[Single Card Discussion] Dimir Machinations

[Norm4eva]

I found this card on the MTGNews spoiler:

Dimir Machinations
2B
Sorcery

Look at the top three cards of target player's library.  Remove any number of those cards from the game, then put the rest back in any order.
Transmute 1BB (1BB, discard this card; Search your library for a card with the same converted mana cost as this card and put it in your hand.  Play this only as a sorcery.)

Sorcery speed, virtually uncounterable means of getting Tinker and Yawg Will.  It also happens to be a spell that does other random crap, but who cares?
Based on previous restrictions I have to assume that this one gets axed on principle alone.  You can't just throw four copies of this in along with the same volley of tutors/wishes/etc.  Am I right?  Does this one get axed incredibly quickly?  Or is that extra B in the Transmute cost actually going to keep it in check?

[Polynomial P]

Grim tutor is coming into the format unrestricted at a cost of 1BB. Yes, it can be countered but most players do not counter the tutor, they counter the threat. This is not going to get restricted until someone breaks it. Comparing this card to Grim tutor, Grim can be cast from the graveyard off a will, whereas this is worthless in the yard.

The problem will be if the multitude of tutors for will and tinker become a problem that starts to dominate the format, but it wont be restricted until that happens.

[49 Cents]

Grim tutor is coming into the format unrestricted at a cost of 1BB. Yes, it can be countered but most players do not counter the tutor, they counter the threat. This is not going to get restricted until someone breaks it. Comparing this card to Grim tutor, Grim can be cast from the graveyard off a will, whereas this is worthless in the yard.

+ The fact that Grim is a spell and this one isn't could also matter in storm combo..

The blue one also has options (Oath for instance), get Oath uncounterable, get Time Walk, etc. And it could act as a (not THAT bad of a) counterspell..

The wording is kinda weird through.. Don't you have to reveal it?

[Tash]

The wording is kinda weird through.. Don't you have to reveal it?

I think they made it a manditory rule, when you search for anything that just doesn't say "Any card" (I.E. Vamp tutor, Demonic Tutor) then you have to reveal. You know so someone doesn't cheat.

[Ape]

The blue one also has options (Oath for instance), get Oath uncounterable, get Time Walk, etc. And it could act as a (not THAT bad of a) counterspell..

Muddle the Mixture  UU
Instant 
Counter target instant or sorcery spell.
Transmute 1UU (1UU, Discard this card: Search your library for a card with converted mana cost equal to this card's, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery.)

This card won't get you Oath or Walk, though you can use it in, lets say, Tog or even GAT. Muddle the Mixtures can get you Cunning Wish, Tinker, Intuition, Psychatog and other cards. Tutor away!

EDIT: Yay, nevermind that. I suck at reading magic cards.

Ape.

[Jacob Orlove]

The blue one also has options (Oath for instance), get Oath uncounterable, get Time Walk, etc. And it could act as a (not THAT bad of a) counterspell..

Muddle the Mixture  UU
Instant 
Counter target instant or sorcery spell.
Transmute 1UU (1UU, Discard this card: Search your library for a card with converted mana cost equal to this card's, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library. Play this ability only any time you could play a sorcery.)

This card won't get you Oath or Walk, though you can use it in, lets say, Tog or even GAT. Muddle the Mixtures can get you Cunning Wish, Tinker, Intuition, Psychatog and other cards. Tutor away!

Ape.

Muddle's mana cost: UU. Muddle's converted mana cost: 2. The transmute ability costs 3 mana, but it can only fetch you 2cc cards.

[jcb193]

I love these cards....but jeez....if games didnt take long enough already.  Combined with fetchlands and tutor effects, people won't even have to draw cards from the library anymore 

I noticed how much magic has slowed down when i played multiplayer for the first time in years.  The three of us had a combined 16 fetchlands, 8 brainstorms, 10 tutors.  I got so bored waiting for my turn.  I can't imagine what it would be like these days to try an 8 player casual multi game.

