Its so great to see that one more idiotically high cost card is now is...not so high cost. It makes me absolutely happy that those people who shell out hundreds of dollars for utility cards (so that budget players have no way to actually play a deck with more than two colors) are GETTING WHAT THEY DESERVE. :D
Eved
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(6 votes)
Better in multiplayer then Orim's Chant. Otherwise I would stick with the Chant.
A playset of orim's chant will cost you 75 billion dollars, various appendages and your first born child. A playset of silence will cost you a couple bucks. Obvious preference is obvious.
Vedalken_Arbiter
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(53 votes)
Tell me, Mr. Anderson... what good is a phone call... if you're unable to speak?
gongshowninja
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(13 votes)
Vedalken_Arbiter gets 1000000 points. Well done!
bagilis
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(6 votes)
Blue! Should have been Blue!
Zoah
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0)(7 votes)
I don't like this... It looks far too powerful for it's cost... And... of course... it's in white. Stupid M11... It moved the middle game play cards into the beginning... The beginning cards obsolete, by the new flashy cheep cards... and the late game cards unusable. Bad M11! bad!
Frostraven
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(4 votes)
This card is just ONE "... Draw a card" away from being completely broken. LOVE it XD
NecroticNobody
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
It's name should be "Shut The F*** Up!"
CeremonialBathory
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(4 votes)
@Zoah - I feel like this is a reprint. But, okay. M11 ruined the game. M10 was perfect, amirite?
Toversnol
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I think its Better than Orim's Chant. You can play with this card around Leyline of Sanctity. because you dont have to target a player as with the Orim's Chant. and its playable in most formats
A downside in the legacy format, which you will probably use it in, is that you miss the Kicker ability from Orim's Chant. if you are playing vs Zoo, Goblin's, Merfolks, Survival.
so comparing Orim's Chant with Silence depends a bit what you are playing yourself. if you need it vs agro or vs combo.
ZirilanoftheClaw
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(2 votes)
i was looking for a white counterspell card i was about to give up and splash blue but then i realized that this! is a 1 costincg counterspell it prevents them from casting the spell in the first place as well as any further spells though it leaves that spell in their hand for next turn... its a trade off oh and by the way i got my orim's chant for $12 which dosnt cost an arm and a leg :P
brownkidd
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(6 votes)
New to Magic and bought a set of these hoping to help against Blue counterspells only to find out the counterspells can be played on top of it. Seems a bit pointless.
DGice
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
doesn't stop any instants at all, could be played during your turn to force a counterspell
mikee_rules
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
If this card was used in responce to an opponents spell, would his spell go to the graveyard or return to his hand?
Omaly
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
hard counters mono-red and blue-white/blue-black control in the current block. Should be side-boarded in all white decks.
GracefulInferno
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(3 votes)
"Untap, upkeep- " "Silence." "But-" "No no." *waggles finger, points to card* "....feck."
Tobolococo
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(2 votes)
way overpowred for what it costs, i mean really, take an extra turn for 1 mana.
entersandman
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
so what do you mean by this? you can't counterspell SILENCE?
Froenx
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(1 vote)
After you say go, but before my upkeep step...
yeah, disgusting if timed right. otherwise it gets eaten up by swerve.
Teakon
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
For those that don't know or don't realize: Swerve or things that redirect won't affect this card. Also for all of you that do NOT read rulings, here you go:
10/1/2009 Silence won't affect spells that your opponents cast before you cast Silence. (In other words, it can't be used as a retroactive Cancel.) Silence also won't stop your opponents from casting spells after you cast Silence but before Silence resolves. 10/1/2009 The only thing Silence does is prevent your opponents from casting spells. They can still activate abilities, including abilities of cards in their hands (like cycling). Their triggered abilities work as normal, they can still play lands, and so on.
@Froenx No on can cast spells before an Upkeep. The Upkeep is the first part of a turn that players are able to cast spells. (Unless some how the card or another card says it can be cast during Untap).
Horrible card, I hate it. It's a control card that gives you tempo, but throws away CA. Control only cares about CA and typically negates tempo through early walls and mass removal. You want to hit it early when you could be developing board position and it is a near useless draw late game as it does nothing to the board state, and you are unlikely to have a better board position if your running this. I would rather have Wall of Omens or Mana Leak any day.
kdraphael
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Swerve targets. Silence does not target, so Swerve will not be able to do anything about Silence.
