The usefulness of this card is highly suspect, but the design is pretty neat.
Plus it's pretty cool to see Urza's mug on a card again.
busdude
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(6 votes)
As many people mentioned, it's pretty much strictly worse than both Diabolic Tutor and Concentrate. Neither of which were amazing cards to begin with.
Although it is perfectly reasonable for blue to not have any good card draw as long as Money Sculptor is in standard, I don't see the need to print utter trash like this to *** off people who buy packs.
DoomCanoe
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.9/5.0)(7 votes)
pshh this card is amazing when paired with Psychosis Crawler.
"do you wanna lose 3 life... or let me possibly get out another Psychosis Crawler?"
"psych! it was a land!"
unless you have to show it to everyone... then this card blows haha
Allanen
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(5 votes)
@Yozuk
As with any exiled card, unless an effect specifically has you exile it upside down, it'll be exiled face up. So yeah, they'll see it.
Shiizu
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If this thing didn't reveal the card(exiled cards are face up), this might be playable. Now it's a card that can join such legends as Nix, One with Nothing and mudhole. Ah well, at least it will replace itself one way or another.
MrBarrelRoll
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Aw, I actually like it. If anything, for the Venser, Shaper Savant and Urza heads floating in background.
and 3 cards for 4 mana isn't bad. the tutoring is mildly useless, though. Same cost for a Diabolic Tutor... if this had cost 3, it would be a lot more usable.
Yozuk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
well Never mind then... That just horrible. Why Would they print it so every one can see your card? Thats pointless..... NO one is their right mind is going to let me tutor for Venser... They would rather have me draw 3 cards.
Hyroko
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I actually like it, first off, if you have 4 copies of something that is a mid-threat card, they will have to decide on what to do. if they let you draw, that is 4 cards less in your library and a bigger chance of still drawing that card anyway. think about infect here, this is a phyrexian card, so I search for any om my infect cards, of which there will be lots of, and you either let me put it in my hand or chance me drawing 3 other infect cards.... your choice.
Vividice
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(12 votes)
Im puzzled that this is a Rare... Should be put into a Intro Pack!
Strictly worse combination of Concentrate and Diabolic Tutor. It's sad that you have to shown it because it's a blue card. Should blue be about trickung your enemy? Even some minor tweaks could make this card playable. Like
Search your library for a card, exile it, then shuffle your library. Any opponent may have you put that card into your hand. If no player does shuffle it back into your library and you draw three cards.
Or
Search your library for a card, exile it face down, then shuffle your library. Any opponent may have you put that card into your hand. If no player does, you draw three cards.
zk3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It would have seen more play as an instant. Might have been more interesting if the card was put into your graveyard for some weird hybrid of Intuition and Ancestral Recall - might have made it worth considering for vintage But no
mlanier131
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Horrible, this is what happens after gifts ungiven, all draw spells will be shit tier.
ForestFire0
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
@Hyroko: You said it yourself "your choice". That's why this card sucks. They combined the effects of two uncommons and made it strictly worse than its parts since your opponent gets to choose.
lordofthekithkins
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I pulled this in the prelease and despite all of the negate comments on it it worked really well in my u/b infect deck. in the scars of mirrodin block there aren't many cards that give you this much card advantage, the good thing is is that it can changed to fit the situation. If you need the card advantage you show them one of your better cards and you get to draw, if your already in a good position you show them a card that is not so good but can give you a bit more of an advantage to secure your victory
PrimeSonic
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This feels like a really odd form of Fact or Fiction, and honestly, I'm not too thrilled about it. Not worth using to find a finisher or anything you have less than 4 of. Now, if you consider drawing 3 cards for 4 mana (which is good) at the cost of removing a relatively powerful (or scary) card from your deck, be my guest.
The only thing that would have saved this would be making it an instant.
Volcre
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Diabolic Tutor: 4 mana to tutor for a card is still unplayable Concentrate: 4 mana to draw three cards is fairly solid
Distant Memories: Your opponent gets to choose either of those effects for the same cost. This thing is nowhere near good enough to be a rare.
Jake1991
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I think everyone is looking at this wrong.
When hit by this you have a choice: Let your opponent have their card, or he restocks his hand. And if that player is using control...
