Stupid name, though closer in feel to the original than the Razormane.
StoicChampion
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(6 votes)
The art leaves something to be desired, but good card nonetheless.
SorianSadaskan
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(9 votes)
This is the grandson of Masticore, son to Razormane, and hell lot devastatng than it's father. We know the discarding handicap WOTC placed on him is to ensure we won't have the board full of him pounding away at your opponent.
Unlike his predeccesors, and look closely, you'll find that his discarding effect has become an advantage, a fuel for his '4 direct damage' ability. In this case, you would want to discard creatures from your hand. This also works well against black users as he will deny them the capability to raise your own dead against you. Masticore can pin off creatures but Molten-Tail can, for 2 extra colorless, pin players as well for 4.
So you can have him attack first, if you can't deal damage to opponents, remove a card, and ping him, and he comes into play at turn four. And he can regenerate well, a valuable asset in Scars of Mirrodin set as there are no spells (probably) that deny regeneration, with infect and -1/-1 counters as an exception, you would've no doubtly shoot them off before having them to infect Molten-Tail. And he can survive Elspeth Wrath.
Being that said, You WILL win a lot of games with him.
LordAlvon
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(4 votes)
Dear Molten-Tail Masticore,
Thank you for completely owning at the draft last night. You are a good friend.
Sincerely,
Lord Alvon
Seriously, though. This card is absolutely incredible. You won't know until you play with it.
I wasn't a believer in this card. Then it saved my butt. Again. And again. And again.
Cancelled
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
Put two Training Grounds on the field, he becomes more devestating that Koth when he makes all of your lands "tap to deal 4 damage to target creature or player." The exiling drawback is all that would slow you down.
hopped
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(4 votes)
I pulled a foil version in sealed yesterday, did pretty well even tho i didnt pull much else. I would love to put Grafted Exoskeleton along with a whispersilk cloak
BlackAlbino
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
has someone been pouring mercury into the water supply? why is this rated below 4 stars? oh yea, it has a single drawback. and despite this actually being slightly beneficial, people have become too accustomed to their BSA type cards.
seriously, between this and a wurmcoil engine, this wins with just 6 mana available, and cleans up the tokens.
chinkeeyong, you sir are dumb, look at linvala's ability. This card cant kill it with its ability when she is out. jeez.
demoninabottle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(4 votes)
I didn't find this card to be too disgusting at prerelease. Frankly, once dropped, almost every subsequent turn is spent using this guy's abilities whilst the opponent looks for an answer. Overrated in my opinion
Weretarrasque
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(8 votes)
"The subject appears to be broken."
strigen
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(10 votes)
This is the Sensei's Divining Top of Scars of Mirrodin: it looks terrible until you see it in action.
This card snipes anything for 4 damage, survives Day of Judgment and All is Dust, is resistant to burn, trades with Obstinate Baloth and Vengevine and lives, gets around Kor Firewalker and Malakir Bloodwitch, and is a 4/4 body for 4.
It's "downside" is just more fuel for its abilities.
I was ***ed when I saw that this got a Mythic slot ....then I saw it in action. This is, indeed, well worth its rarity.
Kori260
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(5 votes)
I don't get the big hype sure it can do alot, but it seem kind of pricey. Both cash wise and mana wise.
gromgrom777
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(3 votes)
more romance than reality
LTJZamboni
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(12 votes)
Choose not to discard a creature card, sacrifice it, then play a Necrotic Ooze. Proceed to win game.
Gavrilo
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Powerful but not owerpowered. That's good mythic.
Dragon23
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Chinkee, he still can't kill Linvala, as his ability is still activated, but in general he's an amazing creature. One of my matches went to turns with my opponent at 8, turn 3 i discarded a creature and pinged him to 4, then discarded another creature on turn 5, and did the same. Needless to say, I won that one. He has won me quite a few games since put him in.
Nostalgick1
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
I just pulled this yesterday from my first pack ever of Scars. I'm so happy with it :)
bagilis
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I agree with the pack I got this in limited and this single card won me games jjust by trashing creatures into my graveyard at each upkeep. Totally deserves the mythic rarity slot.
Pwnsaw
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Who needs cards when you have this sweet Masticore to get all the work done.
diabloknk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card...seems awesome. But it's just not quite competitive. Only good use I've seen for it was in RDW, and there are other things to run instead of it anyway, which are actually better.
