Interesting alternative to Stormbreath Dragon in larger cubes. Exert means when you attack, you can choose to exert. If you do, get X effect and this creature won't untap during its next untap phase.
I'm not blown away, especially since red 5s aren't lacking by any means.
What has more value, killing a creature or attacking two turns in a row? Or being able to block? I imagine you'll get 2 of these triggers max in a game consistently.
This seems eminently testable to me. Compare to FTK, a longtime, and well-deserved, red staple. This costs R more, but for that you get evasion, haste, the ability to play it into an empty board, and conceivably a second 4-damage trigger. The obvious downsides are the additional extra mana, the inability to kill and block (for 2 turns), and the fact that it can be killed before combat and not get to kill a creature.
Now, I don't think this is better than FTK (because it's much worse if you're behind), but I think it's pretty close and if you're the agressor it's much better. I think I will definitely test this card. Maybe in thundermaw's spot, and maybe in zealous conscript's spot.
Edit - FWIW, I think this is WAY better than stormbreath.
This has many similarities to Sarkhan. It accomplishes more on the first turn, and can threaten further removals quicker, but is much easier to answer. This card is probably better than Stormbreath, but not by that much and I recently cut that card. I want to test Glorybringer. Fun with Ral Zarek.
Thundermaw is still a faster clock and getting in with the first attack is all but guaranteed.
I adore the mechanics of the set so far and this one in particular. I hope Exert becomes evergreen because it really makes fantastic flavor and gameplay sense.
As for the card itself, I think it's really strong though Red 5 drops are a competitive slot. Not that great when you're behind but likely wins you the game if you're ahead. And it's still versatile as you can still attack normally as you wait for the opportune time to exert the dragon. Love it.
I don't think this card is bad at all. Only that it's not really needed. It does a lot of thing that red card already does, but sightly worst. It does attack in the air and kill stuff like Sarkhan, but with lower ceiling. It does provide hasty damage like Thundermaw, but again with lower ceiling. It can be better than Stormbreath though, depending on what type of cube you run. It does give red another way to deal more than 3 damage, a thing that used to be rough. But now we have Collective Defiance, Exquisite Firecraft and Chandra, Torch of Defiance, along with OG cards like Burst Lightning, Char, FTK and even Chandra Nalaar. It's not than hard anymore.
With that said, I think it still can compete with Dark-Dwellers or Zealous Conscript at the 4th-5th spot (depending if you're running Kiki or not). I just personally can't pass on Conscripts because it enable the combo. Dark-Dwellers is still in the testing block, but has been really good in midrange-control lists so far and think he brings something more unique than this new egyptian dragon.
I like Conscripts much more since it not only enables the combo, but it is a lot more unique. As someone else mentioned, this is pretty similar to Sarkhan (and even Goblin Dark Dwellers depending what's in your GY) in that it attacks and kills a thing. It does this much different than both of those, but at the the end of the day that's what you're getting. Conscripts taking anything means you not only have the generic threaten but there are a lot more cool moments when you're taking equipment, a planes walker, a etc etc etc. Maybe in a vacuum or without the combo it's an easy switch, but I don't have an eye on conscripts for removal currently.
i currently run conscripts without the combo and think im still leaning towards conscripts. its just such a fun card taking a planeswalker or their own fatty and beating them with it.
this card seems redundant. But if I didn't already have cards with similar effects i think this guy would be included for sure.
I like the card, but fear that the competition is too fierce. Which is a huge bummer. Exert is a mechanic that's much harder to leverage an advantage from without haste. Which means, this may be the best exert creature we see. Too bad it was printed in a spot on the curve where the competition is really deep. Similar to Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker but without the great synergy with Wildfire and a vulnerability to creature removal. Would probably play over Sarkhan or Conscripts if it was a 4/5 instead of a 4/4.
He looks like a lot of fun, I can allways use hasty 5 drops and last I checked thundermaw was a bit too expensive for my budget.
He is a lot like FTK except he hits the first turn and not the next. I like the idea just beat for 4 and eventually remove a critical blocker when swinging for the kill.
A visual que to remind me what's exerted would be handy; I might try a 180 rotation for exerted and move it to a normal tapped position when it doesn't untap on my turn. (I think white wizards Epic Card Game does something similar.)
I think you can certainly leverage an advantage from exert without haste either by some means of keeping the creature alive (hexproof, indestructible, protection, etc.) or an exert trigger pushed enough to warrant the risk of being vulnerable to even sorcery speed removal.
I don't like this over Thundermaw, Conscripts, or SGC. If I wanted a 4th 5CC red drop, I would probably go with this one, but I don't.
Do we know if exert only works on attack? This card is worded that way but for all we know we might get cards with different exert triggers (making haste less critical). Something along the lines of "you may have such and such ETB tapped to exert effect X". Worded more Magic cardy of course.
"You make the decision whether to exert a creature as you declare it as an attacker. If you choose to have it exert, an ability will trigger and grant you some bonus. As a trade-off, the creature won't untap during your next turn. It's tired. Needs a nap. Attack more later."
Yeah, only attacks. Would be interested if you can have a Grim Lavamancer / Mother of Runes type creature that can use Exert on activated abilities that require a tap.
Very similar to Sarkhan, The Dragonspeaker but just a little worse and I don't want to dedicate two such similar cards in this spot. I guess it was too much for that damage to target a creature or a player. A man can dream.
This creature really appreciates Batterskull (but who doesn't).
