Well here we are.
Home stretch.
The end of 2021 is in sight.
And honestly, it can’t come soon enough.
There is no magical reset to the troubles and travails we face when the calendar year changes, but there is the perception that it can serve as one. It is that perception which gives the idea of the new year its power. It can and does have a meaningful effect on people, even in the short term. A sense to start over. To renew efforts, to stake out new goals, and to try to put aside old frustrations. A collective catharsis in the idea that the issues we faced the prior year are now officially in the past. Those issues don’t go away in January, of course, but even just the mental process of framing it as “new” can be rejuvenating in how to tackle challenges anew and restorative in the will to persevere. Sure, it can seem a little silly at times, but the idea of a new year does hold significance. If nothing else, it’s a way for us all happily to see 2021 in the rear view mirror for so, so many reasons.
Before that though, there exists the holiday season for many, and we’re here to revel in that ourselves! Which is why this week’s card pick is a dual color card wholly reflective of that celebration. And who better to lead that celebration a Magic faction known for feasting, fighting, and wanton destruction!
Wait…
Today we have: Rubblehulk
Name: Rubblehulk
Edition: Gatecrash / Commander 2016 / Commander 2018
Rarity: Rare
Focus: Creature Buffs
Highlights: I’ve traditionally had a mixed response to several of the Ravnica-based mechanics over the years. Some of them I have absolutely adored (e.g. Transmute, Overload), some I’ve appreciated from a flavorful or mechanical vantage but never found a personal use for in my own decks (Convoke, Scavenge), and some I’ve either found so unnecessarily complex for no substantive payoff or so boring or uninspired I sometimes forget they even exist (Hellbent, Afterlife, Adapt, Riot, and Mentor all come to mind). A few others I’ve held opinions on one way when they first appeared but has since changed over time, such as finding my appreciation for Forecast and Extort soften while interest in some such as Spectacle and Graft has actually risen.
Throughout all these trips to Ravnica, one mechanic that has remained aggressively middle of the road to me is Bloodrush, the Gruul mechanic from our second trip to this urban plane. While Bloodrush doesn’t particularly do anything flashy or super creative most of the time, especially compared to so many of the other mechanics we’ve seen on this plane, time and again it nevertheless proves itself a solid, workhorse set of cards that can be incredibly advantageous under the right conditions. And Rubblehulk is a key example of that pragmatic usefulness.
Though their individual effects vary, the central hook to all Bloodrush cards are that they can be discarded for a specific cost during combat to buff an attacking creature in some way. Not unlike traditional temporary buff cards from the classic Giant Growth all the way down, a well-timed creature buff in combat can be game-changing. Everyone has experienced the sensation of combat damage not resolving the way you initially expected, and it’s in those key ground pounding moments where Magic can pivot on a dime. It’s simultaneously a subtle part of the game’s strategy while paradoxically also being so overt and rote that it’s easy to overlook how often it comes up in a typical game. It is in that sense where Bloodrush doesn’t feel all that unique. Indeed, when used in this way, Slaughterhorn essentially IS just a Giant Growth. So it’s understandable why people may not get all that excited about it generally.
What makes Bloodrush so appealing though is that this act of using Bloodrush isn’t a spell. Much like Cycling or Suspending a card isn’t something your opponent can easily do much to respond to, Bloodrush discards are not you actually casting anything. Rather, the effect you gain comes from the cost of discarding. In practical terms, this mean it can’t be countered, copied, or stolen as a normal spell would, giving you (for the most part) reassurance that your creature buff can’t be easily disrupted in those key moments.
With Rubblehulk, that is potentially huge given its boon to bestow. It states that for just 3 mana and discarding, a target attacking creature will get +X/+X for the turn equal tot he number of lands you control. In Commander, this can be huge, as even during the middle stages of a typical game most players will be sitting on at least six or seven lands at a minimum. In the later parts it could be notably higher. On the low end, three mana for a semi-uncounterable +6/+6 combat trick is a hard offer to decline. If you could get +10/+10 or more down the line, perhaps with an unblocked creature? That’s game-changing into game-ending territory with very little investment.
Of course, as with all such cards, it only works while attacking, and that lack of defensive potential is the card’s inherent weakness. The tradeoff, however, is often well worth it. Moreover, nothing says it has you be your creature doing the attacking; while most of the time you’re likely to save such surprise boosts for your own attacks, Rubblehulk does provide the opportunity to change up the relative power positions on the board with very little investment if the right moment presents itself.
And besides, defense just isn’t part of the Gruul vocabulary.
Finally, Rubblehulk also offers something many other Bloodrush cards lack, which is an option to also simply cast it as a creature. Outside of drafting, the vast majority of the time a player will only use a card for its Bloodrush effects. That it is a on a creature card is almost immaterial. Rubblehulk is a rare exception to that. While not possessing any special abilities or evasion, it does stipulate that for six mana, it can be hard casted as a */* creature with its size equal to the number of lands you control. Which, again, as an absolute minimum provides something along the lines of a vanilla 7/7 creature. While a vanilla creature alone may not be super intimidating in a Commander game, it nevertheless could be helpful as a blocker, to whittle away your opponent’s defenses, or to take advantage of a board that may have very few creatures able to block it in that moment. In any event, it is a secondary option, and a useful one at that.
Whichever way you decide to utilize it, Rubblehulk is a festive, handy way of smashing through your opponent’s defensives – whether they see it coming or not. It’s not the flashiest EDH card out there, but sometimes the best gifts are the ones hiding in plain sight.
Happy Holidays all!
Keep an eye out for us to be regularly featuring other more accessible-but-worth-it Commander cards going forward. In the meantime, we’ll keep the light on for you.
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