That wolf has bitten me one too many times...;-/ I usually like to have a Last Gasp ready for him (hoping he doesn't get even stronger before)!
Elfie
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(5 votes)
this is a very good creature to play immediately on your second turn. 2 mana for a 3/3
eliteDecoy
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
With Shield of the Oversould you get a 5/5 flying indestructible on turn 3
liir007
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(8 votes)
Card of the Day - Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Though 230 different creatures have been printed in gold border so far, very few of them are simply "vanilla" (no rules text), and many of those are poorly regarded cards from Legends. Just as Isamaru, Hound of Konda was printed to show that vanilla legends could be interesting, Watchwolf was created to show that multi-colored vanilla creatures could also be interesting.
Arachibutyrophobia
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(10 votes)
A 3/3 for two mana! How can anyone not like this card!
The wolf looks cute. Don't you want to run up and give it a nice big hug? :P
Even without the shield, he's a 3/3 wolf for two mana in my two colors. That's good enough to make my favorites list as it is...but a 5/5 indestructible flyer that's swinging on turn three is a bit over the top, wouldn't you say?
Woof. Elegant mutlicolor design at it's best. Take what both colors do good, remove most shortcomings, slap them together. This, Terminate, Blightning and several others serve as a great reminder of multicolors at their best.
VirtueVsVice
★★★☆☆ (3.1/5.0)(4 votes)
@ Arach...phobia
Yea, he's just so hungry for your adoration. I bet that drool coming out of his mouth and that ravenous look in his eye are because he thinks you have treats =)
{G}{W} + 3/3 + no downsides = good card
Qazior
★★★☆☆ (3.1/5.0)(6 votes)
You can have a 2/1 for , then, add , it gets +1/+2 and finally, add so it gets +2/+1. All uncommon vanilla creatures. All almost too good
Pantheon
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(5 votes)
Watchwolf is a 5 star card by itself. To date there is no more efficient 2 drop when looking at p/t.
I very much Like this card... a pity I don't have a place for it... Its one of the first cards I ever did see, and perhaps the very first of the Ravinca block... In reference to Aesthetics and flavor, its one of my favorite cards. I'm a bit much of an ability junkey to ever likely include it in any of my decks (You know those players that think there too good to play straightforwardly? yeah, that's me)
Base rating: ***
Cost vs stats: + ** Very slight color weight: - */4 No ability: - */4
Donovan_Fabian
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(2 votes)
I find the wolf has become lack luster in anything than a beat down deck since we now have thoctars at 3, and the blade series which are all 2 mana and basically watchwolf 2.0. You could play them side by side with thoctars though, for some serious green over run.
DFG_Danger
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(4 votes)
For those mentioning Shield of the Oversoul, Bant Sureblade is another great two-drop that is less restrictive (you can pay U instead of G if you wish), and will also have first strike. You can also enchant him with Favor of the Overbeing or Steel of the Godhead which also makes him more versatile. The advantages that Watchwolf has are higher toughness, and no reliance on controlling another multicolored permanent for extra effects.
ect562
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(2 votes)
black or red players have to pay some life or lands or something to cut a deal this good. man oh man.
Saxophonist
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.6/5.0)(10 votes)
G/W favoritism? What's that?
Seriously, I hate this freakin' card. It just goes to show how far Wizards is willing to go for their beloved Green and White.
EvilCleavage
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(7 votes)
This card is a beast! @metalevolence. . . Dude your a lame-o, the whole point of Magic is to appeal to all different types of people, and some people like to duke it out barbaric style. And for beginners it's a lot easier to learn to play starting in heavy creature decks and branch out from there. Just because this doesn't appeal to you doesn't mean it's lame or is for idiots. Just be thankful R&D is smart enough to successfully appeal to all different people. Why do you think this game has lasted so long.
