Saturday, November 24, 2012

Random card #8: Ravenous Rats

Ravenous Rats

This card was printed for the first time in Urza's Destiny. It's a small creature with a 'comes into play ability', something that was quite new at the time, because it was first introduced in Visions about one year before.

'Comes into play' abilities in term of design allows designer to create a lot of different creature and make the game simpler because after the first turn, this type of creatures are just 'vanilla' creature. It make them more appealing. Otherwise, will you play a 1/1 for 2 ?

It's an efficient card, you will be able to discard a card from your opponent most of the time since you can play it early. And it's a rat, you can play it in a tribal deck with rats. You can also play him with rats with the ninjitsu ability. And then play it again. 

There are many ways to efficiently get him back into your hand. One of them is to play with Skull Collector from Saviors of Kamigawa. Get it back every upkeep and annoy your opponent! It won't cost you too much, just 2 mana per turn. This expansion featured a 'card in hand' matters theme, because in Kamigawa block, many abilities worked well with a lot of card in hand, or made you with cards in hand (ninjutsu, soulshift, splice into arcane...).

It looks like a 'staple card' of Magic, a card that had been reprinted many times, because it's a simple, clear  card and with a good effect.

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Friday, November 16, 2012

Resources: Red X spells and RG X spells

Red is the king for X spells, since Alpha, there were Disintegrate, Fireball and Earthquake!

FireballApocalypse Hydra

But Hydra creatures had been moved out of red to green. Most of its X spells is a way to deal damages, either by targeting creatures or player or by dealing damages to each of them!
So here is a list of spells with an X cost in their casting cost and/or their abilities.

You'll also find RG spells with an X cost. There are just two of them!

There's also a spell with a really weird cost that comes from Unglued.

The Ultimate Nightmare of Wizards of the Coast Customer ServiceRock Hydra

Non creature spells

XR

Balduvian Rage
Banefire
Blaze
Demonfire
Detonate
Devil's Play
Disintegrate
Dwarven Catapult
Earthquake
Enrage
Fireball
Flaming Gambit
Ghitu Fire
Heat Ray
Illuminate
Kaervek's Torch
Lava Burst
Meltdown
Outmaneuver
Red Sun's Zenith
Rock Slide
Rolling Earthquake
Scorched Earth
Street Spasm
Timecrafting
Wave of Indifference

XRR

Blazing Shoal
Comet Storm
Fanning the Flames
Fault Line
Firecat Blitz
Magmaquake
Molten Disaster
Rolling Thunder
Starstorm
Tectonic Break
Titan's Revenge
Volcanic Geyser

XRRR
Unwilling Recruit

XYZRR
The Ultimate Nightmare of Wizards of the Coast(R) Customer Service

Creature spells

Balduvian Hydra
Lightning Serpent
Rock Hydra
Volcano Hellion

RG Spells
Apocalypse Hydra
Savage Twister

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Saturday, November 10, 2012

Resources: Green X spells

This is a resource for green X spells that should be really helpful. These spells all have X somewhere, either in their casting cost or in their abilities.

Helix PinnacleCorrosive Gale

Green X spells can be divided into many categories: non creature spells that feature many hurricane type spells (they help you deal X damages to each flying creature) or spells that let you create a creature token or spells that help you boost your creature and creatures with their size which depends of the amount of mana spent for X. Most of these creatures are of the type 'hydra'.

Chord of CallingPrimordial Hydra

Non creature spells

G
Helix Pinnacle

X{Phi}G
Corrosive Gale

XG

Choking Vines
Enshrined Memories
Green Sun's Zenith
Hurricane
Mana Bloom
Molder
New Frontiers
Serene Sunset
Slime Molding
Stream of Life
Thrive
Tropical Storm
Untamed Might
Windstorm
Winter Blast
Wurmcalling

XGG

Borrowing the East Wind
Flock of Rabid Sheep
Nourishing Shoal
Squall Line
Strength of the Tajuru
Weird Harvest

X2G
Tribal Unity

XGGG
Chord of Calling
Genesis Wave

XXG
Gelatinous Genesis

Creature spells

G
Magus of the Candelabra

XG
Feral Hydra
Ivy Elemental

XGG
Primordial Hydra
Krakilin

3G
Fungal Behemoth

3GG
Silklash Spider

4GG
Verdeloth the Ancient

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