Predator ooze playable yet?
Standard forum
Posted on Dec. 13, 2012, 12:03 a.m. by toxonic
Well I cant speak for everyone but my meta has been moving more towards destroy effects rather than things like Tragic Slip and Mutilate . If things stay this way would Predator Ooze be playable in a competitive way?
Predator ooze wins in my Golgari deck. I play it, scavenge onto it, and corpsejack makes it huge.
December 13, 2012 12:32 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #4
It lacks trample or evasion, though, so it can easily be chumped without much loss. It will usually get hit by something or exiled via Selesnya Charm if it becomes a threat.
December 13, 2012 12:34 a.m.
That is true, just seems to work well at my local game store.
December 13, 2012 12:37 a.m.
UmbrotheUmbreon says... #6
Epochalyptik, I'm pretty sure that just cause it has answers to doesn't make it not good. It isn't hard to give a creature trample, and there are cards to give it hexproof. Plus, if they continue to chump Predator Ooze , then pray to God you have something for other deadly things that hit the field.
I run him in my Clinging on to Life By the Skin o'my Teeth mono green aggro deck.
December 13, 2012 9:25 a.m.
alpinefroggy says... #7
But such heavy green investment and 3 CMC make a lot to be desired. A 1/1 body is the main problem. Yes indestructable is cool but without ways to up his ower a tad he is just another creature. And having some answers and indestructable is worse than say something with hexproof which is a huge problem. And the afformentioned evasion problem.
December 13, 2012 9:48 a.m.
I think the biggest problem to Predator Ooze is the prevalence of Azorius Charm . Control and UWx Flash basically get to toss it away whenever it's most convenient for them, all while going over the top with bigger, game-ending spells like card:Sphinx's Revelation or Thundermaw Hellkite . In an aggro-heavy meta, it's just fine, but otherwise, you're oozin' for a bruisin'.
December 13, 2012 10:47 a.m.
All very informative answers. I do have a soft spot for it, was one of the first cards that destroyed my starting decks and i spent ages trying to kill it. Maybe in green/blue to give him hexproof. A hexproof ooze + Rancor seems like its invincible.
December 13, 2012 10:57 a.m.
Hexproof is a very Simic keyword, so it may come up again in Gatecrash. I'm loath to have some kind of permanent or repeatable hexproof effect in standard, though, as I find that particular ability to be too high in power level.
December 13, 2012 11:08 a.m.
UmbrotheUmbreon says... #11
@Jimhawk: They already have a repeatable hexproof. Look at Ring of Evos Isle .
Predator Ooze with Ring of Kalonia is pretty deadly.
December 13, 2012 11:13 a.m.
I forgot about Ring of Evos Isle , probably because it's so inefficient.
December 13, 2012 11:31 a.m.
UmbrotheUmbreon says... #13
I think it's a good card. Slap that bad boy on a deadly blue beast and now you got issues.
December 13, 2012 11:33 a.m.
Mix corpsejack with the ooze and he builds power really quickly as well. He +1/+1's just by attacking, and if it kills a creature thats another +1/+1. With one or two corpsejacks it grows pretty quickly to be a threat in a turn or two.
December 13, 2012 12:17 p.m.
And then in 2 turns time he gets hit with the exile stick. Maybe equip Mask of Avacyn and start attacking? even splash black for Deadly Allure
December 13, 2012 12:22 p.m.
UmbrotheUmbreon says... #16
I use Sheltering Word for my hexproof needs. It's satisfying to see them waste a card and me gain shitloads of life while still killing them :)
December 13, 2012 12:55 p.m.
The_Darkhorse says... #17
The fact remains that if you want the ooze to be effective, you almost have to build a deck around him. Theres a reason tier 1 decks decks are using him and thats that he's just not that effective. Could he be come gatecrash? Maybe, but with lack of powerful mono-green ramp decks, he doesn't really find his niche.
December 13, 2012 1:35 p.m.
