[BFZ] Painful Truths

[Sloth]

Painful Truths
Rare
2B
Sorcery
Converge - Draw X cards and loose X life, where X is the number of colors of mana spent to cast Painful Truths.

from: http://magicblogs.de/news/2015/09/14/exklusive-kampf-um-zendikar-vorschaukarte-schmerzliche-wahrheit/

This card is notable, because other than Ancestral Recall there's no card that unconditionally let's you draw 3 cards for 3 mana without forcing you to discard anything afterwards. I'm aware that this is no Treasure Cruise, but it's serious card advantage.

(And no matter the playability in Vintage, i think this is an interestingly designed card.)

[Wagner]

If this had X in the casting cost, it would have been seriously interesting, but as it is, it's fine, but I doubt it's good enough for Vintage. You need 3 colors and it doesn't work too well with acceleration like Sol Ring or Dark Ritual.

[H]

Perhaps this can see play in some kind of tap out Black/X/X deck in Modern.  It's only worth it if you can pay it in three different colors reliably, otherwise Read the Bones is just a lot better. 

[xouman]

Well, it's potentially a draw 4 or even 5 under spheres/thalia/glowrider, but of course that's not really realistic. However, in christmas land, in a 5c colors, or even humans deck...

Just one question: when was the time somebody tried Infernal Contract?  is not cheap and losing half your life can be painful, but drawing 4 cards is no joke.

[MaximumCDawg]

The word "Sorcery" never made me cringe harder than it does right here on this card.

[serracollector]

Read the Bones is gonna be better ninety nine percent of the time.

[Hrishi]

If only this was an instant, I could see it. As a sorcery though... meh.

[MaximumCDawg]

LSV is gonna do a set review, and he's gonna say something like:
"The painful truth is, this isn't an instant."

So far... and I'm genuinely surprised here... I'm seeing very little that really excites me in Battle for Zendikar.  The Eldrazi are fine, but they feel like they're becoming a stand-in for the Phyrexians rather than being singular huge monsters on their own.  Mechanically, I'm not seeing anything outstanding for eternal.  It feels like a Theros block that is actually fun for standard.  I guess that makes sense after the powerhouse set of Khans.  Oh well.

[Protoaddict]

I am surprised this card is not garnering more attention. I feel like it has engine written all over it. Yes it is sorcery speed but draw 3 with no requirement downside should make up for that right? It even has some advantage over Nights Whisper in that you can scale from 1,2, or 3 cards depending on what you need and your life total.

Even in a world where Treasure cruise is not restricted, I feel like this has to see some play since it does not prevent you from playing Yawgs will? I wonder if there is not a list that can really abuse this. I assume you start with:

4 Painful Truths
4 Nights Whisper
5 Moxen
1 Lotus
1 Ancestral
1 Yawgs will
1 Demonic Tutuor
1 Vampiric Tutor

And from there add some tendrils and some counterspells, but i think instead of relying on rituals you are looking for Colored artifact mana Via moxen, Opal, petal and the like.

[bactgudz]

The funny thing is that if this cost esper and said draw 3/lose 3 I think people would respond better to it.

[Aaron Patten]

It would also probably BE better because you could exile it to Force of Will.

[Tha Gunslinga]

Well, it's potentially a draw 4 or even 5 under spheres/thalia/glowrider, but of course that's not really realistic. However, in christmas land, in a 5c colors, or even humans deck...

Just one question: when was the time somebody tried Infernal Contract?  is not cheap and losing half your life can be painful, but drawing 4 cards is no joke.

http://morphling.de/search.php?type=3&app=10&sorting=DESC&search=infernal+contract&sent=1

Various combo decks have played it over time.  It's not terrible, but the difference between possibly three and definitely 4 cards is pretty heavy, especially since you can Ritual out the Contract.  The life loss is generally not relevant in that sort of deck.

[JACO]

Do you guys realize that Skeletal Scrying still exists, and is still legal?

[Protoaddict]

Do you guys realize that Skeletal Scrying still exists, and is still legal?

And it is not at all relevant.

It costs more CMC at to draw 3 cards, the same to draw 2 cards, and is basically garbage at one card. All of these situations require you to have a graveyard, which painful truths does not, so it can be played around leyline and the like.

Assuming you build your manabase to accommodate, this is just really efficient compared to most options. I would automatically think something like 5 color keeper would want this if it comes back to prominence, but there could be other, more fair style lists I am not thinking about that could easily use this. Perhaps some variant on Dark times where you run this and thought seize along size delver and pyromancer and deaths shadow?

All I am saying is I think this card is far to efficient for very little cost to dismiss.

[vaughnbros]

Do you guys realize that Skeletal Scrying still exists, and is still legal?

Skeletal Scrying costs 1 more mana and forces you to exile cards from your yard.  The latter is particularly problematic with delve spells and yawg will.

[brianpk80]

The best comparison for Sorcery Speed CMC draw in black is Read the Bones, which theoretically had potential but saw no play.  This card is comparable though it has serious problems, like not interacting with Sol Ring and Mana Crypt, cards which would make a tap-out-to-play-nonblue-nonpermanent-draw spell more attractive.  Given Thirst for Knowledge is already outclassed by Dig and Gush, I don't see much room or reason for this card.  Besides, it's Battle for Zendikar.  If it were half-decent in testing, they would have added to the casting cost. 

[serracollector]

I think this card has potential thanks to our friend dr shaman. In bug or jund this could easily have applications. I have a feeling this will have applications in abzhan in standard and modern for sure.

[Protoaddict]

I have no doubt this card will be amazing in standard, legacy, and modern where you don't even have comparable spells. I could even imagine Legacy R/U Delver splashing black just to run this to refill hands, since they do not have access to treasure cruise.

