MTG Salvation

Mardu Scout vs. Goblin Heelcutter:

Let's say you're drafting an aggressive deck and you open a pack with these two in it (and nothing else that will work with your strategy). What's your choice and why? Assume that red is one of your main colors.

I'd say Goblin Heelcutter. The Scout is faster, but the "falter" ability is invaluable in an aggro deck.

Yeah, I'd go with the Heelcutter too. His ability is just less replaceable, and stacks well in multiples as well. I also think Mardu Scout is more likely to table, if it's early enough, as he is most effective in a deck that can hardcast him on turn 2.

Heelcutter. One of the best reasons to go red. Sizeable body and good mechanic tacked on.

I would also take the Heelcutter. There's a decent chance RR scares people away from the scout anyway, depending on how the metagame shakes out. The Heelcutter is easier to play if red ends up being a secondary color, and it's much more relevant in the late game. You also have a decent chance of replacing Mardu Scout with Temur Charger, Frostwalker, Gore Swine, Alpine Grizzly, etc. if you really want to go the super aggro route. I'm not sure you would know 100% whether you want to go that deep on all-out aggro in your first couple picks anyway.

Heelcutter and I don't think it's even close. The nature of colors in this set means a lot of times you aren't gonna have RR on t2, and as they game goes later heelcutter stays important while a 3/1 just gets less and less relevant.

Is Mardu Scout even good? RR in a gold set is awfully restrictive and it just gets worse every turn after 2. I guess the Dash is nice but it's not a card I'm particularly excited about. Heelcutter has the same Dash-damage potential in the late game and a LOT more upside.

Heelcutter by a million miles. I don't know how well positioned Mardu Scout is in this format; double red is a lot, it becomes irrelevant very quickly, and the opponent will pretty much always have the option to trade with it if they want to. It's probably not bad, but I don't think it's a card you're really looking to take highly, as opposed to Goblin Heelcutter, which is a very good card.

I do think it will be interesting to see how FRF plays with the third set as opposed to Khans. It wouldn't surprise me if there is a transition where focused two-color decks become more of a thing and cards like Mardu Scout see a jump in playability. The way the format looks right now it's just too hard to manage CC mana on turn 2.

I wonder about the same issue with Cloudform and Lightform, but at least those have evasion to keep them relevant later on, plus the possible upside of a flying, hexproof Woolly Loxodon or something.

Heelcutter. Scout was good for me this weekend, but not as good as Heelcutter was for some of my opponents.

Cloud and Lightform are both high picks because the abilities they grant are so good. CC1 is a lot easier to hit on curve than CC too.

I don't think the CC issue is terribly relevant. From my experience with it thus far, I think you're going to be dashing the Scout far more often than actually casting it. It's very good. Heelcutter is probably the best common in the set, though.

Scour is an easily replaceable creature that is hard to cast and dies to any blocker. Heelcutter is a unique repeatable effect that is still good i multiples and doesn't have RR in its cost. It's not close.

RR is an issue some of the time even in 2-color decks, in these 3+ color decks it is very bad. Heelcutter is a much better card in my view.