Palantír of Orthanc: A Game-Changing Artifact

This legendary artifact is a game-changer in Commander decks due to its unique ability to manipulate influence counters, scry, and potentially disrupt opponents. Here are the key strengths and typical uses:

• Influence Counter Generation: At the beginning of your end step, Palantír of Orthanc generates an influence counter, allowing you to build up a resource that can be used for devastating effects.
• Scrying and Milling: The artifact's scry ability provides card advantage, while its milling mechanic can deal significant damage to opponents.

Typical Uses

Palantír of Orthanc is best used in combo-heavy Commander decks that value card draw and disruption. It synergizes well with cards like Trostani's Suicide and Fulminator Mage, which can trigger the artifact's milling ability. The influence counters also pair nicely with The Scarab God, allowing for massive life drain.

Impact in Commander Decks

In the right deck, Palantír of Orthanc can be a game-winner due to its potential for explosive damage and card draw. However, its reliance on influence counters means it requires careful planning and setup. When used correctly, this artifact can outclass opponents and provide a significant advantage.

Key Considerations

When building around Palantír of Orthanc, consider the following:

• Combo Potential: Ensure your deck has the necessary pieces to trigger the artifact's milling ability.
• Influence Counter Generation: Plan for efficient ways to generate influence counters, such as with Trostani's Suicide or Fulminator Mage.
• Disruption: Pair Palantír of Orthanc with cards that can disrupt opponents and prevent them from resolving their turns.

By understanding the strengths and limitations of Palantír of Orthanc, you can create a powerful Commander deck that leverages its unique abilities.

Palantír of Orthanc is a mythic rarity legendary artifact that manipulates game state in various ways. Its oracle text can be broken down into three distinct segments:

1. At the beginning of your end step:
   • Put an influence counter on Palantír of Orthanc.
   • Scry 2 cards from the top of your library and return them to their original position.

This means that, as long as Palantír of Orthanc is on the battlefield, you'll gain two card advantage each turn, thanks to the scrying. This also sets up a potential draw trigger in the next segment.

1. Target opponent may have you draw a card:
   • If an opponent chooses to let you draw a card, nothing else happens.
   • However, if they decline this option, mill X cards (where X is the number of influence counters on Palantír of Orthanc).

Here's where things get interesting: if your opponent refuses to let you draw a card, you'll start milling cards equal to the number of influence counters on Palantír. This has significant implications for game state and life totals.

1. Milling and life loss:
   • The milled cards are sent to the command zone (graveyard) instead of being discarded.
   • The opponent loses life equal to the total mana value of the milled cards.
   • The number of influence counters on Palantír determines how many cards are milled.

Let's consider an example: you have three influence counters on Palantír, and you mill six cards with a total mana value of 5 (three 1-mana and two 2-mana cards). In this scenario, your opponent takes 5 life loss, and the milled cards go to the command zone.

In Commander games, it's essential to consider how Palantír of Orthanc interacts with other cards. For instance:

• If you have a card that triggers on milled cards (like Estrid's Invocation), it will trigger off the milled cards sent to the command zone.
• Cards like Solemn Simulacrum or Phyrexian Tower, which allow you to mill and gain life, can be used in conjunction with Palantír of Orthanc for increased value.
• Be mindful of cards that disrupt scrying, such as Thassa's Bounty or Doomsday, which can prevent the beneficial scrying effect.

Palantír of Orthanc requires careful planning and consideration of its interactions with other cards. When used correctly, it can become a formidable force on the battlefield, manipulating game state in ways that favor the player controlling it.

Palantír of Orthanc is a versatile artifact that excels in controlling and milling-based strategies. Its ability to put influence counters on itself and create opportunities for opponents to draw or lose life makes it a valuable addition to various Commander decks.

Common Archetypes:

• Mill decks: Palantír's mill effect, which mills X cards equal to the number of influence counters, is a game-changer in Mill decks. Decks featuring Grave Titan, Martyr or other heavy milling artifacts can benefit greatly from Palantír's ability.
• Control decks: Palantír's influence counter generation and scrying effect make it an excellent choice for Control decks focused on disrupting opponents' plans, such as those with Dramatic Reversal or Brazen Borrowbats.

Role on the Battlefield:

• Late-game threat: Palantír becomes a significant threat in the late game when its influence counter count is high. Its ability to mill X cards and deal damage equal to their mana value can prove devastating to opponents.
• Scrying engine: The scrying effect, combined with the influence counter generation, enables players to set up favorable draws or disrupt opponents' plans.

Decks that benefit most:

• Mill-centric decks with heavy artifact reliance: Decks like Bolas's Brewery or Atraxa, Praetors' Voice, which emphasize artifact synergy and mill effects, can significantly benefit from Palantír.
• Control decks focused on disrupting opponents' plans: Decks featuring cards like Dramatic Reversal, Brazen Borrowbats], or [[Duelist's Heritage can utilize Palantír to maximum effect.

