[SCD] Chains of Mephistopheles

[RexFTW]

First, I expect nobody knows what this card does. Here is the oracle, since it has been changed about 5 times.



Chains of Mephistopheles

1B

Enchantment

If a player would draw a card except the first one he or she draws in his or her draw step each turn, that player discards a card instead. If the player discards a card this way, he or she draws a card. If the player doesn't discard a card this way, he or she puts the top card of his or her library into his or her graveyard.

Nearly every deck plays some of the following cards:
Brainstorm / Ponder
Sylvan Library
Dark Confidant
LFTL + Cycling Lands

Chains breaks all of them except confidant.

There is also a combo with chains that locks out the draw phase, anvil of bogardan. (Each turn you draw 1, discard 1 draw 1 discard 1, netting a hand no larger than your original hand.)

Both of these cards also have good synergy with Vengeful Pharaoh.

Can it be broken!?

[nayon]

I've given this thought, but to meaningfully abuse this interaction, make its symmetry work in your favor, and have it in a deck shell that can compete with other decks is kind of difficult.

The problem is if you want to be winning games with an interaction that doesn't affect board state (another problem), you need some blue cards, and blue cards are usually good because they draw cards. So you shoot yourself in the foot.

[dahcmai]

I think people have been trying to make that card work since it was printed and it usually comes up as a board card against control most often. It was best used in Necro unfortunately, but saw a little play in some older workshop builds in vintage. It's quite hard to get around that drawback of not being able to use blue yourself though. The lock is only a hindrance to most decks as you can stack your draw to get out of the lock. It's far from a hard lock.

I tend to place that card up there with Land Equilibrium, one of those cards that screams to be played, but just can't find a home no matter how hard you try. It is absolute murder against mono-U control if you slap one out. I think it's always going to be a board card that comes in when blue gets a little too controlling and aggro takes a back seat for a bit.

[nedleeds]

Any fruit to be found with chains is to mind twist each other as fast as possible. Then play out of your yard. Vengeful Pharoah is a big help as it can help with early beaters.

[Cthuloo]

I created a similar discussion thread a few months ago: http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?20967-SCD-Chains-of-Mephistopheles&highlight=

I agree that the card should definitely see some play now. I guess the problem is nobody owns it.

[menace13]

While it would be good against Standstill, Vision and Brainstorms, playing more than 1 is a huge load on sideboard capacity. Most likely in a E. Tutor package, but that is restricitng what your deck is. Last itime I searched for the card was on ye olde Deckcheck and the lists playing Chains had them in SB(Benzo decks) from old Extended where Vampiric Tutor, Mind's Desire and Entomb were legal.

Edit: everything Cthuloo said in his SCD thread.

[GGoober]

If you hate Brainstorm that much, play this card, otherwise it is hard to break it.

It's also particularly strong against Solidarity/Spiral Tide, but insanely weak v.s. Ad Nauseam (The way Possessed Portal is weak against Ad Nauseam in EDH lol :P)

[GradStudentGuy]

I think it would work well as an enlighten tutor target in B/W Stoneblade(or what ever they are calling it these days) . The two main card advantage engine mystic and bob are completely unaffected by it. Please note that if you ever have two of these cards in play you are likely to have a judge keeping an eye on your games for the rest of the event(happened to a friend).

[Deviruchi]

I tried Chains of Mephistopheles twice in BWG Deadguy Ale. Once with Enlightened Tutor and once without. This card wasn't really broken or something. I wanted to play with some good old cards so I put into SB: Chains of Mephistopheles, Nether Void, Dystopia, Null Rod, Choke.

I played versus Solidarity and TES with Infernal Contract maindeck. I had Chains of Mephistopheles on the table vs them and it wasn't the card that has won me the game. It was just a piece of disruption that was outclassed every time by Nether Void. In a deck with Thoughtseize, Hymn to Tourach, Hypnotic Specter, Sinkhole, Vindicate, Extirpate, Nether Void, Leyline of the Void, Pernicious Deed, Engineered Explosives and so on Chains of Mephistopheles was the weakest disruption. Style points? Yes, but nothing more.

