Izzet Charm

[Meddling Mike]

So I saw this here.

This seems like an interesting card. It's your choice of a Spell Pierce, Dead from the split card Dead//Gone or an Instant speed Careful Study. All of which cost one mana where this card costs two. Beyond that, it's two colors. On the one hand I could see this being another interesting alternative to Thirst for Knowledge. Need to dump a bot in the yard or need some gas more than these excess lands in hand? No Problem. No bots right now? Hold it up as a counter. Dark Confidant seems like a hot card right now, this card can take him down. On the other hand I could see this being a like a Cryptic Command where it's very flexible but just too expensive to be a Vintage staple.

So far, none of the Slaver facilitators has been able to do the job of Thirst for Knowledge, but this card gives me hope.

[vaughnbros]

So far, none of the Slaver facilitators has been able to do the job of Thirst for Knowledge, but this card gives me hope.

Well solely for the purpose of welder.  It is an instant which is probably the most important thing.  It is also only 2 mana, thirst, frantic search, forbidden alchemy, are all 3 mana.  I think the versatility of this allows it to actually be a 4 of though, unlike frantic search and alchemy which dumping cards is pretty much all they are good at.

The best deck for this right now though seems to be landstill.  It's a deck that loves to pack tons of counterspells, this is a counter, its a deck that needs an answer to bob, this answers bob, and its also a deck that can end up with nearly dead cards in its hand, flusterstorm in some match ups, standstill when you are behind, lands in hand with crucible is in play, ect.

[MaximumCDawg]

This card is playable because it's an instant.  Wait till end of turn, if you needed the Counterspell, great, if not, burn out Bob or dig into your deck.  I like it, and I daresay it might be straight-up better than Fire // Ice as long as your deck habitually has UR sitting around.

[serracollector]

Well lets be honest all you really need is RED up, since any deck that would run this is only gonna run Blue Duals/Islands anyways.  So essentially its CC is 1R.

[oshkoshhaitsyosh]

Oh man I can not wait for this one 

[credmond]

Landstill, with its 9-10 colorless mana lands, often winds up relying somewhat on colorless mana in the early game, so fire/ice is a lot easier to cast than this charm. Something to consider for landstill in particular.

Well lets be honest all you really need is RED up, since any deck that would run this is only gonna run Blue Duals/Islands anyways.  So essentially its CC is 1R.

[Saya]

nice light card.at opengame,be a pierce or shock for dark confidant. at endgame,be a looter discarding 2 surplas lands.but it will become a paper against MUD,which is the fault i worry about

[Blue Lotus]

Would rather it be draw 2 discard 1 with no other modes.

[vaughnbros]

Would rather it be draw 2 discard 1 with no other modes.

So you'd rather have a Pulse of the Grid for UR that doesnt recur?

[Ten-Ten]

At first glance this card seems "cool" but c'mon it's slower than pierce; fire//ice is just better, and do we really need more card disadvantage?...

also, does not kill Jace,Tms.

[brokenbacon]

IMO this is pretty goddamn fantastic.

[serracollector]

When I first saw this I wasn't thinking landstill honestly.  I was thinking maybe in welder/strix/bob control.  Its on color, can burn the mirror or fish critters, can be a soft counter vs a lot, and can help filter for welder and synergizes well with bob.  Also, only flips for 2 damage vs the 4 of fire/ice.  The fact that it can stop an early oath make it better than fire/ice.

[Meddling Mike]

At first glance this card seems "cool" but c'mon it's slower than pierce; fire//ice is just better, and do we really need more card disadvantage?...

also, does not kill Jace,Tms.

