Omen Machine MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	6
Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact
Released	2011-05-13
Set symbol
Set name	New Phyrexia
Set code	NPH
Number	148
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	David Rapoza

Key Takeaways

Omen Machine offers alternative card advantage by nullifying traditional draw mechanics and leveling gameplay.
The artifact challenges conventional Mana progression by placing cards into play, potentially accelerating game tempo.
Modifying opponents’ draw strategies, Omen Machine reshapes game interactions, adding a strategic depth.

Text of card

Players can't draw cards. At the beginning of each player's draw step, that player exiles the top card of his or her library. If it's a land card, the player puts it onto the battlefield. Otherwise, the player casts it without paying its mana cost if able.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Omen Machine ensures that players no longer draw cards, which levels the playing field, especially against decks that rely heavily on card draw strategies. By placing the top card of each player’s deck into play, it bypasses traditional draw mechanisms, creating a unique form of card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: Although not a typical resource accelerator, the Omen Machine allows players to cheat mana costs by putting the top card of their library into play for free. This can potentially drop high-cost creatures or spells onto the battlefield much earlier than through natural land progression.

Instant Speed: While the Omen Machine itself does not operate at instant speed, the impact it has on the game can be felt immediately. Once on the battlefield, it disrupts instant-speed draw spells and strategies, enforcing its rules across the game state instantaneously.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While not demanding an outright discard, the Omen Machine eliminates the draw step, which essentially prevents players from drawing and hence discarding cards for strategic benefits or requirements set by other cards.

Specific Mana Cost: The Omen Machine requires a commitment of six mana with a skew towards colorless, which might not be easily achievable in a multi-colored deck or might disrupt the curve of play.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With its six mana cost to deploy, the Omen Machine may be considered a late-game card where its impact may not be as significant compared to other lower-priced options that affect the board state sooner.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Omen Machine fits into an array of decks, notably those aiming to disrupt opponents’ strategies by controlling how they draw cards. This artifact alters the conventional flow of the game, making it a strategic piece in decks that limit opponents’ options.

Combo Potential: For players who love building around unique interactions, the Omen Machine offers combo potential by determining the spells players can cast. Deck builders can combine it with cards that restrict or benefit from the no-draw condition, thus providing a platform for innovative combo constructions.

Meta-Relevance: In metas saturated with draw-heavy strategies, Omen Machine can be a game-changer. It levels the playing field by negating certain draw strategies and reshaping the match’s dynamics, giving its controller a significant advantage over opponents reliant on drawing a multitude of cards.

How to beat

The Omen Machine is a unique artifact in the realm of MTG that can disrupt the flow of the game by preventing players from drawing cards and instead casting the top card of their libraries for free. To counteract this machine’s influence, players must adapt their strategies. One effective approach is to employ artifact destruction or bounce spells to permanently remove or temporarily set back the Omen Machine, respectively. Cards such as Naturalize or Blink of an Eye fall into these categories and can prove to be handy tools in disarming the Omen Machine.

Another tactic you could adopt is to manipulate your deck with scry effects, ensuring that the card you will reveal with the Omen Machine is advantageous for you. This way, you turn its symmetrical effect into a asymmetrical advantage. Finally, cards with draw triggers such as Chasm Skulker also become valuable, as they allow you to build a presence on the board despite the machine’s directive.

Considering these strategies, overcoming the challenges presented by the Omen Machine in Magic: The Gathering is a matter of tactical foresight and the timely execution of disruptive spells or abilities.

Cards like Omen Machine

Omen Machine is a unique artifact in Magic: The Gathering, reshaping how players interact with their decks. Like the notorious Possibility Storm, it introduces a random element to the game, with each player revealing the top card of their library and playing it without paying its mana cost. While Omen Machine prevents players from drawing cards, Possibility Storm allows for draws but exiles cards played from the hand, cascading into others from the deck.

Ancestral Knowledge is another card with an impact on deck manipulation. It allows players to look at and rearrange the top ten cards of their library, ensuring a desirable draw order. However, unlike Omen Machine, it doesn’t remove the ability to draw cards each turn. Then there’s Uba Mask, which shares a similar philosophy with Omen Machine by changing how players receive cards. Uba Mask has each player drawing and revealing cards, which can be played only for as long as they remain exiled, introducing a use-it-or-lose-it stipulation.

Omen Machine stands out for its ability to lock out conventional card draw and force an alternative playstyle, claiming a unique position among artifacts that alter deck and draw mechanics in Magic: The Gathering.

Cards similar to Omen Machine by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Omen Machine MTG card by a specific set like New Phyrexia, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Omen Machine and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Omen Machine has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Omen Machine card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2011-06-01	If the player is unable to put the land onto the battlefield (this is rare) or cast the spell (perhaps because there are no legal targets available) as the triggered ability of Omen Machine resolves, the card simply remains in exile.
2011-06-01	Putting the land onto the battlefield or casting the card is not optional.