Well you get out with four life early game and the opponent can't attack easily you sooo ... losing life doesn't seem so bad anymore.
guitargamer79
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(3 votes)
This is going to shut mono-green decks down so bad, especially if you are playing burn spells too. Being that it can go into any deck, this card has alot of potential.
tachiKC
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(5 votes)
Does the player have to pay for each individual creature that is attacking, or is it a one time cost per turn?
chinkeeyong
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
It's not very good. Paying life to attack isn't a huge deal, unlike mana.
EndOsiris
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
@TachiKC It says for each of those creatures, so yes, they must pay for every creature that attacks.
roguepariah
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Putting this down early allows you to effectively ignore most creatures with power 1 if your opponent isn't playing white, and with some life gain, most creatures with power 2 as well. Saving a response like Day of Judgment for when the real threat hits the table. And if your opponent spent life to attack it just makes it easier to clean up after a late Day.
Kryptnyt
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Ghostly Prison is better sometimes, but taxing life rather than mana can be quite excellent. Throw in some wall of omenss and they aren't getting in for more than they're paying to attack you. Hell, kill some of their creatures on the way in. Monowhite control can run off this card as a bleed, but that only would work against aggro.
I rather like this card and the synergy with Gideon and partial White control. I might be mistaken, but Gideon would force them to attack with their creatures and pay the cost to do so, correct? If not, it still provides a nice relatively early aggro deterrent.
infernox10
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
I wouldn't want to wait to play this turn 5,
However, playing it turn 3 with the condition of 4 life...
I think that it's pretty solid, albeit against white, it'll be less effective.
4/5 seems right, for a nice softlock.
Vyconis
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@tachiKC: Yes, your opponent has to pay 1 white Phyrexian mana or 2 life for each attacking creature that they want to attack with. It was fun to combo it with 2 Isolation Chambers if I could get them out early game.
Alsebra
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Nutmeg_alpha - While it appears that it would work like that, the official ruling on Jura is that if attacking depends on a cost being paid, the cost wouldn't have to be paid and the creature wouldn't be able to attack.
From Gideon's rulings:
If there's a cost associated with having a creature attack, the player isn't forced to pay that cost, so the creature doesn't have to attack in that case either.
@chinkeeyong - With several ways to drain your life still Standard-legal (Exsanguinate, Kalastria Highborn, etc), it's not always an easy choice.
As it is, this is a decent card. If your opponent has no access to white mana (I.E. most elf decks today), the cost required to attack you can deter them long enough to get your defences up and going.
blindthrall
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Orzhov decks are in love with this.
Lateralis0ne
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Sideboard against swarm decks like Zoo, token or White Weenie. I'd say {G}{W} to ramp out early, then sit back. If they have white mana available, then they're spending a fair amount just to attack with any sort of advancement in the game; if they don't, they'll lose a fair amount of life fairly quickly, which will add up in that sense. Green and White have some excellent choices for defense as well, and it'll go with control variants in any other color. All in all, it's a great control card; trade life early on in the game, then deny the opponent(s) mana to prevent the battlefield from moving out of your favor.
I said it about the whit Chancellor and it goes the same for the Annex... Simply play Damping Matrix for the win
Hayw00d0909
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I like this a lot.
jlowther
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(7 votes)
This thing is evil.
Let's hear it for direct damage spells!
Recino
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Is this effect stackable or is it limit one per customer? Like if I got 4 of them in play would the opponent have to pay 8 life/ 4 white to attack or would they only pay one per creature-per card. If it is stackable this can effectivly shut or slow down most infect deck which I kneed for my vamp deck.
Nomad0404
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
You can't force someone's creatures to attack with this - i.e. those cards that say X creature attacks Y if able. Well they are not able unless the controllers opts to pay the tax.
I like this card, it's going into my life gaining BW so I can sit behind it and Wall of Denial until I get my Felidar into play.
BaldEmotions
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
@ Recino as listed in the FAQ http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/703
Multiple Norn's Annexes controlled by the same player will each impose a cost to attack. Players choose how they pay each cost individually. For example, if a creature you control is attacking a player who controls two Norn's Annexes, you may pay for one cost and 2 life for the other.
