Ophidian Eye MTG Card


Ophidian Eye - Time Spiral
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant, Flash
Released2006-10-06
Set symbol
Set nameTime Spiral
Set codeTSP
Number70
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byZoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai

Key Takeaways

  1. Instant speed allows flexibility and surprise tactics, making Ophidian Eye a formidable enchantment.
  2. Ophidian Eye’s card draw is advantageous, but be wary of decks that exploit its drawbacks.
  3. Its synergy with creatures like Niv-Mizzet can create game-winning combos, vital in various formats.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

Flash (You may play this spell any time you could play an instant.) Enchant creature Whenever enchanted creature deals damage to an opponent, you may draw a card.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ophidian Eye MTG card provides the benefit of drawing an extra card each time the enchanted creature deals combat damage to a player. This consistent draw effect ensures that you keep your hand replenished, bolstering your options throughout the game.

Resource Acceleration: While Ophidian Eye itself doesn’t directly generate mana or tokens, the card advantage it offers leads to greater resource acceleration by increasing the likelihood of drawing into lands or mana-producing spells, thereby enhancing your capacity to execute strategies faster.

Instant Speed: Since Ophidian Eye can be cast at instant speed, it allows for strategic flexibility during your turn or in response to your opponent’s actions. This adaptability can catch an unsuspecting opponent off guard, turning an unassuming creature into a source of card advantage without sacrificing tempo.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Ophidian Eye grants card draw, it’s essential to note that the enchantment can be a liability against decks that force discards or strategize on opponents’ card disadvantages. Facing such tactics, the additional cards you gain may turn into fodder for your opponent’s strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Ophidian Eye demands a blue mana commitment, which might not blend seamlessly into multi-colored decks that are stretched on color fixing. Deck builders must ensure they can consistently provide the specific mana types required to play the card when needed.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of three mana, including one specific blue, the investment for its effect might outweigh its potential benefits, especially in faster games where the mana curve is low and the pace is quick. Players need to consider if its impact on the game justifies the slot in a deck over other, possibly more cost-efficient options.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Ophidian Eye card effortlessly slides into a multitude of blue-based decks, giving players a reliable source of card draw whenever the enchanted creature deals combat damage. It’s an excellent accessory for creatures with evasion or those that have a hard time being blocked.

Combo Potential: This enchantment shines in scenarios where it is paired with creatures like “Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind,” enabling an endless loop of drawing and dealing damage. Such combinations can outright win games if left unchecked, highlighting Ophidian Eye’s synergy with specific cards.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames where card advantage is key, Ophidian Eye affords consistent draw power. Its capacity to turn any creature into a threat that must be dealt with makes it a sneaky but impactful player in various formats.


How to beat

Ophidian Eye is a unique enchantment that saddles the realm of MTG with an interesting card draw ability. Known for its combo potential with creatures like Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind, it can become a powerful engine that leads to consistent card draws and potential game-ending interactions. To interrupt this synergy, removal spells that can target either the creature or the enchantment are key. Direct damage spells or creature destruction such as Doom Blade for creatures, or Naturalize for enchantments, can disrupt the combo before it fully unfolds. Additionally, countering the spell upon cast with a Counterspell or Negate is a clean way to prevent the Ophidian Eye from resolving and attaching to any creature in the first place.

Key to beating Ophidian Eye also includes maintaining a watchful eye on the board state. Swiftly handling the creatures that possess the potential to abuse its draw mechanic is often as important as disposing of the enchantment itself. A well-timed Krosan Grip, featuring split second, guarantees the enchantment will be destroyed before it can be exploited. In the landscape of MTG, flexibility and preparedness are your best allies. Ensuring you have answers in your deck to deal with such threats will help you maintain control over the game’s outcome.


BurnMana Recommendations

Delving into the nuances of Ophidian Eye and its strategic applications can be quite the journey into the depths of MTG strategy. Its combo potential with creatures like Niv-Mizzet and its role in ensuring card advantage should not be overlooked. As you maneuver through your matches, the insights offered here aim to sharpen your play and innovate your deck building. Mastery in MTG comes from understanding every card’s potential, Ophidian Eye included. Interested in further enhancing your game and ensuring your deck is as potent as it can be? Dive into our comprehensive resources and bring a new level of expertise to your MTG sessions.


Cards like Ophidian Eye

Ophidian Eye carves its niche in the arena of card draw enchantments in Magic: The Gathering. It echoes semblances with cards such as Curiosity, which also rewards players whenever the enchanted creature deals combat damage to an opponent by allowing them to draw a card. However, Ophidian Eye is distinct for granting the additional ability of flash, enabling it to be cast at any time, offering strategic flexibility that Curiosity doesn’t.

Comparatively, Keen Sense provides a parallel effect, permitting card draw on dealing damage, but it restricts the benefit strictly to combat damage, unlike Ophidian Eye which triggers on any damage. Moreover, Tandem Lookout’s soulbond mechanic can also mimic this card draw strategy when paired properly, yet this requires having another creature on the battlefield which can be a limitation at times.

Analyzing the strategic depth and potential for surprise advantage against opponents, Ophidian Eye showcases its strength within the card draw enchantments, providing both the benefit of instant access and an expanded damage criteria for card draw in Magic: The Gathering decks. It stands as a versatile option for players looking to maintain card advantage and momentum.

Curiosity - MTG Card versions
Keen Sense - MTG Card versions
Tandem Lookout - MTG Card versions
Curiosity - Exodus (EXO)
Keen Sense - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Tandem Lookout - Avacyn Restored (AVR)

Cards similar to Ophidian Eye by color, type and mana cost

Feedback - MTG Card versions
In the Eye of Chaos - MTG Card versions
Undertow - MTG Card versions
Mana Vortex - MTG Card versions
Energy Flux - MTG Card versions
Mesmeric Trance - MTG Card versions
Soul Barrier - MTG Card versions
Puppet Master - MTG Card versions
Intruder Alarm - MTG Card versions
Equilibrium - MTG Card versions
Mana Breach - MTG Card versions
Checks and Balances - MTG Card versions
Douse - MTG Card versions
Charisma - MTG Card versions
Traveler's Cloak - MTG Card versions
Shifting Sky - MTG Card versions
Threads of Disloyalty - MTG Card versions
Pemmin's Aura - MTG Card versions
Rhystic Study - MTG Card versions
Memory Erosion - MTG Card versions
Feedback - Fifth Edition (5ED)
In the Eye of Chaos - Masters Edition IV (ME4)
Undertow - Legends (LEG)
Mana Vortex - The Dark (DRK)
Energy Flux - World Championship Decks 2000 (WC00)
Mesmeric Trance - Ice Age (ICE)
Soul Barrier - Ice Age (ICE)
Puppet Master - Chronicles (CHR)
Intruder Alarm - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Equilibrium - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Mana Breach - Exodus (EXO)
Checks and Balances - Unglued (UGL)
Douse - Urza's Saga (USG)
Charisma - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Traveler's Cloak - Invasion (INV)
Shifting Sky - Planeshift (PLS)
Threads of Disloyalty - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Pemmin's Aura - Scourge (SCG)
Rhystic Study - Wilds of Eldraine: Enchanting Tales (WOT)
Memory Erosion - Commander Anthology Volume II (CM2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ophidian Eye MTG card by a specific set like Time Spiral, 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 Ophidian Eye and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ophidian Eye has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2006-09-25 The third ability triggers when the enchanted creature deals damage to an opponent of the player who controls Ophidian Eye.

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