Pointed Discussion

Magic: The Gathering Card Comments Archive

Altar of Bone

Multiverse ID: 2717

Altar of Bone

Comments (22)

Mode
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0) (4 votes)
completely overshadowed by Eladamri's Call, which is an instant and doesn't require a sacrifice.
Smoked_Peasant
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0) (6 votes)
This thing is so out of color. G/B, maybe... or B/W, but GW? What were they thinking?
Weretarrasque
★★☆☆☆ (2.7/5.0) (5 votes)
I agree completely with Mode. Just use Eladamri's Call.
Saigmundur
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0) (1 vote)
@ BinarySpike: Worldly Tutor is card disadvantage since it puts the card on top of your library and not in your hand. Eladamri's Call puts it in your hand. Those are both good cards though.

As for this card: It sucks donkey bawlls.
Mindbend
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0) (2 votes)
...........or just have a copy of the creature you want instead of this rubbish card. crazy fools
EvilCleavage
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0) (1 vote)
I like your thinking BinarySpike haha I was thinking the same thing!
Reflect-O-Burn
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0) (1 vote)
Good for Protean Hulk.
bagilis
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0) (1 vote)
Maybe overshadowed by Eladamri's call, but it was god at the time of ice age.
KicktheCAN
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0) (1 vote)
Sacrifice Academy Rector, search for another Academy Rector.
Shoe2
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0) (1 vote)
Sac outlet and Ed's Call. Not the worst card ever. In highlander formats (I.E. EDH) its Ed's call #2
NARFNra
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0) (1 vote)
Upon playing this card, stab your opponent. When people start restraining you, go "What? I was just paying the casting cost..."
desolation_masticore
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Worldly tutor puts the card onto the top of your deck, use Eladmari's call.
BonniePrinceCharlie
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0) (1 vote)
This is a better card than the detractors are giving it credit for. Sacrificing one of your creatures can be a benefit. One could easily build a deck that would take advantage of this card over Eldamri's Call.
Nagoragama
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In commander, use both.
DarthParallax
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0) (1 vote)
You have to remember that by the time Ice Age came out, most of this hadn't been invented yet.

The colors are wierd by OUR standards, no doubt there- out of curiosity, I tried thinking Devil's Advocate for the card though--

White is the color of balance. You should have to pay a creature to get exactly the creature you want?

Perhaps if this was gold hybrid, like the Alara Reborn 'blades', say G W/B, or B G/W, the cost would make more sense.

While the colors look 'wrong' to us today, I appreciate the attempt to balance tutoring with a meaningful cost. Maybe if sacrificing and discarding appeared as costs on more tutors, we could get them at nice mana costs again. That would limit the usefulness of Tutors to only the special decks that not only want, but need them, while at the same time making the cards even better for exactly those decks.
SeiberTross
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0) (5 votes)
Eladarmi's Call is clearly better, but the point is both are still quite viable in EDH. Particularly if you're running Rith or Ghave and don't really give a darn about one of your tokens.
TheWrathofShane
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0) (1 vote)
The mana symbols are supposed to be GreenWhite, possible that this was printed before that was clearly established. You can see the correction on the oracle.
Blackworm_Bloodworm
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0) (1 vote)
This should be BlackGreen, not GreenWhite. There's nothing white about sacrificing your own creature.
Brawler_1337
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I use this card over Eladamri's Call in my Karador sac for value EDH deck because I sacrifice my creatures anyway. Eladamri's Call is better, true, but this is still decent, and nothing beats your opponent's saying, "What the hell is this card?"
LordRandomness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Entirely reasonable tutor. Just play Khalni Garden first turn.