Would it have been broken if she searched your library AND graveyard? My only concern is what happens when she runs out of newts?!
Also, in 2012 they did a 3 card combo with the crown/scepter/3rd thing so I don't know why this is unexpected. In a "teaching set" it is a very heavy handed hard to miss set up that screams "Build a deck where cards interact with each other!".
Cards like this make me believe that Cipher was nerfed in development from an attack trigger to a damage trigger. As an attack trigger, this would be decent in merfolk. Actually, Hands of Binding, Hidden Strings, and some other cipher cards would be much more playable as attack triggers. But I guess development wanted to make them harder to activate, so turned them into damage triggers.... while also not fixing the fact that most of the effects work better before blocks.
Oh well, Dimir was screwed up from the start.
From a flavor standpoint it makes no sense for a dimir agent to have a trigger on attack, it only makes sense if they bypass all defenses and successfully infiltrate the enemies quarters for their encoded cipher spell to trigger.
I would say Trait Doctoring and Realmwright are either cards they threw out there to see what happens or they're part of a bigger picture.
Teysa was also the Orzhov champion in the original Ravnica block and she is a similar token producer. Unlikely that Teysa was ever radically different from what she is now.
You know a card is awesome when they print a weaker version of it, and it's still good.
I don't really see how its worse either. I get that you can spend the 3 CMC of Pernicious deeds the turn before and then have more for X when you use it. But there are all sorts of benefits to being a sorcery, you can't flashback a Pernicious Deeds with your snapcaster.
There are lots of cards that never get played, so why not make some of them fun? I think sometimes people forget a key aspect of a game is fun. I can't wait to use it.
Usually random in MTG means a coin. So I'd say, you flip a coin, heads for creatures (or players) and tails for players (or creatures). Then you make the pick on what to ping. Not that it makes it good, but much better than killing your own creatures randomly!!
This is not how it works, you never get to make any decision making with his ability, its completely random.
Funny thing is they can still [CARD]Ætherize
[/CARD] or Overload Cyclonic Rift and clear your board.
I also enjoy all the speculation about how good this card will be with so little spoiled already. There's a split card that deals with it already! If you cast Turn and Burn on your turn you can kill it without giving them a critter Far and Away can also clean up and help regain any ground you had to give them (for instance if you countered something and gave them a token, you can use it to bounce that token, make them sacrifice the Voice, and then they wind up with just one token, or at their end step bounce their voice and sacrifice the token they just got for you casting).
It truthfully reminds me a lot of Spawnwrite only it requires your opponent to make it spiral it out of control.
Outside of limited, it blocks deciever exarch kiki-jiki/splintertwin combo. Although there are a multitide and more efficient answers to that combo already.
Won't they just make one last deceiver and tap her?
I played a game and turn 3 pulled Witch Hunter with only one plains out, he waited till my turn 4 and I dropped a plains and he conceded. I thought that was really premature since I had no threats of my own out... You can always pray for a leviathan reset or something.
It has got to be Selesnya. One mechanic feeds the other one, and even the curve for those abilities are well defined. Populate early in the game, lots of centaurs, and be happy when you got to convoke big creatures.
Increasing Savagery turns her from a 5 swing kill into a 3 swing kill (2 swing if you have even 1 additional power from another source or if you can flash it back). Auras and equipment can be removed, but I only know of one card that can remove +1/+1 counters from a hexproof target.
Also, in 2012 they did a 3 card combo with the crown/scepter/3rd thing so I don't know why this is unexpected. In a "teaching set" it is a very heavy handed hard to miss set up that screams "Build a deck where cards interact with each other!".
From a flavor standpoint it makes no sense for a dimir agent to have a trigger on attack, it only makes sense if they bypass all defenses and successfully infiltrate the enemies quarters for their encoded cipher spell to trigger.
I would say Trait Doctoring and Realmwright are either cards they threw out there to see what happens or they're part of a bigger picture.
I don't really see how its worse either. I get that you can spend the 3 CMC of Pernicious deeds the turn before and then have more for X when you use it. But there are all sorts of benefits to being a sorcery, you can't flashback a Pernicious Deeds with your snapcaster.
You know what would be better than Ivory Mask in your set up? Lifelink or any card that accomplishes the same thing.
This is not how it works, you never get to make any decision making with his ability, its completely random.
[/CARD] or Overload Cyclonic Rift and clear your board.
I also enjoy all the speculation about how good this card will be with so little spoiled already. There's a split card that deals with it already! If you cast Turn and Burn on your turn you can kill it without giving them a critter
It truthfully reminds me a lot of Spawnwrite only it requires your opponent to make it spiral it out of control.
Won't they just make one last deceiver and tap her?
I played a game and turn 3 pulled Witch Hunter with only one plains out, he waited till my turn 4 and I dropped a plains and he conceded. I thought that was really premature since I had no threats of my own out... You can always pray for a leviathan reset or something.
Dredge feeds scavenge too