A few weeks ago, Magic: The Gathering players across the world were abuzz about an emergency ban of a card involved in what became known as the “Copy Cat Combo.” The game’s creators, Wizards of the Coast, were in hot water about letting such a card out into circulation in standard play and there was drama on both sides for and against the ban. Since then, a new bit of drama has arisen with another card that’s potentially even worse for standard play. The weird thing is that the card in question, Aetherworks Marvel, isn’t even that new.
Brought to our attention via a recent post on Kotaku, Aetherworks Marvel has the potential to end quite a few games before they really even get started. The card has been playable in standard play since its introduction back in 201,6 when it was reported to be a huge hit. The card’s power is as follows:
Whenever a permanent you control is put into a graveyard, you get an energy counter.
Tap, Pay six energy counters: Look at the top six cards of your library. You may cast a card from among them without paying its mana cost. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
For those who don’t play Magic: The Gathering (or are straining to remember), Aetherworks Marvel can be played pretty early in the game (as soon as you’ve got six energy counters). Once activated, the card essentially turns the game into one of chance where the cards on the top of your deck can make or break you. When used, players take the top six cards of their deck and choose one to play without costing any mana.
So, while you and your opponent are still relatively low on resources early on in the game, you might draw a powerful card that you wouldn’t normally be able to play just yet. But, since it doesn’t cost you anything to play, you can make use of the strong card right then and there. Though, if you draw six worthless cards with Aetherworks Marvel, you’ve wasted a turn and a decent chunk of energy counters in the process. In other words:
When you whiff off your Marvel: pic.twitter.com/GK0kNipY2Z
— Mishra’s Photoshop (@MishrasFotoshop) May 14, 2017
While this may seem like a pretty fair double-edged sword, some opponents of the card’s use are calling for Wizards of the Coast to issue yet another ban. They do make the fairly valid point that this takes away a good deal of the skill involved to play. It may not seem like too big of a deal for the occasional game between friends, but to professional players—who’ve honed their MTG skills and climbed the ranks for a chance at real money—they are fairly susceptible to losing in a game of chance. Not too much fun when you’ve devoted your time and effort to a game that’s primarily based on some serious strategy.
What are your thoughts on Aetherworks Marvel? Should it be banned? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Images: Wizards of the Coast
