If that would be common in a paper draft... Imagining players constantly saying "tap: looking at your hand. Looking at your hand again with my other glasses. And again"...
keeds4
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(4 votes)
This card is underrated -- so much so that most players would let you keep it in play. It taps for free and you get to see your opponent's hand without revealing yours...
EpicBroccoli
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(5 votes)
Useful for chirologists.
GainsBanding
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(5 votes)
Much better than you think it is. Especially for control decks.
This doesn't p**s people off NEARLY as much as Telepathy does in EDH, so it has that going for it (plus it's colorless and all).
KokoshoForPresident
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
It's wonderful with things like Persecute, Sen Triplets, and Crosis, the Purger. Also, with telepathy, you're opponents can see each others hands, which could be a bad thing. Plus, it can be used to really annoy people: "Tap to look at your hand! Wow, that's a good card... Hmm... Wait, I'm not done reading it! No, I'm not done yet." *Gives it back half an hour later* "Wait! What was that card again? Let me see it again!"
Arachnos
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Dark_Raider: obsolete nothing. It's very nearly the same effect with a cost not limited to blue.
Aquillion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm amused by the fact that the rating on this is so much higher than the non-Mono-artifact/tap-symbol versions, presumably because of ratings from people who don't know what Mono Artifact means.
Krysto
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Far more flexible than Telepathy IMO for a number of reasons:
It's an artifact, which means it can be cost reduced, used for alternate purposes (ie to fuel Lodestone Myr), and is far easier to bring back from the grave. Artifact revival is far more common than enchantment revival and artifacts also make for good sac-fodder in certain builds.
It's colorless, so it can be 1-dropped regardless of the land, so if you decide to play a T-1 special land that produces colorless only, you can still play this. Also is usable in ANY deck.
It may not give you 24/7 coverage, but it usually spots you when you need it, ie. after each opponent's draw.
It's not as useful in 3 or 4 way battles, but it can also keep you from aggravating players 3 and 4 while keeping a close eye on player 2, it also prevents them from seeing player 2's hand as well, as keeds4 pointed out.
Forgetting what your opponent is packing in their hand is one of the other few drawbacks, but if you didn't take the care to remember it, it's usually not that much of a threat.
So this is by far "strictly worse" than telepathy, if not simply for the fact that it's colorless.
DoragonShinzui
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(1 vote)
With the erreta, you can not only look at your teammate's hand, but your OWN!
*gasp*
wideyes
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Urza's original, and best, creation.
Mode
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Play with R&D's Secret Lair to check if your opponent keeps his fingernails neat and tidy.
Then if his hand isn't clean, cast Decree of Annihilation to remove his hands from the game to prevent him from touching your cards with his filthy hands ever again for the remainder of the match. (Warning: You won't be able to use your hands anymore either.)
Bbone37
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"Forgetting what your opponent is packing in their hand is one of the other few drawbacks, but if you didn't take the care to remember it, it's usually not that much of a threat." -Krysto
You are allowed to write notes during a match, so this point is moot.
Comments (18)
This doesn't p**s people off NEARLY as much as Telepathy does in EDH, so it has that going for it (plus it's colorless and all).
*Gives it back half an hour later* "Wait! What was that card again? Let me see it again!"
It's an artifact, which means it can be cost reduced, used for alternate purposes (ie to fuel Lodestone Myr), and is far easier to bring back from the grave. Artifact revival is far more common than enchantment revival and artifacts also make for good sac-fodder in certain builds.
It's colorless, so it can be 1-dropped regardless of the land, so if you decide to play a T-1 special land that produces colorless only, you can still play this. Also is usable in ANY deck.
It may not give you 24/7 coverage, but it usually spots you when you need it, ie. after each opponent's draw.
It's not as useful in 3 or 4 way battles, but it can also keep you from aggravating players 3 and 4 while keeping a close eye on player 2, it also prevents them from seeing player 2's hand as well, as keeds4 pointed out.
Forgetting what your opponent is packing in their hand is one of the other few drawbacks, but if you didn't take the care to remember it, it's usually not that much of a threat.
So this is by far "strictly worse" than telepathy, if not simply for the fact that it's colorless.
*gasp*
Then if his hand isn't clean, cast Decree of Annihilation to remove his hands from the game to prevent him from touching your cards with his filthy hands ever again for the remainder of the match.
(Warning: You won't be able to use your hands anymore either.)
You are allowed to write notes during a match, so this point is moot.