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Editor: Rebecca Mitchell. Thursday 17 February 2003.
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Legions Limited Review - Red
By Dan Turner The first 3 installments in this series can be found here: Green, White, Blue and Black.
Well, it has been a long time in the writing but other factors beyond my control (such as working, moving house, war and a social life) have taken over the driver's seat, so to speak. I had half written this review before all of those things happened so it took a fair amount of willpower and motivation to finish the job but don't despair fellow magic readers as I have not completely lost my faith. I am really looking forward to playing in the grinders at Nationals in a few weeks time... but that's another story. The red cards in Onslaught were so powerful and deep that they could often sustain 3 drafters in a row. Legions on the other hand is a different barrel of fish and the quality of commons is terrible. Skirk Marauder is red's saving grace, whilst Flamewave Invoker and Crested Craghorn are the only other salvageable cards from the common crapheap in Legions. Commons aside, there are a few good uncommons, such as the new Orcish Lumberjack (Goblin Clearcutter), Gempalm Incinerator and the costly Goblin Dynamo. On the rare front red receives 2 playable dragons (as if they wouldn't be!), a hefty double hitter in Rockshard Elemental and a slither, which isn't a sliver, that has an appetite for goblins. Overall, red is pretty weak but if you take the last set into consideration it evens out in the long run. Good luck to everyone at Nats and I will probably end up writing a report about my experiences in the nation's capital. Until next time... Blade Sliver In a set where the 2/2 creature is king, a 3/2 doesn't really make that much difference. If the Blade Sliver was a 2/3 then it would be a completely different story and colour. I don't want to pick this early and neither should you, a mid range pick, 7th to 10th. Bloodstoke Howler Frankly the Howler sucks. The chances are you will be playing this beast just to make up the numbers as its ability is woeful. A late pick as a result, 12th to 15th. Clickslither In theory the Clickslither is good but 3 red mana is a tall order, especially if you want to play it on the 4th turn. I have seen this card picked first many a time but I would take a Skirk Marauder over this every time. It is ideally suited to a quick R/B deck full of goblins as most of the draft picks in Onslaught will be dedicated to removal. An early draft, 2nd or 3rd. Crested Craghorn Red is so weak in Legions that this card ranks as one of the better commons. Provoke and Haste make a nasty combo but it's the 1 toughness that's the Craghorn's Achilles' heel. At the end of the day it is removal and will more often than not take down a Gustcloak Harrier, Severed Legion or a big green beastie. An early to mid range pick which should be a mid to late pick (if that makes sense), around 3rd to 5th. Flamewave Invoker Over the past few weeks I have come to realise (and appreciate) that the Invokers are the bomb in Legions. Once you reach 8 mana your opponent had better have a way of dealing with these guys as they will dominate the board. The Flamewave is up there with the Smokespew as best invoker in Legions, and is an early to mid range pick, 4th to 6th. Frenetic Raptor Although the Raptor is one of red's biggest creatures, its ability can be a huge drawback, especially in R/G. Generally speaking, I would like to have the option of blocking with a 6/6 creature the turn I cast it, but hey that's just me. I think the Raptor is mere icing and you should probably be already winning when it hits the table. A mid range pick at best, 7th to 10th. Gempalm Incinerator Well ladies and gentlemen, this is about as good as it gets in the removal stakes in Legions. In fact this is one of the few cards that will give you card advantage. A good foil for a second turn Sparksmith, Gempalm Incinerator is situational removal, which at the very worst can be used to draw a card. An early pick in this set, 2nd or 3rd. Goblin Assassin I must admit I have played Goblin Assassin in draft and it was terrible (as was my deck). My deck was W/R and I was in dire need of creatures and since I already had a few goblins I played this piece of crap. To make things even worse my opponent played a Warbreak Trumpeter (for lots) and single handedly decimated my entire board thanks to the incredibly useful ability of the Assassin. I will never play or draft this card again and neither should you. Goblin Clearcutter 3/3's for 4 mana are always a good deal and the Clearcutter is no exception even if you aren't playing R/G. If you are, this guy is nuts, 8 mana on the fifth turn is pretty good especially when your deck is laden with big beasties waiting to get into the red zone as soon as possible. A solid early to mid range pick, 4th to 6th. Goblin Dynamo Think of the Dynamo as an instant Searing Flesh that can also deal with some of the set's really broken creatures. It's also a Tim to boot that goes a long way towards justifying its heavy mana investment. I would always take this over any of the red commons and is one of the better uncommons in Legions. Goblin Firebug If you ever think about playing this card in a sanctioned tournament give everyone a break and try another card game. Goblin Goon Goblin Goon is one of the power rares for red. If you are playing first the Goon should win you the game providing your opponent doesn't have Pacifism. It's not too shabby if you're drawing either - just be sure to draft as many 2 drops as possible. A first pick. Goblin Grappler Provokers are always good, with