I feel icky just touching the card
Yes, it’s bad. I would not consider packing it in my 40-card deck, even as a 22-23d card. If I got stuck with some multiples I MIGHT consider siding them in versus opponents that seem to get color/mana screwed. That’s a stretch even at that. if your opponent is playing black, you might end up helping them.
Ew!
Cute, but inefficient
Flavour is there. Lazav approves. I just don’t like it. You’re paying 5 for something that should have Cipher, but doesn’t.
Some grindy casual low budget mill decks will run it and have fun though.
I would hesitate to play it even in Draft and 100% not playing it in Sealed.
Having a bad ‘Birds’ flashback!
If there is one ‘Evolve’ creature that is expected to see Constructed play, this is it. It gets dropped on turn 1 and continues to deliver the beatdown as long as you can curve out. Dropping a second one on turn 2 followed by a 1 power creature like Delver of Secrets (for example) can be big. Next turn, flip Delver, play a 2 power guy and attack for 7 in the air!
Standard Delver ressurgence? Maybe …
I know it sounds a little sketchy, but trust me. You will see this across from you in a Standard event. Maybe even something like Red/Blue Weenie burn. Who knows?
Just like a Sweepstakes: many will enter, few will win.
Now go evolve your new Standard decks with Gatecrash!
Nice! Two abilities!
Yes, that was sarcasm! Obviously being a defender hurts it a lot and even if it wasn’t, it would never see constructed play. Ever!
Er…I mean : Get your playset today!
We’ve met before, no?
Yeah, I remember now …
Just kidding! It’s not exactly creature you would remember much unless you did some Mercadian Masques block limited events. It was even better back then since combat damage went on the stack and stuff.
You 100% want this in any red draft/sealed deck as it splashes well and doubles as a removal/potential win condition. If you are playing Red/White/Black, attack with Treasury Thrull and get this guy back to keep Blazing your opponent or his creatures. Not ‘blazingly fast’ though, more like ‘blazingly slow’ but it’s fine, we’re in a limited format.
He can obviously just chump a creature then tap, shoot and kill another one. Not bad at all for a little uncommon!
Not quite Falkenrath Aristocrat eh?
Nice something that looks like a vampire but isn’t. It’s definitely a great sacrifice outlet that can potentially become unblockable or dodge a removal by pushing someone in the way of it. (Love the quote) Stats are fine for the cost too. You can sacrifice a ‘enters’ the battlefield creature to it and use Treasury Thrull to get it back and repeat.
It does have a slim chance of seeing Standard play. I was thinking that since it’s a human it can fit into a deck featuring Ravenous Demon. Once you have nothing substantial to sacrifice to the demon, you can cast this guy and sac the demon and not fall victim to its disgusting drawback. Ouch!
Stranger things HAVE happened!
A one card combo? Neat!
A nice little token generator that potentially keeps on generating tokens!
Since the Cipher ability resolves after the spell itself resolves, you will have the 1/1 token with flying in play and can legally Cipher onto it. How cool is that? It’s a common play in limited for sure and most probably some will attempt it in Standard.
Dimir Keyrune and Invisible Stalker say Hi! as well.
Simple combat trick?
Yes, this is pretty much all it is. Whatever constructed applications you think it has are probably better server by other cards.
Next!
Combo?
Quite an interesting creature in aggressive decks as it can be a free 2/2 creature. Sometimes you can chain one into another into another. It’s more probable in Limited due to the 40 card deck size versus 60 in constructed.
> >
Combo!
I’m not convinced this thing will be good enough in Constructed but people will try, that’s for sure! I like it personally because in older formats you can play it on turn to into something like Umezawa’s Jitte which is great.
If you bring a bunch back from your graveyard via something like Living Death you get a mana refund which is kinda cool.
This is a pretty big deal if there ever was on in Gatecrash. A 3/3 creature for 3 in either Red or White with nothing but bonuses is really pushing the curve. Sure, it’s all colored mana and no colorless, but it’s well worth it. If you do some quick math, you will notice that this minotaur can take down things like Primeval Titan and Wurmcoil Engine (or both its tokens). These creatures are not in Standard at the moment, but they are in Modern. There just happens to be one obscure Modern format deck that will be trying to fit this guy in:
jeanhugues (3-1)
Modern Daily #4776257 on 12/29/2012
Main Deck
60 cards
3 Scrying Sheets
21 Snow-Covered Mountain
24 lands
3 Magus of the Moon
4 Spellskite
3 Thundermaw Hellkite
10 creatures
2 Batterskull
4 Blood Moon
2 Dismember
2 Flame Javelin
4 Koth of the Hammer
4 Pyroclasm
4 Relic of Progenitus
4 Skred
26 other spells
Sideboard
4 Mindbreak Trap
2 Slagstorm
4 Torpor Orb
4 Vandalblast
1 Wurmcoil Engine
15 sideboard cards
Yup! right at home! I had suggested Boggart Ram-Gang as a 3-power creature for 3 that would be good versus bigger creatures as well since it would effectively shrink them down with Wither. It was tested with less than good results, but I think Reckoner is a four-of in this build. The overall Moon color-screw package will remain as well as giving you the opportunity for hitting a potentially lethal Skred late game.
Come on Boros Reckoner, take one for the team!
For Legacy or casual decks, there’s always:
Blast from a forgotten past
Brother Of Runes 