Yes it does, reprinting FoF would give us another 2 years of FoF the format, where every deck that doesn't include it sucks. Making it gold would be even worse, as every deck would have to start with those two colors.
I don't think you are accurately remembering the last time that Fact or Fiction was legal. I mean, yeah, it lead to problems with Psychatog, but that was Psychatog's fault more than Fact or Fiction's.
Sweet cruel ultimatum batman! Please be real. I really would like FoF in modern as a solid alternative to Gifts, but this is a close second as a possibility. Yes it's more difficult to utilize for the caster, but it I would argue that any of these "cards" would be useful
2RU, Instant Draw 3 cards 2RU, Instant dig 5 deep get two of those cards
Which are the most common outcomes of this card. Add in the ability to interact with my graveyard via Snapcaster Mage and Cruel Ultimatum seems pretty good to me.
Except you'll never the get cards you need. Seriously this is vexing devil 2.0 and not playable whatsoever, especially when snapcaster rotates
?? Last time I checked Vexing Devil did something in Standard initially and is STILL doing work in Modern and Legacy... You either get 3 crappy cards, 1 card you need or something in the middle for 4cc as an Instant - that's something.
This card seems decent but I need a good reason to run this either over Jace, Architect of Thought OR with Jace.
It's an instant speed 5/5 trampler for 4. Wtf do you people want seriously? It has applications in populate/ above the curve beats decks, or in Bant control/ flash. I seriously think anyone mad at this card for any reason other than losing an attacker to instant speed wurm, should go home and make their own awesome card game and leave the rest of us alone.
I think too many people have been spoiled the last four years by the "mana fixing".
Invasion Standard seasons had the painlands and taplands (ie. Shivan Reef, Urborg Volcano), and we only had a cycle of five of the taplands. Multi-color still thrived during Masques-Invasion and Invasion-Odyssey.
By WOTC's own admission (they said this in passing a few too many times in Making Magic and Latest Development article for me to cite a source, sorry) the mana fixing during those times were ACTIVELY BAD. I don't think I'd want to cite those formats as an example of ok mana fixing.
The original Ravnica block had Painlands and Shocklands. Multi-color still thrived there, too.
AND the bouncelands which definitely saw play.
Now, we have that set of 10 Shocklands, Guildgates and Scrylands.
I could name many Standards where mana fixing was fine before Zendikar (Fetchlands), Core Set Checklands, Scars Speedlands, Innistrad Checklands and Ravnica Shocklands followed each other one block after another.
I think the "reaction" some are having are solely due to rarity and not power level. Having just been inundated with Guildgates, the Scry 1 doesn't look like enough of an upgrade to the Guildgates to jump 2 rarities for a lot of people. What they fail to realize is that the guildgates actually represent a bump down in rarity due to RTR being a multicolor block. They would have likely been uncommon in most other sets.
I also suppose any cycle of lands look bad next to the shocklands which people had really wanted back after 7 years and are the second/third best land fixing cycle in the entire game after the original duals (whether or not the shocklands are better/worse than the fetches is up to debate). So maybe power level has something to do with it? I dunno maybe spoiled is a good description after all
people(players that plays control) saying wizards is **** control.
They ( wiazards) release this.
Control players >> *_*
It's not actually that good. Your opponent choosing the pile you get makes it significantly worse. It's definitely playable, but it's not a super-powerful draw spell like FoF.
With FoF, if you absolutely needed one of the five revealed cards you were going to get it. With this card, you never will.
In addition, a key difference people are missing here is the act of splitting the piles provides key information to the opponent, which also makes the effect a lot worse than FoF. With FoF, your opponent provided you information by splitting the piles and then you made a choice. With this card, you first provide the opponent with the info before he makes a choice, and that's a lot worse for you. If you make a 4/1 split with this card, your opponent now knows that you really need that singleton. Conversely, with FoF, if your opponent made a 4/1 split, you then knew that he really didn't want you to have that singleton before picking a pile.
If this card is real (which it looks like it is), I'm surprised it's getting so little buzz. This is clearly one of the power rares from the set. If you doubt it, just wait until it hits Standard. I think a lot of posts on here decrying its low power are going to look pretty funny later on.
As far as the "should be uncommon" cries go, there's no way Fact or Fiction would have been reprinted as uncommon, so why would this?
As far as "worse FOF" goes, it might turn out to be a wash. There are reversed mind games available with this card. If you need land, you have to bluff your piles in a way that makes it look like you don't. Seems sweet, I like skill-testers.
Additionally, this card may have been slated for RTR and "held back" due to Snapcaster. I always felt that the Izzet guild was short by at least one memorable instant.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
On MTGO as Protoman.
