Norin, Swift Survivalist – Duskmourn
Date Reviewed: October 30, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4.13
Multiplayer: 3.25
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
In the Sligh perspective, Norin is objectively good because he attacks for two damage. In the storyline perspective, Norin is objectively good because we’ve always liked what he does and he’s still doing it after so many years (although this is a little weaker than the Sligh perspective because it raises so many questions!). In the deckbuilding perspective, Norin is a surprisingly appealing build-around card, much more so than we generally think one-mana 2/1s can be; he obviously plays well with face-down creatures, at least ones you can afford to cast, but making it harder for himself and your creatures to die in combat opens up some interesting plays. Not to mention that red decks usually have to go to white or blue to reuse enters-the-battlefield triggers. I think he’s going to be a fun card to play around with, and may have some potential beyond that, even if just as a one-mana 2/1.
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
Here to prove that total paranoia is, indeed, total awareness, Norin, Swift Sirvivalist is here to enable your creatures to bravely turn and flee. His ability is a pretty neat one: let a creature slip out the back door when blocked, with the chance to be cast again that turn. This interacts very well with the manifesting going on in the set (letting you send a “creature” away to cast the proper spell), and it lets you reuse cast and entering triggers. You do need to pay, though, and you also need to get something blocked; there are ways to force both, of course, but this does ask an opponent to play into the effect a bit.
Besides that, Norin’s a decent body. a 2/1 that has little reason to wait. I think he’s intriguing, though not a star; his low toughness makes it easy for him to get sniped, as does his lacking of keywords. He is promising, and there are definitely ways to use (abd abuse) his skillset…just keep in mind that he’s hardly a perfect solution, and he’ll serve you well.
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4.25
Multiplayer: 3
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
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