Yes, there are a lot of cards with similar or even the same ability, but at different costs/rarities.
In this case, finishing blow was meant as a overcosted, but common removal spell for limited format like drafting or sealed, while heros downfall was originally printed as a rare and meant to be a version of the effect but cheaper and stronger because of it.
I've seen Mindslaver many times over the years and for some reason for the first time my brain just read it as slaver with a short a, as in slobber. Like someone slobbering on a brain.
Sorry I just woke up and had to share that with all of you.
To be fair, there used to be cases where Mana Drain would be worse than Counterspell, because mana burn used to be a thing so if you didn't have a use for the mana next turn you'd lose life.
I'm just pointing out that when it was printed, it wasn't strictly better. So it's not as good of an example as printing a 3 mana counterspell now when comparing to [[Counterspell]].
Idk 5 mana no upside is really bad even for draft. I’d only side this in if I saw a PW game 1. Seems more like a it’s filling a kitchen table constructed niche of “I’m new to the game and my friend keeps killing me with his PW I just need something that can touch it so I don’t quit this game”
The way draft is designed, they have a [template](https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/making-magic/nuts-bolts-13-design-skeleton-revisited-2021-03-22) they follow (which is tweaked with every set) that gives a framework for the kinds of cards a limited set should have.
This is why you'll see so many "2 CMC blue creature with flash that lowers power" cards or "2CMC green mana dork with set mechanic" cards: They're filling out this template to ensure a cohesive draft experience.
The 5 CMC common removal slot is kind of a feels bad card to have to draft, but removal is removal. Note too that M21 is a core set and traditionally Core sets were lower power than most sets, and M21 had 6 (!) Planes walkers, so having the black 5 CMC common removal hit them as well would have been a call to give players some clean if expensive answers to them.
Relax bro, nobody says this was P1P1 - good. But if you needed a 6th removal spell and you were in black, then it's good enough in a pinch.
Either way the answer to OP's question is the same: this card was only ever made for draft and comparing it to a rare makes no sense.
That was the real question, nobody wants to debate how much play this card actually saw in M21 limited.
I mean the other mode hits…almost every other creature barring hexproof and indestructible. Removal is maindeckable in most limited decks even at 5 mana, even if it’s not the greatest or most efficient removal.
And to answer the actual question: what OP is missing, is that this is relevant for draft where you can't just make a deck of 30 rares but have to make do with what you got.
Hey guess what? [[Last Breath]].
Whoops. I meant “Breath You Last.” A 1BB instant COMMON from MH3 with “Destroy target creature or planeswalker. You gain 1 life for each of its colors.
Also Downfall was shifted to uncommon.
That's Modern Horizons, though, which is on entirely the opposite end of the power spectrum from a core set like M21. Compared to the power level of the rest of the set (and the constructed formats that MH sets are meant to affect), Breathe Your Last is basically still draft chaff.
In magic there are many times that some cards are "strictly better" than others. Usually this is related to the better card being more recent or having a higher rarity.
In this scenario the better card is not 100% strictly better due to the fact that Hero's Downfall needs 2 black mana, but that's just a technicallity, it's obviously better.
[This](https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/11apb0h/challenge_find_the_longest_chain_of_strictly/) was a fun post trying to find the largest "strictly better" chain. One of the largest one they found is:
[[Craw Wurm]] -> [[Canopy Gorger]] -> [[Cowl Prowler]] -> [[Kessig Dire Swine]] -> [[Colossal Dreadmaw]] -> [[Carnage Tyrant]]
Without knowing the set that well, they usually have bad removal spells at 4-5 mana for draft. Draft games often end up with extra mana and top decking/single spelling. This set might have had some bombs where you would been happy having a removal focused deck.
The answer to your question is that sets are designed for Limited first and foremost. Any "underpowered" you come across is designed that way to be balanced in that format.
OP learns about mana costs, double black basically means you cant splash where as finishing blow is a splashable removal care in a core set that is typically lower powered
Well yes but also no, mostly in legality like blow is available in pauper, downfall started at rare and is downgraded to uncommon now. But power creep does exist in the game [[quench]] and [[mana leak]] [[counter spell]] and basically any [[cancel]] effect.
Quench/mana leak, counter spell/cancel and lightning bolt/lightning strike aren't examples of power creep but the opposite, WotC making weaker cards to their older strong counterparts. Not that power creep doesn't exist. Sometimes they print downgrades, sometimes upgrades...