On 7/14/10, broke 1900 mark! <3 ROE.
Wow.
I so wish this is real.
FoF is in my top 8 fav cards ever. And this looks to be even cooler and more skill intensive to play with! For both players! The extra edge to be gained by doing a clever split to trick your opponent into giving you the wrong pile wasn't possible with FoF. Although the sheer power level (ignoring mana cost) is a bit lower here.
If this card is real, it's one of the most exciting I've seen in a long time. I love Fact or Fiction, it's such an interesting and tricky card to play with. I want to play this variant just to have that type of gameplay experience again. Obviously this version is weaker, but I would be very surprised if it's not still good.
I think too many people have been spoiled the last four years by the "mana fixing".
Invasion Standard seasons had the painlands and taplands (ie. Shivan Reef, Urborg Volcano), and we only had a cycle of five of the taplands. Multi-color still thrived during Masques-Invasion and Invasion-Odyssey.
The original Ravnica block had Painlands and Shocklands. Multi-color still thrived there, too.
Now, we have that set of 10 Shocklands, Guildgates and Scrylands.
I could name many Standards where mana fixing was fine before Zendikar (Fetchlands), Core Set Checklands, Scars Speedlands, Innistrad Checklands and Ravnica Shocklands followed each other one block after another.
Also, Thoughtflare costs and makes your curve higher whereas, this costs and you don't lose anything in your hand. If I were playing this, I'd be playing some form of UR control and I'd rather not toss anything in my hand.
That was also a different world. For a slower deck, having your lands come into play is a much bigger drawback when your opponent can vomit three 2/2s onto the battlefield on turn 2 than it was when Raging Kavu was a good threat.
You provide them information but you decide what that information is and if it's true. If you make a 4/1 split your opponent does not know if you really need that 1 or if you're bluffing them. Can they afford to give you that one or can they afford to give you 4 cards? That's hardly clear information all the time. Nor is the information of which is the must have card.
Plus if you want to talk about giving information, which pile they give you provides you information on them as well (at times). It lets you know what cards they think they can handle and if you know their deck you can make plans based off what cards you feel they likely have based on what they gave you.
Of course alot of the time it's simply a 3/2 split of 5 strong cards and your opponent either gives you the 2 slightly better cards or the 3 slightly worse ones and you're happy either way. Of course it's not as good as FoF but then that goes without saying. FoF was never getting reprinted so we simply need to make do with what we get (if we even get this).
Your gonna need to give more of a source than that. Also, this isn't very red.
EDIT: Don't get me wrong. Not immediately assuming it's fake. Just mulling over the possibilities.
I think it is red in that it is sort of a "punisher" ability - your opponent gets to choose his poison, but instead of "something or damage", it's between piles of cards.
Definitely weaker than FoF, but that doesn't mean it's a bad card. I think it's pretty good in fact.
Except you'll never the get cards you need. Seriously this is vexing devil 2.0 and not playable whatsoever, especially when snapcaster rotates
True, there is a good chance that you never get the best card in your top 5, but the sheer number of cards and general decent quality you can get for 4 mana is still pretty good. Again, I'll compare this to Liliana of the Veil's pretty good ultimate--killing their best guy is not guaranteed, but your opponent losing half of his/her lands and half of his/her creatures swings games hard (especially if s/he was trying to assemble particular combinations of lands and/or creatures--Modern Tron and Pod decks love to do this, and Liliana can break up combinations no matter what).
True, there is a good chance that you never get the best card in your top 5, but the sheer number of cards and general decent quality you can get for 4 mana is still pretty good. Again, I'll compare this to Liliana of the Veil's pretty good ultimate--killing their best guy is not guaranteed, but your opponent losing half of his/her lands and half of his/her creatures swings games hard (especially if s/he was trying to assemble particular combinations of lands and/or creatures--Modern Tron and Pod decks love to do this, and Liliana can break up combinations no matter what).
So if you're in a tight spot you have to find two outs in your top five cards with this spell or you'll lose. It also gives your opponent an idea of what's in your hand, so they can more easily play around it. I'd play Inspiration over it, the first drawback is just too serious and a slim chance of drawing three cards instead of two doesn't offset it.
Personally, as much as I love Fact or Fiction effects, I wouldn't play this. I'd prefer to wait the ONE extra turn and drop an Opportunity. That will net you four cards, instead of putting you in a situation in which you'll most likely have what you really need dropped into your graveyard.
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On combatting Aetherling:
"No matter what, it's still just cardboard that can be ripped up. And then they have nothing."