Yeah, it's slower than Spell Pierce, but it's considerably more flexible than Spell Pierce, that's gotta warrant some sort of casting cost increase right? If it was as fast as Spell Pierce and still did everything it does it would be amazingly good. The question is really whether the added flexibility of the card warrants doubling the CMC of the 3 spells it emulates. I disagree that Fire//Ice is just better, or at the very least I'd say that's debateable. Fire can go to the dome or kill two X/1 creatures which Charm can't do. Ice can buy you a turn against a Blightsteel Colossus on board or take an opponent off mana they left up for a counter EOT while drawing you a card, which Charm can't do. Fire//Ice can also be easier on the mana as you can aggressively cycle it without the red. On the other hand, Charm can counter that early Tinker that put that Blightsteel Colossus into play in the first place. Also, such problematic cards as Jace, Ancestral, Time Walk, etc. as well. These are all big deals that Fire//Ice doesn't really cope with that Charm concievably can. Putting any Welder/Graveyard synergy aside, if at any point in the game you're digging for an answer or stuck with some dead cards the penetration and "Virtual Card Advantage" it provides are definitely more relevant than the card neutrality of Ice. Dead cards happen a lot in Vintage. In every format you deal with mana flood and uncastable spells, but just thinking about the Workshop matchup, cards that get locked out by chalice, cards that you're never reasonably going to be able to cast through there spheres, etc. There's also cards in many control decks that are never actually intended to be cast from hand. Blightsteel Colossus being the most glaring example. I can think of a few situations where Fire//Ice is better certainly, but I can think of MANY more where Izzet Charm is the superior card. Does the mana considerations of not being able to cast it off Mox Emerald and Volcanic Island make up the difference? Possibly. The answer probably depends on the deck it's being played in and the metagame.

Well lets be honest all you really need is RED up, since any deck that would run this is only gonna run Blue Duals/Islands anyways.  So essentially its CC is 1R.

Although this isn't especially clunky or anything, as I mentioned in the above, I think the off color moxes or any off color lands make the UR CC a real thing

Would rather it be draw 2 discard 1 with no other modes.

So you'd rather have a Pulse of the Grid for UR that doesnt recur?

I probably would. See Beyond is almost good enough and it's a sorcery and doesn't put anything in the graveyard.

The question about this card's playability or unplayability is going to revolve around whether the added utility justifies the cost increase. Sometimes, it's a good deal like with Jace TMS. Sometimes, it's not like with Cryptic Command. I'm personally looking forward to playing around with this card.

[Saya]

The strength of pierce is being 1cc.Izzet charm's additional cost R is so fatal.Charm,nevertheless,is very flexible.I like this card and believe it's playable.

[mikekilljoy]

The strength of pierce is being 1cc.Izzet charm's additional cost R is so fatal.Charm,nevertheless,is very flexible.I like this card and believe it's playable.

I think that is also the weakness of Spell Pierce, as this can't be countered by Mental Misstep.

[Cruel Ultimatum]

The strength of pierce is being 1cc.Izzet charm's additional cost R is so fatal.Charm,nevertheless,is very flexible.I like this card and believe it's playable.

I think that is also the weakness of Spell Pierce, as this can't be countered by Mental Misstep.

The weakness of spell pierce is flusterstorm.

[Blue Lotus]

Would rather it be draw 2 discard 1 with no other modes.

So you'd rather have a Pulse of the Grid for UR that doesnt recur?

Yes. I would also rather have ponder over omen.

[vaughnbros]

Would rather it be draw 2 discard 1 with no other modes.

So you'd rather have a Pulse of the Grid for UR that doesnt recur?

Yes. I would also rather have ponder over omen.

Ponder isnt multicolored and omen doesnt recur, but I'll give you this one.

[hvndr3d y34r h3x]

I'd rather play mana drain 90% of the time

[gkraigher]

Its a really good card, but it does very little vs. shops.  Still, it will definitely see vintage and legacy play. 

It makes me wonder (1) if we have 9 more of these in store and (2) how good those are going to be. 

[Meddling Mike]

Its a really good card, but it does very little vs. shops.

Casting it makes the mana base a bit shakier, since you probably have to fetch up a volcanic rather than a basic, but I wouldn't say it does very little. It can counter any of their noncreature spells, kill their Welder, Revoker or Factory or help you get rid of your expensive uncastable spells for cheaper more effective ones like Hurkyl's.