An interesting card drawing engine, but you need to make sure that you have enough mana to cast what you want to play...plus 10 mana...only Urzatron and 8-Post decks could really use it...
Mode
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(6 votes)
I really love how the designers back then for the Arabian Nights version weren't capable of simply printing a 10 and decided to put twice a five next to each other. But aside from a good laugh and nice flavour this card is not very useful. Way overcosted (Even for rather than "".) There are plenty better card-drawers out there.
Megrimage
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(4 votes)
"shuffle all but one of them, put the shuffled cards on the bottom of your library, then draw a card."
that explaination text isn't as good as what is printed right on the card. they dont instruct you to put the one chosen card on the top of the library once shuffled. they just say to draw a card...
stygimoloch
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(4 votes)
Very powerful if you can get it going, but at that mana cost, that's a big if. And with ten mana a lot of decks won't really need anything to dig for a finisher; they should have a finisher already. I could see it in some kind of crazy infinite mana untap loop combo deck, but that'd be for kicks rather than serious competition.
Morgrath
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@Megrimage: It's oracled the way it is to tone it down. Rules as written on the card you draw X cards, meaning that you get X card draw triggers, for Lorescales or the Words enchantment cycle etc. Now you only draw one card. Of course, why they had to dumb down the power isn't apparent, as it's hardly useful either way. For some reason though, it does appeal to the Johnny in me...
metalevolence
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(14 votes)
i lold
Havens
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
considering when it was printed, this would be a bomb with animate artifact (assuming you can actually get it out), i would say that would be a game ender at that point
A3Kitsune
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
If an R&D's Secret Lair is in play, the lamp's casting cost would be 55, not 10. This would make for an AWESOME combo with Animate Artifact and something that gives the lamp trample. Needless to say, you will need to cheat the lamp into play, somehow.
Deepfried-Owls
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
For me, the cost is the only thing getting in the way. However, there are plenty of ways to cheat it in or ways to accelerate mana output and all that jazz.
Could definitely be fun in a UG deck with the aforementioned Lorescale and Words for a lot of tokens(and other stuff), if you've got the mana for it. The green could simply provide the mana pumps needed or running a heavy artifact path could also work.
I think it could definitely work with Psychosis Crawler/Niv-Mizzet, maybe an obligatory Curiosity for instant win.
Ah well, not exactly what I wished for.
longwinded
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
This was actually the first card that made them consider how to represent more than {9} mana. In addition to {5}{5} (some people read it as "55"), they also considered {1}{0} (breaks the way mana symbols are normally added up), and {10} (too small, though this ultimately won out).
tavaritz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
5 5 never meant 55 mana. If it would have meant then 5 R would mean 5 red mana instead of one read and five of any.
It's a pretty powerful ability, but there are better things to use ten mana for.
Purple_Shrimp
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
they should functionally reprint this for like 4 mana, it's a cool effect but really impractical here
Radagast
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Way overcosted for what it does at 10 mana, much less 55 mana... hehehe...
Cyberium
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Soothsaying may be an easier option here. While it doesn't let you put cards away from the top, you can start arranging your library early instead of waiting for 10 mana for the Lamp.
Bludgeon Brawl for a +10 power boost, because lamps are clearly the deadliest weapons in any plane ever.
omni8000
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i dont see why they couldnt have just made this cost 9 mana and saved the trouble of figuring out how to represent 10. Its not like it would be really good at 9 mana either
syrazemyla
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@A3Kitsune: Obviously you cast the lamp before you put R&D's Secret Lair into play.
Zetan
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@syrazemyla Even then, it's still 10 mana... very "cheat it into play" worthy.
NARFNra
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I think he'd be okay in an Arcum Dagsson deck, though Tinker does the same thing for cheap.
Comments (22)
lol
But aside from a good laugh and nice flavour this card is not very useful. Way overcosted (Even for
There are plenty better card-drawers out there.
that explaination text isn't as good as what is printed right on the card. they dont instruct you to put the one chosen card on the top of the library once shuffled. they just say to draw a card...
i lold
Could definitely be fun in a UG deck with the aforementioned Lorescale and Words for a lot of tokens(and other stuff), if you've got the mana for it. The green could simply provide the mana pumps needed or running a heavy artifact path could also work.
I think it could definitely work with Psychosis Crawler/Niv-Mizzet, maybe an obligatory Curiosity for instant win.
Ah well, not exactly what I wished for.
You could Tinker it out.