Ocelot Pride – Modern Horizons 3
Date Reviewed: December 25, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 4.25
Casual: 5
Limited: 4.25
Multiplayer: 3.88
Commander: 4.13
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale: 1 is bad; 3 is average; 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
This card was #5 on my Top 10 list.
Ocelot Pride is one of those interesting cards that can function on its own, but it functions really well if you have the tools to abuse it. The body alone is merely decent for its cost, but the effect really sells it, and it especially sells it in a color notorious for going wide. Doubling token generation can add up, especially since Ocelot Pride produces its own tokens, and it doesn’t even need to be out for the entire turn. It triggers at the end step, so you can wait to drop this until you have the means to toggle ascend on and crack the game open. While being a 1/1 is hardly ideal in an era of Orcish Bowmasters, it’s only one mana and has plenty of support. It’s a way to snowball one turn even harder, and while it’s not the star alone, it doesn’t ask for a lot more to really show its stripes (proverbially).
Constructed: 4.5 (it4.5 (needs a bit more support to really shine) was a main player in Boros Energy, and while the deck did take a hit, it’s still theoretically functional)
Casual: 5 (kitty)
Limited: 4.5 (give it a bit of support, and it shines)
Multiplayer: 3.75
Commander [EDH]: 4.25
David
Fanany
Player
since
1995
This card was not on my Top 10 list, but I did have it under consideration.
I definitely underestimated Ocelot Pride since its release – while a 1/1 creature is considered barely functional by many current tournament analysts, the card has so much going on and so many different ways to threaten your opponent. It’s technically rather above the vanilla test even just from its combat abilities, and anything that creates a token swarm on its own deserves respect. The main mistake I made was underestimating how quickly you can meet the ascend condition in a properly constructed deck. Ten permanents is hard for some decks, but can be much easier for a deck that generates tokens readily. There are plenty of decks that will play it to out-value their opponents in hardcore settings, and plenty of other decks that will use it as an extra trigger in a city’s blessing pseudo-kindred deck or for its limited Doubling Season ability. It’s an appealing card all around.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 5
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 4
Commander: 4
I do always find it a little funny when cards with abilities that feel hyper-modern, like the city’s blessing or energy counters, get a retro frame version. A card like Ocelot Pride is really going to stand out if you put it in an old-school cube alongside famous creatures like Weathered Wayfarer and Soul Warden. But perhaps there’s some sort of lesson we can learn or infer from a card where the very old and the very new meet. I don’t know, maybe I’m just Christmas/New Year babbling right now . . .
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