I ran two in my first draft of the set and they were very useful. There are a lot of 3 power or less creatures that are annoying to deal with in SOI so for 2 mana this holds a lot of value.
This is the kind of aura I'm not thrilled about: expensive, not overwhelming, and with no value protection against a 2-for-1. It's certainly better than Iona's Blessing, and might be playable as a 23rd card, but it's the sort of card I hope not to have to play.
I do not like the design decision to put a card like Equestrian Skill in a set. It's too swingy. +3/+3 is very powerful, especially on a creature which has an ability such as first strike or flying, and with this in play the game comes down to whether or not the opponent at least somewhat quickly has an answer for it or not, and if they do have an answer then it could be a two-for-one. In other words, it's either a powerful bones or a pretty big disaster. I do not like cards which define winning and losing like this, too much luck becomes involved. +2/+2 (with an added ability) is reasonable to me from a card design standpoint but +3/+3 is a bit too much in my view.
With that said, I would probably avoid playing a card like this because the risk of a 2-for-1 is probably too high, and +3/+3 on just a random ground creature can often be countered with multi-blocks. The randomness of whether or not this would win the game seems a bit too far in the direction against playing it in my view, although if many of my creatures had first strike or flying then I would consider it since typically it would at least get in one very good strike as long as I do not cast it into open mana to risk being blown out, but even then I would prefer to leave it in the sideboard until I see that my opponent does not have much removal or bounce.
Seriously though, seems like a card I wouldn't want in my main if I could help it. Just SO bad against unconditional removal and/or bounce, which >50% of your opponents will be sporting. But it is the kind of effect that can do major work in the right matchup, mainly against green/red which rely on damage effects to kill stuff. So a fine sideboard option there, but I'd only play it main if things didn't go that well in the draft and I felt the need to take on this kind of high-risk proposition to have a chance. In that situation it is a nice option, as random 2/3 drops into this could just steal games.
Four-mana auras without built-in protection are bad. As an extra downside, if you enchant a werewolf an it flips, you lose trample. Also, flavor fail. Also, the word "equestrian" sounds elitist.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
My helpy helpdesk of helpfulness.
My Decks: EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn Modern: Polytokes IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
This is a solid 5th-8th pick. The card makes attacking through the ground a nightmare in most board states (especially if they have an x/1 flier). The worst case scenario of the devils doing nothing while your opponent is winning in the air is pretty bad, but the slightly above average case scenario of you blocking their x/2, killing their x/1s and getting a sweet 2 for 1 is pretty good. Gets way better in the UR deck that cares about spells being played, since creature spells tend to be pretty good in that deck.
Solid card. Seems completely reasonable to get at least a full card out of your opponent by ambushing them after they attack. If you're beating down then casting it on their end step gives you two more bodies that they didn't prepare to block.
Blue isn't the best color in limited in this set, so you won't be compelled to take it early. But still a free recurring Madness enabled or card draw engine is always good to have in any deck.
I am much less than convinced about blue's lack of power level. In my view Reckless Scholar is a great card, great, if you have a good number of madness cards because each time you can cast a meaningful madness card with its discard this is basically tap to draw a card which would be bomb level (albeit vulnerable to most removal). However, that's best case scenario. Some of the madness cards are best when cast at specific times in a later turn so having it in hand is not the same as getting good use of it on a specific turn. Also, I would think that most decks would not have a huge number of madness cards in it without including sub-standard cards.
If madness is activated through this even 1/4 of the turns you use it, that still adds up to a very good card in my view.
Reckless Scholar is a must-kill-me-now creature, and it usually will be, with 1 toughness. So the question is, do you always play a removal magnet 3-drop? I think the answer is pretty obviously yes. If your opponent can't kill it, it collects value quickly. It's capable of generate ludicrous blowouts with madness cards that your opponent has to be super careful about as long it's active. And if your opponent is forced to use a premium removal spell on it, then that's one more card that won't be there to answer your 6-drop or whatever. I might side it out against a red opponent sporting devil tokens or Dual Shots or stuff like that because then you're giving up value instead of collecting it. Siding in high-toughness creatures is a nice way to punish an opponent for playing those sorts of cards.
