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[Fragamemnon]

ITT Urza's Block Comedy.

One of the most ridiculous parts about that era was how awful the other colors were in comparison.

Four mana Uzra saga rare. Compare and contrast to the one and two turn kills happening elsewhere. Hilarious.

 

[Shuggananas]

I was just about to ask why this card is so powerful... and then it clicked.

Play Skullclamp. Equip to X/1 creature. Creature becomes X/0 and goes to the graveyard. Draw two cards. Skullclamp is still in play. Repeat for as many X/1 creatures and mana you have available. Enjoy huge card advantage.

That's how this works, isn't it? You use it to kill your own creatures for cards.

you can play it with creatures or stuff that shit out 1/1 tokens
Yah it's pretty strong. Didn't know it was expensive, I probably have 2 or 3.

 

[DrArchon]

I was just about to ask why this card is so powerful... and then it clicked.

Play Skullclamp. Equip to X/1 creature. Creature becomes X/0 and goes to the graveyard. Draw two cards. Skullclamp is still in play. Repeat for as many X/1 creatures and mana you have available. Enjoy huge card advantage.

That's how this works, isn't it? You use it to kill your own creatures for cards.

Pretty much, but you can also deter an opponent from killing one of your better creatures with the fear or amazing card advantage. All for 1 initial colorless mana and 1 colorless for each use. They changed it at the last minute for one reason or another and ended up with a nightmare.

 

[Angry Grimace]

you can play it with creatures or stuff that shit out 1/1 tokens
Yah it's pretty strong. Didn't know it was expensive, I probably have 2 or 3.

Skullclamp isn't expensive at all. They print it all the time for the Commander precons.

The only format where Skullclamp is legal is Commander (EDH) and Vintage and its not playable in Vintage because there aren't a lot of (heavy) creature decks running around in Vintage.

 

[True Underdog]

This legend:

So good they made a tribute card for it:

Mother fucker has his own legacy.

Good 'ol Yata. Once during a tournament I got a guy in a Yata lock and rather than just forfeit, he made us go through every move and made sure I announced each phase, "I'm entering my draw phase, I'm entering my battle phase," etc.

I mean, I didn't mind, it was just annoying.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

People are speaking another language. These cards sound OP, but us non-TCG peasants would like to know why.

A lot of it is hard to explain. I played Magic for years and years before I understood how things like Necropotence were broken.

Part of the process is learning that things like your life total are assets and resources, rather than the just the way you lose.

 

[mikeybass]

Might not be in the exact spirit of the OP, but the first thing that came to mind was...

 

[McNum]

you can play it with creatures or stuff that shit out 1/1 tokens
Yah it's pretty strong. Didn't know it was expensive, I probably have 2 or 3.

Ah, right. Tokens. Wasn't sure if they hit the graveyard, though. Been a while since I played Magic. With tokens it becomes "Pay one mana, draw two cards". Don't even have to destroy anything permanent.

 

[GregLombardi]

I was just about to ask why this card is so powerful... and then it clicked.

Play Skullclamp. Equip to X/1 creature. Creature becomes X/0 and goes to the graveyard. Draw two cards. Skullclamp is still in play. Repeat for as many X/1 creatures and mana you have available. Enjoy huge card advantage.

That's how this works, isn't it? You use it to kill your own creatures for cards.

Yes. And there are many many token generators. See:

 

[ultron87]

People are speaking another language. These cards sound OP, but us non-TCG peasants would like to know why.

For a lot of the Magic one you need to understand first that in a TCG card drawing is king. Generally, whoever has the access to the most cards is going to win.

So being able to draw 3 cards for one mana, like on Ancestral Recall, is an absurd value. As the game has evolved the "fair" version of that effect is now five mana. Or being able to pay 1 life to draw a card, when you start with 20 life, is pretty busted.

 

[Toxi]

Just a note but it would be cool if people could explain why the cards were so Oct for those that are less experiences in TCG

...can we non-cardgame peasants get an explanation why those habilities are overpower ?

