Insatiable Avarice – Outlaws of Thunder Junction
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 4.0
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 3.5
Multiplayer: 3.0
Commander [EDH]: 3.67
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Spree is indeed yet another keyword, but it’s a multikicker variant, so it’s intuitive – and the variable costs and varied effects make it interesting. It makes assessing them rather like a charm or a split card, since the individual effects aren’t always something you’d want in every deck. In the case of Insatiable Avarice, both modes are on the slow side and feel rather mana-intensive; even the old mono-black devotion decks had access to Read the Bones at three mana, and probably wouldn’t have looked much at a similar triple-black variant, which means this card has some pretty steep competition in current casual Magic. Any use of it seems generally better used for general value, rather than “I win” combo situations. It might emerge as a role-player in a deck that can handle its mana costs.
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 3.5
Multiplayer: 3
Commander [EDH]: 3
The “build your own spells” are an interesting way to add very deck builder’s favorite tool: flexibility. You have to pay for at least one mode of the spell, but you can “buy” as many modes as you have mana for. And, as usual, a fair few of these will cost a bit more than you might normally expect…though Insatiable Avarice, at least, has one very attractive mod.
The second mode, Paing double black to draw three, is very affordably priced. Three mana for three cards (and three life) is quite a steal and pretty uncommon. It even plays well f you can set up the other mode that turn, a “bad” Imperial Seal that won’t cost you life. While three mana to guarantee your next draw isn’t ideal, it has a pretty big upside and no color demands besides the initial oe black mana.
This is a pretty powerful spell in two of its three modes, and even its third mode has pretty solid upside if you’re in a bind. I would be surprised if this spell doesn’t see a lot of play in Standard and similarly-powered formats, and it might even be competitive enough for deeper ones. Three mana for three cards is quite nice, and this has upsides past that.
Constructed: 4.5
Casual: 3
Limited: 3.5
Multiplayer: 3
Commander [EDH]: 4.25
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