this may very well be the only red card pauper sees out of roe. i'm still being generous though, as i'm not entirely sure this will see play.
talonaris
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(1 vote)
comparable to flame javy. love it.
metalevolence
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
For those of you who are wondering, yes, it is good. I promise.
Gaussgoat
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
This card is devastating when used in conjunction with the Kiln Fiend. You hit the opponent (or creatures) for damage twice and pump up every one of these bad boys.
Staggershock is a really good card; don't underestimate the usefulness of the rebound effect. Draft this card!
4.5/5
True_Mumin
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
Better than it looks. It can suddenly get rid of two critters, messing up your opponent's gameplan. Or deal a solid 4 to the face. Really cool.
Duffey
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I hate to tell people this but with a stagger shock in ur graveyard and pyromancer's acension it ends up adding two tokens leaving the next turn free to copy spells. Might be something to look into
WhiteyMcFly
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I think they made the card be exiled first before being played so that people can't put a quest counter on Pyromancer Ascension with this one card (although 2 of them put two on by themselves >_>). overall great card, so what if the damage is spread out over couple of turns, that just means more versatility.
DarthMohawk1
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Staggershock compared with Flame Javelin trades the option of killing a */3 or */4 creature for the power to knock off two (small) creatures, or one creature and 2 life off a player's face. None too shabby. Plus you get to use it twice for effects that count instants.
badmalloc
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Either 2 for 1s or 1 for 1s + keeps your opponent from playing a (small) creature next turn + does 2 damage to him. Good.
Ichorix
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
I love everything about this card. The name, Staggershock, is creative, flows well, and fits the card's functionality perfectly. The art by Raymond Swanland is insane (my favorite mtg artist), and, again perfectly fits both the name and function.
As for its power, 4 damage for light-on-color-investment 3 mana is never a bad deal (see cards like Char and Flames of the Blood Hand). Also, everything people have beens saying about this and Pyromancer Ascension is true. I run four in my PyroAscent deck and it's an all-star. Just two can activate the Ascension while also dealing 8 damage over two turns. Not bad at all.
flipsyalec
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(5 votes)
just for you drafters out there, it can't be used to kill 2 eldrazi spawn.
if you target a spawn with the initial casting, they can just sacrifice it on the stack. when staggershock gets to resolve, there is no target and it doesn't resolve
rebound reads "exile this spell AS IT RESOLVES"
so... don't target a spawn with it first go.
unless you really need to.
Maraxas-of-Keld
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I love it when red gets card advantage stuff.
This is my favorite card from this set.
iNathan
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
such a good card. your basically paying 3 mana for 4 damage which i think is not that bad. the artwork is amazing, i love it. goes good with cards like Shock and Lightning Bolt
Cryonic
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I'm thinking this card was heavily inspired by Arc Blade. I love the control it provides, when your opponent knows it's useless to play a creature because as soon as his/her turn is over, that creature will get zapped by the rebound.
great card, love it vs counter decks. the artwork is amazing to boot.
desolation_masticore
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
It is more shock, stagger, shock.
boneclub
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Izzet loves Rebound <3
God_Of_The_Smurfs
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Meh. This card is just so-so. The fact of the matter is, in a burn deck, you want damage NOW, not next turn. People out there saying it pumps kiln fiend: yeah, it does, but two lightning bolts is A: More cost efficient, B: Happens NOW! and C: does more damage. Yeah, you can hit two creatures, but one of them gets an extra turn to live. Long story short, it's overcosted and slower than it should be. 3/5
Granted, is definitely got nice art and flavor.
helluin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I LOVE this art. Frickin' fantastic!
ToAsTy42o
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
yes, lightning bolt is better, but lets face it people, you can only have 4 in your deck. after 4 lightning bolts, you want incinerates and 4 of these. dmg dmg dmg! i ping you AND yer stoopid little */2 creatures! by turn 5 or 6, you should have a clear board and a dragon out.
DacenOctavio
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I love that it's a merfolk of all creatures that's casting it.
Gelzo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great card, but the new Volt Charge might be replacing it in my Pyromancer Ascension deck.
Rebound is a really solid mechanic, though, and I figure there are a bunch of decks that can benefit from "cast"ing a spell twice per card.
SgtSwaggr
★☆☆☆☆ (1.2/5.0)(2 votes)
With Reverberate on the rebound, you deal 8 damage over the course of 3 turns for 5 mana!
TheSwarm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Monored control. Yes, sure, you may say that there is no card advantage. BUt, cards like this beast provide pseudoadvantage. Two for ones like staggershock, arc trail, and pyroclasm really punish the early game. Late game threats are iffy, but I think Basilisk-mage can do it.
rinoh20
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
can't you use it on your untap step or draw step, then rebound it during your upkeep to kill */4s?
