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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day


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Sylvok Explorer 
Fifth Dawn Common


Reviewed June 3, 2004

Constructed: 1.9
Casual: 2.1
Limited: 3

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst.  3 ... average.  
5 is the highest rating

Click here to see all our 
Card of the Day Reviews 


Chris
Gerhardt

* game store owner in CA, ShuffleAndCut

An interesting card.  It gives you some acceleration, and it *might* give you a greater range of colors, but that is a mighty big might. It's very unreliable, so you just go with the acceleration in constructed.  Unfortunately, this isn't good enough to get you through a tournament. 

In casual, you can get away with it some as it's more of a fun card.  Five color mages might use it as an early drop that potentially smoothes their mana and gives them a bit of a speed burst.

In limited, this guy is pretty good. Acceleration with legs is always nice, and if you're doing the sunburst thing, Explorer is very handy. Whether or not you pick it depends on how green you are, and how multicolor or Sunburst you are.

Constructed: 2
Casual: 3
Limited: 3.5
  
   Current Price:
Sylvok Explorer - Fifth Dawn - $0.22
 


Judge Bill

*Level 2
MTG Judge

*game store employee

Fellwar Stone on legs. The last time this was tried, We had Quirion Explorer. At least he was an elf. Since this is not an elf, the one home this might have had is shut down.
 
Casual players will just use Quirion Explorer, cause it's an elf.
Constructed players will just use Birds of Paradise.
Limited players will hope they don't have to fall back on this for Sunburst enabling.
 
Constructed: 1
Casual: 1
Limited: 1.5
 

Ray "Monk"
Powers
* Level 3 DCI Judge
*DCI Tournament Organizer
*Game Store Owner (Gamer's Edge)

Sylvok Explorer

 

Ah, the human Fellwar Stone. Slightly worse because of summoning sickness, slightly better because he can swing for one in a pinch. If I was playing green, I think I play him over a Myr. He gives more mana choices, while being less susceptible to the removal in the block. All in all, the only thing making him great is that he’s not an elf.

 

Constructed:                 3

Casual:                         2

Limited:                        3

 
Jonathan
Pechon


2 Grand Prix Top 8's

Multiple Pro Tour appearances

Sylvok Explorer

 

Why, oh way, aren’t you an ELF?  Being a Druid makes this guy absolutely poor in terms of playability; it just makes him weak tribally.  Also, access to Talismans makes him inferior, simply because he can die to every piece of removal under the sun.  Better luck next time with this guy, Vine Trellis is still the 2-mana accelerator of choice.

 

He’s kinda fun for casual play, but like I said, his lack of useful creature type makes him sorta boring.  Feh.  G1 is far better used in Mental Magic on Naturalize and other, similar effects, rather than this thing.

 

It sure was nice to see Quirion Explorer return to limited play, especially in a format that seems as amenable to three or more colors as this one is.  It’s nice to see green get a Myr-like creature in this format; it needed one pretty badly, and it alone gives green some real strength in the final pack; the fact that it makes off-color mana makes it superior to a Myr in almost every way.

 

Constructed:  2.0

Casual:  2.0

Limited:  3.0

 


DeQuan
Watson

* game store owner (The Game Closet - Waco,TX)

This is easily the weakest of the cards we have looked at this week.  It is a 2/1 creature for two mana though, with an interesting ability.  I would recommend treating them like Myr creature and taking them just for the mana ability.  Just don't rely on it giving you a bunch of different colors.  Sometimes it will, sometimes it won't.  You just can't rely on your opponent to give you what you want.
 
Constructed: 1.5
Casual: 1.5
Limited: 2.5


Jeff Zandi

5 Time Pro Tour
Veteran

Level 2 Judge

Sylvok Explorer

The Sylvok Explorer may be a Human Druid, but his lineage is DEFINITELY elvish. This card follows a long line of green creatures for one or two mana that can be tapped for mana. Like the Fellwar Stone of long ago, the Explorer only taps for mana that your opponent’s lands can be tapped for. (Hint: if your opponent has no land, you can’t tap for mana) In limited, you take this guy as high as you would take a Myr or even a Talisman. Of course, by the time you get to the Fifth Dawn pack in booster drafts, you will know if you are playing green. The Explorer is only for decks that has green as a first or second color. Splashing for cards like Sylvok Explorer will ultimately disappoint you. In constructed, this card’s ability is too iffy to make him useful, even in the Sunburst deck.

CONSTRUCTED: 2.0

CASUAL:              2.0

LIMITED:             3.5

 
Chase

Secret Squirrel on the Pojo.com
Message
Boards

Sylvok Explorer

Blah, I don't like Thursdays.  I don't really like today's card either.  My reaction:  Umm… no. One word.. Birds. In Constructed at least. Limited, it’s not that bad, as most players will be hoping to take advantage of Sunburst anyway. Plus it’s a common, so you should be able to pick up one or two of these if you run out of other mana fixers. It’s also not too bad in limited because it’s also a creature, so it can chump block if your opponent’s colors don’t fit with your deck.

In Constructed, I wouldn’t rely on the lands that your opponent plays to help your mana base.

Constructed: 2
Casual: 3
Limited: 3
 

Jason
Chapman
Sylvok Explorer has potential to be a big boon if your opponent is playing a color you need. If not, you still get some mana which has to be worth something. A lot depends on the differences between your decks.

Constructed - It will almost always be better to go with a card that always produces the color you need - 2.0

Casual - If you know what your friends are playing you may as well know what color the Explorer will produce - 2.5

Limited - A great way to access additional colored mana and it will almost always be useful - 4.0

PEZ - Most decks are monocolored so you options are more limited here than in any other format - 2.0

 

 

 

 

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