Competitive Judge Tower
Rules-lawyer your opponents to death in this casually hardcore and hilariously educational MtG variant!
Table of Contents
Purpose of the game
Fun! And learning the rules and practicing judge skilz.
The game is primarily designed to help judges familiarize themselves with the Comprehensive Rules, Magic Tournament Rules and Infraction Procedure Guide, but it is also surprisingly playable for beginners.
Quick Start
- You play with a shared library.
- You have infinite mana.
- You must do as much as possible, as soon as possible.
- Competitive REL.
- You score Judge Points by issuing penalties.
Playing the game
The rules
- Breaking these rules carries a Gameplay Error – Judge Tower Rule Violation infraction.
- The penalty is a Warning and a third offense is upgraded to a Game Loss.
- No additional remedy is needed. (Do not perform a backup.)
- All plays are mandatory.
- Players may not pass priority while they can still perform an action.
- “May” means “must”. (Note that according to rule 117.12a, a choice phrased with “unless” also presents a “may” option.)
- All triggers are detrimental and non-optional. (If an opponent gets to choose whether to add a triggered ability to the stack, do so if any opponent chooses to.)
- All creatures attack and block if able. (Players still choose how.)
- All players are judges. (Players without judge levels are “level 0 judges.”)
- Judges can play as well as judge regardless of REL.
- Each player with the highest judge level or tied for the highest judge level is a head judge.
- Players score Judge Points whenever a judge they called correctly issues a penalty to an opponent. (Players do not score points for issuing penalties to themselves.)
- A warning is worth one Judge Point and a game loss is worth two Judge Points.
- Each player scores two Judge Points whenever an opponent concedes.
- If two or more players simultaneously call a judge, those player are all eligible for scoring.
- Players may join a game in progress during any cleanup step.
- A player that re-joins the game keeps his or her Judge Points. (But is otherwise considered a new player.)
- The library is shared.
- Cards in the library are “owned” by all players.
- Cards not in the library are “owned” by whoever drew them.
- When a player leaves the game, all objects “owned” by that player are exiled.
- Starting hand size equals the player's Judge Level. Mulligans are not allowed.
- Private information is public. (But derived information is still derived.)
- Players play with their hand revealed. (Player must reveal each card as they draw it.)
- When paying costs, players are always considered to have the required mana in their mana pool.
Tips and strategy
- Be strict but fair as a judge.
- Incorrectly issuing penalties will lead to them getting overturned anyway.
- Use shortcuts and Out-of-Order Sequencing to your advantage.
- Shortcuts are legal. Refusing obvious and generally accepted shortcuts could be considered either Slow Play or Unsporting Conduct. Players are supposed to play like they would at a Competitive tournament.
- Out-of-Order Sequencing is legal, provided the game ends up in a legal state. Give people the benefit of the doubt, but if it looks like they're messing up, tell them you don't understand what is going on and ask them to do it step-by-step.
- If an opponent wants to process a bunch of card draw triggers all at once, let them, but if one of the cards is an instant that they could have cast before processing the remaining triggers, issue a Judge Tower Rule Violation.
- Walk the line as a player.
- Use shortcuts and Out-of-Order Sequencing to confuse your opponents.
- Be “that guy”. Play whatever shady mind-games you think you can get away with. Try to “Gotcha!” opponents where possible.
- These players exist, and judges should know how to handle them.
- Get yourself killed.
- You can just jump back into the game anyway.
- It resets your board, making your life easier.
- It resets your warnings, making it harder for your opponents to score an extra Judge Point for issuing Game Loss to you.
- Try not to kill other people. It is better to deal 10 damage to two players each than 20 to one. Spread the love.
- Issue Failure to Maintain Game State where appropriate.
- This can score you a lot of Judge Points in games with many opponents.
- If you discover you made a mistake, immediately issue a penalty to yourself.
- Not doing so is Cheating.
- You won’t get a Judge Point, but it prevents others from scoring that Judge Point.
- It gets you one step closer to a Game Loss (which resets your board.)
- It lets you issue Failure to Maintain Game State to your opponents (for which you will get Judge Points.)
- Issue Slow Play where appropriate.
- Players are expected to be familiar with their deck at Competitive REL. The Tower being full of weird and obscure cards is not an excuse to slow down.
- If you disagree with a penalty, appeal to the Head Judge. If the ruling gets overturned, issue Unsporting Conduct – Minor.
- Pay attention to the orientation of cards.
- Auras should generally not be tapped. If you see this, ask the player to clarify the game state. If the behavior persists, feel free to issue an infraction.
- Be alert but don’t jump the gun.
- Judges shouldn’t stop players from making mistakes. They deal with mistakes that have already been made.
- If someone is making a mistake, let them pass the point of no return before you call a judge.
- Forgetting a trigger is not the same as missing it. A trigger is only considered “missed” once there is actual proof. If you suspect someone forgot a trigger, put on your poker face and wait for them to take an action that confirms that they missed it.
- Remember to announce your life total.
- The Magic Tournament Rules say: “A change in a player’s life total should be accompanied by a verbal announcement by that player of the new life total.”
- Failure to follow this procedure is not actually covered by any infractions. However, if you remind them and they fail again, you get to issue Unsporting Conduct - Minor for failing to follow the request of a tournament official.
- Remember to announce floating mana.
- The Comprehensive Rules say: “106.4a If a player passes priority (see rule 116) while there is mana in his or her mana pool, that player announces what mana is there. If any mana remains in a player’s mana pool after he or she spends mana to pay a cost, that player announces what mana is still there.”
- Judge Tower may not bother with mana most of the time, but failure to follow this procedure is still a Game Rule Violation.