In general, Palantír of Orthanc excels in strategic scenarios where its influence counter generation and scrying effects are amplified by the presence of mill-oriented or control-focused cards.

Palantír of Orthanc: A Tool for Unpredictability

This legendary artifact offers a unique combination of influence counter generation and scrying, making it an attractive addition to decks focused on manipulating card advantage. Here are some advanced uses and interactions:

• Synergy with Brainstorm: In combination with Brainstorm, Palantír of Orthanc can provide a steady influx of cards to mill or draw from the top of your library, allowing you to consistently find the right answers.
• Countering Control Decks: Targeting an opponent's player to prevent them from drawing a card can be a game-swinging move in control matchups. Palantír of Orthanc also offers a potent mill threat, particularly when paired with Thought-Knot Seer or Sylvan Caryatid, as the opponent will lose life equal to the total mana value of the milled cards.
• Influence Counter Generation: The artifact's ability to add influence counters at the beginning of your end step makes it an excellent target for +1/+1 counters, such as those generated by Craterhoof Mauler or Golgari Findbroker. This can help accelerate the mill threat and create a more immediate impact on the game.
• Scrying and Mill Combinations: Scrying 2 cards and then milling X cards based on the number of influence counters creates an interesting dynamic. Consider pairing Palantír of Orthanc with Mox Opal, which generates a +1/+0 counter, to create a more efficient mill threat.

To maximize Palantír of Orthanc's potential:

• Run it in a midrange or control deck that can efficiently generate +1/+1 counters and leverage the influence counter generation.
• Use it as a key component in a graveyard-based mill strategy, taking advantage of the artifact's ability to create an immediate threat.
• Pair it with cards like Thought-Knot Seer, [Sylvan Caryatid, and [Brainstorm to create a formidable combination.

Misplays with Palantír of Orthanc

Palantír of Orthanc is a complex and powerful artifact that can easily lead to mistakes in Commander. Here are some common misplays to watch out for:

• Ignoring the influence counter trigger: Many players forget to put an influence counter on Palantír of Orthanc at the beginning of their end step, which means they miss out on scrying 2 cards and potentially drawing a card or milling opponents.
• Misunderstanding the opponent's draw ability: Some players think that targeting an opponent with "Target opponent may have you draw a card" allows them to force that player to draw. However, this ability actually lets the opponent choose whether to make you draw a card. If they decline, other consequences follow.
• Underestimating milling effects: Palantír of Orthanc's mill effect can be devastating if left unchecked. Players often underestimate the damage dealt by the total mana value of milled cards and fail to consider the cumulative impact of repeated mill triggers.

Poor Synergies

Palantír of Orthanc is a versatile artifact that benefits from various synergies in Commander. However, some combinations can lead to suboptimal play:

• Combining with too many scry-heavy cards: While Palantír's scrying ability is excellent, combining it with multiple other scry effects (e.g., Adventurous Impulse, Dream Halls) can create an excessive amount of card advantage.
• Pairing with low-toughness creatures: Players often overlook the artifact's relatively high toughness, leading to a focus on low-toughness creatures that struggle to survive against opponents' attacks.

Timing Issues

Palantír of Orthanc's abilities interact with other cards and effects in complex ways:

• Trigger interactions: Be mindful of trigger interactions between Palantír of Orthanc and other cards. For example, combining it with Krenko, Mob Boss can create an endless loop of triggers.
• Card advantage and card disadvantage: Pay attention to the overall card advantage/disadvantage created by Palantír's effects. While drawing a card or scrying 2 is excellent, milling opponents too aggressively can quickly turn the game in their favor.

By being aware of these common mistakes, you can optimize your playstyle with Palantír of Orthanc and make more informed decisions during Commander games.

Palantír of Orthanc is a unique and versatile card that can add depth to various Commander decks. Its ability to manipulate the game state in multiple ways makes it a valuable addition to certain strategies.

The card's scrying mechanic allows for improved card draw and mana planning, particularly when paired with cards like Liliana of the Veil or Karn Liberated. The influence counter also enables a form of tempo-based card advantage. However, its main use case is in controlling or disrupting opponents.

Against opponents running aggressive strategies, Palantír can be used to mill their life-gaining or draw-heavy cards, effectively punishing them for overextending themselves. Conversely, it can be used defensively by allowing the player to draw a card and gaining life when an opponent attempts to disrupt their plans.

Palantír of Orthanc is a high-rarity card, but its value in the right deck makes it worth considering. The card's price fluctuates between 19-67 USD, depending on the format and quality of the card. Given its potential impact on gameplay, players should consider including Palantír in decks focused on tempo manipulation, card advantage, or interactive strategies.

In decks where Palantír can be leveraged effectively, it can provide a significant boost to gameplay. Its influence counter and scrying abilities make it an attractive addition for players looking to gain an edge over their opponents.