So it's slower than Mutavault, and it doesn't
have that flair for dodging sorcery-speed
removal. Also, once you activate it, you can't
tap it for mana anymore, so you won't be getting
the creature until you've already gotten your
mana base squared away. But on the other hand,
the creature is a 3/4 flyer, dodging Rhox War
Monk blocks or Lightning Bolt death. And, if you
can pair it up with Crucible of Worlds or some
other land-recursion engine, you can get
multiple 3/4's. It's definitely for control
decks while Mutavault is for aggro, but it does
its own job just fine.
Here's an interesting one - a definite throwback
to the old Stalking Stones and Tomb of Urami,
but arguably slightly better than the former and
definitely much less risky than the latter. Much
like we've seen recently in Treetop Village and
friends, a creature that can effectively "hide"
until it's the right time of the game can be
extremely powerful. With Gargoyle Castle, it's
just a matter of finding the right deck for it.
I don't doubt that we will.
Constructed:
Paying 5 for a 3/4 flyer that is a artifact
creature and sacrificing a land too is a little
to much. On the plus side you get a
uncounterable creature into to play, well I take
that back there is Stifle and it's brother. With
the loss of the manlands this might show up in
some control decks.
Casual &
Multiplayer:
I do not think much action will be seen by this
card.
Limited:
It looks good on the outside but will it really
help out during a game. I think it could be a
good pick. Fits with any color and late game it
gets you a 3/4 flyer which is always good. Not a
bomb, but a good solid pick.
Overall it is a cool card with some real good
flavor. Have you seen the token that goes with
it?
Constructed: 4
Casual: 2
Multiplayer: 3
Limited: 4
Later
Miguel
Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno
Maikeruu
Today's card of the day is Gargoyle Castle, the
latest in a line of Mishra's Factory and
Mutavault lands that turn into creatures theme.
I really don't see the card as anything too
special in any format outside of limited. It
taps for colorless, which isn't much of a help
in many decks, and it permanently becomes a
creature instead of changing back at the end of
turn. At worst it is a five mana 3/5 with flying
that can't be countered, which really isn't
horrible as it can be played in any deck, but
better options exist. If you really need the
option against Blue control or run an artifact
deck it could be a decent addition. It may also
see some play in a Knight of the Reliquary
themed deck, but it depends on the build.
Constructed may hold a few homes for it, but
currently I don't expect it to take Mutavault's
place even when it rotates out of standard this
fall.
Casual may see it as a fairly unique card, but
not a whole lot of fun as it is later in the
game and the resulting creature isn't going to
change the game dramatically enough.
Limited this is not as bad of a rare to get as
it may seem. Pretty much worth playing if it is
in sealed as it can't be countered and gives a
fairly large flier to any color combination. If
you are thinking of three or more colors the
only drawback is having it be colorless mana
when you want to draw a specific type. Slot it
as a spell instead of a creature or land and you
should have a better flow to the deck. In
booster draft you will want to seriously
consider the other cards in the pack before
drafting this early. There are many commons and
uncommons in the set that can impact the game
more and with less available mana.
Multiplayer doesn't gain anything from this card
really. Just the same advantages and
disadvantages listed above.
Welcome back readers today’s card is one of the
few manlands available in standard at the
moment. Gargoyle Castle may see play as 1 or 2
of in decks as a late game threat be careful as
it may complicate color intensive mana bases. In
standard I expect a few copies to pop up here
and there, extended and eternal formats possibly
but unlikely. In casual and multiplayer having
access to a flyer late game that doesn’t require
color commitment could be useful. In limited
flyers are a powerful commodity and Gargoyle
Castle doesn’t conflict much with your mana
fixing. A card I think will see a fair amount of
play in standard and a bit of play in other
formats. Stay tuned this week as we review more
cards from M10.