That being said I think a non restricted draw 3 for 3 has many applications, if not now then perhaps in the future. It is not exactly hard to make that kind of mana if you are playing moxen and fetches, and unlike something like thoughtcast it is likely more consistently cast without a critical mass for more reward. Even decks that are primarily 2 colors play fetches. You can include an off color dual and fetch it if you ever need it, with the added flexibility of not requiring the off color to cast it for some benefit.

[serracollector]

I think it also has great use in bomberman that splashes black for bob tasigur and tutors. It can easily replace both bob and thirst. It can easily be three cards off the back of Trinket Mage getting that third color mox and obv will draw you three if you comboed off with salvagers and lotus. Even oath can use this. I really think this card will see a lot more play than ppl think.

[Stormanimagus]

I think it also has great use in bomberman that splashes black for bob tasigur and tutors. It can easily replace both bob and thirst. It can easily be three cards off the back of Trinket Mage getting that third color mox and obv will draw you three if you comboed off with salvagers and lotus. Even oath can use this. I really think this card will see a lot more play than ppl think.

One hilarious interaction is with this in a 4-color Thalia deck. You can intentionally pay 4 colors to draw 4 under your own Thalia. That seems pretty spicey.

-Storm

[brianpk80]

I think it also has great use in bomberman that splashes black for bob tasigur and tutors. It can easily replace both bob and thirst. It can easily be three cards off the back of Trinket Mage getting that third color mox and obv will draw you three if you comboed off with salvagers and lotus. Even oath can use this. I really think this card will see a lot more play than ppl think.

One hilarious interaction is with this in a 4-color Thalia deck. You can intentionally pay 4 colors to draw 4 under your own Thalia. That seems pretty spicey.

-Storm

Best post of the day. 

[vaughnbros]

I think it also has great use in bomberman that splashes black for bob tasigur and tutors. It can easily replace both bob and thirst. It can easily be three cards off the back of Trinket Mage getting that third color mox and obv will draw you three if you comboed off with salvagers and lotus. Even oath can use this. I really think this card will see a lot more play than ppl think.

One hilarious interaction is with this in a 4-color Thalia deck. You can intentionally pay 4 colors to draw 4 under your own Thalia. That seems pretty spicey.

-Storm

Spheres in general are a big reason that this card might actually see play.  If you can readily access 4 or 5 colors of mana this card becomes extremely efficient under them.  5 mana to draw 5 through 2 sphere effects?!?  That card would definitely see play.

The biggest limitation (more so than it not pitching to force and it being a sorcery) is that it costs life, and not a small amount. 

Luckily both the need for access to multiple colors, and the need for gain life are covered by one card, Deathrite Shaman.

[serracollector]

Thank you brian. Also I havent got to test it in Vintage yet but this has been amazing for me in standard. I got my playset at two prereleases and they are nuts. I really like how this lets you choose sometimes. If you need to save a life draw two. Its gonna be silly with moxen in general. Maybe it will get them to unrestrict Thirst magic xmas land.

[Aaron Patten]

Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas

[CHA1N5]

Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas

While this card truly benefits from the B/R Update, Thirst benefits more.

[desolutionist]

I haven't tested the card, but it still generates more card advantage than Thirst for Knowledge.  Is TfK enough to bring back Drains and end-of-turn strategies?  Sort of like Painful Truths, Merchant Scroll into Ancestral Recall proved to be a better draw engine than TfK in the past.

[Protoaddict]

Thirst and Truths are 2 different engines and need to be in different shells.

Thirst is best in a deck that has artifacts that it wants to discard, namely Blightsteel and Things for Salvagers. It is ok in other lists but whatever the list it would need a good amount of artifacts to function well. This card is likely best in Salvagers lists or affinity style decks, and has an easier time going into mono or dual color builds.

Truths is best in a deck that just wants raw card advantage, so something like keeper that will utilize every incremental advantage it gets. Being base black means it is not patchable, which also means it will probably be in more aggro lists. This card is likely best in Tendrils strategies, or perhaps stone-blade lists where you explicitly do not want to discard your artifacts.

[serracollector]

I was actually thinking that Truths would be better in Affinity than Thirst. With Glimmervoid other rainbow lands Mox Opal and the other Moxen and everything being so cheap dropping your hand and refueling with this should be no problem even at sorcery speed. Not like your running other sorceries you need untapped mana for anyways.

[Protoaddict]

Yes but with any affinity builds you also have to contend with the blue suit of cards which includes Ancestral, 4x Thougthcast, Brainstorm, Ponder, DDT, TC, etc. While it is possibly better than thirst I feel like it is no where near better than thoughtcast and at that point your cards are fighting for slots because you also still need your artifacts and wincons

[gkraigher]

So is this card actually good?  I went deep on it (bought 100 copies for .80 cents) because I think it could be a player in some legacy builds (like maverick and jund, potentially esper and grixis now that Dig is banned) and similar decks in modern.  I also thought it would be playable in standard, and did show up in small numbers at the first Starcity event in the top 16 decklists.  I'm planning on selling them the weekend of Pro Tour Milwaulkee, or as I like to call it "peak stupid."  I do it every cycle with undervalued standard cards.

Is this card good enough for Vintage?  That seems to be the breaker these days on a card exploding or staying relatively calm.  For example, recent price explosions on Jace, Vryn's Prodigy and Hangarback Walker made sense because the vintage community recongized the power level of the cards (even quicker than player's of other formats: mad props to the Vintage testers and brewers).  I am sure Dig through Time and Tasigur would be exploding in price too, but there are good reasons why they aren't and won't.