This card kinda fell of the competitive radar at ISD release because of the "sacrifice a creature" cost.
Now after the release of DKA we have bunch of creatures like grawecrawler and undying that don't mind being sacrificed. Zombies even play stuff like mortarpod or fume spitter to abuse morbid effects.
Take for example GR aggro or ramp.
Mana dork + plunge is 5 mana (zenithed thrun or huntmaster) turn 2 or 6 mana (titan) turn 3.
Young wolf+plunge is 4 mana turn 2 without losing a creature. Sadly, you cannot cast Thrun off it, but you can cast hellrider or huntmaster.
Geist + plunge is 5 mana turn 3, which is zenith for basically anything in GR aggro deck or play sword+equip+attack out of nowhere. Again without losing a creature.
In zombies triple red isn't that good, but gravecrawler+plunge is still a possibility of turn 2 aristocrat, Olivia, hellrider or oxid hero without losing a creature.
Dark Ritual was only as good as it was because it allowed for broken turn 1 plays. Even when it was in standard and was mostly being used for a turn 1 Phyrexian Negator or something of the like. It was never a good top deck and only saw play in Sui and combo decks where it allows for a turn 1 win
Infernal Plunge is only playable turn 1 with a free creature like Memnite or the token from Chancellor of the Forge which makes it a very limited card. Even if you do cast it turn 1, red doesn't have much you can do with 3 mana on turn one besides play a few dudes. The problem with even doing that is your hand is going to empty even quicker than usual. I think plain old RDW is a better option at that point
As for your example, if you go:
Turn 1: Gravecrawler
Turn 2: Plunge into a 4 drop
Usually that 4 drop is going to eat removal and you just got 3-for-1'ed because you don't have another zombie you can use to recast crawler
The only 4 drop worth ramping into with Plunge IMO is Koth, but even that isn't too strong unless you're on the play
chancellor of the forge got marginally better with faithless looting, if you are looking for something fun for an fnm rdw but fitting in say 2 more lavamancers, 4 forge, 4infernal plunge might be ok!
This card will be the worst rare in RTR and less remembered than skaab ruibator in three months. It struggles to be on the same power level as mass of ghouls, even in limited.
That its not simply "not good enough for competitive", or underpowered. But that this is offensively bad, the real stinker tier.
Still, my best evaluation is that its approximately on the same power level as a 4/4 for 4 vanilla beater.
Rituals are inherently card disadvantage so unless you're doing something extremely broken like comboing off they aren't really worthwhile.
That or creating CA (rit -> necro).
But yeah, unless you are planning to reliably play an inferno titan turn one (and not have it vapor snagged on your opponents turn), you aren't making use of it.
I guess OP wants it to be 'keyworded' like "dies" was. What word would you replace ETB with though?
When Aegis Angel is born?
When Huntmaster of the Fells arrives?
When Kitchen Sphinx lands?
When Faerie Imposter busts in?
When Dread Cacodemon pops in?
When Malfegor shows up?
Yeah, the problem so far is the lack of any turn 1/2 plays that are devastating enough to be worth it.
One nice use for it is with LD---turn one Birds of Paradise, turn 2 Plunge the Bird to LD something. Say, with an Invader Parasite.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Quote from Skullum »
that's not what happened at all. kamahl stabbed phage, akroma, and some old lady and they became korona. then korona got stabbed by her "prophets" and kamahl got drunk with a mutant centaur
After some consideration I think it will be worth trying in two variants:
- turn 2 bizzaro Garruk in RG. It's probably the hardest to answer 4-drop in that deck. Second is zenith for Thrun on turn 3 or 2 off mana dork, but it will not work against black decks. Third is huntmaster but is he isn't spectacular. Everything else can be answered 1-for-1 and put you in a big disadvantage.
- play it in frites. You either get a faster finisher on board (turn 3 in case of nut draw) or filter ritual via faithless looting
The hardest to answer 4-drop off the plunge for BR zombies would be Chandra. But I'm not sure that Chandra is viable in current meta.
Dark Ritual was only as good as it was because it allowed for broken turn 1 plays. Even when it was in standard and was mostly being used for a turn 1 Phyrexian Negator or something of the like. It was never a good top deck and only saw play in Sui and combo decks where it allows for a turn 1 win
True that, but elfs and birds are bad topdeck too and often they do nothing except ramping. But people still play those.
I think if dark ritual was legal in Standart, it would surely be a staple. Now plunge is far from dark ritual, but it does the same thing in a correct deck except a turn slower.
Tragic Slip would really hurt on the creature you cast with this mana. Koth would probably be one of the best plays.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Legacy - Sneak Show, BR Reanimator, Miracles, UW Stoneblade
Premodern - Trix, RecSur, Enchantress, Reanimator, Elves https://www.facebook.com/groups/PremodernUSA/ Modern - Neobrand, Hogaak Vine, Elves
Standard - Mono Red (6-2 and 5-3 in 2 McQ)
Draft - (I wish I had more time for limited...)
Commander - Norin the Wary, Grimgrin, Adun Oakenshield (taking forever to build) (dead format for me)
It's theoretically good in a Koth deck where you would actually use Koth's -2 ability
If you Infernal Plunge on turn 2 into Koth there is probably nothing your opponent can do about it
The flip side of the coin though is that running risky decks like that are just cannon fodder against control
you can turn 1 koth if you play with Chancellor of the Tangle he give's you one free green mana so turn one memnite after you get the green mana then plunge into koth. then start wining.
or just go grixis and use it with grave titan and get cor-auger out then your opps hand is reduced to 0 and you draw 7 at end of turn.
you can turn 1 koth if you play with Chancellor of the Tangle he give's you one free green mana so turn one memnite after you get the green mana then plunge into koth. then start wining.
or just go grixis and use it with grave titan and get cor-auger out then your opps hand is reduced to 0 and you draw 7 at end of turn.
