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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day
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Image from Wizards.com |
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Avarice Totem
Fifth Dawn Uncommon
Reviewed June 21, 2004
Constructed:
Casual:
Limited:
Ratings are
based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst. 3 ...
average.
5 is the highest rating
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Card of the Day Reviews
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Chris
Gerhardt
*
game store owner in CA,
ShuffleAndCut |
Uh... hmm. My
first thought when I saw this was "Interesting
ability, too expensive." I'm sure that
eliminates it completely from the constructed
scene. In casual, it would seem there would
be a place for something so odd. It would be
fun, if you could figure out it's purpose. I
suppose you could use it to steal something, then
Shatter the Totem when your opponent has it
and before he can reclaim something.
In limited, again it
seemed a bit high costed. But I did see it
used as a game finisher, stealing an opponent's
blocker at end of turn and then using it tip the
scales in a final attack. Kinda funky.
Constructed:
3
Casual: 3
Limited: 3.5
Current Price:
Avarice
Totem -
Fifth Dawn - $0.96
Combos Well With:
Shatter -
Mirrodin - $0.19
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Judge
Bill
*Level 2
MTG Judge
*game store employee
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Avarice Totem
Another permanent
swapper. Not much to be said about this in
competitive constructed, as its ability costs 5
mana, and they can swap it once they get it.
In casual, I'm sure
this will get played with the stack trick.
(First, target something you control with the
Totem that you would rather they have instead of
the Totem. Then target what you want. If they
don't have 5 mana, they will get what you
targeted with the first ability, and you will
have both the Totem and what you wanted.)
In limited, the fact
that this is symmetrical also makes it
unplayable.
Constructed: 1
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 1
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Jonathan
Pechon
2 Grand
Prix Top 8's
Multiple Pro Tour
appearances |
Avarice Totem
The word “nonland” can
do so much to make a card lose value; in this
case, it’s pretty dramatic in my opinion. This
card is definitely extremely slow, to the point
where it’s crippling. I can see it, however, as a
source of pseudo-removal in control decks against
problematic permanents, possibly in a Tooth and
Nail sort of strategy.
This is the kind of
card that makes group games fun, on the other
hand. Anything that involves you spending thirty
minutes after a game figuring out whose cards you
have is either a barrel of laughs or something
that’s going to get banned at the dinner table.
This is potentially usable in Mental, but only in
a last-resort kind of situation.
Again, the presence of
this in a draft deck should be regarded as an act
of desperation. Something like Furnace Dragon or
Broodstar might spur you to bring this in if you
have zero alternatives, but that’s really about
it.
Constructed: 2.0
Casual: 4.0
Limited: 1.5
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Jeff Zandi
5 Time Pro Tour
Veteran
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Avarice Totem
This card should be very good, particularly in
limited, but if it is good, I
haven't figured it out yet. There is a kind of
card that, even when it seems
powerful, should be avoided in limited play. This
is that kind of card, the
kind that gives your opponent almost as powerful
an effect as you receive.
Avarice Totem steals a permanent from your
opponent, but gives them the
opportunity to do the same thing to you. This
effect is better the first
time it's played (like from your hand the same
turn you activate it) because
of the surprise value. This may be the reason that
this is a good card for
limited. With an activation cost of five, I don't
expect two players will
bounce permanents back and forth every turn, but
it is entirely possible.
This could be a very interesting constructed card
I suppose, but I don't
have any ideas for it, maybe it's a control deck
card?
CONSTRUCTED: 2.5
CASUAL: 3.0
LIMITED: 3.5 |
Ray
"Monk"
Powers
* Level 3 DCI Judge
*DCI Tournament Organizer |
Avarice Totem:
This card just oozes
flavor. It’s got the potential to be good against
bad players. It has an element of bluffing to it,
to see who will blink first in not leaving five
mana open. And, well, its just plain horrible.
Ok its not horrible,
but since the opponent can simply spend five mana
to trade right back, it definitely is not that
amazing. I could see it having some interesting
uses though. It may work well in Land Destruction,
basically becoming a poor man’s confiscate, or yet
another land destruction spell…
Constructed:
2
Casual:
4
Limited:
2
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DeQuan
Watson
* game store owner (The Game Closet - Waco,TX) |
Avarice Totem
I have spent some
time trying to figure out what to do with this
card. Unfortunately, I haven't come up with
anything special. The cost to activate it is a
little expensive and prohibitive. Also, your
opponent can just as well send it back to you
and take something else. If there is a use out
there, I'm not sure what it is.
Constructed: 1.5
Casual: 1.5
Limited: 1.5
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Jason
Chapman |
Avarice Totem is a
card that I'm really not excited about. On the one
hand, the Totem provides a very powerful ability -
to gain control of any permanent. On the other
hand, the card has a high activation cost which
your opponent will probably be willing and able to
pay when he gains the Totem. The only way I see
this card becoming real useful is if decks can be
built that can activate the Totem twice in a
single turn (10 mana). Then you can keep the Totem
and gain any of your opponent's non-land cards
(You target a card you control first then, in
response, activate the Totem again targeting a
something your opponent controls). Still, at a 10
mana to 1 card ratio I still don't think this is a
winner.
Constructed - Decks can be made to abuse this
card, and it may be decent in some control builds
but I just don't think it is worth the effort -
2.5
Casual - Really
great in Multiplayer where there could be a lot of
interesting permanents to steal - 3.5
Limited - I haven't
drafted it but many games could hit the 10 mana
mark and then you can trade a 1/1 for their bomb -
3.0
PEZ - Hmm. . . too
few real bombs to steal and too slow - 2.0
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Andy VanZandt |
Avarice Totem
I'm not sure what you do with this. It is one
mana to cast, so it can be
searched out and recovered consistently, but
aside from the double-switch
trick, which takes ten mana, this card seems to
be a one-creature fog at
best in most situations.
constructed 1.5
casual 2
limited 2 |
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Chase
Secret Squirrel
on the
Pojo.com
Message
Boards |
Avarice Totem
Umm, no. 6 mana for
a permanent exchange of something (that is if
you destroy this card)? Memnarch does it
cheaper, if you even wanted the effect. I just
don’t see a use for this in constructed. What
would you want to steal that would win a game
that you weren’t winning already? You could
annoy them sure, but it’s not worth it.
Memnarch is also better for this in casual play
as well.
In limited, no real
point either.
Constructed: 1.5
Casual: 2
Limited: 2
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w00t |
Avarice Totem -
Constructed - No
deck has the need, or mana (6 mana investment)
to use this in serious constructed. The formats
are all too fast, and just not enough permanents
worth pestering even with this, as the best it
will usually do is just make you pay 5 mana a
turn to stop an opponent from using a card. Too
high of cost, and too bad of an ability.
Casual - Here, it is possible for it to even
have a deck built around it. If you shut down
opponent's mana with Early Frost, or Mana short,
then for a 10 mana, you get a permanent switch
of a Spellbook, with your opponents bomb (To do
this, target your permanent first, than the one
you want in response). It will work perfect
combined with other steal cards like Bribery and
Acquire, nothings better than winning with your
opponent's spells.
Limited - I tried
this one in multiple decks. If you draft a
sunburst deck, your cards are more likely to be
better (and better steal targets for oppo.) than
your opponents. In the Mono red/Mono red splash,
which is extremely viable in 555, usually you
don't get the mana, or take the game before you
can take advantage of the totem. Sealed play may
use it as a board option, for bombs you have
trouble getting rid of such as Platinum Angel.
Constructed - 1.5
Casual 2.5
Limited - 2.0
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