Magic Cards: M12, Sphinx of Uthuun

I play Magic: The Gathering. If you don't know what this is, that's fine; it's a strategy card game where you play cards that represent spells, and you try and defeat your opponents. Definitely nerdy, but the fantasy flavor is great, and it's also an excellent mental challenge for those interested in that sort of thing. I'm always looking for games that make me think and push my brain, and this is definitely one of those. There are lots of similar games, and a lot of them are geared to kids (Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, etc), but MtG was the original, and tends to have an older average age, especially in the tournament scene, which I enjoy.

So the next set is called a 'core' set, and features staple cards plus a bunch of new stuff. It sort of sets the tone for the next year. While originally numbers 4th edition, 5th, etc, after 10th they changed to Magic 2010, the set that shot tons of new life back into the game. We are now up to 2012, or M12.

One of the new cards that caught my eye is Sphinx of Uthuun, a completely impractical (it costs 7, which is enormous in terms of competitive play generally), but has some very interesting effects, and combines two cards into one with a total cost of 10. That alone makes in interesting, and with the average cost of playable spells creeping up to the 5-6 range lately (intentionally; WotC is trying to slow the game down over the long term to make it less 'obvious' who will win just based on opening hands), it could see play somewhere. Definitely in casual formats.

Here are the cards in question:

It's definitely and interesting concept, and I may throw one of these in my Commander deck to play around with. Fact of Fiction is a great card, especially when you can stack your deck before it resolves to make the most of the 'I'm getting at least one of these cards' effect.

References:
Magic: The Gathering
Star City Games, the company that has successfully privatized the tournament scene.