CardShark Content - Andrew Wang (6/12/2004)

A card that I’ve wanted to build a deck around ever since it came out was Isochron Scepter

Isochron Scepter
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 2 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: U Number: 188 Artist: Mark Harrison Text: Imprint - When Isochron Scepter comes into play, you may remove an instant card with converted mana cost 2 or less in your hand from the game. (The removed card is imprinted on this artifact.) 2, T: You may copy the imprinted instant card and play the copy without paying its mana cost.

. The early combo that everyone tried to break is Island

Island
	Set: Oversize Cards Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: X Artist: Tony Roberts Text: T: Add U to your mana pool.

, Chrome Mox

Chrome Mox
	Set: Mirrodin Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: R Number: 152 Artist: Donato Giancola Text: Imprint - When Chrome Mox comes into play, you may remove a nonartifact, nonland card in your hand from the game. (The removed card is imprinted on this artifact.) T: Add one mana of any of the imprinted card's colors to your mana pool.

, Scepter imprinting Boomerang

Boomerang
	Set: Fifth Edition Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Alan Rabinowitz Text: Return target permanent to owner's hand.

on turn one. Hence forward, you just bounce your opponent’s land every turn while you build up the mana to lay an Exalted Angel

Exalted Angel
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 6 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Angel Rarity: R Number: 28 Artist: Michael Sutfin Power: 4 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. Whenever Exalted Angel deals damage, you gain that much life. Morph 2WW (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

or Eternal Dragon

Eternal Dragon
	Set: Scourge Cost: 7 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Spirit Rarity: R Number: 12 Artist: Justin Sweet Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. 3WW: Return Eternal Dragon from your graveyard to your hand. Play this ability only during your upkeep. Plainscycling 2

for the win. However, after play testing this quite a bit, I realized that drawing all the right pieces on in your opening hand is extremely rare, and that playing both the Chrome Mox

Chrome Mox
	Set: Mirrodin Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: R Number: 152 Artist: Donato Giancola Text: Imprint - When Chrome Mox comes into play, you may remove a nonartifact, nonland card in your hand from the game. (The removed card is imprinted on this artifact.) T: Add one mana of any of the imprinted card's colors to your mana pool.

and the Scepter gives your opponent a two-card advantage. Also, a turn ten Scepter with Boomerang

Boomerang
	Set: Fifth Edition Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Alan Rabinowitz Text: Return target permanent to owner's hand.

is not nearly as useful. Thus, I built a new deck utilizing Orim

Orim
	Set: Vanguard Sub Type: Character Rarity: X Number: 5 Artist: Rebecca Guay Power: +0 Toughness: +12 Text: Your creatures can block as though they had flying.

’s Chant, a Planeshift rare. Moving into Extended also opens up a lot more card drawing possibilities, helping to draw into an early Scepter.

Scepter Chant

Land (24)

4: Flooded Strand

Flooded Strand
	Set: Onslaught Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: R Number: 316 Artist: Rob Alexander Text: T, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice Flooded Strand: Search your library for a plains or island card and put it into play. Then shuffle your library.

2: Adarkar Wastes

Adarkar Wastes
	Set: Fifth Edition Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: R Artist: Gary Leach Text: T: Add one colorless mana to your mana pool.T: Add W or U to your mana pool. Adarkar Wastes deals 1 damage to you.

1: Temple of the False God

Temple of the False God
	Set: Scourge Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: U Number: 143 Text: T : Add 2 to your mana pool. Play this ability only if you control five or more lands.

10: Island

Island
	Set: Oversize Cards Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: X Artist: Tony Roberts Text: T: Add U to your mana pool.

6: Plains

Plains
	Set: Oversize Cards Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: X Artist: Tony Roberts Text: T: Add W to your mana pool.

White (12)

4: Eternal Dragon

Eternal Dragon
	Set: Scourge Cost: 7 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Spirit Rarity: R Number: 12 Artist: Justin Sweet Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. 3WW: Return Eternal Dragon from your graveyard to your hand. Play this ability only during your upkeep. Plainscycling 2

1: Exalted Angel

Exalted Angel
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 6 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Angel Rarity: R Number: 28 Artist: Michael Sutfin Power: 4 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. Whenever Exalted Angel deals damage, you gain that much life. Morph 2WW (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

3: Orim

Orim
	Set: Vanguard Sub Type: Character Rarity: X Number: 5 Artist: Rebecca Guay Power: +0 Toughness: +12 Text: Your creatures can block as though they had flying.

’s Chant
4: Wrath of God

Wrath of God
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: R Artist: Quinton Hoover Text: All creatures in play are buried.

Blue (21)

4: Accumulated Knowledge

Accumulated Knowledge
	Set: Nemesis Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 26 Artist: Randy Gallegos Text: Draw a card, then draw cards equal to the number of Accumulated Knowledge cards in all graveyards.

2: Boomerang

Boomerang
	Set: Fifth Edition Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Alan Rabinowitz Text: Return target permanent to owner's hand.

