I like how this card is all like, "I'll destroy anything for 7 mana a turn," and your opponents are all like "Oh whatever, I'll just Naturalize it- Wait, HOLD ON!"
@Mind Bend, Yeah No kIdding That Is A Pretty Ridiculous Combo And The Art On This Card Is Wicked. Sumthin Bout It Bra Is Sweet.
shmewdog
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
This card won me many draft games on release night. Combine it in a deck with a Kuldotha Flamefiend and a Gnathosaur and destroy any card you want every turn. It also has some very strong possibilities in constructed.
Preciouss
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Even a simple Esperzoa works well with it. :)
Amnesigenic
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(3 votes)
Animate Spine with Tezzeret, kill it, put it on mimic vat. An improvised Lux Cannon, a little more involved, but much better rate of fire.
homicidalgecko
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Use with Throne of Geth and Everflowing Chalice. At least once a turn: destroy target permanent, proliferate. Once your chalice is overflowing, destroy 2 or 3 permanents per turn if you can sac the spine through something else. More effective with a Semblance Anvil in play.
ratchet1215
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Dagsson this out and then repeatedly Master Transmute it = profit!
Shadoflaam
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I like the idea of slapping Jace to death with a spine.
Lord_Zogar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I want to be the guy that combines Spine of Ish Saw and Lux Cannon into a deck that utilizes both Throne of Geth and Everflowing Chalice.
Play it. Destroy permanent. Sac it. Get 1/1 flying thopter and 1 life. Return Spine to your hand. Rinse and repeat.
Enchantment_Removal
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(2 votes)
@ChaosFire (if you are ever back here to read this): ....what days were these? Did you mean "to kill any non-land permanent"? Did you mean "to kill all permanents"?
@KikiJikiTiki: By virtue of your name, you must have been playing Magic at least as long as I have. And apparently you are intimately aware of the legend of the 'color pie'. So it looks like you understand where this card is coming from. As for everyone else....
@Everyone else who is not KikiJikiTiki: If this card had a voice, it would NOT be saying "Break me, please". Being an artifact that acts a lot like a sorcery, this card, I am convinced, is sending a different message. From the perspective of Standard Format, you won't get the message. When looking at this card from an EDH perspective (or a perspective of like 5 or more years ago), the message is clear: Magic has evolved and certain things that have been believed to be absolute are no longer absolute.
Once apon a time, in the casual play world, a red player scooped when there was a COP Red on the opposing board. Once upon a time, non-basic lands did do not nearly as much as Emeria or Valakut does but were considered way more broken. This was because lands were trickier to deal with (they required cards that only targeted lands). Once upon a time, Vindicate's power was unrivaled. (that hasn't changed really)
But now the game has come a long way. If a player can produce 15 mana in one turn, then that player should win the game seeing that there are more than enough different cards in existence that- in combination- would allow such. Also, any player, even ones playing black and/or red, need not stare at a Debtor's Knell for 13 or so turns cussing and swearing every upkeep until they lose the game. As the game gets long, more things are possible. This has been the case for a while now. This card just solidifies that fact. I imagine this card being almost as common in EDH decks as Divining Top.
I don't like the return to hand clause. It could possibly yield a few too many late-game p1ssing contests amongst players.
If the Phyrexians can manage to recruit a Mirran Spy to their cause, an old-timey Priest of Yawgmoth plus the Spine will spell the death of everything that doesn't have shroud, troll-shroud or indestructibility.
scumbling1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Black multiplayer decks love anything that can smash artifacts and enchantments; black's got the mana with Coffers and various other mana-doublers. Red also likes to have a shot at enchantment removal, plus a card that can handle creatures it can't burn away.
An artifact that destroys a permanent, and COMES BACK? >.> This demands sacrifice.
Mycosynth Golem + Krark-Clan Ironworks + Spine of Ish Sah
Infinite permanent destruction, and mana ramping while you're at it. Of course by that point, there's no need for extra mana if you're playing colorless artifacts.
