Potential Card to Kick Vintage In the Nuts

[arctic79]

I just saw this card in the Shards spoiler.

Mindlock Orb   
Artifact
Players can't search libraries.

First off I though wow this stunts all the current and past decks of Vintage.  But what to play it in?  Sligh? Workshop varient?  Really I don't know after playing with decks that rely on tutors (and fetches) where to begin.  All I know is if you can resolve this early your opponent will be in top deck mode for a while. 

[credmond]

That might be a feasible card in an uba bazaar style deck or any workshop prison deck that doesnt rely on any tutors itself. Its basically an artifact version of aven mindcensor except that it knocks out any searching whatsoever.

It will be an especially strong card against long style decks since those pack so many cards that will be shut down by that card (fetches, tutors, gifts, intuition, etc.) and will make the "build up mana and hit rebuild" plan against workshop prison harder to pull off since you won't be able to tutor for it with that card in play.

Since it shuts down fetchlands altogether and boosts the mana denial aspect of workshop prison it is likely strong enough for main deck consideration. It could make uba bazaar very strong.

[arctic79]

Good call on Uba bazaar.  I was thinking of something along those lines.
My thoughts exactly on shutting down long style decks.

[maatn]

I'm a bit hesitant...4 mana isn't such a big problem for workshopdecks, but playing an early Orb means that you're not playing spheres. And spheres are better against all decks than orb. This seems like a perfect card against combo for game 2.

Although cards like this already exist of course. Cards like Mindcensor Aven, Shadow of Doubt and even Psychogenic Probe have potential on paper (some more than others), but do not seem to work out 'in the field'...

[Jo84]

so you wouldn´t play Smokestack, Uba Mask, Juggernaut oder something like that neither cause this would mean you weren´t playing spheres? o.O

Orb is a great card for Staxx... dropping it turn 1 can turn your opponents hand into garbage, as Fetchlands turn into REAL DEAD cards.
Reminds me much of Uba Mask although you can´t abuse Orb as a draw engine as you could with Bazaar/Mask.

[Kotch]

I was dreaming about exactly this card while I was toying with MUD. The synergy with Ghost Quarter is insane!!!


5 Strip MUD :

1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
4 Ghost Quarter
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Mishra's Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
5 moxen
1 mana crypt
1 mana vault
1 sol ring
1 black lotus
27 mana sources

3 karn, silver golem
3 kills

3 powder keg
1 trinisphere
4 chalice of the void
4 sphere of resistance
3 thorn of amethyst
4 smokestack
3 crucible of worlds
4 mindlock orbs
4 tangle wire
30 locks

4 leyline of the void
3 the tabernacle at pendrell vale
1 thorn of amethyst
2 triskelion
2 duplicant
3 razormane masticore
15 sideboard cards

We could easily go more aggro-ish, by adding Juggies/Trikes/Dupes in place of Kegs/1 Thorn.

MUD rules! 

[BigBarn]

This + maralen is pretty nice

[beder]

Although cards like this already exist of course. Cards like Mindcensor Aven, Shadow of Doubt and even Psychogenic Probe have potential on paper (some more than others), but do not seem to work out 'in the field'...

Well, cards like this does not exist as artifact. When it comes to psychogenig probe, in order to get a land or find a global artifact bouce against stax, I am willing to pay 2 life, 4 life or perhaps even 5 ). That's a huge difference.

[The Wolf]

The synergy with Ghost Quarter is insane!!!

What else can you say about that?  This card is going to cause all sorts of trouble.

[Harlequin]

I think this will be a very viable card if the meta becomes Rit-Tendrils Combo vrs Tezz-drain Combo.... as it shuts down both decks (asuming you can answer top-decked threats and bounce).

[meadbert]

Uba Stax just became tier one if not the best deck by far.

[BC]

Uba Stax just became tier one if not the best deck by far.

I don't know if I would say that, but it is definitely the best card Uba Stax has gotten since Uba itself.  With the possible exception of Thorn, this is probably the most Stax-worthy card since Mirrodin block.

[Implacable]

Thoughts, In Order:

1) Not awe-inspiring...

2) ... But very good

3) Better than all other anti-search cards

4) Great in Shops

5) The best NON-Sphere card against combo, and probably Drains too.

