Massacre Wurm – MTG Throwback Thursday

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

Massacre Wurm isn’t a Titan, strictly speaking, but its original printing was in that general period and it is not far from their level in the potential devastation it can wreak. Against decks with lots of small creatures, it can take them instantly from 50 metaphorical miles an hour to zero (even before you add the problem that some of them have a lot of trouble killing it), and can sometimes kill them outright just on entry. It’s less universal than some of the card advantage-oriented big creatures, but there are few creatures better to cast against aggressive decks.

Constructed: 4/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 4/5
Commander: 4/5

In terms of immediate board impact, Massacre Wurm is a very unpleasant card to be staring down. -2/-2 to all opposing creatures is brutal, but what pushes this over the edge is the life loss rider on creatures that die. Given how common X/2 or smaller bodies are (especially when it comes to tokens), this hits hard, and the life loss is not a condition of the first effect, giving this Phyrexianized wurm a lot of lasting power if it lives. It’s not invulnerable, and a color-intensive mana cost does make this a commitment, but it’s more than capable of creating chaos and is a worthy mythic rare.

Constructed: 3 (it’s returning to Standard with Core Set 2021, so it remains to be seen how much impact it’ll have)
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4.25 (the mana cost is steep, but the payoff can be worth it)
Multiplayer: 4.25
Commander: 4.25