Interesting card and I love the flavor as well. Still not as good as Cold-Eyed Selkie in terms of ability, but makes a good addition with it in blue/green decks. Should have been an uncommon though.
Posted By:
SavageBrain89
(5/9/2009 12:28:36 PM)
All it needed was deathtouch and/or shroud. That would have made it rare-worthy, and not quite so cold-eyed.
The Cold-Eyed Selkie was sooo superior to this thing. This may have a lower converted mana cost, but the extra 1 mana was well worth it for the island walk and the "draw that many cards" rules text.
It sucks that the 
commons/ uncommons in Alara Reborn were so much better/ more useful than the rares, but that's life.
Posted By:
Discoduck
(3/3/2010 9:49:33 PM)
It's a two mana half-green creature. That's fairly aggressively costed.
Also, they printed Lorescale Coatl in this same set, very very deliberately for synergy.
This is rare because one of these cards had to be rare for Limited. Put them both at uncommon, and it's too much goodness. This guy has two advantages over Ophidian: Deals Damage. And Costs 2.
Making it just an uncommon, for all that, seems like it would be too much. On the other hand, you want more for your rares right?
One last point- this was the early days of the Mythic Rarity. Mythic Rares weren't quite as good back then, and Rares had to be less good than Mythics. Alara Mythics are somewhere between current Rares and Mythics in power, and Alara Rares are somewhere between current uncommons and rares in power, and actually do not look too shabby compared to a wealth of the less sleekly costed cards that came before.
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Posted By:
DarthParallax
(5/19/2012 1:55:44 AM)
Pretty bad card. If you're playing blue you're going to be drawing a bunch of cards anyway. Besides, it's pretty easy to block. You can put a Whispersillk Cloak on it, but that would be a waste of a Whispersilk Cloak IMO.
Posted By:
Gomorrah
(11/8/2009 7:17:18 PM)
As had already been said, it's an OK card. Good if you can get it in fast early game, or later on if you can someone deal alot of damage with it and get it to avoid your oppants creatures.
3.5
Posted By:
PaladinOfSunhome
(6/29/2009 8:07:28 AM)
love the lorescale coatl in the art
Posted By:
Gezus82
(11/20/2009 6:25:39 PM)
This card is ok, but i wish it had foreswalk or islandwalk like the one and only Cold-eyed Silkie. Vedalken Heretic is easy to block and he is only a 1/1, but if you bring Murkfiend Liege that is another story. I still like Cold-eyed Silkie a lot better because is unblockable for players that control an island, and you not only get to draw a card but you get to draw as many as your opponent takes in damage.
Posted By:
nineyears
(11/26/2009 2:06:30 PM)
being a 1/1 and a rare it should be unblockable or At the very Least have some sort of land walking ability. As it's stands it's pretty unplayable imo.
Posted By:
AgesofThunder
(11/26/2009 10:35:50 PM)
In theory, it's an excellent card drawing engine if you can give it evasion. In reality, it's difficult to give it evasion, and the second you try to protect it or give it said evasion it'll just get lightning bolted, or shocked, or terminated, or any other 1 damage burn the opponent has.
Should absolutely have been a 2/2, and possibly given exalted. Heck, look at Qasali Pridemage - 2/2, exalted, AND the very useful ability of destroying an enchantment or artifact. That's how they should've designed this card.
Posted By:
JaxsonBateman
(2/5/2010 8:45:38 AM)
Would canopy cover make it good? still needs more toughness to survive pyroclasm but I guess that is what flashfreeze is for.
Posted By:
Tommy9898
(2/21/2010 7:00:34 PM)