This card is amusing. The further you read down
the card, the better it gets. Well, until you
get to the part about having to return three
creatures to your hand. Without some special
trick, it's very rare you'll want to trade three
creatures for one Dust Elemental. If you manage
to get it into play, however, it can definitely
be a huge problem for the opposition.
It's a 6/6 with flying, fear, and flash for 4
mana. As long overdue as white is for a decent
6/6, this isn't it. The "return three creatures"
clause means that this 6/6 evasive body actually
costs 2WW plus the cost of the three other
creatures you return with it. Or, more likely,
you'll play it and bounce itself and two others
to save them from a Wrath of God-- possibly your
own. In constructed, it's too slow for aggro (or
is it?) and control won't have enough creatures
to bounce unless its some sort of G/W Thallid
deck that hasn't really swept the tourney scene
yet. In limited it's an absolute beatstick,
since you likely will have some creatures to
bounce, and maybe save from a Nightshade
Assassin. Casual players can get good use out of
it too.
Constructed- 2
Casual- 4
Limited- 3.8
Aethereal
Tuesday - Dust
Elemental
An interesting card because it has Flash. It can
help out against removal like Pyroclasm. It's
also really hard to block. The 4 casting cost is
prohibitive for the WW type decks though, and it
really slows them down if they don't have
creatures to bounce. It has potential, but I
don't see it getting competitive play.
In casual, this guy can be awesome. Bounce 3
guys with good come into play abilities, and
give yourself a 6/6 beast in the process.
In limited, only really good in the early game,
and not so great in the late game, except to
counter a kill spell. However, if the ground is
locked, bouncing 3 creatures might not be the
best plan for you. I'd probably grab it if there
wasn't anything better in the pack though.
Constructed - 2
Casual - 4
Limited - 3
-David N
Tuesday:
Dust Elemental
Wow this card has potential to be amazing. 4 for
a 6/6 flying with fear but more importantly
flash. This guy can be used to save a bunch of
your creatures, bounce back come into play
affects or just plain suprise someone with a
fatty.
Constructed: 5
Casual: 3
Limited: 5
David Fanany
Dust Elemental
It's huge, it's cheap, and it's practically
unblockable. It has a drawback that you can make
a theme deck around. Will it be a big hit? The
problem is that many white decks don't reach the
four-mana point on the curve, and those that do
often want a creature that will stay in play no
matter how many creatures they already have (Calciderm,
say). In the aforementioned "rescue" deck,
Stonecloaker will usually be better, though Dust
Elemental can be devastating if you can arrange
it. Its super-mega-evasion can also be good in
limited play again if you can arrange the
situation so it stays in play.
Constructed: 2/5
Casual: 3/5
Limited: 3/5
(A white creature with fear? We're truly through
the looking glass.)
PsychoAnime
There's great potential for a 4 mana 6/6 flier
with flash and fear. The only
drawback here is you have to return 3 creatures
you control. This could be a
benefit when facing removal spells your opponent
cast, but this card is the
most effective when played early to take down
your opponent quickly.
An early play means either you got to generate 3
creatures into play on turn 1
to 3. Returning tokens is a bad thing, so what
creatures can we return? Optimally,
we return the 1-8-7 creatures: creatures with
come into play abilities. Because
we have quite a few of these creatures, getting
this out on turn 4 is not that
difficult. When the summoning requirement is
taken care of, this becomes
insanely stong.
Its flash makes it a nice defending trick and
its combination of flying and fear
means only a fraction of creatures can block
this, and if they do block it, it
is likely they just lost a creature.
In Limited, this card pretty much means game.
Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 5/5, when you play this out, you win.
Arcane
Dust Elemental
Constructed: Has all the makings of a powerful
constructed creature. Fat body, cheap casting
cost, evasion (make that Super Evasion!), Flash;
but like any creature that falls into all these
categories there’s a downside, a downside of
returning three creatures to your hand when you
play this. Don’t have three creatures? Then
return them all. This allows for some ability to
save your creatures from Damnations or the like
it’s a hard line requirement that you won’t
always be able to hit, making the card all but
useless on its own. Maybe see some use in white
rush decks or some such to reuse things like
Icatian Javelineers, etc. but still harder to
manage. I just don’t think it’ll find a home
just yet.
Casual/Multi: A definite powerhouse for the
kitchen table decks. This one creature’s fear
and flying allow you to be swinging free and
clear at almost every other player at the table
pretty early in the game as long as you can
manage a creature on turns one, two and three. A
lot of multiplayer games come down to mass
removal spells being used to help win the game
and this creature will definitely help you save
your 3 best (or two best and itself) with its
Flash ability. Add to the fact that it can go
toe to toe with a dragon makes it a lot more
enticing.
Limited: If evasion creatures are the key to
winning limited games then a creature with Super
Evasion is the master key. Capable of ending the
game in 3-4 swings it’s pretty hard to not be a
little scared if you’re sitting across the table
from it. It’s summoning requirement is a lot
easier to manage hear with a board that can be
cluttered up (though be careful as this can
still be a terrible top deck if you’re down) and
stalled. On the other side there’s not many
cards in the format that can deal with this
creature consistently (dark withering, Ovinize,
Assassinate and Pongify are the ones I can think
of) making it more likely to win you the game if
it hits the table.
Constructed: 2
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 4.5
The Missing
Linc
Dust Elemental
Flying and Fear is a doozy to deal with. I
did not realize how difficult it was to
dodge this guy until I was whopped by him in
the last draft I played. Four mana makes
this card very viable. The drawback of
returning the creatures ends up being an
occassional plus because this thing has
flash. Ok, going to wrath the board, just
wrath this guy and my white weenie swarm
will be back next turn. I see lots of
potential. Even in limited there is bound
to be lots of creatures around.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Necro
nomikron
Dust Elemental:
Constructed: I could see this card getting some
play, as the high end of a white weenie deck.
You can save your creatures, and end up with a
huge guy. Wrath going to wreck your team? Just
cast this guy, he'll save himself + 2 others, or
let him die and save 3 guys.
Casual: EOT big guy, or save your guys from
wrath? Sounds good to me.
Limited: Save 3 guys from lethal combat damage
(probably killing your opponents guys in what
they thought was an even trade, as well) and get
a 6/6 flying fear guy out of the deal? Sounds
like a plan to me.