Gavrilo
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(8 votes)
This set got disturbing trend: worst cards get all the best art.
gongshowninja
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Seems like a solid multi-player card. In my EDH meta, we play multi-player all the time. It'd be nice to be able to tutor up an Austere Command in my Rafiq deck. If someone's about to go off with a Karn deck or an Experiment Kraj deck, one of the opponents would give me the card to deal with the mutual threat. It's a political card. And, if you want to tutor up a threat of your own that gets vetoed, at least you still draw three. I really doubt that this card was designed for standard, but for multi-player formats.
SolidSoldier
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I really like the art.
But there had to be at least one bad rare in the set, right guys?
Revelation666
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So basically this is a Concentrate that says "remove target card in your library from the game" on it. This sucks. Should let you draw 4 cards if no one lets you put your tutored card in your hand, then it would make a decent casual card.
AreaMan
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(1 vote)
This is one of those cards that just feels like it should be really good, but.... I dunno, I'm just not seeing it.
chinkeeyong
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(10 votes)
This card is so bad it gives Karn a migraine.
metalevolence
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Should have been
keiyakins
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Dude. URZA. That alone makes this pretty sweet, even though it's not particularly great as a card.
franconbean
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
At no point does the card say you have to reveal the card you exile. So if you do it with a land card, you exile the land and and draw three, at least one of which statistically will be a land (at worst you will be three draw phases closer to your next land). Someone did this to me in a booster draft and it worked out well for him. This a great, fun, "Poker Face" card that I have seen used effectively a couple of times.
Dragon_Nut
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Exiling is automatically face-up unless otherwise noted. This card is so much fun until you realize it's a 4 mana sorcery. At instant speed or 1 mana less, this could have been a good card, at least in casual. Kinda funny how much difference that ONE mana makes.
Azrael1911
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(6 votes)
you guys are doing it wrong. this card is perfect for EDH/commander.
if someone sends your general to the bottom of your deck a la hinder, you can use this to basically say "so, do you want to put my general in my command zone so it costs 2 more to cast, and i draw 3 cards, or do you want me to draw it and be able to cast it for it's normal cost?"
Frozenwings
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
If this card gives caster option of exiling card face-down, then it would worth of its cost and rarity. But like this, well, worthless
@DacenOctavio, you are missing one thing too, this card have 2 options, but choice is belong to your opponent. So either way, caster has disadvantage. Why:
1) You exiled a needed card. Your opponent looked upon that card and chose to let you have it. So, you revealed your combo card, and your opponent will wait and react to game-winner card with; discard, counter, destroy vs... Diabolic tutor doesn't have this disadvantage.
2) You exiled a needed card. Your opponent looked upon that card and chose to not let you have it. So, you drew 3 card for 4 mana and exiled a precious, maybe game-winner card for cost. Fact or fiction gives choice of how many card you could draw (min 3 to max 4) and putting other card pile to graveyard gives many possibilities on game, but exiling a card couldn't.
Either way, this card is not playable because of unreliability for this mana cost. If you need to compare better cards, just look at browbeat.
Enchantment_Removal
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
First pick in reject rare draft!
Noalwyn
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Hmmn... I can see some use if played in a deck with Archmage Ascension.. Forces your opponent into a lose-lose situation.
infernox10
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
It's sad when a card that could have so much potential,
And has very awesome art,
Is given the shaft.
Troutz
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Two words and this card becomes constructed-playable. FACE DOWN
Noyan_Dar
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(18 votes)
C'mon, Karn! You can break free of those Phyrexian bonds, all you have to do is Concen- WTF are you doing. That's not what I said.
Jaz.
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(5 votes)
A fun combo with this is to have Jace's Erasure in play, and search your library for a card that isn't obviously game breaking for you, and that really puts pressure on your opponent as whether to let you have the card, or be milled 3, and you get 3. Just don't make it too obvious as to what you're doing with this, it's a subtle card.
When you realize the cerebral qualities of this card, you can see how sweet it is. Truly blue. 3.5
It's also worth noting that the text reads ANY OPPONENT(...)IF NO PLAYER DOES. All you need in a multiplayer game is one person to say "Sure, take it," and it's all yours. A good political card.
SleetFox
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
What a cool card! If only it weren't obsoleted by several cards, none of which are as rare as this. Would it kill them to print this at 1UU?
