Why is this restricted in vintage now? It doesn't really feel that overpowered to me.
Megrimage
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(3 votes)
its like they are restrivting everything that lets you draw 3 or more cards, maybe they think someone will just discard a mox or something and play yawgmoth will? I dont know.. your guess is as good as mine. perhaps it was a serious combo someone did that caused this to get restricted.
trooperofdoom
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
FoxArris and Megrimage: The reason why this is so good in Vintage is because sometimes you want to dump an artifact from your hand (like Black Lotus, then play Yawg Will and grab it), and drawing three cards with it is great
I'm pretty sure that's what it is.
Lateralis0ne
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(6 votes)
what troop said, at instant speed.
CatsAreCthala
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(6 votes)
This is probably the best draw spell in my Magic:the Gathering File cabinet besides Bill.
GrimjawxRULES
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(4 votes)
What Lateralis0ne said - This card is incredibly powerful, simply because it all happens at instant-speed. If this had been a Sorcery, I'm pretty sure that fewer paople would play with it.
Moxen
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
Best draw spell? How about Ancestral Recall or even brainstorm. It's still very good.
Kryptnyt
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(6 votes)
@CatsAreCthala; well I'd say Professor Oak is good too, but I wouldn't say no to a Pot of Greed
scumbling1
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
"Why is this restricted in vintage now? It doesn't really feel that overpowered to me"
Because Mana Drain is too good. Drain decks are a pillar of modern Vintage, and they threaten to choke out other archetypes when given a bunch of cheap draw and library manipulation. That's why they've also restricted Brainstorm, Ponder, Fact or Fiction and Gifts Ungiven. Otherwise, Drain decks just become too consistent.
zk3
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
@FoxArris: Scu.mbling has it all right: as a 4-of, it gave blue decks too much consistency. Unrestricting this would prove too powerful and skew the field. But let's see why it would be good still good. It recycles the blightsteel that found its way into your hand, and even gets a shuffle out of it (to redistribute early-game preordain scrys, jace's +1's, or vendillion cliques targets). Because it digs three cards deep at instant speed, it's closest comparison is brainstorm. However, TfK puts the extra cards into your graveyard, which is more accessible than the top of your library. You also have fresh cards to draw your next turn, unlike brainstorming without shuffle effects.
All of these provide incredible synergy with what vintage drain decks want to do. It's not what this deck does at a moment, but all of these things put together that makes it so potent. It's like looking at brainstorm at face value. Both cards are not that great for what they obviously do, but their synergy is what makes it incredible.
Lord_of_Gelectrodes
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
"You know, I sure could go for a nice, cold, glass of knowledge right now."
DacenOctavio
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Reanimator decks in Modern and EDH just aren't as good if they're blue and not running this. This is a fantastic way to dump an Inkwell Leviathan.
Comments (12)
I'm pretty sure that's what it is.
Because Mana Drain is too good. Drain decks are a pillar of modern Vintage, and they threaten to choke out other archetypes when given a bunch of cheap draw and library manipulation. That's why they've also restricted Brainstorm, Ponder, Fact or Fiction and Gifts Ungiven. Otherwise, Drain decks just become too consistent.
Scu.mbling has it all right: as a 4-of, it gave blue decks too much consistency. Unrestricting this would prove too powerful and skew the field.
But let's see why it would be good still good. It recycles the blightsteel that found its way into your hand, and even gets a shuffle out of it (to redistribute early-game preordain scrys, jace's +1's, or vendillion cliques targets).
Because it digs three cards deep at instant speed, it's closest comparison is brainstorm. However, TfK puts the extra cards into your graveyard, which is more accessible than the top of your library. You also have fresh cards to draw your next turn, unlike brainstorming without shuffle effects.
All of these provide incredible synergy with what vintage drain decks want to do. It's not what this deck does at a moment, but all of these things put together that makes it so potent. It's like looking at brainstorm at face value. Both cards are not that great for what they obviously do, but their synergy is what makes it incredible.