Futurama
Regular Judge Tower
The game can also be played at Regular Rules Enforcement Level. This means problems are solved according to the JAR.
The player reporting an error takes the offending card out of the game and places it face-down into his or her Judge Points pile to keep score. Note that the identification of “the offending card” may cause some debate. As a rule of thumb, when in doubt, go for the card that is most likely to cause a repeat of the error.
Other Judge Tower variants
Judge Tower, also known as ASAP, is often played differently. The version presented here has been tweaked to make it more accessible, fun and educational. It has been playtested with both experienced and inexperienced players and has now become a popular activity at our LGS. It is contagious and it is easy for onlookers to jump into a game in progress.
This variant strives to keep the rules as succinct as possible. If adding a specific card to the Tower would require an extra rule, it is better not to add that card. Rule proliferation is bad game design and frightens off would-be players, which is a problem for a fledgling format (even one whose target audience is rules lawyers.) For example, some other variants have rules that govern how often an ability like that of Firebreathing can be activated or what values of X can be. This version simply omits those cards.
Don’t use these.
Other versions generally eliminate you from the game as as soon as you make a mistake. Player elimination is considered bad game design these days. Competitive Judge Tower not only allows you to make more mistakes before you're out, it also allows you to get back in the game almost immediately. Nobody should have to sit there waiting for the next game because of one small mistake.
Competitive Judge Tower is much more educational because it mirror actuals tournament play. While this version may seem more forgiving in the early game, all the card draw increases the difficulty exponentially as the game goes on.
Building your own Judge Tower
Deck construction tips
While you could theoretically just grab any pile of cards and call it a Judge Tower (and still have fun), it helps to take the following into account.
Deck size
Around 200 cards is fine but it really doesn't matter much. If you run out and want to continue playing, you can just reshuffle the exiled cards into the (empty) library.
Try to keep the Tower "highlander", meaning no more than one copy of each card. That way you can cram the largest variety of evil cards into the deck.
Evil is good
Anything that could give you a headache or trip you up is good. Mana cost is irrelevant. The more complex, the better. Most of the “good” cards aren’t actually good cards anyway.
Card draw is good
Drawing extra cards is the easiest way to ramp up complexity. Eidolon of Blossoms,Novijen Sages and Think Twice will make the game exponentially more difficult. Even ostensibly simple cards like Inspiration are a nightmare because you will end up with more.
Plenty of creatures, instants and sorceries
While it's tempting to load up on global enchantments with all sorts of nasty triggers, many of the more interesting cards require creatures, instants and sorceries. However, when stuff goes to the graveyard, it simplifies the game and that's not good. The solution, therefore, is to use creatures, instants and sorceries that draw cards (or have a similar effect, such as cascade.) That way the complexity keeps building up.
No cards that would require additional rules
A card like Shivan Dragon or Glory forces you to activate it "infinite" times every time you get priority, requiring an additional rule that says you can only do that once per turn. It's better simply not to put those cards in the tower. This also applies to most equipment cards and cards with an X cost (which would require a rule that says X has to be 5 or something.)
A card that can throw the game into an unending loop under very specific circumstances is fine. Magic has rules to handle that sort of thing (including ending the game in a draw or handing out Slow Play warnings.)
No shuffling
Watching people shuffle is boring, and shuffling a huge library is awkward.
However, if you do put in several cards that search the library, don’t forget about Panglacial Wurm!
Ignorance is no excuse!
Mistake > oversight
It's way more fun if someone loses because he did something wrong than if he just forgot to do something. Forgetting a straightforward upkeep trigger or unconditional activated ability provides only limited entertainment and educational value. Making an illegal play, on the other hand...
Keep players on their toes
Players should never be allowed to relax. The game shouldn't mostly take place during upkeep and precombat main phase. Obscure restrictions and trigger conditions should keep players on their toes at all times. Cards that impose rules on other players are especially insidious (such as Orb of Dreams.)
Easy to forget.
Minimal entropy
Cards that don't do much should be avoided unless they cantrip. Removal, sacrifice, counterspells and discard should be extremely sparse. Players should not be able to get rid of difficult cards easily or the game will drag out.
Any card that can be used in a way that isn't complicated should be avoided.
Large creatures should be avoided because they let people chump-attack into them and they kill players (making their life easier by wiping their boards.)
Walls (defenders) should be sparse because many auras become inconsequential when cast on a wall.
Graveyard triggers
Cards that trigger from the graveyard are easily missed and a great source of warnings and hilarity. Examples include Pyre Zombie, Sandstorm Eidolon, Shambling Remains and Sun's Bounty.
Torrent Elemental is also a nice one. Not only does it have a trigger that cuts down on chump-blocking, but if someone loses the game while they control this, it will be exiled. Odds are the next player is going to forget about it.
Un-cards
Some un-cards work in black-bordered Magic. Consider Grusilda, Monster Masher, Old Fogey, Over My Dead Bodies (very vague, requires ad-hoc rulings), Rules Lawyer, The Countdown Is at One (though it requires a shuffle afterwards), Topsy Turvy (mind its orientation), and Yet Another Æther Vortex.
Topsy Turvy’s correct orientation is upside-down!
Skill > luck
Even a noob can get wins off Forced Fruition and even a pro is going to lose if they draw Consecrated Sphinx or Magus of the Future. Avoid such cards. People should lose because they deserve it.
Try to avoid cards that you would actually be happy to draw (such as Eater of Days, which gives you two whole turns off.) You should be wary of any card that is not immediately met with a frown.
Not recommended.
