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Pojo's Magic The Gathering Card of the Day
Daily Since November 2001!

Sarkhan the Mad
Image from Wizards.com

Sarkhan the Mad
Rise of the Eldrazi

Reviewed May 4, 2010

Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 4.25
Multiplayer: 3.5

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

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Card of the Day Reviews 


David Fanany

Player since 1995

Sarkhan the Mad
 
I feel bad for Sarkhan. Not only did he happen to get a really bad new boss in Nicol Bolas, any card that depicts him seems to become the subject of endless controversy. Personally, I don't understand how drawing extra cards or turning your creatures into dragons could ever be a problem for anyone, but I guess someone might have a different playstyle. I'd be surprised if there's no room in mine for Sarkhan the Mad, and I'd be surprised if there wasn't any room in yours either.
 
Constructed: 4/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 4/5
Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Sarkhan the Mad which is a Planeswalker without an ability to add loyalty counters, but has three potentially useful abilities.  The draw a card ability has no real drawback if a land or zero mana casting cost artifact (or Kobold) is drawn, but will can be a one-time deal if an Ultimatum or other higher cost card is present.  The best timing depends on what is left in the library and a bit of math, so it is a bit situational.  The second ability can turn a major threat into something that may be a bit more manageable, but is probably better suited to turning your own tokens or Bloodghast into a dragon to set up the ultimate.  The ultimate is quite nice and playable the turn Sarkhan enters play which can win the game, but does of course require enough power on your dragons or a combination.  Overall a good, but not amazing Planeswalker that really needs a Dragon Burn styled theme to shine.
 
For Limited the first ability is potentially a one for one exchange if an Eldrazi is selected and the ultimate isn't likely to be a big factor with the format offering few other dragons to have in your pool, so usage is even more restrictive than the constructed formats. Instead it is the second ability that makes this a threat as turning the common 0/1 Eldrazi Spawn tokens into dragons or an 11/11 Eldrazi into a mere 5/5 without Annihilator can be a huge shift to the battlefield.  That ability alone makes this a top choice in Booster and a good candidate for building a deck around in Sealed.
 
Constructed: 3.0
Casual: 3.0
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 3.0


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