My point is: Overrun was less situational, was in a color with MUCH better creatures (you can't compare, really), and still wasn't a windmill slam p1p1 pick.
This isn't either. Not over an instant-speed, one-sided Nausea.
Cower in Fear isn't bad, but it needs more 1-toughness targets to be considered removal. Ironically, all the 1-toughness critters that'd be sticking around for chumps are -in- black so it's a good thing it doesn't hit yourself.
But if it's not removal, then it's a combat trick. A combat trick where you're hoping they have multiple blockers/attackers that will trade unfavorably after blockers are declared, and with you keeping 1bb open to do it. I see it taking out 1-2 guys, maybe 3 if they had a 1/1 sitting around.
With Cleaver Riot, they'll have to block with their entire board or lose the game. And that can be significant, because a long enough game without mass removal printed could see boards larger than 4 creatures to a side. And if you drafted your color correctly, you're ahead on critters because you got multiple chumps with Flames of the Firebrand and took out their Attended Knight with a Searing Spear, so you're profitably taking out their big guys as well as getting guys through with the double strike.
Actually it's a chump-blockable, +2/+2 on average, easier-to-cast Overrun in a worse color.
Makes you look at the card very differently, eh?
There's no way of knowing the average plvl or even number of creatures on the board without playing the game. It's simply their number of blockers chumping your best blockable attackers, everyone else x2 and then look at whats left after the dust is settled.
Ideally, you're swinging with a couple pikers and bladetusk boars into open space as they have a lone tapped Nefarox, winning a game you would have elsewise lost.
More realistically, they'll have a couple Servant of Nefarox and maybe another black or white exalted creature for blocking, which can't block the bladetusk boars and still gets 12 damage through, which could still win the game and take out their servants, leading to the win with one or both of your pikers and bladetusk boars on the next turn if you can survive 6 more damage. Overrun wasn't always played to win that turn, but to cripple the opponent's board and win the following turns. It's not an Overrun, but it is still a threat hypothetically. A first pick threat, IMO.
Without any big mass removal spoiled yet, I'm going with Cleaver Riot. You don't need mass tokens, you just need more critters than the other guy and/or guys that can get through w/evasion. It's also in an overlooked color that has (arguably) the best removal that can get those 2-for-1's to outnumber the opponent. It won't help you when you're losing the game and the board presence, but it can win out of nowhere, and that's enough to be the 1st pick for me.
I'd love to think I could cut green by taking the Wurm, but let's be honest, Green is the best color in the set so far and giving the guy next to you a Duskdale Wurm doesn't mean as much when the guy next to him has Predatory Rampage and the guy next to that guy has Rancor and Garruk, Primal Hunter.
I rather like the name Switcheroo. It's not something I hear often, but it is an actual expression and a fun expression at that. It's almost as fun to say as Kaboom! -- which makes me think of the ingenious creations to come out of guild Izzet! (maybe even another onomatopoeia)
What I don't like are cards like Murder. Murder. "I'll pay 3 to murder your Thragtusk." It's common. It's pedestrian. It turns my favorite card game into an episode of CSI:SVU, and it does nothing to expand vocabularies or imaginations.
It's a card. One out of 11,000 and counting. Dictionaries and Thesauruses are running thin. Here's hoping the next Mind Control effect is called Cordyceps.
A well deserved red card. Red enjoys smashing stuff!
Now that the gain-life-for-playing-monocolor artifacts are out, I am hoping Smelt might be a 1of maindeck answer to the M13 monocolor rings cycle in limited.
Stop regenerating scorpions, hexproof drakes, vigilant mastodons, and trampling centaurs before they outgrow your hastily equipped piker!
Additional Negatives
-Instant speed removal negates the spell, they keep their creature, whereas with mind control they would at least have to kill their own creature
Additional Positives:
+Trade one of your guys hanging around with a Pacifism or an Encrust for their primary threat!
