This feels odd as a throwback to Nin, the Pain Artist. It could have easily just dealt 1 damage to a creature and made that creature's controller draw a card. Then it would have cost much less and given you a more interesting choice: removal at a price, or self-harm with a reward?
lorendorky
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Notice the red hue on the staff, mono red benefits from this more than any other color IMO.
blindthrall
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This looks surprisingly playable.
Lazenca_Seifus
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(3 votes)
It's a staff of Nine Inch Nails? Can you use it to hurt yourself today, to see if you still feel?
Radagast
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Good heavens did Rod of Ruin get a powerboost!?
Wow... no reason NOT to play this card in Commander!
dberry02
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
The game can get really silly if you make copies of this. (Generic comment, I know) One of these are great. But when you have two or three, it can be devistatingly game changing.
Too bad the promo art is about 10,000x better than this.
Sessy
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I actually really like this card. Sure, this 6 CMC isn't ideal, but I'd pay 4 colorless for an extra card every turn, and 2 more colorless for a reusable pinger to get rid of chump blocks late game. And if they don't have any eligible creature targets, one to the face every turn will add up. Every point matters. 4/5
Pinto331
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
A Phyrexian Arena that hurts your opponent instead. That's cool.
If you're playing black EDH I still think your better off with either Arena and/or Bloodgift Demon, but for colors like Red and Green that don't have much card draw on a stick it's great.
I've got a UBR deck with Niv, some Spellbound Dragons, and a couple Beacon of Unrests, so one of two of these staves could be a great addition.
Zenzei
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Staff of Win.
Toquinha1977
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I cracked this in sealed prerelease and won with this. Slowly. And all the while forgetting to draw the extra card per turn.
rollinsclone
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's like Phyrexian Arena fused with Rod of Ruin. It probably won't see much play in standard, but I can see this showing up in a lot of EDH and casual decks.
Trep.the.Treehugger
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I put this in an ramp elf deck, because I often found myself with no cards in hand if my opponents survived the initial onslaugh. Works wonders, still putting pressure, with an extra card each turn, and with the deck I made I can cast it at turn 3 given the right cards... This on the field with Descendant's path can be pretty fun too...
Lotsofpoopy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
A truly awesome artifact. I am truly the best and a pro and I strongly recommend this card.
Lord_Rumfish
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
What's not to love about the Staff of Nin? You get total inevitability for six colorless mana. The extra cards will slowly bury your opponent under card advantage and the pinging will clear out chump blockers and annoying utility creatures, and will also make combat math harder for the opponent. If they are light on creatures, you can just add that damage straight to their face. One staff can keep their planeswalker low, while two staffs can probably finish off most planeswalkers.
You have to build a deck that can stall or rush to six mana to use the Staff of Nin, so blitzing aggro decks wouldn't use it. Anyone else should seriously consider it.
Spashable Phyrexian Arena and nice budget alternative to Mind's Eye for EDH decks running colors that don't really have much draw
Silvano
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Question: Can you respond/react to the damage done by staff of nin? Example: I tried to kill a creature of my opponent with 2 staff of nin, he said he could in reaction sacrafice that creature using the activated ability of another creature of his, is this possible or does the staff of nin damage go around the stack??
DacenOctavio
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hey look, it's a planeswalker-issue sonic screwdriver!
sonorhC
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Silvano, of course it uses the stack and thus can be responded to. Why wouldn't it?
shotoku64
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
today I realized, this is actually the Staff of NIN (Nine Inch Nails)
Not exactly strictly better, since both Jayemdae Tome and Rod of Ruin have lower mana costs. However, this is a much better card than either one of them - or both of them combined - the vast majority of the time.
Continue
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It costs less overall for any amount of damage than Rod of Ruin does for just one ping, and it gives you card advantage as well. Six mana is a tad high, but in EDH that's no problem at all. This is even seeing play in Standard sideboards. 5/5
SAUS3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I like that they have another option for white and/or red EDH decks. Those colours have the least options for drawing cards.
leomistico
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why not print a version of it? In this way, it should cost less...
4/5
mrchuckmorris
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Even though it's not exactly the same, I like to call it "Staff of Niv."
@lord_of_phyrexia: You're either trolling or stupid. Either way, 0/5 for you.
TenMatys
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I win with this many times in mono black. Shooting and drawing for win...
Xelris
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great card. Against green it's great to hurt reptiles, or using it as an eraser for weenies, or just putting your opponent into a slow downward spiral that brings you closer to victory.
Thaxan_Number_14
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is actually getting one-ofs in Legacy MUD decks right now. :o
Comments (40)
Rod of Ruin has just been ruined a bit more...
No, you got your Howling Mine in my Rod of Ruin!
Wow... no reason NOT to play this card in Commander!
Sculpting Steel, Phyrexian Metamorph, Mirrorworks, Prototype Portal...
If you're playing black EDH I still think your better off with either Arena and/or Bloodgift Demon, but for colors like Red and Green that don't have much card draw on a stick it's great.
I've got a UBR deck with Niv, some Spellbound Dragons, and a couple Beacon of Unrests, so one of two of these staves could be a great addition.
You have to build a deck that can stall or rush to six mana to use the Staff of Nin, so blitzing aggro decks wouldn't use it. Anyone else should seriously consider it.
Example: I tried to kill a creature of my opponent with 2 staff of nin, he said he could in reaction sacrafice that creature using the activated ability of another creature of his, is this possible or does the staff of nin damage go around the stack??
Not exactly strictly better, since both Jayemdae Tome and Rod of Ruin have lower mana costs. However, this is a much better card than either one of them - or both of them combined - the vast majority of the time.
4/5