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Pojo's Duel Masters Card of the Day

Image from Wizards Duel Master site

Poisonous Mushroom

DM01
Card #102

Date Reviewed: 04.06.05

Constructed Average Rating: 3.5
Limited Average Rating: 3.42

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst. 3 ... average.
5 is the highest rating.

cecillbill (Top 4 at 2004 GenCon - Indy Championship)	Poisonous Mushroom I think I ate a Poisonous Mushroom once and was transformed into a leprechaun. I didn't have a pot of gold, so I was sort of peeved about my new life. I want my pot of gold now! But, hey, I'll settle for a DM Championship trophy...I was this close and then I let it slip away...darn repressed memories, lol. Well, P-Shroom's a creature that saw lots of play Base Set and then tampared off as people became BAT-FDF crazed. An interesting thing to note is how P-Shroom was employed in the Japanese metagame even post-Survivors (well, they do have that broken but restricted Cyber Brain, so it makes sense to me, lol). Ah, Japanese players tend to do lots of things that we don't. For instance, they don't have such a negative view of blocker creatures or the Light civilization, so they play them more often. Perhaps that's because their Aquan is so broken. Good thing it's now restricted too. Anyways, onto the review: [Effect] 1. When you put this creature into the battle zone, you may put 1 card from your hand into your mana zone. Before Fairy Life graces us with its uber-deliciousness in two days, P-Shroom is the earliest chance at accelerating your mana. It's a creature that defies one of several easily recognized operating rules of DM--you can only drop 1 mana per turn, you start off with only 5 shields, and can only draw 1 card per turn. Since P-Shroom breaks the mana production rule, it gives you tempo advantage. Why is that good? The answer is simple. It will take less turns for you to launch crucial plays and multiple plays in a single turn when you can produce more than one mana on a turn. You can bring out the big guns or swarms much quicker than your opponent will be able to handle them. That's a good thing--your opponent on the ropes means that you're in control. Paired with other forms of mana gain, like BAT, and P-Shroom's mana drop can really get your deck off and popping like nobody's business. One often overlooked aspect of mana gain with P-Shroom is that you can choose the card you place in the mana zone. Unlike BAT, you don't have to worry about dropping down a card that you'd like to put into play next turn or the only copy of a card you're running. P-Shroom allows you put a card in the mana zone that you wouldn't like to see chucked out of your hand--and that's a powerful option when you have a way of plucking it from your mana zone, like with Flood Valve or Mana Nexus. That, in turn, can help you 'unclog' your hand faster without worrying too much about whether or not you'll draw into your next copy of the card when you need to play it. Also, P-Shroom and other mana producers are greatly synergistic with Ambush Scorpion, Obsidian Scarab, and Mana Nexus--pretty cool if you ask me. P-Shroom is also a mana fixer. In a multi-civ deck you can use it to place down mana of a missing civ that you otherwise may have had to wait another turn to plop down. If you draw more copies of P-Shroom later in the game, then you'll probably do well just to play it as mana or summon it without using it's mana making effect. Remember, the effect is optional. All these bonuses comes with a caveat. You lose hand advantage. Depending on what you value more at the time and how much your deck can compensate for this development, this is either a bad thing or a temporary setback. I like to view it as a temporary setback. My opinion is this: if a card I intend to use makes me lose a resource in one area--be it my hand, mana zone or field--then that lost resource needs to end up translated into another resource. If I need to get things out fast and I have a way to recoup my hand, then P-Shroom is a welcomed addition. That's why I loved running P-Shroom in Water-Darkness-Nature. Sometimes even without lots of draw power I played this creature. I'd do it in decks that could generate card advantage thru lots of kill. Again, I figured that losing a few options in hand was worth it if I could get out a card that dealt with 3 or more of my opponent's cards quicker, like Lost