Paying two life to deal one damage looks like a
bad trade on paper, especially in a color that
can't gain life. Yes, you could use it to kill a
creature that could, over several turns, deal
far more than the two life you're paying to be
rid of it. But that's not really the issue here.
The issue is that Gut Shot, in practice, ISN'T
in a color that can't gain life, because you're
not actually expected to be playing red for it.
Mana costs exist as a regulating factor in
Magic, to seperate the strong cards from the
minor effects. A vanilla 3/3 is core set padding
at four mana, a decent draft pick at three mana,
and a top-tier aggro card at two mana. How much
mana you're paying determines how much effect
you can expect to get. Each converted mana cost
is effectively its own echelon of expected
payoff, its own tier. Gut Shot costs your choice
of one or zero mana. And the thing about these
power tiers is that the jump from one to zero
mana is the biggest jump. For one mana, Red can
get 2 or 3 damage at instant speed. But for zero
mana, ANY color is getting 1 damage at instant
speed, and that's an important distinction. For
much the same reason that mono-red decks play
Dismember to evade protection from red, Gut Shot
allows any deck of any color to ping a creature
at its discretion. While not as widely used as
Dismember, most likely due to the fact that most
creatures with protection have two colors, it is
still highly sought after for its ability to
kill, among other things, Delver of Secrets,
Mayor of Avabruck, Stromkirk Noble, and the like
before their abilities can put their toughness
any higher... even when the caster is otherwise
tapped out. There lies another reason why zero
is such a significant mana cost. With most
cards, the mana cost is, well, just that, a
cost. It's the price you pay to get what you
want. At zero mana, it actually becomes another
incentive. One wonders what sort of effect a
card would have to have to be too weak for it to
see play.
I would like to believe that this card is the
reason the awesome Windreaver has its fourth
activated ability, but I suspect it actually
isn't. It is, however, a very good way for
nonred decks to deal damage - paying 2 life is
much more versatile than six mana for something
like Flame Javelin - and you'd be surprised how
many things it can take out, from Monday and
Tuesday's cards of the day through Birds of
Paradise and Azure Mage to surprising a Delver
of Secrets with its trigger on the stack.
There's little need to include it in a red deck,
unless you're on a singleton deck that
absolutely must deal damage with every card for
some reason, but it definitely adds a strong
element of surprise to other colors.
Welcome back readers todays card of the day is
Gut Shot a powerful burn spell that shuts down
all those annoying one power creatures. In
standard this card has seen a wide variety of
play in decks running red and those without red
making it an answer to the popular creatures
with one toughness of which many are played
Birds of Paradise, Grim Lavamancer just to name
a few. In extended and modern this card still
holds its weight as it can stop a wider variety
of creatures but is more of a sideboard card. In
legacy and vintage it can kill unflipped Delver
of Secret’s and Dark Confidants making it a
versatile and sometimes no mana cost kill spell.
In casual it is outclassed by lots of other
cheap burn and efficient creatures and in
multiplayer this card is laughably bad. In
limited its removal of a sort and splashable so
I rank it highly. Overall a powerful niche spell
that sees a fair amount of play in maindecks and
sideboards in various formats.
Today's card of the day is Gut Shot which is a
one Red mana or two life instant that deals one
damage to target creature or player. For a
non-Red deck this is a mana-free source of low
end removal or possibly direct damage which
makes it a potentially useful card if a bit self
destructive. Red technically has better
options, but playing this without paying mana
allows for a more aggressive opening which can
make a big difference. Overall this is a
card that can be valuable in a very aggressive
build or in a deck that for whatever reason has
no other removal options.
For Limited this is a playable source of burn
for any deck, particularly Red, as it is low to
no mana cost and little else is available in
most pools. Despite only being one damage
it still should be drafted in Booster as removal
and most Sealed builds can benefit from
including it, even without Red mana as two life
points is better than multiple strikes from any
creature.
Welcome to this
weeks final installment of Card of the Day. The
week closes out taking a look at Gut Shot from
New Phyrexia. Gut Shot is a common red instant
that costs one red phyrexian mana. Gut Shot
deals one damage to target creature or player.
Gut Shot was one of those really unsuspected
cards that quickly ‘Shot’ up the scene. This
card is now featured in several Tournament decks
and Sideboards alike. The reason of course is
free damage, and free spells. Consider being
matched up against a player running a Werewolf
deck. Even if you have no mana on their turn,
you can still play the spell, preventing them
from turning. And honestly, what would you
rather have, lose two life to cast it, or face a
horde of transformed Werewolves.
Now in a broader spectrum, Gut Shot is still amazing.
Pick off some low blocker to ensure things get
through, and for one mana. Although, if paying
mana counts, Shock/Lightning Bolt still pack the
better punch. But of course, adding in a Gut
Shot to one of those surely makes the life
traded off worth it.