[49 Cents]

@ Ape: What Jacob said. You can.. Heck, if you'd run 4 you could even run a single Living Wish to get an Orchards..

[TheAlpha]

@ Ape: What Jacob said. You can.. Heck, if you'd run 4 you could even run a single Living Wish to get an Orchards..

That makes 2UUG to get a single Orchard, I think no one is willing to play a 5 mana sorcery Orchard.

[Bastian]

The blue one also has options (Oath for instance), get Oath uncounterable, get Time Walk, etc. And it could act as a (not THAT bad of a) counterspell..

It can get Oath, Balance, Burning Wish, Demonic Tutor, Time Walk, Jitte, Mana Drain... and it can counter sorceries for UU. Good for countering that random Tinker, Balance, Will and other things you really don't want your opponent playing.

The set seems to be so crappy that Muddle the Mix might just be the only decent card for Vintage, and this only if players happen to find space to tuck it in!

[elias]

Hey, it looks like we can break the Lotus Eye Diamond again with this one.

At least LED is restricted this time around.

[Dozer]

Transmute is just another take on cycling. Can anyone see why they didn't call it "card cycling" similar to "<land>cycling"? At least we would have gotten some decent triggers.

Good for countering that random Tinker, Balance, Will and other things you really don't want your opponent playing.

But much worse than Counterspell, Duress or even Mana Leak. The additional possibility to cycle it for another 2cc card which is most likely a counterspell itself or a tutor is worthless. If this cycled for a 3cc card, yes, I could see some applications. For two, not so much.

Also, I am not sure if the set really will be crappy. With all the Gold flying, some things will be coming our way and if not, at least T4 is going to get some good stuff, I think.

Dozer

[Bastian]

I can see this being use as a tutor more often than it'll be used as a counterspell, but it has some advantages over Cunning Wish and it's also blue, meaning that it's pitchable to FoW. I foresee that this'll be played.

I cannot say for the rest of the set, from which half is already spoiled. I know type 1 doesn't take more than one or two cards from a set to have something making an impact (think Orchard or Gifts), but I'm more concerned about the impact of this in Legacy: almost none! I see Loxodon, I see the new bolt being kind of useful... and well... perhaps this blue counter. But let's face it, it's nothing spectacular.

[Lunar]

what about muddle in something like dragon?  Dragon already runs FoW so this is pitchable to it, and you can grab nifty little things like animate dead and demonic tutor along with upping your counter element slightly...just a thought of course with absolutly no testing behind it, heh. could work I suppose.

[Liam-K]

Muddle costs 1UU, is not an instant, does not directly impact game state, and is strictly inferior in combo.  About the only thing it has going for it is being blue.  The counterspell is strictly inferior and should not be considered, weak but flexible is still weak.

For the time walk play, paying 2UUU at sorcery speed really should Win Right Now, I don't think this does.  You sort of have to tinker out a DSC before time walk wins the game, and if you're going that route you're probably going gifts everywhere and have no need of Muddle to do it.

IMO it's a 1-of in bad decks and it doesn't have the performance potential for a playable sorcery.  That black card is terrible and would never be played over grim tutor.

[forests failed you]

This is type one people.  I'd much rather play with all good cards, rather than good cards and slow, awful, bad cards that tutor for good cards.  Three Mana tutors for Yawgmoth's Will and Tinker harldly seem to be as good as many of the other options combo has available to it at the moment.  For instance, Grim Tutor which gets ANYTHING.  Plus, it counts for storm, whereas these tutors do not.

[Skynyrd]

The only deck I'd even consider Muddle the Mixture in is Oath, since it's an uncounterable tutor effect for Oath. I'm not, however, convinced that it is good enough to warrant a maindeck spot over counterspell. If only you could Transmute as an instant...

[forests failed you]

Yes, if Transmute were an instant it would be savage.  In response to you casting a spell, tutor for Mana Drain; and if you didn't cast anything, EOT go get a broken spell.  That would clearly be different and quite good.  However, tapping mana during my turn to get a counterspell or an Oath I don't have Mana to defend that turn seems not nearly so good.