[zeus-online]

The ability to deny fetchlands seems rather good.
It needs to hit the table FAST in order to do anything though.

/Zeus

[Nehptis]

I'm convinced that WOTC hates shuffling.  That's why this card exists.  This Orb seems about as fun to play against as 3Sphere.

[Wise]

agreed, man this set is coming up milhouse!

I like the synergy with ghost quarter as well, This also shuts down Tezzeret!

[Raph Caron]

Great card, but the mana cost makes it unplayable outside Workshop decks. Too bad!

[Moxlotus]

Meddling Artifact
4
delta, strand, vamp, mystical, imp, demonic, merchant scroll, and TINKER cannot be played.

Hell yeah.

[Nehptis]

Meddling Artifact
4
delta, strand, vamp, mystical, imp, demonic, merchant scroll, and TINKER cannot be played.

Hell yeah.

And to a lesser extent Trinket Mage, GTutor, Crop Rotation.

Will this Artifact prevent the "search" part of Extirpate from working?

[credmond]

It also neuters top, ponder, impulse, gifts, intuition, strategic planning, land grant.

Oh and indeed it will prevent the search aspect of extirpate from working.

[Moxlotus]

It also neuters top, ponder, impulse, gifts, intuition, strategic planning, land grant.

It does nothing to Top, Ponder, Impulse, and Strategic Planning.  Search!=look

[misslehead3]

This will also stop one of the decks that are undeniably gonna be a top deck, Tezzeret Combo, because if they cant find they're singleton time vault then they lose and its not like your only gonna have like one threat

[ristoman]

Although cards like this already exist of course. Cards like Mindcensor Aven, Shadow of Doubt and even Psychogenic Probe have potential on paper (some more than others), but do not seem to work out 'in the field'...

And on top of that, Aven and Shadow of Doubt cost less, can be played as instants, and have some added value (critter, cantrip).
Yeah, it's another piece for Workshop decks to toy with, but Tangle Wire, Smokestack and the 9 balls already do a fine job. I can't think of a single deck that exploits library searching so much for this to be an inclusion.

[credmond]

Ristoman, this card hits 14-15 cards in the current list of TPS. That's a lot.  It also shores up a weakness in shop prison decks (namely tutor for rebuild).

[Xyre]

Wow. Stopping tutors, Tinker, Gifts, Intuition, fetches, and turns Ghost Quarter into unrestricted Strip Mine (which is especially good b/c the primary solution to Workshop decks players like Menendian use is to sideboard basics).

I definitely think it's better than Tangle Wire.

[zeus-online]

This card has the potential to just blow the opponent away....since he can't fetch, that's what i'm worried about.

The problem for long-ish decks will probably be to topdeck the necessary bounce in time.

/Zeus

[slyfer]

Funny to play in a format with
1) icorid still alive and tier1
2) artifact with 9 spheres 4 wasteland 5 strip mine....
3) ritual combo with 6 bargain-fx (necro, bargain, 4 ad nauseam)
very funny!
thanks wizard!
Blue mages say THANK YOU!

[Nefarias]

I wouldn't get too excited just yet. Considering all the colored artifacts in the set, I could easily see this costing  . The guy giving off all the spoilers on Salvation right now is being very cryptic. I'm not saying it isn't  , but it could go either way.

It would still be playable, but manabases would need to be restructured rather than just being able to throw this into any sort of mono-brown or mono-R Stax deck. It would also severely limit the possibility of it hitting first turn.

[Vegeta2711]

If the card was one mana it'd be good. It doesn't, so it isn't. Pretty simple.

[Wagner]

Funny to play in a format with
1) icorid still alive and tier1
2) artifact with 9 spheres 4 wasteland 5 strip mine....
3) ritual combo with 6 bargain-fx (necro, bargain, 4 ad nauseam)
very funny!
thanks wizard!
Blue mages say THANK YOU!

Why should blue always be the color with the best cards set after set? Yes so it has hard machtups against all these decks, is that a reason to stop printing good cards that aren't blue? There have been a lot of ridicolous blue cards in the past and white and green players had to deal with that even though they didn't get as many good cards.

That or they choose to play the best decks, whether they were blue or not.