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Editor: Audrey C Quan. Wednesday 16 October 2002.
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Onslaught Limited Review - Red
Red has always prided itself on cheap, expendable creatures, efficient burn and the odd Dragon here and there. Onslaught provides the red mage with all of this, including a 7/1 hasted trampler for 4 mana, an enchantment that creates 5/5 dragon tokens and a pro red goblin that can deal 10 damage to creatures and players.
Continuing the tribal theme in Onslaught, red has 16 goblins (most of them are common) with a vast multitude of abilities and casting costs ranging from the lowly Goblin Sledder to the lethal Skirk Fire Marshal.
There are also 2 pinger creatures within the goblin ranks that shall see a lot of limited play and an enchantment that has the potential to deal 2 damage to any creature.
Next week, I will be looking at white, so until then keep playing them cards.
Dan
Aether Charge 4R
Aether Charge is only really playable in R/G decks. If you can play this on the 4th turn and cast a beast on the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th turns, the game is in the bag. For extra style points you need to play a Wirewood Savage on turn 3!
This card will go around the table or to the nearest R/G player, a mid to late range pick as a result, 7th to 12th.
Aggravated Assault 2R
Like Gratuitous Violence, Mana Echoes and Risky Move, Aggravated Assault is one of those red enchantments that my look playable initially but after actually reading the card you realize it is total crap.
An extra attack phase would be nice but you should be able to win with the creatures on the table. Take a card with power and toughness instead, a late pick, 12th to 15th.
Airdrop Condor 4R
5 mana is a lot for a 2/2 flyer (take a look at Screaming Seahawk) but it does have an ability, which, if played correctly can give you some serious card advantage. Goblin Taskmaster looks like the obvious candidate here but it also combos well with Goblin Machinist, Goblin Pyromancer, and Spitfire Handler.
The condor is still not worthy of an early pick in my opinion as you will need to have some of the decent uncommon/rare goblins already. A mid range pick, you should take Airdrop Condor around 6th to 8th.
Avarax 3RR
Chances are you won't be searching for another one of these guys as the Avarax is an uncommon. Suited to an aggressive R/G deck where he can be played on the 3rd or 4th turn, Avarax should be able to take down any of the large beasts in Onslaught. An early to mid range pick, 4th to 7th.
Battering Craghorn 2RR
Ah, the Halberdier of Onslaught. It is a good idea to memorise the common morph creatures (and their morph costs) in this set as they will crop up a lot, especially Battering Craghorn as it has first strike. It seems to be good against any colour except white which as 2 common morphs that can easily handle it in the form of Gravel Slinger and Daru Lancer. A mid range pick, 6th to 9th.
Blistering Firecat is the closest thing red has had to a Ball Lightning in a very long time. It is quite possibly one of the best red cards in the set as it is cheap to cast and/or morph. Low toughness makes it easy to get rid of so watch out for creatures like Embermage Goblin and Sparksmith.
The firecat is best played at its normal casting cost to take advantage of haste and preferably when your opponent is tapped out. A high pick, Blistering Firecat should be drafted 1st or 2nd.
Break Open 1R
This card is really horrible as you don't want to cast it on your own creatures and it is very risky casting it on your opponents. Backslide is much better than this because it has cycling and will often result in card advantage, whilst Break Open won't. A late pick and a bad card, 12th to 15th.
Brightstone Ritual R
It is interesting to see that red is starting to receive mana producing cards in Onslaught (Mana Echoes, Skirk Prospector and Brightstone Ritual) as this was once in green's domain.
In limited, instant speed mana acceleration which is dependent on permanents should be avoided as you would much rather prefer a creature which could do the same thing (even if you do not generate as much mana). Brightstone Ritual takes its place in the chaff division, 12th to 15th.
Butcher Orgg 4RRR
Finally a Orgg that is worth playing with! Historically all of the Orggs have been pretty crap (especially the Soulgorger Orgg from Judgement). This guy is a real beating as it can divide it's combat damage in attack or in defense, making it a must deal with creature.
7 mana is a lot, but the Butcher Orgg is well worth it and is best suited to a R/G deck that can wheel him out a couple of turns earlier. An early pick, 1st to 3rd.
Chain of Plasma 1R
This my favourite of the chain cards because there will be times when your opponent has no cards (or good cards) in hand so they can't/won't copy the spell. Therefore it is really only suited to the late game and you should always keep a few land in hand in case your opponent continues the chain. An early pick, 3rd to 5th.
