Pointed Discussion

A bit expensive but it's a decent way to prude an opponent's little guys without having to worry about them ganging up to kill a bigger creature.

Hateflayer+this+Blade of the BloodChief

Vein drinker mark 2

Did this really need the damage trade? Just the first half of the effect alone wouldn't have been game-breaking, not even close. It would still be a useless card. As it is: for 4 mana all you get to do is tap out your biggest creature to kill a creature that needs to be smaller than it anyway. That, on an enchantment designed to be unusually vulnerable even for an Aura? Just really bad.

It's solid if cumbersome creature removal for green, a color that is generally lacking in that department.
3/5

Decent spot removal in limited, due to it being repeatable. Seems like it'd be a good fit on a Nighthawk to get rid of the sub-3 power creatures on the board and get 2 health in the process, or it'd do well on a fatty to clear out the bigger stuff so your smaller creatures can attack.

Actually, it could work *really* well on a Felidar Sovereign. Attack, 4 health, block, 4 health, use Predatory Urge ability, 4 health. Hmmmm, seems like a good limited combo.

I love this brawling effect - but not a typical, card disadvantage giving Aura for four mana... :/

Play an equipped Tracker instead.

One of the worst rares ever printed.

In current T2, this card is a yawn... If Swans of Bryn Argoll were still T2, however....

I just hate this card. I fail to see a time I would ever use it.

Actually, its decent, three possible strategies:

Uril + predatory urge = 7/7 that can tap to kill off any less than 7 toughness creature while being shrouded itself.

Deep-slumber titan + predatory urge = a 7/7 that can tap, then immediately untaps when it has damage caused to it, allowing it to tap again (that is if it can take the damage without dying that second time).

Protean hydra + predatory urge = clear a creature and add counters to hydra.

Can also see a creature with death touch having fun with this especially if that creature is also equipped with indestructibility, aka gorgon flail and indestructibility enchant or shield of the oversoul, possibly shield of kaldra if your using stonehewer giant. Possibly regeneration as well, aka gaze of the gorgon.

On a creature with vigilance it can technically do twice that creatures damage, and on a creature with first strike on top of that it is equivalent to double strike.

Not saying its the most awesome enchantment I've ever seen, but it's not bad either.

This with Vigean Hydropon is just fantastic, which becomes a 5 damage to a creature a turn on turn 4. And you could have easily grafted to the Hydropon making a hell of a creature to deal with that doesn't even have to attack.

Not a great card, but it pairs really well with White in a G/W combo. Throw it on a Wall and make it a creature killer:

Wall of Swords
Wall of Spears

You could also use it on a creature who benefits from getting hit in order to build them up. Something like a Sengir Vampire or Fungusaur.

I realize none of those combos will win you the game or anything, but just a couple of ideas around how else to use this thing. Overpriced at 4CC though, clearly.

2.5/5

I have actually played with this in my standard green speed beasties deck.... and it is surprisingly effective especially for green. I mean i know its not the greatest creature removal card ever made, but i love this card because it gives green the ability to have some sort of recurring creature removal and it also works with greens theme of summoning huge creatures to do your bidding. Also, now that the worldwake set has come out and i have access to a creature like leatherback baloth and other cards such as basilisk collar predatory urge is quickly becoming my favorite green removal card in standard... even thou there is not really that much competition.

I'll admit I shunned this card initially just like everyone else, but now that i have actually used it and seen its true power and potential in a true old school green deck i have feel in love with predatory urge.
..... just as a side note now that i have played with this card i would totally use this in a green deck over splashing in another color just to add some sort of removal.
5 outta 5 great card give it a chance all you skeptical people

While I truly do think this is better than most people give it credit for (how often does green get ANY creature removal?), plus I am a fan of this arena-styled mechanic, and I find myself terribly amused by the idea of this bear about the maul the bajeezus out of that little pterodactly man, I can't help but wonder why this is a rare.

Played a guy who was running a green and white ally deck. I popped out a first turn Arbor Elf. Next turn I had a 4/5 Leatherback Baloth. Turn 3 it had this card on it and the person sweeped, saying his Allies would be destroyed the moment the dropped, which was true.

This card can be extremely useful for someone playing a beasty deck, or anything with higher powered cards for that matter simply because it's an easy way to take out the ever so common Ally and Vampire decks that are all the rage of the Zendikar block. At the very least, a mandatory sideboard card.

I was disappointed when I pulled this card 30 min. ago but the more I think about it and read everyone's opinions, the more it makes me want to use it and see if it can actually be really utilized proficiently. Maybe I'll try to stick it on my thornling, and make it indestructible.

i wonder if this is any good with the new aura themes in RotE

I run this in my casual Hydra deck to use with Protean Hydra. Works as both removal and as a sweet way to buff the Hydra each time it munches something. Works fantastically in that regard, but I don't see it ever being useful otherwise.

Everyone seems to be forgetting some keywords that are quite evil with this, like wither... Fun times!

But being a rare, maybe a casting cost of 1GG instead of 3G would have fitted better and made this a more solid card.

Zendikar rare... Come on RARE?!

Yesterday I pulled this from a booster.ARGH!!11!

hey green gets removal... in my rare slot... and it is a 2 for 1....

screw you wizards

Forget heavy arbalest, combo Soliton with this cool thing.

Looks fun in an infect deck

If I have this right, since Infect uses -1/-1 counters, enchanting this to an Infect creature will mean if you reduce the creatures toughness to 0 that creature will not damage you creature. Also eliminates indestructible creatures. Going to buy a playset of this "crap rare" if my judge friend confirms this for me.

