The Wise Mothman – Fallout
Date Reviewed: March 12, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 2.0
Casual: 4.25
Limited: N/A
Multiplayer: 4.25
Commander [EDH]: 4.25
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
America has mythology and folklore. If you’re American, think of it the same way any other culture thinks of its; if you’re not, be aware of it, even just as a fact, because American culture has influenced the global popular culture. The Mothman is one of American mythology’s most recognizable figures, and it was perhaps inevitable that a version of it would appear in the Fallout franchise, since that setting’s wasteland is an expression of American culture’s deep-seated fears and shadows.
The term “rad counter” is derived from its near counterpart in physics, so you might think you wouldn’t want them, but there is some advantage to be gained from them in the context of the Fallout cards. As it happens, they also cause you to mill cards, so The Wise Mothman is almost another one-card combo, which is always a promising sign; even more so when it can be your commander. And it’s more promising again when he interacts with +1/+1 counters, given that they’re one of the most common mechanics and he’s in two of the best colors for those kinds of interactions. The worst-case scenario is stacking them all on himself and destroying someone with commander damage, but he enables various other playstyle besides just that.
If you’re interested in other Magic-themed expressions of American mythology, stay tuned for Outlaws of Thunder Junction, or check out shadowcentaur’s fan-made set Lorado (which will probably never be acknowledged as an inspiration for Thunder Junction, even though it probably was).
Constructed: 2
Casual: 4
Limited: N/A
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
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The legend of the Mothman is a persistent urban legend in parts of Appalachia in the United States, and it’s one of the more famous indigenous cryptids/ So it’s fitting that he flutters into the fray here, as both a part of Fallout and tied to the area the games are loosely set in. It’s also a good chance to explain rad counters, so let’s do that.
Rad counters are the new and exciting player counter; for each rad counter you have, you mill one card at the start of your upkeep, and each nonland milled this way will bleed you for 1 life and remove a rad counter. Fallout plays both wit the rad counter-ness of them and with the milling, and some cards care more than others, but they are a counter with intrinsic rules baggage.
Speaking of which, The Wise Mothman definitely cares about that…and about mill in general, both self-inflicted and wrought. The most notable thing is that it’s agnostic about who is milling, and that can make for a board that gets very scary. The counter accumulation goes better if you go wide, but it’s pretty reliable to have The Wise Mothman attack as a lot bigger than that 3/3 suggests…and flying helps it swoop gratuitously and keep swooping.
The Wise Mothman feels like a mix of an enabler and a self-contained engine; being in Sultai colors is excellent for its prospects, as that trio of colors is naturally given to milling all possible parties. It’s too fair to make waves in Legacy (which is always fun to say, but the bar is very high), but The Wise Mothman can seek the forbidden lamp at more casual tables just fine.
Constructed: 2
Casual: 4.5
Limited: N/A
Multiplayer: 4.5 (this scales very sharply with more players)
Commander [EDH]: 4.5
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