TheSwarm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Silence is a very interesting card that really needs information to be good. For instance, just crossing your fingers and silencing on a random turn is obviously the wrong way to play the card. However, when combined with reveal effects such as Gitaxian Probe or Duress, it dramatically increases in value. If we see a Turn Four Jace, we can use three mana to put a presence on the board and then turn 4 silence him, and we are very much ahead, giving us an extra turn to further advance our board position. It also allows you to stall the turns that your opponent really needs to make progress, which is absolutely invaluable against fast aggressive decks like Vamps or KRed. Can you imagine silencing the first turn of KRed when your on the draw? That brings you one step closer to the day of judgment that will almost certainly lead to their demise. Same thing with tempered steel decks. Stall their tempered steel one more turn and you have a massive advantage when your four drop hits before their three drop.
Palutena
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this + Isochron Scepter + Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir = your opponents can't cast spells ..... at all
MechaKraken
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Can this spell be countered while it's on the stack?
ICEFANG13
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ MechaKraken
If its a spell (on the stack like you said) the effect hasn't begun yet, it can be countered.
Vadoff
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ZirilanoftheClaw This can NOT be used as a counterspell. Anything cast before casting silence will still go through as the spell is already on the stack. Anything cast in response to silence, will also go through as that spell casts first.
Crash21
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In my opinion, the real strength of this card is in combo decks, especially in a meta with very little counterspelling but lots of target removal (like the one I play at). When you finally get all the pieces of your combo, you cast silence first, and once it resolves, you can drop all your combo pieces and win without any interference - ie, silence, spellskite, Erayo, Soratami Ascendant (in hand, not as a commander obviously), arcane laboratory. Pass turn!
With Isochron Scepter, you may as well just quit the game. It's a stupidly powerful combination and anyone running it should be ashamed for ruining the game (and dumbing it down). If your idea of "fun" is playing against yourself, then by all means, play Solitaire magic, but don't expect your opponent to actually stick around when you're preventing them from playing for the rest of the game. Furthermore, don't expect them to come back.
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Delay, then on the turn that the other spell comes back, play this before it resolves. The suspended spell just stays in exile. Sure, there are definitely more practical ways to achieve this (Dissipate comes to mind) but the troll value is too good to not mention.
M_E_T_A_L_LORD
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
New Un-card leaked:
Shuyomouf Instant Shuyomouf enters the battlefield under target player's control. Shuyomouf can't be countered. Split-second
STFU, STFU (You must immediately stop what you're doing, exile all cards on the stack, tap your lands for mana, empty your mana pool, then close your mouth until the end of turn. Then do it again)
TheGreatJman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great Card! I'm thinking a lockdown scenarios in my Venser Bounce deck by comboing with Mnemonic Wall
majinara
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(4 votes)
I'm surprised how much confusion there is about this card.
It is no counterspell. It will never counter any spells. Why? Any spell on the stack has already been played. Playing silence after a spell has been played doesn't stop spells that are already on the stack.
Silence, once it resolved, prevents opponents from playing further spells this turn. It has no effect whatsoever on any spells that have been already played this turn, even if those spells are still on the stack and didn't resolve yet.
And of course silence can be countered, since it doesn't do anything, until it resolved. And silence doesn't prevent your opponent from playing activated abilities, of course, such as popping an oblivion stone.
Example: - I play terminate on your angel - you play silence - I think "duh, silence, ok then" and, in respones to your silence, play a lightning bolt on an elf of yours - lightning bolt resolves, killing that elf - silence resolves. from now on it prevents me from playing spells - terminate resolves, killing the angel. It is NOT stopped or countered by silence, since I played this terminate way before silence was on the stack, not to mention way before it resolved.
Since silence can not be used to counter spells, what can it be used for? - as a counterbait. You play it BEFORE you play something you don't want to be countered. Assuming your opponent has a counterspell on hand, he can choose to counter silence, or let it resolve. If he lets it resolve, you can then play your important spell, without having to worry about counterspells. If your opponent decides to counter the silence, then he can do so.
- to secure combat. Play it before the combat starts, to make sure your opponent won't play any spells that might pump or kill creatures or wahtever
- as a soft lock. Play it at the end of your opponents upkeep. Your opponent can of course react to it with instants, but if the silence resolves, he won't be able to play anything else later.