Soul. Making trade-ofs like this suits me since I'm a Control player to the core. For other players, P-Shroom simply doesn't make the grade. [Power/Cost] The 2 mana cost makes it playable. Several creatures at 1-3 mana have paltry 1000 power. It can trade shots with some creatures, and it can be killed by everything. But, just how I view Meteosaur, I don't expect P-Shroom to survive to break a shield or kill a creature. If it does, then that's a bonus. No complaints. I expect my 6 mana creature investments to survive, but this guy's done his job the moment he lays down mana. His cheapness and low power makes him a great target for sac effects. It's expendable, but unlike some other creatures of its power range, it has an effect that sort of balances out its weakness. [Format Ratings] Constructed: 3/4. This will be outshined by Fairy Life. But, for 5 sets this was a viable option for players who wanted lots of mana gain and had ways to recoup a hand. Limited: 4/5. Better here because cards tend to stay in your hand over several turns anyway. Getting cards out sooner when your opponent will have very few ways to deal with them is killer.
Lee Sandow	Yeah, it's really me. I'm still not dead. I've been out of town, busy, and all-together neglectful of my COTD duties. It's just as well that I missed last week, because i haven't had a chance to get my hands on any Stomp-a-Trons cards yet, so I wouldn't know how good they are. Take Proclamation of Death for instance. That card could either be 1337, or it could be trash. I'd have to see. However, this week we get to review cards that I know and love... well, maybe just know. Today we get to review some mushrooms that give your mana zone a boost. Poisonous Mushroom Cost: 2 Civilization: Nature Card Type: Creature Race: Balloon mushroom When you put this creature into the battle zone, you may put 1 card from your hand into your mana zone. Flavor Text: You won't find these mushrooms on salads. Power: 1000 Mana Generated: 1 Rarity: Uncommon Card Number: 102/110 Set: Base Set A card that saw a lot of use for a while, then kind of vanished. Now, I see more and more people using it again. Let's examine, shall we? Civilization/Race: A nature creature that provides mana accel. WHAT A SURPRISE. He's also a Balloon Mushroom, which earns him no points, as they have no support or evolutions (unless there's something in Stomp-A-Trons that I'm missing). So, nothing special here. Cost: Two mana is nice and cheap. The only other things nature tends to drop on turn two are Torcons/Burning Mane/Crow Winger, so this guy isn't competing with TOO much. This guys cost is nice and low, and his ability means he LIKES to come out early. Good so far. Power: 1000 power. All together now... EWWWWWW. 1000 power is weak. He will lose ANY battles he's in, and he will rarely kill anything other than Emerals, Bronze-Arm Tribes, or other 1000 pointers. This is bad news here... Ability(s): When he's summoned, you take one card from your hand and put it in the mana zone. Thus, you give up one card in the hand to give yourself more mana. Thus, at the end of turn 2, you have three mana. Follow this guy up with Bronze-Arm next turn to have five mana by turn three. By then, you'll also have no HAND either. Still, the ability, despite it's ramifications on hand size, is VERY nice. Ok, now that I've reviewed these stats, let's see how they stack up. Constructed Overview: His ability is great, and he makes an excelent second turn drop. He's handy for getting things like Obsidian Scarab and Mana Nexus into the mana zone, and he can also put things you wouldn't be able to use right away in a place where they can serve a purpose. This ability will significantly reduce your hand size however, so be wary. If you follow it up with a 3rd turn Brain Serum (which you can thanks to him!), though, things will even out nicely. THis guy played real well in the Water/Green evo decks that were so popular a while back, largely because this deck could replenish the hand after the mushrooms killed it. Any deck that has some draw power, or a rush deck, could use this card well. 4/5 Limited Overview: This guy allows you to get mana fast, so you can drop that fattie earlier in the duel. He can also attack early, so he's good for rushing shields. Hand size doesn't mean so much here, so if you get him, TAKE HIM!!! 4.7/5 Well, before I sign off, I'd like to thank Steven Cantrell for posting the picture of me holding my cards. Don't let the picture fool you though, I'm MUCH sexier than it made me look! THis is Lee Sandow, saying just one thing: I PROMISE to send these reviews more often.
