MTG Salvation

I find cubes get less interesting when people don't favor the strategies that wild mongrel feels good in.

Although Wild Mongrel does support some fringe strategies, I think he's great because he also fits just fine into any aggressive green deck. He's still a bear that can turn useless lands and spells into extra damage.

Wild Mongrel is the kind of card I love in my cube. It pushes a few archetypes, while being playable in a bunch more. Broad cards that can be narrow are awesome.

What are people thoughts on this guy now? I took him out several months ago but am starting to consider adding him in again (BG reanimator needs a little boost and I'm also putting in Deathrite Shaman in the next update).

Still just as good and just as important as ever.

I still find this creature making our decks and doing good work. Not just for the reanimator decks, where it's another playable outlet, but for aggressive decks in general. It's not uncuttable but I'm not looking to dispose of it any time soon unless we get a strict upgrade.

I've cut Wild Mongrel recently and then more recently added it back in. I like having more discard outlets in green for the Golgari reanimator decks that don't splash other colors.

It's okay. If I supported green aggro, I'd definitely like it more than I do now.

Solid card is solid. No thoughts of cutting him from my cube unless we get a strict upgrade.

In black green reanimator lotleth troll is a strict upgrade.

Quote from TorontoJock »

In black green reanimator lotleth troll is a strict upgrade.

Several things here:

Outside of BG, you can still play Mongrel, unlike the Troll. Plus, it's still not a "strict upgrade" considering Troll can't pitch noncreature cards, and can't change colors to circumvent protections.

And even if we did get a strict upgrade at some point, any deck that wants one pretty much wants both. Soldier of the Pantheon is a damn-near a strict upgrade to Savannah Lions, but that doesn't mean you should cut the Lions.

We don't play him anymore and don't really miss him. Unfortunately he was very underwhelming for us back when we use to, which sucks because Wild Mongrel has a special place in my heart as a card from my childhood.

Green doesn't have enough Reanimator enablers IMO, I find he's sorely needed in those B/G decks. He's also awesome with Berserk. The number of games I won enacting that exact strategy probably makes me biased towards keeping him for the time being.

The recent power creep is slowly pushing him to an outside-looking-in scenario though. Creatures are just better now. Even ITT it seems like a split opinion, half the people not missing his absence, the other half keeping him as either a relic of old times or as a crutch for green reanimator. Which is unfortunate. I've nothing but fond recollections of him.

What do people think these days? I still don’t think anything has taken its place so it remains in my cube but some sort of upgrade discard outlet in green would be nice.

Quote from ernesto »

What do people think these days? I still don’t think anything has taken its place so it remains in my cube but some sort of upgrade discard outlet in green would be nice.

Noose Constrictor is the upgrade Wild Mongrel.

Is it though? I've found that the color-shifting is more valuable than the reach. I'm rarely ever blocking, and getting around protections and terrors has been more impactful I think.

plus the artwork is better than the snake

Quote from ernesto »

What do people think these days? I still don’t think anything has taken its place so it remains in my cube but some sort of upgrade discard outlet in green would be nice.

While I had considered cutting him in the past, nowadays I genuinely want more cards like Mongrel. With some recent releases, I think BRG loam decks are starting to become really interesting.