No one notice how gory this card really is? It's pretty gory by Magic standards.
Eternal_Blue
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
for a non-blue card, it's actually pretty decent at a 4/5 for 4 mana. yes, there is a downside, but by that point in the game you're usually likely to already have a warm body decomposing in your graveyard. however, since this in blue, i think it becomes a tad better since blue isn't accustomed to such cheap and decent-sized creatures. perhaps it will be harder for blue to find a creature to exile, but it could be a nice addition to a blue aggro deck.
The_Stray
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's nice to see blue finally getting some decent aggro cards...mix this with illusions for extra lulz.
kanguilla
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
People:
Keep in mind that there are very good reasons why blue doesn't often get creatures that are above the curve in such a way. This is because, while blue can't do everything, it tends to be a color that is very adaptable and reactive. It has many ways to control and manipulate board positions, something that colors like green and red aren't as efficient at doing.
When you offer blue mages the chance to not only have creatures that can contest with those of other colors, but make the downside of that card fairly marginal, you give a lot of power and toughness to a color.
I, for one, love this card both from a gameplay point of view and flavor-wise.
Arachibutyrophobia
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
curves nicely with armored skaab. so why rated so low? the drawback is virtually negligable.
blindthrall
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Man, I already liked illusion beatdowns, now I have a reason to want them to die? Nice.
occamsrazorwit
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
More like "It always amazes me what perfectly good people people throw away."
TherealphatMatt
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is all right, but at best it serves to make you realize how nuts the other Skaabs are, which are all really deadly. This guy's P/T are just BARELY over the curve (4/4s for 4 are uncommon; in Green they often get something extra), and he doesn't have a combat ability like Stitched Drake or Skaab Goliath, nor is he costed particularly aggressively. Not bad, but the least powerful of the Skaabs.
3.5/5
Kryptnyt
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
"LUIIIIIIIS!" -Leon S. Kennedy
TheTornScarecrow
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
since when did Wotc start making pretty decent horrors? this guy looks grusome with a nice flavor and has great mana curve with little draw back. im about tempted to make a zombie deck now ;D
LordWalter
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This thing absolutely obliterates in Inni/DA draft.
Limited ranking: 4/5.
EDIT: Kryptnyt, I cannot explain in words how hard I just laughed at that reference.
Bravo to you, sir. Oh man.
MechaKraken
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It has a useful tribe, I'll give it that. It's also a common, so honestly we shouldn't expect more from it. If we did, like giving it flying or shroud, that would considerably bump up it's rarity.
Though, if people are going to be playing blue, they'll mostly be playing it for control spells. NOT creature spells. Blue plays creatures for only 2 reasons - blockers, or if the creature has a useful ability. Beaters and vanilla creatures are more of the other color's style. That's why only 2 blue Innistrad creatures really saw consistent play in constructed decks - Snapcaster Mage and Delver of Secrets. Both also interacted with control spells. You see a trend here right?
This card looks like it was designed more to be in either a limited, pauper, or casual deck. Which is fine, since those are all good and fun formats. And I would definitely draft it if other options were slim. But if I'm playing standard, I can't see the reason for playing this when I could be playing Forbidden Alchemy, Into the Void, or Amass the Components.
Comments (14)
Meh.
Keep in mind that there are very good reasons why blue doesn't often get creatures that are above the curve in such a way. This is because, while blue can't do everything, it tends to be a color that is very adaptable and reactive. It has many ways to control and manipulate board positions, something that colors like green and red aren't as efficient at doing.
When you offer blue mages the chance to not only have creatures that can contest with those of other colors, but make the downside of that card fairly marginal, you give a lot of power and toughness to a color.
I, for one, love this card both from a gameplay point of view and flavor-wise.
3.5/5
Limited ranking: 4/5.
EDIT: Kryptnyt, I cannot explain in words how hard I just laughed at that reference.
Bravo to you, sir. Oh man.
Though, if people are going to be playing blue, they'll mostly be playing it for control spells. NOT creature spells. Blue plays creatures for only 2 reasons - blockers, or if the creature has a useful ability. Beaters and vanilla creatures are more of the other color's style. That's why only 2 blue Innistrad creatures really saw consistent play in constructed decks - Snapcaster Mage and Delver of Secrets. Both also interacted with control spells. You see a trend here right?
This card looks like it was designed more to be in either a limited, pauper, or casual deck. Which is fine, since those are all good and fun formats. And I would definitely draft it if other options were slim. But if I'm playing standard, I can't see the reason for playing this when I could be playing Forbidden Alchemy, Into the Void, or Amass the Components.