BastianQoU
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I kind of prefer ghostly prison simply because its from kamigawa. but that 2 life cost could really start to add up. let them suicide swing for what could be the end game assault, cast a fog/safe passage, then gut shot them for the win.
At first I saw no advantage to this over Ghostly Prison/Propaganda both of which cost less and forces opponents to pay mana per attacking creature. Then I realized this; your opponents have to pay mana in order to attack or pay 2 life. This forces nonwhite decks reliant on attacking to sacrifice at least some life. It's still just a speed bump solution, but a very nice one.
cortezinmortal
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I dont know if anyone has already noticed this, but this is a major thrat to phyrexian mana decks, mix this with a mono red burn or a white red deck and it'll be a nightmare for other players
Donovan_Fabian
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I know everyone seems excited about this card, but it looks so boring to me. Against squadron hawks, it's like.. I'll just pay the white and hit you with my sword equipped hawk. In fact any sword equipped creature you're just going to pay the mana anyways. You're hurting yourself for 4 to play it, against aggro, who can then just play manic vandal. By comparison green, blue, and some black decks will either just play around it, or are currently filled with large creatures like titans where they wont care about a 5 mana card semi stopping their creature for 2 life. The way the card is worded also means you can't force anyone to attack with their creatures.
Remember, you really wouldn't play ghostly prison in standard right now. It's full of destroy artifact/enchantment abilities, and even more so in extended, and I don't even have to say about vintage and legacy. It's a fun casual card, but I just don't see it as ever being more than that.
supershawn
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I'm going to use this! and in case I run up against a player with white mana..... flashfires
I made an accidental combo with this card. I wound up putting this AND Bloodchief Ascension in the same deck without realizing how well they actually work together. Every time my opponent attacked, he had to pay 2 life and add a counter to my enchantment. Before long, he had a mass of creatures, and no desire to complete my quest. When he finally did, it wasn't enough to kill me, and I dropped a day of judgement. He lost at least 8 creatures, and it sucked 16 life out of him for the win.
Bloodchief Ascension is now even more dangerous, congratulations wizards.
oak11
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
as the attacking player can you pay for it with any color mana?
LordTaco
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I can't believe noone commented on this, adding this with Lightmine Field is also a sick combo. Imagine, winnies and anything with low toughness can't really attack without dying, they can't swing with everything so leaving them with big creatures, if you play a heavy control-combo deck add in come pacifisms, arrest, day of judgments, everything you can imagine that makes your opponent just can't attack with their best creatures and BAM! you have a lovely take over deck. slowly and surely he or she will cry on the inside and wonder why he can't attack you and why he can't even touch you.
Cheza
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
For me, this is the best card in this set.
It's the first white card, where you have quite a good alternative to winning by combat.
It fits very nicely into a "gain life" deck. Add Wall of Omens, Cathedral Membrane and Perimeter Captain and some "gain life" spells. Many nonwhite decks will have problems to kill you before their attacks kill themself.
However, usually I would say that this type of card should be black (see Hissing Miasma). I didn't like the white Lightmine Field, since a minefield doesn't fit into white and dealing damage doesn't either. But I would really like to see more powerful white enchantments (like a white Dissipation Field or even Energy Field). If these cards would include some alternative win condition without the word "win" in the rule text, this would really make me happy.
So long, thanks R&D.
Gabriel422
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
From a constructed viewpoint, Ghostly Prison is definitely better in most cases. This card can never save you when you plop this down last minute, since usually when you're playing control they will be at ~20. On the other hand, if you play creature-based aggro, then why do you care if they attack? One creature attacking means one less blocker when you alpha strike.
On the other hand, I can see this card being played in a burn-heavy deck, not unlike the Mono Red Ensnaring Bridge decks back in Odyssey era. This becomes the Ensnaring Bridge effectively, if they can't make a white. If you have lots of burn and keep them under life pressure, then pretty much no creature can attack profitably, save for perhaps Wurmcoil Engine.
I want four of these and four Rage Extractors for my Infector Hate Deck.
scumbling1
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
The more I think about it, the less I like this card. If you're playing a card such as Norn's Annex, you're taking the controlling position in the game. This means that you're not attacking the opponent's life total early on, but rather once they've run out of gas later in the game. This means that the opponent is free to use his or her life as a resource with near impunity, and this card won't do anything at all to slow them down. An aggro deck will get ahead of a control deck in the life race and just ride even a two-point difference to victory.
