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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!

Sphinx of Lost Truths
Image from Wizards.com

 Sphinx of Lost Truths
- Zendikar

Reviewed March 17, 2014

Constructed: 3.33
Casual: 3.67
Limited: 4.13
Multiplayer: 3.88

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale:
1 being the worst.  3 - average.  5 is the highest rating

Click here to see all of our 
Card of the Day Reviews 

BMoor

Sphinx of Lost Truths

I wish more cards with Kicker worked like this-- paying the kicker cost doesn't add an extra bonus, it removes a drawback. This makes the unkicked version very efficient when you need to curve out, and the kicked version a late-game backbreaker. For five mana, getting a 3/5 flier will secure the board pretty solidly in most cases, and filtering three cards is a very nice benefit-- remember, you get to choose the three worst cards in your hand to discard, so you pretty much always end up with a better hand than you had (and at worst, got rid of three dead cards on top of your library). But for two more mana, if you can wait, you get to DRAW three instead of just filtering three. That's a huge advantage, and Zendikar-era control decks LOVED running this guy.

Constructed- 4
Casual- 4
Limited- 4
Multiplayer- 4.5

David Fanany

Player since 1995

Sphinx of Lost Truths

I was a little surprised we didn't review this guy back when we did a lot of other cards from Zendikar. I think some people saw him as being overshadowed, by Jace the Mind Sculptor in terms of drawing cards or by Sphinx of Jwar Isle as a control finisher. Neither is entirely fair, in my opinion. Jace is rightly banned from polite Magic, and Sphinx of Lost Truths can block just as effectively as almost any other of his species and end games almost as well. Even if you can't afford or choose not to pay the kicker cost, a deck that plays a five-mana Sphinx probably has dead cards to spare, and digging deeper into your deck is never a bad thing. The ability to have a finisher or a card-drawing engine or both, at will, is one that I'm genuinely surprised has been underestimated in his case.
 
Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 4/5
Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Sphinx of Lost Truths which is a five mana
3/5 with Flying, Kicker for two, and has you draw three cards when it comes into play then discard three cards if the Kicker was not paid.

Seven mana for a 3/5 with evasion and a built in Concentrate is quite efficient, if a bit costly outside of control or Multiplayer. If needed it can be played for five, though having dead weight in hand makes that a much better option. Overall this is a decent card with some draw power, even with the discard, though the higher mana cost to maximize the effect and lower offensive power makes it an unlikely choice for most decks.

In Limited this is a bomb and amazing topdeck later in the game that can turn almost any situation where you have a decent supply of available mana to your advantage. The evasive body and card draw, even if not Kicked, are major benefits and it is an easy first pick in Booster. In Sealed it is best to have about half the deck or more in Blue to improve the chances of casting, with or without the Kicker, as early as possible.

Constructed: 3.0
Casual: 3.0
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 3.0


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