First off, when you make these Single card discussion threads, you really should autocard the card in question. Simply use the following without the quotes...
["c]Pale Rider of Trostad["/c]
...Which ends up looking like Pale Rider of Trostad. You should also type out the card for everyones further convenience like so...
Pale Rider of Trostad 1B
Creature - Spirit (U)
Skulk
When Pale Rider of Trostad enters the battlefield, discard a card.
3/3
...Now to your questions. The card will be good in some limited decks but probably won't get there in constructed due to the fact that it doesn't just let you discard a card, it forces you too. You can still play it if its the only card in your hand though.
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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.
- Manite
Makes me want to brew a Modern Mono-black aggro Delve or Devotion deck with it.
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Playing since 1994: Currently MAGS (HomeBrew),Standard & Pauper (Pioneer and Modern are degenerate trash formats)
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
Problem with cards like this is that they *look* like undercosted beaters, but if you actually try to use the ability as an advantage then the card ends up coming down way behind curve.
Admittedly, there is a best-case scenario of dropping this T3 and casting Fiery Impulse with madness and getting a 3/3 and a bolt, but that's not good enough for constructed when it's so inconsistent. If you could do it every time it would be great, but that's just not how stats work.
Also, why on earth is Skulk relevant on a 3 power creature? And how does a horse make you stealthy flavourwise? :|
Playing since 1994: Currently MAGS (HomeBrew),Standard & Pauper (Pioneer and Modern are degenerate trash formats)
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
Also, why on earth is Skulk relevant on a 3 power creature?
I'm not exactly a pro tour champion, but I' pretty sure creatures with power 4 or greater see play sometimes.
Not going to stoop so low as to respond with further sarcasm, but in general I want evasion to stop my creatures being chump-blocked - this does not help there at all.
The point of the game is to deal 20 damage, so damage should be the goal. The amount of tokens kicking around mean that Skulk just isn't going to help you deal damage.
The answer to the OP's question is that you can cast the card with no other cards in hand and there's no 'punishment' for not being able to discard when its ETB trigger goes off. It's not an additional cost to cast the spell or it'd say so.
Problem with cards like this is that they *look* like undercosted beaters, but if you actually try to use the ability as an advantage then the card ends up coming down way behind curve.
Admittedly, there is a best-case scenario of dropping this T3 and casting Fiery Impulse with madness and getting a 3/3 and a bolt, but that's not good enough for constructed when it's so inconsistent. If you could do it every time it would be great, but that's just not how stats work.
Also, why on earth is Skulk relevant on a 3 power creature? And how does a horse make you stealthy flavourwise? :|
That's what I've been wondering too when I saw the card. It gives you a faster clock against 4 power blockers. But there aren't a lot of them in the set (The common ones are few and are all bad. The 5/2 devil isn't going to worry you). And vampire noble will still kill it.
I guess he knows the moors better and can ambush you? But then he'd have haste. No idea what the flavor is here.
A 3/3 for 2 is nothing to scoff at, let's be honest here. And even if bigger stuff gets dropped chances are he still slips through. Later on in the game he becomes a Madness enabler so it should rarely be a dead card in your hand. Don't think it'll be an allstar of sorts, but it's worth keeping an eye on him.
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My Commander decks:
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
Can someone explain to me why Pale Rider of Trostad always gets rated so low even for limited (I don't expect him to turn up in other places)? It's a 3/3 for 2, with two minor upsides in the format. Granted skulk is rarely relevant, but discard works well with madness/delirium, at worst it discards the worst card in hand. Even if you can't make use of delirium your opponent don't know that and it may affect what he/her plays. I'm usually happy with a bear and will sometimes play a hill giant, so what's up?
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["c]Pale Rider of Trostad["/c]
...Which ends up looking like Pale Rider of Trostad. You should also type out the card for everyones further convenience like so...
Pale Rider of Trostad 1B
Creature - Spirit (U)
Skulk
When Pale Rider of Trostad enters the battlefield, discard a card.
3/3
...Now to your questions. The card will be good in some limited decks but probably won't get there in constructed due to the fact that it doesn't just let you discard a card, it forces you too. You can still play it if its the only card in your hand though.
- Manite
Makes me want to brew a Modern Mono-black aggro Delve or Devotion deck with it.
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
Admittedly, there is a best-case scenario of dropping this T3 and casting Fiery Impulse with madness and getting a 3/3 and a bolt, but that's not good enough for constructed when it's so inconsistent. If you could do it every time it would be great, but that's just not how stats work.
Also, why on earth is Skulk relevant on a 3 power creature? And how does a horse make you stealthy flavourwise? :|
As for Limited, I will defer to others.
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
I'm not exactly a pro tour champion, but I' pretty sure creatures with power 4 or greater see play sometimes.
Not going to stoop so low as to respond with further sarcasm, but in general I want evasion to stop my creatures being chump-blocked - this does not help there at all.
The point of the game is to deal 20 damage, so damage should be the goal. The amount of tokens kicking around mean that Skulk just isn't going to help you deal damage.
That's what I've been wondering too when I saw the card. It gives you a faster clock against 4 power blockers. But there aren't a lot of them in the set (The common ones are few and are all bad. The 5/2 devil isn't going to worry you). And vampire noble will still kill it.
I guess he knows the moors better and can ambush you? But then he'd have haste. No idea what the flavor is here.
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.