DemonSeed
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
okay in mtgo you don't even have to find a card, is this a bug? because I'm just drawing three cards off of it everytime.
iMarcus
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Actually I have found a use for this card. When combines with Leyline of Anticipation this card becomes and Instant get a counter or draw three cards. Amazing when used correctly.
It isn't an awful card. It can be combined well with Psychosis Crawler giving your opponent a choice between 1) sparing some damage and card advantage but allowing the tutor 2) taking damage and allowing card advantage but stopping your tutor effect.
Should it be rare? No. Do I kinda get ***ed when I see it in a booster I just spent $4 on? Yes. Is it a bad card? No.
SeiberTross
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(3 votes)
I could see this being fairly useful in EDH. Good for politics, and why is everyone ripping on Concentrate? I've seen plenty of "competitive decks" use Foresee.
Eh why do I even bother, I read the first page of comments on Jace, the Mind Sculptor. All stating how he was underwhelming and overcosted. *sigh*
krauser-gogetthegirl
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
pulled this and the blightsteel colossus in the same day. i amlost want to make a deck with both so when they pick the 12 costed beast i have no way to cheat out they will feel like they really dicked up my strategy lol
DarthKithkin
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(8 votes)
"CHAAARLES NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Charles, ya got in mah head, I'm the Juggernaut, ***... Charles! What the f uck is this sh it!? Ahh, I'm trippin' off acid!!"
scumbling1
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(4 votes)
Both Concentrate and Diabolic Tutor don't manage to see competetive play, so how did Wizards justify making a card that's worse than either one of them at the same mana cost? At least with Browbeat you got a slightly-discounted price when you always got the effect you didn't want from it.
It's not too often I get to say a card is worse than Browbeat, but it's fair to say about Distant Memories. Ouch!
"I could see this being fairly useful in EDH."
Eh why do I even bother, I read the first page of comments on Jace, the Mind Sculptor. All stating how he was underwhelming and overcosted. *sigh*
Your ad hominem remark works both ways.
Vinifera7
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(5 votes)
It's hilarious because Jace's Ingenuity is uncommon and Foresee is common. Both are better options.
SarpNasty
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I like to combo this with Psychosis Crawler (possibly multiple) and Venser's Journal for some epic lulz. I usually save this for when I get them down to around 5-7 life.
"I let me have a this Stormtide or you'll keep losing life and I'll keep gaining it. trolol"
If the Mirrodin Besieged symbol was silver instead of gold, this card would probably be rated at least a full star higher.
NuckChorris
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(3 votes)
This is more of a fun card than ultra playable, and could be good in the right deck. The designers were probably thinking like people could try to bluff their opponent by exiling a 4-of card in their deck that is a card that's very useful but not essential, then drawing 3 cards for 4. I do like how the card stays out of the deck though, and at least 3 cards for 4 mana is as good as you'll get in Standard.
Velkyne
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I only play this card in a melting deck, with a couple of Jace's Erasure in play. So if the oponent decide to make me take the card I get what I want otherwise he's going too discard a bunch
DacenOctavio
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Imagine how bad Fact or Fiction would be if it let the opponent choose which cards you get. Oh wait.
Gaffy00
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
"IS THAT A TUTOR?"
"No, he's just having a brain freeze."
Tynansdtm
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I agree with some of the previous comments. This one is really good if your commander gets shuffled up. Otherwise, not so awesome. Unfortunately, as my understanding of the commander rules goes, as soon as it would be exiled, the replacement effect triggers then and you elect to put it in the command zone before you get the choice. So it's a Diabolic Tutor for getting your commander in the command zone. You might as well use it instead.
EDIT: My bad. According to the forum, "that card" isn't put straight from exile to your hand. In other words, it's still the same card, even across zone changes and when in the command zone, so it will go to your hand from there rather than from the exile zone.
