Pointed Discussion

This card not only wrecks token decks, but it also works extremely well with Graven Dominator from the Guildpact expansion. This combo also works quite well at getting rid of pesky creatures such as Plated Slagwurm, and the all-intimidating Progenitus.

wicked card

Such a good but not obviously powerful card that can turn a whole combat phase around in your favour. This is the reason why I like Wrap in Vigor so much. Loxodon Hierarch is the only other option to regenerate your team (Dauntless Escort is firmly close in result) but certainly not out of nowhere like the instants.

@Alzhander
How can this kill Progenitus? He has protection from everything so also from black and therefore the Wail of the Nim would do no damage to it.

In a token deck vs. a token deck, Wail of the Nim FTW.

@Amneisenmeister
Not to mention protection from Instants, and probably "cards with the Mirrodin expansion symbol" too.

Good way to instantly tap all your creatures down, and for only 3 MANA!

Aaron’s Random Card Comment of the Day #72, 4/5/11

Many of Mirrodin’s entwine cards are like this one--what I call “one-card combos.” Each half does something reasonable, but together they add up to more than the sum of the parts. In this case, deal one damage to everything can be useful (in limited), as can regenerating all your creatures. But together you get to essentially deal one damage to just your opponent’s board (and your own life total), and all your 2+ toughness creatures get regeneration shields that could come in handy later in the turn.

Some days I really like designs like this, but on other days they strike me as too “cutesy.” To see how I might feel about other alternative ways to design entwine spells, I looked at the Multiverse history for this card. Here’s what I found:

"Black Entwine Card"

Instant
Choose one — Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn; or target player discards a card.
Entwine—Sacrifice a land. (Choose both if you pay the entwine cost.)

That card might be interesting to play with, giving you the tough choice of whether or not to sacrifice a land mid-combat to force your opponent to discard, but let’s face it, that thing is a mess. It flows poorly, the abilities have no synergy, the card has no flavor, and “sacrifice a land” is such an egregious cost to pay for either of these effects.

I know Mark Rosewater was the driving force away from the theoretical card and toward the “one-card combo” implementation of entwine. Having now seen the alternative, I don’t think “one-card combos” are too cutesy, but rather the best way to implement entwine.

How did i buy a box of mirrodin booster packs(36 x15 cards) and not get one of this, let alone a common card?
I'm dead serious here.

"This card not only wrecks token decks, but it also works extremely well with Graven Dominator from the Guildpact expansion. This combo also works quite well at getting rid of pesky creatures such as Plated Slagwurm, and the all-intimidating Progenitus."

False in the latter case - a 1/1 Progenitus still has protection from everything and thus can't take the damage. Nausea plus the Dominator works, though.

@ Aaron:

This is called aesthetics or the "rule of three". It's natural that when you see two things, you compare them either focussing on the similarities or the deviation. So as long as there are two options on a card, they feel right if they are connected somehow. However, if there are three options on a card (see all the charms), it's fine to add a +2/-1 effect and a discard ability (see Funeral Charm). If entwine would have been something to do all three parts of a charm, then entwine would have been ok for these cards as well (if renamed).

@ the card:
I am to focused on Star Pauper to find this card attractive. The only two colors that will dislike this spell are red and blue, since these two colors tend to have the creatures with the lowest toughness. In addition, I never really got into this "1 damage to each target" thing in black. For me, it's still red-flavored, hence the fact that it deals damage to flying creatures as well. Call it "Inner Fire" and it's still ok.

For a black entwine spell, I would have preferred something about the main attributes/abilities of black... and these are destruction, reanimation, discard and self-centered power.

As a commander, this is the only *black* card that will save Horobi, Death's Wail from itself. Save the wails!

Genesis Chamber, Blood artist, Disciple of the vault. A couple of turns go by, maybe drop some ornithopters and menites. Then bust this out and wham!

This card is very strong, the second ability is usually only found at sorcery speed in black.

Worldfire, then (if possible) eventually play this - everyone loses.