This card is simply amazing. A 5/3 for five mana (super-splashable too) isn't horrible, but the abilities just make it crazy. This guy will be perfect in Birthing Pod decks, he'll be great with Conjurer's Closet, and he makes Vapor Snag users cower in fear.
5/5. This is what green should be.
Trygon_Predator
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(10 votes)
Loving this card. Not just for the efficiency it brings to the table, but also for the crazy combos I'm sure someone will play, involving bouncing the Thragtusk back and forth ad infinitum for infinite life and infinite Beasts.
My only regret is that this is not a Wurm, as the spiritual successor to Pelakka Wurm.
pedrodyl
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(9 votes)
This with Roaring Primadox are what make's Yeva's deck in DotP fun to play
As a die-hard green player, I like this. I like this a lot. I see potential with this and Worldfire. It's not like getting to nine mana is HARD in green or anything like that.
LlanowarEmissary
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(4 votes)
It's hard to deny the pure utility this one creature has. Keep in mind that he's also likely coming out earlier than Turn 5.
5/5
The_Murderauder
★☆☆☆☆ (1.8/5.0)(4 votes)
I think they specifically made this a "leaves the Battlefield" trigger rather than a "dies" trigger so that it would interact well with Worldfire. As it is, the rather obscure and borderline unplayable Walker of the Grove is the only other card that does anything similar, and there's no other clear reason for them having done it.
I'm not complaining, though! I love it.
blindthrall
★★☆☆☆ (2.9/5.0)(4 votes)
That's alot of value in a creature.
Rokukel
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I love this beast!
majinara
★☆☆☆☆ (1.9/5.0)(10 votes)
Maybe I'm blind, but... This ain't bad, but it doesN't seem that good to me either. Let's have a closer look
Stats: by itself, it's a 5/3. At common, you get a 5/5 for that amount of mana. And it has no trample nor hexproof nor regeneration nor anything else. Token: it gives you a 3/3 when it dies. And it's likely to die with just 3 toughness for five mana. And sure, a 3/3 token is cute, but it's not great either.
And the five life? They make no sense. They are nice too, but this guy wants to be played in an aggressive deck obviously. What with high power, low toughness, and token when he dies. And lifegain is unnecessary in an aggressive deck.
If I'd want a guy that gives me a token, I'd rather play a penumbra wurm. Sure, costs a bit more, but there is a huge difference between a 6/6 trampler that gives me a 6/6 trampling token, and this dude.
I give him a 3/5. He's ok, but... not that great. Even flavorlike I don't get the lifegain. It seems so random.
Appleguard
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(9 votes)
@majinara What you're forgetting is that he doesn't drop a token when he dies. He drops a token when he leaves the battlefield. Critical distinction. Recent cards are all about flicker mechanics, with Cloudshift being a perfect example. Sure, if you play Thragtusk like it's a crappy version of Penumbra Wurm, he will be a crappy version of Penumbra Wurm. But once he's on the board, every time an effect causes him to flicker you get a 3/3 token and 5 more life. Cloudshift is the cheapest, letting you drop tokens and gain life for W, but if you're really nasty you can Soulbond this guy to a Deadeye Navigator to flicker him an arbitrary number of times at 1U each.
hatriarch
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(2 votes)
This card isn't supposed to be an "aggressive card" it's a midrange card that punishes aggressive decks. It's impossible to beat someone if they resolve one of these and either clone it or flicker it.
TastetheJace
★★★☆☆ (3.4/5.0)(8 votes)
Even if you somehow don't get the chance to flick it, a 5/3, a 3/3, and 5 life for 4G is good mana efficiency.
Cubozoan
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(3 votes)
Well, looks like I'm going to have to go build that "value added" mono-green casual stompy deck now. Thragtusk, meet Pelakka Wurm and Obstinate Baloth, your partners in crime!
EternalPhi
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(4 votes)
@majinara
Yes you do appear to be somewhat blind. at 5 mana, a 5/3 and 5 life is a pretty good deal. Throw in his added ability of making 3/3 beasts simply for LEAVING the battlefield (not dying as you stated), and this guy is so far above the curve you'd be crazy to rate him anything less than 4.5. With the plethora of flicker spells in blue and white, this card will be abused thoroughly. You are rating this card as if it were simply a green aggro creature, but it isnt, its a green COMBO creature, and there are far too few of those nowadays.
ParallaxtheRevan
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(3 votes)
majinara there is another boar creature that I forgot the name of but it kind of explains the flavor of green lifegain stuck to creatures. The idea is there's like, a herd of them or whatever, and when they enter the battlefield, we are supposed to assume that the Planeswalker who summoned them is a Garruk-type who hunts one of them caveman style and eats it, probably just 'cooked' (burned) enough to be dead after sticking your Hunting Shishkebob through it. OM-NOM-NOM!
