Acquire
 
We're doing another historical review this week - this time it's of sorceries we've never reviewed before. I'm a little surprised we haven't done Acquire, seeing as it's a very powerful member of a now largely-defunct genre of cards that steal things from the opponent's library. One of the most effective, not to mention hilarious, ways to deal with powerful artifacts is to turn them against their user somehow, and Acquire is, in a vacuum, the strongest way to do so. It doesn't provide a vulnerable target that allows your opponent to reverse the theft (cf. Aladdin, or even Dack Fayden); the wrinkle is that it can only be cast later than some of the worst offenders. Darksteel's and Scars of Mirrodin's mythic Swords each cost three, and Stoneforge Mystic doesn't help much. But then again, blue loves artifacts, which have historically been pretty good at mana acceleration themselves, and nobody is going to blame you for using green's acceleration to get this out (and copy it in a multiplayer game - few things are more hilarious in my experience).
 
Speaking of Dack Fayden, if you head over to MagicCards.info you can view the version of Acquire that came with an issue of the now-defunct IDW Magic comic. Its art depicts him standing under Theros' iconic starry sky, examining a mysterious gauntlet he acquired. Unfortunately, the comic was cancelled before the end of the then-current story arc, which is really a shame; I can't help but feel that a Magic comic would do great if marketed well, because the unique and interesting characters and settings really lend themselves to the medium. If you have a chance, check out the compilations of the IDW comic which you can still buy on Amazon and other sites. And write to Wizards of the Coast, too. Sometimes these things have to be said.
 
Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 4/5
EDH/Commander: 4/5

Today's card of the day is Acquire which is a five mana Blue sorcery that puts an artifact from an opponent's library into play.  This is a very strong card that is powerless if an opponent isn't using artifacts, but in formats like Commander or Multiplayer it is almost guaranteed that there will be at least one artifact worth choosing. As an added benefit it also prevents the opponent from using it which can be very disruptive.  Overall the higher mana cost and situational value will keep it from seeing play in faster formats, but it can see slots in the sidedeck for Casual and more active usage in Commander or Multiplayer.
 
In a Limited format would normally be a somewhat risky first pick in Booster as artifacts may not be prevalent in the set, but as this has only been printed in Fifth Dawn the percentage of artifacts should be very high.  In the block this is a very easy and potentially game dominating first pick and makes Blue very strong in any Sealed pool.
 
Constructed: 3.0
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 4.5
EDH/Commander: 4.5