Change the text of target permanent by replacing all instances of one color word with another or one basic land type with another until end of turn.
Cipher.
I'm confused. What are the applications of this card in constructed?
There are many, you're creature has intimidate and can only be blocked by creatures of his color, change the color. you have landwalk make it a land you can use to you're advantage. there are multiple uses of this card in constructed.
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Decks i'm currently running
Standard BUGW BUG Control (With a splash of white) WUG Midrange Lifegain
Modern
Death and Taxes
Legacy RG Valakut Lands WG Maverick R Burn
EDH G Azusa, Lost but Seeking
There are many, you're creature has intimidate and can only be blocked by creatures of his color, change the color. you have landwalk make it a land you can use to you're advantage. there are multiple uses of this card in constructed.
And what good is the cipher? Other cards of this type make permanent changes. Other cards of this type do so at instant speed. This does something once at sorcery speed and at the EOT it's over. There after, all the examples you gave are worthless as the ciphered spell can't be cast until your second mainphase.
This and uber cipher-enabler Invisible Stalker combine to permanently Phantasmal Terrain an opposing basic land, or turn a shock land into a basic. (Godless Shrine becomes "Land - Swamp Swamp", for example.)
Note that mana of a color the opponent can't use may as well be colorless. The above strategy leads to a soft lock, yes?
Thus far, I've only mentioned on the minimum usage of the Magical Hack side of the card. Your opponent is practically guaranteed to have some basics out, and probably some shocklands, too.
The Sleight of Mind side makes protection irrelevant (other than blue, due to targeting restrictions... I think Skylasher might have been made with this in mind...), or make your own protection more relevant.
In limited, it can turn off opposing Denizens by making them trigger on a color the opponent isn't playing. I'm sure in R2R limited there are a ton of such tricks. I don't play limited, just saying for those who do.
Admittedly, Magical Hack and Sleight of Mind can target spells as well as permanents, but Trait Doctoring compares favorably in many ways to its more direct precedent, Whim of Volrath, which shares its targeting restriction.
I really want to find a use for this card because I know I will end up with 3 of them in my prerelease box and I don't wanna lose my cool. Honestly, the only permanent I can think of that could use this to any effect is Liliana of the Dark Realms (tutor a Mountain, because you don't have any Blood Crypts, right?), and that is already a terrible interaction.
And it interacts beautifully with Extort. It is super cheap to cast, requires only a third color and combat damage, and can lead to the same permanent Extorting it twice the turn you play it! Not only that, but the opponent will be so non-threatened by the presence of this chaff ciphered onto your dude that they won't even bother to waste a removal on it. Extort every turn for the low initial investment of U and your reputation.
If it were instant, it could have some applications. Even then, the ability to cipher doesn't matter.
I understand why Wizards decided to print it: I think every other keyword got a 1 CMC spell (Thrull Parasite, Wasteland Viper, Wake the Reflections, etc) [maybe detain didn't?]. If this si the reasoning, then I am slightly saddened by Wizard's obsessive attention to cycle symmetry, because Dimir definitely does not equal Boros, Selesnya, Rakdos, etc.
This card is bad. Really bad. And not very Dimir. I get why it exists: there's a small (tiny) subset of Magic players that adore horrible stuff like this, even though this is by far the most horrible version of this type of effect (being Sorcery and all with Cypher as a poor afterthought). It exists for them, not to bust open Standard or hint at Theros or even be a strong limited option. Just to rustle the jimmies of the 5% of Magic's population that historically loved Whim of Volrath, Swirl the Mists, etc.
The card is what it is. I don't hate it. I had a Llawan, Cephalid Empress + mindbending deck at one point that was janky fun. But people defending this as a "hint of things to come" are being overly optimistic.
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Commander - Currently Playing: RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G) RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B) WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
There is one, really really stupid, I mean hilariously stupid, way to make this effective.
T2: Invisible Stalker.
T3: Hidden Strings/Hands of Binding + Trait Doctoring (cipher both onto Stalker)
T4: Circu, Dimir Lobotomist.
You can tweak Circu's to be Black Black or Blue Blue as needed and fling second main phase creature/sorcery spells for added exiling. And the two cheap Ciphers keep exile 2 alive each turn.
There are better ways to abuse Circu's exile, there really are, but this is where my mind went on this card.
Wow, I just assumed it was permanent because most similar effects are permanent. (Not Whim of Volrath, I realize.) This is trash, my mistake.
Yeah, I just assumed the same thing when I first saw it.
