I have been told that since one can't react to mana abilities, the opponent can pay 1 if they like but under current rules it won't prevent you from adding the mana, meaning that this card functionally reads "T: Add one mana of any colour to your mana pool." ...is this true?
Keino
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(6 votes)
No, the rules on the card overrule the actual game rules, so they can react to it.
Chaikov
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(6 votes)
-This card works differently from other »variable RHYSTIC»: it is the only one having you announce your choice FIRST (color) and THEN opponents get to pay or not.
-This represents strategic information.
-With the other «variable RHYSTIC» (Mystic Remora, Rhystic Circle, Rhystic Study), opponents decide whether or not to pay FIRST, and THEN you make your decision.
-(«Non-variable RHYSTIC» include no hidden choice.)
Lord_Ascapelion
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(6 votes)
Way too unreliable to stick into any deck. Especially bad in multiplayer.
Nagoragama
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(5 votes)
Beautiful art, terrible card.
mikebeingmike
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I would like this if I knew my opponent had a Cancel waiting for me..an extra mana wouldn't hurt.. but yeah, horrible card.
Kryptnyt
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
This is conditionally rather good. Most players will be trying to use all of their mana every turn out of a need for efficiency. The drawback can be huge when you really need that one mana though. It could be cute in a deck with Mana Leaks and Force Spikes though. Try and tap it for blue mana when they have one left, and when they deny you, Spike their spell!
yyukichigai
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Ah yes, another card where the text could basically be replaced with, "tap: commence to suck."
At least it triggers your Reflecting Pool, though there are way cooler cards which can do the same thing.
Mode
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
This fails for all the epic reasons Rishadan Port wins.
Ideatog
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(5 votes)
I play it in my land hate decks for the ultimate insult-
"I tap Rhystic Cave for a {R}, do you respond?" "You killed all of my lands except this plains and it's tapped." "Cool! {R} for me, I cast Raze on your tapped Plains (sacrificing Rhystic Cave)"
tavaritz
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Like idatog wrote, this is very good manafixer in a RGB LD-deck.
Paolino
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(4 votes)
This card is not as bad as it seems at first glance: in a control deck you can force opponent to use his/her mana to prevent you casting your spells; moreover it gives you ANY color of mana, so that you can cheat about your colored mana needs (for example, you ask for green and you don't have any other green mana, opponent pays to prevent you have this mana, but you cast another nongreen spell and opponent can't cast his/her counter anymore because he/she doesn't have enough mana). I think this is the intent this card was designed to. It's not Reflecting Pool or City of Brass, but it doesn't pretend to be! Last thing: GREAT ARTWORK! Rob Alexander rulez!
Eddie_Antilles
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A good land for a control player; if you are playing your deck right, YOU should be controlling the flow of the game and they shouldn't have the opportunity to prevent the mana. Also great for playing mind games with your opponent as @Paolino said.
Finally, it's almost like a Rishadan Port that your opponent decides to use ON THEMSELVES. Great for Lulz...
3.5/5
EnPassant
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This card gets way too bad of a rep. In multicolored green / blue/ red, where early play is the key to midgame setup, this card plays brilliantly. It plays the earlygame variance to run ANY mana near-guaranteed on the first turn.
Everyone knows Rishadan Port? You know, the card that was one of the worst things about Mercadian Block? What this card does is basically turn any land of your opponents into a Rishadan Port except even better, since all they do is pay 1 to make this not produce mana, while Port required 1 and tapping the port itself (so 2 mana).
OlvynChuru
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Even in a five-color deck, I'd rather run a basic land than this.
Comments (17)
-This represents strategic information.
-With the other «variable RHYSTIC» (Mystic Remora, Rhystic Circle, Rhystic Study), opponents decide whether or not to pay FIRST, and THEN you make your decision.
-(«Non-variable RHYSTIC» include no hidden choice.)
It could be cute in a deck with Mana Leaks and Force Spikes though. Try and tap it for blue mana when they have one left, and when they deny you, Spike their spell!
At least it triggers your Reflecting Pool, though there are way cooler cards which can do the same thing.
"I tap Rhystic Cave for a {R}, do you respond?"
"You killed all of my lands except this plains and it's tapped."
"Cool! {R} for me, I cast Raze on your tapped Plains (sacrificing Rhystic Cave)"
Last thing: GREAT ARTWORK! Rob Alexander rulez!
Finally, it's almost like a Rishadan Port that your opponent decides to use ON THEMSELVES. Great for Lulz...
3.5/5
Run with 4 Llanowar Elves and a few Joiner Adepts (or abundant growth), Gitaxian probe, Lightning bolt, and all of a sudden you have three color splash with one card, and your enemy can do nothing about it.
5/5 earlygame, and when you can successfully run EG red / green / blue, the rest doesn't matter
Everyone knows Rishadan Port? You know, the card that was one of the worst things about Mercadian Block? What this card does is basically turn any land of your opponents into a Rishadan Port except even better, since all they do is pay 1 to make this not produce mana, while Port required 1 and tapping the port itself (so 2 mana).