No other reprinted, time shifted card in Time
Spiral dropped as many jaws as Psionic Blast. If
you walk into a game store hoping to buy a Time
Spiral edition Psionic Blast, be prepared to pay
upwards of twenty dollars American! While the
reprinting of Psionic Blast was definitely a hit
with fans of Magic: the Gathering everywhere,
the card has not yet been popular in constructed
formats. There is no doubt in my mind that
Psionic Blast and its twin brother Char will
soon be a big part of some kind of blue/red
control/burn deck. In limited, Psionic Blast is
a very high pick, as much for its limited play
value as for its trade value. Blue is widely
regarded as the best color in Time Spiral draft,
making Psionic Blast an easy first pick almost
every time.
CONSTRUCTED: 3.5
CASUAL: 3.5
LIMITED: 4.0
Aethereal
Psionic Blast
The original Char, back with a vengeance. This
card is fetching high prices for a good reason:
it gives a very powerful burn spell to a color
that has no right to it. This card is what helps
decks like U/G aggro work, as they don't have to
splash red to fling 4 damage at an opposing
troublesome creature. Due to the color this card
is in, it gets a slightly higher rating than
Char.
In casual, this is a highly expensive card, so
you may prefer Char over this, but if you have
it, more power to you.
In limited, first-pick material. This can take
out many relevant creatures for a cheap price,
and double as a finisher.
Direct damage in blue? Given how powerful Char
was in Ravnica block, it should come as no
surprise that this is a good card. However, a
lot of people see this and start dreaming about
a deck with 4 Char and 4 Psi Blast. Don't use 4
Char and 4 Psi Blast in a deck. That's 16 damage
to yourself. Granted, you'll have done 32
damage, but there's a much better way to use Psi
Blast-- in decks that don't have access to Char.
Monoblue Control can always use a card that can
deal with creatures after they hit play. And of
course, in limited this is the best removal
spell you could ever hope to get. Just don't
stick your neck out to play this alongside Char.
Constructed- 4
Casual- 5
Limited- 4
GB250
Psionic Blast
This is the card that everyone said they would
never dare reprint. Spot removal, even burn, in
blue? That's insane!
As it turns out, Psi-Blast's second chance at
play has been a big selling point of Time
Spiral. The prospect of getting one has probably
sold more than one booster box or tournament
pack. In that sense, the Blast has done its job
well.
...But we already have Char in T2. If the
powerhouse red instant didn't exist, I wouldn't
be surprised to see burn players splashing blue
for the Blast. But since Char is an exact same
copy of it in Red, Psionic Blast can be a little
redundant for a burn deck. It is not the best of
ideas to run four Char and four Psionic Blasts
in the same U/R deck, because you are liable to
take a ton of damage from three or more castings
a game, a weakness your opponent may exploit.
Nevertheless, Psionic Blast is very effective in
blue decks not running red. There will be a
place for powerful cards like this in
Constructed as long as we need good removal and
burn to the face.
Constructed 4/5. The Good Stuff. Blue builds
will do well to have this, as it can stop
threats that break through their counter wall. I
think it still needs to find a really good home,
but when it does, it will be very strong.
Limited 5/5. Hate draft it, rare draft it. If
you see it, you probably won't need or want to
pick anything else.
Casual 4/5. It's freakin' Psionic Blast. It
gives you a chance to show off your foily
timeshifted one to your buddies. May make your
friends hate you if you brag too much.
