[Single Card Discussion] Psychogenic Probe

[Mr.C]

So, I have this casual jank deck that 'combos' Psychogenic Probe + Soldier of Fortune, and it actually wins games.

Now, Looking at the current legacy decks, a lot of them have shuffling effects.

For example:

MUC:

6 effects.

Goyf Sligh:

11 effects (Japanese List)

TES:

5 effects

Cephalid Breakfast:

14 effects

etc.

Would it be a good addition, to a deck with few shuffle effects, like, say, burn? For that matter, would the Probe + Soldier of Fortune even be playable somewhere?

My deckbuilding skills are negligible. Hence this post. What do you guys think? Has it been tried and discarded already?

For reference:



Psychogenic Probe - {2}
Artifact
Whenever a spell or ability causes a player to shuffle his or her library, Psychogenic Probe deals 2 damage to him or her.




Soldier of Fortune - {R}
Creature - Mercenary
{R},{T}: Target player shuffles his or her library.
1/1

[ClearSkies]

You actually have to get it out before they start using shuffling effects.
They don't have to use the fetch lands or whatever unless they need to win.

Soldier of Fortune does nothing on its own.
Maybe good with Sensei's Top...

Still, it is a 2 combo card combo that doesn't do anything really significant. (Like win the game or come close to win the game)

[Iranon]

Hmm, if I wanted to spend two cards and 2r initial mana for the ability to deal 2 repeatedly, I'd probably use Seething Song + Arc-Slogger.

You can only use the ability 4 times in a typical game, but you can target creatures as well and the creature half of the combo is a 4/5 instead of a 1/1. Even against decks that do shuffle a fair bit, the cards are also stronger individually.

[Nightmare]

In theory I could see it as a possible SB card for decks who have difficulty dealing with Survival. On the other hand, Survival would only take 2-4 damage from a fetch and tutoring up Tin Street or Stomphowler to deal with it.

[Iranon]

For that purpose, would this really get priority over Pithing Needle? Survival decks aren't that shuffle-happy otherwise, and as you said it would be gone rather quickly while Pithing Needle can force them into Janky Aggro mode for good.
If Probe is better, the whole play will have been pretty mediocre anyway.

[Lego]

It's a 2R Grim Lavamancer that doesn't rely on your graveyard. Against some decks it's also a few more damage over the course of the game, but not reliably enough, I don't think.

[Nihil Credo]

Suppression Field is generally much more of a bitch to deal with.

[Cavius The Great]

I would stick Psychogenic Probe right in a Burn deck along with Ankh of Mishra and Shrapnel Blast. I wouldn't play Soldier of Fortune though, Probe is good on it's own.

[Bane of the Living]

Well Soldier of Fortune does take the cake as one of the most annoying magic cards to play against ever. Seriously has anyone sat across the table in a stalemate staring him down?

[Nihil Credo]

Going into a Vintage tournament where everyone has power with a deck full of Extracts, Soldiers of Fortune and similar cards would be the height of assholishness.

[TeenieBopper]

In theory I could see it as a possible SB card for decks who have difficulty dealing with Survival. On the other hand, Survival would only take 2-4 damage from a fetch and tutoring up Tin Street or Stomphowler to deal with it.

I hear Pithing Needle curb stomps SotF more and costs less.

[Wallace]

I really like Probe, I put it in the board last weekend in Syracuse, never got the chance to side it in but there were deff. decks in the field that I would have used it against. Survival is the best use for Probe but it can come in for other match ups.

[Cavius The Great]

Well Soldier of Fortune does take the cake as one of the most annoying magic cards to play against ever. Seriously has anyone sat across the table in a stalemate staring him down?

How do you figure a stalemate? It only shuffles libraries. Am I missing something?

[Lego]

Going into a Vintage tournament where everyone has power with a deck full of Extracts, Soldiers of Fortune and similar cards would be the height of assholishness.

0_o?!? Who plays a deck full of Extracts? And why would SoF be so crazy there?

[Isamaru]

Soldier of Fortune's history is that when he was printed, people would use him on purpose to win games: The opponent would often concede because sleves had not been invented at the time, and the even-then valuable power nine were in most of the decks.

I think PSProbe is fairly costed at 2, but it would be amazing at 1. I tried building a Tomb/City deck with PSP and Thirst for Knowledge and some other stuff with Soldier of Fortune and Co... not sure I liked how it turned out.

[Lemuria]

Soldier of Fortune's history is that when he was printed, people would use him on purpose to win games: The opponent would often concede because sleves had not been invented at the time, and the even-then valuable power nine were in most of the decks.



LOLZ, now that's what I call playing dirty.

[Nihil Credo]

0_o?!? Who plays a deck full of Extracts? And why would SoF be so crazy there?
See Isamaru's first paragraph.