People STILL do not get it: the card is being cast FROM YOUR GRAVEYARD for WUGRB. Is that not good enough for a 4/4 flier that can come back every single turn after getting killed unless exiled? How many other creatures in this game can return themselves TO PLAY from the graveyard that are red and are not Phoenixs? How many? They made it harder to recur because that is a powerful ability to have, especially when tied to a 4/4 flier when it is recurred with it's ability.
Posted By:
Guest1162619373
(8/7/2010 1:12:26 PM)
In my 5 color Commander deck which can easily consistently get to all 5 colors by turn 3 or 4, this is an endlessly recurring attacker/blocker for the low cost of 5 mana. Definitely not worth it for serious constructed play, but in the right deck/format it is a powerhouse. Plus it has my favorite creature type, phoenix.
Posted By:
Nagoragama
(9/24/2011 10:04:25 PM)
I remember this being tournament playable at some point. 5 color control ran these as their finishers because they were nearly impossible to deal with, and it's easy to see why. It's easily cast the first time around (only one red mana in its cost), and after that, you're recurring a 4/4 flyer that takes 20 % of your opponent's life every turn unless they waste another removal spell on it.
Two things are especially worth noting with this card: Firstly, you cast it, meaning it can be countered by an opponent, and secondly, it's one of the few (strong) creatures that you can repeatedly return from your graveyard to play. Each time your opponent uses a Doomblade or Terror to get rid of it, you're gaining card advantage.
Posted By:
GrimjawxRULES
(8/9/2012 2:53:13 AM)
Hey, I like the guy. I build five-colored decks all the time, and they aren't that difficult if you aren't afraid to throw in at least ten mana-generating artifacts. This guy can be casted from my graveyard as easily as anything else can.
Posted By:
Binaro
(9/10/2012 5:12:43 PM)
Remember, red does NOT get efficient fliers. See Goblin Sky Raider.
Adding 1 more mana for an extra toughness and a potentially useful ability isn't bad, although there are better cards for most situations.
Not a card I particularly want, but I'm glad to see it exists.
Posted By:
NoobOfLore
(8/6/2011 2:12:19 PM)
@Aristos: It would be red. What matters is the normal cost of the card, not what you actually paid for it.
Posted By:
r-e-meatyard
(5/20/2009 6:00:25 PM)
This card is far from overpowered and it can't fit into typical red decks, but I still like it. For a somewhat crappy creature (2/2 or 4/4 flier) it's hard to get rid of for good (since it returns itself from the graveyard directly to play). As I said before, it's not overpowered since it costs 4 to play the first time (when its a measly 2/2) and the colorful 5 is a complicated investment for just a 4/4 flier. But it does have a cool effect that can be relevant in slow casual games. It's a decent include budget multicolor decks, as something with a lot of green/red can manage to get at least one of the other colors.
Posted By:
tngms
(7/2/2009 10:23:55 AM)
I like this card...if you need, you can just keep blocking with it and bringing it back from the grave on your next turn until you get something to turn the tide of the battle (of course this will only work if your opponent can't overwhelm you with a bunch of creatures or something, or just exiles the card).
Posted By:
RJTheDestroyer
(8/13/2009 12:23:09 AM)
I much prefer Kuldotha Phoenix over this card.
Posted By:
ElMikkino
(4/28/2011 4:52:43 AM)
Pretty disappointed to pull this out of my booster pack the other day. I can't see myself ever using this. It would be much better if it got the +1/+1 counters no matter how it returned to play, then using something like Sneak Attack would make it worth while.
Posted By:
RyFryy
(7/20/2009 11:53:04 AM)