@Timmy: It should have been 3 cost to curve inside of the numerous 2 cost evaders they have in stander game right now. Generally for you get an enchantment card that cannot be destoryed and can draw an additional card every time you poke them.... and Over cost Curiosity with super-Shroud proof that draws a card when it comes in (by then, Curiosity has drawn 2-3 cards by itself already).
Generally disapointed, but hey its a Common, what did you expect?
ThePinkBaron
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(12 votes)
Curiosity has a cmc of 1. Is it really worth just for an added cantrip?
Totema
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
@ThePinkBaron: Curiosity is a permanent and can be removed separately, and it can't do anything to a shrouded creature. But yeah, it is pretty damn expensive for just a card every turn.
SyntheticDreamer
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(5 votes)
Just use Curiosity. Seriously, why does this cost four mana?
Towers76
★☆☆☆☆ (1.6/5.0)(4 votes)
Finally! You know I've always been in the market for a sorcery that draws me one card and offers the small chance of going off again for a measly CMC of four! Finally!
In all seriousness though, I have one question: who actually designed this piece if trash and thought, "We should definitely print this."?
raptorman333
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
make it {2}{U} and uncommon and it sees play. then it's basically a Counsel of the Soratami or Divination, provided that you can hit the opponent.
Cyberium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Best part about the card is that grin. Darth SIdious like...
RickyBo
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(8 votes)
"Curiosity has a cmc of 1. Is it really worth just for an added cantrip?"
Whenever people discuss this card, they seem to conveniently forget that its a sorcery. How is the price fair?
1. It gets you one card upon resolving from your hand. 2. It gets you a second card the turn it is cast if you hit with a ciphered creature, and a third one if that creature has double strike. 3. It gets you many more cards if you can keep getting through with the ciphered creature on subsequent turns.
It's actually more like Divination than Curiosity. You can easily nab two cards the turns you cast it for just 1 over Divination. You'd have to be in a very tight spot to cast this when you can't benefit from cipher, otherwise you're daft and you probably deserve to lose the game for not knowing how to take good advantage of a card.
The card is well balanced: card draw is very powerful, and you shouldn't be able to get more than two cards a turn for less than three mana without some effort. I think the developers hit the exact right cost for this effect. You'd be a fool to underestimate this card when it's put to good effect.
Alnother point worth noting is that Curiosity is susceptible to both enchantment removal and creature removal, a ciphered card is only vulnerable to creature removal. You can't blow this off a hexproof creature.
handoflazav_414
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Ooh, nice. Multiple draws in one turn! Cypher onto an unblockable creature and bam!
Purplerooster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This CAN TRIP people up if the ciphered created isn't taken care of.
LordOfTheFlies87
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(6 votes)
I strongly take issue with the naming of this card. Good name...for a card it makes more sense on. Something with finality, not repeatability.
Dabok
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Last Thoughts... I swear I would think that's a black spot removal or discard spell, even possibly mill. But no, apparently it lets you draw cards...continuously...well talk about LAST thoughts.
Existential
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(5 votes)
Key differences between this an Curiosity is that this is 'casted' again, allowing you to activate Extort in response (for example). This also is not an enchantment, which basically halves the effective removal options for the Encoded card (Naturalize and the like are not relevant). Finally, you could cast this and then attack, meaning it was used twice for the price of one (a reason for the higher than average CMC of Cipher cards). There; three reasons for the extra cost.
NoobOfLore
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(6 votes)
You can't Naturalize a Ciphered card. You can Naturalize Curiosity. That, and this cantrips when you cast it.
Tell me you would pay at least three mana for a cantripped Curiosity.
metalevolence
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(7 votes)
Pretty apparent the commenters here don't play much limited. Any decent cipher card is bonkers in a deck with a decent density of evasion creatures, but cipher card that gives you cards?! You cast it and draw a card, cipher, and look expectantly at your opponent for removal, and if they do spend removal, they just got two-for-oned. If they don't spend removal, you have a card-drawing machine. And this card is a common. This card is not just reasonable, it's exciting at four mana.
LordoftheFlies: think "Epic". No LITERALLY the mechanic "Epic" from Kamigawa. "Last Thoughts" is the last thought you'll ever need to have....and you'll keep having it and having it :)
chrome_dome
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
3/5. Hey what's that in your ear? Oh look a card for me, and another, and another...ad infinitum!!!!