A neat trick with Exert is that you can use Maze of Ith to untap the creature after damage during either the combat damage or end of combat steps. You can also do it before damage in case you want to save your creature from a bigger blocker.
A neat trick with Exert is that you can use Maze of Ith to untap the creature after damage during either the combat damage or end of combat steps. You can also do it before damage in case you want to save your creature from a bigger blocker.
Don't think I would have ever thought of that, I hope some exert cards make it so pull this trick.
A neat trick with Exert is that you can use Maze of Ith to untap the creature after damage during either the combat damage or end of combat steps. You can also do it before damage in case you want to save your creature from a bigger blocker.
Don't think I would have ever thought of that, I hope some exert cards make it so pull this trick.
Yup, Maze of Ith giving your creatures pseudo-vigilance is pretty dumb even without Exert shenanigans.
A neat trick with Exert is that you can use Maze of Ith to untap the creature after damage during either the combat damage or end of combat steps. You can also do it before damage in case you want to save your creature from a bigger blocker.
Don't think I would have ever thought of that, I hope some exert cards make it so pull this trick.
Yup, Maze of Ith giving your creatures pseudo-vigilance is pretty dumb even without Exert shenanigans.
That's pretty cool, Maze of Ith is pretty new to my cube so it hadn't occurred to me to use it to save my own guys, always nice to have a level up moment. I look forward to pulling this on my playgroup next time I draft it.
Don't underestimated the ability to clear a creature. If managing to attack just once, 4 damage to the dome (or removing a flying blocker) and 4 damage to a creature is nothing to sneeze at for 5 mana in red.
How has testing been for this cube? A few of my drafters are interested in it, but I don't think it makes the cut at 450 unpowered, getting edged out by Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker and Thundermaw Hellkite. What have been peoples' experiences?
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Certainly a good card. It just fell short of edging out the competition we have in the 5cc slot, but I can see the appeal because it's a unique and interesting card. Each playgroup should evaluate it and see if it's what the group wants. Some folks may like this more than the existing options.
Definitely interested in this one. Glorybringer is one of the all-time limited cards. Occasionally those all-timers don't quite transition to cube playability (Citadel Siege comes to mind), but any of those other all-timers (Clamp, Jitte, Pack Rat) have also been excellent cube cards.
The fact that so often you'll be in a position where you can 187 a creature they have and then hasty swing to kill a planeswalker just makes it so intriguing. I think powered cubes probably have too many decks that aren't reliant on creatures, but in regular cube (even smaller sizes) this just feels like it would have a similar effect to what's going on in Amonkhet limited.
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Interesting alternative to Stormbreath Dragon in larger cubes. Exert means when you attack, you can choose to exert. If you do, get X effect and this creature won't untap during its next untap phase.
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What has more value, killing a creature or attacking two turns in a row? Or being able to block? I imagine you'll get 2 of these triggers max in a game consistently.
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Now, I don't think this is better than FTK (because it's much worse if you're behind), but I think it's pretty close and if you're the agressor it's much better. I think I will definitely test this card. Maybe in thundermaw's spot, and maybe in zealous conscript's spot.
Edit - FWIW, I think this is WAY better than stormbreath.
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Thundermaw is still a faster clock and getting in with the first attack is all but guaranteed.
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As for the card itself, I think it's really strong though Red 5 drops are a competitive slot. Not that great when you're behind but likely wins you the game if you're ahead. And it's still versatile as you can still attack normally as you wait for the opportune time to exert the dragon. Love it.
With that said, I think it still can compete with Dark-Dwellers or Zealous Conscript at the 4th-5th spot (depending if you're running Kiki or not). I just personally can't pass on Conscripts because it enable the combo. Dark-Dwellers is still in the testing block, but has been really good in midrange-control lists so far and think he brings something more unique than this new egyptian dragon.
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this card seems redundant. But if I didn't already have cards with similar effects i think this guy would be included for sure.
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He is a lot like FTK except he hits the first turn and not the next. I like the idea just beat for 4 and eventually remove a critical blocker when swinging for the kill.
A visual que to remind me what's exerted would be handy; I might try a 180 rotation for exerted and move it to a normal tapped position when it doesn't untap on my turn. (I think white wizards Epic Card Game does something similar.)
I don't like this over Thundermaw, Conscripts, or SGC. If I wanted a 4th 5CC red drop, I would probably go with this one, but I don't.
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Yeah, only attacks. Would be interested if you can have a Grim Lavamancer / Mother of Runes type creature that can use Exert on activated abilities that require a tap.
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A neat trick with Exert is that you can use Maze of Ith to untap the creature after damage during either the combat damage or end of combat steps. You can also do it before damage in case you want to save your creature from a bigger blocker.
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Don't think I would have ever thought of that, I hope some exert cards make it so pull this trick.
Yup, Maze of Ith giving your creatures pseudo-vigilance is pretty dumb even without Exert shenanigans.
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That's pretty cool, Maze of Ith is pretty new to my cube so it hadn't occurred to me to use it to save my own guys, always nice to have a level up moment. I look forward to pulling this on my playgroup next time I draft it.
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The fact that so often you'll be in a position where you can 187 a creature they have and then hasty swing to kill a planeswalker just makes it so intriguing. I think powered cubes probably have too many decks that aren't reliant on creatures, but in regular cube (even smaller sizes) this just feels like it would have a similar effect to what's going on in Amonkhet limited.