Reviewing 28 Zendikar Red Cards for Sealed
September 23, 2009 | Posted by Dee
Here we go with the red Zendikar cards spoiled so far on MTG Salvation.
Burst Lightning – R
Instant (Common)
Kicker {4} (You may pay an additional {4} as you cast this spell.)
Burst Lightning deals 2 damage to target creature or player. If Burst Lightning was kicked, it deals 4 damage to that creature or player instead.
Very good burn spell here. It’s splashable and it’s great at every stage of the game.
Chandra Ablaze – 4RR
Planeswalker – Chandra (Mythic Rare)
[+1]: Discard a card. If a red card is discarded this way, Chandra Ablaze deals 4 damage to target creature or player.
[-2]: Each player discards his or her hand, then draws three cards.
[-7]: Cast any number of target red instant and/or sorcery cards from your graveyard without paying their mana costs.
5
The new Chandra walker is situational. You want to play at least 8 red cards. The more, the better. I think with 10 solid red cards, Chandra becomes a bomb. And keep in mind that every red instant or sorcery spell in your pool gets a little better with Chandra.
Demolish – 3R
Sorcery (Common)
Destroy target artifact or land.
This card is not maindeck worthy. Many decks won’t be playing artifacts that you have to kill. Land destruction is terrible in a sealed since many games go long, which allows your opponent to draw enough lands. Plus, he’s going to flood a good percentage of the time.
Electropotence – 2R
Enchantment (Rare)
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may pay {2}{R}. If you do, that creature deals damage equal to its power to target creature or player.
Electropotence is tricky to judge. It’s terrible early in the game. It’s mediocre midgame unless you’ve drawn a lot of lands and/or you have a lot of quality cheap creatures. But it can provide card advantage late in the game.
I would play it if I had at least 15 creatures. If your deck is vulnerable to cheap aggro decks, don’t be afraid to side it out because it’s pretty slow.
Elemental Appeal – RRRR
Sorcery (Rare)
Kicker {5} (You may pay an additional {5} as you cast this spell)
Put a 7/1 red Elemental creature token with trample and haste onto the battlefield. Exile it at the beginning of the next end step. If Elemental Appeal was kicked, that creature gets +7/+0 until end of turn.
Most of the time you won’t play this card because of the restrictive casting cost. I would need at least 12 red sources to consider playing it. And even then, I would only play it if my deck was aggressive.
Geyser Glider – 3RR
Creature – Elemental Beast (Uncommon)
Landfall – Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Geyser Glider gains flying until end of turn.
4/4
Red gets a big evasion creature… sort of. Geyser Glider is a solid red creature. It’s got a respectable body and gets evasion on a regular basis. Again, don’t forget to save extra lands in hand.
Goblin Bushwhacker – R
Creature – Goblin Warrior (Common)
Kicker – {R} (You may pay an additional {R} as you cast this spell.)
When Goblin Bushwhacker enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, creatures you control get +1/+0 and gain haste until end of turn.
1/1
Most of the time Goblin Bushwhacker won’t make the cut. 1/1 creatures with a one-time effect need to have a really good effect to be worth playing. This creature’s effect is not that good. I would only play it if I had an aggressive deck with over 15 creatures.
Goblin Guide – R
Creature – Goblin Scout (Rare)
Haste
Whenever Goblin Guide attacks, defending player reveals the top card of his or her library. If it’s a land card, that player puts it into his or her hand.
2/2
Here is an aggro creature with a big drawback. About 42% of the time, you end up giving your opponent a land whenever it attacks. Lands are very important in Zendikar so I think the drawback is big. I would only play Goblin Guide in a very aggressive deck that can kill quickly since the drawback will hurt you if the game goes too long.
Goblin Ruinblaster – 2R
Creature – Goblin Shaman (Uncommon)
Kicker – {R} (You may pay an additional {R} as you cast this spell.)
Haste
When Goblin Ruinblaster enters the battlefield, if it was kicked, destroy target nonbasic land.
2/1
Zendikar has a couple of nonbasic lands but most of them are not very threatening. Most of the time your opponent won’t play a nonbasic land in the first four land drops. After this time, Goblin Ruinblaster won’t make much of a difference so I think it’s strictly a sideboard card.
Goblin War Paint – 1R
Enchantment – Aura (Common)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has haste.
I don’t usually like auras because you can get two-for-oned with removal. However, this aura has a place in an aggressive deck. It’s nothing too exciting but if you can kill your opponent quickly, he may not have a chance to draw his removal before he has to start chump blocking.
Hellfire Mongrel – 2R
Creature – Elemental Hound (Uncommon)
At the beginning of each opponent’s upkeep, if that player has two or fewer cards in his hand, Hellfire Mongrel deals 2 damage to him or her.
2/2
I actually think this hound is borderline playable. It’s pretty slow and can be played around. But many sealed games end up with both players low on cards, so it can ping your opponent to death.
Hellkite Charger – 4RR
Creature – Dragon (Rare)
Flying, haste
Whenever Hellkite Charger attacks, you may pay {5}{R}{R}. If you do, untap all creatures you control and after this phase, there is an additional combat phase.
5/5
A descendant of Rorix Bladewing. One of the best cards in the set.
Highland Berserker – 1R
Creature – Human Berserker Ally (Common)
Whenever Highland Berserker or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, you may have Ally creatures you control gain first strike until end of turn.
