3 AWFULLY Confusing MTG Cards!

In the 30+ years of MTG's history, there have been some awfully worded cards that have led to mass confusion among the fandom. Today, let's take a look at 3 confusingly worded cards that many players still get wrong! Specifically, this video will focus on and explain how Sphinx of the Second Sun, Chains of Mephistopheles and Wheel of Misfortune.
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[@totalvoid6234]

Sphinx of the Second Sun definitely got me. The others seem reasonably easy since their templating is so weird they all but force you to pay attention.

[@JayoticMTG]

These are the types of cards that confuse the players that glaze over the game. Takes a few readings to fully figure, which is about as confusing as a card can get.

[@laytonjr6601]

Chain of Mephistopholes IS a flowchart (if you can store enough temporary memory in your brain to understand is)

[@JayoticMTG]

Yeah, the replacement effect acts like a flow chart style series of questions and answers. If it wasn’t stuck on the reserved list and more players used it in practice, I don’t it would be so notorious.

[@alekspanferov8599]

I remember the logic of Chains of Mephistopheles as "players cannot increase the number of cards in their hands except by the draw step". It is not fully correct but if you know that with 0 cards you just mill instead of looting and can "put cards in hand" instead of drawing it can be useful i think.

[@laytonjr6601]

@@alekspanferov8599 If you would draw a card (except the first one in your draw step) you instead discard a card. If you discarded a card this way, you draw a card. If you didn't, you mill 1.

[@zansumkai]

I like Wheel of Misfortune, and FORTUNATELY saw enough people on KZbin play it to figure it out, but I do always have to walk the table through the little mini game

[@JayoticMTG]

It’s having to explain the mini game that makes it mentally taxing. It’s not difficult to understand, but everyone needs that reminder every time it’s cast.

[@nathanbezerra3597]

The funny happens when everyone chooses the same number. Everyone takes damage and no one draws

[@jackl8025]

Animate Dead is worded surprisingly strangely. It makes sense once you understand why: it starts as an aura that enchants a card in a graveyard, then needs to become an aura that enchants a creature. It also puts an ETB trigger on the stack, that only reanimates the creature if the enchantment sticks around ("When it ETB, IF it's on the battlefield, return the creature...") which actually gives your opponent a window to disenchant it without the creature entering play. Your opponent can either counterspell the enchantment on cast, or disenchant it on ETB, and either will prevent the creature from entering. On one hand, the wording on Animate Dead is fairly complicated. On the other hand, the effect is very intuitive. On the OTHER other hand, there are some weird tricks (like responding to the ETB trigger) that you can only do if you truly understand how it works, how the stack works, etc.

[@JayoticMTG]

It’s such a simple to understand card that gets way overly complicated by having to strictly adhere to the rules of the game. Animate Dead and especially the reprint of Necromancy are so displeasing haha

[@chaosdude86]

You got me at "on the OTHER other hand" 😂

[@zerronprime9683]

For that wheel one, if you have the wanderer out, you can declare a high number without risk

[@dyciefisk2535]

But you can also try to guess just under the next top number to trybto force damage on someone else.

[@luggy6117]

As someone who suffers from short term memory loss, chains of Mephistopheles and takklemaggot are my nightmare in mtg. Have a friend who plays Mephist. for the lols and silently weep every time it comes out.

[@JayoticMTG]

That’s awful, they’d better be explaining it to you whenever it comes up.

[@SwedeRacerDC]

These are all good examples. Sphinx of the second sun seems so straightforward... Until you realize that "at the beginning of your postcombat main phase..." Has almost nothing to do with the actual ability. It just tells us it's a triggered ability that triggers then, but gives us the payoff later. They probably should just have it trigger at the end of your PC main phase, but they don't really do that so here we are being confused. But also, there are some unique interactions because this ability exists as it does. If someone makes you skip your main phases because of a spell/ability, you won't get the extra beginning phase because it won't trigger. Conversely, you can copy this trigger with things that copy triggers like Strionic Resonator.

[@JayoticMTG]

I wish it triggered in some other way that didn’t make it so weirdly timed, but these use cases are legit and help push it a bit higher!

[@TheDeathless]

My favorite card in the game is possibility storm and i try to play it in any deck that will even slightly benefit from it. I have had several people at my lgs have a meltdown over it and one guy would scoop out of sheer anoyance whenever i got it out.

[@JayoticMTG]

I get not wanting to play the more weird, chaotic cards in a casual setting. But if you’re throwing a salty tantrum over it, you’re the problem.

[@RocketTheMinifig]

Id argue tanglemaggot isnt confusing in how it works, its just the rules of the game demand that auras/enchantments/attachment word it so. It attaches to a creature and sucks it until it dies, then switches target. If the targetting player has no creatures, it attaches to the player instead.

