CardName – March of the Machine
Date Reviewed: May 8, 2023
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.50
Casual: 4.13
Limited: 4.00
Multiplayer: 3.63
Commander [EDH]: 3.88
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
You know it had to happen. They are Magic’s most famous one-eyed people, and while they have rather opposing reputations as individuals, it turns out they have some damage-dealing potential as a team. I really like the concept of a big creature that draws a card when it attacks – it’s well balanced in a vacuum, underlining that green isn’t supposed to be a color that sits back and draws cards. (Recall that the first big green creature that drew cards continuously was Hystrodon, all the way back in Onslaught; read it again now, and consider whether design learned the right lesson from it . . .) And it also reminds us that big creatures aren’t meant to just be cast and sit there like walls (unless they are Walls). The damage ability being part of the trigger means that you won’t generally get a one-shot combo finish like you could with the Gatecrash version of Borborygmos, but it’s not intended for that. It’s more about getting an additional bonus once you’ve got enough lands in play and making you resilient in a longer game, which is reinforced by the activated ability – another variant of self-protection that it’d be interesting to see more of (although Fblthp should really stay unique too!).
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Borborygmos, who wound up sitting out the third tranche of Ravnica sets, and it turns out all he needed to return was an assist from everyone’s favorite ascended meme homunculus, Fblthp. The ability of Fblthp to disappear when endangered is apparent here, with an activated ability to bolt to safety into one’s library. This isn’t useless, but this feels like an ability meant to be a flavor wn that doubles as an emergency measure.
Besides that, Borborygmos and Fblthp have an ability that tends to lean hard into the lumbering cyclops’ past land usage. A cantrip on an attack is actually pretty nice on its own, which is fine for a five-mana 6/5. But if you have a lot of lands in hand, you can barrage an creature with a flurry of damage; whether you use it to blow up a potential chump blocker or soften up a potential blocker so that they would die on the swing is up to you, and it’s a good way to force progress. They’re more a flavor win than a dominant force, but they have some tricks to offer the enterprising deck builder.
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4.25
Limited: 4 (hindered by costing three colors)
Multiplayer: 3.25
Commander [EDH]: 3.75
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