[POLL] Brainstorm Vs. Serum visions

[BaskingRootWallaIsAwesome]

I personally still think that brainstorm is better although the new FD card serum visions has proved itself to be pretty good.  What do you think?

[johnstown713]

I feel that brainstorm is better.  The scry ability is good but the ability to have any of the 3 top cards or hide something in your hand is just to good.  Serum Visions does seem like a good card that will se play but if given the option I would choose Brainstorm.

Johnstown713

[VGB]

You had a chance for a decent poll, and you ruined it with a question that has an explicit answer.

Were Serum Visions an instant, it would be a different story.

[Ephraim]

By definition, both cards yield the same card advantage: zero. As far as net cards are concerned, your hand size neither increases nor decreases after these are finished resolving.

As far as card quality is concerned, that's a more difficult matter to address. If the general quality of the cards in your deck is very uniform then Brainstorm will yield relatively higher quality cards. Because it digs deeper, it will allow you to select the most relevant of the three top cards and because your deck is uniform, your next two draws will be of acceptable quality. If your deck is not so uniform in quality, then Serum Visions will serve you better. While it gives you no choice concerning the first card you draw, it gives you greater utility regarding the next two draws. If your top three cards are all things you wouldn't want to see in the next turn or so (something that happens less in a uniform deck), Brainstorm can't help you. However, Serum Visions can push you right past that clump of irrelevant cards to more useful material beneath. Of course, this assumes that the deck has cards of sufficiently high quality in it, in the first place, that shunting chaff to the bottom of the library is ever going to help you.

Before anybody pounces on my post and describes the myriad other uses of Brainstorm, please note that I intentionally left those out of the analysis. I compared only what I was asked to, the card advantage (well, with sufficient interpretation to make the answer non-trivial)

[Often Lost]

Seal of Removal.