Widespread Thievery
Casting Cost: {2}{R}
Card Type: Enchantment
Card Text:
-
Hideaway 5 (When this enchantment enters the battlefield, look at the top five cards of your library, exile one face down, then put the rest on the bottom in a random order.)
- Whenever you cast a multicolored spell, create a Treasure token. Then, you may pay WUBRG. If you do, you may play the exiled card without paying its mana cost.
Artist: Andrew Mar
Analysis:
Strengths:
-
Card Advantage: Provides the Hideaway mechanic to look at the top 5 cards of your library and store one for later.
-
Resource Generation: Generates Treasure tokens whenever you cast a multicolored spell, providing additional mana flexibility.
-
Mana Explosion: Allows you to play the exiled card for free if you can pay the WUBRG cost, potentially leading to huge plays.
-
Combo Potential: Can be used in multicolored decks that also include cards that can produce or utilize WUBRG efficiently.
Weaknesses:
-
Restrictive Trigger: The Treasure token generation and WUBRG activation only occur when casting a multicolored spell, limiting its use in certain decks.
-
High Cost for Activation: WUBRG is not an easy cost to meet unless your deck is tailored to provide such a diverse mana base.
Potential Deck Placement:
- Five-color decks, possibly commander decks where a wide range of mana is more accessible.
- Multicolored-heavy decks that can reliably trigger the Treasure token generation.
- Decks that can easily produce WUBRG mana, perhaps through mana-fixing artifacts or other multicolored mana sources.
Flavour and Art:
Widespread Thievery implies a grand, perhaps organized act of stealing or pilfering. Given the artist, it's likely the art is detailed, showcasing the act of stealing across multiple regions or dimensions.
Overall Impression:
Widespread Thievery is a fascinating card with a high ceiling but also significant limitations. In the right deck, it could be a powerhouse, generating extra resources and providing free plays of powerful cards. It needs a particular environment to shine but can be incredible in that setting.