[@JayoticMTG]

Yeah, the way that cards like Animate Dead and Necromancy work is pretty straight forward. The rules just have to bend over backward by changing card types and rules text haha

[@DurhamCurse]

Wheel of Potential belongs on here. As it reads currently, you declare a value for X, but do not have to pay any energy in order to draw that many cards. I'm still awaiting the emergency errata for this one.

[@JayoticMTG]

It’s funny how they managed to mess this card up, but they got the formatting correct on Aether Spike and Galvanic Discharge.

[@marceloquejinho]

That Sphinx is THE example of a confusingly worded card

[@derecktaylor6310]

After hearing and seeing so much on Wheel of Misfortune, it’s no longer that confusing to me.

[@JayoticMTG]

It’s not a problem after the first few times you play it, but the first few reads are a mouthful haha

[@benjaminkaye5119]

Kroxa always makes me have to look it up lol

[@El_Chico_des_Galos]

Yeah, one of my opponents once played Wheel of Misfortune and we executed it wrong

[@JayoticMTG]

I definitely though it worked the other way around at first, so I choose a number 1 below my life total thinking I would keep my hand. Nope, I dropped down to 1 life AND had to wheel it away lmao

[@tylercraig5633]

The OG Animate Dead is what I thought of immediately

[@JayoticMTG]

Not a terribly tough card to understand in game, but the paragraph of rules jargon to keep it from falling off is not easy to parse haha

[@reynastrange2828]

I run Alchemist’s Refuge with Sphinx of the Second Sun so I can still cast stuff before my turn ends

[@Larru04]

Enduring angel is tricky if you flip her without her second ability. Because it makes you think you'd lose the game. But you only lose if it didn't flip due to the triggered ability

[@JayoticMTG]

That is weird wording. Losing the game is tied to its triggered ability, so if you transform it early in any way that doesn't drop you to 0 life, you're fine.

[@giacomogiacomogiacomo2997]

Also in wheel of misfortune If two people pick the highest number they both lose life and if everyone choose the same number everyone loses that amount of life and discard the hand and draws 7 cards

[@byronsmothers8064]

The one time I played wheel, the savvy player in the game established there's no point in choosing anything but 0 or 1, so discussing past me with everyone what they wanted, as if the card didn't say "choose secretly".

[@JayoticMTG]

I feel like Wheel should work the other way. Player that chooses the highest number keeps their hand and takes damage while everyone else wheels. Then there’s actually a reason to pick a number higher than 1.

[@blobface103]

Oh no, I just played Sphinx of the second sun the other day, and I definitely untapped during my second main phase. I'm going to have to show my table this video now 😅

[@kleverkitsune4363]

Lim-dul's Vault is such a "slow down and reread it six times" card that I won't run it just to avoid slowing games down.

[@maciekwilkosz6377]

Dead Ringers is a menace. It could read "exactly of the same colors" but it doesn't so you can kill colorless creatures... I remember drafting Invasion block on Magic Online. I targeted 2 creatures I thought were legal... and nothing. My spell goes to the graveyard with no effect. I thought it was bugged, but it turns out it allows you to target creatures "wrongly". It just does nothing to them upon resolving...

[@JayoticMTG]

Yeah, that effect is straight up confusing. It's such a feels bad to target the two creatures, fail the colour condition and have the spell fizzle.

[@Lycrios]

Lagrella, the Magpie always trips me up anytime I read it. Another confusingly worded card

[@JayoticMTG]

It’s truly bizarre that they chose to make it one ability instead of an ETB and LTB trigger. She exiles creatures, but then gives them counters if they ETB “this way”? Makes no sense lmao

[@BoltTheEmolga]

Chains actually has an extremely effective wording on Scryfall that means you really don’t need a flowchart, though would probably need to proxy the thing.

[@JayoticMTG]

The oracle definitely helps to clean the card up, it’s too bad that we’ll never get a reprint thanks to the Reserved List.

[@AnimEva_33]

The confusion with wheel of misfortune is when the highest number is also the lowest number and people don't know what to do with that

[@JayoticMTG]

I believe all players take the damage and no one wheels. Makes it a really bad burn spell haha

[@MattHarb]

Another confusing thing with Sphinx of the Second Sun. It DOESNT work with Sagas. Despite ALL Sagas saying to add a counter after your draw step, in reality you only add a counter at the start of your precombat main phase as a state based action. So even though you got an extra draw step from Sphinx, you don’t get an extra lore counter that turn

[@seandun7083]

*turn based action not state based.

[@therizzler.jizzler]

saruman of many colors from the lotr set is so confusing

[@JayoticMTG]

That psychedelic poster art version definitely doesn’t help haha

[@alococuccoyo6103]

What happened to standardized testing in the school system? All you have to do is read the card; reading it should explain everything. "At the beginning of your POSTcombat main phase (blah blah 'extra beginning phase after THIS phase' " As in, look at this card at your second main phase. "Whenever a player draws a card [look at the rest of the card]" It's a checklist, that flow chart is nice to look at. Just read it bit by bit, yo. It'll all work itself out.