2/1
Unless you’ve got eight or more allies including a couple allies with three or more power, Highland Berserker is mediocre. His ability only triggers on your turn, which makes the ability only good for attacking. Therefore, I wouldn’t play it in a non-aggro deck unless I desperately needed a two drop.
Kazuul Warlord – 4R
Creature – Minotaur Warrior Ally (Rare)
Whenever Kazuul Warlord or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a +1/+1 counter on each Ally creature you control.
3/3
This ally lord is a bomb in the right kind of deck. That deck would have at least 10 allies including a bunch of allies that cost two or three mana.
Lavaball Trap – 6RR
Instant – Trap (Rare)
If an opponent had two or more lands enter the battlefield under his or her control this turn, you may pay {3}{R}{R} rather than pay Lavaball Trap’s mana cost.
Destroy two target lands. Lavaball Trap deals 4 damage to each creature.
The trap ability is too situational and eight mana is pretty expensive for a wrath. I would leave it in the sideboard unless I knew my opponent had multiple ways to trigger the trap (like fetch lands and Harrow).
Murasa Pyromancer – 4RR
Creature – Human Shaman Ally (Uncommon)
Whenever Murasa Pyromancer or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, you may have Murasa Pyromancer deal damage to target creature equal to the number of Allies you control.
3/2
This creature can dominate the board if you have enough allies. I would play it with at least seven allies but the more allies, the better. It becomes a very good, maybe even a bomb, with 10 or more allies.
Obsidian Fireheart – 1RRR
Creature – Elemental (Mythic Rare)
{1}{R}{R}: Put a blaze counter on target land without a blaze counter on it. Lands with blaze counters on them have “At the beginning of your upkeep, this land deals 1 damage to you”. (The land continues to burn even after Obsidian Fireheart leaves the battlefield.)
4/4
As long as you have at least eight red sources, this creature is very good. It gets better if you can play more than eight sources, since you can play it earlier. Late in the game, it’s a gamewinner because you can set multiple lands on fire in the same turn.
Plated Geopede – 1R
Creature – Insect (Common)
First strike
Landfall – Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, Plated Geopede gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
1/1
Plated Geopede is very good in an aggro deck. I wouldn’t play it in a control deck unless I had ways to trigger Landfall at instant speed like Harrow.
Punishing Fire – 1R
Instant (Uncommon)
Punishing Fire deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
Whenever an opponent gains life, you may pay {R}. If you do, return Punishing Fire from your graveyard to your hand.
Good removal spell that can take out small creatures. Remember to use the ability if your opponent plays one of the lands that gives him life.
Pyromancer Ascension – 1R
Enchantment (Rare)
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell that has the same name as a card in your graveyard, you may put a quest counter on Pyromancer Ascension.
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell while Pyromancer Ascension has two or more quest counters on it, you may copy that spell. You may choose new targets for that copy.
Way too situational. Pass on this enchantment.
Quest for Pure Flame – R
Enchantment (Uncommon)
Whenever a source you control deals damage to an opponent. you may put a quest counter on Quest for Pure Flame.
Remove four quest counters from Quest for Pure Flame and sacrifice it: Until end of turn, if a source you control would deal damage to a creature of player, it deals double that damage to that creature or player instead.
Too situational. It might be borderline playable in a very aggressive deck.
Ruinous Minotaur – 1RR
Creature – Minotaur (Common)
Whenever Ruinous Minotaur deals damage to an opponent, sacrifice a land.
5/2
Playable, but not very good. The drawback and low toughness makes it a poor aggro creature. Still, it can take down big ground guys on defense.
Runeflare Trap – 4RR
Instant – Trap (Uncommon)
If an opponent drew three or more cards this turn, you may pay {R} rather then pay Runeflare Trap’s mana cost.
Runeflare Trap deals damage equal to the number of cards in target player’s hand to that player.
Too situational and it doesn’t affect the board. I’ll pass.
Slaughter Cry – 2R
Instant (Common)
Target creature gets +3/+0 and gains first strike until end of turn.
Solid trick.
Tuktuk Grunts – 4R
Creature – Goblin Warrior Ally (Common)
Haste
Whenever Tuktuk Grunts or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a +1/+1 counter on Tuktuk Grunts.
2/2
This creature is pretty bad unless you have seven or more allies. Then it becomes playable. With 10 or more allies, it becomes a solid big creature.
Unstable Footing – R
Instant (Uncommon)
Kicker {3}{R}
Damage can’t be prevented this turn. If Unstable Footing was kicked, it deals 5 damage to target player.
This instant speed Lava Axe is playable in very aggressive decks. Other decks should not play it.
Warren Instigator – RR
Creature – Goblin Berserker (Mythic Rare)
Double Strike
Whenever Warren Instigator deals damage to an opponent, you may put a Goblin creature card from your hand onto the battlefield.
1/1
Mediocre two drop. It gets a little better with tricks that increase power. It’s second ability is rarely relevant since most of the goblins in the set don’t cost a lot. If you opened multiple Tuktuk Grunts along with enough allies, then Warren Instigator becomes solid.
Zektar Shrine Expedition – 1R
Enchantment (Common)
Landfall – Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, you may put a quest counter on Zektar Shrine Expedition.
Remove three quest counters from Zektar Shrine Expedition and sacrifice it: Put a 7/1 red Elemental creature token with haste and trample onto the battlefield. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the end step.
Borderline playable in an aggro deck. Other decks should avoid it.
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