Charging Slateback 4R
There is nothing special about the Charging Slateback and is definitely a filler card if you are lacking creatures. The only archetype where this would be any good is a B/R deck with a lot of removal and even then there are better creatures to choose from. The fact it has morph is it's saving grace and will see some draft play because of this. A mid to late range pick 8th to 10th.
Commando Raid 2R
Commando Raid is a handy combat trick that is useful for picking off utility creatures (like Daru Healer, Riptide Biologist, etc) and the odd morph or two. Be careful which creature you play this on as your opponent will have removal, so don't cast it on your biggest/best creature unless you really have to.
Red does have some good removal spells in the set but like Threaten, Commando Raid is a nice trick to draft, a mid range pick, 5th to 8th.
Crown of Fury 1R
Crown of Fury may not be the best crown in Onslaught but it does have its uses. It can be played on your face down creatures on the 4th turn to ensure they get through and is especially good on a Skirk Commando to wipe out any 2 toughness or less creature.
With all of the goblins at red's disposal it seems a waste to not cast it on one of the little buggers as late in the game you will have a horde of first striking anklebiters. A mid to late range pick, Crown of Fury should be drafted around 9th to 12th.
Custody Battle 1R
These sorts of card are great at stunting mana bases, especially if your deck only needs 3 or 4 mana to run efficiently. Custody Battle works well in a weenie swarm deck, whether it be goblins, elves or soldiers.
The fact is a creature enchantment does lower its draftability a little bit, but still an interesting card that will see some play. A midrange pick, 7th to 9th.
Dragon Roost 4RR
Is 11 mana too much for a dragon? Is this card worth playing with at all in draft? To tell you the truth, I don't really know the answer to that but the idea of being able to create 5/5 dragon tokens each turn is a lot of fun. It is the casting cost which really hurts though and should be played in a deck with mana acceleration (ie. R/G). Dragon Roost is a tough pick but it has to be drafted early, a 2nd to 4th pick.
Dwarven Blastminer 1R
Dwarven Blastminer is much better than the Pardic Miner from Odyssey and he has morph as well! There are plenty of nasty lands in this set such as Contested Cliffs, Riptide Laboratory, Starlit Sanctum and Unholy Grotto, which warrant playing the Blastminer in the sideboard.
If you are light on creatures this guy could be played maindeck at a pinch (purely as a facedown creature), and is a mid to late range pick, 8th to 12th.
Embermage Goblin 3R
Embermage Goblin has been pushed out of the spotlight by his cheaper, more common cousin, Sparksmith. Don't get me wrong the Embermage is still quite good but the Sparksmith is cheaper and can handle bigger creatures with ease.
That being said, the Embermage Goblin is an early to mid range pick, 4th to 6th, but I would take the Sparksmith over him.
This card can be very good or very bad depending upon what is in your deck. Generally speaking you want to do at least 2 damage with Erratic Explosion as this handles most of the common flyers and/or facedown creatures. There are better removal spells out there for the red mage and this card should only really be drafted if you missed out on the Solar Blasts, Pinpoint Avalanches and Shocks. A mid to late range pick depending on your removal base, 6th to 10th.
Fever Charm R
This is definitely one of the weaker charms, as there is only 1 ability you really want here. There are plenty of annoying wizards around to warrant drafting this as a sideboard card and is a late draft pick as a result, 12th to 15th.
Flamestick Courier 2R
I don't know about you but I'm not really a fan of haste on goblins (unless it is a Sparksmith) as they have a tendency to die very quickly. Flamestick Courier (and other goblin related cards) also forces you to play with goblins you wouldn't touch with a barge pole, (such as Goblin Sky Raider and Skirk Prospector), so be careful when you draft this sort of card. A mid to late range pick, 7th to 12th.
Goblin Machinist 4R
The toughest goblin in Onslaught also has the most random ability. Defensive in nature the Goblin Machinist can be quite powerful as he can be activated multiple times and is good for arranging land on the bottom of your library. I'm not quite sure how good this guy actually is so I will sit on the fence and assign him a mid range pick, 6th to 8th.
Goblin Piledriver 1R
"Protection from blue" has to be one of the best phrases in magic along with "this spell cannot be countered". With red receiving 16 goblins in Onslaught (half of these are common), the Piledriver should always receive this bonus when it attacks. This works well with the Goblin Sledder and the taskmaster so they can keep him alive after damage has been put on the stack.
