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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!


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 Brain in a Jar
- Shadows Over Innistrad

Reviewed March 14, 2016

Constructed: 2.38
Casual: 4.33
Limited: 2.00
Multiplayer: 3.00
Commander [EDH]: 4.00

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale:
1 - Horrible  3 - Average.  5 - Awesome

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Card of the Day Reviews 


David Fanany

Player since 1995

Brain in a Jar
 
I know we're supposed to find this card really disturbing and confronting - and the concept is certainly both in general - but for some reason I keep thinking about the line from Young Frankenstein about Abby Normal's brain. It's possible that my mind just doesn't work in the right way for horror; but, I am also tired of everything being so super cereal (to quote South Park). In any event, this is an interesting card that promises suitably shocking plays like casting six-mana sorceries in a color completely unrelated to the rest of your deck, for just one mana. The card takes a long time to get there, but it's a spectacular enough payoff that casual decks should love it (and you should probably start maindecking Vampire Hexmage if you don't). It's not like expensive sorceries need that much help to be relevant anwyay!
 
Constructed: 2/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 3/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
EDH/Commander: 4/5
BMoor
Brain in a Jar
An interesting way to both cheat out expensive spells and to manipulate your incoming draws. Each time you activate the ability, you get to cast a progressively more expensive spell for free. Eventually you could be dropping Ultimata for "1,T". Don't think your opponent doesn't know that, though-- this pickled thinker is bound to draw the first Shatter your opponent comes across. But the counters have a second use, so if you accumulate more of them than the CMC of the card youw ant to cheat out, you can spend however many of them you need to spend to Scry. This would be so much better if both abilities didn't require you to tap the Jar (just don't tap on the glass!) but as it is, it's a potentially-powerful but difficult-to-exploit tool that combologists and deck tinkers will have quit a bit of fun with for some time yet to come.

Constructed- 2.5
Casual- 4
Limited- 2
Multiplayer- 4
Commander- 4.5

Armuun

Brain in a Jar
 
One of those cards that seems crazy the first time you read it, then you feel a wave of disappointment. you read it again, and just feel like they missed a golden opportunity for craziness. It's okay in U/R with a tight curve, there's a scry effect attached, which is nice, and serves to fix just what you can cast for almost nothin', but as it stands, it's too slow to keep it as a contender. A lot of fun decks are going to come out of this card though.
 
Constructed: 2.5
Limited: 1
Casual: 5
Multi: 2
EDH: 3.5 (for fun)


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