The Flamefiend's artifact-sacrifice ability is
optional, which is good-- unlike Kuldotha
Rebirth, it won't sit dead in your hand if you
topdeck it after a Creeping Corrosion resolves
or if your only artifact is the Platinum Angel
keeping you alive at -34 life. But if you don't
sacrifice an artifact, the Flamefiend is pretty
bad-- an effectively vanilla 4/4 for six mana.
It's been a long time since anything less than a
Dragon could see play for 4RR. With the
artifact, the Flamefiend becomes usable as a 4/4
plus a kill spell that can hit multiple small
creatures, or use any spillover damage to hit
the player.
But really, look at Kuldotha Flamefiend, and
then look at Inferno Titan, or Hoard-Smelter
Dragon. And remember, to get the most out of the
Flamefiend costs two cards-- the 'Fiend and the
artifact you sacked. Really, no matter how many
artifacts you have or how willing you are to
sacrifice them, the only reason to play Kuldotha
Flamefiend is if you can't get Inferno Titan or
the like.
This card reminds me a little of one of my
favorite creatures: Flametongue Kavu. The
difference is that people (whether that be
randoms at FNM or people from Wizards of the
Coast itself) probably aren't going to be
complaining that this version is overpowered.
Although, they're different enough that it might
not come up unless I mention it like I did just
now - the Flamefiend has additional synergy with
anything that likes you to sacrifice artifacts,
and the fact that its trigger is optional means
you're never going to "accidentally" flash-fry
your own stuff. It's hard to use too many red
creatures that cost six in Standard constructed
right now, but this is one that has some
potential.
Today's card of the day is Kuldotha Flamefiend
which is a six mana 4/4 that can sacrifice an
artifact when it comes into play to deal four
damage divided between any number of target
creatures or players. The cost is a bit
high for Constructed formats and you'll need
something to sacrifice, but it can be playable
with acceleration and make an impact against the
right battlefield. Facing several 1/1 or
2/2 creatures it can clear the board or deal
direct damage to the opponent as appropriate,
whatever the situation calls for. Overall
a decent card that isn't likely to see much play
due to the cost and niche nature unless Red
artifact builds gain a foothold.
For Limited this is a very strong card that is
an impressive topdeck and game changing play in
many situations. An excellent second or
third pick when starting with a Red rare in
Booster and worth using as the top of the mana
curve in Sealed. The double Red in the
cost is not a big concern at six mana and you
should always have a target to sacrifice in this
format. The potential to clear multiple
targets or deal direct damage if none are
available and gain a respectable creature makes
for a respectable advantage in this format.
Welcome to today’s Card of the Day
here at Pojo.com. This time around we are taking
a look at Kuldotha Flamefiend from Mirrodin
Besieged. Kuldotha Flamefiend costs four generic
and two red mana. When it enters the battlefield
you can sacrifice an artifact to deal four
damage divided as you choose among any number of
target creatures or players. And it is a 4/4.
I love cards like this for their impact on a game, and
especially the ability to change a games
landscape. Wipe the board of creatures, deal the
final blow to an opponent, so many options. And
the artifacts in the set that can be sacrificed
to the ability that grant additional abilities
are crazy in these few sets. Like the Ichor
Wellspring and Spine of Ish Sah. Nothing better
than dealing four divisible damage and drawing a
card. And you can use the damage over and over
using the Ichor Wellspring and either a Mimic
Vat or Splinter Twin with the Kuldotha
Flamefiend. These cards would allow you to put a
Kuldotha Flamefiend onto the battlefield every
turn, and since you’d be able to cast the Ichor
Wellspring every turn (theoretically) that will
add up to a lot of damage, and a lot of card
advantage.
