So, I'm seeing a lot of articles and posts about Varolz decks, and on top of that, the current use of Ghor Clan and/or Rancor in aggro decks would just beg for this card to be used, but I am seeing absolutely zero mention of this as standard playable. LSV gave it a constructed rating of 1, and its just above bulk rare priced atm. I've been testing this in a modified Jund aggro build with Exp One, Flnthoof, Ghor Clan, Nighthawks, Spike Jesters, Rancors, (and yes, 2x Varolz) and its just been performing ridiculously well.
First off, pretend the Flesh part doesn't even exist, way overcosted for a weak effect. Just look at Blood. Its sorcery speed, which sucks, but read the text.
1. The creature itself deals damage. 2. Its to a creature OR player. 3. It only deals its damage, there is no fight effect. People are comparing this to Prey Upon, etc, and its a much different (and better) card.
Sorcery speed is a suckfest, but still, 2 mana for (in the right deck) a minimum of 3 and up to 11 damage on turn 5 (christmasland) or 6 on turn 4 (common) is worth looking at.
You really have to watch for instant speed removal, to avoid getting 2 for 1d (or 3 for 1d), but if an opponent has instant speed removal, they're going to use it on your creature (especially if its rancored, ghor clan, etc) before combat damage. They're not going to take 6, and then wait until Main 2 when you cast Blood to kill it.
Anyways, I think at worst, in most aggro decks at the moment this is a sorcery speed searing spear, with potentially ridiculous upside. A turn 4 attacking nighthawk, that gets ghor claned, followed by a Blood during main 2, is a 24 point life swing. So far in testing, this scenario really isn't horribly uncommon either. In Varolz decks, scavenging Vexing Devils and Spike Jesters makes this card even more ridiculous. Again, you always have to watch for instant speed removal, but still, the upside is worth it I think.
So is this an overlooked card, or am I just a whackjob for using it right now?
I'm using it in a RUG Nivix Cyclops brew that can kill on turn 4 with it pretty easily, as long as the opponent doesn't interact (asking a lot). But in terms of competitive high level play I don't think it's quite worth the slot.
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I think the card is just pum sauce. So far it's the only non-mythic rare in Dragon's Maze that I went out and got a playset of. As you mentioned, it's either decent removal or a way to deal a TON of damage in a single turn.
I've been getting turn 3 kills with it.
Turn 1: Arbor Elf
Turn 2: Strangleroot Geist attacking with Rancor
Turn 3: Strangleroot Gesit attacks with Rancor again, Ghor-Clan and Blood.
It's not even really that Christmasslandy, there's a lot of times where the opponent wont block the geist at 16 life and just would never expect that extra 12 damage coming in from 4 mana or just wouldn't have anything to answer it that early.
Another cool trick is a surprise turn 4 swing for 20 damage in:
Turn 1: Land
Turn 2: Farseek
Turn 3: Yeva at opp's EOT (or jumping in front of a creature it would kill)
Turn 4: Rancor, Ghor-Clan and Blood on Yeva for 20 damage outta nowhere
Super cool with Wolfir Silverheart too, works with Predator Ooze and just catches so many people off guard. I think it's great.
I'll stick with Fling thanks. Even with the additional cost, instant speed is more important for me.
I dig that with Blood you can kill an opps creature and still have the guy you killed it with there to attack for awhile. And you can pull off 2 Bloods on the same bigass creature. I guess it depends on what you're doing with it, I'm sure there's times when the instant speed would be cooler like if you just wanna throw it in response to removal. But Blood just seems so much more versatile.
And I mean, it's not like Flesh is entirely useless. It's not great but at least it's there, ya know.
Thats the great thing about split cards.
You think, wow that side is useless, I"ll never use that.
But sometimes, you just want your guy to be bigger, y'know?
Not something you would devote deckspace to, but it comes in handy sometimes.
I am loving the card. Blood grows my Predator Oozes and lets me win out of nowhere with bloodrushed Aristocrats and Hellkites. Lots of people don't expect 4-9 damage to the dome for 2 mana. It has replaced Searing Spear in most of my decks and I rarely feel the lack of speed due to its extra power.
Standard: RWUJeskai Modern: RWGBurn, GRWUBSlivers Legacy: RBurn EDH: RWGUBSliver Overlord, UWGeist of Saint Traft (Tiny Leaders) Current decklists are posted here
Thats the great thing about split cards.
You think, wow that side is useless, I"ll never use that.
But sometimes, you just want your guy to be bigger, y'know?
Not something you would devote deckspace to, but it comes in handy sometimes.
Also, why the **** would you play Fling.
Fling makes you win games out of nowhere on your opponents turn in response to removal or w/e. Blood will never do that, in fact, you might get 2-for-1'ned with Blood.
Fling makes you win games out of nowhere on your opponents turn in response to removal or w/e. Blood will never do that, in fact, you might get 2-for-1'ned with Blood.
Or they just counter fling and still two for one you?
Fling also kills off your own guy, while Blood keeps them around, and also has a secondary mode for super duper late game (which if I remember correctly lets you scavenge from any graveyard, not just yours)
Realistically he should only be unblockable without equipment
Guard 1: There goes a sword floating down the street!
Guard 2: Well, he's unblockable, so ignore it.
Eat your greens kids, omnath does, and it makes him strong....
