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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!

Ashcloud Phoenix
Image from Wizards.com

Ashcloud Phoenix
- Khans of Tarkir

Reviewed Nov. 5, 2014

Constructed: 3.50
Casual: 3.63
Limited: 4.44
Multiplayer: 3.63

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale:
1 - Horrible  3 - Average.  5 - Awesome

Click here to see all of our 
Card of the Day Reviews 

BMoor

Deck Garage

Ashcloud Phoenix

This is one of the few Morph cards in KTK block that you actually want to play face-up... the first time. If it dies face-down, after all, it dies an ignominious and lonely death, but if it gets a chance to show its true plumage before dying, it rises from the ashes in a brand new eggshell. Appropriately enough, it's cheaper to hardcast than to unmorph, but for every death, you have to unmorph it again if you want to keep it coming back.

Plus, if you play it face-up, it's a four-power flyer for four mana. That's a solid win-con right there before we even get into morphing and resurrecting.

Constructed- 4
Casual- 4.5
Limited- 4.75
Multiplayer- 4.5

David Fanany

Player since 1995

Ashcloud Phoenix
 
This is a very interesting card. It should be basically unkillable, but for the fact that exile effects and stealing Auras are in basically every set these days. (You know, you never had that problem when your opponent only had access to up to four Swords to Plowshares or up to four Control Magic. Just saying.) Of course, if they don't have one, they're in for a long night of knowing what your morph creature is but hoping you block with it or they can draw a Lightning Strike, and being on the wrong end of a hard-to-stop attrition effect. There's almost nothing that thrills me more than a red card capable of playing the long game, and Ashcloud Phoenix is no exception.
 
Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 3/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Ashcloud Phoenix which is a four mana Red 4/1 with Flying, Morph for six mana, when it dies return it to the battlefield face down, and when it is turned face up it deals two damage to each player.  This is decent as a four mana 4/1 with evasion that becomes a 2/2 if it dies, but the high cost for flipping it face up again along with the damage to all players is too situational for it to be a major benefit.  The extremely low toughness for the mana cost is another drawback and this is unlikely to see much play despite not being a terrible card as it just doesn't offer enough.
 
In Limited this gains quite a bit of value as an evader with higher offense that is difficult to permanently deal with.  A solid first pick in Booster, even if the Morph aspect is rarely used, and well worth including in any Sealed deck that is at least half Red.
 
Constructed: 3.0
Casual: 3.0
Limited: 4.0
Multiplayer: 3.5

Mattedesa

Deck Garage

Ashcloud Phoenix
 
Creatures that can come back from the graveyard are always interesting. They are resilient threast that an opponent must deal with over and over again. While it's pretty mana intensive to turn the Phoenix back into a 4/1 flying creature after it dies, later in the game it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Even coming back as a 2/2 morph creature is helpful. Even when you first play it, a 4/1 flying creature for 4 mana is a threat that must be answered. If your opponent has no way to block or kill it, they are on a quick clock. If they do have a blocker, the Phoenix is likely to be big enough to take the blocker down with it before it comes back again!
 
It's not an auto-include in any red deck, as you want to at least have the threat of being able to flip it over multiple times, but if your deck can produce the mana, Ashcloud can be a real nuisance to your opponent.
 
Constructed: 4.0
Casual: 4.0
Limited: 5.0
Multiplayer: 3.5


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