Arachibutyrophobia
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
it's Urza and Venser!!
poprockmonster
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
I apologize if I repeat anything already said, but I am not going to read every single comment on here when most of them just *** about the card's low power level. Keep in mind this is strictly casual, but there are a few things I like to do with this thing: 1) find a land if I'm mana screwed, so they either give it to me or I get to draw three 2) find a scary card that I already have one of in hand, I usually draw 3 like this but doubles of something fun are nice as well 3) find something completely irrelevant, so they have to wonder, my favorite thing about this card is that it's all about mind-games, as is much of Magic, but this card in particular and in EDH it helps you out after that Condemn your opponent buried your commander with it's definitely a weak card and not even close to being one of my favorites, but I always smile like my opponent did exactly what I wanted after this card resolves, I guess I just like to mess with my friends' heads :P
DarthParallax
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
It's a decent card. It's better than Library of Lat-Nam. Just barely. Ultimately, the cheaper mana cost seems to me to be significant here, even though Library doesn't get any of your cards exiled. There's always Pull from Eternity. :p This has the potential to be a sort-of "Diabolic Tutor or Concentrate?" in Blue, with a wierd loop to jump through, that 10 bucks says some *** is going to come along and break in casual. If all you want is just Concentrate or Diabolic Tutor, then those are each better.
If you like mind games, and want to do it in Standard (or your opponents know not to play against Darth Jace and his Dropping Stars of Evil Doom), then this card is perfectly adequate. Personally, I'm impressed they made a card that can give honest strong card advantage, without also designing the 'new best card in Standard'.
This card is proof that Wizards actually does understand how to pull back on power creep, so when Magic is finally destroyed by power creep and they say they couldn't stop it, we can point to this card as proof that their pants are metaphorically on fire. Sometimes it's good to make a card that doesn't automatically do exactly what you want it to, provided there's still at least a way to get lucky with it.
Gheridarigaaz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Let's see what this card does... point A DIabolic Tutor. same cost. tutors for anything you want. Your catch being that your opponent knows what card you're getting. point B your opponent can choose wether you can have the card you want/need. his/her catch being a large card advantage if you don't get what you want. unfortunately, like Diabolic Tutor, its a sorcery :P . I dont see much problem with playing fair. Besides, blue isnt about being straightforward, it burns alot more when your opponent realises a single mistake cost them the game
brunsbr103
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(6 votes)
omg it's urza! blargleflargle fanboy squee
DoragonShinzui
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
It's Consentrate stapled onto a Diabolic Tutor. I have no real complaints aside from the fact that the thing is exiled if I pick something too good.
TheWrathofShane
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
This card is good. Hey I draw 3 cards, or I get (insert good card here). Mind games, and if you have x4 of the tutored card, then its not so bad when they choose to keep it exiled.
jinxedidol
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(5 votes)
It tutors Misthollow Griffin.. to your hand unfortunately.
I like how the art included Urza and Venser, 2 PW where his spark came from. Maybe that explains the momories.
ninjaboy05
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Became a little more usable because of Runic Repetition. You go search for a card with Flashback. Either you get that or you get three cards and use the previously mentioned Repetition to get the flashback card back.
Edit: You now have Misthollow Griffin to search out. Which makes this card slightly more playable.
Binaro
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This card is going to be REALLY fun in my Misthollow Griffin deck. I either get the griffin, or I get the griffin and draw three cards.
@Swiftgamer18: Not true. It's going to see play in my Misthollow Griffin deck in the standard format.
NoobOfLore
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Fun for mind-games. Functionally worse than Concentrate, but the drawback isn't too hefty, considering.
Sometimes it's nice to play a card that is technically worse than another card, but lets you play mind games with your opponent.
LordRandomness
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
The problem with this is that it's either Concentrate or Diabolic Tutor, and your opponent gets to decide, not you, so it'll always be the worse of the two. Therefore, you're generally better off running Concentrate: If Diabolic Tutor would be better, your opponent won't let you get Diabolic Tutor.
EyeballFrog
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(3 votes)
The obvious problem with this card: Draw 3 cards: 4 CMC Tutor a card: 4 CMC This card: 4 CMC
Now, had this been only 3 CMC, we might have something playable. Which would be good, as this is a pretty neat effect.
Memitim
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
When used right, it is a tutor and a draw three. Forces you to splash white, and/or black though.
If you're playing multiplayer and not dominating the board, this should become diabolic tutor in blue.
In one on one, this is strictly worse than Concentrate - if it's more advantageous as a Concentrate than as a tutor, you won't get that effect.
