Remove Enchantments is an unusual card, and it makes your head spin to read it. Here's the oracle text:
"Return to your hand all enchantments you both own and control, all Auras you own attached to permanents you control, and all Auras you own attached to attacking creatures your opponents control. Then destroy all other enchantments you control, all other Auras attached to permanents you control, and all other Auras attached to attacking creatures your opponents control."
The thing is I'm pretty sure that's not what it says on the card at all. Here's the card text written out:
"Remove all enchantments you control, and remove all enchantment cards placed on all permanents you control. If this spell is cast during an opponent's attack, also remove all enchantment cards placed on attacking creatures. All enchantments you own are returned to your hand; all other enchantments are destroyed."
"Remove" is not a word that has an obvious meaning here. That makes the first two sentences a little difficult to make sense of. The last sentence is crystal clear though: bounce all your enchantments and destroy the rest. That is powerful at instant speed for W. It's also not in the oracle text at all. If "remove" means destroy, the oracle should be more like:
"Destroy all enchantments you control, all auras attached to permanents you control, and all auras attached to attacking creatures your opponents control. Then return all enchantments you own to your hand. Then destroy all enchantments."
Which is basically just a stupidly convoluted Back to Nature for W. That's still not bad. If "remove" means bounce, then the card is really good (probably too good). Maybe "remove" just makes auras fall off. At any rate, the oracle text seems entirely wrong.
What does this card do, and is the oracle just a bastardization of what could have been a cool card?
(note: I wasn't sure whether to post this in rulings or general.)
Functionally, Remove Enchantments is a one-sided Back to Nature that is designed to only hit opposing enchantments, though it's restricted to negative auras controlled by other players, auras controlled by you and owned by other players, and auras on attacking creatures, likely for some kind of flavor reason.
From what I can tell from reading the printed text on this card, the last line of text actually tried to define what "remove" actually meant, which is the interpretation used by the oracle text. Your interpretation reads the card as one would a modern magic card, as a set of instructions to be followed in order. Cards from Legends and other old sets predate that particular form of standardization, so their printed text simply can not be read as if those very same words were written today (Unless you have R&D's Secret Lair out, but most of the player who've used that card are still waiting for Floral Spuzzem to make a decision ;)).
Remove Enchantments is far from the only card to stick important clarifying text at the end in an oh, by the way fashion. Chains of Mephistopheles is one such example, as it sticks its draw step exception that (critically) appears early in the oracle text at the very end of its text.
Stuff like this is the whole reason why oracle text and text updates exist in the first place, as it importantly allows all cards (outside silver border) to play by the same rules. In this particular case, the oracle text tried to have Remove Enchantments function as originally intended. Oracle text isn't perfect, but it's better than the alternative of players having to figure these things out for themselves.
Functionally, Remove Enchantments is a one-sided Back to Nature that is designed to only hit opposing enchantments, though it's restricted to negative auras controlled by other players, auras controlled by you and owned by other players, and auras on attacking creatures, likely for some kind of flavor reason.
From what I can tell from reading the printed text on this card, the last line of text actually tried to define what "remove" actually meant, which is the interpretation used by the oracle text. Your interpretation reads the card as one would a modern magic card, as a set of instructions to be followed in order. Cards from Legends and other old sets predate that particular form of standardization, so their printed text simply can not be read as if those very same words were written today (Unless you have R&D's Secret Lair out, but most of the player who've used that card are still waiting for Floral Spuzzem to make a decision ;)).
Remove Enchantments is far from the only card to stick important clarifying text at the end in an oh, by the way fashion. Chains of Mephistopheles is one such example, as it sticks its draw step exception that (critically) appears early in the oracle text at the very end of its text.
Stuff like this is the whole reason why oracle text and text updates exist in the first place, as it importantly allows all cards (outside silver border) to play by the same rules. In this particular case, the oracle text tried to have Remove Enchantments function as originally intended. Oracle text isn't perfect, but it's better than the alternative of players having to figure these things out for themselves.
