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Magic: The Gathering Card Comments Archive

Dust Elemental

Multiverse ID: 124343

Dust Elemental

Comments (46)

Moraena
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.8/5.0) (6 votes)
It's a good card, but the three monster cost is a bit much. Two would even be aeons better. Now what I don't know know... if the user doesn't have three cards to sacrifice, can this still be used...? Usually if it can't, it says it on the card. This doesn't, so it's a possible loophole for a casual game, but not likely in a tournament.
Piechart
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0) (6 votes)
If you don't have 3 creatures to return, you have to return as many as possible, including the Elemental itself. That aside, being able to return your creatures to your hand in large quantities can be very useful, especially since it has flash. When used properly, it's a 4-mana 6/6 with four positive abilities.
Spideredd
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0) (10 votes)
How many 6/6 flying creatures are there for four mana?
Now attach Fear
Now attach flash.
Now think wrath of god and this with your favorite creatures.
I hate my Fiancée for comming up with that play.
Ratoly
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.7/5.0) (3 votes)
How does this work with the new keyword shift to Intimidate? Does it still have fear, or is there some weird wording?
Champion_Kitsune
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0) (4 votes)
The "drawback" requires some work to get this guy in on turn four. I'd say it could be done as early as turn three with Birds/Elves and a couple other good drops as well. Or maybe abuse it with 'enters the battlefield' effect creatures. But hey, nice thing is, between Fear and Flying, it's just about unblockable.
Zarcron
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0) (4 votes)
@Ratoly: It still has fear, which is weird considering it's white, and Skirk Shaman from the same set has rules which give it the equivalent of "red fear" much like intimidate.
Nerobyrne
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0) (4 votes)
Fear has not been removed, it's been expanded. Cards like Fear still require a black creature to block it, regardless of the enchanted creature's colors. Intimidate is a different effect, rather than a rewording.
vardaris
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0) (6 votes)
It is a great card if you play it in decks that have a lot of low cost small creatures with abilities that trigger when they enter the battlefield.

Fear is an ability that requires that a blocker uses a black or an artifact creature to block the attacking creature with fear. The legends' card Seeker had a white version of fear. other non-black creatures with Fear are Arcbound Fiend and Dust Elemental, while Firefright has an ability that looks like Fear.

it is anounced that there will not be other cards with fear ability. It is replaced with intimidate that is a more balanced for the 5 colours ability.But all the cards that have already been printed with fear will stay unaltered.
A3Kitsune
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0) (2 votes)
This may just be the only non-black creature in Magic with fear. Or maybe there's an artifact creature or two with fear. Eather way, this is rather unique.
Great creature, as long as the Gating effect isn't too much of a problem. If it's to your advantage, bonus!

Edit: Corrected spelling.
Arglypuff
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0) (1 vote)
Squealing Devil
Scornful Æther-Lich
Hooded Kavu
Atali
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0) (1 vote)
I use this in a deck with Eight-and-a-Half-Tails, giving Dusty here very powerful protection, the ability to dodge even the black flyers that might show up, and Dusty can be used to emergency save 8 1/2 Tails.
InternetNinjacy
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0) (1 vote)
I think this should be errated, "Counts as a black creature for the purposes of blocking creatures with fear". I mean, the hole point of fear is that they're too afraid to block, unless they also are black. Well, this isn't black, but it is probably scary enough not to care.
faisjdas
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0) (1 vote)
Great to pull back cards like Aven Rif***cher, a little combo I used in my WW deck back in time spiral.
Sironos
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0) (1 vote)
Flash Flying Fear, you know what I'm talking about >:)
That is incredible art, just like dread, imagine how afraid you would be if you saw this coming at you, the fear is nicely reflected by the art.
Aun
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0) (2 votes)
If only the art was better...
iSlapTrees
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0) (4 votes)
I like how this can kill baneslayer :)
whitedemon
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0) (1 vote)
Hm... how about something like quest for the holy relic?
Opaque
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0) (1 vote)
Walled by Chimney Imp.
supershawn
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0) (2 votes)
*** intimidate!
Moleland
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0) (2 votes)
@InternetNinjacy:

Heh. Prolly whichever dimension Dusty is from, Fear is a white abilty that means it can only be blocked by white or artifact creatures...

Only in this reality, things are different :p
KorJax
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0) (3 votes)
This card is pretty great. While situational outside of Time Spiral, for the preconstructed deck that was built around this card, it owned. Have lots of creatures that use Time Counters in play and are about to go kaput at the beginning of your next upkeep. Opponent starts his turn. Play this, and put all those creatures that were about to run out of time counters back into your hand (often triggering their "enter and leave play" abilities, which many time-counter focused creatures had) for rape.