I have always liked these kinds of altering effects, and I am really disappointed that this turned out to be SO bad. All they had to do was make it permanent and it would at least be playable in fun decks or maybe the occasional sideboard situation.
I can only guess that they made it like this because they were concerned about memory issues otherwise?
There are many, you're creature has intimidate and can only be blocked by creatures of his color, change the color. you have landwalk make it a land you can use to you're advantage. there are multiple uses of this card in constructed.
There are no color words in Intimidate's rules/reminder text. This is bombo.
(This creature can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or creatures that share a color with it.)
Read the cards.
There is only one thing that gives a flying men about Trait Doctoring right now, and that is Guttersnipe.
But outside of a really terrible and easily disrupted combo, who cares about Guttersnipe?
Bad card is bad. For Timmy, Johnny, Spike and Vorthos.
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I can only imagine that they printed this because OMFGOMFGOMFG Blue/Black is too strong and we have to let newbs have fun. There are no good, constructed applications of this card as a sorcery that aren't extreme corner cases. It's another example of Blue/Black being shafted because those two colors don't fit in WotC's new world order
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If that's your "casual," what on earth is required for "formal," a butler in livery shuffling the decks whilst a pianist plays Brahms in front of a tapestry?
OWN would have a niche to itself if cards like putrid imp didn't exist. It was a good attempt at a narrow card, it just wasn't powerful enough, something it couldn't have easily been- it would have to strip away its elegance to do that. This isn't a good attempt at a narrow card, its been done many times before and this is needlessly weak. Why is there a "until end of turn" clause? Its not like such a card would have even the remotest chance of seeing play in a meta defined be the complete absence of combo anyway
I can only imagine that they printed this because OMFGOMFGOMFG Blue/Black is too strong and we have to let newbs have fun. There are no good, constructed applications of this card as a sorcery that aren't extreme corner cases. It's another example of Blue/Black being shafted because those two colors don't fit in WotC's new world order
It's a shame blue always gets the unplayable cards? I guess?
i just realized it can be used for landwalk win :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
Yeah, you can landwalk your way in the first time you cast it, but landwalk becomes pretty unappealing during your second main phase, which is the only time you'll be able to use it any time after the first. Might as well just play Artful Dodge instead.
There are a handful of super-niche cases where this card will do work, but mostly it's awful.
In limited it can help with triggering denizens. It can also help clear Lavinia and Blood Baron's protections so that you can hit him with some removal.
how did this make it out of playtesting?
wouldnt one or more of the designers have to play test this card?
and they all gave it the green light.. wow, makes ya wonder what kinda fools we got working for us over there at wotc
It's a shame blue always gets the unplayable cards? I guess?
Yeah, you can landwalk your way in the first time you cast it, but landwalk becomes pretty unappealing during your second main phase, which is the only time you'll be able to use it any time after the first. Might as well just play Artful Dodge instead.
how did this make it out of playtesting?
wouldnt one or more of the designers have to play test this card?
and they all gave it the green light.. wow, makes ya wonder what kinda fools we got working for us over there at wotc
Getting 2 spells for U seems useful in building a storm count. Niv-Magus Elemental gets a spell to exile each turn. Extort and Guttersnipe are also uses.
Its not a great card, but its better than a Grizzly Bears. It doesn't warrant the level of hate its getting.
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There are many, you're creature has intimidate and can only be blocked by creatures of his color, change the color. you have landwalk make it a land you can use to you're advantage. there are multiple uses of this card in constructed.
Decks i'm currently running
Standard
BUGW BUG Control (With a splash of white)
WUG Midrange Lifegain
Modern
Death and Taxes
Legacy
RG Valakut Lands
WG Maverick
R Burn
EDH
G Azusa, Lost but Seeking
And what good is the cipher? Other cards of this type make permanent changes. Other cards of this type do so at instant speed. This does something once at sorcery speed and at the EOT it's over. There after, all the examples you gave are worthless as the ciphered spell can't be cast until your second mainphase.
Note that mana of a color the opponent can't use may as well be colorless. The above strategy leads to a soft lock, yes?
Thus far, I've only mentioned on the minimum usage of the Magical Hack side of the card. Your opponent is practically guaranteed to have some basics out, and probably some shocklands, too.
The Sleight of Mind side makes protection irrelevant (other than blue, due to targeting restrictions... I think Skylasher might have been made with this in mind...), or make your own protection more relevant.
