blacklotus3636
09-09-2007, 05:26 PM
Conventional thinking tells us that Masticore is better than the newer "fixed" version of the old favorite but if you think about the two in terms of legacy then it becomes a much closer race. Its somewhat difficult to compare two cards easily even if they are similar if they have different manacosts but to be simplistic lets look at what each ability does in the current legacy environment.
First strike vs. Regeneration
In Extended or type 2 Regeneration would seem to be the stronger ability on a large creature but with swords being one of if not the most played removal spells in legacy then it makes you wonder how useful regeneration is. It also has the ability to regenerate from artifact destruction but the weapon of choice these days seems to be krosan grip which neuters regeneration. Then of course regeneration stops people from just burning him but then they just aim more of it at your head which would be a strong strategy against a creature that seems to just dominate when it hits. Regeneration is also good in combat of course but when you compare it to a first striking 5/5 creature killing razormane through combat damage seems almost as difficult as if it had regeneration except you don't have to pay mana to keep him alive.
3 Free damage vs. paying 2 for every 1 damage
3 free damage is nice but the fact that it only happens once a turn and only during the upkeep means its more limited in its use than masticore's ability. I think in this particular instance it depends on whether or not you can afford to make masticore's ability better than razormanes by sinking more mana into it.
4 mana vs. 5 mana
Again the answer to this question probably depends on the specific build of the deck you intend to use them. If you can pay 5 mana on the same turn you can pay 4 then you should probably look at it in terms of which cards makes certain matchups slightly better or worse
Restrictions
Masticore's abilities can sometimes cause problems if people who are playing against it know how to deal with it. Being able to play pithing needle on masticore can be problematic and with the increase in stifle's being played it can sometimes make a timely countered ability deadly. I remember one instance in particular where someone stifled the regeneration on masticore which lead to major frowns from across the table.
I'm not saying one is good and the other is bad I just feel that it should be looked into because of the current legacy environment. Any comments are appreciated
First strike vs. Regeneration
In Extended or type 2 Regeneration would seem to be the stronger ability on a large creature but with swords being one of if not the most played removal spells in legacy then it makes you wonder how useful regeneration is. It also has the ability to regenerate from artifact destruction but the weapon of choice these days seems to be krosan grip which neuters regeneration. Then of course regeneration stops people from just burning him but then they just aim more of it at your head which would be a strong strategy against a creature that seems to just dominate when it hits. Regeneration is also good in combat of course but when you compare it to a first striking 5/5 creature killing razormane through combat damage seems almost as difficult as if it had regeneration except you don't have to pay mana to keep him alive.
3 Free damage vs. paying 2 for every 1 damage
3 free damage is nice but the fact that it only happens once a turn and only during the upkeep means its more limited in its use than masticore's ability. I think in this particular instance it depends on whether or not you can afford to make masticore's ability better than razormanes by sinking more mana into it.
4 mana vs. 5 mana
Again the answer to this question probably depends on the specific build of the deck you intend to use them. If you can pay 5 mana on the same turn you can pay 4 then you should probably look at it in terms of which cards makes certain matchups slightly better or worse
Restrictions
Masticore's abilities can sometimes cause problems if people who are playing against it know how to deal with it. Being able to play pithing needle on masticore can be problematic and with the increase in stifle's being played it can sometimes make a timely countered ability deadly. I remember one instance in particular where someone stifled the regeneration on masticore which lead to major frowns from across the table.
I'm not saying one is good and the other is bad I just feel that it should be looked into because of the current legacy environment. Any comments are appreciated