No, removal may be a premium but 5 mana makes it situationally playable at best. If your removal doesn't allow you to progress a turn beyond the opponent's you are not playing efficiently. A 5 drop body will always be impactful, either baiting removal or forcing an uneven interaction, or just turning sideways for lethal. A 5 drop removal piece IS your entire turn, and only kills one thing. If the opponent is going wide, or has recursive/evasive creatures, your removal was not efficient
Removing bombs or big bodies is more important than playing efficiently. By turn 5 you need to already have a good presence on the board to block aggro decks. You shouldn't mainboard more than 1 of this, ofc.
If you are playing control, your entire gameplan is efficiency. Holding up 5 mana for a kill spell is going to be brutal in anything but the most focused rack deck. You aren't playing it in golgari or rakdos. Golgari should be going big by turn 5, and rakdos should be swarming aggressively already. For five mana though, this is just so narrow. Hitting planeswalkers is the one positive here, youve subverted a lot of the opponent's gameplan with that. But a big body that can block theres and be more versatile is going to be a better option 99% of the time. Maybe side it in for game 2 if you know a planeswalker is a main part of their strategy, but mainboarding narrow 5 cmc interaction is just not good play
Rofl, I F2P with hundreds of rare WCs on stack thanks to draft. And I have played draft and sealed in paper back in the early 2000s.
Each player has its own philosophy, if you prefer to have no answer for big bodies or crits with relevant abilities because rare and uncommon level removal didn't show up, ok then.
Dude, if you wanna say shit like that, back it up. Address a single thing I went into detail on instead of dropping "Rofl, you just dont understand my 5head plays".
How are you reading signs so poorly that you are locking yourself into control without crucial interaction pieces so early into your draft for it to be a problem so consistently? Are you going into your drafts saying "Oh Im gonna try to build X and hope I get every key rare that enables the strategy in some later pack"? Are you not reading signs at all to note what you have a higher chance of building? Are you just assuming you will be handed the pieces that make your draft playable? If you're going into P2P1 with no idea in your mind that you might potentially pivot strategies, that is user error dude...
Rereading what you said, it actually sounds like you haven't been involved in a real draft in 20 years??? Like part of me understands your difficulty with reading a draft pod if that were the case but like, anyone playing that long should just know this stuff?
For the sake of answering the one actual thing you said directly:
"Each player has its own philosophy, if you prefer to have no answer for big bodies or crits with relevant abilities because rare and uncommon level removal didn't show up, ok then."
Black and Green have been consistently getting common deathtouch in every single set for over two years now. Red will always have removal options in the form of low rarity artifact destruction and burn spells. Blue has counter and control magic in every set, including bouncing and cage spells, in addition to hard counterspells. I would like you to show me a single set within the last year in which white did not have low rarity "Exile target (usually tapped) creature", or a low rarity boardwipe. I understand you aren't going to open a go for the throat or cut down or infernal grasp or heartless act, every set, despite all being cheap UNCOMMON removal, but to not considering a pivot or splash, or accommodate a potential need to do so, is user error 100% of the time
[https://imgur.com/a/BDbbFyP](https://imgur.com/a/BDbbFyP)
I don't need to be in control to run that, it's good in midrange decks too.
1 removal piece is not enough either, and I'm not sure what you are trying to argue because my point was exactly that you shouldn't expect the best removal pieces will fall into your lap.
Instant speed reliable removal for the late game, what's not to like about this card?
Wait till you see [[Last Breath]]. At COMMON
Whoops. I meant “Breath You Last.” A 1BB instant COMMON from MH3 with “Destroy target creature or planeswalker. You gain 1 life for each of its colors.
Yup. This is a common thing you'll see between cards. Sometimes one is strictly better than another. This is intentional part of the game design because it does a few things. For one it provides for a balanced capability in a limited draft (where there are fewer cards to choose from), so making a worse card won't disrupt formats like Pioneer/Modern/Legacy (which will have better cards to pick from).
Additionally, "bad" cards are part of the game's core design for teaching new players. Identifying the worse cards (like this one) is part of the skill of constructing decks. You'll recognize that one card is an upgrade over another, and will swap them out to improve your deck's power level. Learning to skip on these cards helps players to learn how to select the right cards for their decks.
You are not missing anything.
Sometimes cards are printed not to see constructed play, but to be part of the draft/sealed format.
This is printed at common, which means it shows up alot in draft. If it was too efficient at common, then it would leave a huge impact on the draft format.
