The problem with Athreos is that he demands a very specific type of deck to be good: one where almost all your creatures are devotion-enabling dorks with ETB/LTB effects, featuring sac outlets to go along with it. Granted, if you can get that deck to come together on a regular basis, Athreos is very, very good. Such narrow application isn't generally what you want out of a cube card, though.
How many triggers are you expecting to see in the average game? If it's less than three (which I definitely think it would be) this card is much worse than something like Blightning. And decks that play effects that being lots of creatures to the 'yard (Braids, 'Stax, Pox, etc) don't want this card. It doesn't interact with recursive creature engines or token generators, which are the main reasons to go into those archetypes to begin with. So if I'm playing it at face-value as an insurance policy against my creatures dying, it's a terrible spell. If I want to bring my creatures back to my hand from the 'yard, there are much better tools to accomplish that than this card.
From my experience with Blood Artist and just generally playing creature-heavy aggro decks in cube, I would estimate him triggering 5-6 times in an average game. That would result in a nice mix of hefty life loss and card advantage. Sure, you don't have control over the exact mix, but for an aggressive deck, both outcomes are fine. I think this card offers some good insurance policy against my creatures dying. At least as long as my deck is built to pressure my opponent's life total.
I wouldn't focus too much on decks with sacrifice engines, but more on decks that attack a lot to kill the opponent. I see Athreos as a card for WB aggro, WB (aggressive) midrange and Bw Pox decks. Sure, some of them will use cards like Braids, Cabal Minion, but that is just some nice additional synergy and not an engine that your deck has to be built around. Note his interactions with Pox and Smallpox: Since you won't match his devotion in the early game, he won't be a creature, so you don't have to sacrifice him and he doesn't even count when calculating how many creatures you have to sacrifice for Pox. He has also nice synergies with The Abyss: Without devotion, he is invisible to it and triggers every turn from your other creatures dying. With devotion, you can just target him and shrugg of the destruction due to his instructibility.
Overall, it seems that in an aggressive deck with Athreos, all possible board states / situations are good:
- If your creatures don't die, it means that they keep attacking and kill your opponent. Good.
- If your creatures don't die and start to accumulate on the board, Athreos turns into a beefy creature and helps kill your opponent. Good.
- If your creatures die and your opponent lets your return them to your hand, you can play them again to kill your opponent. Good.
- If your creatures die and your opponent pays 3 life, it makes it easier for your remaining threats to kill your opponent. Good.
Lastly, let me be clear: Athreos will not break the Orzhov top 3. So, super small cubes won't be interested. However, I think he will land somewhere on places 4 to 6 for that guild. This means that he is a good candidate for midsize or larger cubes and far from garbage.
I am with Wtwftl on this one. It seems way to slow and conditional for a card with no immediate impact. I think this card makes almost every cube deck I can see it played in worse. It has a bit of a Browbeat feel to it. You give your opponent the choice, so if he is killing you he can just take the damage and when he has full control he can just give you the creature.
Sure It can be decent in a really slow, grindy environment. But that is not our Cube. Most dragon cube have gone the way of the dodo (I hope).
Sure It can be decent in a really slow, grindy environment. But that is not our Cube. Most dragon cube have gone the way of the dodo (I hope).
I don't understand how you come to this conclusion. As I said above, Athreos seems best in a deck that (A) has lots of cheap creatures and that (B) reduces the opponent's life total early. That is quite opposite to the environment that you are describing.
While I'm on the fence about the punisher mechanic (Theros block has seen a very strong push towards making them playable), a short dip into Theros limited has me still extremely skeptical about its value. As with tribute, you can't evaluate it as a best-case outcome for each instance of punishment - these cards are evaluated with the assumption that you will always get the worst outcome each time. If Mogis couldn't break into cubes, I don't see Athreos making it into what is arguably one of the best guilds, even with a cheaper cost.
From my experience with Blood Artist and just generally playing creature-heavy aggro decks in cube, I would estimate him triggering 5-6 times in an average game.
