Back when the Time Spiral block was still in
print and legal in Standard, Bogardan Hellkite
was one of the most feared creatures in both
limited and constructed games. It was capable of
ambushing complacent opponents, turning their
alpha strike into a rout, and snatching victory
from the jaws of defeat. Now . . . well, very
little has changed now, to be honest.
Casual & Multiplayer: A great Dragon for any
casual Dragon deck. Multiplayer spread the love.
Limited: I would used it in a heart beat. Not
the greatest but once you have 8 mana it is game
on. Try and grab a Rise from the Grave to use it
again. Just watch out for Cancel or Essence
Scatter. It may not be a top pick for most
players, but I think it is.
Overall a great Dragon that fits right in at
Mythic rare. Welcome back Mr. Hellkite.
Welcome back readers today’s card of the day is
a powerful dragon that saw a fair amount of play
in Dragonstorm decks. Borgarden Hellkite is a
5/5 flyer for eight mana the icing on the cake
is when Hellkite comes into play it deals 5
damage divided any way you wish between any
number of target creatures or players. When
Hellkite comes into play it can not only provide
a flying creature to dominate the skies, it can
destroy possibly one or two creatures and deal
some extra damage to a player. In standard it’s
a little expensive outside of a dedicated ramp
deck, Dragonstorm is no longer standard legal so
that hurts the playability of the card. It’s a
powerful card you just need to find a home for
it. In extended and eternal formats Dragonstorm
is a viable deck type and with the extended
rotation minds desire will no longer be a viable
deck choice Dragonstorm may fill that role
perfectly. In eternal formats it may be a
creature in certain combo decks. In casual and
multiplayer its an expensive flyer that hits the
board ready to dominate the skies and can
provide card advantage by possibly netting you a
two for one or better. In limited its expensive
and its unlikely you will have the mana to play
it, if you have a way to cheat it into play all
the better otherwise a low pick unless you can
ramp up to it.
Today's card of the day is Bogardan Hellkite, a
very interesting dragon design that plays
differently from most large creatures. The key
ability is Flash as playing it on your
opponent's turn can be a major change to the
playing field. In addition to blocking it can
seriously weaken any standing army and is an
excellent stalemate ending play. The high cost
is of course a big issue, but you do get what
you pay for.
In Constructed the mana cost is the biggest
problem and it'll probably keep this dragon out
of most serious decks. It is not by any means a
bad card, but it needs dedicated support to
consider it a viable threat.
To Casual the cost is almost an attractive
challenge to overcome, to play this earlier than
expected for a big win. Several other red
dragons fall in a similar category, so there is
competition, yet little compares to the
combination of Flash and divisible burn.
With Limited this is a must play card if there
is even a moderate level of red support in your
pool. A high draft pick and not something to
pass around the table, also worth building
around in sealed as well.
The games are slower, so the cost isn't as big
of an issue even with a double red. The surprise
arrival and burn damage is extremely potent
especially in such a creature driven format.
There are cards that can destroy this, but only
Blue can really stop the burn aspect. As a side
note, if you happen to play this across from a
Baneslayer Angel you will suddenly appreciate
the seemingly flavor only Protection From
Dragons ability.
In Multiplayer the ability to divide the damage
all around the board can be nice, but it
certainly won't make any of those players your
friend.
By that point in the game you probably won't be
looking for allies anyway, but it is worth
mentioning. In this format the impact is
lessened as there are multiple opponents instead
of a single target and each would likely have
options for dealing with the Hellkite if needed.
Flash may help against a single opponent, but
any others will not run into it blindly on the
attack.