And if you're not, why not throw in a Mycosynth Lattice? For good measure, of course.
Definately a 5/5 from me because it's so much fun.
Arachibutyrophobia
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
look, in terms of cost, vindicate, and even desert twister, are better. the only reason why I would say this card is good is because you can play it turn after turn, with everything from gnathosaur to oxidda daredevil.
TheSwarm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Arachibutyrophobia, Thats sort of the point. This isn't a utility removal spell like vindicate, its a combo piece. You combine it with the cards you mentioned or venser for maximum effect. Of course it isn't as good cost wise as vindicate, vindicate costed threee mana. Thats simple math, 7 is a higher number than three. I would say you can't even compare the two cards because they are designed to be used for two completely different purposes.
Free board sweep. Just make sure you save some artifacts in your hand to imprint onto the Anvils.
Hemming
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
it kills Emrakul 9999/10
Salient
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
This is almost like Legacy Weapon, if Legacy Weapon let you pay ~ instead of and gave you the first activation for free. The 'needs to be destroyed repeatedly' quirk isn't so bad, Rats of Rath have their work cut out for them!
P.S. If by some grace of accident someone stumbles upon a way to break this card by tapping it to activate some other effect, we could call the combo Spinal Tap. This card could potentially begin memes.
Crow_Of_War
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Totema - you should reread the faq. what it says is that the spine doesn't come with its own sac ability, it has to be put into the graveyard due to something else. like the throne. :)
1st Turn - Urza's Tower 2nd Turn - Urza's Mine, Throne of Geth 3rd Turn - Urza's Power Plant, Spine of Ish Sah
I have a friend who runs an artifact deck that uses artifact lands and master transmuters, along with the master of etherium and the inkwell leviathan and this...he'd always bounce the creature i'm trying to kill to bring out one of those or simply bounce the spine so he can put it out on the field again.
Cloudchaser.Kestrel
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Forget the sacking effect - just bounce this guy with something - (I play mono white so it tends to be an Eiganjo free-riders and a Flickerwhisp or Glimmerpoint stag - Spine isn't quite as strong as exclusion ritual - but on the other hand it's less vulnerable to removal as well.
DacenOctavio
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Don't be fooled by the lack of mountains; any deck running both Venser, the Sojourner and Spine has the ability to transform seemlessly from UW control to Land Destruction. Venser: +2, kill your dude with Spine and tick upwards to ultimate. Rinse, wash and repeat until Venser -8's and then keep +2'ing and blowing up and exiling lands until opponent cries.
@muntas1
Sorry for spoiling your dream, but there is no combo with Artificer's Intuition because of ...
"When Spine of Ish Sah is put into a graveyard from the battlefield ..."
bwrichmond
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you're building a casual deck, use with Crumble. Gain 7 life for returning it to your hand and doing it all over again.
Pentavite625
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is my megatog's favorite chew-toy. Especially if Mycosynth Golem is hanging around.
This in play + Etherium Sculptor + Sculpting Steel + Krark-Clan ironworks = destroy all permanents your opponents control.
Sounds convoluted, but my friend has a Sharuum EDH deck and one of the many ways it can win is this. All four pieces are, by themselves, very good, so it's not like you're going out of your way to play them. A single open the vaults could get all the pieces in play at once too.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This + the guy who gives everything affinity for artifacts, 7 artifacts and a free sacrifice engine.
Goatllama
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I can only imagine your poor opponent's permanent as this giant-ass spine gets dropped on 'em out of nowhere. This is a pretty strange card - makes about as much sense as Batterskull - but very fun as well. What am I saying, Phyrexia doesn't have to make sense!
deworde2510
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
That name, man... just shivers.
MasterOfParadox
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
BEHOLD THE SUICIDE STICK, AKA THE DESPOTIC SCEPTER HAS A USE
Petertracy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why does the Great Wall of Mirrodin destroy a permanent...?
Comments (59)
Until it got a cmc of 7.
Whatever happened to the days where 3-4 cmc was enough to kill any permanent, color issues aside?
