Hm. I don't know what to feel about this card yet. On one hand, its effect is the same as Mana Drain with the added bonus of adding any color of mana to your mana pool, instead of colorless. On the other hand, it's a four drop counterspell, not to mention it's G/U, which are colors not known for their control capabilities. I suppose running one or two might not be a bad idea for the mid-late game, allowing you to counter big spells and play your own big spells. I guess I'll have to wait till Dragon's Maze comes out to see how it works.
Goatllama
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(5 votes)
PLASM CAPTUR
JSSarfin
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(7 votes)
This is a balanced Mana Drain.
I likey.
Flyheight
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(7 votes)
What were they thinking?????
No! Bad Wizards! Two efficient and POWERFUL hard counters in one set (the other being Render Silent)? And one of them is a riff on an old BROKEN card? While the current environment is rife with instant speed spells and creatures?
Nucleon
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Gonna be hoarding these, oh yes I will. Those who play against it would be wise to sideboard Nivmagus Elemental, since you can exile your spell in response to them casting this and they get no mana.
drpvfx
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
Welcome back, favorite card ever.
Thank you for being in my favorite Guild, and thanks for that extra bonus I get for my extra GG :)
I can't wait to suck up a giant Sphinx's Revelation and spit out an even larger Mind Grind (or, you know, my own Revelation).
.Blaze.
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I am very curious to see how good this will be in standard. I think 4 mana will keep it from seeing play, but you never know.
Continue
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
A four mana Mana Drain with upside seems fair somehow. is a steep cost for a counterspell, but making it a hard counter and giving you mana for your next turn just seems... right.
ChttrBox88
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Perfect card in my eyes. Difficult to play outside of two-colored , which might make that deck viable.
SyntheticDreamer
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Balanced Mana Drain. If only we had a reliable way to cast it in any deck...oh wait, we do. Break out the Chromatic Lanterns!
Gcrudaplaneswalker
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Hey look, a more fairly-balanced Mana Drain. It's harder to cast, but you get to choose your mana colors. Great design for Simic, 4/5
LordOfTheFlies87
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(7 votes)
They fixed it. Yay!
Cyberium
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Four mana is a lot, especially when they are all colored mana. That said, the boost from a successful cast of this spell is better than Mana Drain since you actually get to add mana of any color combination into your manapool instead of just colorless mana.
Run this with Noble Hierarch or Birds of Paradise to ensure a better chance of casting it.
Grigori97
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Lovin the character fighting depicting art in this set! ~see runners bane and punish the enemy
blurrymadness
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I knew they'd eventually print you in an affordable form.
Welcome back indeed!
protohamster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@flyheight, 4 cmc (a very difficult to achieve double green+double blue) is very different from 2 cmc. This will probably be a 2 dollar rare in the future. It's no cryptic command.
Still R&D took twenty years almost to get to here from Pygmy Hippo
@Gcrudaplaneswalker You'd think so, but with the mana base in standard right now, I could see this easily being cast in a Bant or U/G control deck.
Plasm Capture into an early Angel of Serenity (hopefully with enough mana open for a counterspell) is thing I'm really looking forward to doing at FNM.
rollinsclone
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
A fixed Mana Drain is still a Mana Drain.
Trygon_Predator
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
This is what Mana Drain should have been from the start. for the counter, for the mana, and a color-intensive cost that prevents it from being better than Counterspell. As it stands, this looks set to be another sweet counterspell for Simic decks, less efficient than Voidslime but miles ahead of Mystic Genesis.
strider24seven
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I like that this is actually as good as Mana Drain in EDH.
This card won us our second Two-Headed Giant game.
I had a U/G/R deck. It was past turn ten, and still didn't have any mountains. Then I draw this.
Ohohoho.
They try to cast a Carnage Gladiator (which my buddy had already bounced, we knew it existed), then I counter it. They can't do anything because of my Species Gorger out. Then they pass.
The opponent might be more than a little suspicious if you are untapped and blue and refrain from playing juicy fatties.
4.5/5
Kragash
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"The opponent might be more than a little suspicious if you are untapped and blue and refrain from playing juicy fatties."
