Well he might have used a stronger body, but i don't think this card is bad. Even only one of these already provides insane card advantage in an ally deck - i'd definitely use him there. And he only costs a single blue mana and provides a card by itself - which does not even require any mana.
Roufus55
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(6 votes)
If the merefolk in this set are supposed to come from the land of 'Tazeem'... How come the Tazeem planeschase card is a bloody forest?
Sorxores
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
considering that all ally need you to drop an ally to activate there abilities, at end game when you have no more ally in hand, this guy can be very usefull. What are the chance to draw no ally in an ally deck if you only draw 3 card? But you must be carefull to not deck yourself, this card doesn't say "up to the number of ally" so if you have 5 ally you must draw 5 card, and can't take only 3. And simply put some of those 3 color land or even a simple ancient ziggurat to covert the blue mana if you were playing a none blue deck.
Chromatone
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If Allys will work it will be with this dood. So easy to draw 3-7 cards a turn! Plus u will probably want to play U for the raptor and counter magic to protect your over extended Ally hoard.
Omniance
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(6 votes)
Costs too much for a 1/3. Lightning Bolt is going to make sure he's never gonna last long enough to use his ability.
True_Mumin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Yeah, it's really a shame he's so fragile, but if you manage to protect him and activate that ability just once... you have taken the lead! Also, I just LOVE that artwork. So much attention to detail, great composition and masterful coloring.
Mudbutt_on
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(6 votes)
@ the people who complain about it's cost: compare to Archivist (who currently has a higher rating than this)
Cons: *costs 1 more
Pros: *Takes 1 less blue mana *better toughness *better creature type *has the potential to draw more than 1 card.
Akromar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The incredible power this card has for drawing cards is why it's not good. (funny as it sounds) when you invest is playing this card against anybody that isn't playing mono-green it's a HUGE red flag to your opponent that they need to drop some kind of removal against it. Most all of the allies in print are preferable, because even if they catch a Lightning Bolt the turn they come into play they'll leave some benefit to you. Kazuul Warlord and Turntimber Ranger are better investments at the same cost for this reason.
XDaragoX
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Well, he isn't a Constructed bomb or anything, but he's won me the long game in Limited matches.
Duffey
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
While quiet expensive the drawing cards can really help in a allies deck when needing more lands or more allies. Often i can draw about 3 cards using this guys abilty. he suits blue allies very well i suspected he will be in more demand after world wake allies come out.
HairlessThoctar
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(3 votes)
The fact of the matter is, this guy always says "Draw at least 1 card with no discard before or after." and that just doesn't happen much.
Glorious.
Pwnsaw
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Pair him with the mana producing powers of Harabaz druid, and you have a pretty mean engine to drop tons of allies and a full hand. With allies, the more of everything you have, the better.
Gomorrah
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is why I'm splashing blue in my ally deck. If you think he's too hard to protect, throw in some Negates or Vines of Vastwoods. Definitely worth the investment if you're running a good ally deck.
PaladinOfSunhome
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I really like it and another classic exsample of why allies are good.
3.5
gcilley
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
He might cost a bit but he absolutely killed at the Worldwake prerelease.
Alqatrkapa
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
With Kazuul Warlord and such, it almost makes his p/t irrelevant.
SorianSadaskan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Roufus55
Maybe they don't swim back then, or environmental issue force them to adapt.
EvilCleavage
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
For everyone complaining about the cost, ya it might be expensive but how often do you get to draw 3 or 4 cards for just one tapped creature? Even if he's only out for one turn that you get to use him, he's still good. Can help you draw your win condition.
Gaussgoat
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Anyone who thinks this guy is too expensive is loony.... ally decks grow rapidly, and there are plenty of cheap cards to ensure that you'll have upwards of 5-6 by the time he hits the table. If you combine his effect with any kind of untap (of which blue has billions), you could be pulling 10-15 cards PER TURN FOR NOTHING.
Nasty. Seriously. Ouch.
5/5
Ryney
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Bringing this dude out is pretty easy if you can get out the Harabaz Druid, and keeping him from getting lightning bolted is pretty easy when you have one Kazuul Warlord out. I like this guy, combining him with a Harabaz Druid or two gives you an overly good amount of cards to play quickly. Combine that with a Hagra Diabolist for glorious victory. Also, if you fear you'll draw too hard and discard good things, throw in a feldon's cane or two.
PrimeSonic
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(1 vote)
This is the ultimate recharge. By the time I finally get to use this ability, there's usually bigger threats on the board than him. You'll be more prone to see a Lightning Bolt go to your Harabaz Druid than this due. By that time, you'll most likely be drawing more cards than you know what to do with and just pull off the finishing move. I don't get to see him out as often as I'd wish mostly because the game tends to be over before I can put him on the field. XD For that, he's a solid 4/5 in my book and a 2-3of in any Ally deck that can support him.
Gear61
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If this dude survives until your next turn, you're good to go.
