Palantir of Orthanc (LTR)

Palantir of Orthanc
Casting Cost: {3}
Card Type: Legendary Artifact
Card Text:
At the beginning of your end step, put an influence counter on "Palantir of Orthanc" and scry 2. Then, target opponent may have you draw a card. If that player doesn't, you mill X cards, where X is the number of influence counters on "Palantir of Orthanc". That player loses life equal to the total mana value of cards milled this way.
Artist: Tatiana Veryayskaya

Card Strengths and Weaknesses:

• Strengths:

  • Versatile with options for scrying, card draw, and mill effects.
  • Scales in potency over time with accumulating influence counters.
  • Puts pressure on opponents by making them choose between bad outcomes.

• Weaknesses:

  • Somewhat slow, requiring the end step to activate.
  • Opponent choice might make it less reliable.

Deck Utility:

• Control Decks: Fits naturally into control decks that can leverage the multiple effects.

• Mill Decks: An obvious choice for decks focused on milling the opponent.

• Multiplayer Formats: Especially interesting in multiplayer settings where you can pit opponents against each other.

Interactions and Combos:

• Synergy with Mill Cards: Works well with other cards that benefit from milling the opponent, like cards with Drown in the Loch effects.

• Synergy with Scry Effects: The card's scrying ability complements other scry cards and benefits decks that can take advantage of the top of the library.

Flavor and Lore:
The Palantir are seeing-stones in Tolkien's universe, and this card captures their ability to glean information while also depicting the peril they can bring.

Overall Impression:
The Palantir of Orthanc is a multifaceted artifact that offers a lot of utility but at a slow pace. It requires careful navigation and strategic timing but can be a powerful asset in a variety of deck types. Its unique opponent-choice mechanic adds another layer of depth and interactivity to the game.