Rhystic Study shows up in Commander's Arsenal. So, that's a nod to its popularity. Otherwise, you're looking at a 2U (3cc) enchantment from the Prophecy set circa 2000. I've run this card a number of times in a number of decks. Whenever I draw it, I think: Well, there's a card that isn't going to do anything for me this turn. But I play it anyway. In the 10-or-so times it's been on the table, I've drawn maybe 3 cards... total. And it's not like the 1 mana "tax" on my opponents' spells is breaking things wide open for me, either.
When I see the word "Rhystic" on the card, I immediately think the same thought I had when I saw this set for the first time: I wonder if "Rhystic" means "Terrible"? Just about anytime your opponent can choose if you get to do something, you've already lost. Rhystic Study hangs around instead of being a one-shot deal, but it still just sits there.
Yuck.
I suspect that all the love for Rhystic Study comes from the "politics" of the Commander format. Most people I know frown upon flat-out alliances at the table. But there's nothing wrong with raising your eyebrows at the Rhystic Study player after casting a spell then tapping the extra mana to "pay the tax" before taking it back with a casual comment, "No, go ahead and draw the card." Subtext: Wink, wink. Further Subtext: How about you attack someone else next turn. I am the guy who let you draw that card, after all.
Maybe I'm just no good at politics, but it doesn't ever work out this way for me. I'd rather be in control of the cards I draw, and when I draw them. For the same casting cost, I can draw some cards or filter through a few more and end up with the one I want.
Assuming you are already running Ponder, Brainstorm, Impulse, Forbidden Alchemy, and Thirst for Knowledge, consider Compulsive Research. Draw three cards, discard one or two from your hand. Great! I get to see three new cards. Plus, if I draw a land or have a land in my hand, I get to keep two of them. There's nothing saying I can't drop things in the graveyard that I want there, either. Maybe I have a Reanimate in my hand. Maybe I have a Crucible of Worlds on the table. Either way, I see three cards immediately. Things are happening.
Not your style? Want some major upside with super surprise factor baked right in? How about Theft of Dreams, Borrowing 100,000 Arrows (yes, this is a real card), or Keep Watch? Sure, you might have to wait around for a particularly good time to cast these, but boy-oh-boy when it works out it really works out!
But the options don't stop there, folks. Want to feel raw power? How about a broken card from Urza's Saga? Restricted in Vintage and banned in Legacy for a reason, Windfall can spring out of nowhere and refill your hand for a measly 2U (3cc): the same cost at Rhystic Study.
On the plus side for Rhystic Study, it does sit there ticking away. In a big enough game, with enough time, you might end up drawing a bunch of cards. Maybe. (But, I doubt it). If that sounds like more your speed, Tamiyo, the Moon Sage is the card you want. It's more mana, but there's some serious strength in her Planeswalker abilities. You can use the -2 loyalty ability to duplicate Keep Watch and Borrowing 100,000 Arrows right off the bat. And if you do get the emblem, well, blamo. :)
Plus, "Moon Sage." So, that's fun.
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