M12 has so many interesting cards, I'm not sure
how we picked just four to review this week.
Somehow we managed, starting with Bloodlord of
Vaasgoth, a flavorful twist on the age-old
"lord" mechanic. (He's also what the Vampire
Counts in Warhammer Fantasy should have looked
like - everyone already knows vampires are
attractive and charming but not quite human.)
He's on the expensive side compared to other
lords, but I think there's some potential here.
One of the perennial problems in a deck with
both cheap and expensive creatures is drawing a
cheap creature when you need an expensive one,
and the Bloodlord turns any Pulse Tracker that
comes down after him into a major threat. In
more casual or larger card pool settings, black
has lots of ways to make sure his and his
followers' bloodthirst will always trigger, most
notably Pestilence and Thrashing Wumpus. Even if
he never makes it in constructed, the Bloodlord
will be a lot of fun to play with.
Today's card of the day is Bloodlord of
Vaasgoth which is a five mana
3/3 with Bloodthirst 3, Flying, and gives each
vampire you cast Bloodthirst 3. This
creature is another nice addition to the family
of vampires and if cast after the opponent takes
damage a five mana 6/6 with Flying and no
drawback is an excellent price for Black.
Add in the bonus to any other vampire and you
have a card that is well worth playing even with
the slightly high casting cost. Overall
this will undoubtedly see play in dedicated
vampire themes, but Black has other heavy
hitters like Phyrexian Obliterator competing for
slots in the more general builds.
In Limited this is a major threat as both Flying
and a potential 6/6 for just five mana plus the
two Black is manageable even in a deck running
two colors. Any other vampires become more
valuable in Sealed or Booster and should be
drafted with a slightly higher priority as this
should already be a first pick in Booster.
In Sealed it depends on your pool, but a Black
or Black/Red for burn damage can make
Bloodthirst a bit more reliable. The
Bloodlord may be slightly weaker as a topdeck,
but in this format even a 3/3 Flying for five
mana is playable and it should not be overlooked
for this small concern.
Welcome to
another week of card of the day reviews here at
Pojo.com. I hope everyone had an enjoyable 4th
of July weekend. Today, we kick off the short
week of reviews with Bloodlord of Vaasgoth.
Bloodlord of Vaasgoth is a black creature,
vampire, that costs three generic and two black
mana. He has flying and bloodthirst 3, which
means that if an opponent has been dealt damage
before you play the Bloodlord of Vaasgoth, he
comes into play with 3 +1/+1 counters. He is a
3/3 for starters, so that could make him a 6/6,
for only five mana. His other ability grants
bloodthirst 3 to each other vampire you play.
Ah vampires. They always show up and make an impact. We
should have seen this guy and his cronies coming
when the Zendikar block made vampire cards
really good. Luckily he will not be able to
reunite with them in standard play for long, as
the Innistrad release in October rotates out the
Zendikar block in standard. But for that limited
time, we could see some crazy decks built around
this one. The bloodthirst 3 is so easy to get in
M12. And being able to do it for every vampire
is just insane. Imagine an already annoying
Vampire Nighthawk, now getting pumped by this
guys bloodthirst, that makes for a 5/6 with
flying, deathtouch, and lifelink. Even smaller,
still annoying, threats such as Child of Night
immediately turn into serious issues. And the
best way to exploit them is to run a deck type
that still sees some serious play, red/black
vampires. And in M12 there is one little critter
making sure your bloodthirst triggers, Goblin
Fireslinger.
Vampire decks are aiming to reclaim a spot on top.
They’ve been so close so often, but would
eventually lose out to the control decks
“controlling” the tops places. And with
Bloodlord of Vaasgoth leading that charge, I for
one think that black vampire decks, perhaps
splashed with red, will be something to contend
with.
Also, you all can get your hands on a free Bloodlord of
Vaasgoth by going to your local prerelease this
Saturday, July 9th, because he is the Prerelease
promotional card! Be sure to support your local
gaming store, and get your hands on M12 a week
before the launch!