Meat = Life Points. Thragtusk is a Brontosaurus Burger, and if you don't know what that is, get out of my sight and never play Magic again. :P
@all the people smarter than majinara: Thragtusk is obviously much MORE than 'just' a Brontosaurus Burger. But he's also clearly a delicious Brontosaurus Burger as well. With all the fixings, just like Wilma used to make 'em :)
Splizer
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Wow! This valuable beast reminds me of Solemn Simulacrum with its enter the battlefield and leaving/dying profits, BUT it can hit hard when it wants to as well! I like it!
Metrosine
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this will be a green staple as long as its in standard. the flicker effects just break this card.
The only bad thing about this guy is the fact that Blade Splicer exists.
That said, get these while you can. Their stock will go up exponentially once the Scars of Mirrodin block rotates out.
Lash_of_Dragonbreath
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If lifegain was irrelevant in aggro decks, Vampire Nighthawk wouldn't have seen nearly as much play as it did in monoblack vampires (back then when Zendikar the newest thing). Ever seen aggro vs. aggro matches in which the game was based on which player coul kill the other the quickest? And this with Cavern of Souls will be a pain for control to answer while both are in standard.
Serev
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Trust me, Mokgar. If you're playing against this in g/w blink, you're going to need WAY more than two spears.
Jokes aside, this is an awesome creature. As long as Mimic Vat is still Standard, I think I have a new top priority target.
Toquinha1977
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Pulled my first one from a pack in draft last night (we keep what we draft). Given its going rate (average of $11.25 according to TCGplayer.com), I made the greedy decision to grab it, even though I was drafting BW Exalted. After realizing that the guy to my left was drafting green/blue, the greedy decision was the smart one.
Lotsofpoopy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
There are many ways to abuse this guy's abilities. A very very strong card.
SquareWhale
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Mimic Vat. Omfg I love-hate-love this card so much.
LordRandomness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
One of a very few cards that makes your opponent 1-for-2 themselves to remove it (they lose the spell, you lose your creature but gain another one), almost regardless of what removal they use! (Amusingly, Arrest seems like the sole answer)
ScaryKoolaid
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Why is this card only rated 3.5? I felt like I might be being a little stingy with 4.5/5. Easily costed beat stick body at (4)(G) - i.e. splashable even, that gives so much value. 5/3 for 5cmc might seem underwhelming to some who think for 5cmc you should be getting at least a 5/5 for value, but the 5 in the front means it'll be trading at least with most creatures, and the 3 in the back keeps it safe from the legions of 2/2 chumpers out there in 1 on 1 combat. The fact that you get a 3/3 token if it does trade makes it crazy good 2-for-1. Add in a little 5 life boost for the cost, now you're looking at additional value. Then, the craziest thing, is the token doesn't spawn if Thrag goes to GY, but ANYTIME HE LEAVES THE BF. Any bounce and you get another chance at 5life gain, get the 3/3 token, and, presumably at some point later get that 2nd token.
Soo soo much value.
I'm not really sure I get the flavor of the card itself though. It's some yak like creature that from the art and flavor text almost seems to run in packs of 2- but why wouldn't it be more like Broodmate Dragon? Get the token upon ETB? I don't really get what is supposed to be happening.
TwentyFifthBaam
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Played in 2hg plus Worldfire for an instant win to an otherwise hopeless game. Strong and combo-licious!
SauceyCoffee
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ScaryKoolaid The flavour of this card is actually pretty cool. I'm pretty sure that Thragtusk is the mother protecting its young, and when she dies her Thraglet is left to defend itself :) Thragtusk = mother = "bringer of life" *hint hint*(+5 life) and lil Thraglet.. *shrugs*
busdude
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(6 votes)
Awfully and lazily designed, and stupidly overpowered card.
I'm literally considering quitting standard because of this *** card, not even Jace the Mind Sculptor ***ed me off this much when he was in standard, which really says a lot.
inaeternum
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(6 votes)
I hate this card. Every standard deck has green now just for this card. I believe that's pretty much the definition of broken. On it's own it's overpowered. With everything else they printed around it, it's absurdly broken. Maybe if it was less splashable it'd be okay, but with only one colored mana it just ends up in every single deck.
0.5/5 for making standard not fun
EyeballFrog
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Having played Red aggro in a metagame with this guy, I now appreciate the flavor text. You really do need two spears.