TPmanW
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's not a great card but I feel I should at least add that it's unfair to compare it to Diabolic Tutor seeing as how black gets more powerful tutor effects.
auriscope
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Kinda like Library of Lat-Nam. Also, just stumbled upon an interesting usage. I have a Bruna, Light of Alabaster EDH deck, and it has issues with getting the general tucked (obviously). This card can go grab her for 2UU and shove her in the general zone (use the replacement effect when this card exiles her, since otherwise she will be exiled permanently when someone inevitably lets you draw 3).
Enelysios
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is probably the best protection against tuck cards in EDH that blue can run. I use it in My Ixidor deck, even though he isn't a huge target usually, my group runs a lot of tuck. (I am the only person without white in my main deck)
Either your opponent lets you search for your commander and drop it into your hand (usually what happens) or they make you throw it to command zone and draw 3. It seems insane to do the later, but it might be worth it if that player has played their commander a bunch and wouldn't be able to afford it from command I guess.
Outside of commander its a fun twist on concentrate, but probably not worth playing if you are a spike kind of player. At 3CMC it would have been a good card, but I don't think this was ever intended to be a really strong card. Just add it to the growing pool of punisher cards though and make a UBR deck around it.
TheDouce
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I liked this card better when I thought my opponents didn't get to see it. :(
Belgarath123
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I got a better plan, Concentrate. You don't want them to exile your card.
Kirbster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's got Karn, Venser and Urza all on one card! That's my kind of party!
gameguycm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is obviously really silly. But Misthollow Griffin that stuff. Either way, you're getting your Griffin out.
OlvynChuru
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
First Covenant of Minds, now this. And they are both rares too! That's so pathetic!
Comments (75)
Plus it's pretty cool to see Urza's mug on a card again.
Although it is perfectly reasonable for blue to not have any good card draw as long as Money Sculptor is in standard, I don't see the need to print utter trash like this to *** off people who buy packs.
"do you wanna lose 3 life... or let me possibly get out another Psychosis Crawler?"
"psych! it was a land!"
unless you have to show it to everyone... then this card blows haha
As with any exiled card, unless an effect specifically has you exile it upside down, it'll be exiled face up. So yeah, they'll see it.
and 3 cards for 4 mana isn't bad. the tutoring is mildly useless, though. Same cost for a Diabolic Tutor... if this had cost 3, it would be a lot more usable.
Strictly worse combination of Concentrate and Diabolic Tutor. It's sad that you have to shown it because it's a blue card. Should blue be about trickung your enemy? Even some minor tweaks could make this card playable.
Like
Search your library for a card, exile it, then shuffle your library. Any opponent may have you put that card into your hand. If no player does shuffle it back into your library and you draw three cards.
Or
Search your library for a card, exile it face down, then shuffle your library. Any opponent may have you put that card into your hand. If no player does, you draw three cards.
But no
Now, if you consider drawing 3 cards for 4 mana (which is good) at the cost of removing a relatively powerful (or scary) card from your deck, be my guest.
The only thing that would have saved this would be making it an instant.
Concentrate: 4 mana to draw three cards is fairly solid
Distant Memories: Your opponent gets to choose either of those effects for the same cost. This thing is nowhere near good enough to be a rare.
When hit by this you have a choice: Let your opponent have their card, or he restocks his hand.
And if that player is using control...
But there had to be at least one bad rare in the set, right guys?
this card is perfect for EDH/commander.
if someone sends your general to the bottom of your deck a la hinder, you can use this to basically say "so, do you want to put my general in my command zone so it costs 2 more to cast, and i draw 3 cards, or do you want me to draw it and be able to cast it for it's normal cost?"
@DacenOctavio, you are missing one thing too, this card have 2 options, but choice is belong to your opponent. So either way, caster has disadvantage. Why:
1) You exiled a needed card. Your opponent looked upon that card and chose to let you have it. So, you revealed your combo card, and your opponent will wait and react to game-winner card with; discard, counter, destroy vs... Diabolic tutor doesn't have this disadvantage.
2) You exiled a needed card. Your opponent looked upon that card and chose to not let you have it. So, you drew 3 card for 4 mana and exiled a precious, maybe game-winner card for cost. Fact or fiction gives choice of how many card you could draw (min 3 to max 4) and putting other card pile to graveyard gives many possibilities on game, but exiling a card couldn't.
