A poor man's Snapcaster Mage. Just kidding. It's certainly not bad... but I think I'd rather spend 4cc on something else.
majinara
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Hm.... Well maybe in a mono blue Commander deck. But else? Unless my deck can likely reanimate him or flicker him in and out, I'd probably just add another useful instant or sorcery. Shows again how good eternal witness is/was (what with cheaper mana cost, higher power, and returning any card to your hand).
Why would this displace Anarchist when the colors don't match? It's Scrivener (who IS in blue) who's in trouble...
Flyheight
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(6 votes)
I really liked the combo Brian David-Marshall had in today's column: Combo this with Ghostly Flicker and any other creature to "Build your own Deadeye Navigator". That's frickin' awesome!
Meant to be played the turn after you play Sleep - check out the flavor text.
dberry02
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
For a common, this is pretty good. It's like a weakened Eternal Witness except it's mono blue and has the wizard subtype!
This will go great in my UG EDH wizard deck.
True_Mumin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Strictly better than Scrivener. And that's good. But still I think he's a tad overcosted.
IceMetalPunk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So let's just say you're playing blue/black and have at least 5 mana open: 2 blue and 1 black (the other two colors don't matter). Now your Archaeomancer dies. But wait! You have Disentomb! So you do this:
Tap a swamp -> Disentomb Archaeomancer Tap 2 islands and whatever else -> Play Archaeomancer -> Get Disentomb back
Tada! Your Archaromancer can never die.
Hanksingle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So hot in draft. Getting back an Essence Scatter when you've got the board in your favor is a back-breaker.
Question for you all. How do we feel about this versus Mystic Retrieval?
Dabok
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Wow this card's good. I have used Scrivener a lot of times in the past with some casual combo decks. I'm glad to have pulled some of these in my packs. I won't forget what Scrivener has done for me these past few years though!
Eddie_Antilles
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
A useful card for any U Control; certainly better than either Scrivener or Anarchist. The power is one lower and it is more color-intensive, but it has a lower CMC and can retrieve a sorcery OR an instant, not one or the other. Great late game when your GY is getting somewhat full, and it gives you a chump blocker too.
My favorite combo with her is to tutor her out, use her to get back the tutor, tutor for a conjurer's closet, then flicker her for unlimited recasting.
TheZombifier
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hey, look at that flavour text. Words of power?
You... You mean those in Skyrim?
cookitagain
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
archaeomancer + archaeomancer + ghostly flicker = any spell in graveyard back to hand + ghostly flicker also archaeomancer + clone + ghostly flicker = any spell back + ghostly flicker / clone anything with etb trigger/ ltb trigger repeatedly....opponents thragtusk archaeomancer + cackling counterpart + omniscience = infinite arcaeomancers archaeomancer + sleep + conjurers closet permanent tap out he's almost a tamiyo emblem if you use him right.
Delphideck
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Played my flicker deck with this guy in it at FNM last Friday. He is the crux of my deck.
I love that this is Relearn with a 1/2 body, making it very easy to recur. Funny synergy with Otherworldly Journey, making it more powerful every turn. A great common for a core set, and a great deckbuilding tool, useful for both casual and constructed players in the right deck.
Smoke_Stack
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
IMO, better than snapcaster. Yea, I said it. I'd rather have the card in hand to play when I want to than have it cost more when I play it. Plus, easy to get 4 of em for cheap and with something like Conjuror's Closet or Venser you can cast and re-cast all you want to.
StyxTBeuford
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@Smoke_Stack But it's much harder to play the instant/sorcery you get on the turn you put down archaeomancer. Snapcaster basically reads: "Cast any instant or sorcery in your graveyard for its CMC+2 at any time they could normally be played." With snapcaster, your opponent doesn't know what you'll hit them with, particularly if you use self-mill or looting to fill up your graveyard with all sorts of goodies. Archaeo is too slow, and because you choose the spell usually a turn before you cast it, your opponent has a turn to evaluate how to deal with whatever you've put into your hand. Sure, you get the spell for its normal cost the next turn, but in today's Standard environment, speed is everything.
Two more things: Snapcaster's flash ability allows him to surprise block an attacker, so the creature itself, as a 2/1, can make for good removal. Also, Archaeo's double U cost makes it significantly less splashable in competitive decks compared to Snapcaster.
There's a reason Snapcaster is a $20 card still.
loj35
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card reminds me of skyrim. The ruins definitely look the part, that's a word wall, and it mentions words of power.
Earthdawn
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@zeeehmtee: Wizards is unlikely to make a creature like this cost 3 CMC or lower. Eternal Witness is already a thing, but any creature with graveyard recursion has to pass the Sun Titan test these days.
Comments (39)
Oooh, plus you can recur your Flashback cards for 3 uses of one card. Damn, that's efficient!
This will go great in my UG EDH wizard deck.
Tap a swamp -> Disentomb Archaeomancer
Tap 2 islands and whatever else -> Play Archaeomancer -> Get Disentomb back
Tada! Your Archaromancer can never die.
I have used Scrivener a lot of times in the past with some casual combo decks. I'm glad to have pulled some of these in my packs.
I won't forget what Scrivener has done for me these past few years though!
3.5/5
I'll just take four of my sorceries back, including divination. Then, with the last one, I'll take rite back and do it all again next turn!
Also, if I really wanted to, I can turn it into an infinite token generator combo. Mana flooded? might as well make a 1/2!
You... You mean those in Skyrim?
archaeomancer + clone + ghostly flicker = any spell back + ghostly flicker / clone anything with etb trigger/ ltb trigger repeatedly....opponents thragtusk
archaeomancer + cackling counterpart + omniscience = infinite arcaeomancers
archaeomancer + sleep + conjurers closet permanent tap out
he's almost a tamiyo emblem if you use him right.
Turn 1: Cathedral Sanctifier
Turn 2: hold for Negate or Azorius Charm
Turn 3: Obivion Ring as needed.
Turn 4: Mist Raven
Turn 5: Conjuror's Closet, flicker Mist Raven
Turn 6: Archaeomancer
As needed, block and flicker my stuff with Cloudshift and Ghostly Flicker.
Came over the top with a few angels. Win!
Two more things: Snapcaster's flash ability allows him to surprise block an attacker, so the creature itself, as a 2/1, can make for good removal. Also, Archaeo's double U cost makes it significantly less splashable in competitive decks compared to Snapcaster.
There's a reason Snapcaster is a $20 card still.