I like this because its odd. Although the usefulness of this in red is rather limited... I would still use a play set of this in a deck that uses any of the red planeswalkers! Because red planeswalkers need to be faster!
chinkeeyong
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(11 votes)
Sounds like a Pokémon attack...
MrBarrelRoll
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(22 votes)
Either I am misinterpreting the art, or that is a GIANT afro.
SeiberTross
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(3 votes)
I love the design of this card. Fun, flexible, doesn't feel overcosted.
This should do evil, evil things with Koth of the Hammer going ultimate the turn after he's played.
Grim Affliction: Similar to Virulent Wound and Instill Infection. Picking this over Virulent Wound means you pay 2 more for proliferation but your opponent doesn't get an extra poison counter when the creature dies. Picking this over Instill Infection means you get proliferation, lose the cantrip, and pay one mana less.
Spread the Sickness: Creature kill without restriction or an additional cost is pretty rare for black. I can't find many other precedents for it. Sorcery speed is a point against it, too. I don't think it's a bad card, but it's a little expensive for what it does, even if it is relatively unique.
Steady Progress: There are tons of cantrips for U. Fleeting Distraction is a good example of a U instant that does pretty much nothing but cantrip, and it sucks. So, it can be assumed that we're paying a little more than 2 to proliferate. This card is a pretty close comparison to Volt Charge, since it doesn't require a targetable creature to be on the board, and they're both instants that cost a colored mana and 2.
Tezzeret's Gambit: I guess it's sort of like Divination, but I see comparisons made to Sign in Blood. Even in a deck without blue, it's sort of like a colorless version of that that can't target opponents. A colorless Sign in Blood is better than one that costs two mana of one color, and one with the option to pay one more mana to negate the life-loss is even better than that. I imagine the card could see play if it didn't have proliferate and cost one mana less, so it's almost like the proliferation just costs one mana, which is a better deal than the other cards.
Interestingly enough, white and green don't have any instants or sorceries that proliferate. Now that the entire block has been released, I guess it might be a while before they ever do if at all.
Seems like it costs slightly more than 2 mana to proliferate when it's tied to an instant or sorcery, so it's sort of like we're getting Lightning Bolt at a discount with our proliferation. That strikes me as a good deal. I guess proliferation might be more relevant in other colors, but as other people have mentioned, red is the color with Koth of the Hammer and Pyromancer Ascension, as well as Quest for Pure Flame and some decent level-up dudes. There's also infect in red now, but I figure a burn spell like this is going to be less important if you're going to be swinging for counters.
I play a Pyromancer Ascension deck, and I'm going to try replacing my Staggershocks with it. The main draw of Staggershock for me was that it was a burn spell that could get an extra counter on my Ascension and charge it when I played the second one, and this does that and has the ability to hit for 3 damage right away rather than forcing me to wait for the next 2. Sure, I can't 2 for 1 creatures as easily and it does less damage overall, but I expect being able to hit 3 toughness creatures and having more power for dealing lethal in one go is the better option. I guess it depends on what your opponent is running, though. I may change my mind after playing with it.
But I'm not the best at this game, so my input might not be all that valuable.
BegleOne
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I was looking for ways to proliferate my Goblin Bomb without blending in blue. Thanks Wizards.
JaFaR_Ironclad
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(2 votes)
Absolutely nuts with Chandra, the Firebrand. Use her -2 with this the turn after she drops to deal 3 damage twice, and recoup the loyalty spent on the ability.
pigknight
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
I can see use in a monored Bloodlust deck.
chicollicolli
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I can see this card being very useful with regards to the new m12 Bloodthirsty creatures. Many of which are red also.
I can already tell, this is going to see much Tournament play should Vamps take off. There are so many vamp 'lord' effects giving out counters like it's already Halloween. Curse of Stalked Prey, Rakish Heir, Bloodlord of Vaasgoth (a bit slow, but still...) This is like Urge to Feed, but without the tapping and can hit players as well. A very plausible finisher.
@Jokergius No, Turn 4: Mindcrank, any burn/discard/kill spell, win.
Gotta love the synergy with Bloodthirst effects. This can help activate it for newly summoned creatures, and take it further with ones already out. Definitely going in my B/R vampire deck.
@jwint66: Unfortunately not, his pump only works for the turn. It doesn't give him a counter, so there's nothing to proliferate. Still, that's the reason Kiln Fiend exists, to be pumped by instants and sorceries, so it's not too bad of a play.
Thundergods
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
So much fun with Stromkirk Noble and Stormblood Berseker.
Also don't forget our friends Chandra the Firebrand and Koth of the Hammer who really benefit's from Volt Charge.
PinkleDadandy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
What the hell is that thing in the art? It looks stupid...
Kale_Eledar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I like the synergy of this with Lightning Reaver. For casual, anyways!
Nazgul-Pookyrune
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
AFRO!!
Smoke_Stack
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I run these in a R/B Undying deck. Does WORK it tell ya. Once your undying creatures have counters you can make em bigger and bigger.
I built a R/B aggro deck around Unleash and Bloodthirst with this and Grim Affliction. This thing could peg someone for 3 while winning combats or increasing my attack; Typically it meant that the opponent went from taking 4 to an opponent taking 9.
