The Magic writer Mike Flores is fond of
referring to decks that "could never beat a
Treetop Village." In case you started Magic more
recently that the Tenth Edition or were just
wondering, he's not exaggerating. The card's
mechanic itself is devastating, much less when
it was backed up by Duress and Pernicious Deed
back in 2001 or by Rune Snag and Cryptic Command
in 2009. Now imagine a Treetop Village that also
helps you find the colors for Jace the Mind
Sculptor and Memoricide and all the other
high-impact spells in your deck. Creeping Tar
Pit is - quite literally - a world-beater, and
will remain so for a long time to come.
The number nine card for 2010 is Creeping Tar
Pit which is a very aggressive land for
Blue/Black decks despite coming into play
tapped.
For three mana it becomes a 3/2 unblockable
until the end of the turn that can do quite a
bit of damage to an opponent over the course of
a game. Being part Black can help against
some removal cards while Blue itself can counter
other instants. Returning to land status
protects it from sorceries which makes it very
hard for most decks to handle.
Overall a very impressive card for a control
deck to use as a threat and mana source.
For Limited this is a solid choice for Sealed
build if you are looking at a Blue/Black pool,
but a somewhat risky first choice in Booster as
it encourages you into choosing two colors very
early. The unblockable aspect is hard to
pass up and while it can be a little awkward to
pay for it is worth it. The color fixing
is a nice bonus and overall this is a strong
card to have available in both the early and
later stages of any game.
Today’s Card of the Day Top 10 of 2010 is Creeping Tar
Pit from Worldwake. This card certainly has been
seeing a lot of play, especially on the Pro
circuit. So much so it was in five of the top
eight decks at worlds. It is a land that enters
play tapped, can produce either blue or black
mana. In addition, if you pay 1 generic, one
blue, and one black you get a 3/2 black and blue
elemental creature that is still a land and is
unblockable. Very useful if you can spare the
four mana total for an unblockable creature,
less useful if said mana can go towards other
more useful.
In standard environments, this card is very decent. But again, for
me it is about the mana. It just seems like a
lot to ask, especially in these colors. But,
luckily, in these colors, there can still be
some cheap ways to keep yourself safe. From the
same block, there was the trap Whiplash Trap
that could save you in the event multiple
creatures hit the board. But this article is
about the Tar Pit. In standard, I think it is a
good way to deal some reliable damage. And
consistently being able to avoid certain kill
spells is also nice. However, it depends on your
true intention for the card that depends on it’s
value. There are certainly better overall cards.
For mana, the dual lands from either Scars or
from M11 would be better than the Tar Pit, and
the Hada Spy Patrol is certainly a better
alternative for an unblockable creature, since
once fully leveled, it gains shroud.
In vintage formats is where I think this card loses some of it’s
edge. It cannot stand up to some of the other
cards from older sets in terms of unblockability,
and it is certainly not the best source of mana
out there. Not sure how the value and use of
this card will be affected once out of standard.
Creatures with a solid evasion ability and
decent power are always of use. Creatures with a
built-in means of evading kill spells are also
always of use. When the two aspects converge on
one creature, you have a rare gem.
Creeping Tar Pit, of course, is a land. A dual
land that comes into play tapped, which despite
complaints about things that come into play
tapped, always finds use in decks that require
color fixing, especially if they aren't green
and thus belong in decks with no reliable land
search. The ability to become a creature allows
a deck to lean more heavily on control elements,
as its win condition is now among its lands
instead of taking up a spell slot. And the fact
that Creeping Tar Pit is a 3/2 unblockable means
it will rarely ever be a creature-- and thus a
legal target for creature kill-- on your
opponent's turn. Thus you have a reliable source
of damage to the opponent that is hard for them
to get rid of, and on top of which can be used
as a mana source.
