2. Hard to kill. Targeted black kill spells often stipulate "non-black" creature. Can be pumped to avoid death due to damage from burn, combat damage, etc. This also serves to mess up combat math.
This is another one of those cards where I don't like it, but players who played during madness and such understand how great it is... so I keep it around.
2. Hard to kill. Targeted black kill spells often stipulate "non-black" creature. Can be pumped to avoid death due to damage from burn, combat damage, etc. This also serves to mess up combat math.
3. Gets around "Protection from [color]"
Not necessarily in that order
1. Usually I don't play a combo style reanimator deck with green, so I'm happy reanimating things that died anyway or that I discarded for value with Survival of the Fittest. But it sure is an enabler.
2. I have exactly three creatures and one spell that say "non-black". Also, to pump it out of burn range I have to spend more cards than my opponent, is that really worth it to save a bear?
Also, to pump it out of burn range I have to spend more cards than my opponent, is that really worth it to save a bear?
I'm not the biggest Wild Mongrel fanboy but I have room for him for now. I just wanted to point out this isn't really a fair statement as there is a lot of burn that deals 2 damage. To me the ability to pump at instant speed for no mana is his biggest selling point. This can make combat tricky and save him from 2 damage burn if you want to keep your bear. The other stuff happens but like you said doesn't come up that much.
It's a discard outlet, and with green supporting Fauna Shaman/Survival/Loam type decks in that color, it's a great effect to have in that color. And reanimator/rock decks are often black/green/x.
It does get around removal that can't hit black creatures. And it also gets around protection. It's not a ton of cards that it's relevant against (maybe 10) but that's still relevant. When it matters, it really matters.
Mot importantly, its just a good creature. Both on the offensive or defensive, it destroys combat math for your opponent. They can't trade with it. You can trade up with it and it can scale all the way up to killing 5-drops in combat. That's pretty bonkers for a 2-drop.
I think it's one of the best 2-drops in green, and perhaps the most important because of what it brings to rock/graveyard/reanimation strategies. Sometimes just pitching a Bloodghast, bashing for 3 and playing a land to get your dude back for free is a great play. Thanks Wild Mongrel, for being you.
Let's not forget that it can block creatures with intimidate / fear.
BG reanimator is the second most used reanimator deck type after BU here, thanks to Fauna Shaman, Survival of the Fittest (one of the best reanimation enablers ever) and - yes - Wild Mongrel.
Wild Mongrel is a bit like a Psychatog without the late game blowout potential, but with a much better initial cost to p/t ratio. Manaless pump is just so good in creature vs creature situations. Wanna block my Mongrel with your 2/2? With your 3/3? Wanna attack into my Mongrel? No? That's what I thought.
And btw, what green 2-drops are you playing instead? It's a 2/2 with a splashable cost of 1G and a very relevant ability. There aren't many better guys in that category around.
Where does this guy sit for people these days? I have this guy, survival of the fittest, fauna shaman, and lotleth troll to put dudes into the graveyard. Is that something green even needs to do these days? Would you be running him in a cube that pushes ramp and not much aggro?
We still play Mongrel, and the boost/color changing ability is certainly occasionally very useful, but I consider it among the bottom green 2-drops in our list. Which of course still means I think it's a great creature, if not it wouldn't have survived as long as it did.
If another aggressive green 2-drop gets printed the power level of Strangleroot Geist, it might push Mongrel out. When that day's here I will be sad though, we've never cubed without it and it used to be such a power house.
I'd probably run Mongrel even if I didn't support aggro. His ability to bin a fatty for reanimation is too valuable. Don't forget that several really good reanimation targets--Woodfall Primus, Hornet Queen, and Primeval Titan--are green. Green plays nice in reanimator.
I think it's still easily a top green 2-drop. Reanimation/graveyard enabler, gets around terrors and protections, and destroys combat math. A great investment for 2-mana.