Sironos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This guy's card advantage is so freakin awesome that he has to be "only" toughness 3, otherwise he would be too good. Maybe work a spell book into the ally deck and have all the cards you want with this guy.
mdakw576
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Good on paper, but if your opponent runs red, he's the first guy you sideboard out. You don't want to spend 5 mana on something that will die to bolt.
Mattmedia
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I made a blue white ally deck, and the win condition is either umara raptor or milling the opponent, if my opponent has spent his removal on my raptors i send this dude down, in the next couple turns i should be able to mill them completely with hopefully two or three halimar excavators (or jwari shapshifters) then hit a join the ranks, usually does the trick, but with out this dude, its pretty impossible to do, you always hope to hit the hard hitters in your opening hand, to atleast know their removal is spent.
pistolsforpandas
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
Spellbook+ Fastbond+ this in a UG Simic/Ally Deck... Oh lordy lord. Just have to make sure you don't burn yourself to death and you're golden.
iSlapTrees
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
According to my friend who runs an ally deck: "when I play this card, it's like I am in a candy store, blasted with all the possibilities."
yay, seagate candy store master. LOL
gnilleps
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i like him, i just wish he were a 1/4
Leonidus78
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This guy has saved my deck a lot of times. I use a few Jace's Erasure in a white blue ally deck and he and Halimar Excavator win it usually. Also Venser's Journal keeps me alive for a long time. Just imagine a kicked rite of replication on this guy and you could essentially draw your entire deck if you wanted to.
ridiculousricky
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Oh my god, one of my favorite allies ever. At the very worst, he has "tap: draw a card" and if you play him right it's basically "tap: draw a ridiculous amount of cards"
ElMikkino
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In an Ally deck, this card is probably awesome, but I'd hate to crack a pack, and end up with this as my rare. 2.5/5.
smokiermatthias
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
playing a harabaz druid makes him playable by turn 3. And at that point you'd be drawing three cards with his ability and have 3 extra mana to play any of the spells you draw. And the card draw and mana grow as more ally's come into play. So it has potential to greatly increase the speed of an ally deck.
DacenOctavio
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Pros:
Super-Archivist in an ally deck. Is blue. Is a merfolk.
Cons:
{4U} 1/3 Unplayable in constructed due to the omnipresence of Lightning Bolt.
If prismatic Ally decks had more ways to protect their, ahem, allies (a tribal counterspell like the fae wouldn't have hurt) Allies would have made a dent in constructed for sure.
sarroth
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Roufus55: "If the merefolk in this set are supposed to come from the land of 'Tazeem'... How come the Tazeem planeschase card is a bloody forest?"
Since Tazeem isn't mentioned in the flavor text or name of this card, I don't know for sure if the merfolk are really supposed to come from Tazeem, but let's assume that's true. Tazeem includes Oran-Rief, the Vastwood and the Halimar Depths, and inland sea where clearly Merfolk could live (source: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/zendikar/flavor4). So the plane card Tazeem is Oran-Rief rather than Halimar, big deal. This all has what to do with this card?
I love allies. They're less annoying versions of Slivers. I just don't necessarily the common allies, as they're pretty straight forward and boring at common. The rares, like this guy, are quite fun, though. You at least get one card off of him, which for 5 CMC is low, but no matter the cards drawn, you don't have to discard per the card's ability, which is sweet.
DoragonShinzui
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
At the very least, this guy is about equal to Archivist.
Comments (37)
Even only one of these already provides insane card advantage in an ally deck - i'd definitely use him there.
And he only costs a single blue mana and provides a card by itself - which does not even require any mana.
How come the Tazeem planeschase card is a bloody forest?
Also, I just LOVE that artwork. So much attention to detail, great composition and masterful coloring.
Cons:
*costs 1 more
Pros:
*Takes 1 less blue mana
*better toughness
*better creature type
*has the potential to draw more than 1 card.
Glorious.
3.5
Maybe they don't swim back then, or environmental issue force them to adapt.
Nasty. Seriously. Ouch.
5/5
Oh lordy lord.
Just have to make sure you don't burn yourself to death and you're golden.
yay, seagate candy store master. LOL
Super-Archivist in an ally deck.
Is blue.
Is a merfolk.
Cons:
{4U}
1/3
Unplayable in constructed due to the omnipresence of Lightning Bolt.
If prismatic Ally decks had more ways to protect their, ahem, allies (a tribal counterspell like the fae wouldn't have hurt) Allies would have made a dent in constructed for sure.
Since Tazeem isn't mentioned in the flavor text or name of this card, I don't know for sure if the merfolk are really supposed to come from Tazeem, but let's assume that's true. Tazeem includes Oran-Rief, the Vastwood and the Halimar Depths, and inland sea where clearly Merfolk could live (source: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Article.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/zendikar/flavor4). So the plane card Tazeem is Oran-Rief rather than Halimar, big deal. This all has what to do with this card?
I love allies. They're less annoying versions of Slivers. I just don't necessarily the common allies, as they're pretty straight forward and boring at common. The rares, like this guy, are quite fun, though. You at least get one card off of him, which for 5 CMC is low, but no matter the cards drawn, you don't have to discard per the card's ability, which is sweet.
And then throw in all of his buddies.