As with some of the other artifacts we've covered so far, you'll need to

have a lot of mana available for this one to be effective. In a stable

situation (a dead-locked battlefield, controlled by permanents), you can

always win by dealing direct damage. Not many permanents can deal

direct damage, so this is a very unique artifact. Four damage is also

enough to destroy many creatures, so having it on the battlefield as a

threat is an excellent way of controlling play. Ideally, I'd like to see

something between Rod of Ruin (3 generic and tap for 1 damage to any

target) and Aladdin's Ring created, but with a more feasible cost, since

both of these artifacts are inefficient (It could be a partial life-pay cost, for

example). In today's game, the ring simply demands too much attention to

be an effective tool, but a revised concept might make for an interesting

factor, in a new scheme.
Eighth Edition
8ED Artifact