Oh well.
Thopter Foundry
Play it. Destroy permanent. Sac it. Get 1/1 flying thopter and 1 life. Return Spine to your hand. Rinse and repeat.
....what days were these? Did you mean "to kill any non-land permanent"? Did you mean "to kill all permanents"?
@KikiJikiTiki:
By virtue of your name, you must have been playing Magic at least as long as I have. And apparently you are intimately aware of the legend of the 'color pie'. So it looks like you understand where this card is coming from. As for everyone else....
@Everyone else who is not KikiJikiTiki:
If this card had a voice, it would NOT be saying "Break me, please". Being an artifact that acts a lot like a sorcery, this card, I am convinced, is sending a different message. From the perspective of Standard Format, you won't get the message. When looking at this card from an EDH perspective (or a perspective of like 5 or more years ago), the message is clear: Magic has evolved and certain things that have been believed to be absolute are no longer absolute.
Once apon a time, in the casual play world, a red player scooped when there was a COP Red on the opposing board. Once upon a time, non-basic lands did do not nearly as much as Emeria or Valakut does but were considered way more broken. This was because lands were trickier to deal with (they required cards that only targeted lands). Once upon a time, Vindicate's power was unrivaled. (that hasn't changed really)
But now the game has come a long way. If a player can produce 15 mana in one turn, then that player should win the game seeing that there are more than enough different cards in existence that- in combination- would allow such. Also, any player, even ones playing black and/or red, need not stare at a Debtor's Knell for 13 or so turns cussing and swearing every upkeep until they lose the game. As the game gets long, more things are possible. This has been the case for a while now. This card just solidifies that fact. I imagine this card being almost as common in EDH decks as Divining Top.
I don't like the return to hand clause. It could possibly yield a few too many late-game p1ssing contests amongst players.
I was happy to see this card printed.
With the amount of tutoring you can do from the archenemy cards, I recommend not taking on any less than 4 players XD
@Leshrac_Nightwalker: I'll have to get a Priest of Yawgmoth for that deck
Enjoy.
An artifact that destroys a permanent, and COMES BACK? >.> This demands sacrifice.
Mycosynth Golem + Krark-Clan Ironworks + Spine of Ish Sah
Infinite permanent destruction, and mana ramping while you're at it. Of course by that point, there's no need for extra mana if you're playing colorless artifacts.
And if you're not, why not throw in a Mycosynth Lattice? For good measure, of course.
This card could potentially end games.
just HOW GOOD is Tinker with this?
Definately a 5/5 from me because it's so much fun.
Ingredients:
4 Semblance Anvils on the battlefield. (Easy to do with Mirrorworks and Prototype Portal).
1 Rusted Slasher (It's a free Artifact Saccer)
Free board sweep. Just make sure you save some artifacts in your hand to imprint onto the Anvils.
P.S. If by some grace of accident someone stumbles upon a way to break this card by tapping it to activate some other effect, we could call the combo Spinal Tap. This card could potentially begin memes.
1st Turn - Urza's Tower
2nd Turn - Urza's Mine, Throne of Geth
3rd Turn - Urza's Power Plant, Spine of Ish Sah
:D
Sorry for spoiling your dream, but there is no combo with Artificer's Intuition because of ...
"When Spine of Ish Sah is put into a graveyard from the battlefield ..."
Especially if Mycosynth Golem is hanging around.
Semblance Anvil? Yeah, I guess.
Master Transmuter? Hell frieking yeah!
+ Thousand-Year Elixir... Yeah, lazering 2 perms for UU sounds pretty awesome to me too.
Yes it does return to your hand when you sacrifice it. Why wouldn't it?
Deadeye Navigator
becomes
Sounds convoluted, but my friend has a Sharuum EDH deck and one of the many ways it can win is this. All four pieces are, by themselves, very good, so it's not like you're going out of your way to play them. A single open the vaults could get all the pieces in play at once too.
THE SUICIDE STICK, AKA THE DESPOTIC SCEPTER
HAS A USE