I think this card is the most underrated card revealed yet. This is a Constructed-oriented card. (Just ignore both exile mill abilities when assessing it, it's trinket text unless proven otherwise by Constructed-quality 'processors', but it doesn't make the card worse).
It comes down on turn 2 and trades early (remember, the only reason Typohid Rats isn't played as an anti-creature defense in Constructed control is because it is so damn bad in the late game and against control, this card dodges both of those issues). 1/1 deathtouch is worse than Azure Mage's 2/1 body in any deck that wants to win with early beatdown, but it is far, far better in a control deck.
If the game goes long, it provides a potent mana sink at instant speed.
So you have a control card that wins control mirrors if it isn't removed, is at least mediocre removal against aggro (trading down with their mini-Zurgo), and is fairly solid removal against midrange (threatening to trade up against their Anafenza) and that can take over long games against them with the instant speed draw.
As for why it's rare - the card is on the line between uncommon and rare in complexity and board impact and could have been at either rarity. Hopefully they made a 'simple but good' UB staple card uncommon instead of this. I'd much rather have cards like this be rare and staple effects be uncommon or common than the other way around.
TL:DR - Worse as a card drawer than Azure Mage, better as a combat creature, overall does the same thing AM does but is more maindeckable.
1/1 deathtouch is pretty nice limited stats for a 1-drop. On a 2-drop, maybe a bit less exciting, but still very serviceable. On a multicolored 2-drop, it's unlikely to be a high pick, but still easily a playable assuming someone is in UB. Ingest is irrelevant on a creature that is never, ever going to hit the opponent. The activated ability is the main thing keeping this from 8th pick status, but it'll be hard to judge where that puts this guy until we have a sense of what kind of mana sinks are in the format and how valuable exiled cards will be.
Never, ever going to hit the opponent? How do you figure? Who wants to block it? Scion tokens aren't going to be handed out like candy as spawn tokens were.
This is really underwhelming. Usually a 1/1 deathtoucher is just 1 cmc black: Pharika's Chosen, Ruthless Ripper, or Typhoid Rats. Being able to mill 1 card on contact isn't worth 1 blue mana. The five mana activated ability should only be 4. This card is clearly more Limited fodder. I mean, if this was u/b hybrid for 1 CMC, and the ability was 4 mana instead of (I mean come on, you're only drawing one card for 5 mana in blue black?! You can do better than that!)If only the activated ability was tap activated instead.
Momir Vig, Simic Visionary
Melek, Izzet Paragon
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Bruna, Light of Alabaster
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
Rhys the Redeemed
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Sen Triplets
The Mimeoplasm WUBRGSliver OverlordGRBUW WUBRGSliver Hivelord(Superfriends)GRBUW
1/1 deathtouch is pretty nice limited stats for a 1-drop. On a 2-drop, maybe a bit less exciting, but still very serviceable. On a multicolored 2-drop, it's unlikely to be a high pick, but still easily a playable assuming someone is in UB. Ingest is irrelevant on a creature that is never, ever going to hit the opponent. The activated ability is the main thing keeping this from 8th pick status, but it'll be hard to judge where that puts this guy until we have a sense of what kind of mana sinks are in the format and how valuable exiled cards will be.
Never, ever going to hit the opponent? How do you figure? Who wants to block it? Scion tokens aren't going to be handed out like candy as spawn tokens were.
I'm guessing any random bear in limited is fine to block with.
1/1 deathtouch is pretty nice limited stats for a 1-drop. On a 2-drop, maybe a bit less exciting, but still very serviceable. On a multicolored 2-drop, it's unlikely to be a high pick, but still easily a playable assuming someone is in UB. Ingest is irrelevant on a creature that is never, ever going to hit the opponent. The activated ability is the main thing keeping this from 8th pick status, but it'll be hard to judge where that puts this guy until we have a sense of what kind of mana sinks are in the format and how valuable exiled cards will be.
Never, ever going to hit the opponent? How do you figure? Who wants to block it? Scion tokens aren't going to be handed out like candy as spawn tokens were.
Do you remember hitting people a whole lot with Typhoid Rats? You don't play a 1/1 deathtouch for its ability to hit the opponent. Attacking with it is a waste of its potential. I'm not saying you're never going to be *able* to hit the opponent. Just that you're never actually going to, because it would be a pointless waste.
What if they were Typhoid Rats with vigilance? Granted, a Giant Scorpion with vigilance would be preferable.
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
It is a nice card with cool art, but the body is just too small. Both when considering the card's cost and its flavor (it's a freaking Eldrazi). Exile synergies in this block just can't be as important as to justify this being only a 1/1. Let's face it: This is just another case of Wizards wasting a potentially cool rare by deliberately underpowering it.
Am I the only one here who's a bit miffed that they blurred the lines between eldrazi subspecies so arbitrarily? Drones used to produce spawn (and now, scions). For all its worth this could have been a processor... but really, a drone???
My gut feeling for cost:power:rarity is all wonky for this (and some other cards at rare spoiled so far).
It just seems to be a bit of a do-nothing for a rare. Maybe I'm reading their balanced set-design a bit wrong, but a bunch of these eldrazi rares just seem to be what I'd call "filler" and could probably be uncommon.
Compared to recent rare two-drops I'd expect the ability to cost less mana, and maybe for the 1/1 (which isn't a threatening stat line) to have flying or instead maybe be a 2/1.
Am I the only one here who's a bit miffed that they blurred the lines between eldrazi subspecies so arbitrarily? Drones used to produce spawn (and now, scions). For all its worth this could have been a processor... but really, a drone???
