Urza's Bauble Boggle

[James, Wizard Naive]

I am slowly forming a Type I multiplayer deck in my mind that attempts to kill all of my opponents with Iron Maiden, Viseling, and/or Black Vise. There will be mana acceleration to place some "Vise" as soon as possible and then universal "return" spells like Evacuation, Upheaval, and/or Sunder to keep oponents' hands full and their threats away from me. Anyway, I want to know if Urza's Bauble will in some way "concentrate" my deck, or is it just a distraction? Has anybody used it?

Urza's Bauble, Artifact, Casting Cost: 0;
T, Sacrifice Urza’s Bauble: Choose a card at random from target player’s hand and look at that card. You draw a card at the beginning of the next turn’s upkeep.

 

[Jigglypuff]

The Bauble probably won't hurt you if you use it simply as a cheap cantrip and don't expect anything else from it. I like the Bauble for that very reason (and the fact that it costs 0). As long as you remember to draw the card on the next upkeep (not your next upkeep, but the very next upkeep step).

(- Steve -)

 

[Spiderman]

I'd include red and go with Wheel of Fortune to refill your opponents hands. Maybe some type of mana denial with Manabarbs or Winter Orb.

If you want to get really crazy you can include Megrim for its effect with Wheel of Fortune

 

[Mikeymike]

I wouldn't bother with the Bauble. The Vise/Maiden wants cards in their hand, so its 'peek' effect will simply be looking at too many cards to be truly effective. Blue's just got better card drawing options that run cheap. I do think its pretty good with Cabal Therapy though, but that's a different deck.

If you are going to run universal return cards, Anvil of Bogardan kills the hand restriction size for everyone, so and EOT Sunder will royal screw your opponents. Just be sure you've got a good way to attack graveyards in case they discard something you don't want in the GY.

If you are bouncing lands, cheap artifact accel (Grim, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Sapphire Medallion, and of course Tolarian Academy) are good ideas as they allow you to recover quickly.

You might want to splash red too, almost strictly for Blood Oath (which is particularly nice with Sunder and telepathy)

 

[train]

I liked to run Lodestone Baubles... Those were the days!!!...

 

[BigBlue]

Better Cards available than the bauble -

Anvil of Bogarden (no one gets a discard, other than one during draw step)
Howling Mine (fills their hands, and every turn cantrip for you)
Stasis, kismet, winter orb, ... slows 'em down.

I personally play stasis, but the deck rarely sees the light of day, it gets hammered upon recognition.

I play stasis with mines, vise, viseling, maiden, chronotog (skip turns to avoid paying upkeep), (can't recall the name - Ice Age land cumulative upkeep 2 life, all damage dealt to you is reduced to 0) Glacial Crevasse??, annoying stuff like that.

I would most definately run the bauble with Cabal Therapy.