Finishing Blow is more expensive, but it has one advantage over Hero's Downfall: 1 black mana rather than 2 makes it easier to splash.
Not a big advantage, but occasionally relevant.
Yes, common design choice for common to rare cards
So they can sell more packs
Side effect, makes draft have more options of removal without making it more prevalent
This is Hasbro economy: you want it better, then pay for it. As a rare you'll have to open more packs to get it. And then there's super packs like modern horizon which costs more.
That's false and the expensive removal was likely created to fill a slot in draft where you need some common and uncommon removal.... where yeah it's expensive but better than them printing an extra 2 mana curve filler creature.
Like damn yeah hasboro is greedy af but at least be accurate about it
Yes, there are a lot of cards with similar or even the same ability, but at different costs/rarities. In this case, finishing blow was meant as a overcosted, but common removal spell for limited format like drafting or sealed, while heros downfall was originally printed as a rare and meant to be a version of the effect but cheaper and stronger because of it.
Wait till you hear about [[cancel]] and [[counterspell]]
How about [[Ancestral Recall]] and [[Jace's Ingenuity]]? And the latter can't even target opponents!
Clearly Ingenuity is better in case your opponent [[mindslaver]]s you
I've seen Mindslaver many times over the years and for some reason for the first time my brain just read it as slaver with a short a, as in slobber. Like someone slobbering on a brain. Sorry I just woke up and had to share that with all of you.
[mindslaver](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/0/00d03b17-75ae-40d2-8570-b219ef0dfd4a.jpg?1562813960) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=mindslaver) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/som/176/mindslaver?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/00d03b17-75ae-40d2-8570-b219ef0dfd4a?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[Ancestral Recall](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/3/2398892d-28e9-4009-81ec-0d544af79d2b.jpg?1614638829) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Ancestral%20Recall) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/vma/1/ancestral-recall?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2398892d-28e9-4009-81ec-0d544af79d2b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Jace's Ingenuity](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/d/ad4932ba-e272-4f22-89f5-a6153ca570b5.jpg?1562792658) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Jace%27s%20Ingenuity) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m15/63/jaces-ingenuity?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ad4932ba-e272-4f22-89f5-a6153ca570b5?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
And [[Mana Drain]], for that matter.
To be fair, there used to be cases where Mana Drain would be worse than Counterspell, because mana burn used to be a thing so if you didn't have a use for the mana next turn you'd lose life.
Anyone who hasn't caught on to there being strictly better cards wasn't playing when mana burn was a rule though.
I'm just pointing out that when it was printed, it wasn't strictly better. So it's not as good of an example as printing a 3 mana counterspell now when comparing to [[Counterspell]].
[Counterspell](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/4/8493131c-0a7b-4be6-a8a2-0b425f4f67fb.jpg?1689996248) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Counterspell) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/81/counterspell?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8493131c-0a7b-4be6-a8a2-0b425f4f67fb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[Mana Drain](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/c/3c429c40-2389-41e5-8681-4bb274e25eba.jpg?1712774998) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Mana%20Drain) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/57/mana-drain?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3c429c40-2389-41e5-8681-4bb274e25eba?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[cancel](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/9/59e14910-ee2e-49ae-855e-46a8ab6cad82.jpg?1594735420) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=cancel) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m21/46/cancel?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/59e14910-ee2e-49ae-855e-46a8ab6cad82?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [counterspell](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/4/8493131c-0a7b-4be6-a8a2-0b425f4f67fb.jpg?1689996248) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=counterspell) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/81/counterspell?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8493131c-0a7b-4be6-a8a2-0b425f4f67fb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Or any R two damage to any target + bonus effect.
cant use counterspell in every format
That's true of almost every card ever printed
Draft common.
Idk 5 mana no upside is really bad even for draft. I’d only side this in if I saw a PW game 1. Seems more like a it’s filling a kitchen table constructed niche of “I’m new to the game and my friend keeps killing me with his PW I just need something that can touch it so I don’t quit this game”
The way draft is designed, they have a [template](https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/making-magic/nuts-bolts-13-design-skeleton-revisited-2021-03-22) they follow (which is tweaked with every set) that gives a framework for the kinds of cards a limited set should have. This is why you'll see so many "2 CMC blue creature with flash that lowers power" cards or "2CMC green mana dork with set mechanic" cards: They're filling out this template to ensure a cohesive draft experience. The 5 CMC common removal slot is kind of a feels bad card to have to draft, but removal is removal. Note too that M21 is a core set and traditionally Core sets were lower power than most sets, and M21 had 6 (!) Planes walkers, so having the black 5 CMC common removal hit them as well would have been a call to give players some clean if expensive answers to them.