Maybe in some fantasy christmas land someone will cast Word of Command with 4 Chains of Mephistopheles on the table and force his opponent to cast Brainstorm.

[Deviruchi]

.

[rufus]

Another possible way to abuse Chains of Mephistopholes is with draw replacement (read Dredge). That would allow for breaking the symmetry on cards like Winds of Change or Burning Inquiry.

It's neat, but, fundamentally, the card just isn't strong enough to justify its slot or its cc. How often is it going to be better than, say, Mental Misstep or, Dark Confidant?

[Finn]

It's black. Betcha that even in a deck built to abuse it, Thoughtseize is better.

[GGoober]

It's black. Betcha that even in a deck built to abuse it, Thoughtseize is better.

Don't bet with this man, he is going to win.

Just a note. Chains is not even a good brainstorm hater. The reason being that a Brainstorm player will simply not use the Brainstorm. In this scenario, Chains function like a bad Chalice@1 against Brainstorm. Against Jace, it is still not going to stop the fatesealing. Chains is perhaps only good against decks like Solidarity/Spiral Tide but won't be a contender if your goal is to hating average non-tide blue-decks

[rufus]

Don't bet with this man, he is going to win.

Not just Thoughtseize...

Duress
Mental Misstep
Dark Confidant
Hymn to Tourach
Smallpox
Bloodghast

[Michael Keller]

Card used to be lots of fun with Teferi's Puzzle Box. (Used to call it 'Hellraiser' - you know, chains, puzzle boxes, etc.)

Of course, that was over ten years ago, and essentially casual.

[KobeBryan]

I don't know if its possible..but has anyone tried putting him in dredge? Helps mill with the card draw ability of some cards.

[mcfarland]

I don't think there's a version of dredge out there that would or could support Chains.

[Dark Ritual]

Dredge should win the game if it casts something that costs 2 mana. Tolarian winds, for example, wins the game while chains sits there being all 'cute' but not really doing anything other than countering brainstorms and turning them into a worse card than ponder/preordain.

On chains viability in general. As a SB card, maybe. But that's the limit IMO unless WotC prints something broken with chains.

That is the cutest combo ever Hollywood. It made me laugh chains + puzzlebox FTW!!!!

[nedleeds]

I think you'd also have to focus on dropping Chains turn 1. A couple of new cards dropped in m12 that support winning out of your yard with Chains. Vengeful Pharoah is the obvious one, as you aren't dead to a turn one dude. Buried Ruin is also a beating with a yard and Life (a slow ... beating).

... again whether this is just worse than winning with Bridge from Below is a tangent thread ....


4 Chains of Mephistopheles
3 Life from the Loam
2 Stinkweed Imp
4 Bloodghast
3 Vengeful Pharaoh
3 Cephalid Coliseum
4 Mox Diamond
4 Cabal Therapy
1 Darkblast
3 Dakmor Salvage
2 City of Brass
2 Bayou
2 Underground Sea
4 Polluted Delta
2 Buried Ruin
4 Anvil of Bogardan
3 Winds of Change
1 Crippling Fatigue
2 Badlands
1 The Rack
1 Wasteland
1 Ancient Grudge
2 Deep Analysis
1 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Inkmoth Nexus


Maybe up the Loams, go 4 WoC. Anyway, I think you'd have to win out of your graveyard if you had an absolute mad on to win with Chains.

[luckme10]

Anyone checking the price estimations on this card. According to apathyhouse it's gone up $10 in the last 10 days. Wonder if it has anything to do with all the talk about brainstorm.

[dahcmai]

I would call it coincidence. Chains might gain price due to it being old, but that's it. It doesn't have a real practical use until decks start using cards that just say draw cards on them again.