Aaron’s Random Card Comment of the Day #39, 11/18/10
The MTGO-only Masters Edition set is the only set to date to get this card’s rarity correct. (Coming soon: Masters Edition 4, also with common Onulet.) It was uncommon in Antiquities and rare in Revised and Fourth Edition. There’s an uncut sheet of Fourth Edition rares hanging in one of R&D’s meeting rooms, and there’s little Onulet, everyone’s favorite bisected pink table, looking at me, licking his rusty pipe water.
Trying to understand why artifact creatures had the rarities they did in early core sets can be difficult. Clay Statue, a card that was incredibly difficult to fight against in limited, was common in Fourth and Fifth Edition. Dragon Engine, a 1/3, was common in Antiquities but rare in four consecutive core sets. Why did they think that card was worth printing at rare four different times? Dancing Scimitar, a 1/5 flyer that does nothing else, was also rare in four consecutive core sets.
Maybe the fact that Onulet was essentially better than Gray Ogre and Scathe Zombies made designers want to keep him out of common. There definitely seemed to be the feeling that good artifact creatures were too easily better than colored cards, so they needed to be harder to find. In any event, real power curves aren’t defined by three-mana 2/2’s with marginal abilities, and I think it’s fine if an artifact creature is mostly better than colored creatures in the same set and rarity. They can never truly be “strictly better,” as they die to cards like Disenchant and Shatter.
For the few of you that may not know the story of Onulet’s name… The card was given the name “Onulets” in Antiquities design; “Onulets” is an anagram for “Soul Net,” a life-gaining artifact from Alpha. But when the art came back featuring only a single creature, the “s” was dropped, botching the anagram.
Later homages to Onulet have been named as anagrams just to perpetuate the quirk. Anodet Lurker (“Darker Onulet”) was in Fifth Dawn, and Enatu Golem (“Mega Onulet”) was in Rise of the Eldrazi.
land_comment
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
This is actually a lot better than people give it credit for, especially whan it was printed. It's colorless, lets you gain life, and is a creature. Probably not rare material, but it'll do. (Is it a rare? I think so...)
oldtimer96
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(3 votes)
Am I the only one for whom this card's name makes me think of a nice brunch entree?
sdfkjgh
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@oldtimer96: You can't make an Onulet without breaking a few Rukh Eggs
Comments (7)
The MTGO-only Masters Edition set is the only set to date to get this card’s rarity correct. (Coming soon: Masters Edition 4, also with common Onulet.) It was uncommon in Antiquities and rare in Revised and Fourth Edition. There’s an uncut sheet of Fourth Edition rares hanging in one of R&D’s meeting rooms, and there’s little Onulet, everyone’s favorite bisected pink table, looking at me, licking his rusty pipe water.
Trying to understand why artifact creatures had the rarities they did in early core sets can be difficult. Clay Statue, a card that was incredibly difficult to fight against in limited, was common in Fourth and Fifth Edition. Dragon Engine, a 1/3, was common in Antiquities but rare in four consecutive core sets. Why did they think that card was worth printing at rare four different times? Dancing Scimitar, a 1/5 flyer that does nothing else, was also rare in four consecutive core sets.
Maybe the fact that Onulet was essentially better than Gray Ogre and Scathe Zombies made designers want to keep him out of common. There definitely seemed to be the feeling that good artifact creatures were too easily better than colored cards, so they needed to be harder to find. In any event, real power curves aren’t defined by three-mana 2/2’s with marginal abilities, and I think it’s fine if an artifact creature is mostly better than colored creatures in the same set and rarity. They can never truly be “strictly better,” as they die to cards like Disenchant and Shatter.
For the few of you that may not know the story of Onulet’s name… The card was given the name “Onulets” in Antiquities design; “Onulets” is an anagram for “Soul Net,” a life-gaining artifact from Alpha. But when the art came back featuring only a single creature, the “s” was dropped, botching the anagram.
Later homages to Onulet have been named as anagrams just to perpetuate the quirk. Anodet Lurker (“Darker Onulet”) was in Fifth Dawn, and Enatu Golem (“Mega Onulet”) was in Rise of the Eldrazi.