You people are insane. You do know the saying was EOTFOFYL, right? This is nearly on the same power level. FoF was in FTV20 and kept its original art due to its iconic status. If this is real I need me some Steam Vents stat.
This is an instant speed draw 2 or 3 at worst. That's not bad at all for 4 mana.
The best case scenario is probably when two cards in the pile are useful for you (dangerous for your opponent to give you) and you'll be getting at least one of them. Plus, since you have the benefit of knowing the contents of your hand, you can arrange the piles in a manner that will keep your opponent guessing.
Gifts Ungiven is better in white decks at cheating in fatties (search for Unburial Rites + fatty and both get Entombed--if Gifts Ungiven were worded any differently, it would literally be double Demonic Tutor because people would search for fewer than 4 cards all the time, so at least double Entomb is fair), it's better at searching for specialized, graveyard-friendly piles (Life from the Loam-Raven's Crime-Tectonic Edge-X is popular), it can be (a slow) double Demonic Tutor if you search for Tiago-Noxious Revival-X-Y, and it's guaranteed to give you two removal spells/counterspells/board wipes/etc. if you construct your deck properly, but the powerful, yard-dependent piles are very graveyard hate-weak (and the heavily maindecked Deathrite Shaman and Scavenging Ooze eat those piles for breakfast), the double Demonic Tutor is yard hate-weak, and the double redundant piles do require proper deck construction and milling the other two redundant cards out of your deck (so if your first pile is 3 x Spot Removal-Gifts, I will give you Gifts + Removal every time if I'm on Melira Pod with multiple Deathrite/Ooze out--do this too often and you'll run out of removal in your deck and Time Walk yourself).
I think I'm happier with Steam Augury in Scapeshift--just fire and forget and not construct my deck to guarantee Scapeshift when I have 7 lands out.
I'll probably try it in my Melek EDH, but that's about it. Played correctly, it will probably always net you the cards your opponent wants to see least - raw card advantage over card quality. So the skill will be divvying up the piles to make the most of what they give you.
Personally, as much as I love Fact or Fiction effects, I wouldn't play this. I'd prefer to wait the ONE extra turn and drop an Opportunity. That will net you four cards, instead of putting you in a situation in which you'll most likely have what you really need dropped into your graveyard.
Opportunity actually 2 mana more. And seriously, this is almost as good as Fact or Fiction. I can't see any problem with this.
I don't think you are accurately remembering the last time that Fact or Fiction was legal. I mean, yeah, it lead to problems with Psychatog, but that was Psychatog's fault more than Fact or Fiction's.
They ( wiazards) release this.
Control players >> *_*
2RU, Instant Draw 3 cards
2RU, Instant dig 5 deep get two of those cards
Which are the most common outcomes of this card. Add in the ability to interact with my graveyard via Snapcaster Mage and Cruel Ultimatum seems pretty good to me.
?? Last time I checked Vexing Devil did something in Standard initially and is STILL doing work in Modern and Legacy... You either get 3 crappy cards, 1 card you need or something in the middle for 4cc as an Instant - that's something.
This card seems decent but I need a good reason to run this either over Jace, Architect of Thought OR with Jace.
By WOTC's own admission (they said this in passing a few too many times in Making Magic and Latest Development article for me to cite a source, sorry) the mana fixing during those times were ACTIVELY BAD. I don't think I'd want to cite those formats as an example of ok mana fixing.
AND the bouncelands which definitely saw play.
I think the "reaction" some are having are solely due to rarity and not power level. Having just been inundated with Guildgates, the Scry 1 doesn't look like enough of an upgrade to the Guildgates to jump 2 rarities for a lot of people. What they fail to realize is that the guildgates actually represent a bump down in rarity due to RTR being a multicolor block. They would have likely been uncommon in most other sets.
I also suppose any cycle of lands look bad next to the shocklands which people had really wanted back after 7 years and are the second/third best land fixing cycle in the entire game after the original duals (whether or not the shocklands are better/worse than the fetches is up to debate). So maybe power level has something to do with it? I dunno maybe spoiled is a good description after all
It's not actually that good. Your opponent choosing the pile you get makes it significantly worse. It's definitely playable, but it's not a super-powerful draw spell like FoF.
With FoF, if you absolutely needed one of the five revealed cards you were going to get it. With this card, you never will.
In addition, a key difference people are missing here is the act of splitting the piles provides key information to the opponent, which also makes the effect a lot worse than FoF. With FoF, your opponent provided you information by splitting the piles and then you made a choice. With this card, you first provide the opponent with the info before he makes a choice, and that's a lot worse for you. If you make a 4/1 split with this card, your opponent now knows that you really need that singleton. Conversely, with FoF, if your opponent made a 4/1 split, you then knew that he really didn't want you to have that singleton before picking a pile.