CammyWhite
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(11 votes)
This card is stupidly good because of the meta it was brought about in. And I do mean "stupidly". I know they really wanted to push the blink mechanic but in the process they created a standard warping monster. Most decks at the moment are either midrange that utilizes this, Control that tries to stop it from being played, or Zombies which tries to minimize its impact. Gaining 5 life slows down most aggro decks for you to be able to set up your wincon (if this dude isn't it already). The 3/3 beast is really just a chump blocker, but you get it when it leaves the battlefield. Not dies. If it hits, there is no way to get rid of it without it making the token. That means you can drop any boardwipe of your choice and get instant board advantage. That paired with easy splashing, aggressive power and a toughness that keeps it out of reach of Pillar of Flame makes this one of the most pivotal cards in standard at the moment. Unless Gatecrash has an easy was to counter activated abilities, he's going to run amuck.
not to mention that after all the complaining, he's not going to see any play outside of standard
Would everyone stfu with the whining feedback? I understand that this is put into every green deck in standard and that it is an amazing card, but it didn't break the format. Have you guys heard of dreadbore? How about mizzium mortars? And Abrupt decay for the tokens? As for the 5 life, I guess you're on your own. I'm not gonna whine about the beast, I'm gonna deal with it.
MoxSapphire
★☆☆☆☆ (1.6/5.0)(4 votes)
It's a solid card. Well worth the amount attached to it. A playset is around $80 at your local card shop for a reason. 'Dodges' removal, has a healthy attack number, and has dual bonuses. Get 4 while they're 'cheap' as they will only go up until M14 shows up.
This card is a mistake, 4 out of 5 decks in my tournament group plays it, including myself, and I don't feel good about it, but I have to to keep up. Waaaayyyy too much value for 5 CMC with no splashing hinderances. It should have been 3green mana and 2 colourless, this is just wrong, and everybody is playing it. So good on it's own, and with restoration angel, it gets really dumb. If this keeps up, it will get banned, it would make for a more diverse metagame. It makes aggro kind of pointless to play.
Thragoyf
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(10 votes)
What was Wizards thinking? They totally forgot to include "undying" to it. Now it only comes with a +5 life greeting gift and a free 3/3 parting gift? That's it? My life sux!
Diachronos
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I have one massive problem with Thragtusk.
The problem isn't how horrendously bad or overpowered he is. He's a really good creature for a 5-drop without being an unstoppable monster, so I would say that he's pretty balanced.
No, my problem is that he's good, but not 25 f***ing dollars good. There is no way in hell that a playset of Thragtusk is legitimately worth $100, especially not when there are other cards that are potentially better than him who are collecting dust in your local shop's $1 rare box.
You can tell when a card is just stupid. It's when it gets the highly coveted leaves the battlefield trigger. The card is obviously obscene. You get 5 power, 5 life for a creature that cannot be eliminated easily. Now in many other sets, a card like pacifism would at least be good removal, but given how they decided to bring this out in a set right after one that is filled to the brim with blink....
It's a mistake and it bogs down standard to who has the most of this and the angels. The only way to stop this card is counterspells or killing players before they field it.
When you look at the design for this card you see a card designed to "fix" the meta of the future future league, but they made a card here that many players will feel helpless when it's played against them. And it's a barrier of entry to standard unless if you get really creative. A good card should feel fun for the player playing it and the guy playing against it. Or a card that is really good in one situation but loses value in many other situations. This beast is neither.
Mindbend
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(5 votes)
Back the day for one green and four you could cast a stream of life for four if you wanted life , know you get this montrosity instead.
LordWalter
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(2 votes)
"Always carry two spears" -Mokgar, Kalonian Hunter
Havrekjex
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(11 votes)
3,9? You have got to be kidding me. This is hands down the most powerful card in Standard, and almost all deck archetypes splash green to run four of these. Why? Because Standard has NO good answers to it, apart from counterspells, and counterspells are nerfed this season with Mana Leak gone and Cavern of Souls around. If you play it and it isn't countered, you WILL get your 5 life, your 5/3 and your 3/3 for 5 mana, and that's just if you don't abuse it with flickering shenanigans such as Restoration Angel and Cloudshift.
Apart from counterspells, let's take a look at your options to get rid of this thing:
* Burn/removal/exile? You'll need to use two of them, and even then they still get 5 life. Exile is no more effective than burn/destroy, since the 3/3 spawns when Thragtusk "leaves the battlefield", not "dies".
* Pacifism and the likes? No, because this often comes in decks with flickering, so not only do they free the Thrag from your enchantment a bit later when they were going to flicker it anyway, they get 5 more life and another 3/3.