HOWEVER, I feel that there is a lot of potential for it, so maybe when besieged comes out, it might get better. Or hell, maybe even the meta will change enough before then for this card to be worth it. Until then...great in casual, not so great in competitive.
murder100
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's OK, but does anyone agree it's definitely not $25 dollars good?
Eric1618
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Good, but not 25$ good.
Linvala laughs in his face.
Clavat99
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
DECK POSSIBILTY:
Black/red
Use all the 1 or two mana cost creatures that black and red offer to set up an early string of trouble for your opponent and to save up for cannon fodder. Espescially stuff like Goblin Arsonist that hurt your opponent when you sacrfice them. As you gain more lands, you can play stuff like Carnage Altar to start gathering creatures in your graveyard and to be able to get the masticore in your hand. Keep up your assault by playing things like Flesh Allergy that put more creatures in your graveyard and aslo can do dammage to your opponent while doing so. The good thing about flesh allergy is, is that the more creature syou sacrificed, the more dammage your opponent takes. Making it easier to finish them off with the masticore. Also have stuff that give you Eldrazi Spawn tokens so you can get easy mana. once you have around 7 mana, if you want to postpone you win wo try and make it harder for your opponent to stop you, play a Skittering Invasion to get more eldrazi spawn and more mana. Once you feel comfortable with your mana supply, and reserve of dead creatures, play the masticore and start exileing your stuff from your graveyard to finish your opponent. By the time you play the masticore, you will have dealt you ropponent enough damage through other spells that you should be able to kill them the turn the masticore comes out...provided you have the mana and werent stupid and left all your cannon fodder creatures in play.
WhiteyMcFly
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have a question: can I exile a token as it hits the graveyard, or is the ceasing to exist a state-based effect? If I do get to exile it, myr decks are going to be a lot of fun with this guy around. Exile a token as it dies while blocking or being sacrificed. You have infinite mana, remember? ;)
MasterOfEtherium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Molten Tail Goes Great With Exhume, Reanimate & What Not Love The Artwork Too Plus 4 Damage Aint Bad At All & Late Game Wrath You'll Probably Be Able To Regen
Davidian
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm very glad I didn't trade this card in. Luckily comment in this forum stopped me. I swept a 4 man assassin game, plus one last week. GOOD STUFF.
Gezus82
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Not having played with it but having played against it in many a standard match I have to say I was not impressed.
At first I was scared but I never lost a game my opponent dropped one.
While he is powerful he takes an awful lot of maintenance between his upkeep and all his abilities. I found that he only gets truly mobilized at the same time as titans or powerful control strategies. He also quickly emptied my opponents hands and doesn't work nearly as well when they are top-decking and not only have nothing to play, but also have most of the cards they are binning being noncreature.
His biggest problem is he shines as a solo bomb, but he requires a lot of creatures to keep him at full power.
His design just has inherent tension as he would be extremely useful as a solo creature in a control variant, and his regenerate works very well with new mass removal and even normal removal that no longer stops regeneration.
I'm not saying he is a bad card, but I feel like unless he can come online and take over the board before your opponent can mobilize titans, having a titan of your own is much more effective. (this is a standard perspective only)
reanimatesucks
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
i've gotta say this card can really rock a game. i don't see why the cost for the ability has to be so high though. if they would have made it three damage for two or something it would make more sense as a mythic. if you get this out on turn two or three though it's game over.
DacenOctavio
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Friends with Ember Hauler. Sac Hauler for 2 damage in the mid game, exile it from graveyard for another 4. But definitely Training Grounds is what makes this bad boy playable.
@ mlanier131: You can't exile tokens from the graveyard yourself because SBAs don't use the stack. The tokens just stop existing immediately after they get to the new zone. At the time the tokens are being exiled, you wouldn't even get priority to activate this card's ability, or any ability, or even to cast a spell. And here's why:
704.3. Whenever a player would get priority (see rule 116, “Timing and Priority”), the game checks for any of the listed conditions for state-based actions, then performs all applicable state-based actions simultaneously as a single event. If any state-based actions are performed as a result of a check, the check is repeated; otherwise all triggered abilities that are waiting to be put on the stack are put on the stack, then the check is repeated. Once no more state-based actions have been performed as the result of a check and no triggered abilities are waiting to be put on the stack, the appropriate player gets priority. This process also occurs during the cleanup step (see rule 514), except that if no statebased actions are performed as the result of the step’s first check and no triggered abilities are waiting to be put on the stack, then no player gets priority and the step ends.
