looks like a worse Thassa, although I'm comparing a mythic to a rare which is not fair. Having a leyline effect on a creature has been done before (The New Phyrexian Chancellors). a 4/4 for 4 is nice as is the scrying.
I think you are misunderstanding. It's not an expectation, it's a comment. It's strange to see such similar mechanics next to each other without any connection. And it reinforces the notion that Surveil was just a renamed Scry without any actual innovation. So what was the point of introducing Surveil in the first place except as a way to claim Dimir 'got a new mechanic'?
the scry3 effect is bonkers for goldfish combo decks in modern. I plan on running a playset in my Izzet Kiln Fiend/Thing in the Ice deck, to vastly improve the likelihood of setting up a T3 lethal.
Already pre-ordered 8 of them. Cannot imagine this thing not seeing constructed play.
I don't see a Standard (let alone Modern) deck that would want this. For Mono-U it provides no tempo and you'd rather just cast the djinn for 1 less and have mana open for a counter. Any U-based control is unlikely to play creatures that will just eat removal and provide no immediate value. So that leaves some sort of a newly formed midrange deck with U. But given that role is already partially filled by Dimir with much more interesting Thiefs and Hostage Takers, I don't see a road to success for this particular card.
I'm just waiting on Surveil to become evergreen so Search for Azcanta can say "Surveil 1".
Back to this sphinx, it's a solid body and cost with an always valuable effect. Hitting that mana pocket? Cut into it slowly. Looking for answers? Just having Scry 1 is enough to turn a game around.
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"The essence of every world, every spell and every thought is power. Nothing else matters, because nothing else exists."
I honestly think this is legacy playable. A 4/4 flying matches up pretty well against a lot of cards in the meta and it pitches to force. Pitching to force of will is something the old chancellors didn't do (the blue one was so bad let's just pretend it doesn't exist) and it's body is cheap enough you can feasibly cast it before the game is over. I don't know about standard though. The body is OK but early game draws aren't nearly as important in such a slow format. It still seems fine as a control sb card, but probably not better than crackling drake. I suspect people will try it in modern, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Without a force of will to pitch it to, it's going to pretty in ineffective in fast combo matchups. I wouldn't play a situational 0 mana scry 3 and thats what it will be in a lot of modern matchups. It's not unplayable, but I think people will find after testing it's not what they want in their 4 slot.
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It's one thing to see that future of Ravnica. But why don't they understand it?...
Ten thousand years of status quo (more or less) would make it difficult to understand how or why things could so dramatically change? Plus this sphinx may not know about planeswalkers (I know some Ravnica non-walkers are in the know, but most likely aren't) who are the X factor here.
the scry3 effect is bonkers for goldfish combo decks in modern. I plan on running a playset in my Izzet Kiln Fiend/Thing in the Ice deck, to vastly improve the likelihood of setting up a T3 lethal.
Already pre-ordered 8 of them. Cannot imagine this thing not seeing constructed play.
Eh, jumping the gun on a card right when it gets spoiled like this is ripe for price gouging. You should let the stores all get their listings up first and then go for it.
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Eh. It's an absolute bomb in limited, of course, but it's close to a design we've already seen: Curator of Mysteries. In Constructed, it's good in your opening hand, but unless you run 4x, you won't see it there very often. The rest of the time, it's a 4/4 Flyer for 4.
I don't think Drake decks will replace Crackling Drake with him, and I don't think Mono-Blue Tempo wants a 4 drop creature. Where would it fit?
Was wondering when we might see opening hand mechanic again.
If you mulligan you can scry 4.
That's not how scry works. You scry 1, then you scry 3. If you scry 4, you would have too much knowledge over whether or not to accept or reject that initial card.
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
Eh, jumping the gun on a card right when it gets spoiled like this is ripe for price gouging. You should let the stores all get their listings up first and then go for it.
I bought 8 earlier today for $1.89 each. Store now selling them for $3.99, and Channel is showing them trending at $7.97. Of course they could end up going bulk, but I could say the same about every stock traded ever.
As for my own purposes, my deck typically goldfishes and wins on T3-T4...or draws or mulligans horribly, and glass-cannons itself into stupidity. I have almost zero intent on hard-casting this; my games are typically decided (one way or the other) before I even have 4 mana.
Eh. It's an absolute bomb in limited, of course, but it's close to a design we've already seen: Curator of Mysteries. In Constructed, it's good in your opening hand, but unless you run 4x, you won't see it there very often. The rest of the time, it's a 4/4 Flyer for 4.
