UNBAN is right, this is a killer in limited, MVP in a madness and/or hellbent deck, and a pretty solid body in any red aggro deck. And as UNBAN said, even without a way to take advantage of the 'drawback', it's a better beater than blue or black would normally get anyway (for those who hadn't picked up on it, Morphing it requires no coloured mana, making it splashable in any deck). This and Whip-Spine Drake once meant I was running a blue and a red creature in a GW draft deck with no way of generating either blue or red mana... that was pretty cool XD
Posted By:
stygimoloch
(11/21/2009 5:18:48 AM)
Hey Blue. Do you want a 5/5 beater for only 3 mana? No problem, but it will cost ya...
Posted By:
Tommy9898
(2/23/2010 6:31:40 PM)
This is rated so high because it's red.
Mono red tends to go into top deck mode way faster than any other color archetype.
In legacy stompy decks, this can very easily be a turn three 5/5.
Posted By:
HairlessThoctar
(10/6/2010 12:47:37 PM)
this card is realllllllyyy good considering red is the best color at emptying your hand; run in mono-red hellbent-madness decks with Chandra Ablaze, or a RB hellbent-madness deck.
Posted By:
Gilder_Bairn
(5/1/2010 2:00:18 PM)
Found this little common powerhouse. Great for blue and black, madness, re-animator, and many other decks. Reminds me of Avatar of Discord. Gathan is arguably better because you can use it in any color deck (colorless morph) and it only requires 1 discard. Against creature removal, the extra discard of Avatar of Discord can really hurt. Though both Avatar and Gathan can die to lightning bolts etc. Gathan is a champ beatstick. 4.5/5 rating.
Avatar of Discord:
5/3 Flyer for 3 red or black mana and 2 discarded.
Gathan Raider:
3/3 to 5/5 Beatstick for 3 colorless and 1 discarded.
Posted By:
feeble2002
(1/4/2011 10:30:46 PM)
and discard a card for a 3/3 that might be a 5/5?
For any color?
Red and Black will obviously get the most use outta this, but dayum!
Posted By:
DoragonShinzui
(5/17/2012 9:00:36 AM)
Despite what the card's color is, you don't have to play red. simply do the morph facedown pay (3), then discard when you want to.
either way, I'd say this card is balanced. the morph helps you acheive hellbent, while hardcasting it is just when you need it right away, unmorphed, without card loss.
Posted By:
Pigfish99
(6/30/2012 1:20:57 AM)
No, you're getting a 5/5 for 3 and a discard which is a great deal in a color without beaters like blue or black. Is also a Madness enabler in any color.
Posted By:
UNBAN_SHAHRAZAD
(8/22/2009 9:28:42 PM)
haha i have this in my all black madness deck alongside basking rootwalla. god bless alternate costs haha so cool
Posted By:
Omenchild
(12/23/2009 12:53:26 PM)
This card hurts my brain. You're either getting a 5/5 for 3 or a 3/3 for 5. Or a 3/3 for 3 and a card... Of course if you have something that triggers on a Morphing, that alleviates that cost too...
Arg! I'm just gonna go buy some eggs. The cost efficiency is so much easier to tabulate.
Like it though. I've never seen a Morph come out to be less expensive than a hard-cast, at least not strictly so. It's interesting, and Styg's evil plan of putting it in a deck that "can't" summon it draws from me a merry chortle.
Posted By:
GradiustheFox
(2/10/2010 4:54:26 AM)