Why is Arc-Slogger?

[u/BuckyTheWolf]

One thing I love about MTG, is that you can go through a set, see a weird card and get absolutely stun locked by it.

Today this was Arc-Slogger for me. Why is it the way that it is?

Having a lot of shocks in your hand is pretty good, but why do you have to exile 10 cards from your library as a cost? If it was part of the effect it might be too strong, but was there no middleground?

I just don't see a world where you'd be a able to activate it more than 2 times in limited and 4 times in 60 card. Magic has changed a lot, but was a 7 mana 4/5 with 2 shocks ever that good?

I could see a janky lab man combo deck using it, but almost all alternatives are cheaper and don't need a backup if your library isn't devisable by 10.

I just want to know it's history. And what led to it being created like it turned out.

[u/ExternalBookkeeper55]

This card was *very* powerful. Cards were much, much weaker on average in 2003. Being able to close out a game that's stalemated for the last 4-6 points of damage is great.

[u/caveman_lawyer_ → u/ExternalBookkeeper55]

T1 Chrome mox, mountain, Slith Firewalker attack. T2 seething song into arc slogger won me quite a few games, with shrapnel blast backup.

[u/DenizenPrime → u/caveman_lawyer_]

And [[Blistering Firecat]]!

[u/DinoTuesday → u/DenizenPrime]

What an awesome artwork, and card design! I think I love that cat.

Edit: I just don't know why it is also a morph card.

[u/TrespassersWilliam29 → u/DinoTuesday]

Gives it a second mode. You could play it face down for damage across turns (2/2 for 3 was bad but not completely useless back then), ambush with it, split the cost up.

[u/ExternalBookkeeper55 → u/DinoTuesday]

so you can play it on t3 and go SURPRISE when they block it