Questing Beast #12 – Top 12 MTG Cards of 2019

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

This card narrowly missed being on my Top 12 list, which may have been because I kind of forgot that Oko is banned now.

Questing Beast is a great place to start our 2019 year-end countdown. Not only is the creature a core part of Arthurian mythology – strongly associated with Sir Palomides, the Moorish knight who was one of Tristan’s closest friends – but it has a devastating presence on any table where it’s cast. It strikes immediately on entering play, and it breaks open the standard aggro defense against midrange (ie. throw small things in front of the big guy and try to race by going wide). Its removal of damage prevention looks kind of taped-on, but I wouldn’t underestimate it: that’s one of the main functions of the protection keyword, which is becoming rather prominent again in Standard. Protection is otherwise quite hard for green to get around, and anything that helps it do so will find an audience.

Regardless of what exactly you want to do with it – smashing planeswalkers for fun, fighting back against token decks, or just playing things with good stats – Questing Beast is a great card. Perhaps we’ll get Palomides, Tristan, and Isolde themselves in the next Eldraine set . . .

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

This card was not on my top 12 list, though I did have it on my long list of cards I was considering for the top 12.

Truly the “beast in show” of Throne of Eldraine, Questing Beast is a creature with a lot going on. It’s hard to chump block, it blocks well after it attacks, it attacks immediately, it trades with most creatures at worst, it gives your board immunity to Fog-like effects during combat, and it also lets you ream planeswalkers when you go for an opponent’s throat. Considering that it’s also in what might be the strongest color in Standard at the moment, you have a true menace able to play demolition derby with board states.

While Questing Beast is certainly menacing (and is obnoxious to try and deal with), I was a bit lower on its prospects largely because of Oko doing Oko things and crowding it out of Standard for a while. It’s not unplayable in Modern (or Pioneer), as haste makes it far less of a commitment than it might be otherwise, but susceptibility to most of the format’s removal does not help its case much. It’s one of the most powerful Standard creatures at the moment, though, and it’s a nice “glue” card for decks that need ways to get damage through and deal with planeswalkers. I expect Questing Beast to be a menace for its entire time in Standard.

Constructed: 4.25
Casual: 4.75
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4
Commander: 4.25

Phat
Pack
Magic
YouTube

Hello Everyone and welcome back to Pojo’s Card of the Day.

The year is rounding off and while I’m still a little bit new to doing these, I certainly have my own opinions as to what constitutes the top 12 cards that were introduced this year and this Questing Beast is certainly one of them! This guy landed #6 on my Top 12 cards for 2019 and let me tell you why.

Questing Beast is a monster of power creep. Most old school players recall how powerful and potent Morphling was due to its litany of abilities. Questing Beast is one of those same kinds of creatures.

It has:

Haste.

Vigilance.

Deathtouch.

Questing Beast can’t be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less, aka no chumpblocks.

Whenever Questing Beast deals combat damage to an opponent it deals that much damage to target planeswalker that player controls. So it hits face and walkers.

And the most odd, and one I saw play out in person the other day, Combat damage that would be dealt by creatures you control can’t be prevented. I saw this in a matchup of Mono Green against Simic Nexus in Pioneer when a player swung for lethal and the Simic Player offered up a fog, only for those foggy dreams to be dashed by one of the more obscure abilities of Questing Beast.

This guy is insane, and definitely deserves a spot on the  top 12 cards that have been introduced in 2019.

In Commander, he’s still pretty strong and could be a powerful Commander given that he’s also a legendary. He’s also just a genuinely efficient green card that allows them to deal with Planeswalkers and face at the same time.

In Multiplayer he’s pretty darn good too, not as great as in Constructed formats but still a great creature that allows you to simultaneously attack and defend.

In Limited he’s a bomb diggidy bob-om. Your opponent is going to have to have removal to deal with it asap or they are in certain trouble.

In Cube, where my favorite lines of play resides this guy gives Green a much needed power boost for the Mono Color Green Deck that goes combo, and for the one that opts for a midrangey strategy. Seeing this guy on Turn 2 and 3 is incredibly frightening!

Constructed 5/5 – This guy is insane and gave Green a kickstart it didn’t need with Oko flying around.

Multiplayer 4/5 – Attack. Defend. Do it all and kill some Walkers!

Commander 5/5 – A hyper efficient creature that allows for good on curve play.

Cube 5/5 – Definitely a high pick if you’re looking at drafting green.

Limited 5/5 – Pack 1 Pick 1able, worth switching colors even.

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