Mana can't buy everything in life, but in the game of Magic, it can certainly buy you vast amounts of power.  When considering the playability of a given card, the number one factor to account for is Mana cost.  Discussed at length on this site, the cards we consider to be "the best" are usually of low cost.  Figure of Destiny, Counterspell, Tarmogoyf, and Black Lotus (BO-RING!) are considered to be top tier because of their power-to-mana cost ratio.   Because of this there are some some very exciting, very expensive cards that seldom get to see the light of day.  What good is a powerful spell if it requires 9+ mana to cast?  Today though, we will set logic aside for a moment to take a look at some of the cards that you (and I) have hastily tossed into our "sell" pile.

Before we list the most powerful cards in the game, I'd like to lay some ground rules.  We will not be looking at cards that instantly cause a win condition.  Sorry Door to Nothingness, I realize you're a powerful card in the realm of Mana being no object, but a list of "cards that make you win" isn't the point here.  Cards with X in their casting cost will also not be considered (see ground rule #1).  Lets also stay away from cards that have actually been proven to be playable such as Cruel Ultimatum and Nicol Bolas, arguably two of the most powerful cards ever printed.  We'll focus more on cards you may have tossed aside without even reading the game text.  Lastly, for all intents and purposes, cards that "totally rock your balls off" will win out over cards with prudent playability in this article and this article only.  Alright, enough with the boring preface.  Take off your analytical, blue wizard's robes and put on you Timmy hats (hopefully you're wearing underwear or something).  Lets take a look at the most powerful cards in the game.

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Crush of Wurms - Ahh flashback, where have you gone, my love?  I suppose Retrace is a decent replacement mechanic but it's usually reserved for wimpy abilities such as "Draw a Card" or "Gain 2 Life".  But flashback... flashback was not bound by such restrictions.  Whats better than putting three 6/6 creatures into play with one card?  How about doing it again next turn? (assuming mana were no object of course :) )  This card is utterly unplayable in reality but in a world where Timmys make the rules?  I give this baby at least 18 thumbs up.

Overwhelming Forces -  Here's a card you don't see everyday.  Remember Plague Wind?  You probably don't because it's in the same pile of unusable cards that Crush of Worms is in.  I debated even including this card because it is so incredibly powerful that its almost worth building a deck around.  Good luck scouring eBay for packs of "Three Kingdoms" though.  Two extremely powerful non-black abilities packed into one very black card.  This rocks more faces then almost any card in AWWMINO (A World Where Mana is No Object).  Cao Cao really knows how to cast a spell.

Insurrection - Ever play a multiplayer game where you're all just sitting on vast armies waiting for someone to flinch?  Insurrection is the card for you!  8 Mana is reliable enough to count on in a multiplayer game.  But in a duel where some players even refrain from playing any creatures this has a very good chance of becoming a very dead card.  In multiplayer, though, you'd better kill everyone on the board with it because you're about to draw more aggro then Eminem in a nunnery on Easter Sunday.  On the bright side, if you get to play this card even once in a game, then it was indeed a good game and indeed a good day to die.

Denying Wind - I had to get a big hoser in here.  Being able to rifle through another player's library isn't something wizards has let players do for quite some time.  Imagine being able to go through your opponent's deck, analyze it and get rid of one, almost two entire playsets.  These days, players are rolling at least 2 colors and probably 3.  Why not grab all of one color producing land?  Better yet, grab those storm cards that are the key to any extended tournament deck.  The ability to cripple your opponent irreparably is unmatched.  One of the more frustrating cards ever printed and ultimate hoser (for a completely unreasonable 9 mana).

Storm Herd - The most expensive spell on our list today, Storm Herd is one of the more redonkulous cards to be printed in recent memory.  A deck could certainly be built around this big baddie.  Heal a little, stall a little and Hideaway this puppy out for 20 plus 1/1 horsies swarming the skies (the flavor text says it all, I think).  God forbid you have a Glorious Anthem or other creature pumping effect going.  I'm not going to call this card "playable", because its not.  Hideaway is really your only option here but god help your opponents if you pull it off.  One star for reality and (you guessed it) five stars for fantasy land!  If only they were unicorns...

I hope you enjoyed my list of unplayable dream cards (I ceratinly did).  These require more than just gobs of mana to play, they require you to build your entire deck around them.  While that can certainly work with cards like Cruel Ultimatium, you're really putting yourself out there and just asking for someone to Mana Leak you.  Whether we care to admit it or not, theres a bit of Timmy in all of us.  I'd bet my Wrath of God playset that each and every person reading this article lost a bit of breath when they read these cards for the first time.  Their raw power is undeniable, but their playability certainly isn't.