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This Space For Rent

Pojo's Magic The Gathering Card of the Day

Saviors of Kamigawa
Image from Wizards.com

Kagemaro, First to Suffer
Saviors of Kamigawa


Reviewed May 23, 2005

Constructed: 3.15
Casual: 3.25
Limited: 3.9

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 


Jeff Zandi

5 Time Pro Tour
Veteran

Kagemaro, First to Suffer

I may just be a little jealous of Mark Rosewater...I mean, who among we Magic geeks would not want to have Rosewater's job and be so thoroughly involved and connected in the world of Magic. However, I really do get tired of hearing about how Maro was named after him. So you can understand that when I see Kagemaro, JEFF ZANDI is the "first to suffer".

Seriously, though, Kagemaro is quite a cool monster. There are problems, however. In limited play, you can't count on having that many cards in your hand by the time you are playing this five casting cost creature. Anyone will tell you, the skill level for limited format has been ratcheted up at least one or two notches with Saviors of Kamigawa. Cards that require you to consider the number of cards in your hand are an excellent example. Aggressive decks had a big advantage in Kamigawa before Saviors arrived. Now, things are going to slow down a little bit in limited formats. This card's ability is good enough to make keep more cards in your hand than you might have otherwise.

CONSTRUCTED: 3.0
CASUAL: 3.5
LIMITED: 3.5


DeQuan
Watson

* Game Store Owner

Kagemaro, First to Suffer

Monoblack control will get a good boost from something like this. It can serve as your big beater. It can also serve as massive creature removal. There are a lot of neat tricks at your disposal with this card. The neat thing is that five mana isn't really that much of an issue for the control decks as long as they don't play too many of them.

Constructed: 3
Casual: 2.5
Limited: 4

Paul Hagan

Kagemaro, First to Suffer

I guess I can't complain too much about this card. Black decks seem to have been searching for another win condition to go alongside the uber-useful Kokusho, and Kagemaro will likely fit the bill. Not only do you get a creature of decent size (assuming you build to maximize potential), you also have a way to sweep the board of any major threat, including guys like Troll Ascetic that black traditionally has difficulty dealing with. Don't get me wrong, this card is hardly the end-all, be-all black creature of the century, but it will fit the current need of the environment.

In limited play, I can see myself putting this card into my deck nine times out of ten, as it is both a creature of decent size and removal. The only thing you should really take into consideration is the double-black in its casting cost, but that shouldn't be an issue too often.

Constructed Rating: 3.0
Casual Rating: 3.0
Limited Rating: 3.5


Christine
Gerhardt

Kagemaro, First to Suffer

This is the one maro creature from Saviors that I hear people say is a decent card. And, as you can see for good reason. A practical Wrath of God in black, especially in any limited format, where Kagemaro is a first pick. He'll lead you into playing a significant amount of Black so be conscious of that as you make the rest of your picks.

But I just want to know what Mark Rosewater did to deserve such recognition of late? He's a good guy, but wow! It must have been amazing, as now he adds 5 more cards to his Maro legacy. =)

For those of you that are interested... Have you seen the Saviors of Kamigawa set? We have a full spoiler of the rares available here: Saviors of Kamigawa! Wow...some great stuff was played at the Pre-release events. Take a look at the new BLUE Fork...yes, I said Blue! And what do you think a 12 casting cost creature looks like? Check the list and find out! =) And as a bonus ONLY for Pojo.com readers... if you win any Saviors auctions from me, email me and let me know you are a Pojo.com fan and I will throw in a free Bonus Rare with your winnings! Good luck!

Constructed - 3.5
Casual - 3.5
Limited - 4.5
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