Consider "least complex scenario"
Every player will try to use each card in such a way that it least complicates matters for them. For instance, a card like Deflecting Palm (which has a reputation for being complicated) can easily be cast for absolutely no effect. Similarly, the infamous Humility actually makes the game easier.
Too easy!
A good spread of mechanics
This is required to test in-depth rules knowledge. There should be phasing, banding, suspend, fuse, forecast, kicker, cumulative upkeep, etcetera.
Specific categories:
- Varied triggers: casting spells, drawing cards, creatures entering the battlefield/creatures leaving the battlefield/dying, not doing something for an entire turn (like playing a land or casting a creature spell), damage/combat damage/life loss, attacking, blocking or not blocking...
- Untap restrictions. "You may choose not to untap". Untapping = error (since “may” means “must”.) However, a card just sitting there not untapping does not make the game interesting, so the best ones either don't always apply or also have other things going for them.
- Alternative costs; miracles, suspend, (mega)morph, Bringer of the White Dawn.
- Attacking and blocking restrictions (requirements are pointless since everything has to attack and block if able anyway.) Try to reduce overlap. This is somewhat harder in the case of instants, sorceries and creatures, but try to avoid cards that are "strictly less complex" than others.
It’s not easy being green!
Layout management
Try to keep at least one flip card around (Nezumi Graverobber) to legitimize penalizing people for messing with the orientation of their cards (including attempting to place Topsy Turvy (which has its text upside-down) "right side up".)
Run a few face-down cards (Den Protector, Ire Shaman, Vesuvan Shapeshifter) to legitimize penalizing people for turning cards face-down to indicate that they're exiled or phased out.
Loyal Cathar and Soul Seizer are good ways to teach people about double-faced cards.
Mind the orientation!
Oracle text
Avoid cards whose printed text significantly deviates from Oracle text. The game will slow down if people get the impression that they need to look up cards.
Then versus now.
Gaming aids
If possible, provide these gaming aids along with the Tower:
- 10 cards with Ravnica guild symbols. You can use these to represent triggers on the stack.
- Zone indicators for Stack and Exile, as well as Phased Out indicators.
- The appropriate tokens.
- Checklists to represent any double-faced cards.
- Spare sleeves.
- Blank cards. Use these for token copies or however else you see fit.
- Penalty cards. You can issue these to your opponents to track their infractions.
- A “cheat sheet” covering the various infractions.
- Any silver-bordered cards you wish to include. These cards can be hilarious but not everyone appreciates them. Only add them to the deck if everyone agrees.
Sample decklist
My current Judge Tower:
1 Abbot of Keral Keep 1 Aeon Chronicler 1 Aetherflux Reservoir 1 Aethermage's Touch 1 Aid from the Cowl 1 Alesha, Who Smiles at Death 1 Alhammarret's Archive 1 Ancestral Memories 1 Angel's Trumpet 1 Angelheart Vial 1 Animal Magnetism 1 Animate Dead 1 Ardent Plea 1 Ashling's Prerogative 1 Astrolabe 1 Azami, Lady of Scrolls 1 Benefaction of Rhonas 1 Bitter Revelation 1 Blood Scrivener 1 Bosium Strip 1 Bounty of the Luxa 1 Breaking // Entering 1 Brilliant Ultimatum 1 Burning-Tree Shaman 1 Burnout 1 Bygone Bishop 1 Cackling Counterpart 1 Cauldron Dance 1 Chaotic Strike 1 Citanul Woodreaders 1 Coerced Confession 1 Compost 1 Contested War Zone 1 Curse of Echoes 1 Dawn of the Dead 1 Daxos of Meletis 1 Dazzling Beauty 1 Deadbridge Chant 1 Deadwood Treefolk 1 Death or Glory 1 Deathreap Ritual 1 Debtors' Knell 1 Delaying Shield 1 Den Protector 1 Desperate Ravings 1 Diabolic Servitude 1 Doomed Necromancer 1 Dralnu, Lich Lord 1 Drastic Revelation 1 Dual Nature 1 Due Respect 1 Echo Chamber 1 Eidolon of Blossoms 1 Endbringer's Revel 1 Enigma Eidolon 1 Ephara's Enlightenment 1 Ephara, God of the Polis 1 Exhumer Thrull 1 Extract from Darkness 1 Eye of the Storm 1 Fact or Fiction 1 Faerie Artisans 1 Fallowsage 1 Farsight Mask 1 Fated Return 1 Fecundity 1 Feldon of the Third Path 1 Fevered Visions 1 Flamerush Rider 1 Flameshadow Conjuring 1 Flight of Fancy 1 Followed Footsteps 1 Fool's Demise 1 Fool's Tome 1 Forbidden Alchemy 1 Fortune's Favor 1 Foster 1 Foxfire 1 Freyalise's Winds 1 Gamekeeper 1 Ghastly Remains 1 Ghirapur Orrery 1 Gift of Immortality 1 Grim Harvest 1 Grim Return 1 Groundling Pouncer 1 Guild Feud 1 Hanna, Ship's Navigator 1 Haru-Onna 1 Hedonist's Trove 1 Hoarder's Greed 1 Horizon Chimera 1 Horn of Plenty 1 Humble Defector 1 Illusory Gains 1 Impaler Shrike 1 Inaction Injunction 1 Increasing Vengeance 1 Instill Energy 1 Interdict 1 Ire Shaman 1 Izzet Chronarch 1 Jace, Architect of Thought 1 Jar of Eyeballs 1 Jeskai Sage 1 Jori En, Ruin Diver 1 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider 