Colorless creature kill that doesn't take up a
spell slot is always useful. Quicksand is a bit
hampered by the fact that it must be sacrificed
to kill a creature, putting you a turn behind on
mana development, and by the fact that it can
only target attacking creatures without flying.
That, however, makes it a very attractive
prospect in a green deck, since green can
accelerate its mana to compensate and struggles
to kill nonflying creatures.
Quicksand was the bane of many creatures in the
1990s, which used to confound flavor experts:
how exactly did this affect a Soltari Priest,
who exists at least half on the ethereal plane?
Either way, Quicksand the card is a lot like
quicksand the real-world phenomenon: it's not
the most efficient or final way of getting rid
of something, but it's very hard to counteract.
Creatures also can't walk around it, which also
doesn't make sense conceptually but is very good
for the Quicksand player!
Constructed: With a set full of man
lands that are also dual lands and the other
common lands this poor little reprint will sit
in a card box for a long time. I still has some
potential some day.
Casual & Multiplayer:
This is what we call a poor man's removal. It is
cheap and easy to get several copies for casual
players.
Limited: With Worldwake being
only one pack and the last pack in a draft, this
is a real good removal card, but most creatures
a really big or can get bigger(like landfall). I
would pick a few up.
Overall a good reprint.
Constructed: 2
Casual: 4
Multiplayer: 3
Limited: 4
Later
Miguel
Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno
Today's card of the
day is Quicksand which is a colorless source of
mana that comes into play untapped and can
weaken most non-flying creatures enough to send
them to the graveyard. One big drawback of
the effect being on a land makes it rarely be a
surprise for the opponent, but this can also be
a key strategy as some creatures might not
attack into an untapped Quicksand. Overall
a very nice card as somewhat free removal, even
against Indestructible, and works as a mana
source without the standard penalty of coming
into play tapped.
For Constructed, Casual, and Multiplayer this
card really stands out for Artifact decks, but
otherwise the lack of a color is fairly big
hindrance for competitive play. A
defensive deck without major need for basic
lands can take advantage of this, but it isn't
likely to be a major force otherwise.
With Limited removal is useful and landfall is
present, so using this fits in quite well unless
basic lands or mana symbols are a higher
percentage of your build. In Sealed it can
pretty safely be placed in most decks, but
drafting in Booster can be a bit more difficult.
The value increases if playing Landfall and the
option of removal for any color deck is not
negligible. I'd draft it shortly after
bombs and key support, but Quicksand does gain
extra value in a Black deck when using it with
Grim Discovery. Two mana to get back a
land drop for Landfall, removal, and a creature
is a major bargain and should not be overlooked.
