MTG Salvation

Soul-Scar Mage
R
Creature - Human Wizard
Prowess
If a source you control would deal noncombat damage to a creature an opponent controls, put that many -1/-1 counters on that creature instead.
1/2

This is pretty sweet. All my burn spells have wither? Suuure.

Prowess makes this good enough for a test run, I think. Interesting card for a 1-drop.

I wouldn't run Monastery Swiftspear without the haste, and I'm hesitant to say this is good enough without that. The wither ability is cool, but I don't know if it will be relevant enough. Will probably test.

How often do you think this'll be a 2/3? There's no card advantage possibilities like Abbot, and no haste like Monastery Swiftspear. I could see it replacing the later maybe, as attacking for 1 on turn 1 doesn't seem as good as being able to deal with threats red aggro can get stopped by. Super excited to try it out

Do you think the ability is better than having haste? At first glance, I don't like it more than Monastery Swiftspear. And that one is rather borderline in cube.

Quote from CuberAng »

I'll test this over Stromkirk Noble or Bomat Courier.
Dealing with Kitchen Finks and Courser of Kruphix with a single 1-mana burn spell (+ a prowess trigger) seems pretty good.

I'm not sure if it's better than Stromkirk as there will be games where Stromkirk makes this guy look bad in comparison if you're curving out with creatures from CMC 2 going forward, but it seems like an easy replacement for Bomat, or one of a few options for an easy replacement there.

Courser is really only answered by Flame Slash, which is pretty borderline, but the Kitchen Finks interaction is real.

Quote from Salmo »

I wouldn't run Monastery Swiftspear without the haste, and I'm hesitant to say this is good enough without that.

I think that's where I'm at, but will wait to hear testing results I think.

I really like Prowess in general. Though I don't like that the reminder text isn't there on this card (I understand it's evergreen now, but still feel it should be there anyway).

Seems close but may need first strike or haste or menace or something. The ability is cool and all but it is probably not super impactful compared to having better combat abilities.

With this and the discard guy we are probably not getting a 2 power 1 drop in this set for red.

Meh, I'll pass.

I'm still waiting for the Legendary Jackal Pup variant to be spoiled called "Golden Wolf of Hazoret" Seems like a no brainer to throw Anubis fans a bone with some sort of sweet pup.

Pretty pushed for a 1 drop and gives your insufficient-to-kill-a-creature burn spells reach. This is a pretty easy swap for me...goodbye Goblin Glory Chaser, don't let the door hit ya where the Goblin King split ya.

Definitely worse than swiftspear, but swiftspear is one of the top red 1 drops in any powered cube that runs a decent amount of burn.

The wither ability has some pretty sweet interactions that should push it over a lower tier 1 drop if your cube runs enough burn.

seems great with things like pyroclasm and anger of the gods since the counters only go on opoonents creatures. wipes the board and shrinks whatever is left. Might try ad find room for this if he proves to be good in testing.

Quote from Star Slayer »

Do you think the ability is better than having haste? At first glance, I don't like it more than Monastery Swiftspear. And that one is rather borderline in cube.

Swiftspear is far better than borderline in our book. It's more like one the best aggro 1-drop ever print. Even for cube.

This one is in fact real close to it. It has the same damage output as Swiftspear, basicly minus one, and has the ability to transform all your Lightning Bolt variant into a Puncture Blast. I think it's been underestimated. They only real upside Swiftspear has over it is the ability to bash in with Haste and join your team in the mid-to-late game. But as a turn-1, they're real close and the Soul-Scar Mage's ability kind of becomes a pure upside.

I like this card. Your burn spells getting wither (and helping prowess) is an obvious perk. Let's not forger that some planeswalkers have abilities that deal damage too. Many cubes probably have 2 or 3 of those. Sword of Fire and Ice is another source. I'm sure there are more. When you factor all of that in, I think this is a worthwhile addition.

Being able to bolt down a titan to be a more reasonable thrrat or take out indestructible threats with burn is nice too.

i just realized this was a replacement effect and not a puncturebolt effect thay makes your burn doible time

oh well, i still really like this card

also also,

fighting is noncombat damage, for however relevent thay is within peoples cube

It's no Satyr/Pup/Zurgo/Guide variant, but it may be good enough to test over one of the few remaining bottom-tier aggressive 1-drops. I think Swiftspear is much better, and that card loses so much value in a generic aggro shell without haste. I might test it over Glory-Chaser, but ...meh, this just doesn't excite me much.

Not many 1-drops can top a Baneslayer Angel in combat with a simple Lightning Bolt or Incinerate variant, but this one sure can. I'm hopeful that this one will be a cube staple for a long while.

Doesn't really beat Baneslayer because of first strike

I'd also likely test it instead of Goblin Glory Chaser. The card seems weak in general aggro, especially of the two colors variety, and Swiftspear has only been fine here so far.

Quote from akroma44 »

Doesn't really beat Baneslayer because of first strike

Sure it does. I attack with this, you block with Baneslayer Angel, I bolt it, it becomes 2/2 and my mage becomes 2/3 due to prowess.

It also lets your non targeted coloured sources of damage get around protection right?

No. It has to deal the damage in order to convert it to counters.

I like this thing well enough to test it over my worst aggressive 1-drop and see how it does. I'm not super optimistic, but hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised.

It's not always good to waste burns spells on creatures during combat but this new creature can certainly helps chnage things when he's on. It provided additional range to beat 4-thoughness-and-more fatties, while bringing a brand new static ability on a more than reasonable body. The more I think about, the more I think this creature can ended up being good-to-great in powered cube format.

Notable none-burn spells that work with Soul-Scar Mage :

• Flametongue Kavu
• Fire Imp
• Pia and Kiran Nalaar
• Grim Lavamancer
• Siege-Gang Commander
• Chandra, Torch of Defiance
• Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
• Chandra, Flamecaller
• Inferno Titan
• Goblin Bombardment
• Garruk Relentless
• Master of the Wild Hunt
• Dragonlord Atarka
• Murderous Redcap
• Ral Zarek
• Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
• Walking Ballista
• Keranos, God of Storms
• Masticore (and others)
• Cursed Scroll
• Sword of Fire and Ice
• Ajani Vengeant

Along with the ~25 burn spells we have, that seems relevant.