Holy crap. If you estimate getting 5-6 triggers out of it in the average game, no wonder you're excited about it. I don't even see how that's possible, but more power to you. You realize 5-6 triggers on the Artist means 2-3 triggers on this card, right? Since Artist is every creature, and this is only your creatures? Not to mention that token creatures and recursive creatures that make the Artist trigger don't have any impact on the god, right? Count up how many nontoken, non-recursive creatures go into your graveyard after turn 4 in the average game and report back. I think you're WAY overestimating that number. I think you'd be really lucky to have more than 2 relevant triggers from this card, and even with 3 triggers, it's barely worth the mana/card investment. Considering that I never get the trigger I actually need at any time.
I think this card is trash. I would never put this into the final 40 of a cube deck I'd draft.
This is a bolt to the face or card advantage in an aggro deck, all on an indestructible body for 3cc. It is not amazing, but I am willing to give it the 4th spot in BW for a few week test run. Worst case,my group hates it because it is as bad as wtwlf123 suggests.
Another thing to note is that because of the ability, the amount of possible triggers could actually be higher than normal if your opponent chooses to return the creature(s) to your hand. It's not uncommon for creatures to trade in combat. With this guy on the table, I'm getting extra mileage from my guys either by doming my opponent for three more damage or bringing them back to fight again. I don't think he's the best thing ever, but I think slots four and up in the Orzhov section are open for discussion. Since I'm running six per guild, I feel like I have room to slot this guy in and not be missing something important like a Vindicate or something.
I think I'm going to give him a try in my 450. I'm going to do an overhaul of Black and I think he'll fit in well with what I'm looking to do. Besides, the 4th card in BW has always been pretty weak in my Cube.
After I drop 2-3 creatures, and am fearing a wrath, I'd love to drop this next. Wrath, and take a ton of damage, or let me play it all back out. Stabilize with a creature, and I will turn this on.
I get that in some cubes like wtwlf123, this is not needed. But w/b low curve aggro is a thing for me. I also see this being turned on more than any god we have. And 5/4 indestructible is pretty good. This is the first god who's ability synergies with it becoming activated, punishing an opponent for getting rid of your permanents.
If Mogis couldn't break into cubes, I don't see Athreos making it into what is arguably one of the best guilds, even with a cheaper cost.
Mogis was in one of the tightest guilds, while Orzhov is one of the guilds with the least staples and the most room for new cards. Athreos being not yet another 4-drop helps, too.
From my experience with Blood Artist and just generally playing creature-heavy aggro decks in cube, I would estimate him triggering 5-6 times in an average game.
Holy crap. If you estimate getting 5-6 triggers out of it in the average game, no wonder you're excited about it. I don't even see how that's possible, but more power to you. You realize 5-6 triggers on the Artist means 2-3 triggers on this card, right? Since Artist is every creature, and this is only your creatures? Not to mention that token creatures and recursive creatures that make the Artist trigger don't have any impact on the god, right? Count up how many nontoken, non-recursive creatures go into your graveyard after turn 4 in the average game and report back. I think you're WAY overestimating that number. I think you'd be really lucky to have more than 2 relevant triggers from this card, and even with 3 triggers, it's barely worth the mana/card investment. Considering that I never get the trigger I actually need at any time.
A while after I wrote that post, I thought that mentioning Blood Artist there might have been a mistake, since it works on all creatures and others might think that I got something wrong there. Probably shouldn't have mention him at all. So, just by looking at the numbers for an aggro deck, there are easily 5-6 creatures dying if the opponent fights back and I am not winning quickly. I mean, the first Wrath takes out the first wave of 2-3 creatures alone and after that, I have to play more creatures to end the game. At that point, I either win or there comes a second Wrath or lots of spot removal or large blockers. A game where I am playing aggro and less than 5 of my creatures died usually means that I won easily. On the other hand, if mass removal or combat get involved, creatures die... a lot. So, no, am not WAY overestimating those numbers.