I play this with Gideon Jura. At first it seemed like a bad combo because this prevents your opponent from being forced to attack. Then I realized that it was pure evil. If they aren't playing white, they have to pay 2 life per creature to attack a planeswalker with 8+ loyalty.
the_sixth_degree
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I didn't notice that it was a White PHYREXIAN mana symbol at first. Almost gave me a heart attack.
DarthParallax
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I like to combine this with Solitary Confinement, Immortal Coil, Necropotence, Phyrexian Unlife, and Lich's Tomb.
In a Kaalia of the Vast EDH deck. :)
I haven't yet finished puzzling out the perfect way to set up the lock, but it's pretty clear there's an amazing Evil Death Lock that involves your Fortress spewing out tons of Dragons and Demons while you roflmao from the safety of the Throne Room of your evil lair >:D
grandpraetor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this works very fine against poison decks.
and I think that the mechanic of this card is commonly underrated... if your deck runs some life gain or a serious control deck, you can play it in turn 3 easy. Before this block runs out, I will play this in a deck.
Totema
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Even if they play white, this can be painful. If they don't, it can be downright evil.
cioskookycards
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
You could play this in ANY deck that wants some good defence . 2 damage for each attacker adds up pretty fast (well unless they are using white then ...) . G/W is good as is a blue/red Rage Manipulator ( I forget its name but its that red artifact that does damage based on phyexian mana) . It might be funny to have more than one out in a white/green deck . 4.7/5 I dont know how to rate on this board...
My friends hate this card. I held off 376 3/3 deathtouch zombies with this card. My friend had a massive zombie deck that got half as big again each turn, but only 8 life. As long as I had 4 creatures to block with, he was powerless. Then I pulled a card that gave mine flying, and the game ended. I've also noticed that this card can be even more useful against people with white decks. They get overconfident that they won't be losing life, but they end up tapping themselves out before my turn begins. Think of the havoc you can cause when you don't have to worry about instant spells!
tankthebest
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Problem, elf swarm?
BongRipper420
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I can dig this card's art. Also it's ability is very white.
forumbrowser
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Add in some Fog and let your opponent cry a little on the inside.
Bogmire
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
How do you type all the weird symbols in gatherer?
haha! got it! it's bracket(w/p) end bracket
Now how do you do snow symbols....
AURGH! It's not working!
{S{i}
Yay!
curly bracket S curly bracket i end curly bracket.
pALKU
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Can i pay 4 life to cast this card so that my opponent pay 4 life for each attacking creature he/she controls?
adrian.malacoda
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@pALKU: No. The cost is , meaning you have the option to pay , or + 2 life, or + 4 life. No matter how you pay it, the card's effect is the same - opponent will have to pay either or 2 life for each creature to attack.
ThatTobyGuy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i have a funny story about this card me and some friends were playing comander, i was running azorious control with Isperia, Supreme Judge as a commander, and the friend who ended up being the last guy against me was playing some g/w token build. he managed to get out a few thousand tokens with some janky combo. and the next turn i plus two'd Gideon Jura and cast this the look on his face was pretty great
TheJord01
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@ThatTobyGuy Gideon's 'come at me bro' ability does not interact well with this, as your opponent can just choose to not pay the cost, and therefore not be able to attack
Ya, this card is definitely an interesting item to have on hand. One or two in a deck can make for some unique gameplay.
Wizymon
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ forumbrowser: Better yet, safeguard with Chant of Vitu-Ghazi so while they drain their life points and/or use their mana thus reducing their ability to respond that turn, you absorb life and you will do more than just make that combat wasteful, YOU MAKE IT COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TWO WAYS; THEY LOSE LIFE POINTS AND/OR MAKE THEMSELVES MORE VULNERABLE AND YOU GAIN THE LIFE POINTS YOU SHOULD HAVE LOST!!! This combo will definitely make you annoying to your opponent(s). Also, try on the Leyline of Anticipation, Sudden Disappearance, and Gather Specimens combo with this card for size and see how much damage you do (expensive but strong and bothersome to your opponent(s))!
