Sphinx of Forgotten Lore – Foundations
Date Reviewed: November 6, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Sphinx of Forgotten Lore is a pretty exciting card all around – that universal flashback cost is something we’re well familiar with, and probably most players have seen or experienced the sort of value it can provide in everyday games, the combos it enables in theme decks, and the high-profile tournaments it can win. Most instants and sorceries that don’t have flashback are balanced around the fact that you can only cast them once at any one time, and opponents often have a hard time keeping up when you break that rule. Note that unlike the famous Invitational card, you have to attack with the Sphinx to get the extra casting, which makes it a curiously aggressive card. Even so, there are plenty of applications for casting at that time – at the most basic level, you can arrange to remove extra blockers. And a 3/3 with flash and flying makes an even better defensive ambush, and aggressive turnaround, than Snapcaster Mage does.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
For when you want to go “oh, snap” a bit more, if you will. Sphinx of Forgotten Lore toggles on flashback for one spell with each attack, which can be a great way to push ahead in a board state and get more mileage out of your magic. Flash is actually an interesting addition here, because it enables the Sphinx to drop into a clear board when the opportunity presents itself, and so it mitigates some of the peril of needing to live through a turn cycle. The body is merely solid, but you’re more playing this for its effect, and that effect is quite nasty with the right set-up.
Constructed: 4 (probably just for Standard and Pioneer; 3 toughness does make it an easy mark for common burn options)
Casual: 5
Limited: 4.5 (a decent flying body with upside)
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 4
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