Five mana is a bit high for a green-based infect
deck, and tapping and sacking a creature just to
proliferate seems like a high price to pay
unless you have good token-producers. But of
course, green does have good token producers,
and it has lots of counters to proliferate:
+1/+1 counters. None in this block, of course,
but I don't think Plaguemaw Beast's real home is
in Standard or Limited. I think this card will
really shine in the older formats, alongside
anything that generates +1/+1 counters.
My first instinct is to try and fit this in some
kind of green infect deck. Proliferate is like
the infect deck's version of Char, except it
can't be countered and can be used more than
once, sometimes in the same turn. The fact that
Plaguemaw Beast doesn't have infect itself,
though, makes me wonder if there's some other
green deck that might want it. Everflowing
Chalice, Spike Feeder, and Decree of Savagery
are consistently popular, and they all seem
like things that could get even better in
tandem with this card.
Welcome back readers today's card of the day is
Plaguemaw Beast an interesting creature from
Mirrodin Besieged that can proliferate...for a
cost. In standard this card is too expensive and
requires to big a sacrifice to proliferate
effectively. I don't see this fitting into any
current decks. In extended and eternal it wont
see play due to the mana cost and the limited
effectiveness of proliferate in green. In casual
and multiplayer it can go into beast decks
utilizing +1/+1 counters or a green infect deck
but running non infect creatures may not be the
best strategy although it could be effective for
proliferation, by killing your smaller guys
after they have served their purpose. Or perhaps
giving each player the finishing amount of
poison counters after spreading them around.
In limited its a solid body that can proliferate
and should find a home in green infect decks or
just a solid body in regular non infect decks.
Overall a card that fills a niche just fills it
poorly I don't suspect this card to see much
play in any format.
Today's card of the day is Plaguemaw Beast
which is a five mana 4/3 that allows you to
sacrifice a creature to proliferate. Green
decks usually have several large creatures or a
decent number of smaller creatures, but not too
many uses for counters aside from planeswalkers,
a few +1/+1 counters, quests, and Infect.
This beast not having Haste, Trample, or any
evasion makes it pretty weak for the relatively
high cost compared to other options in the color
which leaves the value almost entirely on the
effect itself. If your deck has a
expendable source of creatures, or the beast
itself, and a strong need for an extra counter
each turn it may be worth using. Aside
from the fairly narrow usage Green can generally
do better by playing something more aggressive
or part of a larger theme.
In Limited with the options being reduced a 4/3
is playable and Proliferate is solid, but
sacrificing a creature can be a major
disadvantage and the double Green in the cost is
a minor issue as well that keeps it from simply
being splashed. Some creatures benefit
from being sacrificed and both they and Infect
should be given priority in deck construction or
drafting if this card is already in your pool
for the added advantage. There are better
options in the format, but this gets the job
done as a big creature with some utility.
