MTG Salvation

Wolf-Skull Shaman: What do you think?

Obviously, this guy is great in tribal cubes, as are most of the Kinship guys. However, I personally feel that Wolf-Skull Shaman: might be strong enough to stand alone. "Alone?" you say. "But it's just a Grizzly Bears alone!" True, but even in an unsupported situation (such as a normal cube), I think you might be surprised at how many creatures would trigger the Kinship ability - immediately providing value and a unique effect from a green two-drop. Everybody's cube has plenty of elves (Llanowar Elves, Fyndhorn Elves, Elvish Mystic, Elves of Deep Shadow, Joraga Treespeaker, Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary, Fauna Shaman, Deathrite Shaman, Bloodbraid Elf, etc...). That is well known. However, this guy has a second creature type - Shaman! Counting the number of creatures in your cube that are coincidentally shamans (Ulvenwald Tracker, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Skinshifter, Eternal Witness, Troll Ascetic, Chameleon Colossus, Master of the Wild Hunt, Thrun, the Last Troll, Woodfall Primus to name a few of the more popular green ones, though red, black, multi-color, and even white have shamans), and adding that number to the non-shaman elves might surprise you. I'm betting it's between five and ten percent of your cube (my own cube is at 7.6%).

Anyway, I feel Wolf-Skull Shaman should be considered more as a stand-alone green two-drop; as it stands, people are probably looking at the Kinship ability and immediately ruling it out. In a green, green-red, or green-black aggro/midrange deck this guy could provide a lot of value without really trying to draft too many elves or shamans.

Not a fan. The cube decks that I draft with elves have no interest in playing bears that may make a wolf. The floor is too low/boring for me to consider this card, and the ceiling is extremely unexciting/low as well.

I would say something like Mayor of Avabruck has more upside.

Quote from Torggo

I would say something like Mayor of Avabruck has more upside.

I agree that it plays similarly to Mayor of Avabruck, Jade Mage, Imperious Perfect, Young Pyromancer, Precinct Captain, etc... Many of those cards see play in cubes - or at least are discussed as "potentially playable" - but this does not. It's a possible card advantage generator that you don't have to dump a single mana into on a reasonable costed body.

Too inconsistent and I doubt there are enough elves/shaman to turn him on reliably in cube. Four of the cards you list that turn him on I don't run. Even if the cube has 10% elves/shaman, how many did you draft? How many were even in that draft (My whole cube is never drafted). I think Mayor is superior and even that card is only on the cusp of inclusion in my 500 card cube.

Cheers,
rant

If this somehow gave the token if I had ever drawn an Elf or a Shaman, that might be one thing. This needs it to be the exact card that's on the top of your deck.

Even if all my creatures were elf/shaman, which they won't be, it could still be a land, or an enchantment, or a sorcery.

An old favorite from my all-time favorite limited block, but not good enough for traditional cube. Green has a wide variety of much better 2-drops.

Green 2 drop are very hard to break into. They have a lot of great card.

Less consistent than the other cheap token producers in green unless you have a major tribal theme going on.

Of all the creature types, elves and humans are the most supportable I think for kinship. But I agree with the others. I don't think you can push it enough giving up a slot for this guy without running other bad cards and forcing tribal. It's too bad too, because I love Elves.

Id say test it out though. Sometimes stuff works better in practice than on paper. After all, this card can be sort of combo'd with Sylvan Library.