He is rare and will not crop up that often and is worthy of a mid range pick (he is just a goblin!), 6th to 8th.
Goblin Pyromancer 3R
Like the Piledriver, Goblin Pyromancer is reliant upon the number of goblins in play and is kind of like a mini overrun. This strategy relies on drafting a lot of sub par goblins though and it is often not a good idea to base your whole deck around 1 card. The fact he destroys ALL goblins is worth considering even if you don't have any goblins as he can be used to decimate all of your opponent's. A late pick as he is too situational, 10th to 12th.
Goblin Sharpshooter 2R
This goblin is too slow, even though you could potentially untap him multiple times a turn. I'm trying to rack my brains finding a combo with this guy to deal unlimited damage to your opponent but sadly I can't think of one. Pass this guy up and let someone else work it out. A late pick, 12th to 15th.
Goblin Sky Raider 2R
Yuck! I don't like this guy at all and would only play it if I was really desperate for creatures (or had something crazy like the Skirk Fire Marshall) . He only seems good at stopping 1 toughness flyers ( ie. Mistform Dreamer), unless you enchant him with Crown of Fury, Vigour and/or Suspicion and even then it only takes a cheap removal spell to take him out. A late pick, 10th to 12th.
Goblin Sledder R
1 casting cost goblins with a useful ability, this is exactly what you expect from red! The fact you can sacrifice this guy straight away is a plus and you will often get 2 for 1 if played correctly. A perfectly good 1 drop for a red mage, Goblin Sledder is actually a solid mid range pick, 6th to 9th.
Goblin Taskmaster R
I think that the Goblin Taskmaster is one of the better common goblins in the set, along with Sparkmage, Skirk Commando and Goblin Sledder (and black's Festering Goblin). Even if you have no goblins in play you can play him face down and trade with other pre-morphed creatures. Your opponent will often do this, especially if they know you have Skirk Commando.
Cheap to cast and cheap to morph, the taskmaster works well with all of the tribal cards making him a mid range draft pick, 7th to 9th.
Grand Melee 3R
Grand Melee is a cut above the rest of the janky red enchantments in the set as it does have some strategic uses. Best played when your opponent has assembled a bunch of tricky creatures that don't have a tap ability (flyers, face down creatures, irritating wizards, etc), Grand Melee will grant you massive card advantage, especially if you are playing fat green beasts, ie. R/G. From then on the game becomes a race so don't play any fragile creatures, just fat.
I think this is worthy of an early draft pick as it is a game winner. Not broken, just good, 3rd to 5th.
Gratuitous Violence 2RRR
We have seen these sorts of cards before, anyone remember Furnace of Rath? Gratuitous Violence still retains it's red janky enchantment club membership but it will crop up in draft decks from time to time and you want to be prepared for it. These kind of cards are good examples to run enchantment removal main deck as they are curveballs from leftfield which will often win games.
This is obviously good with trampling creatures, suiting a R/G build (surprise, surprise!) but it does cost 5 mana (including 3 red) so you may need to tweak your mountain count. A mid to late range pick, 7th to 12th.
Insurrection 5RRR
Another triple red spell, Insurrection may be 8 mana but it will win you the game. Period, no question asked, thanks for coming. Sure 8 mana is a lot but with a couple of elves in play it is feasible to win on the 6th turn with this card.
I had this at the prerelease (my deck was R/G) and every time I could cast it, I won. As for draft purposes, it really needs to be played in a R/G deck, but it is a high pick nonetheless, 2nd or 3rd.
Kaboom! 4R
This is obviously suited to multi player games and will probably not see that much play in draft as it is a rare. It only can target players so you are better off with Erratic Explosion in that respect, but a Fireball it isn't. A late pick, 12th to 15th.
Lavamancer's Skill 1R
This card works really well in U/R, imagine 1st turn Imagecrafter, 2nd turn Lavamancer's Skill! That will shut down any face down creatures, Sparksmiths, flyers, etc. Being a creature enchantment makes it susceptible to the myriad of removal spells out there but it is one of the better common creature enchantments in the set. An early to mid range pick, 4th to 7th.
Lay Waste 3R
Lay Waste makes a welcome return in Onslaught where it fits right in with cycling. Three colour decks (and nasty nonbasics) will crop up in this format so this will never be a dead card in my opinion. Better suited to the sideboard, Lay Waste is a card that you want late in the pack, 10th to 15th.
