A very difficult clock to race once you flip it. Much better a win condition for lifegain than I've ever seen. 4.5/5. We don't have the greatest lifegain cards in standard, however.
DarthParallax
★★☆☆☆ (2.7/5.0)(3 votes)
hmm....
Well, this is going into Horcrux.dec immediately. Yep. Phylactery Lich says thanks! :D
Near as I can tell, this plus Serra Ascendent is pretty dumb in Commander. Even dumber when used with Rafiq, just to create a huge lifeswing earlier.
Pigfish99
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
This will actually make lifegain decks deadly... against non-lifegain decks.
If you can flip this thing over without dying, your oppoment deserves the pummeling of constant 5 damage a turn.
its basically a 4 turn timer for them to whittle down your already massive life totals, or deal with the problem.
and if you have more than one of the field... Good game.
Willieskyeyes
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
turn 1: Serra Ascendant turn 2: Play and sac Martyr of Sands then attack with ur wonderful 6/6 flying lifelink creature turn 3: this tap it trasformed pretty easy martyr doesnt always hit enough white cards but oh well ur pretty set even if u gotta wait a turn
bassgod96
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
For chalice of life do you have to gain life with the tap ability or can you gain the 10 life any way you can?
ChainedNBeaten
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I just thought if the art work was like the angel and demon flip art where you have and image and upside down has another like a 2 sided cup shaped like an hour glass. It also would have been neat if depending on life and death depened on if you drank from the upside or downside. Ambiguity is similar when looked upside down you see a another image. Regardless I still think it looks great.
kiseki
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It is good that the transformation only happens upon drinking from the cup. So if you congregate, you still can't hit them until the turn after, giving them a little space. I guess you wait for your opponent to pass the turn to you, cast congregate, activate the chalice, and then you are only a few phases away from nailing them with this.
What is the flavor though? Why does drinking from it enough turn it to poison? And why does your enemy keep drinking the cup you offer to them after it messed him up so much the first time?
MrTrance
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
At a limited tournament, my opponent played this and I laughed. By the end of that game, I did not have the last laugh.
clumsysatellite
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I pulled this along with a couple of Gnaw to the Bone cards in a sealed 40-card that I'm playing in right now. I loaded my deck with mostly creatures and flashback cards -and lots of cards that force me dump cards into the graveyard. As long as the card comes up, it's pretty much easy mode to get the needed lifegain and then decimate the other guy.
xXMrGoodByeXx
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
forgive me if i sound foolish, but new to the game..what does chalice of life transform once u have 10 more life than your starting life total???
Serev
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is a nice little addition to modern Soul Sisters. Use the lifegain for instant speed +1/+1 counters on your Ajani's Pridemate, and then flip it over to make your deck aggressive.
Nordhri
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If this card (or any double-sided card) has transformed.... when does it transform back?
will_dice
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Nordhri
A two-face card will only transform back if something (like an ability on itself) says so. Werewolves, Civilized Scholar and Screeching Bat are the only ones with "transform back" abilities, all others simply stay on the night side for as long as they are on the battlefield.
So, if you want to 'reset' the Chalice, you need to move it to another zone (destroying it, exiling, returning to hand) first.
MechaKraken
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
All you need to do is cast Sorin's Vengeance, then play this and flip.
I played two of these in my white weenie deck for FNM. I had both on the table and got them transformed. My opponent spent all his time and mana detaining my chalices. If I had two more in this deck I could have wiped him out. I did have my 17/3 Elite Inquisitor that he also had to deal with. This ended up going on for over an hour on round one. I ended up loosing to his detain ability. This card had I had two more in my deck would have won the game for me.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Good thing they remembered to include "more then your starting life total". Cards like Serra Ascendant are breaking multiplayer.
I put this in an Orzhov deck with Elixir of Immortality, Vizkopa Guildmage and Exquisite Blood. Needless to say...s*** gets nasty.
Psynema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Does anyone know what "if you have at least 10 life more than your starting life total" means? Does starting life total mean the amount you had when you first summoned the card - ie (17 life, summon chalice, flip it over when you reach 27) or does it mean the 20 you start off with in the game (in that case wouldn't they just put flip when you reach 30 life).
And does the card revert back when flipped or does the opposing play just die after 4 turns if no spells can be made to stop it?
@Psynema: Starting life total is however much life you had when you started the game. In most circumstances your starting life total would be 20. The reason it doesn't just say 30 is in order to take into account alternative rules like EDH where you start with more than 20 life (so, in order to transform this in EDH, you need to reach 50 life).
Also, it doesn't transform back, even if your life total goes below your starting life total + 10.
Comments (37)
Well, this is going into Horcrux.dec immediately. Yep. Phylactery Lich says thanks! :D
Or maybe Feudkiller's Verdict? Boon Reflection? Beacon of Life? Sorin's Vengeance? Kicked Blood Tribute which would already basically be game with Sanguine Bond but who's counting?
There is a deck in there somewhere.
If you can flip this thing over without dying, your oppoment deserves the pummeling of constant 5 damage a turn.
its basically a 4 turn timer for them to whittle down your already massive life totals, or deal with the problem.
and if you have more than one of the field... Good game.
turn 2: Play and sac Martyr of Sands then attack with ur wonderful 6/6 flying lifelink creature
turn 3: this tap it trasformed
pretty easy martyr doesnt always hit enough white cards but oh well ur pretty set even if u gotta wait a turn
What is the flavor though? Why does drinking from it enough turn it to poison? And why does your enemy keep drinking the cup you offer to them after it messed him up so much the first time?
A two-face card will only transform back if something (like an ability on itself) says so. Werewolves, Civilized Scholar and Screeching Bat are the only ones with "transform back" abilities, all others simply stay on the night side for as long as they are on the battlefield.
So, if you want to 'reset' the Chalice, you need to move it to another zone (destroying it, exiling, returning to hand) first.
No, no there's still no excuse.
And does the card revert back when flipped or does the opposing play just die after 4 turns if no spells can be made to stop it?
Also, it doesn't transform back, even if your life total goes below your starting life total + 10.