120
Battle Squadron
122
Bloodmark Mentor
126 or 127
Crazed Goblin
140 - 145
Kyren Glider
Mogg Fanatic Mogg Sentry Raging Goblin Reckless One
148
Siege-Gang Commander Shrieking Mogg Skirk Fire Marshal Skirk Prospector Skirk Shaman
150 + 151
Utvara Scalper
154 - 156
Warren Instigator War-Torch Goblin
Seriously though, a few of those would be interesting and playable. Could hold a window open for goblins in Return to Ravnica come October.
Cower in Fear isn't bad, but it needs more 1-toughness targets to be considered removal. Ironically, all the 1-toughness critters that'd be sticking around for chumps are -in- black so it's a good thing it doesn't hit yourself.
But if it's not removal, then it's a combat trick. A combat trick where you're hoping they have multiple blockers/attackers that will trade unfavorably after blockers are declared, and with you keeping 1bb open to do it. I see it taking out 1-2 guys, maybe 3 if they had a 1/1 sitting around.
With Cleaver Riot, they'll have to block with their entire board or lose the game. And that can be significant, because a long enough game without mass removal printed could see boards larger than 4 creatures to a side. And if you drafted your color correctly, you're ahead on critters because you got multiple chumps with Flames of the Firebrand and took out their Attended Knight with a Searing Spear, so you're profitably taking out their big guys as well as getting guys through with the double strike.
There's no way of knowing the average plvl or even number of creatures on the board without playing the game. It's simply their number of blockers chumping your best blockable attackers, everyone else x2 and then look at whats left after the dust is settled.
Ideally, you're swinging with a couple pikers and bladetusk boars into open space as they have a lone tapped Nefarox, winning a game you would have elsewise lost.
More realistically, they'll have a couple Servant of Nefarox and maybe another black or white exalted creature for blocking, which can't block the bladetusk boars and still gets 12 damage through, which could still win the game and take out their servants, leading to the win with one or both of your pikers and bladetusk boars on the next turn if you can survive 6 more damage. Overrun wasn't always played to win that turn, but to cripple the opponent's board and win the following turns. It's not an Overrun, but it is still a threat hypothetically. A first pick threat, IMO.
I would actually go for Wind Drake or Bladetusk Boar over Duskdale Wurm because of all the single removal in the set, but that's just me. Reprint Mutilate and I'll change my mind.
I'd love to think I could cut green by taking the Wurm, but let's be honest, Green is the best color in the set so far and giving the guy next to you a Duskdale Wurm doesn't mean as much when the guy next to him has Predatory Rampage and the guy next to that guy has Rancor and Garruk, Primal Hunter.
What I don't like are cards like Murder. Murder. "I'll pay 3 to murder your Thragtusk." It's common. It's pedestrian. It turns my favorite card game into an episode of CSI:SVU, and it does nothing to expand vocabularies or imaginations.
It's a card. One out of 11,000 and counting. Dictionaries and Thesauruses are running thin. Here's hoping the next Mind Control effect is called Cordyceps.
Now that the gain-life-for-playing-monocolor artifacts are out, I am hoping Smelt might be a 1of maindeck answer to the M13 monocolor rings cycle in limited.
Stop regenerating scorpions, hexproof drakes, vigilant mastodons, and trampling centaurs before they outgrow your hastily equipped piker!
I like my 5th picks with a little flavor.
-Instant speed removal negates the spell, they keep their creature, whereas with mind control they would at least have to kill their own creature
Additional Positives:
+Trade one of your guys hanging around with a Pacifism or an Encrust for their primary threat!
... and this one makes number 17, just behind Sleep
Worse than Mind Control because you can't just topdeck it and change the game; you need a creature. Preferably a bad creature.
Easily splashable with only one blue in the casting cost, but that doesn't mean as much when it's a 5cc sorcery.
Still an excellent 1st round pick at uncommon, 2nd only to Sleep and Vampire Nighthawk in the uncommon pool.