Either way, this card is not playable because of unreliability for this mana cost. If you need to compare better cards, just look at browbeat.
And has very awesome art,
Is given the shaft.
FACE
DOWN
WTF are you doing. That's not what I said.
When you realize the cerebral qualities of this card, you can see how sweet it is. Truly blue. 3.5
It's also worth noting that the text reads ANY OPPONENT(...)IF NO PLAYER DOES. All you need in a multiplayer game is one person to say "Sure, take it," and it's all yours. A good political card.
Should it be rare? No. Do I kinda get ***ed when I see it in a booster I just spent $4 on? Yes. Is it a bad card? No.
Eh why do I even bother, I read the first page of comments on Jace, the Mind Sculptor. All stating how he was underwhelming and overcosted. *sigh*
It's not too often I get to say a card is worse than Browbeat, but it's fair to say about Distant Memories. Ouch!
"I could see this being fairly useful in EDH."
Eh why do I even bother, I read the first page of comments on Jace, the Mind Sculptor. All stating how he was underwhelming and overcosted. *sigh*
Your ad hominem remark works both ways.
"I let me have a this Stormtide or you'll keep losing life and I'll keep gaining it. trolol"
If the Mirrodin Besieged symbol was silver instead of gold, this card would probably be rated at least a full star higher.
"No, he's just having a brain freeze."
EDIT: My bad. According to the forum, "that card" isn't put straight from exile to your hand. In other words, it's still the same card, even across zone changes and when in the command zone, so it will go to your hand from there rather than from the exile zone.
1) find a land if I'm mana screwed, so they either give it to me or I get to draw three
2) find a scary card that I already have one of in hand, I usually draw 3 like this but doubles of something fun are nice as well
3) find something completely irrelevant, so they have to wonder, my favorite thing about this card is that it's all about mind-games, as is much of Magic, but this card in particular
and in EDH it helps you out after that Condemn your opponent buried your commander with
it's definitely a weak card and not even close to being one of my favorites, but I always smile like my opponent did exactly what I wanted after this card resolves, I guess I just like to mess with my friends' heads :P
If you like mind games, and want to do it in Standard (or your opponents know not to play against Darth Jace and his Dropping Stars of Evil Doom), then this card is perfectly adequate. Personally, I'm impressed they made a card that can give honest strong card advantage, without also designing the 'new best card in Standard'.
This card is proof that Wizards actually does understand how to pull back on power creep, so when Magic is finally destroyed by power creep and they say they couldn't stop it, we can point to this card as proof that their pants are metaphorically on fire. Sometimes it's good to make a card that doesn't automatically do exactly what you want it to, provided there's still at least a way to get lucky with it.
I like how the art included Urza and Venser, 2 PW where his spark came from. Maybe that explains the momories.
Edit: You now have Misthollow Griffin to search out. Which makes this card slightly more playable.
@Swiftgamer18:
Not true. It's going to see play in my Misthollow Griffin deck in the standard format.
Functionally worse than Concentrate, but the drawback isn't too hefty, considering.
Sometimes it's nice to play a card that is technically worse than another card, but lets you play mind games with your opponent.
Draw 3 cards: 4 CMC
Tutor a card: 4 CMC
This card: 4 CMC
Now, had this been only 3 CMC, we might have something playable. Which would be good, as this is a pretty neat effect.
1.Distant Memories
2.Pull from Eternity
3.Raise Dead or Call to Mind
Better yet, Cloudshift your Archaeomancer in a blue/white as a 6 mana tutor, +draw 3.
In one on one, this is strictly worse than Concentrate - if it's more advantageous as a Concentrate than as a tutor, you won't get that effect.
Either your opponent lets you search for your commander and drop it into your hand (usually what happens) or they make you throw it to command zone and draw 3. It seems insane to do the later, but it might be worth it if that player has played their commander a bunch and wouldn't be able to afford it from command I guess.
Outside of commander its a fun twist on concentrate, but probably not worth playing if you are a spike kind of player. At 3CMC it would have been a good card, but I don't think this was ever intended to be a really strong card. Just add it to the growing pool of punisher cards though and make a UBR deck around it.