The Belligerent – Lost Caverns of Ixalan
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2023
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.63
Casual: 4.13
Limited: 4.13
Multiplayer: 3.25
Commander [EDH]: 3.50
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
If my memory of Ixalan block flavor text is correct, the Belligerent is one of the major pirate ships in the fleet, and its navigator Malcolm and gunner Breeches actually have cards now too. Similarly, you might recognize its effect from numerous cards going back to Future Sight (the Onslaught card, not the expansion), and may not be accustomed to it not always being active. I think this reduces the instances of people forgetting to look at the top card when they’re entitled to, but the attack requirement combined with its fairly aggressive stats also get you to push the game towards a conclusion and not just fool around for twelve turns. In fact, the Treasure creation might help you do that just as much; I’m not aware of many cards that can potentially create Treasures repeatedly and (semi) reliably, and there is undoubtedly a lot of use for that too.
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 3.5
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
A twist on an effect we’ve seen iterated on before, The Belligerent is the intrepid pirate ship off in search of pillage and plunder, among other things. In gameplay, it’s actually solid enough, though maybe more flavorful. It’s likely going to be able to swing as a 5/5 the turn after it comes down, and the pseudo-Future Sight effect is nice to have in a pinch (along with treasure). It’s not terribly complicated, but it pairs a nice tranche of abilities with a good body, the kind of card that’ll almost always be a solid workhorse in Standard.
Constructed: 3.75
Casual: 4.25
Limited: 4.25
Multiplayer: 3
Commander [EDH]: 3.5
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