Blight Mamba
Yesterday’s little ditty, Plague Stinger, covered infect and it’s teasing potential in a pauper cube. It wasn’t long before fellow cube enthusiast Jamil Usman shared his thoughts regarding infect:
What strange creature is being referred to here? Obviously it’s another Scars of Mirrodin common, Blight Mamba:
It costs the same – 1C, a colored and a colorless mana – as Plague Stinger but lacks the flying evasion. The difference, however, is more than made up with regeneration.
Why is regeneration so valuable here? There are a number of reasons to look at:
- Regeneration with infect makes it a problematic blocker against opponents
- And, for the same reason, it makes swinging into something bigger profitable
- Regeneration is often very relevant in Limited (see River Boa)
Blocking this guy is a difficult position to be in since you’re either slowly having your blocker ground out via -1/-1 counters, or you’re slowing accruing poison counters. And by “slowly” I mean “potentially explosively” thanks to the same green pump spells and equipment that makes Plague Stinger truly frighting. Even better, our dance partner here is in-color for said effects.
“Terror.” or “Vendetta.” you say? Vines of Vastwood and Tim Willoughby’s preview today are great reasons to think twice about waiting until nine poison counters pile up.
I truly can’t wait to see the rest of Scars of Mirrodin!
And most def. draftable. Can’t wait for the full spoiler!
Indeed! I have my fingers crossed for either a green-red deck (artifact removal and fun critters) or green-black (infect all the way, baby!) deck to happen across my hands this weekend. “I’m pumped!” is selling my fervor far short!