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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Concentrate
(Odyssey)

Concentrate
Odyssey - uncommon
2UU
Sorcery
Draw three cards

Pojo's Average Rating -
Constructed: 2.75
Limited: 3.88
Reviewed January 08, 2002

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst.  3 ... average.  
5 is the highest rating.

 


Fletcher
Peatross

I believe that this card might find its way into constructed because of its sheer power, but right now Fact or Fiction is just plain superior. Its a 3 but more likely a 2 in today's environment. In Limited this card is never bad and is a 3.5 (and upwards of 4 depending on what cards it nabs you).


Aaron
Teare

Limited ***
Constructed **

You've heard me say this before, card drawing is card drawing.  Concentrate isn't the best since it's hard to splash at UU mana, not to mention it's clunky as a Sorcery.  Even still... with the slower pace and low power feel of Odyssey Concentrate could be big in the block.



Scott
Gerhardt

You ever see that kid who always handed in his homework the day AFTER it was due? That's me. Okay, sorry. :( 

Anyway, Concentrate. Four mana, three cards, sorcery speed. Well, there are a few things to look at. First of all, blue hates tapping out. Kinda like a root canal - very painful. Even more so, they hate tapping out on THEIR turn. Most people will tell you that most any blue sorcery that costs more than 3 mana is probably not good.

Does concentrate break the rule? Actually, maybe. Right now, domain is playing Allied Strategies to get (hopefully) 5 cards for 5 mana at a sorcery speed. Concentrate is a guaranteed 3 for 4 mana, and you don't have to play lots of basics. With the loss of such powerful cards as Accumulated Knowledge from type 2, blue is certainly struggling for a solid card draw mechanism. This certainly might be it. I think there is some definite play potential in block, and I would not even rule out the type 2 possibilities, though Opportunity might be a better card for the slot. In extended, forget about it. Impulse, and Accumulated Knowledge, as well as Stroke of Genius, are all far superior cards for the purpose.

In limited, it's greatness. Worth playing in blue every time, but not worth playing blue for. Card advantage is everything in limited. 

New Constructed: 4.0
Old Constructed: 2.5
Constructed Potential: 4.0 (it's peaked out right now)
Constructed Rating: 3.5
Limited Rating: 4.0

John
Hornberg

Concentrate is a remarkably good card, but it suffers from a major flaw, and this makes this card relatively invisible to other cards. The fact that Concentrate is only a sorcery makes it a less than pleasant play on a turn when you could otherwise be playing a much needed counter of one of your opponents spells, or a Fact or Fiction at the end of your opponents turn. 

This card is good, but gets docked for being blue, and not being an instant. So, I give this card three different ratings, and this goes in progressive order: Extended - 1, Type II - 3, Odyssey Block Constructed - 5. It will be awesome in block, because there is no Fact or Fiction or Opportunity to play at instant speed.

In limited, cards are cards. This kind of card advantage is great no matter what, and it's unfortunate that two people that I draft with, Andy and Jay, think it's bad in limited for the fact that it's a sorcery. Ignore things like that in limited, a rule of thumb for me in limited is that if it has "Target Player draws *blank* cards" and nothing else, then it is good.

I see this going within the first three to five picks, possibly as late as whenever. So, I give this card a 5 in limited, because it's card drawing.



Mason
Peatross

When is drawing three cards bad? Oh yeah... NEVER. This is is the easiest rating I've done.

Ancestral Rating - 25%
Limited Rating - 5
Constructed Rating - 4


John B
Turpish

Concentrate is really only playable in a few decks, as it is generally less powerful than Fact or Fiction due to its sorcery status. However, in type 2 there are very few good card drawers, so sometimes it makes the cut.

2

Robby
Hinton

Limited: ***^ (3 1/2 Stars)
Constructed: ** (2 Stars)

I personally think that Concentrate is great in Limited. Four mana for three cards is a pretty good deal. The problem lies in the fact that it is a sorcery, of course. When you use mana during your turn, you lose some flexibility to react to your opponent during their turn (Magic 101). I have no problem doing this later in the game, though. 

In Constructed, the card gets considerably worse with things like Thieving Magpie and Shadowmage Infiltrator around. Definitely not worth it in Constructed (usually).


DeQuan
Watson

First rule about card advantage...don't talk about card advantage (at lest two much anyway).

People go over this all the time.  Getting extra cads is rarely bad.  However, with all the cheap contrips and card drawing tools in constructed right now, I don't see Concentrate getting a lot of play.  The worst part is, the ability is excellent.  I believe it's the casting cost that makes this card suffer.  It has to compete with Brainstorm, Opt, Peek, Accumulated Knowledge, and Fact or Fiction.  That's like an all-star team of card drawing tools to compete against.

Now limited is totally different.  I wouldn't recommend first picking a Concentrate, but I would tell you to pick it.  Maybe with a 4th or 5th pick.  In limited getting extra cards seems to be even better than in constructed.  I think it is definitely worth it to take it that early.  Even if you have a bunch of mediocre cards in the deck, maybe oyu can draw into enough of them and just outrace your opponent, or just outnumber them creature wise.  

Constructed: 1.5
Limited: 3.3
 

 

 

 

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