This card is just going to get banned in Standard and probably immediately on the "Game Changer" list in Commander, which means it'll be on the watch list for banning there too. This is better than Stroke of Genius. It's better than many Green X Creature cards. You know what? It's better than Stroke of Genius combined with an X elemental creature card, because it has flash and vigilance and flying, and because it's last ability locks entire deck archetypes out of using their best cards.
Statistically, if you bought Booster Packs until you pulled one of these cards, it would be worth about $10, but people have drove the price up to $65 on TCGPlayer already, even though I'm positive he will be banned by the 3 months from now when the next banned list is posted.
It makes no sense for the company to print cards that get banned 3 months later in the two leading formats, but I assure you this guy will be banned in Standard within the next 3 to 6 months, because blue drawing this many cards and strangling the other colors to death is completely unfair.
Anyway, until they do ban it, I'm obviously adding one copy of him to my Commander deck.
Updates
6 mo
This is one of the most powerful blue cards ever printed. It might even rival "Power Nine" cards in cost-effectiveness.
Updates
6 mo
Based on the "Rule of Four" method some pro gamers use for evaluating cards, this creature when cast for X=0 has a Cost of 6 (4 for the card and 2 for the mana) and a total value of 11 when cast with X=0.
When Cast with X=4, it has a cost of 10 and a value of 19.
This definitely means this card is similar to the Power Nine in Cost Effectiveness.
MTG/Wizards of the Coast. Why does the company print cards like this?
My guess is for the people who know how to use it to use it well and take advantage of it to get some more variety and see what happens. Also I’m sure they know not everyone who gets there hands on this card will end up playing competitively.
Well, if a person is not playing competitively and they drew one of these, they should probably sell it. The market seems to show competitive gamers are willing to pay $65 each for them, which pays for ten more packs of cards, or pays for a Video Game for goodness sake.
1, the opponent put their spell or trigger on the stack to "search" (such as a land fetch or a tutor). 2, You get priority. So on your priority you announce the Owl "in response" using its Flash ability as an Instant, and put it on the stack, paying whatever costs you want to pay. 3, The owl enters and you draw your cards for X. 4, The Owl is on the battlefield, so when the original player's tutor or land fetch resolves, you get a trigger to put a +1/+1 counter and draw a card (it goes on the stack and people can respond to this trigger.)
At worst, this is a slightly weaker Rhystic Study for just UU with Flash when X=0. At best, this will probably be cast with X=2 or X=4 quite often, which is still going to be a quite BROKEN and over-powered Flash creature card.
I added "Spirit Water Revival" and this bird to my Vivi Ornitier Commander deck already.
I'm trying to figure out what the cut out of my deck to add Redirect Lightning and two other red spells to my deck. Redirect Lightning, played at the right moment, can hose Aetherflux Reservoir.
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My guess is for the people who know how to use it to use it well and take advantage of it to get some more variety and see what happens. Also I’m sure they know not everyone who gets there hands on this card will end up playing competitively.
Well, if a person is not playing competitively and they drew one of these, they should probably sell it. The market seems to show competitive gamers are willing to pay $65 each for them, which pays for ten more packs of cards, or pays for a Video Game for goodness sake.
Yeah if you just like collecting or opening packs this one is definitely a good find.
Thats a nice card for my commander deck😅. Just too expensive.
would the last effect trigger when flashed in response to a search effect?
yes.
1, the opponent put their spell or trigger on the stack to "search" (such as a land fetch or a tutor).
2, You get priority. So on your priority you announce the Owl "in response" using its Flash ability as an Instant, and put it on the stack, paying whatever costs you want to pay.
3, The owl enters and you draw your cards for X.
4, The Owl is on the battlefield, so when the original player's tutor or land fetch resolves, you get a trigger to put a +1/+1 counter and draw a card (it goes on the stack and people can respond to this trigger.)
At worst, this is a slightly weaker Rhystic Study for just UU with Flash when X=0.
At best, this will probably be cast with X=2 or X=4 quite often, which is still going to be a quite BROKEN and over-powered Flash creature card.
I added "Spirit Water Revival" and this bird to my Vivi Ornitier Commander deck already.
I'm trying to figure out what the cut out of my deck to add Redirect Lightning and two other red spells to my deck. Redirect Lightning, played at the right moment, can hose Aetherflux Reservoir.
Because we shouldn't ban it.