Spirit of the Labyrinth - Magic the Gathering

A minotaur used to live here, but he moved out.

Name: Spirit of the Labyrinth. Anything with the word labyrinth in it automatically makes it more awesome. A quick aside: When is a maze a labyrinth? A labyrinth has a definite center, the path in and out of it taking you through the center before coming out the other end. Also unlike mazes, most labyrinths had only one set path, as opposed to multiple branching paths. In general speech though, it's okay to use the two interchangeably, since only antiquity scholars and conservative grammar users will complain.

Art: The story of the labyrinth has been told countless times that it becomes interesting how different adaptations interpret it. In God of War III, the labyrinth is suspended in gigantic boxes. The player first has to risk life and limb to assemble the boxes together before they can enter it and reach the person dwelling in the center. Here we have a massive stone throne, the labyrinth actually curving through it and the rest of the interior. The spirit is also nicely done, the wispy hair, white skin, and what seems to be pupiless eyes.

Flavor: A labyrinth is a very abstract idea to convey mechanically. The ability seems to have the general feeling while not nailing down any specifics. The main reaction to the ability is that something you normally could do you can't do any more. Your options are being restricted. That fits the flavor of a labyrinth, with the disorientation along with its original intent as a prison for the minotaur. Speaking of which, why isn't the creature in the labyrinth a minotaur? The minotaur is the most famous denizen of the labyrinth, yet the card drops the ball in terms of expectation. My theory is that they couldn't get the minotaur to match with the labyrinth's ability. The effect feels more white/blue, while minotaurs in this plane are red/black. I feel like maybe they could have splurged a little, making the card have creatures come into play tapped, an ability that has appeared in red and has the whole disorienting feeling. But maybe that card isn't want the format needed. The flavor text has me a little baffled. This spirit is some sort of teacher? Okay, why is it in a labyrinth and what is it supposed to teach?

Demographic: It's a small creature with an effect that hoses certain ability. When a card hoses, odds are it was meant for Spike. It's size also makes it fit neatly into a curve, making it an option open for multiple tournament decks. That said, I think the card also finds a home in multiplayer, being an effect that affects everyone at the table.