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Pojo's Magic The Gathering Card of the Day


Image from Wizards.com

Disrupting Shoal 
Betrayers of Kamigawa


Reviewed February  xx, 2005

Constructed: 2.90
Casual: 2.10
Limited: 2.00

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

Click here to see all our 
Card of the Day Reviews 


Jeff Zandi

5 Time Pro Tour
Veteran

Disrupting Shoal

Well, it's not Counterspell, but it's not bad! Using the regular casting cost of XUU, this card is a little worse than the XU counterspells of the past. Still perfectly usable. The alternate casting cost, however, puts this card above most counterspell effects produced in the last three or four years.

CONSTRUCTED: 4.0
CASUAL: 3.5
LIMITED: 3.0

Ray "Monk"
Powers
* Level 3 DCI Judge
 Disrupting Shoal

If this card was a Power Sink, I would like it a lot more. But making X equal to the converted mana cost of the spell means the alternate casting cost of this card will nearly never be used, and the amount of mana required to counter even a four casting cost spell makes this the worst counterspell created in a long long time.

Constructed: 1
Casual: 1
Limited: 1


DeQuan
Watson

* game store owner (The Game Closet - Waco,TX)

Disrupting Shoal - Friday
 
I think this shoal will be the most versatile.  It will be played in the most formats.  And many times it will be used to stop the small spells in tight situations anyway.  If people were will to play Foil and such as free spells, this will get some play as well.
 
Constructed: 4
Casual: 2.5
Limited: 2
Paul
Hagan
Disrupting Shoal --

I won't put this card up with the ranks of Force of Will or Thwart, but Disrupting Shoal is one of the better alternate casting-cost spells that I've...OK, hold up. I just stopped typing the praises of this card when I realized that it reads, "Counter target spell if its casting cost IS X" not "...is X or less." Nevermind. Ignore my above comments. Disrupting Shoal is mediocre at best, and unless you are running a lot of 2CC and 3CC cards in your deck, you can probably just ignore this card. It replaces neither Mana Leak nor Hinder, and therefore, likely doesn't have a home in Type II.

In limited, I usually don't run counters unless that are particularly special, and this card doesn't strike me as that. Unless you are in need of a 21st - 23rd card, then go ahead and leave Disrupting Shoal in your sideboard.

Constructed Rating: 2.0
Casual Rating: 2.0
Limited Rating: 1.5


Chris
Gerhardt

* game store owner
(Shuffle and Cut)

Disrupting Shoal
 
While this Shoal has been likened to Force of Will, its drawback is that you must MATCH the casting cost of the spell you are countering.  So if you don't have a card in hand to do so, you're out of luck.  Of course, Blue has always been good at drawing, so you could conceivably combine its ability with a good drawing engine to dig your way to a casting cost card you need.  But it really just does seem a bit over-complicated.  Still, I think if there is a way to pull this off, the player community will find it.
 
In casual, it's a permission card with a difficult nature, and so not exactly appealing.
 
In limited, its just too...well...limited by its color requirement and casting cost exactation to make the counter happen. 
 
Constructed - 3.5
Casual - 1.5
Limited - 2
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