LowKey49
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
On the fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the eleventh, when no living creature can speak falsely or fail to answer, a Question will be asked, a question that must never, ever be answered
Ligerman30
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Cast this during your opponent's turn for the lulz.
This might be a good addition to my sunforger package. I love sunforger because cards like this that basically throw away card advantage can be used more freely. I also like this kind of card because it screws control decks (particularly the ones that try to counterspell everything).
Xineombine
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The art is friggin disturbing...
MostlyLost
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Confirmed reprint in M14. Control might not be so bad anymore.
Lord_of_Gelectrodes
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@lowkey I love showing up at my school's doctor who club and just dropping a copy of this on the floor, then leaving. Silence keeps falling, but no one ever notices.
Comments (49)
It makes me absolutely happy that those people who shell out hundreds of dollars for utility cards (so that budget players have no way to actually play a deck with more than two colors) are GETTING WHAT THEY DESERVE. :D
I KILL YOU!
And... of course... it's in white.
Stupid M11... It moved the middle game play cards into the beginning...
The beginning cards obsolete, by the new flashy cheep cards... and the late game cards unusable.
Bad M11! bad!
A downside in the legacy format, which you will probably use it in, is that you miss the Kicker ability from Orim's Chant. if you are playing vs Zoo, Goblin's, Merfolks, Survival.
so comparing Orim's Chant with Silence depends a bit what you are playing yourself. if you need it vs agro or vs combo.
i was about to give up and splash blue but then i realized that this!
is a 1 costincg counterspell
it prevents them from casting the spell in the first place as well as any further spells
though it leaves that spell in their hand for next turn...
its a trade off
oh and by the way i got my orim's chant for $12 which dosnt cost an arm and a leg :P
"Silence."
"But-"
"No no." *waggles finger, points to card*
"....feck."
yeah, disgusting if timed right. otherwise it gets eaten up by swerve.
10/1/2009 Silence won't affect spells that your opponents cast before you cast Silence. (In other words, it can't be used as a retroactive Cancel.) Silence also won't stop your opponents from casting spells after you cast Silence but before Silence resolves.
10/1/2009 The only thing Silence does is prevent your opponents from casting spells. They can still activate abilities, including abilities of cards in their hands (like cycling). Their triggered abilities work as normal, they can still play lands, and so on.
@Froenx No on can cast spells before an Upkeep. The Upkeep is the first part of a turn that players are able to cast spells. (Unless some how the card or another card says it can be cast during Untap).
If its a spell (on the stack like you said) the effect hasn't begun yet, it can be countered.
Shuyomouf
Instant
Shuyomouf enters the battlefield under target player's control.
Shuyomouf can't be countered.
Split-second
STFU, STFU (You must immediately stop what you're doing, exile all cards on the stack, tap your lands for mana, empty your mana pool, then close your mouth until the end of turn. Then do it again)
It is no counterspell. It will never counter any spells. Why? Any spell on the stack has already been played. Playing silence after a spell has been played doesn't stop spells that are already on the stack.
Silence, once it resolved, prevents opponents from playing further spells this turn. It has no effect whatsoever on any spells that have been already played this turn, even if those spells are still on the stack and didn't resolve yet.
And of course silence can be countered, since it doesn't do anything, until it resolved. And silence doesn't prevent your opponent from playing activated abilities, of course, such as popping an oblivion stone.
Example:
- I play terminate on your angel
- you play silence
- I think "duh, silence, ok then" and, in respones to your silence, play a lightning bolt on an elf of yours
- lightning bolt resolves, killing that elf
- silence resolves. from now on it prevents me from playing spells
- terminate resolves, killing the angel. It is NOT stopped or countered by silence, since I played this terminate way before silence was on the stack, not to mention way before it resolved.
Since silence can not be used to counter spells, what can it be used for?
- as a counterbait. You play it BEFORE you play something you don't want to be countered. Assuming your opponent has a counterspell on hand, he can choose to counter silence, or let it resolve. If he lets it resolve, you can then play your important spell, without having to worry about counterspells. If your opponent decides to counter the silence, then he can do so.
- to secure combat. Play it before the combat starts, to make sure your opponent won't play any spells that might pump or kill creatures or wahtever
- as a soft lock. Play it at the end of your opponents upkeep. Your opponent can of course react to it with instants, but if the silence resolves, he won't be able to play anything else later.
I love showing up at my school's doctor who club and just dropping a copy of this on the floor, then leaving.
Silence keeps falling, but no one ever notices.