Creatures with this kind of ability, like
Frilled Oculus as well, remind me of Alpha's
Force of Nature. On that, you had to pay GGGG
every turn to keep it around. Beetleform Mage
isn't as extreme as that, but it also expects a
mana investment every turn. You won't lose the
Mage if you don't pay, but you get a less
impressive creature if you don't. A 2/2 for 1GU
just isn't worth it. A 4/4 flyer is pretty
sweet, but paying GU EVERY turn to keep it in
the air is too demanding for most decks, and
creatures like this must be judged on their
"unpaid-for" stats.
This guy reminds me of a less intense version
of the infamous Red Mantis Assassins. I'm not
sure why he's a beetle, as mantises are scarier;
but Ravnica is of course aimed at a different
sub-demographic than, say, New Phyrexia. And
when I say "scarier," I don't mean in game
terms: this guy's cost is decent, and once he's
on the table he immediately puts you on the
offense, like a less overpowered Tarmogoyf or
not-permanently-leveling Kargan Dragonlord. Oh,
and the fact that he's uncommon means you might
be drafting, get incredibly lucky, and end up
with several of him from the first round. Ouch.
Today's card of the day is Beetleform Mage
which is a three mana Green and Blue 2/2 that
for a Green and Blue gains +2/+2 and Flying
until end of turn. The requirement of mana to
maintain the boost and fairly weak base form
keep this from being a standout in Constructed
formats and it is unlikely to see much play when
other options are available.
In Limited the two mana to keep it as a 4/4
Flying is a small price to pay for a common
acting as a huge early game threat. On the
fourth turn this is hard to stop and it is an
excellent early pick when running Simic colors,
even if it doesn't support the Evolve keyword
much. The Green/Blue activation cost is a bit
hard to manage as a splash, so it is best when
running Simic as one of your guilds in Sealed or
as the primary focus in Booster.