Then when your turn starts again, you basically have a 6/6 with flying, fear and "haste" (thanks to playing on opponents turn) with a compeltly open mana base in which to resummon your time counter creatures and REACTIVATE all their enter/leave play abilities.

Needless to say, my friends always hated it when I played with this deck. It was just so good, and hard to deal with since cards were constantly entering and leaving play.
BlackAlbino
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0) (7 votes)
What are you talking about? that art is epic!
Giant monstrosity dragon thing made of dust CHASING YOU DOWN FOR SOME NOMS
Damn right it has fear

Probably my favorite white card.
BlackKWYte
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0) (3 votes)
is it possible to summon Dust Elemental if you have less than 3 creatures?
ClockworkSwordfish
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0) (11 votes)
This guy here is the textbook example of a card being much, much better than it looks. It seems at first to be a pretty beefy creature but with a pretty horrible drawback. Why, you can't even keep it on the field unless you control three other creatures. Madness! In practice, however, this guy is much, much more.

First, he can save your creatures. Saving three from Earthquake and then surviving is no mean feat. He can also save two and bounce himself, which nets you zero card disadvantage since the card you played just bought itself back to your hand.

Next, enter- or leaves-the-battlefield effects. Bouncing the likes of Bone Shredder is a clearly great function of Dusty. But think bigger. Think evoke. Yes, you can play this in response to the evoke trigger, saving your evoker for another day, basically giving evokers Buyback 2WhiteWhite. This is cool, but add Door of Destinies (tribal tiem!) or similar and this is one hell of an engine.

A security blanket wrapped around a beatstick. 5/5, and hats off to one of white's best.
SeiberTross
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0) (3 votes)
I couldn't believe this card existed when I first saw it...what power! Save creatures, flash block, 6/6 flying fear...

This just gets silly with Stormfront Riders
Dregrage
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0) (2 votes)
I always tried to figure out what the flavour of this card was like. i came up that probably, the elemental comes out from nothing, shouting "BOOH", and scaring thus three creatures that run away in fear.

Oh wait, it's the exact explanation of the artwork!
Twinsuit
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0) (4 votes)
Hello Torpor Orb.
Hugo1
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0) (1 vote)
This is very annoying to get bounced when you returned all your other creatures just to play it.
Avatar_of_Wurms
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0) (1 vote)
I cant play this guy anymore, everyone in my playgroup hates him to much.
His wide toothy smile shall always hold a special place in my heart.

On a game-play note, for use with Memnites and Ornithopers. And of course ETB triggers, but thats been mentioned already.
LordRandomness
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0) (3 votes)
Why yes, I would like to recast all my Seht's Tigers.
Paolino
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0) (2 votes)
This is one if the main reasons why the zero-cost creatures are made...
theoneandonlyjoseph
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0) (1 vote)
is it possible to summon Dust Elemental if you have less than 3 creatures?

technicly, yes, but then he has to be one of the three you return to your hand.
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is pretty cool. 6/6 with double evasion and Flash for only 4 CMC with a drawback which in the right deck may be made negligible or turned into an advantage. Also, 5/5 just for being a living goddamn dust storm.
Bufzar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This just screams "Board Wipe protection" to me
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So... It's a white creature but it has flash, fear, and it bounces your own creatures. All it's missing is a red ability.

Welcome to Planar Chaos, the set where everything's made up and the color pie doesn't matter.
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
*ahem*
Sengir autocrat. Return him and two of the tokens (that way you get the tokens back.)
Aquillion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
You can bounce it itself and use it as a repeatable unsummon for your creatures in order to reuse comes-into-play effects as often as you want, or to save them from a hostile effect.
RiftenBlack
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Spideredd: The card is okay, but if you've gotten enough mana to play Wrath of God and this card on the same turn, something has probably gone wrong with the game, and with the decks in question...
car2n
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
You can play this card for free if you live in Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Oklahoma, and Southern California.
S-r-ex
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A flashy flying fearful 6/6 that can save your dudes and/or abuse etb- and when/ever you cast abilities for 4. Supreme utility creature reigns supreme.
JunkHarvester
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why in god's name is this not in my Teneb EDH?!?!

Save an Eternal Witness, Phyrexian Gargantuan, and Flickerwisp from a Wrath and get to re-cast them?

Sweeeeeet.

WAIT and the art is rk post??? Get out of town jackson brown.
Gameguy602
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Used to use him in a Red or White deck to bounce two creatures with enters play effects and itself, so I could do it again a few turns later.
vaultx
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"I will show you fear in a handful of dust."
- T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land