Its not a fair comparision, flesh blood for one thing has utility fling doesn't and another not having to lose a creature is HUGE and you should know it. The problem with fling was always that its best to lauch your largest dude so it was risky doing it at any other time that when the guy was about to die or the damage would kill your opponent. This card can be used to aggressively clear our blockers or random lava axe people in the face. The fuse cost is backbreaking as well and flesh some mild reanimator hate you dont' lose sb slots for.
I like it, most the split cards are strong and I think the entire rare cycle is at least playable.
ignoring the flesh portion... why is this better than Essence Harvest
*edit*
Blood is only 2 mana, I guess that's important to allow bloodrush AND blood. hmmm
Its only 2 mana, you can also target creatures if you need to, and the creature itself deals the damage, essence harvest is a loss of life. That's fairly relevant in certain cases. I've always thought harvest was an underutilized card in constructed, I've won a lot of games off the surprise factor of that card alone in dailies actually, but Blood makes it obsolete.
First off, pretend the Flesh part doesn't even exist, way overcosted for a weak effect. Just look at Blood. Its sorcery speed, which sucks, but read the text.
1. The creature itself deals damage. 2. Its to a creature OR player. 3. It only deals its damage, there is no fight effect. People are comparing this to Prey Upon, etc, and its a much different (and better) card.
Sorcery speed is a suckfest, but still, 2 mana for (in the right deck) a minimum of 3 and up to 11 damage on turn 5 (christmasland) or 6 on turn 4 (common) is worth looking at.
You really have to watch for instant speed removal, to avoid getting 2 for 1d (or 3 for 1d), but if an opponent has instant speed removal, they're going to use it on your creature (especially if its rancored, ghor clan, etc) before combat damage. They're not going to take 6, and then wait until Main 2 when you cast Blood to kill it.
Anyways, I think at worst, in most aggro decks at the moment this is a sorcery speed searing spear, with potentially ridiculous upside. A turn 4 attacking nighthawk, that gets ghor claned, followed by a Blood during main 2, is a 24 point life swing. So far in testing, this scenario really isn't horribly uncommon either. In Varolz decks, scavenging Vexing Devils and Spike Jesters makes this card even more ridiculous. Again, you always have to watch for instant speed removal, but still, the upside is worth it I think.
So is this an overlooked card, or am I just a whackjob for using it right now?
Standard:
RW Boros devotion/Purphoros combo
RGB Jund Midrange
Modern:
WB Martyr.proc
Thanks to Gabgabdevo for the awesome sig image!
I'm always looking for foil Madcap Skills and Ghitu Fire-Eater, [trade thread link forthcoming]
I've been getting turn 3 kills with it.
Turn 1: Arbor Elf
Turn 2: Strangleroot Geist attacking with Rancor
Turn 3: Strangleroot Gesit attacks with Rancor again, Ghor-Clan and Blood.
It's not even really that Christmasslandy, there's a lot of times where the opponent wont block the geist at 16 life and just would never expect that extra 12 damage coming in from 4 mana or just wouldn't have anything to answer it that early.
Another cool trick is a surprise turn 4 swing for 20 damage in:
Turn 1: Land
Turn 2: Farseek
Turn 3: Yeva at opp's EOT (or jumping in front of a creature it would kill)
Turn 4: Rancor, Ghor-Clan and Blood on Yeva for 20 damage outta nowhere
Super cool with Wolfir Silverheart too, works with Predator Ooze and just catches so many people off guard. I think it's great.
I dig that with Blood you can kill an opps creature and still have the guy you killed it with there to attack for awhile. And you can pull off 2 Bloods on the same bigass creature. I guess it depends on what you're doing with it, I'm sure there's times when the instant speed would be cooler like if you just wanna throw it in response to removal. But Blood just seems so much more versatile.
And I mean, it's not like Flesh is entirely useless. It's not great but at least it's there, ya know.
You think, wow that side is useless, I"ll never use that.
But sometimes, you just want your guy to be bigger, y'know?
Not something you would devote deckspace to, but it comes in handy sometimes.
Also, why the **** would you play Fling.
... because fling is awesome?
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Current decklists are posted here
Fling makes you win games out of nowhere on your opponents turn in response to removal or w/e. Blood will never do that, in fact, you might get 2-for-1'ned with Blood.
Or they just counter fling and still two for one you?
Fling also kills off your own guy, while Blood keeps them around, and also has a secondary mode for super duper late game (which if I remember correctly lets you scavenge from any graveyard, not just yours)
Come help me make my Pauper cube awsome!
Every single time the opponent used one that is.
Its not a fair comparision, flesh blood for one thing has utility fling doesn't and another not having to lose a creature is HUGE and you should know it. The problem with fling was always that its best to lauch your largest dude so it was risky doing it at any other time that when the guy was about to die or the damage would kill your opponent. This card can be used to aggressively clear our blockers or random lava axe people in the face. The fuse cost is backbreaking as well and flesh some mild reanimator hate you dont' lose sb slots for.
I like it, most the split cards are strong and I think the entire rare cycle is at least playable.
*edit*
Blood is only 2 mana, I guess that's important to allow bloodrush AND blood. hmmm
EDH: Borborygmos Enraged, Sedris, The Traitor King
60 Card: Grixis Delver, Living End, Shardless BUG, Ninjas
Its only 2 mana, you can also target creatures if you need to, and the creature itself deals the damage, essence harvest is a loss of life. That's fairly relevant in certain cases. I've always thought harvest was an underutilized card in constructed, I've won a lot of games off the surprise factor of that card alone in dailies actually, but Blood makes it obsolete.
Standard:
RW Boros devotion/Purphoros combo
RGB Jund Midrange
Modern:
WB Martyr.proc