Not sure if serious lol.
The card doesn't see play because it's terrible in the current format. Especially as Foodchaingoblins said, tragic slip will just wreck any creatures you cast with this terrible, terrible card.
True that, but elfs and birds are bad topdeck too and often they do nothing except ramping. But people still play those.
I think if dark ritual was legal in Standart, it would surely be a staple. Now plunge is far from dark ritual, but it does the same thing in a correct deck except a turn slower.
They're a bad topdeck, but not nearly as bad a Dark Rit. Worst case scenario when you cast a Birds or Elves, you're getting a body. If they eat removal, then it's a 1-for-1 trade which is just fine most of the time. Also, the decks running Birds and Elves aren't looking to blow up in the first turn or two, they are trying to establish a long-term tempo advantage
This card kinda fell of the competitive radar at ISD release because of the "sacrifice a creature" cost.
Now after the release of DKA we have bunch of creatures like grawecrawler and undying that don't mind being sacrificed. Zombies even play stuff like mortarpod or fume spitter to abuse morbid effects.
Isn't Infernal plunge just a solid ritual in those decks?
Take for example GR aggro or ramp.
Mana dork + plunge is 5 mana (zenithed thrun or huntmaster) turn 2 or 6 mana (titan) turn 3.
Young wolf+plunge is 4 mana turn 2 without losing a creature. Sadly, you cannot cast Thrun off it, but you can cast hellrider or huntmaster.
Geist + plunge is 5 mana turn 3, which is zenith for basically anything in GR aggro deck or play sword+equip+attack out of nowhere. Again without losing a creature.
In zombies triple red isn't that good, but gravecrawler+plunge is still a possibility of turn 2 aristocrat, Olivia, hellrider or oxid hero without losing a creature.
Could it be a useful interaction?
Infernal Plunge is only playable turn 1 with a free creature like Memnite or the token from Chancellor of the Forge which makes it a very limited card. Even if you do cast it turn 1, red doesn't have much you can do with 3 mana on turn one besides play a few dudes. The problem with even doing that is your hand is going to empty even quicker than usual. I think plain old RDW is a better option at that point
As for your example, if you go:
Turn 1: Gravecrawler
Turn 2: Plunge into a 4 drop
Usually that 4 drop is going to eat removal and you just got 3-for-1'ed because you don't have another zombie you can use to recast crawler
The only 4 drop worth ramping into with Plunge IMO is Koth, but even that isn't too strong unless you're on the play
Standard:
GU Prophet
Legacy:
WBU Shared Fate
Trades
That or creating CA (rit -> necro).
But yeah, unless you are planning to reliably play an inferno titan turn one (and not have it vapor snagged on your opponents turn), you aren't making use of it.
One nice use for it is with LD---turn one Birds of Paradise, turn 2 Plunge the Bird to LD something. Say, with an Invader Parasite.
- turn 2 bizzaro Garruk in RG. It's probably the hardest to answer 4-drop in that deck. Second is zenith for Thrun on turn 3 or 2 off mana dork, but it will not work against black decks. Third is huntmaster but is he isn't spectacular. Everything else can be answered 1-for-1 and put you in a big disadvantage.
- play it in frites. You either get a faster finisher on board (turn 3 in case of nut draw) or filter ritual via faithless looting
The hardest to answer 4-drop off the plunge for BR zombies would be Chandra. But I'm not sure that Chandra is viable in current meta.
Rdw cannot play plunge and avoid disadvantage.
True that, but elfs and birds are bad topdeck too and often they do nothing except ramping. But people still play those.
I think if dark ritual was legal in Standart, it would surely be a staple. Now plunge is far from dark ritual, but it does the same thing in a correct deck except a turn slower.
Premodern - Trix, RecSur, Enchantress, Reanimator, Elves https://www.facebook.com/groups/PremodernUSA/
Modern - Neobrand, Hogaak Vine, Elves
Standard - Mono Red (6-2 and 5-3 in 2 McQ)
Draft - (I wish I had more time for limited...)
Commander -
Norin the Wary, Grimgrin, Adun Oakenshield (taking forever to build)(dead format for me)It's theoretically good in a Koth deck where you would actually use Koth's -2 ability
If you Infernal Plunge on turn 2 into Koth there is probably nothing your opponent can do about it
The flip side of the coin though is that running risky decks like that are just cannon fodder against control
you can turn 1 koth if you play with Chancellor of the Tangle he give's you one free green mana so turn one memnite after you get the green mana then plunge into koth. then start wining.
or just go grixis and use it with grave titan and get cor-auger out then your opps hand is reduced to 0 and you draw 7 at end of turn.
Not sure if serious lol.
The card doesn't see play because it's terrible in the current format. Especially as Foodchaingoblins said, tragic slip will just wreck any creatures you cast with this terrible, terrible card.
They're a bad topdeck, but not nearly as bad a Dark Rit. Worst case scenario when you cast a Birds or Elves, you're getting a body. If they eat removal, then it's a 1-for-1 trade which is just fine most of the time. Also, the decks running Birds and Elves aren't looking to blow up in the first turn or two, they are trying to establish a long-term tempo advantage
Standard:
GU Prophet
Legacy:
WBU Shared Fate
Trades