One of the only "rares" in Zendikar that i did not end up getting. Man, am I glad I did not waste 4 dollars to pull this piece of crap from a booster

If you put this on a Protean Hydra with a toughness modifier (like leyline of Vitality) and then use it to target itself, the Hydra would hit itself twice and quadruple it's +1/+1 counters!

Otherwise, the card is kind of crappy. Should be at least one mana cheaper.

Yes: green creature-destruction is a pretty rare thing, and this card allows your big green creatures to destroy your opponents' smaller creatures many times over. Easily worth 4 mana - 3 of which are colorless. Now, necromancers' Visara the Dreadful, Avatar of Woe, etc., can't sit back and tap my 7/7s and 8/8s straight out of play.

At 4 mana, admittedly, it's not an extremely fast card - but it's not supposed to be. Making it fast would allow, what, your fast green creatures to deal their damage to and receive damage from other creatures? What's the point? Fast green creatures are sometimes bigger than fast creatures of other colors, but slow-to-cast green creatures are pretty much always bigger than creatures of other colors with the same or similar casting costs. Besides, green's mana-boost allows its big creatures to generally enter play sooner than other colors' big creatures. This card clearly works best outside of fast one-on-one games, and is best used in contexts in which speed is not the name of the game, like group games.

From rubber: "an enchantment designed to be unusually vulnerable even for an Aura?"

What? Enchant Creatures have had features whereby the enchantment is destroyed in place of its creature, or whereby the enchantment somehow stays in play despite its creature leaving play, only recently in the game of Magic. Being vulnerable is NORMAL for Enchant Creatures. They're not "usually" invulnerable!

@ UNBAN_SHAHRAZAD: This is not one of the worst rares ever printed. It's not among the best, but it's certainly a useful card for green - and can be great in combos. I could sit and post, in this comment, names of hundreds - if not thousands - of rares that are 'generally worse' than this card. Clearly, usefulness is contingent upon context - and upon the design of a particular deck, but, yeah: if I wanted to take the time, I'm sure I could find hundreds of rares that are 'generally less useful'. Mishra's War Machine would be one easy example.

A number of combos have been listed here which exploit this card's usability. I'm certain that if any of us put more time into it, we could come up with some even nastier or more effective combinations. For example: how could we design a combo of cards so that the creature this card enchants could untap an unlimited number of times - or at least many, many times - while remaining alive, in play, or indestructible, and destroying many, many opponents' creatures? Sounds worth 3G to me. Sure, other combos that do the same or similar things are out there; but green has the advantage of few of those combos, as compared to other colors.

@ LokiGodofChaos: I think both creatures deal their power to the other simultaneously. I don't think that Wither or Infect would reduce the other creature's Power or Toughness until after the other creature has dealt its damage - prior to being withered or infected.

This is a great way for green to directly combat smaller creatures like black ones mentioned above (or the blue Temporal Adept, for instance), whose controllers aren't likely to get such creatures into combat with, say, a Plated Slagwurm or an Engulfing Slagwurm.

I've given it a 3.5 out of 5. If this card didn't require a big creature (or a creature with Deathtouch or a similar ability which could use this enchantment's ability and remain in play) to cast it on in order to somehow have its effect or a similar effect, I would likely rate it higher. I would likely rate a big green, and useful creature with this ability built into it at greater than 3.5. There are some older creatures I know of with this ability built into it, but they're not quite playable - at least, not anymore.

So I was thinking about a black-green control deck for the new standard and I realized that this onPhyrexian Obliterator becomes recurring creature removal that will also force your opponent to sacrifice permanents equal to the targeted creature's power.

Basilisk Collar likes this. I guess the deathtouch doesn't stop the damage from hitting your guy though.

Might also consider using - along with power-boosting auras, effects or equipment - Mogg Maniac or, better yet, Stuffy Doll. Or put this on something else and have it target the Stuffy Doll. Worst rare ever? You're just not thinking hard enough.

I am definately going to put three of these in my Spider deck! :D

My spiders are going to be eating things all day! This is definately underrated. 4/5

In Innistrad, this gonna be an evergreen mechanic--fight. This, in my opinion, is one of the LAMEST MECHANICS I'VE EVER HEARD!!! I mean, you rarely hear of this mechanic, it's not very popular, and I would so much rather that they keyword mill than this

Why does oracle not say "fight"?

This isn't technically fighting (like Prey Upon or Rivals' Duel). Fighting is "Each deals damage equal to its power to the other." I think the difference may be-

10/1/2009: If the targeted creature leaves the battlefield (or otherwise becomes an illegal target) before the ability resolves, the ability is countered. The enchanted creature isn't dealt damage.
10/1/2009: On the other hand, if the enchanted creature leaves the battlefield before the ability resolves, the ability continues to resolve. The enchanted creature deals damage to the targeted creature equal to the power the enchanted creature had as it last existed on the battlefield.

It's like the whole lifelink/Spirit Link thing all over again. I think it's stupid and they should just change it to make it fighting.

Swans Of Bryn Argoll?

This works wel comboed with Magebane Armor. Expensive, yes, but works well as reusable creature destruction in green.

Might be fun if you can pump up Stuffy Doll. You can even have it target itself and deal double damage to an opponent.

Shouldn't be rare.

It becomes really fun if you also have vigor on the field