Gitaxian Probe

Sorcery

( can be paid with either or 2 life.)

Look at target player's hand.

Draw a card.

Discussion (50)

HelloSirIndeed on kess wheels

3 days ago

Oh yeaaa, you should also grab a Gitaxian Probe, no clue how I missed that one, that card was just a mistake lol.

Peoni on Dalakos War of Machines

1 week ago

I'd recommend swapping out Chromatic Lantern, Prophetic Prism, and Worn Powerstone for different rocks. Lantern I don't feel is super necessary in a 2 color deck and I'd even be reluctant to run it in a 3 color deck. Usually it's run to make up for a weak land base or to help super color intensive decks, but your land base is really nice and your deck is a 2 color deck with a colorless focus. The draw from Prophetic Prism is probably going to benefit you less than ramp you'd get from another rock. Finally Powerstone comes in tapped and it's 3 cmc so it's much slower than what we'd probably like our ramp to be.

For Lantern I'd recommend Arcane Signet take its place, for Prophetic perhaps one like Prismatic Lens so you get to keep your mana fixing ability or Mind Stone so you retain the draw. Finally Powerstone could be swapped out for a Talisman of Curiosity. I personally would also swap out Commander's Sphere for an Izzet Signet but I know a lot of people like that you can tap it and then draw off of it so that's up to you.

You might also want some more card draw in this deck, maybe through cantrips like Brainstorm, Gitaxian Probe, and Ponder. There's also Skullclamp since you're running a few 1/1 token producers, and enchantments like Reconnaissance Mission and Coastal Piracy to synergize with your Thopter Spy Network.

I like this deck a lot. Hope this helps! :^)

Spell_Slam on Kiln Fiend!

2 weeks ago

I just want to make sure you're aware that Gitaxian Probe is currently banned in the Pauper format. If you don't follow the ban list, then you might be interested in Daze and Gush as well.

Otherwise, I think you're playing too many protection spells. I would not play Dive down. Maybe think about replacing it maindeck Mutagenic Growth. It can still protect your creatures from burn spells but it also has better offensive ability and is free to cast. Other cheap/free spells you could play are Gut Shot and Lava Dart, which can either ping the opponent or potential blockers.

I don't think you need 10 ways to give double strike. Raking Claws doesn't seem necessary. I could see more card draw like extra Ponders instead.

Flooremoji on Lithoform Enginge: Not Broken, Definitely …

2 weeks ago

DragonSliver9001: While I agree that cards that can fit in a multitude of stratagies are nice to see and definitely add to MTG as a whole, too many of them are bad for the game.

Cards like Arcum's Astrolabe gives every deck the ability to splash for the best cards in the format.

Gitaxian Probe means every deck starts at 56 cards.

Once Upon a Time provides consistency for every deck.

Mental Misstep is an amazing tempo play for every deck.

The key phrase here is 'every deck' Having all of these cards that can see play in any deck just makes every deck the same in so many ways. Especially if the cards are at this power level, all of these cards very much deserved to be banned.

Notice how all of these cards had a non color limiting cost at roughly 1 cmc, and were cantrips or in MMs case an answer. There is almost no opportunity cost to just play 4 of these cards, and your deck will run smoother.

So while yes, having some of these cards is good, when they are too powerful (or too numerous) it just homogenizes a format.

Interestingly, Lithoform Engine is not cheap, an answer, or a cantrip.

tumamaenmondongo on

2 weeks ago

There's a fringe combo archetype call One-Land Spy. It basically plays a single forest, fetchable with Land Grant, a bunch of ways to ramp into Balustrade Spy or Destroy the Evidence to get your whole deck into the graveyard at once. From there, there are plenty of ways to win, typically casting a Haunting Misery for 20 something, retrieving it from the graveyard off Anarchist, casting it by flasbacking Morgue Theft, with mana generated from Songs of the Damned and rituals.

https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/1-land-spy-hard-mode/ That one is a more elaborate version IMO, which wins through looping songs of the damned, to pay for a second loop which could be either Gray Merchant of Asphodel to drain life, or Balustrade Spy to mill your opponent.

The only thing you should be changing from that version is Gitaxian Probe which isn't pauper legal anymore. Replacing those, players are using cantrips like Manamorphose or cycling creatures, mana fixers like Abundant Growth, Springleaf Drum or mana dorks, rituals like Culling the Weak, or even stuff like Commune with Nature to dig for spy.

SynergyBuild on Spellchaser Banlist

4 weeks ago

Daveslab2022 Force of Negation was the better card, as it shut down both recursion on the front of Mystic Sanctuary loops, and Life from the Loam's dredge. It's much more aggressive text is being able to exile.

That being said, Mystic and Loam didn't need an upgrade, they already were together in Simic/Bant piles that were completely unbeatable for other decks statistically in a best of 3.

Those decks were too consistent at setting up engines, and were only preyed on by a Sultai Scapeshift deck running full copies of Force of Negation and Cling to Dust that could exile the loam and targets for Sanctuary. With Mental Misstep in the format, Force of Negation was the better card, and was run as a full playset in effectively any deck just to beat Loam piles.

As is, without Force of Negation, either Life from the Loam needs to go, making Scapeshift/Field of the Dead piles the only viable list, or Mental Misstep needs to go, allowing Cling to Dust to be a viable answer in the format. Banning Mystic Sanctuary and Force of Negation just targets blue too much despite their dominance, as UG piles are the issue, and removing Sanctuary just makes all-in Field of the Dead the goal, which while slightly less powerful, as Cryptic Command loops are easier to set up, they also make each deck a little different, as you have to decide to split the deck for both islands to get to sanctuary or different named lands for Field, or some mix that ends up meaning the deck overall suffers consistency.

I am running Simic Land Control (Bant Field Spellchaser), and the only change in the update is dropping the 4 of Force of Negation and 1 Gitaxian Probe (used to see if your opponent had a force before loaming) for 2 more of Force of Will, a Finale of Revelation, and Archmage's Charm (steals any non-land permanent like a flipped Westvale Abbey  ^Flip or Dark Depths token or counters or draws) and another land.

I also swapped Finale of Glory for Martial Coup and made a few land swaps, but not much else.

Basically, I could swap around a few counterspells, and some lands, and now my deck, the deck that went 43/0 so far against the field, with no game losses, let alone match losses, against any deck other than my own variations of Sultai Scapeshift when I piloted both, is now better due to the ban, despite it being the best deck before the ban.

I mean now the format is less balanced, but I'm down to keep winning!

DeinoStinkus on Riku of two reflections commander

4 weeks ago

Peregrine Drake is a budget Palinchron. And welcome to commander! If you can post a rudimentary deck list I should be able to help a bit more but here's my early thoughts.

Primal Vigor is great in Riku. And don't worry about exclusively adding cards to fit around Riku's ability. For your first few decks the game plan will not be as focused, and that's fine(and honestly more exciting).

I'd look into Thragtusk, Arcane Signet, Gruul Signet, Izzet Signet, Simic Signet, Sol Ring, Mystic Remora, Guardian Project, Seedborn Muse, Wilderness Reclamation, Ponder, Serum Visions, and Gitaxian Probe, just to get started.

If they are within your budget, shock lands like Stomping Ground are nice and very reusable.

Nemesis on Cube additions

1 month ago

Pteramander, Crackling Drake, Enigma Drake, Gitaxian Probe