1 Karmic Guide 1 Katabatic Winds 1 Kheru Lich Lord 1 Knacksaw Clique 1 Kraum, Ludevic's Opus 1 Lashknife Barrier 1 Living Lore 1 Loyal Cathar 1 Lu Xun, Scholar General 1 Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist 1 Magus of the Unseen 1 Make a Wish 1 Makeshift Mannequin 1 Marang River Prowler 1 Marchesa's Decree 1 Masked Admirers 1 Meditate 1 Melek, Izzet Paragon 1 Memory Erosion 1 Mercadian Atlas 1 Metalspinner's Puzzleknot 1 Midnight Oil 1 Mindstorm Crown 1 Minion Reflector 1 Mirari 1 Mistmeadow Skulk 1 Moonring Mirror 1 Moriok Replica 1 Mudslide 1 Mulldrifter 1 Multani's Acolyte 1 Murmurs from Beyond 1 Mystic Retrieval 1 Nantuko Shaman 1 Needle Drop 1 Nekusar, the Mindrazer 1 Nezumi Shortfang 1 Novijen Sages 1 Oloro, Ageless Ascetic 1 Oracle's Vault 1 Orb of Dreams 1 Order of Whiteclay 1 Origin Spellbomb 1 Panharmonicon 1 Perplexing Chimera 1 Phyrexian Grimoire 1 Pillory of the Sleepless 1 Possessed Skaab 1 Press for Answers 1 Primitive Etchings 1 Prison Term 1 Profound Journey 1 Prophet of Kruphix 1 Prophetic Prism 1 Protector of the Crown 1 Psychic Membrane 1 Puppet Master 1 Puppeteer Clique 1 Pure Reflection 1 Purgatory 1 Pyknite 1 Rainbow Vale 1 Rashmi, Eternities Crafter 1 Ravos, Soultender 1 Ray of Erasure 1 Rayne, Academy Chancellor 1 Restrain 1 Reviving Vapors 1 Riku of Two Reflections 1 Risky Move 1 Runed Servitor 1 Sage of Ancient Lore 1 Saltskitter 1 Sands of Time 1 Sandstorm Eidolon 1 Scarscale Ritual 1 Scribe of the Mindful 1 Seance 1 See the Unwritten 1 Selvala, Explorer Returned 1 Serum Tank 1 Shadowmage Infiltrator 1 Shapeshifter's Marrow 1 Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker 1 Sight Beyond Sight 1 Skill Borrower 1 Skull of Orm 1 Snow Hound 1 Snow-Covered Plains 1 Sorcerer's Strongbox 1 Soul Seizer 1 Soul Separator 1 Spellweaver Volute 1 Sphinx's Disciple 1 Spiteful Visions 1 Squee, Goblin Nabob 1 Steam Augury 1 Stitch in Time 1 Stolen Identity 1 Stratus Walk 1 Strionic Resonator 1 Sudden Reclamation 1 Sultai Soothsayer 1 Sun's Bounty 1 Sunbird's Invocation 1 Sunstrike Legionnaire 1 Supplant Form 1 Survival Cache 1 Swarm Intelligence 1 Takklemaggot 1 Tamiyo's Journal 1 Tapestry of the Ages 1 Temporal Distortion 1 Tempt with Reflections 1 Think Twice 1 Thought Reflection 1 Three Wishes 1 Torrent Elemental 1 Torture Chamber 1 Toshiro Umezawa 1 Tower Geist 1 Tracker's Instincts 1 Trail of Evidence 1 Traveling Plague 1 Treasury Thrull 1 Unstable Shapeshifter 1 Urborg Stalker 1 Vernal Equinox 1 Vesuvan Shapeshifter 1 Vigean Hydropon 1 Viscera Dragger 1 Vision Skeins 1 Voidmage Husher 1 Warping Wurm 1 Watchful Naga 1 Well of Ideas 1 Wild Ricochet 1 Windreader Sphinx 1 Wormfang Manta 1 Worry Beads 1 Yore-Tiller Nephilim 1 Zoologist |
Rejects
These cards have been tried but did not make the cut:
Card | Rejection |
Abyssal Persecutor | Entropic (huge) and does not prevent game losses. |
Abzan Beastmaster | Does not trigger enough. |
Adarkar Valkyrie | Can simply be tapped targeting something that isn't likely to die. Repetitive. |
Aether Membrane | Simple. Defenders, especially ones that bounce, nullify a lot of the auras. |
Akki Lavarunner | Low impact; almost never gets to flip. Usually chump-attacks. Fairly simple even when flipped. |
Alchemist's Vial | Simple. |
Aleatory | Almost the same as Chaotic Strike but the wording deviates too much from Oracle. |
Alms Beast | Simple. Low impact. Entropic (deadly). |
Altar Golem | Simple. |
Angel's Tomb | Simple. Low impact. |
Angelic Benediction | Does not trigger enough. |
Animate Artifact | Complexity does not show in practice. Often gets played on artifact creatures. |
Anthem of Rakdos | Insufficient IPM. |
Arc Blade | Entropic (removal). Outdone by Reality Strobe. |
Arcbound Fiend | Borderline easy. Not clear whether it's worth a warning if you skip the upkeep trigger with no targets besides Arcbound Fiend itself. |
Ashen Ghoul | Outdone by Nether Shadow. |
Back from the Brink | Outdone by Endbringer's Revel |
Banishing Stroke | Entropic (removal). Miracle is found on Vanishment. |
Basalt Golem | Entropic (removal). |
Battered Golem | Simple. Usually dies before it even triggers. |
Battering Krasis | Outdone by Fathom Mage (which we're also not using). |
Beast Hunt | Outdone by Animal Magnetism, Benefaction of Rhonas… |
Bestial Fury | Outdone by other slowtrips. |
Betrayal | Too easily played on something that isn't getting tapped. |
Bind | Outdone by Interdict. |
Bitter Feud | Low impact (the two players will avoid attacking one another). Entropic (deadly). |
Blessed Wine | Basically just a bad cantrip. |
Bloodsoaked Champion | Ability can be activated infinite times. |
Boneshard Slasher | Low impact. |
Brass Gnat | Low impact. Repetitive. |
Briarbridge Patrol | Does not trigger enough. |
Briarhorn | Simple. Low impact (one-shot). |
Bringer of the Blue Dawn | Outdone by Bringer of the White Dawn (which has a restrictive trigger). Entropic (deadly). Unfair (to the controller). |