704.5d If a token is phased out, or is in a zone other than the battlefield, it ceases to exist.
scumbling1
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(2 votes)
It's disappointing that neither of the subsequent two Masticores has been as good as the original. This is at least better than Razormane, but so what? Razormane is complete garbage.
BlueRock
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
would love to play against one to get a feel for how good it's supposed to be... because i just can't see it.
just wondering... could you sac it, then regenerate it for 2 to avoid the discard?
Azrael1911
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I was getting my ass handed to me at a draft until I drew this baby, popped him down, put phyresis on him and next turn swung for 4 poison on top of 8 poison directly.
mlanier131
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Bluerock, no, you can only regenerate form destruction, not sacrifice
Kidromeo
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Hey, let's say I have a good way of clearing the board. So I just have, Molten-Tail and a Goblin token card on board. I eat the token.
Does that mean, the token is in my graveyard???? So I can use it for Moten-Tail Masticore's first ability??
MagicTheGaythering
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
What if someone has a life gain deck.... then this guy is pretty much useless while you run out of cards then the opponent gets on top of you. Not that great I can see about a hundred ways around this card for 2 mana or less
instinx1
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(9 votes)
I passed this card up 3 weeks ago at a draft. I have yet to stop slapping myself.
dragonking987
★☆☆☆☆ (1.2/5.0)(9 votes)
dies to doom blade 0.5/5
RPJesuzz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Molten-Tail Manticore + Phyresis is just too broken in my B/U artifact deck. when all else fails, snipe the poison counters. as previous people say, practically immune to Day of Judgment and other anti creature spells with its regeneration caabilities.
friendtoall17
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
@dragonking987
If your opponent tries to destroy the masticore with doom blade, then you can simply regenerate it for 2 mana.....assuming that I understand the rules of regenerate properly. I seldom use it, so I can't exactly be an authority on it :)
Woozly
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I'm*** SCARED of Masticores!
Rezzy64
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Ah... Molten Tail Masticore, I appreciate your insane power level. This insanely amazing and overpowered creature turned one of my worst decks into one of the most powerful decks I've built in a long time. The whole deck focuses on searching up the Masticore, getting it out as fast as possible and then the rest of the deck is merely the Masticore's feeding dish. Om Nom on my cards while I destroy my opponents side of the field. I don't play a deck, I play a Molten Tail Masticore.
GengilOrbios
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
that's incredibly strong in limited
Kael_Hate
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Can someone explain a winning situation with this card that isn't a gimmick? Often as I see it played it lives until just after its upkeep is paid at which time it get booted. Any card you are discarding to its ability could be another body on the field or an affect from had. I can't find a single Top 8 deck in standard that has featured this card. I can find no game winning combo with this that is not better without this. Someone explain please.
Laguz
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I just bought four of these for a mere 2 bucks each because i'm expecting them to quadruple (or more) in value with the release of innistrad, which looks to be a graveyard-based block. It's 'drawback' will be nothing but beneficial in a set like that.
It's just surprising that an aggressively costed regenerator with a killer sniping ability never found a home in an M12 standard deck. No complaints though; like i said, they are 2 bucks each right now.
Igooog
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Today I made my first draw ever from a scars booster, and I get this. Proceeded to win almost every game I got this out, especially when it ended up in my opening hand.
SgtSwaggr
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@dragonkning987
Regenerates.
DarthParallax
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas + Molten-Tail Masticore....+ Necropotence just to be a turd. :)
upgraded
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's much more relevant that it dies to Liliana of the Veil. It sucks, I love this guy.
pedrodyl
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Best Masticore IMO. Why? Because 1. It can hit creatures and players, and 2. the synergy with the usual "discard upkeep" for masticores and its other ability that burns things. So what's a masticore? Part scorpion, part lion, part human?
Winghsad0w
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I actually had two of these at one point. I tried using them, they looked really cool and I figured they could work. To be honest it didn't do much. He sat in my hand until I could assure myself that I could either A) Keep him through at least 1 upkeep, or B) Play him and use the 4 damage ability both in the same turn. Really neither ever happened. His damage ability is just too expensive to be used reliably. And a smart opponent will smash it ASAP. If they had costed his first ability to be less I could see this guy going from decent to incredible in a heartbeat, but as he is now Molten-tail is a rather mediocre mythic. It's really cool, and the art is pretty sweet, but the card itself is rather -meh-.
shotoku64
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Here's how I play this guy: 1) When he is on the battlefield, I play no cards except for lands. 2) I use all this mana that I'm not using to cast spells on his abilities. 3) I kick ass.