Taudisban
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(5 votes)
Now, this card replaces itself, but even on the ideal Invisible Stalker it is a 6 cmc one-sided howling mine. Or a turn four one-sided howling mine. Both Tandem Lookout and Curiosity set that up turn three at the cost of fragility. But, the thing is, turn four is the turn that Stalker becomes fragile. Any control deck is going to field wipe him first chance they get, especially if he is card advantage plus whatever you dropped on him turn three. If both decks are hitting their ideal curve, this card nets you the same amount of cards as either Tandem or Curiosity. The main difference is that its cmc puts it into a much more counterable range.
So, at three cmc, it would have maybe been playable in a tournament level constructed format as a most of the time better curiosity. It would still compete with third turn plays like Geist in its color. That doesn't seem broken to me, especially not in the current standard.
SteveHiguita
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So, 4 mana to draw a card and make something a fancy scroll thief. Hmm.
DoragonShinzui
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
People trying to defend this as not just being a bad Curiosity are missing the point:
Are you willing to pay extra just for cantriping? Yes, this isn't vulnerable to enchantment removal either, but who picks off enchantments one at a time? No one.
vantha
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
For the people who are complaining that its overcosted at 4, they should realize something, WoTC tests all their cards before printing. If you think they didn't initially test it at 3 mana, then you are new to this game. Obviously they tested at 3 mana and found that it was too good for a common.
With the cipher mechanic you are customizing your creatures to be better. The cipher cards encode themselves to the creature and give a saboteur ability. IF you were to lose the creature then you only lost 1 card, but if the creature hits you get a free spell. I would play this card in limited, not in extended.
To say that this card is jank is absurd, it only demonstrates how naive you are as a player.
Vinifera7
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
This should cost {2}{U}. At four mana this is just never getting played.
majinara
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
It's overcosted in my opinion. Consider concentrate: it's also a four mana blue card draw spell, and it draws you three cards. To also draw you three cards, last thoughts takes at least three turns. It gives opponents time to react to it, to kill the ciphered creatured, steal it, or whatever. Even if it just gets blocked, you won't draw anything. It's far too slow, unreliable and overcosted.
I can only see it useful on creatures with double strike.
Ligerman30
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
This card is absurd in limited, it's essentially, I draw a million cards, ok? And then I play shadow slice and kill you.
TheWaddleDeeKing
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Well, for the most part inferior to Curiosity, I see why some people might like it, though there's a lot to consider. Since blue has shit for mana acceleration, a four drop just to draw a card is not exactly ideal, when cards like Ponder and Brainstorm exist. However, it always comes with the nice effect of being casted again each time the opponent takes combat damage. Put it on something with trample or unblockable and cards like Talrand, Sky Summoner will do its work much better.
RoyGBiv
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is great in a deck that cares about casting lots of spells, or with double strike T2: Goblin Electromancer T3: Guttersnipe T4: Hound of Griselbrand T5: Hands of Binding and Last Thoughts on the Hound, plus Artful Dodge: Swing. The Guttersnipe hit for 12 with 3 castings of both cipher cards(double strike), plus another 2 for the artful dodge, and 4 from the Hound. Thats 18 damage, 3 opponents creatures in sleep mode, and 3 cards drawn for you. I like this card:)
Odee
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A nice brutal combat trick when ciphered onto a Guttersnipe, especially if that Guttersnipe is already rocking a curiosity. Deal two combat damage, draw two cards - because Ciper states 'CAST' slap them for another two damage and another card to boot. Plus any attempts to remove the snipe may well result in a further two damage plus a new card to play with.
Opined_Fluke
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
While I'm not usually an advocate of abstractly raising the power of cards, the community rating here speaks for itself. I'm kind of sad that they figured this was a fair price for both this and Midnight Recovery. People are talking about best-possible-case scenarios where the card actually lives up to it's price. At least Midnight Recovery is better than Necromantic Thirst, which was always rather unplayable despite neat artwork. (And I'm talking casual here.)
Now if they had made it an instant I could have totally accepted 4 as a safe-bet cost, as you'd be so much more likely to get the "divination" version where you cast then get a hit in. When I was musing on the Cypher mechanic before the set came out, I knew they'd do a 'draw a card' one, but I had even surmised that making it a instant would have been ok. Better than divination, but only if you A) Have a creature, B) That creature can get in for a hit, and C) That creature can live to get in another hit ever.
Pipikako
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Its good. 3/5
Mode
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I swear this dude learned grinning like that by having been a Sith in his earlier life - he clearly adapted that smirk from watching his master Palpatine agonizing his victims over the years.
Lord_of_phyrexia
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
What's happening in the art?