Bringer of the Green Dawn | Outdone by Bringer of the White Dawn (which has a restrictive trigger). Entropic (deadly). |
Bringer of the Red Dawn | Outdone by Bringer of the White Dawn (which has a more restrictive trigger). Entropic (deadly). |
Bringer of the White Dawn | Entropic (deadly), confusion regarding the alternate cost. |
Brood of Cockroaches | Too confusing with a shared graveyard. |
Captured Sunlight | Outdone by Ardent Plea. |
Carom | Low impact. |
Caustic Wasps | Simple. Entropic (removal). |
Cemetery Puca | Insufficient IPM. |
Charmbreaker Devils | Entropic (deadly). |
Chastise | Entropic (removal). |
Chimeric Egg | Simple. Entropic (deadly). Does not trigger enough. |
Chromanticore | Entropic (huge!). |
Civilized Scholar | Entropic (discard, then deadly). |
Clockwork Condor | Simple. End of combat trigger is found on Aether Membrane, The Wretched and Gemini Engine. |
Cocoon | Text is a bit outdated. Not that interesting anyway. |
Coercive Portal | Simple. Repetitive. Entropic (board wipe). |
Coiling Oracle | Outdone by Pyknite. |
Colfenor's Urn | Extremely hard to fill up. |
Colossus of Sardia | Outdone by many smaller “pay to untap” creatures (which we're also not using). |
Confusion in the Ranks | Simple. |
Conjured Currency | Too hard to keep track who owns what, bookkeeping, lets you get rid of stuff. |
Contempt | Low impact; rarely triggers, gets played on creatures that either can't attack or are about to die. |
Contempt | Unlikely to inconvenience you; either put it on a creature that won't attack, or put it on an opponent's creature that they don't want bounced. |
Conversion Chamber | Low impact; not enough artifacts go to the graveyard. |
Core Prowler | Low impact (one-shot and there's not much to proliferate anyway). Infect is found on Glistening Oil. |
Corpse Churn | Outdone by Sudden Reclamation. |
Corrosion | The targeted trigger doesn't actually have a visible effect on the game state a lot of the time. |
Covenant of Minds | Mills. Too extreme. |
Cradle to Grave | Simple. Entropic (removal). |
Crippling Chill | Outdone by Press for Answers |
Crop Sigil | “Up to”. |
Crumbling Colossus | Entropic (attacks, kills stuff, then dies). |
Crystal Golem | Simple. Phasing is found on several other cards. |
Curse of Vengeance | Can target yourself. |
Curtain of Light | Outdone by Dazzling Beauty. |
Dakra Mystic | Not nasty enough for the caster. |
Darksteel Juggernaut | Simple. Repetitive. |
Darksteel Sentinel | Entropic (eats a lot of attackers). |
Dash Hopes | Simple once you know how it works. Does nothing. |
Dead Ringers | Simple once you know how it works. Does nothing. |
Deathrite Shaman | Just eats the graveyard. |
Debtor's Knell | Outdone by Dawn of the Dead. |
Deflecting Palm | Easily cast for no effect. |
Delay | Redundant. Suspend is found on Reality Strobe. |
Delver of Secrets | Easily flips and then just attacks. |
Demonic Dread | Outdone by Ardent Plea. |
Deny Reality | Simple and often beneficial. |
Dictate of Kruphix | Too fair. |
Dictate of the Twin Gods | Flash isn't that special. Entropic (kills stuff). |
Dragon Mask | These effects are found on other cards. Provides a way to get rid of auras. |
Dragon Shadow | Insufficient IPM. |
Dream Fighter | Simple. Repetitive. Phasing is found on several other cards. |
Dream Tides | Outdone by Mudslide (which is more selective). |
Eater of Days | Simple for the controller. Unfair to others. |
Elemental Bond | Does not trigger enough. |
Elemental Bond | Does not trigger enough. |
Elephant Ambush | Simple. Flashback is found on Mystic Retrieval and Strangling Soot. |
Elephant Resurgence | Simple. |
Elsewhere Flask | Outdone by Metalspinner's Puzzleknot. |
Ember Beast | Simple. Low impact. |
Endless Obedience | Too simple. |
Endless Obedience | Outdone by various other cards. |
Enigma Eidolon | Outdone by Sandstorm Eidolon (which has a seemingly restrictive trigger). Entropic (mills). |
Enigma Sphinx | Entropic (deadly). Rarely dies. |
Entropic Eidolon | Outdone by Sandstorm Eidolon (which has a seemingly restrictive trigger). |
Equal Treatment | Rarely matters. |
Era of Innovation | Energy is a bit of a hassle. |
Errantry | Simple. Low impact. |
Essence Backlash | Simple. Entropic (counterspell). |
Eternity Snare | Entropic (removal). |
Ethereal Ambush | Simple. |
Even the Odds | Rots in hands. |
Faceless Butcher | Simple. Entropic (removal), especially because it doesn't trigger if its controller leaves the game. |
Fallen Askari | Simple (generic). Low impact. |
Fate Foretold | Simple (generic). Low impact. |
Fathom Mage | Usually dies before evolving. |
Favor of the Mighty | Low impact. |
Feast on the Fallen | Rarely triggers. You must have a creature, someone else must have a creature, they must attack, it must not be blocked. |
Felhide Spirit Binder | Insufficient IPM. |
Ferropede | Low impact. Fairly meaningless (as well as somewhat entropic) trigger. |
First Response | More limited version of Feast on the Fallen, and even that rarely triggers. |
