Reprinted just in time to ruin all that sweet milling they're setting up Innistrad for.
blindthrall
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(7 votes)
This quote makes me think Innistrad is Homelands Part Deux.
HuntedWumpusMustDie
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This card almost put me to sleep until I got to that last bit. Then it got me pondering... The artifacts are awesome in this core set.
Korbl
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
A very nice sideboard against anyone that so desperately wants to play Jace, Memory Adept. TRUMP.
The_Stray
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hey look! They gave Feldon's Cane some life gain and the ability to be reused. I approve.
AngelPhoenix
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Never bothered to get a hold of one of these from M11, am dying to see how it will play. Part of me feels like shuffling your graveyard back in, except in the latter part of a long game (or against mill) is generally a bad thing. I've learned that deck thinning, i.e. being able to get to the cards you really need faster (or just your power plays) is key.
Where I think this might really shine is in an artifact (or artifact heavy) deck as draw for removal. It's isntant speed means that as long as you have two mana untapped, it will be pretty much impossible for your opponent to get rid of it before you use it, and so a lot of opponents, I think this will seem like a bigger threat than it actually is.
Therefore, it will tend to draw their artifact removal to force you to use it before you are ready, it goes back in your deck anyway, and it protects something else that would have normally gotten that removal spell. That's the way I see it working anyway. Gonna run 2 in my old blue/black/white esper artifact deck from alara, see what happens.
^^Wow...I think I may have overdone it...
Thrull_Champion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I just noticed that they changed the effect of shuffling it into your library, even if you don't own it. Great Wizards, the one really unique thing about this card is now gone >.<.
fissionessence
★★☆☆☆ (2.4/5.0)(9 votes)
Andrew's Occasional Random Card of the Day #20 - 7/17/2011 - Elixir of Immortality
This card is very innocuous in play, but can really ruin people's game plans. Against mill decks, it has the potential to come back again and again (although if it gets milled into the graveyard, it's not doing much good from there), and against normal damage-based decks it gains 5 life for three mana in any deck, and once again has the potential to recur. It's not a very powerful card, but it definitely fits in some decks or against some decks, and it certainly has a psychological effect on some players.
In terms of flavor, though, I think this card is great. It's also one of the few pieces of art that I really liked at first glance—ones that really caught my eye as something awesome. The sunlight on that bottled flower is a special kind of pretty. I'm sad that its immortality factor is being judged by a vampire, who is saying it merely 'has the same effect' as drinking blood; I'd rather the flavor text compliment the elixir on being yummy or somesuch.
On a side note, I played a few games of the Elspeth vs. Tezzeret duel decks, and as the Elspeth player, I felt like my deck just couldn't do enough damage before being blown out by Tezzeret's synergies. I don't remember the Elixir of Immortality being played against me, but that would have just been insulting.
quiteanass
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Well... Looks like I picket the wronge time to play a mill deck.. hopefuly my friends won't find this card.
Easy to get out early to build up a lead, but a great idea for control decks is too use it to bring back counterspells and the like. Sure they won't be in your hand, but they'll exist. If yoiur deck is geared toward long games, this will be useful.
SoulShatterer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Pull three of these in Draft+White Weenie Defensive/Lifegain=Win through natural milling.
elixirsipper
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
a mill decks worst enemy and best friend
Mauaka
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
What will happen if Geth, Lord of the Vault stole this card from an enemy player? Will the player (controller) shuffle his graveyard in to owner's (opponent's) library?
silencer27
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Nice card
Leafhopper
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
5 life and shuffle? Ok.
Sharki
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
As far as uncommons go, this is a great one! Got it in the magic celebration, and it combined with Merfolk Looter allowed me to skim through my deck with ease to get what I need...
DacenOctavio
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Yeah, I loved this little trinket in my UW control deck. Dig it out with Trinket Mage, Venser, the Sojourner the crap out of him, make myself un-millable. Control decks hate being milled.
dingophone
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In my opinion, really underrated card. Lets you get back burn and removal in casual, helps fight against milling, and is a nice artifact + emergency lifegain for 1. Its good for casual play, hell its even good in a sideboard in standard. 5/5
DocBernard
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Everyone mentions how devestating it could be against a milling deck, but did anyone consider how useful it could be in a milling deck? Let's say your facing off in a four player duel. Even if could luck out and draw 2 Jace's Erasure's on the first draw, you are still drawing your own cards. You could just as easily run out unless you get insanely lucky (or an opponent who likes poking your Belltower Gargoyle repeatedly). Having that chance to get back some of your vital draw/mill cards that were destroyed or countered, and another chance after running low on cards can be lifesaving for any monoblue player.
