Here's a gutsy play. A 2/2 with flying and haste
for... five mana? You're getting into Dragon
mana there! What makes this thing worth that
kind of mana? The promise of it connecting on
the first turn and getting two +1/+1 counters,
thereby becoming a 4/4 flyer with which to swing
next turn. And a 6/6 flyer if it connects after
that-- maybe Falkenrath Marauders is worth
Dragon mana after all? Well, if and only if it
connects with your opponent's blood supply
shortly after hitting play. Are we expected to
believe that your opponent won't be able to
block a 2/2 flyer on turn five? This card seems
to think quite highly of its ability to make it
to 4/4, especially now that Shock is back to
being the poster child for one mana burn. As is
fitting for a bloodthirsy beast, this card is
feast or famine. If it connects, it's a great
card, and gets greater alongside proliferate
effects like Volt Charge or anything that can
get it through unblocked, such as Panic
Spellbomb or Spirit Mantle. But if you can't
punch through with a 2/2, you'll wish you hadn't
bothered running this thing.
Remember Demigod of Revenge? Remember how he
used to come out of nowhere and blindside
people? Falkenrath Marauders superficially looks
even better, because it can go in two-color
decks and it can have power greater than five. I
wouldn't say it's always better, but I wouldn't
be surprised to see it doing very similar things
to what Shadowmoor's angriest deity was famous
for. Heck, even being an expensive threat in
new-age Standard vampire decks isn't nothing.
Welcome back readers today’s card of the day is
a hasty vampire. This is no Demigod of Revenge
but it is a solid creature. Five mana for a 2/2
flying haste creature is a little
bit on the expensive side but our vampire then
jumps to a 4/4 body and gets progressively
bigger providing it lives. In standard dies to
removal is a poor argument for creatures but
this fails both the Dismember and the
Shock test making it a really poor choice
for an aggressive creature. If it had a slightly
higher base toughness or a cheaper mana cost I
could see playing it, as is I think there are
better choices after all for one more mana
you get Inferno Titan. In extended and
modern this card is also quite poor Demigod of
Revenge and even Deus of Calamity provide all in
red with efficient beaters and this is
still too fragile to compete with most commonly
played aggressive creatures. In legacy and
vintage no chance at all. In casual and
multiplayer with just a few swings this guy can
own the skies and combined with
proliferate and other token shenanigans this is
a solid flying creature that promotes aggressive
deck building as well as vampire tribal which is
quite a popular and powerful tribe.
In limited it’s a minor bomb but still a bomb
nonetheless an easy early pick and a
quality aggressive creature. Overall an
aggressive but casual vampire that has little
impact on constructed.
Today's card of the day is Falkenrath Marauders
which is a five mana 2/2 with Flying, Haste, and
will gain two +1/+1 counters whenever it deals
damage to an opponent. Having both evasion
and Haste is what makes this vampire playable as
the base 2/2 it starts with is far too
vulnerable to removal or being blocked for the
cost. If it has a clear field and the
opponent doesn't have an immediate response it
will be a 4/4 the turn it enters play which is
more reasonable. Dealing with blockers
should be relatively easy for Red and the large
supply of burn associated with the color, but
even then Falkenrath Marauders is a bit weak
compared to Red's dragons and has a similar
cost. Overall a reasonable option for a
Red vampire deck, though other options exist
that are more stable.
In Limited creatures with Flying can often
determine a game and removal is less prevalent
which combined with the increase in stats it
offers makes it quite decent. Adding in
Haste makes this a very good first pick in
Booster and may potentially be one of the
strongest cards in a Sealed pool. Any
vampire support and removal are of course key to
draft alongside this, but even by itself it is a
major concern for nearly any opponent.
Welcome to
another great card of the day here at Pojo.com.
This week we have been looking at the new set
Innistrad. Today’s Innistrad card is Falkenrath
Marauders. Falkenrath Marauders is a rare red
vampire that costs two red and three generic
mana. Falkenrath Marauders is a 2/2 flying,
haste. It has the ability that whenever it deals
combat damage to a player, put TWO +1/+1
counters on it.
That is correct, you read it right, TWO +1/+1 counters
for hitting a player. Unlike his companions that
gain only one +1/+1 counter. So it becomes
imperative that he hit’s a player, and the more
the better. So what ways are there to exploit
this? Well, if we run red/white, protection
allows him to get by any fliers that are the
color we choose. Of course getting him trample
could help, if there is only a small 1/1
blocking. But the first hit should just be well
timed if possible. If your opponent has a flier,
wait for it to attack, then play this on your
turn. Or if they have no fliers, it is an easy
decision to just swing asap.
The thing that I love most about once this guy gets through
though is the potential. Giving him double
strike in essence means he will deal combat
damage twice, and that’s where this guy gets
truly crazy. After the first hit, he gets two
+1/+1 counters, then deals the second instance
of damage, gaining two more +1/+1 counters. So
he goes from a 2/2 to a 6/6 after just one hit!
Then imagine the fun next attack if they cannot
get a blocker out, or figure out some other way
to stop this guy. The math says that it would be
six damage, followed by eight damage, and you’d
have a 10/10. I don’t know about the rest of
you, but I like that idea! And what else would I
do with a 10/10 that has already hit for 20,
well if the game is still going on, I Fling him!
Thirty damage over the course of just two turns.
Now that is a good card. And in multiplayer, so
long as no one can stop him, it could be game
over soon.
Giving him life link could definitely be fun as well
for multiplayer. But for casual or even Modern,
what is the best thing to do with a guy like
this? Why Dust Corona of course! Dust Corona
gives him +2/+0, and says he cannot be blocked
by creatures with flying. Since he has flying,
what is there that CAN block him? NOTHING! Well,
except for Nature Shields It’s Own, but that is
an Archenemy card. Simply put, Dust Corona
guarantees that Falkenrath Marauders will be
unblocked, and that means the game is yours to
control.