Flamewake Phoenix | Rarely dies. |
Flash Counter | Simple. Entropic (counterspell). |
Flash Foliage | Wording differs from Oracle. |
Flashfreeze | Few targets. Entropic (counterspell). |
Flesh // Blood | Simple once you know how it works. Entropic (removal). |
Flight of Fancy | Simple. |
Flying Carpet | Simple (and easily gotten rid of by targeting something that is going to chump-attack). |
Font of Mythos | Too fair. |
Force Void | “Unless”. |
Fork | Outdone by Wild Ricochet and Increasing Vengeance. |
Formation | Simple. Gets cast on a creature that isn't getting into combat. |
Fortuitous Find | “Up to”. |
Foryisian Interceptor | The multiblock thing almost never happens, there are other creatures with flash (Chimera), and defenders nullify a lot of auras. |
Galvanic Juggernaut | Entropic (deadly). Untap restrictions and death triggers are found on many other cards. |
Gate to the Aether | Simple. Repetitive. |
Gather the Pack | “Up to”. |
Gemini Engine | Entropic (deadly). The layers issues with the twin's size rarely come up. |
Genesis | Not going to go to the graveyard easily. |
Ghosts of the Innocent | Unexciting. |
Gibbering Descent | Entropic (discard). |
Gigapede | Entropic (discard, deadly). |
Glimmerpoint Stag | Low impact (one-shot). |
Glistening Oil | Simple. |
Goblin Dirigible | Simple. Repetitive. Entropic (deadly). |
Gone Missing | Basically just spins the wheels. |
Gorilla War Cry | Simple. |
Grafted Skullcap | Entropic (discard). |
Grid Monitor | Entropic (deadly, and stops you from having to cast more creatures). |
Grim Haruspex | Hard to trigger. |
Grip of Chaos | Hassle. |
Grixis Sojourners | Outdone by Viscera Dragger. |
Guardian of the Ages | Simple. Entropic (deadly). |
Guiding Spirit | Simple once you know how it works. |
Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer | Entropic (keeps creatures out of combat). Repetitive. |
Halls of Mist | “Unless”. |
Hammerhand | Simple. Low impact. |
Harbor Guardian | Simple for the controller. Unfair to others. |
Haunting Apparition | Simple. Low impact. |
Hazezon Tamar | Almost no lands in the deck. |
Heartwood Storyteller | Too extreme! Players feed each other and the flow of cards never stops. |
Heat Wave | Simple. Extremely low impact. Repetitive. Cumulative upkeep is found on several other cards. |
Hollow Warrior | Entropic (deadly, either does nothing or keeps other things from doing stuff). |
Hornet Cannon | Simple. Repetitive. |
Howling Mine | Outdone by various other cards. |
Hussar Patrol | Simple (generic). |
Icatian Skirmishers | Too small for banding. Banding is found on Kjeldoran Skycaptain. |
Ice Cage | Simple. Entropic (removal). |
Ice Floe | Outdone by Thran Weaponry (choose not to untap) and several “target attacking” cards. |
Ichor Wellspring | Never dies. |
Immortal Coil | Kills people. |
Impatience | Low impact. Repetitive. |
Incremental Growth | Simple. Entropic (deadly). |
Inexorable tide. | Low impact; there's not much to proliferate. |
Inheritance | Outdone by Fecundity. |
Inside Out | Simple. Either cast where it makes no difference or used as removal. |
Insurrection | Rarely relevant. |
Intellectual Offering | Unfair (to controller and one opponent). |
Into the Roil | Outdone by Resounding Wave. |
Into the Roil | Solves more problems than it causes. |
Into the Void | Outdone by Sea God's Revenge (which scrys), which we're also not even using. |
Iridescent Angel | Outdone by Pristine Angel. |
Jackalope Herd | Simple. Repetitive. Deadly. |
Jangling Automaton | Entropic (causes lots of trades). |
Jeskai Infiltrator | Rarely connects. |
Jungle Barrier | Simple (generic). |
Kami of the Crescent Moon | Too fair. |
Karona, False God | Repetitive. Entropic (deadly). |
Kjeldoran Home Guard | Simple. Low impact. End of combat trigger is found on Aether Membrane, The Wretched and Gemini Engine. |
Kjeldoran Phalanx | Simple. Banding is found on Kjeldoran Skycaptain (which combines it with evasion). |
Kjeldoran Sky Captain | People just ask what banding does, and then it's not so special anymore. |
Korozda Monitor | Simple. Outdone by Zanikev Locust. |
Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis | Too fair. |
Last Thoughts | Insufficient IPM. |
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind | Insufficient IPM. |
Lead Golem | Simple. |
Lich's Mirror | Insufficient IPM. |
Lich's Mirror | Does not trigger enough. |
Lifecrafter's Bestiary | Too unfair. |
Lifeline | Wording differs from Oracle. |
Lightning Reaver | Entropic (kills players), all of these effects are found in other places as well. |
Lunar Mystic | Does not trigger enough. |
Maelstrom Nexus | Insufficient IPM. |
Magewright's Stone | Not enough targets. |
Magus of the Future | Extremely unfair (to controller). |
Mantle of Leadership | The trigger is mostly invisible, so it's really hard to catch someone messing it up. |
Marang River Prowler | Never dies. |
Martial Law | Simple. |
