Future sight spoiled: Aven Mindcensor

[merfolkOTPT]

Aven Mindcensor     2w
Creature - Bird Wizard  U

Flash
Flying
If an opponent would search a library, that player searches the top four cards of that library instead.
      
2/1

Assuming this is spoiled correctly as a static ability despite a cost of three seems very playable to me in Fish decks.  Puts the hurt on combo, fetch lands, makes ghost quarter almost a strip mine.   Worth thinking about, even though it isn't confirmed.

[Stamford]

I actually find this card to be, in most cases, equivalent to that of Meddling Mage and/or True Believer.
Seeing that most Vintage players tend to mulligan away hands with Tendrils of Agony unless its a really broken hand.

Anyway, this card gets the ability to stop
Demonic tutor
Grim Tutor
Gifts Ungiven
Vampiric/Mystical/Imperial Seal Tutors
Fetchlands (not really relevant)

Opposing hate like
Extirpate (Not really played, but still significant)
Hide/Seek
Extract
Jester's Cap
Granted, its usage is limited to dealing with combo and combo/control decks only, it should still be good enough.
Its somewhat easy to cast as well, (if you consider Dimir Cutpurse easy, this should be no problem.)
It can be played at the EOT of an opponent's turn, which is good.
However, it can also be played IN RESPONSE to a search effect, which makes it even better. Its essentially card advantage in that sense.
It also makes the chore of removing hard as you really need to draw the lone Chain of Vapor or something in order to remove it.

Nobody wants to comment on this potential creature for U/W/x Fish decks?

[salthecarp]

I think Aven Mindcensor's power/toughness are too low relative to its casting cost to be effective in most aggro-control decks.  It might work better in a more control-heavy deck that can afford to play more mana acceleration and commit more resources to protecting the bird.  It does have a very potent effect, but needs to be backed up by a deck that will stall the opponent enough to make it into play.  With extra counters/disruption to protect it, it also serves as an on-board wiin condition.  It might find a home in something like the 3CC decks being discussed elsewhere on the forum.
-Peter Ambrose

[merfolkOTPT]

I really think this card might allow for a port of something like the Angel Stompy decks of Legacy to Vintage.  With this as a regularly dropped turn 2 card off a 2 colorless land and a plains or a moxen and 2 lands, this becomes very strong.  Probably with a 2 color deck the most potential is seen A blue white slightly higher costed fish deck packing glow rider, this, meddling mage, grunt, equipment, and some more disruption this could be a very good deck with an aggro control feel and not just a reactive 3cc feel.

[demonic effect]

My question about the card is what impact will it have on the format as a whole...  This card, for the most part, will find its way into a deck at some point...  Considering that most of the decks right now are constructed to be streamlined decks using a lot of search spells (which will be stopped pretty much cold) or decks that hate these combo and combo/control decks...  If this is true... then the deck which most effectively uses Aven Mindcensor will be the top deck in the format (since it hates out the most common decks) making the only real competition decks like traditional fish and decks designed to beat those decks.This will obviously lead to an increase in draw, slow the game down, and require decks be less focused (meaning one win condition) to win...  With this in mind, what decks become viable?
xc control?
stax (but what version for this undescribed meta?  MonoRuba to stop the draw?)
Control Oath?
Ichorid
potentially dragon (though it did usually use intuition, Lim-dul's Vault (may still apply but only to 4 cards instead of 5 but with the ability to search another 4?)
Maybe Tog again? except no intuition?
Etc...

any thoughts, comments, etc

[zeus-online]

Relax guys, it costs 3 mana and dies to every creature removal card ever printed - It's not going to wreck the format.
It might get played, but i doubt it will do even half as much as people think.

/Zeus

[runeblayde]

I certainly don't think it will be format altering, but I do believe that it will be showing up in some fish decks, either MD or SB for the combo matchup.  If anything, should it become more prevalent, decks that rely heavily on search will just need to pack their creature removal a little more carefully.  I don't see this as being any more crippling than a meddling mage in most cases, but it certainly is a strong enough ability to warrant consideration.