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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!

Beetleform Mage
Image from Wizards.com

 Beetleform Mage
- Dragon's Maze

Reviewed June 20, 2013

Constructed: 2.33
Casual: 2.87
Limited: 3.90
Multiplayer: 2.50

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 of our 
Card of the Day Reviews 

BMoor

Beetleform Mage

Creatures with this kind of ability, like Frilled Oculus as well, remind me of Alpha's Force of Nature. On that, you had to pay GGGG every turn to keep it around. Beetleform Mage isn't as extreme as that, but it also expects a mana investment every turn. You won't lose the Mage if you don't pay, but you get a less impressive creature if you don't. A 2/2 for 1GU just isn't worth it. A 4/4 flyer is pretty sweet, but paying GU EVERY turn to keep it in the air is too demanding for most decks, and creatures like this must be judged on their "unpaid-for" stats.

Constructed- 1.5
Casual- 2
Limited- 3.5
Multiplayer- 2

David Fanany

Player since 1995

Beetleform Mage

This guy reminds me of a less intense version of the infamous Red Mantis Assassins. I'm not sure why he's a beetle, as mantises are scarier; but Ravnica is of course aimed at a different sub-demographic than, say, New Phyrexia. And when I say "scarier," I don't mean in game terms: this guy's cost is decent, and once he's on the table he immediately puts you on the offense, like a less overpowered Tarmogoyf or not-permanently-leveling Kargan Dragonlord. Oh, and the fact that he's uncommon means you might be drafting, get incredibly lucky, and end up with several of him from the first round. Ouch.

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

Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Beetleform Mage which is a three mana Green and Blue 2/2 that for a Green and Blue gains +2/+2 and Flying until end of turn. The requirement of mana to maintain the boost and fairly weak base form keep this from being a standout in Constructed formats and it is unlikely to see much play when other options are available.

In Limited the two mana to keep it as a 4/4 Flying is a small price to pay for a common acting as a huge early game threat. On the fourth turn this is hard to stop and it is an excellent early pick when running Simic colors, even if it doesn't support the Evolve keyword much. The Green/Blue activation cost is a bit hard to manage as a splash, so it is best when running Simic as one of your guilds in Sealed or as the primary focus in Booster.

Constructed: 2.5
Casual: 2.5
Limited: 4.0
Multiplayer: 2.5


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