Playing a decoy on top of a nullify is just like seeking Dispel.
Not quite...
My opponent has 2 hidden enchants on him and I want to Dissolve his Teleport Wand
Seeking Dispel will only give me a 50% chance to hit Nullify unless I read his play order
Decoy will trigger that Nullify (but not the one that Transfuses onto him from his Jelly!)
If I am wrong and there was no Nullify (maybe Block and Retaliate?), I bank a surprise.
Seeking Dispel is good to disrupt non-mandatory combos (like a Transfusion instant burst of banked actions)
It's marginally cheaper with Arcane Ring (not to be sniffed at) but otherwise its use is more niche than Decoy
Seeking Dispel has its role but that is mainly against those control-combo match-ups which use timed reveals
Even if it hits your key 1 copy (e.g. it hits that Force Crush), Transfusion moves it to fizzle your Seeking Dispel
I've found one of its main uses is to remove an annoying predictable hidden Agony telegraphed on your Hydra
You really need to be able to read a game very well (or play against a telegrapher) to use Seeking Dispel well
The best I've ever hit with it was Divine Intervention (it was telegraphed)
I outwardly acted nonchalant which infuriated my distraught friend - he should know I'm a wind-up merchant
Quite often just running 1SP enchants that debuff (or buffs if testing a Nullify on self) is best to trigger Nullify
Decoy is great at 1SP and you just want your mana back if wrong (or lull opponent into thinking you have less)
That latter use of Decoy is crucial when you play against any opponent who knows the cost of all the spells
Sometimes you tap out to zero mana and the opponent gleefully tries to Dissolve your Dragonscale or Lash
Only for you to reveal a long ago Nullify-ferreting Decoy still on him to fund a Nullify trap you predicted and set
Then the next time you play that opponent, he becomes wary and looks at every hidden enchant like a Decoy
Tthat's when it gets fun, when the game rises to encompass bluff and out-thinking from Planning to Final QC
When you can hold off Retaliate until really buffed or it will kill the attacker as its existence fills him with doubt
I'd love more cards like Decoy: full information games are dull (guess who wanted Wizard's Training secret).
It's why I won't QC until Final QC if no benefit earlier (like reveal before roll dice), just to keep them guessing.
It's only a Crystal or a Flower cast in Final QC but why give them that extra information? Make them paranoid!
I feel so sad over what happened to Mind Control, wrong ruling leading to an errata that makes it unplayable
Just the knowledge that I used to run Mind Control in FM used to add so much paranoia on hidden enchants.
Before the ruling, I could reveal before last action if within 1, Obelisk in Final QC and bye bye over-buffed Elite
It costs 6 SPs, a gamble with so much Psychic Immune, you jump through hoops and a ruling caused a nerf.
It's why I always run at least 1 Nullify in all my books, even the most aggro, because all my opponents know it
So they look at every hidden enchant with suspicion (especially if you decline reveals for other mana spends)
"Well, he didn't reveal Bear Strength before Roll Dice so it could be a Nullify..." Maybe I had better things to do
I seem to have wandered off topic again....
But this intuitive game is so deep, despite attempts to destroy its subtleties (yet not nerf the 1 glaring brutality)
<Sigh>