the exception of this guy. If you are really lacking in the 1-drop department (which really should never happen) ensure you draft more Goblin Sledders in the future. A late pick, 12th to 15th. Goblin Lookout I had several of these guys played against me at the last PTQ and you know what, I won every single one of those games. This may see some occasional use in sealed but shouldn't end up in a draft deck. Hunter Sliver 2 mana for a 1/1 provoker? I don't think so. The only decent common sliver is the Crupt and even then it won't make the cut of a lot of draft decks. Hunter Sliver is crap and you won't see me playing it. Imperial Hellkite The Imperial Hellkite has to be one of the few creatures that is actually cheaper than its morph cost. Unless your deck has Rorix, Kilnmouth and/or Quicksilver Dragon its ability is useless but 7 mana for a 6/6 flyer is still a good deal, making the Imperial Hellkite a soild first pick. Kilnmouth Dragon Sure the Imperial Hellkite is better but a dragon is a dragon and there are not too many people who would pass the Kilnmouth. If you do happen to have another dragon in your deck things can get interesting but the chances of having both at the right time are low. I would still pick this first though. Lavaborn Muse The Lavaborn is one of the weaker Muses but it is still a useful Hill Giant. It will ensure your opponent plays out any land in the late game, giving an indication of how many tricks are in your opponent's hand. An early to mid range pick, Lavaborn Muse should be taken around 3rd to 5th. Macetail Hystrodon Big, hasty, first striking red beasts are always good but would you pay 7 mana for them? The cycling makes the Hystrodon playable but if it cycled for 2 instead of 3 it would be very good indeed. Good filler if you need it and always a handy sideboard option against fat green beasts. A mid to late range pick as a result, 7th to 10th. Magma Sliver The Magma Sliver is an excellent finisher with Shifting Sliver and also works well in a defensive capacity with Crypt Sliver. It is a good deal at 4 mana and can turn blocking decisions into real nightmares for your opponent. You may need a few other decent slivers to maximise the Magma's potential making it a good early to mid range pick, 2nd to 5th. Ridgetop Raptor Double Strike... I can imagine a lot of thought went into that in R & D. The Raptor's toughness is too fragile for 4 mana and will most often trade with a creature in a double block (as it deals first strike damage then regular damage) or kept off the table by a Sparksmith or similar cheap removal. A late range pick, 8th to 10th. Rockshard Elemental Is this guy really THAT good? In theory he looks pretty good but 6 mana is a lot to unmorph and what are the chances of him actually going through unblocked? Unlikely. However I am an optimist at heart and believe the Rockshard is worthy of a high pick but think about your deck before drafting him. An early pick, especially if you are R/G, 1st or 2nd. Shaleskin Plower The Plower is a little sub-optimal as its morph cost is high and it's the sort of creature players will use if their deck is a bit thin. On the other hand it is useful for dealing with irritating lands, such as Starlit Sanctum, Daru Encampment and the rare Contested Cliffs. Not a bad choice if your opponent dares to play 3 colours either, but still a late range pick, 10th to 13th. Skirk Alarmist This little guy has a lot more potential than most people think, especially in R/G. Most of the time the face down creatures will be going to the graveyard anyway so he's good for taking down large creatures and potentially problematic morphs. Later on he can be used on unblocked face down creatures to take a chunk out of your opponent's life total. An interesting card that may be underdrafted, an early to mid range pick, 4th to 7th. Skirk Drill Sergeant The Drill Sergeant is a playable 2-drop with an ability that can potentially drop some extra pressure on your opponent (imagine flipping over a Goblin Dynamo!). However most of the time it will thin a land out of your deck whilst removing one of your opponent's face down creatures. This guy should come around towards the end of the draft and that is when to take him, 9th to 12th. Skirk Marauder Welcome to the best red common in Legions and it is just behind Timberwatch Elves as the best common in the set. It is just a shame that the rest of the red commons are so sub-par. The Marauder is a quality morph which should always give you card advantage and the fact it can also deal damage to players makes it even better. Only a quality red rare or a Goblin Dynamo would stop me from drafting this first. Skirk Outrider Obviously suited to R/G, the Outrider has the potential to put some serious early pressure on your opponent. These kind of cards will always be passed around the table as it is useless in every other build. If you are going R/G, then you should try and draft at least one of these. An easy late pick, 9th to 12th. Unstable Hulk Any card that has "skip your next turn" on it had better be damn good otherwise it will not see play. Unfortunately, Unstable Hulk falls into that category as its ability is too weak to justify playing it. Nice idea but it is simply not playable, a late pick 12th to 15th. Warbreak Trumpeter The Trumpeter is very similar to green's Broodhatch Nantuko but a lot more mana intensive. These sorts of cards make great ground stallers but can often be replaced by something useful such as cycling. So it looks like the Trumpeter has been relegated to the sideboard along with other "powerhouses" such as Shaleskin Plower, Bloodstoke Howler and the like. A late pick, 9th to 12th.
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