I think processors all requires the "return a card your opponents own from exile to the graveyard" cost, so they are "different".
And to date, all Eldrazi Drones have colored mana costs, just like all the Drones from Rise of the Eldrazi had colors (then again, all colored Eldrazi from RotE were Drones). I doubt the Spawn/Scion support is related to the Drone typing, since colorless Eldrazi can produce them as well and (to-date) cannot be Drones.
Bad card is bad. It can't block Den Protector, Rhino still tramples over, it's in a bad color pair, and it's ability is incredibly over-costed. Did I mention that it's pretty much useless as far as offense is concerned? In a format where the most played creatures will continue to be Den Protector, Hangarback Walker, Siege Rhino's, Deathmist Raptors, flying Dragons, and/or ability creatures like Jace and Soulfire this card is a laughingstock. Nothing more to see here (Of course, they couldn't ever print Baleful Strix in standard....but hey, Rhino's and Geists good to go!).
In a vacuum I'm not terribly impressed by this card. However I think its strength in standard will depend on how heavily they push interacting with cards in exile. I'm curious to see what we'll get that interacts with exiled cards. Especially since delve is still in standard and people are exiling their own cards to fuel their Tasigurs/treasure cruises/etc.
At one end of the speculative spectrum, a sphinx's revelation-like card where the mana cost of X is replaced with "X is equal to the number of exiled cards owned by your opponents" would certainly boost the value people place on ingest.
More effects akin to Ashiok, nightmare weaver that let you steal your opponent's exiled cards for yourself would raise the value of reliable ways to exile cards from your opponent's library.
I don't think this card, or even most of the ingest cards, can be properly assessed until we see the rest of the set they'll be surrounded by. Sort of like abilities like Metalcraft would be terrible in most blocks but is quite powerful in Mirrodin blocks because you're drowning in artifacts.
Alternatively it may turn out that ingesting is just this block's attempt to mill things without enabling delve/graveyard interactions for your opponent, and it all ends up being terrible and forgotten to time in a few years.
People using "strictly worse".
Must be spoiler season.
It comes down on turn 2 and trades early (remember, the only reason Typohid Rats isn't played as an anti-creature defense in Constructed control is because it is so damn bad in the late game and against control, this card dodges both of those issues). 1/1 deathtouch is worse than Azure Mage's 2/1 body in any deck that wants to win with early beatdown, but it is far, far better in a control deck.
If the game goes long, it provides a potent mana sink at instant speed.
So you have a control card that wins control mirrors if it isn't removed, is at least mediocre removal against aggro (trading down with their mini-Zurgo), and is fairly solid removal against midrange (threatening to trade up against their Anafenza) and that can take over long games against them with the instant speed draw.
As for why it's rare - the card is on the line between uncommon and rare in complexity and board impact and could have been at either rarity. Hopefully they made a 'simple but good' UB staple card uncommon instead of this. I'd much rather have cards like this be rare and staple effects be uncommon or common than the other way around.
TL:DR - Worse as a card drawer than Azure Mage, better as a combat creature, overall does the same thing AM does but is more maindeckable.
Never, ever going to hit the opponent? How do you figure? Who wants to block it? Scion tokens aren't going to be handed out like candy as spawn tokens were.
except for what it is and what it does.
Reprint Stasis!
Control needs more love.
EDH:
Momir Vig, Simic Visionary
Melek, Izzet Paragon
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Bruna, Light of Alabaster
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
Rhys the Redeemed
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Sen Triplets
The Mimeoplasm
WUBRGSliver OverlordGRBUW
WUBRGSliver Hivelord(Superfriends)GRBUW
I'm guessing any random bear in limited is fine to block with.
Do you remember hitting people a whole lot with Typhoid Rats? You don't play a 1/1 deathtouch for its ability to hit the opponent. Attacking with it is a waste of its potential. I'm not saying you're never going to be *able* to hit the opponent. Just that you're never actually going to, because it would be a pointless waste.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker R -- Maga, Traitor to Mortals B -- Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW -- Sliver Hivelord WUBRG
Plus, it can draw you more than a card.
Am I the only one here who's a bit miffed that they blurred the lines between eldrazi subspecies so arbitrarily? Drones used to produce spawn (and now, scions). For all its worth this could have been a processor... but really, a drone???
I think processors all requires the "return a card your opponents own from exile to the graveyard" cost, so they are "different".
And to date, all Eldrazi Drones have colored mana costs, just like all the Drones from Rise of the Eldrazi had colors (then again, all colored Eldrazi from RotE were Drones). I doubt the Spawn/Scion support is related to the Drone typing, since colorless Eldrazi can produce them as well and (to-date) cannot be Drones.
At one end of the speculative spectrum, a sphinx's revelation-like card where the mana cost of X is replaced with "X is equal to the number of exiled cards owned by your opponents" would certainly boost the value people place on ingest.
More effects akin to Ashiok, nightmare weaver that let you steal your opponent's exiled cards for yourself would raise the value of reliable ways to exile cards from your opponent's library.
I don't think this card, or even most of the ingest cards, can be properly assessed until we see the rest of the set they'll be surrounded by. Sort of like abilities like Metalcraft would be terrible in most blocks but is quite powerful in Mirrodin blocks because you're drowning in artifacts.
Alternatively it may turn out that ingesting is just this block's attempt to mill things without enabling delve/graveyard interactions for your opponent, and it all ends up being terrible and forgotten to time in a few years.