like Grixis control, which really wants to play lots of cards with stringent mana requirements like Gatekeeper of Malakir. Its also more than ok in Limited, fixing you for that Vendetta splash in your R/G midrange decks.
don_miguel
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Finally they found the way to make a decent filter artifact. Cantrip was the key. Not a dead card late in the game.
Holy crud; YES! That definitely smacks of Portal. Tell me the artist wasn't thinking of that.
On topic, this is an incredible mana filter. Chromatic Sphere/Star was/were staples in their time, and this does most things better. Drawing a card was what made the Chromatics so great; this does that too, but this is repeatable at no further activation cost. You also draw the card immediately when you play this, so there is not the pressure to crack it that the Chromatics had (not that this would matter...) You do pay more for the artifact itself, though, and that hurts, especially given that in multicolour aggro decks (which will want to run this to smooth their mana early on), feels like a lot more than . In slower games, though, this is almost unquestionably better.
Ava_Adore
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I don't see how it is strictly better than chromatic star, as the star costs 1 less to play. therefore you could play a multicoloured two drop with it when suffering from mana screw where prophetic lens wouldn't allow you too.
this card should be rated the same however, I use it with master transmuter to give me more draws and help me play big beefy artifacts. would have to be my fav lenz at the moment
ajpinton
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Can anyone say metal craft? Its cheep, replaces its self when played, and has a very good mana-fixing ability. Lets say t1 Signal Pest, t2 Prophetic Prism , t3 Etched Champion, t4 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas . I'd like to say good game, use Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas -1 to make Prophetic Prism in to a 5/5. Swing all out if not blocked that's 8 on turn 4, and now turn 5 make Signal Pest a 5/5 and swing for 13 on turn 5, if you managed to get it all through that's 21 damage by turn 5. I know this would be a god hand in a perfect game but it can happen...
Too bad you can't use Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas to make Etched Champion in to a 5/5 after metalcraft goes on line...
DacenOctavio
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Does not have an ability to sacrifice itself and be as cheaply sac'd and recurred with Second Sunrise in an infinite recursion loop to draw your library, therefore is not strictly better than Chromatic Star or Chromatic Sphere. Unless I guess you're afraid of Magnetic Mine, in which case OMG children run for your lives!
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Mana fixing at common! Pauper decks love this!
DrJack
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ RafiqTheMiststalker
How is this strictly better than Chromatic Star? Prophetic Prism costs 2 mana to cast; the Star costs 1. That makes a big difference sometimes, especially when you really just need a 1-shot deal to cast a single spell RIGHT NOW, or to gain that extra turn of tempo.
People are getting really sloppy with their use of the term "strictly better".
Comments (25)
Strictly better than Chromatic Star, but rated the same. Good one, guys.
Just like the people that make Lotus Petal a 5 but Black Lotus a 4.5.
Deeerp.
5 stars
Still, pretty decent. Mana Cylix is bad in every way this is good.
4.5/5
Hell, it's a nice way to fix mana in Extended. Card draw pushes it to excellent.
On topic, this is an incredible mana filter. Chromatic Sphere/Star was/were staples in their time, and this does most things better. Drawing a card was what made the Chromatics so great; this does that too, but this is repeatable at no further activation cost. You also draw the card immediately when you play this, so there is not the pressure to crack it that the Chromatics had (not that this would matter...)
You do pay
therefore you could play a multicoloured two drop with it when suffering from mana screw where prophetic lens wouldn't allow you too.
this card should be rated the same however, I use it with master transmuter to give me more draws and help me play big beefy artifacts. would have to be my fav lenz at the moment
Too bad you can't use Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas to make Etched Champion in to a 5/5 after metalcraft goes on line...
How is this strictly better than Chromatic Star? Prophetic Prism costs 2 mana to cast; the Star costs 1. That makes a big difference sometimes, especially when you really just need a 1-shot deal to cast a single spell RIGHT NOW, or to gain that extra turn of tempo.
People are getting really sloppy with their use of the term "strictly better".