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
While I get the balance arguments people are mentioning; it IS overcosted. What would I use as evidence? Tempo. One extra card, even in a deck that combos off of spell casting (young pyromancer or gelectrode for example) isn't worth losing your 4-drop slot. That's the same slot as: -Wrath effects -The best planeswalkers -Nasty creatures like Talrand -Better draw spells like Gifts Ungiven or even concentrate
Think of it this way; with Curiosity you can nail an opponent with a bounce or kill spell with that other 3 mana and now your creature gets in; or if it had evasion, you have counterspell mana open. This kind of mana only works in casual because you open yourself to instant speed threats and the board can be flipped on it's head in a single turn when your mana is closed.
Lastly? This only triggers on *combat* damage. The best uses/combos with Curiosity were/are with pingers who can get in and draw you cards without issue.
TriadArbor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm pretty sure the artwork here is an homage to the film Dark City. The man on the ground resembles the protagonist, the device the Dimir agent is using resembles an important device used in the film, and, without spoiling anything, a case could even be made for the name of the card itself...
Comments (34)
Generally disapointed, but hey its a Common, what did you expect?
In all seriousness though, I have one question: who actually designed this piece if trash and thought, "We should definitely print this."?
Whenever people discuss this card, they seem to conveniently forget that its a sorcery. How is the price fair?
1. It gets you one card upon resolving from your hand.
2. It gets you a second card the turn it is cast if you hit with a ciphered creature, and a third one if that creature has double strike.
3. It gets you many more cards if you can keep getting through with the ciphered creature on subsequent turns.
It's actually more like Divination than Curiosity. You can easily nab two cards the turns you cast it for just 1 over Divination. You'd have to be in a very tight spot to cast this when you can't benefit from cipher, otherwise you're daft and you probably deserve to lose the game for not knowing how to take good advantage of a card.
The card is well balanced: card draw is very powerful, and you shouldn't be able to get more than two cards a turn for less than three mana without some effort. I think the developers hit the exact right cost for this effect. You'd be a fool to underestimate this card when it's put to good effect.
Alnother point worth noting is that Curiosity is susceptible to both enchantment removal and creature removal, a ciphered card is only vulnerable to creature removal. You can't blow this off a hexproof creature.
Good name...for a card it makes more sense on. Something with finality, not repeatability.
But no, apparently it lets you draw cards...continuously...well talk about LAST thoughts.
There; three reasons for the
That, and this cantrips when you cast it.
Tell me you would pay at least three mana for a cantripped Curiosity.
So, at three cmc, it would have maybe been playable in a tournament level constructed format as a most of the time better curiosity. It would still compete with third turn plays like Geist in its color. That doesn't seem broken to me, especially not in the current standard.
Are you willing to pay
With the cipher mechanic you are customizing your creatures to be better. The cipher cards encode themselves to the creature and give a saboteur ability. IF you were to lose the creature then you only lost 1 card, but if the creature hits you get a free spell. I would play this card in limited, not in extended.
To say that this card is jank is absurd, it only demonstrates how naive you are as a player.
I can only see it useful on creatures with double strike.
T2: Goblin Electromancer
T3: Guttersnipe
T4: Hound of Griselbrand
T5: Hands of Binding and Last Thoughts on the Hound, plus Artful Dodge: Swing.
The Guttersnipe hit for 12 with 3 castings of both cipher cards(double strike), plus another 2 for the artful dodge, and 4 from the Hound. Thats 18 damage, 3 opponents creatures in sleep mode, and 3 cards drawn for you. I like this card:)
Plus any attempts to remove the snipe may well result in a further two damage plus a new card to play with.
I'm kind of sad that they figured this was a fair price for both this and Midnight Recovery. People are talking about best-possible-case scenarios where the card actually lives up to it's price. At least Midnight Recovery is better than Necromantic Thirst, which was always rather unplayable despite neat artwork. (And I'm talking casual here.)
Now if they had made it an instant I could have totally accepted 4 as a safe-bet cost, as you'd be so much more likely to get the "divination" version where you cast then get a hit in. When I was musing on the Cypher mechanic before the set came out, I knew they'd do a 'draw a card' one, but I had even surmised that making it a
he clearly adapted that smirk from watching his master Palpatine agonizing his victims over the years.
-Wrath effects
-The best planeswalkers
-Nasty creatures like Talrand
-Better draw spells like Gifts Ungiven or even concentrate
Think of it this way; with Curiosity you can nail an opponent with a bounce or kill spell with that other 3 mana and now your creature gets in; or if it had evasion, you have counterspell mana open. This kind of mana only works in casual because you open yourself to instant speed threats and the board can be flipped on it's head in a single turn when your mana is closed.
Lastly? This only triggers on *combat* damage. The best uses/combos with Curiosity were/are with pingers who can get in and draw you cards without issue.