Not a great card, but it gives a large beater to blue, and pairs nicely with Extort in the late game
milez0
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(6 votes)
The flavor text makes this card great.
ghoppe
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
Pairs nicely with Extort? What about evolve? This lets your Simic evolve creatures get bigger every time you recast it. You don't want to gum up your deck with too many higher-curve creatures, having a re-castable common (so easy to find in draft/sealed) 5/5 creature will help your newly drawn low curve evolve creatures get ever larger.
kenwakooo
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
This + evolve = smashing face.
Hercynian
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Made specifically for evolve...or some weird RU pandemonium deck.
raptorman333
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
well hello again saprazzan outrigger. 1 more mana and i don't screw up my draw. also, the stipulation is no longer on simply engaging in combat, it has to deal damage too. i like the upgrade. i don't like the mana cost. shoulda just went for better than the outrigger along with the same mana cost.
Abl
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Odd reminder text.
Purplerooster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Easy target for discarding and you have to pay every turn, but this thing can do some work.
Ness64
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
The name makes me wish it was like the leyline cycles.
3/5. Gal darn blue players and your friggin' illusions.
CastleOrange
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This was totally legit for me at the pre-re. Helps get all your evolve guys up to huge levels. Also, I was never unhappy when he returned to my hand... generally either the 5 damage or killing a creature was totally worth recasting it.
majinara
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Bad card. Even with evolve. Having evolve trigger once every two turns by paying five mana is not worth it. And without evolve it's even worse.
Ferlord
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's funny how there's some Dimir-coloured spells that don't work with Cipher and work well with extort. Mortus Strider isn't exactly as volitile as this, but it's one of the best creatures to work with Extort: You get a blocker AND a moderately cheap spell to play each turn.
As others have said (and I didn't figure out until now), this is probably best with Evolve: most evolve creatures start with less than 5 power and/or toughness, so you can keep evolving them.
Gyre Sage works amazingly well with this, because when it becomes a 5/6, you can get per turn: perfect space for that last .
It's a shame that it doesn't deal damage and then go away, surviving combat, but the reminder text is really necessary... at least for noobs like me. Give this first strike, and...
azure_drake222222
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I play him from my opening hand on turn 0. He's a leyline, so I can do that.
OrgasmandTea
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I don't think this would have been overpowered at four mana.
Shiizu
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
In Gatecrash draft this guy is actually fairly decent. It's a large body that can either keep the opponent at bay, or act as a lava axe of sorts or probably trade for another card down the line. However, this drawback is still pretty significant unless you are playing with evolve creatures. If you ar, then this thing might even become a priority to kill for your opponent. At 5/5 it will cause several evolve triggers if he bounces.
Fine card with a very interesting effect for the evolve mechanic. I would probably always want one in a simic draft deck.
Renasce
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Really subtle with the flavour text there.
TheWaddleDeeKing
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
i think you guys are missing the point of this guy. His one and only purpose is to keep putting evolves on your simic monsters. He would have been a helluva lot better with haste, but he serves his purpose alright.
gamexpert1990
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Okay, so the flavor text makes me want to refer to this card as Phantom Maze. And for some odd reason, Phantom Maze makes me think about the old Yu-gi-oh! card: Labyrinth Wall.
Does this happen to anyone else?
Kaleidostorm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Jace and Niv really don't get along, do they?
Cyber_Squirrel
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Evolves stuff every turn, pseudo-vigilance but can't attack the turn after blocking, can be recalled just before you drop a board sweeper, not the cheapest nor the most reliable way to re-trigger extort/consuming aberration/sage's row denizen but does the job and is a 5/5. Could maybe combo with switcheroo, but I don't want to be handing over a 5/5. Seems like it could be a good Johnny card.
With the ability being mostly a drawback, I'd have liked better than 5/5 for CMC 5, but it's not bad for a common. Playable in limited of you get the cards to go with it.
@majinara: Every turn. Attack, bounce, then re-play it post combat. Or play it, block/bounce during your opponent's turn and then re-play it next turn.
Traius
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Should cost less than it does.
Mosstone
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
costs waaay too much. Unless you have some ability that has to do with counters, you might as well use Conjurer's Closet (for the same amount, but with no colored mana) and save having to channel friggin 5 mana every turn, and that's only if he survives combat. If it was a guaranteed return, then maybe it would be worth it, though not by much
Flavor text is pretty nice, though
Arachnos
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
It's true, this can combo fairly well with Evolve. That said, still overcosted.
O0oze
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
ferlord: it evolves ALL evolve creatures (on first time).
tried the combos with it. barely worked. 2/5 or less.
Petertracy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The foil of this card looks amazing. Also, sweet evolve tricks for limited. 3.5/5
Comments (32)
Hope we see better uncommons and rares modeled off him in the future!
Still looking out for Niv Mizzet the Mad
Mortus Strider isn't exactly as volitile as this, but it's one of the best creatures to work with Extort: You get a blocker AND a moderately cheap spell to play each turn.
As others have said (and I didn't figure out until now), this is probably best with Evolve: most evolve creatures start with less than 5 power and/or toughness, so you can keep evolving them.
Gyre Sage works amazingly well with this, because when it becomes a 5/6, you can get
It's a shame that it doesn't deal damage and then go away, surviving combat, but the reminder text is really necessary... at least for noobs like me. Give this first strike, and...
Fine card with a very interesting effect for the evolve mechanic. I would probably always want one in a simic draft deck.
Does this happen to anyone else?
With the ability being mostly a drawback, I'd have liked better than 5/5 for CMC 5, but it's not bad for a common. Playable in limited of you get the cards to go with it.
@majinara: Every turn. Attack, bounce, then re-play it post combat. Or play it, block/bounce during your opponent's turn and then re-play it next turn.
Flavor text is pretty nice, though
tried the combos with it. barely worked. 2/5 or less.
Also, sweet evolve tricks for limited. 3.5/5