However, this might be just me and my cube. We found out before that our perception on cards that need a certain amount of creatures differs quite a bit. A few weeks ago, I looked at our cubes and found out that your cube has 40% creatures while mine has 46%. Also, almost all my aggro decks run 16-18 creatures. This means that our games tend to be a bit more creature-centric. And where there are many creatures, many creatures will die.
Regarding never getting the trigger that I want: As I said before, in a deck that uses many small creatures to attack the opponent's life total quickly, both outcomes of the trigger are fine, since both ultimately result in a loss of life. Also, if my first wave of attackers did its job, there shouldn't be much room to pay 3 life multiple times, thus resulting in card advantage.
I get that in some cubes like wtwlf123, this is not needed. But w/b low curve aggro is a thing for me.
We play a TON of WB aggro. It's one of my favorite decktypes. This card isn't needed in anything, because you have no control over the effect. It's not a matter of what you draft/support. It's a matter of the card simply being bad.
Quote from dschumm »
After I drop 2-3 creatures, and am fearing a wrath, I'd love to drop this next. Wrath, and take a ton of damage, or let me play it all back out. Stabilize with a creature, and I will turn this on.
Have you ever played Promise of Bunrei? If you want Wrath protection, it's a much better card. Not to mention that unlike the God, Promise is great in WB Pox/Stax builds and token decks. It's also much easier to cast, and the effect is consistent and you have more control over it. And the card is still bad.
Quote from Star Slayer »
...both outcomes of the trigger are fine...
That doesn't mean that it's okay to not have control over which effect you get. Just like every other punisher mechanic card has showed us throughout the history of Magic. Just because both effects are desirable doesn't mean the card is good. You need to have control over what your cards do. Period. I don't include cards in my final 40 for some random beneficial effect. Every card that gets included serves a specific purpose, and I can rely on the effect. That's what makes it worth maindecking in the first place.
I'd much rather have Athreos in my BW aggro decks that Promise of Bunrei. Both options on the god are more appealing to me than replacing my guys with non evasive 1/1s. Not to mention that Promise is a one and done effect. Ahtreos not only makes my opponent's Wrath effects awkward, but it makes combat and one shot removal spells a little awkward as well.
I'd rather get 4 bodies than give my the opponent the choice as to what happens with the death trigger. Not to mention how much better it plays in Token decks and Pox/Stax decks, and the fact that it's only one color. And it gives me threats post-wrath that can attack immediately.
Sure It can be decent in a really slow, grindy environment. But that is not our Cube. Most dragon cube have gone the way of the dodo (I hope).
I don't understand how you come to this conclusion. As I said above, Athreos seems best in a deck that (A) has lots of cheap creatures and that (B) reduces the opponent's life total early. That is quite opposite to the environment that you are describing.
So I should play this in white/black aggro? This will have to compete for those precious three and four CC slots with Swords, Ajani, Sorin, Tangle Wire, Glorius Anthem, Wargear, Liliana, Mind Twist, Armageddon,... It has no immediate impact, deals no damage for at least two or three turns. As far as reach go this seems way to slow. I'd prefer any three drop creature or any removal to this.
The only redeeming factor is that once in a while you got a very undercosted Industructible creature, but this will be so rare, you can almost ignore it.
Not the #1 card in orzohv, sorin lingering souls and vindicate are a pretty high bar, but I run 5 amd would be pleased to have this in my orzohv weenie deck. W/B has the easiest time turning this on in my experience so I can actually assume it will be a creature every once in a while, unlike every other god. Its the first punisher card with 3 options and its in a guild that has a massive dropoff in power level after the top 3. Tokens being a nonbo sucks though.
So I should play this in white/black aggro? This will have to compete for those precious three and four CC slots with Swords, Ajani, Sorin, Tangle Wire, Glorius Anthem, Wargear, Liliana, Mind Twist, Armageddon,... It has no immediate impact, deals no damage for at least two or three turns. As far as reach go this seems way to slow. I'd prefer any three drop creature or any removal to this.
The only redeeming factor is that once in a while you got a very undercosted Industructible creature, but this will be so rare, you can almost ignore it.
