Why doesn't Isochron scepter see more play

[Protoaddict]

Was giving this some thought the other day. In any given blue deck, isochron scepter can be:

Imprinted with Ancestral recall for a draw 3 every turn
Imprinted with Brainstorm for unreal card quality
Imprinted with a 1-2 mana counter to win counter wars
Imprinted with Mystical tutor for a tutor every turn
Untapped with Voltaic Key
Untapped with Tezz
Fetched with Tezz
Fetched with Tinker
Sacced to Tinker

List goes on, and that is just base blue, imprinting a lightning bolt is also a feasible thing.

Now considering most base blue decks are running tinker, brainstorm, ancestral, and some counters, why is this card not seeing play, if even as a 1 of?

I am not proposing a list here or anything, but concerning this one card, it just feels like is so strong and being very overlooked right now. Is there something I am missing about it? A reason I don't see it played all that much?

[A.-1.]

The main reasons it has never seen play -- it's too slow and destroyed easily -- have always been true. Now, Phyrexian Revoker exists at all.

Imprinted with Brainstorm for unreal card quality

Just play Jace instead.

[gkraigher]

It costs 4 mana and two cards to cast a card that costs 1 or 2 mana. 

That makes it slow, and easily two for oned. 

[evouga]

The main reasons it has never seen play -- it's too slow and destroyed easily -- have always been true. Now, Phyrexian Revoker exists at all.

Imprinted with Brainstorm for unreal card quality

Just play Jace instead.

Right. The main problem with it is the opportunity cost: if you're playing it for 4 (since playing it for 2 is begging to be two-for-oned), you could have played Jace instead, and in most cases Jace is more useful and less fragile than your instant on a stick.

[dangerlinto]

Isochron Scepter would be a great card if games were all guaranteed to last long enough that you could afford to spend 2 mana and exile a card in your hand to continue to pay for that every turn. Then there might be possibilities to see a return on that kind of investment - but most games don't let you invest that much into any of the effect you listed. Even Ancestral (ok - maybe recall would be good - but the combo wouldn't be worth the setup).  

If time walk were an instant, it would be worth trying to get it set up, just like Key + Vault is.

[Zherbus]

Isochron Scepter also suffers from the 'creature enchantment curse'. It's too easy to get 2-for-1'd, even before it hits the board.

[Wagner]

With Brainstorm restricted, there also aren't THAT many things to put on it. If you want to put a drain, you have to wait until you have 4 mana. Also, you'll sometimes get to the point where you had to use your Recall, Drain or whatnot earlier and you get stuck with an Isochron with nothing relevant to Imprint.

Also, as said, it's an artifact, the most hated permanent type, most people pack a couple of hate for that maindeck, if I was to use Isochron in a deck, I would side them out all the time because once they have been seen, they'll be facing even more hate.