We just cut him last week. He's fine, but the Jund value reanimator deck never really comes together here because the reanimator players always seem to force blue for the card selection and control of the game. People just didn't seem to play him.
It probably hurts that black has fewer "destroy target nonblack" spells, and we're running fewer creatures with protection from a color than ever before.
It's not the most important thing, but it contributes to his downfall.
Our aggro decks just don't have the cards for him to be that good in the late stage of the game, and he's an enabler for a strategy that doesn't get played.
Ya, if you don't play BG/BUG reanimation/graveyard decks, it's an expendable creature. Both of those decks see regular play in our cube, and it makes it one of green's most important 2-drops.
I really wanted those decks to see play, but the graveyard decks in green are more about Life from the Loam and Crucible of Worlds than they are about Reanimate and Animate Dead.
I always find that I have better things to do with those lands, like play smokestack or braids or something. And being able to give +1/+1 and still make my land drop doesn't qualify as "dominating combat" to me.
He's just mediocre. I'm glad he's good for other people, but I never played when he was good in any other format, so I have no great old stories that make me happy when I draft him, so my entire experience with him is limited to cube games where the best thing he does usually is make people think a little before he dies.
I've found mongrel to be a great hitter out of nowhere, especially in UG decks. cards like time spiral, fact or fiction, or even memory jar help it out a lot to explode out of nowhere. I've had a lot of situations with dead boards that were won just by sneaking a mongreal down and slamming my hand in the grave. he's definitely sticking around.
I can't remember the last time I put Time Spiral and Wild Mongrel in the same deck. If I'm going for the big long game like Time Spiral, I'm not playing an aggressive enough deck that I want to be pitching cards for +1/+1
I actually got the chance to draft Reanimator in a team draft this week. I played Bgw and had Loam + Wild Mongrel. He was amazing in several ways. Definitely a keeper.
Synergy decks are fun to draft and play, but in my experience (in both big drafts and Winston) the cards that are only good when you draft that kind of deck just didn't see very much play. Loam, crucible, mongrel, entomb, etc just aren't good unless you build around them and I found that didn't work often enough to justify running them. I prefer enablers that are good outside of that specific deck, like braids, reveillark, etc.
When I see Healing Salve, I'm often like "Oh girl, I wish I could turn every card into this." Thanks they removed the gain life part, otherwise this would have been broken.
Mongrel is still "good". However, I can see players cutting it if they a) are dissatisfied with the way it's playing for them or b) don't use it as an enabler. As a 2-drop attacker, it's really been outclassed in nearly every way over the years. The color-shift is a cady-corner case IMHO and is not a make-or-break reason to run the card
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
That which nourishes me, destroys me
10th at SCG: Syracuse (2014), GP:NJ Last-Chance Grinder Winner (2014):: Former Legacy Mod
I mean, hell, we're all on a forum for something that most people would describe as a "children's card game"...do what makes you happy. You are never too old to enjoy yourself.
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
I recently cut it because it never did much for us. Others praise it as the second best two drop in green after Tarmogoyf. What is it we are missing?
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
2. Hard to kill. Targeted black kill spells often stipulate "non-black" creature. Can be pumped to avoid death due to damage from burn, combat damage, etc. This also serves to mess up combat math.
3. Gets around "Protection from [color]"
Not necessarily in that order
Really? I'm not sure he would actually make it in my T5 list but definitely a key role player in the cube.
Everything he does is relevant, from changing color, to getting bigger, and of course discarding key spells to be used later.
http://hgcube.blogspot.com/ (help me Make my Custom CUBE!)
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=382498
The "Make a Proxy Thread
Redit Proxy Article "current gallery"
MY LEGACY ALTERS
My Legacy-Legal Cube <--- Draft It!
wtwlf123's Classic Cube
Lanxal's Pauper Cube
Cubers, UNITE! Don't forget to post your cube location on The Great Cube Map Thread
2. I have exactly three creatures and one spell that say "non-black". Also, to pump it out of burn range I have to spend more cards than my opponent, is that really worth it to save a bear?
