I thought there would be plenty of talk about this guy already but I saw he had no thread. Is this guy just way worse than I think? He seems miles better than the two other 1R dudes that are in M19 and have threads. A bear with two upsides can't be too awful. I like that it supports GY shenanigans and gives non-aggro red decks a cheap tool to play with. I'd rather have this than any of the filler 1R beaters in my cube. Thoughts?
He’s kind of interesting in that unlike a lot of cards like this, it’s often going to be unclear what mode you want to be using, and I already sense that too many people are going to try to activate this every turn early on instead of getting in free attacks. It’s almost like a Charm in that sense, and I think overall there’s enough flexibility for this to get there. I personally love designs like this with a lot of internal tension.
I want to like the guy, but he seems too general-use. 2/2 for 1R isn't good. 1R to then pay R to rummage is kind of a poor alternative to other options (e.g. Faithless Looting). Having the option to sac and overpay for a Flame Slash doesn't particularly excite me. (edit: although I guess it's instant speed here so maybe that's not 100% correct comparison, but, nevertheless I don't really feel excited by it).
Basically I think anybody who wants something out of this guy will probably be better served by a more specialized card. That he offers options is neat, but I don't know where this card thrives.
I think he would do well in a reanimator deck. He could also provide late game reach for any non-blue deck. The R to rummage is too bad but knowing that this guy well eventually trade for a card must feel pretty good. I've been looking hard for more discard outlets in red (cough bloodrage brawler cough) so I definitely think this guy is worth a test.
I like the flexibility. It can be a 2-power beater when the coast is clear, it can filter out excess lands to dig for gas, and it can be cashed in as a removal spell if necessary. Plus, it helps support graveyard strategies. I might very well test this out and see how it does.
I love my red discard outlets (especially since readding Anger) and this is an interesting one. I agree with what wtwlf said above. Red can stall out against 4 toughness quite often and it can dig you answers for other problem permanents as well. I might give this a whirl too.
I also thought "too slow"... definitly wouldn't play it in red agro. But i'd deifnitely play it in any red deck trying to reanimate stuff, and maybe some artifact decks? I really dislike paying mana for the rummaging effect, but maybe when you combine the utility of a removal spell AND a 2/2 body with tradtional looters, it becomes worth it? It certainly does a lot for 2 mana.
probably worth a test because it's so unique , but I'd give it a very low chance of sticking.
Even in Red aggro this guy could do work. All three of his modes, (bear, card quality, removal) are useful in aggro decks and the flexibility is nice. At first I didn't really dig this card but the more I think about it the more I feel like he'll play better than he looks. I'll be trying this out for sure.
This seems to have a lot of support for testing. I do like cards that are interesting, but I worry that none of the modes are going to be good enough to get this to a maindeck. I'm not sure I'd be excited to run this over, say, Borderland Marauder in an aggro deck. He might have a home in recursion decks, especially those that want to get artifacts into the grave... but I'm not sure that's enough for a slot.
it was just fine for us, but we cut it for being a bit too clunky and slow
loved that set of abilities, but I think maybe were just too expensive to make the flexibility worthwhile
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Good but not great. It's a useable discard outlet and a splashable 2/2 for 2. Plus, it can randomly kill creatures outside of Bolt range. But it's not amazing, it's just okay. The more things red does for you that are graveyard-related, the more valuable of an inclusion he'll be. If all your group plays is red aggro, this card's pretty bad.
I've already cut it. I really want some non-aggro red two drops. But non-aggro decks that play red are usually not heavy in red, and eating your often sole red mana source every turn is tough.
I still run it but agree with the consensus. I keep it over another aggro 2-drop because it performs different roles, but I'm keeping an eye out for a replacement as new sets are released.
I think this is a card I'm slowing coming around to.
A 2 mana 2/2 isn't great, but I'm surprised as how serviceable it is at pressuring walkers/ life total, protecting your own walkers, and trading with aggressive creatures.
I been pleasantly surprised at how good these random bodies from utility creatures are.
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Dismissive Pyromancer was average at best in my experience. It had massive 23rd-24th card syndrome, and no deck truly wanted it besides Reanimator desperate for discard outlets. I can see it for larger cubes, but Cathartic Pyre is a lot better as the filler discard outlet / removal spell.
Dismissive Pyromancer was average at best in my experience. It had massive 23rd-24th card syndrome, and no deck truly wanted it besides Reanimator desperate for discard outlets. I can see it for larger cubes, but Cathartic Pyre is a lot better as the filler discard outlet / removal spell.
Its decent but never great.
However, I could see myself playing him in pretty much any red deck - Lands, Reanimator, Storm, Artifacts, Wildfire, Ramp, Aggro etc. The 2 power is good at pressuring early walkers/ trading with aggressive creatures/ protecting your own planeswalkers.
It does suffer from the 23-24th card syndrome, but my recent concern has always been short on playables/ enablers.
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No idea what size range I’d be looking at though.
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Basically I think anybody who wants something out of this guy will probably be better served by a more specialized card. That he offers options is neat, but I don't know where this card thrives.
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probably worth a test because it's so unique , but I'd give it a very low chance of sticking.
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Might just make the swap to test this out.
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loved that set of abilities, but I think maybe were just too expensive to make the flexibility worthwhile
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A 2 mana 2/2 isn't great, but I'm surprised as how serviceable it is at pressuring walkers/ life total, protecting your own walkers, and trading with aggressive creatures.
I been pleasantly surprised at how good these random bodies from utility creatures are.
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Its decent but never great.
However, I could see myself playing him in pretty much any red deck - Lands, Reanimator, Storm, Artifacts, Wildfire, Ramp, Aggro etc. The 2 power is good at pressuring early walkers/ trading with aggressive creatures/ protecting your own planeswalkers.
It does suffer from the 23-24th card syndrome, but my recent concern has always been short on playables/ enablers.
Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Here are some other articles I've written about fine tuning your cube:
1. Minimum Archetype Support
2. Improving Green Archetypes
3. Improving White Archetypes
4. Matchup Analysis
5. Cube Combos (Work in Progress)
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