Master of the Feast | Unfair (to opponents). Entropic (deadly). |
Master the Way | Simple and entropic. |
Measure of Wickedness | Entropic (easily cast and then immediately sacrificed to help kill yourself). |
Melancholy | “Unless”. (Also, removal.) |
Meletis Charlatan | Too often just attacks. |
Memory Plunder | Can target something that can't be cast. |
Mental Note | Outdone by loads of cards. |
Mesa Pegasus | Outdone by Kjeldoran Skyknight. |
Mikokoro, Center of the Sea | Can simply be tapped for mana. |
Military Intelligence | Does not trigger enough. |
Mind's Eye | Too unfair. |
Misthollow Griffin | Outdone by Torrent Elemental. |
Mnemonic Wall | Outdone by Archaeomancer. |
Mogg Toady | Too simple. |
Monastery Loremaster | Outdone by Den Protector. |
Mondronen Shaman | Low impact; rarely triggers before it dies. |
Monkey Cage | Simple (one-shot). |
Morgue Burst | Simple (generic). Entropic (removal). |
Mortus Strider | Outdone by Squee, Goblin Nabob. |
Myr Welder | Not enough artifacts go to the graveyard. |
Narset, Enlightened Master | Unfair (to controller). |
Nature's Chosen | Outdone by Instill Energy. |
Needlebug | Simple (generic). |
Nether Shadow | Not going to come back a whole lot. |
Nether Spirit | Rarely triggers. |
Nether Traitor | Not going to die all that much. |
Nim Deathmantle | Infinite activation without the extra “once per turn” rule. |
Northern Paladin | Entropic (removal). Not many targets. |
Not of This World | Entropic (counters). |
Null Profusion | Completely stops card flow if it's the last card in your hand. |
Nullmage Advocate | Extremely unfair. Entropic (removal). |
Offalsnout | Extremely low impact. This particular effect and its trigger stacking are already covered by Grixis Sojourners (which at least cycles). |
Okk | Simple. Entropic (deadly). Outdone by the smaller Mogg Toady. |
Omen Machine | Simple. Repetitive. Blocks all instants and sorceries. |
Opal Guardian | Simple. Only triggers once. After that it's somewhat deadly. |
Opaline Sliver | Outdone by Rayne, Academy Chancellor. |
Oppressive Rays | Simple. Repetitive. |
Opt | Doesn't actually do anything. |
Oracle's Insight | Not a problem for the controller. |
Ordeal of Thassa | Low impact; rarely triggers, gets played on creatures that either can't attack or are about to die. |
Ornate Kanzashi | Outdone by Oracle's Vault. |
Ovalchase Daredevil | Insufficient IPM. |
Oversold Cemetery | Rarely triggers. |
Pain Seer | Entropic (kills controller). |
Palliation Accord | Simple. Repetitive. |
Panic | Outdone by Chaotic Strike. |
Phyrexian Etchings | “Unless”. |
Phyrexian Splicer | Insufficient IPM. |
Pieces of the Puzzle | “Up to”. |
Pikemen | Outdone by Kjeldoran Skyknight (which combines banding with evasion). |
Platinum Emperion | Simple. Entropic (deadly). |
Plumes of Peace | Forecast is never happening. |
Possessed Portal | Extremely entropic. |
Possibility Storm | Hassle. |
Predatory Advantage | Insufficient IPM. |
Premature Burial | Entropic (removal). |
Prescient Chimera | Simple once you know how it works. |
Press for Answers | Insufficient IPM. |
Primordial Sage | Massively unfair to controller. |
Pristine Angel | Entropic (deadly, very easy to attack into). Aura magnet (which it shakes off when it untaps). |
Prophetic Flamespeaker | Rarely connects. |
Psychic Intrusion | Too easy to pick something irrelevant. |
Purge | Entropic (removal). |
Purging Scythe | Entropic (removal). Simple. Repetitive. |
Pyre Zombie | Outdone by Ghastly Remains, entropic (removal). |
Pyrewild Shaman | Takes too long to become relevant. |
Quest for Renewal | Does not trigger enough. |
Quicksilver Dagger | Repetitive. |
Quiet Contemplation | Rarely matters. |
Rackling | Low impact. Dies easily. |
Radiate | Almost impossible to cast. |
Rakdos, Lord of Riots | Hard to cast. Deadly. |
Razormane Masticore | Entropic (discard). |
Reality Strobe | Not nasty enough for the caster. |
Reborn Hero | Simple. |
Recoup | Not a lot of targets. You can give flashback to the same thing twice so this often doesn't do anything. Outdone by Mystic Retrieval. |
Recycling | Completely stops card flow if it's the last card in your hand. |
Refresh | Low impact (almost never relevant). |
Repentant Vampire | Simple. Often dies before threshold is reached. |
Reroute | Not enough targets. |
Resounding Wave | Simple. It's hard to mess up the “two targets” thing. |
Restoration Gearsmith | “Up to”. |
Riftmarked Knight | Simple. |
Ritual of Steel | Simple. Low impact. Outdone by many other quasi-cantrip cards. |
River Kelpie | Rarely triggers. |
Rummaging Goblin | Entropic (discard). |
Runeboggle | Simple. Low impact. Outdone by Force Void. |
Runesword | Low impact. Repetitive. |
Rust Elemental | Entropic (sacrifice, and then it kills you). Repetitive. |
Rusting Golem | Outdone by Old Fogey. |
Sages of the Anima | Keeps instants and sorceries away. |
Saprazzan Heir | Does not trigger enough. |
Scout's Warning | Insufficient IPM. |
Screeching Bat | Simple. Repetitive. Entropic (deadly half the time). |
