For Challenge # 105, asking what would happen if Wizards reprinted Piracy, and that card needed an answer in Standard. Really? Piracy is the big bad?

My first thought was that Wizards must have given Piracy errata to make it operate like Drain Power, then reprinted it because they were so pleased with themselves... except Drain Power is a very dangerous spell, and things got out of hand. It's a nice thought, but it doesn't solve the problem of "Why bother to fix Piracy in the first place, if Drain Power exists?" What's the point? If you wanted to reprint Drain Power, why not reprint Drain Power?

So, that couldn't be it. The only other possible explanation is 'Something weird is going on with Standard.' There must be a land, or something, that makes Piracy uncounterable. If that's the case, then players are casting Piracy in their first main step, forcing opponents to tap out, then moving to their second main step to assemble their combo and win the game.

I made this card to deal with that problem. Oddly, like Piracy, it doesn't do much of anything. Mostly, it makes for a very poor Silence. You could, however, make frenemies with someone in a group game, and convince them to cast two or three spells in a single turn...

As an alternative to why Piracy could be broken in Standard: I noticed someone lament the fact that Piracy does happen to combo, but isn't busted with Price of Glory (or Manabarbs for that manner.) It isn't hard to imagine a card that hurts players whenever a land of theirs is tapped for mana by any player...

Wait. Doesn't this just allow you to give your opponent infinite mana when they cast Piracy?

Not infinite mana. But I think actually the timing doesn't work much. Under jmg's proposed situation, the sequence would go:

1. Opponent casts Piracy
2. jmg casts this in response. This resolves. Piracy resolves.
3. Opponent taps all your lands for mana.
4. Opponent casts Hideous Spell That Must Be Countered.
5. This delayed trigger triggers, on top of Hideous Spell. The delayed trigger resolves and untaps all your lands.
6. You can cast Cancel.

Except I don't think that's how it happens. After step 5, the opponent is the first one to get priority, and they can just tap all your lands for mana again before you get to...

You know, I was assuming you always have priority to tap your own lands before your opponent does. But I guess you're right... if its your opponent's turn, he gets to tap your lands first? Very weird.

Though, I suppose that means you can combo Piracy with Early Harvest or Turnabout, targeting your opponent. So that's one more thing making Piracy not completely useless. (Although, it would be much, much better if there was a spell that said "Untap all lands." Guess it just never came up.)

Okay, edited to actually do something.