Even better, it works as removal so you can kill one of your threats while buffing your attackers to survive close calls in blocks; favorable trades or combats on top of removal + loads of extra damage made this card the real all star of the deck.
umeboshi110
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Or turn 1 mountain, rift bolt, or even a creature like rakdos cackler turn 2 hit the opponent, swamp, bloodchief ascension, shock on their turn turn 3 land, volt charge an opponent's creature and proliferate, which causes the creature to die after the third counter is placed on it
Comments (35)
Turn 2: Mountain, Everflowing Chalice
Turn 3: Mountain, Koth of The Hammer, -2 on Koth, Volt Charge
Turn 4: Mountain, -2 on Koth, Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
This should do evil, evil things with Koth of the Hammer going ultimate the turn after he's played.
Pyromancer Ascension with no counters on the field
Cast a second Volt Charge - put a counter on Ascension
Resolve Volt Charge - proliferate second counter onto Ascension
Active Pyromancer Ascension with just two spells!
Turn 1: Swamp; Bloodchief Ascension.
Turn 2: Mountain; Lightning bolt/Arc Trail/any Shock-related damage.
Turn 3: Swamp/Mountain; Volt Charge; let it resolve; Proliferate.
Turn 4: Doom Blade/Go for the Throat the living crap out of their creatures.
Hmmm...
Still too slow, though...
I'd go with the Pyromancer Ascension combo.
I'm perfectly happy for a 3-CMC for 3 damage spell with extra's, but not in any of my infects decks.
Holy crap, I think it is.
That must be where all the static comes from.
Fuel for the Cause: It's a Counterspell that costs 2 more for proliferation.
Grim Affliction: Similar to Virulent Wound and Instill Infection. Picking this over Virulent Wound means you pay 2 more for proliferation but your opponent doesn't get an extra poison counter when the creature dies. Picking this over Instill Infection means you get proliferation, lose the cantrip, and pay one mana less.
Spread the Sickness: Creature kill without restriction or an additional cost is pretty rare for black. I can't find many other precedents for it. Sorcery speed is a point against it, too. I don't think it's a bad card, but it's a little expensive for what it does, even if it is relatively unique.
Steady Progress: There are tons of cantrips for U. Fleeting Distraction is a good example of a U instant that does pretty much nothing but cantrip, and it sucks. So, it can be assumed that we're paying a little more than 2 to proliferate. This card is a pretty close comparison to Volt Charge, since it doesn't require a targetable creature to be on the board, and they're both instants that cost a colored mana and 2.
Tezzeret's Gambit: I guess it's sort of like Divination, but I see comparisons made to Sign in Blood. Even in a deck without blue, it's sort of like a colorless version of that that can't target opponents. A colorless Sign in Blood is better than one that costs two mana of one color, and one with the option to pay one more mana to negate the life-loss is even better than that. I imagine the card could see play if it didn't have proliferate and cost one mana less, so it's almost like the proliferation just costs one mana, which is a better deal than the other cards.
Interestingly enough, white and green don't have any instants or sorceries that proliferate. Now that the entire block has been released, I guess it might be a while before they ever do if at all.
Seems like it costs slightly more than 2 mana to proliferate when it's tied to an instant or sorcery, so it's sort of like we're getting Lightning Bolt at a discount with our proliferation. That strikes me as a good deal. I guess proliferation might be more relevant in other colors, but as other people have mentioned, red is the color with Koth of the Hammer and Pyromancer Ascension, as well as Quest for Pure Flame and some decent level-up dudes. There's also infect in red now, but I figure a burn spell like this is going to be less important if you're going to be swinging for counters.
I play a Pyromancer Ascension deck, and I'm going to try replacing my Staggershocks with it. The main draw of Staggershock for me was that it was a burn spell that could get an extra counter on my Ascension and charge it when I played the second one, and this does that and has the ability to hit for 3 damage right away rather than forcing me to wait for the next 2. Sure, I can't 2 for 1 creatures as easily and it does less damage overall, but I expect being able to hit 3 toughness creatures and having more power for dealing lethal in one go is the better option. I guess it depends on what your opponent is running, though. I may change my mind after playing with it.
But I'm not the best at this game, so my input might not be all that valuable.
@Jokergius
No,
Turn 4: Mindcrank, any burn/discard/kill spell, win.
@jwint66: Unfortunately not, his pump only works for the turn. It doesn't give him a counter, so there's nothing to proliferate. Still, that's the reason Kiln Fiend exists, to be pumped by instants and sorceries, so it's not too bad of a play.
Also don't forget our friends Chandra the Firebrand and Koth of the Hammer who really benefit's from Volt Charge.
It looks stupid...
But that was a year ago...
This thing could peg someone for 3 while winning combats or increasing my attack; Typically it meant that the opponent went from taking 4 to an opponent taking 9.
Even better, it works as removal so you can kill one of your threats while buffing your attackers to survive close calls in blocks; favorable trades or combats on top of removal + loads of extra damage made this card the real all star of the deck.
turn 2 hit the opponent, swamp, bloodchief ascension, shock on their turn
turn 3 land, volt charge an opponent's creature and proliferate, which causes the creature to die after the third counter is placed on it