@Tommy,
Actually, you'll notice that old creatures costs are generally set according to a few easily discerned principles: 1) it it's P/T is X/X, its CMC starts at X; 2) if it's P/T is X/Y, then it costs the maximum of X or Y (they trust you to be smart enough to cast a 1/8 when you need a blocker, an 8/1 when you're trying to swing for lethal); 3) if it's an artifact, it can go into any deck, so {2} is used anywhere you would normally used C to balance it out; 4) an evergreen mechanic MAY cost {1}, and increases the rarity if the ability is off-color.
In a colored card, this 4/4 would start at {3}C, then cost {1} more for the ability. As an artifact, it costs {2} instead of C for a grand total of {6}.
Posted By:
longwinded
(12/29/2011 4:01:29 PM)
They were afraid of creatures being too powerful when they first made the game, so they had big mana costs to make sure. They never thought much of spells however; Time walk, balance etc.
Anyway this guy was always a nice beatstick in Shandalar, especially with good boosting enchantments.
Posted By:
Tommy9898
(6/3/2010 7:08:03 PM)
"back then they were trying to make Mishra's Workshop balanced by making big artifacts bad.
This was a two drop back then."
Not really. They were printing equally-overcosted non-artifact creatures at that time; it had nothing to do with Workshop specifically.
Posted By:
scumbling1
(3/21/2011 3:21:24 PM)
Underpowered for its cost, and yet still better than Mishra's War Machine. I guess that Urza's poor critters were just a little better than Mishra's, hence his victory.
Posted By:
Radagast
(11/4/2011 10:33:48 AM)
All of the old artifacts are overcosted...EXCLUDING sol ring and lotus
Posted By:
jugglingguy
(11/24/2009 7:41:13 PM)
This should of costed 1 mana less...
Posted By:
Guest57443454
(7/2/2009 2:40:15 PM)
Lol, Jodah's Avenger.
Posted By:
Thaxan_Number_14
(7/9/2009 7:03:34 AM)
back then they were trying to make Mishra's Workshop balanced by making big artifacts bad.
This was a two drop back then.
Posted By:
Kryptnyt
(3/14/2011 3:25:06 AM)
It's interesting how keywords affect design. Banding is a far more complicated ability than e.g. vigilance, but it was keyworded back then (one of the original 7!) and vigilance was not.
Posted By:
HuntingDrake
(4/29/2012 12:39:48 AM)
If this was Urza's first attempt at revenge for his brother Mishra, it is not surprising that he was so badly beaten back by the denizens of Phyrexia. Not that this creature isn't formidable in certain situations but it follows that a creature like this would get eaten alive by creatures like Phyrexian Colossus and Phyrexian Dreadnought. I could see this thing eating a Phyrexian Walker for lunch though, even though that's the equivalent of a grasshopper in Phyrexia.
Posted By:
R1p_v4n_54u3r
(12/18/2013 12:40:46 PM)