4: Brainstorm

Brainstorm
	Set: Fifth Edition Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Christopher Rush Text: Draw three cards. Then, put any two cards from your hand on top of your library in any order.

3: Counterspell

Counterspell
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: U Artist: Mark Poole Text: Counters target spell as it is being cast.

2: Fact or Fiction

Fact or Fiction
	Set: Invasion Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 57 Artist: Terese Nielsen Text: Reveal the top five cards of your library. An opponent separates those cards into two face-up piles. Put one pile into your hand and the other into your graveyard.

4: Cunning Wish

Cunning Wish
	Set: Judgment Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 37 Artist: Jim Nelson Text: Choose an instant you own from outside the game, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Remove Cunning Wish from the game.

Other (4)

4: Isochron Scepter

Isochron Scepter
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 2 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: U Number: 188 Artist: Mark Harrison Text: Imprint - When Isochron Scepter comes into play, you may remove an instant card with converted mana cost 2 or less in your hand from the game. (The removed card is imprinted on this artifact.) 2, T: You may copy the imprinted instant card and play the copy without paying its mana cost.

Sideboard:

4: Gilded Light

Gilded Light
	Set: Scourge Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 16 Text: You can’t be the target of spells or abilities until end of turn. Cycling 2

3: Holy Day

Holy Day
	Set: Legends Cost: 1 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Justin Hampton Text: Creatures attack and block as normal, but none deal any damage. All attacking creatures are still tapped. Play any time before attack damage is assigned.

1: Fire/Ice
1: Counterspell

Counterspell
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: U Artist: Mark Poole Text: Counters target spell as it is being cast.

1: Boomerang

Boomerang
	Set: Fifth Edition Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Alan Rabinowitz Text: Return target permanent to owner's hand.

1: Orim

Orim
	Set: Vanguard Sub Type: Character Rarity: X Number: 5 Artist: Rebecca Guay Power: +0 Toughness: +12 Text: Your creatures can block as though they had flying.

’s Chant
2: Stifle

Stifle
	Set: Scourge Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 52 Artist: Dany Orizio Text: Counter target activated or triggered ability.

2: Disenchant

Disenchant
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Amy Weber Text: Target enchantment or artifact is destroyed.

Now for the reasoning behind each card.

Eternal Dragon

Eternal Dragon
	Set: Scourge Cost: 7 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Spirit Rarity: R Number: 12 Artist: Justin Sweet Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. 3WW: Return Eternal Dragon from your graveyard to your hand. Play this ability only during your upkeep. Plainscycling 2

– You can cycle it away for a plains to help balance out your mana, and it comes back after you Wrath of God

Wrath of God
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: R Artist: Quinton Hoover Text: All creatures in play are buried.

, leaving your opponent with nothing and you with a 5/5 flyer.

Exalted Angel

Exalted Angel
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 6 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Angel Rarity: R Number: 28 Artist: Michael Sutfin Power: 4 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. Whenever Exalted Angel deals damage, you gain that much life. Morph 2WW (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

– I only put in one Exalted, because I have found that there is too much removal in Extended, and the Angel lacks the graveyard recursion that the Dragon has. A 4/5 spirit linked flyer attacking turn four is nice, but in this deck tapping out is generally a bad idea.

Orim

Orim
	Set: Vanguard Sub Type: Character Rarity: X Number: 5 Artist: Rebecca Guay Power: +0 Toughness: +12 Text: Your creatures can block as though they had flying.

’s Chant – This is the card the Scepter was made for. By paying 2W during your opponent’s upkeep (yes, you can pay its kicker cost) you are essentially disabling them until they draw into their artifact removal. Orim

Orim
	Set: Vanguard Sub Type: Character Rarity: X Number: 5 Artist: Rebecca Guay Power: +0 Toughness: +12 Text: Your creatures can block as though they had flying.

’s Chant on a Scepter generally stalls long enough to get out an Eternal Dragon

Eternal Dragon
	Set: Scourge Cost: 7 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Spirit Rarity: R Number: 12 Artist: Justin Sweet Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. 3WW: Return Eternal Dragon from your graveyard to your hand. Play this ability only during your upkeep. Plainscycling 2

to lay down the beats.

Wrath of God

Wrath of God
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 4 Color: White Type: Sorcery Rarity: R Artist: Quinton Hoover Text: All creatures in play are buried.

– Board wipe is always good, especially with Eternal Dragon

Eternal Dragon
	Set: Scourge Cost: 7 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Spirit Rarity: R Number: 12 Artist: Justin Sweet Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. 3WW: Return Eternal Dragon from your graveyard to your hand. Play this ability only during your upkeep. Plainscycling 2

. Helps to restabilize against aggro decks, and also a staple of all white decks.

Accumulated Knowledge

Accumulated Knowledge
	Set: Nemesis Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 26 Artist: Randy Gallegos Text: Draw a card, then draw cards equal to the number of Accumulated Knowledge cards in all graveyards.

, Brainstorm

Brainstorm
	Set: Fifth Edition Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Christopher Rush Text: Draw three cards. Then, put any two cards from your hand on top of your library in any order.

