Dread Wanderer

Twee
Twee Posts: 56 Match Maker
in MtGPQ General Discussion
So I just got this guy and, I'm wondering how he's useful.  His ability sounds like a really bad embalm mechanic and for his cost, why would he see play?

Comments

  • madwren
    madwren Posts: 2,259 Chairperson of the Boards
    It's odd, considering the paper version was a 2/1 for 1 mana that didn't have defender.

    It did come into play tapped, and you could recur it, so they did keep those features.
  • wereotter
    wereotter Posts: 2,070 Chairperson of the Boards
    I've been using him, he's basically a "fixed" version of Prized Amalgam. You can bring him back over and over since every time he dies you'll get the activation gems, but he doesn't just automatically loop, like Prized Amalgam did, with Liliana's third ability, and he enters disabled, so he can't block until the turn after you bring him back.

    Still a good card, and not a bad replacement if you're using Liliana, the Last Hope in standard events.
  • Twee
    Twee Posts: 56 Match Maker
    I would use him if his p/t was 6/5 but at 4/3 no way.
  • octal9
    octal9 Posts: 593 Critical Contributor
    I've used him via self discard and as a "haha eat this" target for fleshbag marauder. This has allowed me a perfect score on black node in ToA. 
  • Twee
    Twee Posts: 56 Match Maker
    I guess I should try him before I knock him..
  • julianus
    julianus Posts: 188 Tile Toppler
    Yeah, he's decent if you can cheat him onto the board via discard and return, kind of like Scrapheap Scrounger. Useful as fuel for a lot of black effects, including being the target for the above-mentioned discards or Bontu.
  • Twee
    Twee Posts: 56 Match Maker
    Right on thanks everyone. I was hoping he has some use cause Rares are very rare lately.
  • Phase
    Phase Posts: 157 Tile Toppler
    If you are paying 15 to get this guy in play you are doing it wrong.
  • blacklotus
    blacklotus Posts: 589 Critical Contributor
    Lili1 new BFF in standard. Pair him with Scrapheap and you have 2 cards made for lili first ability to discard. 
  • Dsagent
    Dsagent Posts: 73 Match Maker
    I still like Prized Amalgam more since he comes back with tokens. Liliana's Oath and that other zombie token cards brings him back all the time.
  • MtGMoxJet
    MtGMoxJet Posts: 38 Just Dropped In
    I use him as food for bontu
  • wereotter
    wereotter Posts: 2,070 Chairperson of the Boards
    Dsagent said:
    I still like Prized Amalgam more since he comes back with tokens. Liliana's Oath and that other zombie token cards brings him back all the time.
    Let's be honest, though, Prized Amalgam was a pretty broken card. Also it can't be played in standard events, so if you're looking for something to replace that card, this is a good choice.
  • shteev
    shteev Posts: 2,031 Chairperson of the Boards
    wereotter said:

    Let's be honest, though, Prized Amalgam was a pretty broken card. Also it can't be played in standard events, so if you're looking for something to replace that card, this is a good choice.
    I'm not so sure about that. Having a creature that regularly pops back into play is very powerful, certainly, but a 2/2 defender without flying is not a great creature. Zombies were never a Tier 1 strategy in Legacy.
  • Laeuftbeidir
    Laeuftbeidir Posts: 1,841 Chairperson of the Boards
    shteev said:
    wereotter said:

    Let's be honest, though, Prized Amalgam was a pretty broken card. Also it can't be played in standard events, so if you're looking for something to replace that card, this is a good choice.
    I'm not so sure about that. Having a creature that regularly pops back into play is very powerful, certainly, but a 2/2 defender without flying is not a great creature. Zombies were never a Tier 1 strategy in Legacy.
    I
     Disagree with you in this case. Actually my zombie deck was the most reliable in qb or events with enraged.. I'd consider it one of the first decks offering a competitive perspective against killmercybrianswind when i reached platinum. Althought I built other decks and used them more often, the PA / fleshback / Graf Harvest combination shouldn't be underestimated, even not in tier 1.
    Would be time to open s new tier above platinum, btw
  • wereotter
    wereotter Posts: 2,070 Chairperson of the Boards
    shteev said:
    wereotter said:

    Let's be honest, though, Prized Amalgam was a pretty broken card. Also it can't be played in standard events, so if you're looking for something to replace that card, this is a good choice.
    I'm not so sure about that. Having a creature that regularly pops back into play is very powerful, certainly, but a 2/2 defender without flying is not a great creature. Zombies were never a Tier 1 strategy in Legacy.
    When you paired your Prized Amalgam up with Graf Harvest and Oath of Liliana like basically everyone does, it is and was an incredibly powerful card that there was no way to stop its loop. Also consider that you're playing black so you can just kill spell fliers while Amalgam blocked things on the ground.

    Personally, I'd rank this among the most broken combo cards in the game as there are so few ways to answer it. 
  • Laeuftbeidir
    Laeuftbeidir Posts: 1,841 Chairperson of the Boards
    @wereotter I agree generally, but no way..
    Authority of the consuls = insta win
    Support destruction
    Exert influence
    Hixus
    Flyers
    ...
  • shteev
    shteev Posts: 2,031 Chairperson of the Boards
    Naah. Zombies can't deal with flyers. If you ever get a lot of Prized Amalgams, it's because you've been drawing them with effects that are more broken than Prized Amalgams like BTB or Ob's first. If you're using them with Oath of Liliana, then Oath of Liliana is the more powerful card in the combo. Ditto Olivia.

    Don't get me wrong, Zombies were a solid Tier 2 strategy. But they were never Tier 1. *Especially* when played with Liliana 2, who could only play 3 supports.
  • MockStar
    MockStar Posts: 7 Just Dropped In
    blacklotus said:
    Lili1 new BFF in standard. Pair him with Scrapheap and you have 2 cards made for lili first ability to discard. 
    This is how I've been using him
  • arNero
    arNero Posts: 358 Mover and Shaker
    edited May 2017
    One thing I absolutely agree with with this thread is that if you're playing black zombies, this guy is essentially a fixed Prized Amalgam. Not as powerful, definitely, but still useful since barring some effects (Vindicate and Wrath of God), you can't truly kill this guy. And that it enters play disabled is also one thing that would've made Prized Amalgam tolerable.

    Right now I mostly play this guy with Sorin, Bontu and Tragic Arrogance (and Fleshbag Marauder), at least until they fix the Prevent Damage bug which allows me to keep 2 creatures (Bontu + Fleshbag) while killing two opposing enemy creatures. Bontu is a bit of a sucky god in this game, but the Wanderer helps neuter his problematic awakening ability. Although having said that, Murder Investigation would've been a better help for Bontu in a Sorin deck, but aside from Sorin, the other black planeswalkers can still benefit from Bontu + Wanderer combo.

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