This could have been common and no one would have complained (or maybe it would be strong in limited if it were common...) But now that we've saw the other 2 drops that Boros have, this card is VERY underwhelming.
Cyberium
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
This hand of mine is BURNING RED! Its loud roar tells me to grasp victory!
Purplerooster
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I attack with buddies, your too shocked to respond.
NoobOfLore
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's decent. A 2/1 for 1 with no additional costs or drawbacks, and it keeps your opponent from blocking.
zzxyyzx
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I have been fisted by this card countless times when going against my friend's Boros weenie deck Dx
azure_drake222222
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Take out the "efi" in the card's name and you get First Striker. But he's not.
TheChort
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Seems strong. Mediocre in draft, I'd think. But in a constructed deck alongside Boros Elite, Champion of the Parish, Lighting Mauler, Frontline Medic? Could be a frightening addition to the Boros arsenal.
xyclone147
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
He can be a bit situational, but he's won games for me. This and Mark For Death. I Mark For Death one of their creatures, then I activate his Battalion ability and make that card unable to block, thus render Mark For Death's "Must block if able" null, while keeping the other player's creatures from being able to block.
bowlofgumbo
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I'm so thankful for how right they got Boros this time around. Last Ravnica, they were a gimped guild with bad flavor and a terrible, awkward, confusing, inappropriate mechanic.
What makes Boros significantly better this time around (and, better designed) is that the Battalion mechanic encourages weenie rush strategies (i.e., rewards the Boros mage for doing what he likely wants to do). They also added several layers of combat tactical advantage, which fundamentally fits the Boros flavor and meshes seamlessly with Battalion (e.g., Firefist Striker's blocker prevention, Frontline Medic's indestructability, or even Boros Battleshaper's dictation of combat).
The ultimate proof might be Truefire Paladin. I would argue that Truefire Paladin is the best-designed card in the set. It's strong cheapdrop in limited, playable in constructed, and is absolutely representative of what a Boros card should be, all while aesthetically looking sexy.
AkajiFlare
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I'm loving this guys synergy with Aurelia, the Warleader. He now allows you to render two creatures unblockable.
SAUS3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
He always looks like a goblin to me....
Wulfsten
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The fact that this card is rated so low shows that most people rating cards here aren't really playing or building really efficient decks. It's pretty obvious from the costing, power/toughness ratio, and boros watermark what kind of deck Firefist Striker needs to be played in.
He needs an aggressive deck, possibly but not necessarily based around Battalion. In that deck, he is key. He shuts down your opponent's biggest blocker, allowing you to make safe alpha strikes and keep up tempo. The ability to do this without wasting mana, which then allows you to cast a third turn spell, is an enormous benefit.
A first turn Foundry Street Denizen, second turn Burning-Tree Emissary + Firefist Striker, third turn Viashino Firstblade is a huge play that can lead to 13 damage by turn 3 even if your opponent plays a blocker on turn 2. It's not even a difficult or obscure play to set up, and it uses no rares.
This card is excellent.
thePROJECTION
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Definitely constructed playable in the right deck. Makes fast decks faster, and being able to dictate combat is always a strong point. Puts a lot of pressure on your opponents to make the correct blocking decisions.
My only problem is, this guy is a 2/1. He can get chumped by most things unless he has first strike, or is beefed up.
Comments (13)
But now that we've saw the other 2 drops that Boros have, this card is VERY underwhelming.
What makes Boros significantly better this time around (and, better designed) is that the Battalion mechanic encourages weenie rush strategies (i.e., rewards the Boros mage for doing what he likely wants to do). They also added several layers of combat tactical advantage, which fundamentally fits the Boros flavor and meshes seamlessly with Battalion (e.g., Firefist Striker's blocker prevention, Frontline Medic's indestructability, or even Boros Battleshaper's dictation of combat).
The ultimate proof might be Truefire Paladin. I would argue that Truefire Paladin is the best-designed card in the set. It's strong cheapdrop in limited, playable in constructed, and is absolutely representative of what a Boros card should be, all while aesthetically looking sexy.
He needs an aggressive deck, possibly but not necessarily based around Battalion. In that deck, he is key. He shuts down your opponent's biggest blocker, allowing you to make safe alpha strikes and keep up tempo. The ability to do this without wasting mana, which then allows you to cast a third turn spell, is an enormous benefit.
A first turn Foundry Street Denizen, second turn Burning-Tree Emissary + Firefist Striker, third turn Viashino Firstblade is a huge play that can lead to 13 damage by turn 3 even if your opponent plays a blocker on turn 2. It's not even a difficult or obscure play to set up, and it uses no rares.
This card is excellent.
My only problem is, this guy is a 2/1. He can get chumped by most things unless he has first strike, or is beefed up.
If he was a 2/2, he would be a 4.
As is, 3.5