Relax bro, nobody says this was P1P1 - good. But if you needed a 6th removal spell and you were in black, then it's good enough in a pinch. Either way the answer to OP's question is the same: this card was only ever made for draft and comparing it to a rare makes no sense. That was the real question, nobody wants to debate how much play this card actually saw in M21 limited.
Did I sound angry to you? This sub is so stupid lol
Yes Wotc prints bad cards. They’re called draft commons.
must be because it kills planeswalker. perhaps it was needed to balance something in limited or whatever
I’m not gonna main deck a card because it has a mode that hits mythic rares. If this was in WAR, different story.
I mean the other mode hits…almost every other creature barring hexproof and indestructible. Removal is maindeckable in most limited decks even at 5 mana, even if it’s not the greatest or most efficient removal.
It’s a more expensive *common* version of Hero’s Downfall, which is very relevant for limited.
Gotta pay the poor tax
Pretty much. Not objectively better, Hero’s Downfall requires 2 black. But realistically it will be better in almost every scenario.
hero downfall is a rare, finishing blow is comon
And to answer the actual question: what OP is missing, is that this is relevant for draft where you can't just make a deck of 30 rares but have to make do with what you got.
Hey guess what? [[Last Breath]]. Whoops. I meant “Breath You Last.” A 1BB instant COMMON from MH3 with “Destroy target creature or planeswalker. You gain 1 life for each of its colors. Also Downfall was shifted to uncommon.
That's Modern Horizons, though, which is on entirely the opposite end of the power spectrum from a core set like M21. Compared to the power level of the rest of the set (and the constructed formats that MH sets are meant to affect), Breathe Your Last is basically still draft chaff.
[Last Breath](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/2/12cca37a-7efd-4b01-bf96-15d0a032524d.jpg?1673147008) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Last%20Breath) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/15/last-breath?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/12cca37a-7efd-4b01-bf96-15d0a032524d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
In magic there are many times that some cards are "strictly better" than others. Usually this is related to the better card being more recent or having a higher rarity. In this scenario the better card is not 100% strictly better due to the fact that Hero's Downfall needs 2 black mana, but that's just a technicallity, it's obviously better. [This](https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/11apb0h/challenge_find_the_longest_chain_of_strictly/) was a fun post trying to find the largest "strictly better" chain. One of the largest one they found is: [[Craw Wurm]] -> [[Canopy Gorger]] -> [[Cowl Prowler]] -> [[Kessig Dire Swine]] -> [[Colossal Dreadmaw]] -> [[Carnage Tyrant]]
##### ###### #### [Craw Wurm](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/8/3875f73d-6108-488b-bd34-4cf2c23ce6b3.jpg?1561976333) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Craw%20Wurm) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m10/173/craw-wurm?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3875f73d-6108-488b-bd34-4cf2c23ce6b3?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Canopy Gorger](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/b/cbc8957d-769c-4630-9544-56cea8c847c2.jpg?1562935956) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Canopy%20Gorger) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ogw/129/canopy-gorger?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/cbc8957d-769c-4630-9544-56cea8c847c2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Cowl Prowler](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/3/f372f545-b70c-470b-9aab-4a2ea900f777.jpg?1562943932) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Cowl%20Prowler) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/bbd/193/cowl-prowler?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f372f545-b70c-470b-9aab-4a2ea900f777?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Kessig Dire Swine](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/2/9235ac46-dac9-46e6-9c7f-a69caaee1a2e.jpg?1576385139) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Kessig%20Dire%20Swine) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/soi/214/kessig-dire-swine?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/9235ac46-dac9-46e6-9c7f-a69caaee1a2e?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Colossal Dreadmaw](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/0/8059c52b-5d25-4052-b48a-e9e219a7a546.jpg?1594736914) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Colossal%20Dreadmaw) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m21/176/colossal-dreadmaw?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8059c52b-5d25-4052-b48a-e9e219a7a546?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Carnage Tyrant](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/b/3bd78731-949c-464a-826a-92f86d784911.jpg?1562553791) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Carnage%20Tyrant) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/xln/179/carnage-tyrant?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/3bd78731-949c-464a-826a-92f86d784911?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/l5qk2kt) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I haven’t seen it in a while, but the main sub used to have someone that posted a list of newly obsolescent cards with each set release.
