This card gets 5 five purely from the art. They're literally heads, of Thunder!
XDaragoX
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(5 votes)
Strictly worse than Plumeveil, but not terrible by any means. Plus, this has use where Plumeveil doesn't; for example, I run two of these alongside four Goblin Assaults in my Polymorph deck.
EDIT: I love the arbitrary censorship on Gatherer.
Ava_Adore
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(6 votes)
i like it, even tho it is average to below average
ClockworkSwordfish
★★☆☆☆ (2.6/5.0)(5 votes)
Thunderheads? More like DUNDERHEADS.
izzet_guild_mage
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(4 votes)
Good for blocking...obviously :P
Kryptnyt
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(4 votes)
when you want to get head.
exterion
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(5 votes)
@HairlessThoctar: How is this in any way resemblant to ball lightning? I mean, these guys are pure defense while ball lightning is pure offense. The only things they got in common is a cmc of 3 and dying at end of turn (which still isn't the same, as the thunderheads get exiled and the ball lightning gets sacrificed.)
The card in itself is pretty cool, and I suppose you could try to be out of the box with them (sac fodder or something?) but they seem pretty mediocre for what they're designed to do unless you for some reason happen to have tons of mana during your opponents turn and nothing more worthwhile to spend it on
defuse
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(3 votes)
The art is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cool.
MadMageQc
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.7/5.0)(7 votes)
@Exterion (and everyone) : Note that Thunderheads actually can be used as a Ball Lightning variant. Since the tokens are sacrificed at the beginning of the next end step, if you wait until the end step of your opponent's turn to cast it, the token(s) will be around for your turn, able to attack, and will be exiled only and the beginning of your end step.
Compare it with Waylay, with which you cannot do that since you sacrifice the Knight tokens at the beginning of the cleanup step instead (you don't get priority to cast spells during the cleanup step unless anything triggers, and even so, a cleanup step where anything went on the stack is followed by an additional cleanup step). Little history lesson : Waylay, which was printed before the Sixth Edition rules revision, didn't allow that trick at first despite its printed text. When Sixth Edition rules were introduced, so was that trick, and for a short while there was a deck called "White Lightning" named after the fact that it used Waylay as a Ball Lightning. Shortly after, the card was issued errata. Thunderheads, on the other hand, was actually designed to be able to be used that way.
Daikoru
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(5 votes)
@MadMageQc: Also note that the tokens have Defender, thus unless you have something to allow defenders to attack, those Weird tokens are unable to attack.
PolskiSuzeren
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(4 votes)
Yeahhh MadMage has this completely wrong. These can not attack in any way shape or form unless you have something removing defender or allowing defenders to attack. Nice try, though.
It's a 3 cost instant that blocks most flying attacks, or a 6 cost instant that kills most flying attacks. I probably wouldn't want it unless I could be sure my deck was good at Replicating it, but if you can get it Replicated quickly, then it's actually not bad at all. It's definitely defensive, not offensive. If you really want flying attackers, just play Delver of Secrets- by far the best option for Blue, possibly second only to Squadron Hawk in the game for Air Aggression. Not counting the things that make Emrakul more playable than she has any right to be. :P
Equinox523
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is something of a spiritual successor to Tidal Wave, offering 3 power and toughness worth of blocker with flying, for the same cost as that card's 5/5. Paired with the Izzet mechanic Replicate, you can suddenly turn the tables on an opponent's alpha strike by blocking and perhaps killing their forces, if you've got the mana. An excellent card, especially in Limited, where it kills everything from Boros Swiftblade to Watchwolf and blocking with 2 weirds, even the mighty Rakdos the Defiler. Do not sleep on this card as a defensive tool.
BigBer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Thunder, thunder, thunderheads, ho!
Aquillion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@exterion: The nice thing about this card is the sudden damage to the attackers, of course. It's basically an X burn spell that's limited to attacking creatures and has to be paid in multiples of three; but it also makes the attackers blocked.
In a color that has few ways to damage creatures, variable flash is a decent way around it.
TehPeoplesChamp
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Tricky combat trick is tricky. Replicate is cool, wish there was more. Why not make it rare and have the tokens stick around though? Rather just run a fog, mass bounce ala cyclonic rift or evacuate. Or a creature with flash.
Bonus points if you do this then exile the tokens with curse of the swine. Because awkward blue tokens.
Comments (27)
EDIT: I love the arbitrary censorship on Gatherer.
The card in itself is pretty cool, and I suppose you could try to be out of the box with them (sac fodder or something?) but they seem pretty mediocre for what they're designed to do unless you for some reason happen to have tons of mana during your opponents turn and nothing more worthwhile to spend it on
Compare it with Waylay, with which you cannot do that since you sacrifice the Knight tokens at the beginning of the cleanup step instead (you don't get priority to cast spells during the cleanup step unless anything triggers, and even so, a cleanup step where anything went on the stack is followed by an additional cleanup step). Little history lesson : Waylay, which was printed before the Sixth Edition rules revision, didn't allow that trick at first despite its printed text. When Sixth Edition rules were introduced, so was that trick, and for a short while there was a deck called "White Lightning" named after the fact that it used Waylay as a Ball Lightning. Shortly after, the card was issued errata. Thunderheads, on the other hand, was actually designed to be able to be used that way.
What the crap.
Sooooo cool looking though.
Edit: HERPDERP, defender.
Sweet art.
In a color that has few ways to damage creatures, variable flash is a decent way around it.
Bonus points if you do this then exile the tokens with curse of the swine. Because awkward blue tokens.