Pojo's Magic The Gathering news, tips, strategies and more!

Pojo's MTG
MTG Home
Message Board
News & Archives
Deck Garage
BMoor Dolf BeJoSe

Columnists
Paul's Perspective
Jeff Zandi
DeQuan Watson
Jordon Kronick
IQ
Aburame Shino
Rare Hunter
Tim Stoltzfus
WiCkEd
Judge Bill's Corner


Trading Card
Game

Card of the Day
Guide for Newbies
Decks to Beat
Featured Articles
Peasant Magic
Fan Tips
Tourney Reports


Other
Color Chart
Book Reviews
Online Play
MTG Links
Staff



This Space
For Rent

Pojo's Magic The Gathering Card of the Day
Daily Since November 2001!

Molten-Tail Masticore
Image from Wizards.com

Molten-Tail Masticore
Scars of Mirrodin

Reviewed October 18, 2010

Constructed: 3.67
Casual: 3.90
Limited: 4.40
Multiplayer: 3.33

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

Molten-Tail Masticore

Pretty much every Masticore ever printed has been hugely popular and powerful, if you're willing to discard cards. This one's no exception-- it eats your hand pretty quick, and will selfdestruct if you can't keep cards in hand to pitch to it. So keeping Molten-Tail alive better be a preferable alternative to casting whatever cards you were going to pitch to it. Furthermore, Molten-Tail doesn't even make good a discard outlet for reanimator decks-- sure, it can discard your big creatures, but to use its Flame Javelin ability it needs to exile a creature card out of your graveyard in addition to the 4-mana cost. Worth it in a blue deck, that can draw cards like a champ and lacks hard removal, but elsewhere? I'm not so sure.

Constructed- 3
Casual- 3.5
Limited- 4
Multiplayer- 3


David Fanany

Player since 1995

Molten-Tail Masticore
 
Like with Mox and Lotus, every Magic player knows exactly what you mean when you say the word "Masticore." The original was dominant in its own day - shooting down creatures for fun, going over the top to finish players, and tangling with nearly anything and living to tell the tale. Its latest descendant . . . well, its latest descendant is capable of pretty much the exact same thing. Play it early, play it often.
 
Constructed: 4/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 3/5 

Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Molten-Tail Masticore which is a four mana
4/4 with a four mana option to deal four damage to a creature or player at the cost of exiling a creature from your graveyard and a two mana option to regenerate.  The primary drawback is the need to discard a card from your hand during your upkeep or sacrifice the Masticore which can help feed the burn effect a bit, but as it happens before the draw phase can cause some issues without support.  Overall this can be a very powerful card, but it benefits most from a deck where multiple creature cards are moving through your hand and into the graveyard quickly. 

Likely a dedicated variation of the Blue/Black control deck with this as the major damage dealing threat though Blue/White has the option of playing Squadron Hawk for three extra creatures added to your hand.  The mana cost isn't negligible either, so any kind of support in that area is beneficial as well.  These negatives keep it from being a mainstay in every deck, but the potential is impressive enough to warrant attention.
 
In Limited the support may not be there to feed Masticore's ravenous hunger for long, but even a turn or two of discarding for four damage is well worth the exchange.  This is a very powerful card in the format as repeatable removal and can deal damage itself after clearing the field or in addition to burning the opponent.  A top pick in Booster than can be played in any deck and easy to run for any Sealed pool with extra creatures.
 
Constructed: 4.0
Casual: 4.0
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 4.0


Copyright© 1998-2010 pojo.com
This site is not sponsored, endorsed, or otherwise affiliated with any of the companies or products featured on this site. This is not an Official Site.