Eye of Vecna

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ISBPathfinder
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Post by ISBPathfinder » 2 years ago

So, I really haven't gotten around to testing Eye of Vecna like, at all but the more I look at the card, the more I like it. The closest comparison card in my mind feels like it would probably be Phyrexian Arena but the difference is that you get an immediate payoff card rather than waiting a turn. It also costs one less mana to cast, costs more life, and is colorless.

Well.... it shouldn't be that interesting to me but coming down for less mana and having immediate payoff seems REALLY nice. Its also a may concept so you can stop doing it later if your life total starts getting low. I feel like it really shines in some white and red concepts as card draw can be harder to come by there and often times they have more setup and or costs to cash in the draw. White also has the advantage of often having random ways to gain life but not a lot of ways to spend said life. I suppose its also a potential target for Tribute Mage as well which is kind of a big deal as I feel like he is one of the harder packages to make work of that cycle.

Am I totally crazy or does this feel.... kind of better than Phyrexian Arena and its colorless? I feel like I haven't seen anyone really talking about this card and it kind of blows my mind. The life loss will add up but how many times have you seen people pull cards from Sylvan Library at 4 life per card? I feel like two life isn't really that big of a deal but I also haven't seen this card played yet.
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BeneTleilax
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Post by BeneTleilax » 2 years ago

you also need to pay 2 colorless on each subsequent turn, which is what ruins it.

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Post by Legend » 2 years ago

It goes well with Thran Turbine.
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Post by ISBPathfinder » 2 years ago

BeneTleilax wrote:
2 years ago
you also need to pay 2 colorless on each subsequent turn, which is what ruins it.
Goes to show how I haven't played with the card lol. I totally thought it was just pay two life.
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Post by Serenade » 2 years ago

I use Thran Turbine and Braid of Fire in Nin, the Pain Artist, but it draws enough that I do not think I need Eye here.
Are there other decks that would benefit from that upkeep mana? Monored? That's where else I would consider Eye.
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Post by kraus911 » 2 years ago

Seems good in Zirda, the Dawnwaker

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Post by Treamayne » 2 years ago

BeneTleilax wrote:
2 years ago
you also need to pay 2 colorless on each subsequent turn, which is what ruins it.
That and the fact that it can only be activated once per turn. I had it in the maybe-board for my mono-brown, but went with Book of Rass instead. Even at 6 to cast (before cost reduction), the ability to use it when I want, however much I want made it much better for the Golem deck.

I could see it being useful in the same decks that (ab)use Ichor and/or Mycosynth Wellspring (bounce and recast, make token copies, etc.). There it would be a slightly different Ichor Wellspring with an optional upkeep draw...
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Post by Hawk » 2 years ago

Yeah, as others are saying - the 2 cost makes this unplayable outside of very niche monobrown or monowhite decks. At that cost and point, you could be running any number of alternatives (Staff of Nin, Endless Atlas, The Immortal Sun, and Tome of Legends are the strongest among them, although Vanquisher's Banner, Trading Post, and Idol of Oblivion are build-around candidates and Mind's Eye is an old staple). The recent printing of War Room and Bonders' Enclave also puts a damper on mediocre colorless draw engines since it's easier than ever now to get those out of your land slot instead.

If instead you're into the one-shot draw - being Legendary makes this sad with stuff like Osgir, the Reconstructor and it faces competition from the generally better Ichor Wellspring, Soul-Guide Lantern, Mishra's Bauble, Mind Stone, and any number of "egg-like" cards that do it better.

So sadly, I'd only run it in some niche decks or decks explicitly hoping to do Vecna things.

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Post by Sinis » 2 years ago

Vecna shenanigans or maybe mono-white. It's pretty hard to justify in any other deck, considering it's roughly par with Arguel's Blood Fast // Temple of Aclazotz but throttled in volume.

