This is a pretty greedy play. You have to be
confident that you can get in there for some
damage, or at least that the +3/+3 will be a
match for whatever your opponent blocks with.
Five mana for a combat-related sorcery that only
targets one creature really needs to be
something special-- even Tower Above only saw
play because green-heavy decks could cast it for
a "mere" GGG. Sure, this will occasionally do
wonderful things for you, but I fear that if
you're looking at a board state that benefits
from this, you would have been so much better
off with an Aura like Unflinching Courage, or a
pair of Giant Growths, and those cards would
have also been useful in so many other
situations in which you were behind and needed
the help. This is just "win more"-- it only
shines in circumstances where you didn't need
the help.
Isn't it interesting that green is now getting a
few card-drawing spells where the number is
determined by a creature's power? It doesn't
have the griefer potential of things like
Opportunity and other end-of-turn nonsense, but
it can be an even bigger blowout numbers-wise (Ulamog
much?). At sorcery speed, you kind of have to
telegraph it and basically ask nicely if your
opponent has an undercosted removal spell, but
on the other hand, a bonus of +3/+3 and trample
means that different opponents won't be able to
do much about it at all. And while there are
some things I've been quite critical of
recently, one of the things I'm not going to
criticize is letting green draw cards and
encouraging games to end faster.
Today's card of the day is Hunter's Prowess
which is a five mana Green sorcery that until
end of turn gives target creature +3/+3,
Trample, and when it deals combat damage to a
player you draw that many cards. The cost may
seem a little high and being a sorcery instead
of an instant is a major drawback, but the
potential card draw attached to a single target
Overrun is very powerful. Used alongside
Hexproof creatures or effects to grant it, with
Alpha Authority's limit of one blocker being
particularly beneficial, minimizes the risk and
is a viable foundation for a competitive build.
Targets can include top tier creatures, or with
more targeted spells a Heroic choice can excel,
which leaves this as a dedicated design that
could be a surprise at tournaments.
In Limited this adds damage and possibly a
large card advantage with the format offering a
reduced risk of being completely blocked or
directly removed. The single Green allows easy
splashing or usage in a two color deck and there
is no reason not to include it in every Sealed
with access to Green mana. In Booster this is a
strong first pick that doesn't completely lock
you into the color and is fairly easy to support
with later choices.
Hunter's Prowess is one of my favorite cards
from Born of the Gods! The only thing that I
don’t like about this card is that it’s a
sorcery. Everything else is very easy to like.
Most draw card spells are mixed with blue, red
or black and rarely can they do damage to your
opponent. If you are running a solid deck and
Hunter’s Prowess hits your opponent for 4-8
damage, then the game should be over! Hunter's
Prowess is a card that your opponent will be
forced to prepare for and deal with. I also like
the fact that Hunter’s Prowess can easily be
splashed with any other color. In a Multiplayer
game Hunter's Prowess has a smaller chance of
being successful, but in a Limited game it can
crush your opponent.