Yep. Pretty much this right here. I can't remember a time I built an aggro deck that had a 3+cc card I'd cut for this god.
If your guys aren't dying or you don't have enough devotion, this card literally does nothing, and even then punnisher cards are often so bad in cube where controlling what your opponents can do can win you the game. There are just better BW cards. I'd rather run Obzedat, Lingering Souls, Tidehollow Sculler, Vindicate, Unburial Rites, Desolation Angel, Mortify, and Gerrard's Verdict(in no particular order), and I'm probably missing some, and I'd still not run some of those because who needs 8 BW cards.
That doesn't mean that it's okay to not have control over which effect you get. Just like every other punisher mechanic card has showed us throughout the history of Magic. Just because both effects are desirable doesn't mean the card is good. You need to have control over what your cards do. Period. I don't include cards in my final 40 for some random beneficial effect. Every card that gets included serves a specific purpose, and I can rely on the effect. That's what makes it worth maindecking in the first place.
You cut off the important part: "since both ultimately result in a loss of life". Giving the opponent the choice over what your card does is a definite downside, but not all punisher effects are created equal. The more similar the two choices are, the less it matters what the opponent choses, thus making the punisher effect less random. And as I said at least twice before in this thread, if you play many early creatures and bring down your opponent's life total with fast attacks (the standard modus operandi of aggro decks), then it doesn't really matter if your opponent has a choice, since he will be in a "doomed if you do (return the dead creature to the hand), doomed if you don't (return the dead creature to the hand)" situation. Basically, the specific purpose of Athreos is to give an aggro deck more reach/gas if it threatens to run out after the initial few turns.
I'd much rather have Athreos in my BW aggro decks that Promise of Bunrei. Both options on the god are more appealing to me than replacing my guys with non evasive 1/1s. Not to mention that Promise is a one and done effect. Ahtreos not only makes my opponent's Wrath effects awkward, but it makes combat and one shot removal spells a little awkward as well.
Agreed. For all those reasons, Athreos is better than Promise. Being a multicolor card is a downside, but for anyone running 5+ WB cards (as we both do), he is one of the best options for the last slot.
So I should play this in white/black aggro? This will have to compete for those precious three and four CC slots with Swords, Ajani, Sorin, Tangle Wire, Glorius Anthem, Wargear, Liliana, Mind Twist, Armageddon,... It has no immediate impact, deals no damage for at least two or three turns. As far as reach go this seems way to slow. I'd prefer any three drop creature or any removal to this.
The only redeeming factor is that once in a while you got a very undercosted Industructible creature, but this will be so rare, you can almost ignore it.
Hm, that is actually a good point. The non-creature slot in an aggro deck is one of the tightest and hardest contested in all cube decks. I've been cutting cards like Stone Rain, Molten Rain and Domri Rade lately because they just never fit into the maindeck. While all those cards are good during play, they just never made it during deck construction, because equipment, pump, planeswalkers, mass mana denial and removal always took those precious slots first. Only the most insanely efficient support cards (like Sulfuric Vortex) make it into those decks. The question will be: Is Athreos a top notch aggro support card like Vortex or more a second stringer like Rivalry and Jinxed Choker?
You cut off the important part: "since both ultimately result in a loss of life".
So do all punisher cards when you look at them. But it's not about the potential, it's about the reality of the trigger when it occurs. Vexing Devil has a very similar kind of drawback (body or damage, your choice) and proved to be utterly disappointing because you don't get either effect when you need it. This god faces the same problem. You won't get the bodies back when it's relevant, and you won't get the reach when they're low on life.
We can probably go around and around on this and never reach an agreement. But I don't include cards in my deck simply because they'll give me a random beneficial effect. Cards make my final 40 because they each serve a very specific purpose. This god doesn't help me accomplish that.