@kael_hate Ever heard of card advantage? You discard a creature, then you kill one of their creatures, there is no difference in card advantage there. Not to mention he has a huge body that regenerates, so will most likely be taking out 2 creatures a turn at worst. At best, You will be able to deal 8 a turn with no problems. Did I mention he regenerates?
I love this guy. Just love him. Actually my first mythic ever, pulled from my first Scars pack ever. Good times, good times.
Hunter06
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
That art is rather horrifying. 4/5 Stars
patronofthesound
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I swear to God if one more person suggests training grounds on any card i'm blowing up the forum.
MICKEY.KNOX
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ patronofthesound I'm with ya. Wow. Its like every one in the world thinks they're the only one that knows about training ground. We should all just splash blue in every deck that has an activation cost in it huh? Rant aside, this masticore is sweet. Versatility is still good in this game, right? Makes me wanna try it in a reanimator build...
CG1248
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Put simply, in an opening hand or drawn, he will come into play, do his thing, which is one of the above, then leave silently. Played very well as the last creature in your hand, we can feed him top-decked lands and spells while we sink 4 mana to trade any creature card for 4 dmg in your opp face. Left unattended and he will finish games faster than most creatures you've played before him. He can kill any x/8 and survive. He will block anything and survive. /4 defense + regenerate is very resilient. Any color can play it. Kill your opp creatures, then swing for 8 and watch your opponent scoop.
Personally I prefer playing it with it's old standard buddies Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Fauna Shaman, but any aggro build with 4+ mana could use him to finnish games. I think he's optimal as a late game win condition in a card advantage + creature heavy build. JTMS or any blue card advantage spell will enable you to have a choice when you discard and fauna keeps your graveyard full of creature cards.
Drawbacks? Maybe having to remember to discard a card. But that's pretty much it. You want to keep your card in hand? Sac him. How is this a drawback if you happen to draw a better card then "this"? GG 4.5/5
Comments (60)
Unlike his predeccesors, and look closely, you'll find that his discarding effect has become an advantage, a fuel for his '4 direct damage' ability. In this case, you would want to discard creatures from your hand. This also works well against black users as he will deny them the capability to raise your own dead against you. Masticore can pin off creatures but Molten-Tail can, for 2 extra colorless, pin players as well for 4.
So you can have him attack first, if you can't deal damage to opponents, remove a card, and ping him, and he comes into play at turn four. And he can regenerate well, a valuable asset in Scars of Mirrodin set as there are no spells (probably) that deny regeneration, with infect and -1/-1 counters as an exception, you would've no doubtly shoot them off before having them to infect Molten-Tail. And he can survive Elspeth Wrath.
Being that said, You WILL win a lot of games with him.
Thank you for completely owning at the draft last night. You are a good friend.
Sincerely,
Lord Alvon
Seriously, though. This card is absolutely incredible. You won't know until you play with it.
I wasn't a believer in this card. Then it saved my butt. Again. And again. And again.
seriously, between this and a wurmcoil engine, this wins with just 6 mana available, and cleans up the tokens.
This card snipes anything for 4 damage, survives Day of Judgment and All is Dust, is resistant to burn, trades with Obstinate Baloth and Vengevine and lives, gets around Kor Firewalker and Malakir Bloodwitch, and is a 4/4 body for 4.
It's "downside" is just more fuel for its abilities.
I was ***ed when I saw that this got a Mythic slot ....then I saw it in action. This is, indeed, well worth its rarity.
HOWEVER, I feel that there is a lot of potential for it, so maybe when besieged comes out, it might get better. Or hell, maybe even the meta will change enough before then for this card to be worth it. Until then...great in casual, not so great in competitive.
Linvala laughs in his face.
Black/red
Use all the 1 or two mana cost creatures that black and red offer to set up an early string of trouble for your opponent and to save up for cannon fodder. Espescially stuff like Goblin Arsonist that hurt your opponent when you sacrfice them. As you gain more lands, you can play stuff like Carnage Altar to start gathering creatures in your graveyard and to be able to get the masticore in your hand. Keep up your assault by playing things like Flesh Allergy that put more creatures in your graveyard and aslo can do dammage to your opponent while doing so. The good thing about flesh allergy is, is that the more creature syou sacrificed, the more dammage your opponent takes. Making it easier to finish them off with the masticore. Also have stuff that give you Eldrazi Spawn tokens so you can get easy mana. once you have around 7 mana, if you want to postpone you win wo try and make it harder for your opponent to stop you, play a Skittering Invasion to get more eldrazi spawn and more mana. Once you feel comfortable with your mana supply, and reserve of dead creatures, play the masticore and start exileing your stuff from your graveyard to finish your opponent. By the time you play the masticore, you will have dealt you ropponent enough damage through other spells that you should be able to kill them the turn the masticore comes out...provided you have the mana and werent stupid and left all your cannon fodder creatures in play.
