Hmm... A 4/4 flyer for is good... but it's not always a 4/4 flyer. Sometimes, it'll be a 2/2 and your opponent will sacrifice a very expendable creature. Other times, they'll have no creatures and won't lose a thing. If they have a big creature, they'll just allow it be a 4/4 and you'll wish they chose "sacrifice". It's the whole Vexing Devil argument: Although it can deal more damage than Lightning Bolt, you have little control over how the damage goes down.
It's a good idea to not have this as a common since 4/4 flyers are very dangerous in limited. It'll probably be more dangerous than most other limited creatures in this set. I'm just don't be surprised when it disappoints.
@sweetgab: Since when can Sengir Vampire make an opponent sacrifice a creature? Learn the definition of "strictly better".
Fanaticmogg
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
This actually is strictly worse than Sengir Vampire, since your opponent will only choose to sac a creature if the creature's worth less to them than a Dead Weight. Saccing an Eldrazi Spawn token to halve your flier's power is not something they could do to the Vampire. Plus, the Vampire can grow even stronger.
anotherfan321
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
It is not strictly worse because of how Tribute works in multiplayer. But in limited, you would prefer a Sengir Vampire, obviously.
sweetgab
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Keep in mind that this is strictly worse than Sengir Vampire.
Edit: @Tiggurix This thing can never make them sacrifice a creature. Think about it this way. This creature is a base 4/4 flying, except your opponent can also choose to sacrifice a creature to make it a 2/2 if that benefits them more. Which means this is worse than a simple 4/4 flyer in essentially all (two-player) situations. Also note that Sengir Vampire is pretty strong in limited.
LordOfTheFlies87
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Fantastic in limited.
Kodanshi
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
What happens if your opponent chooses NOT to pay the tribute but has no creatures to sacrifice?
AdditionalDakka
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Kodanshi : I suppose it was just a poor idea to cast it, then.
Comments (8)
It's the whole Vexing Devil argument: Although it can deal more damage than Lightning Bolt, you have little control over how the damage goes down.
It's a good idea to not have this as a common since 4/4 flyers are very dangerous in limited. It'll probably be more dangerous than most other limited creatures in this set. I'm just don't be surprised when it disappoints.
@sweetgab: Since when can Sengir Vampire make an opponent sacrifice a creature? Learn the definition of "strictly better".
Edit: @Tiggurix This thing can never make them sacrifice a creature. Think about it this way. This creature is a base 4/4 flying, except your opponent can also choose to sacrifice a creature to make it a 2/2 if that benefits them more. Which means this is worse than a simple 4/4 flyer in essentially all (two-player) situations. Also note that Sengir Vampire is pretty strong in limited.