Funny Game Situation

[Gary Lynch]

I have just a myr and a molder beast in play amd my opp has a 3/3 flyer. He plays the +4-1 equipment and swings leaving him just an island untapped.
I play sylvok replica and kill my own myr, my molder beast is now a 9/3. I play tainted strike on my guy and deal 10 poison in 1 hit.

Good Times

[Thomas David Baker]

That beats 'attack with all my poison guys and Untamed Might on the unblocked one for the win' but even that kind of game stealing is quite fun.

[Kieran Symington]

Would have been hillarious if he'd tapped that island and played Twisted Image.

[Dan Barrett]

Was just thinking, what tricks could he have for U...

Kieran Symington said:

Would have been hillarious if he'd tapped that island and played Twisted Image.

[Gary Lynch]

Didn't think of that. Was thinking there was nothing he could have for u only.

I will watch out for that when I play against you.

Kieran Symington said:

Would have been hillarious if he'd tapped that island and played Twisted Image.

[Jason Savage]

Why Gary? Only a bad player would play it!!! Lol.

[Dan Barrett]

Twisted Image is possibly even constructed playable - I've seen articles suggesting it could be playable to kill walls (Omens, Battlement), Sparkmage, and at worst it cantrips for U.

Also can you imagine attacking with a Sea Gate Oracle with your opponent at 3 and playing it after no blockers declared!!

[Ben Titmarsh]

Thats a bit niche Dan!

[Jason Savage]

Why spoil my attemp to wind Gary up? :-)

I think tricks are important in this set and being aware of them helps being a better player.

[Gary Lynch]

Jason Savage said:

Why spoil my attemp to wind Gary up? :-)

I think tricks are important in this set and being aware of them helps being a better player.

Very true, this format requires so much thought as there are just so many cards that can blow you out if your not ready for them.

[Thom Richardson]

Also Twisted Image is an Ancestral if Precursor Golem is in play.

[Dan Barrett]

From Craig Wescoe's article on TCGPlayer:

Twisted Image, Why are People not Playing You?

Twisted Image is a card that's received very little attention so far. Most people look at it as a slightly improved version of Inside Out, which was never more than a fringe role player, and hence dismiss the card as being unworthy of attention. This is a twisted view that fails to account for two important points, so let me do my best to correct the card's image.

First, the context is much different now than it was for Inside Out. In Standard there is Birds of Paradise and Cunning Sparkmage in Naya decks, Wall of Omens in Control decks, Overgrown Battlement in Eldrazi Ramp decks, Steppe Lynx and Ornithopter in various aggro white decks, and Renegade Doppleganger, Hedron Crab, and Enclave Cryptologist in Dredgevine decks. In Extended, White Weenie has Steppe Lynx, and Doran has no shortage of targets. These are all creatures that immediately die to Twisted Image and collectively they are seeing enough play across Standard and Extended to merit the sideboard space for Twisted Image.

Secondly, the difference between paying two mana for Inside Out and paying one mana for Twisted Image is a huge difference! Think about it. If you're on the draw (in Standard) and the opponent leads with Birds of Paradise, Twisted Image allows you to kill it right away and draw a card without them ever getting to use it whereas Inside Out lets them at least accelerate to three mana on their second turn. In Extended it means taking four less damage from a Steppe Lynx or being able to kill the Treefolk Harbinger or Noble Hierarch right away so you are free to do whatever else you want to do on your second turn.

As a game of Magic progresses, each turn becomes more and more valuable than the last since both you and your opponent have had time to accumulate resources and develop a board presence. So being able to Stifle the opponent's first turn play on your first turn (and netting an entire card out of the deal) is a far greater advantage than doing so on your second turn. Just imagine if Wall of Omens only cost one mana instead of two - then you would be able to keep counter mana open while still dealing with the opponent's threat – and this is exactly my point! Twisted Image allows you to retard the opponent's development without hindering yours much at all, and unlike the case of Lightning Bolt, Vendetta, or Condemn, it does not even cost you a card to do it!

I'm not sure that Twisted Image is a maindeck card given its slightly narrow range of applications, but it should definitely be occupying sideboard slots in decks that can benefit from such value at such a low cost (i.e. pretty much any deck that is not looking to Pyroclasm the board on turn 2). Any card that can easily cycle itself for one mana at instant speed has to be at least decent, and when it has the upside of 2-for-1'ing your opponent a fair amount of the time, it can be a downright all star! It's the best way since Disrupt to capture such enormous value at such low cost. I expect this card to wake up in the coming months in the hands of Spikes all over the world. The only question in my mind is whether people will catch onto the card's power in Standard before or after the Extended PTQ season.

Ben Titmarsh said:

Thats a bit niche Dan!

[Charlie Grover]

I keep telling people its a really good card and to maindeck it. I'd play a 1 mana cycler quite alot of the time really. And sometimes it just blows people out..