[@JayoticMTG]

These cards just stand out as some of the cards most prone to be misunderstood, mostly because their wording breaks Magic’s formatting in some way.

[@Konarcoffee]

time walk, your opponent loses (the game) their next turn. Weirdly that's kind of how it works most of the time anyway

[@seandun7083]

Yeah. They had to change it after people misunderstood while playtesting Alpha.

[@matrixshaman6652]

Not as bad as these ones, but I don't like how Ethersworn Canonist is worded. I would much rather have it be "Each player can only cast one nonartifact spell each turn"

[@JayoticMTG]

Seems like that phrasing would at least cut down on the wordiness lmao

[@TalliahSlavik]

The „Mythos of“ Card Cycle from Ikoria is a Little Tricky. In the german translation it is not understandable.

[@JayoticMTG]

The Abzan one in particular is worded kinda weirdly. “Exile a nonland permanent if it’s a creature or if GW was paid” needs a reread or 2 to figure out haha

[@justinisorange]

rEaDiNg tHe cArD eXpLaInS tHe cArD

[@JayoticMTG]

Unironically, that joke is awful. It’s not even entirely true anymore with all the Dungeon and Ring Temps You type mechanics, and it comes across as obnoxious as hell haha

[@justinisorange]

@@JayoticMTG I know it’s super frustrating to hear that. And it’s always said by people who expect you to suddenly get on their level and ridicule you for not getting it.

[@DUxMORTEM]

Not one card but a pair of cards together. season of the witch and Silent Arbiter. What happens.

[@JayoticMTG]

From what I’ve seen, every untapped creature that could have attacked but was blocked by Arbiter is destroyed.

[@kirika119]

I don’t know if it’s because I play yugioh and that game’s rules/wording is an absolute ass disaster to deal with but these weren’t hard to understand at all; you just gotta read it carefully

[@JayoticMTG]

That’s fair, I’ve seen the memed wordy YGO cards haha. These cards aren’t too bad to figure out, but they can definitely go over your head at a Commander table.

[@Almost_Entirely_Unlike_Tea]

Yu-Gi-Oh: Reading the card explains the card (negative).

[@kirika119]

@@Almost_Entirely_Unlike_Tea The problem with yugioh is not the card text because you can read it and go “ok so if this card goes to the graveyard do this…neat”; the problem is that the rulings will always find a way to sneak up on you and poke you in the butt

[@Mel72118]

Magic is such a hard game 😵‍💫

[@JayoticMTG]

So confusing my head hurty 🤕

[@Koptland]

The remove all creatures card

[@christiansmith49]

I don't know if it was necessarily confusing but the esper saruman is annoying to read

[@JayoticMTG]

Especially the psychedelic poster version, those cards are such a pain to scan over haha

[@death66663]

Such is with the beauty of life what a mighty fine game

[@RagingPoo]

Ice Cauldron is the worst example I've ever seen. Just read the card.

[@markmcmillian427]

Wheel of Potential 😅

[@JayoticMTG]

That card being literally broken is pretty funny. They got the formatting right both in Kaladesh block (Harnessed Lightning) and within the same set (Galvanic Discharge/Aether Spike).

[@bulletproofchunkdion]

Wheel of misfortune is NOT confusing. And I’m tired of pretending that it is.

[@JayoticMTG]

It’s not hard to understand, but you often have to explain how it works when you resolve it. Kinda reminds me of explaining the rules of a board game haha.

[@Nex41354]

Wheel of 0

[@crimson90]

None of these are confusing! Just learn to logic, people!

[@MerlinSaur]

None of these are confusing... if you actually READ the WHOLE card

[@JayoticMTG]

Magic cards don’t get very complicated in general, but when they crop up in a casual commander game, they’re the most complex cards at the table. Or like with Sphinx of the Second Sun, many people shorthand this ability and take the beginning phase at the wrong time.

[@nzephier]

I may or may not counter spells simply cause there was too many words and I stopped listening halfway through the explanation...

[@JayoticMTG]

Cards have been getting pretty wordy lately, sometimes taking the mental tax off is a valid reason to remove something haha

[@losthalo428]

None of these are confusing, but chains are badly overworded

[@JayoticMTG]

They aren’t too tough to figure out, but they don’t read well. It’s like actually doing something vs reading the complicated instructions.

[@randomdudewithmanyinterests]

None of those are all that confusing?

[@JayoticMTG]

They’re not all that difficult to grasp after you’ve had them explained. It’s the wording of these cards that trip people up and have them commonly misplayed.

[@randomdudewithmanyinterests]

@@JayoticMTG even based on wording alone. Maybe its just the way i process info but the step by step instructions are literally right there. Then again i play yugioh so maybe I'm just used to overcomplicated card effects