I've often wondered why, in this age where so
many creatures have so many triggered abilities,
more of those abilities didn't trigger on death
or at least leaving the battlefield. They
protect you against cheap removal spells just as
much or even more than enter-the-battlefield
triggers, and give the creative team a chance to
show that it knows more than one card concept.
Now that they have, though, it just seems to
raise other questions, foremost of them: did
anybody really complain that Obstinate Baloth
wasn't powerful enough? While Thragtusk is
arguably not really comparable due to having a
different mana cost and different color
commitment, but it's simply devastating against
other creatures, trading with expensive
attackers and making blocking invariably
favorable to its controller, and almost as
devastating against control decks and their
Oblivion Rings. I'd be very cautious against
anybody who leads with a Forest this year
(unless, y'know, Sulfuric Vortex is in the new
Ravnica set).
Today's card of the day is Thragtusk which is a
five mana 5/3 Green that gives five life when it
enters the battlefield and a 3/3 token when it
leaves. For this cost this is an efficient
if not overly aggressive creature that is
noteworthy for both card advantage and combo
potential, particularly with cards like
Cloudshift. In a multicolor deck with some
acceleration this has the potential to be a
solid component of a theme and even by itself is
quite playable despite not having Trample or a
high toughness.
For Limited this is an excellent creature that
provides some protection for your investment
against removal and the bonus of some life gain.
A fairly easy first pick in Booster or inclusion
in Sealed as a 5/3 for five with just one Green
in the cost allowing it to be splashed if
needed, but more likely played in a deck that
isn't mono-Green.
Welcome to a
brand new week of card of the day reviews here
at Pojo.com! Today we are taking a look at
Thragtusk from M13. Thragtusk is a rare green
creature beast that costs four generic and one
green mana for a 5/3. Thragtusk says when it
enters the battlefield, you gain 5 life, and
when it leaves the battlefield, you put a 3/3
green beast creature token onto the battlefield.
Definitely one of the most sought after rares I
have seen from the new set thus far, and for
good reason. The ability to gain five life
simply for dropping it is just amazing, and
should it leave play, you have a replacement
effect.
But for me, that is only good things. The things
that make this card what it should be is how
broken those abilities really are. Combine the
Thragtusk with a common from Avacyn Restored,
and simply laugh all the way to the win. The
card that truly breaks Thragtusk wide open with
a jackhammer is Cloudshift. The Thragtusk’s
abilities trigger when it enters or leaves,
meaning they are not tied down by casting or
dying. This means that you Cloudshift it out,
get the token, then it comes back, and gains you
five more life. Perfect in situations where your
opponent may have tried to kill the Thragtusk,
or you attacked and then were being attacked, or
even just for fun!
