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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!


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Xanthrid Gorgon
Magic 2013

Reviewed July 9, 2012

Constructed: 3
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 4.25
Multiplayer: 3

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale
1 being the worst.  3 ... average.  
5 is the highest rating

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Card of the Day Reviews 


David Fanany

Player since 1995

Xathrid Gorgon
 
New sets are always fun, especially when you have innovative design beyond the obligatory "Shock plus block mechanic" cards. Technically, Magic has had variants on the gorgon's gaze before, but there are few that explicitly tried to show that the creature had been turned to stone and now had the accompanying weaknesses. I actually like this creature very much; while she won't be winning any medals for pure power efficiency, she does tend to take over a game if left unchecked, and the ability to shut down multiple creatures' activated abilities is often relevant (see M12's Azure Mage, etc). If they could have found a way to make her immune to other gorgons' gazes, that would have been ideal, but it's hard to quibble with what she does offer.
 
Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 3/5

Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Xathrid Gorgon which is a six mana 3/6 Black with Deathtouch and for three and tapping gives a target creature a counter that gives it Defender, makes it a colorless artifact in addition to its other types, and prevents its activated abilities from being activated.  This is a very nice card for flavor, though the high cost and not actually removing the creature make this less likely to be played when compared to classics like Royal Assassin.  The creature still needs to be targeted, remains as a blocker, and the effect has a three mana activation cost which are also negatives.  Looking away from the effect a 3/6 with Deathtouch just doesn't compare to the many five mana bombs Black has had in recent sets.  Overall this isn't really a bad card, but Black has other options that can enter play earlier making this situational at best.
 
For Limited this is a very strong card to first pick as it has high toughness, Deathtouch, and can be easily splashed with only a single Black in the casting and activation costs.  It is unlikely to die when attacked or attacking and the  Deathtouch should keep an opponent from swinging without a major creature advantage.  If needed the counter is a worthwhile method for dealing with large threats or effect users and likely one of the few repeatable options available.  Sealed would do well to splash this whenever possible and little should be considered above this in a Booster pack.
 
Constructed: 3.0
Casual: 3.0
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 3.0


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