This looks pretty good. I tend not to like game stallers, though. There is something to be said for pacing, and this just stops things dead. Boring. There is also the danger of getting a false sense of security hiding behind the walls of your gated community. The folks outside are tired of your stupid bullshist, and the second someone draws their Naturalize (etc.), you had better hope that you didn't overextend with your last attack. 3.5/5
Comments (63)
And if your opponent spent life to attack it just makes it easier to clean up after a late Day.
However, playing it turn 3 with the condition of 4 life...
I think that it's pretty solid, albeit against white, it'll be less effective.
4/5 seems right, for a nice softlock.
From Gideon's rulings:
If there's a cost associated with having a creature attack, the player isn't forced to pay that cost, so the creature doesn't have to attack in that case either.
@chinkeeyong - With several ways to drain your life still Standard-legal (Exsanguinate, Kalastria Highborn, etc), it's not always an easy choice.
As it is, this is a decent card. If your opponent has no access to white mana (I.E. most elf decks today), the cost required to attack you can deter them long enough to get your defences up and going.
Let's hear it for direct damage spells!
If it is stackable this can effectivly shut or slow down most infect deck which I kneed for my vamp deck.
I like this card, it's going into my life gaining BW so I can sit behind it and Wall of Denial until I get my Felidar into play.
as listed in the FAQ
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/703
Multiple Norn's Annexes controlled by the same player will each impose a cost to attack. Players choose how they pay each cost individually. For example, if a creature you control is attacking a player who controls two Norn's Annexes, you may pay for one cost and 2 life for the other.
Remember, you really wouldn't play ghostly prison in standard right now. It's full of destroy artifact/enchantment abilities, and even more so in extended, and I don't even have to say about vintage and legacy. It's a fun casual card, but I just don't see it as ever being more than that.
and in case I run up against a player with white mana.....
flashfires
also in the same deck no mercy and norrit
Bloodchief Ascension is now even more dangerous, congratulations wizards.
It's the first white card, where you have quite a good alternative to winning by combat.
It fits very nicely into a "gain life" deck. Add Wall of Omens, Cathedral Membrane and Perimeter Captain and some "gain life" spells. Many nonwhite decks will have problems to kill you before their attacks kill themself.
However, usually I would say that this type of card should be black (see Hissing Miasma). I didn't like the white Lightmine Field, since a minefield doesn't fit into white and dealing damage doesn't either. But I would really like to see more powerful white enchantments (like a white Dissipation Field or even Energy Field). If these cards would include some alternative win condition without the word "win" in the rule text, this would really make me happy.
So long, thanks R&D.
On the other hand, I can see this card being played in a burn-heavy deck, not unlike the Mono Red Ensnaring Bridge decks back in Odyssey era. This becomes the Ensnaring Bridge effectively, if they can't make a white. If you have lots of burn and keep them under life pressure, then pretty much no creature can attack profitably, save for perhaps Wurmcoil Engine.
The same applies to Hissing Miasma.
but this is were i finaly praise a blue card god bless Master thief its more fun to use him then a counter
In a Kaalia of the Vast EDH deck. :)
I haven't yet finished puzzling out the perfect way to set up the lock, but it's pretty clear there's an amazing Evil Death Lock that involves your Fortress spewing out tons of Dragons and Demons while you roflmao from the safety of the Throne Room of your evil lair >:D
and I think that the mechanic of this card is commonly underrated... if your deck runs some life gain or a serious control deck, you can play it in turn 3 easy. Before this block runs out, I will play this in a deck.
It might be funny to have more than one out in a white/green deck . 4.7/5 I dont know how to rate on this board...
I've also noticed that this card can be even more useful against people with white decks. They get overconfident that they won't be losing life, but they end up tapping themselves out before my turn begins. Think of the havoc you can cause when you don't have to worry about instant spells!
haha! got it! it's bracket(w/p) end bracket
Now how do you do snow symbols....
AURGH! It's not working!
{S{i}
Yay!
curly bracket S curly bracket i end curly bracket.
me and some friends were playing comander, i was running azorious control with Isperia, Supreme Judge as a commander, and the friend who ended up being the last guy against me was playing some g/w token build. he managed to get out a few thousand tokens with some janky combo.
and the next turn i plus two'd Gideon Jura and cast this
the look on his face was pretty great