Look at this card and Woolly Thoctar side by
side. Woolly Thoctar hasn't made much of an
impact on Standard, possibly because it just
doesn't do anything except swing for 5.
Leatherback Baloth only swings for 4. Any deck
that is capable of producing the mana for Woolly
Thoctar would choose it over the Baloth.
However, the Baloth has two important aspects
going for it in favor of the Thoctar-- it is
playable in a monogreen deck, and it can survive
Bituminous Blast (and, in older formats, Flame
Javelin or Sudden Death).
A creature I like to call "the card of
Unless." Only useful in mono-green, unless you
have enough of those fancy rare lands everyone
likes. Only a vulnerable vanilla creature,
unless you have Eldrazi Monument or Overrun or
Kitesail. This card may never be considered a
top-tier threat, whatever that means, but it is
going to do a lot of damage to a lot of people
in a lot of games for a lot of years.
Constructed: Until Sprounting
Thrinax leaves standard, this little guy will
only see play in mono green decks. Maybe to help
out Elves, like they need any help.
Casual & Multiplayer:
Good green fatty to add to any green beat down
deck and cheap.
Limited: Going green in draft or
sealed this is a great addition. Just watch for
Smother or Hideous End.
Overall it is a cheap Beast.
Constructed: 3
Casual: 4
Multiplayer: 3
Limited: 4
Later
Miguel
Paul
Magic The Gathering Card of The Day:
Leatherback Baloth
Welcome back readers today’s card of the day
is Leatherback Baloth a powerhouse of a card
from Worldwake that unfortunately doesn’t have
many abilities. This particular Baloth costs
three green mana and has a 4/5 body this makes
players from times past whisper power creep. In
today’s current standard environment we have
powerhouse creatures like Baneslayer Angel and
Wooly Thoctor whom switches power and toughness
with this card. I don’t see this card seeing a
fair amount of play in standard as the deck most
likely to run it Naya already has a powerhouse
in the form of Wooly Thoctor, then again Kird
ape and Loam lion will most likely be played
together so never say never. Mana bases in
standard and extended are complex enough to
handle creatures with varied mana costs,
powerhouse mono green decks aside from Eldrazi
green don’t see much competitive play as there
are more powerful creatures in the formats. In
eternal, no chance in hell too slow not enough
effect on the game and vanilla. In casual and
multiplayer this is what the doctor ordered,
drop this turn three and then put a Rancor on it
pure gold baby, it may draw removal but then
again it’s a vanilla creature. In limited it
requires a heavy commitment to green, not a
first pick but if you’re sure your going into
green it can beat faces.
Today's card of the day is Leatherback Baloth
which is a vanilla 4/5 for just three Green
mana. Presuming an entirely Green deck due to
the cost this can fairly easily be played on the
second turn, making it an extremely dangerous
threat early and still solid if drawn later in
the game. It may not see a great deal of play
due to the lack of an effect or major support
from type or multiple colors, but the high
toughness and low cost makes it worthy of
playing when able.
In Constructed, Casual, and Multiplayer this
is a simple yet effective threat that can tie up
an opponent's resources allowing your more
flexible cards to shine. The lack of Trample and
very dedicated casting cost are limitations, but
in the right deck it is quite the bargain for
what it offers. This is also similar to the
three colored Woolly Thoctar from Shards which
is quite popular, but at least in part due to
the Gold nature which this Baloth is lacking.
Mono-Green is short on several valuable tools
for most deck designs and that overall lack of
versatility will likely hold this card back.
For Limited the very specific mana cost is
fairly difficult to work around even with
Green's excellent supply of mana management. In
Sealed it is very difficult to run a single
color and unless Green is the vast majority of
mana sources this may not see play until the
fifth turn or even later. With Booster this is a
difficult card to draft unless you are already
solidly into Green as your deck's primary or
only color. If by design you are able to play
this card relatively early in a game the
4/5 is a very serious threat and will require
some kind of removal by the opponent. Played
later in the game this will be unlikely to have
as heavy of an impact and other large creatures
with effects will likely be better suited to the
deck, even with higher casting costs.
