Magic Drain
Counter-Trap
Effect: You can activate this card when your opponent activates a Spell Card. Your opponent can discard 1 Spell Card from his/her hand to negate the effect of this card. If your opponent does not, negate the activation of the Spell Card of your opponent and destroy it.

In a hand/deck control strategy, I can see how this can be useful, but what about conventional decks? Nowadays, card management is more important than ever, and if you waste just one card in your deck, it could spell disaster for you. Magic Drain pretty much forces them to waste a Magic card, whether from their hand or on the field. It's doubtful that the opponent would ditch a critical Magic Card in their hand just to save the one being negated on their side of the field. Not impossible, but doubtful. And, seeing as how it's a Counter Trap, they'll just waste their one MST on it (though the tradeoff wouldn't be very good).

What say you? Does Magic Drain have a place in normal decks?

Yes, yes it does.

Except for the one for one trade off deal, this card is still very deserving of a sideboard card. I can even see it in the main deck at times. Stopping spells is harder then ever now, the only cards that i see as playable for stopping them are 1. Magic Drain, and 2. Spell canceller (in the right deck) 3. Horus lvl 8 (in own deck)

Usually spells are pretty gamebreaking, so even if ur opponent threw away a card instead of the one u were trying to negate, u still lowered their hand management by one and possibly saved yourself from a spell that could have been disasturous later-game.

As for me, i sideboard at least one in most decks. I feel it can really be a game saver.

yeah i can see why this card could be good, forcing your opponnent to ditch a spell card from their hand or have one negated on the field, it would best be used in a Side deck. but maindeck at tiems (liek LK said)

and LK i think that SSLv7 and Horus lv 8 are WAY WAY MORE playable then spell canceller could ever hope to be.

Ahh Magic Drain. The mind screwer. Why do I call it that? Because it makes your opponent decide weither or not the spell he just played is worth dumping a potential game winning spell now. Of course there will be times when he might have a spell he doesn't need at the moment, but even then that same choice can come back and bite him in the ass later on. So basicly this card is either hand disruption, or spell negation. Either way you are making your opponent sweat a little, which is always a good thing. Indeed at the very least, side one or two.

I wouldn't consider it a staple but it certainly has its place. The card gets rid of a spell, no matter what for free, so it's good. Like even if your opponent can discard a spell you're still ridding a potential threat. Magic Jammer is the obvious counterpart. This card is free but it can be stopped yet Jammer has a pricey cost to most players but it negates with no questions asked. It's a toss up really. I suggest that if your opponent plays a Cookie Cuuter tha play Magic Drain because no matter the situation you'll always get rid of a good spell. If your opponent plays wierd cards that don't harm you then don't play Drain, do for the Jammer if you want spell negation. I'd suggest Side Decking Magic Drain but then again, well timed it can be worth a main deck slot. I would deffinitly say it's still playable, not a staple but most certainly playable.

come to think of it magic drain is a good card expectaly if they play lighting vortex because they got to discard for the card then discard a magic and if they dont then they discarded a card for no reason and you monsters stay

In the casual deck, Magic Drain is very good. It's a powerful enough card to be inserted into nearly any deck! It is either a free magic negation or your opponent loses one his/her magic cards to let the current one work. However, that can also be a bad thing:

In a deck that depends on combos or a specific magic card (discard decks with night assailant or decks that require field magic), magic jammer's a more viable choice since you're guaranteed a negation. However, with magic drain, you just might wanna negate that current game-breakijng card, and with decks having 15-20 cards devoted to magic, it's quite easy for your opponent to have a card to discard to let his game-changing snatch steal or pot of greed to resolve successfully. However, that's the risk you run whenever you use magic drain; you get one of 3 things:

1) A free magic negation if the magic's not important
2) Your opponent loses two cards for the price of one
3) your opponents key game-changing magic card works as normal.

Still, it's a very powerful card that can be into most decks. HOWEVER, with the game having 4 traps being staples (mirror force, torrential tribute, ring of destruction, call of the haunted) and the excessive rise of bottomless traphole being staples and the still excessive play of Jinzo, Magic Drain will not be used too much. BAN 2 of the 4 trap staples!!!!! I want to play with mirror wall and magic drain in my deck just like the old days!!!

Okay, what about Spell Shield Type-8? Either negate the effect of a magic card that targets a monster, or ditch a magic card from your hand to negate a magic card period. Good or not?

Not really. Although a good deal of Spells target, the really hurtful ones ("Lightning Vortex", "Heavy Storm") don't, and discarding a Spell Card can be both difficult and painful.