So you're saying that rather than meaning "Destroy all other enchantments" at the end, they just meant to explain that the "removed" auras were bounced if they were yours and destroyed if not?
I suppose that does make some sense, though that's not how I would have ever interpreted it.
So you're saying that rather than meaning "Destroy all other enchantments" at the end, they just meant to explain that the "removed" auras were bounced if they were yours and destroyed if not?
I suppose that does make some sense, though that's not how I would have ever interpreted it.
I also took context into consideration as well. A search of all cards in Legends that "destroy" in their oracle text reveals that every card in Legends that destroys also says so in their printed text, with the exception of two cards that use "bury" to mean "destroy...can't be regenerated." This high level of consistency makes it extremely unlikely that Wizards would have used an unfamiliar word to mean an action that has already been standardized, even at this stage of the game's development.
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"Return to your hand all enchantments you both own and control, all Auras you own attached to permanents you control, and all Auras you own attached to attacking creatures your opponents control. Then destroy all other enchantments you control, all other Auras attached to permanents you control, and all other Auras attached to attacking creatures your opponents control."
The thing is I'm pretty sure that's not what it says on the card at all. Here's the card text written out:
"Remove all enchantments you control, and remove all enchantment cards placed on all permanents you control. If this spell is cast during an opponent's attack, also remove all enchantment cards placed on attacking creatures. All enchantments you own are returned to your hand; all other enchantments are destroyed."
"Remove" is not a word that has an obvious meaning here. That makes the first two sentences a little difficult to make sense of. The last sentence is crystal clear though: bounce all your enchantments and destroy the rest. That is powerful at instant speed for W. It's also not in the oracle text at all. If "remove" means destroy, the oracle should be more like:
"Destroy all enchantments you control, all auras attached to permanents you control, and all auras attached to attacking creatures your opponents control. Then return all enchantments you own to your hand. Then destroy all enchantments."
Which is basically just a stupidly convoluted Back to Nature for W. That's still not bad. If "remove" means bounce, then the card is really good (probably too good). Maybe "remove" just makes auras fall off. At any rate, the oracle text seems entirely wrong.
What does this card do, and is the oracle just a bastardization of what could have been a cool card?
(note: I wasn't sure whether to post this in rulings or general.)
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
From what I can tell from reading the printed text on this card, the last line of text actually tried to define what "remove" actually meant, which is the interpretation used by the oracle text. Your interpretation reads the card as one would a modern magic card, as a set of instructions to be followed in order. Cards from Legends and other old sets predate that particular form of standardization, so their printed text simply can not be read as if those very same words were written today (Unless you have R&D's Secret Lair out, but most of the player who've used that card are still waiting for Floral Spuzzem to make a decision ;)).
Remove Enchantments is far from the only card to stick important clarifying text at the end in an oh, by the way fashion. Chains of Mephistopheles is one such example, as it sticks its draw step exception that (critically) appears early in the oracle text at the very end of its text.
Stuff like this is the whole reason why oracle text and text updates exist in the first place, as it importantly allows all cards (outside silver border) to play by the same rules. In this particular case, the oracle text tried to have Remove Enchantments function as originally intended. Oracle text isn't perfect, but it's better than the alternative of players having to figure these things out for themselves.
So you're saying that rather than meaning "Destroy all other enchantments" at the end, they just meant to explain that the "removed" auras were bounced if they were yours and destroyed if not?
I suppose that does make some sense, though that's not how I would have ever interpreted it.
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
I also took context into consideration as well. A search of all cards in Legends that "destroy" in their oracle text reveals that every card in Legends that destroys also says so in their printed text, with the exception of two cards that use "bury" to mean "destroy...can't be regenerated." This high level of consistency makes it extremely unlikely that Wizards would have used an unfamiliar word to mean an action that has already been standardized, even at this stage of the game's development.