Gitaxian Probe

Sorcery

({UP} can be paid with either {U} or 2 life.)

Look at target player's hand.

Draw a card.

Combos

• Gitaxian Probe + Golgari Grave-Troll + Underworld Breach

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper Duel Commander	Legal
Pauper EDH	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (50)

nbarry223 on Modern Horizons 3 Predictions/Wishlist

1 month ago

I don’t see any cards like Mental Misstep ever returning to the format. It literally became who had the most of them to win counter wars at a certain point. A spell that requires no colors or mana investment just doesn’t have a place in modern.

MH2 elementals and the like at least require the rest of your deck to have that color, where Mental Misstep and Gitaxian Probe do not.

I cannot see a time when either is acceptable ever again. As much as I like phyrexian mana, when have you ever seen someone not pay the 2 life.

legendofa on Ban list day!

1 month ago

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/deck-evolutions-modern-storm

Here's a history of Storm circa 2017. Basically, it's overloaded with rituals and card draw (many of which are still banned, like Seething Song, Gitaxian Probe, Ponder, and Rite of Flame) to cast all the spells, finishing with Grapeshot or Empty the Warrens. So Preordain has a home there, but a lot of the deck's core isn't available.

legendofa on Is WotC Being Cautious About …

1 month ago

In the earliest days, there was Channel giving 19 "free" mana. Force of Will and Necropotence weren't far behind, as a "free" counterspell and "free" draw 19. Life payments then went pretty quiet for a while, until the fetchlands and shocklands came in, followed by Phyrexian mana. Gitaxian Probe and Mental Misstep stand out here. Virtually every time that life payments were allowed to gain an advantage or offset a "standard" cost, it changed the way the game was played.

Basically, you start with 20-40 of a resource that is easily recoverable and is generally spent 1-2 at a time. Even if your opponents are trying to deplete that resource in big chunks, there's no official difference between winning at 20 life and winning at 1 life. You don't get points for having more life left, so might as well use it.

On that line of thought, are there any games where your life total, or the equivalent, is the primary resource?

azja on Yuriko (Optimized) Primer

1 month ago

Hey MrNoCards I actually haven't seen Spy Network before, cool suggestion!

In the "topdeck manipulation" category, I look for 3 things: 1. Does it replace itself? (ex. Ponder) 2. Is it repeatable? (ex. Sensei's Divining Top) 3. Will it guarantee I find a big/useful spell? (ex. Vampiric Tutor)

Spy Network doesn't fit any of these criteria, so I don't think it makes the cut. Gitaxian Probe gets around this because it cantrips and costs 0 mana (both of which are important, I wouldn't play Peek, for example).

Thanks again for the comment!

MrNoCards on Yuriko (Optimized) Primer

1 month ago

Have you considered Spy Network as a top deck manipulator? It could replace Gitaxian Probe to give an additional top deck manipulator and the ability to view your opponent’s hand as well as the top of their library. I have found it to be useful in a pinch. Sorry if it has already been mentioned in a previous comment.

nbarry223 on Do you think The One …

2 months ago

Basically, the decks that aren't running it either can't, or want to win before they'd play it (having too low of a land count to get to 4 mana consistently). Even some that want to win prior to playing it still run it, for example Breach decks are running the card oddly enough.

The decks not running it play a tempo/aggro playstyle, or the inclusion of a 4 mana artifact breaks their strategy (creativity).

Almost every other deck is running the card. It isn't quite as easy to include as something like Gitaxian Probe or Mental Misstep where there's no wall to inclusion, but it is pretty close since it is a colorless card that is pretty easy to slot into almost any deck.

Jabber on Copy fun

5 months ago

Add Gitaxian Probe, Maybe some actual storm cards if you are doing storm any way like Grapeshot. Consider adding Storm-Kiln Artist and Otherworldly Gaze with flash back you have 2 chances to hit it. Hullbreaker Horror is also great. This might let you storm off more Gale, Waterdeep Prodigy. This is an option for damage and to keep gas in the tank Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch

wallisface on Death's Shadow Full Power.

6 months ago

You’re list is already pretty close to existing legacy deaths shadow lists (example here), the big issue your deck will currently face is having waaay too low a land count. Imo you need to get up to 18 lands - remove the Gitaxian Probe for the 4 more you’ll need to perform.