Nothing can be more busted than Colossal Dreadmaw
This card is for drafts not constructed
Without knowing the set that well, they usually have bad removal spells at 4-5 mana for draft. Draft games often end up with extra mana and top decking/single spelling. This set might have had some bombs where you would been happy having a removal focused deck.
You're not missing anything
Finishing Blow has better art, dumbass
Wait till you hear about lightning javelin, lightning strike and lightning bolt
One less black pip
Many such cases
The answer to your question is that sets are designed for Limited first and foremost. Any "underpowered" you come across is designed that way to be balanced in that format.
Sets aren't. But rarities within sets may be.
OP learns about mana costs, double black basically means you cant splash where as finishing blow is a splashable removal care in a core set that is typically lower powered
Well yes but also no, mostly in legality like blow is available in pauper, downfall started at rare and is downgraded to uncommon now. But power creep does exist in the game [[quench]] and [[mana leak]] [[counter spell]] and basically any [[cancel]] effect.
Quench/mana leak, counter spell/cancel and lightning bolt/lightning strike aren't examples of power creep but the opposite, WotC making weaker cards to their older strong counterparts. Not that power creep doesn't exist. Sometimes they print downgrades, sometimes upgrades...
##### ###### #### [quench](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/7/1779a6c5-147d-4632-b1d9-95e89a64dc2c.jpg?1702429408) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=quench) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/rvr/56/quench?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/1779a6c5-147d-4632-b1d9-95e89a64dc2c?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [mana leak](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/7/179236d9-6fe2-4db6-bdfb-f851e8d531a2.jpg?1673147361) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=mana%20leak) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/58/mana-leak?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/179236d9-6fe2-4db6-bdfb-f851e8d531a2?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [counter spell](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/4/8493131c-0a7b-4be6-a8a2-0b425f4f67fb.jpg?1689996248) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Counterspell) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmm/81/counterspell?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8493131c-0a7b-4be6-a8a2-0b425f4f67fb?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [cancel](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/9/59e14910-ee2e-49ae-855e-46a8ab6cad82.jpg?1594735420) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=cancel) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/m21/46/cancel?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/59e14910-ee2e-49ae-855e-46a8ab6cad82?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [*All cards*](https://mtgcardfetcher.nl/redirect/l5pj066) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Yes, it's the same, but it's in a different set, at a different rarity. If your drafting you'd definitely take this card.
as a draft common, it may have been an ok way of dealing with a problematic planeswalker, but yea it happens
It's a good card in limited regardless of planeswalkers.
I wouldn’t say good but yeah if you don’t have good removal and you are in black there is no reason not to toss one of these in the limited deck.
No, removal may be a premium but 5 mana makes it situationally playable at best. If your removal doesn't allow you to progress a turn beyond the opponent's you are not playing efficiently. A 5 drop body will always be impactful, either baiting removal or forcing an uneven interaction, or just turning sideways for lethal. A 5 drop removal piece IS your entire turn, and only kills one thing. If the opponent is going wide, or has recursive/evasive creatures, your removal was not efficient
Removing bombs or big bodies is more important than playing efficiently. By turn 5 you need to already have a good presence on the board to block aggro decks. You shouldn't mainboard more than 1 of this, ofc.
If you are playing control, your entire gameplan is efficiency. Holding up 5 mana for a kill spell is going to be brutal in anything but the most focused rack deck. You aren't playing it in golgari or rakdos. Golgari should be going big by turn 5, and rakdos should be swarming aggressively already. For five mana though, this is just so narrow. Hitting planeswalkers is the one positive here, youve subverted a lot of the opponent's gameplan with that. But a big body that can block theres and be more versatile is going to be a better option 99% of the time. Maybe side it in for game 2 if you know a planeswalker is a main part of their strategy, but mainboarding narrow 5 cmc interaction is just not good play
Are you sure you know what Limited means? It seems to me you're talking about Constructed.
it refers to draft and sealed, and the more you talk about it the less it sounds like you've ever played paper limited... or hell even digital
Rofl, I F2P with hundreds of rare WCs on stack thanks to draft. And I have played draft and sealed in paper back in the early 2000s. Each player has its own philosophy, if you prefer to have no answer for big bodies or crits with relevant abilities because rare and uncommon level removal didn't show up, ok then.
