So what happens if I'm able to take the card out of play (ie: destroy it, take it out of the game, return it to owners hand...) before my upkeep?
Bouchart
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(3 votes)
The second part of the card can't trigger unless it is in play with delay counters at the beginning of your upkeep. If it isn't in play, or it has no delay counters, nothing happens.
if it leaves play with counters, then those damages wont be dealt because its already been converted into counters and the second ability wont resolve in the upkeep. this card is good with return target permanent spells and vedalken mastermind.
Screws up poison decks, since you won't get any poison counters anymore. Also prevents any cards with "when deals combat damage to a player" from triggering. Also allows you to play spells that deal massive amounts of damage to everyone, to kill off the other players. Since you won't be dealt damage until your next upkeep, you survive. Just one word of advice: don't put it into decks with doubling season.
Artscrafter
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Could be useful in executing a win condition with Near-Death Experience, but it'd be painfully obvious that you're trying for it so your opponent will probably wait until they can hit you for more than you can pay off (assuming they don't have enchantment removal.) Probably works best when paired with self-burn at the end of opponent's turn so you can fine-tune the results.
Scars gave this card another fun toy as you can now imprint Vampire Hexmage onto Mimic Vat. This could also function as decent sideboard tech against infect since it turns damage into life loss.
@TheSwarm: Technically, this doesn't prevent damage. The first part of it is a replacement effect (noted by the if/would/instead wording.) So this functions perfectly well in the face of "damage can't be prevented" effects.
This would also work very well with Hex Parasite from New Phyrexia.
Mode
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Not that impressive without a combo, but remember that this will often still do more than just delay things. It saves you from a mess of triggered abilities, or poison counters through infect.
Run this in your Zedruu the Greathearted Commander deck. If someone tries to alpha strike you, or you cast Volcano Hellion choosing to do tons of damage to something, you then pass the enchantment to an opponent. During their upkeep, they lose the life you would have lost if they can't pay all that mana. Especially effective against decks without white mana.
Wasret
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Zacklar dismantle destroys a target artifact and if it had "counters" on it, put that many 1+/1+ counters or charge counters on target artifact. It could work, it's just a iffy combo since you run the risk of takin a large amount of damage if something went wrong. Definitely creative and could be awesome to pull off though.
Zacklar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Manji187 you cannot do that, if you turn the enchantment into an artifact the delay counters are still delay counters, and like noted by someone else, just use the Sun Droplet for better easier results
also you cannot Flicker it since its a sorcery, also you cannot imprint it into the stick due the same reasons
@wasret my bad, you are right, it could work, but i think it would still work better with the sun droplet
"Imprint Flicker on an Isochron Scepter" - Cathode Flicker is a sorcery. Read Isochron Scepter again.
Alsebra
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Mode - Why wouldn't it work with Venser?
Make it into a creature with Opalescence, then Cloudshift it (on the stick, of course).
ZephyrFalcon
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
How does this effect work with "Last Known Information". If it triggers on my upkeep, and I somehow remove the card before the trigger resolves, do I still have to (or can I even) remove counters from it?
ComboGod
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
One of the very fun things about this card is that it turns damage into loss of life. Paired with Phyrexian Unlife that means that damage just ceases to matter. Run that with Sterling Grove or Greater Auramancy, and you've got an annoying setup to deal with.
Lord_Ascapelion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is deliciously combo-tastic. Even a non-Johnny like me is inspired, lol.
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Phyrexian Unlife. If no one has enchantment removal, it will be very hard to lose the game.
Aquillion
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
Perfect combo with Doubling Season! Instead of taking damage, you take twice as much damage.
No, wait...
vxi
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
What would happen if you had more than one? Would they both take on the counters at the same time, thus doubling the damage...? What would happen?
zyvlyn
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you had more than one, the first one would trigger and replace all of the damage. The second one would not trigger because there is no more damage. Having multiples of this out would really only serve to protect against having one of them removed.
Comments (28)
Scars gave this card another fun toy as you can now imprint Vampire Hexmage onto Mimic Vat. This could also function as decent sideboard tech against infect since it turns damage into life loss.
@TheSwarm: Technically, this doesn't prevent damage. The first part of it is a replacement effect (noted by the if/would/instead wording.) So this functions perfectly well in the face of "damage can't be prevented" effects.
Get 20 or more delaying counters on this card, turn it into an artifact with Liquimetal Coating then Dismantle it and put the counters (now charge counters) on stuff like Darksteel Reactor, Grindclock, Tumble Magnet, Titan Forge, Pentad Prism, Gemstone Array, Altar of Shadows, Chimeric Mass....
oh yeah...Door of Destinies!
It saves you from a mess of triggered abilities, or poison counters through infect.
As mentioned before, it assures a successfull Luminarch Ascension, and removing counters can be done i various ways, or skipping the upkeep right away of course.
Let your Vampire Hexmage purge the shield, flicker it into amnesia (pity this doesn't work with Venser), or just stifle the trigger. Or at least reduce its harm for some good use with Hex Parasite.
Pro Tip: Do not cast this enchantment multiple times :D
@Manji187: If you're looking for a Dismantle combo, forget about this and Liquimetal Coating and use a Sun Droplet right away.
also you cannot Flicker it since its a sorcery, also you cannot imprint it into the stick due the same reasons
@wasret my bad, you are right, it could work, but i think it would still work better with the sun droplet
Flicker is a sorcery. Read Isochron Scepter again.
Make it into a creature with Opalescence, then Cloudshift it (on the stick, of course).
No, wait...
What would happen?