IshubarashI
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(3 votes)
My G/W deck prefers to put Grizzled Leotau out on turn two, because you can't bolt it, it can hold off generally every creature that can be put down the first 5 or so turns of the game, and I just like the flavor of it. And I don't really care for more than 4 vanilla creatures in a deck, so sorry Watchpuppy, you're side-decked :(
dragonking987
★★☆☆☆ (2.7/5.0)(3 votes)
it is so cute!!!
MasterOfEtherium
★☆☆☆☆ (1.6/5.0)(5 votes)
Cats Wolfs And Beasts For The Win! Love It Wolf's Are Just Awesome
Gabriel422
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(3 votes)
Adorable :D
Good card, though this usually ended up getting replaced by Loxodon Hierarches in my decks. Which is to say, a 3/3 for two isn't all that overpowered as people might assume, and this card pretty much sets the standard for creatures today (see Garruk's Companion, Whooly Thoctar).
Soon your opponent will be dead, you will have near 50 health, and you will be swinging with an indestructible trample lifelink flying 7/7.
jfre81
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(5 votes)
Considering you're looking at paying at least 4 CMC for a 3/3 creature, this is about as mindblowing as a "vanilla" creature gets. Play it early and put some cheap equipment and/or auras on him if you like.
Avatar_of_Wurms
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Its clean. Its simple. Its elegant. And it beats down like no other 2 drop.
Now if we could just convince them that they should do a full art version of this card...
Ataraxiom
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's clear that Kalonian Tusker and Watchwolf are very similar creatures, but which card is easier to cast? Honestly, it all depends on your decktype.
Disclaimer: Keep in mind that the example decks below will be working in a vacuum, so they're basically just 24-card decks where every card is a land - the Tusker and Wolf are in your hand by default. Although having such controlled circumstances might make all of this seem insignificant, the purpose of these examples is to illustrate which of the two 3/3 creatures would be better under each manabase listed here. I believe that the results should be transferable to an actual 60-card deck because both the Tusker and the Wolf would be under the same probability disadvantages caused by having other cards in the deck with them. Somebody please correct me on this if I'm wrong, probability isn't my best or favourite field of math.
Obviously, a monogreen deck running 24 Forests is going to have an easier time with the Tusker's {G}{G} cost than the Wolf's {G}{W} cost, since any combination of two lands from that deck will be able to cast the Tusker, and no combination of two lands will be able to cast the Wolf. But what about a multicoloured deck where either card is a potential two-drop?
Let's start simple with a basic Selesnya manabase: 12 Forests and 12 Plains. Assuming your opening hand contains two lands (plus the Tusker and Wolf), here are the possibilities:
#1 - Forest, Forest: The Tusker is castable, the Wolf is not. (Score: 1/0 for the Tusker) #2 - Plains, Plains: Neither the Tusker nor the Wolf are castable. (Score: 1/0 for the Tusker) #3 - Forest, Plains: The Tusker is not castable, but the Wolf is. (Score: 1/1 Tie) #4 - Plains, Forest: The Tusker is not castable, but the Wolf is. (Final Score: 1/2 for the Wolf)
It's interesting to note that the odds of scenarios #1 or #2 happening are slightly lower than the odds of scenarios #3 or #4 happening. This is because drawing your second Forest or Plains is less likely once you've already taken one of the desired lands from the deck. On the contrary, finding a Plains after your first Forest or a Forest after your first Plains is more likely because the unwanted land has become less common in the deck. With this in mind, the Watchwolf's chances of being castable here on Turn 2 are actually slightly higher than the 50% "coin toss" chance that you might expect.