Here's an explanation for the card Skullclamp.

For 1 colorless mana (which means Skullclamp can go in any deck), you get a card that gives you two cards for 1 colorless mana when the creature it's attached to dies. This is ludicrously cheap for a draw engine. Not only that, but it gives the creature +1/-1, so if the creature has 1 toughness, it dies immediately and you get the cards and the opportunity to attach it to another creature. Often the cards you draw with Skullclamp will be more creatures to attach Skullclamp to, keeping it going.

Getting cards for so cheap is huge, especially since the creatures it works with best tend to be cheap themselves. Thanks to being a cheap colorless artifact, Skullclamp can be inserted in virtually any creature-based deck with zero risk, and any deck with Skullclamp becomes far better. It found its way into virtually every deck in the metagame, and games became decided on who drew Skullclamp.

Even the developers of Magic realized Skullclamp was broken before it released. The original card was terrible, so they slapped some last minute changes and neglected to play-test it at all until the set was already finalized. When the Magic developers started playing with the updated Skullclamp to test the next Magic set's preconstructed decks, they realized they had created a monster.

Skullclamp was the first card to be banned from Mirrodin block in the standard tournament format. It is currently banned in every competitive Magic format but Vintage, where virtually every card in Magic is legal. Skullclamp is considered by far the most powerful equipment card in the history of the game. Skullclamp was so bonkers, Wizards of the Coast wrote an apology detailing how the card turned out so stupidly powerful. It's still so broken by today's standards a "fixed" Skullclamp would likely need to cost more than twice as much for both the equip cost and the mana cost.

you can play it with creatures or stuff that shit out 1/1 tokens
Yah it's pretty strong. Didn't know it was expensive, I probably have 2 or 3.

Skullclamp isn't expensive at all, probably because it's banned in practically every format.

 

[Fragamemnon]

Yes it does, I play Vintage competitively on MTGO all the time. Recall is never not going to be a broken card, but its not a huge player in pretty much any deck because its Restricted to begin with.

I mean, I get that misstep is a compact answer to recall. And you're right, sometimes you do get that efficient one-for-one out to answer an opponent's ancestral. But when you don't get that efficient answer, or when they opponent pushes it through efficiently, it's a disaster. If you're playing a linear deck, it gives them a chance to immediately draw into hate. If you are playing a control deck, you're down in a card hole and have to fight out of it. If you're playing combo, then that's more disruption you are going to have to fight through.

It's just immediately good for next to no cost, that's why I rate it so high.

 

[KHlover]

Good 'ol Yata. Once during a tournament I got a guy in a Yata lock and rather than just forfeit, he made us go through every move and made sire I announced each phase, "I'm entering my draw phase, I'm entering my battle phase," etc.

I mean, I didn't mind, it was just annoying.

Fishing for that illegal turn, what would have happened if you accidently made one?

 

[Santiako]

I was just about to ask why this card is so powerful... and then it clicked.

Play Skullclamp. Equip to X/1 creature. Creature becomes X/0 and goes to the graveyard. Draw two cards. Skullclamp is still in play. Repeat for as many X/1 creatures and mana you have available. Enjoy huge card advantage.

That's how this works, isn't it? You use it to kill your own creatures for cards.

Yeah, it's as broken as it sounds.

 

[TheGrue]

Please try to explain why the card is broken to the game in simple terms so non players can understand.

You didn't even follow your own rule.

 

[ultron87]

Might not be in the exact spirit of the OP, but the first thing that came to mind was...

Best CAH card will always be "Bees?" for me. The question mark makes it hilarious.

 

[Nikodemos]

Skullclamp was so bonkers, Wizards of the Coast wrote an apology detailing how the card turned out so stupidly powerful.

They should write apologies for Jace the Wallet Buster and Snapcaster Dudebro as well. Some terrible design going on at the Mothership.

 

[True Underdog]

Fishing for that illegal turn, what would have happened if you accidently made one?

I never thought about it like that. I guess we would have had to ask the refs. It was about ten years ago so I have a hard time remembering.