I don't truly think it's an awful card. I've played Endless Atlas, and this is fairly similar. Will that 2 life add up? I don't know.

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Post by abel88 » 2 years ago

I use it in my Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty deck. Its jank artifact storm so i run every silly cantrip artifact i can find. Eye of Vecna giving an optional upkeep draw is just a bit of gravy

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Post by gilrad » 2 years ago

I think it's a great option in draw-poor decks. Sure there are a lot of five and six mana alternatives that are more effective and efficient over time, but the low cost and the immediate card return makes it a solid early game safety net card. If your draw-poor deck wants to hit it's fifth land drop on curve no matter what, I'd say this edges out some of the older, less powerful safety nets (like say armillary sphere).

Sure, it sucks to drop this turn two, have an empty turn three, and probably have an empty turn four before you can start working towards your game plan. Know what sucks more? Stalling at four lands for three turns before you can finally cast your commander.

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Post by Sinis » 2 years ago

gilrad wrote:
2 years ago
Sure, it sucks to drop this turn two, have an empty turn three, and probably have an empty turn four before you can start working towards your game plan. Know what sucks more? Stalling at four lands for three turns before you can finally cast your commander.
While I don't believe Eye is the best turn two play, I don't think it's bad, simply because if you don't have any turn three plays, it might be worth your while to pay 2 on your upkeep to draw more.

Honestly, the more I think about Eye, the more fond of it I am. At the very least, it's aggressively costed, and I'd consider it just for that.

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Post by ISBPathfinder » 2 years ago

Sinis wrote:
2 years ago
gilrad wrote:
2 years ago
Sure, it sucks to drop this turn two, have an empty turn three, and probably have an empty turn four before you can start working towards your game plan. Know what sucks more? Stalling at four lands for three turns before you can finally cast your commander.
While I don't believe Eye is the best turn two play, I don't think it's bad, simply because if you don't have any turn three plays, it might be worth your while to pay 2 on your upkeep to draw more.

Honestly, the more I think about Eye, the more fond of it I am. At the very least, it's aggressively costed, and I'd consider it just for that.
It also has upfront value with low upfront cost. I have had issues with Phyrexian Arena for a long time due to it being upfront cost with no payoff that might or might not pay for itself later. Costing less and having immediate return is a big deal. I haven't played with it yet but I keep going back and forth on the card. There is a lot of merit in getting a card back immediately for a low cost with options to later get more.

The downside of the card is that it has to be paid at upkeep. That means that you are sort of in the blind for what you would naturally draw for the turn and if you would instead rather have the mana for that. I am still not sure where I stand on this card but I really do need to test it out.
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Post by PrimevalCommander » 2 years ago

I was playing against a couple and the wife was using mostly budget mono-color tribal decks with little to no ramp or draw. Something low cost and low MV would be perfect for decks like that that need ANY type of draw they can throw in blindly and have work. I was going to look for an extra Staff of Nin or two and throw her way too since I moved away from that card for most decks. She also could use some Mind Stones and Marble Diamonds but I don't have a ton of either. Maybe I can take a quick glance at the decks and offer some improvements next time.

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Post by Sinis » 2 years ago

ISBPathfinder wrote:
2 years ago
It also has upfront value with low upfront cost. I have had issues with Phyrexian Arena for a long time due to it being upfront cost with no payoff that might or might not pay for itself later. Costing less and having immediate return is a big deal. I haven't played with it yet but I keep going back and forth on the card. There is a lot of merit in getting a card back immediately for a low cost with options to later get more.

The downside of the card is that it has to be paid at upkeep. That means that you are sort of in the blind for what you would naturally draw for the turn and if you would instead rather have the mana for that. I am still not sure where I stand on this card but I really do need to test it out.
The up front draw is what sells it for me.

You could say that, at very worst, it cycles for 2 at sorcery speed.

I agree that committing 2 mana during your upkeep isn't stellar, but it also may not matter if you are already short on plays.

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