It's a 4/4 flyer with Scry 1 per turn. That's significantly more - and more powerful than Curator, as it doesn't rely on a specific second effect.
FWIW, the odds of hitting at least one in opening hand, assuming no mulligan, is 11%-22%-31%-40% with 1-2-3-4 copies. The odds of hitting in opening hand assuming one mulligan to 6 is 10%-19%-28%-35%. You obviously won't always mulligan if you don't see it in opening hand - but if you restrict to those cases where you do, the cumulative probability of seeing it in the first hand or mulligan hand are 20%-37%-50%-61%.
Ben Friedman's article today, titled "Sphinx Of Foresight Is Busted"
"Right off the bat, Sphinx of Foresight immediately screams "best card in the set for Limited play" to those who recognize the impact of basically never having to mulligan a hand with this card..."
The reason it's not "Surveil 3" is that it would be busted like you couldn't believe. Free self-mill for 3 on your first upkeep for each of these in your opening hand? Heloooooooooo Dredge!
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"Masques Block is the worst block ever! There's not one decent card in there! The whole internet say's so, you're literally the only person who ever said it was good!" - random noob in a conversation with an Eldrazi.
I do like him... hoping it's a theme for all colors... like the Chancellor's in New Phyrexia ("reveal in opening hand... get yada yada yada..."). The first time it was done the creatures were really expensive to cast. If this is for each color, it'll be a more aggressively costed series.
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Already pre-ordered 8 of them. Cannot imagine this thing not seeing constructed play.
Back to this sphinx, it's a solid body and cost with an always valuable effect. Hitting that mana pocket? Cut into it slowly. Looking for answers? Just having Scry 1 is enough to turn a game around.
It's one thing to see that future of Ravnica. But why don't they understand it?...
Ten thousand years of status quo (more or less) would make it difficult to understand how or why things could so dramatically change? Plus this sphinx may not know about planeswalkers (I know some Ravnica non-walkers are in the know, but most likely aren't) who are the X factor here.
Archatmos
Excellion
Fracture: Israfiel (WBR), Wujal (URG), Valedon (GUB), Amduat (BGW), Paladris (RWU)
Collision (Set Two of the Fracture Block)
Quest for the Forsaken (Set Two of the Excellion Block)
Katingal: Plane of Chains
Eh, jumping the gun on a card right when it gets spoiled like this is ripe for price gouging. You should let the stores all get their listings up first and then go for it.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I don't think Drake decks will replace Crackling Drake with him, and I don't think Mono-Blue Tempo wants a 4 drop creature. Where would it fit?
WBC Eldrazi & Taxes CBW
UR Keep on Cantripin' (UR Phoenix) RU
WU Surprise! It's not UW Control! (UW Midrange) UW
BG The Rock, Straight BG
U Mono-Blue Fish U
RBW Mardu Pyromancer BWR
RG Rabble! Rabble! (GR Blood Moon Aggro) GR
Legacy
W Death & Taxes W
That's not how scry works. You scry 1, then you scry 3. If you scry 4, you would have too much knowledge over whether or not to accept or reject that initial card.
On phasing:
I bought 8 earlier today for $1.89 each. Store now selling them for $3.99, and Channel is showing them trending at $7.97. Of course they could end up going bulk, but I could say the same about every stock traded ever.
As for my own purposes, my deck typically goldfishes and wins on T3-T4...or draws or mulligans horribly, and glass-cannons itself into stupidity. I have almost zero intent on hard-casting this; my games are typically decided (one way or the other) before I even have 4 mana.
FWIW, the odds of hitting at least one in opening hand, assuming no mulligan, is 11%-22%-31%-40% with 1-2-3-4 copies. The odds of hitting in opening hand assuming one mulligan to 6 is 10%-19%-28%-35%. You obviously won't always mulligan if you don't see it in opening hand - but if you restrict to those cases where you do, the cumulative probability of seeing it in the first hand or mulligan hand are 20%-37%-50%-61%.
Ben Friedman's article today, titled "Sphinx Of Foresight Is Busted"
"Right off the bat, Sphinx of Foresight immediately screams "best card in the set for Limited play" to those who recognize the impact of basically never having to mulligan a hand with this card..."
#whatisaidyesterday
http://www.starcitygames.com/articles/38148_Sphinx-Of-Foresight-Is-Busted.html
This aint your girlfriends meta! This is a man's meta! TURBO META.