A 3/4 flyer is a bit under the curve for five
mana, but what about TWO 3/4's? That's worth
playing! The life gain isn't bad either! Most
importantly, in order to gain the life, you have
to attack with creatures, which is what you
should be doing instead of worrying about life
gain. I like the Raid mechanic because it
encourages timid players to be more aggressive.
This card is especially good for that small
subset of rookie mistakes: the hit-point
hoarder. I get it, sure, your life total is
basically your score in Magic and games have
taught us that we want higher scores, but having
more life doesn't actually benefit you in any
way, except that it'll take the enemy longer to
win. Cards like this help discourage such a
player from turtling without actually making any
progress. I'm just worried the poor soul will
make the opposite mistake-- purposely attacking
into disadvantageous board states just to
trigger the life gain/Raid. Still, that usually
works out for you better than sitting there
refusing to attack, so give it a shot!
Today's card of the day is Wingmate Roc which
is a five mana White 3/4 with Flying, gives one
life for each attacking creature when it
attacks, and Raid which can add an additional
3/4 with Flying as it enters play after an
attack. This is a very solid creature for
the cost, comparable to angels, as it adds the
token in addition to added life gain. It
will definitely see play in some token support
decks or possibly life gain swarms as it offers
a different set of options compared to other
White five mana flying choices.
In Limited this is a huge bomb that has
everything you might want to see with evasion,
card advantage, life gain, and decent power plus
toughness. A clear and easy first pick in
Booster and very compelling reason to main White
in Sealed as there is no real drawback to using
this with enough White mana. Wanting
another creature to attack before it enters play
and to support the life gain is a weakness when
topdecking, though the other benefits are not as
situational which maintains the value.
Wingmate Roc is value, pure and simple. In the
right deck, attacking first to trigger Raid is
not going to be a big problem, even if it means
sending a little dork on a suicide mission.
Getting 2 3/4 fliers for 5 mana is more than
most opposing decks are prepared to deal with.
The life gain is very much a secondary,
tacked-on bonus, but will make a difference
fairly often and help make up for the life lost
against quick decks and life loss from fetch
lands!
