Pointed Discussion

The need to pump even more mana into it to use its disfigure is a bit of a deal breaker.

Were it merely a tap ability, this guy might actually see some competitive play, but as is, just a bit too mana-intensive.

I dunno, having a sort of Isochron Scepter for Disfigure on turn 4 or 5 (realistically) is quite nice actually. It helps you set up your board while your little cousins keep the pressure on the enemy. Level 4 is a bit win more though.

sucks in constructed, but i think it's gonna be a beast in limited and hopefully i'll pull one out on pre.

This isn't that bad. It's not ideal, but it's definitely scary. With Training Grounds it only costs 5 mana to get to its final form.

I like it. I actually have a Assassin Tribal Deck on MTGO. He will make an excellent addition to my deck of murderers.

With Training Grounds he's a Turn 4, Level 4, with 2 mana left over to counterspell, or use his ability that turn and save an island for Dispel. Pretty scary indeed.

One of my favourite levellers assassinate ftw!

Level-up creatures (ugh, they really couldn't think of a better name for this mechanic?) are weak. Almost all of them. They suck out your time and mana (some of them really cost you a crapload of mana), and then once you've finally leveled them up to highest levels, they get Pathed or Terminated and you're left with no board position. Only the ones that actually do something if you level them up the next turn after summoning are useful, because that's more like Figure of Destiny. Yes, I am aware that's exactly what Wizards were getting at with this whole "level-up" nonsense. But they failed.

i thnk the levelers are ok, but they arent the last cards to finish out your constructed deck. levelers truly shine when your deck was built to abuse them. when in conjuction with venerated teacher, this guy can become a nightmare fast. also he can be used as a 1 drop that may just be threatining enogh for your opponent to waste valuable removal. at the very least, ill probably sideboard a copy or two to help deal with eldrazi green. one tap from his final form removes an indestructible master of the hunt, eldrazi greens only real means of removal. this guy can pick apart their board.

Gotta love black removal that works on black.

I opened a booster today and to my surprise not only found this guy, but received a companion foil. I was ecstatic. Until I got him home. I had just bought one of the pre-made decks because my friends were sick of my super-decks and decided to level the playing field. After modifying that god-awful creation I proceeded to test it to see how level-up worked. As soon as I cast this guy I realized the quandary I would be facing in light of this sorcery-speed ability. After I cast a few level-up creatures I realized this was at best a novelty in anything but a deck toting blue. The only cards that work with level counters are blue and Clockspinning is the only other spell I can think that would be of any use and then it's really better to remove than to add counters. All in all, though, this guy wouldn't be too bad as long as he isn't competing with other level-up creatures. It is nice to have death-on-a-stick with some of these crazy powerful creatures.

I really wish they'd make the Kamigawa style flip cards more prevalent such as ones that flip on activation and not just a trigger. It would make for much simpler "level-up" creatures and could create a new style of shapeshifter that could even flip back.

Let the enemy waste removal on a 1 CMC creature, or let their creatures get decimated 1 by one.

I really like his crab armor... so in fashion!

Underestimate this card at your peril, fellow Duelists. I've played against a deck with these guys and Dark Ritual. By turn 3, he had a 4/4 that could kill 85% of my creatures and require 2 Lightning Bolts to kill.

Think of it this way, if your opponent doesn't have a removal spell in hand, he quickly dominates the game. If you level him to 4, he can't be bolted, and requests Terminate. I see some potential in this guy.

This card is actually really good. It's cheap-destroy. I had the same issue with this card when I first got it, by the time you level up, they are either exiled, destroyed or neutered in some way and they're mana-wasted, but I found out that he combos really nicely with Nirkana Revenant. With her ability to add an additional swamp every time you tap a swamp, you can max level him in a single turn or two. These two along with Nirkana Cutthtroat has gotten several wins. People aren't afraid of these cards until they level up, so he becomes an sleeper threat pretty quickly and you can take down some bigger creatues, if you have more than one of him on the field.

Ok, does no one else see the awesomeness of this card? It's essencialy a 2/2 for 3 with built in disfigure. Play it in a deck with training grounds and your have a 4/4 for 5 with super disfigure.

To the people saying levelers are weak, I lol at thee. They are not, you simply need to know how to use them. If you're running a deck based solely on levelers, then you run Training Grounds and Venerated Teacher to abuse them. If you're not, then you avoid the inefficient levelers (such as this one, since he only activates at level 2), and run the efficient ones, such as Nirkana Cutthroat and Enclave Cryptologist. It's that simple.

let see what else we have for 1 mana in the vampire family:

Lacerator : 2/2 that deal one damage to the owner : Pretty good
Pulse tracker: 1/1 that deal 1 damage to target opponent when he attack : Pretty good
Guul Draz Vampire : 1/1 that have nothing else untill your opponent reach 10 life : bad
Quag vampires : 1/1 with a multikicker to make him grow : useless
Visera seer : 1/1 with scry 1 if you sacrifice a creature : decent

So if you show me a vampire that is a 1/1 for 1 mana, and that I can make grow later in game to get a disfigure on a stick and even later a HUGE disfigure. And if my opponent decide to use it'S path to exile, terminate or lightning bolt to kill him, well that one less removal to kill my nocturnus or nighthawk.

I love how at level 4 this guy is essentially a reverse Intrepid Hero - he's big, looks at toughness rather than power, and kills things with four or less rather than four or greater. Seems to be a theme with this block's vampires being the reverse of white creatures - compare Blood Seeker and Soul Warden.

He's not bad. But... when you give a creature -2/-2 the first time, you invested 6 mana in this and waited at least a turn. The first time you give a creature -4/-4, you invested at least 10 mana into this guy. That is quite a lot...

He kills you with scoops. Gotta love scoops.

What confuses me is this is such a great answer to Squadron hawk & Stoneforge Mystic decks. But noone seems to play him.

Might need some assistance from proliferation to work. Run with Tezzeret's Gambit and Grim Affliction.

I wonder why Idrol decided to use Vendetta instead of his abilities!

how is this card not rated a 5? it literly kills almost anything, if this isnt taken care of it will be a real threat