This little guy's worth is directly proportional
to the number of cards you run that put counters
on permanents (counters of a type that you want
the permanent to have more of, not hindering
counters like those on Woolly Razorback or
Bloodied Ghost). He can drop as early as turn
two, and start proliferating by turn three,
dealing a point of damage as he adds counters to
your Everflowing Chalice, Ratchet Bomb, Lux
Cannon, and what else have you. The only
downside here is that you don't really add
Thrummingbird to your deck because you want a
flying beatstick for two. If that's what you
wanted, there's stronger choices. You play
Thrummingbird in order to proliferate. And if
your opponent drops a creature that can block a
1/1 flyer, then Thrummingbird can't do its job.
A Wall of Denial, an Ornithopter, an Ezuri's
Archers, any one of which could halt your plans.
As could any kill spell that can kill a 1/1
flyer-- Disfigure, Leaf Arrow, Forked Bolt...
and those are hardly ever played. Most people
play even stronger kill spells. But then, a
stronger kill spell should be saved for a
stronger creature, yes? Why waste a Doom Blade
on a 1/1 flyer when it may find stronger game to
shoot down? And so your Thrummingbord may just
keep sneaking through to put counters on
whatever you choose.
Thrummingbird is one of the most versatile and
fun cards in Scars of Mirrodin. The designers
were smart to make the proliferate mechanic work
with any kind of counter on any permanent or
player - Scars of Mirrodin has three kinds of
counters in it, and the original Mirrodin block
used both charge and +1/+1 counters. Kamigawa's
Myojins use divinity counters, Magosi uses eon
counters, and you can even double up Red-Hot
Hottie's third-degree burn counters. Whether you
see these themes as adding another dimension to
the game or making business for manufacturers of
six-sided dice, Thrummingbird is a key part of
the phenomenon.
Today's card of the day is Thrummingbird which
is already fairly priced as a two mana 1/1
Flying with an effect, but the effect can
support so many themes that it is quite
impressive. Proliferate works with Infect,
charge counters, planeswalkers, and a variety of
other effects. For a low cost and and a
relatively easy trigger this is a worthwhile
addition to many decks that should not be
overlooked during the design phase.
For Limited the ability to support multiple
themes, the low cost, and Flying make this one
of the best creatures to see in your Sealed pool
and a second or third pick in Booster.
There is no reason not to run every copy
possible of this card if your deck includes Blue
mana and even without Infect or a planeswalker
the odds of having something with counters to
benefit from Proliferate is relatively high.