He probably would have argued that he gets his turn with a draw phase.

 

[hipbabboom]

This thread seems really interesting to me but I must admit I'm feeling a little lost

 

[Gaming Truth]

Banned in modern, banned in legacy limited to one of in vintage and no one saw it coming.

I don't keep up with Magic as much as I used to, but that's sarcasm right?

I don't play Modern, so I'm not 100% sure, but I think Treasure Cruise is like Ancestral, but it's extremely easy to set up.

 

[MikeDip]

Good 'ol Yata. Once during a tournament I got a guy in a Yata lock and rather than just forfeit, he made us go through every move and made sure I announced each phase, "I'm entering my draw phase, I'm entering my battle phase," etc.

I mean, I didn't mind, it was just annoying.

How do you get the lock going if you can't attack the same turn as you summon?

 

[HK-47]

I was just about to ask why this card is so powerful... and then it clicked.

Play Skullclamp. Equip to X/1 creature. Creature becomes X/0 and goes to the graveyard. Draw two cards. Skullclamp is still in play. Repeat for as many X/1 creatures and mana you have available. Enjoy huge card advantage.

That's how this works, isn't it? You use it to kill your own creatures for cards.

You are barely even touching why it was ridiculous in standard but essentially yes. The set it was a part of exacerbated the problem tenfold though.

 

[Double]

How do you get the lock going if you can't attack the same turn as you summon?

You can.

 

[linsivvi]

Longtime Vintage player here.

Black Lotus is broken but not hilariously so. A lot of the truly old/broken MTG cards are only really busted because of the way they interact with each other, and even then they are situationally not that great cards to draw.

Except for for one.

Always thought this was way more stupid

Yep. These two cards plus a whole bunch of mana generators like Black Lotus/Moxes and graveyard/library manipulation basically turns the game into solitaire. Players can sit there looking at their opponents in turn 1 going through their library multiple times until they are dead.

Hilariously frustrating.

 

[Nikodemos]

Yep. These two cards plus a whole bunch of mana generators like Black Lotus/Moxes and graveyard/library manipulation basically turns the game into solitaire. Players can sit there looking at the opponent in turn 1 going through their library multiple times until they are dead.

Hilariously frustrating.

That Microprose PC game had a deck like that, with Timetwisters and Wheel of Fortunes. It was basically shuffle your deck over and over while taking extra turns until your enemy was dead from burn (oh, and there used to be blue burn, too; remember Psionic Blast?) to the face.

 

[depths20XX]

Since not many people are familiar with Overpower (which was an old Marvel and then DC card game), I'll explain.

First, each of those stats, Energy, Fighting, Strength, and Intellect, is usually between 1-8. It determines what attack cards of those types you can use. Most characters have a couple mid/high stats and a couple mid/low stats. Batman was 2/7/4/7 for comparison. Beyonder can play any card of any strength.

Second, each character had specific 'special' cards. These were cards that represented the specific special abilities, techniques, powers, gadgets, etc, that the character could do. Some were attacks, or heals, or buffs, that sort of thing. But a character could only use the special cards for them. Cyclops could only use Cyclops special cards. Batman could only use Batman special cards. As you can see, the Beyonder can use *any* special card.

So this is basically the card created by the, "have you ever had a dream you could do anything?" kid?

 

[Not Spaceghost]

I never understand this kind of card, why they have different value on the left?

Planeswalkers are basically treated like players. Meaning that unlike creature cards they can be attacked directly. Because in magic you attack a player and then they choose to block With a planeswalker you can target them directly, but creature can still block damage. I can't remember if "target player" abilities also affect planeswalkers though.

Their total value at the bottom right is their life, they have abilities that give them life and those that take away life. Usually they have a generator, a cheap ability and an ultimate.

Jace The Mind Sculptor starts with 3 life, he has to use his +2 to gain more, he might take damage and lose life along the way. If he ever gets to 12 then he can use his -12 sacrifice himself and end the game.

