Rebound makes this hilarious. A cost of one mana makes this awesome.
Zulp
★★☆☆☆ (2.9/5.0)(4 votes)
If you're a blue player that uses ground-based creatures or your fliers keep running into opposition, this is basically your Giant Growth or Lightning Bolt, but has the potential to be even better. And you get it twice. Very impressive, especially for a common.
Johnald
★★☆☆☆ (2.1/5.0)(4 votes)
Really good but too cheap to play. Two would have probably been better for this.
Pramxnim
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(4 votes)
This card is the BOMB! It was one of the reasons I went 3-1 in the prerelease today. This thing, and then Bear Umbra ruled the day ^^
Vinifera7
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(12 votes)
It's a burn spell slapped on top of a utility spell that you get twice for one mana. Bull Rush sure feels like an idiot.
Fictionarious
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(4 votes)
I only pulled one at the prerelease but damn did it work miracles. I remember using it early on to deal 6 damage to my opponent with my 2/2 rune servitor, then in another game it saved my ass as I desperately regressed and otherwise stalled until I got my 4/4 flier to take my enemy from 10 to 0. Five stars, I need three more.
Guntz1092
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
does anyone play Bant?
Blackworm_Bloodworm
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(6 votes)
Not only is it strictly better than Infiltrate, it's also pump in Blue which is extremely rare. Makes Cephalid Constable that much deadlier.
Hibron
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(5 votes)
play it on emrakul... twice.
Discoduck
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(8 votes)
Could have easily been an uncommon.
True_Mumin
★★☆☆☆ (2.4/5.0)(6 votes)
Pretty meh. It can be great, it can be dead. Really swingy.
Swiftgamer18
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
I played a red/blue deck in a draft that played this, Kiln Fiend, and Valakut Fireboar. Even though I beat the deck (It was close), I was very impressed by the synergy of the whole deck. Hats off to Wizards on this one.
A3Kitsune
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Really should have had a higher cost. 1U or 2U.
Cheza
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Overpowered... even at sorcery speed.
kittyspit
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
@Hibron
yeah, because you can just ignore his "protection from coloured spells rule" at any time you see fit. idiot.
I got one of these at the prerelease along with things like lighthouse chronologist, lord of shatterskull pass and a couple eldrazi and this is by far the star player of my deck, it won me half my games either on a rapacious one, something with snake umbra on it or the 10/9 eldrazi. the rebound is absolutely devastating.
the worst use I ever put it to was a kozilez's predator with a snake umbra on it. 10 damage and 2 cards for 1 manna is not bad at all.
this is one of the best commons and overall cards in the set along with hyena umbra
FugimSky
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is going to be broken in a few days. Wait and see. What happened to the old days where unblockability cost 4 mana? touch of invisibility? Eldrazi and other huge as hell creatures can now kill you and you have no hope if theres no removal.
Gaussgoat
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
This is arguably the best 1 drop sorcery I've ever seen. Seriously. This guy can win games all by himself, for a paltry 1 mana. It can be splashed, and the fact that it hits twice is insane. Combined with virtually any other pumpable or high-powered threat, this is game over.
5/5
BandMyAid
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
It's pretty awesome when you use this on kiln fiend.
brian_james
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I drafted a bunch of these and a Student of Warfare. Definitely made for some good times. Fully leveled student w/ Doublestrike = 10 unblockable damage one turn, 10 unblockable damage another turn. gg
BambooNickel
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
This was great BEFORE Infect
VoidedNote
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
You know its sad when blue gets a better pump spell than red does... Bull Rush is worthless.
Xineki
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i had trouble using this card a few weeks ago in casual games, but i should really give it a second look. would really get almost exponentially more efficient every turn that passes.
This + Kiln Fiend is probably one of the worst combos I've ever faced; 5 damage unblockable isn't common (no pun intended) and can be death for an unsuspecting opponent.
wxnbvq1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I can get turn 3-5 kills happening quite often with this, kiln fiend, assault strobe and some random burns in my UR kiln fiend deck, provided my kiln fiend doesn't die early game. T1: Halimar depths, scalding tarn etc. Preordain? T2: Land. Kiln fiend T3: Land. Assault strobe, lightning bolt/preordain, distortion strike. Attack for 22-25 dmg.
Also run some livewire lashes, preordains (to search, as blue and red aren't friendly colors), searing blaze, chandra's spitfire, goblin guides, reveberates and staggershocks. I find that the rebound works well, particularly with kiln fiend if you haven't yet managed to finish the opp. off. Stick livewire to spitfire or kiln fiend, and cast strobe or distortion.
This card is the reason I hit top 8 in the Games Day tournament.
TheSwarm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In my opinion, one of the most underated cards in standard. In limited, its ridiculous. In standard, it can be the card to get that blightsteel you just shape anewed in. This thing enables infect like none other. It ensures that you get hellcarver demon through. Its versatility is fantastic.
