But come on, instant speed ultra discard? I think that is pretty powerful. I agree that the full cost is pretty high, but playing this one turn in a longer casual game, later on you can just mutilate a hand when they decide to draw a lot.
Still not amazing, but its another tool in the box for discard decks.
Kryptnyt
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(16 votes)
"How many cards do you have? Six? Muahaha. You see, with this button, I can- wait. Hold on a second. Its booting up, you see. Stay there, and don't move. One... two... three... Hey, that hurt! Hold still. Four... I said stop it! Its my turn, dammit. Be a gentleman. Five... ok. that's enough. DISCARD YOUR HAND FEEBLE MAN! Hey, you said you had six cards! You lied! What the hell, man? You played your cards? But I told you to wait! This game blows, man."
Polychromatic
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(8 votes)
When I think of "Limitless Power", I don't think of spending 7 to get some slow, conditional discard. This should blow of a limb or wipe the board or something.
themlsna
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Again, it's potentially an instant-speed discard, but it's probably best if you pop it the turn after you drop it or shortly thereafter. It's a bit of a misnomer, as it is certifiably not limitless power...
Both are too expensive and by the time they actually do something, your opponent probably has no cards in hand. Also, i really dont like that this has an activation cost of 4. So it can easily die to removal unless you are willing to keep 4 mana open at all times... Which definitely isn't worth it.
1.5/5
Magnor_Criol
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I think this is getting a bit of a bad rap.
Yeah, it's definitely expensive. But here's the deal: If you get this out early and it sits there, slowly upticking, you could use it to wipe your opponent's hand out so you can land your bomb without fear of counterspells or burn or what have you. It's sort of a way to clear the air for your big guy.
Your opponent isn't too likely to waste removal on an artifact they don't think is important, so if you drop it and then don't bother leaving 4 mana open regularly and don't pay attention to it, you can probably avoid getting it destroyed. Even if it is, you've still drawn a removal spell out of their hand for what is an otherwise somewhat underwhelming card.
Again, it's probably on the too expensive side. But the protection from meddlesome enemies it can grant is also potentially game-wining.
blindthrall
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
People need to learn that discard that costs more than 4 mana altogether is, in the best case scenario, simply win-more, and is usually much too slow. The best discard (arguably, I know about hymn to Tourach) is Mind Twist. I've had three of them for a long time, and I don't think I've ever used it for more than 3. The only kind of deck that will still have that mana cards and aren't mana screwed are control decks, and they will just counter it, meaning a Duress would do the same thing. This is the reason why I never understood the hype around Mind Sludge- by that point, a hymn would work just as well. I know discard, it's always been my favorite black strategy.
tcollins
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
That's pretty expensive, even for instant speed discard. Also would have much prefered a casting cost of {2} since the other shrines all cost {2} except Shrine of Boundless Growth, which doesn't have an additional activation cost.
Vinifera7
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Making my opponent discard a few cards just doesn't read "limitless power" to me. WotC should have made it drain the opponent's life and give it to you.
MarlinFlake
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(5 votes)
This piece of *** is a one-star card, but I'm giving it a half-star because of the name. Whoever decided to give such a monumentally pointless card such a kick ass name needs to begin a new career somewhere else.
This card sucks so hard it makes Dementia Bat look good--at least the Bat doesn't waste the uncommon slots in my booster packs.
Dragon_Nut
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This has the most baffling name. Let's run through the other shrines, shall we? White: Shrine of Loyal Legions: Okay, Legions = Armies = Lots of tokens. Good Blue: Shrine of Piercing Insight: Piercing Insight=Looking through the top of your library for the best option. Good. Red: Shrine of Burning Rage: As you hold in your anger it grows so strong it can completely incinerate the other person. Good. Greed: Shrine of Boundless Growth: As it grows larger it gives you more mana. Good.
Shrine of Limitless Power: It... Uh... Denies your opponent from having their stuff? I got nothing.
landboysteve
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
What a waste of space in an otherwise good set. At least the other shrines have some use. This? Sorry, but WOTC really dropped the ball on this one.
I won't even get into the whole "What does limitless power have to do with discard?" debate because yeah, that makes no sense either.
SwordOfKaldra
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Not unplayable in EDH, as games are usually very long and mana cost isn't a big deal. Also not very often do you see instant-speed discard.
Turn 3, play this Turn 4, play boggart birth rite, getting another boggart birth rite: repeat for all avaliable black mana. turn 5, target player discards hand.