Now let's try a more developed manabase: 8 Forests, 8 Plains, 8 Temple Gardens. Assuming that having 8 Temple Gardens is even legal here, and that your opening hand contains two lands (plus the Tusker and Wolf), here are the possibilities:
#1 - Forest, Forest: The Tusker is castable, the Wolf is not. (Score: 1/0 for the Tusker) #2 - Plains, Plains: Neither the Tusker nor the Wolf are castable. (Score: 1/0 for the Tusker) #3 - Temple Garden, Temple Garden: Both the Tusker and the Wolf are castable. (Score: 2/1 for the Tusker) #4 - Forest, Plains: The Tusker is not castable, but the Wolf is. (Score: 2/2 Tie) #5 - Plains, Forest: The Tusker is not castable, but the Wolf is. (Score: 2/3 for the Wolf) #6 - Forest, Temple Garden: Both the Tusker and the Wolf are castable. (Score: 3/4 for the Wolf) #7 - Temple Garden, Forest: Both the Tusker and the Wolf are castable. (Score: 4/5 for the Wolf) #8 - Plains, Temple Garden: The Tusker is not castable, but the Wolf is. (Score: 4/6 for the Wolf) #9 - Temple Garden, Plains: The Tusker is not castable, but the Wolf is. (Final Score: 4/7 for the Wolf)
Like in the Basic Selesnya example above, the Wolf gets a slight probability advantage over the Tusker due to the inherent difficulty associated with drawing multiples of a desired card. On top of this, it is very clear that the Wolf gathers more of an advantage from the use of dual lands than the Tusker does here.
TL;DR
If you're using a nonwhite deck or Beast Tribal or just something very green-heavy, go with Kalonian Tusker. Otherwise, use Watchwolf; it's much easier to cast and has better flavour all around.
Comments (28)
Though 230 different creatures have been printed in gold border so far, very few of them are simply "vanilla" (no rules text), and many of those are poorly regarded cards from Legends. Just as Isamaru, Hound of Konda was printed to show that vanilla legends could be interesting, Watchwolf was created to show that multi-colored vanilla creatures could also be interesting.
The wolf looks cute. Don't you want to run up and give it a nice big hug? :P
Even without the shield, he's a 3/3 wolf for two mana in my two colors. That's good enough to make my favorites list as it is...but a 5/5 indestructible flyer that's swinging on turn three is a bit over the top, wouldn't you say?
Very nice too.
Elegant mutlicolor design at it's best. Take what both colors do good, remove most shortcomings, slap them together. This, Terminate, Blightning and several others serve as a great reminder of multicolors at their best.
Yea, he's just so hungry for your adoration. I bet that drool coming out of his mouth and that ravenous look in his eye are because he thinks you have treats =)
{G}{W} + 3/3 + no downsides = good card
If bug vanilla creatures tickle your fancy, Watchwolf and Wooly Thoctar make a deck with Muraganda Petroglyphs and Beastmaster Ascension a beautiful thing! Adding a little Fusion Elemental couldn't hurt if you want to run 5 color.
Base rating: ***
Cost vs stats: + **
Very slight color weight: - */4
No ability: - */4
Seriously, I hate this freakin' card. It just goes to show how far Wizards is willing to go for their beloved Green and White.
@metalevolence. . . Dude your a lame-o, the whole point of Magic is to appeal to all different types of people, and some people like to duke it out barbaric style. And for beginners it's a lot easier to learn to play starting in heavy creature decks and branch out from there. Just because this doesn't appeal to you doesn't mean it's lame or is for idiots. Just be thankful R&D is smart enough to successfully appeal to all different people. Why do you think this game has lasted so long.
Good card, though this usually ended up getting replaced by Loxodon Hierarches in my decks. Which is to say, a 3/3 for two isn't all that overpowered as people might assume, and this card pretty much sets the standard for creatures today (see Garruk's Companion, Whooly Thoctar).
Turn 2: Forest, watchwolf
Turn 3: Land, Shield of the oversoul
Turn 4: Land, Armadillo cloak
Soon your opponent will be dead, you will have near 50 health, and you will be swinging with an indestructible trample lifelink flying 7/7.
LOVE IT!
Now if we could just convince them that they should do a full art version of this card...
