Good for aquick hit when they first enter play,
but nothing else. For every subsequent turn,
they're a random 2/2 not worth talking about.
While that first turn can seriously disrupt
combat math for your opponent, it's rarely worth
running just for that.
Decent in Limited, where combat math is where
games are won or lost, but not worth a card
anywhere else.
I guess minotaurs are somewhat typecast as
unsubtle nowadays; then again, there's not too
much reason not to do so based on the source
material. A creature with haste and high power
(albeit temporary in this case) is usually the
best possible response to a table-clearing
effect of some kind; while Minotaur Skullcleaver
is not the most high-impact card of that
archetype, it does its job elegantly. Now that
Kragma Warcaller and Rageblood Shaman are
around, it actually may yet end up doing more
than that someday.
Today's card of the day is Minotaur
Skullcleaver which is a three mana
2/2 Red with Haste that gets +2/+0 until end of
turn when it enters the battlefield. This can be
a surprisingly effective card for Red that is
aggressive in attacking for four damage the turn
it enters play, but unlike several other options
with Haste this remains in play. While not
technically card advantage it mimics the benefit
well in a Red deck as it can still block or
force removal after a decent attack. Overall
this is a somewhat overlooked card that may not
be very popular, but is still a worthwhile
addition to current decks and may see
competitive play.
In Limited this is a strong choice for
filling a deck using Red mana as it can launch
an effective attack to a tapped out opponent and
work later as a blocker or support unit. There's
no real drawback to it, as even a three mana 2/2
isn't the worst thing to have in Limited, and it
belongs in any Sealed build using Red mana. In
Booster this is a good middle to late on color
pick for just about any pack and it should
almost always be useful when drawn.
If you want to build a Minotaur deck, now is
the time! Unfortunately, the best Minotaurs all
cost 3 mana. I like this Minotaur because it has
haste and collects skulls. I’m sure there are a
lot of draft players out there that have seen
plenty of this Minotaur. Maybe you’ve noticed
that WOTC has been finding creative ways to make
common creatures with haste. Minotaur
Skullcleaver is a decent creature with haste
that can sneak in for 4 damage and after that it
becomes a blocker. That is all folks!
