I think people are under estimating this card.
With the new rules on mana burn it it limits you to five mana, not four, because you can safely tap the land before you return it to your hand, then tap it again after you lay it. That gives you the ability to lay a weenie and still have mana to counter on their turn. Heck, in a pinch it can even help you get a second mana of an off color (converting that plains in a virtual plainsx2). Also, any deck that this is put into should not have huge mana requirements in the first place and should run just fine at 5-6 mana. Add the obvious advantage with landfall and the new lands and I think you have a good choice.
That's not to say that this is the end all and be all. You probably aren't going to want to run four of them, but a 4/4 flyer is a force to be reckoned with and can really shift the balance of power.
Posted By:
koneill
(10/9/2009 1:01:54 AM)
According to the flavor text, not paying the upkeep cost should actually result in tapping it, not in sacrificing it.
Posted By:
Mode
(11/28/2009 4:26:16 AM)
Aside from the obvious (landfall triggers), this guy is great with cards like Undiscovered Paradise that bounce at EoT. Its also really REALLY good with Land Equilibrium.
Imagine: 2 Islands + City of Traitors + Land Equilibrium. Your turn you bounce and island. Play it again to kill the city. Use the two blue to bounce an opponent's land (Eye of Nowhere, Hoodwink, Boomerang, etc...). Next turn they should have 3 land out; upkeep bounce another land and return the island. Play with Trinisphere and they are now permanently locked out. Not as good as Stax or anything, but still quite fun.
He is also pretty good with Manabond and he seems good with Gemstone Mine or other land that deplete. Too bad you gotta kill a land to play Gemstone Caverns...
Great with City of Traitors. Can play this guy turn 2 easily with 1 form of accell (Lotus Petal or Mox Diamon... (see all)
Posted By:
kitsunewarlock
(11/30/2009 11:09:45 PM)
Good even outside of Zendikar as it's a 4/4 with Flying in Blue for 4, but it's effects are better within the block. Great for landfall.
3.5
Posted By:
PaladinOfSunhome
(2/3/2010 10:05:02 AM)
Great combo with hedron crab :D
Posted By:
daekoaram
(2/3/2010 3:09:38 PM)
This guy is better than he appears. I just built a deck around it and he tends to work pretty well.
Posted By:
brunsbr103
(2/25/2010 8:49:20 PM)
this cards a meh in my blue/green landfall deck
i mean sure, landfall every turn, but if you're running green, shudnt u be playing a land somehow every turn anyways? and blue cards that let me draw or reorganize the top 3-4 cards on my library, i should be dropping lands every turn, even with Azusa, Lost but Seeking in play (okay okay thats an exaggeration)
by the time its good to play him, i already have my win-condition card in play
Posted By:
Guntz1092
(2/27/2010 7:56:39 PM)
Landfall mayhem, you gotta admit this card is a welcome to all Lanfall capabilities.
Posted By:
SorianSadaskan
(3/20/2010 9:30:38 PM)
This guy with Glimmerpost and any other number of loci you have on the battlefield is a great way to annoy your opponent each turn, especially if you have 4 cloudposts and 4 glimmerposts. Every turn you're gaining 8 life!
Posted By:
Nerven-Qwayzar
(2/22/2011 7:30:04 AM)