Down & Dirty

Continuing with the Fusion theme, today we're reviewing Down, and Dirty, and also Down & Dirty.

Down is your straightforward discard spell. Hey. You. Pitch two cards. This can be pretty strong-- most people aren't prepared at any given moment to lose two cards out of their hand. Denying your opponents their cards is always a strong play, but at four mana, this isn't the best choice to do it with. You ideally want a onemana card like Duress for that job, so you can get to their hand before they cast their good stuff. Down also lets the targeted player decide what they pitch, so if they've got extra lands or a Scavenge card, that's what it'll be. The other question is, what do you do when they run out of cards in hand? Wait for them to draw some more?

Dirty is basically a second chance at the best thing in your graveyard. Unlike Down, it gets better as the game goes on and your graveyard fills with stuff you probably didn't want to lose. Early game you might get back a Farseek, while late game it's almost as good as a tutor. I'd want a few in just about any green deck that cares about its late game.

Down & Dirty is an oddity among Fuse cards-- its two halves don't really interact. Yes, you're getting more card advantage, but Dirty isn't any better for having had Down just resolve. And seven mana is kind of a lot for a 2-for-0, especially since the card you get back with Dirty won't actually do anything until you cast it. I'd play this card in a Golgari deck, but I wouldn't bother waiting until I could cast both halves--I'd take the opportunity to choose which half I wan tto cast more with each one I draw. And as the game goes on, the scales tip in favor of Dirty (though by that point you probably don't care about the extra four mana for Down to tag along).

Ratings: Down, Dirty, Down & Dirty
Constructed- 2, 3.5, 3.5
Casual- 3.5, 4, 4
Limited- 4, 3.5, 4
Multiplayer- 2, 3, 3

Down and Dirty

This particular split card is designed to give you a powerful advantage no matter how you use it. The Down half does cost more than Mind Rot, but you can probably just about forgive that when you have the option of its fuse cost late in the game. When you do pull that off, it puts you very far ahead and gets into the territory of real abuse - Dirty is one of the few recent effects of its type that can regrow any card and doesn't exile itself.

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

Today's card of the day is Down and Dirty which is either a four mana Black, three mana Green, or total for both with Fuse. Down is four mana to have target player discard two cards which is quite weak for the cost and many better alternatives exist. Dirty is at least playable as three mana to return a card to hand can have uses in the right deck, but it is unlikely to be a popular card. Combined they aren't really impressive and for seven mana a Black and Green deck has a variety of other choices that can do more.

In Limited Down is somewhat useful if an opponent is holding a few cards and Dirty can be very beneficial in recovering a bomb. For a Green deck this is a worthwhile inclusion and decent early pick in Booster and at best it is a later on color pick for Black. The odds of using Fuse on them can come up more often in the format, but it shouldn't be a deciding factor in splashing Black or forcing a Golgari theme.

Constructed: 3.0
Casual: 3.0
Limited: 3.0
Multiplayer: 3.0