Prognostic Sphinx???
Standard forum
Posted on Oct. 31, 2013, 3:20 p.m. by SleeplessPr1nce
I was just wondering if someone could explain to me the usefulness/purpose of this card. I don't understand the point of it's ability. It gets hexproof but then you tap it so can't do anything? I can see some plausible combos for it but nothing really game-changing. I'd kind of like to use but I just don't get it, am I missing something or is it just one of those wierd cards?
SleeplessPr1nce says... #3
Wait, how does it turn any card into Mizzium Skin ? And what is EDH? (I'm new here btw)
October 31, 2013 3:29 p.m.
Since it's third ability triggers when it's declared as an attacker, the tapping drawback gives your opponent the opportunity to force you to tap it before combat.
October 31, 2013 3:29 p.m.
Mizzium Skin gives a creature hexproof when you play it for its normal cost (not the overload, though). Prognostic Sphinx can gain hexproof by you discarding a cost, so effectively, you cast a non-overloaded Mizzium Skin for the cost of tapping Prognostic Spinx is what I meant.
Elder Dragon Highlander, or Commander as Wizards calls it for copyright reasons, is a casual multiplayer variant of magic. I won't go in to the full description here, but suffice it to say that it is often slow enough to allow otherwise unplayable cards like Dismiss into Dream to function.
@meecht true, but you still essentially counterd a kill spell by discarding a card and tapping a creature. Still not great, but not horrible.
October 31, 2013 3:36 p.m.
SharuumNyan says... #6
It's there to add balance to the card.
It's a way to protect the Sphinx. In response to your opponent targeting it with something nasty like Boulderfall you could keep it alive by discarding a card, even if it does end up tapped.
But, like meecht said, your opponent can also take advantage of this by targeting Sphinx with a spell and forcing you to tap it before combat.
October 31, 2013 3:46 p.m.
SleeplessPr1nce says... #7
So I guess it's just a big 'ol blocker that's kind of hard to kill and lets you scry a little. Ok then. I was just wondering if there was more to it that I wasn't seeing.
October 31, 2013 3:50 p.m.
at the same time though, while you thin your hand they also thin theirs so declare combat, they waste a card, you may also unless you have a graveyard interaction or dead card, and now main phase 2 the advantage could be in your favor with a good six drop bomb
October 31, 2013 3:51 p.m.
I feel like only myself, my friends, and LSV actually think Prognostic Sphinx is good in Standard.
October 31, 2013 4:12 p.m.
NerdPounder says... #10
If he had a power of 4... I would like him. But he just doesn't hit hard enough for 5 manna. Also, I'm pretty sure you can't use the second ability once he's already tapped, such as post combat.
October 31, 2013 4:32 p.m.
@corythackston that's incorrect. Tapping Prognostic Sphinx is not part of the cost of its second ability, but part of its effect, so it can be used when he is already tapped.
October 31, 2013 4:35 p.m.
Nowhere in the second ability does it say he has to be untapped for you to activate it.
You can always tap a creature that's already tapped, unless the ability says otherwise.
October 31, 2013 4:37 p.m.
SharuumNyan says... #14
@nadder447, Scry 2 may seem like scrying a little, but it can have a huge impact on a game.
October 31, 2013 5:11 p.m.
He's not completely unplayable. He's a decent two-of in U/W/x control shells since he offers another win condition on top of the singleton AEtherling in the deck. The scry three is really powerful.
I'm not sure I'd toss him into every U/W/x deck, but he certainly has his niche. He's hard to get rid of, and like everyone said, he basically has "Discard a card: counter target spell or ability that targets Prognostic Sphinx ."
October 31, 2013 5:39 p.m.
We're all overlooking a big possibility: wanting to discard. I run him in my Esper Reanimator deck (shameless plug: Post-Roast Esperanimator) and he's a huge advantage. Fixes my Dimir Charm s, ditches old Ashen Rider s while protecting itself, and picks away at their life all while being out of burn range. Combined with the discard, he's really hard to kill.
In casual non-standard formats, like EDH, using him with all graveyard-loving goodies makes him much more powerful because there's not much net loss from using his ability.
October 31, 2013 7:38 p.m.
harrydemon117 says... #19
Prognostic Sphinx is a HUGE card against alot of the aggro decks out there. 5 toughness is nothing to laugh at, and against a deck with black removal giving it hexproof for a turn can actually be devastating to the opponent as they will waste a card along with you.
I run him in a BUG list that uses Whip of Erebos to bring stuff back, so if my opponent has no cards in hand/tapped out I can drop a creature end of their turn, then use the whip to bring the creature back with haste on my turn for a quick close out.
They scry 3 is HUGE if you get to have it trigger with just one attack. You can dig for the follow up card you need to close out the game.
here's my list for reference: Does it BUG you when I scry?
October 31, 2013 9:01 p.m.
detentionsphere says... #20
@Jimhawk; I will add my vote to thinking Sphinx is good (not great, but still decent) in Standard. He's a decent blocker against Mono-Red or Mono-Blue, that doesn't trade with a guy and a burn spell, he's nigh-unkillable against Mono Black Devotion, and he demands a Verdict from Esper. The only place he's terrible is against Gr Devotion, since their creatures just outclass him so quickly.
November 3, 2013 2 a.m.
Sphinx is good, but the fact that AEtherling costs only 1 (well, kinda 2 if you want him to survive) more mana makes sphinx not very appealing. He needs to be 4/5 or 4/4 and I'd rate him, but 3 power isn't enough. Scry 3 is huge, but he himself isn't huge, so I don't think he's great. Note that there aren't many fliers that can take him out in combat though. The only playable one I can think of off the top of my head is Angel of Serenity .
November 3, 2013 6:05 a.m.
SleeplessPr1nce says... #22
Thanks for all the comments and opinions guys. I never realized there were so many facets and different uses for this one little Sphinx. Now I might be able to find a use for him in one of my decks with all this info in hand.
Thanks to everyone! :)
November 3, 2013 11 a.m.
His second ability works well if you have a Hidden Strings to untap him after an opponent forces you to tap him.
November 3, 2013 6:38 p.m.
harrydemon117 says... #25
November 4, 2013 8:39 a.m.
vonbittner says... #26
The problem w/ Hidden Strings is u only get to use it after combat. U can't untap the demon AND attack.
November 4, 2013 8:48 a.m.
but at the very least, you could untap the demon and then they'd have to sac another creature if they wanted to attack on their turn and avoid having the demon block.
November 4, 2013 9:19 a.m.
You don't need Hidden Strings for Desecration Demon ...they already lost board position and card advantage. You're better off just putting Doom Blade or something into your deck, killing one of their creatures during your main phase, then swinging in with Desecration Demon .
No need for any of this Hidden Strings or Ral Zarek nonsense.
November 4, 2013 5:58 p.m.
I believe the Hidden Strings and Ral Zarek nonsense your talking about was brought up because of Prognostic Sphinx and then someone mentioned it with desecration demon so I was just making a point referencing what they were talking about. I wasn't trying to just be like, your stupid, use something else.
raithe000 says... #2
Well, the Scry 3 when it attacks is quite powerful, and the ability to turn any card into Mizzium Skin for the cost of tapping it (and not even using the tap symbol) is pretty good in limited. It is a bit too expensive for standard, but I could see it as decent in EDH. If we see more things like Flamespeaker Adept in the rest of a block, it might find a place in standard, but otherwise, probably not.
October 31, 2013 3:26 p.m.