 

[GrandHarrier]

Ah, the era of Android 18, in the Score DBZ CCG. Truly dark times. In a game where you draw 3 random cards when defending, the ability to choose out of the top 6 was borderline broken. Add to that the fact that she was most often played in stasis decks and you had endless rage fuel. Also, why the fuck she had a "change the future" power that should have been Trunks (since corrected in Panini DBZ CCG)

 

[Firemind]

Not exactly broken, but kinda hilarious and silly:

Nah, it was all about Vegeta's Quickness Drill. The quote sells it.

Also

Also I fondly remember this card as being beyond broken:

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

My whole team is coming for your team, starting now.

With Probability Control, I'll make it so you cannot even play.

 

[Toxi]

Urza's Saga was so broken its entire design team was brought up to the CEO's office so he could yell at them.

Some examples of broken Urza block cards.

Tinker: Get any artifact in your deck for 3 mana! Including the 12 mana Blightsteel Colossus that can kill a player in one hit.

Tolarian Academy: Add blue mana to your mana pool for every artifact you control. Get over thirty mana in one turn!

Yawgmoth's Will: Play your graveyard. You now have a second hand made up of your old hand!

Yawgmoth's Bargain: A "fixed" version of the infamously powerful card Necropotence. Apparently "fixing" Necro meant taking away the drawbacks.

"Free" cards: Untap your lands after playing a spell so they're effectively free. This includes lands like Tolarian Academy that generate huge numbers of mana. Did I mention these cards were all Blue, the color of Tolarian Academy's mana?

Memory Jar: Get a new hand! Also it's an artifact, so you can search for it with Tinker. Emergency banned because people realized it would make things even more broken.

Show and Tell: For 2 mana, you get to play any card from your hand and your opponent gets to play any card from their hand. Sounds balanced, except that your deck is full of 10 mana monstrosities that basically win you the game on the spot and theirs is full of Savannah Lions.

Many of these broken cards coalesced into some of the most broken combo decks in the history of the game. It got to the point where people were describing tournament games as three steps: Decide who goes first, draw your hand and mulligan, and then win. Urza block is unquestionably the most broken block in Magic's history. Even discounting the usual suspects I mentioned above, it was chock-full of powerful cards: Sneak Attack (get any creature for 1 mana), Academy Rector (get any enchantment in your deck when it dies), Turnabout (untap all your stuff!), Phyrexian Negator (5/5 with trample that could be easily brought out turn 1), Gaea's Cradle (get green mana for each creature you control), Grim Monolith (combos for huge amounts of mana with virtually any untap effect)... It was honestly kinda outstanding just how insane the power level was.

 

[Red Comet]

While the good doctor isn't to threatening himself, his little Boom Bots have a chance to really swing a game and even straight up win it for you. Also most big cards like this are relatively easy to remove, but since this spawns three total bodies, it's harder to get a full clear after he's played.

This is before this guy was nerf'd to only +1/0. Pretty much if this guy made it to the third turn or had 3/4 stats, you couldn't win because it would continue to snowball out of control.

Yes. I came for Dr. Boom, and I'm not disappointed. This thing is in every deck, and it kicks my ass and ruins my strategy. By the time I draw this card in a pack or have enough dust to craft it, it'll get nerfed like Leeroy Jenkins was when I finally got that.

 

[HK-47]

Urza's Saga was so broken its entire design team was brought up to the CEO's office so he could yell at them.

Some examples of broken Urza block cards.

Tinker: Get any artifact in your deck for 3 mana! Including the 12 mana Blightsteel Colossus that can kill a player in one hit.

Tolarian Academy: Add blue mana to your mana pool for every artifact you control. Get over thirty mana in one turn!

Yawgmoth's Will: Play your graveyard. You now have a second hand made up of your old hand!

Yawgmoth's Bargain: A "fixed" version of the infamously powerful card Necropotence. Apparently "fixing" Necro meant taking away the drawbacks.