I did one Cockatrice draft, where i was UB madness (and blockers/mill/counterspell). This, plus flash creatuers and lots of counterspells, allowed me to play mostly a draw-go style. (luckily, my opponent wasn't playing werewolves!).
this is just one data point, but it was by far my most valuable player. i was casting all my dig spells primarily to find this card, so i could enable all my other madness stuff i had drafted.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
----------------------------
Goblins have poor impulse control. Don't click this link!!
some of my favourite flavour text:
Wayward Soul "no home no heart no hope"
—Stronghold graffito
Raging Goblin He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
I think this is usually going to get strong consideration to be your first pick in P1P1 situations, competing with top common removal and other top uncommons there. Then it is obviously a really high pick in most blue decks, which generally seem to care about madness/graveyard and all are happy to loot. Maybe the UW deck doesn't care about this as much as the others...but even there I think I'm happy to take this pretty high and will always play it.
Looting is just SO strong in this environment, and doing it as instant speed for no mana means fully unlocking your madness cards, turning them all into true hyper-efficient 2-for-1's.
Yeah, this is rarely dead, as even when it isn't killing a creature it will still weigh it down pretty effectively. Best black common and maybe the best common overall.
Hugely awesome card. In both draft and sealed has pulled it's weight (pun semi intended) and more. Strictly better Weakness is good, and as viable a kill spell as Immolation. Plus fits into delirium since it is an enchantment.
Very nice in general, but exceptionally good in the context of the set, with delirium and a ton of low toughness creatures that need killing.
Pretty much this. It is also easily undone by combat trick. But yeah. solid card is solid.
Let this great clan rest in peace (2001-2011)
With that said, I would probably avoid playing a card like this because the risk of a 2-for-1 is probably too high, and +3/+3 on just a random ground creature can often be countered with multi-blocks. The randomness of whether or not this would win the game seems a bit too far in the direction against playing it in my view, although if many of my creatures had first strike or flying then I would consider it since typically it would at least get in one very good strike as long as I do not cast it into open mana to risk being blown out, but even then I would prefer to leave it in the sideboard until I see that my opponent does not have much removal or bounce.
lol, love it.
Seriously though, seems like a card I wouldn't want in my main if I could help it. Just SO bad against unconditional removal and/or bounce, which >50% of your opponents will be sporting. But it is the kind of effect that can do major work in the right matchup, mainly against green/red which rely on damage effects to kill stuff. So a fine sideboard option there, but I'd only play it main if things didn't go that well in the draft and I felt the need to take on this kind of high-risk proposition to have a chance. In that situation it is a nice option, as random 2/3 drops into this could just steal games.
My Decks:
EDH: Sygg, River Cutthroat , Road to Scion
Grimgrin, Corpseborn
Modern: Polytokes
IRL: Progenitus Polymorph , Goblins
Just a friendly reminder that I will drive this car off a bridge
If madness is activated through this even 1/4 of the turns you use it, that still adds up to a very good card in my view.
this is just one data point, but it was by far my most valuable player. i was casting all my dig spells primarily to find this card, so i could enable all my other madness stuff i had drafted.
Goblins have poor impulse control. Don't click this link!!
some of my favourite flavour text:
Wayward Soul
"no home no heart no hope"
—Stronghold graffito
Raging Goblin
He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
Looting is just SO strong in this environment, and doing it as instant speed for no mana means fully unlocking your madness cards, turning them all into true hyper-efficient 2-for-1's.
I will pick this highly from now on.
Pioneer:UR Pheonix
Modern:U Mono U Tron
EDH
GB Glissa, the traitor: Army of Cans
UW Dragonlord Ojutai: Dragonlord NOjutai
UWGDerevi, Empyrial Tactician "you cannot fight the storm"
R Zirilan of the claw. The solution to every problem is dragons
UB Etrata, the Silencer Cloning assassination
Peasant cube: Cards I own
I find a lot of useless enchantments in limited, but this one pulls its weight.
Yes and yes. Very, very few cards you take over this, even uncommons.
375 unpowered cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/601ac624832cdf1039947588
Very nice in general, but exceptionally good in the context of the set, with delirium and a ton of low toughness creatures that need killing.
Pioneer:UR Pheonix
Modern:U Mono U Tron
EDH
GB Glissa, the traitor: Army of Cans
UW Dragonlord Ojutai: Dragonlord NOjutai
UWGDerevi, Empyrial Tactician "you cannot fight the storm"
R Zirilan of the claw. The solution to every problem is dragons
UB Etrata, the Silencer Cloning assassination
Peasant cube: Cards I own