I'm a huge fan of really aggressive black/white aggro decks which could profit from this, but I think it's ultimately a bit too narrow to crack into my top 3 (Souls/Vindicate/Sorin), and Gerrard's Verdict is likely stronger too. The fact that we don't run a Pox package also harms this card and leaves it with really only one deck, and I don't think it is good enough to include solely on that merit, despite the fact that it would be a strong card in that deck. If I'm including a gold card for one deck type only, it had better be really powerful. For combo cubes or cubes with heavy sacrificing or Stax themes this seems very good though, as it is quite easy to break or abuse with certain outlets.
However, it is a definite include in my stack of drafting generals. He's a nice build-around that meshes with existing cube archetypes, so it's perfect for that role.
Modern: Jund Legacy: RUG Delver EDH: Captain Sisay
I'm already running and loving Birthing Pod in my cube, so that's one more reason to give Athreos a try as far as I'm concerned.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Cubetutor Link
I wouldn't focus too much on decks with sacrifice engines, but more on decks that attack a lot to kill the opponent. I see Athreos as a card for WB aggro, WB (aggressive) midrange and Bw Pox decks. Sure, some of them will use cards like Braids, Cabal Minion, but that is just some nice additional synergy and not an engine that your deck has to be built around. Note his interactions with Pox and Smallpox: Since you won't match his devotion in the early game, he won't be a creature, so you don't have to sacrifice him and he doesn't even count when calculating how many creatures you have to sacrifice for Pox. He has also nice synergies with The Abyss: Without devotion, he is invisible to it and triggers every turn from your other creatures dying. With devotion, you can just target him and shrugg of the destruction due to his instructibility.
Overall, it seems that in an aggressive deck with Athreos, all possible board states / situations are good:
- If your creatures don't die, it means that they keep attacking and kill your opponent. Good.
- If your creatures don't die and start to accumulate on the board, Athreos turns into a beefy creature and helps kill your opponent. Good.
- If your creatures die and your opponent lets your return them to your hand, you can play them again to kill your opponent. Good.
- If your creatures die and your opponent pays 3 life, it makes it easier for your remaining threats to kill your opponent. Good.
Lastly, let me be clear: Athreos will not break the Orzhov top 3. So, super small cubes won't be interested. However, I think he will land somewhere on places 4 to 6 for that guild. This means that he is a good candidate for midsize or larger cubes and far from garbage.
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
Sure It can be decent in a really slow, grindy environment. But that is not our Cube. Most dragon cube have gone the way of the dodo (I hope).
I feel compelled to repeat everything I hear
We presented our thoughts, now I wonder what you think of this card.
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
My Cube (DeckStats)
My Pauper Cube: 540 (CubeTutor link!)
Level 1 Judge
Holy crap. If you estimate getting 5-6 triggers out of it in the average game, no wonder you're excited about it. I don't even see how that's possible, but more power to you. You realize 5-6 triggers on the Artist means 2-3 triggers on this card, right? Since Artist is every creature, and this is only your creatures? Not to mention that token creatures and recursive creatures that make the Artist trigger don't have any impact on the god, right? Count up how many nontoken, non-recursive creatures go into your graveyard after turn 4 in the average game and report back. I think you're WAY overestimating that number. I think you'd be really lucky to have more than 2 relevant triggers from this card, and even with 3 triggers, it's barely worth the mana/card investment. Considering that I never get the trigger I actually need at any time.
I think this card is trash. I would never put this into the final 40 of a cube deck I'd draft.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
Follow me. I tweet.
I get that in some cubes like wtwlf123, this is not needed. But w/b low curve aggro is a thing for me. I also see this being turned on more than any god we have. And 5/4 indestructible is pretty good. This is the first god who's ability synergies with it becoming activated, punishing an opponent for getting rid of your permanents.
A while after I wrote that post, I thought that mentioning Blood Artist there might have been a mistake, since it works on all creatures and others might think that I got something wrong there. Probably shouldn't have mention him at all. So, just by looking at the numbers for an aggro deck, there are easily 5-6 creatures dying if the opponent fights back and I am not winning quickly. I mean, the first Wrath takes out the first wave of 2-3 creatures alone and after that, I have to play more creatures to end the game. At that point, I either win or there comes a second Wrath or lots of spot removal or large blockers. A game where I am playing aggro and less than 5 of my creatures died usually means that I won easily. On the other hand, if mass removal or combat get involved, creatures die... a lot. So, no, am not WAY overestimating those numbers.