* Oblivion Ring? No more useful than removal, because the 3/3 spawns when Thragtusk "leaves the battlefield", not "dies". And EVEN THEN, they get second helpings of both if they destroy your O-ring, and they very well might, because it is played in green and white, the colours that are most likely to handle enchantments.
5/5. I'd rather face a Baneslayer Angel than this.
SnyprBB
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In the current standard, you should bring more than a few spears.
Fenix.
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"This is what green should be." I feel sorry for you.
flavioal28
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Played in nearly EVERY green deck, and people are splashing in green just to cast him. Yet he's rated 3.5 by 12/07/12. This guy is packed with value
TheKazu
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(4 votes)
I don't see the point of the lifegain. There was literally no reason for that part of this card to exist. If they wanted to encourage flicker so much, and if they wanted to make it more fun flavorfully, they should have made the token a 5/3 and dropped the life gain (it doesn't make any sense that the second thragtusk is smaller). Either that, or make it heal when it dies, if you want to get the whole "i'm eating it" flavor. The current way it works makes negative sense.
Oh, and its OP'd.
docstorm
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(14 votes)
I call power creep. Overpowered card due to the simple fact that it read "leaves the battlefield" instead of "dies". Shouldn't be splashable either. The fact that this is seeing play in 75% of the top decks is rediculous.
Make it 3GG and change the "leaves battlefield" clause to "dies" and it would be at least a little closer to balanced.
That said, I do not hate-rate cards because I don't like them or they are OP. 4.5/5
Osprey_93
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Oh my god this card, highlight of my night in casual my friend is just getting his face beaten by my Ilusion tribal and he thragtusks in an attempt to backpedal some life loss and gain board control, I copied it twice with two Phantasmal Images, even if they didn't have hexproof, you wont often get much better a 4 mana investment than that, he scooped.
ZeoStar
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(8 votes)
The flavor text says, "always carry two spears." Is Wizards trying to be clever and suggest Searing Spear?
"No, I just jog. My cardiologist Dr. Heartmender insists upon it." replied the Kitchen Finks.
donjohnson
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Geez. This card just screams "ABUSE ME". If it werent for my personal policy of never spending more than $10/card I'd get a playset.
Shard_Fenix
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
This card's name should be "$30 entry ticket to play green in standard or in modern"
Wizards obviously didn't learn their lesson from Primeval Titan or JMS.
strider24seven
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(3 votes)
Standard was thusly renamed: Thragtusk, the Gathering
shotoku64
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Reminds me of Loxodon Hierarch, who was also really good. Can't tell if either one is better than the other, but I would sure hate to be facing both of them at the same time
zomboss
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(4 votes)
It's an obvious 5/5 for this guy but its getting so much hate for being overpowered just like Mind Sculptor.
Indigenuity
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(14 votes)
"Is Wizards trying to be clever and suggest Searing Spear?"
Probably so. Their multiverse ids are only one off: 249685 and 249684
rollinsclone
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
5/5 for power, but there may be a bit too much there..... This is the card to hate this format I believe, like Delver was last format. Though, Delver sees plenty of play in eternal formats. This does not.
ThinkOriginal
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(20 votes)
Only until it was too late did Wizards of the Coast fully realize the abomination they had created. When they swung their mighty Banhammer of the DCI at the cursed Thragtusk, it just laughed and made a 3/3 Beast token.
Rootkit9208
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
My only gripe about this card is that it's brainlessly good. You don't need to build around it, it's not weak to any specific deck, it doesn't clash with any type of deck, it's easily splashable, and doesn't even fully die to doom blade. Hell, casting a single board wipe after this guy his the battle field is a surefire way to ruin your opponents day. As powerful as this card is with the current format, they really need to restrict this to a "two of" for decks. I guarantee it would make the format more diverse.
BlueBodies
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
The Beast token from Liliana vs. Garruk looks just like the smaller beast in the art.
Nagoragama
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Oh look, a mini Titan. I thought we were done with stupid card advantage creatures like this.
BongRipper420
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(8 votes)
I like this card, but it seems like a creature this green should be a little less splashable than it is. would've made more sense in my opinion. But whatevs, it's awesome.
That aside, green is supposed to get good, under costed creatures like this, because it's green.
mdakw576
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(15 votes)
Thragtusk is a great card, not just because it's strong, but because when this is the defining card in standard, the format is actually in good shape.
Just remember what standard looked like in previous years...
Lorwyn/Alara - faeries. Imagine playing against tempo except even worse. Alara/Zendikar - jund. Bloodbraid elf into blightning ggwp Zendikar/Scars - cawblade. The first standard bannings in years, nuff said. Scars/Innistrad - Delver. Get bashed with 3/2 fliers for 1 mana while all your spells get mana leaked and creatures get vapor snagged.
