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Pojo's Magic The Gathering Card of the Day


Image from Wizards.com

Makeshift Mannequin
Lorwyn


Reviewed January 11, 2008

Constructed: 3.90
Casual: 3.83
Limited: 3.28

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 

BMoor

Makeshift Mannequin

The appeal here is that it's an instant. At end of turn, mannequin a 6/6 and then swing with it. The fact that it gives it the "Skulking" ability rarely matters-- you're swinging the turn you get it, so they have no opportunity to draw into a targeted spell. And if they had one in hand, it was probably a removal spell that could've killed whatever you threw down anyway.

Constructed- 4
Casual- 4
Limited- 3

Aethereal

Friday - Makeshift Mannequin

Another archetype was built around this card back at States 2007, and the deck has become fairly popular in Standard. This is the same as Zombify, but with the added bonus of being an instant, and the drawback of losing the creature if it's targeted. The drawback isn't a big deal for the Mannequin deck, because it wants to keep reanimating creatures (specifically Shriekmaw and Mulldrifter) to reap the rewards of their come-into-play abilities. All in all, a very important card in Standard due to the synergy it has with the Evoke mechanic.

In limited, if you have a few good 187 creatures, then this is great. Otherwise, probably not worthwhile due to the drawback.

Constructed - 4
Casual - 2 (just play Reanimate instead)
Limited - 2.5

David Fanany

Player since 1995

Makeshift Mannequin

An instant-speed Zombify with a moderate-sized drawback? Sign me up! It does allow Desert to kill Akroma, though, so I wouldn't use it for true reanimator decks. The common (and probably best) use is to abuse comes-into-play abilities like those of Mulldrifter and Shriekmaw. Surprise blockers are also very strong. All in all, it allows (in the right deck) for massive swings in tempo and card advantage. Play it early, play it often.

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

Arcane
Makeshift Mannequin

Constructed: Any card that can spawn its own deck is definitely worth a second glance. MM earns its stand out place in the set as the plethora of 187 abilities are always something that players want to abuse (Shriekmaw and Mulldrifter being the obvious targets from Lorwyn). The drawback of having the creature run to the bin when targeted can make it a bit fragile, but odds are you got all the advantage you wanted when you first got the creature back.

Casual. The best use of this card I’ve found so far is the Kamigawa Dragons. Not only does it bring back a 5/5 flier at instant speed but they’re all creatures that you want to hit the bin so you can get to the delicious meaty effects that they carry inside them. Reanimator decks main weakness has been a slow to react gameplan that can be spotted and possibly stopped fairly easily, but the possibilities of instant speed recursion can open that up a lot more and make players who are trying to get those early hits in before you cast an Animate dead or a Beacon really regret the decision.

Limited: Recurring your best creature, especially at instant speed, is going to wreak havoc all over your opponent’s face; so at the very least MM becomes a second copy of your favorite/strongest card. I’ve even used this as a sort of counterspell in conjunction with the champion creatures like Changeling Hero or Titan to bring the champion back from the grave and save a creature that would otherwise be on its way to the bin. And as mentioned above already cards lke Shriekmaw, Mournwhelk or Mulldrifter and all ready to be exploited for fun and profit!

Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4
The Missing Linc

-Balding for just over 5 years
-Playing MTG for just over 10

Makeshift Mannequin
I would say this card was not great, but then it keeps turning up in decks. In a aggro deck, this may be worth it. The fact that the creature can come out as an instant makes it good for a block or a surprise attacker. This makes it better than your typical reanimate spell. However, with so many targeting cards out there, this is far from great. I was definately wrong in my original assessment of this as being junk but I would not expect it to be around for that long. I could be wrong.

Constructed: 3
Limited: 3
Casual: 3

The Missing Linc
PsychoAnime

#1 Magic Noob in Canada since 2002
Makeshift Mannequin

Instant speed Zombify for a negligible drawback is good. When was the last time a creature of yours was a target and survived?

In limited, there's much less good stuff to revive and a lot more bad targeting effects to actually make the drawback significant.

Constructed: 3.5/5
Casual: 3.5/5
Limited: 2.5/5

Swordmaster13
Friday's card is Makeshift Mannequin from Lorwyn.  A deck built around this uses the Evoke creatures(namely Mulldrifter and Shriekmaw), using their abilities twice.  Makeshift Mannequin is a great card to use for a deck that wants to reanimate a creature like Mulldrifter or a creature protected from magic like Simic Sky Swallower when the drawback of having to kill it when it is targeted by a spell or ability isn't important.  It is a weaker Zombify basically with the same casting cost, but it does have the bonus of being an Instant and usable at the end of your opponent's turn.  It can be powerful when used right.
 
Limited: 4/5
Constructed:4/5

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