Lightning Rift 1R
I can't say I'm too impressed with this or any of the other cycling dependant enchantments. They rely too heavily on both players having these cards (and the fact you need to have it in play at the right time!), making Lightning Rift a late pick in my opinion, 10th to 12th.
Mana Echoes 2RR
I really can't be bothered going into this as it looks like a waste of cardboard. Surely you would want a creature over this every time? A late pick, 12th to 15th.
Menacing Ogre 3RR
Menacing Ogre is not that bad contrary to what you might think. At the very worst you get a 3/3 hasted trampler for 5 mana and you opponent loses up to 4 life. If you win the life war then things get better and the Ogre can start swinging straight away. An early pick, 3rd to 5th.
Nosy Goblin 2R
Ah, the perfect foil for all those irritating morph creatures, the Nosy Goblin will often trade 2 for 1 unless your opponent is willing to waste removal on it. He is fairly fragile at 3 mana so try not to draft too many of these as you want beefier creatures. A handy goblin that will always see draft play take the Nosy Goblin 6th to 9th.
Pinpoint Avalanche 3RR
A lot of people have told me they don't like this because it is too expensive. Removal is a scarce commodity in Onslaught and you should try to get as much as possible even if it means taking it over a good creature in your colours. Pinpoint Avalanche is an early draft pick, behind Solar Blast and Shock, 3rd to 5th.
Reckless One 3R
Reckless One is one of the weaker avatars as haste is not that exciting. Granted if there are a lot of Goblins on the table this guy makes great surprise value but other than that, it is nothing to get excited about. A mid range pick, 6th to 9th.
Risky Move 3RRR
Welcome to club janky, please leave your brain at the door. If you were wondering what one of the worst cards in Onslaught was, then this is up there as a major contender. This should be the last card in the booster, 15th.
Okay, I think this guy is better than Blistering Firecat for a number of reasons (the big one is flying). He is great surprise value and will often win the game within 2 turns of being cast. Never mind the fact he costs 6 mana, as you should always be able to reach this in the late game and Rorix will always guarantee the truckie slump from your opponent. A first pick without a doubt.
Searing Flesh 6R
Searing Flesh is good because there is not a lot of burn in Onslaught but it is also bad as it does cost 7 mana and sometimes you would want it to target creatures. So do you play it? It depends on the amount of removal you already have in your deck. Generally speaking if I had 4 decent removal spells I would consider playing it otherwise I wouldn't bother. A tough draft call as well, Searing Flesh is a mid range pick, 5th to 7th.
Shaleskin Bruiser 6R
This has to be the most ridiculous overcosted creature in the set in my opinion. Even if you had a whole herd of beasts I'm not sure if I would play this guy. I may be wrong here but 7 mana is a lot for a 4/4 trampler that doesn't even have morph. A mid to late pick as someone will like this, 9th to 12th.
Shock R
Cheap instant removal - that is what this card is all about. A very handy spell that should be picked early,1st to 3rd.
Skirk Commando 1RR
I think this is the best common morph creature for red, which your opponent cannot afford to let through. It gets even better when you can enchant him with a Crown of Fury or Ascension so you can go to town on your opponent's creatures. An early to mid range pick, 4th to 7th.
Skirk Fire Marshal 3RR
There is something about this guy I like and I can't quite put my finger on it. If there was only a card like Goblin Scouts in Onslaught (or anything similar which generated multiple goblins) he would be especially nasty.
All of the lords have very powerful abilities and in the fire marshal's case, a game winning ability. The fact he has pro-red makes him a good draft choice so if you pick him start, loading up on goblins. An early to mid range pick, 3rd to 5th.
Skirk Prospector R
Like the Goblin Sky raider, Skirk Prospector is definitely a card you don't want to play with if you can help it. He may be useful if you have the Skirk Fire Marshal and/or the Goblin Pyromancer but otherwise don't even think about it. A late pick, 12th to 15th.
Skittish Valesk 6R
I really, really dislike coin flip cards and Skittish Valesk is no exception. There are so many other big beasts out there for 7 mana which don't rely on coin flips so try and draft those instead. A late pick, 10th to 12th.
Slice and Dice 4RR
Slice and Dice and Starstorm are the only 2 mass removal spells for red (with the exception of the Skirk Fire Marshal) and they both have cycling! This card should see off most of the annoying creatures out there (with the exception of Exalted Angel) and it's cycling ability will also come in quite handy. This suits any deck archetype and should be drafted early as a result. A very good card, a 1st or 2nd pick.
