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Pojo's Magic The Gathering Card of the Day


Image from Wizards.com

Dust Elemental
Planar Chaos


Reviewed April 10, 2007

Constructed: 2.78
Casual: 3.67
Limited: 4.00

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst.  3 ... average.  
5 is the highest rating

Click here to see all our 
Card of the Day Reviews 


DeQuan
Watson

* Game Store Owner

Dust Elemental - Tuesday

This card is amusing. The further you read down the card, the better it gets. Well, until you get to the part about having to return three creatures to your hand. Without some special trick, it's very rare you'll want to trade three creatures for one Dust Elemental. If you manage to get it into play, however, it can definitely be a huge problem for the opposition.

Constructed: 2
Casual: 3
Limited: 2

BMoor

Dust Elemental

It's a 6/6 with flying, fear, and flash for 4 mana. As long overdue as white is for a decent 6/6, this isn't it. The "return three creatures" clause means that this 6/6 evasive body actually costs 2WW plus the cost of the three other creatures you return with it. Or, more likely, you'll play it and bounce itself and two others to save them from a Wrath of God-- possibly your own. In constructed, it's too slow for aggro (or is it?) and control won't have enough creatures to bounce unless its some sort of G/W Thallid deck that hasn't really swept the tourney scene yet. In limited it's an absolute beatstick, since you likely will have some creatures to bounce, and maybe save from a Nightshade Assassin. Casual players can get good use out of it too.

Constructed- 2
Casual- 4
Limited- 3.8

Aethereal

Tuesday - Dust Elemental

An interesting card because it has Flash. It can help out against removal like Pyroclasm. It's also really hard to block. The 4 casting cost is prohibitive for the WW type decks though, and it really slows them down if they don't have creatures to bounce. It has potential, but I don't see it getting competitive play.

In casual, this guy can be awesome. Bounce 3 guys with good come into play abilities, and give yourself a 6/6 beast in the process.

In limited, only really good in the early game, and not so great in the late game, except to counter a kill spell. However, if the ground is locked, bouncing 3 creatures might not be the best plan for you. I'd probably grab it if there wasn't anything better in the pack though.

Constructed - 2
Casual - 4
Limited - 3

-David N

Tuesday:
Dust Elemental

Wow this card has potential to be amazing. 4 for a 6/6 flying with fear but more importantly flash. This guy can be used to save a bunch of your creatures, bounce back come into play affects or just plain suprise someone with a fatty.

Constructed: 5
Casual: 3
Limited: 5
David Fanany Dust Elemental

It's huge, it's cheap, and it's practically unblockable. It has a drawback that you can make a theme deck around. Will it be a big hit? The problem is that many white decks don't reach the four-mana point on the curve, and those that do often want a creature that will stay in play no matter how many creatures they already have (Calciderm, say). In the aforementioned "rescue" deck, Stonecloaker will usually be better, though Dust Elemental can be devastating if you can arrange it. Its super-mega-evasion can also be good in limited play again if you can arrange the situation so it stays in play.

Constructed: 2/5
Casual: 3/5
Limited: 3/5
(A white creature with fear? We're truly through the looking glass.)
PsychoAnime There's great potential for a 4 mana 6/6 flier with flash and fear. The only
drawback here is you have to return 3 creatures you control. This could be a
benefit when facing removal spells your opponent cast, but this card is the
most effective when played early to take down your opponent quickly.

An early play means either you got to generate 3 creatures into play on turn 1
to 3. Returning tokens is a bad thing, so what creatures can we return? Optimally,
we return the 1-8-7 creatures: creatures with come into play abilities. Because
we have quite a few of these creatures, getting this out on turn 4 is not that
difficult. When the summoning requirement is taken care of, this becomes
insanely stong.

Its flash makes it a nice defending trick and its combination of flying and fear
means only a fraction of creatures can block this, and if they do block it, it
is likely they just lost a creature.

In Limited, this card pretty much means game.

Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 5/5, when you play this out, you win.

Arcane
Dust Elemental

Constructed: Has all the makings of a powerful constructed creature. Fat body, cheap casting cost, evasion (make that Super Evasion!), Flash; but like any creature that falls into all these categories there’s a downside, a downside of returning three creatures to your hand when you play this. Don’t have three creatures? Then return them all. This allows for some ability to save your creatures from Damnations or the like it’s a hard line requirement that you won’t always be able to hit, making the card all but useless on its own. Maybe see some use in white rush decks or some such to reuse things like Icatian Javelineers, etc. but still harder to manage. I just don’t think it’ll find a home just yet.

Casual/Multi: A definite powerhouse for the kitchen table decks. This one creature’s fear and flying allow you to be swinging free and clear at almost every other player at the table pretty early in the game as long as you can manage a creature on turns one, two and three. A lot of multiplayer games come down to mass removal spells being used to help win the game and this creature will definitely help you save your 3 best (or two best and itself) with its Flash ability. Add to the fact that it can go toe to toe with a dragon makes it a lot more enticing.

Limited: If evasion creatures are the key to winning limited games then a creature with Super Evasion is the master key. Capable of ending the game in 3-4 swings it’s pretty hard to not be a little scared if you’re sitting across the table from it. It’s summoning requirement is a lot easier to manage hear with a board that can be cluttered up (though be careful as this can still be a terrible top deck if you’re down) and stalled. On the other side there’s not many cards in the format that can deal with this creature consistently (dark withering, Ovinize, Assassinate and Pongify are the ones I can think of) making it more likely to win you the game if it hits the table.

Constructed: 2
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 4.5
The Missing Linc
Dust Elemental
 
Flying and Fear is a doozy to deal with.  I did not realize how difficult it was to dodge this guy until I was whopped by him in the last draft I played.  Four mana makes this card very viable.  The drawback of returning the creatures ends up being an occassional plus because this thing has flash.  Ok, going to wrath the board, just wrath this guy and my white weenie swarm will be back next turn.  I see lots of potential.  Even in limited there is bound to be lots of creatures around.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Necro
nomikron
Dust Elemental:

Constructed: I could see this card getting some play, as the high end of a white weenie deck. You can save your creatures, and end up with a huge guy. Wrath going to wreck your team? Just cast this guy, he'll save himself + 2 others, or let him die and save 3 guys.

Casual: EOT big guy, or save your guys from wrath? Sounds good to me.

Limited: Save 3 guys from lethal combat damage (probably killing your opponents guys in what they thought was an even trade, as well) and get a 6/6 flying fear guy out of the deal? Sounds like a plan to me.

Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 5/5

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