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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day
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Image from Wizards.com
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Caustic Tar
7th Edition
Pojo's Average
Rating -
Constructed: 2.06
(8 Reviews)
Limited: 3.51 (8 Reviews)
Reviewed August 20, 2002
Ratings are
based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst. 3 ...
average.
5 is the highest rating
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our
Card of the Day Reviews
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Rob
Lawing
This
Week's Card Selector
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This card is very good
for black mages allowing them to get around COPs,
damage preventers, and especially Worship. The
major drawback is the enormous casting cost which
is 4BB and the fact that it can be disenchanted.
In other words, keep it on the board and win or
lose a tremendous mana investment. In limited it
is very close to an auto first pick and will win
you a very high percentage of your matches by
itself. Since Worship is in 8th edition, Caustic
Tar should be also.
Ratings
Constructed: 3.0
Limited: 5
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Mason
Peatross
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Caustic Tar in
8th Edition? Why not? It's a pretty balanced card
that doesn't have a place in Constructed so
therefore, would never get played. No one plays
7th Edition Limited, so let's put lots of cards
that don't ever see constructed play in the set!
Limited: 3
Constructed: 1
8th Edition Readiness: 3
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Andrew
Chapman
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Caustic Tar is
sometimes used in Standard and Block Mono Black
Control decks as a sideboard alternate win
mechanism card. That is the most it is useful for,
and I don't really think it shines there. Over
all, its just REALLY expensive. Now, if you gained
the life they lost, it might be more interesting.
In Limited, the games really
shouldn't be going long enough for this card to
get much use, but if you need something else in
your deck to help kill the opponent, this might be
suitable.
Constructed: 2.5
Limited: 2.5
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Scott
Gerhardt
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This card has one of
the greatest swings in usefulness between Sealed
Deck and Draft I have ever seen. While I
would immediately play this card in Sealed, I
feel it's usefulness in draft is much less.
In sealed, you're more likely to get into
creature stand-offs due to the less quality of
decks. Caustic Tar can be a game breaker
in that situation. In draft, with the
decks of higher quality, either you'll draw this
when you're winning, and still be winning, or
draw it when losing, and you'll still be losing.
On top of that, in draft, people are aware of
cards such as Chamber of Manipulation, Squirrel
Nest, and Caustic Tar. Cards such as Aven
Fogbringer, Earth Rift, Churning Eddy,
Dematierialize, Rancid Earth, and more are all
commons that answer these problems, and far more
likely to appear in draft.
In constructed, the
card has some uses in sideboards to deal with
decks that are packed with COPs and things that
hose black damage. Outside of that, not
really that useful.
Constructed:
3
Limited: 3.5
Current Price: $.95
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Alex
Hockey
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Way too
expensive and vulnerable to use in constructed. It
gets a 1.
In limited, I'd probably
play it. Limited games are slower so you're more
likely to have the mana to play it at some time.
Its less vulnerable in limited (there is less
enchantment removal/land destruction) and its a
source of unstoppable damage. A 3 in
limited.
This probably should appear
in 8th edition. The card is quite simple, but it
does teach new players that:
1. Not only creatures can be
enchanted
2. Damage is not the same as
loss of life
Both these concepts are
simple yet important.
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Judge
Bill
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Not very big in
constructed. First of all, it costs 6 mana, and
since it doesn't end the game in 1 turn (or make
the win basically guaranteed), it's not something
that will see play.
However, this card is great
in limited. There's a lot less your opponent can
do about it in limited, and with most games
breaking down into a stall, this can end the game.
Constructed: 1.5
Limited: 3.8
As for this being in 8th
Edition, I can very easily see the cycle of land
enchantments making it. Although I would much
rather have the Prophecy cycle black land
enchantment. But this cycle is stronger overall,
and would make an interesting addition to 8th.
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Fletcher
Peatross
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Caustic
Tar while not a game winner all by itself is often
a game winner all by itself. Contradicting myself,
yes I know. Essentially its a clock that is almost
unstoppable. But you have to be able to control
what your opponent is doing to you as well. In
Limited if I was playing black, most likely I
would play this. Its not a card you have 4 of in
any Constructed deck, but has seen some play in
Control Black. A 2 in Constructed, a 3.5 in
Limited.
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John
Hornberg |
Caustic
Tar is the but of some nasty mono black combos,
and can be used somewhat effectively in the
same way that Squirrel Nest-Deserted Temple is
used. It is the kind of card that newer players
flock to, thinking of it as the "ultimate way
to killing an opponent."
I like this cards chances in
8th Edition. It is the kind of card that is not
horribly confusing, so it will not make newer
players say, "huh?"
It is also good enough that
even experienced players can find a place for it
in select decks. The only problem to this card
staying in the metagame is how long mono black
will hold on as a Tier 1 deck in Type II. If
Onslaught fails to contribute to the deck, then
this card will fade out because Mono Black will be
no good. If Onslaught helps black a lot, this card
might see play if in 8th.
If you really want ratings,
it's decent in constructed, and a game changer in
limited on many occasions. A 2.5 in Type II, a
3.75 in limited, and a whopping 1 in Extended. |
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