Sensei's Divining Crazp

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MrPapersHead

Guest
Here is the card in question:

Card Name: Sensei’s Divining Top
Cost: 1
Type: Artifact
Rules Text: 1: Look at the top three cards of your library, then
put them back in any order.
T: Draw a card, then put Sensei’s Divining Top on top
of its owner’s library.
Rarity: Uncommon


I have to just have this need to rant about this card and see what other people think of it. It is all up on us now, and my sanity may never be the same again. In my humble Budoka opinion, it is seeing way more play than it shoud.

I do have to admit that ther are good things about the card. Any deck playing colors that do not have easy access to card drawing will love this card. What is better than a 1 drop simple filter card, that can let you top-deck the spell you need to gain control of the board? The main problem is that when you encounter 3 land on your searching you are basically SOL. This is because, unlike the Blue counter-part, you can't shufflitize. This makes you a very sad Panda as you watch those land inevitablely come into your hand when you already have more than enough in play....if only it Scryed (but maybe that would be too good). And on one last good note, we have already seen that this card can have some crazy interactions with storm, as MaGo has shown us a few weeks ago.

The problem I run into is that I keep seeing it in colors like BLUE and BLACK! The two colors that have more card drawing spells between the two of them than green has actual spells that you would be willing to admit you had cast in some form or another. The card creates no card advantage...and did I mention it doesn't need to be in B or U? It is by no means a discount card advatage warehouse....in fact it's not even a discount card advatage tool-shed. You think something that came from a Sensei would be a little bit more helpful. I mean, even Mr. Miyagi's cryptic saying at least meant something eventually.

But I guess the fault lies at the level of R&D. Let's take a peak at what might have gone on at the time of creation at our card:

Wizards Design Monkey #1: Okay, one card left before break...I got it, lets Create a card drawing tool in artifacts again, to give players in green, red, and white some help. People love us and begin to give buyback head again.

Wizards Design Monkey #2: Hmmm, I think you are right. And Green is also tasty...Hey wait! Doesn't It have that card Plow Under? That card was awesome!

Wizards Design Monkey #3: You only say that cause you designed it. You do realize there are others card right? Now can we just finish this damn card so we can go to lunch.

Wizards Design Monkey #2: Lunch tastes almost as good as Green. In fact, we should have Green for lunch! That would be the most awesomest thing ever! And then we could use forests as toothpicks! I am a Genius!

Wizards Design Monkey #1: This is going nowhere....Screw it, Plow Under + Artifact + Card Draw = We go to lunch!

Wizards Design Monkey #3: Done and done.
 

Oversoul

The Tentacled One
I can't think of deck's I'd really want to use it in. I do know that we need to break Elemental Augery, which does more than this silly thing, but is also three colors...
 
M

MrPapersHead

Guest
Card Title: Elemental Augury
Card Type: Enchantment
Cost: UBR
Card Text: 3: Look at the top three cards of target player's library.
Put them on the top of that player's library in any
order.


The only reason I would even say that this onw could be good is that you can start stacking your opponent's draws. As far as making it bah-roken....not sure if that is even possible, unless you do something crazy with Land's Edge/Seismic Assault and Storm Cauldron. Then this could make sure your opponent can't hurt you back, and you get damage at them all up in their face.................
 
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MrPapersHead

Guest
Does anyone else have an opinion, or should I just take it for granted Oversoul knows what you all are thinking?
 
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MasterSimon

Guest
Sensei’s Divining Top is ment for Standard.
There is a lot of cards in Extended and Vintage that are a lot better than Sensei’s Divining Top but in Standard doesn't have as much. Serum Visions is about the only other card i can think of that i would use in blue...Magma Jet for red...In a casual T2 death deck i may use Lose Hope...thats bout it...
 

Oversoul

The Tentacled One
Cards should not be "meant for Standard." Sure, it's the most popular tournament format, but if it was all that R&D focused on, I think there would some major problems even compared to what we already have...

This Divining Top isn't amazing, but it can get a job done. Sure, it's not Masticore, but it's not Gray Ogre either...
 
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MasterSimon

Guest
Originally posted by Oversoul
Cards should not be "meant for Standard." Sure, it's the most popular tournament format, but if it was all that R&D focused on, I think there would some major problems even compared to what we already have...

This Divining Top isn't amazing, but it can get a job done. Sure, it's not Masticore, but it's not Gray Ogre either...
if they don't make things for standard then standard tourney play wouldn't be vary fun now would it ;-p
why make cards for formats that already have a lot of variations of the same card when you can make cards for a format wich doesn't get the same card pool =/
 
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MasterSimon

Guest
Originally posted by Oversoul
Why would you ever make cards to fit only a single format to begin with?
Didn't i just say becasue the format doesn't have as big of a card pool =/
A LOT of people play standard and i am sure they wouldn't be to happy with a card pool of p00p =/
While Vintage and Extened already have more than they need =/
 
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MrPapersHead

Guest
The card for standard don't have to bad. But Wizards should understand that Standard ins't the only format played, Casual Plyaers such as ourselves make up the larger population, where Type: Fun is played. If they make cards that are only good in 1 enviornment, and don't have the ability to move into other realms of the game, Wizards is hurting both the players and themselves all at the same time.

Also not playtesting things hurts everyone too. Just look at Arcbound Ravager and Reverse the Sands.
 
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Chaos Turtle

Guest
The ridiculous "why make a card for standard" argument aside, I think the Divining Top is most useful in a controllish blue deck. You don't use it for card drawing, you use it for card selection.

It lets you have your choice of any one of the top three cards of your library. Combined with any effect that shuffles your library, it becomes quite useful. You only use it to draw a card if you really need that card right away, since there's the obvious drawback of losing your next draw by redrawing the Top.

Think of it as a somewhat weaker but reuseable Brainstorm, which is blue, and which is usually quite popular amongst controlling blue mages in formats where it's legal.

The Top is not a power card by any means, but it does have its uses, and will prove essential in decks that can take advantage of the improved card selection.
 

Oversoul

The Tentacled One
I agree with that, although the Top is no Brainstorm by any means. But it can serve a useful function.

I do NOT think that it was designed exclusively for Standard. I think it is a HORRIBLE idea to design a card for a specific format, rather than the game as a whole. It has been done before although not outright.

The best example I can think of right now is Chalice of the Void. That was definitely aimed at Vintage. But it was still not fully exclusive (and it also caused some problems in the format, but that's not the issue).

A card made specifically for Standard would probably be even worse than a card made exclusively for Vintage, actually. It would rotate out and then... :(
 

Oversoul

The Tentacled One
Pale Moon and Wintermoon Mesa are atrocities that are useless everywhere, not just in Standard...

I would include Sheltering Prayers, but at least it could hose LD...
 
R

Rooser

Guest
I'm not quite sure why you're so dead set against designing cards for a particular format. Frankly I think it gives them more room to make more "good" cards. Logistics prevent you from making a truckload of powerful cards in every set, but rather than just print a truckload of crap you can print a bunch of cards that have a home somewhere but not everywhere. Of course the cherries on top are those cards that are good everywhere, or "made for the game in general."

Frankly I think if they didn't tailor their product to service the many different ways to play the game, then the game in general would become bland. If every card was made to just work anywhere, then every format would be the same, and that would eliminate the variety and replay value presented by having multiple formats.
 
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