, Fact or Fiction

Fact or Fiction
	Set: Invasion Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 57 Artist: Terese Nielsen Text: Reveal the top five cards of your library. An opponent separates those cards into two face-up piles. Put one pile into your hand and the other into your graveyard.

– Card drawing, pure and simple. If you don’t get an opening hand with a Scepter, these cards will help you get one. Also, Brainstorm

Brainstorm
	Set: Fifth Edition Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Christopher Rush Text: Draw three cards. Then, put any two cards from your hand on top of your library in any order.

can be used to hide cards on top of your deck when your opponent plays Duress

Duress
	Set: Urza's Saga Cost: 1 Color: Black Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 132 Artist: Lawrence Snelly Text: Look at target opponent's hand and choose a noncreature, nonland card there. That player discards that card.

or Cabal Therapy

Cabal Therapy
	Set: Judgment Cost: 1 Color: Black Type: Sorcery Rarity: U Number: 62 Artist: Ron Spencer Text: Name a nonland card. Target player reveals his or her hand and discards from it all cards with that name. Flashback - Sacrifice a creature.

.

Counterspell

Counterspell
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: U Artist: Mark Poole Text: Counters target spell as it is being cast.

– Useful to have in nearly any blue deck. For UU, you keep that Scepter alive; or conversely on a Scepter, it means that every turn one of your opponent’s spells is countered.

Cunning Wish

Cunning Wish
	Set: Judgment Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 37 Artist: Jim Nelson Text: Choose an instant you own from outside the game, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Remove Cunning Wish from the game.

– Play it for Scepter imprint targets. Fire/Ice is useful for tying up your opponents Spirtmonger while drawing into an answer, or pinging them for that last two damage. Get a Stifle

Stifle
	Set: Scourge Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 52 Artist: Dany Orizio Text: Counter target activated or triggered ability.

when they lay down their Char

Char
	Set: Ravnica City of Guilds Cost: 3 Color: Red Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 117 Artist: Adam Rex Text: Char deals 4 damage to target creature or player and 2 damage to you.

belcher, or go for that Gilded Light

Gilded Light
	Set: Scourge Cost: 2 Color: White Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 16 Text: You can’t be the target of spells or abilities until end of turn. Cycling 2

when you see a Mindslaver

Mindslaver
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 6 Color: Colorless Type: Legendary Artifact Rarity: R Number: 206 Artist: Glen Angus Text: 4, T, Sacrifice Mindslaver: You control target player's next turn. (You see all cards that player could see and make all decisions for the player. He or she doesn't lose life because of mana burn.)

. Cunning Wish

Cunning Wish
	Set: Judgment Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 37 Artist: Jim Nelson Text: Choose an instant you own from outside the game, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Remove Cunning Wish from the game.

is your friend.

Playing Tips:

-Don’t tap out. If you have out a Scepter with imprinted Counterspell

Counterspell
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: U Artist: Mark Poole Text: Counters target spell as it is being cast.

, don’t tap out to play an Exalted Angel

Exalted Angel
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 6 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Angel Rarity: R Number: 28 Artist: Michael Sutfin Power: 4 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. Whenever Exalted Angel deals damage, you gain that much life. Morph 2WW (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for 3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

. The deck can generally last long enough to hard cast the Angel or Dragon while also leaving 2 colorless to activate the Scepter.

-Remember that the Eternal Dragon

Eternal Dragon
	Set: Scourge Cost: 7 Color: White Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Spirit Rarity: R Number: 12 Artist: Justin Sweet Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Flying. 3WW: Return Eternal Dragon from your graveyard to your hand. Play this ability only during your upkeep. Plainscycling 2

can come back during your upkeep. The Temple of the False God

Temple of the False God
	Set: Scourge Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: U Number: 143 Text: T : Add 2 to your mana pool. Play this ability only if you control five or more lands.

can sometimes provide that extra boost midgame to cast a big flyer, and it can be used to activate a Scepter by itself.

-Wait. Casting an Orim

Orim
	Set: Vanguard Sub Type: Character Rarity: X Number: 5 Artist: Rebecca Guay Power: +0 Toughness: +12 Text: Your creatures can block as though they had flying.

’s Chant to prevent a 5/5 from attacking when you can take the hit is not worth it. Chances are that you will draw into a Scepter soon, and then you’ll be glad you kept your Chant. Playing it is a one turn solution, but imprinting it on a Scepter is much more permanent.

The saving aspect about this deck is how it can be reconfigured to do well against nearly anything. As a casual Magic player, I find that such flexible decks such as this one provide a lot more play in the long term. Maindecking 4 Fire/Ice is a fun thing to do (hey, a 10 turn clock!), and Brainfreeze opens up new possibilities as well (don’t forget that spells from Scepters count toward Brainfreeze’s Storm ability).

This article was inspired by Nate Heiss’ article “Scepter-cize!” on Wizards.com. His article is the main reason I started building a Scepter deck in the first place. I hoped you enjoyed my first submission to Cardshark!

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