Nimbly	Hey pojo dwellers! Yea, I missed the last COTD. My bad. I kinda drifted off into the 15^th moon of Saturn, where people go to actually work on school shudders, but I’m back. Today, we review another one of those overlooked cards that we some how haven’t reviewed over yet. It’s like when we chose cards, something between our ears and brains was dislodged. Like how the tectorial membrane can vibrate the hair cells within the tympanic canal of the External Auditory Meatus, causing loss of atmosphere in the ears. Damn school… Ok. For today, review the old card from the base set that can cause hallucinations and became a craze in the 60’s. That’s right. It’s… Poisonous Mushroom Civilization: Nature Type: Balloon Mushroom Mana Cost: 2 Power: 1000 Ability: When you summon this creature, you can put a card from your hand into the mana zone. The Rundown Ah, good ol’ Poisonous Mushroom. I remember this card and the havoc I had to go through finding 4 of them early on in the game. Just about 1 year ago, I believe. Every Green/Blue/Black Deck in my meta had this card in quadruplets, and I went along for the ride…until Red/Black became cool. The Positive Side What’s not to love about mana? Mana is great. The faster you can get it out, the better cards that can get out, the stronger monsters that can hit the field and the easier you win the game. What’s the science behind mana? If you can only play 1 per turn, then the mana is moving along with your turn count. POP QUIZ- If I’m on 6^th turn, and I played mana every turn and on this one, what one should I be on now?...ominous Jeopardy Music… Time’s up. If you said 6, then you lose. Pack your bags, we’re shipping you to Antarctica…or the 15^th Moon of Saturn. Your choice. Why are you wrong? Well did you ever consider that I might be using a green mana deck? Didn’t think so… Green can produce mana very well, depending on if you got a good hand or not. Having this guy out on 2^nd turn helps you get to 4 mana by 3^rd turn, opening the door for a B-AT/barkwhip combo on 3^rd turn, which is great considering you also have the Mushroom as another attacker for the turn. Play a couple of these, then you could get very high on the mana list. By my math, you can get to 6 mana by 4^th turn, which is crazy and a potential FDF or Crystal Lancer if you’re using Blue along with Green. Another good thing, it’s really cheap. 2 mana is really nothing. That’s why you use the torcons and the Burning manes, because their cheap. This guy may not be a beast folk, but it’s still good to use in a deck to lower the mana curve and get out some quick attackers to prolong the game for your attack. Poisonous mushroom is a great way to get some fast mana. There are other ways, but this isn’t that bad in getting the mana that you want and getting a 1000 monster out. The Negative Side What’s bad about mana production? Well, think about it. Your only gonna play one mana a turn normally. POP QUIZ #2- Where are the extra mana cards coming from? ominous Jeopardy music… Time’s up again. If you guessed from the sleeve of your shirt, then you win free counseling! Seriously though, the cards can come from 4 possible areas. The graveyard(Most desirable) the deck (most used outside normal mana production) the hand (not too desirable) and the field (just craziness). The Shroom’s cards come from the hand. Now, anyone who plays card games would tell you that the hand is power, if the game involves a hand at all. That’s a good reason why this card sees next to no play nowadays. The card kills your hand. You can’t kill your hand intentionally, unless you can get it back, but then you drain your deck, making it easier to deck out. No, No, No, none of this makes any sense, does it? It’s brother, psyshroom had a cooler effect. That one gets mana from the graveyard, which is great since you’re probably never gonna use them again. Finally, here’s “What else could you use?” - Bronze-Arm One turn later? - Psyshroom 2 turns later - Barkwhip, torcon, or burning manes? - Faerie Life? - 2 turns for Enchanted Soil? Lots of choices, I’d pass if I were you. The Limited Side The shroom is cooler in limited play. Mana is much more effective and more essential when you actually