My play groups skew to fast and dirty bracket 4 decks when we break out higher power stuff and rift is absolutely a closer in my experience when it hits the table turn five if someone doesn't unload a mitt of removal onto the blue player's board or counter it. And then they're down their removal.

A symmetrical board wipe is likely going to just maintain the status quo, maybe give you the chance to catch up if you're behind but won't put you ahead unless you have something that makes it asymmetric in your favour. Rift does it all in one card.

In a game where you and 3 others are evenly matched, if you reach a point where multiple players are close to going off, by putting back the other players even a couple turns while they replay their rocks etc you can build a pretty commanding lead.

I'm not saying it's unbeatable or anything like that, I'm just saying in nine games out of ten if overloaded cyc rift resolves then it leads to "ok, I combo off that's game let's shuffle up the next one."

If it doesn't then you're probably playing a lower power game and then yeah it's less strong

Yes but again that blows up your stuff too, unless you also have a source of indestructible. It also again doesn't get around your opponents having indestructible.

You need to have a full mitt or gy recursion or something else to get ahead with a standard board wipe.

The only other colour that has remotely the same option as cyc rift is white and farewell nukes your own board too. Black can't do enchantments and artifacts, red can't do enchantments, green barely gets a board wipe at all.

If you don't see the value in setting back your opponents on mana and hand in the midgame while you take a turn to drop down the second half of your burn everything to the ground combo turn 4-7 I really don't know what to say to that.

And that's not even mentioning the fact that it's instant speed and has the option of the 1U single target mode which a number of people forget about even though sometimes it's the better option than overload.

If you're casting overloaded cyc rift and not winning within 1-2 turns from an overwhelming advantage you are likely misplaying your deck

It's one sided and it bypasses shroud, hexproof and indestructible. It also affects creatures, artifacts and enchantments. I don't think anything else has all of those qualities. It's also blue which means if you're playing permission or artifacts you will have the mana to cast it in the midgame.

Ah, sorry, was under the impression you were in Canada or the USA for some reason

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Progress is never as fast as we like but it's there that's for sure.