This is a cool card with a cool ability, as it's
a big creature and a psuedo-removal spell in
one. It's liable to be good in Limited, where it
can minimize Aura'd up threats (even if Bestowed
guys do get to stick around, they now have a
smaller guy that the Colossus can probably deal
with) or clear away a key blocker on the turn of
your victory. It's also good if you're on the
backstep and need something to close the gap,
provided you've got seven mana. Most Constructed
games are over by this point, and the ones that
aren't expect better from a seven-mana
investment. Limited, however, will likely slow
down a bit thanks to Journey into Nyx, and many
people do expect to get to six or seven mana
there to best use their Monstrous cards and pay
Bestow costs.
Technically, the creature's not gone for
ever. Technically, this is far less final than a
lot of anti-creature cards we've seen in white
in the medium and even recent past. But the
creature's probably going about three to four
cards down in a two-color deck, and most likely
seven in a mono-white control deck (seriously,
build one with this guy!), and your opponent's
turns are probably numbered because of the 5/6
creature you now have. Technically, Path to
Exile can't do that.
Today's card of the day is Quarry Colossus
which is a seven mana White
5/6 that puts target creature into their owner's
library beneath the
number of cards equal to Plains you control.
This is a high cost
creature with a form of removal that works best
in a mono-color deck and
can be better or worse than destruction,
depending on the target, but is
often worse than exiling. The mana cost is the
biggest drawback and
outside of Commander there isn't a design that
readily supports or is
supported by this card.
In Limited this is a large creature with a
temporary removal effect that
works on gods or other threats. The effect may
be weaker in multicolor
decks, but as it only requires two White mana to
cast it can be used as
a later game threat that opens up the field for
a few turns. A decent
second or third pick in Booster and worth
including in Sealed if White
is already part of your final build.
This is a funny card. Wizards did a great job
with some of the flavor on the cards in this
block. The idea of this Giant coming along and
burying some foe beneath several layers of rock
is pretty cool. Eventually the guy will work his
way back out, but in the meantime, your opponent
still has to deal with a big giant coming at
them!
Unfortunately for constructed players, great
flavor doesn't always mean a great card. A lot
of games will go too quickly for someone to get
to seven mana. If you do manage to ramp up that
high, you want to be pretty much taking over the
game for that kind of cost. As good as the
Colossus is, he doesn't quite meet that
standard. There are a lot of ways to get rid of
a creature for much less than seven. Then, while
a 5/6 is nothing to laugh at, it has no trample,
flying, or other evasion, so it's going to have
some token or random 2/2 get in the way of it.
The flavor does, however, mean a lot more to
the casual players and multiplayer games. And,
since casual games usually last considerably
longer, it's more likely that you will get up to
seven mana. The way to use this card is as a
finisher in a controlling deck. Build a deck
full of cards that get rid of opposing threats,
then slap down the giant to remove one final
blocker, and finish your opponent off.
Well here's an effect you don't see every day.
A creature with built in removal that isn't
destroy, return to hand, OR exile.
It's not like we've never seen a
return-to-library ability before, but I think
Quarry Colossus has done a very good job of
refining the art. With something like Unravel
the Ęther, you're sort of taking a gamble. By
shuffling something into the library, you don't
know where it ends up. It could be 20 cards
down. Or it could be the next card they'll draw.
Quarry Colossus gives you a solid number, and
likely a big number at that. Considering he
costs 7 mana, 2 of them white, you're most
likely going mono-white or at least pretty
heavily white while playing this guy. It
shouldn't be too hard to have at least 5 plains
on the field when you cast him, maybe even 7 if
you're mono-white. And yes, cards like Temple
Garden and such count as a plains.
So how would that play out? You cast Quarry
Colossus on turn 7. He takes the opponent's best
creature and buries it let's say 7 cards down in
his library. Do you have to worry about him
getting it back? Well, for that to happen, the
game would have to go to turn 14. Can you beat
the opponent (who has now lost his best
creature) before turn 14? I think you can.
Especially with a 5/6 giant on your side.
As far as return-to-library abilities go,
this one is pretty reliable. You know exactly
where it is in the opponent's deck, so you'll
know when they draw it. IF they ever get a
chance to, which hopefully they won't. I'd
classify this as a superior piece of removal,
almost as a good as exile even. And the body
isn't bad. You'll see some much bigger and more
threatening creatures at the 7 mana mark, sure.
But if you wait for your opponent to play those
first before you bring out your Colossus, then
really who is the more threatening? The scary
giant hydra who has now mysteriously disappeared
from the field? Or the 5/6 giant that's still
here and ready to smash face?
This will be good in limited, and in white
control decks for casual. The mana cost is a bit
high for constructed. It's not completely
unplayable, but I wouldn't expect to see it
around very often. Overall I'd say it's a solid
card. Above average, even. It can get rid of
some big threats for a significant period of
time. And if you win the game during said
significant period of time, then you pretty much
got rid of them forever.
I feel like he should be holding a shovel,
though.