The fact that it has rarely (if ever) appeared in a Top 8 from SCG Opens, GPs, or PTQs means that it's not good.
December 13, 2012 1:53 p.m.
UmbrotheUmbreon says... #19
Well, I don't care if it's top 8 or not. If you don't have an answer to it when it hits the field you are screwed. I've used him in my mono green standard deck and he does just fine. I run no ramp, no tutors of any kind, and I've effectively killed people with him before.
December 13, 2012 2:10 p.m.
If you don't have an answer to it when it hits the field you have a bad deck.
Fix'd.
December 13, 2012 2:15 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #21
@UmbrotheUmbreon: If there are answers to it and it costs an unreasonable amount of mana for what it is, it can be concluded that the card is probably not very good. When you consider the other options available, Predator Ooze is just kind of lackluster. It's too expensive, it's easily killed (even with indestructibility), and it has no native form of evasion. If you want to run the card with the justification that it will be average once you use support spells on/with it, that's your call; that strategy just doesn't seem efficient.
December 13, 2012 2:46 p.m.
UmbrotheUmbreon says... #22
@zandl: You sometimes make me laugh with those statements. See I'm not a very competitive player in the sense of tournament play. I mostly play kitchen table (aka Casual), and the only competition is what my friends decide to play. It's meant more to be fun than competitive. I like to do both, where i make decks meant to annoy the shit out of people than to actually win....a couple deck ideas with minor exception to that. Also, there is such a thing as being screwed by either lands or drawing.
@Epochalyptik: True enough, but what kind of card can be run in a deck that is good, cheap, AND doesn't need any kind of support? I am not telling you guys you have to think it's a good card, this is just my view so sorry if it seems that way :(
December 13, 2012 3 p.m.
Good, cheap, don't need anything extra:
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben , Silverblade Paladin , Strangleroot Geist , Wolfir Avenger , Restoration Angel , Snapcaster Mage , Augur of Bolas , Ash Zealot , Rakdos Cackler , etc. etc.
December 13, 2012 3:05 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #24
You're welcome to opine whichever way you like, I'm just presenting a counterargument in this case.
December 13, 2012 3:06 p.m.
UmbrotheUmbreon says... #25
@zandl: So I can just throw Thalia, Guardian of Thraben in a noncreature heavy deck and it's still good? Also, what good is Silverblade Paladin in a deck that works with extremely little to no creatures? While the others are indeed good on their own, the ones I rementioned do need support, whether you can see it or not. They can't just be thrown into any deck.
@Epochalyptik: That's fine :) I don't mind a debate, it's fun when done right.
December 13, 2012 3:20 p.m.
Epochalyptik says it best, it is our call. I run things more for casual fun and just like the flavor of the cards. To me the Ooze works with my deck and I'm not afraid to lose him. For others who want a more efficient tournament focused deck, there are better options. So decide if you are playing to win first place at Friday Night Magic, or if you are there to have fun and try to place as high as you can with a deck that fits your preferred play style. In my experience, yeah he gets exiled but he gets some hits in and buffs before leaving, while my other cards do the work. I like Predator Ooze but agree it is not the best card ever.
December 13, 2012 3:38 p.m.
UmbrotheUmbreon says... #27
Oh I know there is better, but that doesn't make him any less of a good card in my eyes.
December 13, 2012 3:47 p.m.
So since you just admitted that it's your opinion, can we move on with our lives?
December 13, 2012 3:47 p.m.
The_Darkhorse says... #30
Its not that the ooze is terrible, there are just better cards that can take its place
December 13, 2012 3:52 p.m.
For me, Predator Ooze s and Lotleth Troll s cause all sorts of problems to all but heavy blue control decks. Regenerate and indestructible are two hard factors to deal with at once in casual/semi-competitive.
Epochalyptik says... #2
Not really. Predator Ooze is still killed by any -X/-X effect and it's prohibitively saturated unless you're playing mono-green. Even then, there are better cards to invest your mana in.
December 13, 2012 12:11 a.m.