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I’m not entirely sure why this card ended up being a rare, but Torpor Orb is not a bad card. There are plenty of creatures that cause abilities to trigger: Squadron Hawk, Stoneforge Mystic, Gatekeeper of Malakir, Suture Priest, Deciever Exarch, the Titan cycle, etc. I especially think that Suture Priest is a major reason for why this card is in the set. It’s a nice side board card against Soul Sisters, certainly, as well as Splinter Twin. It was very good against Caw-Blade pre-Stoneforge Mystic ban. It also stops the +1/+1 counters of the new Bloodthirst cards from Magic 2012, so it’s good to have a couple of copies of these on stand-by when those decks decide to crop up.

Perhaps the best use for this card in the upcoming format will be against Venser decks, and the bevy of creatures like Stonehorn Dignitary and Solemn Simulacrum that have enter the battlefield abilities will find themselves relatively powerless with this card on the board. It’s a decent side board card, no doubt about it, but it’s certainly not the greatest rare to open. Still, its usefulness will increase over time as the current Standard format evolves.