Let's forget about the second ability for the
moment. This is five mana for a 3/2 body and a
land destruction spell. Your opponent doesn't
get the land back when the Parasite dies. Land
destruction has lost a lot of its ubiquity as
Wizards of the Coast has decided that dedicated
land destruction decks just aren't "fun" to play
against, but there are still some good ones out
there, and this is one of them. It acts as a
Stone Rain and Zo-Zu the Punisher in one card,
though only damaging opponents with its ability
and only working on one specific land-- not land
type, land. You can exile your opponent's
Valakut with this, but then they only take 2
when they drop another Valakut. And if you're up
against a deck with lots of colors, or lots of
nonbasic lands, the second ability may not find
many triggers. But in those decks, losing a land
of your choice is likely to hurt more, as you
can hit their dual land and put them off their
color stability for a while. And don't forget,
you get a 3/2. On turn five that may not seem
like much, but a body to wield Equipment is
always useful.
It's somewhat forgotten now, but there was a
mega-cycle of cards that was released over
several years and completed around
Torment, where each one had flavor text that
played on the saying "adding insult to injury."
Even I hadn't thought of them in a while, but
this card reminded me of it. While it's a little
expensive to use proactively, the effect offers
a way for a strategy with significant land
denial to close out a game, as well as another
disruptive option for midrange red decks. While
I'm not certain of the wisdom of a design
principle that states that Phyrexia is fun to
play with and not fun to play against, I do
think this card could find a place in decks.
Welcome back readers today’s card of the day is
Invader Parasite an interesting insect that
punishes players for land drops. In standard
this is too expensive and by the time this card
hits the battlefield most land drops will be
finished, although punishing Valakut decks in
standard and extended would be a possibility
with big red style decks. In eternal this is too
expensive and does not have a shot in making
into players 75. In casual and multiplayer this
card can punish players that play the same types
of land so if certain colors are popular this is
a way to hose them also including a relevant
body. In limited it can hose splashes possibly
hindering or cutting off a color it also is a
decent sized body. Overall an interesting design
that may see a small amount of competitive play
and will be popular around the kitchen table.
Today's card of the day is Invader Paraside
which is a five mana 3/2 with Imprint that
exiles a target land when it enters the
battlefield.
Whenever a land with the same name enters play
under an opponent's control it deals two damage
to them which sounds good, but the high mana
cost and low defense of the creature really
keeps this from making a bigger impression in
constructed formats. While it can be a
minor threat if it hits play early enough,
possibly with mana acceleration, without land
destruction as support there isn't enough
pressure on your opponent. This isn't the
next Valakut, but recent cards that destroyed a
land did less for a similar mana cost which
gives this some value as you get a 3/2 creature
and potential burn. The burn is minimal
and unlikely to be a big concern which leaves
this as a card without much of a role currently.
In Limited this can be a problem for an opponent
running several colors if you exile the only
source of a color they need which opens up an
added use compared to most Constructed
situations. Other than that this is not
the best rare and generally shouldn't be your
first pick in Booster as a five mana 3/2 is
quite weak. Unless it enters play exactly
on turn five to slow your opponent down the
exile effect probably won't matter much in the
format which really reduces the value. In
Sealed if you are playing Red this is a playable
choice, but not a definite inclusion as it
raises the mana curve and may not carry that
weight.
Even removing a land and potentially drawing out
a removal spell isn't equal to a creature you
can play earlier in the game or deal more damage
with later in the game.
Welcome to another review
here at Pojo.com’s card of the day. Today we
look at Invader Parasite from New Phyrexia.
Invader Parasite is a 3/2 insect creature for
three generic and two red mana. Invader Parasite
has Imprint: When Invader Parasite enters the
battlefield, exile target land. Then whenever a
land with the same name as the imprinted card
enters the battlefield under an opponent’s
control, Invader Parasite deals 2 damage to that
player.
Invader Parasite combos extremely well with the already
popular Valakut decks, where landfall is meant
be the main factor in killing your opponent. The
fact that Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle will deal
the damage once you reach a set amount of
mountains, Invader Parasite deals damage to your
opponent for the lands they need to play. And
what is better is that the Invader Parasite will
hit the board optimally two turns before Valakut
is at it’s most useful. This can seriously
impact how your opponent plays. It is hard to
play things when your own lands are hurting you.
The Invader Parasite also combos really well
with land destruction decks, since the imprint
removes a land from their battlefield, and then
hurts them for playing lands of the same name. A
very versatile card that will find a home in
many decks that are based mainly around burn.
