I remember playing with Ripple spells in
Coldsnap draft and sealed. When you had enough
of them, putting even one on the stack could
basically win you the game. Bituminous Blast
goes one step further - each Ripple chain was
basically a one-trick pony, but this powerful
spell can shoot down a large opposing creature
and get you a free one for yourself. Expect this
card to be a very high pick in Alara block
drafts.
-Balding
for just over 5 years
-Playing MTG for just over 10
Bituminous Blast
What a name. I love the new Cascade Mechanic. If
this comes out on other cards, it could see some
tourney play. This one is a little expensive,
but then again, you get two cards for one here.
If you can set up your deck somehow, Top
perhaps, this card is great. I must assume for
now that Cascade will allow you to play the
spell as an instant. If not, this could suck. In
limited, creature removal is always a top pick
and this one takes out a lot of problems. In the
same colors as Thought Hemorrhage...see previews
to come...this could be fun, fun, fun....
Constructed: 3
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3
This is an entertaining idea for a card. Cascade
has potential to be a really fun ability. It's
not likely to be too powerful, but some games
could be decided in some very interesting ways.
I do find it interesting though, that this spell
only does four damage to a creature and not a
player.
The high casting cost does lead to some
interesting possibilities though. You could get
rid of a guy and then follow up with one of your
own. And against slower control or counter heavy
decks, Cascade could be huge. It effectively
gives you two options for a singular casting
cost. It could cause some interesting swings in
momentum.
For 3BR, 4 damage to a creature is pretty
underwhelming. Heck, it was underwhelming when
it was Torrent of Stone in Kamigawa block for B
cheaper. But while that had Splice onto Arcane,
this also has a mechanic that lets you get
another spell off it-- Cascade. Your 3BR isn't
just getting you 4 to a creature, it's getting
you 4 to a creature and the next spell out of
your deck (some restrictions apply). THis could
turn out to be two removal spells for the price
of one, or a kill spell and a creature to turn
the tide of a combat phase (yes it's an
instant), or even this and Blightning to swat a
creature and a player, plus hand disruption. I
can definitely see this card and Blightning
sharing some decklists.
