David Fanany
Player since
1995 |
Sneak Attack
This is the sort of card that is partially
defined by context. In a period of time when a
trading card game's design team hasn't or has
not yet decided that the average power level of
creatures needs significant inflationary
intervention, and it "only" deals six to ten
damage for one mana when you happen to be
holding a creature whose use is usually limited
anyway (cf. Phyrexian Colossus, et al), it's
merely unfair. When a new generation of players
unearths it after someone printed Eldrazi and
Titans, I'm not sure there's even a word to
describe how crazy it gets. Yet it's still
capable of being played in relatively fair ways
in casual Magic, and it should be - it's a
historically important card and remains a
relatively unique effect in red, even after all
this time.
Constructed: 4/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 4/5
EDH/Commander: 4/5 |
|
James H. |
Sneak Attack
One of the more infamous enchantments to come
out of the Urza block (and there were a lot of
them), Sneak Attack is one of the linchpins of
the infamous "Sneak and Show" archetype, which
usually involves cheating large, fat creatures
into play (such as Griselbrand or Emrakul 1.0)
to end the game in short order. If someone
resolves a Sneak Attack, they usually are
attempting to end the game then and there, and a
resolved
Sneak Attack will do the job nicely.
Today, Sneak Attack is a bit less prominent in
Legacy, simply because red is one of the weaker
colors in Legacy and other cards (Show and Tell,
most often) do the job just as well, if not
better. Sneak Attack is reusable if you're
unable to end the game, though, and it doesn't
give your opponent the chance to torpedo your
attempts to win the game (Show and Tell gives
them the opportunity to slip in Oblivion Ring,
Stasis Snare, or a similar
card that clears out your threat). It's
definitely dangerous, even if it isn't the
threat it was in the past, and it can do a lot
of damage if you aren't prepared to face an
Emrakul or Griselbrand (or another large,
lethal creature).
In Limited, this card is definitely worth
taking, but it's unlikely that the targets you'd
cheat in (be it in Urza block draft or in EMA
draft) are anything special.
Constructed: 3
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 2.5
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 4
|