3. That means it blocks creatures equipped with Sword of Body and Mind and Sword of Feast and Famine. It also blocks Mirran Crusader.
I'm not sure, actually. But I thought I read that somewhere.
As explained in reply to PhantomLotus, I think it is more that everything he does can be relevant but it does not come up often enough.
"What am I looking at? Ashes, dead man."
I'm not the biggest Wild Mongrel fanboy but I have room for him for now. I just wanted to point out this isn't really a fair statement as there is a lot of burn that deals 2 damage. To me the ability to pump at instant speed for no mana is his biggest selling point. This can make combat tricky and save him from 2 damage burn if you want to keep your bear. The other stuff happens but like you said doesn't come up that much.
It's a discard outlet, and with green supporting Fauna Shaman/Survival/Loam type decks in that color, it's a great effect to have in that color. And reanimator/rock decks are often black/green/x.
It does get around removal that can't hit black creatures. And it also gets around protection. It's not a ton of cards that it's relevant against (maybe 10) but that's still relevant. When it matters, it really matters.
Mot importantly, its just a good creature. Both on the offensive or defensive, it destroys combat math for your opponent. They can't trade with it. You can trade up with it and it can scale all the way up to killing 5-drops in combat. That's pretty bonkers for a 2-drop.
I think it's one of the best 2-drops in green, and perhaps the most important because of what it brings to rock/graveyard/reanimation strategies. Sometimes just pitching a Bloodghast, bashing for 3 and playing a land to get your dude back for free is a great play. Thanks Wild Mongrel, for being you.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
BG reanimator is the second most used reanimator deck type after BU here, thanks to Fauna Shaman, Survival of the Fittest (one of the best reanimation enablers ever) and - yes - Wild Mongrel.
Wild Mongrel is a bit like a Psychatog without the late game blowout potential, but with a much better initial cost to p/t ratio. Manaless pump is just so good in creature vs creature situations. Wanna block my Mongrel with your 2/2? With your 3/3? Wanna attack into my Mongrel? No? That's what I thought.
And btw, what green 2-drops are you playing instead? It's a 2/2 with a splashable cost of 1G and a very relevant ability. There aren't many better guys in that category around.
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker R -- Maga, Traitor to Mortals B -- Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW -- Sliver Hivelord WUBRG
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
If another aggressive green 2-drop gets printed the power level of Strangleroot Geist, it might push Mongrel out. When that day's here I will be sad though, we've never cubed without it and it used to be such a power house.
FWIW, I like Mongrel better than Strangleroot.
Cheers,
rant
My Cube
CubeCobra: https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/5f5d0310ed602310515d4c32
Cube Tutor: http://cubetutor.com/viewcube/1963
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
It probably hurts that black has fewer "destroy target nonblack" spells, and we're running fewer creatures with protection from a color than ever before.
My MTGSalvation Cube Page (not always up to date, but sweet pics of my alters)
Our aggro decks just don't have the cards for him to be that good in the late stage of the game, and he's an enabler for a strategy that doesn't get played.
My MTGSalvation Cube Page (not always up to date, but sweet pics of my alters)
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
My MTGSalvation Cube Page (not always up to date, but sweet pics of my alters)
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 50th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from OTJ!
He's just mediocre. I'm glad he's good for other people, but I never played when he was good in any other format, so I have no great old stories that make me happy when I draft him, so my entire experience with him is limited to cube games where the best thing he does usually is make people think a little before he dies.
My MTGSalvation Cube Page (not always up to date, but sweet pics of my alters)
My MTGSalvation Cube Page (not always up to date, but sweet pics of my alters)
10th at SCG: Syracuse (2014), GP:NJ Last-Chance Grinder Winner (2014):: Former Legacy Mod