this is a screw, yeah, but how often is it relevent? should had the option to make them discard a card or something.
DragonLord132
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.9/5.0)(9 votes)
Too dependent on the situation to be handy, it's only useful against blue or green decks, even then you should use a Counterspell or Cancel unless you really want that card for 2.
And why the F**K IS IT A RARE?!
Eltervag
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(3 votes)
Not really that bad, even if you can only play it for a draw.
Marnelos
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
It's a rare because narrow cards are almost always rare. No point in getting one every 5 boosters, and a problem for draft.
Omenchild
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(8 votes)
denies a fetchland, duh
CatsAreCthala
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Really upsets people who just played Maralen last turn.
yojimbojones
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
IN the current extended most decks play fetch lands. throw this down to make them loose a life, sac the land... and gain nothing. Oh and you get to draw a card. Used in this way it's a 2 mana instant land destruction that gives you a card. I suppose the trick will only work once and then they will wait untill you are tapped out.... but still.
A3Kitsune
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
At today's pricing, two mana for a counter is always good, and search cards are rather abundant.
EnV
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Well you can ask why it was a rare, it really didn't need to be. Now we have landfall, this card is landfuck for your opponents who want to pull of landfall cascade combo.
RikerBlake
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Bad with Archive Trap. Bad with mill. WHY IS THIS DIMIR?!
Tommy9898
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(4 votes)
makes people made when you do this in response to harrow.
Mirvana
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is Dimir because anyone who really knows how a good mill deck should work knows that mill's version of control is denying your opponent key cards they need to draw/play (hence why mill often combos with discard/counter). If a player can't even hunt for a card they need, you keep them from going off for a few more turns, buying you the time to mill the card they want so they cant get it anyway.
As for rarity, yeah it should've been uncommon for the set as there wasn't THAT much tutor at the time.
I run 4 of these in a mono black discard deck. I love dropping a Maralen, then tossing one of these on a stick. My opponent is hellbent, cant draw, and cant tutor anything. Just sits there losing 3 Life a turn as I stick them during their upkeep.
But who cares, this card is Dimir, and thus far more awesome than Esper. And it's a cantrip!
MacBizzle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Mirvana:
But it SHOULDN'T be Dimir for the sake of flavor. Dimir's keyword ability, Transmute, COMPLETELY relies on searching the library. Though a good mill deck thrives on starving their opponents of much needed cards, it opposes Dimir in concept of denying the spell's controller to search a library as well.
littleteapot
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Harrow, eat your heart out.
OmegaSerris
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's Dimir because is known for hosing itself. It's not like or where you can typically top deck any card and play it. It's all about timing it to benefit you or hurt your opponent(s) more than the alternative. I will admit, it could fit in Azorius () but eh, wasn't Dimir a bit more backstabing (as in turning on each other)?
If you don't believe me about hosing itself, do a quick search for 'islandwalk' for a quick example.
Progle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Its not the best but not the worst.
Shadoflaam
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The art is amazing. Ravnica had the best art direction ever.
This is a fantastic card. It denies land fetching (play it after Harrow -- they sacrifice a land and you draw a card). It screws with landfall decks (players who stock up the board with Evolving Wild and Terramorphic Expanse). It protects you from Praetor's Grasp, Surgical Extraction, Sadistic Sacrament, etc. And at its worst, its a cycle for two mana.
Amusingly, is a bit anti-Dimir. They sure to love their transmute.
DacenOctavio
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
With Snapcaster Mage in Modern, you can screw two fetchland activations and replace both cards you spent.
deathtyrant5000
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is awesome first of allsit says f!@# you to ScapeshiftValakut, the molten pinnacle AS WELL as stops a lot of other abusivly good cards. SOO therefore this is an awesome card you should rate up xD
Stealth.
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Stifle in Modern!
JaxsonBateman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Against a fetchland, pretty much works as a stifle with a cantrip for an extra mana. Against certain decks, can completely hose. Ie. 2 mana counter to Scapeshift. Worst case scenario, 2 mana, draw a card.
Not too shabby at all.
orisiti
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
No diggity, no doubt.
Goatllama
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Beautiful art and a succinct effect. Very nice card.
steinburger1109
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Look, those of you who think this isn't good have never considered any sort of competitive play, where most people use at least some card that searches. Particularly anti-fetchland makes this awesome. I love this card so so so much.
zenitramleirdag
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
seems like a good anti-fetchland tech, almost like a pseudo stifle..
the cantrip really shines on this..
also, that art has harold mcneill written all over it..
A good way to play around this is to only use your fetchlands when your opponent does (in response to theirs). If they use shadow of doubt, they lose a land too.
StrayWanderer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I find it quite entertaining when I transmute Muddle the Mixture in order to cast this. The card itself truly is a modern gem, but lacks in every other format - legacy has Stifle and Force of Will to trump this and extended just doesn't have a good enough use for this.
The one thing that I truly love about this card is the artwork - mysterious and beautiful.
The_Murderauder
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@DragonLord132: You're totally right, it's only useful against blue or green decks. Man, I wish they would print some cards that searched libraries in anyothercolor. Oh well.
Seriously, I can't even figure out why you singled out blue and green. I mean jesus, man, did you just pick those colors randomly? What is your reasoning for that?
Also, many of the things this responds to (most notably fetchlands) aren't spells, and thus don't give a *** how many Counterspells you're holding.
And as to why this is a rare... er... well, can't help you there. Maybe it's because of the rockin' art.
Oh, and PS to all haters of this card: the deck that just won the 2013 World Championship had 2x maindeckedShadow of Doubts.
Sonserf369
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The Dimir got the dementors on their side! Everybody RUN!
supafly13
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is CLEARLY a FIVE-STAR card. I don't quite understand the rationale behind the arguement that one can "play around" this... Consider; if one doesn't "tap and activate"(sacrifice being part of the cost, really) the fetchland then it is effectively nullified/stopped from playing a role in the game altogether. Wait til the opponent who may have shadow of doubt to "tap out"?... One would think that "countering" fetchlands alone, not even considering tutors, would be enough reason to play this. And if the player WITH Shadow of Doubt keeps two mana untapped at all times to nullify the opponents one mana source... Remind you of a card??? And THIS card is played ALOT and it's value reflects this... The card is Rishadan Port. If player A plays TWICE AS MANY mana sources than player B then holding one land down with two is not just worth it, but welcomed. If another fetchland is played you can then, like Port, threaten the new (fetch)land instead. In the proper deck it's strength rivals that of hymn to tourach in THAT it is a "2 for 1" card, altho along different parameters, with "a touch" more flexibility in cost.
It's utility makes it a "must answer" card in a format (Legacy) where not all cards CAN be answered when needed.(hence first turn kills, second turn locks, and even pure aggro decks that kill by the third turn.)
Shadow of Doubt is never dead (can always just cycle), works against spells (i.e. Chord of Calling), and works well with Ghost Quarter to further cripple your opponent's mana.
Squelch is dead more often than either alternative, but it draws a card as well, and it can stall other relevant threats: Planeswalkers, Kiki-Jiki, or anything else with a colon in its text box...
Trickbind answers anything Squelch can, can't be responded to, and goes one step further by being able to target triggered abilities. It also provides a better answer to certain activated abilities such as Grinding Station's (which may become popular in eggs lists). It's one of the few cards that can buy time against Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, by either countering the extra turn or Annihilator trigger. It only it drew a card too :(
Shadow of Doubt is probably the most main-deckable, but with so many targets in the Modern metagame for the other two, it's certainly debatable.
Comments (46)
And why the F**K IS IT A RARE?!
As for rarity, yeah it should've been uncommon for the set as there wasn't THAT much tutor at the time.
I run 4 of these in a mono black discard deck. I love dropping a Maralen, then tossing one of these on a stick. My opponent is hellbent, cant draw, and cant tutor anything. Just sits there losing 3 Life a turn as I stick them during their upkeep.
But who cares, this card is Dimir, and thus far more awesome than Esper. And it's a cantrip!
But it SHOULDN'T be Dimir for the sake of flavor. Dimir's keyword ability, Transmute, COMPLETELY relies on searching the library. Though a good mill deck thrives on starving their opponents of much needed cards, it opposes Dimir in concept of denying the spell's controller to search a library as well.
If you don't believe me about
Not too shabby at all.
the cantrip really shines on this..
also, that art has harold mcneill written all over it..
check out the art on nether void and compare..
The one thing that I truly love about this card is the artwork - mysterious and beautiful.
Seriously, I can't even figure out why you singled out blue and green. I mean jesus, man, did you just pick those colors randomly? What is your reasoning for that?
Also, many of the things this responds to (most notably fetchlands) aren't spells, and thus don't give a *** how many Counterspells you're holding.
And as to why this is a rare... er... well, can't help you there. Maybe it's because of the rockin' art.
Oh, and PS to all haters of this card: the deck that just won the 2013 World Championship had 2x maindecked Shadow of Doubts.
I don't quite understand the rationale behind the arguement that one can "play around" this... Consider; if one doesn't "tap and activate"(sacrifice being part of the cost, really) the fetchland then it is effectively nullified/stopped from playing a role in the game altogether. Wait til the opponent who may have shadow of doubt to "tap out"?... One would think that "countering" fetchlands alone, not even considering tutors, would be enough reason to play this. And if the player WITH Shadow of Doubt keeps two mana untapped at all times to nullify the opponents one mana source... Remind you of a card??? And THIS card is played ALOT and it's value reflects this... The card is Rishadan Port. If player A plays TWICE AS MANY mana sources than player B then holding one land down with two is not just worth it, but welcomed.
If another fetchland is played you can then, like Port, threaten the new (fetch)land instead. In the proper deck it's strength rivals that of hymn to tourach in THAT it is a "2 for 1" card, altho along different parameters, with "a touch" more flexibility in cost.
It's utility makes it a "must answer" card in a format (Legacy) where not all cards CAN be answered when needed.(hence first turn kills, second turn locks, and even pure aggro decks that kill by the third turn.)
Love this card...
Green Sun's Zenith
Tutors
Knight of the Reliquary
Crop Rotation/Explorer's Map
Eye of Ugin
etc...
Does that sound like a format to you?
Shadow of Doubt is never dead (can always just cycle), works against spells (i.e. Chord of Calling), and works well with Ghost Quarter to further cripple your opponent's mana.
Squelch is dead more often than either alternative, but it draws a card as well, and it can stall other relevant threats: Planeswalkers, Kiki-Jiki, or anything else with a colon in its text box...
Trickbind answers anything Squelch can, can't be responded to, and goes one step further by being able to target triggered abilities. It also provides a better answer to certain activated abilities such as Grinding Station's (which may become popular in eggs lists). It's one of the few cards that can buy time against Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, by either countering the extra turn or Annihilator trigger. It only it drew a card too :(
Shadow of Doubt is probably the most main-deckable, but with so many targets in the Modern metagame for the other two, it's certainly debatable.
Well.