In limited, it can turn off opposing Denizens by making them trigger on a color the opponent isn't playing. I'm sure in R2R limited there are a ton of such tricks. I don't play limited, just saying for those who do.
Admittedly, Magical Hack and Sleight of Mind can target spells as well as permanents, but Trait Doctoring compares favorably in many ways to its more direct precedent, Whim of Volrath, which shares its targeting restriction.
And it interacts beautifully with Extort. It is super cheap to cast, requires only a third color and combat damage, and can lead to the same permanent Extorting it twice the turn you play it! Not only that, but the opponent will be so non-threatened by the presence of this chaff ciphered onto your dude that they won't even bother to waste a removal on it. Extort every turn for the low initial investment of U and your reputation.
If it were instant, it could have some applications. Even then, the ability to cipher doesn't matter.
I understand why Wizards decided to print it: I think every other keyword got a 1 CMC spell (Thrull Parasite, Wasteland Viper, Wake the Reflections, etc) [maybe detain didn't?]. If this si the reasoning, then I am slightly saddened by Wizard's obsessive attention to cycle symmetry, because Dimir definitely does not equal Boros, Selesnya, Rakdos, etc.
The card is what it is. I don't hate it. I had a Llawan, Cephalid Empress + mindbending deck at one point that was janky fun. But people defending this as a "hint of things to come" are being overly optimistic.
RCRDaretti: Superfriends Forever RCR
WGBDoran: Ent-mootWBG
GGGMultani: Group Bear HugGGG
GB(B/G)The Gitrog Monster: Dredgefall DurdleGB(B/G)
RGWGahiji, the Honored Group Hug MonsterRGW
UB(U/B)Yuriko, Ninja Trinket AggroUB(U/B)
WUBRGAtogatog: Assembling a OHKOWUBRG
Wow, I just assumed it was permanent because most similar effects are permanent. (Not Whim of Volrath, I realize.) This is trash, my mistake.
T2: Invisible Stalker.
T3: Hidden Strings/Hands of Binding + Trait Doctoring (cipher both onto Stalker)
T4: Circu, Dimir Lobotomist.
You can tweak Circu's to be Black Black or Blue Blue as needed and fling second main phase creature/sorcery spells for added exiling. And the two cheap Ciphers keep exile 2 alive each turn.
There are better ways to abuse Circu's exile, there really are, but this is where my mind went on this card.
Thanks Argentleman;)
WB Teysa token aggroBW (retired)
MAKING (Onmath, Numot, maybe something in Esper)
Yeah, I just assumed the same thing when I first saw it.
I have always liked these kinds of altering effects, and I am really disappointed that this turned out to be SO bad. All they had to do was make it permanent and it would at least be playable in fun decks or maybe the occasional sideboard situation.
I can only guess that they made it like this because they were concerned about memory issues otherwise?
There are no color words in Intimidate's rules/reminder text. This is bombo.
Read the cards.
There is only one thing that gives a flying men about Trait Doctoring right now, and that is Guttersnipe.
But outside of a really terrible and easily disrupted combo, who cares about Guttersnipe?
Bad card is bad. For Timmy, Johnny, Spike and Vorthos.
- Howard Shultz
CURRENTLY PLAYING
UWR: American Control
Absolutely bad card.
I am all for a "set must have bad rares" thing, but come on, this is almost mudhole/one with nothing level.
One with nothing was used as tech against howling mine. Don't knock cards until you try them.
But yeah, this card is unplayable.
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Mythic rares are fine.
this is probably going to be in it.
i just realized it can be used for landwalk win :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
Thanks Argentleman;)
WB Teysa token aggroBW (retired)
MAKING (Onmath, Numot, maybe something in Esper)
It's a shame blue always gets the unplayable cards? I guess?
Yeah, you can landwalk your way in the first time you cast it, but landwalk becomes pretty unappealing during your second main phase, which is the only time you'll be able to use it any time after the first. Might as well just play Artful Dodge instead.
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In limited it can help with triggering denizens. It can also help clear Lavinia and Blood Baron's protections so that you can hit him with some removal.
wouldnt one or more of the designers have to play test this card?
and they all gave it the green light.. wow, makes ya wonder what kinda fools we got working for us over there at wotc
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Use it on Master of the Pearl Trident
Only until eot and at sorcery speed. I wouldn't trust a drink I liked on it.
Sorcery speed is fine, but until end of turn as well just makes its uses VERY limited.
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My thoughts exactly....
Its not a great card, but its better than a Grizzly Bears. It doesn't warrant the level of hate its getting.