Scrounge | Simple. |
Sea Gate Oracle | Outdone by various other cards. |
Sea God's Revenge | Redundant. Scry is found on Prescient Chimera. The “up to” clause is found on Urborg Uprising. |
Second Chance | Simple (one-shot). Rarely triggers. |
Security Detail | Insufficient IPM. |
Seize the Soul | Entropic (removal). Haunt is found on Exhumer Thrull. |
Sen Triplets | Too easy to pick someone with no cards in hand. |
Shadow Rift | Low impact (almost never relevant). |
Shapeshifter's Marrow | Mills non-creatures. |
Shared Fate | Not actually very interesting. |
Shimmering Efreet | Outdone by Teferi's Imp. |
Silverblade Paladin | Entropic (kills things in combat). Interesting scenarios where soulbond is broken in between first and “regular” strike rarely come up. |
Sin Prodder | First opponent always pays. |
Skaab Ruinator | Entropic (deadly). Mostly just rots in the hand. |
Skittering Skirge | Simple. Entropic (sacrifice). |
Skulking Knight | Simple (generic). Low impact. |
Sleeper's Robe | Outdone by Betrayal. |
Sleeping Potion | Simple. Entropic (removal). |
Slith Strider | Insufficient IPM. |
Slumbering Dragon | Simple. Entropic (deadly). |
Smite | Entropic (removal). |
Snakeform | Entropic (gets rid of own nastiness). Insufficient IPM. |
Soldevi Golem | Entropic (it untaps things it trades with). Untap restrictions are found on many other cards. |
Soltari Champion | Simple. |
Sorrow's Path | Almost impossible to activate. |
Soul Collector | Rarely triggers. |
Soul Sculptor | Too easy on the controller. |
Spelljack | Usually counters your own spell (which you then immediately recast). |
Spirit en-Dal | Almost impossible to forecast. Shadow is found on several other cards. |
Spirit of the Labyrinth | Disables half the Tower. |
Stab Wound | Entropic (removal). Often used to kill outright. |
Steady Progress | Low impact; there's not much to proliferate. |
Steam Augury | Entropic (discard). |
Strangling Soot | Entropic (removal). Outdone by Think Twice. |
Stratus Walk | Simple (generic). Low impact. |
Straw Golem | Simple. Low impact. |
Suffocating Blast | Removal. Entropic (removal, counterspell). |
Sun Droplet | Insufficient IPM. |
Sunscape Battlemage | Outdone by Citanul Woodreaders (which doesn't kill stuff). |
Survivor of the Unseen | Entropic (discard). |
Suture Priest | Not very problematic. |
Sway of Illusion | Low impact (never relevant and not much to mess up). |
Swift Maneuver | Simple. Outdone by other “draw a card at the beginning of the next upkeep” cards. |
Sylvan Library | Kills you real fast. |
Tandem Lookout | Too easy to soulbond with something that won't attack. |
Tangle Kelp | Insufficient IPM. |
Tariel, Reckoner of Souls | Simple. A bit of a hassle. |
Taste for Mayhem | Simple. |
Teeka's Dragon | Outdone by Old Fogey. Rampage on a flyer is pointless. |
Teferi's Curse | Outdone by Katabatic Winds (for phasing in general) and Teferi's Imp (for phasing out stuff that normally doesn't phase out). |
Teferi's Imp | Discard. |
Teferi's Puzzle Box | Bit of a bother, often gets rid of cool cards, and not very interesting anyway. |
Teferi's Realm | Simple. Repetitive. Entropic (keeps entire categories out of play). |
Temple Bell | Too fair. |
Terrarion | Outdone by Astrolabe. |
Tetravus | Insufficient IPM. |
Tezzeret's Gambit | Unclear Judge Tower rules interaction. |
Thalakos Deceiver | Usually only attacks once and steals itself. |
Thalakos Dreamsower | Taps itself and then never untaps. |
Thalakos Seer | Does not trigger enough. |
The Wretched | Rarely triggers. |
Thieves' Auction | Wording differs from Oracle. |
Thopter Assembly | Simple. Entropic (deadly). |
Thousand-Year Elixir | Not enough tappers. Going to untap opponent's stuff. |
Thran Weaponry | Entropic (deadly). |
Time Elemental | Actually not a bad thing to have. |
Time Walk | Outdone by Temporal Mastery. |
Timesifter | Pointless. Entropic (exiles). |
Titan Forge | Simple (you can just keep putting counters on it without the extra “bottom up” rule). Repetitive. |
Toil // Trouble | Unfair to others. Fuse is found on Flesh // Blood. |
Touch of Brilliance | Outdone by various other cards. |
Transmogrifying Licid | Infinite activation without the extra “once per turn” rule. |
Triassic Egg | Simple. Repetitive. |
Trollface marker (on Snow-Covered Plains) | Too confusing. Not sure what to do with it. |
Twisted Justice | Too easy to target a player that has no creatures. Entropic (removal). |
Tymaret, the Murder King | Entropic (sacrifice, and then it kills you). Repetitive. |
Ulamog's Reclaimer | Outdone by Archaeomancer. |
Umbra Mystic | Not enough auras. |
Unquestioned Authority | Insufficient IPM. |
Urabrask the Hidden | Entropic (deadly). Outdone by Orb of Dreams (which also makes stuff like auras enter the battlefield tapped) and Yet Another Aether Vortex. |
Urborg Uprising | “Up to”. |
Vanishing | Confusion regarding the miracle cost, otherwise simple. |
Vanquish | Simple. Entropic (deadly). |