This is an interesting spin on Moxen. It only
works if you control at least three artifacts,
so you'll have a tough time dropping it turn one
and tapping it right then and there-- but it can
be done. That hope is enough to make people
interested in playing metalcraft dekcs scramble
to get a copy of this little gem. But the
Legendary supertype also adds a wrinkle-- play
four copies, and the second one you draw will be
a dead draw until your opponent somehow destroys
the first one. Play only one copy, and you
reduce the odds of drawing it early enough for
it to impact your mana development. Not that it
really matters. The cost of this on the
secondary markets ensures that you won't get
more than one copy, unless you're rich or are
obscenely lucky at cracking packs.
It's a Mox. Granted, it makes you jump through
hoops to use it. But it's still a Mox. It may be
less relevant in slower and more
creature-centric formats like Standard. But it's
still a Mox. It may not be so useful when you
don't have anything to cast with it, and the
last thing you want to see when your opponent
has a Primeval Titan on the table. But it's a
Mox, and Moxes are always, always worth your
time. Mox Opal is a fine addition to a long
Magic tradition.
Today's card of the day is Mox Opal which
requires Metalcraft to grant the effect of
tapping for one mana of any color.
Supported with cards like Memnite or low cost
equipments this can be used quite early in the
game for acceleration and of course counts
itself for any of the cards needing Metalcraft.
A very good addition to artifact decks early on,
but unlike some other forms of acceleration that
can thin the deck or have a creature component a
Mox almost equals a land draw in the later
stages of the game making for a weak topdeck.
In addition to that drawback being Legendary
prevents more than one from being in play at a
time, but that is a relatively minor issue.
Overall a very good card in the right deck, but
won't be played nearly as much as the cards it
was named after.
In Limited with the large number of artifacts
available this is an excellent card to open in
sealed and the value alone makes it worth
picking up first in Booster. Being a no
cost support card that helps with acceleration
keeps it useful for any color or colors you
build into for later picks. It may not
directly help you win, but it can help build
Metalcraft up from the first turn and the
Legendary status is unlikely to be a factor.