Definitely. It'll be difficult to fool an opponent when you have two untapped Islands and two untapped Forests. I'm pretty sure midgame is when an opponent will start casting 1CMC cards if they see that I'm leaving 4 very specific lands untapped.
Feralsymphony
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Yes
SkyknightXi
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Kragash: Might be a good thing, if you want to goad them into slowing their advance down. Maybe even surprise them by stealing a 1 or 2-cost card anyway, because that's just enough to get your expensive spell off. Or, arguably worse for them, two mid-cost spells off at the same time.
WarioMan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I. LOVE. This. Counterspell. I play it in my Superfriends deck, and this thing gets me a free planeswalker, even if I don't have colors for it in my mana base! It has so many good uses. Easily a 4.5/5
does anyone else already look forward to the potential for this card to get reprinted in a place that essentially dubs it 'Pseudo-Mythic Rarity'? True, Urza's Rage is not really a Mythic by any scale except flavor, but Chain Lightning isn't -any- kind of Rare, yet let's be honest. Chain Lightning is totally the Mythic Rare of Premium Deck Seies: Fire & Lightning. So what do you all think?
Chances of gaining a Reprint? 100% Chances of gaining a Red Set Symbol? less than 10% Chances of being a 'Pseudo-Mythic'? depends on the kind of reprint?
Ferlord
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Seems a little arrogant of Vorel to be talking down to Niv-Mizzet, who's... You know... The most arrogant being in existence.
Regardless, this is probably one of those rare occasions when a counter spell would be considered for EDH. Counter spells are not usually a good idea, since you usually can't determine what spells they're playing and which spell is the most dangerous (EG: Would you counter a Damnation? What if they're holding a Living Death or a Yawgmoth's Will? Do you know what's coming next?).
However, even if you don't counter the most dangerous spell, you're still usually getting your mana back. And since no one's going to waste a space in their EDH deck, countering a spell will always foil someone's plan.
Conservator
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Oh my gosh! I saw this and had to have one because IT IS MANA DRAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It costs 2 more green, but gets you colored mana in ANY COMBINATION OF COLORS!!!!
Yes please I will pay 1 more to upgrade my cancel.
I got one of these from a friend who opened part of a booster box. OH MY GOSH THIS IS AWESOME
Call me stupid but I am using it in my Eldrazi deck. It counters a threat, ramps, and fixes my mana.
That being said Mana Drain will always be better.
Azrael1911
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I won FNM with this in the control mirror by countering an uncounterable Aetherling with it (my opponent casted it off cavern of souls) and using the extra mana to sphinx's revelation for 23 (it was 50 minutes into the game during last five turns), drawing into two temporals, and taking up 4 of the 5 last turns.
mrchuckmorris
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
The art on this card is fantastic, especially in foil. Even though he's getting blocked, it's still pretty cool to see that for all his sitting and thinking and apathy, Niv-Mizzet can still remind you he's a terrifying 15,000-year-old fire-breathing dragon if you make him angry.
Great card, too, by the way. I probably won't ever use it unless I revamp my whole deck, but I can definitely see its potential. High value, made 5/5 for the art.
Kontrah
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In terms of 4-cost cspells, Cryptic Command is probably better most of the time, but this is definitely a good card. I'd run this over Mystic Genesis easily. Sure you can populate the token, but...whatever. Rewind can be equal or better than this if the countered spell costs 4 or less, and obviously is way better in 'tron or cloudpost decks.
I love this card but I can't run it because my 4-slots are Mystic Snakes in a Momentary Blink deck.
yesennes
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Sometimes is sits awkwardly in my hand and does nothing while I struggle to survive. Sometimes I cast Simic Sky Swallower on turn 5.
GlintKawk42
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I absolutely love this card; Dragon's Maze might be in my top favorite sets of all time.
SquirePath
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Still one of my favorite moments in my whole Magic career.
1v1 EDH. Opponent is wrecking my face the whole game, his general is Rafiq, and mine is Experiment Kraj.
Everything I cast is either getting fried, or blown up. This card is sitting in my hand for at least 6 turns, I know I might die, but I just keep it in my hand- knowing he will go for a huge spell for a finisher.