"Free" cards: Untap your lands after playing a spell so they're effectively free. This includes lands like Tolarian Academy that generate huge numbers of mana. Did I mention these cards were all Blue, the color of Tolarian Academy?

Memory Jar: Get a new hand! Also it's an artifact, so you can search for it with Tinker. Emergency banned because people realized it would make things even more broken.

Show and Tell: For 2 mana, you get to play any card from your hand and your opponent gets to play any card from their hand. Sounds balanced, except that your deck is full of 10 mana monstrosities that basically win you the game on the spot and theirs is full of Savannah Lions.

Many of these broken cards coalesced into some of the most broken combo decks in the history of the game. It got to the point where people were describing tournament games as three steps: Decide who goes first, draw your hand and mulligan, and then win.

Blue Black. For when the deck has to be broken.

 

[El Topo]

Anyone starting to notice a pattern with MTG?

Spoiler

Fuck Blue.

 

[ShemhazaiX]

Fuck floodgates.

That is all.

 

[Firemind]

Now there are few cards that can call themselves a win condition all on their own but Emrakul is 100% a win condition by itself. A free turn means you basically get to go instantly after which could mean 15 free damage, and force your opponent to discard 6 cards from their deck.

Emrakul can't even beat 15 squirrels.

 

[Siegcram]

You know you fucked up when this isn't the most broken land in the set:

 

[HK-47]

You know you fucked up when this isn't the most broken land in the set:

Not even close. Poor green stay losing.

 

[darkside31337]

How fucked up is the Pokemon TCG when Feldon's Cane is considered overpowered? I know when I played Pokemon cards like Bill and Professor Oak were completely busted. Oak is honestly the most ridiculous card I've ever played with in any CCG.

Also Necropotence because it took Magic players back then forever to actually figure out how broken this was. Inquest Magazine actually mocked it and called it worst card in the entire set.

 

[Siegcram]

Emrakul can't even beat 15 squirrels.

Well, those squirells would have to be flying, so the suspension of disbelief begins far before blocking ;p

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

Most broken MtG cards have been covered, I'd throw this in here:

Fuck me. Everything artifact related from 15+ years ago was not anticipating the fucton of artifact creatures after Mirrodin.


----

Look at this broken mess

 

[Manbig]

There's also this

It has far more uses though

This is the one that I used to use.

Don't think it's OP or anything, but the absurdity of how drastically it would change a game always cracked me up.

Plus, that art is amazing.

 

[Nightbird]

Dude... you are basically resetting the Duel with that Card!

 

[ultron87]

Also I fondly remember this card as being beyond broken:

Looking at it from the outside the casualness with which Pokemon throws around Draw 7s is kind of awesome.

 

[DrArchon]

Urza's Saga was so broken its entire design team was brought up to the CEO's office so he could yell at them.

Absolutely. Just look at this stupidity.

They just printed a 1 card infinite combo! Who does that?

 

[Vincent Grayson]

This is the one that I used to use.

Don't think it's OP or anything, but the absurdity of how drastically it would change a game always cracked me up.

Plus, that art is amazing.

Most of my Magic games over the last 20+ years have been casual, so a lot more cards viably fuck up the games entirely, since none of the people I played with were ever running tournament-level decks. Stuff like that card, that just basically wipe the board? The worst. It almost never seemed to mean "This guy wins now" so much "This game will now take much longer".

 

[Ronabo]

This guy right here. Legend of the Five Rings players that played back when this card was legal know the struggle.

His flavor text quote is very appropriate.

 

[Toxi]

Not even close. Poor green stay losing.

Gaea's Cradle is downright respectable compared to what Red got.

 

[PhatSaqs]

If an online card game counts:

Fuck this card

So dumb. Especially in combo druid decks. They really need to change this card. Trigger at start of turn, a battlecry or triggered once end of turn. Probably just battlecry. As it is if you cant kill him its GGPO.

 

[Firemind]

Gaea's Cradle is downright respectable compared to what Red got.

To this day, it still slays me that it doesn't produce red mana. It's a river of lava!