At first I was scared but I never lost a game my opponent dropped one.
While he is powerful he takes an awful lot of maintenance between his upkeep and all his abilities.
I found that he only gets truly mobilized at the same time as titans or powerful control strategies. He also quickly emptied my opponents hands and doesn't work nearly as well when they are top-decking and not only have nothing to play, but also have most of the cards they are binning being noncreature.
His biggest problem is he shines as a solo bomb, but he requires a lot of creatures to keep him at full power.
His design just has inherent tension as he would be extremely useful as a solo creature in a control variant, and his regenerate works very well with new mass removal and even normal removal that no longer stops regeneration.
I'm not saying he is a bad card, but I feel like unless he can come online and take over the board before your opponent can mobilize titans, having a titan of your own is much more effective.
(this is a standard perspective only)
@ mlanier131:
You can't exile tokens from the graveyard yourself because SBAs don't use the stack. The tokens just stop existing immediately after they get to the new zone. At the time the tokens are being exiled, you wouldn't even get priority to activate this card's ability, or any ability, or even to cast a spell. And here's why:
704.3. Whenever a player would get priority (see rule 116, “Timing and Priority”), the game checks for
any of the listed conditions for state-based actions, then performs all applicable state-based actions
simultaneously as a single event. If any state-based actions are performed as a result of a check, the
check is repeated; otherwise all triggered abilities that are waiting to be put on the stack are put on
the stack, then the check is repeated. Once no more state-based actions have been performed as the
result of a check and no triggered abilities are waiting to be put on the stack, the appropriate player
gets priority. This process also occurs during the cleanup step (see rule 514), except that if no statebased actions are performed as the result of the step’s first check and no triggered abilities are
waiting to be put on the stack, then no player gets priority and the step ends.
704.5d If a token is phased out, or is in a zone other than the battlefield, it ceases to exist.
just wondering... could you sac it, then regenerate it for 2 to avoid the discard?
Does that mean, the token is in my graveyard???? So I can use it for Moten-Tail Masticore's first ability??
I have yet to stop slapping myself.
If your opponent tries to destroy the masticore with doom blade, then you can simply regenerate it for 2 mana.....assuming that I understand the rules of regenerate properly. I seldom use it, so I can't exactly be an authority on it :)
Often as I see it played it lives until just after its upkeep is paid at which time it get booted. Any card you are discarding to its ability could be another body on the field or an affect from had. I can't find a single Top 8 deck in standard that has featured this card. I can find no game winning combo with this that is not better without this. Someone explain please.
It's just surprising that an aggressively costed regenerator with a killer sniping ability never found a home in an M12 standard deck. No complaints though; like i said, they are 2 bucks each right now.
Regenerates.
So what's a masticore? Part scorpion, part lion, part human?
1) When he is on the battlefield, I play no cards except for lands.
2) I use all this mana that I'm not using to cast spells on his abilities.
3) I kick ass.
@kael_hate
Ever heard of card advantage? You discard a creature, then you kill one of their creatures, there is no difference in card advantage there. Not to mention he has a huge body that regenerates, so will most likely be taking out 2 creatures a turn at worst. At best, You will be able to deal 8 a turn with no problems.
Did I mention he regenerates?
Actually my first mythic ever, pulled from my first Scars pack ever. Good times, good times.
4/5 Stars
I'm with ya. Wow. Its like every one in the world thinks
they're the only one that knows about training ground.
We should all just splash blue in every deck that has
an activation cost in it huh?
Rant aside, this masticore is sweet. Versatility is still
good in this game, right? Makes me wanna try it in a
reanimator build...
Personally I prefer playing it with it's old standard buddies Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Fauna Shaman, but any aggro build with 4+ mana could use him to finnish games. I think he's optimal as a late game win condition in a card advantage + creature heavy build. JTMS or any blue card advantage spell will enable you to have a choice when you discard and fauna keeps your graveyard full of creature cards.
Drawbacks? Maybe having to remember to discard a card. But that's pretty much it. You want to keep your card in hand? Sac him. How is this a drawback if you happen to draw a better card then "this"? GG 4.5/5