Black Vise (Repaint)

Black Vise is an iconic 1-mana artifact first printed in Alpha (1993). It punishes control opponents for holding a full hand, turning card advantage into a liability. It provides cheap, early damage for just a single mana which is especially strong in old formats. In formats where it’s legal, drawing multiple Black Vises can be lethal before an opponent stabilizes. Black Vise also has a great synergy with draw or lock pieces. Since cards like Howling Mine, Wheel of Fortune, and Timetwister refill player’s hands and Black Vise punishes those cards symmetrically. Black Vise was a defining card in Magic’s first few years. It dominated early Type 1 and Type 2 tournaments, particularly in Red Deck Wins and Prison Control decks. Nowadays, it still remains a powerhouse in the Oldschool 93/94 format where it’s played in various Aggro and control strategies. In this format card draw is slower and hand management is critical. Black Vise punishes control players for sitting with full hands, while aggressive decks can play it early to do as much damage as possible before opponents stabilize. Black Vise was restricted in Vintage for nearly a decade until 2007, and then remained banned in Legacy until it was unbanned in 2015. It is not on the Reserved List and has had many reprints.