Sterling_Archer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So good, and so underrated.
sonorhC
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@rinoh20: You can't cast spells or use abilities during your untap step, and draw comes after upkeep. So no, you can't do that. If you had a Paradox Haze on you, though, you could cast this during your first upkeep, and then rebound it during your second upkeep.
Lief098
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is just about perfect for my burn deck. Easily activates Pyromancer Ascension, puts two counters on Shrine of Burning Rage, and can hit Mudbutton Torchrunner if I absolutely need that extra point of damage (has happened once or twice). Also 2-for-1's surprisingly often.
5/5.
mn6334
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I think this actually goes better in a Bloodchief Ascension/Mindcrank deck than it does in a Pyromancer Ascension deck. One alone gets two counters on the Bloodchief Ascension. It also possibly beats out Volt Charge in said deck, Volt Charge gets Bloodchief from one to three counters whereas this gets Bloodchief either from zero to two or from one to three.
Falgorn
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@SgtSwaggr: No, you don't. The copy ceases to exist as soon as state-based effects are checked after it has been exiled. So it can't come back.
Definitely my second favorite burn spell so far, despite its cost. So exploitable.... First place goes to Electrolyze of course.
humor_love
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
As casual players, my friends are playing a lot of Innistrad Block cards. This could be useful against Undying and against creatures that leave tokens behind after they die.
If they're going to provide creatures with those forms of advantage generation, they need to provide burn and straight creature destruction with stuff like Rebound. The Morbid on Tragic Slip is helpful, but that doesn't seem to make up for the card/board disadvantage of Undying, Persist, and creatures that leave tokens.
Stupid Power Creep.
alphagprime
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
There are a lot of comments here talking about how slow this card is and comparing it to Lightning Bolt. There are situations (albeit probably not in Eldrazi Block or Standard) where the number of spells you cast is more important than what they do. Storm leaps to mind as does (as someone has already mentioned Izzet) Gelectrode and Wee Dragonauts. Wee Dragonauts pumps when you cast an instant or sorcery, making this more valuable in some aspects than Lightning Bolt or as an excellent counterpart.
And that's 19 potential damage to your opponent's face with only 3 mana. This card has utility. It does something Lightning Bolt and Shock can't. With Gelectrode the situation isn't as scary as but you pile up your deck with a bunch of counterspells and all the sudden Staggershock becomes your finisher comboing up with Gelectrode for 8 per 3 mana and only 1 card.
forumbrowser
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Whoa...the art on this is amazing.
DrJack
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Artwork looks exactly like everything else in the newer sets.
LordRandomness
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Key point: Instant speed means dropping it in the opponent's end step allows it to go off basically twice in a row.
Comments (39)
Staggershock is a really good card; don't underestimate the usefulness of the rebound effect. Draft this card!
4.5/5
As for its power, 4 damage for light-on-color-investment 3 mana is never a bad deal (see cards like Char and Flames of the Blood Hand). Also, everything people have beens saying about this and Pyromancer Ascension is true. I run four in my PyroAscent deck and it's an all-star. Just two can activate the Ascension while also dealing 8 damage over two turns. Not bad at all.
if you target a spawn with the initial casting, they can just sacrifice it on the stack.
when staggershock gets to resolve, there is no target and it doesn't resolve
rebound reads "exile this spell AS IT RESOLVES"
so... don't target a spawn with it first go.
unless you really need to.
This is my favorite card from this set.
Long story short, it's overcosted and slower than it should be.
3/5
Granted, is definitely got nice art and flavor.
Rebound is a really solid mechanic, though, and I figure there are a bunch of decks that can benefit from "cast"ing a spell twice per card.
5/5.
No, you don't. The copy ceases to exist as soon as state-based effects are checked after it has been exiled. So it can't come back.
Definitely my second favorite burn spell so far, despite its cost. So exploitable....
First place goes to Electrolyze of course.
If they're going to provide creatures with those forms of advantage generation, they need to provide burn and straight creature destruction with stuff like Rebound. The Morbid on Tragic Slip is helpful, but that doesn't seem to make up for the card/board disadvantage of Undying, Persist, and creatures that leave tokens.
Stupid Power Creep.
T3: Dragonauts
T4: Staggerschock, Dragonauts 3/3, swing
T5: Staggershock rebound (free), Lightning Bolt and Arc Trail, Dragonauts 7/3
And that's 19 potential damage to your opponent's face with only 3 mana. This card has utility. It does something Lightning Bolt and Shock can't.
With Gelectrode the situation isn't as scary as but you pile up your deck with a bunch of counterspells and all the sudden Staggershock becomes your finisher comboing up with Gelectrode for 8 per 3 mana and only 1 card.