David Fanany
Player since
1995 |
Elder Deep-Fiend
Once upon a time, a creature like Elder
Deep-Fiend would have been a slam-dunk inclusion
in any slower blue deck. Nowadays, we have an
awful lot of choice at the top end of the mana
curve, and this may take a while to find a place
- it's only one block after the much
harder-to-address Sphinx of the Final Word,
after all. But the ability to use it during an
opponent's turn (or indeed, combat) is a strong
point in its favor, and you can even use it as
an expensive sacrifice combo with the likes of
Solemn Simulacrum.
Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
EDH/Commander: 3/5 |
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James H. |
Elder Deep-Fiend (7/14)
Going from tentacles to more tentacles, we have
one of the examples of emerge, a cost-reduction
mechanic that feels a bit like the
Betrayers of Kamigawa “offering” mechanic: you can sacrifice a
creature to help pay for the creature’s
alternate cost. 8 mana might be a bit high for
this card under most circumstances, even with
flash, but two blue mana is far more reasonable.
And this card, to be honest, is most reasonable
indeed. Emerge and flash allow it to surprise
opponents by tapping down their creatures, their
lands, or whatever else they might want to leave
up, all on a reasonable 5/6 body. This has the
potential to be one of the better constructed
cards in the set, since it can lock an opponent
out of a turn and start smashing their face in
with its mass of tentacles.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 3.75
Commander [EDH]: 3.75
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