• Show & Tell (Original Art)
  • Show & Tell (Original Art)
  • Show & Tell (Original Art)

    Show & Tell (Original Art)

    Artist
    Jeff Laubenstein
    Year
    1998
    Medium
    Acrylics
    Set/Console Name
    Urza's Saga
    Console/Game
    Magic the Gathering
    C.O.A.
    painted
    Painted A.P.
    yes
    Substrate Material
    Crescent Illustration Board
    Substrate Dimensions
    9 15/16"H x 15"W
    Image Area Dimensions
    7"H x 8 15/16""W
    Frame Dimensions
    Unframed
    Handmade Protective Case
    NO, Framed
    Reserved List
    No

    Show and Tell is a three-mana blue sorcery that lets each player put an artifact, creature, enchantment, or land card from their hand onto the battlefield. Show and Tell first appeared in Urza’s Saga (1998), designed during Magic’s most explosive creative era. The concept was simple – a symmetrical “fair” card that allowed both players to cheat something into play for free. Of course, competitive players quickly realized that this was an illusion. If your deck was built to abuse it, the drawback didn’t matter. Show and Tell is the ultimate “cheat spell”. You invest three mana and bypass al the usual constraints for cost, timing, and setup. Show and Tell is a core staple in the Legacy format, creating an entire archetype ever since 2008. It can put some massive threats (e.g. Emrakul, the Aeons Torn and Atraxa, Grand Unifier) into play for free. Show and Tell is a very efficient and consistent combo card, as you can often back it up with a lot of counterspells like Force of Will, Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm, and Daze. The blue cantrip cartel of Brainstorm, Ponder, and Preordain, makes finding your combo pieces easier. Recent additions, such as Mistrise Village, can make the next spell you cast uncounterable – adding an extra layer of protection for executing your combo. There are two major Show and Tell archetypes in Legacy – “Sneaky Show” and Omnitell/”Omni-Show”. They both revolve around resolving a Show and Tell, but just have another secondary win condition. Sneaky Show has Show and Tell + Sneak Attack as main combo pieces to cheat a fatty into play like Emrakul or Atraxa ¬– while Omni-Show uses Show and Tell + Omniscience as the core combo. This deck relies on Show and Tell resolving to win the game, either by putting an Emrakul or Atraxa into play, or by putting an Omniscience onto the battlefield. Once Omniscience is in play the deck can win by casting these big threats for free or by casting a Cunning Wish for Firemind’s Foresight out of the sideboard, which can then get Release the Ants or Shared Summons to end the game. Show and Tell is banned in Commander and Premodern, and not legal in Modern or Pioneer. This card is not on the Reserved List, and has been reprinted a few times (Conspiracy: Take the Crown, Special Guests, Mystery Booster 2, and Judge Rewards Promos).
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