Disclaimer: Keep in mind that the example decks below will be working in a vacuum, so they're basically just 24-card decks where every card is a land - the Tusker and Wolf are in your hand by default. Although having such controlled circumstances might make all of this seem insignificant, the purpose of these examples is to illustrate which of the two 3/3 creatures would be better under each manabase listed here. I believe that the results should be transferable to an actual 60-card deck because both the Tusker and the Wolf would be under the same probability disadvantages caused by having other cards in the deck with them. Somebody please correct me on this if I'm wrong, probability isn't my best or favourite field of math.
Monogreen
(Kalonian Tusker Casting Odds: 100%, Watchwolf Casting Odds: 0%)
Obviously, a monogreen deck running 24 Forests is going to have an easier time with the Tusker's {G}{G} cost than the Wolf's {G}{W} cost, since any combination of two lands from that deck will be able to cast the Tusker, and no combination of two lands will be able to cast the Wolf. But what about a multicoloured deck where either card is a potential two-drop?
Basic Selesnya
(Kalonian Tusker Casting Odds: 23.91%, Watchwolf Casting Odds: 52.17%)
Let's start simple with a basic Selesnya manabase: 12 Forests and 12 Plains. Assuming your opening hand contains two lands (plus the Tusker and Wolf), here are the possibilities:
#1 - Forest, Forest: The Tusker is castable, the Wolf is not. (Score: 1/0 for the Tusker)
#2 - Plains, Plains: Neither the Tusker nor the Wolf are castable. (Score: 1/0 for the Tusker)
#3 - Forest, Plains: The Tusker is not castable, but the Wolf is. (Score: 1/1 Tie)
#4 - Plains, Forest: The Tusker is not castable, but the Wolf is. (Final Score: 1/2 for the Wolf)
It's interesting to note that the odds of scenarios #1 or #2 happening are slightly lower than the odds of scenarios #3 or #4 happening. This is because drawing your second Forest or Plains is less likely once you've already taken one of the desired lands from the deck. On the contrary, finding a Plains after your first Forest or a Forest after your first Plains is more likely because the unwanted land has become less common in the deck. With this in mind, the Watchwolf's chances of being castable here on Turn 2 are actually slightly higher than the 50% "coin toss" chance that you might expect.
Dual Selesnya
(Kalonian Tusker Casting Odds: 42.63%, Watchwolf Casting Odds: 79.29%)
Now let's try a more developed manabase: 8 Forests, 8 Plains, 8 Temple Gardens. Assuming that having 8 Temple Gardens is even legal here, and that your opening hand contains two lands (plus the Tusker and Wolf), here are the possibilities:
#1 - Forest, Forest: The Tusker is castable, the Wolf is not. (Score: 1/0 for the Tusker)
#2 - Plains, Plains: Neither the Tusker nor the Wolf are castable. (Score: 1/0 for the Tusker)
#3 - Temple Garden, Temple Garden: Both the Tusker and the Wolf are castable. (Score: 2/1 for the Tusker)
#4 - Forest, Plains: The Tusker is not castable, but the Wolf is. (Score: 2/2 Tie)
#5 - Plains, Forest: The Tusker is not castable, but the Wolf is. (Score: 2/3 for the Wolf)
#6 - Forest, Temple Garden: Both the Tusker and the Wolf are castable. (Score: 3/4 for the Wolf)
#7 - Temple Garden, Forest: Both the Tusker and the Wolf are castable. (Score: 4/5 for the Wolf)
#8 - Plains, Temple Garden: The Tusker is not castable, but the Wolf is. (Score: 4/6 for the Wolf)
#9 - Temple Garden, Plains: The Tusker is not castable, but the Wolf is. (Final Score: 4/7 for the Wolf)
Like in the Basic Selesnya example above, the Wolf gets a slight probability advantage over the Tusker due to the inherent difficulty associated with drawing multiples of a desired card. On top of this, it is very clear that the Wolf gathers more of an advantage from the use of dual lands than the Tusker does here.
TL;DR
If you're using a nonwhite deck or Beast Tribal or just something very green-heavy, go with Kalonian Tusker. Otherwise, use Watchwolf; it's much easier to cast and has better flavour all around.