Would you rather have one of these formats, or a 5 mana creature that stalls the game out?
steinburger1109
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
3.9 is not underrating it. You are all over rating it. It is not the unstoppable beast that people think. There are a fair amount of five mana cards that have just as much of an impact. It'll stick around, but not like it is right now. Good card, not OP.
RDorothy
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(3 votes)
I friggin' LOVE this card! XD
TzarChasm
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Now that Reckoner has driven this guy's cost down I am so going to build a Simic aggro deck that pairs Thraggy with Deadeye Navigator as a late-game tactical nuke. Hells, yeah!
TexasDice
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Shouldn't the price go down a bit, after it is in like, you know... EVERY GREEN EVENT DECK?
It looks like green and red (Thundermaw Hellkite) finally got their Baneslayer Angel with this M13 Core Set. Who will be next? Who will be getting the next in getting an extremely overpowered 5-drop? Black or blue?
SaneMadman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
This is a card that green needs, imho. Simply because look at all the other colors and the delightful shenanigans they have.
White- has one of the top contenders for both spot, and board removal Blue- card draw and counter spells up the yin yang Black- the OTHER top contender for spot/board removal Red- blows A LOT of crap up
Since Swagtusk has an answer to not just one color, but ALL of the colors, frankly makes the game more fair, balanced and overall, more fun.
P.S. I seem to notice that the people who complain about aggro/midrange cards are almost always blue mages. :-P
GlintKawk42
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The most played card in standard and has shaped the format. literally, the only card that can take it out is Boros Reckoner
someone give me a holler when this bull**** rotates out so i can play Magic again. on turn 6, my opponent is now at 30 life, has a 5/3, a 3/3, and a 3/4 flier, after wiping the board with an uncounterable wrath of god. thanks.
there is NO response to this card in the standard format right now. you can run solid blue 4 essence scatters, but then again, he might have a cavern of souls, THEN YOU'RE (@#*^$@$.
*sighhhh* breath, toasty.
JaxsonBateman
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(3 votes)
With the new Dragon's Maze mythic Progenitor Mimic, we now have another reason to hate Thragtusk. Why? Because the perfect follow up play to this 5 mana monstrosity is a 6 mana clone that comes pre-enchanted with Followed Footsteps. That's right kiddos; you get a free Thragtusk every turn, complete with 5 life gained and a creature token should you manage to kill the Thragtusk *token*.
I'd be surprised if Progenitor Mimic doesn't see play thanks to Thraggy being so good. Heck, even if they kill Thrag in response and you have no other decent creatures to copy, at worst you're producing a 3/3 beast token each turn off the Progenitor Mimic.
Not to mention, if for some reason you decided to run a populate spell in this UGx theoretical deck (probably Bant given Resto Angel), then you'd be able to populate... Thragtusk tokens. o.O
Anzu-chan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Big fatty that is hard to kill and that gives you something directly when it's on the battlefield.
Green is getting better and better.
TowerDefender
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Makes games drag on and on, also if they are tapped out the spell Turn // Burn would allow you to turn it into a 0/1 weird with no abilities. Ie. no token for them, but if they can't Resto it this is quite good! Of course this is best used when it is attacking.Otherwise you'd be 2 for 1d by kill spelling it.
j_mindfingerpainter
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
EDIT: The only way Wizards could justify this card would be by printing even more OP removal in response to it, which would just be another terrible idea. But hey, I could use a Lightning Helix with rebound.
RetroGamer3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is the only card I will hate rate. Ban this A'hole and never reprint him again.
yousquiddinme
★★☆☆☆ (2.6/5.0)(4 votes)
Gatherer community is babies.
"Ban please" is all the comments in a nutshell, like really.
This card is FINE. It's really good, in Standard, right now. If Resto wasn't in standard, this wouldn't be as good. (Conversely, Resto is seeing play in some Modern and I think Legacy? Not sure.)
Regardless, the current Standard format is making life totals matter.
See this, Sphinx's Revelation.
Regardless, this card isn't ban-worthy. It's not even CLOSE to dominating the format like Jace, Stoneforge, and Skullclamp did.
atemu1234
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have a friend who pulled this and put it in his green landramping deck. We both had the same deck at the time, though mine was slightly better (I ran more Skyshroud Rangers) but once this was in his deck, it became a beatstick. Until I rebuilt my burn deck. It runs 4 Lightning Bolts.
