This is one of the best examples of a card that seems like it's really powerful at first, but is most often useless when you actually have a chance to cast it.
Sooku
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
In response, they tap all their lands. With mana burn out of the picture, this doesn't do much of anything.
Haze01
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Sooku, that's only due to the current Oracle text. It's possible that this card could be re-worked yet again.
Elysiume
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
How would they rework it? Unless they totally changed it (Target player actually suffers mana burn from lands they tap) or something (split second wouldn't even help, unless they did like Very Split Second, target player can't do crap until it resolves), I don't know what they could do. I can't think of a way to make it work with current keywords or anything.
Megrimage
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
if you dont like it, you could use this card for 3 mana: mana short
this was the ruling on the card:
* 10/4/2004: This card forces the target player to draw mana from lands if they are untapped, but that player can choose how to draw the mana if a land he or she controls has multiple mana abilities, or mana abilities with choices. * 10/4/2004: Since this is a Sorcery, your opponent may use Instants and abilities of permanents in response to this spell before you get the mana from their mana pool and lands. * 10/4/2004: If a land can draw a variable amount of mana, the target player (not the player of this spell) chooses how much to draw.
so it is still good... they have to have instants or too bad.
NicholasCobalt
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
Mana burn rules change has nothing to do with this card, the effect empties there mana pool into your mana pool, so even if they respond to the effect that forces them to tap their lands for mana, by taping their lands for mana, all the mana they have floating still goes to your pool.
Mode
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This card indeed isn't affected with M10's mana burn rulings in any ways.
But nontheless this spell is pretty useless:
You'll rarely get even the mana back invested into casting this spell. If your opponent is playing a somewhat useful Sleigh deck, he/she'll be tapped out most of the time anyways. If your opponent is not tapped out, he/she has likely saved the mana for something different which will get use as soon as you cast this spell.
Seriously, most of the time you won't profit from casting this.
Great under perfect circumstances, but useless if your opponent has any easy mana sinks (shades, et. al.). 2.5/5
wataame
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I like the idea of playing this during an opponents upkeep in a Vedalken Orrery deck, even if they have a mana sink you hopefully waste a turn.
Guest513736147
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I think if this had split second it would be sweet. Maybe too powerful though, I suppose. Basically shuts down anything they could do for the rest of the turn.
dberry02
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Your power is MINEEEE ALLL MINEEEE!
Guest281600268
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
My buddy's turn: Untap; Upkeep; Me: "QUICKEN....draw a card...POWER DRAIN...TIME STOP!"
That scored me a +5 on our shenanigans point board.
keeds4
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Before mana burn was repealed, this card had meaning and usefulness. Now, couldn't an opponent just tap all their lands in response to this sorcery... or does the second part of the card take effect and you drain whatever is in their pool?
In any case, if your opponent has an instant or a pump-up creature handy, he or she could just drain their pools... This could be a nice prelude to casting a bigger spell by reducing the chances that the opponent can counter (unless they have Force of Will or something like that).
This works well with Quicken during the opponent's upkeep just as you would use a Silence. Even better if you have a big card draw spell that is an instant like Opportunity. So; if all has gone as planned; you have cheated your opponent out of a turn, drew five cards, and set yourself up for a turn in which you need fear no instants, all for five or very possibly less mana... not too shabby :)
Comments (18)
if you dont like it, you could use this card for 3 mana:
mana short
this was the ruling on the card:
* 10/4/2004: This card forces the target player to draw mana from lands if they are untapped, but that player can choose how to draw the mana if a land he or she controls has multiple mana abilities, or mana abilities with choices.
* 10/4/2004: Since this is a Sorcery, your opponent may use Instants and abilities of permanents in response to this spell before you get the mana from their mana pool and lands.
* 10/4/2004: If a land can draw a variable amount of mana, the target player (not the player of this spell) chooses how much to draw.
so it is still good... they have to have instants or too bad.
But nontheless this spell is pretty useless:
You'll rarely get even the mana back invested into casting this spell. If your opponent is playing a somewhat useful Sleigh deck, he/she'll be tapped out most of the time anyways. If your opponent is not tapped out, he/she has likely saved the mana for something different which will get use as soon as you cast this spell.
Seriously, most of the time you won't profit from casting this.
Untap;
Upkeep;
Me: "QUICKEN....draw a card...POWER DRAIN...TIME STOP!"
That scored me a +5 on our shenanigans point board.
In any case, if your opponent has an instant or a pump-up creature handy, he or she could just drain their pools... This could be a nice prelude to casting a bigger spell by reducing the chances that the opponent can counter (unless they have Force of Will or something like that).
5/5