Even that hypothetical best case scenario doesn't seem worth it. This card just isn't worth trying to use.
shotoku64
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Turn 1: Black lotus x4, sacrifice them all, this, Bitter Ordeal copies itself 4 times. Crack the shrine and your opponent discards 5 cards. That's a long shot (which doesn't even work) and it still ends underwhelmingly. 0.5/5
Gareth32
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
3/5. Pretty much everything that's been said about this card is true, but I would at least sideboard it against a certain type of deck. My friend runs Arcanis the Omnipotent in EDH, and he usually has massive card advantage late in the game, giving him full permission ability. If this was fully charged, it could swing the balance back in my favor, and he can't counter the activated ability of an artifact.
RedAtrocitus
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
my. power. is. LIMITLESS!!! Now, I pay 4 mana and you discard a card... ON YOUR TURN!!! MWUHAHAHAH!
Jannissary
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This will take effect, at the very earliest, at turn 4, when all the big things have already happened.
By the time it does anything useful, your opponent probably doesn't have anything left they were interested in playing anyways.
Mike-C
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It says SHRINE of limitless power.. It doesn't just say Limitless Power. It's a Statue that represents limitless power. There's a HUGE difference. And ok, yeah it sucks. But for those of you who get your panties all knotted because it didn't give you limitless power, just think about how the statue feels about YOU, the idiot who went to the shrine of power thinking you might actually obtain the power there! lol
snazzycool
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
All of the New Phyrexia Shrines are great in EDH. They are instant speed effects that grow over the course of the game, and EDH games are meant to go for the long-term. This is probably the weakest of them (with the strongest being Shrine of Piercing Visions), but it is still usable.
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Wouldn't even be over-powered at {2} to cast and {2} to activate; though you'd see it get some use.
Comments (24)
Still not amazing, but its another tool in the box for discard decks.
Six?
Muahaha.
You see, with this button, I can- wait. Hold on a second. Its booting up, you see.
Stay there, and don't move.
One... two... three...
Hey, that hurt! Hold still.
Four...
I said stop it! Its my turn, dammit. Be a gentleman.
Five... ok. that's enough. DISCARD YOUR HAND FEEBLE MAN!
Hey, you said you had six cards! You lied! What the hell, man?
You played your cards? But I told you to wait! This game blows, man."
Both are too expensive and by the time they actually do something, your opponent probably has no cards in hand.
Also, i really dont like that this has an activation cost of 4. So it can easily die to removal unless you are willing to keep 4 mana open at all times... Which definitely isn't worth it.
1.5/5
Yeah, it's definitely expensive. But here's the deal: If you get this out early and it sits there, slowly upticking, you could use it to wipe your opponent's hand out so you can land your bomb without fear of counterspells or burn or what have you. It's sort of a way to clear the air for your big guy.
Your opponent isn't too likely to waste removal on an artifact they don't think is important, so if you drop it and then don't bother leaving 4 mana open regularly and don't pay attention to it, you can probably avoid getting it destroyed. Even if it is, you've still drawn a removal spell out of their hand for what is an otherwise somewhat underwhelming card.
Again, it's probably on the too expensive side. But the protection from meddlesome enemies it can grant is also potentially game-wining.
This card sucks so hard it makes Dementia Bat look good--at least the Bat doesn't waste the uncommon slots in my booster packs.
Let's run through the other shrines, shall we?
White: Shrine of Loyal Legions: Okay, Legions = Armies = Lots of tokens. Good
Blue: Shrine of Piercing Insight: Piercing Insight=Looking through the top of your library for the best option. Good.
Red: Shrine of Burning Rage: As you hold in your anger it grows so strong it can completely incinerate the other person. Good.
Greed: Shrine of Boundless Growth: As it grows larger it gives you more mana. Good.
Shrine of Limitless Power: It... Uh... Denies your opponent from having their stuff? I got nothing.
I won't even get into the whole "What does limitless power have to do with discard?" debate because yeah, that makes no sense either.
Turn 4, play boggart birth rite, getting another boggart birth rite: repeat for all avaliable black mana.
turn 5, target player discards hand.
Even that hypothetical best case scenario doesn't seem worth it. This card just isn't worth trying to use.
That's a long shot (which doesn't even work) and it still ends underwhelmingly. 0.5/5
By the time it does anything useful, your opponent probably doesn't have anything left they were interested in playing anyways.