Ligerman30
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I giggled at the flavor text. Never knew it had any. I can't say it will be missed in M14. This card is just way too good and leads to an un-fun standard environment. All the decks play or splash green for this card. There are no real good ways of dealing with it and it just buys you way too much time. Most aggro decks are currently just too slow to consistently outrace a 5 drop and they run out of steam when it hits the field.
Zeritanos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I once had this Soulbonded to a Deadeye Navigator in a casual group game. The only reason I lost was because EVERYBODY was targeting me after that. :(
Salient
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(6 votes)
Wow did this guy ever get expensive in a hurry. Always carry two $20 bills.
ATM97
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
When this card rotates, I'm throwing a party.
sweetgab
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(4 votes)
I always play an aggro deck, but I respect the need for a five drop this powerful. If midrange can't survive aggro, then what is the point of playing anything other than aggro?
You could tweak your deck so it does well against any deck you want to beat, but the general principle is control beats midrange beats aggro beats control. If even one side of this triangle of power breaks down (e.g. if midrange didn't have creatures as good as Thragtusk and Boros Reckoner and fails against aggro), one of these three will dominate the whole thing. Both midrange and control can thrive because of Thragtusk, the former benefiting directly from it, while the latter then preys on the former. And in a healthy, diverse metagame, all three decks must thrive.
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
WHOA! Legacy G/B can use this with Reanimate and Death for no drawback (they cancel) and you get a 3/3 if they kill it.
He can't be countered safely with cavern of trolls floating around.
Outside of a 3 power first strike (which they can use their own removal on), there is no way to deal with him without the opponent getting 5 life and a 3/3 creature, most mana efficient creature in history.
If it wasn't for cavern of trolls, at least there would be a reasonable answer.
Sanctuary_Cat
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Godnight sweet prince, and may flights of Restoration Angels sing you to thy rest...
BryceCarmony
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
My only Complaint is the over splash-ability of the card. 3 Colorless 2 Green would have been more appropriate.
but Thragtusk will always have a special place in my heart as she's given plenty of her Children and her Milk to my games as Dead-Eye Navigator Shuttled her on his little boat :)
Bob111634
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Just cause it's oppressive doesn't mean it's too good. Thragtusk is strong, but it's splashability leads to a format where multiple decks are playable. It's not like delver of secrets, which formed one OP deck. Thragtusk makes it possible to have jund, naya, golgari, selesnya, bant, and lots of other decks all good at once.
absreim
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A bit format warping for Standard but quite fair for Modern.
Combos with standard. (I know I'm late on this comment but back then it was quite true.)
Lifegainwithbite
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Poor Thragtusk. We hated you while you were around and yet now new players will never know of you in the same way that they'll know of Skullclamp, Bloodbraid Elf or the dreaded Jace.
At most, you'll see some EDH play in flicker decks now. Don't worry, you can go straight into Roon of the Hidden Realm as far as I'm concerned.
MortisAngelus
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Just get in the Conjurer's Closet together with your friends and make me more baby-beasts!
Kingnolybear
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
play this with roaring primidox. 5 mana for 5 life and beast tokens when you bounce it a couple times.
Enelysios
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
"You don't know what'cha got 'till its gone."
When he was in standard, he slowed down the format and appeared everywhere, but it was a hell of a lot more fun than most standard environments we've seen. At least he was a late game threat and let a variety of decks use him.
Continue
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Good enough to see fringe Legacy play, but not nearly as broken as many people thought it was in Standard. Truth is it's just a straight-up solid green creature, perhaps a smidge better in the INN-RTR format than it should have been. 5/5
DoorDie
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Fair arguments from some here, but Dr. Tusk was still too splashable. Most of the same decks would have run him at (3)GG; the value guaranteed by the "leaves the battlefield" clause is just too good.
Comments (110)
5/5. This is what green should be.
My only regret is that this is not a Wurm, as the spiritual successor to Pelakka Wurm.
5/5
I'm not complaining, though! I love it.
Stats: by itself, it's a 5/3. At common, you get a 5/5 for that amount of mana. And it has no trample nor hexproof nor regeneration nor anything else.
Token: it gives you a 3/3 when it dies. And it's likely to die with just 3 toughness for five mana. And sure, a 3/3 token is cute, but it's not great either.
And the five life? They make no sense. They are nice too, but this guy wants to be played in an aggressive deck obviously. What with high power, low toughness, and token when he dies. And lifegain is unnecessary in an aggressive deck.
If I'd want a guy that gives me a token, I'd rather play a penumbra wurm. Sure, costs a bit more, but there is a huge difference between a 6/6 trampler that gives me a 6/6 trampling token, and this dude.
