Izzet time for Izzet yet? It izz!
Ugh, sorry for that. Moving on.
Izzet
Dammit, who let Snoop Dogg start naming Magic cards?
This card is significantly worse than Prophetic Bolt and even I hardly ever play that card anymore. Bad card is bad, but the name is an unforgivable sin.
This is one of the only split cards in the set where both halves feel likely to be pretty relevant or useful. Unfortunately they both feel at tad too expensive. But you're paying a premium for that versatility, I guess. Early game, copying a ramp or draw spell from an opponent is a perfectly reasonable use. Late game, you restock your hand while dealing with a threat. Not a bad effect at all, if you can swing the mana.
I can't think of any super cool plays involving this guy, but my gut tells me they're out there.
Not the best counterspell in the format by any stretch. It's fine, but that 2 damage is just way too inconsequential. If it was more of Parallectric Feedback stitched onto a Counterspell so you could at least savage someone casting a huge X-spell, I'd like it a lot more. As is, though, there are quite a few 3-mana counters with upside that I'd play before this one.
Invert is way to corner-case to ever really be playable on it's own, and while Invent is a good effect, the high mana cost isn't likely to leave you with enough left over to cast anything after it, so people are likely going to have a turn to prepare for whatever you tutor up.
Of course in a cost reduction scenario, such as with Mizzix for example, it probably gets a lot better. At, potentially, two mana it seems very playable.
This is almost as nuts as that Dimir mythic. Yes, it's a do-nothing 6-drop the turn you play it (unless you have a TON of mana to use). And then it's probably not much more than a combo piece that just ends the game when your opponents are unwise or unlucky enough to let you untap with it.
It's cool enough that I really want to play this even though I don't like combo-y decks and my group doesn't either.
Yikes. Good abilities, but way too expensive to be practical. Having to actually pay full retail plus R to copy a spell is not a good rate. Four mana to draw a card is the current norm, but that doesn't mean it's a good rate either.
Fantastic illustration aside, this card blows.
This is a pretty neat card but I guess you really only play this if Aetherflux Reservoir is just way too mean for your playgroup. Personally, I'd never get to deal damage with this as I wouldn't be able to pass up drawing cards all the time.
I think this might find it's best use case in decks like Shu Yun where you are looking to capitalize on casting lots of super cheap instants and sorceries in other ways. This will just be one more way to get "added value" on your Ponders, Paths and Distortion Strikes.
So, that's it for the Izzet. Not terrible but not impressive either, save that bonkers mythic. I'm not really into anything here, but that's because Spellslinger decks just aren't a good fit for my group. We generally play without countermagic (exceptions do exist but are minimal), so playing decks that can really only be interacted with on the stack is kind of a shitty thing to do.
I've tried making a few versions of Izzet Spells in the past with Melek and other commanders, by making them win via a big token producer or something along those lines. That way, I'm still winning with permanents that can be interacted with on the battlefield. Ultimately those decks still wind up being very combo-ish feeling even if they technically don't truly combo off. Bascially, you build up to one big turn then ask if anyone has an answer right then - if they don't you win, if they do, you probably lose.
So as much as I like these cards in theory, it's all but impossible for me to put them to use without some damage to the social contract within our group. But, it's Ravnica after all. Being mad that the Izzet get a bunch of spells matter stuff is like being mad that the Boros cards are all about attacking and beating down.
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