This is a card I picked up recently for my cube, and I'm very excited to see how it works out. For a larger cube, or a cube looking for a medium power level (such as mine), I think this is a fantastic card all around - helps to draw cards, resilient to removal (I say this because you can remove counters in response to spells), and a useful discard outlet - all in a 4 mana body. I anticipate this card will be played in a similar style as Masticore - getting fed cards to grow its size, using it as a chump blocker or attacker, and stripping its counters when its time comes. Obviously its lacking the machine gun, but replaces this with draw potential, no upkeep cost, and no need to sink mana to power its machine gun.
And it's colourless!
Does anyone have any experience with this fun guy?
The problem with the Automaton is that if you're not playing graveyard combo, it reads "4: Draw a card, and rent a 2/2 body in the meantime".
It's good, but not great - in cube, you probably almost want to consider this card as being black.
I played this creature in my classic cube. He's a cool discard outlet and colorless draw. But he's not even close to good enough for traditional cubes. Which is too bad, because it's a cool card. With the loss of stacked damage, the validity of this card died.
I'm with WhatWaffle on this one, I loved this card back in Time Spiral but even then it was just on the edge of playability most of the time... With the rules changes it's just not every good.
If it was free to add +1/+1 counters, or drew cards by removing only one counter, then it would be pretty good. I mean 4 mana for a single creature fog effect that draws you two cards isn't unheard of, and giving it pay 1: Discard+Pump/loot isn't overly broken either.
This is a card I picked up recently for my cube, and I'm very excited to see how it works out. For a larger cube, or a cube looking for a medium power level (such as mine), I think this is a fantastic card all around - helps to draw cards, resilient to removal (I say this because you can remove counters in response to spells), and a useful discard outlet - all in a 4 mana body. I anticipate this card will be played in a similar style as Masticore - getting fed cards to grow its size, using it as a chump blocker or attacker, and stripping its counters when its time comes. Obviously its lacking the machine gun, but replaces this with draw potential, no upkeep cost, and no need to sink mana to power its machine gun.
And it's colourless!
Does anyone have any experience with this fun guy?
Can I draw a card and sacrifice it to Trading Post (as a 2/2)? I fear the answer is no, because it's a 0/0 at the time.
It's good, but not great - in cube, you probably almost want to consider this card as being black.
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If it was free to add +1/+1 counters, or drew cards by removing only one counter, then it would be pretty good. I mean 4 mana for a single creature fog effect that draws you two cards isn't unheard of, and giving it pay 1: Discard+Pump/loot isn't overly broken either.
Though it does draw you one card.