I give him a 3/5. He's ok, but... not that great. Even flavorlike I don't get the lifegain. It seems so random.
What you're forgetting is that he doesn't drop a token when he dies. He drops a token when he leaves the battlefield. Critical distinction.
Recent cards are all about flicker mechanics, with Cloudshift being a perfect example. Sure, if you play Thragtusk like it's a crappy version of Penumbra Wurm, he will be a crappy version of Penumbra Wurm. But once he's on the board, every time an effect causes him to flicker you get a 3/3 token and 5 more life. Cloudshift is the cheapest, letting you drop tokens and gain life for W, but if you're really nasty you can Soulbond this guy to a Deadeye Navigator to flicker him an arbitrary number of times at 1U each.
Yes you do appear to be somewhat blind. at 5 mana, a 5/3 and 5 life is a pretty good deal. Throw in his added ability of making 3/3 beasts simply for LEAVING the battlefield (not dying as you stated), and this guy is so far above the curve you'd be crazy to rate him anything less than 4.5. With the plethora of flicker spells in blue and white, this card will be abused thoroughly. You are rating this card as if it were simply a green aggro creature, but it isnt, its a green COMBO creature, and there are far too few of those nowadays.
Meat = Life Points. Thragtusk is a Brontosaurus Burger, and if you don't know what that is, get out of my sight and never play Magic again. :P
@all the people smarter than majinara: Thragtusk is obviously much MORE than 'just' a Brontosaurus Burger. But he's also clearly a delicious Brontosaurus Burger as well. With all the fixings, just like Wilma used to make 'em :)
That said, get these while you can. Their stock will go up exponentially once the Scars of Mirrodin block rotates out.
And this with Cavern of Souls will be a pain for control to answer while both are in standard.
Jokes aside, this is an awesome creature. As long as Mimic Vat is still Standard, I think I have a new top priority target.
Soo soo much value.
I'm not really sure I get the flavor of the card itself though. It's some yak like creature that from the art and flavor text almost seems to run in packs of 2- but why wouldn't it be more like Broodmate Dragon? Get the token upon ETB? I don't really get what is supposed to be happening.
I'm literally considering quitting standard because of this *** card, not even Jace the Mind Sculptor ***ed me off this much when he was in standard, which really says a lot.
0.5/5 for making standard not fun
not to mention that after all the complaining, he's not going to see any play outside of standard
Stupidly overpowered.
Abbatoir Ghoul.
Carnival Hellsteed.
Village Ironsmith (transformed in Ironfang).
Kessig Wolf (paying it's ability).
Minotaur Aggressor.
Odric, Master Tactician.
Rakdos Ringleader.
Silverclaw Griffin.
To use it more correctly, give it Rancor, Cloudshift, Restoration Angel, even use a Unsummon if you want to save it from Murder or the like
The problem isn't how horrendously bad or overpowered he is. He's a really good creature for a 5-drop without being an unstoppable monster, so I would say that he's pretty balanced.
No, my problem is that he's good, but not 25 f***ing dollars good. There is no way in hell that a playset of Thragtusk is legitimately worth $100, especially not when there are other cards that are potentially better than him who are collecting dust in your local shop's $1 rare box.
- Garkom, Kalonian Hunter
It's a mistake and it bogs down standard to who has the most of this and the angels. The only way to stop this card is counterspells or killing players before they field it.
When you look at the design for this card you see a card designed to "fix" the meta of the future future league, but they made a card here that many players will feel helpless when it's played against them. And it's a barrier of entry to standard unless if you get really creative. A good card should feel fun for the player playing it and the guy playing against it. Or a card that is really good in one situation but loses value in many other situations. This beast is neither.
-Mokgar, Kalonian Hunter
Apart from counterspells, let's take a look at your options to get rid of this thing:
* Burn/removal/exile? You'll need to use two of them, and even then they still get 5 life. Exile is no more effective than burn/destroy, since the 3/3 spawns when Thragtusk "leaves the battlefield", not "dies".
* Pacifism and the likes? No, because this often comes in decks with flickering, so not only do they free the Thrag from your enchantment a bit later when they were going to flicker it anyway, they get 5 more life and another 3/3.
* Oblivion Ring? No more useful than removal, because the 3/3 spawns when Thragtusk "leaves the battlefield", not "dies". And EVEN THEN, they get second helpings of both if they destroy your O-ring, and they very well might, because it is played in green and white, the colours that are most likely to handle enchantments.
5/5. I'd rather face a Baneslayer Angel than this.
I feel sorry for you.
Oh, and its OP'd.