Snapping Thragg 4R
Although it is quite expensive, Snapping Thragg will find it's way into most R/G builds where it can be played for it's morph cost. Another beast in the ranks..4th to 6th.
Solar Blast 3R
Solar Blast is up there with Shock as one of the best common removal spells for red. The fact it can cycle for RR1 makes it great in the early game if you are looking for that 4th land and is handy for dealing with Sparksmiths, Birchlore Rangers and the like.
It can be splashed quite easily if your deck is lacking removal but you won't be paying the cycling cost in a hurry. A good burn spell, Solar Blast should be taken early, 1st to 3rd.
Could this be the best common creature for red? I think the Sparksmith beats out the Skirk Commando for this slot as it costs just 2 mana. He is good in U/R with the mistform creatures and/or Imagecrafter and should be able to deal out enough damage to handle any of the threats on the table. One thing to remember with this guy is that if the damage to the creature is prevented, then you do not take any damage from the Sparksmith.
You should look at drafting a couple of these little guys making the Sparksmith an early to mid range pick in my opinion, 3rd to 6th.
Spitfire Handler 1R
Spitfire Handler is a perfectly good goblin that will punish your opponent if they happen to languish on 2 mana. A capable blocker in the late game the handler also combos nicely with the Airdrop Condor and/or Goblin Piledriver. A mid range pick, 6th to 9th.
Spurred Wolverine 4R
Spurred Wolverine, like many of the other red cards in Onslaught fits nicely into a R/G deck. He can be tapped himself the turn he is cast, making him a useful blocker. He has to be dealt with via removal, as creature enchantments will not negate his ability, an early to midrange pick, 4th to 6th.
It is definitely close between this and Rorix for best red card in Onslaught, but I think Starstorm just edges this out. Mass removal is hard to find in this set and Starstorm gives any of the other contenders a run for it's money.
As it costs 2 red mana it is hard to splash but seriously worth considering if you open this late in the draft. A first pick without a doubt Starstorm is the caliber of card that every red mage wants in their deck.
Tephraderm 4R
Tephraderm is the best beast for red with an ability that will surely give your opponent a headache as it is capable of destroying any creature that blocks or is blocked by it.
Creature enchantments (Sandskin, Pacifism) are the only ways to stop the Tephraderm (except for removal of course), which makes this a solid creature in any draft deck. An early pick, 2nd to 5th.
Thoughtbound Primoc 2R
The Primoc is obviously strong in U/R but it is efficient enough to be played in a non blue deck. You are going to need some effective removal in case you come up against wizards so spells like Sparksmith, cycled Solar Blasts and even Fever Charms would all be useful.
Being a 2/3 flyer, Thoughtbound Primoc can handle all of the common flyers in the set with ease (Ascending Aven excepted) making it a relatively high draft pick, 3rd to 5th.
Threaten 2R
If this card was an instant then it would be so much better, but it still has it's uses. Nantuko Husk springs to mind here as you can sacrifice your opponent's best creature to it after you have smacked them around the head with it. Similar to Commando Raid, Threaten is a mid range pick, 5th to 8th.
Thunder of Hooves 3R
Another R/G card, Thunder of Hooves has the potential to deal out a lot of damage on the ground. Red has a total of 9 beasts in Onslaught (6 of which are uncommon!) and green 13, (6 of these are common) so you can see where I am coming from. It is probably not worth it if you are not drafting R/G as there are few or no common beasts in the other colours. A mid range pick 7th to 9th.
Wave of Indifference XR
I think this is better than Demoralise and a lot of the other "cannot block" instants from the previous sets. The fact it can target both ground and flying creatures is a bonus and is a game breaker that most red players will want to have in their decks.
Much like Dirge of Dread for black, Wave of Indifference will often end up being the card that could sometimes determine the outcome of the match. A mid to late range pick, 9th to 12th.
Words of War 2R
Out of all of the Words enchantments, Words of War has the greatest amount of potential for limited play. The fact you can target a creature or player is pretty good considering the proliferation of morph creatures in Onslaught and is handy for dealing the last few points of damage to finish your opponent off. Words of War is even better if you have drafted several cycling cards, as most decks will have the lands and/or a creature/spell that cycles. I believe this is an early pick for the red mage, 3rd to 5th.
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