He swings for 9 Double Strike from Rafiq, and I have to take it. He taps out to cast Reya Dawnbringer, I cast Plasm Capture. His only response after reading it is; "Holy S***, that is a good card."
He passes turn, I get to my main phase, add 9 cast Tooth and Nail, entwining, and winning.
Most underdog comeback I have ever had. It is moments like that, that make me love this game so incredibly much.
MrBrightsideX11
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is my favorite art in this set. No, in this block. Hell, it might be one of my favorite arts I've seen in a long while. Niv-Mizzet vs. a giant blob of plasma that is being controlled by (presumably) Vorel is just so hardcore. 4.5/5.
hypa_dude
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Seriously unfair, unbalanced card. Blue can already counter a 7-11 mana spell for 2 or 3 mana in about 15 different ways, now they get to steal the mana too? It's like a time warp and black lotus (or 2) for 4 mana. If this card targets a spell costing more than 4 or 5 mana: automatic win, all for just 4 mana.
Blue has the best card advantage, the best creatures (delver of secrets, snapcaster mage), the best removal (cyclonic rift), the best lands (celestial colonade, creeping tar pits). Now they have the best mana acceleration. I guess I have no choice but to play blue. No wonder the metagame in standard and modern is so narrow.
Aelvr
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@hypa_dude Pfffffft I'm sorry, what? Do you even Simic? There is no way that this thing is overpowered. Maybe a little overpowered if it was , but even then, it wouldn't have near the power level of cards like Supreme Verdict or Detention Sphere.
This thing can be really hard to mana fix for unless you are playing a lot of multi-colored lands; and if you a playing capture, you are trying to ramp, which means the ETB-tapped lands are setting your ramping plans a turn behind. It also means that the earliest you can cast this is turn 4, maybe 5. And then you didn't spend the mana summoning creatures or ramping, which means you can be behind yet another turn, and in the end your ramping gamble doesn't pay off when your opponent plays 4 1-drop unleash/haste creatures--or worse, nothing--and breaks your unguarded face. And if it's late enough in the game that you can summon a relevant fatty AND still have mana for Plasm Capture, it's late enough in the game that you need a hydra for the bonus mana to be relevant, so at that point, I'd rather have Cancel.
Oh? I should be running Prophet of Kruphix if I want to play creatures on my turn AND Plasm Capture on theirs? Sure, but the card still needs 2 blue mana and 2 green mana, and EVEN THEN it's Prophet of Kru-fix making this card even look good, which sounds more like interesting and less like OP to me.
TexasDice
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Remember kids, if a dragon tries to burn you alive, shoot your plasma at it. Just like I did in my wedding night.
questionflanger
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Is it less flexible, color-wise, than other counterspells? Sure. But for U/G, this is incredible. In EDH, I regularly counter junk like Akroma's Memorial and dump that giant mound of mana into my next turn - in any color combination I want.
Comments (42)
I likey.
No! Bad Wizards! Two efficient and POWERFUL hard counters in one set (the other being Render Silent)? And one of them is a riff on an old BROKEN card? While the current environment is rife with instant speed spells and creatures?
Thank you for being in my favorite Guild,
and thanks for that extra bonus I get for my extra GG :)
I can't wait to suck up a giant Sphinx's Revelation and spit out an even larger Mind Grind
(or, you know, my own Revelation).
Run this with Noble Hierarch or Birds of Paradise to ensure a better chance of casting it.
Welcome back indeed!
Still R&D took twenty years almost to get to here from Pygmy Hippo
Plasm Capture into an early Angel of Serenity (hopefully with enough mana open for a counterspell) is thing I'm really looking forward to doing at FNM.
As it stands, this looks set to be another sweet counterspell for Simic decks, less efficient than Voidslime but miles ahead of Mystic Genesis.
I had a U/G/R deck. It was past turn ten, and still didn't have any mountains. Then I draw this.
Ohohoho.
They try to cast a Carnage Gladiator (which my buddy had already bounced, we knew it existed), then I counter it. They can't do anything because of my Species Gorger out. Then they pass.
I get out all my red stuff, like a Zhur-Taa Druid and a Rubblebelt Maaka, and have mana left over for Armed // Dangerous.