Make it 3GG and change the "leaves battlefield" clause to "dies" and it would be at least a little closer to balanced.
That said, I do not hate-rate cards because I don't like them or they are OP. 4.5/5
"No, I just jog. My cardiologist Dr. Heartmender insists upon it." replied the Kitchen Finks.
This card just screams "ABUSE ME". If it werent for my personal policy of never spending more than $10/card I'd get a playset.
Wizards obviously didn't learn their lesson from Primeval Titan or JMS.
Thragtusk, the Gathering
Probably so. Their multiverse ids are only one off: 249685 and 249684
Hell, casting a single board wipe after this guy his the battle field is a surefire way to ruin your opponents day.
As powerful as this card is with the current format, they really need to restrict this to a "two of" for decks. I guarantee it would make the format more diverse.
That aside, green is supposed to get good, under costed creatures like this, because it's green.
Just remember what standard looked like in previous years...
Lorwyn/Alara - faeries. Imagine playing against tempo except even worse.
Alara/Zendikar - jund. Bloodbraid elf into blightning ggwp
Zendikar/Scars - cawblade. The first standard bannings in years, nuff said.
Scars/Innistrad - Delver. Get bashed with 3/2 fliers for 1 mana while all your spells get mana leaked and creatures get vapor snagged.
Would you rather have one of these formats, or a 5 mana creature that stalls the game out?
Who will be next? Who will be getting the next in getting an extremely overpowered 5-drop? Black or blue?
White- has one of the top contenders for both spot, and board removal
Blue- card draw and counter spells up the yin yang
Black- the OTHER top contender for spot/board removal
Red- blows A LOT of crap up
Since Swagtusk has an answer to not just one color, but ALL of the colors, frankly makes the game more fair, balanced and overall, more fun.
P.S. I seem to notice that the people who complain about aggro/midrange cards are almost always blue mages. :-P
someone give me a holler when this bull**** rotates out so i can play Magic again. on turn 6, my opponent is now at 30 life, has a 5/3, a 3/3, and a 3/4 flier, after wiping the board with an uncounterable wrath of god. thanks.
there is NO response to this card in the standard format right now. you can run solid blue 4 essence scatters, but then again, he might have a cavern of souls, THEN YOU'RE (@#*^$@$.
*sighhhh* breath, toasty.
I'd be surprised if Progenitor Mimic doesn't see play thanks to Thraggy being so good. Heck, even if they kill Thrag in response and you have no other decent creatures to copy, at worst you're producing a 3/3 beast token each turn off the Progenitor Mimic.
Not to mention, if for some reason you decided to run a populate spell in this UGx theoretical deck (probably Bant given Resto Angel), then you'd be able to populate... Thragtusk tokens. o.O
Green is getting better and better.
Ban this A'hole and never reprint him again.
"Ban please" is all the comments in a nutshell, like really.
This card is FINE. It's really good, in Standard, right now. If Resto wasn't in standard, this wouldn't be as good. (Conversely, Resto is seeing play in some Modern and I think Legacy? Not sure.)
Regardless, the current Standard format is making life totals matter.
See this, Sphinx's Revelation.
Regardless, this card isn't ban-worthy. It's not even CLOSE to dominating the format like Jace, Stoneforge, and Skullclamp did.
You could tweak your deck so it does well against any deck you want to beat, but the general principle is control beats midrange beats aggro beats control. If even one side of this triangle of power breaks down (e.g. if midrange didn't have creatures as good as Thragtusk and Boros Reckoner and fails against aggro), one of these three will dominate the whole thing. Both midrange and control can thrive because of Thragtusk, the former benefiting directly from it, while the latter then preys on the former. And in a healthy, diverse metagame, all three decks must thrive.
More and more uses for this guy..
He can't be countered safely with cavern of trolls floating around.
Outside of a 3 power first strike (which they can use their own removal on), there is no way to deal with him without the opponent getting 5 life and a 3/3 creature, most mana efficient creature in history.
If it wasn't for cavern of trolls, at least there would be a reasonable answer.
but Thragtusk will always have a special place in my heart as she's given plenty of her Children and her Milk to my games as Dead-Eye Navigator Shuttled her on his little boat :)
(I know I'm late on this comment but back then it was quite true.)
At most, you'll see some EDH play in flicker decks now. Don't worry, you can go straight into Roon of the Hidden Realm as far as I'm concerned.
When he was in standard, he slowed down the format and appeared everywhere, but it was a hell of a lot more fun than most standard environments we've seen. At least he was a late game threat and let a variety of decks use him.
I see him as the modern-day FTK.
Couldn't really be bothered to cast it otherwise.