play with more higher cost creatures than you normally use. I see this card helping a lot if you can get to 5 mana by 4^th turn. That opens up many possibilities to one-up your opponent. If you see it, take it and jump for joy. The Recap Here’s the + and – again Pluses + Easy, quick mana + Cheap monster + Classic never die, right? Minuses - The card destroys hands - not as good as B-A or Psyshroom in some ways. - the third plus being wrong Constructed- 2.5/5- If you can sustain your hand so it’s not much of a loss, you know, through stuff like brain serum and the new energy stream, then it should be useful. Bronze-Arm and Fighter Dual Fang are better, by a long shot. Still, not that bad. I’m split on the card. Limited- 3.5/5- Mana production only helps in limited games. Speed is one of them “king strategies” in limited, so go for it. Art- 2/5- Hey, if you had multiple green spheres appearing everywhere on your body, you wouldn’t have a smile on your face either… That’s it for the Poisonous Mushroom. If anyone has any Q’s, Triple C’s, or just want to say something, E-Mail me at pt_1bc_2@yahoo.com Later Days… Congrats North Carolina for winning the NCAA tourney…and winning me my bracket pool. :)
Drizer	Name: Poisonous Mushroom Civilization: Nature Race: Baloon Mushroom Cost:2 Mana Generated:1 Rules Text: When you play this creature, you can take a card from your hand and put it into the mana zone Power: 1000 Type: Creature Artist: Daisuke Izuka Drizer's Flavor Text (For cards that don't have them): Flavor Text: You won't find these mushrooms on salads This marks day two of Cecillbill's picks. I thought I was all cool and was going to take the spotlight when Nimbly didn't review for the first time since February 21,2005. But no, Steven can't handle me in the spotlight, so he went and signed up and he submitted a tourny report...Lol, you kno ya my dude Good Points of the Card -2 for 1k -Low Cost -Lay down extra mana Constructed Side Finally, I get to review a card that is actually in my deck. I actually re-introduced this card back into my meta when our Nature craze was going around. Now, pretty much all Nature decks I see have this card. If they don't I suggest you add this card. I think this card is very good, it follows the "Mana is Power" theme of the Nature civilization. I highly suggest playing this because next turn you can just BAT then Barkwhip. Limited Side Not as good as it is at constructed, seeing as not many people still use the base set to draft with. If you are playing Nature, I probably wouldn't suggest playing this card because you don't have any draw power in Limited Bad Points of the card -Same turn as Crow Winger and Mane -Hand Depletion Overall Standings: I think this card is pretty good all in all Constructed:4.5 Yay, I have 3 mana. "What? You only have 1??" Limited: 2.5 Dun dun dun Art: 3.0 YUM Till Friday!, Drizer
Steven Cantrell	Poisonous Mushroom Type: Creature Civilization: Nature Race: Balloon Mushroom Mana Cost: Two Rules Text: When you put this creature into the battle zone, you may put 1 card from your hand into your mana zone. Flavor Text: You won't find these mushrooms on salads. Power: 1000 Rarity: Uncommon Set: Base Set Power/Cost: Two cost for 1000 power is about the ratio you would expect. Poisonous Mushroom will not win any battles, but it is capable of suicide and shield breaking. A cheap cost is important so that when played early on, the ability will have more of an impact. Not bad. Civilization/Race: This does not matter all that much. The Balloon Mushroom race currently has no support and none coming in the near future. Being from the Nature civilization means there are better 2 drops that overshadow it, like Barkwhip and Torcon. Effects: Good ole mana advantage. Back in the day Poisonous Mushroom was pretty good, but now Faerie Life and Bronze-Arm Tribe are superior. Let’s look at this card mathematically: You lose two cards from your hand to play it and to use the effect. Poisonous Mushroom also costs two mana. You gain a 1k creature on the field and one extra mana. So do the ends justify the means? Playtesting provides no definite answer. This card is not awesome, but it can still work sometimes. Limited Ranking: 3/5 Constructed Ranking: 3/5 Let me hear what you think! Agree? Disagree? Am I off my rocker? I would be glad to discuss Duel Masters on AIM anytime. Steven Cantrell, signing off from my second card review…