LordRandomness
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Maua: Both objects check for an owner separately. So the Elixir is shuffled into its owner's library (your opponent's), and your graveyard is shuffled into its owner's library (yours).
JoeyWalker
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Are you kidding me? When I first read this card, I had to read it three times to make sure I was reading it well. It's obviously not a game winning card, but also many of the great cards in magic aren't. It is good not only against mill decks, this gives for example blue mages the change to "control", to keep their game going for as long as they need, and others. You don't deck out, so basicaly you are not going to die unless your opponent actually kills you (or mills this card to your graveyard). It's nice to have one of this.
nunyaJs
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
wow. great card. compliments many of my quirky fun decks.
Paleopaladin
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@Mauaka: Geth's controller would shuffle the elixir into his/her opponent's library and then shuffle his/her own graveyard into his/her own library. Both libraries would get shuffled.
This card is great, you can build a mill deck around it without any actual milling:
24 land 4 Elixir of Immortality 32 removal, board sweepers, counters, and other control cards
atemu1234
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@mauka The player who played it would shuffle his graveyard into his library but the owner of the card would shuffle the elixir into his deck.
pgparker
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
an epic card. I want a few more for different decks. I keep losing to my friend who has two because of it.
Totema
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This is a staple in pretty much all of my control decks lately. It does two things that slow decks like: lifegain, which admittedly by itself does not do much, but can be good for stalling and lets you take an extra turn of damage with a little more flexibility, and more importantly it lets you put back all of those control cards that you've already played. Already used most of your counters or bouncers? Well no worries! It's not flashy but that extra support can help you win games.
That said, this card is really awesome, especially for control decks. Restock on counters and draw spells while keeping the aggro players from killing you? That's really worth something.
zenitramleirdag
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
konokono,
you just described one of my casual legacy decks...
Comments (31)
Where I think this might really shine is in an artifact (or artifact heavy) deck as draw for removal. It's isntant speed means that as long as you have two mana untapped, it will be pretty much impossible for your opponent to get rid of it before you use it, and so a lot of opponents, I think this will seem like a bigger threat than it actually is.
Therefore, it will tend to draw their artifact removal to force you to use it before you are ready, it goes back in your deck anyway, and it protects something else that would have normally gotten that removal spell. That's the way I see it working anyway. Gonna run 2 in my old blue/black/white esper artifact deck from alara, see what happens.
^^Wow...I think I may have overdone it...
This card is very innocuous in play, but can really ruin people's game plans. Against mill decks, it has the potential to come back again and again (although if it gets milled into the graveyard, it's not doing much good from there), and against normal damage-based decks it gains 5 life for three mana in any deck, and once again has the potential to recur. It's not a very powerful card, but it definitely fits in some decks or against some decks, and it certainly has a psychological effect on some players.
In terms of flavor, though, I think this card is great. It's also one of the few pieces of art that I really liked at first glance—ones that really caught my eye as something awesome. The sunlight on that bottled flower is a special kind of pretty. I'm sad that its immortality factor is being judged by a vampire, who is saying it merely 'has the same effect' as drinking blood; I'd rather the flavor text compliment the elixir on being yummy or somesuch.
On a side note, I played a few games of the Elspeth vs. Tezzeret duel decks, and as the Elspeth player, I felt like my deck just couldn't do enough damage before being blown out by Tezzeret's synergies. I don't remember the Elixir of Immortality being played against me, but that would have just been insulting.
Player 2: "Day of Judgment
Player 1: Ooh Elixer of immortality, then Relentless Rats again
EDIT / addendum -- this card ROCKS for Mono-Black Control. Why? Phyrexian Arena, Smallpox, Pox, Dark Tutelage, Dark Confidant
24 land
4 Elixir of Immortality
32 removal, board sweepers, counters, and other control cards
It got milled.
Nice idea, though.
That said, this card is really awesome, especially for control decks. Restock on counters and draw spells while keeping the aggro players from killing you? That's really worth something.
you just described one of my casual legacy decks...