As far as the "should be uncommon" cries go, there's no way Fact or Fiction would have been reprinted as uncommon, so why would this?
As far as "worse FOF" goes, it might turn out to be a wash. There are reversed mind games available with this card. If you need land, you have to bluff your piles in a way that makes it look like you don't. Seems sweet, I like skill-testers.
Additionally, this card may have been slated for RTR and "held back" due to Snapcaster. I always felt that the Izzet guild was short by at least one memorable instant.
On 7/14/10, broke 1900 mark! <3 ROE.
I so wish this is real.
FoF is in my top 8 fav cards ever. And this looks to be even cooler and more skill intensive to play with! For both players! The extra edge to be gained by doing a clever split to trick your opponent into giving you the wrong pile wasn't possible with FoF. Although the sheer power level (ignoring mana cost) is a bit lower here.
That was also a different world. For a slower deck, having your lands come into play is a much bigger drawback when your opponent can vomit three 2/2s onto the battlefield on turn 2 than it was when Raging Kavu was a good threat.
Plus if you want to talk about giving information, which pile they give you provides you information on them as well (at times). It lets you know what cards they think they can handle and if you know their deck you can make plans based off what cards you feel they likely have based on what they gave you.
Of course alot of the time it's simply a 3/2 split of 5 strong cards and your opponent either gives you the 2 slightly better cards or the 3 slightly worse ones and you're happy either way. Of course it's not as good as FoF but then that goes without saying. FoF was never getting reprinted so we simply need to make do with what we get (if we even get this).
I think it is red in that it is sort of a "punisher" ability - your opponent gets to choose his poison, but instead of "something or damage", it's between piles of cards.
Definitely weaker than FoF, but that doesn't mean it's a bad card. I think it's pretty good in fact.
True, there is a good chance that you never get the best card in your top 5, but the sheer number of cards and general decent quality you can get for 4 mana is still pretty good. Again, I'll compare this to Liliana of the Veil's pretty good ultimate--killing their best guy is not guaranteed, but your opponent losing half of his/her lands and half of his/her creatures swings games hard (especially if s/he was trying to assemble particular combinations of lands and/or creatures--Modern Tron and Pod decks love to do this, and Liliana can break up combinations no matter what).
Yes, they probably have the eye of the tiger and hand me 4 lands instead of the 1 Scapeshift I wanted, but at least I can recoup somewhat easily when they hand me Serum Visions-Izzet Charm-land instead of Scapeshift-Sakura-Tribe Elder, and they'll have a hard time figuring out whether they want to hand me Peer Through Depths-Remand or Serum Visions-Search for Tomorrow-land.
Is it better than Gifts Ungiven though?
Fact or Fiction was once banned in Legacy and restricted in Vintage. It's not exactly at an average power level.
"No matter what, it's still just cardboard that can be ripped up. And then they have nothing."
The best case scenario is probably when two cards in the pile are useful for you (dangerous for your opponent to give you) and you'll be getting at least one of them. Plus, since you have the benefit of knowing the contents of your hand, you can arrange the piles in a manner that will keep your opponent guessing.
Gifts Ungiven is better in white decks at cheating in fatties (search for Unburial Rites + fatty and both get Entombed--if Gifts Ungiven were worded any differently, it would literally be double Demonic Tutor because people would search for fewer than 4 cards all the time, so at least double Entomb is fair), it's better at searching for specialized, graveyard-friendly piles (Life from the Loam-Raven's Crime-Tectonic Edge-X is popular), it can be (a slow) double Demonic Tutor if you search for Tiago-Noxious Revival-X-Y, and it's guaranteed to give you two removal spells/counterspells/board wipes/etc. if you construct your deck properly, but the powerful, yard-dependent piles are very graveyard hate-weak (and the heavily maindecked Deathrite Shaman and Scavenging Ooze eat those piles for breakfast), the double Demonic Tutor is yard hate-weak, and the double redundant piles do require proper deck construction and milling the other two redundant cards out of your deck (so if your first pile is 3 x Spot Removal-Gifts, I will give you Gifts + Removal every time if I'm on Melira Pod with multiple Deathrite/Ooze out--do this too often and you'll run out of removal in your deck and Time Walk yourself).
I think I'm happier with Steam Augury in Scapeshift--just fire and forget and not construct my deck to guarantee Scapeshift when I have 7 lands out.
Opportunity actually 2 mana more. And seriously, this is almost as good as Fact or Fiction. I can't see any problem with this.
Storm Crow is strictly worse than Seacoast Drake.