[mtgnexus] Random Card of the Day - Golgari Thug

[Guardman]

The biggest problem with Fracturing Gust is that is hybrid. If you have access to white, you have better choices. If this was playable in mono-green, I could see it as a nice compliment to Bane of Progress.

[3drinks]

Thursday, May 26th,2022; Thought Gorger

I actually really like this design, which probably confirms to you the kind of player I am.

[Mookie]

....Thought Gorger isn't the sort of card I would usually play, but there are some decks where I could see it doing work - specifically, +1/+1 counter-based decks that also have sac outlets. Ghave, Guru of Spores, Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest, and Varolz, the Scar-Striped all seem like reasonable spots. Discarding your hand is obviously a significant downside, but if you can cash Thought Gorger in for even more cards, it could be worth running.

That said, it does require some work to make this better than Ancient Craving, so I don't think I would ever plan on running this without synergies - black has much simpler options for card draw in a vacuum. I guess it's somewhat interesting as a beater? A 4 mana 9/9 is pretty big (assuming you discard seven cards, which you may not want to).

[Sinis]

Seems ok if you want to make Anthem of Rakdos (or any hellbent) go, but then you don't want to be completely pantsed by a board wipe.

[kirkusjones]

Seems ok if you want to make Anthem of Rakdos (or any hellbent) go, but then you don't want to be completely pantsed by a board wipe.

I don't know why this cracked me up, but it did. Now anytime someone gets blown out by a board wipe, I'm going to consider them "pantsed". This guy seems okay to donate with The Beamtown Bullies, especially to the combo player who sculpted their hand…

[hyalopterouslemur]

Consider a sac outlet if you are going to use it. And the usual doublers and such.

[NZB2323]

I don't play this in my Neheb, the Worthy deck, but maybe I should? With cards like Filth, Anger, Ox of Agonas, Increasing Ambition, Terminal Agony, Necrogoyf, Dark Withering, Big Game Hunter, Shadowgrange Archfiend, Anje's Ravager, Stromkirk Occultist, Grave Scrabbler, Skophos Reaver, Archfiend of Ifnir, and Surly Badgersaur it might be good?

With few sacrifice outlets it doesn't seem worth it.

[PrimevalCommander]

Its a Leave the Battlefield trigger, so even exile and bounce will net you the cards. Least that's how I'm reading it.

[DirkGently]

Its a Leave the Battlefield trigger, so even exile and bounce will net you the cards. Least that's how I'm reading it.

correct. It does get wrecked by something that makes it lose its abilities or neutralizes it without removing it (assuming no sac outlet) but those are somewhat rare.

Still, there's not a ton of upside. I think the intent was that it's a big beeferino to go smashing with until they answer it and then you go back to playing normally with a big hand again. But in 2022 commander it'd be almost impossible for the p/t to be worth passing turns without spells to cast. You'd need to quickly increase the number of counters and then sac it right away, or have something like Rielle, the Everwise that makes the discard nbd in the first place, and that amount of setup just isn't worth the payoff imo.

[Sinis]

Its a Leave the Battlefield trigger, so even exile and bounce will net you the cards. Least that's how I'm reading it.

100%, and that's one of the reasons I think it makes a good card storage device in my use case above.

[ukkuhrmakhai]

My experience with [Thought Gorger] is that as long you have some kind of discard, reanimator, +1/+1 counter synergy, sac outlet in your deck it is a very average card. It's an okay card that synergizes with good cards and the more your graveyard is a second hand the closer this gets to being draw cards equal to your handsize. Every so often it will make a big play like:
Discard all the reanimation targets that got stuck in hand
Cycle a bunch of lands for gas
Get a bunch of +1/+1 counters from Ozolith and draw half your deck.
Get too many counters and then kills you when it dies (triggers aren't optional)

Terrible if you like sculpting your hand.

Thought Gorger is also a nice The Mimeoplasm target since you can reload your graveyard and then draw 15 cards.

Overall: Probably never the BiS but works well with cards that are and who can say to that face

[3drinks]

Friday, May 27th, 2022; Storm the Vault // Vault of Catlacan

How often is this actually a legal Tolarian Academy .

[hyalopterouslemur]

If you have a lot of ways to generate clues, treasures, and foods, or just play Eggs, it can be an Academy pretty quick. Thankfully, it does require four mana.

[Sinis]

I gotta say, I love this card. I've only played a few times, because izzet is not usually my thing and my current artifact deck is Emry, Lurker of the Loch, but, I think this card could be bonkers, especially with the Year of Treasure™ WotC has going on.

I think the damage trigger for treasure is pretty underwhelming. It's more like a Zendikar Quest (like Quest for Renewal) where you get a do-nothing until you meet a requirement, and then you get something good.

[DirkGently]

It's fine I guess. I dunno I haven't played an artifact synergy deck since original mirrodin affinity, and not the good one. I do like the flip lands though.

How often is this actually a legal Tolarian Academy .

Never. It costs 4 mana. Tolarian academy doesn't cost mana. Things aren't equivalent when they have different costs.

This has been a PSA by DirkGently.

[Mookie]

BREYAAAAAAAAAAA

...anyway, yet another artifact synergy that annoys me due to it being red and thus not being playable in Sharuum. Storm the Vault // Vault of Catlacan may not be Tolarian Academy, but when you compare it to other 4-mana ramp spells like Thran Dynamo, it's still miles ahead - it doesn't seem difficult for it to be tapping for 5+ mana, and that's before we consider all the treasure / clues / food people have lying around these days. Flipping into a land also makes it harder to kill.

...of course, the front side is pretty meh. It does at least self-enable, but I don't think you're putting this in a deck unless you expect to be able to flip it the turn it comes out.

[Dragoon]

BREYAAAAAAAAAAA

Oh it was very good in Breya. Especially when you cast it the turn after playing Breya, attack two players with your two thopters, generate two treasures, and flip it, with no other work required.

[Serenade]

I always found it interesting that it's not a "may" ability: You have to transform it; they don't want you making more and more treasures forever.

Curious if we ever get a no-flip variant.

[DirkGently]

Curious if we ever get a no-flip variant.

You mean like Professional Face-Breaker?

[Serenade]

YEP, I was just thinking of an enchantment, but that's a great call.

[Dragoon]

Curious if we ever get a no-flip variant.

You mean like Professional Face-Breaker?

Let's not forget Grim Hireling as well.

[3drinks]

Saturday, May 28th, 2022; Rampaging Baloths

Many a fun games were had in this card's prime, back in my Stonebrow, Krosan Hero days. I just can't seem to come to grips on the format today.

[Igzex]

I dunno with how much support landfall strategies have gotten this card still seems pretty strong to me. Though I guess it's not as fast as everyone just leaving the table the moment they notice someone has Omnath, Locus of Creation in their command zone so I guess the baloths have that going against them.

[Guardman]

Rampaging Baloths is one of the reasons I am no longer allowed to play any commander decks with Warp World anymore.

[Mookie]

Rampaging Baloths is a sweet card. I think its stock has fallen over time - green has better finishers these days, and just making a bunch of big creatures isn't enough to win by itself if people are running board wipes. Still, it's capable of doing a lot of work in landfall decks - it isn't hard to have it pump out 20+ power, especially if you have a full fetchland suite. Throw in Perilous Forays, Scapeshift, or other landfall enablers for even more explosiveness. Alternatively, flip it off Warp World or Genesis Wave for an instant army.