If it was just dumping cards into your graveyard, I could see this being a lot more effective. But exiling them? Makes it a tougher sale outside a dedicated self-mill.
Edit/Response: Guys, this thing is only "indestructible" to combat damage. He can be pinged, burnt, destroyed, -X'd, and removed any number of other ways without exiling your library.
@WizFan, notice I said "more effective." Broken and over powered? Maybe, but I don't think so. Again it only triggers in combat, so the shens are far less abusable. Could someone go nuts with it this way? Possibly, but there's any number of solutions to it: Geistflame, Pillar of Flame, Killing Wind, and more in this block alone.
Posted By:
RedJaron
(5/8/2012 9:52:49 AM)
This guy was made as a counter to Strangleroot Geist. It can block it forever even when it comes back and can act to slow down the aggro rush Strangleroot can create. Still, it's a bit of a narrow focus to justify a Rare, but it's great at what it does. 3.5/5.
Posted By:
HijackThis
(6/3/2012 11:56:45 AM)
This would be so much better if they removed the "combat" part
Posted By:
sincarnation
(6/4/2012 8:38:17 AM)
I really wish this card could be used outside of attempts at mill. Maybe if "combat" wasn't in the text, people would play it competitively. No offense Wizards, but giving a RARE a toughness of one and exiling cards whenever it would be dealt combat damage seems likea noob move. What about destroying, exiling, and damaging removal? I kind of wish it had Hexproof. Sweet art, though.
Posted By:
j_mindfingerpainter
(8/11/2012 7:54:54 AM)
Slenderman in Innistrad?
NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE
Posted By:
Kezia
(8/17/2012 5:25:22 PM)
I got a booster box of Avacyn Restored and got 3 or 4 of these. I can honestly not use it at all and they're pretty much worthless to sell (not to mention I'll never be able to trade them). I hate this card.
Posted By:
DucksGoMooful
(9/11/2012 5:42:25 PM)
Laboratory Maniac's dead cousin.
I'm now going to make a cheapo standard deck featuring this, the aforementioned and Misthollow Griffin.
Posted By:
Ferlord
(11/19/2012 3:13:51 PM)
This should not be rare.
Posted By:
Emperorerror
(12/12/2012 2:53:32 PM)
This gets five stars just for flavour and originality. Granted, it has a very narrow use, but that shouldn't be the way you rate cards, otherwise the most boring, generic beatsticks become wizards favourites. You know, like what happened in the music industry.
Posted By:
OrgasmandTea
(2/9/2013 12:36:57 AM)
The problem people see with this card is that they often put him in a more agressive deck (not that he doesn't fit there) or look for ways to exploit him (like misthollow griffin). This guy is perfect for control. He can attack unafraid like a champ and he is a blocker while you find your removal etc. He is kind of like a fog bank for black (so he has a drawback) that can't fly but can attack.
Unless you are running a silver bullet type deck with one of's or a combo deck, or any deck that really relies on specific cards in the deck to win or tutors to find something (decks with deck interaction of sorts), he has little drawback (excluding you getting milled). Lots of words but he is a ground boss. I would gladly trade 4-5 cards from my deck at random (top draw is still random) instead of 4-5 to the face especially in control. Burn and removal get him but they are potentially wasting removal on a 2 mana creature. Deathtouch etc. still gets him ... (see all)
Posted By:
BreadandButter
(2/21/2013 10:08:05 PM)