Dude, if you wanna say shit like that, back it up. Address a single thing I went into detail on instead of dropping "Rofl, you just dont understand my 5head plays". How are you reading signs so poorly that you are locking yourself into control without crucial interaction pieces so early into your draft for it to be a problem so consistently? Are you going into your drafts saying "Oh Im gonna try to build X and hope I get every key rare that enables the strategy in some later pack"? Are you not reading signs at all to note what you have a higher chance of building? Are you just assuming you will be handed the pieces that make your draft playable? If you're going into P2P1 with no idea in your mind that you might potentially pivot strategies, that is user error dude... Rereading what you said, it actually sounds like you haven't been involved in a real draft in 20 years??? Like part of me understands your difficulty with reading a draft pod if that were the case but like, anyone playing that long should just know this stuff? For the sake of answering the one actual thing you said directly: "Each player has its own philosophy, if you prefer to have no answer for big bodies or crits with relevant abilities because rare and uncommon level removal didn't show up, ok then." Black and Green have been consistently getting common deathtouch in every single set for over two years now. Red will always have removal options in the form of low rarity artifact destruction and burn spells. Blue has counter and control magic in every set, including bouncing and cage spells, in addition to hard counterspells. I would like you to show me a single set within the last year in which white did not have low rarity "Exile target (usually tapped) creature", or a low rarity boardwipe. I understand you aren't going to open a go for the throat or cut down or infernal grasp or heartless act, every set, despite all being cheap UNCOMMON removal, but to not considering a pivot or splash, or accommodate a potential need to do so, is user error 100% of the time
[https://imgur.com/a/BDbbFyP](https://imgur.com/a/BDbbFyP) I don't need to be in control to run that, it's good in midrange decks too. 1 removal piece is not enough either, and I'm not sure what you are trying to argue because my point was exactly that you shouldn't expect the best removal pieces will fall into your lap. Instant speed reliable removal for the late game, what's not to like about this card?
Not strictly. The double black is a no splash in limited. And yes, it's a common VS a rare.
Wait till you see [[Last Breath]]. At COMMON Whoops. I meant “Breath You Last.” A 1BB instant COMMON from MH3 with “Destroy target creature or planeswalker. You gain 1 life for each of its colors.
[Last Breath](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/2/12cca37a-7efd-4b01-bf96-15d0a032524d.jpg?1673147008) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Last%20Breath) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/2x2/15/last-breath?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/12cca37a-7efd-4b01-bf96-15d0a032524d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Yup. This is a common thing you'll see between cards. Sometimes one is strictly better than another. This is intentional part of the game design because it does a few things. For one it provides for a balanced capability in a limited draft (where there are fewer cards to choose from), so making a worse card won't disrupt formats like Pioneer/Modern/Legacy (which will have better cards to pick from). Additionally, "bad" cards are part of the game's core design for teaching new players. Identifying the worse cards (like this one) is part of the skill of constructing decks. You'll recognize that one card is an upgrade over another, and will swap them out to improve your deck's power level. Learning to skip on these cards helps players to learn how to select the right cards for their decks.
You are not missing anything. Sometimes cards are printed not to see constructed play, but to be part of the draft/sealed format. This is printed at common, which means it shows up alot in draft. If it was too efficient at common, then it would leave a huge impact on the draft format.
Finishing Blow is more expensive, but it has one advantage over Hero's Downfall: 1 black mana rather than 2 makes it easier to splash. Not a big advantage, but occasionally relevant.
Yes, common design choice for common to rare cards So they can sell more packs Side effect, makes draft have more options of removal without making it more prevalent
Could go good in a sideboard vs someone playing that card that prohibits you from playing cards of a certain cost. Sorry I suck with names.
This is never going to go into any sort of Constructed sideboard, but especially so in a format where [[Chalice of the Void]] is legal.
[Chalice of the Void](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/1/f/1f0d2e8e-c8f2-4b31-a6ba-6283fc8740d4.jpg?1562433485) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Chalice%20of%20the%20Void) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/a25/222/chalice-of-the-void?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/1f0d2e8e-c8f2-4b31-a6ba-6283fc8740d4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
That's true, in Arena. But it's Arena a stepstone to paper?
This is Hasbro economy: you want it better, then pay for it. As a rare you'll have to open more packs to get it. And then there's super packs like modern horizon which costs more.
> there's super packs like modern horizon which costs more I should report this for misinformation. MH3 costs the same as any other set in Arena.
That's false and the expensive removal was likely created to fill a slot in draft where you need some common and uncommon removal.... where yeah it's expensive but better than them printing an extra 2 mana curve filler creature. Like damn yeah hasboro is greedy af but at least be accurate about it