An answer to the Sphinx's Riddle?
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Jan. 20, 2014, 12:10 a.m. by NobodyPicksBulbasaur
Spirit of the Labyrinth
1w
Enchantment Creature Spirit Rare
Each player can't draw more than one card each turn.
3/1
Could be a weenie answer to Sphinx's Revelation decks. Granted, you still have to worry about Supreme Verdict .
NobodyPicksBulbasaur says... #4
That art. I personally think it's a bit flimsy, but it could do wonders if paired with Thoughtseize and Sin Collector .
January 20, 2014 12:23 a.m.
Actually I think this card is much more of a back-breaker to that often key T3 Divination to find a Supreme Verdict or the 4th land. Once the game starts revolving around Sphinx's Revelation that's generally gone on much too long for most white aggro decks to win.
It's no Thalia, Guardian of Thraben , but 3 power for 2 isn't too shabby either.
January 20, 2014 12:25 a.m.
3/1 for 2CMC is pretty okay. It might be a SB option for some decks, but it would have been better with flash, or else the control player can just kill it before he Sphinx's Revelation s.
January 20, 2014 12:25 a.m.
Pain Seer still nets you cards, since it's not "drawn", it's "revealed", and "put into hand"
January 20, 2014 12:26 a.m.
@NobodyPicksBulbasaur: It is a tad bit flimsy but a turn 2 Spirit of the Labyrinth followed by a turn 3 Archetype of Courage could be pretty awesome.
January 20, 2014 2:03 a.m.
10vernothin is correct. This absolutely HOSES Nekusar, the Mindrazer decks. I wish I could run 4 in commander just because.
I am glad that we're getting a card like this for Commander because I was afraid of Nekusar decks just becoming the norm. Now we have a way to stop him when he's on the board, mostly.
January 20, 2014 2:22 a.m.
theinfernumflame says... #13
I feel like it's far too easy to remove before it's actually relevant. I think, for this card to see much play, it would have to have Flash so it could come down in response to a Sphinx's Revelation (like Notion Thief does--not that that saw much play either, and I'd argue it's a better card for hurting control). Plus, this card doesn't even stop the card advantage from Jace, Architect of Thought ...
January 20, 2014 3:11 a.m.
Servo_Token says... #14
While I agree with everyone saying that this doesn't have as much impact as it could right now, I feel that this has the potential to be a really really awesome hoser for control decks post rotation. Definitely grabbing a playset asap.
January 20, 2014 8:21 a.m.
I agree about Notion Thief . Having Flash and giving you the card draw makes it a lot better than this, and since Notion Thief saw pretty much no play I don't really expect this to either.
January 20, 2014 9:19 a.m.
there is a big difference between a creature that cost 2UB and one that cost 1W, just saying
January 20, 2014 10:01 a.m.
Yep, and there's also a big difference between a creature with Flash that steals the cards, and one that just prevents the card draw, and also prevents you from drawing extra cards.
January 20, 2014 10:07 a.m.
I don't know about you guys, but I feel this card will be an almost auto-include in Legacy D&T. It completely shuts down a Jace, the Mind Sculptor , forcing the Jace to have to bounce or Lightning Bolt the creature, giving an extra turn to deal with it; blanks Brainstorm , and completely shuts off Ponder and Preordain , especially if D&T gets an AEther Vial online...
January 20, 2014 10:36 a.m.
NobodyPicksBulbasaur says... #19
While it fits the theme of D&T, I wouldn't be so bold as to claim it has a home there. In order to make the maindeck of D&T you have to be more powerful than cards like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben , Aven Mindcensor , and Phyrexian Revoker . It's difficult to make the argument that this card is on par with those, even if it is a cool 3/1 for 1W.
January 20, 2014 11:41 a.m.
I can agree with your statement, NobodyPicksBulbasaur.
However, with the Legacy format currently being as cantrip-oriented as it is due to the influx of Stoneblade and Delver strategies from the addition of True-Name Nemesis , this card absolutely shuts this strategy down. I can see this card replacing main-deck Phyrexian Revoker s, with the Revokers going to side-board to deal with problematic cards like Liliana of the Veil , Deathrite Shaman , the occasional Sensei's Divining Top , etc.
If you look at all the creatures in D&T, they each have a very specific control-based element to them:
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben - 2/1 First Strike (Trades favorably with DRS, Stoneforge Mystic , Lingering Souls tokens, Dark Confidant ; shuts down combo; delays control-based strategies.
Aven Mindcensor - One-Sided, flash answer to Fetchlands, Stoneforge Mystic , etc.
Serra Avenger - 3/3 beater that can be cheated in early via AEther Vial
Mother of Runes - No explanation needed.
Stoneforge Mystic - Once again, no explanation needed, just amazing value.
Mangara of Corondor - Not seen nearly as often anymore, but alongside Karakas , repeatable exile removal.
Flickerwisp - Combos with the afore-mentioned Mangara, but also utilized to remove silver-bullet threats such as stalling-type cards like Solitary Confinement and troublesome blockers. Overall, skill-based removal.
Phyrexian Revoker - 2/1, stops activated abilities (as stated above).
With the common side-board cards including things like Rest in Piece (Shuts down Deathrite Shaman ), Wilt-Leaf Liege (Shutting down Liliana of the Veil ), I see Phyrexian Revoker as less and less of a main-board card and truly feel that this card may be able to sneak into its place. The additional point of damage lowers the turn-clock considerably.
** As a bonus after sideboard, Wilt-Leaf Liege , if needed, will boost him. The same cannot be said of Phyrexian Revoker .
January 20, 2014 1:20 p.m.
Rasta_Viking29 says... #21
This card seems to be under heavy price speculation for older formats. Price has been rising and is around $10 a pop on ebay. Might be a card to acquire in trades come pre-release.
January 20, 2014 4:35 p.m.
NobodyPicksBulbasaur says... #22
@drakanar those are very good points. The power of the hosers in D&T is determined by the metagame, and in the current era of W/U/x-Blade decks and Sneak 'n Show, this guy could definitely find a home. Time will tell.
Rayenous says... #2
It's an answer to control... not just one card.
Control needs answers (and thus cards) at all times. If control only gets 1 card per turn, it's fairly easy to make them waste it on a 'semi-threat', and play a big threat right after.
January 20, 2014 12:18 a.m.