If you didn't rate this 5 stars, you don't know how to play Magic.
MechaKraken
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
I'm gonna be sad to see this go when Zendikar rotates =(. This is a must have in almost any infect deck. The ability to punch through your opponents defenses is insane, much better then fear or flying which there are more numerous answers for. Hopefully it will get reprinted next block, when HEXPROOF will be available as well...
Now, where did I put that Blightsteel Colossus? Two oppenets all but removed. The only things that stop it are a counter spell, or a Damage Stopping spell like Fog. Putting Hex Proof on this beast cuts those odds down HALF.
nunzioni
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Good in general, but infect is by far the best use for it. Unblockable is always good for infect, but giving it added power and making it reusable puts this over the top.
Hivis_of_the_Scale
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Looks like he is holding an energy sword... sorta
JK-27
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Play this with Wild Defiance and just dance the night away....
Drecon84
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The problem with this card is that it was especially designed to work in the Kiln Fiend Deck, Outside of that context it's a fun little card, but it doesn't do much else.
doombladez
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@MisterAction, by that reasoning no card is ever strictly better. You can make the argument that any card is situationally better than any other. Sometimes black lotus is worse than thran dynamo, but it's so situational as to be irrelevant. Time walk is strictly better than time warp, and lightning bolt is strictly better than shock, even though one game in a thousand the opposite it true.
MisterAction
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Blackworm_Bloodworm: Weeeelllll... it's a better card than Infiltrate, but still not strictly better. Infiltrate is an instant.
Why do you need to make a creature unblockable at instant speed? Say you're in a multiplayer free-for-all and you want to try to help one opponent finish the other one off. OR, perhaps you're being attacked by a creature with deathtouch and Lure; Infiltrate is the difference between taking a few points of damage and losing all of your creatures.
Yes, those are extremely situational, reactionary advantages, but they're enough to preclude strictly-betterness.
@doombladez: Your'e correct, and that's kind of why "strictly better" is a silly concept to argue about. The cards have to be nearly identical to qualify. Lightning bolt is strictly better than shock; however, Mulldrifter isn't strictly better than Divination (just very better) and no sorcery will ever be strictly better than an instant. Also, Thran Dynamo vs Black Lotus isn't a very good example since the dynamo sticks around and keeps giving mana; if you're not relying on some busted vintage turn-one win (such as in EDH), there are plenty of situations you'd rather have the Dynamo. That's like saying Death Stroke is strictly better than Royal Assassin because it's cheaper and doesn't have summoning sickness.
Comments (53)
Obligatory Phage the Untouchable reference.
Though I like Surrakar Spellblade, which is in the same set.
Oh wait, nath'd; Phage the Untouchable ftw. :V
Rebound makes this hilarious. A cost of one mana makes this awesome.
yeah, because you can just ignore his "protection from coloured spells rule" at any time you see fit. idiot.
the worst use I ever put it to was a kozilez's predator with a snake umbra on it. 10 damage and 2 cards for 1 manna is not bad at all.
this is one of the best commons and overall cards in the set along with hyena umbra
5/5
T1: Halimar depths, scalding tarn etc. Preordain?
T2: Land. Kiln fiend
T3: Land. Assault strobe, lightning bolt/preordain, distortion strike. Attack for 22-25 dmg.
Also run some livewire lashes, preordains (to search, as blue and red aren't friendly colors), searing blaze, chandra's spitfire, goblin guides, reveberates and staggershocks. I find that the rebound works well, particularly with kiln fiend if you haven't yet managed to finish the opp. off. Stick livewire to spitfire or kiln fiend, and cast strobe or distortion.
I'll just drop this Teleport here...
Okay, my turn:
Obligatory Blightsteel Colossus reference.
THIS is the definition of a great card. Something that's devastating in the right hands, but only if you know how to use it well.
Why do you need to make a creature unblockable at instant speed? Say you're in a multiplayer free-for-all and you want to try to help one opponent finish the other one off. OR, perhaps you're being attacked by a creature with deathtouch and Lure; Infiltrate is the difference between taking a few points of damage and losing all of your creatures.
Yes, those are extremely situational, reactionary advantages, but they're enough to preclude strictly-betterness.
@doombladez: Your'e correct, and that's kind of why "strictly better" is a silly concept to argue about. The cards have to be nearly identical to qualify. Lightning bolt is strictly better than shock; however, Mulldrifter isn't strictly better than Divination (just very better) and no sorcery will ever be strictly better than an instant. Also, Thran Dynamo vs Black Lotus isn't a very good example since the dynamo sticks around and keeps giving mana; if you're not relying on some busted vintage turn-one win (such as in EDH), there are plenty of situations you'd rather have the Dynamo. That's like saying Death Stroke is strictly better than Royal Assassin because it's cheaper and doesn't have summoning sickness.