However, this might be just me and my cube. We found out before that our perception on cards that need a certain amount of creatures differs quite a bit. A few weeks ago, I looked at our cubes and found out that your cube has 40% creatures while mine has 46%. Also, almost all my aggro decks run 16-18 creatures. This means that our games tend to be a bit more creature-centric. And where there are many creatures, many creatures will die.
Regarding never getting the trigger that I want: As I said before, in a deck that uses many small creatures to attack the opponent's life total quickly, both outcomes of the trigger are fine, since both ultimately result in a loss of life. Also, if my first wave of attackers did its job, there shouldn't be much room to pay 3 life multiple times, thus resulting in card advantage.
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
We play a TON of WB aggro. It's one of my favorite decktypes. This card isn't needed in anything, because you have no control over the effect. It's not a matter of what you draft/support. It's a matter of the card simply being bad.
Have you ever played Promise of Bunrei? If you want Wrath protection, it's a much better card. Not to mention that unlike the God, Promise is great in WB Pox/Stax builds and token decks. It's also much easier to cast, and the effect is consistent and you have more control over it. And the card is still bad.
That doesn't mean that it's okay to not have control over which effect you get. Just like every other punisher mechanic card has showed us throughout the history of Magic. Just because both effects are desirable doesn't mean the card is good. You need to have control over what your cards do. Period. I don't include cards in my final 40 for some random beneficial effect. Every card that gets included serves a specific purpose, and I can rely on the effect. That's what makes it worth maindecking in the first place.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
MTGS Average Peasant Cube 2023 Edition
Follow me. I tweet.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
So I should play this in white/black aggro? This will have to compete for those precious three and four CC slots with Swords, Ajani, Sorin, Tangle Wire, Glorius Anthem, Wargear, Liliana, Mind Twist, Armageddon,... It has no immediate impact, deals no damage for at least two or three turns. As far as reach go this seems way to slow. I'd prefer any three drop creature or any removal to this.
The only redeeming factor is that once in a while you got a very undercosted Industructible creature, but this will be so rare, you can almost ignore it.
I feel compelled to repeat everything I hear
thats my cube
Yep. Pretty much this right here. I can't remember a time I built an aggro deck that had a 3+cc card I'd cut for this god.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
Also, follow us on twitter! @TurnOneMagic
Agreed. For all those reasons, Athreos is better than Promise. Being a multicolor card is a downside, but for anyone running 5+ WB cards (as we both do), he is one of the best options for the last slot.
Hm, that is actually a good point. The non-creature slot in an aggro deck is one of the tightest and hardest contested in all cube decks. I've been cutting cards like Stone Rain, Molten Rain and Domri Rade lately because they just never fit into the maindeck. While all those cards are good during play, they just never made it during deck construction, because equipment, pump, planeswalkers, mass mana denial and removal always took those precious slots first. Only the most insanely efficient support cards (like Sulfuric Vortex) make it into those decks. The question will be: Is Athreos a top notch aggro support card like Vortex or more a second stringer like Rivalry and Jinxed Choker?
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
So do all punisher cards when you look at them. But it's not about the potential, it's about the reality of the trigger when it occurs. Vexing Devil has a very similar kind of drawback (body or damage, your choice) and proved to be utterly disappointing because you don't get either effect when you need it. This god faces the same problem. You won't get the bodies back when it's relevant, and you won't get the reach when they're low on life.
We can probably go around and around on this and never reach an agreement. But I don't include cards in my deck simply because they'll give me a random beneficial effect. Cards make my final 40 because they each serve a very specific purpose. This god doesn't help me accomplish that.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
However, it is a definite include in my stack of drafting generals. He's a nice build-around that meshes with existing cube archetypes, so it's perfect for that role.
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms: