Pointed Discussion

Good card if your opponent likes to play alot of removal, although I wish it had been "return to hand" rather than "shuffle into library". The slick art and Szadek flavor text are what really make the card aesthetically appealing. A blue sphinx flying around tall buildings looks cool anf the flavor text exemplifies the hidden character that is Szadek, Lord of Secrets.

This card should have been an uncommon. For what it brings to the table it's really undeserving of its rare status.

Yeah, amazing art, but not incredibly useful. Still, 6 mana for a 5/5 flyer with an ability isn't bad. Your opponent will think twice before using a removal spell on it since you can just bounce it back into your library. Decks based on drawing lots of cards will benefit from using this, since it will do a little to keep your library from emptying. However, you also won't be able to pull it out of your graveyard.

Szadek doesn't like Secrecy? Szadek, lord of secrets? lolwut?

@Vedalken_Aribter Only secrets he can't control.

If I had this out, then my opponent casted mind control, then paid for the ability, would they shuffle it into their own deck??

So like sphinx of jwar isle... and so not.

And so began Blue's association with Sphinx as their flagbearing fattie.

"If I had this out, then my opponent casted mind control, then paid for the ability, would they shuffle it into their own deck?"

It says owner, not controller. Your cards can never end up in your opponent's library or your opponent's hand.

Polychromatic said:
And so began Blue's association with Sphinx as their flagbearing fattie.
I think you're right... If I have to say, I don't exactly like Sphynx as flagbearing fattie for blue, because it share it with white and because I like Djinn or Leviathan better. I think that Leviathan isn't a sentient race, so it wouldn't make much sense as blue fattie, and Djinn is shared with Red and maybe they don't like such interaction so often. Howaever, I can live with it, and there are some Sphinx that I like very much (Sphinx of Uthuun and Vexing Sphinx), only I like Djinn (Illuminatus over all, and Djinn of Wishes) better... I like Illusion a lot too (not actually so much the "sacrifice on target" version), but they don't suit the fattie role, I think...

This card is quite average, not wonderful but not bad neither... It's not that it should be better, because it's perfectly balanced! It dodge a lot of removal, but I'd like a bounce version, like Ephemeron.

4/5

well, with 7 mana and this guy, you will never mill out.

@Vedalken_Arbiter
He wants to know all the secrets, yet he doesn't like secrets that are being not known to him. That is why he dislikes this Sphinx's secrecy.

She is actually quite useful in my Isperia the Inscrutable EDH deck, if not anywhere else. If the board gets wiped, I just shuffle her in and tutor for her later. It's nice to have a 5/5 flyer available throughout all sorts of shenanigans. Also, sphinx!