(Btw, the way we won was by Breaking // Entering their Gladiator, then Progenitor Mimic on their Zhur-Taa Swine. What? He was going Grixis control. We expect THEM to bring our swords for us.)
4.5/5
Definitely. It'll be difficult to fool an opponent when you have two untapped Islands and two untapped Forests. I'm pretty sure midgame is when an opponent will start casting 1CMC cards if they see that I'm leaving 4 very specific lands untapped.
Urza's Rage
Chain Lightning (de facto)
Entomb (de ditto)
does anyone else already look forward to the potential for this card to get reprinted in a place that essentially dubs it 'Pseudo-Mythic Rarity'? True, Urza's Rage is not really a Mythic by any scale except flavor, but Chain Lightning isn't -any- kind of Rare, yet let's be honest. Chain Lightning is totally the Mythic Rare of Premium Deck Seies: Fire & Lightning. So what do you all think?
Chances of gaining a Reprint? 100%
Chances of gaining a Red Set Symbol? less than 10%
Chances of being a 'Pseudo-Mythic'? depends on the kind of reprint?
Regardless, this is probably one of those rare occasions when a counter spell would be considered for EDH. Counter spells are not usually a good idea, since you usually can't determine what spells they're playing and which spell is the most dangerous (EG: Would you counter a Damnation? What if they're holding a Living Death or a Yawgmoth's Will? Do you know what's coming next?).
However, even if you don't counter the most dangerous spell, you're still usually getting your mana back. And since no one's going to waste a space in their EDH deck, countering a spell will always foil someone's plan.
It costs 2 more green, but gets you colored mana in ANY COMBINATION OF COLORS!!!!
Yes please I will pay 1 more to upgrade my cancel.
I got one of these from a friend who opened part of a booster box. OH MY GOSH THIS IS AWESOME
Call me stupid but I am using it in my Eldrazi deck. It counters a threat, ramps, and fixes my mana.
That being said Mana Drain will always be better.
Great card, too, by the way. I probably won't ever use it unless I revamp my whole deck, but I can definitely see its potential. High value, made 5/5 for the art.
I love this card but I can't run it because my 4-slots are Mystic Snakes in a Momentary Blink deck.
Sometimes I cast Simic Sky Swallower on turn 5.
1v1 EDH. Opponent is wrecking my face the whole game, his general is Rafiq, and mine is Experiment Kraj.
Everything I cast is either getting fried, or blown up. This card is sitting in my hand for at least 6 turns, I know I might die, but I just keep it in my hand- knowing he will go for a huge spell for a finisher.
He swings for 9 Double Strike from Rafiq, and I have to take it. He taps out to cast Reya Dawnbringer, I cast Plasm Capture. His only response after reading it is; "Holy S***, that is a good card."
He passes turn, I get to my main phase, add 9
Most underdog comeback I have ever had. It is moments like that, that make me love this game so incredibly much.
Blue has the best card advantage, the best creatures (delver of secrets, snapcaster mage), the best removal (cyclonic rift), the best lands (celestial colonade, creeping tar pits). Now they have the best mana acceleration. I guess I have no choice but to play blue. No wonder the metagame in standard and modern is so narrow.
This thing can be really hard to mana fix for unless you are playing a lot of multi-colored lands; and if you a playing capture, you are trying to ramp, which means the ETB-tapped lands are setting your ramping plans a turn behind. It also means that the earliest you can cast this is turn 4, maybe 5. And then you didn't spend the mana summoning creatures or ramping, which means you can be behind yet another turn, and in the end your ramping gamble doesn't pay off when your opponent plays 4 1-drop unleash/haste creatures--or worse, nothing--and breaks your unguarded face. And if it's late enough in the game that you can summon a relevant fatty AND still have mana for Plasm Capture, it's late enough in the game that you need a hydra for the bonus mana to be relevant, so at that point, I'd rather have Cancel.
Oh? I should be running Prophet of Kruphix if I want to play creatures on my turn AND Plasm Capture on theirs? Sure, but the card still needs 2 blue mana and 2 green mana, and EVEN THEN it's Prophet of Kru-fix making this card even look good, which sounds more like interesting and less like OP to me.